Cosell on Rams/Seattle and one more Cosell

Agamemnon wrote:

Cosell starts at ~3:00.

Segment 2 – Greg Cosell 9/18/15
Friday, September 18, 2015 12:20 PM

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http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLc…sive-Front-Arguably-the-Best-in-Football.aspx

note: edited by me a couple of times because the site’s official transcript makes some mistakes

James Laurinaitis is criticized by fans or whatever reason. What do you think about him?

“I think he’s a solid NFL middle linebacker. He’s not more or he’s not less. He’s not below average. He’s a good player. He’s a solid player. I think if you had to replace him…then you have to replace him with someone who’s better.”

On Nick Foles:

“I thought the Rams had a really good feel for what they were going to see from the Seahawks defense. I thought the Rams were really effective attacking it and breaking it down. I thought the Rams had a really good feel. And the defense is not as good talent-wise.”

How would you compare Foles to Sam Bradford?

“He’s not as good a thrower as Bradford. That’s a hard question to answer. Because Bradford ability wise is…better than Foles. But he hasn’t played very much.”

On Foles and his intangibles and receivers really talking him up:

“I can’t answer that. I can only tell you that in Philly you heard the opposite. In fact, that was one reason the coaching staff didn’t love him in Philly. I think that very often coaches and players are not going to rip their present players. So that’s a hard question to answer.”

How will Todd Gurley give this team a different wrinkle when he debuts?

“It’s not a matter of giving them a different wrinkle. He has a great skill set. They want to be built on the run game. Todd Gurley ability wise is a high-level back. That’s why they drafted him.”

Can you see this offense being good with a healthy Gurley and Tre Mason?

“Yeah, could be. I think they clearly tried to get Tavon Austin involved in a variety of ways. That becomes the wrinkle. If Gurley is healthy, he becomes the staple.”

On the young offensive line vs. Seahawks:

“I thought for the most part they were OK. They were a little uneven. I thought (Rob) Havenstein had his welcome to the NFL moments. For the most part the line held up against a good defensive line. The line did not prevent the Rams from doing what they wanted to do offensively. Granted they want to get more production from their running game.”

On second-year left tackle Greg Robinson:

“I don’t think he’s played well to this point. I thought he really had a tough preseason. For a guy who has measurables, he does not play to those measurables. The measurables suggest he should be more athletic than he plays. He really has a hard time in pass protection still. When you’re going to play really quality pass rushers, I think he’s a concern.”

How do you think the defensive line played against Seattle?

“They physically man-handled the Seahawks. We know Aaron Donald is terrific. I think Michael Brockers was sensational on Sunday. Their defensive front is arguably the best in football.”

On the secondary:

“It’s tough (to grade the secondary based on how they played) against Seattle. The Seahawks might have the most remedial passing game in the NFL. (The secondary) played well but you don’t want to use how they played against Seattle (as a measuring stick). The focus will be on how the secondary plays all season long.”

On game plan vs. Redskins:

“(Kirk) Cousins is a limited passer, they don’t have a vertical threat. They’ll take a few shot plays…and you can’t give up big plays when they do that. And you have to defend the run game. And they were effective running last week in both base personnel and in three wide-receiver sets.”

On how the Cardinals look so far:

“I really like their offense. (Head coach Bruce) Arians really does a good job. They have nice route concepts, nice combinations. Palmer never seems to get his due or credit. He’s a very good passer. He can make every throw. They are arguably the most complete team in the division.”