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Twitter Talk
A wonderful undertaking by the Rams players:
The 5 Rams players who did the "hands up" gesture before Oakland game are going to distribute basic need items to Ferguson residents Friday.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 18, 2014
The five players purchased and will distribute coats, gloves, hats, etc to Ferguson residents impacted by the unrest in the region tomorrow.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 18, 2014
This pretty much sums up the Giants game:
The 514 yards allowed by the Rams was the highest total since Jeff Fisher became Rams coach in 2012.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) December 22, 2014
Wells might just be fixing those snap issues with another team next season:
Rams coach Jeff Fisher said C Scott Wells has been playing through injuries but said Wells has to fix snap issues which came up today.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 22, 2014
I'm so looking forward to another year of conjecture and speculation:
Roger Goodell told the Chargers, Raiders and Rams this week that there will not be a team that moves to LA for next season, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 20, 2014
That's just so...wrong:
Two Rams in top 10 of Pro Bowl fan voting: DE Robert Quinn (6th), RS Tavon Austin (10th). That's right, no Aaron Donald or Johnny Hekker.
— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) December 18, 2014
Gaines has enjoyed stellar rookie season: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
E.J. Gaines has made the most of his opportunities with the Rams in this, his rookie season. Gaines might just be the steal of the 2014 NFL Draft.
2015 NFL Mock Draft: Walter Football
Charlie Campbell updates his three-round mock draft. The Rams select LB Vic Beasley in the first round, QB Brett Hundley in the second round, and G A.J. Cann in the third round.
It's time for the Rams to start thinking about their QB for next year: Fox Sports Midwest
This will a hot topic throughout the offseason. No easy, ideal answers lie ahead. The Rams should do the best they can, to cover all their bases with respect to the QB position.
Brockers pitches in by moving: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
With the emergence of Aaron Donald, the Rams changed schemes on the defensive line. The Rams had been running a left and right defensive tackle scheme. They now have Michael Brockers lining up at nose tackle, with Donald playing the "three technique" position. Brockers has quietly had himself a fine season at his new position.
Draft Prospect Highlight Reel: OT - Ereck Flowers - Miami
Greg Robinson named one of 10 most disappointing rookies of 2014: Cover 32 Rams
On Greg Robinson:
"There were concerns about his ability to pass block heading into the draft, a fact that made his selection at No. 2 overall in a pass-happy league a bit of a head scratcher. And those worries have proven to be true, as he’s consistently graded out as one of the worst tackles in the NFL. In part, that’s because the Rams have moved him around a lot, switching him from guard to tackle midstream. But it’s also due to a lack of ability, something everyone knew in April."
Top 5 Defensive Coordinators in the NFL 2014: Football Nation
The job Gregg Williams has done with the Rams defense this year merits his inclusion on the list of top DC's in the league.
NFL QB is a thankless job: Sports On Earth
Being an NFL QB may indeed be a thankless job. At least it's one where the player is well-compensated for his efforts.
Nixon has faith in plan to keep Rams here: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Governor Nixon appears quite determined to keep the Rams in St. Louis:
"We’ll be as competitive to keep the Rams and make sure this is a top-quality NFL city as the Rams were in Atlanta when they won the Super Bowl. We’re really focused on the task at hand."
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Stat Facts Of The Week: Toxic Differential
| Team | Turnover Differential | Big Play Differential | Toxic Differential | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | 8 | 51 | 59 |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | 6 | 40 | 46 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| 4 | Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 26 | 28 |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| 6 | San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 18 | 22 |
| 7 | Houston Texans | 12 | 7 | 19 |
| 8 | Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| 9 | Arizona Cardinals | 12 | -2 | 10 |
| 10 | New York Jets | -11 | 19 | 8 |
| 11 | St. Louis Rams | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 12 | Cincinnati Bengals | -2 | 7 | 5 |
| 13 | Washington Redskins | -9 | 14 | 5 |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Carolina Panthers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | New England Patriots | 11 | -9 | 2 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -1 | 3 | 2 |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills | 10 | -9 | 1 |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns | 7 | -7 | 0 |
| 20 | Indianapolis Colts | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | -8 | -1 | -9 |
| 22 | Chicago Bears | -8 | -2 | -10 |
| 23 | Atlanta Falcons | 4 | -18 | -14 |
| 24 | Minnesota Vikings | -1 | -15 | -16 |
| 25 | San Diego Chargers | -2 | -21 | -23 |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -10 | -13 | -23 |
| 27 | New Orleans Saints | -7 | -16 | -23 |
| 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | -8 | -17 | -25 |
| 29 | Tennessee Titans | -9 | -20 | -29 |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | -5 | -25 | -30 |
| 31 | Oakland Raiders | -16 | -23 | -39 |
| 32 | New York Giants | -5 | -39 | -44 |
Heading into the game against the New York Giants, the Rams ranked 11th in the league in Toxic Differential. That ranking will be lower after the Giants game. The Rams' defense gave up a number of big plays in the 37-27 loss to the Giants, and turned over the ball three times (without creating a takeaway).
The expression "toxic differential" was coined by former NFL coach Brian Billick. Billick was head coach of the Baltimore Ravens for 9 seasons, and led them to a Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season.
From an article by Brian Billick for NFL.com in November, 2011:
"People are constantly looking for the right combination of stats to indicate the probable success of a team. What are the key factors to winning? Is it sacks, third-down conversions, first-down efficiency, the ability to run the ball and stop the run, total passing yards? All are important, but none are a precise indicator of success."
"Beginning in 1998, when I was the Vikings' offensive coordinator, I used a formula that I called the "toxic differential" as the best barometer for our team's success. Simply stated, the toxic differential is the correlation between turnovers and explosive plays."
The difficulty in trading Jay Cutler: National Football Post
Jay Cutler to the Rams? It's being bandied about. Joel Corry presents the contract difficulties a team will endure in order to trade for Cutler. The Rams will likely take a pass on Cutler.
Rapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams: ESPN NFL Nation
Nick Wagoner shares his thoughts immediately after the game between the Giants and Rams.
Rams fall to Giants, 37-27: St. Louis Rams Official Website
Myles Simmons re-caps the Rams' disappointing loss to the New York Giants
Giants, Rams scrum spills over onto sidelines: NFL.com
As the video can attest to, this was a chippy game, with many altercations after the whistle.
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Rams vs. Giants Highlights: NFL.com
Highlights of the game between the Rams and the New York Giants. Watch closely. You'll see why the Rams went after Odell Beckham Jr.
2015 NFL Draft Order: SB Nation - Mocking The Draft
After Sunday's games, the Rams are slotted at the Number 12 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Rams could end up picking higher if they lose to Seattle next Sunday.
Futures: UCLA QB Brett Hundley: Football Outsiders
Matt Waldman examines Brett Hundley in an in-depth scouting report. I'm pretty high on Hundley, and he'll be an intriguing prospect for the Rams in the upcoming draft.
Rams are no-shows in loss to Giants: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jim Thomas shares his post-game thoughts on the game between the Rams and Giants.
Rams D earns an F: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jeff Gordon hands out his weekly grades. It hasn't been often this season where the offensive units have received better grades than the defensive units. The Giants game is one of those times where the offense outshone the defense.
Even Rams defense hasn't moved past letdowns: ESPN
From James Laurinaitis:
"To give up 500 yards is embarrassing. They made all the plays today. We didn’t get a takeaway. We didn’t do enough period in every facet of the defense. It was self-inflicted stuff. That’s the thing that really gets you upset because you think you’re past it."
On This Day In Sports History
1946 - The Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Yankees 14-9 in the AAFC (All-America Football Conference) championship game.
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"The Brawl"
Giants, Rams scuffle after late hit: ESPN New York
Antrel Rolle says Rams were trying to knock Odell Beckham Jr. out of the game: nj.com
Rams coach Jeff Fisher alludes to defense being ticked off at Odell Beckham Jr.: nj.com
Brawl backlash: LB Jameel McClain says Rams "suck as an organization": nj.com
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Some words of advice for Mr. Beckham in his rookie season: If you're going to showboat, show up your opponent, and spin the ball in the end-zone, you should fully expect to find your head spinning on the sideline after T.J. McDonald and Alec Ogletree come a callin'.
The Pressers
Jeff Fisher Post-Game Press Conference: St. Louis Rams Official Website
Tre Mason on Rams loss: "We need to play better":
Jeff Fisher on the loss to the Giants: "Our own mistakes cost us this game":
NFL veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb says the Rams are just a QB shy of being a division contender, and suggests candidates for the spot.
St. Louis Rams Weekly Salary "Re-Cap"
The Rams currently have $661,903 in available salary cap space, 3rd lowest in the league. It looks as though the Rams will not have to create any additional salary cap space to make it through the season. The Rams have 69 players under contract (including the practice squad), 2nd fewest in the NFL.
St. Louis Rams Current Roster & Depth Chart
C Scott Wells Barrett Jones Tim Barnes RG Davin Joseph Brandon Washington LG Rodger Saffold RT Joe Barksdale LT Greg Robinson Mike Person TE Lance Kendricks Cory Harkey Justice Cunningham TE Jared Cook Alex Bayer WR Kenny Britt Chris Givens WR Tavon Austin Stedman Bailey RB Tre Mason Chase Reynolds Trey Watts RB Benny Cunningham Zac Stacy QB Shaun Hill Austin Davis PK Greg Zuerlein P John Hekker LS Jake McQuaide DT Aaron Donald Kendall Langford DT Michael Brockers Alex Carrington DE Chris Long William Hayes DE Robert Quinn Eugene Sims Ethan Westbrooks MLB James Laurinaitis Korey Toomer OLB Alec Ogletree Daren Bates OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar Will Herring CB Janoris Jenkins Marcus Roberson CB Trumaine Johnson E.J. Gaines Lamarcus Joyner SS T.J. McDonald Mark Barron Maurice Alexander FS Rodney McLeod Cody Davis Practice Squad Injured Reserve OT Steven Baker QB Sam Bradford OG Travis Bond RB Isaiah Pead TE Brad Smelley TE Mason Brodine WR Emory Blake OC Demetrius Rhaney WR Devon Wylie LT Jake Long DT Doug Worthington WR Brian Quick DT Matt Conrath CB Brandon McGee LB Marshall McFadden FS Christian Bryant
The roster is updated to reflect all transactions as of 11:00 pm, Sunday, December 21. QB Case Keenum was signed off the practice squad by the Houston Texans this past week. He was replaced on the practice squad by DT Doug Worthington. The Rams still only have 9 players on the practice squad (the limit is 10).
Worthington is a DT out of Ohio State, a 7th-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2010, who has bounced around with several clubs.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) December 15, 2014
Worthington, 6-5, 318, has been with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington, and San Diego.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) December 15, 2014
Only games he's played in (6) were in 2012 with Washington. He had 3 tackles and a pass breakup.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) December 15, 2014
Blast From The Past: Classic Rock Monday: Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas
Please have a great Monday, a Ramtastic week, and a safe and happy holiday season!!