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October 13, 2015 at 5:44 pm #32313
znModeratorPractice Report 10/13: Using the Bye, Gurley’s Stiff Arm
Myles Simmons
While the Rams will be off for their bye this weekend, they were on the practice field on Tuesday. Head coach Jeff Fisher said this week is a time to self-evaluate and work on the little things that can make a significant difference.
“Coaches got together and, like I said, yesterday we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today,” Fisher said. “It was a modified practice, particularly because it’s Tuesday. But we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.”
Because the Rams don’t have to focus on an opponent this week, it allows the team to give some players rest, and others increased practice time. On Tuesday, Fisher confirmed St. Louis held out James Laurinaitis, Lance Kendricks, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Todd Gurley.
“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps during the bye week that haven’t really gotten the reps,” Fisher said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some rest here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with offense and defense, just to make sure that they’re ready at a moment’s notice.”
As for what the team reviews, Fisher said the coaches look for trends both offensively and defensively they can correct. It’s about the body of work over the course of the season more than it is one or two games.
“The trends are that we’re not making enough first downs on offense. Defense, we’re getting the turnovers,” Fisher said. “Offense, number-wise, we’re not giving up sacks, per se, but we’re giving up way too many hits on the quarterback. So those are things that we’re working on now.”
Fisher said that even on plays where good things happen — such as running back Todd Gurley’s explosive runs — there are elements within them to fix.
“You just keep working and refining. On any given play you can find a minor mistake,” Fisher said. “Those are the things we’re trying to correct. And even on plays where you make big plays — there’s a big run, a Gurley run for 50 yards — there’s a mistake there someplace you have to eliminate.”
While Gurley has racked up five runs of 20-plus yards over the past two weeks, the running back said his biggest focus is getting better at finishing them. While he called making explosive runs a good sign, Gurley said not ending them in the end zone can be frustrating.
“Those explosive runs, that’s still a good sign. But at the end of the day, you still want to finish those explosive runs,” Gurley said. “I still want to be able to break those tackles, even though it’s an NFL D-lineman.”
Gurley added he specifically felt that way about a couple runs in the first quarter against the Packers.
“Just trying to get a feel for the game, I feel like a lot of times I might miss a couple reads at the beginning of the game,” Gurley said. “But I’ll get it together once you get to the end.”
And so as the team goes through the process this week, making corrections and continuing to improve will be the focus.
“We’re not satisfied with the record by any means,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve shown improvement and I think that some of the things that we did at Lambeau were impressive. Weren’t impressive enough to win the game, but I think we’re showing improvement and that’s the most important thing.”
STIFF ARMS WITH GURLEY
A few times this season, Gurley has displayed his knack for employing a timely stiff arm. On Tuesday, he talked about what makes the technique successful.
“The stiff arm is natural,” Gurley said. “It’s just something we work on in practice, with coach. Extra stuff after practice.”
“I try to use it every now and then, bring it out,” he continued. “The key to the stiff arm is you can’t show it too early, because then the defender knows what you’re doing. … You’ve just got to strike it. You’ve got to strike it and keep it moving.”
MOMENT’S NOTICE
Offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds signed with the Rams in the offseason to provide veteran depth. He showed his skill with that as he entered the game on Sunday at right guard in relief of Rodger Saffold, who left with a shoulder injury.
“Garrett plugged right in,” Fisher said. “I was fine with the way he played. He was a settling factor and was cutting people downfield and finishing plays.”
“Heck, that’s my job, just to be ready for times like that,” Reynolds said Tuesday. “That’s what you prepare for.”
As of early Tuesday afternoon, Fisher said the team was still performing tests on Saffold and thus had no update. And so if Reynolds is called upon, he’ll be plenty prepared to play at right guard.
“That’s my job to be ready no matter what happens,” Reynolds said, “step in and fill in wherever they tell me to go.”
October 14, 2015 at 12:07 am #32325znModeratorRams giving veterans down time during bye week
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22487/rams-giving-veterans-down-time-during-bye-week
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams opened their bye week Tuesday with a short practice focused on correcting mistakes from Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and getting some young players much-needed repetitions.
“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps during the bye week that haven’t really gotten the reps,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some reps here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with offense and defense, just to make sure that they’re ready at a moment’s notice. So, coaches got together and, like I said, yesterday we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today. So, it was a modified practice, particularly because it’s Tuesday. But we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.”
Those practices will follow a similar pattern with young players getting plenty of work and some of the team’s more experienced veterans getting some time off. Beyond injured starters Chris Long (knee) and Rodger Saffold (shoulder), Fisher also granted some down time to linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive tackle Michael Brockers, end Robert Quinn, tight end Lance Kendricks and running back Todd Gurley.
Injured safety Maurice Alexander, who has missed the past couple of games with a groin injury, worked on the side with trainers during the portion of practice open to reporters.
Fisher offered no further update on Saffold, although the Rams aren’t required to offer an injury report during the bye week. But without Saffold, the majority of the offensive linemen stuck around for extra work.
As for the practice week, the bye is often used as a chance to do what NFL types call “self scouting.” In other words, instead of just turning the page to the next opponent, Fisher and staff identify trends in performance and try to get those issues corrected through the course of the week.
“We’re self-scouting this week,” Fisher said. “The coaches are ahead, but we’re just working on some things. Then, we had numerous mistakes on defense on the field, so we went through some of those just as a reminder, so they don’t come up. Then, we’re working on the first down stuff and polishing the run game. We have some technique things we need to work on, as far as special teams are concerned.”
The Rams play Cleveland in Week 7 and will get a head start in that regard but, for now, the focus is in-house.
October 14, 2015 at 12:08 am #32326znModeratorRams notebook: Rams begin bye-week workouts
Joe Lyons
The Rams kicked off their bye-week practices Tuesday, going through a quick workout without a number of veterans who were given the day off to rest.
Among those not practicing were defensive linemen Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers, linebacker James Laurinaitis, tight end Lance Kendricks and running back Todd Gurley. Also missing were the two players who suffered injuries Sunday — defensive end Chris Long (knee) and guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder).
Rams coach Jeff Fisher had no update on Saffold’s status, saying that they were still running tests. The team will not have another official injury report until Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), who’s missed the last two games with a groin injury, worked out with team trainers Tuesday.
The offensive line did some extra work after Tuesday’s workout.
Fisher said the team has a method to its bye-week work.
“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps …’’ the coach said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some reps here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with the offense and defense, just to make sure they they’re ready at a moment’s notice. So the coaches got together yesterday, we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today.
“It was a modified practice, but we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.’’
The Rams, who won’t play again until hosting the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25 at the Edward Jones Dome, are making use of the off week to evaluate what went right and wrong during the team’s 2-3 start.
“We’re self-scouting this week,’’ Fisher said. “The coaches are ahead (in their game-planning for Cleveland), but we’re just working on some things.’’
GURLEY EXPECTS MORE OF HIMSELF
After sitting out the first two games and running for 9 yards on six carries in Week 3, Gurley has clearly arrived as a key in the Rams’ attack.
After coming on strong in the second half of a 24-22 win over the host Arizona Cardinals in his first NFL start, Gurley ran 30 times for 156 yards Sunday as the Rams fell 24-10 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
“I feel fine,’’ the former University of Georgia star said Tuesday. “I was a little banged up, but nothing the cold tub and treatment can’t take care of. The knee feels fine.’’
Was he prepared for 30 carries?
“I don’t know about all that, but we’ll see,’’ said Gurley, who’s still not completely satisfied with his performance. “The explosive plays, I think they’re a good sign, but it’s definitely frustrating not being able to finish runs, to take them all the way. I feel like there were a couple of runs where I could’ve broken the tackle or maybe kept my feet. And, in the first quarter, I was still trying to get a feel for the game and missed on a couple of reads. But those are things that I know I’ll get better at.’’
One strength evident Sunday was Gurley’s ability to stiff-arm.
“It’s something that comes natural for me, something we’ve work on with (running backs coach Ben Sirmans),’’ he said. “The key with the stiff-arm is you can’t show it too early because then the defender knows what you’re doing. Gotta strike him and keep it moving.’’
Gurley said he talked to former Georgia teammate Nick Chubb on Monday. Chubb, the Bulldogs’ next great back, suffered a season-injury Saturday in a 38-31 loss at Tennessee. Last November, Gurley’s college career ended similarly.
“I just told him to enjoy it,’’ Gurley said. “Even though he’s injured and nobody wants to be hurt, this is a time for him to focus on himself , to stay positive, to work hard and to make sure he’s doing things right because once he gets back to football, it’s definitely going to be a grind.
“But it’s nothing he can’t handle.’’
GURLEY NOMINATED AGAIN
The reigning Pepsi NFL rookie of the week, Gurley has been nominated again after the big game against the Packers.
His competition: Green Bay cornerback Quinten Rollins, Seattle running back Thomas Rawls, Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston and Arizona running back David Johnson.
Fans can vote through Friday at 2 p.m. at http://www.nfl.com/rookies.
At the end of the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors, with fan voting through January. The winner will be announced at the 5th annual NFL Honors awards show in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50.
RAM-BLINGS
• Running back Trey Watts, a second-year pro from the University of Tulsa, cleared waivers Tuesday. At his Monday news conference, Fisher said the Rams would try to re-sign him to the practice squad.Signed as an undrafted free agent, the versatile Watts enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with the Rams, mostly on special teams.
• Linebacker Alec Ogletree, the team’s leading tackler, was spotted in the locker room Tuesday. He’s in a cast and using a cart after having surgery for a broken leg suffered against Arizona.
• The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Jayson DiManche (Southern Illinois) and guard Michael Liedtke (Illinois State) to their practice squad Tuesday.
October 14, 2015 at 6:21 am #32329
wvParticipant”We worked on it a lot today, just because it was so obvious that teams have noticed we’ve struggled with it and if we don’t fix it it’s going to continue to happen,” Robinson said. ”Once you stop them, they’ll stop gaming us.”
————–
I think the entire season,
basically hinges on this.w
vOctober 14, 2015 at 9:34 pm #32365znModeratorPractice Report 10/14: Foles, Offense Looking for Consistency
Myles Simmons
The Rams have had big wins and disappointing losses in their first five games. And as they use the bye week for some self-scouting, quarterback Nick Foles said the offense has been working to become more consistent.
“There’s some good and there’s some stuff we need to improve on. The big thing I see is we need more consistency on offense. Whether it be my play or just us moving the ball,” Foles said. “It’s the ultimate team game in the sense [that] on offense, everybody’s got to work together. It’s something that we’re working towards this week.”
So far, Foles has completed 57.4 percent of his passes this season for 956 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions — four of which came last week against the Packers. Still, head coach Jeff Fisher said he’s liked what he’s seen from the quarterback so far, knowing Foles still has plenty of room to grow.
“He’s going to continue to get better,” Fisher said. “He’s just become more and more familiar with our system and our players and he’ll continue to improve. So, by no means has he peaked.”
“There definitely has been some growing pains and I’m learning,” Foles said. “But where I want to be right now — I want to keep improving every day. I am where I am right now, but I want to keep getting better. I want to keep building, keep improving. The big thing is just being consistent every week and putting us in a situation where we can win the game.”
Part of the improvement process is gaining more comfort in the offense. The quarterback is still relatively new within it, but has been able to grasp it well. Still, Foles said there is more he can do to master it.
“It’s a process. I’m learning more and more every day,” Foles said. “As long as I play this game, I’ll keep learning. We’re still improving, still figuring it out. That’ll always be the case. Guys who play in this league for 15 years will still tell you they’re still working to figure it out and get better and that’s what we’re doing.”
It’s clear the quarterback and his receivers are working to gain chemistry and comfort with one another, as they’ve been spending extra time on the field following practice.
“That’s what he does,” Fisher said of Foles. “He has a chance to look at the cut-ups and to be involved in the self-scout process. Those things understandably help. Then, as we make changes offensively, he’s involved in them — which he should be.”
Part of that process has been getting to develop relationships with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
“We’re getting to know each other more and more each week,” Foles said. “You want to build those relationships throughout the weeks. Go through these tough times together. There’s also been a lot of great things going on together, so as a group we build consistency.”
But even as he’s involved in the offensive tweaks, Foles said he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel.
“They have the system — Cignetti’s system,” Foles said. “Me, I just try to learn the system more and more and more of what he wants from each and every play. Through time, if I see something I mention it and then we work together on how we can fit it in to what he already has.”
And so as the season continues, Foles said he feels like the offense is close to clicking, especially with the emergence of Todd Gurley in the run game.
“There’s definitely a lot of great things that are going on,” Foles said. “The key is to stay positive, keep working. Keep working on your craft. You’ve got to be critical of yourself, but at the same time, keep yourself uplifted. And that’s what the guys are doing.”
October 15, 2015 at 6:00 pm #32410znModeratorRams’ Tre Mason focused on staying ready despite reduced workload
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — After St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley burst on the scene in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that backup running back Tre Mason didn’t get more work on a day when Gurley had 19 carries.
Fisher attributed Mason’s lack of snaps to an overall lack of snaps for his offense, which ranks last in the NFL in first downs and thus has struggled to sustain drives.
“I’d like to get Tre more playing time, but that’s an offensive issue,” Fisher said then. “That’s a production issue — a team issue. When you’re not converting third downs or you’re having difficulty on first down and our opponents are getting a lot more snaps than we are, it’s hard to get the reps. We need more offensive reps. Fortunately, we got it in the second half and it showed what we can do. I’d like to get Tre more snaps and we’ll continue with Todd. It’s the way we’ve been doing it.”
Last Sunday against Green Bay, the Rams did both of those things, but the Gurley part of the equation was far more substantial than the Mason portion. Mason played just two snaps against Arizona. He played five against the Packers, not exactly a major increase in workload. Gurley, meanwhile went from 19 carries on 35 snaps to 30 carries on 44 snaps.
On Monday, Fisher again said the Rams would like to get Mason more work moving forward.
“We wanted to get Tre in more; it just didn’t happen,” Fisher said. “He will play more. I think 30 carries a game down the stretch is probably a little much for [Gurley]. He’ll probably be one of those guys that get some rest this week.”
Indeed, nobody will get any carries this week with the Rams on their bye week. Gurley is getting a breather after so much work the past two weeks, but it’s hard to see Fisher pumping the brakes too much on Gurley, who is already the Rams’ best offensive weapon.
All told, Mason has played just 51 snaps in four games after missing the opener because of a hamstring injury. Gurley has claimed the starting job, playing 93 snaps in three weeks and Benny Cunningham (the only back to play in all five games) is the team’s trusted third-down option. He leads the team’s running backs with 112 offensive plays.
For the second year in a row, the Rams’ leading rusher from the previous season is watching his playing time dwindle dramatically. No one could blame Mason if he was frustrated by the situation, but if he is, he’s not expressing it publicly.
“You have got to stay positive,” Mason said. “It’s not my decision. I’m just thankful for every day I wake up. You have got to be thankful for every day you wake up. Of course you want to be on the field and you want to win. The main goal is to win.”
A third-round pick in 2014, Mason didn’t earn his way into the lineup until week 6 of his rookie season. But when he finally got his chance, he claimed the starting job from incumbent Zac Stacy and finished with 765 rushing yards and averaged 4.27 yards per carry.
As this year’s draft approached, the Rams decided that Gurley could be the type of game-changing running back who could become the focal point of the ground-oriented attack that Fisher has committed to. The Rams used the No. 10 overall pick on Gurley and traded Stacy to the New York Jets. Gurley’s ascension to the top of the running back depth chart was just a matter of getting his surgically-repaired ACL back up to speed.
Now that it’s happened, Mason is doing his best to stay ready for when his number is called.
“I’m doing everything I can, I feel like,” Mason said. “Just be ready, prepare myself as a starter and continue to be ready. When you truly are thankful for waking up in the morning, then you’ll have a nice mindset to be ready.”
Understandably, the Rams want to continue to get the ball in Gurley’s hands as much as possible. His 5.71 yards per carry easily exceeds Mason’s 2.45. But Mason still figures to have some value and has the type of outside speed that could not only be a good complement to Gurley, but also ease some of the burden on the burgeoning rookie.
“Those aren’t my decisions,” Mason said. “I’m a player. I just want to win. That’s my mindset.”
October 16, 2015 at 1:46 pm #32434znModeratorRams Need to Use Bye Week to Iron Out Passing Game
Anthony Stalter
http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/14/rams-need-to-use-bye-week-to-iron-out-passing-game/
The 2015 Rams could take a page out of the 2008 Dolphins’ playbook.
In September of 2008, Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning faced a dilemma in regards to his offense.
Foles went 11 for 30, throwing four interceptions in the Rams- 24-10 loss at Green Bay.
The Dolphins were coming off an embarrassing 31-10 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona and had generated just 24 points in their first two games of the season. Quarterback Chad Pennington had struggled behind a shaky offensive line and suffered from limited options in the passing game.
Henning knew he needed a spark for his offense, so on the flight back from Arizona, he spoke with quarterbacks coach David Lee about an idea to utilize Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in the same backfield.
Lee had worked previously in Arkansas as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator. The year before Lee became the team’s play-caller, Gus Malzahn helped Darren McFadden become a Heisman candidate while using him extensively in the Wildcat formation. Thus, Lee was a good source for Henning to lean on when it came to bringing his idea to fruition.
The following week, the Dolphins caught Bill Belichick and the Patriots off guard while successfully utilizing the Wildcat in a 38-13 victory at Gillette Stadium. Miami went on to win 11 games that season before Baltimore negated the success of the Dolphins’ Wildcat in a 27-9 victory in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.
That 2008 Miami team in a few ways parallels the present-day Rams, who head into their bye week following a 24-10 loss to the Packers.
Let’s stop short of insinuating that the Rams should install the Wildcat during their bye week. Jeff Fisher loves the ground-and-pound approach, but running Gurley out of the single wing for the next 11 weeks would be excessive (even with how good Gurley has looked the last two weeks).
I bring up the 2008 Dolphins because Henning displayed a sense of urgency after just two games. He needed a spark offensively and instead of waiting for a punchless offense to right itself, he decided to throw his opponents a wrinkle. The Wildcat wasn’t new to football, but it caught opponents by surprise and allowed Henning to simplify his approach, all while playing to the strengths of his personnel.
Rams’ offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti now finds himself tasked with the same challenge as the team heads into the bye week.
The Green Bay game brought to light what might continue to happen if the Rams fall behind and all they have is Gurley for support. Down 11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Rams kept running the ball with Gurley because Cignetti was hamstrung by poor pass protection, a quarterback that kept turning the ball over, and a receiving corps that couldn’t catch or create separation in coverage.
Down by two scores and likely faced with only two more possessions in the game, the Rams couldn’t generate chunk yards in the passing game and suffered for it. They were one-dimensional.
Gurley has been fantastic. But if the passing game continues to struggle, perhaps opening games in the two-minute offense will allow Foles to get into a rhythm early.
The quick passing game is often an extension of the running game and allows teams to establish tempo. Allowing Foles to get the ball out of his hand quickly will also go a long way to masking the issues in pass protection.
Starting faster in general would help, as well.
Through five weeks, the Rams’ offense has generated just two first downs and one touchdown on their opening drives. The one score came in Arizona after rookie David Johnson fumbled the opening kickoff. There needs to be a greater sense of urgency at the start of games.
Even in the Rams’ three losses, Cignetti has done a solid job with what he’s had. He wasn’t the one tossing interceptions inside the red zone in Green Bay or losing the ball in the lights versus Pittsburgh. Players need to make plays and Cignetti is hardly at fault for some of the miscues on display.
Now is the time for the Rams to correct their issues on offense because they can’t continue to waste strong defensive efforts like the ones versus Pittsburgh and Green Bay.
This bye week comes at a great time for the Rams. It’ll allow Cignetti to find his own Wildcat – a way to tip the scales in the Rams’ favor even when there’s obvious limitations.
From here on out, he’ll be tasked with designing game plans that feature Gurley all while forcing defenses to know where Tavon Austin is. The Rams may only have two playmakers, but Cignetti will have to figure out a way to make it work.
Henning made it work in 2008. Opponents eventually adjusted, but he found a way to feature his best playmakers and overcome the shortcomings of his offense.
October 16, 2015 at 4:14 pm #32439znModeratorLighter schedule after bye guarantees nothing for St. Louis Rams
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Since entering the league in 2009, St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis has been a part of multiple teams that were considered easy fodder for opponents.
You know, the types of teams that fans of average to good teams see on the schedule when it comes out in April and put a big “W” next to when they’re projecting their favorite team’s record for that season. Since Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012, that has changed as the Rams have at least risen to a level of mediocrity that’s removed them from the pushover category.
Having been on that side of the ledger, though, makes Laurinaitis aware that he and the Rams can’t overlook anyone when it comes to examining their schedule for the final 11 games.
“I’ve been the, on paper, light part of the schedule too many times in my career early here,” Laurinaitis said.” So I know any given Sunday you can get a teams best. And quite frankly, I don’t think any team comes in to playing the Rams anymore as ‘Oh, it’s just the Rams.’ They understand we have a lot of talent. So we have got to be able to put a full game together in all three phases together for all 60 minutes and be more consistent.”
James Laurinaitis knows there’s no such thing as an easy part of the schedule in today’s NFL.
At 2-3, the Rams have played one of the league’s toughest schedules through the first five weeks. Seattle, Washington, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Green Bay have a combined record of 16-9 entering Week 6. It was a slate that appeared tough before the season started and proved true after the games began. The hope for many Rams fans was that the Rams could get through it at 2-3 or better with an eye toward a lighter slate moving forward.On paper, at least, the schedule certainly appears poised to ease when the Rams return from this week’s bye. The team’s next five opponents — Cleveland, San Francisco, Minnesota, Chicago and Baltimore — have a combined record of 8-16. And if you want to look beyond that, the Rams only have two opponents, Arizona and Cincinnati, with records currently above .500 in the final 11 weeks.
So in theory that should bode well for the Rams’ chances to make a run for a playoff berth, right? Not so fast.
For starters, a five-game sample size isn’t exactly indicative of how the remaining opponents will play for the rest of the season. Chances are, some of these teams will surge to winning seasons, some will land in the middle of the pack and some will bring up the rear.
More than any of that, the Rams haven’t come anywhere close to earning the benefit of the doubt when it comes to winning games they are “supposed” to win. This is the team that, under Fisher, has made a habit of winning games that many think they’ll lose and losing games that many think they’ll win. There are plenty of examples from recent seasons but none more relevant than the first five games this year.
The Rams knocked off Seattle and Arizona but lost to the one team most thought they would beat, the Redskins, in Week 2. In other words, the Rams are in no position to believe that the schedule is going to serve as some sort of panacea to their season.
“There’s no question,” Laurinaitis said. “When I look at the schedule at the beginning of the year, I don’t view it as ‘Oh gosh, this is the tough part of our schedule if we can just survive.’ I take it week by week. That’s really for the media to look at ‘Well, these guys are good, these guys aren’t’ kind of thing. I just view it as it’s the next game and let’s go one by one.”
According to NumberFire’s latest projections, the Rams are still expected to finish with an 8-8 record, which would mean a 6-5 finish over the final 11 weeks and a 28 percent chance of making the playoffs. In Year 4 under Fisher, a .500 record and no playoff berth would undoubtedly be a disappointment for a team that Laurinaitis calls the most talented since he got to the league.
But before anyone can start thinking about the long-term, the Rams have to stick to one of sports’ biggest cliches and prove they can get the job done one week at a time.
“Put the Cleveland tape on and watch them play against Baltimore,” Fisher said. “None of that matters. It’s a week-to-week thing.”
October 19, 2015 at 10:51 pm #32619znModeratorFive Takeaways: Bye Week
By Myles Simmons
Though the Rams did not have a game on Sunday, they did hold a week of practices to self-scout and make corrections during their bye. Here are five takeaways from the sessions.
1) Replacing Saffold
Undoubtedly, the biggest news to come out of last week was the club placing Rodger Saffold on injured reserve as the offensive linemen underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Saffold, who had surgery to repair his left shoulder in the offseason, went down with a right shoulder injury in the preseason and then again in Week 5 against Green Bay.
Head coach Jeff Fisher said last week that much like 2014, Saffold was willing to try and play through the season with the injured shoulder. But Fisher added the team and medical staff eventually agreed that would not be the best idea.
“Inevitably it’s going to come out again, when we talk about the condition of his shoulder,” Fisher said. “So, we just felt like for career-wise and future-wise, it’s best to get it fixed.”
With Saffold out, veteran offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds will step in at right guard. If there was any silver lining about the unfortunate injury, it’s the timing. It occurred just prior to the bye week, giving the offensive line a chance to practice with its newest member.
“You’ve got to go back in there and get used to how you communicate and things like that,” center Tim Barnes said. “You’ve just got to get used to playing next to that other person. It helps that we’ve been able to get those extra practices in there and get used to it.”
Reynolds will have some significant shoes to fill as he steps in the role, but Fisher has said that he was pleased with the way the veteran played when pressed into action against the Packers.
“Garrett plugged right in,” Fisher said. “I was fine with the way he played. He was a settling factor and was cutting people downfield and finishing plays. Yeah, so I thought he was fine.”
2) The self-scouting process
With no opponent on the docket, the Rams spent their time correcting mistakes they had noticed in film study of the season’s first five weeks. It was a time for both the offense and defense to get in some good work just against themselves.
“Just being in the weight room, being in the film room, being out there, just getting some work in this week is huge for us to go back and self-scout on what we did,” quarterback Nick Folessaid. “The good things and the things we need to improve on. It’s a good opportunity for us this week to get some work in.”
“Our coaches did a great job of self-scouting this past week,” wide receiver Stedman Bailey. “Just looking at things we could do better — third down, first-and-second down. We got some pretty good work done this week, and we’re just looking forward to building from here.”
Linebacker James Laurinaitis echoed the sentiment from the defense’s perspective.
“You really self scout and you try to say, ‘What am I tipping off to the offense,’” Laurinaitis said. “Just like we look at their tendencies and what they tip to us, what are we tipping to them? [The bye week] allows you to do it.
“Five weeks isn’t a huge sample size,” Laurinaitis continued, “but it’s good enough to where can make some changes and continue to kind of look forward to what we’re going to change and how we can confuse some offenses.”
3) Developing consistency
Aside from the self-scouting, one of the offense’s common themes for the week was developing consistency — from the quarterback on down.
“There’s some good and there’s some stuff we need to improve on,” Foles said. “Whether it be my play or just us moving the ball. Too many mental errors, too many just errors. It’s the ultimate team game in the sense, on offense everybody’s got to work together.”
One way players put in the effort of trying to improve was staying on the field after the conclusion of practice to work. That went for essentially every position group on the offense. While, for example, the line may not have been working directly with Foles for the extra sessions, the quarterback noted how much everyone was putting in.
“It’s what do you have to do to do a little more than you did before? How can I get a little bit better this week? How can I get a little bit better today?” Foles said. “You can see guys are doing that and that’s what we have to keep doing.”
4) A defensive identity
With the unit playing well over the last few games, Laurianitis said the defense has started to find an identity — and that’s a boost as the team goes forward.
“I think what we’ve done really the last two weeks is we’ve played the run pretty well and we’re starting to realize what coverages — without saying what they are — what coverages that we do well, what blitzes,” Laurinaitis said. “If we keep confusing people, making them go to their second or third read, our D-line is going to get there more often than not.”
“I really like kind of the total understanding of the concepts we’re trying to do from, really, the whole back seven,” Laurinaitis added. “And those D-linemen can’t really disguise for us. So the whole back seven has really matured a lot.”
But even with the strong play, Laurinaitis said the defense still has one critical goal it has not yet fulfilled this season: Scoring on defense.
“We talk about it every single game, and we don’t just say it to be positive. We say it because it’s really a goal of ours,” Laurinaitis said. “When you score defensively, it really changes the whole game. It’s hard to overcome it. And we have the ability to do it. And so we’ll keep harping on it, and keep practicing it, and make sure that when guys do get interceptions or fumble recoveries in practice, that we actually do take it to the end zone and score.”
5) Season records can be deceiving
The Rams now have three of their next four games in St. Louis — and those three home matchups are against teams with a record under .500. But as Laurinaitis said, those records can sometimes be a bit deceiving.
“I’m not a big fan of the whole ‘on paper’ thing,” Laurinaitis said. “I’ve done the on-paper, light part of the schedule too many times in my career early here. I know any given Sunday, you can get a team’s best.”
St. Louis’ next opponent, Cleveland, may come to town on Oct. 25 with a 2-4 record, but it’s a team that just picked off the Broncos’ Peyton Manning three times, narrowly losing the contest in overtime. And in Week 5, the Browns upset the Ravens on the road in OT.
“They just fought in a division game on the road. I know how hard that is, to win a division game on the road,” Laurinaitis said. “And I know the AFC North is no joke. So for them to go on the road and beat Baltimore there is really impressive.”
That attitude is a positive sign in terms of how the Rams should be prepared to take on whoever is coming next, irrespective of the club’s record.
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