as we prepare for the post-bye era: reporters preview the BROWNS game

Without playing, bye week was good to the Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22634/without-playing-bye-week-was-good-to-the-rams

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams were in the midst of four days off Sunday as most of the rest of the NFL was in action. On Monday morning, there was no kvetching about a loss or celebrating a win.

Instead, the Rams and their fans were able to kick back and watch as the NFC West took another step toward forming its 2015 personality. For a division that’s been one of the league’s best over the past few years, it hasn’t looked the part much this season and certainly didn’t on Sunday.

So while the Rams remain 2-3 as they prepare to return to action this week against Cleveland, they actually gained ground in the division on a crazy football Sunday.

Here’s a quick run through the happenings in the NFC West and where the Rams stand coming out of the bye:

The division-leading Arizona Cardinals have looked like world-beaters in four blowout wins this year. Save for a loss to the Rams, the Cardinals appeared nearly invincible — until Sunday’s trip to Pittsburgh. Despite another big offensive performance, the Cardinals were plagued by the same things that hurt them against the Rams in a 25-13 loss to the Steelers. Pittsburgh rushed for 142 yards in the second half (sound familiar?), the Cardinals couldn’t finish drives with touchdowns and had some costly turnovers.

Practice Report 10/21: Gurley’s Prep for Cleveland

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1021-Gurleys-Prep-for-Cleveland/b246ea98-aa75-4111-9c0a-aa41c66425e2

The Rams have started to establish their identity on offense, and it’s one that clearly starts with the run game.

With running back Todd Gurley rushing for 305 yards over his last two games — 146 against Arizona and 159 against Green Bay — the offense has certainly done well to open up holes for him. The running back, however, did admit Wednesday he didn’t necessarily realize he’d taken so many carries up at Lambeau Field. That is, until he did.

“I looked up at the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter and I was at 25 and was like, ‘dang, it didn’t really feel like it.’ Then once I said that, I started to get a little tired,” Gurley said with a laugh. “I’ll try not to jinx myself next time.”

After that game, Gurley said he was able to utilize the bye week well in order to get fresh for Cleveland.

“Came back and felt good,” Gurley said. “Had a good practice yesterday and today. Definitely a good couple days off.”

The rookie went back to Georgia to watch the Bulldogs beat Mizzou and enjoyed his time at the old stomping grounds. In a way, going back and watching the game accentuates the differences between the college game and the pros.

“[Players are] bigger, stronger,” Gurley said, adding that there’s a level playing field. “Everybody is the same speed or even faster. Guys react a lot faster — they know their stuff.”

And that’s the case with this week’s opponent, Cleveland. Though the Browns rank No. 30 in overall defense and No. 32 against the run, players and coaches alike quelled the notion Cleveland is a pushover.

“They’ve got a good combination of experience on the defense and some youth on the defense,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “They drafted well. Big man from Washington [DT Danny Shelton] is a load. Inside, he’s a penetrator. He’s going to be a tough match-up for our interior three.”

“They’re very well coached, excellent players,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. “You look at them on the back end, they have proven players — three ex pro bowlers. Excellent front seven, athletic, can run, play hard, well-coached.”

Gurley himself said Cleveland’s defense has played better than its ranking.

“Those things sound good, but at the end of the day, when Sunday hits and you get on the field it’s all about executing and not letting that man across from you beat you,” Gurley said. “Those guys can come Sunday and play like the No. 1 defense. Those guys had a great game against the Broncos, so I never look at the ranks.”

Still, as Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine said on Wednesday, Sunday’s matchup will pit one team’s weakness against another team’s strength.

“What it comes down to is the fundamental stuff,” Pettine said of the Browns’ run defense. “It’s something we’re well aware of and we know that — by far — this is our biggest challenge of the year to stop the run.”

As the Rams continue to establish their strong ground attack, Gurley realizes the likely consequence is facing more defenses with a safety in the box. But that’s no matter to him.

“That just leaves room for the receivers,” Gurley said. “As long as we win, I’m not complaining.”

But Gurley’s two road performances provides a lift not only for the running back, but also the offensive linemen.

“When you run the ball how we’ve run the ball, you become confident in what you do,” offensive guard Jamon Brown said. “Obviously, there’s still things we can do better and constantly try to work on those things day in, day out. We are confident with the things we’ve done to this point.”

“I’m definitely confident in myself and know what I’m capable of,” Gurley said. “But those guys up front have done a great job putting in extra work every day at practice. So we know what we’re capable of.”

INJURY REPORT

The Rams had one of their longest injury reports of the season on Wednesday with a number of players sitting out.

Wide receiver Tavon Austin (knee), tight end Lance Kendricks (hand), defensive end Chris Long (knee), running back Tre Mason (ankle), and defensive end Robert Quinn (knee) all did not participate.

“Tre’s got a little ankle going. He didn’t practice today,” Fisher said. “Tavon did not practice with a little hamstring. Rob didn’t practice with the knee. We had a couple other guys that we rested.”

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion) participated on a limited basis.

Also, while he’s listed on the injury report because he remains on the active roster, linebacker Alec Ogletree (DNP, ankle) will be out this week.

CONSISTENCY OUTSIDE THE DIVISION

Though the Rams have played only five games, the club has played better inside the division than they have outside of it. Fisher has often said the team is built to compete and win within the NFC West. While there may not be a specific factor the team can put its finger on so far, St. Louis will need to to improve its consistency no matter the opponent in order to achieve its goal of playing football after Week 17.

“I don’t think there’s anything there,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “We just didn’t execute well in those games. Defense gave us opportunities to win the games we lost. We’ve just got to put more points on the board and stop hurting ourselves, really.”

And while the defense may have looked solid up at Lambeau Field on Oct. 11, linebacker James Laurinaitis viewed the game differently.

“Every Sunday, our goal is to be the best defense on the field. You look at last week and a lot of people, I feel, said, ‘Gosh the defense played good against Green Bay.’ I don’t see it that way,” Laurinaitis said. “They forced four takeaways, scored on one of them, we only had three and we didn’t score. That’s a big difference there.”

“If we get to work with six points, we hold them to three and we go on,” Laurinaitis continued. “If we can have that mindset — because we have that talent — then we’ll start to elevate our game.”

Gurley not taking favorable matchup for granted

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22726/rams-todd-gurley-not-taking-favorable-matchup-for-granted

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Despite what the numbers say about the Cleveland Browns’ inability to stop the run so far this season, the St. Louis Rams and dynamic rookie running back Todd Gurley are taking nothing for granted as they head toward Sunday’s matchup.

“Yeah, those things sound good but the end of the day when Sunday hits and we get on the field, it’s all about executing and not letting that man across from you beat you,” Gurley said. “Those guys could come Sunday and play like the No. 1 defense. I never really look at the rankings.”

That’s probably a good thing, because if Gurley did pore over this week’s stats, he might find himself salivating over the opportunity ahead.

On paper, there’s no denying that Gurley appears headed for a big game, bigger even than his past two outings in which he’s rushed for an average of 152.5 yards. Cleveland’s defense enters the game allowing 149.8 yards per game on the ground, last in the NFL. It’s a group that’s also yielding 5 yards per carry, which ranks 31st in the league.

So the easy conclusion to draw would be that Gurley should be able to shred Cleveland’s defense and pile up big numbers, right? Well, according to Rams coach Jeff Fisher, the film doesn’t show a run defense that’s consistently giving up chunks of yards so much as one that will play the run well for long periods of time before getting burned by a longer run.

“They’ll be good 19 times out of 20,” Fisher said. “Then, the last, the twentieth attempt will go for 40 (yards). So, that’s how it’s gone against them. So, I mean, I think that’s deceiving.”

The statistics show there is something to what Fisher is saying. In six games, the Browns have allowed a whopping 23 runs of 10 yards or more (tied for second most in the NFL) and eight carries of 20 or more yards (also tied for second most in the league) for an average of 31.75 yards per carry. All of that for a team that has been run on a league-high 181 times.

In other words, the Browns give up a carry of 20 or more yards roughly once every 22 attempts and a rush for 10 or more yards once every eight tries. Take away the 20-plus yard carries and Cleveland is giving up 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground.

“They’re a talented defense,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “It’s a ranking. Any given Sunday you never know what you’re going to get. Those guys fly around and they do a really good job. We know that they’re going to come in here ready to go. They had a tough loss against Denver last week, so I know they feel good about the team they have and that they’ve had a couple close losses. That’s a ranking to me. They’re going to be ready to go.”

Though it is just a ranking, Gurley’s early tendency has been to earn a big chunk of his rushing yards on exactly the types of big runs that Cleveland has been prone to allow. He has five runs of 20 or more yards so far this season, which ties him for second-most in the NFL. Those have gone for a total of 180 yards, the highest total in the league on such runs.

From the Rams’ perspective, though they would love to see those explosive runs continue, they would also like to find traction on the ground earlier in games. In his three outings, Gurley is averaging 2.2 yards per carry in the first quarter and 3.3 in the second before having a big second half. Cleveland has actually been at its best stopping the run in the first quarter and struggled the most in the second and third.

“Well, you’d like to think as you game-plan, there are things that could give you an advantage,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. “But, once again, this is the National Football League. Every Sunday is a challenge. They’re an excellent defense. We’re going to prepare. We’re going to come out here and have great practices, give ourselves a chance to be successful.”

Another thing working to the Rams’ advantage is Cleveland’s base 3-4 defense. St. Louis has seen a steady diet of odd-man fronts in Pittsburgh, Arizona and Green Bay over its past three games. In those games, Gurley didn’t see a lot of eight-man boxes designed to stop the run, but now that he’s had some success he should expect to see more of it moving forward, especially until the passing game proves it can take advantage.

Which is why it might also be worth keeping an eye on Gurley in the passing game this week. Gurley is a regular on the JUGS machine, and though his matchup on the ground looks favorable, the numbers quietly favor him through the air as well.

Cleveland is allowing 11.23 yards per catch to running backs, which ranks second-to-last in the NFL. Gurley hasn’t yet had much of a chance to show off his receiving skills (three catches for 20 yards) but this game could offer a first real look at his versatility.

“That’s why I’m out there every day (catching passes after practice),” Gurley said. “When the time comes, the time comes.”

The time could be Sunday.

Rams must solve riddle of unfamiliar opponents

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22733/rams-must-solve-riddle-of-unfamiliar-opponents

EARTH CITY, Mo. — To be sure, the St. Louis Rams’ record since Jeff Fisher arrived as head coach in 2012 is below average.

The Rams have yet to reach even a .500 record under Fisher, let alone find themselves in the mix for a playoff spot. But there’s also been a noticeable trend when it comes to how they perform against NFC West opponents and those from the league’s seven other divisions. Familiarity has bred more success when playing Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco than it has when facing an unfamiliar opponent.

When facing NFC West teams under Fisher, the Rams are 9-10-1, a winning percentage of .475. Against teams from the other seven divisions the Rams are 13-20, a winning percentage of .394. Taking a deeper dive, the only AFC division Fisher’s Rams has a winning record against — we won’t count the North, as they’ve only played one game against that division since 2012 — is the AFC South.

That should be no surprise, given Fisher’s familiarity with Jacksonville, Houston and Indianapolis from his time in Tennessee. Coincidentally, the only game the Rams lost when playing that division was the team Fisher knows best, the Titans. Of course, the Titans are also the team that knows Fisher the best.

Fisher’s Rams are 1-6 against the NFC North and 2-5 against the NFC East. They have, however, had some success against the NFC South with a 4-2 record.

The difference in-division vs. out is substantial enough for the Rams to take notice as they prepare to play this week’s opponent, the Cleveland Browns, for the first time under Fisher.

“I mean, the players understand the difference between the unfamiliar opponent vs. the familiar opponent and the extra time that’s involved,” Fisher said. “So they’re going to have to put the extra time in.”

By extra time, Fisher is referring to the game preparation that goes into facing an unfamiliar team.

When preparing for a Seattle or Arizona, most Rams can lean on the knowledge they’ve gained from previous meetings. They know tendencies of the teams and even individual players. So when they sit down to study film, they look for new wrinkles, but they have a pretty good working knowledge of what an opponent will do schematically.

For example, Seattle will probably play a lot of Cover 3 on defense and run a lot of outside zone rushing plays on offense. While that knowledge works both ways, it makes for less guesswork when it comes to preparation.

When a team like Cleveland comes to town, it can be easy to look at its 2-4 record and see a possible pushover, but the unknown aspect of what the Browns do means longer days in meeting rooms and watching film, especially for the coaching staff.

“It feels like there’s a lot that are 2-3, 3-2 right now and are still trying to find their identity and really just looking to stack games and get on a roll,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “You can either stack games and get on a roll or lose multiple games and start to sink. I really feel we are at a breaking point right now where we are at one of those moments — let’s go out there, get our stuff together, let’s play good, consistent football and see if we can stack a couple together. It starts week by week. I’m sure Cleveland is saying the exact same thing. That’s the reality of the state of both teams and it’s going to be a good matchup on Sunday.”

As the Rams prepare for Cleveland on Sunday, they at least have a few things working in their favor, things that mean there is no excuse for not being prepared to play the Browns.

First, the Rams are coming off their bye week, which means they had an extra week to pore over the tape and put together a solid game plan.

“What was unique for what we were doing is that our new schedule kind of fits very well with the bye-week schedule,” Fisher said. “We’re just doing the same things. Now coaches have had a lot of extra time, a lot more time from a game planning standpoint. But no, we’re not changing anything this week.”

The Rams also will be seeing a base 3-4 defense for the fourth consecutive game and while Cleveland runs that defense a bit different from the game-heavy Packers, for example, it’s still beneficial for the offense.

“It helps with different protections you’ve seen we’ve run,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “Just calls up front. Recognizing what they’re doing with their ‘backers and everything. Just going against that, we have some reps against it, so that will help us. At the same time, every week a team is going to show you something different that they haven’t shown before, so we’ve just got to be prepared for that.”

So far this season the Rams are 2-0 against NFC West foes and 0-3 in games against opponents from the AFC North, NFC East and NFC North. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but considering that an NFL schedule is comprised of 10 games against non-division opponents, it’s a coincidence that must come to an end if the Rams are going to make a push in 2015.

“I don’t think there’s anything there,” Foles said. “We just didn’t execute well in those games. Defense gave us opportunities to win the games we lost. We’ve just got to put more points on the board and stop hurting ourselves, really.”

Practice Report 10/23

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1023-Matchup-of-Elites-with-Quinn-Thomas/8e0f724c-3a1b-4565-bde7-04c9050bb910

INJURY REPORT

The Rams had good news along much of the injury front with the final report on Friday.

While Quinn (knee) did not practice earlier in the week, he was a full participant on Friday and is listed as probable. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins has passed the concussion protocol, was a full participant in practice and is also listed as probable.

After sitting out earlier in the week, wide receiver Tavon Austin (thigh) was a limited participant on Friday and is listed as questionable. Tight end Lance Kendricks (hand) similarly did not practice earlier in the week, but was limited on Friday and is questionable.

Running back Tre Mason (ankle) did not practice all week and is questionable.

Chris Long (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday. Alec Ogletree (ankle) remains on the active roster, and has also been declared out.

ROSTER MOVE

With Mason questionable for Sunday, the Rams promoted running back Trey Watts to the active roster from the practice squad and waived safety Christian Bryant.

The Rams signed Watts as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa in 2014, and the running back was a major contributor on special teams last year. Prior to serving a four-game suspension to start the regular season, Watts flashed in the 2015 preseason. He rushed for 98 yards on 24 carries and had eight receptions for 58 yards in the four exhibition matchups.

FILLING IN FOR OGLETREE

The Rams will be without Ogletree for an extended period of time, and on Friday, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said he was pleased with the way St. Louis filled in for the linebacker in Green Bay.

“We managed a lot of different personnel packages and managed a lot of different people through there and it worked out pretty good,” Williams said.

One of the players involved in the process is Mark Barron, who has been utilized both as a safety and linebacker within Williams’ scheme.

“We have 42 ways to add up to 11,” Williams said. “We have 42 packages of defense that we’ll trot 11 guys out there. We play the same kind of a defensive structure, but we have different people playing different spots. He fits in that very well. I’ve been real proud of him, too.”

And with Barron moving primarily to linebacker, Lamarcus Joyner has become all the more entrenched as the team’s nickel corner. Williams said Friday he’s proud of the Florida State product for how far he’s been able to come along over the last year.

“I’m so proud of his adapting to the National Football League and all of the sudden becoming a student of the game,” Williams said, adding he may have been a little hard on the defensive back last year. “He has reacted very well to that type of coaching and mentoring. I’m proud of him. I really am proud of him. He’s played well and he’s vital to our success. He was very vital in this last ball game. And as you guys watch how he played on [Packers wide receiver Randall] Cobb? Wow. That’s a testament to ‘getting it.’”

Will Rams DBs press the issue vs. Cleveland?

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/will-rams-dbs-press-the-issue-vs-cleveland/article_4cc2d42b-4596-5b2c-990a-56fb95edd740.html

Predating even the arrival of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams last season, the sight of Rams cornerbacks playing off coverage on opposing receivers in recent years has frequently driven fans and observers crazy.

The reasoning for the strategy is obvious. With a young secondary, the idea is to keep the play in front of you to avoid the big strike, the quick 60- or 70-yard touchdown pass.

But the more skilled and savvy quarterbacks around the NFL have been able to exploit the soft coverage by simply playing pitch and catch underneath and methodically picking the defense apart.

With that background in mind, it was eye-opening to see the Rams come out Oct. 11 at Lambeau Field and play press coverage against mighty Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Not on every play, mind you, but on the vast majority of plays there was Janoris Jenkins right in Ty Montgomery’s face at the line of scrimmage, or Lamarcus Joyner doing the same with Randall Cobb, or Trumaine Johnson getting face time with James Jones.

They were all trying to contest a free release off the line and disrupt the rhythm of the pass play.

“It worked a lot,” Jenkins said. “We took away some guys that we wanted to take away. Me and Tru, we had to hold up the outside by ourselves. And I feel like we did a pretty good job of that.”

“We were pretty successful,” Joyner said. “We looked at the film and thought that we could have success doing it, so we went with it.”

The Rams had seen enough of Rodgers on film, and in person in recent years, to know that if they sat back in coverage he would dissect them underneath. It would be a slow, painful death.

Coach Jeff Fisher liked what he saw of the press coverage in Green Bay.

“Yes, with the exception of two plays,” Fisher said. “But when you’re playing Aaron, he’s gonna find somebody. We had a slip, and then we had a technique error on the pick (play).”

Joyner slipped in coverage against Jones, with the result being a 65-yard touchdown catch and run. The technique error that Fisher referred to came when Johnson lost inside position, leaving Montgomery free on a 31-yard TD catch.

But those were the only two offensive TDs for Green Bay that day, and most opponents will take that against the Packers’ high-powered offense. Rodgers committed three turnovers and just about every pass he threw was contested.

“That was our philosophy, to go in and challenge them,” Fisher said. “Make them hold the football knowing that the risk, the down side of that, is that once (Rodgers) recognizes that … then he can escape.”

Press coverage can leave mobile quarterbacks with plenty of running room if the QB can escape the pocket. Rodgers ended up leading the Packers in rushing that day, but as Fisher pointed out: “I’d probably rather have Aaron running the football than throwing it.”

The even bigger down side, as evidenced in Green Bay, is that if the receiver escapes press coverage, it can lead to a big play if there’s no help from behind.

“You see how deep we play our safeties?” Williams said. “Deeper than anybody in the National Football League. That’s Rodney (McLeod)’s job and that’s T.J. (McDonald)’s job, whoever it is depending on our press alignments.

“When you press and when you’re very physical with press, you’ve got to have an ‘angel’ back there in the secondary. We call it the angel. The angel player has got to be out there to help you out.”

More specifically, the angel is the deep safety help, usually McLeod at free safety. McLeod took a bad angel, uh, angle, on the Jones TD; otherwise he might have been able to tackle Jones after a moderate gain. For the most part, Williams said McLeod has done “a phenomenal job” of playing the angel.

In a copycat league, Williams said other Packers opponents may try more press coverage given the Rams’ relative success. In fact, he indicated that was the case from San Diego, which played Green Bay last week while the Rams were on their bye.

What about Rams opponents, starting with Cleveland on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome? Should they expect more press from the Rams?

“Yeah, absolutely,” Browns quarterback Josh McCown said. “I think we’ll see press. I think it was effective for them, so we absolutely expect them to press. … We’ll have our hands full with that and what’s expected of us as far as that goes, and trying to get guys open and how disruptive it can be in the passing game.”

Cleveland’s top three wideouts are all smaller, quicker players, so it may be more difficult for Rams cornerbacks to get their hands on them. Travis Benjamin, Andrew Hawkins, and Taylor Gabriel range in height from 5 feet 7 to 5-10 and in weight from 167 pounds to 180. But if you do get your hands on such smaller receivers, you can easily knock them off their routes.

But there’s no guarantee the Rams will stick with the heavy dose of press coverage. That’s because Williams’ game plans tend to change from week to week, from opponent to opponent.

“We pick and choose our times to (play press),” Williams said. “But we’re going to press parts of all ballgames, but some games more than others.”

Ask a cornerback, however, and almost invariably they’ll vote for press coverage.

“That’s what I love,” Jenkins said. “I like zone every now and then, but I like (press) man-to-man because I don’t like to play off that much. That’s just a pitch and catch as you look at the game.

“I hope we play it a whole lot. But at the same time, you’ve got to play within the scheme and stay within the defense. So whatever they call, I’m gonna be ready.”

Rams’ must fare well in red zone to beat Browns

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22702/rams-must-fare-well-in-red-zone-to-beat-browns

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns kick off at 1 p.m. ET Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Here are three things to watch for the Rams to come away with a win:

1. Ruling the red zone: In the Rams’ win against the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season, they were able to hang on for a win largely because of their ability to stand tall when the Cardinals offense got inside their 20. As Arizona settled for field goals, the Rams managed enough touchdown to escape with a victory. In order to beat Cleveland, the Rams will need to continue that ability to limit teams to three points but also get some improvement when they get close to the Browns’ end zone.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Browns have scored a touchdown on just seven of their 19 red zone trips. That’s second-worst in the league and should be a good sign for the bend but don’t break Rams defense.

Josh McCown and the Browns are scoring a touchdown at a rate of about once out of three trips to the red zone. Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
Meanwhile, the Rams haven’t been all that good in their own right when driving deep into opponent territory. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Rams have had just five drives reach goal-to-go situations. On those five trips, they’ve managed only a touchdown and a field goal with quarterback Nick Foles completing none of his five pass attempts with two going for interceptions. It’s been enough of a struggle for the Rams to get down there but when they do, they must start scoring points, particularly touchdowns.

2. Getting after McCown: It’s a known fact that the Rams defensive success relies greatly on getting after all quarterbacks but it might be even more true this week against Cleveland’s Josh McCown, especially on third down. McCown is first in the league in passing yards (616), passer rating (127.6) and completion percentage (71.7 percent) amongst quarterbacks who have started all of his team’s games.

That means McCown has a knack for keeping the Browns on the field even in the face of pressure on third down. But McCown can also be had by the pass rush. Opposing defenses have sacked McCown at least four times in each of Cleveland’s previous four games this season. The Rams are tied for the third-most sacks in the NFL so far this season with 19.

But Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is going to have to pick and choose his spots when it comes to blitzing. The Rams have the third-highest blitz percentage in the NFL at a rate of 42 percent of drop backs. That could be asking for trouble against McCown, who has six touchdowns and only one interception when blitzed so far this season.

Without Chris Long and with Robert Quinn missing time because of a knee issue this week, the onus falls on the front four to generate pressure. The Rams have the talent to do it but will need contributions from backups like William Hayes and Eugene Sims to make it work.

3. Staying on the field: This has been a common refrain in this space this season but it remains a point of contention in the Rams’ plan until they prove they can do it consistently. The Rams average 1.35 points, 4.8 plays and 26 yards per possession, all of which ranks last in the NFL. Simply put, they haven’t been able to sustain drives and thus put points on the board on a regular basis.

Running back Todd Gurley has given them hope of an offensive breakthrough and against Cleveland’s 32nd ranked defense, the matchup appears favorable. However, one way for the Rams to sustain drives is to establish Gurley early. In his three games, he’s averaged just 2 yards per carry in the first quarter and 3.3 in the first half with the bulk of his success coming in the second half.

Getting Gurley rolling early should allow the Rams to establish a much-needed offensive rhythm.

Are the Rams (finally) ready to roll?

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/are-the-rams-finally-ready-to-roll/article_4009e619-7642-5766-bab5-f07e1bce65b2.html

It was duly noted at Rams Park that the NFC West standings have tightened up. Since the last time the Rams played a football game, all three rivals in the West have lost.

Coach Jeff Fisher also pointed out to his players that in seven games over the Rams’ bye weekend, the outcome was decided by a touchdown or less.

The moral of the story?

“Really it’s up for grabs right now,” tight end Cory Harkey said. “So we need to figure out a way to just take it and run with it.”

Funny, there’s about 20 other NFL teams that feel the exact same way. Every year in the league, there are about a half-dozen teams clearly better than everybody else. And maybe a half-dozen team that are clearly worse than everyone else.

And in between — the great middle class. As the NFL enters its seventh week and November beckons, there are a ton of teams hovering around .500, give or take a game or two.

“Just struggling to find their identity, and really just looking to stack games and get on a roll,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “And you can either stack games and get on a roll, or you can lose multiple games and start to sink.”

And so here come the Rams, fresh off their bye week at 2-3, having gone through a crucible of contending teams, high-powered offenses, and marquee quarterbacks.

But their schedule now lightens up noticeably, with their next five opponents a combined 10-20. Six of their next nine contests take place at the Edward Jones Dome, starting with Sunday’s noon kickoff against the Cleveland Browns (2-4).

Stack or sink? What’s it gonna be?

“I really feel we’re at a breaking point right now,” Laurinaitis said. “We’re at one of those moments where it’s let’s go out there, let’s get our stuff together, let’s play good, consistent football and see if we can stack a couple together.”

“Exactly,” Harkey added. “We just need to get one. Put two together. Put three together.”

Combine the more favorable schedule with the fact that the NFC West appears less formidable in 2015, and well, opportunity is knocking. Are the Rams listening? Are they capable of answering the door?

Let’s face it, the Rams have been at similar junctures during the Fisher regime, only to disappoint a fan base aching for a taste of success. What was once referred to as the Lost Decade is now the Lost Decade-Plus.

No playoff berths since the 2004 season. Nary a winning record since 2003. (The Rams last made the postseason as an 8-8 wild card in ’04.)

But now, in Year 4 with Fisher as head coach and Les Snead as general manager, the Rams have to feel like they are capable of making a run in the NFC West, and a run at the postseason.

“I think everybody knows and feels it,” Harkey said.

“I think that’s something we’ve never lost sight of,” tight end Jared Cook said. “That’s something that’s been the goal ever since we stepped on the field during camp. And it’s something that’s gonna continue to be the goal as we take each week head on. And the next team is the Browns.”

Funny thing about the Browns. They’re probably thinking the same thing. They’ve had only one winning record since 2002. Until last season, they had gone six consecutive seasons without winning more than five games.

Under new head coach Mike Pettine, they started 7-4 last season … only to lose their final five contests. This year, three of their four losses have been by seven points or fewer, including last week’s excruciating 26-23 overtime loss to unbeaten Denver.

At face value, they seem oh-so-close to escaping the great middle class, and as Laurinaitis puts it, stacking some wins.

“You can see it falling into place,” Fisher says of the Browns. “This is a legit team that’s playing in a very difficult division and has played three consecutive 3-point games.

“They’ve lost two (of those games) and they won one, so it doesn’t take a lot to convince your team about the opponent that you’re facing.”

Two weeks ago, the Browns rallied from a 21-9 third-quarter deficit to win a 33-30 overtime game at Baltimore. With journeyman quarterback Josh McCown throwing for a franchise-record 457 yards, it marked only the second time the Browns have defeated Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in 15 tries.

It looked very much like one of those launching-pad games but the Browns couldn’t quite pull it off last week against a vulnerable Denver team.

“Knowing some of the guys on their team, they’re fighting to figure out what they are,” Laurinaitis said. “But they’re close. Not too dissimilar from us.”

It would be totally understandable if the Browns viewed the Rams as an inconsistent team that hasn’t been able to get much going on offense, even with rookie running back Todd Gurley bursting onto the scene lately.

Jump out early on the Rams, and things could go Cleveland’s way in a building where there figures to be thousands of empty seats, and thus not much of a home-field advantage.

In fact, the Browns could be viewing the Rams as the easy part of their schedule.

Like many of the Rams, Laurinaitis has been diligently ignoring talk about a softer schedule.

“I’ve been on one of those teams early in my career here where we were the ‘quote-unquote’ easy part of the schedule,” Laurinaitis said. “And New Orleans came to town (in 2011) and we whooped them.

“I’ve been on that side of that. So as a team, we can’t think about, ‘Thank goodness we’re past the tough part of our schedule.’ This is the NFL. Every Sunday’s tough. And from what I’ve seen on film with the Browns, this team, if we don’t bring our ‘A’ game, they will come into town and whoop us.”