articles etc. on the 8/9 Chargers scrimmage

Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer

http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/lar/los-angeles-rams

Overheard from Rams’ joint practice with the Chargers: CB Trumaine Johnson, on taking off his helmet before swinging at Chargers WR Dontrelle Inman: “I’m from Stockton, man. Stockton came out of me. It really did. I’m not going to take no mess from nobody; I don’t care who it is.”

Rams rookie report: Shakeir Ryan, an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern State, returned a punt for a touchdown. Ryan, 5-foot-8, still seems like a longshot to make the team. But the Rams have already released a receiver (Bradley Marquez), have another one suspended (Mike Thomas), and two others recovering from soft-tissue injuries (Tavon Austin and Josh Reynolds).

Best play from the Rams’ joint practice with the Chargers: Jared Goff ran play action, rolled out a bit, then threw a perfect pass to Cooper Kupp near the opposite sideline for a 25-yard gain.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee, on Chargers: “There was some times when their intensity was a little bit higher than ours. We needed to match it ourselves. I think we failed to a couple times.”

The Rams’ defense got a couple interceptions off Philip Rivers today. Safety Mo Alexander: “We didn’t have a game plan against them, and we’re still going good.”

Totally unofficial, but I had Jared Goff going 10-for-22 for roughly 110 yards during 11-on-11 drills today. One pass deflected, another thrown away. He attempted six passes to Pharoh Cooper, five to Tyler Higbee, and three each to Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Rams didn’t cross the Chargers’ 40 in two two-minute drills.

Rams QB Jared Goff, on his goals for Saturday’s preseason opener and if he’s where he needs to be at this point during training camp.

Rams CB Trumaine Johnson, on his brawl with Chargers WR Dontrelle Inman: “Where I’m from, if somebody’s going to initiate it, we’re going to finish it.”

Rams’ first-team offense turned it over on downs in the two-minute drill. Nice completion near the sidelines from Jared Goff to Robert Woods, then nothing.

Jared Goff looked sharp during 7-on-7 drills. Completed about a 30-yard pass to Tyler Higbee over the top and also fired a dart across the middle to Robert Woods for about 18 yards.

Rams WR Shakeir Ryan just intensified the “Chargers suck” chants by returning a punt for a touchdown.

We have a third — THIRD — mini-fight between the Rams and Chargers. EJ Gaines was involved a second time. Sean McVay came over to talk to him.

Never seen UC Irvine as packed for training camp as it is for today’s Rams-Chargers joint practice. Rams drew an announced crowd of about 10,000 for the first practice last year. Today may top that

Goff, Higbee Display Chemistry vs. Chargers

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Goff-Higbee-Display-Chemistry-vs-Chargers/eee7b029-9211-4e36-a083-5bb4ff5fb887

Quarterback Jared Goff and tight end Tyler Higbee are linked.

They’re part of the same 2016 Rams’ draft class. They’ve worked out plenty together, not just at Los Angeles’ facility but also on their own. And they’ve roomed together in each of their first two training camps.

Not to mention a tight end is always thought of as a young quarterback’s security blanket.

So when Goff hit Higbee down the seam over a much smaller linebacker during 7-on-7 drills in Wednesday’s practice with the Chargers, it seemed natural. Higbee’s size and speed create matchup issues for defenses. Goff recognized the coverage and the matchup, and hit the tight end in stride for what was ostensibly a touchdown.

It’s an example of the chemistry and timing both players have worked hard to develop. Goff called their partnership “great,” noting how much time they’ve spent together both on and off the field.

“It’s good,” Higbee said Wednesday. “The more reps, the more stuff you can get together, the better chance you have growing that chemistry.”

“Anytime you can get out there and get those reps with the quarterback and get that timing down — you look at guys like Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, it’s almost like automatic every time they hook up on the field,” Higbee added. “So the better chemistry that I can have, that the other receivers can have in this offense, the more it’ll help our offense.”

Wednesday was the second time the Rams’ offense had seen the Chargers’ defense in the last five days, and as such the playbook seemed to open up a bit more. Both Goff and Higbee acknowledged there were more downfield passing attempts, with the seam-route connection between the two of them one of the successful plays.

“You’ve got a good idea of what they’re doing now seeing them one time a few days ago, so yeah, we made some good plays on them,” Goff said.

There was one downfield pass, however, that didn’t quite work as planned. During a two-minute drill, Higbee was open down the left seam and Goff fired a strong pass to him. But it hit off the tight end’s hands and fell incomplete.

Higbee was visibly frustrated with himself after the play, and said as much after practice.

“That’s the offense — whenever they call my number, whenever I’m getting open, he puts it there, I’m expecting myself and they expect me to make a play,” Higbee said. “It’s something I expect to have, and I’ll fix it and get it better.”

By and large, Higbee has been a reliable target for Goff from the offseason program into training camp. And with the way head coach Sean McVay tends to feature tight ends in his offense, he’s primed for a significant production increase in his second season.

And that’s something Goff will facilitate through the partnership between the two players.

“I’m excited to see what he can do this year,” Goff said. “He’s our starter this year, and expect him to do some big things.”

Training Camp Report: Rams and Chargers Joint Practice

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Training-Camp-Report-Rams-and-Chargers-Joint-Practice/6b4fc34c-86bf-4a85-8a7b-42174692529f#content-tools-share

Day 10 is officially in the books.

On Wednesday afternoon the Rams held their 10th training camp session at UC Irvine, the second of two practices with the Chargers. The session, which lasted a little over two hours, gave both teams the opportunity to work against an opponent for the second time this summer.

The practice was lively and competitive as thousands of fans packed the sidelines to cheer for their respective team. And in honor of the team’s “Throwback Day,” over 30 Rams’ legends were on hand to watch the Rams final joint practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Cowboys. Here’s what you missed from Day 10 of Rams Camp:

TOP TAKEAWAYS

1. Goff gearing up for preseason opener

In Wednesday’s practice quarterback Jared Goff showcased his growing composure in the pocket and his improved timing throughout a series of drill. While on Saturday Goff excelled in the two-minute drill, today the quarterback looked even sharper in this afternoon’s midfield, 7-on-7 and red zone drills.

“I think both times were good,” Goff said of the joint practices. “I think we got off a lot more plays today. For whatever reason, it felt like we got more series with the offense. I thought it was good. Today the two-minute drill was probably the one thing we want back and everything else was pretty good.”

During the team’s 7-on-7 work Goff dropped a perfect downfield pass to tight end Tyler Higbee for a would-be touchdown. And though the deep routes have been inconsistent for the quarterback in the past, today he took more than a few chances down field.

“Yeah, about time,” he said with a laugh. “Deep balls come. I think early on in camp you’re just figuring out timing sometimes and just some different things with guys, but I think they are starting to come. We were starting to hit a few today. It was a good job by the receivers of getting open downfield.”

But it’s not only his timing on the deep routes that is improving. In the same drill, Goff delivered a bullet to wide receiver Robert Woods for about a 20 yard gain. And in 11-on-11 drills, Goff recorded a number of completions to various wideouts including Pharoh Cooper and Cooper Kupp, along with running back Todd Gurley.

2. Things get heated

After a relatively calm afternoon with the Chargers on Saturday, the intensity level was much higher when both teams hit the field for Wednesday’s practice. During the team’s one-on-one drills, tempers flared defensive back Trumaine Johnson and Chargers’ wide receiver Dontrelle Inman after Johnson was “flagged” for a pass interference.

A few minutes later, a second tussle broke out on the same sideline, this time between the Chargers’ offense and the Rams’ defense, before a final conflict during the special teams portion of practice.

“I think anytime you practice against somebody else guys are competitive, especially after the first day where there’s some good back and forth,” McVay said. “Starting out with the one on ones, guys are competitors, that’s what makes them great.”

And while the third scuffle marked the end of the matchups off the field, the players continued to bring the heat on field, with a number of hard hits and evident trash talking on both ends. However, McVay said that the intensity level was about what he expected, especially with fans from both teams adding to the excitement.

“Guys are great competitors, like I said we always want to be mindful, but those are things that we’ll be able to look at and figure out exactly what happened,” Mcvay said. “Fortunately nobody got hurt as a result of it and we’ll try to be mindful of those things moving forward.”

3. Looking ahead to gameday

The Rams are set to kick off their preseason schedule this Saturday with a matchup against the Cowboys at the Coliseum. This will be the second straight year that the Rams will take on the Cowboys in the exhibition opener, with the Rams coming out on top 28-24 last season.

With two practices left until game time, McVay spoke to the media about what he expects from his team come Saturday.

“It’s a great test. I think Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett does an excellent job with the team and it’s clear why they were NFL East champs last year,” he said. “So I think it offers an excellent opportunity for our team to go against a quality opponent and see how our first-string guys handle those first couple plays that we’ll give them, but it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Last year’s preseason opener marked Goff’s first professional appearance. And though last season didn’t pan out exactly as he would have liked, the Rams have shown a lot of improvement throughout their time in camp. While there is still plenty of practice left on the calendar to work through any on field issues, Goff said he is just excited to get back on field at the Coliseum and play some real football again.

“It feels like it’s been coming for a long time now,” Goff said. “[You] kind of get a chance to get back out there in the Coliseum and see all the fans again, have some fun and hopefully score some points.”

“This is much different,” he said of this season’s preseason opener. “That was my first NFL experience. There was 90,000 people at a preseason game, so I was a little wide-eyed at first, but I feel good now. I feel more excited and I’m ready to get out there and just run some plays – just get out there and see a real defense, maybe get hit a couple times, just go through some things that you go through in a real game.”

FIELD-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS

Jamon Brown took reps at right guard while Rob Havenstein was back at right tackle in today’s practice.McVay says his staff has yet to decide which position these two will start at come Saturday.

Kupp had an impressive one-handed grab from Goff against cornerback Brad Watson during one-on-ones.

Quarterback Sean Mannion had a nice completion during 11-on-11 to wide receiver Paul McRoberts for a 15 yard gain.

Cornerback Troy Hill had the team’s first interception of the day, picking off quarterback Cardale Jones before running it back for the touchdown.

During the last session of practice, Johnson recorded an interception on a hail mary throw from quarterback Philip Rivers. The Rams D-Line blitzed Rivers before he sent the ball deep downfield, right into the hands of Johnson.

The Rams stayed on field for a number of drills after the Chargers headed back to their buses, working on a few different routes in an 11-on-11 portion before calling it a day.
PLAY OF THE DAY

Today’s play of the day was brought to you by wide receiver Shakeir Ryan who took one to the house during the special teams drills. The wideout was untouched on his way to the end zone showcasing his quick speed and agility on the play.

The undrafted free agent out of Northwestern State has been making quite the name for himself over the last two weeks, becoming known as a wide receiver with good hands and one who is quick in space.

PRESS POINTS

After practice Goff spoke to the media about his relationship with Higbee. Catch up on his best point from Day 10:

JARED GOFF:

On how his chemistry with TE Tyler Higbee has evolved: “Two training camps living with him, I’ve spent a lot of time together with him off the field as well and it’s been good. I think he’s a great player. I think he’s coming along just fine and I’m excited to see what he can do this year as a starter this year. I expect him to do some big things.”

Spirited Rams-Chargers practice sees Jared Goff take shots downfield

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/34683/spirited-rams-chargers-practice-sees-jared-goff-take-shots-downfield

IRVINE, Calif. — A group of Los Angeles Rams fans standing near the 50-yard line kept taunting the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive backs. Finally, Casey Hayward, the Pro Bowl cornerback who led the NFL in interceptions last season, decided he wasn’t going to stand for it.

“This is an offensive drill!” he yelled, turning around to stare at the group of hecklers. “We dominating it!”

A lot of smack talk, and ultimately a lot of punches, took place when the neighboring Rams and Chargers met for a joint practice for the second time in five days on Wednesday. The scene shifted from StubHub Center to UC Irvine, which opened it up to the public. Fans packed the shaded bleacher sections, crammed into the beer gardens and stood along the railing, filling this place with an energy that hadn’t been seen since the Rams’ very first practice last summer.

When Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed long passes in one field, the “Rams suck!” chants intensified.

When the Rams’ offense took snaps on the other, a new, anti-Chargers cry was born: “Pay your rent!”

“You heard a lot of chants for both sides,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. “It was fun. It was a really good experience out here, a lot of people.”

The Rams’ defense picked Rivers off a couple of times and generally did a nice job of minimizing deep balls. But they also threw punches. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson took off his helmet and swung at Chargers receiver Dontrelle Inman at one point, upset that Inman was driving his hand into his helmet off the snap. It prompted Nickell Robey-Coleman to shove Inman from behind, which led to Keenan Allen slamming Robey-Coleman to the grass. It was the first of three scuffles. The last two involved E.J. Gaines, who was ultimately told to leave by Rams coach Sean McVay.

“Where I’m from, if somebody’s going to initiate it, we’re going to finish it — especially myself,” Johnson said. “But it was fun, man. It was friendly competition.”

Goff unofficially went 10-of-22 for about 110 yards during 11-on-11 drills, with one of those completions being a 25-yard hookup with rookie Cooper Kupp on play-action. During seven-on-seven drills, he threw a 30-yard pass over the top to Tyler Higbee and completed an 18-yard dart across the middle to Robert Woods. After a Saturday practice consumed by short passes, Goff was finally able to throw the ball downfield.

“About time, right?” Goff said, smiling. “Deep balls come. I think early on in camp you’re just figuring out timing sometimes and just some different things with guys. It takes time sometimes. I think they are starting to come.”

In 11-on-11 work, Goff attempted six passes to Pharoh Cooper, who’s basically filling in for an ailing Tavon Austin. Goff attempted another five passes to Higbee, his roommate in training camp, and three each to Woods and Kupp. The Rams didn’t cross the Chargers’ 40-yard line in either of their two-minute drills, which Goff identified as “probably the one thing we want back.”

Tackling wasn’t allowed, but both teams played physically, especially the Chargers defensive backs, who frequently jammed Rams receivers at the line of scrimmage and delivered vicious blows when they came across the middle. Higbee felt “there were some times when their intensity was a little bit higher than ours. We needed to match it ourselves. I think we failed to a couple times.”

The Rams’ defense — still without Aaron Donald, who continues to hold out — more than made up for it. Enough so that Chargers running back Melvin Gordon said, “I think we’ve built a nice little rivalry with the Rams.” The first fight took place within the first half-hour of practice; a third somehow erupted during special teams.

McVay spent all of Saturday guiding the offense, but went back and forth on Wednesday.

He spent a lot of his time breaking up physical altercations.

“Guys are great competitors,” McVay said. “We always want to be mindful and smart with this, about how we do it.”