2024 Season Thread

[Dr. Strangelove]

Baker was doing very little for us, especially in run fits and Jones was the guy Rams fans have bitched about losing all year. Jones is a far better run stopper than Baker was. Jones is on the final year of his rookie deal so we will see how he fits into Macs system. Mac wanted him in the offseason but the Rams obviously weren't going to trade in division. If Jones shines, we can extend him at a reasonable price and him and Knight can be our long term answer at LB. Dodson and Baker were just short term auditions at best. Baker was hardly ever healthy and was a liability. LB is our weakest position group on that side of the ball and I think this was a great move to upgrade that weakness. Jones is like a 2 mil cap hit this year. Throwing in the 4th is a little questionable but not terrible, imo.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

One other note on this trade. Jones just prepped and played the Bills last weak so he has some insight and won't need too much adjustment time.

 

[MrS]

Yeah. The DL line seems noticeably more effective this year. Mac bulking up the line didn't hurt.

Couldn't see anything specific but the DL seemed better with murphy playing last week.

 

[flyerhawk]

Couldn't see anything specific but the DL seemed better with murphy playing last week.

It could be just that having him provides more depth for rotations. I saw that Williams was average about 50% of the snaps early in the season but had 91% of the snaps against the Niners.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Baker was doing very little for us, especially in run fits and Jones was the guy Rams fans have bitched about losing all year. Jones is a far better run stopper than Baker was. Jones is on the final year of his rookie deal so we will see how he fits into Macs system. Mac wanted him in the offseason but the Rams obviously weren't going to trade in division. If Jones shines, we can extend him at a reasonable price and him and Knight can be our long term answer at LB. Dodson and Baker were just short term auditions at best. Baker was hardly ever healthy and was a liability. LB is our weakest position group on that side of the ball and I think this was a great move to upgrade that weakness. Jones is like a 2 mil cap hit this year. Throwing in the 4th is a little questionable but not terrible, imo.

Knight understands gap assignment very well, he's just gotta learn other areas of the game.

I gotta remind myself Baker/Dodson were gambles given Dodson came in as a backup on the Bills (competent team) and Baker got injured (on another good team when Tua is in) so yah, them BOTH panning out was a HUGE stretch.

As for the 4th, I thought it was a bit excessive as well since Baker has proven he can work, perhaps just in a different scheme. He wasn't panning out in MacDonalds. It's obvious why Mac liked Smith, because he was utilized in the same kind of defense the Rams/TItans both run. And of course our scouting department/player personnel directors had a TON of intel on the guy. And you're 100% right, the Rams aren't trading him to Seattle lol. And they flat out couldn't afford to give him the contract he wanted.

The good news is we should be getting a 4th round compensatory pick for letting Lewis go. I dunno, while I hate to lose a 4th I also can't bitch about MacDonald (who is a linebackers coach) going after a linebacker he clearly wants and that fills arguably the biggest hole on the team right now. You could argue guard but those guys outside of Tomlinson are young and we just spent a 3rd on one. And right tackle is just a giant injury zone lol. So yah, you spent a 4th for a young guy on the weakest position on the team that addresses teams running all over us which is leading to teams doing whatever they want in the passing game.

As for the Titans, also makes sense. Baker COULD work in a different scheme and he's been injured non-stop so maybe it works... and might as well get a 4th on a team that is likely going to be drafting a QB in the 1st since Levis has been a complete disaster, and rebuilding anyway. No point in handing out larger contracts now.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Apologies in advance if someone already posted, but apparently Lucas is cleared to practice but will need SEVERAL weeks before returning to play. I have to imagine if he DOES return to play, this is it for him. He's still under contract for 2025 and given the injuries NOBODY is going to trade for that, so it'd be great to see him play in 2025 at what everyone expected.

 

[blstoker]

I love Bobby but he's definitely on the back 9.

Entirely agree that his career is in it's twilight - which is why I said prime. I think LBs were forgotten in Pete's defense and that Wagner and Wright were overperforming for the attention paid to the position. Which is kind've the way it is in the league - linebackers are asked to do more, be more places and make more plays but get little recognition for how the position has evolved and how hard it is to play now. It would've been nice to see Wagner in a defense that didn't think the linebackers were an afterthought and actually thought they were integral to the defense.

 

[flyerhawk]

Entirely agree that his career is in it's twilight - which is why I said prime. I think LBs were forgotten in Pete's defense and that Wagner and Wright were overperforming for the attention paid to the position. Which is kind've the way it is in the league - linebackers are asked to do more, be more places and make more plays but get little recognition for how the position has evolved and how hard it is to play now. It would've been nice to see Wagner in a defense that didn't think the linebackers were an afterthought and actually thought they were integral to the defense.

Wagner was definitely a unicorn. He would have thrived in this system.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Entirely agree that his career is in it's twilight - which is why I said prime. I think LBs were forgotten in Pete's defense and that Wagner and Wright were overperforming for the attention paid to the position. Which is kind've the way it is in the league - linebackers are asked to do more, be more places and make more plays but get little recognition for how the position has evolved and how hard it is to play now. It would've been nice to see Wagner in a defense that didn't think the linebackers were an afterthought and actually thought they were integral to the defense.

I think LBs in general have become somewhat of a forgotten commodity. There just isn't very many coming out of college these days that are true ILBs like Bobby, Fred Warner, etc. The college defenses run so much dime and nickle because of spread offenses that run fit, dominant guys are not developed hardly at all. The NFL is pivoting back to heavy run games because virtually nobody can consistently stop the run. Even the better defenses struggle to stop the run because LB play has really fallen off. I think coach Mac sees the trend and wants guys that can get their nose dirty and fit that mold more. It's a work in progress though and we will see how this pans out. Hopefully this guy can give us a similar impact that Roquan Smith gave MacDonalds defense in Baltimore a couple years ago.

 

[Screamin12th]

Hawks will get a round 4th and round 5th comp pick But... I HATE the fact we had to give up a 4th when he hasn't been any better than Baker. Yes he is a different type. He is more of a flow player and has a little more speed but these two have stats so close to each other its not even funny. Still I liked the Idea of having multiple picks in the 4th. Thats bread and butter for Depth players that could become special or a possible starting guard or 2 with upside. I just do not like that We traded bacon for bacon and had to add a pick. Titans made out like Bandits in the swap of picks for this kid with the Rams.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Hawks will get a round 4th and round 5th comp pick But... I HATE the fact we had to give up a 4th when he hasn't been any better than Baker. Yes he is a different type. He is more of a flow player and has a little more speed but these two have stats so close to each other its not even funny. Still I liked the Idea of having multiple picks in the 4th. Thats bread and butter for Depth players that could become special or a possible starting guard or 2 with upside. I just do not like that We traded bacon for bacon and had to add a pick. Titans made out like Bandits in the swap of picks for this kid with the Rams.

Yah but I will say the 2025 draft class looks pretty bleh. It's not a strong draft class. Are you really going to find a better player than Jones in the 4th round of 2025? And ILB was one of the biggest holes coming into this season btw. I know we keep talking guard/OT, etc. Well we have a Center now in Williams who seems to be improving each game. We took a guard last year, and Bradford is young. We have lots of young right tackles and Fant, it just seems by the hand of God the entire right tackle position can't stay healthy (seriously WTF? 4th string RT?). Good news is Fant and Lucas are practicing again.

So yah, I dunno. As for the Rams thing, yah of course the Titans did. They got a player who prob. demanded a trade because the Rams said, "Sorry kiddo, we're going to be in full rebuild or just can't afford to pay you right now" so they had to offload him. And they sure as F weren't going to trade him to Seattle. The Titans prob. knew it was like flipping a house at that point.

And the Titans know Seattle's weakest position on D is the LBer position as teams are gashing them on the run 24/7 because of how tepid Baker/Dodson are, and that Seattle is leading the division and given the Rams are basically almost admitting rebuild (Kupp on block, rumors of even Stafford being traded), 49ers are a mess with injuries, and the Cards have tons of holes... SURE, charge a premium!

A 4th was a lot IMO. It's why I gave Seattle like a C+ or something. BUT, if you're serious about trying to win the division this year and future years, it's a justified trade. And both Baker and Dodson were reaches, but we had to find bodies at that point. Mac didn't exactly have a lot of draft picks or cap to play with coming into the situation. And that's fine because there's a lot of talent on the team, but we weren't going to be able to fill every position. Dodson/Baker were great signings, but there was a reason both were 1 year signings. Let's see what they can do. And Baker didn't work out. Dodson is TBD. And we still drafted Knight lol.

 

[flyerhawk]

Hawks will get a round 4th and round 5th comp pick But... I HATE the fact we had to give up a 4th when he hasn't been any better than Baker. Yes he is a different type. He is more of a flow player and has a little more speed but these two have stats so close to each other its not even funny. Still I liked the Idea of having multiple picks in the 4th. Thats bread and butter for Depth players that could become special or a possible starting guard or 2 with upside. I just do not like that We traded bacon for bacon and had to add a pick. Titans made out like Bandits in the swap of picks for this kid with the Rams.

From ESPN....

In terms of stopping the run, Jones clearly fares better in our metrics with a 42% run stop win rate since the start of last season. That ranks third among off-ball linebackers who have played at least 70% of snaps in games played. Baker, meanwhile, is at 32% in the same span. In that same time frame, Jones recorded a tackle on 16% of plays and 27% of run plays (the latter number ranked first among qualifying linebackers), while Baker's numbers were just 12% and 15%, respectively, in those categories.

I also suspect the pass rush component was particularly attractive to Seattle. Last season in Baltimore, Macdonald became famous for his simulated blitzes, frequently sending Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith at the quarterback. This year, however, he's running simulated blitzes just 16% of the time -- right around league average -- and Baker has rushed the passer only 22 times. As a Ram in 2023, Jones rushed the passer 120 times -- third-most by an off-ball linebacker -- and boasted an impressive 35% pass rush win rate and 4.5 sacks. So perhaps Jones as a potential pass-rushing threat can allow Macdonald to get more creative in his pass defense.

 

[Screamin12th]

I have been saying the Linebackers have been pretty bad, said I wasn't sure about it even before the season so i am fine with turning over stones. I am just not sold or even close to it that Jones deserved a 4th round pick to trade Baker for. I just want to see the Coach play some of the young players more. It's like Macdonald is allergic to rookies or 2nd year players. Cant play scared or playing "Not" to lose you got to go for it so maybe this is just them going for it and over spending. JS likes to do that.

 

[Screamin12th]

Seems Baker was a 4.53 40 guy and Jones is a 4.73 40 guy with a BAD quickness score. This is shocking to me because Baker looks like he has been running in knee deep mud every game he has played so far. Oh god I have very little hope this works out for us. Just a push and giving up a 4th for a push is bad, unlike shark who likes to give passing grades like a hooker gives STD's this doesn't deserve a passing grade. F, Only time will tell if it becomes a push.

I may never have played pro football but i was a linebacker all through my time playing at every level ( Minus the pro's ) and i just don't feel good at all about this move and the capital given up for it. I will be crossing my fingers toes and eyes that he becomes something other than a straight across replacement.

 

[flyerhawk]

Seems Baker was a 4.53 40 guy and Jones is a 4.73 40 guy with a BAD quickness score. This is shocking to me because Baker looks like he has been running in knee deep mud every game he has played so far. Oh god I have very little hope this works out for us. Just a push and giving up a 4th for a push is bad, unlike shark who likes to give passing grades like a hooker gives STD's this doesn't deserve a passing grade. F, Only time will tell if it becomes a push.

I may never have played pro football but i was a linebacker all through my time playing at every level ( Minus the pro's ) and i just don't feel good at all about this move and the capital given up for it. I will be crossing my fingers toes and eyes that he becomes something other than a straight across replacement.

These aren't combine kids with no established pro tape.

Mac has been saying that the linebacker play has been unsatisfactory for a while now. Should we just accept that the team will be mediocre on run defense or should we improve the defense? Improving the defense comes at a cost.

We got Baker for nothing but a contract. He wasn't working out. The Titans traded a 5th to get Jones. So it's not surprising that we had to give up a 4th mid season to get him.

It may not work out. But I think that if they think he's worth the move and it could improve the defense, it's worth it.

Measuring defensive players is super difficult based on stats. Or even PFF grade systems because they don't know what the player was supposed to do.

I've read a lot of back and forth about how much better our defense is when Murphy is playing. The skeptics point to his modest numbers as proof that he has nothing to do with it. But they miss the fact that having him play means fewer snaps for Williams and the other interior guys. That means they can be more effective.

Defense is a team concept.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Just a push and giving up a 4th for a push is bad, unlike shark who likes to give passing grades like a hooker gives STD's this doesn't deserve a passing grade.

 

[Screamin12th]

The Titans traded a 5th to get Jones. So it's not surprising that we had to give up a 4th mid season to get him.

No, the Titans swapped their 5th for the Rams 6th AND got jones. They turned this kid into Baker and a 4th round pick. I know we need Linebacker help, check the posts for this season i have been banging that drum from day one but this was BS. This is a sideways move and you gave up a valueable 4th round pick to do so.

I have hope that Jones works out but i wont be holding my breath. That 4th could have turned into a pretty good Linebacker on par if not better than Jones.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

No, the Titans swapped their 5th for the Rams 6th AND got jones. They turned this kid into Baker and a 4th round pick. I know we need Linebacker help, check the posts for this season i have been banging that drum from day one but this was BS. This is a sideways move and you gave up a valueable 4th round pick to do so.

I have hope that Jones works out but i wont be holding my breath. That 4th could have turned into a pretty good Linebacker on par if not better than Jones.

Well we're gonna find out real quick come Sunday... he is starting and Dodson moves to Bakers role.

 

[Screamin12th]

Well we're gonna find out real quick come Sunday... he is starting and Dodson moves to Bakers role.

I would rather see Tyrice Knight play than some guy that has had all of 4 days of practice.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

I would rather see Tyrice Knight play than some guy that has had all of 4 days of practice.

Well, Tennessee basically runs the exact same defense that Mac does... so might as well plug him in. If we're going to trade a 4th for a guy might as well plug him in now. And I think the trade of Baker was basically getting rid of cap on our books to negate this trade... helps the rollover anyway.

I'm excited about Knight and I think he can be an eventual starter but IMO he needs a season to develop. He was a fairly raw prospect with great athleticism and gap location, but needed to work on things when he was picked. And if he was 'the guy' Mac would have him starting and just bench Baker... so obviously he is not, YET. If you think you're a better judge of talent than Mac, great. Please apply for the job and get us to the Super Bowl!

Again, I thought a 4th was a little steep, I didn't grade Seattle favorably... but I think you're overreacting a bit lol. The 2025 draft isn't some insane draft or anything, it's actually fairly on the weak side, plus we get another 4th as a compensatory. Our biggest problem was run D, this helps that (along with the Robertson-Harris acquisition) and if we want to make the playoffs we have to fix that asap. We tried in the offseason and hoped that Baker/Dodson would work out, but it didn't. And if you're one of those 'tank for picks' guys, I really have nothing much else to say to you.