Donald in the first 4 games

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  • #90842
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Aaron Donald unhappy with Week 1 performance

    http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/281815/aaron-donald-unhappy-with-week-1-performance

    THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Aaron Donald played in the season opener with peace of mind. With a six-year, $135 million extension in hand, the Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle didn’t have to worry about his future.

    But even Donald’s newfound security couldn’t provide him with a sense of satisfaction after a victory over the Oakland Raiders.

    Donald expressed disappointment in his performance after Monday night’s game, and the feeling lingered on Thursday.

    “I could have played better,” Donald said. “I’m gonna always be my worst critique — that’s just about trying to push myself to get myself better.”

    Against the Raiders, Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finished with a lone tackle.

    “I feel the way he did, somewhat,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said, adding, “I want him to do better, he wants to do better, but he’s still a great football player.”

    The Rams (1-0) play the Arizona Cardinals (0-1) in an NFC West matchup on Sunday at the Coliseum. The Cardinals feature running back David Johnson, who recently signed a three-year, $39 million extension, and quarterback Sam Bradford, Donald’s teammate in St. Louis in 2014.

    “He’s a good quarterback,” Donald said. “If you don’t get to him and he’s back there, comfortable, it’s a long day for us, so our job as a front is to get him to the ground and get some hits on him and try to make him uncomfortable back there.”

    In their season debut, the Rams’ defensive line — featuring Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers — had a difficult time getting to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who often hurried to get the ball off.

    “They had a good scheme against us, trying to get the ball out pretty quickly,” said Suh, who finished with four tackles and a quarterback hit. “A lot of checkdowns and whatnot, so they didn’t want us to get us started.”

    The defense allowed 13 points in the first half, including a 10-yard run by Marshawn Lynch for a touchdown in which Lynch practically carried the Rams’ defense across the goal line. The defense posted a shutout in the second half.

    Scheme and game plan aside, Donald said he could have done more. He nearly recorded a sack in the first quarter, if not for a penalty. Donald made easy work of All-Pro left guard Kelechi Osemele, but he started to fall as he got to Carr. Donald hit the quarterback low and was penalized for roughing the passer.

    “He made a lot of disruptions, but he is the type of guy who wants to make those sacks and tackles for losses and ultimately dominate the game,” said Brockers, who had five tackles and a sack.

    “It was just more, you know, I just have to rush better and do things better,” Donald said. “I’m second-guessing myself on certain things.”

    After holding out of training camp for a second consecutive season, Donald reported 10 days before the opener. He participated in six practices, then played in 89 percent of the snaps (62) — more than any other lineman — against the Raiders. He also played four snaps on special teams.

    Donald’s physical condition was fine, he said. After all, he experienced a similar situation last season.

    After holding out of training camp a year ago, Donald reported on the eve of the opener. He was activated in Week 2 and played 55 total snaps in a loss to the Washington Redskins. After that game, Donald said he was not in football shape.

    This time around, he was prepared.

    “I knew what to expect,” Donald said. “Just trained a little different, was able to do certain things, felt a lot better last week than I did the first game when I came back — a whole lot better. But I still feel like I could have gave more.”

    Donald said he was uncertain if the Cardinals would employ the same game plan as the Raiders and encourage Bradford to get the ball off as quickly as possible.

    “I hope not,” Donald said. “But we going to see.”

    Regardless, it’s unlikely Donald would be content with subpar performances in consecutive wee

    #90843
    Avatar photonittany ram
    Moderator

    Donald is unhappy with his performance last week?

    I feel sorry for whoever lines up over him this week.

    #90844
    JackPMiller
    Participant

    Aaron Donald fined more than $20,000 for roughing the passer

    Aaron Donald fined more than $20,000 for roughing the passer
    Posted by Mike Florio
    September 14, 2018, 5:16 PM EDT

    The Rams paid defensive tackle Aaron Donald many millions to show up for Week One. He’ll be giving up more than $20,000 of that amount as a result of one specific play in his return to action.

    That’s a fair trade.

    Per the NFL, Donald was fined $20,054 for roughing the passer during Monday night’s game at Oakland. Donald hit quarterback Derek Carr low while sacking him.

    The penalty also wiped out Donald’s sack of Carr, leaving Donald with a stat line of only one tackle for the game. Still, his value often comes not from his production but from his presence. He disrupts the interior of the offensive line and he makes it easier for teammates to swarm to the ball due to the extra attention he receives.

    Michael Brockers registered one sack during the game, but the Rams also intercepted Carr three times in the 33-13 win.

    #91493
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Despite having zero sacks, there’s no reason to panic about Aaron Donald

    Cameron DaSilva

    Despite having zero sacks, there's no reason to panic about Aaron Donald

    Through three games this season, Aaron Donald has been held without a sack and has only seven total tackles. The Rams as a team have just four total sacks despite fielding arguably the best defensive line in football.

    After signing that massive $135 million contract, it’s definitely time to panic with Donald, right? He’s obviously no longer working as hard and isn’t the same player he was before getting that massive payday. Those are the thoughts some fans are having right now and they’re completely off base.

    Donald may not have a sack yet, but he’s not far behind 2017’s pace at this point in the season. Through three games (four weeks) last year, Donald had just one sack and seven tackles. He went on to tie a career high with 11 sacks in only 14 games.

    R-E-L-A-X

    Donald is still pressuring quarterbacks at a very high rate, generating 15 pressures in three games. that’s an average of five per game, which is slightly behind 2017’s pace (6.5 per game) but still ranks among the league’s best interior defenders.

    Donald is going to get his sacks, he’s going to constantly pressure quarterbacks and he’ll finish among the league leaders in tackles for loss. There’s no reason to panic about his lack of production through three weeks. He’s drawn plenty of holding penalties and consistently pushes linemen back into the quarterback, like on this play.

    Donald hasn’t suddenly become a shell of himself after signing that record-setting extension. He’s still the same player he always was and is working just as hard as he always has. He’s just being held fairly often and hasn’t nabbed that first quarterback takedown. But once the first sack comes, more should follow in droves.

    #91495
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    again. not that pff matters much. but he’s still the third highest rated defender overall and the second highest rated defensive lineman.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
    #91527
    Herzog
    Participant

    2nd and 3rd is low for him. That’s how good he is.

    #91625
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    oh. i should have posted here. he’s number one again. where he should be.

    #91628
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    oh. i should have posted here. he’s number one again. where he should be.

    Actually that’s easy to do and I wouldn’t mind if you did it cause I like collecting the stuff on a guy in one accessible place.

    All you do is copy the other post and then post it here.

    Deal?

    #91661
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    #91671
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    #91717
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    max

    What Bill Walsh said 35 years ago is still valid today…

    Bill Walsh often said, “The most important thing in football is a fourth-quarter pass rush.”

    At the highest level, when 2 elite offense are on the field, That is the only way to truly differentiate yourself from your opponent.

    Rewatching the coaches film, I saw Donald play very relaxed in the first quarter on many plays. Then late in the game you could see a dramatic difference in his approach. Those late sacks were not random, they were intentionally the result of him knowing it was time. The Vikings knew it too, and that’s what makes Donald great. The great one make those plays in those situations. Alan Page, Reggie White, Joe Greene, I saw them all do it. That’s what a great inside pass rusher is capable of doing. They change the game more than any other player late in the game.

    Goff was great, but still there was another QB on the other side who was good enough to at least tie the game if not for the pass rush late in the game. And there are plenty of QBs in the same class. There are no DTs in the class of Donald.

    This is the thing that differentiates football from the other major teams sports. Offensive pyrotechnics are so much fun, but when you’ve got a guy like Donald who can dominate late in the 4th quarter you’ve got the X factor. When you need one stop on a late drive, there is no greater factor than an elite DT. There’s a reason they are so rare, it’s the most difficult thing to do in football, dominate from the inside. It is more difficult to do than play QB at a high level now, and maybe ever. QBs can escape a edge rusher coming from one side. There is no escape from a guy in your face.

    I love our offense, but Donald is the edge that has me believing we will win the SB.

    #91721
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    Deal?

    aaron donald is back to being rated the number one dlineman according to pff.

    next up is seattle. and you know he loves playing seattle! i hope he goes off!

    i keep saying it. but i think donald is the one true transcendent player on this rams team. there are some other candidates. but i feel like this guy has already proven it to be true in the short time he’s played. he’s that good. i don’t know if i’ve seen a dlineman with his combination of strength, speed, and explosion. and it’s not just strength. like his legs are strong. or his chest. or his arms. and he is strong in those areas. but even his fingers are strong. insanely strong. if he gets his hands on you it’s over. you’re done. easily the best dlineman i’ve seen on the rams. but my fandom only goes back to 95.

    but that’s also the reason why i want to see the defense do so well. moreso than the offense. it’s not just enough. for me at least. for donald to be merely a great player on a great team. i want donald to be on a great team with a great defense. or he could be like a reggie white. a team known for its offense with him being a singular larger than life figure on defense. but really. i want him to be on a defense that people write about decades from now.

    anyway. i’m rambling…

    #91726
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    zn wrote:
    Deal?

    aaron donald is back to being rated the number one dlineman according to pff.

    Thank you!

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