Fuck, I just turned into Tino Martinez.  How many posts before I can get rid of this handle.  I've never resorted to a series of one word posts, but I'm tempted in this case. 

Maybe I need to go to the political thread and start an argument with Max.

forsberg_us wrote:

Fuck, I just turned into Tino Martinez.  How many posts before I can get rid of this handle.  I've never resorted to a series of one word posts, but I'm tempted in this case. 

Maybe I need to go to the political thread and start an argument with Max.

You are past the utility players and part time players and have just broken into everyday players.  Congrats.

APRTW wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

I tried to watch the Rams last night.  I havent watch much football the last few weeks and havent seen the Rams all year.  Not to dig at the Rams fans but that was a boring ass game.  It was like watching a bad college football game.

AP, I don't think you would find a Rams fan that would disagree with you.  I was at 7 of the 8 home games this year and watched all of the road games.  They were a better team than they showed last night.  That's the most disappointing part of what transpired last night.

The game could have been fun if the Rams WR could catch or if Bradford ever threw the ball over 10 feet.

The coaching staff rarely let Bradford throw anything downfield.  Hopefully that's because the coaches realized the Rams receivers, as a rule, aren't good enough to get separation down field.  If the Rams upgrade at receiver, but still run that offense, they'll run Spagnuolo and his coaches out of town pretty quickly.

forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Fuck, I just turned into Tino Martinez.  How many posts before I can get rid of this handle.  I've never resorted to a series of one word posts, but I'm tempted in this case. 

Maybe I need to go to the political thread and start an argument with Max.

You are past the utility players and part time players and have just broken into everyday players.  Congrats.

I'd rather be a good utility player than a shitty everyday player.

Not to discourage you but it doesnt get to much better.  It has been hard for me to generate a list of everyday players from 2000-2010 that are order from least effective to most.

tkihshbt wrote:

Blaine Gabbert declared for the draft today. This means that JaMarcus Mallett, as Darth is calling him, just lost himself a chunk of money. And maybe I'm crazy, but the Tigers are going to be better with James Franklin. I know Gabbert has talent out the butt, but he would have been better served in a pro style offense. He just didn't seem like a good fit within Pinkel's weird scheme.

I wish Gabbert well, but I'm not convinced he's going to do that well in the NFL. I haven't seen anything to suggest he's learned how to work through his progressions and he seemed to have a major case of happy feet.  Not to mention he never attempted a single pass that began under center. His best chance of success would be to land in an Aaron Rogers/Phillip Rivers situation where he didn't have to play for at least a year, maybe two. But if he ends up a first round pick, someone is going to feel pressure to throw him in right away and it may not go well

Yeah, I agree. I was discussing this with my father today, but it just seemed like Gabbert was missing something. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seemed like when Chase Daniel had the ball in his hands, you felt confident he'd be able to get the ball in the right hands and move downfield. I know Gabbert didn't have Maclin, Coffman, Rucker, etc., but I think if he's the quarterback scouts say he's going to be, he would have made stars out of Moe, Kemp, Egnew, etc.

That heave to Alexander was the second-best pass he threw all season, counting the preseason, too. His best was this play-action rollout against the Patriots where he delivered a 38-yard strike to Donnie Avery, who subsequently tore up his knee while being tackled.

Fors is right that Spags and Co. will get the boot if they pull last night's shenanigans next season. They should have an explosive rookie at wide receiver, Mark Clayton as a solid possession guy, Donnie Avery, Danny Amendola or even 6'5" Alexander in the slot, plus the best tight end nobody knows (Mike Hoomanawanui). Not even Art Shell could screw it up.

artie_fufkin wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

The game could have been fun if the Rams WR could catch or if Bradford ever threw the ball over 10 feet.

The coaching staff rarely let Bradford throw anything downfield.  Hopefully that's because the coaches realized the Rams receivers, as a rule, aren't good enough to get separation down field.  If the Rams upgrade at receiver, but still run that offense, they'll run Spagnuolo and his coaches out of town pretty quickly.

There was that graphic NBC showed in the 4th quarter that only four of Bradford's first 25 attempts were beyond 10 yards. Then he uncorked this gorgeous heave about 60 yards in the air that the receiver (Alexander?) played like he had an allergy to pigskin. I think even Collinsworth said something like "That's why the Rams don't throw the ball deep."

I doubt Collinsworth spent much time watching Rams games to know why they did or didn't throw downfield.

Alexander made that same catch in his first game as a pro. He obviously botched the ball last night--no excuse not to at least get hands on that ball--but the main reason they didn't throw downfield was that Gibson, Robinson and Amendola can't create separation. They drafted a kid, Mardy Gilyard, who was supposed to provide a downfield threat, but he was inactive most of the season because he couldn't learn the playbook.

artie_fufkin wrote:

APRTW wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

***Raiders conspiracy theory alert***

Not knowing and too lazy to look up who plays whom on the road next season, the Rams ought to have a huge advantage when it comes to travel. You'd think every team in the division will have to play at least four games on the East Coast, and the other three have to fly all the way across the country. The Rams only have to travel halfway across the country.
I doubt the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals are going to get the same perk Goodell gave to the Patriots a few years ago when he scheduled their four West Coast games in two consecutive sets. The Raiders certainly never get the same consideration.
I can tell you from experience the Chiefs have a travel edge in the AFC West being located where they are. West Coast teams just aren't programmed to fly across the country to play games that start at 10 a.m. their time.

Traveling shouldnt be that big of an issue.  There is a week between game.  It isnt like they have to load up, land and play in a few hours like baseball team do sometimes.

It's a huge advantage. Why do MLB teams schedule road trips to either coast in 6-9 game blocks? But it's not just the travel, AP. It's the disparity of travel. I realize there are more NFL teams in the eastern time zone, but one of them shouldn't whine and stamp their feet about playing on the West coast four times in a season when the West coast teams average four trips a year.
And then there's the time zone changes. If you've ever flown east for any significant distance, you know what I mean. Jet lag is a real thing.

A MLB team has to play several games.  I could see how that could wear you down.  A NFL team plays one game and has all week to get ready and fly out there.  I am not saying it is meaningless but it is a poor excuse for losing games.

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"Less commonly referred to as "Michael Bishop Disease."
(Yeah, that's right. I pulled a K-State reference out my ass. What about it?!?)

I have been to Manhattan once. I was representing a kid who came out the same year as Darren Sproles and was at the school for "Pro Day" which is basically the Combine for kids who don't get invited to the Combine. 

The players were doing the bench press test (number of reps at 225). K-State had this huge kid who had rarely played, but decided to work out. He starts ripping off reps like it was 25 pounds. Somewhere in the low 30s, he failed to completely lock out and the scout who was keeping track immediately called him on it. As the bar was on its way down, the kid stops, let's fly with the loudest "Fuck!!!!" you've ever heard, pushes it back up and completes the rep. While this is going on, I'm standing next to Charlie Joyner who was working for the Chiefs. I had got to know Charlie a little bit from a few other Pro Days I had attended. After this kid stopped mid-rep, Charlie looks at me and says, "damn, you know how many steroids you got to take to do that?" The kid ended up doing 53 reps with the 225, and there wasn't a team in the league that would touch him.

They do that pre pro-bowl during the skills challenge.  I think Larry Allen is the all time leader with 43.

tkihshbt wrote:

APRTW wrote:

A MLB team has to play several games.  I could see how that could wear you down.  A NFL team plays one game and has all week to get ready and fly out there.  I am not saying it is meaningless but it is a poor excuse for losing games.

Darth is right: West Coast teams are at a big disadvantage playing 1 p.m. games in the Eastern time zone.

So I am supposed to feel sorry for a bunch of millionares because they have to fly across the country in a private jet and wake up to be ready to play a game at 9am there time.  They can wake up and play.  Sure they might not like it but really, come on.

tkihshbt wrote:

I don't think anyone is asking you to feel sorry for them, but it diminishes how a team plays and can make for a lousy game. In MLB, that's fine. There's always a game the next day. But the stakes are high in every NFL game.

I would counter that by saying that there is a week between games.  They have a whole week to figure out the best way to adjust to a game on the other coast.  Really the difference a team flying to the midwest or the other coast is only an extra hour on a plate and a hour earlier game time.  What is the huge dissadvantage anyway?  That they lack a good nights rest or that they have to play the game earlier in the day?  Sure it would be alot better to take a plane to Chicago to St. Louis but I cant think that a longer trip for a coast team effects the game that much.