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The Buccaneers accomplished an intriguing swap this week David Long Jersey , trading in defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and his $13 million salary for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and a $9.25 million salary with another $750,000 in potential incentives. They did it even though they know McCoy extremely well, but they don’t really know Suh very well at all.Indeed, Suh (who signed the one-year deal while vacationing in France) didn’t visit Tampa or work out for the team. Remember the Brock Osweiler debacle in Houston? The Texans signed the quarterback sight-unseen on the first day of free agency in 2016, and it would be been far more beneficial for both sides (specifically Osweiler and coach Bill O’Brien) to have spent some time together in order to get a feel for whether they ultimately might, you know, hate each other.With Suh, the Buccaneers had some prior knowledge, beyond the fact that offensive lineman Evan Smith was once on the receiving end of a Suh stomp. G.M. Jason Licht went to college at Nebraska, so he has followed the career of the former Cornhusker closely. Also, Buccaneers assistant strength and conditioning coach Chad Wade worked at Nebraska throughout Suh’s career there, and Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christenen worked in Miami for two of Suh’s three seasons with the Dolphins.Throw in the fact that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles became familiar with Suh when the Jets considered signing him in 2018 and the reality (per a source with knowledge of the situation) that the Buccaneers had done research on Suh in the past, the team felt comfortable making the commitment without an in-person visit or workout.The move nevertheless remains curious. Suh actually had fewer sacks than McCoy in 2018 (four vs. 6.5), and Suh played with double-team magnet Aaron Donald in L.A.. Of course, Suh also spent plenty of time rushing the passer from the edge of the line, which isn’t his natural position and which could make it harder to fault Suh for the perception that he didn’t have a great year.Still, it seemed that Suh saved his maximum effort for big moments last year http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/bobby-evans-jersey , not standing out during much of the regular season and finding the gas pedal in the playoffs. The Rams traded for Dante Fowler Jr. (they initially wanted Jerry Hughes) due largely to their disappointment with Suh’s performance as a pass rusher.Consider these March comments from coach Bruce Arians, made specifically regarding McCoy: “I mean, guys when they age, it’s different. Usually they’re at the age when they get paid the most and the production doesn’t match. It’s a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. It’s hard. It’s cold. That’s it.”That same thought process applies to Suh, who at 32 is more than a year older than McCoy. Even though the Bucs have some institutional knowledge regarding what Suh has done in the past, they don’t really have a good feel for what he’s done lately — and more importantly for what he’ll do during his one-year stint in Tampa.In fairness to the Buccaneers, plenty of teams roll the dice without much advance work. The Raiders traded for Antonio Brown and the Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. essentially on a whim, with no visit or workout or anything to ensure that the moves will work. Like deals done at the start of free agency, however, the circumstances of the Brown and Beckham trades required the prospective teams to do a bit of prospecting. Suh has been available for more than two months, and the Bucs had as much time as they needed to bring him in for a visit (no one else was clamoring to sign him), to give him a full physical before making the kind of splash that will be very hard to undo if his eventual physical causes some concern, and to maybe put him through a drill or two to ensure that, at his age, the production will match the price.Frankly, there would have been no harm whatsoever in getting Suh in the same room with Arians; within five minutes, Arians would know whether Suh is fully committed to doing everything in his power to help the Bucs end an extended postseason drought. (And if Suh’s position was “sign me without a visit Greg Gaines Jersey ,” maybe that was all the Bucs needed to know.)Basically, the Bucs made a calculated risk that didn’t have to be calculated. They could have gotten more information before making a major investment, and it’s fair to wonder why they didn’t. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Putting the ball in the hands of Todd Gurley is the easiest decision for the Los Angeles Rams. The star running back is doing his best to push himself into consideration for NFL MVP with an amazing season.Gurley came in leading the NFL with 17 touchdowns, and he added two more, including the longest reception of his career after taking a screen pass 80 yards. The Rams clinched their first NFC West title since 2003 by beating the Tennessee Titans 27-23 on Sunday.The running back finished with 118 yards rushing and 158 yards receiving, becoming only the third in NFL history to post such a performance as he joined Ollie Matson (1954) and Herschel Walker (1986). Gurley also became the third in NFL history with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards, 10 TDs rushing and more than five TD catches in a season, joining O.J. Simpson (1975) and Marshall Faulk (2000 and 2001).“He’s a special player,” Rams first-year coach Sean McVay said. “He is playing his best the last couple of weeks when it is the most important, these last couple of weeks.”Jared Goff threw for 301 yards and four touchdown passes, the last for the final margin with 11:51 left on a 14-yarder to Cooper Kupp. Goff said he knows who he’d pick for the league’s MVP award if he had a vote.“I know there’s a bunch of other guys in the league doing great things, but he’s got my vote,” Goff said.Here are some things to know as the Rams and Titans prepare for their regular-season finales:TENNESSEE IN CONTROL: The Titans (8-7) have lost three straight, and the loss to Los Angeles allowed Jacksonville to clinch the AFC South. But the Titans host the Jaguars to wrap up the season needing only a win for their second straight winning season and first playoff berth since 2008. Losses by the Chargers and the Bills also would clinch a berth for the Titans even with a loss.“This is our season, and we’re looking forward to it Christian Wilkins Jersey ,” Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota said.ROUGH DEBUT: Sam Ficken missed his first extra point in the NFL and followed by clanking a 36-yard field goal attempt off the right upright in replacing Greg Zuerlein, the Rams’ Pro Bowl kicker. Ficken bounced back by connecting on his next three extra points, and Ficken also put four of his five kickoffs in the end zone, with two touchbacks.“To his credit, he found a way to respond and came away being able to make the rest of the opportunities that he did have,” McVay said. “I thought he kicked the ball off pretty well. We’ll continue to evaluate moving forward.”MURRAY’S KNEE: DeMarco Murray had to be helped to the sideline late in the game, and Mularkey says the running back will have an MRI on his right knee. “He’s a pretty tough guy, watched him walk off, didn’t look good,” Mularkey said. Murray finished with 48 yards on 15 carries and three catches for 11 yards.The Titans still have Derrick Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, who would be in line for only his second start this season and fourth of his career if Murray can’t play in the finale.SACKED: The Rams came in ranked second in the NFL with 47 sacks, and the Titans ranked fifth after piling up 26 over the past five games. Each team left adding only one sack apiece to the totals.MORE WORK LEFT: The Rams’ win ensures Los Angeles will host its first NFL playoff game in a very long time. First, the Rams wrap up the regular season hosting the San Francisco 49ers. McVay gave the Rams off until Wednesday with the Christmas holiday. The Rams are a win away from reversing 4-12 last season to 12-4.“I guess from the outside looking in you’d be surprised …,” Goff said. “I felt good about our year coming into it and now we’re division champs and it feels really good.”——AP freelance writers Brian Hinchman and Terry McCormick contributed.