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October 23, 2017 at 5:39 pm #76456
znModeratorApologies to the Haters, Yes It’s True: The Rams Are a Very Good Football Team.
BERNIE MIKLASZ
link: https://www.101sports.com/2017/10/23/apologies-haters-yes-true-rams-good-football-team/
We need to talk about the Los Angeles Rams, who are off to their best start through seven games since 2003 …Look, you can despise the Missourah traitor Stan Kroenke, or view Kevin Demoff as a lyin’ lightweight, and you’ll get no sass from me. But the players and coaches didn’t move the franchise to Los Angeles. The general manager didn’t lobby NFL owners to get the necessary votes for relocation. They weren’t apart of a corrupt NFL process.
But here’s what you can’t do, even with all of that bile gurgling inside of you …
You can’t deny that the Rams are a big surprise, deny that they’re probably the No. 1 on-the-field story in the NFL, or deny that this a very good team that’s contending for a playoff spot in the unsettled NFC. All of that could change, sure.
But based on the seven games on file, and the Rams entering their bye week after smashing the Arizona Cardinals like pumpkins in a 33-0 clubbing in London, this is a good time to recognize the Rams’ resurgence after a long, dull, pathetic stretch of futility. Not to bring up memories that will reopen old veins, but this franchise hasn’t had a winning season since 2003, and hasn’t made the playoffs or won a post season game since 2004.
During a 13-year blackout, the Rams won 68 games, lost 139, tied one, and belched out a foul .329 winning percentage. Over that 13-season stretch, the Rams’ hideousness was exceeded by only one NFL brother — the eternally afflicted Cleveland Browns and a wretched .298 winning percentage that’s a stinking, burning heap of garbage that was piling up for well over a decade.
In 2017 the Rams are discarding the clown shoes, ridding themselves of failed players, and establishing a fresh identity. The franchise broke away from St. Louis because of the mutual, insatiable greed of Kroenke, scheming NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and the cabal of team owners.
On the field the new Rams’ players and new coach are quickly cutting ties to a depressing, disgusting past that made the Cleveland-LA-STL-LA Rams one of the sorriest enterprises in the history of professional sports.
The transformation is well underway under rookie head coach Sean McVay, grandfatherly defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and a general manager, Les Snead, who finally has the authority to build a roster instead of taking orders from the stale and stubborn Jeff Fisher.
In St. Louis, with Fisher clinging to an outdated style of offense, the Rams’ offense played at walking speed in a league that had gone airborne, with touchdown passes and big pass plays streaking through the sky.
The Rams offense has been modernized … but has also maintained some of that old-school brawn by cracking defense with rejuvenated running back Todd Gurley.
The one-season change in the offense is remarkable.
To illustrate that, I have to hit with some numbers:
— Through the first seven games of the campaign, the Rams rank second in the league in offensive efficiency by getting points on 48.1 percent of their possessions. Last season, the Rams were the worst in the NFL in offensive efficiency, coming away with points on only 21.8 percent of possessions.
— In 16 games last season, the Rams offense had only 42 scoring drives . This season, the Rams already have rolled for 38 scoring drives — only four fewer than all of last season. And the ’17 Rams still have nine games to play with.
— The Rams scored 23 offensive touchdowns in 16 games last season. This year, through seven games, the TD count on offense is at 17. Or to vet this another way: the 2016 Rams averaged 13.5 offense-only points per game; that was last among the 32 teams. This season the Rams are averaging 26 offense-only points per game, nearly doubling the average from ’16.
— The 2016 Rams had the fewest number of possessions inside the red zone, 34. This season the Rams have advanced into the red zone 31 times in seven games.
— I like this one, which links to a sad-sack past. In 2009, the Rams scored 168 points on offense all season. The 2017 Rams have already blown by that with 182 points on offense … with more than half the season to go.
— The 2016 Rams converted only 31.5 percent of all third-down plays, worst in the league. And they were 31st in converting on third and long at 19.6 percent. The 2017 Rams rank second in the NFL with a third-down success rate of 49 percent. And on third and long, they’re 7th in the league with a conversion rate of 32.7 percent.
— The 2017 Rams have the most big plays (20+ yards) in the NFL with 33. Last season they were 26th with 49 big plays.
— The 2016 Rams finished near or at the bottom of the league in passer rating (69.5), touchdown-interception ratio (0.70), yards per passing attempt (6.18), and sacks-allowed percentage (8.4) … but this year, with the stunningly fast progress of second-year quarterback Jared Goff, a buttressed offensive line, and considerably more talent at wide receiver, the Rams are above average in the passing game. They’re 14th in passer rating (91), 7th in sacks-allowed percentage (4.3), 14th in TD-INT ratio (2.25), and 5th in yards per pass attempt (7.85).
Les Snead deserves much of the credit.
The Rams GM made the best head-coach hire in the league last offseason. McVay, only 31, has a gifted mind for designing an offense and using a lot of creative stuff to exploit an opponent’s defensive tactics. He’s also loaded with energy and enthusiasm, unlike the dullard Fisher. McVay has absolutely enlivened this franchise by generating the best offense the Rams have had since the twilight of the “Greatest Show on Turf” version in St. Louis.
But Snead did more than hire McVay and Phillips. Finally free of Fisher’s quirky personnel preferences that would have been great in 1967, Snead set out to improve his team with his own vision and the results were outstanding.
Snead dumped Greg Robinson, the offensive-tackle bust, and signed former Bengals offensive left tackle Andrew Whitworth as a free agent. According to Pro Football Focus, Whitworth ranks 6th among all NFL offensive tackles. Snead also signed free-agent center John Sullivan; he’s rated No. 8 overall at the position by PFF.
Snead got rid of Kenny Britt and draft bust Brian Quick and upgraded at wide receiver by trading for Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. Snead drafted small-college gem Cooper Kupp, who is rated No. 25 among all NFL wideouts by PFF. Tavon Austin is still contributing as a joker piece in exotic formations. And second-year tight end Tyler Higbee is is developing.Rookie tight end Gerald Everett has shown promise. All of a sudden, Goff has real targets to work with.
Snead brought in outside linebacker Connor Barwin and cornerback Kayvon Webster to fit Phillips’ system. Snead didn’t want safety T.J. McDonald to return because of some off-field problems, and to restock the safety position Snead scored with his third-round selection of rookie John Johnson III, who is rated 17th among all NFL safeties by Pro Football Focus. PFF put Johnson him on their “best rookies” list.
The Phillips defense is progressing. The Rams are third in the league for most takeaway points (54), are giving up a respectable 19.7 offensive points per game, and are tied for fourth with 23 sacks — this, coming after last year’s defense had only 31 sacks. This defense will get better; the Rams need to toughen up against the run. That said, Phillips’ unit ranks eighth in the league in defensive efficiency, with opponents getting points on 30 percent of offensive possessions.
McVay wisely made Gurley the catalyst of the offense, and the third-year back is thriving again after a second-year slump that was, in large part, caused by his frustration with Fisher’s simplistic and ineffective offense. Through seven games Gurley is second to Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt with an average of 131.4 yards from scrimmage per game. Gurley is 5th with his average of 89.6 yards rushing per game, and is tied for second with five rushing TDs. But McVay is smartly utilizing Gurley to catch passes out of the backfield, and Gurley has 27 receptions for 293 yards and two TDs. Gurley’s eight touchdowns from scrimmage leads the NFL.
The Rams were 4-12 in their first season in Los Angeles.
They’ve already topped that in 2017 with five wins and counting.
The Rams also have the league’s best point differential at plus 74 — after ranking 30th last season with a point differential of minus 170.
This seems to be real … even if some of the old St. Louis-based Rams fans aren’t real thrilled about it.
I understand.
Thanks for reading
October 23, 2017 at 5:59 pm #76457znModeratorAin’t that just like Bernie.
A long article about positive developments, and, he says many objectionable and questionable things. In fact, no matter what your viewpoint is on the Rams and their history, you can find at least one thing to object to. So people of widely divergent views who agree on nothing can all find at least one thing in that article that is flamboyantly wrongheaded.
..
October 23, 2017 at 7:30 pm #76460
InvaderRamModeratoryeah the main thing for me is this team can get better. even though they’ve added veteran leadership i read that they’re still the second youngest team in the nfl. and they’re young at some pretty key positions. but especially at quarterback.
all the parts around goff are working at a high level right now. defense, special teams, the running game. he’s got the support system, and if and when it clicks for goff, as hard as it is to believe, this team could actually get even better.
October 23, 2017 at 8:48 pm #76464
ZooeyModeratorAnd what does he take…about 12 personal shots at Fisher?
Ah, Bernie.
October 24, 2017 at 12:50 am #76466znModeratorBonsignore: Rams are a legitimate playoff threat
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE
link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/23/bonsignore-rams-are-a-legitimate-playoff-threat/
At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, it’s time to get ahead of ourselves.
That means it’s time to stop pretending or skirting or avoiding.
Be it out of fear of jinxing, the other shoe falling or having been burned and hurt so many times before simply protecting yourself from getting your hearts ripped out and trampled upon again.
It’s time to embrace and accept reality. And own it.
The Rams are a legitimate playoff contender.
There, that wasn’t so bad now was it? But why stop there?
The Rams are a legitimate threat to make a serious postseason run, too.Boom. It’s out there.
And really, what’s to argue at this point?
Take a look at the rest of the NFC and tell me there’s a team that has all its bases covered like the Rams do right now.
An offense that’s generally been humming behind second-year quarterback Jared Goff, an offensive line playing as well as any in the league, a deep, versatile group of wide receivers and pass targets and running back Todd Gurley, the favorite for Comeback Player of the Year honors and the Most Valuable Player award.
They lead the league in scoring and are ninth in total yards. They are the sixth-best rushing team in the NFL and the 12th-best passing team. On both fronts, there is ample room to get even better.
There might be better defenses in the NFL, but after stabilizing themselves after a shaky initial transition to Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive scheme, the Rams have surrendered just 39 points over the past 14 quarters and, by all data and metrics, seem to be getting even better while combining an underrated back-end pass defense with the big push being generated upfront by Aaron Donald and friends.
That’s not all.
The Rams special teams are as good as any in the NFL with punter Johnny Hekker, sure-footed kicker Greg Zuerlein and return and coverage units that have already scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and blocked punt, forced a critical fumbled punt and also picked up an important first down on a fake punt.
At various times this year, the Rams have beaten opponents by outgunning them offensively, slamming the door shut defensively or generating points via special teams. Sometimes all in the same game.
Few teams can say that. And fewer can confidently count on all three phases clicking on a game-to-game basis.
The Rams can.
Which means they are uniquely built to deal with whatever weather issues lay ahead. And they’re versatile and flexible enough that, if one part of their game is struggling, they can rely on multiple others to help steady the ship or, as they already have this year, flat out be the difference in winning a football game.
Those are the qualities of a playoff team. And one that can make a serious postseason run.
Go ahead and embrace it. Own it.
It’s OK. Because it’s all valid.
The Rams moved to 5-2 Sunday by thrashing the Arizona Cardinals 33-0 in London. To put that all in perspective, the last time they saw the Cardinals was in a 44-6 whupping on New Year’s Day at the Coliseum to finish off a dreadfully embarrassing 4-12 season.
Success never seemed so out of reach than it did that day.
A new coach needed to be hired. A 13-year culture of losing needed to eradicated.
The worst offensive line and wide receiver groups in the NFL had to be rebuilt. Gurley needed to be nursed back to life after being let down by bad coaching, bad blocking and a terrible supporting cast.
Let alone Goff, the victim of 26 sacks in seven games that left him so battered and bruised and ineffective, a national narrative materialized insisting he’d forever be considered a bust.
The future seemed dauntingly miserable. And all roads back to respectability seemed closed, unavailable or nonexistent.
But lo and behold, a gift from the coaching heavens fell into the Rams’ appreciative arms in the form of 31-year-old Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay, who represented everything previous head coach Jeff Fisher didn’t.
McVay was young and creative with a deep offensive background after being groomed by sharp offensive minds like Jon and Jay Gruden and Mike Shanahan. He valued teaching and communication and accountability, and the staff he built represented and preached all of those principles.
It was difficult not to be impressed by the energetic McVay merely at first glance. And he instantaneously made people assess Goff in a different light when, upon being asked what he thought about the young quarterback, continually reminded everyone it was Goff’s presence on the roster that attracted him to the Rams job in the first place.
McVay immediately developed a bond and chemistry with holdover general manager Les Snead, whose future with the Rams seemed dubious at best after the collapse of the Fisher regime. Snead was granted a reprieve thanks to the working connection he forged with McVay, and I still recall multiple conversations with Snead in which he praised McVay’s ability to distinctly and effectively articulate and describe the characteristics he sought in the type of players he needed to produce in his system.
Even if it meant whipping out a smartphone or other available mode of technology to visually describe it.
That was reflected in the players the Rams soon began to acquire and how easily you could visualize them fitting into McVay and Snead’s overall puzzle. Especially offensively, as McVay and Snead rebuilt the infrastructure around Goff and Gurley.
It’s remarkable looking back how quickly it all unfolded for the Rams. It all seemed so daunting on New Year’s Day, but reeling in McVay and the personnel changes that ensued transformed the Rams almost overnight.
And as we see in McVay’s offensive teaching, design and play calling, it’s seamlessly transferred from merely “on paper” to actual on-field production and success.
Goff looks like the top overall pick and franchise quarterback he was billed to be. Gurley has been resurrected into an MVP candidate. All the other pieces fit and make sense and complement each other. As do the plays being called.
McVay has even figured out a way to make Tavon Austin a viable and productive member of the Rams offense, for which Coach of the Year honors would have been warranted had it not been for the fact he’s also turned the Rams into legitimate playoff contenders almost overnight.
Yes, playoff contenders. I said it.
And legitimate threats to make a serious postseason run.
It’s time to embrace reality.
October 24, 2017 at 9:29 am #76480znModeratorPeter King
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/23/nfl-week-7-doug-baldwin-roger-goodell-joe-thomas-dan-quinn-mmqb
COACH OF THE WEEK
Sean McVay, head coach, Los Angeles Rams. It is Oct. 23. The Rams are 5-2. The Rams are averaging a league-high 30.3 points per game. The metamorphosis of this offense is complete. For my money the best example of it this year was Jared Goff—who decidedly is not a running threat—sucking in the Arizona defense at the 9-yard line late in the first half, pulling back the handoff, seeing eight Card defenders run like an amoeba to the center of the line, and there went Goff for a fairly easy touchdown run. McVay is so imaginative, and has created so many intelligent options for an offense that was so awful last year. He is the runaway coach of the year through seven weeks, in my book.
—
Then the vid. They discuss the Rams starting at 4:21.
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October 27, 2017 at 3:25 pm #76592znModeratorOctober 27, 2017 at 8:12 pm #76602znModeratorOctober 27, 2017 at 9:10 pm #76603znModerator
October 27, 2017 at 9:40 pm #76604znModeratorOctober 27, 2017 at 9:42 pm #76605znModeratorNovember 3, 2017 at 2:09 am #76816znModeratorGiants vs. Rams: Are Jared Goff and Sean McVay the real deal?
A year ago, the New York Giants were the big dog and the Los Angeles Rams the struggling group when the teams met in a game won by the Giants, 17-10. This year, roles are reversed with the Rams at 5-2 and the Giants 1-6.
Let’s learn more about the new-look Rams from Joseph McAfee of SB Nation’s Turf Show Times in this week’s “Five Questions” segment.
Ed: Your thoughts on Sean McVay? At 5-2 and averaging more than 30 points per game, I’d assume he and Rams fans are in a honeymoon phase.
JM: Yeah, the honeymoon is on, no doubt. Really, it’s not even about the sheer magnitude of success that the record indicates. It’s just how long it’s been since the Rams weren’t bad.
Right now, the Rams are 2nd in the NFL in points per game. From 2007-2016, the highest the Rams were in points per game was 21st. The Rams have been so anemic and so underwhelming (at best) for so long that the novelty of being un-bad is perhaps what’s really hitting home. And I dropped as succinct of a blurb as I could on McVay in my section at our NFL Midseason Awards in which he won Coach of the Year to this point. Put simply, it’s absolutely incredible that a first-time coach as young as he is has done as well as he has. It’s unlikely and unanticipated in both the scope and acceleration of his and the team’s success.
So yeah. Honeymoon.
Ed: How big of a step forward has Jared Goff taken? Do you believe he is the real deal?
JM: A big one, but bigger ones are yet to come. Goff, and this team, just hasn’t played a ton of meaningful late season football in the past decade. Forget the playoffs. The Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003. The only season in which the Rams were playing meaningful December football was 2010 when rookie QB Sam Bradford took the Rams to Week 17 in Seattle with a chance to win and sneak in the playoffs. Since then, December has been about getting rookies and UDFA youth playing time for the next season, the kind of situation you laid out for the Giants recently.
The Rams know that kind of football well. We know how guys look in that kind of a December. Is Jared Goff the real deal? We have to see how he’s doing late in the season and late in games. He wasn’t just the #1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Rams traded up to get sacrificing quite a bit of draft capital to do so. So he has to be good enough to merit the opportunity costs of a second-round and third-round pick last year and a first-round pick this year. The Rams could have had three players in the last two drafts instead of Goff.
He’s taken a big step toward making that decision look less perilous. But in order for him to really legitimize that decision and be “the real deal”, he’s going to have to win games when it matters most. And we’re just not there yet.
Ed: Are the Rams a contender or a pretender? And, regardless, are you happy with the direction of the franchise?
JM: I know Geoff Schwartz had us as a pretender over at the mothership. And sure, I’ll cop to some obvious bias … but I gotta have em as a contender.
The Rams are second in scoring. They’ve beaten the Cowboys in Dallas. And the Jaguars in Jacksonville. And the 49ers in … ok yeah, it’s the Niners. But still! The Rams have just two losses this season. One was a game against Washington that was tied late in the fourth. QB Kirk Cousins led his guys down the field for a TD. Goff tossed an interception in the response possession (this kinda dovetails with your question above as to if he’s learned from that pick when he’s in this situation again and if he can lead a late game drive for a victory). The other was a sloppy performance against the Seahawks in which the Rams had five turnovers…and only lost by a touchdown. I’ve gotta take contenders.
As for the direction of the franchise, obviously I’m excited about it. I do wonder if perhaps things are moving a bit too fast for a team this young and a coaching staff this new to each other, but that’s the good kind of problem to have. I thought this would be a team that was slow out the gate and got better over the course of the season to develop as a contender in 2018 having taken some lumps and allowed the coaching staff to smooth those out. To give Goff and co. a chance to make some mistakes and lose some tough games to learn from. I don’t know that they’ve had enough of those lessons, but maybe they don’t need them. Maybe this is just the right situation where the existing roster combined with the new personnel moves and coaching staff just happened to converge at once to create something good. Or really good. Or special. I dunno which is which, but yeah I’m excited to find out.
Ed: If you could take one player not named Odell Beckham off the Giants roster and put him in the Rams lineup who would it be? Why?
JM: Yes, I would like Odell Beckham, Jr., instead. Thanks.
Nah, it’s a bit of a tough question. You guys have talent on the D-line, but the Rams are fine up front. JPP and Olivier Vernon might not fit well as 3-4 OLBs where the Rams could use some help. It took an extra season to backfill his spot, but Janoris Jenkins isn’t the commodity he would be as a return candidate as he was in 2016. Same goes for DRC, minus the return factor. And at safety, Lamarcus Joyner and rookie John Johnson are developing into a very high quality duo, so Landon Collins isn’t the window shopping I’d do either.
I’ll go with TE Evan Engram. McVay comes from a tight end coaching background and his history suggests he’s going to lean on the position heavily. So even though the Rams took Tyler Higbee in the fourth round in 2016 and spent their 2017 NFL Draft second-round pick on young Gerald Everett, I’d add Engram to the mix. He’s probably the most talented of the three and having that depth at what could be the most important position in McVay’s system wouldn’t be a horrible thing.
Ed: The Rams are favored and considering the fact that the Giants are a fractured mess with a ton of injured players, should win this game. Is there anything about Sunday that scares you?
JM: Yeah, being in this position. The Rams are favored on the road. That’s … new. There’s talk of this being a trap game and the Rams are the trappee and not the trapper. That’s … new.
It kind of goes back to what I was talking about in your second question. We’re in relatively uncharted waters. Jared Goff isn’t bad. The offensive line isn’t bad. The Rams aren’t bad. The coaching isn’t bad. With a nod to Stranger Things 2, we’re kind of in the upside down.
So yeah, Sunday is kinda scary!
November 3, 2017 at 9:55 am #76830znModeratorNovember 3, 2017 at 8:42 pm #76865InvaderRamModeratorwas listening to this interview with rich hammond. they asked him for possible breakout stars in the second half. he gave 2. robert quinn and john johnson.
November 3, 2017 at 9:57 pm #76866znModeratorwas listening to this interview with rich hammond. they asked him for possible breakout stars in the second half. he gave 2. robert quinn and john johnson.
That could be.
where they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Looking at this stat: NFL Team Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only).
Rams are ranked 20th.
If anything they slipped last 3 games to 32nd.
They have 8 TDs on 33 passing attempts inside the 20, which is a pretty mediocre 24%.
Inside the 10 it’s 4 TDs on 14 attempts which is a still mediocre 28.5%.
The teams ranked 1-5 on NFL Team Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only) are anywhere from 62% to 73+%. Rams are currently at 33% (last 3 games).
It’s not just Goff, it’s the entire redzone package, playcalling included.
November 3, 2017 at 11:03 pm #76871znModeratorIs Marshall Faulk Buying In On The Rams? | GMFB
Marshall talks about being traded. At first depressed about it, then he realized they had talent, then Green goes down. Unbelievable that Kurt was ready but that’s the nature of the game–be ready.
Marshall buys the Rams. NFC up for grabs. Like Eagles Rams are strong on both sides of the ball. Big difference is Goff. McVay gives him an offense but Goff worked hard in the off-season. You know what they were on defense but Wade brings something special.
Then they get silly.
November 4, 2017 at 12:27 am #76873znModeratorwhere they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Speak of the devil.
Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
Matt Lafleur mentions red zone as being a place of improvement worked on during the bye week.
Lafleur hints the Rams need to run the ball better in the red zone in order to have success in those situations.November 4, 2017 at 2:13 am #76877InvaderRamModeratorwhere they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Speak of the devil.
Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
Matt Lafleur mentions red zone as being a place of improvement worked on during the bye week.
Lafleur hints the Rams need to run the ball better in the red zone in order to have success in those situations.interesting. i would think it’d fall more on goff, but i trust what lafleur says.
November 4, 2017 at 6:43 am #76878
nittany ramModeratorwhere they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Speak of the devil.
Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
Matt Lafleur mentions red zone as being a place of improvement worked on during the bye week.
Lafleur hints the Rams need to run the ball better in the red zone in order to have success in those situations.interesting. i would think it’d fall more on goff, but i trust what lafleur says.
My impression is they abandon the run too quickly in the red zone.
November 4, 2017 at 9:30 am #76880InvaderRamModeratorMy impression is they abandon the run too quickly in the red zone.
for now, yeah, the rams will need to rely more on the run. this team reminds me of the chargers when philip rivers took over at quarterback and had tomlinson at running back. that was a high scoring offense (first in the league) coupled with a very talented defense which interestingly enough was coordinated by wade phillips that first season. schottenheimer was the head coach. so of course they were going to be very run oriented.
long term i think goff is going to have to be the one to up his game in the red zone. but that probably doesn’t happen until next year or maybe even the year after that.
the good thing is though that gurley hasn’t even reached the prime of his career yet. tomlinson was in his sixth season that year that rivers took over. he had two years after that before he tailed off. gurley should have awhile before his production drops significantly.
still. ultimately, goff has to shoulder more responsibility. the rams are currently 7th in rushing attempts per game while they are only 24th in passing attempts per game. gurley is currently on pace for 331 carries on the season. i’m comfortable with that number. any higher than that and i’m getting nervous. now maybe that means more carries go to brown and austin? maybe between the 20s, goff shoulders more responsibility, and then when they’re in the red zone, gurley starts getting a higher percentage of carries in that area? i don’t know. but if gurley’s carries start going north of 350. i don’t know that i’m exactly comfortable with that. for a season maybe. long-term it’s going to wear him out. even two more carries in the red zone each game would take his carry total to 363 carries over an entire season.
November 4, 2017 at 9:48 am #76881InvaderRamModeratoralso. i think watkins is almost a forgotten man here. does he take off in the second half? i’m really rooting for him.
maybe he won’t be a red zone threat. but he could make it easier for the rams to get to the red zone.
November 4, 2017 at 9:49 pm #76898znModeratorRams feeling the impact of of good decisions and good fortune
VINCENT BONSIGNORE
EAST RUTHERFORD NJ — Assuming the weather experts got it right, a steady and comfortable 63-degree, partly cloudy afternoon will be the conditions welcoming the Rams when they play the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
In other words, pretty darn near perfect given the location, time of year, and the far worse possibilities that could have confronted them.
It’s not a big thing in the whole scheme of things. The Rams with the sixth-best rushing attack, seventh-best run defense and sound special teams are built to succeed in all weather conditions.
But it is further proof of the charmed life they’ve inexplicably enjoyed over the last 10 months, the one that’s turned all their coaching and personnel decisions into towering home runs or screaming doubles off the wall and wrapped a protective shield around them to ward off major injuries.
Call it lady luck or good fortune of the Football Gods looking over them, but the Rams under new coach Sean McVay have suddenly transformed themselves into an efficient outfit for which sound personnel decisions, insightful coaching and effective execution is accompanied by a particularly fortuitous sort of karma.And in the process, reached 5-2 for the first time since 2003 and, the way things are lining up, appear a good bet to soar to 7-2 before entering a teethy part of the schedule that includes showdowns against division leaders in the Vikings, Eagles, Saints and Seahawks.
“I think there’s a lot of good stuff going on right now and that’s what it is,” McVay said. “I think we want to try to keep that momentum going and how you do that is you take things one day at a time, one game at a time.”
Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long since the Rams have fielded a winning team we forget how the good ones are built to outwork, outwit or outmaneuver misfortune. If not spit in the eye of it when confronted.
But in a season in which McVay has emerged as a home run hire, Jared Goff is on track to being a franchise quarterback, Todd Gurley is securely positioned as an MVP candidate and every new addition from Andrew Whitworth to Cooper Kupp has been a worthwhile and timely asset, it’s hard not to dismiss the various other positive forces working on the Rams behalf.
Like the nearly clean bill of health they’ve enjoyed all season.
Aside from starting safety Cody Davis, who landed on the injured reserve list Friday, the Rams have sidestepped major injuries. And when they have taken the field at less than full strength — safety Lamarcus Joyner and cornerback Kayvon Webster both missed multiple games — capable replacements like Nickell Robey-Coleman and John Johnson provided the necessary relief.
Their injury report for Sunday is as pristine as its been all year. In fact, the biggest issue is finding a spot for running back Lance Dunbar, who returned to practice this week after spending all year on the Physically Unable to Perform list dealing with a knee injury. The Rams will decide over the next two weeks whether to add him to the active roster or put him on season-ending injured reserve.
Talk about new world problems. The Rams are in such good health, they’ll have to juggle just to make room for another weapon.
“Knock on wood, but usually you’re having to deal with some injuries, especially at the running back spot,” McVay said. “Where now it provides a great opportunity for Lance to come in, kind of serve as the role we envision in the first place. We’ve got a lot of playmakers who have stayed healthy and are available, so it’s a positive problem.”
In contrast the Giants have been decimated by injuries this year — wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Dwayne Harris, and Brandon Marshall are out for the season — and will be without six other key players on Sunday.
Including five starters.
Linebackers B.J. Goodson (ankle) and Jonathan Casillas (neck), right tackle Justin Pugh (back), center Weston Richburg (concussion) and defensive ends Olivier Vernon (ankle) and Kerry Wynn (knee) were all ruled out for Sunday’s game.
As a result, a game that leaned organically the Rams’ way to start the week is now decisively tilted in their direction. Provided they avoid any costly mistakes, it would be considered a massive disappointment if they leave New Jersey anything worse than 6-2 Sunday night.
“I think one thing we look at is, what’s our record when we won the turnover margin? And it’s 5-0,” Goff pointed out. “The two games we’ve lost, we’ve lost turnovers. I think if we continue to take care of the ball and the defense keeps playing the way that they are, we’ll be happy with what we’re doing.”
It’s why McVay preached a focused, careful approach this week. The Giants might be wounded, but if the Rams don’t come correct it won’t matter.
“I think what you talk about is that one of the things you realize about this league is that it’s one day at a time, one game at a time and if you don’t take that mindset and mentality, you get humbled very quickly,” McVay said. “It’s so competitive, there’s so many good players and coaches all around that anything – you hear the term, ‘Any given Sunday.’
“But, it’s true because regardless of the records, it’s why you see different outcomes occur every single week because there is such a competitive balance in this league with great players, great coaching and especially with going on the road, playing in a tough atmosphere at MetLife Stadium and then especially just with the previous experience that I have going against this team, they’ll be ready to go and we need to be ready as well if we’re going to come away with a win.”
The Rams have done everything right over the last 10 months. Either as a result of (or perhaps as a reward for) the Football Gods looking down kindly on them.
November 6, 2017 at 9:41 am #76973znModeratorSomething special might be taking place with the Rams
Alden Gonzalez
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tavon Austin was with the Los Angeles Rams last year, when a 3-1 start turned into a 4-12 finish.
He knows better.
“We’re definitely feeling good, but we definitely know what it feels like to lose, too,” Austin said. “You can lose ‘X’ amount straight, and I was part of that team.”
Robert Quinn spent the previous six years with the Rams, a stretch when the organization lost 65 percent of the time.
He won’t get excited yet, either.
“This is a long season,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot of great teams out there, great players, and all it takes is one week, snowball effect, and it can get ugly pretty fast.”
The Rams still are saying the right things, still believing in the right things. But tucked within their humility is the burgeoning belief that something special is taking place within their locker room, an idea that seems to inch closer to reality as the weeks roll by. Their 52-17 victory over the reeling New York Giants on Sunday was the latest, most vivid example.
It pushed the Rams to 6-2, which amounts to their best start since a 2001 season that ended in a Super Bowl appearance. It gave them 40-plus points for the third time this year, after tallying 40 points only twice in the previous 10 years. And it marked the second straight game during which their offense, defense and special teams all prevailed together, a stretch that has seen the Rams outscore opponents by a combined 67 points.
“I see all the spots you need to be a playoff team,” said Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth, himself a part of six playoff teams. “A good special-teams unit, a defense that is creating turnovers and making it hard for people to score a ton of points, and an offense that’s moving the ball.”
The Rams, coming off 10 consecutive losing seasons, lead the NFL with a plus-108 point differential. Their offense, last in the NFL in yards in 2015 and 2016, has topped last year’s point total through half a season. Their defense has allowed the eighth-fewest yards per play over the past five weeks, while sitting only three shy of the NFL lead in turnovers for the season.
In Week 9, against an injury-riddled Giants team with only one win, the Rams got a strip-sack from Aaron Donald, a forced fumble from Alec Ogletree and an interception from Trumaine Johnson. Cory Littleton, a second-year undrafted linebacker, blocked his second punt in a three-game stretch. Greg Zuerlein drilled his NFL-leading 22nd, 23rd and 24th field goals. The offense, meanwhile, scored on eight of its first nine possessions, finished with six touchdowns and averaged 7.8 yards per play.
“You can see how we’re going out there, competing,” Rams running back Todd Gurley said. “All three phases — offense, defense, special teams — everybody’s been doing their part.”
It started with Jared Goff, who went 14-of-22 for 311 yards, a career-high four touchdowns and a career-high 146.8 passer rating. Gurley gained 104 scrimmage yards and added two touchdowns, giving him an NFL-leading 10 on the year. Sammy Watkins hauled in a 67-yard touchdown catch and Robert Woods scored twice, one on a 52-yard catch-and-run on third-and-long.
“We’re locked in, man, we really are,” Johnson said. “And we’re playing this game like we have a losing record, still feeling like the underdog. These games, a lot of people are doubting us. And I feel like we’re just proving a lot of people wrong every week.”
Those still cynical about the Rams’ legitimacy will point to their favorable early schedule, and there might be some truth to that.
The Rams have beaten three basement-dwellers in the Colts (3-6), 49ers (0-9) and Giants (1-7), while losing at home to a couple of potential playoff teams in the Redskins (4-4) and Seahawks (5-3). But don’t overlook a couple of impressive road wins against the Cowboys and Jaguars, both of whom sit at 5-3. Or how handily they beat the Cardinals (4-4) in London. Or how thoroughly impressive they looked when they opened their season and when they played their most recent game.
When asked repeatedly about the biggest difference in this year’s Rams, players consistently pointed to the ways first-year head coach Sean McVay has changed the culture. It became the perfect mix, a locker room tired of losing that quickly embraced McVay, who brought contagious energy, a clear message, an innovative scheme and natural leadership.
The front office then maintained a special-teams unit that might be the NFL’s best, augmented a defense that already was solid and added the right pieces to a lacking offense, from Whitworth to Watkins to Woods and so many others.
“It’s kind of like a perfect little nucleus of the fact that you had some talent, you had some ability,” Whitworth said, “and we created a culture where we’re all pulling in the same direction.”
The Rams still are careful not to get ahead of themselves.
“We’re just staying in the moment, taking it week by week,” cornerback Kayvon Webster said when asked if this is starting to resemble a playoff team.
“One game at a time here,” Woods added. “We’re not looking at it like that.”
“Eight games in,” Goff cautioned. “You’ve seen it in the past. It happens all the time, where teams start out hot and they don’t finish the season the right way.”
It’s hard to consider the big picture when one is so immersed in the routine, so caught up in the process. The Rams remain entrenched in the moment. But there are a lot of players on their roster who have been here for a long time, felt the sting of continual losing for a long time. They add the necessary mix of appreciation and discontent.
“To us, words can’t express how we feel,” said left guard Rodger Saffold, midway through his eighth year with the Rams. “And I think that’s why we continue to just be leaders on this team and drive everybody in the direction that we need to go.”
November 6, 2017 at 9:48 am #76976znModeratorThe 6-2 Stunner: How the Rams Stole the Spotlight at NFL’s Midseason Mark
By Peter King
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/11/06/jared-goff-los-angeles-rams-sean-mcvay-first-place-week-9-mmqb
Trying to digest the 6-2 Rams. Let’s start with Jared Goff, on the bus from the Meadowlands to Newark Airport, after his Rams hung 51 on a once-proud Giants franchise Sunday afternoon. The son of a former major-league backup catcher was talking about the World Series just completed. “I loved this World Series,” Goff said of the Dodgers-Astros matchup. “It felt like I was watching the Little League World Series. Every time somebody would hit on a home run, seems like somebody on the other team hit one. It was great.”
Goff and the Rams are hitting a lot of home runs these days too. Goff completed throws of 35, 44, 44, 52 and 67 yards in the 51-17 beatdown of the Giants on Sunday. The reason why the Rams are such a great story—other than the fact that their coach graduated from Miami (Ohio) just 10 years ago, and that they haven’t had a winning season in 14 years—is they are so darn explosive, and so darn likeable.
Look at the NFL’s points per game basement last year …
Team Points Per Game 32. Rams (4-12) 14.0 31. Browns (1-15) 16.5
…and the penthouse this season.
Team Points Per Game 1. Rams (6-2) 32.9 2. Eagles (8-1) 31.4
How have they done it? By stealing, in part. That’s right. Thievery.
On Friday, on the team bus on the way to the Los Angeles International Airport for the flight to New Jersey, coach Sean McVay was telling a story about one of the turning-point plays of their season. It happened in Week 4, against Dallas. Late in the third quarter, down 29-24, Rams ball at their 47-yard line, Jared Goff took a shotgun snap. From Goff’s left, speedy Tavon Austin came in motion. Snap. Ball-fake to Austin on the jet sweep. Todd Gurley circled out of the backfield as though to run a typical running back wheel route. Except he never stopped. He bisected Dallas defenders Damien Wilson and Kavon Frazier and kept going up the right seam. Goff hit Gurley in stride, for a 53-yard touchdown. The Rams took the lead there and never trailed.
“I got that from Andy Reid,” McVay said. “Opening night, Kansas City at New England.”
So I go to trusty NFL Game Pass, to search for Alex Smith to a back, seam route, big play. There it is, eerie in its similarity, early in the fourth quarter, first game of this NFL season.
Smith took a shotgun snap. From Smith’s left, speedy Tyreek Hill came in motion. Snap. Ball-fake to Hill on the jet sweep. Kareem Hunt circled out of the backfield as though to run a wheel route. Except he never stopped. He bisected Patriot defenders Cassius Marsh and Kyle Van Noy and kept going up the right seam. Smith hit Hunt in stride, for a 78-yard touchdown. The Chiefs took the lead there and never trailed.
“K.C. ran it the first game of the season,” Goff said Sunday. “That was straight from them. But you saw how well it fit what we do. They’ve got players like we have. Our coaches do things like that pretty often. It really makes it fun. It’s just like, we come into our meeting Saturday night before the game, and we sit down and look at the plays, and it’s hard to find plays we don’t like. It’s hard to find plays we think aren’t going to work.”
I can’t tell you how many coaches over the years, smart coaches, have told me openly that they steal. Buddy Ryan was one of the first, at the height of his “46 Defense” success . In 1985 or ’86, he told me he watched tape (might have been film) of other teams he admired every week, and he’d copy some defensive wrinkle or blitz. The coaches I admire admit it the way McVay did instead of huffing and puffing and being all proud. McVay knows everything in the game comes around. Goff says when one of these old but new plays gets introduced in practice, “The defense will go, ‘Wow. Cool.’”
“What you notice about Sean,” said Rams COO Kevin Demoff, who led the charge to hire the then-30-year-old Washington offensive coordinator, “is he’s a millennial in so many ways. But he’s really an old soul in football. He knows what works. Like, he said to us he really wanted Wade Phillips to coach the defense. He knew he wasn’t going to do it, so why not get someone who’d done it so well for so long. So the defense is all Wade’s. He took the interim coach [John Fassel] and kept him as special-teams coach, and gave him more responsibilities, like clock management and timeouts. So he knows it’s smart to empower people.”
Interesting that the Rams have gone from the most feeble offense to the most explosive, in nine months. How does that happen? By getting everyone involved. Robert Woods, Buffalo free-agent import, with two TD catches Sunday. Sammy Watkins, Buffalo trade import, with a 67-yard scoring bomb from Goff. Cooper Kupp, third-round rookie, with a catch-in-the-flat and quick lateral for a nine-yard gain to another weapon, Austin. Gurley, with 102 total yards and two more touchdowns. Rookie tight end Gerald Everett with a 44-yard catch, and another young tight end, Tyler Higbee, with a touchdown. And Goff, with his best game as a pro, four touchdowns and no picks and a 146.8 rating.
“The ball’s going to be spread around,” said Goff, “which makes it easy on me. There’s always a good option for me. We’ve got so many talented players here, and for us, it’s like what Tiger Woods says: ‘Winning fixes everything.’” As does fun. And no team is having more fun than the Rams right now.
You know what else is impressive? Winning travels. Look what’s happened the past three games. The Rams flew to Jacksonville and won by 10. Then it was on to London; Rams 33, Cards 0. Then home, then the bye, then on to New Jersey. Rams by 34. Three games, 3,000 to 7,000 miles away from home, and three double-digit wins. It’s strange to say “first-place Rams” in November. But the Rams are trending up. I’ll be surprised if they flatten out in the second half of the season.[
November 6, 2017 at 10:27 am #76979
AgamemnonParticipantThe Rams have ticked all the boxes. It doesn’t get much better than this.
.
Will they keep going? They need to stay healthy.
AgamemnonNovember 6, 2017 at 10:53 am #76981nittany ramModeratorThe Rams have ticked all the boxes. It doesn’t get much better than this.
.
Will they keep going? They need to stay healthy.Yeah. Injuries and/or self-inflicted gaffes are the only thing that can derail this team.
The only team that can beat the Rams is the Rams.
And maybe the Eagles.
November 6, 2017 at 10:55 am #76982znModeratorLMU93 wrote:
I’m happiest for players like Saffold, Quinn, Brockers, and Johnson. Those guys have been with this team 6+ years now and been waiting to play for a real contender. Sort of like Todd Lyght in 1999.
Rams scoring drives:
2016: 42 (2.6/game)
2017: 47 (5.9/game)Raise your hand if you thought Goff would be tied for 8th in the league in passer rating and 1st in yards/attempt in midseason….
Most points scored by a Rams team through 8 games:
330- 2000
313- 1950
265- 1951
265- 1999
263- 2017Best points differential by a Rams team through 8 games:
+147- 1999
+126 – 2001
+108- 2017Rams red zone scoring has improved- now 16th in the league (52.8%).
If there are two stats the Rams defense could improve upon they would be red zone scoring defense (28th) and yards/rush allowed (27th).
QB sacks:
2016- 31 (1.9/game)
2017- 25 (3.1/game)QB sacks allowed:
2016- 49 (3.1/game)
2017- 10 (1.3/game)Defensive takeaways:
2016- 18 (1.1/game)
2017- 15 (1.9/game)Zuerlein is on pace to break the NFL single season FGs record (on pace for 48).
Johnny Hekker is on pace to have the fewest punts of his career (54) but his highest percentage of punts downed inside the 20 (55.6%).
November 6, 2017 at 11:26 am #76984znModeratorThe Rams have ticked all the boxes. It doesn’t get much better than this.
.Yeah. Injuries and/or self-inflicted gaffes are the only thing that can derail this team.
I;m holding off on saying how strong they are just yet.
So far they have outscored weak opponents 171-65.
With stronger opponents, they have gone 2-2 and the point differential was 92-90.
That’s with the toughest part of the schedule coming up (Minn, N.O., Phil, Seattle in Seattle).
Right now the Rams seem to have 2 stand-out flaws that may or may not mean something.
1. defense, yards per carry allowed rushing
2. offense, percentage of TDs on pass attempts in the redzone (this sometimes means they have to settle for FGs)We will know more about the 2017 team after the 4 big upcoming games.
But either way IMO it IS safe to predict that they will be good for a long time. Whether or not they hold up in 2016 is another issue—it’s a transition year with a new head coach and a young qb, so, maybe they stumble a little this year.
But even if they stumble a bit this year, the future is so bright I have to wear leaded radiation safety goggles.
…
November 6, 2017 at 11:58 am #76985
joemadParticipantgreat “6-2” article by Pete King….
I’ve been cautiously optimistic about this team thus far, but a very impressive win yesterday….we all know that the Giants are not very good this year, but it’s never easy to win in Jersey…..
didn’t think about the travel time the past 3 games, JAX, UK, and NY, now back to LA. McVay has kept the troops focused….
Rams got to keep winning to keep pace with a chance to get HFA in the playoffs….. as of today, the road in January is through Philly…..
November 6, 2017 at 12:46 pm #76988znModeratorHow the Rams Went From Laughingstock to Contenders
Every year, aspiring actors head to Hollywood in hopes of remaking themselves as movie stars.
The Los Angeles Rams are doing their own version of that transformation. In less than a year, they have gone from being a laughingstock to a playoff contender. In their return to Los Angeles last season, they were the lowest-scoring team in the N.F.L. Now they are the highest-scoring team, with a good shot at winning their division.
That turnaround was underscored on Sunday, when the Rams throttled the Giants, 51-17, in New Jersey. Through eight games the Rams are 6-2 and in first place in the N.F.C. West. It’s the Rams’ best start since 2001, when they went 14-2 and made it to the Super Bowl.
Before Sunday, the Rams trailed only the Houston Texans in scoring. But after dominating the Giants, the Rams are now scoring 32.9 points a game, while the Texans, who lost to the Indianapolis Colts in their first game without the injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, fell to 28.6 points a game.
“There were a lot of great individual efforts; the offensive line continues to protect well,” Coach Sean McVay said. “We’re eager to see if we can continue to play good football.”
At this time last year, the Rams were a modest 3-5 but lost all but one of their remaining seven games to finish 4-12. Naysayers began to ask whether the N.F.L. owners had made a mistake in letting the Rams leave St. Louis and return to Southern California, where they had played until 1994.
Although questions remain about how much fans in Los Angeles will embrace the Rams — they are ranked 27th in attendance this season — it’s clear the team has found a way to recreate itself on the field.
One of the keys was changing coaches. After firing Jeff Fisher, who came with the team from St. Louis, the Rams ripped up the playbook and hired McVay, who was then Washington’s offensive coordinator. At 31, he is the youngest head coach in N.F.L. history.
Another key has been quarterback Jared Goff. Last year, the Rams made a splash by trading six draft picks to acquire the first choice, which they used to select Goff. New to the league, he struggled and lost all seven games that he started.
In the off-season, the Rams added players to help Goff. They signed center John Sullivan and left tackle Andrew Whitworth to bolster the offensive line, and acquired receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. The Rams made the most of their limited draft picks by taking tight end Gerald Everett from South Alabama in the second round and wide receiver Cooper Kupp from Eastern Washington in the third round.
(On Sunday, Woods had two touchdown catches. For the season, Everett has eight receptions and one touchdown, while Kupp has 26 receptions and three scores.)
A stronger offensive line and extra receivers have helped Goff. He has been sacked 10 times this season; in seven games last season, he was sacked 26 times.
With more time to throw, Goff has more touchdown passes and fewer interceptions this season. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns (including four on Sunday) and four interceptions, compared with five scores and seven interceptions last season. His adjusted yards per attempt (which accounts for the impact of interceptions) rose to 7.7 from 4.3 last season.
Goff and the Rams have also benefited from Todd Gurley, a first-round pick in 2015 who has rebounded after a lackluster 2016. He has seven rushing touchdowns in eight starts after having six in 16 starts last season. He is averaging 4.3 yards a carry after averaging 3.2 (and the proverbial cloud of dust) in 2016. He has also caught three touchdown passes this season.
For all their success, the Rams have a lot of work to do secure a playoff spot. They face the Texans at home next week, and must face Philadelphia, New Orleans, Tennessee and Minnesota — all division leaders. They also must play their division rivals Seattle and Arizona on the road.
Still, considering where they were last season, the Rams seem comfortable with their newfound fortune.
“We have to keep doing what we’re doing and not take our foot off the gas pedal,” Goff said after Sunday’s game.
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