Tag: timely

Jalen Ramsey doesn’t see any other CBs doing what he does on a weekly basis

Jalen Ramsey says 2020 was his best season yet, but he has “a lot of improvements to make still.”

Jalen Ramsey earned his second first-team All-Pro selection last season after putting together a stellar campaign in the Rams secondary. His impact goes well beyond the box score, consistently locking down No. 1 receivers and forcing opposing quarterbacks to go elsewhere with the ball.

Looking back on his 2020 season, Ramsey would consider it his best year yet. It’s hard to argue with that fact, too. He allowed a career-low completion rate of 50.7%, gave up a passer rating of just 68.1 in coverage and shut down Pro Bowl receivers such as DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins and Allen Robinson.

And as well as he played last season, he still sees a lot of room for improvement.

“I would put this up there as my best season yet,” Ramsey said on the “Huddle and Flow” podcast. “I have a lot of improvements to make still, especially if I’m going to continue playing inside, outside, moving around and playing different positions a little bit more – things I had never done in the past. And that just came to show you how much the Rams value me and how much they knew what type of player I was and wanted to use all of my skill sets and not just pigeonhole me with one specific thing or certain coverages.”

Ramsey became a different type of cornerback last season than he was in previous years. He played the nickel (or “star) role more often than he ever has, he blitzed off the edge at times and consistently matched up with No. 1 receivers.

When he looks around the league, he doesn’t see any other cornerbacks doing what he does on a weekly basis. He knows there are versatile corners out there, but none that is blanketing No. 1 receivers one week and making big plays from the slot the next.

“I’m a football fan so I look at a lot of football as well, but I’m not seeing guys go out one week and guard the No. 1 receiver on the team, who was probably a Pro Bowl receiver or an All-Pro receiver and essentially lock him down, and the next week go play nickel and make plays in the backfield or on the edges and not even really guard the No. 1 receiver that game,” Ramsey said. “I’m not seeing too many guys do that and still make an effect on the game. I’m not really seeing any guys do that, if I’m being honest with you. And there are other versatile guys in the league. I’m not saying there isn’t any other versatile guys in the league. But there isn’t really anybody in the league who’s guarding a No. 1 receiver, locking him down like I am, and then playing the nickel and making an impact on the game as I am. And within all of that, as well, kind of elevating my teammates around me, elevating the secondary guys around me, making sure they’re ready to take advantage of their opportunities when their opportunities present themselves just because at a certain point in games and the season, teams will avoid me.”

Ramsey is just getting started with the Rams and if he plays the way he did last season, he’ll be an All-Pro again in 2021. He’ll be playing under a new defensive coordinator, however, after Brandon Staley left to become the Chargers’ head coach. He’s excited about Raheem Morris, but Staley is someone Ramsey once again called “a genius.”

Morris has said he just doesn’t want to screw up the way Ramsey and Aaron Donald are playing, so expect to see much of the same from both players next season.

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Celtics survive undermanned Raptors 132 – 125 to extend streak to 4

The win streak grows to four games heading into the All-Star break.

The Boston Celtics hung on to beat a depleted Toronto Raptors 132 – 125 at TD Garden Thursday night to head into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak.

The Raptors, down a number of players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, hung around in what would end up being a very close game most of the way through, even as the Celtics pulled away a bit in the second half. Big nights from Boston’s starters and bench both secured the win, with Jayson Tatum leading all Celtics with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, with Jaylen Brown adding 21 points and 7 boards and Kemba Walker 15 points and 6 assists.

Grant Williams added 17 points off the bench, Jeff Teague 14 points, and Robert Williams III 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Boston now has a 19 – 17 record and is off until after the All-Star break, when they will face the Brooklyn Nets on March 11 to start the second half of their season.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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7 free-agent CBs the Rams should target

If the Rams lose Troy Hill or Darious Williams, there will be plenty of options on the free-agent market.

The Los Angeles Rams already have one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, if not the very best, with Jalen Ramsey. But his two fellow starters will be free agents this month; Troy Hill will be an unrestricted free agent, while Darious Williams is set to be a restricted free agent.

Williams should be back on an RFA tender, but Hill isn’t certain to return to Los Angeles. If the Rams lose him, there will be a lot of other options in free agency – particularly when it comes to slot corners.

Here are seven cornerbacks the Rams should target in free agency when it begins on March 17, in no particular order.

Jalen Ramsey: ‘I highly doubt’ Deshaun Watson ever plays for Texans again

Jalen Ramsey and Deshaun Watson share an agent, so he knows the quarterback is serious about holding his ground against the Texans.

Deshaun Watson’s relationship with the Houston Texans has soured in the blink of an eye. Six months after signing a four-year, $160 million extension with the franchise that drafted him, Watson wants out – and it’s not hard to see why.

He was told by ownership that he would be involved in the Texans’ search for a new GM and head coach, but he was ultimately left out of that discussion, which didn’t sit well with him. Now, he seems prepared to hold out for as long as it takes until the Texans trade him.

Jalen Ramsey and Watson share an agent, David Mulugheta, and the two know each other off the field. Ramsey has backed Watson in his stance wholeheartedly and knowing the quarterback, he doubts Watson ever plays for the Texans again.

Ramsey was on the “Huddle and Flow” podcast with Steve Wyche and Jim Trotter, and he shared his thoughts on Watson’s plan to hold out, even if it costs him millions.

“He’s extremely serious,” Ramsey said. “At the end of the day, Deshaun is a great man. I can say that first and foremost. He’s a great man, I’m telling you, a servant leader. Even now with people trying to crucify him and talk bad on his name, he’s still out there doing things for the community for Houston. He’s a great man, he’s a professional. He’s going to do things that are still positive around the community and probably help his teammates after this. But I highly doubt he’ll ever suit up in a Texans uniform again. He’s very serious. I would say he’s very serious. This is his legacy. He should be serious.”

The Texans are refusing to trade Watson, hoping to mend their broken relationship with the star quarterback. That probably won’t end the way they want, however, because Watson certainly seems dug in on his stance in forcing his way out of Houston.

Some fans have taken exception to the way Watson has handled this less than a year after signing an extension with the Texans, but Ramsey points out that Watson earned his contract. It wasn’t handed to him by the Texans.

And from the outside looking in, Ramsey thinks the Texans haven’t held up their end of the bargain of including Watson in the decision-making process.

“This is something he earned. He wasn’t given this contract,” Ramsey said. “So that’s Step 1 of where people mess up. Like, ‘Man, they gave him this contract.’ They didn’t give him nothing. He earned every dollar of that for what he was putting on that field, putting on the community, doing for that franchise. He earned every dollar of that, first of all. And second of all, you have the opportunity to not only change your life, but your family’s lives and you’re not supposed to take that? Come on, let’s be real. Anybody in America is going to take that. Anybody ever is going to take that.

“You don’t give somebody that much power and then give them no power and essentially (expletive) on ‘em, not value them, not show them that they’re worth all of that. You don’t do that. So I’m sure there’s a sense of, ‘OK, I’ve got y’all ear a little bit. Y’all hear me. Decisions here, decisions there. We’re going to work together, in a sense a partnership’ and they didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. But what has he done? He’s continued to hold up his end of the bargain.”

No one truly knows how this standoff between the Texans and Watson will end, but Ramsey is convinced their time together won’t last much longer. He wants nothing but success for Watson, whatever that may be.

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T.J. Hockenson: Lions players all want Matthew Stafford to win a ring

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson heaped praise on Matthew Stafford, saying he’s the best player he’s ever been around.

Matthew Stafford spent 12 years with the Detroit Lions as the face of the franchise since being the first overall pick in 2009. He’s not only had an impact on the organization with some impressive numbers on the field, but he’s also left his mark on the locker room and in the community.

Since the Lions agreed to trade him to the Rams, players have come forward and shared their appreciation for Stafford, praising him for the job he did in Detroit. T.J. Hockenson is the latest to do so, saying everyone in Detroit is rooting for Stafford to win a ring.

“There’s not a guy in our locker room that’s not rooting for that guy to get a ring. I mean, all of us loved him,” he said on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.

Stafford’s willingness to lay it all on the line has been lauded time and time again, showing remarkable toughness throughout his career in Detroit. The Rams will get a chance to see that next season and likely in future years as their quarterback, which will make it easy for everyone to root for him.

But beyond his toughness, Stafford is a really good quarterback. His 74-90-1 career record doesn’t necessarily reflect that, but he’s played on some bad teams and still put up big numbers in spite of that fact.

Hockenson only spent two seasons with Stafford, but he quickly learned how dedicated the veteran quarterback is

“He’s one of those guys, again, for the boys, for all of us, he was like, ‘Y’all do all this during the week. Y’all do everything I ask of you, and I’m going to go out there and do everything I can for you guys,’” Hockenson said. “Everybody on our team respected that guy. Like everybody loved him. He will forever put a stamp on my career and in the city of Detroit. He’s, I mean, he was, like I said, one of the best — the best player I’ve ever.”

Hockenson called Stafford “probably the best dude, the best player” he’s ever been around and told a story of how the QB threw a no-look pass to him in practice one time, which caught him off-guard.

It’s not something Stafford does often, but it is a little wrinkle Rams receivers should be ready for.

“He no-looked passed me, and I’m like, I double caught it. I got my feet down and everything. I looked at him and I was like, ‘Dude, did you just no-look me?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I saw it caught you off guard.’ I was like, ‘Yup. It did.’ He would do anything for his dudes, too,” the tight end said.

He’s even pulled it off in games, like in the clip below.

The Rams are getting a good one by all accounts from those in Detroit. And considering they’re giving up two first-round picks, a third-rounder and paying $22.2 million in dead money from Jared Goff’s contract, it should tell you everything you need to know about how the team feels about Stafford.

Raptors vs. Celtics: Lineups, broadcast info, injury reports for March 4

Everything you need to know about Thursday’s home rematch with the Toronto Raptors.

The Boston Celtics find themselves atop a three-game winning streak and sit squarely in the East’s fourth-place spot with a dangerous Kemba Walker manning the point and the general trend of the franchise’s health situation a positive one. After three-fourths of a critical stretch to close out the first half of their 2020-21 season, they find themselves having met the challenge presented to them by head coach Brad Stevens after a brutal road loss to the Atlanta Hawks the week prior.

They will finish that four-game run against the Toronto Raptors on their home court Thursday night, facing a resurgent Raptors squad much more focused than the mess of the team they last faced in Tampa.

Which version of Toronto they face at TD Garden remains a question after the Raptors have been forced to place a number of players into the NBA’s health and safety protocol, rescheduling multiple games before dropping another to the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night.

WR D’Wayne Eskridge could fill Rams’ need for speed, says he’ll run a 4.2

The Rams need to add speed on offense and D’Wayne Eskridge might be the perfect solution in the draft.

Wide receiver isn’t at the top of the Rams’ shopping list this offseason, but it sure is somewhere on their list of needs. With Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Van Jefferson projected to be the top three pass catchers, the Rams not only need depth, but also speed.

Woods, Kupp and Jefferson are similar receivers who mostly win on short and intermediate routes, with the occasional deep pattern. There’s a clear void of speed in the receiving corps, one the Rams must fill after trading away Brandin Cooks last offseason.

D’Wayne Eskridge of Western Michigan is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2021 NFL draft class and he might just be the perfect solution for the Rams’ need for speed. Having already met with Eskridge virtually, Los Angeles’ front office has an eye on the dynamic playmaker.

After his pro day, there will probably be even more watching Eskridge in the lead up to the draft. Eskridge told USA TODAY that he plans to run a 4.2 in the 40-yard dash at his workout.

“Yeah, I’m gonna run a 4.2. Most definitely,” he said.

Needless to say, that would be an eye-opening time for the speedy receiver. He shouldn’t be considered the next Tyreek Hill just yet, because Hill is a well-rounded wideout who can win in multiple ways, but the speed is certainly there with Eskridge.

And when it comes to studying receivers, Eskridge tries to model his game around Hill.

“I feel like in a sense, I kind of model myself around some of the things that he does really well,” he said. “I try to implement it to my game. But I still feel like we’re two different players. He plays in a different style than I do, but I definitely get a lot of pros from him.”

Eskridge was a touchdown waiting to happen in college. He scored eight times on just 33 receptions last season, racking up 768 yards receiving. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown, averaging 27.5 yards per return. In five seasons at Western Michigan, he averaged 18.5 yards per catch and scored 15 touchdowns.

As for where the Rams could draft Eskridge, that remains somewhat of a mystery. Some project him going as high as the first round, while others could see him falling to the middle rounds. The Rams don’t have a first-round pick anyway and will make their first selection at No. 57.

Could Eskridge be a target in the second round? Depending on how the board falls, it’s certainly possible. McVay and Les Snead both said recently that they want the offense to be more explosive next season.

“It’s guys that can make things happen with the ball in their hands,” McVay said. “I know we talked a lot about it throughout the season of plays down the field. I think there’s different ways of creating explosives, but it’s a collaboration of certainly I’ve got to do a good job of giving us opportunities and then the players are the ones that end up making it come to life, so that’s always going to be a big part of it.”

Eskridge certainly fits the bill of a guy who can make things happen with the ball in his hands, showing that often in college. He’s someone to watch as the draft approaches.

Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield makes NBA history with 1,000th three point shot

Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield became the fastest in NBA history to 1,000 made three-pointers on Sunday night.

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Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield has been a very solid NBA player over his first five professional seasons, but has largely flown under the radar of just how good he has really been.

On Sunday night, Hield hit a milestone that puts that on full display as he made his 1,000th career three-pointer, becoming the fastest player in league history to do so in terms of number of games played. He got there in just his 350th career game, which shattered the previous record held by Stephen Curry who did it in 369 games.

The record-breaking shot came off of a pass from teammate De’Aaron Fox in the middle of the third quarter of the Sacramento Kings’ game with the Charlotte Hornets.

Hield is the all-time leader in three-pointers made in Sooners basketball history by a wide margin making 349 of them over his four seasons in Norman, including an astonishing 147 knocked down in his senior year to help get Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2016. Of course, the team Twitter account was sure to congratulate the former Wooden Award winner.

Hield and his Kings will next be in action on Wednesday night at home against the Los Angeles Lakers at 9:00 p.m. CT.

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