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November 23, 2016 at 10:53 am #59307znModerator
First Look: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
JOEL A. ERICKSON
MS BREAKDOWN
LAST WEEK: Los Angeles overcame a shaky offense and dominated the first 50 minutes in building a 10-0 lead against a surging Miami team, then collapsed, allowing Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill to throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to beat the Rams 14-10 and deny the Rams’ bid to reach .500.
OFFENSE: The curiosity factor is there for the Rams. No. 1 pick Jared Goff is finally getting a chance to start at quarterback. After nine games with Case Keenum, the Rams turned to Goff last week, and the results were mediocre. Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for a paltry 134 yards and one touchdown, but he also did a nice job navigating the rush and buying time to throw the ball, taking just one sack. No matter who’s at quarterback, this is one of the least dangerous passing attacks in the NFL; Los Angeles ranks just 25th in passing yards, and the Rams have struggled protecting the passer. The Rams have given up 24 sacks, tied for 19th in the NFL. Slot receiver Tavon Austin (40 catches, 356 yards) and tight end Lance Kendricks (37 catches, 369 yards) will work the underbelly of a defense, allowing Kenny Britt (49 catches, 736 yards) and Brian Quick (29 catches, 442 yards) to test teams deep. The true weapon on the Los Angeles offense, running back Todd Gurley, has been all but eliminated because of the Rams’ suspect passing game. Gurley, the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year, is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. He has 591 yards rushing and four touchdowns overall.
DEFENSE: Los Angeles has overcome its offense to win four games on the strength of a defense that ranks seventh in the NFL in yards allowed, yielding just 327 yards per game, but might also be vulnerable to the right attack. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the linchpin; the lightning-quick interior rusher, arguably the best defensive tackle in the league, has 20 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks this season. Donald has surprisingly had little help this season. No other Ram has more than two sacks, including respected defensive end Robert Quinn, who has battled a variety of physical issues. Los Angeles has just 16 sacks overall. On top of that, the Rams have just five interceptions, one of the lowest totals in the league. With Donald and a constantly rotating cast of defensive linemen protecting Alec Ogletree (75 tackles) and Mark Barron (65 tackles) at linebacker, Los Angeles is capable against the run, ranked 15th in the league as they allow 102.6 rushing yards per game. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson leads the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter Johnny Hekker is one of the most difficult men in the NFL to get any kind of return against; Hekker, who is averaging 46.5 gross yards per punt, has pinned 33 offerings inside the 20 and is averaging 44.6 yards per net return. Kicker Greg Zuerlein is solid, and the combination of Austin on punt returns and running back Benny Cunningham on kickoffs has been solid if not spectacular this season.
November 24, 2016 at 12:14 am #59358znModeratorJared Goff, Rams face tough test vs. Drew Brees, Saints
Alden Gonzalez
OK, Jared Goff, let’s see what you’ve got.
On the other side on Sunday will be a New Orleans Saints offense that ranks first in the NFL in yards and is tied for third in the NFL in points per game this season. The Los Angeles Rams’ defense, which gave up the fewest yards per game from Weeks 7-11, will be tested. And so will Goff, the No. 1 overall pick who operated under a very conservative offensive approach in his debut and will now be tasked with throwing the ball downfield.
The Rams (4-6) have won only one of their last four games, despite their defense’s dominance. They have exactly six losses through 10 games for the fifth straight year under head coach Jeff Fisher, and their offense is on pace to finish within the bottom five in yards per game for a fourth consecutive time.
They last faced the Saints (4-6) during Week 15 in 2013, winning 27-16 in St. Louis — a game that saw Drew Brees throw interceptions that led to touchdowns in each of his first two possessions. Now the Rams travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a tough road test to save their faint playoff hopes.
Below are seven opponents to watch, courtesy of ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett.
OFFENSE
QB Drew Brees: Still going strong at age 37, Brees leads the NFL with 328 passing yards per game and 26 touchdown passes. He is playing arguably his best football since 2011, with the third-highest passer rating of his career (106.4). However, he has thrown three interceptions and lost a fumble over the past two games — both losses. So avoiding turnovers will be priority No. 1 Sunday in the Superdome, where he typically does his most damage. Brees has two home games this year with at least 423 yards and four touchdowns.
WR Brandin Cooks: The Saints’ dynamic third-year receiver also does most of his damage at home, where he has touchdown catches of 98 and 87 yards this season. Five of his six touchdowns have come in the Superdome, where the 5-foot-10, 189-pounder thrives on the fast track. The former first-round pick, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the scouting combine, is on pace for 82 catches, 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns.
RBs Mark Ingram/Tim Hightower: We should find out Wednesday if Ingram is in jeopardy of missing this week’s game after being evaluated for a concussion last Thursday night. If healthy, he will likely serve as the 1A to Hightower’s 1B in a timeshare. Ingram is still quietly on pace for 1,283 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, despite an inconsistent season that has disappointed his fantasy owners. If needed, Hightower is capable of taking on a full workload. The two veteran backs are pretty similar, so the Saints’ offense won’t change much regardless. Both have the versatility to run for hard yards up the middle, catch passes out of the backfield, take goal-line carries and pass protect.
DEFENSE
DE Cameron Jordan: The two-time Pro Bowler has remained the Saints’ best defender all season, flashing his versatility as an end/tackle and a disruptive pass-rusher/run defender. Jordan (6-4, 287) has four sacks, four batted passes, a forced fumble and 38 tackles. He ranks in the top 10 in the NFL since 2012 with 42 sacks and 18 batted passes. Only J.J. Watt has him beat in both categories.
DT Nick Fairley: After spending one year with the Rams, the veteran defensive tackle has been a great bargain purchase for the Saints in free agency on a one-year, $3 million deal. Fairley — listed at 6-4, 308, though he said this summer that he’s under 300 — is splitting time now at the 3-technique spot with first-round draft choice Sheldon Rankins. Saints coaches say Fairley is most effective when they can keep him fresh, and both players line up together on some passing downs.
MLB Craig Robertson: The Saints also signed former Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis this offseason, but they recently released him after placing him on injured reserve with a minor quad injury. Part of the reason Laurinaitis was deemed expendable was the impressive play of Robertson — a fellow veteran who was signed away from the Cleveland Browns this offseason, presumably to be a backup and special-teamer. Robertson is tied for seventh in the NFL with 89 tackles. The 6-1, 234-pounder began the year as a weakside linebacker before moving to the middle and he is one of the Saints’ better linebackers in pass coverage. He has one interception, one sack and one fumble recovery.
November 24, 2016 at 12:18 am #59359znModeratorSaints preparing for Rams elite defensive tackle Aaron Donald
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/11/saints_preparing_for_rams_elit.html#incart_river
To see what Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald can do, just watch any game he’s played, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said.
“From the moment you turn the tape on from the time you turn it off, he’s disruptive,” Saints rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said.
Since the Rams drafted Donald in the first round in 2014, he’s been one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL, and unlike many others at his position, he has the stats to prove it.
Many of the top defensive tackles in the league impact the game in immeasurable ways, whether it’s clogging a lane to divert a running back or creating pressure up the middle to flush a quarterback from the pocket. Donald does those things regularly, but with 25 sacks and 53 tackles for loss in 42 career games, he’s a rare player at his position with production that matches his impact.
“He’s a hell of a football player,” Saints center Max Unger said.
When the Rams visit the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, the Saints know they must have a plan for containing the 25-year-old star.
“You know he’s going to make some plays,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “You just hope to contain him as much as you can.”
The most obvious trait that makes Donald so good is his quickness, but his ability to squeeze through multiple offensive linemen and win matchups by going inside or around opposing players makes him so hard to stop. Multiple Saints players used the word elite to describe him.
One reason Donald is so hard to contain is he’s not the only defensive lineman on his team who can disrupt an offense. Defensive end Robert Quinn has a 19-sack season on his résumé, and defensive tackle Michael Brockers can create pressure up the middle, too.
“I know his attitude, I know his demeanor, I know his approach,” Brees said.
And the Rams defense has playmakers at all three levels, which is why they rank sixth in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points surrendered each game. As Unger said, the Saints need to consider how to contain Donald while also determining the best way to attack a good defense.
The other thing about Donald’s talent that’s so problematic is there aren’t many ways to help the offensive linemen slow an interior defensive lineman. Most of the top pass rushers play on the edge, which gives teams a chance to use tight ends or running backs to help the tackles.
“The distinct difference is you can’t by alignment, necessarily, create ways to change his rush pattern,” Payton said.
With Donald, almost the entire onus will fall on Unger and the guards — Andrus Peat and Jahri Evans if left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) returns, or Evans and Senio Kelemete.
“Basically, with a guy like him, you have to focus on yourself,” Evans said.
Armstead noted Donald’s array of rush moves is rare for an interior defensive lineman, which means the guys blocking him don’t face similar play often.
Kelemete said the Saints interior offensive linemen will have to try to use leverage to block Donald, but that can be problematic, too. Because Donald is 6-foot-1, he’s shorter than most of the top players at his position, and taller offensive linemen have an advantage in reach. However, Donald being lower to the ground means he starts most plays from an advantageous position
Rankins, the Saints’ first-round pick, is the same height as Donald and knows what it’s like to have the stigma of being short.
“Clearly, he’s overcome it to be an all-pro player,” Rankins said of Donald.
Even though most of the burden of blocking Donald will be on the men in the middle of the Saints’ offensive line, his combination of power, quickness and rush moves also gives the Rams a chance to use him on the edge, so New Orleans’ offensive tackles have to be ready, too.
“His ability to not just his get off, but his ability to play into guys (is impressive) as well,” Armstead said. “He doesn’t have to beat guys with speed; he can play straight through them. You don’t really find too much of that in the NFL. You either have the speed or the power, but to have somebody that’s elite at both, it’s pretty exceptional.”
In describing Donald, Payton listed just about every desirable trait in a defensive tackle — extremely athletic, smart, energy and effort. Rams coach Jeff Fisher sees those things on display every practice and said Donald is “special.”
“He can win every block,” Fisher said. “He’s a really smart player. He’ll wind up and have a really good feel for what’s going on. We give him the freedom to do some things, but he’s really, really hard to block.”
November 25, 2016 at 10:09 pm #59477znModeratorGregg Williams’ ties to the Saints will forever include Super Bowl glory, Bountygate hell
The conflicting case of Gregg Williams.
Super Bowl heaven. Bounty scandal hell.
There will forever be two sides to Williams’ career with the New Orleans Saints. There will be an ultimate high and a crushing low inside the Saints history book involving the former defensive coordinator.
Williams will coach against the Saints for the first time in a regular-season game since leaving the Saints after the 2011 season when the Saints host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. It will be the first time he coaches in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome since being one of the central figures in the bounty scandal of 2012.
Will watching Williams on the Rams sideline coaching against the Saints on Sunday bring back memories of Super Bowl XLIV glory? Or will the presence of the fiery former Saints assistant coach rip open the wound of the scandal?
I would assume the latter would apply to those who blamed Williams for helping the NFL make its case. Sean Payton, who was exiled from the Saints for about nine months because of the scandal, spoke about Williams in as polite of terms as he could earlier this week.
“Number one, I think he’s a real good defensive coordinator. … He’s done a great job and is doing a great job in L.A. right now,” Payton said. “When you win Super Bowls those are important things, and obviously he was a big part of that with our program and our team. He’s trying, I’m sure, to do that in L.A. I think he’s a good football coach.”
Williams, who was barred from the NFL for 18 months because of the scandal, told the Rams media Friday that he won’t have any bittersweet memories coming back to New Orleans with the Rams and isn’t concerned with how he’ll be received Sunday.
“It’s not about that, it’s about these guys playing,” Williams said. “These guys are down there, they’re ready to play. So it’s not about me.”
I still imagine the mention of Williams’ name can make Payton seethe at times. Williams pointed the finger at Payton to blame for the alleged bounty program. Payton and Joe Vitt (suspended for six games in 2012) pointed back to Williams. The NFL penalized all three regardless.
The animosity toward Williams seemingly began from the Saints brass long before the NFL paraded their claims out to the public in early 2012.
From the way Vitt described it, the Saints began creating an exit plan for Williams starting during the 2011 NFL Draft.
They convinced themselves Williams was tipping selections to my colleague Jeff Duncan. (Jeff vehemently denied this claim publicly after NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune acquired Vitt’s testimony in the bounty hearings a week before Super Bowl XLVII.)
The powers that be on Airline Drive already wanted Williams out well before Williams left for the Rams/the Saints fired him after the 2011 season. “Gregg Williams was fired. He had to crawl on his stomach to keep his job with the New Orleans Saints,” Vitt said during the bounty hearings in November 2012.
Vitt called Williams a liar during testimony and ripped Williams repeatedly. The hearings were UGLY. The gloves came off. So I assume the damage done among those staffers involved will be forever irreparable.
As for the players it affected directly (Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove, Scott Fujita) or indirectly (those on the 2012 Saints squad not called out by the NFL), some of their venom toward Williams has faded.
“I think when the whole thing went down, it was tough emotionally because there was a tug of war with knowing the great things Gregg helped us accomplish as well as the whole Bountygate thing that was getting blown out of proportion at the time,” former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said. “I think as the years go by, even the guys directly involved with that whole thing, guys who served suspensions, the players and just talking with them, their appreciation for what Gregg helped us do outweighs any of the bad stuff that happened throughout that scandal.”
Even for someone like Vilma?
“Yeah, especially Vilma,” Shanle said. “He was directly tied into everything and involved heavily. I know there was probably a period there where he resented Gregg a little bit in what went on. But as the years go by, there’s no doubt that Vilma understands everything that Gregg brought to us.
“The amount of wins we were able to obtain from ’09 to 2011, we can all say it probably wouldn’t have been there defensively for us without Gregg Williams leading us with the mindset he brought to the room every day.”
Drew Brees held back no punches during the 2012 season and especially when former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue vacated the suspensions of the four accused players. Brees described Williams and former staffer Mike Cerullo as “two disgruntled employees who were fired here because they did not fit the mold of what we were about.” Brees also openly questioned their mental states.
Four years later, Brees can separate Williams the defensive guru to aid in the Saints winning the Super Bowl from the Williams that so many within the Saints organization blamed for the scandal.
“I’ve chosen to focus on the positive,” Brees said. “That was he was here as our defensive coordinator for three years, all three were playoff years and we won a lot of games in that stretch of time. Obviously he was a big part of that. I felt like he did a great job on defense in that stretch. It’s unfortunate that things went the way that they did, but I’ve chosen to focus on the positive. I know what type of defensive coach that he is. He’s had a lot of success wherever he’s been. I have a lot of respect for that.”
Brees admitted, though, it’s probably easier for him to diffuse his anger toward Williams than those parties fully engulfed by the scandal.
“There were those who were affected a lot more harshly by his actions than others,” Brees said. “I guess I’m affected indirectly because those are all of my coaches, my teammates. That’s probably the part that bothers me the most at the time. And now it’s just that as that was going on, it seemed like the blame was trying to be shifted off him and to the players and the guys that he coached. These (the players) are all great individuals.”
Safety Roman Harper without hesitation gushed over the amount of respect he still holds for Williams. Honestly, it kind of surprised me.
“It’s all life lessons I guess,” Harper said. “I look back on it and I don’t think we were as bad as everyone made us out to be. I loved playing for the guys and he’s someone I’ll look up to for the rest of my life in just helping me become the person I am in my career and having faith in me when a lot of people didn’t.
“For that right there, I’m always thankful and he’ll always be a good friend of mine.”
Shanle hasn’t been shy about how much Williams meant to his career, but he knows the bounty elephant will forever be in the room for some. I can’t say I blame those holding the eternal grudge.
“I think deep down everybody appreciates everybody who had a part in what we accomplished in those three years,” Shanle said. “I think it’s still definitely hard for them to get over it. I wasn’t as heavily involved with the courtroom and all the stuff those guys went through and had to go against each other.
“For me when I look back, it’s tough because I want to have everybody show up at a reunion and get along and celebrate together. I don’t know if that will ever happen, and that’s a shame.”
Ultimately, it’s nearly impossible to separate Williams as a major factor in the Saints winning the Super Bowl. It’s also nearly impossible to separate Williams as a major factor for the bounty scandal.
November 26, 2016 at 2:57 am #59488znModeratorWILLIAMS’ RETURN TO NEW ORLEANS
As is well known, Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams held the same position with the Saints when they won the Super Bowl in 2009. He was with the team for two more seasons, making a number of more memories in the process. Sunday will represent the first time he’ll be back coaching in New Orleans since departing the franchise.
“I’ve not coached in a game down there, but I’ve been back there several times,” Williams said. “Really looking forward to it. Got a lot of great memories — a lot of good feelings, a lot of good people there that I still stay in contact with.”While all that experience with quarterback Drew Brees may seem to some as an advantage for Brees, Williams said that can work both ways.
“I know things about him, he knows things about me, too, in a practice situation,” Williams said. “There’s nobody I’ve been around who’s more precise in what they do, go about the profession the way he goes about it.”
Earlier in the week, Saints head coach Sean Payton praised Williams for the way he’s been able to consistently improve units throughout his time in the NFL.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Payton said. “Really, when you follow his career as a defensive coordinator, he’s always had good defenses — you watch what they’re doing [and] in a short period of time, he’s been able to turn around a number of teams’ defenses. We’ve been grinding here, we’ve had a little bit of additional time, playing on a Thursday night, watching these guys. I think there are a number of things that concern you.
“Look, having had a chance to win a Super Bowl,” Payton added, “that’s something that you’ll always remember.”
Regardless, neither Williams nor Fisher are expecting much in terms of an emotional impact on the game.
“It’s not about that — it’s about these guys playing. So, it’s not about me,” Williams said.
“He won a Super Bowl down there, and I’m sure he’s got a lot of friends, but, no, he’s focused on what we’re doing,” Fisher said.
November 27, 2016 at 9:07 am #59597znModeratorCanal Street Chronicles
Which Saints team shows up against the Rams?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/5e3b15b8-46a7-33f8-a477-9b2f5e51d526/which-saints-team-shows-up.html
Since Thursday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, it’s been interesting to gauge the mood of New Orleans Saints fans since the bitter defeat, as they run the gamut of extreme dissatisfaction to annoyingly optimistic. So, let’s just put aside all the ‘what if’ and ‘what could have been’ talk for a minute and focus on the most pressing need right now: winning a football game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Since 2005, the Saints have lost four of the past six games to the Rams. Sean Payton’s squad is 2-3 in his coaching career against the Rams, with lone victories in 2009 and 2010. Ex-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams comes to town, which certainly creates all the feels among fans. No matter how you look at this important matchup (which both clubs need to win to keep playoff hopes alive), you have to wonder what Saints team shows up on Sunday.
Here’s a few things that we need to see for Sean Payton’s squad to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Special Teams Support
Let’s face it, we weren’t going to get our wish of Greg McMahon getting fired. Making a big change this late in the season, although deemed necessary and crucial, simply didn’t happen. After a report emerged from FOX’s Jay Glazer last Sunday that the team was looking at adding another coach to the mix to aid McMahon and Stan Kwan, the Saints made the move to add Kevin O’Dea, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Whether you think it’s the right move or not, something has to change for this abysmal unit. It’s borderline pathetic, and has been that way for quite some time. Maybe, just maybe something drastic will happen once the season is over. For now, we don’t exactly have much of a choice but to endure. Sean Payton expressed his extreme confidence in Wil Lutz, saying he is the ‘right guy’, and O’Dea was brought in to help with the fundamentals for the Saints special teams.
If it doesn’t change, and this game comes down to a kick, then I’m not entirely convinced the Saints can deliver.
Ball Security
This is a no-brainer, as the Saints have turned it over six times in the past two games. Four of those turnovers have been credited to Drew Brees. Whether you deem him as untouchable or ‘not his fault’ when it comes to ridiculing, the stat column says otherwise. It’s all come at inopportune times (doesn’t every turnover?), and you can say that Dennis Allen’s defense has risen to the occasion to combat the team’s mistakes.
However, the simple long and short of it in today’s football is that you can’t expect to win when you turn the ball over more than your opponent. The Saints have to take care of the ball, especially at home, and it should come relatively easy against a Rams defense that is T-18th with just 12 takeaways. Of course, it’ll be something to watch down the stretch, and the bottom line is that the Saints can’t afford to make anymore mistakes in 2016.
Hit the Accelerator, and Don’t Let Up
The Saints have been in those close games and wound up losers in the majority of their 2016 schedule. Is it too much to ask for a blowout? It’s the Rams, who are giving up just 18.7 points/game (tied for fifth-best), so that’s a tall task asking the offense to blow an opponent out of the water on Sunday. But, what if they can?
If you can believe it, the most points the Rams defense has allowed all season is 32. The opponent? The Buccaneers in Week 3. The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions also put up 30 points or more on Gregg Williams’ defense, so it can definitely happen.
The Saints are essentially playing for their season in Week 12, and honestly will be from here on out. Early wins by the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions certainly help the Saints out in the Wild Card picture, but as I’ve said repeatedly – you can’t expect other people to take care of your business. Let’s hope the Saints take care of their own, and then we’ll worry about the rest.
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