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Twitter Talk
Let's hope they both get in. Kevin Greene as well.
Congrats to my teammates Kurt Warner & Orlando Pace on being among the15 finalist! Marshall & I are waiting for you! pic.twitter.com/uopleMbYiD
— Aeneas Williams (@aeneas35) January 8, 2016
I should dust off and sharpen my darts!
How many Kroenke complaints? More than 16,000, Twitter says -- https://t.co/P9EEYWSPEe pic.twitter.com/vnqukmiKMZ
— Weatherbird (@Weatherbird) January 8, 2016
This is the second game of Wentz's that the Rams have turned out for in full force. Could they be looking for a QB in the 2016 NFL Draft? He's Number 2 on my QB Big Board (behind only Jared Goff):
NY Jets, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans & Rams have personnel people & scouts on hand to watch Carson Wentz/QB/ND St at the FCS title game
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) January 9, 2016
Maybe the Rams should give this a try:
Cinn coaches more involved than any staff on draft evaluation...as a result they take ownership of " draft and develop "..very deep roster
— Mike Mayock (@MikeMayock) January 10, 2016
Task force lambastes Kroenke for "cruel attack": St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The content of the Rams' relocation application angered and surprised the stadium task force. They certainly weren't prepared for what transpired earlier in the week:
"We were not prepared," they wrote in the letter released on Friday, "for the cruel attack and false claims made by our local team owner to his League peers, in an attempt to punish and embarrass St. Louis — a city whose residents and businesses have loyally supported the Rams for more than two decades."
Pepsi NFL Rookie Of The Year: NFL.com
Please take a moment and cast your vote for Todd Gurley (one of five finalists) as NFL Rookie Of The Year.
2015 Rams Season In Review: St. Louis Rams Official Website
A quick look back at some of the players and statistics from the Rams' just concluded 2015 season.
2016 NFL Mock Draft: Walter Football
Charlie Campbell updates his three round mock draft. The Rams select WR Laquon Treadwell in the first round, QB Carson Wentz and DT Kenny Clark in the second round and ILB Antonio Morrison in the third round.
"An Absolute Aorta-Smasher": Sports Illustrated - MMQB
Peter King takes us through the week that was in the NFL.
Draft Prospect Highlight Reel: WR - Josh Doctson - TCU
Rams' Gaines eager to get back: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Looks like all systems are go for Gaines' return by OTA's. He suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury last summer.
Notebook: Top QB draft prospects, Kirk Cousins' value and more: NFL.com
NFL Media's Albert Breer touches on multiple topics in his exclusive Inside The NFL Notebook.
Donald, Hekker named All-Pro: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Well-deserved honors for Aaron Donald and John Hekker. Both were named 1st Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Todd Gurley was named to the second team.
2015 All-Pro Team: Wikipedia
2015 All-Pro team analysis: NFL.com
An in-depth look at the just announced All-Pro teams.
Stat Facts Of The Week: Toxic Differential
Of the 12 teams that made the playoffs this season, 10 of them were ranked in the top dozen in Toxic Differential. One of the other two teams in the top dozen (New York Jets) won 10 games. The Rams finished 14th in the league in this key statistic (+6).
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."
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Looking at key offseason dates for the Rams: ESPN NFL Nation
Nick Wagoner runs through some of the key dates leading up to the opening of the new league year on March 9.
2015 Rams Report Card: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jeff Gordon grades the Rams players, head coach and general manager for the 2015 season.
2016 NFL Draft underclassmen tracker: SB Nation - Mocking The Draft
Which college players are going pro? MTD's Dan Kadar will keep us updated on declarations as the deadline date (January 18) approaches.
Complete History Of The NFL
: FiveThirtyEight
How do the Rams rate as an NFL team since their inception in 1937? A mediocre record overall and three NFL Championships.
On This Day In Sports History
1987 - "The Drive". Trailing the Cleveland Browns 20-13 with only 5:32 remaining in the AFC Championship Game (and the ball on their own two-yard line), Denver quarterback John Elway drove his team 98 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, which the Broncos won in overtime to advance to Super Bowl XXI.
1970 - Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-7 in New Orleans. Super Bowl MVP: Len Dawson - Kansas City - QB
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Breaking down final steps of NFL move to LA: Los Angeles Daily News
I can tell you this much: I don't have a dog in this fight. The first 26 years of being a Rams fan, they were the Los Angeles Rams. The past 21 years, the St. Louis Rams. No matter where they end up, I'll always be a Rams fan. It's in my blood!
2016 St. Louis Rams Complete Salary Cap Update: Turf Show Times
ICYMI. Last week I published a complete breakdown of the Rams' salary cap position heading into the offseason. Currently the Rams have close to $33 million in available salary cap space to sign/re-sign Free Agents.
It's tough to make the playoffs without a QB: 101 Sports ESPN
In his "Memo to the Rams" Bernie Miklasz offers the following regarding the Rams' QB situation:
"For NFL teams that lack continuity and quality at the quarterback position, the message is simple: you’d better find a way to land a franchise-caliber quarterback."
The choice should be clear: Bring the Rams back to Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times
Is the choice really THAT clear?
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Top 10 Defensive Lines This Season: Pro Football Focus
The Rams' defensive line is ranked 3rd overall by PFF for the 2015 season. They likely would have challenged for the top spot if Chris Long and Robert Quinn had been healthy throughout the regular season.
Led by Todd Gurley, Rams' rookies offer some hope: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
I, too, was sceptical of the Rams' 2015 NFL Draft selections. Todd Gurley, Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown helped ease some of my concerns.
3 Year-Old Roasts Stan Kroenke For Trying To Move The Rams: Deadspin
Out of the mouths of babes...
Rams fall short of "first-tier: status: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jim Thomas hands out his yearly Rams grades.
Wildcard Weekend
Blair Walsh hooks short field goal; Seahawks survive vs. Vikings: Yahoo Sports
Seattle was (and is) my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. In a defensive struggle, they defeated the Vikings 10-9 in the third coldest game in NFL history (behind the Ice Bowl and Freezer Bowl).
Chiefs get first playoff win in 22 years, say they aren't done: ESPN NFL Nation
The Kansas City Chiefs won their 11th game in a row, defeating the Houston Texans 30-0. The Chiefs move on to face New England in next Saturday's divisional-round playoff game at Gillette Stadium.
Anatomy of a meltdown: 5 plays that sunk the Bengals: NFL.com
The Cincinnati Bengals lost 18-16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a last minute field-goal. Two terrible penalties cost the Bengals in the waning moments, penalties which allowed the Steelers an easy attempt to win the game.
Green Bay beats Washington to advance: Yahoo Sports
The Pack is back. A resounding 35-18 victory over the Washington Redskins keeps Green Bay's Super Bowl hopes alive.
The accompanying chart presents my bracket and picks for the playoffs (published on Friday):
| Home | Away | Winner | Score |
| Wildcard | Weekend | ||
| Houston | Kansas City | Kansas City | 17 14 |
| Cincinnati | Pittsburgh | Cincinnati | 23 20 |
| Minnesota | Seattle | Seattle | 16 13 |
| Washington | Green Bay | Green Bay | 27 24 |
| Divisional | Weekend | ||
| Denver | Kansas City | Denver | 19 16 |
| New England | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | 31 24 |
| Carolina | Seattle | Seattle | 23 17 |
| Arizona | Green Bay | Arizona | 27 17 |
| Championship | Weekend | ||
| Denver | Cincinnati | Denver | 20 17 |
| Arizona | Seattle | Seattle | 21 20 |
| Super Bowl 50 | |||
| Seattle | Denver | Denver | 24 20 |
More On Relocation
Roger Goodell says NFL stadium proposals are not viable in Oakland, St. Louis and San Diego: Los Angeles Times
Roger Goodell's Anti-St. Louis Report Was No Surprise: 101 Sports ESPN
How Stan Kroenke drove the NFL back to LA: The Orange County Register
"If the NFL’s Road to Back to LA, a meandering and maddening journey covering parts of three decades, in Houston makes a final and irreversible turn west on Interstate 10 it will be largely because of Kroenke’s boldness."
St. Louis Rams Weekly Salary "Re-Cap"
The Rams have $2,007,938 in available salary cap space as of 11:00 pm, Sunday, January 10. Please check here and here at Rams In Perspective for my regular salary cap updates throughout the year.
St. Louis Rams Current Roster & Depth Chart
| C | Tim Barnes | Demetrius Rhaney | Eric Kush | |
| RG | Jamon Brown | Cody Wichmann | Brian Folkerts | |
| LG | Rodger Saffold | Garrett Reynolds | David Arkin | |
| RT | Rob Havenstein | Andrew Donnal | ||
| LT | Greg Robinson | Darrell Williams | Isaiah Battle | |
| TE | Lance Kendricks | Cory Harkey | ||
| TE | Jared Cook | Justice Cunningham | ||
| WR | Tavon Austin | Stedman Bailey | Isiah Ferguson | |
| WR | Kenny Britt | Brian Quick | Nick Toon | |
| WR | Wes Welker | Bradley Marquez | Deon Long | |
| RB | Tre Mason | Benny Cunningham | Malcolm Brown | Zach Laskey |
| RB | Todd Gurley | Chase Reynolds | Trey Watts | |
| QB | Case Keenum | Nick Foles | Sean Mannion | |
| PK | Greg Zuerlein | |||
| P | John Hekker | |||
| LS | Jake McQuaide | |||
| DT | Aaron Donald | Nick Fairley | Louis Trinca-Pasat | |
| DT | Michael Brockers | Ethan Westbrooks | Doug Worthington | |
| DE | Chris Long | Eugene Sims | ||
| DE | Robert Quinn | William Hayes | Matt Longacre | |
| MLB | James Laurinaitis | Bryce Hager | Matthew Wells | |
| OLB | Mark Barron | Daren Bates | Zack Hodges | |
| OLB | Alec Ogletree | Akeem Ayers | Cameron Lynch | |
| CB | Janoris Jenkins | Marcus Roberson | Eric Patterson | Troy Hill |
| CB | Trumaine Johnson | E.J. Gaines | Lamarcus Joyner | |
| SS | Tim McDonald Jr. | Maurice Alexander | ||
| FS | Rodney McLeod | Cody Davis | Christian Bryant | |
| 72 Players Total |
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