Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Brown, Kupp … expectations for the offense
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May 28, 2018 at 10:33 am #86689
znModeratorJamon Brown Enjoying Continuity on Offensive Line
Myles Simmons
Offensive lineman Jamon Brown is beginning his fourth season as a pro. But this is the first time he’s experienced would can be considered an average offseason.
Brown was a third-round pick out of Louisville in 2015. The Rams moved back to Southern California in 2016. And last year, the club adjusted to a coaching change.
Now the franchise is settled in one spot and McVay led the club to a playoff appearance. That stability has had a positive effect.
“It was a little different offseason because we actually went into the playoffs last year, but it was definitely a first look at a normal offseason — to where we don’t have coaching changes, where we don’t have moves,” Brown said this week. “I think that helps a lot of us to be able to just grind and focus on the craft and focus on what we’re trying to get done.”
And going to the playoffs as Los Angeles did in 2017 has increased the confidence within the club.
“What we did last year is, obviously, turned the corner or make the step in the right direction,” Brown said. “Obviously, we can’t hang our hats on what happened last year because last year was last year. But with that being said I think we can have some sort of confidence, some sort of swag because of the fact that we did do that last year and kind of hang our hats on that confidently. Like that was us, that’s what we did, we can build off that and know that we can just be ten times better than that.”
Plus, there’s something to be said for the continuity that comes with having success.
“I think that plays a lot into it, being confident and comfortable,” Brown said. “Everybody is coming back, we are running some of the same things that we did last year — don’t have to worry about the new systems or the new things that come with a new system. We kind of have that level of comfort to where we’ve been here before, we know some of the this. We hear something and it’s like, ‘Oh, we remember this from last year.’ You’re just picking back up on it.”
For players like Brown and veteran offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, having all five starting limen from 2017 back in the fold is hugely important in those same areas. And that, according to Saffold, leads to even more improvement in a period like OTAs.
“We’ve had people that are already shown extreme improvement — Jamon Brown, Rob [Havenstein],” Saffold said. “Just a bunch of the young guys in our line alone have been doing tremendous since coming back for their second year under McVay.”
May 28, 2018 at 10:33 am #86690znModeratorRams Offense Gets Off to Hot Start at OTAs
Myles Simmons
If there was one consistent storyline throughout the first week of Rams OTAs, it was how sharp and crisp the offense looked.
It was clear on the first day, when quarterback Jared Goff made accurate pass after accurate pass — wowing his coaches and teammates in the process.
Goff said himself he thought Monday was “a great first day.” But then that continued throughout the week.
There’s clearly a lot of continuity on the offensive unit, from personnel to the playbook. And that allowed Los Angeles’ players to get together during the offseason to perfect the system on their own.
“I think having come back, having run this offense before, and a lot of the same guys are around, a lot of guys that were here this offseason being able to just be together on our own and go through this stuff,” wide receiver Cooper Kupp said.
The second-year wideout added the players’ mindset was to get to OTAs and see how crisp the offense could be, truly hitting the ground running.
“Our expectations are high and so it’s great to be able to look good out here right now but, when we go back in the meeting room and we’re watching film there is a lot of stuff to correct, a lot of stuff that isn’t up to our standards,” Kupp said. “So, just continuing to correct that throughout the OTAs is going to be huge for us.”
Part of the reason the Rams were able to get together so often in the offseason is because of the franchise’s location.
“Being in L.A. we have the luxury of most guys come here to train anyways, so most of our guys were sticking around here,” Kupp said. “I got to see 10, 15 guys on the offensive side of the ball just about every single day just through training or on our own just going out and throwing. Even if it was just for two days a week, being able to get out there and go through our verbiage, our routes, and just continue to build that chemistry and timing — that’s a big deal when you talk about a whole offseason, four months or so, where you really don’t have anything. That was a big luxury for us.”
That work is starting to pay dividends, and that should continue through the rest of Phase III and into training camp. Effectively, the Rams’ offensive personnel feels like the club has been able to pick up right where it left off in 2017.
“Obviously, getting back out here for the first time you gotta brush some things off,” offensive lineman Jamon Brown said. “But from an offensive standpoint, it does feel like we’re in better spot. We are picking up from where we left off last year. I think that’s our goal and that’s what we’re trying to do and I think we’re getting it done. Just got to keep it going.”
May 28, 2018 at 10:35 am #86693znModeratorIn Year 2 Under McVay, Kupp Has High Expectations for Offense
Kristen Lago
For Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, things look a lot different entering 2018 OTAs than they did last year. No longer is he a rookie tasked with learning a new offense, trying to carve out a role for himself on the unit.
Instead, he comes into this season alongside many of the same players he shared success with in 2017, trying to perfect the nuances of the system instead of fully implementing them.
“I think having come back, having run this offense before, and a lot of the same guys are around, coming into OTAs it’s like let’s not miss a beat,” Kupp said recently. “Let’s hit the ground running.”
And after three OTAs, the offense has been doing just that, appearing very sharp on the field even in a limited time frame. Fewer passes have been dropped, more deep balls have been completed, and more intricate play
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calls are being tested out.“Our expectations are high and so it’s great to be able to look good out here right now but, when we go back in the meeting room and we’re watching film there is a lot of stuff to correct, a lot of stuff that isn’t up to our standards,” Kupp admitted. “So, continuing to correct that throughout the OTAs is going to be huge for us.”
Kupp believes the reason for the immense progress early on lies in the fact that many of the skill players were able to get together during the offseason — meeting to work on throwing and route-running drills on their own time.
“Being in L.A. we have the luxury of guys com[ing] here to train anyways, so most of our guys were sticking around,” he said. “I got to see 10, 15 guys on the offensive side of the ball just about every single day through training or on our own.”
“Even if it was just for two days a week, being able to get out there and go through our verbiage, our routes, and just continue to build that chemistry and timing — that’s a big deal,” Kupp continued. “That was a big luxury for us.”
Kupp is hopeful that the bond forged throughout the offseason will continue to carry over into OTAs, minicamp, and eventually training camp. Before the regular season kicks off in August, the Eastern Washington product would like to see the offense build up their timing and mastery of the system.
And while he was quick to admit that “much of football is imperfect,” he does believe these OTAs represent a
chance for the unit to become even more potent — able to anticipate and adapt at the line of scrimmage.
“In this offense, if you have guys that understand that, know the responsibilities of the entire offense, you can be really efficient by being able to play off each other,” he said. “I think that’s a big thing that by the time OTAs get done, [we should] really be able to feel that from the O-line, to the tight ends, to the receiving room, to the backs — across the board that we’re one team and one unit out there.”
“Being able to play as 11, but being able to look like one solid unit. I think that will be good coming out of OTAs and moving into training camp, just continue to grow in that,” Kupp finished.
And that goal will only be pushed forward considering the top-tier talent the offense will get to go up against on its own practice field.
“I think that’s a huge thing for us is just being able to get those reps, and go against some really good football players,” Kupp said. “I think as an offense and speaking for the offensive side of the ball, we’re going to be so much better just because of the guys we get to go against every single day. We have a pretty neat opportunity there.”
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