Giants will look to get season started on a good note If you cared to look at betting odds throughout the offseason, you would have found that the New York Giants spent most of that time as the favorite over the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 1 game this Sunday at MetLife Stadium. That has changed. With Week 1 here, the Giants are 1.5-point underdogs to the Vikings, per FanDuel. The Giants are +128 on the moneyline, and the 41.5-point over/under is -110. The Giants will not only be at home, they will be throwing a 100th season of NFL competition party. They will be wearing their much-discussed throwback uniforms for the only time this season. They will also be celebrating the full release of their top 100 players in franchise history. The game itself will be the culmination of a weekend celebration that will begin on Friday with a FanFest at the stadium that will be attended by many of the players on the franchise’s top 100 list. There will be a 5K and Kids Run on Saturday in which some Giants legends will participate. On Sunday, the Giants will host the Vikings at 1 p.m. The Giants will be hoping for a better result than last year’s 40-0 season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and for a more promising start than the 2-8 record they compiled in last year’s first 10 games. Join FanDuel to wager on NFL games, and more.
Giants-Vikings Week 1 odds: Giants are the underdog at home
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Vikings Links: Can The Vikings Defeat The Giants?
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images 8 days to go before the Vikings face the Giants and Daniel Jones. I am not sure how Jones will play as he looked a bit shaky in the preseason but he is coming back from a torn ACL. Can the Vikings handle Malik Nabers? I am sure there will be deeper dives this week as we prepare for the games. I was surprised the team cut Jaren Hall but picks after the 5th round are not a guarantee of making the roster. KOC did draft him though. It is interesting to read the comments about the team wanting to add him to the practice squad which has not happened yet. I wonder if he is waiting to see if another team will want him and where he might get a better shot. Next year, it has to be the JJ McCarthy show unless they do something crazy like what is in a link below. I can say that none of the QBs really inspire much confidence. Darnold is in the hopeful category while Mullens and Rypien are in the “oh crap” category. It is still a biy of a wonder why they did not give Cousins what he wanted AND drafted JJ. Cousins said they told him they would not draft a QB if he re-signed and they told him they would not guarantee as long or much as he wanted. Seems like a compromise would have been to give him the guarantees as long as he knew they were taking a QB. Fingers crossed for the season! Minnesota Vikings News and Links Kevin O’Connell & Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Explain Vikings Plan After QB Roster Moves The Vikings wanted to add experience to their quarterbacks room and did so by signing Brett Rypien Thursday, but they also want to continue the development of Jaren Hall. To make room for Rypien, who is entering his sixth NFL season, as the team’s third quarterback on the 53-man roster, Minnesota waived Hall, a second-year pro who had made the initial 53 with starter Sam Darnold and veteran backup Nick Mullens. Within about two hours of announcing Thursday’s moves, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell participated in previously scheduled media sessions and explained their plan, which includes trying to sign Hall to Minnesota’s practice squad — if he clears waivers. “Jaren has done a great job for us. Obviously, he had really improved over the preseason,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We talk, and I use that ‘development’ word a lot. And with quarterbacks, you don’t want to throw these guys in too early. And I think with him, we just want more time to where we’re going to. “I’ve learned from last season that you’re either one snap away or one snap from being one snap away,” Adofo-Mensah added. “We just wanted to be in a position where we felt, you know, adding Brett to the room feels good. We feel good about that decision, but also giving us more time to pour into Jaren and work with him if he so chooses to do that.” “Brett has some exposure to, you know, different variations of our system that will give him a fast-track timeline,” O’Connell said. “And just knowing where he’s at mentally, the type of preseason he had, it gives us a little bit more of a short-term kind of foundational plan for a week from Sunday versus what might be in Jaren Hall’s best interest for what’s best for his career. Hall, a fifth-round pick in 2023, finished his second NFL preseason having completed 28 of 46 passes for 339 yards with four touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 112.5. “I fully believe in Jaren Hall’s future,” O’Connell said. “I believe that we brought Jaren here for a long-term process that, quite honestly, you guys have heard me talk about quarterback journeys a lot. That timeline got sped up when we went through the numbers at the position we did a year ago. “And all Jaren has done, you know, since that is do all the right things, improve. I thought he was, you know, showing a lot of those things in the preseason action,” O’Connell added. “That move was really indicative of knowing what we went through last year, having the opportunity to have a couple veteran guys behind Sam that give us an opportunity, with comfort in the system.” Despite rebuilding, Minnesota Vikings have a surprisingly old team. Is that a problem? The Minnesota Vikings are in the third year of their competitive rebuild under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with this season having the lowest expectations of thre three. That competitive rebuild has seen the Vikings turn over the roster over the past three years to the tune of just 10 players from the 2021 season are still on the roster. Even with that fact, the Vikings are shockingly old. They are the second-oldest team in the National Football League at 27.2 years old. That is a high number for a team in a competitive rebuild. One of the intriguing elements for the Vikings concerning their age is how many players they have with four or more years of experience. They are tied for third in the NFL at 33. QB guru foresees big season for Sam Darnold, playoff potential for Vikings Former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer has become one of the most well-respected voices in the sport as a renowned coach. He was recently on The Rich Eisen Show and had nothing but good things to say about Sam Darnold’s outlook with the Vikings. “I am really excited to see Sam Darnold, finally in a good situation,” Palmer said. “Stats are stats, numbers are numbers, but I think it’s hard to argue, he’s been in tough spot after tough spot after tough spot, impossible to succeed type spots.” “I think that context last year, now entering a new locker room, Kevin O’Connell, some great pieces obviously in that huddle
Jaelan Phillips provides injury update, talks Calais Campbell as Miami Dolphins prepare for Week 1
Filed under: Jaelan Phillips provides injury update, talks Calais Campbell as Miami Dolphins prepare for Week 1 Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips continues to build toward a return from a 2023 Achilles tear. He talked about his recovery and the team’s addition of Calais Campbell this week. By Sep 1, 2024, 10:28am EDT
2024 Detroit Lions season preview: Offense MVP prediction
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports Our 2024 Detroit Lions preview series kicks off with our predictions for team Offensive MVP. It’s officially Week 1, which means it’s time to kick off our 2024 Detroit Lions preview series. Over the next six days, our staff will be answering key questions about the season and making predictions for what will happen. You’ll have the opportunity to make your own predictions with a poll at the bottom of the article, and you can discuss your choices in the comment section below. But for now, let’s kick things off with our selection for: 2024 Detroit Lions Offensive Player of the Year Brandon Knapp: Jahmyr Gibbs The passing game is going to do well, but if the team can’t find a solid WR3, it’s going to struggle at times. The unit that shouldn’t struggle this season is the running game and Gibbs is going to start taking over as the starting running back. He’ll be used not just on the ground, but in the passing game as well. When you have the best offensive line in the NFL, it makes running the ball even easier. John Whiticar: Jared Goff It’s easy to say that the quarterback is the most important part of the offense, but it’s hard to ignore that with the Lions. Goff had arguably the best season of his career last season, and look at where it took the Lions. If Jameson Williams can take the next step and Jahmyr Gibbs becomes more involved in the passing game, there will be no shortage of targets to allow Goff to thrive yet again. Jeremy Reisman: Jahmyr Gibbs Yes, the guy who hates drafting running backs is going to pick the running back for Offensive Player of the Year. While Jared Goff is the chalk choice, I believe Gibbs could have a truly epic season. I think there’d be more hype around Gibbs’ second season had he not been injured for much of camp, but it’s clear they plan on making him a huge part of their passing game, and we already saw his explosiveness in the run game. 1,000-1,000 yard season incoming? Ryan Mathews: Frank Ragnow This Lions offense is an absolute embarrassment of riches, and it’s safe to say that no other team in my Lions-watching life has had this much talent all over. From what very well could be the best running back duo in the NFL with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, to the wide receiver tandem of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the Lions could have the best tight end in the NFL by the time this season’s over in Sam LaPorta. All that being said, the offensive MVP for the Lions in 2024 will be Frank Ragnow–the man in the middle of what could be the best offense in the NFL is also the best center in the league. Ragnow’s unquestioned status as one the league’s toughest guys in the league, combined with his football IQ and unique blend of athleticism and strength, will make the rest of the offense possible. Morgan Cannon: Penei Sewell It would be easy to go with one of the Lions many elite-level skill position players for this award, but instead I am going with the best offensive lineman in the NFL—Penei Sewell. Since his arrival as a play-caller, Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has made it a point to feature Sewell’s game in every week’s game plan. From getting Sewell out into space in front of ball carriers, or sending him in motion as the extra offensive linemen for an entire series like he did in the NFC Championship game, Johnson finds unique ways to maximize Sewell’s otherworldly skills. And coming off of his first team All-Pro nod in 2023, I think 2024 is the year Sewell cements his status as the game’s premier player at the position. Meko Scott: Jared Goff It’s hard to ignore the consistent growth of Jared Goff since he arrived in Detroit. Both his numbers and the team success are proof of how far he’s come since in LA days, and I think that upward trend will continue this season. He’s got the best OL protecting him, top five players at WR and TE in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, the best RB duo in the league, and arguably the second best play caller in the NFL in OC Ben Johnson. Sign me up for another big year from JG as he leads this team to another exciting season. Erik Schlitt: Amon-Ra St. Brown The Lions’ offense has been dynamic over the last two seasons and once again looked sharp in training camp. There are a lot of weapons that need to be fed, and this is a team that loves to run the football, but make no mistake—this offense runs through Amon-Ra St. Brown. Look for his hard work to pay off as he continues to build on his All-Pro career. Hamza Baccouche: Jared Goff It has to be Jared Goff. Without him, this train doesn’t run. It’s easy to take his growth for granted; we often don’t realize the true extent of it until he goes on a bender for a few weeks. However, each year those benders are shorter and further apart, and his consistently excellent play is becoming a core part of his identity as a quarterback in this league. If the Lions want to return to the NFC Championship this year, they’ll need Goff to take another step to compete in a stronger NFC. This team starts and stops with Goff, and I’m betting he’ll step up to the plate. Max Gerber: Jared Goff While the title of Lions’ Offensive MVP should go to Penei Sewell, offensive linemen still don’t get the respect they deserve. Realistically, Jared Goff is my choice to win this award. With a stable of receiving options around him, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs, it won’t be hard for Goff
How Detroit Lions’ Week 1 betting line has changed vs. Rams
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports An updated look at how the betting odds have changed for the Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams Week 1 matchup on “Sunday Night Football.” It’s officially Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season and the Detroit Lions will face off against the Los Angeles Rams on “Sunday Night Football.” When the schedule was released back in May, the Lions opened as three-point favorites, but according to the good folks over at Fan Duel Sportsbook, there’s been a slight change in the opening betting odds. Lions open Week 1 as 3.5-point favorites. Despite both teams making the playoffs—facing off in an epic battle that saw Detroit come out on top—both teams were very active in the offseason, working to take their rosters up to the next level. The Rams invested in the trenches building on both sides of the line, while the Lions focused on improving their defense, specifically overhauling their secondary. On defense, Rams’ soon-to-be Hall of Famer Aaron Donald retired leaving a massive hole on their defensive line. The Rams elected to “replace by committee,” leading to them drafting Jared Verse in the first and Braden Fiske in the second round of this year’s draft. Additionally, the Rams were forced to replace defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and they hired first-year coordinator Chris Shula as his replacement, who shifted the defense to a 3-3-5 base. Furthermore, they recently traded away their captain and starting MIKE Ernest Jones and will be turning the linebacker core over to Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder. On offense, the Rams swooped in and signed Jonah Jackson away from Detroit to be one of their starting interior offensive lineman. Jackson played left guard for the Lions and initially looked like he would fill the same role for the Rams. But Jackson was lost for most of training camp with an injury, and upon his return, they’re now considering using him at center and shifting 2023 second-round pick Steve Avila to left guard. Unfortunately for the Rams, while their interior offensive line may be improved, their tackles could be a potential problem. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson has been suspended and will miss the opener, while starting right tackle Rob Havenstein hasn’t practiced in nearly a month. Their offensive line as a whole remains very much in flux. For the Lions, they haven’t had as drastic an offseason. They poured most of their resources into their defense, drafting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw with their first two picks, while also trading a third-round pick to acquire Carlton Davis. The Lions are still searching for a big-bodied WR-X, but they feel they have enough skill players to still be plenty effective while they look for the right fit. Beyond that, there aren’t many questions surrounding the Lions roster. So when you factor in the fact that the Lions have added instead of replaced players on their roster this offseason, the game will be played in Detroit in front of a national audience, and the Lions won their last matchup, it’s not overly surprising that they get the early benefit of the doubt when setting the betting odds.
Open thread: Do you feel confident in Hendon Hooker as QB2?
Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images With good luck, Jared Goff will be the starter throughout 2024. But do you feel confident in Hendon Hooker as his backup? In a perfect season, the fate of a backup quarterback matters little. A healthy starter means taking each and every snap that matters, with his backup only finding the field for meaningless blowout snaps or a Week 18 rest. The NFL, however, is not perfect. Heartbreaking injuries pop up every season and starting quarterbacks are not immune. The difference between losing out, treading water, and rising above comes down to the replacement. With Hendon Hooker as the lone backup quarterback on the Detroit Lions roster, how would he fare if called upon? Do they have someone that could keep their season afloat? Today’s Question of the Day is: Do you feel confident in Hendon Hooker as QB2? My answer: Yes. Backup quarterbacks tend to fall into one of three categories: a prospect with limited experience, a veteran capable of taking over in a pinch, or game manager known more for their work in game preparation than actual on-field performance. Hooker falls firmly in the first group, and that brings some level of excitement (and nervousness). Should Goff get hurt at some point this season, it would mean handing the reins over to an inexperienced, essentially rookie quarterback. That is never a good situation for any football team, but Hooker appears to present an upside that the backups of the recent past have severely lacked. Matt Cassel, David Blough, Chase Daniel, Tim Boyle, and Nate Sudfeld were each limited as passers, and when they had to enter the lineup, it was mediocrity at best amid a neutered passing attack. Teddy Bridgewater was perhaps the best backup Detroit has fielded in years, but he also played a mere three snaps in 2023, two of which were kneel-downs. With Hooker, the Lions have a modern quarterback that can win with his arm or mobility, and though his experience is limited to his meager preseason snaps, he demonstrated an ability to effectively lead the offense. The Lions have a well-established offensive scheme with plenty of weapons to take the burden of playmaking off the shoulders of Hooker. This is not to discount the role of Goff in the offense, for it is tailormade for his game, but it is an offense that someone with Hooker’s talent could feasibly find their footing. It would unquestionably result in schematic changes, perhaps to utilize Hooker’s running ability more than Goff’s, but I doubt it would require a complete overhaul. Another aspect of having Hooker on the roster is that the scout offense becomes more versatile. Teams will often employ their backup offense to mirror their upcoming opponents. With Hooker’s mobility, it allows the scout team to better replicate quarterbacks like Kyler Murray (Week 3), Anthony Richardson (Week 11), or Josh Allen (Week 15). Goff getting injured in 2024 would greatly hurt the Lions’ Super Bowl aspirations, but with Hooker as his backup, I feel like those aspirations would be wounded, not dead outright. Do you have faith in Hendon Hooker as the backup quarterback should an injury arise? Let us know in the comments below.
How young is the New York Giants’ roster? This young
Bryce Ford-Wheaton | Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images The Giants have one of the youngest rosters in the league entering the season The New York Giants have made a number of roster decisions this summer that indicated a desire to choose young players whenever possible. They traded soon-to-be 32-year-old defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to the Dallas Cowboys while keeping undrafted free agent rookie Elijah Chatman and third-year player D.J. Davidson. They released 30-year-old defensive back Jalen Mills. They ended up filling that spot by claiming Anthony Johnson Jr., a second-year player, off waivers from the Green Bay Packers. Rather than sign a veteran running back to back up Devin Singletary, they will use second-year man Eric Gray and rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. They drafted Tyler Nubin to replace Xavier McKinney. They kept second-year player Bryce Ford-Wheaton as a reserve wide receiver rather than any of three veteran options — Isaiah Hodgins, Miles Boykin, and Allen Robinson. The result is a roster that is young in several places. How young? At an averaged of 25.70 years of age, the Giants are the fourth-youngest roster in the NFL. Their starting lineup, averaging 25.50 years of age, is the second-youngest behind the Packers (25.49 years of age). That might be skewed ever so slightly when the 28-year-old Adoree’ Jackson is officially added to the roster, but not by much. Here is the breakdown of youngest and oldest rosters: Some post cutdown day stats via @The33rdTeamFB: Youngest Full Roster:1. Packers: 25.11 years old2. Buccaneers: 25.593. Eagles: 25.624. Giants: 25.705. Chiefs: 25.73 Oldest Full Roster:1. Dolphins: 27.30 years old2. Vikings: 27.153. 49ers: 26.984. Commanders: 26.975.… — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2024
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Are the Giants better in 2024? They better be
The New York Giants believe they are better than they were a year ago, when they crashed from the high of a 2022 playoff victory to an ugly 6-11 season that didn’t even feel that good. “I feel like we’ve improved in several areas,” GM Joe Schoen said recently. “Again, you can improve, the team still has to come together as a team. Every team is different. I know Dabs has talked about it. I talk about it. You still got to come together. I like the chemistry of the team, where we are now. I think that’s important. Some of the best teams aren’t always the most talented teams, but they come together, they work hard, they know their assignments, they execute. “Again, we don’t know how this team is going to react when we’re down 10 or how they’re going to react when we’re up 10, when adversity strikes, what’s that going to look like. Again, talent-wise we like the group we have, we’re excited about them. We’ll see how they gel and how they execute once we get out there on Sunday.” Quarterback Daniel Jones, who not only needs to play better himself than he did a year ago but needs the team to be better to keep his job, also believes he sees an improved team. “I do think it’s a better team. I think we’ve improved in a number of areas. Across the board, yeah, we’re better. We’ve had a good training camp and we’re ready to go,” he said. “It’s always important to stay healthy and make sure we’re taking care of our bodies and doing everything we can to stay healthy. I feel good about where we are.” Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images The Giants know they had better be better. Jones knows he has to be better. He knows the Giants would have moved up in the draft to select quarterback Drake Maye if the New England Patriots hadn’t tried to empty the Giants’ draft pick vault. Jones isn’t happy about that. He doesn’t have to be. He shouldn’t be. In his heart, though, he has to know if he were in Schoen’s shoes he would have been considering the same move. Jones’ play in 2023 was atrocious, befitting of a rookie cutting his NFL teeth for a bad team rather than a fifth-year veteran on the second year of a moderately large multi-year contract. Jones knows that if he isn’t better, at least as good as he was in 2022 and perhaps better than he’s ever been considering the effort the Giants have made to upgrade his receivers and his offensive line, he won’t be the quarterback in 2025. Jones also should know, and probably does, that no matter how good he is individually he won’t finish the season as the team’s starting quarterback if he and his teammates don’t win enough games to be within realistic range of a playoff berth come the last quarter of the season. The fact that $23 million of his 2025 salary is guaranteed for injury guarantees that if the Giants are going nowhere this season — and know it — Jones won’t be playing. Can Jones be better? Every Giants fan with an ‘X’ account wants to analyze (over-analyze?) every spring or summer practice, every good or bad throw, every word the guy says, and whether his decision to keep or shave his scruffy-looking beard is the right choice. The thing is, none of it matters. What matters is that coming off a torn ACL just nine months ago, Jones has been able to work every day without limitations. He has moved well and without hesitation. What matters with Jones is what we see beginning Sept. 8 against the Minnesota Vikings. Can Jones take advantage of what should be the improved weaponry around him? Can he step up in an offense that is now quarterback-centric and not running back-centric? Can we see something we haven’t seen from Jones since Joe Judge and Jason Garrett more or less brow-beat risk-taking out of his game? That is the willingness and ability he showed under Pat Shurmur during the early part of his career to push the ball down the field. Brian Daboll has demanded it all summer, and Jones has often delivered. He isn’t Josh Allen, but for those of you old enough to appreciate the reference he isn’t the soft-tossing Norm Snead, either. Can Jones combine downfield aggression with something akin to the clean football he played in 2022 when he led the league with a career-best 1.1% interception rate? Schoen and Daboll know they need to be better, too. They know what the guy who signs their checks, co-owner John Mara, wants. “I expect us to take a big step forward,” Mara said at the beginning of training camp. “It’s hard to articulate my expectations. I obviously want to show significant improvement over last year. But I’m not going to make any specific guarantees or demands or anything like that. But they know what I want to see.” I do not believe Schoen and Daboll are, or should be, on the hot seat. Others disagree, I know. The GM and coach have had one good season and one bad one, albeit in the opposite order of what one might like to see to show progress toward becoming the legitimate, consistent contender the Giants are trying to build. Mara and Steve Tisch have gotten rid of Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, and Judge since they pushed Tom Coughlin out a door he did not want to walk through after the 2015 season. They are on their third general manager, having decided Jerry Reese was no longer up to the job and realized that Dave Gettleman was only making a bad situation worse. I do not believe Mara and Tisch have an appetite for starting over — again. They did not want to quit on Judge. The coach forced their hand by embarrassing the franchise, blatantly
How bad will the Rams really miss Ernest Jones?
Ernest Jones is no longer a Ram | Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images L.A.’s 3-4 scheme makes middle linebacker a plug-and-play position When the news broke that the Los Angeles Rams were in trade talks to move starting middle linebacker Ernest Jones, it lit a firestorm of Rams fans protests, approvals, and opinions. Two days later, he was gone, traded with a draft pick for another draft pick two seasons into the future. Who now steps into the void and takes over for Jones, not just as the starting middle linebacker, but as the defensive unit’s green dot wearer, denoting captain and play caller? Rams coach Sean McVay didn’t waste any time, naming Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder as the starting linebackers. New Defensive Coordinator said that Reeder will take over the “Mike” role, which makes him the front runner to wear the green dot, denoting the L.A. defensive play caller. While both have a history of starting games for the Rams, their forays outside the Rams roster haven’t been particularly successful. Last year, Rozeboom had five starts and 550 snaps, but back in 2021 final cuts, the Rams released him and the Kansas City Chiefs signed him. Two month’s later KC waived him and the Rams re-signed him. Reeder has 21 starts and 1594 snaps over two stints in L.A. After starting in the Rams Super Bowl LVI win, he was not offered a contract and bounced between the Minnesota Vikings and L.A. Chargers before re-joining the Rams last September. Troy Reeder will be Rams’ Green Dot Signal Caller & Mike-Linebacker to start the season With D-Coordinator Chris Shula stating today he wanted an Inside-LB to wear the Green Dot,& Reeder being named the new Mike-LB, all signs point to Reeder being the Signal Caller#Rams pic.twitter.com/eh74WvU8Zc — Ian (@_mandalorian27) August 29, 2024 On its face, the loss of Jones should leave a huge hole in the Rams defense. A case could be made that he was former Defensive Coordinator (DC) Raheem Morris’ attacking chess piece and the defense was centered around him. He was moved all around the formations and was a major component of L.A.’s blitz attack, whether real or simulated. He stacked two solid seasons of over 100 tackles to go along with 4.5 sacks and 16 pressures. But will replacing Jones on-field production be as hard as many think? It could be a small downgrade, but not near as much as many would think. Why? This article is not gong to center on who are the better players, but rather on the Rams 3-4 base scheme. I believe the Rams scheme is either the hero or villain, depending how you feel, when evaluating the L.A. linebackers. The production numbers have run similar from Alec Ogletree, back in 2017, to Ernest Joes last year. A few higher, a few lower, but generally speaking, in the same vein. The 3-4, 4-3 under, or 5-2 Okie, no matter the nomenclature, has been the basis of the L.A. defense since Sean McVay took over in 2017. It was introduced by DC Wade Phillips. His version did a little more attacking on the front line, but having a player like Aaron Donald makes it a must to build around his skillset. HIs inheritors all brought their own twists, Brandon Staley was more of a Vic Fangio traditionalist, Raheem Morris mixed in some old Tampa2 and Cover3 from his past, and now, fans won’t have to wait much longer to see what Chris Shula’s version looks like. No matter how you put your own marks on the 3-4, the basic concepts of two-high coverage shells and light boxes are meant to lure opponents into run plays. Interior defensive line players are tasked to read/react to blockers and clog gaps, keeping the linebackers free to come up and make tackles. Generally, linebackers tally high tackle stats. In his seminal article ‘The Book of Fangio’, Shawn Syed gives a thorough look into the 3-4 defense and explains the scheme, from basics to advanced theory. “Generally, runs are less efficient than passes. Encouraging a team to run into a seemingly attractive look can help set the defense up for a 3rd and long. Defensive linemen are asked to eat up double teams and play with moveable leverage to keep linebackers clean…” On the role of linebackers in the 3-4, Syed said, “Stylistically, the linebackers are often kept clean from double teams by the defensive line while also being asked to get depth in pass coverage. In pass coverage, having a linebacker that is athletic enough to play man coverage with faster-running backs is an essential part of coverage flexibility.” Christian RozeBOOM! #Rams pic.twitter.com/TqNXvrcg6f — RAMZILLA (@elitster) March 20, 2024 What the numbers say According to Pro Football Reference: pd=passes defended, fto=forced turnovers, btz= blitz attempts, sk=sacks, prss=QB pressures 2017 – Total plays 555 pass, 418 run Alec Ogletree – 95 tackles in 923 snaps 10.29% 10 pd, 2 fto, 2 sk, Mark Barron – 86 tackles in 825 snaps 10.42% 4 pd, 3 fto, 1 sk 2018 – 533 pass, 386 run Cory Littleton – 125 tackles in 964 snaps 12.96% 13 pd, 73.4 com%, 3 fto, 58 btz, 4 sk, 8 prss Mark Barron – 60 tackles in 570 snaps 10.52% 1 pd, 59.5 com%, 1 fto, 8 btz, 1 sk, 1 prss 2019 – 562 pass, 444 run Cory Littleton – 134 tackles in 1039 snaps 12.89% 9 pd, 71.8 com%, 4 fto, 64 btz, 3.5 sk, 7 prss Troy Reeder – 58 tackles in 298 snaps 19.46% 2 pd, 94.1 com%, 2 fto, 3 btz, 0 sk, 0 prss 2020 – 548 pass, 388 run Troy Reeder – 81 tackles in 423 snaps 19.14% 2 pd, 76.9 com%, 0 fto, 15 btz, 3 sk, 4 prss Micah Kiser – 77 tackles in 558 snaps 13.79% 3 pd, 62.0 com%, 1 fto, 30 btz, 0 sk, 2 prss Kenny Young – 52 tackles in 471 snaps 11.04% 2 pd, 82.1 com%, 1
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Proposed move to center significantly lowers Jonah Jackson’s value
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images When the Los Angeles Rams made an unexpected left turn to sign a pricey guard in free agency, the move was met with almost universal praise by fans who had long asked for upgrades on the interior of the offensive line. Combined with re-signing Kevin Dotson, the Rams made a concerted effort and major commitment to their two guard positions, paying them the sixth-highest and eighth-highest guard salaries in the NFL. But Sean McVay’s recent announcement that L.A. is leaning towards moving Jackson to center puts Jackson’s contract in serious danger of going from an overpay to a massive overpay. That’s the basis of how the NFL salary cap system works: You are paid based on the average salaries at the position you’re being paid to play. If the league had viewed Jackson as a center in March, then a $17 million per year contract is not what he would have been paid six months ago. Jonah Jackson paid as a guard The Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million contract and $25.5 million fully guaranteed, up to $34 million total guaranteed. In other terms, Jackson’s contract could be construed as a two-year deal that will pay Jackson $34 million: $17 million in salary and a $17 million signing bonus. The league hasn’t really shown much, if any favoritism to players depending on if they play left guard or right guard: On the left side, Landon Dickerson ($21) and Quenton Nelson ($20) make the most, while on the right side it’s Chris Lindstrom ($20.5) and Robert Hunt ($20). And other than Nelson probably, everyone basically agrees that these players are already overpaid. Hunt did the best job of taking advantage of a dearth of available guards in free agency, convincing the Panthers to pay him a five-year, $100 million deal with $44 million fully guaranteed because Carolina has not been a desirable relocation destination. Overall, Jonah Jackson was cited all offseason as L.A.’s new left guard and that would make him tied with Elgton Jenkins as the third-highest paid left guard by annual salary, with the sixth-best full guarantee, and the fourth-best total guarantee. There are four more players on the right side who make more per year than Jackson, and three who got a better guarantee than Jackson. At $17 million per season, the 27-year-old Jackson is an acceptable extravagance, even though he has also missed nine games with injury (three due to a finger injury though) in the past two seasons. But at center, Jonah Jackson would have completely destroyed the market…if Creed Humphrey hadn’t already done that himself this month. Jonah Jackson paid as center The top-two tiers at centers are: Creed Humphrey and then a group of four players lumped close together between $12-$13.5 million per season. If it were not for Humphrey’s extension, that would be Jackson as the NFL’s lone wolf center making over $14 million per season. For Jackson to be moved to center, his contract now becomes the second-highest center contract in the NFL and $3.5 million more per season than third place Frank Ragnow. Ragnow’s deal is for sure outdated (he signed a four-year, $54 million extension in 2021) and he will challenge Humphrey to become the highest-paid center in history, but right now he’s trailing Jonah Jackson by a lot: Jackson makes 26% more per season and he got almost as much money guaranteed despite signing a contract that is one year shorter than Ragnow’s. In case you were unaware, either Ragnow or Humphrey is considered to be the best center in the NFL now that Jason Kelce is retired. Ragnow has made the Pro Bowl in three of the last four years (was injured in 2021) and Jackson got a first hand look at his value as his teammate with the Lions. Humphrey has made the Pro Bowl in the last two years, and he finished third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 despite playing center. The battle to be first team All-Pro with Kelce out of the way is expected to come down to Humphrey and Ragnow. And then there’s Jackson—who makes almost as much as Humphrey and a lot more than Ragnow—has not made the Pro Bowl as a center. Because Jackson hasn’t made a game as a center. He doesn’t play center. Other than 24 snaps in 2021 when Ragnow was hurt, he has not been an NFL center. Except for the fact that if McVay goes through with this move, Jackson will be the second-highest paid center in NFL history. It’s not that the Rams shouldn’t move Jonah Jackson to center because it will dramatically decrease his value. It’s that if the Rams knew that Steve Avila could not be their starting center, then they probably would have signed someone else and he would have been much less expensive. The road not traveled Paying one guard $17 million and another guard $16 million per season is part of the business and it showed that L.A. desperately wanted to have a top-tier interior offensive line for Kyren Williams and Matthew Stafford. And they still very well might have that because Avila-Jackson-Dotson should be a quality trio regardless of where they stand. However, you still aren’t allowed to call it “smart business” to pay a player a market-setting contract for a position when he has never played that position in the NFL before. The top center in free agency this year, Lloyd Cushenberry, signed a four-year, $50 million contract to go from the Broncos to the Titans. If the Rams wanted to sign a center, they could have paid Cushenberry the exact same amount that they paid Jackson, but would have had him for four years instead of three…and Cushenberry is a center. Too cheap for Cushenberry? The Commanders signed Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million contract. The Rams would be paying Biadasz a $4.4 million cap hit this year (Jackson’s 2024
