The Lookaround: The state of the LA Rams I feel like this is a reference that works http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-justin-coleman-jersey , and only works, in a Seattle-based environment like FieldGulls, but growing up I used to listen to The T-Man every morning. The T-Man will always be one of my main reference points for region-based nostalgia, especially in my teens and early 20s, as well as the many characters who’d drop in and out of his morning radio show. (“in weather like this....eating a HAM sammich!”) The T-Man (whose real name is Rob Tepper, if I remember correctly) was like a Howard Stern-lite that never quite took off nationally — though I think he was talented enough to do so — and for some reason one thing he used to always say that has stuck with me through the years has been this: someone in every relationship is always doing the other person a favor. Every relationship has one person doing the other a favor, there are no “equals.” I don’t want to get into examples because that’s kind of mean, but I think you get the idea.I guess a non-mean example could involve fictional characters, so I think in The Office you could say that Angela was doing Dwight a favor by being in a relationship with him. It’s almost always a subtle favor, but in every relationship someone is “winning” and someone is “losing.”I think this is just as true in the NFL, where the most important relationship of all could be the head coach and the quarterback; and in all of those instances, someone is doing the other a favor, helping them look a little bit better than they actually are. Which brings us to the LA Rams.Sean McVay is certainly doing Jared Goff a favor.Every successful NFL franchise, with few exceptions, is getting by on either its head coach or its quarterback. Usually it’s a bit of both but there’s always going to be a lean to one or the other. In the case of the New England Patriots, it’s more Bill Belichick than it is Tom Brady, but the reason they’ve had the greatest run in league history is that they’re both phenomenal. Peyton Manning always did his coaches a favor. Aaron Rodgers is doing Mike McCarthy a favor. I think it’s most often the quarterback, but not always.Tom Coughlin did Eli Manning a favor. Mike Tomlin is doing Ben Roethlisberger a favor. Doug Pederson may be trending towards doing all of Philadelphia a favor. There’s some question there, but there’s little doubt that McVay is the reason the LA Rams are expected to win the division and compete for a Super Bowl this year. Goff is his main area of concern, but the Rams have invested tens upon tens of millions of dollars into the roster this offseason, and they’ve really focused on winning right now.It still likely depends on what we see next from Goff. So how are things going with LA this past month as training camp and preseason has transpired? Besides any Aaron Donald holdout talk, here’s some thoughts and observations, with help from Turf Show Times’ Joe McAtee.Offensive line having issues?The Rams are expected to have one of the best left tackles in the game with Andrew Whitworth, their big free agent signing of 2017, but Joe says that Whitworth is in fact starting to show his 37 years. He also notes that other than Rob Havenstein, who was signed to a big contract extension earlier this month, the rest of the offensive line for 2019 and beyond is in doubt:The good news, if you’re a Rams fan, is that one of Joe’s spotlight players for training camp has been tackle Joseph Noteboom, a third round pick out of TCU. (“Noteboom might have had the best preseason of anyone on the roster.”) If Whitworth must be replaced in 2019, Noteboom could be the guy to do it. Concerns still abound though for all the interior jobs by next season.The big thing to see here perhaps though is the potential signs of age from Whitworth. (“His technique is still great and physically, he’s a monster. But he’s getting beaten sometimes by mediocre edge talent with speed.”) That will be a very difficult player to replace unless Noteboom is the steal of the draft. McAtee also likes sixth round guard Jamil Demby, for what it’s worth.High-end weaponsAmong the skill players that McAtee has really liked this August are running back John Kelly and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Of course, Kupp had a great rookie campaign, hauling in 62 passes for 869 yards. I thought Kupp was the real deal going into the draft and even the acquisition of Brandin Cooks shouldn’t hold him back from at least matching his production from 2017. He was “unstoppable” in a joint practice with the Ravens. Cooks slots in for Sammy Watkins and is likely a better and more productive receiver at this point. He’s averaged 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns over the last three years, though he’s been catching passes from Drew Brees and Tom Brady, who are in a slightly different category than Goff. (Or most any quarterback to ever live.) Tripling up with Robert Woods, that gives LA three very good starting receivers, potentially the best top-3 in the league.Todd Gurley is Todd Gurley, so there’s that.One skill player that has not had a great August is tight end Gerald Everett. A second round pick last year, Everett had 16 catches for 244 yards as a rookie, but he’s been sidelined for three weeks with a shoulder injury; he is on track to play Week 1, but that’s a lot of developmental time missed.The Goff/McVay thingLet me hand it over to Joe:There you have it. To his “credit” at least Goff is a bargain. With cap hits of $7.6 million and $8.8 million in 2018 and 2019, plus a fifth-year option in 2020, Goff is a capable starting quarterback whose relatively low QB salary has helped the team add players like Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Cooks, Whitworth, Sullivan, Woods ... I mean, not literally all of these players are in LA because of Goff’s low salary, but it helps a ton. I keep saying it: the best thing you can have in the league in 2018 is a very good quarterback who is on a rookie contract, or at least very cheap.The 2017 final four included Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, Nick Foles (in place of Carson Wentz), and Tom Brady. All of those players represent quarterback bargains.I don’t think I can see Goff playing so poorly that he gets benched, especially not with Sean Mannion as his backup, and so that at least gives LA flexibility despite him and add costly players because of him. At least Doug Baldwin Jersey , costly players besides their best player. Potentially-elite secondaryThe Rams added Talib and Peters, which should be an upgrade but it’s not like Trumaine Johnson was a bad cornerback. There’s some lateral movement to that end. The other thing is that the Rams already had a great pass defense. This wasn’t necessarily a part of their game that they needed significant improvement on, but if they now have a historically-great pass defense, then surely it puts them closer to a Super Bowl ring. As of now, there’s not been much said about Peters’ apparent attitude issues that got him in trouble at both UW and with the Chiefs, so they’ve got that going for them. Joe also says he likes what he’s seen from free agent signee Sam Shields and safety Marqui Christian, a fifth rounder in 2016. Said McVay on Christian:Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson also seem like at least a very good safety tandem. Hate to admit it, but the Rams secondary could be as talented as their receivers/backs.Still mostly unknown linebackersPeople know of Mark Barron and that’s easily the most famous linebacker on this team. Barron had surgery on both his right shoulder and his left heel, only returning to practice on August 20. He’s on track to start Week 1, but injuries, or at least the memories of injuries, will likely linger.Next to him could be Micah Kiser, another player that Joe highlighted for good reasons this August. Kiser was a fifth round pick out of Virginia but could start at middle linebacker after the team traded Alec Ogletree in the offseason. After that, lots of apparent question marks. Joe doesn’t like the August that Samson Ebukam, a fourth rounder a year ago, has had. Then you’ve got Matt Longacre, Justin Lawler, Ejuan Price, Ramik Wilson, Cory Littleton, and Tegray Scales, among some others. Veteran first round disappointment Dominique Easley could also be working at linebacker this season. Linebacker would seem to be a weak area on a very strong roster. What happened here? Joe has some thoughts:Defensive LineDepth at defensive line may only matter if Donald doesn’t report, but by virtually all accounts he will be there by Week 1. In that case, it’s Donald, Suh, and Michael Brockers. That alone is quite insane. Depth-wise, the team drafted John Franklin-Myers out of Stephen F Austin. McVay:Ethan Westbrooks has apparently had a good training camp and preseason also, potentially giving LA yet another quality player in the defensive trenches. If they fold in Donald soon, it could be argued this is the best front-3 for a 3-4 defense ... in history?Bottom Line:If the Rams don’t get the number one seed in the NFC, by far the stronger conference between the two, I think it has to be considered a significant disappointment and a major indictment on the development and quality of Jared Goff. Why? Folks could and would argue that the Rams have:The best running backA high-end number one, a high-end number two, and a high-end number three receiverA top-ranked tackle duo and two quality interior offensive linemenThe best secondary in the NFL, potentially out-dueling the Jaguars because of a safety duo that very well could surpass Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson, plus a better slot cornerThe best defensive line in the NFLIf you took this roster and put Matthew Stafford on it (I’m intentionally choosing a good QB without much of any success, rather than a slam dunk), I think LA could go 14-2 or 15-1. Goff has to at least get them to 13-3. Not that there isn’t a floor that includes disaster.Can Talib, Peters, and Suh all coexist on the same defense? Can the offensive line stay healthy and hold up? Is Whitworth too old? Was Cooks overrated? Are they really gonna continue to drag their heels on Donald? The Rams are not assured a division title, but it’s certainly theirs to grab.If not, what a hilarious waste of an offseason and what a nightmare to deal with in 2019, 2020, and so on. We’re in probably the most boring part of the NFL offseason, which is that gap between the free agency wave and the releasing of the regular season schedule, shortly followed by the NFL Draft. So..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsSeahawks 2019 offseason workout dates announcedPDTShareTweetShareShareSeahawks 2019 offseason workout dates announcedJoe Nicholson-USA TODAY SportsWe’re in probably the most boring part of the NFL offseason, which is that gap between the free agency wave and the releasing of the regular season schedule, shortly followed by the NFL Draft. So with that in mind, this news item is about the offseason workout dates for the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL announced the dates for all 32 teams, so now we have the info on when Seattle’s Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamps are. Here’s the list!OTA Offseason Workouts: May 20-21, May 23, May 28-29, May 31, June 3-6 (Note: dates for OTAs are subject to change)Mandatory Minicamp: June 11-13Additionally, April 15th marks the day when offseason voluntary conditioning workouts at VMAC for strength, conditioning, and physical rehabilitation commence.Per the CBA, the nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases. Training camp dates will be announced later in the offseason, and those events you can actually attend in-person!