4 players from NFL Free Agency to amp LA Rams for training camp
Competition is not always about winning, any more than education is only about a 4.0-grade point average. Pushing oneself, either physically or academically, is more than reaching a goal. It’s about falling short, and learning and training in new ways to reach further. It’s the passion for being the best version that pushes academics and athletics to new territory.
It’s a self-perpetuating mechanism. Competition drives passion. Passion drives training and planning. Training and planning drive new competition. And the cycle continues. Right now, the NFL and NFLPA are discussing an “opt-out” option. Who might elect to do so? The Rams should consider long and hard over the option to sign a player or two from the NFL Free Agency market to help navigate the team’s course this year. And if they do so wisely, that player could rival as one of the best signings in franchise history. So who could take on such a lofty expectation?
NFL training camps are right around the corner. Rookies report on July 21, entire rosters on July 28.\u00a0 Woo Hoo! Or is it? It should be exciting times, but something is missing, or so it seems. After all, the LA Rams are about to start the slalom of training camp that ends when the team loses their last game. Right now, there is not much of a rush of energy about it, because there isn\u2019t that much going on to trigger positive energy.\n COVID-19 has blanketed the enthusiasm for the 2020 NFL season much like a wet blanket snuffs the open flame of a campfire. That is not just a damper on public enthusiasm. The energy for the team, the front office, the players, and most of all, the coaching staff, is waning, simply because the energy level is powered by the interactions of persons to persons.\n Competition is not always about winning, any more than education is only about a 4.0-grade point average. Pushing oneself, either physically or academically, is more than reaching a goal. It\u2019s about falling short, and learning and training in new ways to reach further. It\u2019s the passion for being the best version that pushes academics and athletics to new territory.\n It\u2019s a self-perpetuating mechanism. Competition drives passion. Passion drives training and planning. Training and planning drive new competition. And the cycle continues.\u00a0 Right now, the NFL and NFLPA are discussing an \u201copt-out\u201d option.\u00a0 Who might elect to do so? The Rams should consider long and hard over the option to sign a player or two from the NFL Free Agency market to help navigate the team\u2019s course this year. And if they do so wisely, that player could rival as one of the best signings in franchise history. So who could take on such a lofty expectation?\n (Photo by Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n For sheer intensity, few NFL players possess the energy and intensity of defensive end Michael Bennett. He is a lightning rod and bolt of emotional passionate energy.\u00a0 Originally drafted for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he seemed to get national headlines when he signed with the rival Seattle Seahawks in 2013. Once there, he helped to anchor one of the best defenses in their franchise history. But there are three things to understand about Bennett.\n The first thing is he will find a way to contribute. Even as a rotational player off the bench, Bennett is still capable of putting up solid numbers on the defensive front. The second aspect is that Bennett will quickly demand to be paid when he outperforms his contract. The third aspect of Bennett is that he will speak his mind in any given situation.\n It\u2019s that combination of attributes that always seems to land Bennett on a new NFL team.\u00a0 And it\u2019s that same combination of attributes that seems to wear out his welcome with that same NFL team. Since leaving the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, he has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys.\u00a0 Over the past two seasons, he has recorded 66 tackles, 15.5 quarterback sacks, 29 tackles for a loss, and 45 quarterback hits. And yet he sits in NFL Free Agency right now.\n But he contributes. He produces. After that happens, he wants to be paid and if that is not forthcoming, he speaks up. He can still be a dominating force in the right defensive scheme, and at 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, he is the type of player who can slide right into the Rams rotation to make a significant impact for a season. If the chemistry is right, he can fill a role for the team. If the chemistry is not a fit on both sides? He played and was paid for a season. No matter what the terms of the contract, Michael Bennett will make a statement.\u00a0 Both on the football field, and off it.\n (Photo by Mark Brown\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n Center Daniel Kilgore may be familiar to many, as he was a former seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers who was eventually traded to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a swap of seventh-round picks in 2018. But as some stories sometimes do, Kilgore was injured and did not fulfill the role. The Rams may have even had Kilgore in their sights in 2019, as he was a logical player to consider after failing to retain John Sullivan.\n Kilgore immediately went to work for the team as the starter, replacing center Mike Pouncy.\u00a0 But an injury after four games sidelined him for the remainder of the season.\u00a0 Feeling the pressure, he tried to return to the starting lineup in 2019, but only saw action in 13 games.\u00a0 The Dolphins did not pick up his contract extension.\u00a0 So what makes him the energizer bunny for the locker room?\n That\u2019s his superpower, apparently. He was a voice of calm and tranquility as the Dolphins made many roster moves. And as a veteran offensive center, he should be on the LA Rams radar. His Pro Football Focus grade for 2019 is a healthy 66.3. While that is not elite status, it\u2019s better than the Rams projected starter for 2019, Austin Blythe, who finished 2019 with a PFF grade of just 50.3. The Rams offense depends upon the play of their center. That play must be dependable in 2020. A veteran like Dan Kilgore, while not enough to splash national headlines, could be exactly the type of player the Rams need right now.\n 2020 is one of the most bizarre years of modern history. It would be wise for the Rams to add a voice of calm and tranquility to the locker room for this season. Let\u2019s face it. The unpredictable nature of COVID-19 could force the Rams to quarantine veterans like Andrew Whitworth and Aaron Donald at the same time.\u00a0 Duplicating sage wisdom this season would be a proactive approach to what could happen in 2020. And in the process, the Rams sign up a solid veteran who can give quality snaps at a position they are struggling to stabilize.\n (Photo by Mark Brown\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n One of the few active running backs who can truly appreciate the accomplishments of former LA Rams running back Todd Gurley is a current free agent running back LeSean McCoy. Entering his 12th NFL season, the best of McCoy\u2019s running days are certainly behind him. But his best was incredibly good, so falling from that mark still leaves plenty of positive reasons to sign him up to the team.\u00a0 After all, he was part of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl team. And carrying the ball for 101 carries for 465 yards and four touchdowns prove he can still carry the ball.\n In fact, he is tied with former Rams running back Todd Gurley in a very important category.\n Most rushing TDs in a season since 2010\n LeGarrette Blount \u2013 18 \u2014 NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) July 9, 2020\n \n \u201cShady\u201d McCoy can be a volatile player. But he plays with such passion and energy and would be a nice addition to the Rams young stable of running backs. He does more than run the ball. He diagnoses the defense and gives offensive coaches invaluable feedback during the game about what does and does not work. His 465 yards rushing was a low point of his NFL career, but he offset that with one of his best YPC (Yards-Per-Carry) averages of his career. With that in mind, he could become incredibly effective in the Rams offense as 5-10 carries per game type of running back.\n McCoy can catch a pass, pick up a blitz, and run very effectively. And with the Rams counting on young rushers to step up, a veteran player who taps into the emotions of the game to fuel his energy is a solid addition to the roster. Even as the Rams seek to develop their young ball carriers, the team needs to keep a veteran presence on the roster.\u00a0 He is better than an 80 percent completion rate as a receiver and is nearly a five-yard-per-carry runner as well. The question is not whether the Rams can use a player like that on the roster. The question should be how quickly can the team sign him up.\nCompetitive passion\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDE Bennett\n
Volatile combination\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tC Kilgore\n
A veteran presence in a young lockerroom\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRB McCoy\n
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\nTodd Gurley \u2013 17
\nLeSean McCoy \u2013 17
Arian Foster \u2013 17
Derrick Henry \u2013 16
David Johnson \u2013 16
Aaron Jones \u2013 16
Ezekiel Elliott \u2013 15
\nArian Foster \u2013 15
Christian McCaffrey \u2013 15\nA thinking contributor\n
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