print/audio/video extravaganza… sports media sets up the Chiefs game

Rams vs. Chiefs preview
By Adam Teicher and Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/8435/rams-vs-chiefs-preview

The 3-3 Kansas City Chiefs and 2-4 St. Louis Rams, both coming off big divisional victories, meet for the Governor’s Cup this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won in San Diego for the first time in seven years last week when they beat the Chargers 23-20. The Rams, after losing 16 of their past 18 games to Seattle, beat the Seahawks 28-26 in St. Louis.

Here, ESPN Chiefs reporter Adam Teicher and Rams reporter Nick Wagoner discuss Sunday’s game.

Teicher: Nick, big win for the Rams last week, but they obviously put a lot into that game, and I wonder how much they’ll have in the tank for this week’s game, at least from an emotional standpoint. How do you think the Rams will respond against the Chiefs?

Wagoner: The Rams do and have lacked a lot of things this year, but in a general sense, effort and enthusiasm have been pretty constant. The only time they looked wholly unprepared was the beginning of their loss to Philadelphia, and even then they came back and had a late possession with a chance to win the game. The stunning thing was that one came out of the bye week. The Rams under Jeff Fisher have been a mixed bag. In 2012, they were great against NFC West division foes and not good outside the division. Last year was the opposite. This year, they haven’t really had enough of a sample size to determine either way. But they went on the road and blasted Indianapolis a year ago, and they might have another performance like that in them. That’s not to say it will come against the Chiefs, but the Rams under Fisher seem to find a game or two a year in which they play way above their means. It should also help them to get back on a normal schedule this week (St. Louis played last Monday night) and potentially get some guys healthy in the secondary.

I suppose I can simply redirect a similar question to you, but with the addendum that the Chiefs’ win was probably more expected than the Rams’, though they were on the road. The Chiefs seem to be getting some momentum, anyway, and have won three of their past four. What’s been the key to getting it going a bit?

Teicher: It’s true the Chiefs put a lot into beating the Chargers. They had to win that game to stay relevant in the playoff race. Since they were coming off their bye, they had two weeks to rest and emphasize that game. But the Chiefs didn’t play much better in San Diego than they had in the previous several weeks. The Chiefs actually picked up their game starting with the Week 2 game against Denver. Ever since their miserable game against Tennessee to open the season, they’ve played fairly consistently. So, it’s the Titans game that stands out among their six this season. The Chiefs looked lost, unprepared to play. But that hasn’t happened since.

Give me a scouting report on Rams quarterback Austin Davis. What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Wagoner: Davis has mostly been a pleasant surprise, especially for a guy who didn’t look like he had a chance to make the roster entering training camp. His teammates love his fire and enthusiasm, something that Sam Bradford didn’t really bring to the table. One thing I like about him is you can see noticeable progress and improvement each week. For example, he found himself taking too many deep shots against San Francisco two weeks ago, missing easy, open completions underneath. So last week he took what the defense gave him, and though he averaged only 5.5 yards per completion, he had just three incompletions on his 21 attempts. And all of those short passes opened things up for him to make plays when the Rams needed him to at the end of the game. His mission now will be to find a healthy balance between taking shots and settling for checkdowns, but it’s encouraging that he’s able to notice something he needs to work on, be honest about it and then take steps to fix it. As for weaknesses, he’s had a tendency to make a bad throw or two every week that turns into an instant six points for the opponent. Turnovers have been a serious issue for him, though he didn’t have any against the Seahawks. He’s got a good-but-not-great arm, and he sometimes gets caught locking onto a receiver without going through progressions. He’s made strides in that area, but there’s still work to do. But honestly, as third-string quarterbacks go, you can’t ask for much more from Davis.

Sticking with the quarterback theme, the last time the Rams saw Alex Smith, they were knocking him out of a game in San Francisco in what became the official changing of the guard to Colin Kaepernick. That was in 2012. Since he’s been in Kansas City, obviously he’s become a key part of what they do. In what ways does he fit with what Andy Reid wants to do, and do you believe he’s the right guy for the long term?

Teicher: Smith isn’t the most talented quarterback around, but he does fit well with what Reid is looking for. He is a mostly accurate passer who is mobile enough to frequently get out of trouble and extend a play either with a throw or run. Smith also has the intangibles that Reid likes. He’s liked and well-respected in the locker room. As for the long-term, Smith might not be the quarterback who will ever lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory. But better alternatives will be difficult to find, and the Chiefs committed to Smith for the foreseeable future when they gave him a new contract. For the time being, they seem content to coach him up, make him the best player he can be and then build the rest of the roster around him.

Robert Quinn had 19 sacks for the Rams last year but has only one so far this season. The Rams as a whole have just four. What have opponents done to counter Quinn in particular and the Rams’ pass rush in general?

Wagoner: Well, the first thing they’ve done is not throw the ball much. In the first four games, the Rams were seeing almost nothing in terms of pass attempts against. That was partially because they couldn’t stop the run and teams had no desire to take a risk throwing against the Rams’ pass rush when they could hand it off and move the chains. Beyond that, teams have also been getting the ball out as quickly as possible. The Rams are now seeing the ninth-fastest release in terms of average time teams are taking to get the ball out, but that number has dipped a bit the past two weeks. San Francisco and Seattle had little success running the ball in traditional ways (with running backs), and that forced those teams to pass. The results haven’t been pretty for the Rams, as they’ve allowed 656 passing yards in the past two games, so they can probably expect to see teams throwing it around a little bit more moving forward. That should create more pass-rush opportunities. They had three sacks in a span of five plays against the Seahawks and were in Russell Wilson’s face for most of the day. The hope is that production will give them something to build on moving forward.

The Chiefs got off to such a great start in 2013 because of what they were getting done defensively, particularly in the pass rush. They again rank near the top in sacks per dropback. While the Rams have struggled to maintain their pass rush of a year ago, the Chiefs seem to keep the beat going. How do they do it, and has anything changed in terms of scheme or approach from a year ago?

Teicher: The Chiefs are actually blitzing less than they did last year. They have for the most part been getting the job done with their two edge pass-rushers, Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, and their inside rushers, Dontari Poe and Allen Bailey. They’ve cut back greatly on the exotic blitzes they showed last year. While they haven’t been vanilla in their approach, they’ve more often been able to get pressure with skill than with scheme. The biggest change in the defense is that they’re giving up far fewer big pass plays than they did last year. One reason is that they’ve reduced their blitzing. But the safeties have also played well, much better than last season. One cornerback, Sean Smith, is also having a better season.

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Rams at Chiefs: Stats of the Week
37.8

That’s how many points the Rams have surrendered to Kansas City on average in their past five meetings, all Rams losses.

0-4

Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s career record against Rams coach Jeff Fisher.

Rams could be thin at cornerback Sunday
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12979/rams-could-be-thin-at-cornerback-sunday

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams’ injury report is a lengthy one, but there’s good news and bad news to be found.

The good news is that of the 12 players on the list, eight are probably to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The bad news is that of the four who are listed as questionable or worse on the injury report, three of them play the same position. That position is cornerback where Brandon McGee has been ruled out for this week after re-injuring his foot in Thursday’s practice. Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, both of whom are coming back from knee injuries, are listed as questionable.

Based on practice participation, Johnson would seem the more likely candidate of the two to play against the Chiefs. He got back to work and did at least something in every day of practice this week. Jenkins did not practice at all.

Even if Johnson is able to go, it seems unlikely that he’ll be ready to step in and start or play an extended period. If that’s the case and Jenkins is unavailable, the Rams will turn to rookie Marcus Roberson to make his first NFL start.

Roberson filled in for Jenkins when Jenkins left last week’s game against Seattle and handled himself well, according to coach Jeff Fisher.

“Marcus came in, had a couple tackles,” Fisher said. “He knows what to do. He’s doing well on special teams. It’s interesting, at one point against the world champs, we had three rookies in the secondary. They hung there. He’s a good, solid backup [who’s] ready to play, that’s important. It’s the hardest thing to do, is to prepare and be ready to play. But, he was fine.”

If indeed Roberson gets another opportunity, the Rams will likely again find themselves in a situation with three rookies on the field. E.J. Gaines will start on one side regardless of injury, and Lamarcus Joyner remains the team’s primary nickel corner.

If the Rams can’t turn to Johnson to help and really get put in a tough spot, they could also tweak things to bring Rodney McLeod up to help at corner with Cody Davis entering at safety.

Either way, the Rams are heading into the game in a precarious spot at cornerback.

Here’s the full Friday injury report:

Out: C Tim Barnes (shoulder), CB Brandon McGee (foot)

Questionable: CB Janoris Jenkins (knee), CB Trumaine Johnson (knee)

Probable: K Greg Zuerlein (illness), S T.J. McDonald (concussion), RB Benny Cunningham (knee), LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (toe), G Rodger Saffold (knee), WR Kenny Britt (ankle), DE Ethan Westbrooks (hand), DE William Hayes (illness)

Rams prepare to face another star RB
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-prepare-to-face-another-star-rb/article_657bb1de-8a01-54b1-a35e-2603c78c0d87.html

This Rams’ season began with them facing Adrian Peterson. There was DeMarco Murray, the LeSean McCoy-Darren Sproles tag team, then Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch.

Is there an opponent on the Rams’ 2014 schedule that doesn’t have an elite running back?

That’s what defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is wondering, and the Rams aren’t out of the woods yet. On Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, it’s time for Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Every week we’ve got one that’s one of the tops in the business,” Williams said Friday, shaking his head. “Charles presents a lot of things. He can get into space like Sproles and McCoy could at Philadelphia.

“He can put his head down and get the tough yards like Murray and all the other guys that we’ve faced. So yeah we’ve got a tough job right there, and on how they’re committed to the run.”

Committed they are. The Chiefs average 31 rushing attempts per game; only Dallas (33.6), Cleveland (32.5) and Indianapolis (31.6) run more often. And in this pass-crazy league only Dallas (235 runs, 214 passes), Cleveland (195-191) and the Chiefs (186-186) haven’t thrown the ball more than they’ve run it this season.

After a poor start on run defense, the Rams have been noticeably better the past two weeks. OK, quarterback scrambles and keepers are a different matter, but when it comes to running backs they limited Lynch to 53 yards on 18 carries last Sunday — or just 2.9 yards per tote.

In the Oct. 13 Monday night game against the 49ers, Gore had a mere 38 yards on 16 carries — just 2.4 yards per carry. Now comes Charles, the AFC’s leading rusher a year ago with 1,287 yards.

“Completely different challenge this week in the run game,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “It’s a lot of read-option, a lot of that stuff.”

The Chiefs have a “power” element to their game as well, but they also attack the edges. They run a lot of “stretch” plays, in which it seems as if the entire offensive line is heading one direction and the back picks his spot and goes. All things considered, Fisher said it’s the most diverse running game the Rams will see all season.

The past two weeks, the Rams have focused on the power-running games in the NFC West.

On that score Fisher said, “there’s a lot of similarities between San Francisco and Seattle. This run game this week is going to be a big challenge for us.”

The Chiefs do have a big power back in Knile Davis, who actually has more carries than Charles so far this season because Charles missed time because of a high ankle sprain. But Charles is now healthy and beginning to assert himself in the backfield.

“He can get to full speed in about a step-and-a-half,” Fisher said. “It takes him literally two steps and he’s full speed, he’s by you. He’s got the quickness to get through the hole. He’ll break things out the backside. He’s just really difficult to defend. They know that, and they’re taking advantage of him.”

Charles, 5 feet 11, 199 pounds, became Kansas City’s career rushing leader last week against San Diego, and now has 6,113 career yards in this his seventh NFL season. He surpassed Priest Holmes’ previous club record of 6,070.

Charles suffered concussion-like symptoms on the 16-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter that eclipsed Holmes’ record. That’s because the run included a massive collision with former teammate and current Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers.

But Charles quickly passed the Chiefs’ concussion protocol early in the practice week and wasn’t listed on the team’s injury report at any time during the week.

As testament to his explosive nature, Charles leads the league with a 5.5-yard rushing average since entering the league in 2008. That’s for players with a minimum 600 rushing attempts.

“Jamaal Charles will test the edge,” said Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis, who not only played Charles and the Chiefs in 2010 but also faced him in college. “We have to be gap-sound, and we have to fight off blocks. We have to swarm. When he gets outside and he wants to cut it up, if you have guys swarming to the ball, then he has nowhere to go.”

And what if the Rams’ leave a gap vacant?

“That’s when he’ll hit his head on the goal post,” Laurinaitis said.

As in celebrating a touchdown.

Charles has a smooth running style. At times it looks like he’s almost gliding down the field, which makes his speed deceptive. He’s running faster than it looks.

The Chiefs used him much more on third down against San Diego than they did earlier this season and Charles can be a threat in the passing game. He led the Chiefs in receptions (70), reception yards (693), and touchdown catches (seven) a year ago.

With an injury-depleted wide receiver corps, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Chiefs try to work Charles more into the passing game — he’s going to win most matchups against a linebacker or safety.

Just one more thing to worry about.

Choosing one word to preview the Rams’ game in Kansas City. Michelle Smallmon’s word is “Contain”, as in containing Jamaal Charles. Bradford Bruns’ word is “Integrity”, as in maintaining assignments in run defense.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-vs-chiefs-in-one-word-video/

Will Greg Robinson develop into a Pro Bowler? Rams Guard Davin Joseph joins The Fast Lane to talk about that and preview the Rams vs. Chiefs. Joseph thinks Robinson could be a Pro Bowler at Tackle or Guard.

http://www.rams-news.com/will-greg-robinson-develop-into-a-pro-bowler-radio-interview/

Bernie: Journey to KC is familiar
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-journey-to-kc-is-familiar/article_3edc8921-5476-5dad-b991-715550ee6fc5.html

KANSAS CITY • The date was Sept. 25, 1994. More than 20 years ago.

Joe Torre was managing the Cardinals, the Blues had just hired Mike Keenan as coach, Mizzou’s football team was in the early stages of its 11th consecutive losing season and St. Louis didn’t have an NFL team.

That date also marked the last time the Rams franchise defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a regular-season game.

I was at Arrowhead Stadium that day. It was especially memorable for a reason that I’ll get to soon.

The Los Angeles Rams wore throwback uniforms that day in KC, taking the field in vivid yellow jerseys in a tribute to the 1951 NFL championship team. The Rams were heavy underdogs going in, but quieted Arrowhead with a surprisingly forceful 16-0 victory.

Quarterback Chris Chandler hooked up on a 72-yard touchdown pass with wide receiver Flipper Anderson. The young power back, Jerome Bettis, bulled his way to 135 yards rushing on 35 angry runs. The Rams’ defense intercepted Joe Montana three times and limited Marcus Allen to 59 yards rushing. It was a stomping.

As I left the stadium that day, I had two thoughts:

First … the Rams were pretty good.

Wrong. They would lose their final seven games of the ’94 season, finishing 4-12 under tough-guy coach Chuck Knox.

It got uglier in Orange County. Attendance plummeted in Anaheim, with the Rams drawing sparse crowds of 34,960 and 25,705 in their final two home games.

Second … I walked out of Arrowhead thinking there was a good possibility of the Rams moving to St. Louis after the season.

Before that game, Rams media-relations director Rick Smith tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to follow him to a private box. Why? Well, Rams’ team president John Shaw wanted to say hello.

Interesting.

I’d covered the NFL for a long time but had never met Shaw. Empowered by Rams owner Georgia Frontiere, Shaw was the point man for all important Rams business — including a potential franchise relocation.

We had a cordial conversation. Shaw asked me a few things about St. Louis. He wanted to know more about the new stadium being constructed downtown. He wondered if St. Louis would support an NFL team.

I remember exactly what I told Shaw: “There’s no such thing as a bad NFL town. There are only bad NFL owners who constantly put bad teams on the field and slowly kill the fans’ passion.”

That still holds true — but I digress.

It still was relatively early in the franchise sweepstakes, but nothing was happening in Anaheim. No effort was underway there to build a new stadium for the Rams to keep the franchise from bolting. The construction of the new St. Louis stadium —as part of an expanded convention center — was progressing quickly.

While non-committal, the discussion with Shaw left an impression: St. Louis definitely was a possibility for the Rams.

We agreed to stay in touch.

A couple of months later, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch reported that Frontiere was in negotiations to sell 40 percent of the franchise to Stan Kroenke, the Missouri-based real estate developer who had been a late addition to our town’s botched attempt to land an NFL expansion team.

At that point, you didn’t have to be a genius to connect the dots. It was too soon to call the moving vans, but the Rams were planning to leave.

As the Rams head back into Arrowhead 20 years and one month later, we’re in a much different position. The Rams have an escape clause in their lease and can try to leave the Edward Jones Dome after this season. Kroenke reportedly is eyeing Los Angeles as the Rams’ next home.

It’s still easy to connect the dots — but in reverse order this time.

In 1994, the Rams were on the way to St. Louis. They arrived in the spring of 1995.

In 2014, the Rams might be on the way back to Los Angeles.

I don’t believe the NFL will allow the Rams to scoot to LA for the 2015 season. It’s too soon. That doesn’t mean the Rams won’t eventually go; I’m just saying 2016 (or a subsequent season) is a more realistic possibility.

It will come down to a new-stadium initiative in St. Louis. If a legitimate stadium plan materializes here, the NFL would have no justification — based on league rules — to approve a Rams’ move from St. Louis.

As Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell correctly has reported this month, there’s been some behind-the-scenes movement to develop a long-term stadium plan for the Rams.

Obviously the details remain vague, so there’s nothing firm to bank on.

Not yet, anyway.

My guess is that we’ll know a lot more about this a month, maybe six weeks, from now. At the risk of being burned (again) I’ll say this much: I’m encouraged. Skeptical, yes. But cautiously encouraged.

We’ll see what — if anything — local leaders come up with. But if a genuine effort is launched to keep the Rams here, the initiative will buy St. Louis more time. It will stop the clock on the Rams-to-LA rush — at least for another year or so.

But if no meaningful stadium plan is in place a year from now, then the threat of a Rams relocation is very real.

The stay-or-go moving speculation is the last thing on the minds of the Rams’ coaches and players, but they can help the cause by winning some games. The concept of an expensive new stadium is slightly more palatable for a successful team.

If the Rams (2-4) continue to get sledgehammered, a new stadium would be a more difficult sell. That’s quite the understatement, given the Rams’ abysmal 45-104-1 record since 2005.

Putting together a winning streak is a difficult assignment for a young, mistake-prone team that’s three games into the merciless buzzsaw section of the schedule.

The Rams went 1-2 against Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The next five games are at Kansas City, at San Francisco, at Arizona, Denver at home and at San Diego. All five are playoff contenders and have a combined record of 23-11.

For the Rams, a win over the Chiefs would make it two consecutive victories over quality teams and generate a little momentum.

A loss could easily become the first rolling boulder in an avalanche.

Since ambushing Montana and the Chiefs in 1994, the Rams have lost five consecutive regular-season games to the Chiefs, getting outscored by an average of 38 to 19.

That’s why I’m thinking about that surreal September afternoon in ’94.

I just hope John Shaw isn’t at Arrowhead Sunday. He won’t be, but I would take it as a bad sign. And if the Rams trot onto the Arrowhead field dressed in those bright-yellow throwbacks, I might freak out.

7 things to watch: Rams at Chiefs

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/things-to-watch-rams-at-chiefs/article_2f6c4c38-c6cc-5bbb-a220-033ccadf337e.html

Post-Dispatch football writer Jim Thomas identifies “7 Things to Watch” when the Rams play at Kansas City today:

1. BANGED-UP SECONDARY

After doing nothing on the practice field all week, it will be a big surprise if Rams CB Janoris Jenkins (knee) suits up Sunday in Kansas City. And that leaves the Rams dangerously thin at cornerback. Undrafted rookie Marcus Roberson is the likely starter in place of Jenkins. Roberson replaced Jenkins for 13 snaps last weekend against Seattle, but that’s the sum of his NFL regular-season experience on defense. Trumaine Johnson (knee) is close to a return and may dress, but he worked on the scout team all week, not with the regular defense. So he might be used only on an emergency basis. Scratch Brandon McGee (foot), who has been sidelined with a plantar fascia issue, and aggravated the injury during the practice week. The only saving grace might be that Kansas City ranks 30th in passing offense and has a nondescript receiver corps.

2. ON THE RECEIVING END

Speaking of the Chiefs receivers, former Rams draft pick Donnie Avery is out because of a groin injury. Dwayne Bowe hasn’t approached his form of 2011 and earlier, when he logged three 1,000-yard seasons over a four-year span. He had a season-high 84 yards on five catches last week in San Diego. The entire Chiefs WR corps has yet to score a TD. But TE Travis Kelce is an underrated player who leads the squad in catches (24), receiving yards (307) and TD catches (three).

3. A KC MASTERPIECE

KC’s offense runs through three-time Pro Bowler Jamaal Charles. Although on the small side at 5 feet 11, 199 pounds, Charles isn’t shy about pounding it up the middle. But the real danger comes when he changes direction and bounces outside. That’s when he becomes a home-run threat. The Rams’ run defense improved noticeably the past two games — at least when it came to Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch — but they’re still having problems setting the edge and holding the perimeter.

4. DON’T FORGET DAVIS

The Chiefs enter Sunday’s game ranked third in the NFL in rushing, averaging 140.3 yards per game, and it’s not all about Charles. The team’s leading rusher so far this season actually is Knile Davis, a 5-foot-10, 227-pound power runner who has 352 yards this season, compared to Charles’ 290. (Charles missed most of two early season games because of an ankle injury.) The mantra of the Kansas City backs is to run angry and break the first tackle; Davis more than holds up his end of the bargain.

5. ALEX IN CHARGE

The basic script hasn’t changed for Alex Smith in Kansas City. The former 49ers QB still takes very few chances and is more than happy to throw underneath routes or even take a sack rather than tossing an interception. He spreads the ball around — 14 receivers have caught at least one pass. He’s no Colin Kaepernick or Russell Wilson when it comes to scrambling, but don’t sleep on Smith the runner. He set a Kansas City franchise record with 431 yards rushing in 2013.

6. DEFENSE, DEFENSE

Even with linebacker Derrick Johnson — one of the best defensive players in franchise history — out for the year because of an Achilles’ tendon injury, the Chiefs have lots of talent on that side of the ball. Nose tackle Dontari Poe, a Pro Bowler in 2013, is a 346-pound man-mountain who makes it tough to run between the tackles. Outside linebackers Tambi Hali and Justin Houston have 11 sacks between them and bring the heat from both edges in the Chiefs’ 3-4 scheme.

7. NO ROOM FOR ERROR

Kansas City is a very efficient team, one that usually doesn’t beat itself. To wit, the Chiefs are third in the NFL in third-down conversions (50.6 percent), third in red-zone efficiency (70 percent) and have committed fewer penalties (29) than any team in the league. They’ve also committed only six turnovers, tied for eighth-fewest. In order to register an upset for the second week in a row, the Rams must minimize mistakes as they did for the most part against Seattle.