highlights & tweets & articles on the Raiders p-s game, including PFF

WHAT. A. CATCH.

Mannion finds @KhaDarel_4 for the 47-yard completion. #OAKvsLA pic.twitter.com/ezuOsrznkg

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 18, 2018

Five Takeaways: Rams Capitalize on Turnovers in Preseason Win over Raiders

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/five-takeaways-rams-capitalize-on-turnovers-in-preseason-win-over-raiders

With strong defense, takeaways, and timely scores the Rams came away with a 19-15 victory over the Raiders on Saturday.
As always with preseason, the final score rarely tells the whole story. With that in mind, here are five instant takeaways from Los Angeles’ second preseason contest.

1) FIRST-HALF TAKEAWAYS LEAD TO POINTS
Linebacker Ramik Wilson put the Rams in scoring position with a defensive takeaway late in the first quarter.
On 2nd-and-10 from the Oakland 38, quarterback Connor Cook dropped the ball in the pocket while setting up to pass. The fumble went to the defense’s right, where Wilson was there to scoop up the loose ball on a dead sprint. He raced up the field 16 yards to put Los Angeles in strong scoring position at the Oakland 15.
Running back John Kelly continued his strong preseason on the ensuing offensive possession, using a pair of runs to put L.A. on the Oakland five-yard line. While it took all four downs, Kelly made it into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. Kelly fumbled as he crossed the goal line, but recovered the loose ball to secure the score.

L.A. got another takeaway late in the first half when quarterback E.J. Manuel fumbled while trying to scramble out of the backfield. After the signal-caller inadvertently kicked the ball forward, linebacker Bryce Hager recovered the fumble and gave L.A. strong field position in Oakland territory. Kicker Greg Zuerlein connected on a 28-yard field goal to end the first half, giving L.A. a 13-0 lead.

2) SUFFOCATING DEFENSE
The Rams defense had a strong first half in general, allowing just 58 total yards on 22 plays.
Between the takeaways, tackles for loss, and strong coverage in the secondary, Los Angeles allowed only one first down in the game’s first 30 minutes. The Raiders were also 0-for-6 in third-down efficiency.
Cook played the first quarter and completed just four of his seven passes for 15 yards. Manuel took over for the second quarter and completed five of his six passes for 43 yards.
Running back Chris Warren III took five carries for just 19 yards in the first half — and nine of those yards came on one play.

3) MANNION CONNECTS
After a disappointing outing against the Ravens last week, quarterback Sean Mannion fared much better against Oakland. Playing only the first half, the Oregon State product finished 10-of-16 passing for 84 yards.
One highlight of the half was his 47-yard bomb down the right sideline to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge. The wideout made an outstanding grab, leaping up to secure the ball and bring it down over a defender.
The catch put L.A. in scoring position, and Zuerlein capitalized on the opportunity with a 42-yard field goal to give the home team a 10-0 advantage.

4) DEFENSIVE LINEMEN MAKING PLAYS
Rookie defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers made his preseason debut on Saturday and had a clear impact during the first half.
He first induced a hold to put Oakland in a 1st-and-20 down and distance. Then on the next play, the fourth-round pick got into Cook’s face to force a screen pass high and incomplete on the right side.
Late in the second quarter, Franklin-Myers started an Oakland drive by sacking Manuel for a seven-yard loss.
Fellow defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks also played well — particularly late in the first half. Just after Franklin-Myers’ sack, Westbrooks nearly had one of his own but Manuel was able to flip the ball to running back Jalen Richard for a short gain.
Manuel wasn’t so lucky on the next play, when Westbrooks came in and strip-sacked Manuel for the Rams’ second takeaway of the first half. Westbrooks now has 3.0 sacks in the preseason after recording a pair last week against Baltimore on quarterback Lamar Jackson.

5) ZUERLEIN, FICKEN SPLIT KICKING DUTIES
Zurelein has been solid in practice since returning from a season-ending back injury and connected on two of this three field-goal attempts during Saturday’s game. His first attempt was from 48-yards out and though it had the distance, the kick ended up wide right.
Subsequently, Zuerlein would hit a pair of field goals from 42-yards out midway through the second quarter, and then 28-yards out as time expired in the first half.
Reserve kicker Greg Ficken handled the kicking and punting duties in the second half. Ficken connected on a 35-yard field goal early in the second half. And he extended Los Angeles’ lead to 19-15 with a 32-yard kick midway through the final period.
Neither Zuerlein nor Ficken allowed much room for a return, always nailing the ball deep into the end zone to combine for five touchbacks.

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
Like seeing Sean McVay name KhaDarel Hodge and mention his camp consistency in his press conference. Doesn’t mean he’s going to make the team but this is someone to watch for sure. Everyone has been put on notice.

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Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
#Rams defensive line (and edge) pushing the #Raiders around and creating all sorts of issues for #Raiders – including a fumble by E.J. Manuel that sets the #Rams up at the #Raiders 25

#Rams Samson Ebukam with the strong push off the edge to push Manuel off his spot, then John Franklin-Meyers takes over from there for the sack. Young guns bringing the heat. Ebukam has been pushing off edge all afternoon

Hodge is a legit 6-2 and has flashed athletic ability throughout camp. Strong practice squad candidate

I give up. Nixon literally turned his head away from the contact to bring the shoulder. Yet still got the call

The #NFL really needs to think about an automatic replay on the lowering of the head rule. It’s ridiculopus asking referees to make that call in real time. Help them out. Help the game out

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Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
“I was going to do everything humanly possible to avoid overtime today.”
— Jon Gruden, hero

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Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
If you were hoping that Brandon Allen would push Sean Mannion for the No. 2 QB job today, well, sorry.

Jon Gruden has taken the “Don’t Give Anything Away In The Preseason” strategy to another level today.

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Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
John Kelly, a sixth-round pick from Tennessee, just did some work in the red zone – carrying the ball the last 5/6 plays, pushing through on 4 & 2 for a TD. (Ball security check, he fumbled and recovered after crossing goal line.)

Rams rookies Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen started on the offensive line today. Noteboom at LT, Allen at C.

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Wow, JB called it as Franklin-Myers is making things happen. https://t.co/3A5DWSKNnn

— Rams Nation (@RamsNationLAX) August 18, 2018

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LA Rams spoil Raiders’ return to Coliseum with 19-15 win

Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401030987

LOS ANGELES — Sean McVay and Jon Gruden both knew they’ve got to coach against each other in a real game just 23 days after the Rams’ preseason visit from the Raiders.

So while the Raiders’ return to the Coliseum was a thrill for their faithful Southern California fan base, the Rams’ young coach and his veteran role model both made sure the action on the field was as meaningless as possible.

Rookie John Kelly rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams welcomed the Raiders back to LA with a 19-15 preseason victory over Oakland on Saturday.

Chris Warren rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders in their return to the venerable stadium that was their home for 13 seasons during their largely successful tenure in Los Angeles. Their passionate local following turned out in force, filling the 95-year-old arena with black jerseys and loud cheers.

“It was awesome being back here,” Gruden said. “If you understand the Raiders, they have had a history here, a championship history here. There are still a lot of fans that remember those teams, and rightfully so.”

But both teams rested nearly all of their presumptive starters and used no significant parts of their playbook, thanks in part to a weird NFL scheduling decision that forced these teams to play an exhibition three weeks before they meet in their Monday night regular-season opener in Oakland.

“I’ve never been in a preseason game like this,” Gruden said. “This is tough, in our first training camp as a football team, to have our second (preseason game) against a team we open up with.

“I don’t know in the history of the NFL if that’s ever happened. I’m not going to sit up here and cry about it, because it’s the same for them as it is us. But we didn’t want to play our starters, and we didn’t want them to hear our audibles and hand signals. I don’t think they wanted us to get a feel for them either, so it was a strange ballgame.”

Although both coaches revealed as little about their teams as possible, McVay still relished his first chance to face Gruden, who employed McVay as a 22-year-old assistant wide receivers coach on his final staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. McVay frequently cites Gruden and his brother, Jay, as major influences on his coaching style and mentality.

“Everybody knows what a huge amount of respect I have for Jon, and how great he’s been to me over the course of my coaching career,” McVay said. “(But) they were pretty regulated. Very similar in terms of the approach by both teams. Very vanilla.”

The Rams’ backups dominated the Raiders’ reserves in the first half, taking a 13-0 lead while holding Oakland to 58 yards and one first down. Oakland trailed 16-0 before mounting a rally, but the Raiders failed on their second 2-point conversion attempt of the day following Griff Whalen’s 10-yard TD catch with 9:52 to play.

“I was going to do everything humanly possible to avoid overtime today, yes,” Gruden said.

Sam Ficken then hit his second field goal for the Rams with 5:46 left.

“It’s definitely different, because it’s not their starters out there, and you want to save stuff for later,” said Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam, one of the few likely regular-season starters who played significant snaps. “You still want to do your best, though.”

The Raiders’ offense didn’t record its second first down of the day until late in the third quarter, but Warren capped the 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. The undrafted free-agent running back from Texas had 86 yards in his preseason debut against Detroit.

“It’s about showing I can play in the league and make the most of my opportunities,” Warren said. “I didn’t expect to play as much as I did. It was nice to get some good pops in. I was able to get some yards after contact.”

HOMECOMING GAME

Al Davis moved the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, and their home crowds at the Coliseum quickly developed a reputation for rowdiness and occasional violence. But the Raiders also won the hearts of a generation of Los Angeles football fans with their swagger and success, including a Super Bowl title in their second season in town.

The Rams spent the 1980s in Anaheim, further opening the way for the Raiders to become Generation X’s favorite team in LA.

Both franchises moved after the 1994 season, and the Rams returned home two years ago. The Raiders missed out on the chance to return to LA when the Chargers made their move last year, but the Raiders will be only about 260 miles from Los Angeles when they move to Las Vegas in 2020, making it even easier for LA’s silver-and-black fans to back their team.

RAIDERS WOES

Warren was the clearest standout on a discouraging day for Oakland’s offense. Gruden was blunt, calling it “flat-out embarrassing, honestly.”

E.J. Manuel went 10 for 16 for 89 yards and a touchdown, but also fumbled for the second straight week. The Raiders’ backup offensive line struggled to keep the Rams’ pressure off Manuel and Connor Cook, who went 6 for 12.

MANNION IMPROVES

Rams backup QB Sean Mannion rebounded from a rocky preseason debut last week in Baltimore, going 10 of 16 for 84 yards while completing passes to eight receivers. Third-stringer Brandon Allen wasn’t as sharp, going 6 for 11 and throwing a terrible interception in the fourth quarter to put Oakland in position for its second TD.

INJURIES

Raiders: K Eddie Pineiro didn’t play because of a groin injury. … CB Shareece Wright injured his hamstring during the game.

Rams: RB Justin Davis didn’t play because of a hamstring injury, preventing him from competing with Kelly and Malcolm Brown for the backup job.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Host the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 24.

Rams: Host the Houston Texans on Aug. 25.

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WIDE open! Henry Krieger-Coble sets up a field goal and the @RamsNFL are up, 19-15.#OAKvsLAR

📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/lzQMVQ333S

— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2018

Mannion Shows Improvement with Performance vs. Raiders

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/mannion-shows-improvement-with-performance-vs-raiders

After a disappointing outing to open the preseason in Baltimore, quarterback Sean Mannion may have hushed some of his critics with Saturday’s performance against Oakland.
Playing the entire first half, Mannion completed 10 of his 16 passes for 84 yards. He led L.A. to an 11-play drive that would end in a missed field goal, but also three scoring drives in the second quarter.
When Mannion exited the game, Los Angeles had a 13-0 lead at halftime.

“I think going back and looking at the tape of the Baltimore game, obviously not the performance you want, but also don’t think it was all bad. There was a couple of balls bad at the line, some things that are a little bit out of your control on offense,” Mannion said. “The whole team did a great job of just looking to improve, and there’s certainly ways for me to improve. Like I said, I just felt like it was efficient. I didn’t think there were any balls that I forced or any balls that I had open and missed. I think it was an efficient day for the offense as a whole.”
While the two teams traded punts for the game’s first four possessions, Mannion broke through for a first down with a strong 17-yard pass over the middle to wide receiver Mike Thomas.
“Shane kind of said if we’re going to do a first-down run here we’re going to dial for run-action, and that’s exactly what happened,” Mannion said of the pass, referring to passing game coordinator Shane Waldron. “Mike ran a great route, did a great job winning on his route and great protection. Anytime you get one of those explosive passes, really you get into a rhythm pretty easily.”
Mannion also go to air it out a bit with a long downfield throw on the right sideline to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge. The young wideout made an outstanding grab to pull the ball down while being well covered.

“That was a situation where we got the right look to take a shot. I just tried to put some air under it, give him a chance and he went up and made a great play,” Mannion said.
Head coach Sean McVay credited Mannion for the way he commanded the offense throughout the first half, specifically calling out the throws to Thomas and Hodge.
“I thought he did a good job with some plays. I think [he had a] tough start a little bit, but I think the big play down the field to Hodge and then earlier on when he hit Mike Thomas off the play action on the deep in-breaking route — those were two big plays,” McVay said. “Good throws, where longer developing play actions kind of let it develop. Made some nice accurate throws down the field — one in-break, one down the sideline and then kind of managed the game throughout. But, I think to go 10-for-16 definitely was an improvement and those two plays were two of the better plays that he made today.”
With just a couple weeks until the start of the regular season, it appears Mannion still has a solid grasp on the backup quarterback role. And he feels like he’s ready to come in and execute the offense well if called upon.
“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I think the preseason is a great chance for everybody to get live reps and real game action. I think our coaches do such a great job of even in practice, whether it’s situational work or a competitive period against the defense. Really making it as close to a game as you can without it being a real thing.
“I absolutely feel comfortable going into a game if need be. I think that’s a credit to Sean [McVay] and the whole staff for giving me opportunities in the preseason, and then also creating those situations at practice as well.”