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2016 Los Angeles Rams Single-Game Tickets To Go On Sale

After selling off 70,000 season tickets and offering depositors who didn’t get season tickets a first chance at single-game tickets, non-depositors will finally get to by single-game tickets beginning tomorrow.
After selling 70,000 season tickets for the first season back in Los Angeles since 1994, the Rams have spent recent weeks allowing those depositors who did not get a chance to get season tickets a chance to buy single-game tickets. Additionally, the team reserved an allotment of single-game tickets for Rams fans who did not pay a deposit for season tickets.


The Rams will play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until the planned construction of a new stadium in nearby Inglewood is complete, currently slated to be so ahead of the 2019 season. The Coliseum claims an attendance capacity of 93,607 for USC games, though Jake Bye, the Rams’ vice president of ticket sales and premium seating, said back in May that capacity would be “in the neighborhood of 80,000.”


For more information regarding the ticket process, fans may contact the Rams Ticket Office at info@rams.nfl.com or @LARamsServices.

Los Angeles Rams Release QB Nick Foles
The Rams extended Nick Foles. The Rams paid a huge bonus to Nick Foles. The Rams had offers for Nick Foles. The Rams release Nick Foles. Not good, Rams. Not good.
Nick Foles has asked for and has been granted his release from the Los Angeles Rams ending what should serve as Exhibit 1A for how poorly the Rams have managed personnel at the position.
The issue is two-fold here.

One, the Rams opted for Nick Foles in lieu of Sam Bradford a year ago and even went so far as signing him on a contract extension before taking a single regular season snap. He then went on to a have a dismal season being replaced by Case Keenum who the Rams had cut the previous year. 

Rookie Sean Mannion, the Rams’ third-round selection from the 2015 NFL Draft, played all of seven snaps.

Clearly, the Rams have a problem identifying and developing talent at QB. That bodes very poorly for rookie franchise QB Jared Goff.

Two, the Rams played their hand poorly from a personnel management perspective. They extended Foles. They paid him a $6m roster bonus in March. They lost the leverage to trade him by selecting a QB with the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. And if ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is to be believed, the Rams had “offers” with an “s”.

That the Rams could have had any additional capital to work with after paying Foles what they did instead of the nothingburger they’re left holding doesn’t inspire much confidence in dealing with similar situations moving forward.


As it stands, the Rams have trimmed the QB depth chart down to Goff, Keenum and Mannion in inglorious fashion.

S T.J. McDonald Rejoins Team At Training Camp
TJMac is in LA and ready to go. After not being included in the projected depth chart provided by the team ahead of the 2016 Los Angeles Rams’ Training Camp, S T.J. McDonald has arrived in Los Angeles with veterans prepped to begin arriving tomorrow.
His early arrival is a sign he’s committed to working his way back up the depth chart to earn his starting slot back. Having been a starting safety since Week 1 of his rookie season in 2013, that’s a good thing. With Rodney McLeod now on the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams are already forced to make one major personnel decision at safety. Making two would be a monumental undertaking.
Per NFL Media’s Steve Wyche, McDonald will be a full participant when camp breaks on Saturday, though he does still face potential “legal and NFL discipline.”



2016 Los Angeles Rams Offseason Review
How did the Rams fair this offseason? Would it be safe to say that they improved? Let's discuss and grade the last six months....

 With the 2016 Los Angeles Rams' Training Camp opening this weekend, there's no better time to review exactly how the Rams' offseason went and grade it out.

 The Rams entered the offseason with a lot on their plate in terms of re-signing their own players. That was said to be priority number one, at least as it pertained to the secondary. The Rams had a long laundry list of impact players headed for free agency. Players like S Rodney McLeod, CB Janoris Jenkins, S Mark Barron, CB Trumaine Johnson, DE William Hayes and RB Benny Cunningham were all set to hit the open market. Including some other key free agents. The question remained, did the Rams wait too long to attack these players contracts?

 If the plan was to keep the players on the roster intact heading into free agency, well then the Rams front office really did a bad job of that before the start of free agency even took place. They began by releasing the likes of MLB James Laurinaitis, DE Chris Long and TE Jared Cook. Now, no one is here to argue if this was smart or not. In fact, just to have a chance to resign the players listed above, this was a move that almost had to be made.

 But the Rams did not succeed in locking all of those players up. The Rams signed a few, but lost out on Rodney McLeod (coverage) and Janoris Jenkins (coverage) to the Eagles and Giants, respectively.
The next big event the Rams had to prepare for was the 2016 NFL Draft. The Rams were entering the draft with seven picks in total, three in the top 45 picks. That's some major draft weight to have, as it would have allowed them the opportunity to bring in three really good players, that could have possibly been really good Rams for a long time. However, the belief over at Rams HQ is that they are only a quarterback away from getting over the hump and it was time to get their guy.

 This belief led to the Rams making the trade of the offseason, sending waves throughout the NFL, when they moved up from #15 to #1 in a trade with the Titans. For the time being, it's too early to make any sort of judgement that would not be filled with emotion on the trade itself. No one has seen how any of the rookies will do from either side, so no grades on that trade and who won just yet.
But the drafts, can and will be evaluated...
  • The Rams used their new top pick on QB Jared Goff out of Cal. Goff has all the talent in the world to be a true franchise QB. His frame is slight, but has room from growth -- and being 21 -- he  will likely do just that. Goff had the best footwork in the pocket bar none coming out. He doesn't carry a winning record, and comes from a spread unlike anything the Rams run at the NFL level, meaning there will be a heavy learning curve. No matter what, due to the magnitude of the trade, and the need on the team, the pick had to be a QB, and there were only two worthy of the pick, either Goff or Carson Wentz.
    (My grade: B+; TST Instant Draft Grade: A)
  • Tyler Higbee was the next guy the Rams were eyeing. Due to the aforementioned trade, the Rams did not pick again until the fourth round. With that pick, they brought in one of my personal favorite players in the draft. Higbee in my opinion was the second-best tight end in the draft, but has the highest ceiling. If not for a senior year injury and an off-field issue, I would have easily put a top 50 pick grade on him. I believe most teams would have had the same range as well. To get a big athletic tight end, with great hands, good speed, and tough after the catch, and physical all the time in the fourth is amazing. He's exactly what the NFL looks for in today's NFL.
    (My grade: A; TST Instant Draft Grade: A)
  • Jeff Fisher and Les Snead aren't complete fools. Though at times things happen that leave Rams fans feeling like that's debatable, they do have some football common sense. How else do you explain them getting their jobs to begin with. This was never more evident than draft day. They realized that they have a new and young QB, and made a significant effort to surround him with talent with the picks they had. Following the great pick of Higbee, the Rams brought in Pharoh Cooper. Cooper is a solid receiver, with some game changing ability. He reminds me a lot of Detroit Lions WR Golden Tate. However, I think that is his ceiling, and I would have liked to see the Rams bring in something they didn't already have. While Tate is Cooper's ceiling, his current status is a far less athletic version of Tavon Austin. Now if the team can't show some serious creativity -- which they have failed to do under Fisher leaving little to no room to believe they will start now -- to get both players on the field and involved with Todd Gurley to give the defense headaches, than this was a wasted pick. However, seeing as how they traded down in the fourth with the Bears picking up an extra sixth round pick, that adds a little something extra to this grade.
    (My grade: C+; TST Instant Draft Grade: B)
  • Temarrick Hemingway was another player I liked a lot coming out. He flew extremely low under the radar. But he is a highly athletic tight end with great size, speed -- almost in the mold of Jared Cook, except he loves contact and is very physical -- and good hands. I think he is further along than some of his scouting reports would have led you to believe. He plays a position that doesn't exactly have a track record for being one of the harder positions to transition from college to the NFL. However, he did play at a lower level school, which should play a role. Still, his athleticism should really help him see the field sooner than later. I also like the idea of double dipping at tight end, this position could become a strength for years to come.
    (My grade: B+; TST Instant Draft Grade: B)
  • Next the Rams went defense for the first time and selected Josh Forrest, a linebacker from Kentucky. I can't say I was a fan of this pick. I feel this way for multiple reasons. The first being that I truly believe he was going to go undrafted, and already only having mid to late round picks at your disposal following the trade to number one, you have to be very selective with who you pick, more than usual. Another reason is simply I thought they had other places they could have gone with the pick. At the time of his selection players like WR Kolby Listenbee, FS Jordan Lucas, CB Harlan Miller, WR Charone Peake, RB Keith Marshall, WR Kenny Lawler (would have been great for Goff from the slot with their already existent chemistry), and linebackers Tyler Matakevich and Scooby Wright -- who I thought were both head and shoulders above Forrest and had they tested better would have been fourth round picks -- were all available. It's hard for me to say this was the right move.
    (My grade: F; TST Instant Draft Grade: B)
  • Finally the Rams wrapped it up with the selection of another player that flew far under the rader. Though considering the season that he had -- he led the county in receiving -- it's hard to figure out why. Mike Thomas, had to live his special day in the shadow of another Michael Thomas, the higher rated receiver out of Ohio State. I didn't watch anything on him pre-draft, even though I was told repeatedly to do so by a friend. But once I sat down and studied the kid, I came away highly impressed and gave him a third round grade. Which would indicate he was a steal for the Rams in the sixth round. (My grade: A-; TST Instant Draft Grade: A)
There's no way of saying without seeing the players play who was a hit and who was not. That's not the point of grading picks. The grades are based off of what we do know. The things like what they did in college, who they did it against, their physical abilities, when they were drafted and the needs they filled. With that in mind, I give the Rams:

Overall Draft Grade: B-

So as it stands, the Rams at this point no longer have James Laurinaitis, Chris Long, Jared Cook, Janoris Jenkins, or Rodney McLeod. So  who was brought in to replace those players?

 With the departure of Laurinaitis, the Rams had a plan in place. They simply decided to move Alec Ogletree over from the outside to the middle. This was a no-brainer, and easily the best move to make. Ogletree was Laurinaitis' understudy from day one, and brings athleticism Laurinaitis has only dreamed of. The next question is who replaces Ogletree outside? Enter Mark Barron on a more permanent basis. However, I hated his contract. It was the exact same offer they gave to Jenkins, which would imply he is the same caliber player, moreso $9 million a year implies he is top three in the league at his position. While he was good last year, he was not that good.

 Next how do you replace Long? Well, the Rams managed to re-sign William Hayes. I personally love that he was brought back, and while at first glance it appeared that they overpaid, they actually got away with murder considering what good pass rushers are being paid these days. One can argue he is better than some of these guys that got twice as much.

 What will they do about the loss of Cook? Let's be honest here. Losing Cook was more of an addition in itself than anything. But the Rams do still have Lance Kendricks -- who was re-signed to starter money last offseason -- and as mentioned above brought in two really good tight ends. One of which, Higbee, has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.

 How do you replace Jenkins after having his best season as a pro? The Rams brought in Coty Sensabaugh; however, you are fooling yourself if you think he is even close to being the same caliber player as Jenkins. In fact, his agent needs to be hired by every player in the league, as I believe that the odds are scary slim that he beats out E.J. Gaines for Jenkins' old spot. Meaning, the Rams could have very likely just gave away $14 million ($6.5 of which was guaranteed). To this point in his career, he has been a fourth corner, third at best.

 Lastly, but certainly not least, what can they do about replacing Rodney McLeod? The sad truth is, nothing. Simply put, this is the biggest loss of the Rams offseason. For every position, the Rams had someone in house that could replace the loss except for this one. Essentially they are starting over at one of the most important positions in this defensive scheme. McLeod had a helluva season, and graded out as a top 10 safety. To start over with less talent in front of the safety position than before is scary considering how important a good deep safety is in Gregg Williams defensive scheme.
Final question is simple, did the Rams get better? I would have to say no.
In fact, I don't even believe they stayed the same. Just looking at the players lost, and the players brought in or re-signed to fill the roles, only two were either improved (Ogletree) or stayed about the same (Hayes). Jenkins position is downgraded, and safety is severely downgraded. That's four opportunities to either get better or stay at the current level. They got one better, stay the same at one, and downgraded at two. That's like a 1-2-1 record...real similar to the win-loss records Fisher has given back to Rams fans since taking over as head coach in 2012.

MMQB’s Benoit Previews 2016 Los Angeles Rams
Here’s Benoit’s 10 takes on the 2016 Rams.
Over at SI’s MMQB, Andy Benoit has his 10-spot preview of the 2016 Los Angeles Rams. Here’s his 10 angles, paraphrased:

1.) QB Jared Goff should only sit if the O-line can’t do their job

This one’s a bit of an interesting take since it doesn’t really factor in Goff’s ability to perform himself. The idea that if the O-line gels in camp and in the preseason and Goff plays horribly that he should start isn’t necessarily mistaken, just strange that he keys in entirely on the line. And his assessment of Case Keenum as not being “a guy a team can tread water with” calls into question why (a) he was the primary backup last season or (b) why he’s the starting QB right now...but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

2.) OT Greg Robinson is the biggest unknown bust in the NFL

Not disagreeing with this at all since GRob has been an unqualified bust to this point and certainly the Rams are one of the least-covered teams in the NFL nationally (not putting up a single winning record in 12 years tends to have that effect).
The question is if he can finally put it all together in 2016. If not, the Rams could well have their top need for the 2017 NFL Draft identified.

3.) RB Todd Gurley is good

Yup.

4.) The Rams’ offense is not

Yup.

5.) The Rams have the best defensive line in football

I’d agree, but it’s worth pointing out that a year ago, Benoit was claiming the Rams held the best defense in the NFL. Few would argue that by the end of Week 17 the Rams had put up the best defense in the league, so perhaps we can take his praise with a bit of caution. There’s no doubt that Aaron Donald is a phenom, and Robert Quinn has the potential to return to Pro-Bowl form. I’d tab Michael Brockers as one of the most underrated players in the NFL as his role is absolutely vital but doesn’t represent well in the box sheet or in indirect highlights.
The bigger question for 2016 is how the defense, which will certainly lean on the front four yet again, will perform after losing a starter at all four levels.

6.) Def. Coord. Gregg Williams schemes up complicated defensive attacks

No doubt. Between his five-man “Ruby” front packages and the variety of blitz looks the Rams implement, complexity is perhaps the dominating factor for GW’s Rams defenses.
Well, that and physicality.

7.) S Rodney McLeod left a huge hole on the Rams’ roster

[McLeod’s] departure created the most glaring new hole in any NFL roster this past offseason.
Eek.

8.) The Rams were right to go with CB Trumaine Johnson over CB Janoris Jenkins

This is one of the storylines I’m most eager to see play out this season. Tru has enjoyed the benefit of looking better against subordinate wideouts where Janoris perhaps looked less consistent while covering opponents’ top WRs.
Tru won’t have that benefit this year. Sitting on that franchise tag, Tru’s professional (and financial) future will be determined this season.

9.) MLB Alex Ogletree...

The loss of James Laurinaitis will hurt if freakishly athletic fourth-year pro Alec Ogletree can’t play with awareness and patience at his new Mike position. Ogletree showed encouraging growth in this realm last season before fracturing his fibula in Week 4. Where Laurinaitis (now a Saint) was most valuable was in the pre-snap phase, calling checks and audibles.

10.) The Rams aren’t dirty

I’ve said this for a while. The Rams don’t play outside the rules in a dirty fashion for the most part. They just enforce physicality. They rely on it. Tactically, it’s one of the areas they try to leverage most along with the running game and Williams’ defensive complexity.
Opponents would point to the Rams’ penalty totals, but the numbers are a bit skewed here. The Rams tend to rack up defensive penalties in big bunches whereas the offense is consistently penalized throughout the season.
The Rams had four games with one defensive penalty and one where the D wasn’t flagged at all. The offense played just one game where they were flagged less than two times. And the offense didn’t have a game anywhere close to the defensive output against Minnesota in Week 9 in which they got nine penalties.
The defense just finds itself in overly physical battles sometimes whereas the offense (and no, it’s not just OT Greg Robinson, though he certainly contributed heavily to this) consistently puts up penalties week-to-week.

Which of Benoit’s 10 angles do you disagree with the most? What aspect did he not address that you think is absolutely core to the Rams’ 2016 season?

Here are the key dates for the NFL and the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and early 2017.
August 4-7: Hall of Fame Weekend, Canton, Ohio.
August 7: Hall of Fame Game, Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, Canton, Ohio.
August 9: Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an accrued season for free agency.
August 9: If a drafted rookie has not signed with his club by this date, he cannot be traded to any other club in 2016, and may sign a player contract only with the drafting club until the day of the Draft in the 2017 League Year.
August 11-14: First Preseason Weekend.
August 18-20: Second Preseason Weekend.
August 25-28: Third Preseason Weekend.
August 30: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 75 players on the Active List.
September 1: Final Preseason Games.
September 3: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List.
September 3: Simultaneously with the cut-down to 53, clubs that have players in the categories of Active/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must select one of the following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; trade contract; or continue to count the player on the Active List.
September 4: Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 12:00 noon, New York time.
September 4: Upon receipt of the Personnel Notice at approximately 1:00 p.m., New York time, clubs may establish a Practice Squad of 10 players. No club, including the player’s prior club, will be permitted to sign a player to a Practice Player Contract until all clubs have received simultaneous notification via the above Personnel Notice that such player’s prior NFL player contract has been terminated via the waiver system.
September 5-9: In accordance with the 2016 Personnel (Injury) Report Policy, each club is required to file a Practice Report with its conference communications contact by 4:00 p.m., New York time, (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a regular season Saturday or Sunday game; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for a Thursday game; or Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for a Monday game.
Each club must also file a weekly regular season Game Status Report with its conference communications contact by 4:00 p.m., New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) on Wednesday for a Thursday game, Friday for a Saturday or Sunday game, and Saturday for a Monday game. An update must be reported if there is any change in a player's condition after the initial Game Status Report is filed.
September 8: At 12:00 a.m., New York time, the Top 51 Rule expires for all NFL clubs.
September 8, 11-12: Regular Season opens.
Mid-October: Beginning on the sixth calendar day prior to a club's seventh regular season game (including any bye week) and continuing through the day after the conclusion of the 11th regular season weekend, clubs are permitted to begin practicing players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform and Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness for a period not to exceed 21 days. Players may be activated during the 21-day practice period, or prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the conclusion of the 21-day period, provided that no player may be activated to participate in a Week 6 game.
At any time after six weeks have elapsed since a player was placed on Reserve/Injured or Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness, each club is permitted to designate one player for return from either list to the club's 53-player Active/Inactive List.
The player who is "Designated For Return" must have suffered a major football-related or non-football-related injury after reporting to training camp and must have been placed on the applicable Reserve List after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the final roster reduction.
Mid-October: A player whom the club wishes to designate for return is permitted to return to practice for a period not to exceed 21 days. The club is required to notify the League office that the player has been "Designated For Return" on the first day the player begins to practice. The player cannot be returned to the Active/Inactive List until eight weeks have elapsed since the date he was placed on Reserve.
October 18-19: Fall League Meeting, Houston, Texas.
November 1: All trading ends for 2016 at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
November 2: Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons are subject to the waiver system for the remainder of the regular season and postseason.
November 15: At 4:00 p.m., New York time, signing period ends for Franchise Players who are eligible to receive offer sheets.
November 15: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their unsigned Franchise and Transition Players, including Franchise Players who were eligible to receive offer sheets until this date. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2016.
November 15: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their Unrestricted Free Agents to whom the "May 10 Tender" was made. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2016.
November 15: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their Restricted Free Agents, including those to whom the "June 1 Tender" was made. If such players remain unsigned after this date, they are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2016.
November 15: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to sign their drafted rookies. If such players remain unsigned after this date, they are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2016.

2017

January 1: Week 17.
January 2: Earliest permissible date for clubs to renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in any round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Any permissible renegotiated or extended player contract will not be considered a rookie contract, and will not be subject to the rules that limit rookie contracts.
January 2: Option exercise period begins for Fifth-Year Option for First- Round Selections from the 2014 NFL Draft. To exercise the option, the club must give written notice to the player on or after January 2, 2017, but prior to May 3, 2017.
January 7-8: Wild Card Playoffs.
January 8: Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that have byes in the Wild Card weekend may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the Wild Card games.
January 14-15: Divisional Playoffs.
January 15: Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that won their Wild Card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games.
January 16: Deadline for college players that are underclassmen to apply for special eligibility. A list of players who are accepted into the NFL Draft will be transmitted to clubs on January 20.
January 21: East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.
January 22: AFC and NFC Championship Games.
January 28: Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
January 29: NFL Pro Bowl, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida.
January 29: An assistant coach, whose team is participating in the Super Bowl, who has previously interviewed for another club's head coaching job may have a second interview with such club no later than the Sunday preceding the Super Bowl.
February 5: Super Bowl LI, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas.
February 15: First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
February 28-March 6: Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 1: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 7-9: During the period beginning at 12 noon, New York time, on March 7th and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 9th, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2016 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9.
During the above two-day negotiating period, no direct contact is permitted between a prospective unrestricted free agent and any employee or representative of a club, other than the player's current club.
March 9: The 2017 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
The first day of the 2017 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 9. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 9.
March 9: Trading period for 2017 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2016 contracts.
March 26-29: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.
April 3: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2016 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
April 17: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 21: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets.
April 26: Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents.
April 27-29: NFL Draft (site TBD).
A satirical look at more than 75 years of Football's Rams history, combined with discussions of American Exceptionalism and almost 50 years of personal experience in the life of a Rams Fan. The history parallels and intertwines life to form a humorous, yet serious look at American History, World History, an American Football team, and Political Science.

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