Offense Striving for Improvement, Consistency

Practice Report 9/28: Offense Striving for Improvement, Consistency

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Practice-Report-928-Offense-Striving-for-Improvement-Consistency/6f7bb905-0787-469f-a40a-e2de02e6e740

Los Angeles’ offense took some steps forward during Sunday’s 37-32 victory over the Buccaneers. The unit broke the ice by getting its first touchdown, then scored three more over the course of the game in Tampa Bay.

“It was another step. I think it was a step in the right direction,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of positives that we’re going to try to build on. And just like any time you play a game, there’s a lot of things there that were mistakes or things that we left out there that we know we can do better. It was, again, a step, probably a bigger step than it was the week before and we’re going to continue to get better.”

Wide receiver Brian Quick was the first to cross the goal line on a 44-yard reception from quarterback Case Keenum. The long ball was a result of good preparation for the coverage Los Angeles received in the situation.

“I saw the coverage — we practiced it so I was just alert, which I am every play,” Quick said Wednesday. “I know [Kenum] saw the coverage — that’s all it was. He’s going to give me a chance to make the play regardless. He made a hell of a throw. We made a great play.”

For Keenum, scoring the Rams’ first touchdown on a long ball like that wasn’t everything, but it also wasn’t nothing.

“Anytime you score touchdowns, I tend to get pretty juiced up — especially when you throw them,” Keenum said. “On a third-down conversion to have my guy Quick make a big play down the field — it felt really good.”

The same goes for adding more touchdowns as the game went on.

“It’s a step. I think each week is. We’re trying to get better. I think for us, it’s not something that we dwell on, not scoring touchdowns,” Keenum added. “That’s something we came here to do, and we’re all used to doing, everybody in that meeting room, we’re used to scoring touchdowns. It felt normal, felt right, felt good.”

L.A. was also able to accomplish more on the ground with running back Todd Gurley. He gained 85 yards on 27 carries, but the way he was able to gain chunks in certain situations helped set up multiple play-action passes for the offense.

As head coach Jeff Fisher said in his press conference on Monday, Boras noted just how impressive Gurley’s 15-yard run in the red zone was on Saturday.

“That one run he had down in the low red zone that he took from the 16 down to the one was about as good of a 15-yard run as I think you’re ever going to see,” Boras said. “I think, again, as effective as he was, it’s going to continue to get better for us.”

Plus, Gurley was able to get two touchdowns on one-yard runs, which is important to do that deep in opponent territory.

“Getting down to the red zone — even with negative plays, you know, we overcame those things,” Keenum said. “Got in goal-line situations, and let ‘30’ do what ‘30’ does.”

Still, the offense knows there is much work to be done. Right tackle Rob Havenstein said the Rams have to do a better job at getting the run game going earlier in games.

“We want to get them at least a little crease early, because with those guys back there, they’re going to take a little crease and make it into a big crease,” Havenstein said, adding the Rams must improve “staying on your guys, making sure you’re on the right assignment, using the right technique, and just not letting guys fall off.”

Wide receiver Kenny Britt pointed out his own fumble as the kind of turnover that must be eliminated. But with the chemistry the club has built on offense, players have shown resiliency and an ability to still make plays.

“We came back and Case believed in me and I caught a couple,” Britt said. “And regardless of what happens out on the field, we know we can overcome it.”

That’s part of what is encouraging about the team at this point. There have been mistakes, the offense has not yet fired on all cylinders, but Los Angeles is still carrying a 2-1 record into Week 4.

“You can tell guys are getting excited about the offense. It took a while for us to get it going in the first two weeks, and you can see it all coming together and what we can really be like,” Britt said. “We still made mistakes out there — it wasn’t a perfect game — [but] we put up points.

“Now, if we go out there and have a perfect game,” Britt added, “imagine what we could do.”

SCORE ONE FOR QUICK

Wide receiver Brian Quick went through an intense rehab process to come back from his season-ending shoulder injury in 2014. Working extensively with Rams physical therapist/assistant athletic trainer Byron Cunningham, Quick was able to get on the field in 2015 and see some game action.

But Sunday’s first touchdown was not only the first for the 2016 L.A. Rams, it was also Quick’s first since Week 5 of the 2014 season.

Quick said he didn’t take too much time to reflect on that, but it was meaningful for both him and Cunningham.

“It kind of went through my mind after the play with Byron,” Quick said, adding that the rehab process gave the pair a bond. “I told him I was going to give him the ball when I scored.”

“It meant a lot to me,” Quick continued. “He has it right now and he feels special right now.”

INJURY REPORT

The Rams have six players listed for their Wednesday injury report, adn there is some good news for potential returning players on it.

First, though, defensive tackle Dominique Easley (illness), defensive end William Hayes (ankle), and defensive back Lamarcus Joyner (toe) all did not particiapte.

Wide receiver Tavon Austin (shoulder) was limited.

And wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (shoulder), cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh), and wide receiver Nelson Spruce (knee) were all full participants.