POSTGAME QUOTES: Rams vs. Seahawks
Head Coach Jeff Fisher

(Opening Statement)
“Well as we say from time to time, it’s hard to win in the National Football League. Just really, really grateful for the effort. An entire team effort, coaching staff effort this week after coming out on a short week. That’s a really good football team, that’s an understatement. The mark of a good team, I’m talking about the Seahawks, is when you declare eight starters, six starters, or five starters out before the game and then lose a couple more players and bring people in off practice squads and play them, and play the way they did, that’s pretty impressive. And by the way, their quarterback is an outstanding player. We have to play better defense and it’s got to happen this week. We give up way too many big plays. We did get some pressure, got some sacks, but this guy (QB Russell Wilson), he’s hard to get down. And Russell all by himself made this quite a game. I think he is to be congratulated, but has every right to be disappointed. As you guys realize, I have a great deal of respect and confidence in our special teams. I was disappointed in the production at Philadelphia. They worked hard, they pushed through it. What can you say about the execution on both those plays? It was outstanding.”

(On who came up with the football on the fumble)
“The Rams. No, an offensive player.”

(On the special teams trick play in the fourth quarter)
“I gave him a heads up after first down. I gave (Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (John) Fassel a heads up after first down and communicated in case we didn’t convert. You guys saw the flow of the game, we were having a hard time stopping Russell. There was too much time left on the clock right there and I didn’t want to give the ball back to him and I thought that was our best chance to get a first down.”

(On if he would have faked the punt if QB Austin Davis did not complete the shovel pass)
“Yes, to me that was going to be a decent gain based on the field position. This is the last thing anybody expected, that’s why sometimes those things work.”

(On the punt return for a touchdown)
“We installed it…I discussed it with Coach Fassel on Wednesday night…we installed it and worked on it Thursday and Friday and then walked it again yesterday. It was just one of those things that was executed. Something that we saw on tape, we took advantage of it.”

(On if he knew they would kick it to the left)
“We knew that we had a 90 percent chance that it was going to go there.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey catching the ball over his shoulder)
“He did it. We executed it in practice. Johnny (Hekker) gave him a really good look. And the key is that (WR) Tavon (Austin) and (S) Cody (Davis) really oversell that the ball is going…the team is expecting the ball to come down to their left, our right. And so when they saw Tavon running over, they probably thought it was miss-hit. The downside was he doesn’t catch it, the ball goes in the end zone, it’s a touch back or it’s downed. The upside was we felt like if he was able to field it, then we had a chance to probably put points on the board. This is something, it’s a copycat league okay. The Bears did this with (Devin) Hester against the Packers six or seven years ago and scored, but it was called back for holding. But we just felt, based on the information that we had and everything, we felt like…I had enough…it was an automatic based on field position as well. I told Coach Fassel to go ahead and run it if we had the right field position and we did. So it worked. Special teams obviously played a big factor in this one.”

(On no turnovers by QB Austin Davis)
“And no sacks. And we got three of those “s” words today, which was good. Those were hard to find there for a while.”

(On if the combination of no turnovers and penalties led to the win)
“Well yeah, as long as were not hurting ourselves and creating negative field position and things like that, we’re okay. Now that’s an outstanding defense. Credit Austin (Davis) for the job he did. Our last scoring drive was outstanding. Those throws he converted, he kept the drive alive. I thought that was the difference in the ballgame was our last scoring drive.”

(On being efficient)
“We wanted to attack the defense, but it’s a good defense and at times you’re going to stall a little bit. But I said to (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) Schotty let’s just be aggressive, let’s just go. Let’s go win this game, not put someone in position where they can’t make a play.”

(On if winning this game will help their confidence)
“I think so. A young team, you talk about needs to learn how to finish. Well they learn by finishing and that’s kind of what we did today. That’s what we talked about and I just told them, ‘just find a way.’ I don’t mean to be coach speak but it is, we found a way to win this game. And we’ll just take it and move from here. I’m looking forward to correcting this thing because it’s certainly much easier to correct after a win.”

(On RB Tre Mason)
“We’re going to play all three backs. I have great respect for all three of them and Trey Watts for that matter. They are very unselfish, they root each other on. Tre got a hot hand and it was just kind of a different thing. We felt that we may have a chance to crease their defense at times with him. Now he learned a very valuable lesson, and also we continue to learn more and more about (TE) Cory Harkey, what a pro he is.”

(On if he would rather have Mason just fall down in that situation)
“Get the first down and then kneel down. But young backs like that aren’t wired that way.”

(On adjustments from the defense to stop the run in the second half)
“We did some things but they got away from that. Russell’s run was nearly back breaking. They chipped (DE) Rob (Quinn) and we couldn’t wrap him and contain him. Then we actually had, we were prepared for a couple… with his bootleg for a touchdown we put (LB Alec Ogletree) Tree in position just to play the bootleg and get him down, and that just kind of shows you what kind of athlete he is. We couldn’t do it.”

(On injuries)
“I was told that they thought that (OL) Rodger (Saffold) probably could have gone back in that last series, so that’s encouraging. Courageous…(CB Janoris Jenkins) Jenks was banged up and Jenks shook it off and so did (WR) Kenny Britt early in the game and he shook it off. So I don’t think we have any issues as far as they’re concerned.”

(On the late fumble)
“When the ball went out and there was a pile I was on the headset, with respect to time left on the clock talking to (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams about what we needed to do. When they gave us the ball, obviously, I was somewhat relieved.”

Rams QB Austin Davis

(On walking off the field with a win)
“It’s the only thing we cared about. We wanted to finish the game in an offensive victory formation. We did that, and you have to tip your hat to Seattle. They’re a really good football team and you saw what it took to beat them. It took multiple great plays, it took a pretty flawless game as far as turnovers and penalties and all those things. We knew that coming in. It’s just a credit to our guys and the way we fought and we found a way to win.”

(On the long completion to WR Chris Givens on the Rams’ final scoring drive)
“It was a really good call by Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer. We thought we’d get man-to-man coverage. When they need a play, they trust their guys to cover man-to-man. Chris, with his speed, just ran across the field. I trusted it and obviously, we worked the play all week, and when we needed it, he made a big play. That’s how you win games. You’ve got to make big plays when the game is on the line. You’re going to have a chance to go down and win the game at the end or not. Today, we did it.”

(On P Johnny Hekker’s completion on a fake punt in the fourth quarter)
“I don’t know how many completions I had, but it wasn’t even close to being the most important one of the ballgame. You give Johnny a lot of credit, and obviously, Coach Fisher. He knew how big this game was for us. For him to call that, in that moment—a call that if it doesn’t go right, he gets slammed, he gets questioned—he knew what it took to win the game. We executed it, and he said he trusted us. He trusted Johnny to make the throw and he trusted the execution of the play. Sometimes, you’ve got to go get one.”

(On the contributions of the special teams)
“It was a complete win, in all three phases. (They) stepped up when they needed to. There was the return, and obviously the fake. Special, special win.”

(On the lack of turnovers and penalties)
“I think that’s how you win games in the NFL. I think it’s something that we need to watch and figure out how to repeat week to week. The turnovers and the penalties and some of those things have been what’s holding us back. We feel like we’re a good team and keep progressing, but those things have really plagued us. We found a way to play a clean game tonight, and it gave us a chance to win and we ultimately pulled it out.”

(On if the blown leads in recent weeks came to mind during this game)
“No, I was just thinking about what I could do to help the team win. There’s so much to think about situationally that you can’t think about the past. You just try to execute one play at a time and look at the scoreboard when the game is over.”

(On his preparation for this week)
“We talked all week, they’re really good in the secondary. I think this is where Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer’s experience, Shaun’s (Hill) experience and even Sam’s (Bradford) experience came into play for me heading into this game. We knew we had to be patient. We threw a lot of balls underneath, just completion plays. We probably had 50-something passing yards, but the object is to win the game. The object isn’t to throw for 300 yards, the object is to win. So I thought the play-calling and the way we managed, ‘Hey, when do we take our shots and when do we throw completions,’ was excellent and well-timed.”

(On his range of emotions through the final possession)
“First of all, I had no idea that we called the fake. I’m walking off the field, and I look back and I see Johnny with his arm reared back. I see it on the screen and I thought something has gone really wrong. Then he threw it and it was completed. The thing that happens there—the first time it’s ever happened to me—we just converted a first down, so the play clock is rolling, the game clock is rolling and the offense is walking off the field. We’ve got to get back in and we still need another first down. The game wasn’t over. It was a transition there that had to get locked back in and finished. The last play, where we lost the football, I wasn’t so sure who got the football when the play began, but I know Cory Harkey had it when it was all over. He’s a special player and he’s one of the leaders of our football team. It couldn’t happen to a better guy and I’m really happy for him.”

(On picking up the first home win of the season)
“It’s great. It’s the world champs. Until someone takes it from them, that’s what they are. They’re just a really good team and we put it all together today, and it was awesome.”

(On the performance of the offensive line)
“They did an excellent job. I think no sacks, right? You can’t do any better than that. They played an excellent football game. Across the board, I’m sure when we see the film, it’s a collective effort—guys making plays when they needed to—and that’s how you win. There’s no other way to do it.”

RB Tre Mason

(On how good a feeling it was to walk off with a win)
“Great feeling. I didn’t care how it was done, what we had to do to get it done. As long as we ended with a win, I was happy.”

(On how he felt about his performance)
“I feel like I had a great day. There’s always room to get better and you know we’re going upward from here.”

(On P Johnny Hekker completing the pass for the first down)
“When I first came here I knew he could throw the ball. I was like, ‘Well, does he play quarterback or not?’ And it showed, that man has a nice arm.”

(On the final play when the ball came loose and what was going through his mind)
“Right now there’s no excuse for a fumble. At that time I knew that I was getting excited. It’s been the first win in kind of a long time. I had the nail and I was trying to put the nail in the coffin.”

(On how he felt running the football after they were up 14-0)
“I felt great. Running behind that line, they did great today. I couldn’t do this without the rest of my team, offense and defense. It was great to win.”

(On his first career touchdown)
“I was excited. I told myself I needed to pick up where I left off and that was cool, continue scoring touchdowns. That has to be the first of many more to come.”

(On what he was thinking about during the fake punt play)
“I have faith in my team. I kind of knew. Once I heard the call, we’ve practiced it so many times in the beginning. Yeah, it’s like second nature to these guys.”

Rams DE Robert Quinn

(On the defense tallying three sacks in the game)
“It felt good to finally to get back there and get them down. Like I said, all it takes a little snowflake to start to an avalanche. The guys kept working their craft. We finally were able to get them down.

(On the fake punt)
“That was a gutsy call. Especially on the side of the field we were at. They executed it to a tee and was able to keep the clock going for our offense, for our team, helped us close out the game.”

(On beating the defending champions)
“Like I said, they’re the defending champs, they have near everybody back on their team. To beat a great ball club like that is a heck of a job. Guys put in great work day-in and day out. To play such a tough game against a team like these. We all know it’s a great feeling so we’ve just got to take this momentum and go build on it from here.”

Rams DT Aaron Donald

(On how it felt to win today)
“We just kept playing our game. We knew it would come as far as the sacks, but we just played as a good unit, as a good defense and we came away with a big win. We needed that, too.”

(On if he is feeling more comfortable with the speed of the NFL game)
“Yeah, a lot more comfortable. Things are starting to slow down to me. I’m starting see a lot more things and it’s showing. So, that’s good.”

(On if this performance by the defense is what we should expect out of them the rest of the season)
“Yeah, that’s the type of defense I’ve seen coming into the Rams. That’s the type of defense I’ve seen, playmakers, everybody making plays in the backfield it’s a fun defense when you’re doing that. We’ve got to keep building off of what we did today and you’re going to see a lot more of that.”

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll

(Opening Statement)
“We got started way too late in this game. We failed to start and they jumped out on us and did a nice job to get that done. Some unbelievable cool things that they were able to do on special teams and it made a big difference in this game. Once we got going we were back in the football game, but just didn’t get it finished. We have work to do. We have work to do to get consistent; we have work to do clean up some stuff the really basic things that broke down on us. There is so much room for improvement. It is unfortunate, but they got a very, very good win today. We have to give them all of the credit. They did a great job.”

(On the attempted fumble recovery by CB Richard Sherman)
“He was on top of the ball, but he was on his knees and he couldn’t get flat on the ground. He was right there on it, he was crunched there in the situation and he couldn’t get flat to secure it. Then the ball got moved around a little bit. They could have said he had it. They could have looked in and saw it and given him the football, but as time wore on in the pile the ball got moved around.”

(On the offense)
“We ran the ball really well. Marshawn Lynch was running the ball great, the guys were blocking well. Everything just got cranked up. We have seen this in the past, the teams start slow, the Niners did it last week and we did it here. But once we got going, we were fine. We moved the ball like crazy. we were stopping them and doing all kinds of things. They had enough special plays that they got the game.”

(On the Rams special teams success against the Seahawks)
“We have an old history here, with the hide out play, but this was great execution by them on a couple of different situations. They made a huge difference. The kickoff return was huge. That was a ball that was kind of a miss kicked ball that generally doesn’t happen like that. The punt return was a great play by them, they played to our discipline. The last play, if they didn’t catch the ball we would have kicked a field goal and go home. Very gutsy play by Jeff (Fisher), the kind of stuff he has done in the past and the way we anticipate him being and we prepared for it. They came up with a couple of defenses against us.”

(On the fake punt)
“We didn’t think they would do it in this situation. They just went with it and returned like crazy. “

(On his argument about the fake punt)
“We thought that (WR) Tavon Austin may have given a fair catch signal. We thought that maybe one of our guys saw that. I think it was when he was falling down he kind of threw his hands up.”

(On if the Punter kicked the ball where he was supposed to)
“Yes.”

(On special teams unit following the ball vs. the player)
“They did a great job, it pushed everybody that way. We chased all of our blocks in that direction. Unfortunately, on that play (WR) Ricardo Lockette was just getting lined up and checking with the official and missed the snap. I think Stedman (Bailey) was there with him and he makes the catch on it and Lock may have seen it differently had he got off right. He would have to track it.”

(On being discouraged by the teams play)
“Actually I am encouraged by the way we found it, and by the way we came back and did all of the things that you have to do to come back in a football game. We rallied in every way. We ran the football, we were throwing and catching it. We protected the quarterback after a while. We stopped them on third downs, we did all of the things you have to do try and patiently get back into the game and it happened just like that. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

(On the play of Wilson during the third and fourth quarter)
“I don’t know how his numbers jumped, but I know it was very difficult early. We hung with and the coaches stayed with the plan and we thought we could execute and they were right because it worked and we got back on track. He did a phenomenal job of carrying out the game plan.”

(On injuries and players stepping up)
“Unfortunately, Derrick Coleman broke his foot during pregame. He took a faulty step or something and that is why you saw Robert Turbin out there. He found out as we were running out on the field that he could play. A number of guys including, (TE) Cooper Helfet did a great job of jumping in and playing all of that tight end. A lot of guys really elevated and helped us. Again, it just wasn’t enough.”

(On the trade of WR Percy Harvin)
“It was a move we made for our team. We are always trying to get better and get things right wherever we can. We thought that was the best thing for the club and it will help us down the road. We love our guys at that position. We have a lot of depth at receiver. I don’t know if you ever replace a special player like that totally but it was the right thing for our team.”

Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

(On the offense’s early struggles)
“We struggled a little bit in the first half. They made some plays on us. They did some good things. I think the best part about today despite the loss is just our resilience. When you’re playing a good football team, they’ve lost a lot of close games and they have a very, very good defense. They fly around and make a lot of plays. Our resilience definitely showed up. Backs up a little against the wall, and that’s how you have to play. Some games aren’t going to be blowouts, some games you’re going to have to come back, some games are going to be close. We gave ourselves a chance there all the way to the end.”

(On having to come back from behind)
“I think we just didn’t make some of the plays early. I think I could have played a little bit better. I think everybody could have played a little bit better, but the game is potentially in our hands there at the end. We weren’t able to capitalize for whatever reason, and so I think that we have a team that’s full of fighters, guys that put on the boxing gloves and go round and round day-in and day-out. There’s nothing better than having your backs against the wall, and that’s where we’re at right now. You just play 1-0 and try to focus on what you can control, and what we can control is the way we practice, the way we keep our mindset, still that championship mindset. The situation is the situation, but I know for our team and what we’re about, we’re going to keep fighting and keep swinging.”

(On Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin’s performance)
“I thought Doug Baldwin played a tremendous game. His leadership really showed today, his abilities to make big time plays. I thought his quickness, his hands, everything that he does so well definitely was evident tonight. I also thought (Seahawks WR) Jermaine Kearse played well. I thought all the guys who stepped in – you talk about (Seahwks WR) Paul Richardson who steps in, plays a tremendous game, shows what he can really do, has great hands. (Seahawks WR) Kevin Norwood got in there, some of the other guys as well. You think about (Seahwks Robert Turbin having to step in and play fullback. That’s what it takes to really give yourselves a chance. That togetherness, that attitude that we’ll do whatever it takes. We were a minute short, and that’s an unfortunate situation.”

(On if he decided he was going to run more in the second half)
“I never really decide just to take off. It’s never like that for me. I really don’t want to run, to be honest with you. I’m trying to throw it all the time and keep my eyes downfield, and if it’s there I’ll take it at the last second and just try to get as many positive yards as I can. I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job protecting me for the most part today. We had a few miscues here and there, but they’re a great defensive line and a great front seven so they got to me a few times. But, I thought that we showed the ability to make plays when we needed to.”

(On his 52-yard run)
“I was looking downfield and kind of saw (Seahawks Marshawn (Lynch) and saw somebody coming deep across the field and I didn’t want to force it, I just kept my eyes downfield. I didn’t want to throw it behind myself. I didn’t want to make any bad decisions there. I was able to take off and got away from (Rams DE Robert) Quinn, who’s a fast player. He almost got me there and I was able to run down the sideline and get some positive yards.”

(On Seahawks TE Cooper Helfet)
“Cooper Helfet, for his ability to step in. We’re down (Seahawks TE) Zach Miller, we’re down (Seahawks TE) Luke Willson. He steps in and plays a tremendous football game. It shows the depth that we have at all positions for the most part, and that’s the exciting part. I think the best part of the game for our offense and just our team in general was the 80-yard drive, the, I think, 91-yard drive and the 82-yard drive three consecutive times in a row. Like I said, that shows our resiliency and you have to look forward to the next opportunity you get. It shows what we can do and it shows that we have the ability to be special.”

(On becoming the first QB to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game)
“In terms of the milestone of throwing for 300 (yards) and rushing for 100 (yards), it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything unless you win, so I’m not about stats, I’m far away from stats. The only thing I really care about is winning. I’ve got to figure out a way to help our team win, whatever it takes. I’ve got to find ways to play better, I’ve got to find ways to step up for our team and that’s my ultimate goal.”

(On WR Percy Harvin being traded to the New York Jets)
“In terms of Percy, I wish him nothing but the best. He’s a good football player, a great football player. For whatever reason, it didn’t work here but I pray for him. I pray that he finds peace, I pray that it works for him in New York or wherever else it is. For our football team now, we just have to focus on us and what we can do together and how we can improve as a football team. I know we have great guys, guys that can really make plays and you saw that definitely today. So that’s what we have to look forward to. Like I said, I wish nothing but the best for Percy. He’s a guy from Virginia who I respect.”

(On if losing Harvin made it difficult to adjust the offense in the short-term)
“No, I don’t think it makes it tougher. I think you saw today that you have guys step up. You have Paul Richardson step up, a second round draft pick. You have Kevin Norwood, a guy who played at Alabama, SEC Conference, played a lot of great football. You look forward to those guys having an opportunity. I know I got an opportunity at a very young age, and I was able to make some plays here and there and just continued to build that confidence. Hopefully the leaders on our team continue to help them build and what they’ve done as young players against our defense in practice is pretty special to watch. You look forward to those opportunities for those guys. You know that they’re going to make the plays.”

(On if Harvin did not fit in in the locker room)
“There’s so many different things that you have to not worry about. That’s nobody’s business. The locker room is our locker room. We keep everything in-house. He fought hard for us. He played great football in terms of just battling every day. Like I said, I wish nothing but the best for Percy. He’s a tremendous football player and I just pray that it works out for him wherever he goes. Like I said, it comes back to us and what we can do right now and how we can continue to move on and focus on one game at a time.”

(On gaining momentum late in the game and carrying it into next week)
“I feel a lot of success coming around the corner. That’s what I hope for. That’s what I believe it. I believe in our football team, I believe in the guys that we have. I believe in the coaching staff that we have. We played a great football team today in terms of how hard they played. They always give us a tough game. Ever since I’ve been here at least, I know they’ve always given us a tough game. You’ve got to give their coaching staff a round of applause for what they were able to do today and their players, too. I thought their defense played a great game. I thought (RamsAustin Davis played a great game. He’s a very good quarterback, shows a lot of poise, so you have a lot of respect for what he does as a young guy, too. If we were able to get the ball back, there’s no doubt in my mind we would’ve won the game. They got us on the fake punt, and so we trusted our call and they just made a play. And the fumble, I though

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – October 11, 2014

(On RB Zac Stacy’s progress)
“He was full practice. He’s listed as probable.”

(On WR Chris Givens and how he can get back on the field after being inactive last game)
“We just told him just to be patient. We didn’t know if it was a one time thing, because unfortunately your inactives they change from week to week based on things that have happened on the practice field, based on needs, and positional needs and so on. He understands it. Obviously, nobody likes being a healthy scratch on Sunday considering the fact that he’s been very productive for us. So he’ll be patient with that.”

(On how he feels about the Greatest Shown on Turf celebrations)
“I’m actually thinking about the 49ers on Monday night. No, I’ve been here for a few years now. I’m reminded on a daily basis inside the building, so I’m used to it now.”

(On if he plans to attend any of the Greatest Shown on Turf festivities this weekend)
“No, we’ll be busy, but, we’ll get a chance to visit with some of them in pregame warmups and such. I look forward to seeing Coach (former Rams Head Coach Dick Vermeil).”

(On if Stacy has responded well during practice this week considering he has practiced in full the past two practices)
“Yeah. Usually, if there’s any doubt in our minds, we will list them as limited and questionable, but he will be listed as full practice, probable.”

Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams – October 11, 2014

(On the challenge that 49ers RB Frank Gore presents)
“I’ve had a lot of respect for him for a long time. Even back when he was a high school football player, college football player, I had a lot of kids from that program I’ve had a chance to coach. He does a tremendous job running in the style that they want him to run in. We’re going to have to play very good run defense. It’s going to be a good test. We’re improving each and every week but this will be a good test.”

(On what challenges the defense will face)
“Well we’ve got to get them in passing situations. I think their quarterback’s playing very well. I like the style of their offense, it’s a tough offense. When I say physical, very tough, brings a physical attitude to the entire team. It spreads throughout their special teams. It spreads throughout their defense. It’s a real hard-coached team, you can tell that. So, we’re going to have our work cut out for us. I’m looking forward for our guys to have a chance to play. I think we’re improving. I like our guys a lot. I think they’ve made a steady improvement each and every week. This will be a good test.”

(On how DT Aaron Donald has been progressing)
“His acclimation to the pro game, he’s done a tremendous job. He would be a guy that I hope you guys have a chance to take a good look at this week. He’s had a really, really good week of practice. Looking forward for him to get a chance to have opportunities to play the way we want him to play. It’s the same way he played in college. He’s a very quick, instinctive player. He feels very comfortable in what we’re doing. This week for whatever reason, it felt like the light came on a little bit more for him, even a little bit more. When I was watching him practice, watching him prepare…it’s fun to be around him and you guys don’t get a chance to see it as much as I do, is that he’s the first one here in the morning. He’s the first one in the meeting room. He’s out here on the practice field before the guys set the practice up. He takes this thing seriously and it’s fun to be around that kind of a guy. Hopefully success wise, he gets a little bit of success and he’ll only prosper.”

(On the 49ers addition of WR Stevie Johnson and WR Brandon Lloyd)
“I was with Brandon at the Redskins so I know him very well. He’s a Blue Springs, MO kid. So, I’ve known Brandon for a long time. He’s very talented and he made some really athletic, acrobatic plays last week. I’ve always had a lot of respect for him because he comes to play every single time. He makes you be honest in covering him. Then Stevie Johnson coming from Buffalo, they’ve added good to their personnel. It’s as good as a wide receiver group as whole. You can’t let your guard down on any one of them. So, we’ve got again, defensively all the way around, as you were alluding to in the run game but also in the pass game, they’re a talented group with good concepts that they want to exploit. We’re going to have some good match-up problems to try to solve. Our guys, they’ve practiced well, they’ve recognized things pretty well this week so we’ll see come Monday night.”

(On if it’s hard to concentrate on just one weapon because the 49ers have so many on the offensive side of the ball)
“It’s tough and they’ve done a great job of adding to their talent base. I was with (49ers GM) Trent Baalke too, Trent was at the Redskins with me when I was there. I think he’s done a very, very good job of bringing people in, in the style of play that they want to compliment what they already have. I think this set of lineman up front is as good as any tough group of offensive lineman that we’ve seen so far. We’ve some great individuals but as a whole, this is a good group. This is a good match-up this week. We need to come to play. It’s time to play. It’s time to do that. We’ve had an extra-long week, just keeping them corralled in practice every day. They’re ready to play. About one more day of being around them I can’t wait to watch them play.”

(On what makes 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick so hard to defend)
“He’s got good speed. Not only is it just from an athletic standpoint-size-weight-speed-guy-he’s got good instincts as a runner. You can see he’s a multi-sport player in how he plays the game. The fact that he’s got a baseball background in low he winds up and ‘hummbabes” it at times and throws it. He has very good velocity on the football. But his escapability is rare for someone that size, that height. He’s a powerful man and we’ve got to do a good job keeping him in the pocket. Once we get to him in the pocket we’ve got to get him down in the pocket. We’ve got to get some more negative plays that way.”

(On the addition of LB Will Herring)

“Know him well. It’s been awhile since I’ve been with him, but fits in very well from a leadership, locker room guy. Fits in very well with the special teams play and the style of play that we do here. But a good addition. I was happy to see that he was available and I think you guys will enjoy watching him fit in very quickly here.”

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher– Post Practice – September 18, 2014

(On what he could learn from last year’s game against the Cowboys in trying to defend their run game)
“Well, I think it will be more of a challenge this year. I think their offensive line is experienced. They’re playing really well together. We had some run fit issues that we have to take care of. We’ve had some matchup problems that we didn’t handle. So, we’ve had plenty of time. Obviously we’ve looked at some things through the offseason. Still as I mentioned yesterday, they rushed for 118 yards against the 49ers and that’s hard to do. So, we’re going to have be in the right place and guys are going to have to make plays.”

(On what makes Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray so successful)
“Well they’ll have an inside trap called in the a-gap and he’ll bounce it outside and just take it down the sideline. He’s going to pop it out any place. Those are the kind of things that are hard. So you read and react and everything and he’s not there, he’s someplace else.”

(On if he can rephrase his last answer in layman’s terms)
“Come on you know what I’m talking about (laughs). He can break the ball out any place. He’s a good cutback runner. He’s got great vision. He carries the ball in the both hands, I’m simplifying it for you now (jokes).”

(On Murray’s size and strength)
“He’s strong, he breaks tackles. One of the things that happens in every game is he’ll bounce outside and people underestimate his speed and he’ll get the corner. That becomes the problem. So we have to be edge proficient, if you will.”

(On if Cowboys QB Tony Romo’s back is still bothering him)
“He’s making throws. He’s making a lot of throws. I would not attribute the interceptions to his back against the 49ers, they just happened. He’s making good decisions. He’s still making all the throws. There’s been some criticism that he’s not taking the ball down the field. He can still do it. He had a big play last week against Tennessee.”

(On Cowboys WR Dez Bryant’s shoulder injury last week)
“He comes back in the game and plays well. It’s a tough matchup for us. He’s physical. He’s got the run after catch skills. He’s got a big catch radius. He’s their go to guy down there. Once you get inside the plus territory, he’s the guy that catches the ball. He’s their touchdown maker.”

(On if Cowboys TE Jason Witten has slowed down at all)
“Has not lost a step. So, it’s a good football team.”

(On if the starting quarterback decision is still a day-to-day game)
“Yes. Shaun (Hill) was limited today, he did more. But we’re still day-to-day. It will most likely be a pregame decision like it was last week.”

(On if QB Austin Davis will be challenged if he starts this Sunday because teams have a full game tape on him)
“No, I think we really didn’t change the offense. That’s the question that’s frequently asked. Were we going to change it when we went to Shaun? No. Were we going to change it when we to Austin? No. It’s our offense. That’d be unfair to the rest of the players. We’ve not changed the offense people prepared for us. On a weekly basis, you have different things that you put in or you got to based on the specific game plan. I don’t think just because they got a full regular season on tape that it’s going to make a difference.”

(On the Dallas defense)
“They’ve had some injuries up front. They’re starting to get some people healthy. We don’t know the status of the middle linebacker (Rolando McClain), but he’s played well the last two weeks. They’ll get (CB Orlando) Scandrick back, which is certainly going to help them. It’s a good defense. It’s a good scheme. It’s a sound scheme. You have to be patient. You have to mix your run and your play action to try and make plays on them.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey’s performance)
“’Sted’ was great. Just same as he was yesterday, he was good.”

(On if he was impressed with the poise of Davis’ appearance at a fan event went last Monday)
“I was there…It wasn’t the same place but we didn’t overlap.”

Rams Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – September 18, 2014

(On QB Austin Davis and his performance against Tampa Bay)
“Really wasn’t surprised. He had a real good week of practice. I think obviously, you get thrown into a game the week before certainly you kind of go into a little bit of a panic mode. But having a week to prepare having been here for three years I thought he did a really good job. Love the way he made plays in the clutch, it wasn’t perfect but again he moved the team. Got us in and out of the right plays and made some big time throws down the clutch to help us win the game.”

(On if Davis still has room for improvement)
“Absolutely. There are things that we’d like to have back from the game, a few throws here and there , a few decisions. Played really, really well and like I said I’m not surprised. Very pleased with what he did, but not surprised.”

(On how Davis in terms of being in the pocket and having his eyes down the field to make plays in high pressure moments)
“He’s always been real athletic. That’s one of the first things we really liked about him. He was real athletic going back to his first year as a rookie coming out of Southern Miss. I think him working with (Quarterbacks Coach Frank) Coach Cignetti on some of the pocket movement stuff certainly helps. But really the only way to do it is to get out there and play. Certainly by going against our defense in practice when he was running the scout team stuff, you get a lot of work on that because obviously they are very good at rushing the passer. It’s something he’s worked on. The hardest part of doing that is not the movement part, he’s got those skills, it’s keeping your eyes up and kind of seeing where your receivers are going. ”

(On if Davis running out of the pocket too early was a point of emphasis to work on when he returned to the team)
“I think so. There were a lot of things for him to improve, still are. Again he’s got to put another good game together this week. He’s not going to be satisfied, we’re not going to be satisfied with just one goodgame. That was something again when he came back he had a plan. He came back in great shape. He really worked hard this offseason, spent some time doing some stuff on his own. He came back ready to play and ready to compete. ”

(On if Davis is the same guy this week now that he has fame and fortune)
“I don’t know how much fortune he has. He is, he’s just a great guy. I tell you what, his leadership ability that’s not easy. You come from being a third string quarterback, you step in the huddle with some strong personalities and he’s handled it terrific. The guys respect him and again I think that’s a big part of what we’re trying to build is a next man up type of deal. He certainly did that and hopefully he’ll do it again this week. ”

(On what his biggest concern was going into last week and if there were any unforeseen aspects that worried him)
“From him? No, I don’t think so. Again, he had a real good preseason. I was very comfortable calling plays for him in the preseason. Man, that’s a big thing for a play caller. When the quarterback’s in there, if you trust him and you know he’ll do right by you and make good decisions that certainly helps. He proved that to me in the preseason. I was very comfortable. Again, third-and-one call we make I trust him to make the play. He makes a big play to (TE) Lance (Kendricks) for a big gain. And if there’s a bigger throw last weekend than the one he made to ‘AP’ (WR Austin Pettis) standing in there under duress on kind of a game winner if you will, that was a big time throw. Again, you see it out here in practice that makes it easy for a play caller, staff, even the players in the huddle to believe in him. ”

(On if he is definitely expecting Davis to start Sunday)
“No, Shaun’s (Hill) doing a little bit more today. He’s getting better, again we’re going to look at it game time and see what happens, but I think Austin’s ready to go. We’ll see how Shaun does tomorrow, each day he’s getting better so we’ll see.”

(On if there need to be improvements in the run game specifically in yards per carry)
“Yeah, absolutely. Again, we know we’ll get heavy boxes and people trying to stop the run. We need to create some explosive runs. We get guys in the secondary creating seams, they got to be able to take advantage of that. But it’s a process, I hope we get better this week, need to be better this week. That certainly takes pressure off of us by getting in second-down and manageable, third-down and manageable. But we go well when we’re balanced and we run the football. When teams take that away from us we tend to struggle a little bit, so hopefully we’ll like always try to get the running game going and generate a few more explosive plays. ”

(On if his formula is 50 carries plus completions)
“Fifty completions and rushing attempts.”

(On how the pass block was against Tampa Bay)
“Very good. Yeah, that was a good group. They lost a few of their guys but again they did some good stuff. That front four obviously very talented. I thought we did a nice job all the way around. Again, Austin did a nice job of not holding on to the ball, that’s a big part of it. I think the week before when he got thrown in the mix he kind of held the ball a little bit long kind of looking for his receivers. Certainly the timing was better having a week of preparation but the pass-pro was solid.”

(On if the Cowboys have a cover 2 look)
“No, it’s really not. I mean they go by that name but we’re going to get post-safety. They’re going to get up in our face and press us play tight man-to-man. Their a post-safety defense. Two good safeties again getting (S Orlando) Scandrick back certainly helps, we’ll see what they do with him. Front four they play as hard as anybody. They do a good job of movement and stuff like that, so it’ll be a terrific challenge. They got after us pretty good last year down in Dallas. But the ‘Tampa Two’ nickname is just a nickname. They’re going to be post-safety, kind of down in our face challenging us, bringing a lot of pressure and stuff like that.”

(On how he handles public opinion and their need to suggest team decisions)
“Quite honestly I don’t listen too much on what the public has to say to be honest with you. Certainly Iunderstand they all have opinions, but we go by what we see. We go by what we believe. We have a philosophy. You win a game, you lose a game, you move on to the next game. You prepare the best you can. We try to put together good game plans and then go out and trust our players. Again, when I said the big thing for us is, I expect Austin to do this is I think he’ll go out and play well. But it’s certainly not just Austin that’s going to have to go and help us when this game it’s going to be the whole team. Offensively, again running the football, guys making plays and that’s what it’s going to come down to. ”

Rams Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel – September 18, 2014

(On his evaluation of the special teams unit through two games)
“Two games in, I’d probably reserve judgment on success or the lack off. We’re playing hard. We’ve rotated some new bodies in there, which is always good to get some new blood. Yeah, it’s still to be determined.”

(On if he was surprised with SS T.J. McDonald’s performance last week)
“No, I’m not surprised at all. I’m actually, I was surprised last year that he just missed on a couple of them, which are almost the same exact thing. He does it in practice and sure enough he did it in the game.”

(On the translation of McDonald’s skill set to his ability to block kicks)
“Really it’s an instinctive thing. He’s got great length. He’s got a great ability to bend and turn. And he’s got good timing like on the field goal block, a lot of that has to do with timing. It’s an instinctive thing that I can’t really coach him, he just kind of has that ability.”

(On the return game so far)
“Definitely room for improvement. On kickoff return, the first game we had one return and it was decent, it got to the 20 (-yard line) I think. Then the two, we had on kickoff return in Tampa the guy (Buccaneers K Patrick Murray) hit into the short left corner. We kind of got stuck, it’s a hard ball to dig out of the corner. It was a mishit kick. The return we had called was a tough one to dig out of the corner. There’s obviously room for improvement. But with three returns and two of them off of mishit kickoffs, we’ll judge it a little later when we get some true balls. Then on punt return, it’s unfortunate because I think we’ve got a really good punt return team. Two balls we muffed in the first game. In this past game it was a good hang time ball and there wasn’t a lot of space. We’ll continue to get better. It takes the right ball to get the right return. We’re being patient.”

(On the possibility of replacing WR Tavon Austin on punt return this week)
“It’s still, I guess, wait and see. We’ve got a couple options, which is good. We’re fortunate that we have a couple guys that can catch punts. They have a lefty this week, so that adds a little element to it. We’ll be alright. The guys we have back there, they’ll do a good job catching it. Hopefully the blockers can get us some more yards.”

(On if it was a confidence booster for K Greg Zuerlein going four-for-four in field goals)
“It was great. The preseason, we experiment with things in the preseason. Whether it’s people think he’s lost confidence, we were experimenting with different things. He missed the first kick against Minnesota. He hit a great ball he just hit it straight left. So, I wasn’t surprised. He’s got great confidence. He’s got great ball striking right now. I imagine he’ll continue with that.”

(On Dallas’ punt rushing ability)
“They rush a lot. They got a couple of really good players. (WR/KR/PR) Dwayne Harris not only returning punts and kickoffs but covering punts and kickoffs. He’s a high quality core teams guy. (S) C.J. Spillman, came from San Francisco, so we know him from the past couple of years. They got a second year DB (No.) 38 (S Jeff Heath) who’s a good ball player. They’re a fast team, probably faster than we’ve played so far and some veteran guys. It’ll be a good test.”

(On if he talks to Zuerlein before the timeouts are called)
“No, but we practice it all the time. I’ll let him kick and then we’ll be in a situation and sometimes I’ll call the timeout to ice him. Sometimes I’ll act like I’m going to call it and not call it. We practice situations in our field goal period. His assumption every time he lines up is that the ball is going to be snapped and I’m going to kick it. Even if they call a time out and we snap, but we’re still going to kick it.”

(On the field conditions in Tampa Bay after the lightning delay)
“They were tough. Especially you could see on Greg’s kickoffs and their kicker, he hit two bad balls into that left corner and Greg had those same issues, he just didn’t get the ball in the air. That’s why it was even more impressive with his field goals, because they were all in the high-30s to high-40 range. In those tough conditions we can’t back out. The field was in good shape it was just pretty slick.”

(On if it was the plan to kick the line drives)
“No, we never try and really kick a line drive. None of those were intentional. It just had a lot to with the field surface. Greg struggled with that and their kicker struggled with it on the kickoffs.”

(On if the strategy is to always kick a touchback)
“I’d say for the most part. There are some other strategies where we have different kicks. We would never hit a purposeful hot squib. That’s kind of what happened. We stay away from that one. For the most part, yeah, you’re trying to bang it.”

McLeod proving doubters wrong as one of Rams’ McSafeties
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/mcleod-proving-doubters-wrong-as-one-of-rams-mcsafeties/article_8d826777-9423-58d1-ba9c-35fc8da06b4c.html

That little shimmy by free safety Rodney McLeod after his second-quarter interception was no impromptu celebration.

“It’s just a little dance that me and T.J. (McDonald) put together right before the game,” he said.

Apparently, it’s part of the weekly pregame ritual for the Rams’ McSafeties. It’s all about being prepared for success.

“If we make plays, this is what we’re gonna do today,” McLeod explained. “It’s just something that we’ve got going on.”

McLeod told McDonald before Sunday’s 19-17 victory over Tampa Bay that he was going to get an interception.

Hard to explain but he just had that feeling.

“I thought if we got good pressure on (Josh) McCown, he’d most likely to throw one up,” McLeod said.

McCown, the Tampa Bay quarterback, did just that early in the second quarter of a 7-7 game. The Bucs were knocking on the door with a first-and-goal from the St. Louis 9.

But linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar flushed McCown out of the pocket on a blitz, and then linebacker James Laurinaitis came bearing down on McCown. Instead of taking the sack, or throwing the ball away, McCown threw it up for grabs in the general direction of wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

There was just one problem with that decision: Jackson was being double-covered, with cornerback Janoris Jenkins behind him and McLeod in front.

“He did a crossing route,” McLeod said. “Basically I just read the quarterback. He made a bad decision and James got good pressure on him.”

It wasn’t an easy interception. The ball was thrown low and away, and McLeod lunged to keep it off the ground.

“Gotta give credit to the hands, the gloves. Fresh gloves,” McLeod said, laughing.

McLeod wears a new set of gloves each week on game day.

“That was a big point (in the game),” McDonald said of his teammate’s play. “They were close to scoring, we don’t give up any points. We give the ball back to our offense, get a lot of juice, a little momentum going.”

It marked the first interception, and only takeaway, for the Rams this season. Without McLeod’s INT, the third of his three-year NFL career, the outcome might’ve been different. Even if Tampa had to settle for a field goal, that might have been enough in what turned out to be a two-point game.

McLeod joined the Rams in 2012, the first year of the Jeff Fisher-Les Snead regime, as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia. He led the Rams in special teams tackles that year (16), then took advantage of preseason injuries to Darian Stewart to earn a job at safety in 2013. He started all 16 games, recording 87 tackles and two interceptions.

Even so, the general consensus this past offseason was that the Rams needed to upgrade the position, find a free safety with more range.

Granted, it’s just two games into the season, but McLeod is proving doubters wrong. He has shown improved range and has taken quickly to defensive coordinator Greg Williams’ system.

“I think it just comes with experience, and the coaching we get from OTAs to training camp with Gregg coming in, and Chuck (Cecil), and all those guys just getting us right,” McLeod said.

Cecil is the Rams’ secondary coach.

Even before the start of the regular season, Williams has been impressed with McLeod.

“Rodney has just been one of the most pleasant surprises for me — his instincts on playing the free safety position,” Williams told the Post-Dispatch in a late-August interview.

“Chuck Cecil did a good job talking to me about him when I first got here. Chuck was very high on him and wanted me to make sure that I was patient with the evaluation process on him. I think Rodney does a phenomenal job on picking up the nuances of how we want our safeties to play.”

Williams continued: “The free safety and the middle linebacker have to be a direct extension of the play-caller and what we do. He’s sharp intellectually. He’s sharp in big-picture understanding of the game.”

An added bonus is that McLeod has become a more aggressive tackler this season than he showed previously, whether it be in coverage or in run support.

“I just think it’s the mentality that Gregg instilled in us from Day 1,” McLeod. “You know the mentality that he has.”

Yeah, if you’re coming in this neighborhood, you’re going to have to pay a toll.

“There’s been nothing but good stuff going on from Day 1 in this system,” McLeod said.

It’s a system not too different from the scheme run in 2012, when Williams was serving his one-year “Bountygate” suspension and his son Blake was de facto defensive coordinator.

Now in their second season starting together, McLeod and strong safety McDonald are developing a good rapport on the field.

They complement each other well, with McLeod usually playing deep in coverage, and McDonald frequently playing near the line of scrimmage, or blitzing, or covering tight ends.

“With T.J., what I don’t have, he has,” McLeod said. “We just work well together. It just works out.”

Fisher likes the way things are working out so far.

“Both the safeties have played very well the last two weeks,” Fisher said. “Now, we missed some tackles, but everybody’s going to miss tackles. … But I think considering where we were last year, they’ve come a long, long way. I’m happy for them.”

RAM-BLING

Linebacker Kevin Reddick has been released from the team’s practice squad. Defensive lineman Matt Conrath is expected to take his place.

RamView, September 7, 2014
From Row HH
(Report and opinions from the game.)
Game #1: Vikings 34, Rams 6

We waited nine months. We waited through 12 other teams’ playoff runs, through a division rival’s Super Bowl win. We waited through all-star games and the Combine. Through free agency and the draft. We waited through OTAs and training camp and preseason games for this week to come. Nine months we waited. And we got garbage. Absolute. Garbage. This sure wasn’t a fun season while it didn’t last.

Position by position:
* QB: The Rams don’t need Sam Bradford to be successful this season, or so we heard. Shaun Hill’s better than Kellen Clemens, more accurate, won’t make stupid throws. I actually pushed that last argument myself. Took one week for it to push back. Hill (8-13-81, PR 47.3) was all right most of the first half. He started 5-for-5 and hit Brian Quick (!) on a couple of intermediate routes, so his game wasn’t just a bunch of checkdowns. He had drives killed by penalties, receiver mistakes and deteriorating line play. The end of the opening drive looked like Hill’s fault for failing to detect a fairly easy-to-identify blitz. He ultimately failed in his assignment right before halftime with a game-changing mistake. Hill rolled out under pressure and tried to hit Jared Cook on the sideline, but Cook was double-covered, and the only wise throw in that direction would have been a throwaway. Maybe that’s what Hill was trying, but his throw was snagged by Josh Robinson for an INT and shortly turned into a 13-0 hammerlock on the game for the Vikings. Hill gave way at halftime due to a quad injury, so, yes, the Rams’ franchise QB couldn’t make it to the regular season, and his backup couldn’t even make it to halftime of the first game. In the 2nd half, the offensive line gave way on Austin Davis (16-23-192, PR 76.7), who must have had a hard time telling this game from a preseason game. Davis threaded an early pass over Cook’s shoulder for 26, but got sacked later, also failing to recognize a blitz, to make the Rams settle for a long FG. That was the tale of the game for Davis, who struggled to find open receivers and, lacking enough time to throw, was sacked four times and had other drives end on dumpoffs because that was all he could find. He led the Rams to a 2nd FG, but not before Minnesota hit him for a pick-six, with Harrison Smith stepping in front of a route Cook didn’t look real interested in running out to peg the Rams’ embarrassment meter at 11. Failing to identify blitzes pre-snap, only throwing one legitimate deep ball, forcing throws, poor decisions under pressure, Davis’ slowness reading the field – quarterbacking may not be the biggest of the Rams’ problems, but it’s a problem.

* RB: The Ram passing game doesn’t stretch the field vertically; the running game doesn’t stretch the field horizontally. Zac Stacy (11-43) had a couple of decent runs and showed more cutback ability than usual, but didn’t look like his usual tackle-breaking, pile-moving self, and, per usual, didn’t get much room to run up the middle anyway. He also dropped an open screen pass on what looked like a pivotal play early in the game. Benny Cunningham (5-21) was an effective change of pace when he first entered the game in the 2nd, getting 14 yards on 3 carries, but the Rams made sure to get away from that. Cunningham added 4 catches for 30 yards, mainly during trash time, when he was next heard from. Might as well talk about Tavon Austin (3-5 rush, 3-34 recv) here, since the Rams apparently think he is also a between-the-tackles running back now. I saw it in training camp, but didn’t truly appreciate the lunacy of having the tiny Austin run up the middle until I saw guys twice his size landing on him this week. And though Austin has some moves as an interior runner, the real lunacy is the Rams’ continued refusal to get the ball to him while he’s on the move. More on that later. The Rams are supposed to be a running team, but between their inability to block for it and their inability to call a coherent game plan for it, they ran nowhere this week.

* WR: First of all, hooray for Brian Quick (7-99), who had easily the best game of his pro career. Quick hit the Vikings for 22- and 19-yard crossing routes during the Rams’ first two drives. Simple routes against soft zone coverage, but Quick ran the routes well and played the ball like a go-to receiver. He made a couple of significant errors that we’ll hope are growing pains. He nullified one of his own big plays in the 2nd with what looked like an accidental grab of a facemask while putting out a stiffarm, and the Rams settled for a FG in the 1st when he ran a comeback route about a step short on 3rd down. Quick’s one of about three Rams who didn’t completely embarrass themselves this week; this was a good game for a not-finished product. I’ll guess I’m breaking news here that Kenny Britt (0-0) has already thrown 2 or 3 tantrums on the Ram sideline. I spotted him yelling at coaches a couple of times. There was also a third down where he was wide open deep, but Davis never had a chance of seeing him; send in the punt team while Britt rips his helmet off and fumes his way to the sideline. With everything else the Rams have going wrong, a Britt meltdown is close to the last thing they need, but I think I’ve gotta sound a yellow alert there. I don’t think Chris Givens (2-30) really did anything until garbage time. Quick was basically the only WR this week.

* Tight ends: Jared Cook’s (4-56) 2014 opener was much like a lot of his 2013 season. He was MIA until garbage time, where he could flash enough to look useful while still making a play that made him look useless. His over-the-shoulder catch for 26 from Davis, with a man draped all over him, was as nice a catch as you’re going to see. But Cook was no help to Davis in the 4th on Harrison Smith’s pick-six. Nothing wrong with Davis’ throw; Cook didn’t come strong out of his break (a known habit of his), allowing Smith to jump the throw. Davis put the ball where Cook should have been. Lance Kendricks (2-12) and Corey Harkey (1-4) weren’t significant factors other than a handful of decent run blocks.

* Offensive line: Offensive line was the Rams’ biggest worry throughout training camp. Even rank amateurs like me knew it. And this week they were all-but dominated by a Minnesota defensive line that no one really believed was all that good coming in. Rank amateurs pointed out last week that Scott Wells vs. Linval Joseph would be a decisive matchup. And Wells lost it decisively. Linval didn’t spend the game in the Rams’ backfield, but Wells could never budge him, either, leaving the Rams’ middle running lanes clogged. Wells was beaten by a quick swim move for a sack in the 4th, with Linval taking down Davis while Wells appeared to wander around lost. Wells also sprayed shotgun snaps around like Rick Ankiel throwing batting practice. How many years has this guy been in the league again? The Rams benched the #2 pick in the draft so they could start the esteemed Davin Joseph at RG. We can’t have Greg Robinson out there, you know, because he might get consistently beat in pass protection, get Hill hit and presumably injured on a sack/fumble before halftime or get manhandled so badly on a sweep to Austin in the 2nd that he practically made the tackle himself. And, news flash, Rodger Saffold got hurt! The guards were poor in pass protection and had a handful of good run blocks between them. They did each have a false start, though. Things went no better on the edges. Joseph Barksdale gave up at least a half-dozen pressures, including one that panicked Hill into his bad INT before halftime. The cherry on this Hall of Shame performance was Everson Griffen beating Jake Long for sacks on back-to-back plays in the 4th. Long may not have wrecked a QB’s season this week, but he and Barksdale got beat to their outside shoulder frequently, and the Rams’ pass protection looked more like a funnel designed to divert all the traffic to the QB. There’s a lot invested in this offensive line that just lost soundly at the line of scrimmage to the #31 defense from last year, minus Jared Allen, at that. They’ll be a lot better off when they’ve had enough snaps together to gel, we’re told. Of course, if they’re all rubbish like they were this week, what’s that supposed to gel into?

* Defensive line: The Ram defensive line has be dominant to win the team games, and though they contained Adrian Peterson (21-75) well enough, they were nowhere near dominant, thanks to quick passing and to flanker Cordarrelle Patterson (3-102) jet-sweeping them to death. They didn’t start well – Chris Long got pinned inside by the tight end to trigger a 13-yard Patterson run, and Robert Quinn kept the opening drive alive with a dubious roughing penalty, but the secondary shut the drive down late to force a FG. Long got pinned inside again when Peterson started the next drive with a 17-yard run, but Quinn got a hit on Matt Cassel later to force a bad throw and stall out the drive. Cassel, though, by getting the ball out quickly all game, turned Sack City into more of a sleepy bedroom community. His quick throws led Minnesota to a FG in the 2nd, helped by a 23-yard Patterson sweep that William Hayes started with a missed tackle. The only Rams sack was created by a wild shotgun snap just before halftime. Unfortunately, Hill followed that with an interception, and the Vikings made the Rams’ aggression work against them with quick short passes and play-action to move out to a 13-point halftime lead. Long continued to struggle to get off blocks in the running game in the 3rd until a teammate stepped on his ankle, ending his day. Then Patterson stuck a 67-yard TD dagger in them. Hayes and others were blocked at the point of attack to turn Patterson loose. Quinn chased him for 40 yards only to blow a tackle. Michael Brockers chased him for 60 yards only to blow a tackle. A for effort. F for results. With Minnesota sitting on a big lead in the 4th, Aaron Donald started flashing the speed that got him drafted, flashing into the backfield three different times to bust up handoffs to Peterson. A stupid special teams penalty gave the Vikings the ball back, though, and they again foiled Ram aggression with a dumpoff to the backup TE that sealed their 3rd TD and turned a game that was toast into burned toast. It’s not a good sign that it took the league exactly one week to figure out how to escape from Sack City. Get the ball out quickly, let Gregg Williams blitz the D out of plays, run right at Long and Hayes and the rookie corner. Sack City’s going to have to find a way to get the streets back open quickly.

* Linebackers: LB play was also a letdown. Peterson took off for 17 to start Minnesota’s 2nd drive thanks to Alec Ogletree’s poor fill and James Laurinaitis getting blocked well before he could get into the play. Patterson jetted off for 23 the next drive with the help of whiffs by Laurinaitis and Jo-Lonn Dunbar. 1st-and-20 in the 3rd, AP takes off for 15 as Laurinaitis again can’t get off a block and Ogletree can’t get enough of a drop back from his initial blitzing position on the line. On Patterson’s TD run, Ogletree was blocked easily by Kyle Rudolph and Dunbar failed attempting to grab him at midfield. Dunbar was in on several stuffs of Peterson, but other than that, the LB corps just wasn’t effective. Ogletree got a gift half-sack, split with Dunbar, for falling on Cassel after the QB fell on a loose ball, but he wasn’t effective as a blitzer. The secondary had more impact in run defense than the LBs did. That’s partly a scheme that maybe should have held Ogletree back a little more, but it’s also some bad tackling and inability to get off blocks. Discouraging.

* Secondary: The secondary had a couple of standouts in run defense and a sore thumb. T.J. McDonald was effective on run blitzes, stuffing AP for a big loss on the opening drive and stuffing a draw at the end of the drive to force a FG. Janoris Jenkins in run support was a rare pleasant surprise for the Rams. He made six tackles, one being a nice open-field stop on AP bouncing a run outside dangerously in the 3rd. Rookie E.J. Gaines was a big problem on all three of Patterson’s big runs, though, well-blocked out of all three plays when he was supposed to be the main corner providing support. Gaines was far from the only problem on Patterson runs, though, especially the TD, where McDonald got pancaked on the edge, Rodney McLeod blew a diving tackle and Jenkins got woefully turned inside out about 50 yards downfield. Gaines also bit on play-action to give up the 1st TD to Greg Jennings. A lot of passes completed in front of his coverage ten yards off the line, too, though he also nearly had a pick-six early. McDonald made an acrobatic play to break up a pass for Kyle Rudolph, and Jenkins blanketed Patterson on a rare Viking deep route in the 2nd. Take away the Patterson runs and the secondary, though not tested much, had a decent game.

* Special teams: Like most every other unit, not a lot to like on special teams. Austin looked like a basket case returning punts, muffing two and running around like a chicken with his head cut off for a big loss on another. Greg Zuerlein did all the Rams’ scoring with 56- and 46-yard FGs, but missed a 50-yarder by about a foot in the 1st (what’s wrong with kicking the ball down the middle, anyway?). Special teams also did not distinguish themselves on the penalty front, with Chase Reynolds roughing the punter to keep a Viking TD drive alive and Daren Bates getting a personal foul for taunting on a kickoff. One of the few bright spots on the team was the Pro Bowl-quality work of Johnny Hekker. Only one of his booming punts was even returnable; Hekker did more to take a weapon away from the Vikings than any of his teammates.

* Strategery: Hiring Brian Schottenheimer has to be right up there on the list of worst moves Jeff Fisher has made with the Rams. I’ve gone out of my way to praise Schotty for having the sense to stick with things that are working during a game. Twice in this game, when the Rams finally got Stacy or Cunningham rolling with three decent carries, Schotty then stopped running and the drives crashed and burned on failed passing plays. We were all assured Shaun Hill would throw deep well enough to keep defenses honest. Rams QBs threw one deep pass in the game. Remember last year when Schotty started the season thinking he was Josh McDaniels? Let’s have a real warm Rams Nation welcome back for Pat Shurmur!

And drafting Tavon Austin for Schottenheimer has turned out to have made about as much sense as hiring a hooker for the Pope. Schotty doesn’t know what to do with Austin and never will. Seriously, inside handoffs? True, the only run play Schotty seems to know is to go up the middle, but what is his objection to getting the ball to Austin on the move? Does he watch other teams’ games? Like, say, Seattle with Percy Harvin opening night? OR THE TEAM RIGHT ACROSS THE FIELD FROM HIM? Run the friggin’ jet sweep, you goof. Run an end-around. Put him in motion like you did in preseason and he’s open before the snap because DBs already can’t keep up. This is not rocket science. Offensive coordinators all over the league turn fast players into dangerous offensive weapons. Not ours.

The Rams lost the battle of the blitz decisively. The offense couldn’t handle Minnesota’s blitzing, not the first time Schotty’s failed at that, either, while Gregg Williams’ blitzing had little effect at all on Cassel, who usually just had to toss to the receiver Gaines was ten yards off of to relieve the pressure. Turning the jet sweep to Patterson into the riddle of the Sphinx, when it’s a play Minnesota showed in preseason that even rank amateurs knew to expect, makes me wonder if Williams and Schotty weren’t actually watching the Simpsons marathon last week instead of watching game tapes. Williams did call some successful run blitzes, and if their main objective was to contain AP, they got there. We’re expecting much more success than we saw from Williams this week, though.

Jeff Fisher tried to rally the troops after halftime with a big, showy powwow on the sideline. He’s done it before. The players have still never responded to it. They lost the 2nd half worse than they lost the 1st. So yeah, I’m kind of over Jeff Fisher as a master motivator at this point. He is of course a lost cause as any kind of disciplinarian, as his team racked up another 13 stupid penalties for 121 yards. Not all were good calls, but in there were still false starts by veteran offensive linemen at a home game, offsides by veteran defensive linemen, and roughing the punter and taunting on special teams. Fisher has done nothing effective to fix this for two years, so here’s my proposed solution: somebody make HIM run laps for all the penalties his team commits. Maybe that’ll draw his attention.

Meanwhile, the Rams did not start either of their first round picks, their 3rd and 4th round picks were inactive, and none of their last five draft picks made the final roster. So, we’ve got draft picks wasted and wasting away, we’ve got motivational speeches coming up flat, we’re timidly kicking the long figgie instead of going for it on 4th and less than a yard – who’s in charge here? Steve Spagnuolo? Scott Linehan? Jeff Fisher, you do not want to be drawing those comparisons in your third season. But here we are.

* Upon further review: Ed Hochuli didn’t work a Rams game last season, and as it turns out this week, not much reason to miss him. Minnesota got a FG out of Quinn getting a roughing-the-passer call for touching Cassel on his shoulder pad. Chris Long got an offside though TV showed Kyle Rudolph flinching first. They tried to call Bates for interfering with the returner when he leveled Marcus Sherels in the 2nd, then correctly picked up the flag, but ignored the whole time that Bates had been blocked in the back. Jenkins was blocked in the back blatantly on the long completion to Rhett Ellison that set up Rudolph’s TD, but was somehow called for holding himself. Huh? I also don’t understand all the OPI calls the Rams drew, when it looked like the same thing they did all preseason. A bad mix of ticky-tack calls and ignored calls much worse than other plays they did flag didn’t help matters. Grade: D+

* Cheers: A crowd in the mid-50,000s brought the noise early, and earned credit for 2-3 false starts and a Vikings panic timeout. The Fox commentators not only gave us credit for that, we got credit for both of Minnesota’s wild shotgun snaps by making it impossible for Cassel to communicate with his center. The highlight of the day was the wacky end zone race between the giant-headed Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce mascots, won by Isaac. Then the interview babe talked with the real Isaac Bruce while the fake Isaac Bruce looked in over his shoulder. The crowd turned hard on the home team, booing it off the field at halftime, and deservedly so, but still deserves credit for sticking around as long as it did. The place didn’t really start emptying out till it got to 27-3. Of course, I thought we also deserved a lot better than the Rams’ worst opening day effort since the Scott Linehan era in 2008, but what do I know.

* Who’s next?: If but briefly, the Rams have turned the tide in their rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning late-season affairs away, where they’ll be next week, and home the past two seasons. Robert Quinn made himself Mike Glennon’s worst nightmare in the Rams’ 23-13 victory here last season, landing three sacks of the rookie QB on his way to setting the (nod to Deacon Jones) St. Louis-era sack record. For the Rams to continue their success against Tampa, though, they’re going to have to beat Tampa’s new head coach, Lovie Smith, for the first time. They’re 0-4 lifetime against the former Rams DC.

Besides the Lovie challenge, Tampa’s offense could be a much tougher nut for the Rams to crack in 2014. Glennon has been supplanted by Josh McCown, who proved much harder to sack when he visited St. Louis last season with the Bears. The operating theory on defending McCown hinges on his habit of holding the ball too long behind an average-at-best, no-name offensive line. Yet, McCown didn’t do too poorly under similar conditions here last year, squirming out of trouble at least a dozen times to make plays downfield to his big receivers. We could be in for a replay next week, with McCown throwing to Vincent Jackson and rookie Mike Evans. One of E.J. Gaines’ pre-draft selling points was the game against Texas A&M where he shut down Evans; well, here you go. The Buc o-line did not play very well in the preseason action I scouted. Doug Martin’s a hard-working, physical RB with outside speed; I’d hate to see how he looks if they ever block for him. There’s still some impatience to his game, but a lot of his bounces to the outside are also because he didn’t have anywhere to go inside. Right tackle Demar Dotson looks like a liability in pass pro, they demoted their right guard during camp, and their left side, especially LG, got little to no push in the running game. That last problem, though, should be well fixed by their trade for Logan Mankins, who gives them much more freedom to double-team, especially if he’s 1-on-1 with Kendall Langford, who’s got to hold his own in that matchup to prevent McCown from stepping up in the pocket all day. The toughest thing about the Tampa offense for the Rams will be their pace. They’re patient to a fault; McCown hardly ever looks to stretch the field. But Tampa has been running most of their offense in no-huddle. If you thought the Rams looked like gassed middle-aged basketball players in their Saturday morning rec league at the “Y” against Green Bay in August, throw in Florida’s September heat and humidity and enjoy the lactic acid. Defensive conditioning could be as big a deal in this game as defensive scheme.

You have to be strong up the middle to succeed in just about any sport; Tampa’s defense really seems to take that to heart: Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Lavonte David, Mason Foster, Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron make up a solid defensive core. McCoy is the straw that stirs the drink up front; the Rams will have to double-team him most downs. He’s their quickest lineman, Aaron Donald-quick, at that, and has impressive power. Against Buffalo he was blocking-sledding guys back into the backfield before the Bills could even get their play going. The Rams have to get McCoy blocked. Yes, that’s like telling Tokyo Civil Defense, “You have to stop that giant dinosaur over there.” Doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be done. McCoy’s ability to dominate means somebody’s going to have to step up and be able to handle the deceptively-quick and relentless McDonald 1-on-1. The excellent closing speed of the Buc d-line dictates that the Ram o-line do a much better job of finishing their blocks. The ends have some success with stunts but there’s not a lot of edge speed to fear. The speed to fear is at ILB with David and Foster, extremely athletic players who are all over the place, and they’re terrific pass defenders. They get really good drops, read the QB well and have good ball skills. The Rams are going to have to be able to establish the run early and make play-action credible, or they’re not going to have a solution for all that middle speed, and we’ll be treated to another week of slogging offense.

The good news: Tampa managed to lose to Carolina minus Cam Newton, so the Rams aren’t alone in their rapidly-sinking boat of a season. Both teams are going to have to do their best to forget this week ever happened and get back at it like it’s the start of the new season. Good luck to us in Rams Nation trying to do the same.

— Mike
Game stats from nfl.com

After stellar rookie season, Stacy leads a balanced backfield
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/after-stellar-rookie-season-stacy-leads-a-balanced-backfield/article_2a279c0f-64ac-54ab-990d-b5c57add6aff.html

Rams running back Zac Stacy doesn’t mind a little friendly competition. In fact, he encourages it.

“Football is a business built on competition,’’ Stacy said following a recent practice at Rams Park. “You’re constantly working to be better than the guy lined up across from you. It’s about being consistent and productive and about making the most of your opportunities.

“The competition in training camp has been the best I’ve seen since I started playing football. We have some great backs here, and we’re all working and pushing each other to get better. Every day, we’re challenging one another. And in the long run that’s something that will help this football team.’’

Although running backs coach Ben Sirmans said that final depth chart is still to be determined, he said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Stacy took the first snaps when the Rams open the season Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome.

Then again, Stacy has earned it.

A fifth-round draft choice from Vanderbilt, the 5-foot-9, 224-pound Stacy patiently waited for his chance a year ago as the team opened the season with Daryl Richardson starting as part of a spread attack. But the spread was scrapped after a humbling 35-11 Thursday loss to visiting San Francisco, and when the team returned to action 10 days later, Stacy was in the backfield.

“It was definitely frustrating from the standpoint of knowing you can play at this level and wanting to prove it,’’ he recalled. “But you wait your turn and you keep working to get better. When the opportunity came, I took advantage of it.’’

Sirmans added: “Zac was a little nicked up in camp and we had some other guys doing well. But when Daryl hurt his toe, we decided it was time to give Zac a shot, to let him rock and roll.’’

Stacy, who had just one 4-yard carry through the first four games of the season, became the workhorse in the Rams’ ground game, finishing with 250 carries for 973 yards while catching 26 passes for 141 yards. He also had a team-leading eight touchdowns.

When asked about falling short of 1,000 yards, Stacy quickly dismisses it.

“Honestly, I’ve never been a guy who gets too caught up in numbers. The only number I care about is wins and losses,’’ the 23-year-old said. “I’m a big preparation guy; I take pride in Wednesday through Saturday, preparing and doing everything I need to do physically and mentally. That way, when Sunday rolls around, I can play fast and play smart. If I can do that, everything else will take care of itself.’’

Stacy’s production in the preseason was unspectacular — he ran 15 times for 39 yards and had a 10-yard pass reception — but it is not something he is worried about. He knows, and the Rams know, what he can do.

So instead of overworking Stacy, the Rams spread the preseason carries, giving plenty of work to third-round draft pick Tre Mason (43 carries, 124 yards), rookie free agent Trey Watts (25 carries, 106 yards, TD), second-year back Benny Cunningham (15 carries, 80 yards) and core special teams player Chase Reynolds (10 carries, 65 yards), who picked up 38 of those yards on a fake punt.

Consider, too, that the Rams’ starting offensive line was together for just a handful of preseason plays.

“We have guys who can complement Zac. And push him,” said Sirmans, who is in his third season with the club. “It’s as talented and competitive a bunch as I’ve coached, and each guy seems to bring a little something different to the table. So depending on the situation, any one of these guys could be called on.

“In this business, the bottom line is production. I don’t care if you’re getting 25 carries or five; when you get your chance, you have to make the most of it.’’

Cunningham, an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee, joined the Rams after seeing his college career cut short by a knee injury. Back at 100 percent, he is ready to take that next step.

“I just feel so much more comfortable now,’’ he said. “Last year, with the injury and all, I was stressing every day. But having a full year with the playbook, I’m a lot more confident on the field. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt better physically.

“If you’re not going to be the No. 1, you find some other way to get on the field — for me, it’s special teams. You keep working hard and you stay ready because you never know when your chance will come.’’

And that’s the attitude that “veterans’’ Stacy and Cunningham have tried to instill in rookies Mason and Watts.

Mason, a Heisman Trophy candidate last year, showcased his skill and durability as a junior last fall, rushing for 1,816 yards to break Bo Jackson’s single-season Auburn rushing record and scoring 25 touchdowns. He has struggled a bit in pass protection — something that is not uncommon for rookie backs — but will definitely add a different look to the Rams’ backfield.

“At this point, I’m just trying to work hard every day to become a better football player,’’ he said. “Whatever the coaches ask me to do, I’m trying to do the very best I can.’’

Watts is taking the same approach. At Tulsa, he did a little of everything, and he hopes to fill a similar role here.

“I think I can provide some different things,” he said. “We’re working every day to help and push each other because you’re only as good as your weakest link.’’

Reynolds’ focus will be on special teams; he didn’t have a single carry from scrimmage last season.

Keenum settling in to new surroundings

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11326/keenum-settling-in-to-new-surroundings

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Newly acquired St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum was born in Brownwood, Texas. He played high school football at Wylie High in Abilene, Texas, and his college ball at the University of Houston. He spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the Houston Texans.

In short, everything Keenum’s ever known and accomplished in football has been for Texas and in Texas. Until now.

When the Rams claimed Keenum off waivers from the Texans on Monday afternoon, it meant Keenum was, for the first time, going to have to leave his comfortable Texas environs for something altogether new.

“It hasn’t really set in yet,” Keenum said. “I’m just trying to stay at it. I’ve got the grind going and just continue to work. But I’m excited to be in a new place, be out of Texas, be out of my comfort zone and grow a little bit.”

If all goes according to the Rams’ plan, Keenum will have plenty of time to go through that growing process. When starting quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season to a second torn ACL in as many seasons, the Rams insisted they’d be patient before adding some depth behind new starter Shaun Hill.

The Rams followed through on that plan, waiting for Keenum to be released and then claiming him off waivers with no expense other than the corresponding roster move. In adding Keenum, the Rams picked up a young quarterback with eight games of NFL starting experience.

It’s that experience that made Keenum appealing to the Rams.

“Because of injury, Case got a lot of experience last year, started eight games,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “You look at the body of work — no, he didn’t win any of those games — but there was some really good things that you saw out of a young player. We spent a lot of time evaluating those games and felt like he’d be a good option to come in here and try to develop as a three or a two. We just wanted him in the mix.”

For now, there’s no need to rush to get Keenum up to speed. Even if he wanted to, it would be awfully difficult for Keenum (or any quarterback, really) to attempt to come in and be ready to play. The Rams are committed to Hill as the starter and have Austin Davis penciled in as No. 2. Things should remain that way for the foreseeable future while Keenum works to learn coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s offense.

Where Keenum brings game experience that Davis doesn’t have, Davis possesses knowledge of the offensive system that Keenum currently lacks.

Keenum said he hit the ground running upon arrival in St. Louis and is spending most of his waking hours attempting to narrow that learning curve.

“Any system in this league is tough,” Keenum said. “This game is obviously pretty tough. I’m excited to learn some new stuff. It’s just kind of trying to be able to translate what I know and how I’ve run things and get terminology. Obviously that’s like speaking another language, so I’m just trying to learn another language as fast as I can.”

• This topic was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by RamBill.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by zn.

http://www.rams-news.com/austin-davis-now-next-in-line-at-qb-pd/%5D Austin Davis Now Next in Line at QB –PD
At the start of training camp, it seemed like Austin Davis had a better chance of coaching football at Westminster Christian Academy again than making the Rams’ 53-man roster.

http://www.rams-news.com/michael-sam-to-join-cowboys-practice-squad-pd/%5D Michael Sam to join Cowboys’ Practice Squad –PD
Michael Sam’s NFL football career is heading to Big D.

http://www.rams-news.com/mike-sando-on-if-robert-quinn-stands-to-earn-j-j-watt-level-money-radio-interview/%5D Mike Sando on if Robert Quinn Stands to Earn J.J. Watt-Level Money –Radio Interview

http://www.rams-news.com/adam-schefter-michael-sam-to-take-physical-with-cowboys-video/%5D Adam Schefter: Michael Sam To Take Physical With Cowboys –Video

http://www.rams-news.com/jim-thomas-rams-update-sept-2-radio-interview/%5D Jim Thomas Rams’ Update: Sept. 2 –Radio Interview

http://www.rams-news.com/are-the-vikings-and-rams-mirror-images-of-each-other-radio-interview/%5D Are the Vikings and Rams “Mirror Images of Each Other?” –Radio Interview

http://www.rams-news.com/what-case-keenum-brings-to-the-rams-wagoner/%5D What Case Keenum Brings to the Rams –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams waited patiently to make an addition at quarterback after losing starter Sam Bradford for the season. On Monday, they made their move by claiming quarterback Case Keenum off waivers from the Houston Texans.

http://www.rams-news.com/watt-gets-paid-robert-quinns-turn-coming-wagoner/%5D Watt gets paid, Robert Quinn’s turn coming –Wagoner
They were selected three spots apart in the 2011 NFL draft. In the time since, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn have developed into two of the league’s most dominant defensive players, regardless of position.

http://www.rams-news.com/morning-ram-blings-telling-qb-stats/%5D Morning Ram-blings: Telling QB stats
Good morning, all. Hope everyone enjoyed a nice extended weekend. Let’s start the day with something a little different.

http://www.rams-news.com/2014-predictions-st-louis-rams/%5D 2014 Predictions: St. Louis Rams
ESPN.com St. Louis Rams reporter Nick Wagoner makes his game-by-game picks for the 2014 season.

http://www.rams-news.com/power-rankings-no-24-st-louis-rams-espn/%5D Power Rankings: No. 24 St. Louis Rams –ESPN
It’s that time of year again where the ESPN Power Rankings become a weekly staple.

http://www.rams-news.com/don-banks-si-coms-2014-nfl-preview-st-louis-rams-video/%5D Don Banks SI.com’s 2014 NFL preview: St. Louis Rams –Video

http://www.rams-news.com/notables-and-predictions-for-rams-in-2014-gray/%5D Notables and Predictions for Rams in 2014 –Gray
Oftentimes, people focus on specific St. Louis Rams opponents in attempting to diagnose the most difficult portion of the schedule. And while there is certainly some merit in doing so, each and every year teams that are expected to flourish eventually fail and clubs expected to flounder take flight.

http://www.rams-news.com/burwell-what-does-sams-future-hold-video/%5D Burwell: What Does Sam’s Future Hold? –Video

http://www.rams-news.com/wagoners-2014-predictions-st-louis-rams-video/%5D Wagoner’s 2014 Predictions: St. Louis Rams –Video

http://www.rams-news.com/why-nfc-west-is-best-in-the-nfl-video/%5D Why NFC West is Best in the NFL –Video

What Case Keenum brings to the Rams
By Nick Wagoner and Tania Ganguli

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11204/what-case-keenum-brings-to-the-rams

The St. Louis Rams waited patiently to make an addition at quarterback after losing starter Sam Bradford for the season. On Monday, they made their move by claiming quarterback Case Keenum off waivers from the Houston Texans.

ESPN.com Rams reporter Nick Wagoner and Texans reporter Tania Ganguli discuss what the Rams are getting in Keenum and what Keenum’s role will be in St. Louis.

Wagoner: Tania, I remember chatting with you before the Rams and Texans played last year and you mentioned the local push for hometown favorite Case Keenum to be the starter. Coincidentally, he took over that job after the Rams beat up on the Texans and went on to start eight more games. Now he’s a Ram after they claimed him on waivers Monday afternoon. You saw every one of Keenum’s starts. What are the Rams getting in their new backup quarterback?

Ganguli: They are getting a quarterback who knows what he needs to do but struggles to do it.

Keenum’s remarkable college career made him a lot of fans locally, but he spent all of his rookie year on the Texans’ practice squad before making the roster last season. The Texans’ quarterback situation was incredibly strange last season. By the time Keenum became the starter, the Texans’ season was in such a spiral then-coach Gary Kubiak wanted something to spark his team.

That’s the positive with Keenum. He has moxie (Wade Phillips’ word, and I liked it). He was probably the best natural leader in the Texans’ quarterback room last season. He can lift a team emotionally. The problem is a lot of the rest of the responsibilities. In his early starts, it took opposing defensive coordinators until halftime to decipher Keenum. In his second start, he threw three touchdown passes to Andre Johnson to give the Texans an astonishing 21-3 lead over the Indianapolis Colts at halftime. They lost that game 27-24. By his later starts, opponents had enough film to shut him down from the start.

His main issue is handling pressure. His first instinct is to run away from it. He went backward for sacks more than any other quarterback in the NFL last season. In college he was very successful improvising and using his legs, but he hasn’t adjusted to the idea that it doesn’t work the same way in the pros. Don’t get me wrong — every so often his improvisation led to a terrific play. He just expects it too often.

He doesn’t have trouble reading defenses; he has trouble reacting and making the right decisions once he has. A few times last season, a dejected Keenum noted that he knew what he was supposed to do, he just didn’t think to do it in time. His internal clock also needs work and he holds on to the ball too long when he tries to make plays.

Keenum’s fan base in Houston still exists, though it has begun to acknowledge that he’s struggled. The Rams’ situation is an interesting one for him, with starter Sam Bradford out with a torn ACL. What kind of situation do you see this being for him?

NW: The Rams mean it when they say they are committed to Shaun Hill as the starter. I think it would take something pretty drastic in terms of his performance or an injury for that to change. That means Keenum is coming in to serve in a backup role behind Hill. The Rams are keeping Austin Davis on the roster as well, bringing the total quarterbacks on the 53 to three. Davis has been around for three years and knows the system, so there’s no reason to rush Keenum into trying to become the primary backup right away. After Keenum settles in, perhaps he pushes Davis for the No. 2 job behind Hill. But that’s unlikely to happen right away. The Rams don’t view Keenum as any sort of long-term replacement for Bradford, but they’d certainly welcome a young quarterback who could provide some depth beyond just this season.

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