media coverage, Chiefs game

]Five Takeaways: Preseason vs. Chiefs

by Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Five-Takeaways-Preseason-vs-Chiefs/408d2fed-c0f4-4ca0-a59b-1335036c153a

The Rams have stared their first preseason back in Los Angeles with two wins, the latest of which came as a 21-20 victory over Kansas City.

But as is the case with all exhibition matchups, the final score rarely tells the whole story. With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Preseason Week 2.

1) Gurley’s just fine

Running back Todd Gurley played in his first ever preseason game and looked in midseason form on his one and only drive.

Gurley took four handoffs for 20 yards on the Rams’ first offensive possession. He started the series with a three-yard carry. After a 20-yard pass play from quarterback Case Keenum to wide receiver Kenny Britt and a 41-yard defensive pass interference penalty, Gurley did the rest. A carry from the Kansas City 17 went six yards. Then another went eight. And the Georgia product made it into the end zone with a final three-yard run.

“You can see Todd’s value,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “I’m glad we got Todd in for the series.”

Keenum jokingly asked “Who?” when a reporter brought up the second-year running back in his press conference. But the quarterback knows and appreciates what Gurley is capable of on the field.

“It’s always nice to have Todd out there, as you can see,” Keenum said. “It was fun. He played really well. He ran the ball well.”

It seems safe to say Gurley’s first foray into preseason football was a success.

2) Keenum sharp again

Last week, Keenum completed six of his seven passes for 58 yards in a pair of drives. It was more of the same against the Chiefs on Saturday night, as Keenum finished four of five passing for 53 yards and a touchdown.

The quarterback showed good awareness, tossing a deep ball up to Britt in a one-on-one situation. While the pass was not completed, it did draw a defensive pass interference penalty from safety Ron Parker that advanced that ball into the red zone. Those are the kinds of plays Keenum showed he could do during his starting stint for the Rams last year.

And it’s part of why the club appears comfortable with him holding down the starting quarterback role until Jared Goff is ready.

The offense has been particularly efficient with Keenum under center in the first two games. His four drives have resulted in three touchdowns.

“I think we’re doing a good job staying on the same page,” Keenum said. “The operation between plays is good, communication within it, making sure that we are in the right play — we’re lined up right, we’re getting snaps on time. And then the guys are making plays.”

3) Middling performance from Goff

The Rams’ No. 1 overall pick started slow but finished strong in his second preseason game.

The good: On Goff’s best drive, he went three-of-three passing for 34 yards and a touchdown — a 10-yard pass to running back Malcolm Brown out of the backfield. Also on that drive, Goff hit wide receiver Brian Quick on a slant that went for 17 yards and tight end Justice Cunningham for a seven-yard pass over the middle.

The not as good: Goff fumbled in each of his first two possessions with the first-team offensive line, the first of which Kansas City recovered deep in Los Angeles territory. Goff was attempting to move up in the pocket when he tripped over left guard Cody Wichmann and put the ball on the ground. The quarterback’s second fumble came as he escaped the pocket and was attempting to throw the ball away when he was hit.

“I think that’s what the preseason’s for, and that’s what these reps are for,” Goff said, “for myself to make mistakes that I hopefully won’t make again and can learn from.”

What’s encouraging is as Goff continued to take snaps, he clearly became more comfortable as the game went on, finishing 8-of-12 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback was initially slated to only play into the third quarter, but difficulty stopping the Chiefs’ offense kept the Rams’ own offensive possessions to a minimum. Because of that, Fisher elected to keep Goff in for the duration.

“Game reps were vital today, and I was happy they left me in there,” Goff said. “Obviously, I want to play as much as I can and get as many reps under my belt as I can, and learn as quickly as I can. I was happy they left me in there and gave me reps.”

We’ll see if the benefits of in-game experience will carry over the next time Goff takes the field.

4) Cunningham, Brown providing key depth

Running backs Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown have done well in their first two preseason games, showing how they can be key depth pieces behind Gurley.

Cunningham registered four carries for 38 yards on Los Angeles’ second offensive possession of the game — his only series on Saturday — including a 19-yard burst through the middle. Then Brown came in to complete that drive with eight yards on two carries.

But Brown wasn’t nearly done. He played for much of the second half, recording a 28-yard run to put L.A. in scoring position before making his 10-yard touchdown catch from Goff. He made a nice adjustment on the ball in the air, as the pass came in a little hot from the rookie QB.

“Jared put it where nobody else can get it — put it on my back shoulder,” Brown said. “I had to make the play. I had to finish it off.”

In all, Brown had 68 yards rushing and two receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown.

Through two preseason games, Brown now leads the Rams with 134 yards rushing.

“Just trusting in everything — what the coaches are teaching me. And I’m trusting in the offensive line,” Brown said of what’s led to his success. “Just trust and just having confidence that I can get the job done.”

While Gurley is clearly entrenched as the Rams’ starter, knowing there are two capable backs behind him could help Los Angeles stay away from over-taxing the second-year RB. It could also bring up some more creative situations and formations for the Rams’ offense.

5) Extra points

— The Rams committed nine penalties in Saturday’s game, which is seven more than they had last week against the Cowboys. Five of those nine were either neutral-zone infractions or offsides — the kind of pre-snap penalties that can easily be prevented.

Plus, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner was ejected along with Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin after a scuffle.

“Last week I was talking about how proud I was about the penalty numbers and we had to penalties and we need to keep that going,” Fisher said. “And all of a sudden today it breaks out and we even got a player ejected, which should never happen.

“It’s a learning experience,” Fisher continued, “As I mentioned, we’d like to have them tonight rather than Week 3 or 4 of the regular season. So they have to learn from it.”

— Wide receiver Bradley Marquez left the game in the third quarter after suffering an ankle injury on a reception. Fisher said the Rams will have to do more tests in order to accurately determine Marquez’s prognosis.

“We will have to do some studies and some MRIs — things like that here in the next couple of days and have more information,” Fisher said.

Defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks went down after a penalized chop block, but Fisher indicated he should be OK going forward.

Todd Gurley scores in L.A. debut as the Rams beat the Chiefs, 21-20

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-chiefs-20160820-snap-story.html

The Rams want to see Jared Goff make strides and become the franchise quarterback they deemed him to be after choosing him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Through two exhibition games, Goff has made some noticeable stumbles.

On Saturday night at the Coliseum, Goff tripped and fumbled on his second snap against the Kansas City Chiefs. He fumbled on the final play of his second series.

Goff mixed in several good passes, including a short touchdown pass to running back Malcolm Brown early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference in a 21-20 exhibition victory.

“I hope to just continue to improve,” Goff said. “I don’t want to set any statistical goals, just continue to improve and feel more comfortable.”

Coach Jeff Fisher said Goff was improving, but the former California standout does not appear to be near ready to start the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, or even challenge for the assignment.

And the Rams still have plenty of problems to fix before they head to Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 12

A week after they thrilled fans in a nearly sold-out stadium last week against the Dallas Cowboys, the Rams played before what appeared to be about half as many in a game that felt like a typical NFL exhibition.

The defense that is supposed to be the team’s strength struggled early for the second consecutive week. The secondary remains a major question mark.

And after committing only two penalties against the Cowboys, they were flagged eight times against the Chiefs.

On the positive side, an offense that ranked last in the NFL in 2015 once again showed signs of improvement.

Starting quarterback Case Keenum engineered two touchdown drives before giving way to Goff early in the second quarter.

Keenum followed last week’s confident and efficient effort against the Cowboys with another strong showing. He completed four of five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Perhaps more telling: The fifth-year pro shows no sign of feeling a challenge from Goff.

“He put the ball in the end zone and has a good feel for what we’re doing,” Fisher said. “We’re keeping things simple but he’s making plays.”

The game also marked the season debut of star running back Todd Gurley.

Gurley, the 2015 NFL offensive rookie of the year, rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown in four carries during the first series.

That was it for Gurley, who spent the rest of the night with his helmet off on the sideline.

“I was a little sluggish,” Gurley said at halftime. “I felt like I could’ve done a lot better.”

Goff might feel the same way, though his statistical line looked fine. He played six series and completed eight of 12 passes for 82 yards and the touchdown — and at least two of his passes were dropped.

“Goff is doing a great job,” receiver Tavon Austin said. “Some days he’s going to be all right and some days he’s not going to.

“The good thing about it is he stayed strong in there, he didn’t look down and he kept on moving the team.”

Last week in his debut, Goff played only two series, an appearance that was cut short after he was hit hard twice during his 13-play stint. Goff was hit as he threw a pass that was intercepted and also was sacked on his final play.

But he inspired confidence by drilling a pass through tight coverage, only to have rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper drop the ball.

During practice last week, Goff worked with the first-team offense and bounced back from one of his most inconsistent workouts with one of his best.

But it did not seem to translate against the Chiefs. He came on with 10:01 left in the first half and struggled.

Working from under center, he dropped back and passed to receiver Brian Quick, but the pass fell incomplete. On the next play, Goff dropped back and then attempted to move forward in the pocket. He tripped and fumbled, and the Chiefs recovered at the Rams’ 16-yard yard line.

The Chiefs converted the turnover into a field goal and a 17-14 lead.

“It’s dumb,” Goff said of the play. “Ball security. You have to hold onto the ball there. That’s what the preseason is for and that what the reps are for — to make those mistakes and learn from them.”

Goff’s next series started better. He completed a 10-yard pass to Quick on the second play before Malcolm Brown carried on four consecutive plays to move the ball to the Rams’ 40.

But on third down, Goff moved out of the pocket to elude pressure and rolled toward the left sideline while looking for a receiver. Instead of throwing the ball out of bounds, he held it and was sacked by safety Daniel Sorenson. Goff fumbled the ball out of bounds and the Rams punted.

Meanwhile, former Rams quarterback Nick Foles played well against the team that traded for him before last season, benched him in favor of Keenum and then released him last month in the aftermath of trading up to draft Goff.

Foles came on late in the second quarter in relief of starter Alex Smith and completed 18 of 22 passes for 133 yards.

Last week, the Rams gave up a return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff. Against the Chiefs, Greg Zuerlein kicked the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.

Smith methodically moved the Chiefs down the field with a 13-yard drive that running back Spencer Ware ended with a two-yard touchdown run.

Rams News & Notesz

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Rams-News–Notes-Good-News-on-Marquez/137d5f26-820b-427f-a36d-fc62f2c265c9#

POSITIVE MARKS FOR BROWN

Running back Malcolm Brown has been one of the brightest spots for Los Angeles this preseason, leading the team with 134 yards rushing through two games. Brown spent most of 2015 on the Rams’ practice squad, earning a few carries in the club’s Week 17 matchup at San Francisco. With that year of experience, Fisher said nothing Brown has done in these two weeks has been much of a surprise. But the running back has clearly worked hard in the offseason to make this kind of progress.

“One of the ways you evaluate young running backs — and all running backs, for that matter — is the yards after contact. We call them ‘the violent yards,’” Fisher said. “What happens after the first hit? You can see what’s happening with him — extending plays. You turn around and look and it’s 2nd-and-1 or it’s a first down.

“He’s running, breaking tackles,” Fisher continued. “He’s got great balance. He’s a heavy runner. It’s not something that we didn’t expect, we saw a little bit out of him last year in the preseason. He’s worked hard and he’s deserving of the success that he’s had.”

“Just trusting in everything — what the coaches are teaching me. And I’m trusting in the offensive line,” Brown said Saturday of what’s led to his success. “Just trust and just having confidence that I can get the job done.”

Brown has a chance to become an important depth pice for the Rams this season.

GAINES’ RETURN TO ACTION

Cornerback E.J. Gaines played in his first game since December 2014 on Saturday night after being sidelined last year by a foot injury. While Gaines’ reps were limited as the club is bringing him back slowly, Fisher said he was encouraged by what he saw on film.

“I was really pleased with what we saw out of E.J.,” Fisher said. “He sprained an ankle out here in practice a couple days ago, didn’t know if he was going to be able to go. Fought through it, went out, and made some really big-time tackles. Just kind of reminiscent of the E.J. that we had a couple years ago.”

Back from his foot injury, Gaines has had to work through a couple issues in training camp with his hamstring and ankle. But he has done it successfully.

“We’ll continue to increase his reps not only in practice, but also in the final two preseason games,” Fisher said.

Along with Coty Sensabaugh and Lamarcus Joyner, Fisher said Gaines is still in the thick of the starting cornerback spot opposite Trumaine Johnson.

WHO’S THE RETURN MAN?

Rookie wide receiver Pharoh Cooper has been taking first man up in the first two preseason games to return both kickoffs and punts, raising the question: Could he be the Rams’ new return man?

Not so fast, according to Fisher. The Rams will continue rolling with Tavon Austin for punts and Benny Cunningham for kicks.

“Tavon has done it before and he doesn’t necessarily need to do it [in preseason],” Fisher said. “I think we have one of the better kickoff returners over the last few years in the league, and that’s Benny.”

It is important, however, to have a contingency plan should one become necessary.

“We also need to have a backup,” Fisher said. “At times, we may have two back there to create some problems. We need to be comfortable with the backup returner, so that’s why we’ve given [Cooper] some reps there.

“Very impressed with his decision-making, his suddenness and he commits — when he commits he goes,” Fisher added.

WIDE RECEIVER COMPETITION

Last week, Fisher made a few waves when he called the competition at receiver “wide open” after Austin, Cooper, and Kenny Britt. He reiterated the point on Saturday, saying he’s seen progress from the group.

“You saw production out of Kenny — Kenny made some big plays for us,” Fisher said. “‘Coop’ had the big catch for the touchdown. Tavon didn’t get much, just because the way the game went, we didn’t have snaps and we took him out of the game. … The younger guys — we just didn’t get a whole lot of reps with them just because of the number of snaps. We’re seeing progression and improvement outside on the practice field.”

Fisher, however, did note that wideout Brian Quick had a pair of drops during this week’s game.

“Your receivers have to catch it, not drop it,” Fisher said. “He’s had too many drops, so he’s going to have to focus on that.”

TOO MANY FLAGS

In the first preseason game, the Rams had two flags. Saturday, they had nine — five of which were either offsides or neutral-zone infractions. Those are the kinds of pre-snap penalties that especially frustrate coaches.

“Those things completely overshadow the big plays that you make up front,” Fisher said. “Defensive offsides can’t be part of what you’re doing.”

Kansas City may have had a bit of an edge in that area, though, since their quarterback for much of the contest was former Ram Nick Foles.

“We know why it happened. Nick Foles is really good at it — at the hard count,” Fisher said. “And Nick knows — he’s been here, he’s seen these guys. He’s pulled them offsides all through last year through OTAs and training camp. And he knows that they’ve got a hair trigger, and he took advantage of it.

“It’s a good learning experience for our guys,” Fisher continued. “You’re going to have some [offsides penalties]. But yesterday, in my estimation, it got out of hand. It got frustrating.”

Better to have it happen in games that don’t count than ones that do. But no team can afford copious pre-snap penalties, which is why L.A. would like to nip this issue in the bud.

EXTRA POINTS

— Fisher noted one of the aspects of the offense he’s been most pleased with has been red-zone scoring.

“One thing that’s encouraging from an offensive stand-point, is that … we’ve had seven drives that have gone into the red zone, and we’ve come away with seven touchdowns,” Fisher said. “That’s a significant improvement over where we were last year. Being realistic, it’s still preseason, but we’re accomplishing what we want to accomplish as we go into the games.”

As Fisher said, it’s preseason football, so this isn’t everything. But given the way the Rams fared offensively last year, it isn’t nothing.

Think of it this way: If the Rams weren’t scoring touchdowns in the red zone, it certainly would be a story.

— Finally, Fisher said starters are likely to get more playing time next Saturday against Denver for the third exhibition matchup. And that is a team that presents plenty of challenges.

“Traditionally, your ones play a little bit longer,” Fisher said. “Sometimes, in years past, we have gone through the halftime experience and come back out. For some of the guys, that’s a first-time thing. If you get used to just coming out and playing a quarter and sitting around — once the season starts, that doesn’t happen.

“So some of the guys will go through the halftime experience. I don’t know, at this point, how many of them will. But you’re going to see more reps from the starters.”