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November 1, 2016 at 11:11 pm #56610
znModeratorNext four games are crucial for rested Rams, starting Sunday vs. Carolina
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-733875-time-new.html
As the Rams sat home Sunday during their bye week and watched division rivals Arizona and Seattle lose, it should have driven home one point: now is the time.
The Rams are 3-4, rested, heading into arguably the softest part of their schedule and, well, if they’re not motivated now, there are big problems. Given the parity in the NFC, a playoff spot easily remains within the Rams’ grasp, but likely only if they string together some victories in November.
“Put it this way: It’s gut-checking time for all of us,” defensive end Robert Quinn said going into the bye week. “The season goes by real fast, and we don’t want to be at the end of December dwelling and regretting these losses that we took.”
Even a three-game losing streak hasn’t put the Rams out of the playoff chase. The two teams currently holding NFC wild-card spots have records of 4-3, only one game ahead of the Rams.
The problem is, things are cozy. The New York Giants, Philadelphia and Green Bay are 4-3, followed by Washington (4-3-1), Detroit (4-4) and Arizona (4-3-1). The Rams are one of three teams at 3-4.
So there’s no margin for error. The Rams’ next four opponents – Carolina, the New York Jets, Miami and New Orleans – all have losing records and have a combined record of 11-18.
Bad news for the Rams is that the Panthers, who visit the Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, are coming off their most complete effort of the season, a 30-20 victory over Arizona. A loss to the Panthers could put the Rams in a spiral, with three of their next four games on the road (and two on the East Coast).
“I’m never concerned,” offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said before the bye week. “I have way too much faith in this team. I’m way too loyal to this team. In fact, we’re 12-4 until someone tells me otherwise. That’s how I look at it.”
What type of changes, if any, will Coach Jeff Fisher make this week? The NFL’s trade deadline is 1 p.m. Tuesday, but the Rams aren’t expected to be major players in that market, so moves would be internal.
There aren’t a ton of options. A quarterback swap seems off the table. Given Fisher’s stated dissatisfaction with receivers, it’s likely that rookie Pharoh Cooper will be given a long look. Perhaps some competition will open up on the offensive line, but backups haven’t exactly been banging down the door.
If anything, the return of injured players could make the biggest impact. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson has been out since Oct. 9 with an ankle injury and defensive tackle Michael Brockers has missed two of the past three games. Both players, presumably, are nearing returns to the practice field.
Plus, defensive ends Quinn and William Hayes, who had been playing through injuries, certainly will be in better shape now, so a healthy Rams defense would be a major boost to an inconsistent team.
“I definitely don’t think we’re far,” Quinn said, “but I think we’re frustrated because at times, both sides are inconsistent, defense and offense. That’s frustrating. I think both sides, we’ve got to get on the same page at the same time. … You can constantly point fingers, but it boils down to we’ve got to play great at the same time.”
The offense is the bigger issue. The Rams seem relatively healthy there – with only guard Jamon Brown’s hand injury – but they’re coming off a dismal 17-10 loss to the New York Giants in London.
Fisher has been steadfast in saying quarterback Case Keenum won’t be replaced by Jared Goff, but the Rams’ passing game has been inconsistent at best, and the running game has been underwhelming.
“We just need to get back to our fundamentals,” Saffold said. “Small mistakes are turning into big problems. We have to take a good look at ourselves and evaluate ourselves critically, because we need to be able to come out and dominate these games.”
November 2, 2016 at 1:23 am #56615znModeratorRams won’t hold back against Carolina’s Cam Newton
By Gary Klein
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-panthers-newton-20161101-story.html
Cam Newton complained about alleged illegal hits and his voice presumably reverberated all the way to the NFL commissioner’s office.
Not that the Rams seem to care all that much.
As they prepared to play Newton’s Carolina Panthers, Rams defensive linemen Tuesday said they did not plan to change a thing in their pursuit of the reigning NFL most valuable player Sunday at the Coliseum.
“He probably needs to slide a little bit faster,” end William Hayes said.
“The whole point of the game is for 11 people to hit 11 people,” tackle Dominique Easley said.
Newton complained Sunday after the Panthers’ 30-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The quarterback said that defensive lineman Calais Campbell should have been penalized for an illegal hit below the knees.
“It’s really taking the fun out of the game for me,” Newton was quoted after the game. “At times, I don’t even feel safe. And enough is enough.”
Newton said he planned to speak to Commissioner Roger Goodell about the issue.
On Monday, Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton was victimized by what he described as “a little bit of the Shaquille O’Neal treatment” from officials.
“He’s a bigger guy for that position as opposed to some of the smaller quarterbacks of stature,” Rivera told reporters in Charlotte. “When they get hit, they roll around to the ground. When he gets it, he absorbs them and it doesn’t look as bad.”
Rivera also said he had contacted Goodell.
Rams Coach Jeff Fisher said Tuesday that Newton “overreacted” to Campbell’s hit “but I can understand his frustration on that.”
Fisher noted that illegal hits are missed by officials in every game, including “half a dozen or so” on Rams quarterback Case Keenum this season.
The Rams have been penalized 68 times this season and have had two defensive players ejected from games.
Tackle Aaron Donald was tossed from the season-opening loss against the San Francisco 49ers. End Eugene Sims was ejected against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Donald was also fined for unnecessary roughness penalties at the end of the game against the Detroit Lions.
Asked if they were concerned that the Rams might come under greater scrutiny in the immediate aftermath of Newton’s comments, Fisher and Rams players said no.
“I’m not concerned about it at all,” Fisher said. “I’m more concerned about him extending plays with his legs and making plays with his arm. He was an MVP for a lot of reasons last year.”
Newton, who led the Panthers to the Super Bowl last season, is completing 57% of his passes, eight for touchdowns, with six interceptions.
On Sunday, he passed for 212 yards and rushed for 43 in a victory over the Cardinals that ended a losing streak at four games and improved the Panthers’ record to 2-5.
“He’s like a defensive end with running back athletic ability and he can throw the ball,” Donald said.
Donald said “you’ve got to bring your big boy pads if you’re going to tackle him,” but the Rams would not change the way they play.
Hayes concurred.
“We’re not going to out there to play dirty,” he said. “We just play physical and fast.
“We’re not going to target him because he’s complaining about getting hit.”
Easley took issue with Newton complaining about not feeling safe.
“I don’t think they should be playing the game if you’re worried about being safe,” he said.
Quick hits
Offensive lineman Jamon Brown, who was sidelined against the New York Giants because of a left hand injury, said he underwent surgery Oct. 25 and is ready to play against the Panthers. … Cornerback Trumaine Johnson (ankle) and defensive tackle Michael Brockers (thigh) worked out. Fisher said they probably will be game-time decisions. … Fisher on rookie quarterback Jared Goff, who took first-team reps during the bye week: “He’s good and he benefited from it, no doubt. We’ll continue to give him the same reps we’ve given him the last few weeks, work him in with the 1s during the preparation week.”
November 2, 2016 at 2:42 am #56621znModeratorPractice Report 11/1: After the Bye, Rams Prepping for Panthers
Myles Simmons
After four consecutive days off for the bye week, the Rams were back at the facility for meetings on Monday, and their first practice of the week on Tuesday.
“The players took advantage of the break. We didn’t have any issues. A lot of guys stayed behind. As I said, where else would you go? It was great,” Fisher said. “We got some guys back — guys who stayed behind, that needed treatment — and we’re close.”
For players like defensive end William Hayes, the bye provided a chance for recovery, with Hayes still nursing an injured ankle that caused him to miss two games.
“Yeah, it kind of gave me a little longer to give me a little more time to help me get my ankle back right, so it came at the perfect time,” Hayes said. “Well-needed, so I feel a little bit more refreshed and ready to go.”
But now Fisher said he can sense players are ready to get back on the field, particularly at home. And they will do their best to combat any sort of bye week hangover.
“There are statistics associated with the week off, penalties tend to increase a little bit after a week off. You have a tendency over the years, at times, to start a little slower,” Fisher said. “But I don’t anticipate that with our guys, they’ve played hard, they know how to practice. I’m kind of excited to get back on the field, it seems like we’ve been out of the Coliseum forever right now.”
Indeed, the last time the Rams played at home was Oct. 9 against the Bills. And they’ve only had two true home games this season — though they were considered the home team against the Giants in London.
Los Angeles will make its return to the Coliseum against a Carolina team that has a likely deceptive 2-5 record. The Panthers beat the Cardinals on Sunday 30-20 — a score that does not necessarily reflect the ways in which Carolina dominated the game. The Panthers recorded eight sacks on Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, returning an early fumble by the signal-caller for a touchdown. At one point, the Panthers led 30-7.
“It’s hard to look at the tape and see that they only won two games, but it’s a good football team,” Fisher said. “We get a sense for watching them match-up against Arizona, because we know Arizona very well, and it’s a dominating game. It was a great effort by them, and a much needed win for them.”
“You just look at the history they had last year — the plays they made and the plays they’re making this year, too,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said, “they can hurt you in a lot of different ways. So we’ve just got to try to contain those guys. And [we’ve] definitely got to stop the run, and definitely the deep threat that they throw at us.”
Fisher said he does notice some of the same traits in the Panthers that come through in many of the NFC West teams. It’s the way they’ve been assembled to run the football on offense and play tough, physical defense.
“Our focus and our goal going into this week is we’re going to have to play the best run defense we’ve played all year, just because of the way they’re built, and the way they commit to it,” Fisher said. “That puts a lot of pressure on your secondary, but we’re going to have to commit there.”
That starts with quarterback Cam Newton, who is a load to handle at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds.
“He’s like a defensive end with running back athletic ability, and he can throw the ball,” Donald said. “So he’s just a special type of guy we’ve just got to get to and try to bottle up.”
“He’s a quarterback that’s just as big as defensive ends, and he’s running just as good as a running back, and he can throw — he’s probably got one of the strongest arms in the NFL,” Hayes said. “So you put all of that together, you’ve got a man [that you’re] trying to hit. He’s an outstanding football player.”
That will be the focus as the Rams get ready for the defending NFC Champions.
“We got a good start on the plan and we’re playing an outstanding opponent,” Fisher said. “We have a big week ahead of us.”
CONCERN WITH LOW HITS?
After Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, Newton was critical of some of the low hits he’s taken inside the pocket. So, being Newton and the Panthers’ next opponent, are the Rams concerned they might fall victim to an overcorrection?
“I’m not concerned about it, because there’s no rule changes, and our players understand the rules — as do their players understand the rules. So I’m not concerned about it at all,” Fisher said. “I’m more concerned about him extending plays with his legs and making plays with his arm. He was an MVP for a lot of reasons last year.”
“We’re just going to play the way we play football,” Hayes said. “We don’t go out there to play dirty, we just play physical and fast. We’re not going to target him because he’s complaining about being hit.”
That said, both Fisher and Hayes said they understood Newton’s frustration with the particular hit that went unflagged, as Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell hit the quarterback low and in the pocket.
“I think some of those hits he was talking about were kind of questionable,” Hayes said. “But to say we’re not going to try to go after him, that would be false.”
“Across the league, it happens all the time,” Fisher said. “The league’s priority, from a safety standpoint, starts at the quarterback position. I’ve done a lot of work, through the [competition] committee over the years, protecting the quarterback – there’s going to be things that just aren’t called. At the same time, there are hits on quarterbacks that are legal that are called fouls. The league’s doing the best they can to protect them.”
INJURY UPDATE
No official injury report on Tuesdays, but Fisher did have good news on both cornerback Trumaine Johnson and defensive tackle Michael Brockers.
“They were out today, so they’re coming on,” Fisher said. “Probably will be a game-time decision. We’ll have an injury report for you at the end of the week.”
November 2, 2016 at 10:20 am #56633znModeratorDangerous Cam Newton, Panthers coming to L.A.
Alden Gonzalez
http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/31483/31483
It was Oct. 20, 2013, when the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams last played one another. Five Rams players were called for personal fouls. Sam Bradford suffered a knee injury. Chris Long threw a punch. More than a dozen players were entangled in a scuffle. And perhaps most relevant, Cam Newton completed 15 of 17 passes and the Panthers won at home, 30-15.
Now they meet again, this time at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a Week 9 matchup that kicks off at 1:05 p.m. PT on Sunday. The Rams followed three straight wins with three straight losses and are fresh off a bye. The Panthers improbably lost five of their first six games on the heels of an NFC Championship but are coming off a 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Below are six opposing players to watch, courtesy of ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton …
OFFENSE
QB Cam Newton: Newton is sick and tired of taking late hits, as he said repeatedly after a 30-20 win against Arizona. But he’s not tired of running. He made it clear in his second game back after returning from a concussion that he wanted to remain a dual-threat quarterback. He showed that with seven carries for 43 yards against the league’s second-ranked defense. When Newton is a threat as a runner, it opens up the entire offense and makes the Panthers less predictable. That enabled him to complete passes to seven different receivers against Arizona. Look for more of the same against the Rams.
RB Jonathan Stewart: He’s on a tear, rushing for 180 yards and four touchdowns in two games after missing three straight with a hamstring injury. He’s one of the toughest backs in the league to bring down, and his toughness carries over to the rest of the offense. He’s also been key as a blocker with teams bringing extra pressure to Newton. Carolina has given up only three sacks in the two games since Stewart returned.
WR Ted Ginn Jr.: He’s not as highly publicized as Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, but he’s arguably just as important to this offense. Over the last two games, Ginn has 10 catches on 14 targets for 107 yards. He’s becoming more than just a deep threat like he was much of last season. He’s become a threat underneath and making clutch catches to keep the chains moving. Ginn hasn’t found the end zone, which he did 10 times last season, but the more attention defenses pay to Benjamin, Funchess and tight end Greg Olsen, the more opportunities Ginn will have.
DEFENSE
CB Leonard Johnson: He may have been the missing link for this defense. He definitely brought an energy and spark to that unit. Against Arizona, his first start for Carolina as the nickel back after spending the first six games on the non-football PUP injury list, he had eight tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed. He played 65 snaps because outside linebacker Shaq Thompson left in the first half with a sprained knee. With Thompson questionable for the Rams, Johnson again could see a lot of playing time.
DT Star Lotulelei: He had a career-high three sacks against the Cardinals, including a strip-sack that led to a fumble return for a touchdown on the game’s first series. He has a career-high four sacks on the season. With opponents focusing on 2015 Pro Bowl selection Kawann Short, who had 11 sacks last season, Lotulelei is getting fewer double teams and more opportunities to pressure the quarterback. If teams turn their attention to Lotulelei, that could free up Short to cause havoc up the middle.
S Kurt Coleman: The strong safety suffered a broken thumb against Arizona, so he’ll be playing with a cast against the Rams. The Panthers need his experience and leadership in a young secondary. With free safety Tre Boston finally starting to play to expectations, the back half of the secondary is able to help take pressure off the inexperienced corners. The Panthers didn’t give up a touchdown pass of 20-plus yards against Arizona after giving up nine in the first six games.
November 4, 2016 at 3:12 am #56780znModeratorPanthers visit Rams in meeting of struggling teams
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/11/03/panthers-visit-rams-in-meeting-struggling-teams.html
LOS ANGELES (AP) CAROLINA (2-5) vs. LOS ANGELES (3-4)
Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE – Panthers by 2
More from FoxSports
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Carolina 2-5, Los Angeles 3-3-1
SERIES RECORD – Panthers lead 12-8
LAST MEETING – Panthers beat Rams 30-15, Oct. 20, 2013
LAST WEEK – Panthers beat Cardinals 30-20; Rams had bye, lost to Giants 17-10 on Oct. 23
AP PRO32 RANKING – Panthers No. 23, Rams No. 26
PANTHERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (7), RUSH (5), PASS (9).
PANTHERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (20), RUSH (3), PASS (30).
RAMS OFFENSE – OVERALL (30), RUSH (29), PASS (25).
RAMS DEFENSE – OVERALL (11), RUSH (15), PASS (12).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Carolina makes its first trip to Hollywood. Panthers entered NFL in 1995, few months after Rams and Raiders simultaneously left nation’s second-largest city. … Coaches Jeff Fisher and Ron Rivera were teammates on 1980s Chicago Bears. … Teams met in divisional playoff game during 2003 season. Carolina beat Mike Martz’s 12-4 St. Louis team in double overtime. Rams haven’t had winning season since. … Panthers averaging sturdy 27.3 points per game, while Rams are 30th in NFL with 17.1. … … Panthers’ 30-20 win over Cardinals last week snapped four-game skid. They try to win back-to-back games for first time in defending NFC champions’ season. … Panthers’ stout run defense being betrayed by weak pass defense yielding 286.9 yards per game. … Carolina QB Cam Newton spoke with Commissioner Roger Goodell about concerns over big hits this season. Newton feels he isn’t being protected. … 2015 All-Pro DT Aaron Donald says Rams won’t change how they play after Newton’s concerns went public. … Rams come off bye week with three-game losing streak. … Rams finally get third real home game of relocation season. They’ve played at Coliseum just once since mid-September season opener. … Rams went 41-20-1 at Coliseum during November when they played downtown prior to 1979. … Rams struggling in passing game yet again with just 227.7 yards per game, despite showing signs of improvement from last season. Still aren’t ready to play No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff. … Fantasy Tip: Panthers had 12 sacks in first six games, but sacked Carson Palmer eight times last week. Rams QB Case Keenum has been sacked 16 times in seven games.
November 4, 2016 at 3:23 am #56781znModeratorPanthers averaging sturdy 27.3 points per game, while Rams are 30th in NFL with 17.1
Last 3 metric: Rams 24th with 19: https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/points-per-game
Rams struggling in passing game yet again with just 227.7 yards per game, despite showing signs of improvement from last season.
Last 3 metric: Rams 8th with 275.0: https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/passing-yards-per-game
November 5, 2016 at 2:46 am #56849znModeratorRams’ top pass rusher only has 3 sacks, but pressure he produces impresses Panthers
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article112580183.html#storylink=cpy
According to Pro Football Focus, Donald leads the NFL in quarterback pressures with 38 and averages 5.4 per game – though he didn’t have a sack until October and still has only three.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is well-aware of Donald’s skill.
“He plays with great leverage. I know he’s not 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5, but he knows where his strengths are and he plays to them,” said Rivera before the team departed for Los Angeles on Friday. “He’s very powerful, has a great first step in getting into the crease. There’s one thing he does, and it’s that he gets vertical.”
Like Pro Football Focus, Rivera cited Donald’s skill with his hands against offensive linemen.
“A lot of guys spend a lot of time dancing at the line of scrimmage, getting their hands up, people being slowed down. He goes,” he said. “That’s one of the really neat things about him. And he’s a smart football player. He understands the game.”
Carolina gave up just one sack and four tackles-for-loss to Arizona last week, but is still without starting left tackle Michael Oher as he continues through the concussion protocol.
November 5, 2016 at 11:07 pm #56932znModeratorRams taking it one game at a time
RICH HAMMOND
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bye-734494-rams-coming.html
LOS ANGELES – It’s been slow for Rams players of late. Plenty of time to catch up on laundry, watch the World Series and perhaps move themselves out of the “undecided” category in advance of the election.
A bye week is a time for rest and refreshment, but in the Rams’ case, it might also be a final chance for revival. They’ve had two weeks to ponder their place on the NFL food chain and build up a healthy appetite for today’s opponent, Carolina. A loss would be devastating on multiple levels.
“Our season is still going,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said this week. “We’ve still got a chance to accomplish every goal that we want to accomplish. We’re going one game at a time.”
So, start with this one. The Rams (3-4) are underdogs to the Panthers, the defending NFC champions who shockingly lost five or their first six games this season before a nice victory over Arizona last week.
The Rams have lost three consecutive games but, if nothing else, the NFL’s bye-week trend is smiling upon them. Ten teams have already played a game after a bye week this season, and those teams have a combined record of 8-2, including 5-0 at home.
The Rams have a 2-1-1 record under Coach Jeff Fisher coming off a bye. Both of the victories were at home (in St. Louis), including last season’s 24-6 triumph over the woeful Cleveland Browns.
Success after a break isn’t necessarily a long-term trend, though. Last season, teams coming off a bye had a 13-13 record (three other games featured both teams coming off their bye weeks).
“You have a tendency at times to start a little slower,” Fisher said of teams coming off a bye, “but I don’t anticipate that with our guys. They’ve played hard. They know how to practice, so it’s kind of exciting to get back on the field.”
The Panthers have been on both sides of this. Last month, Carolina traveled to New Orleans to face the Saints, who were coming off their bye. New Orleans took a 14-0 first-quarter lead and won 41-38.
Carolina, reeling, had its bye two weeks ago, then hosted Arizona last week. The Panthers jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and put together their most complete effort of the season in a 30-20 victory.
Things seem to be coming around for the Panthers, who have an excellent front seven and renewed balance on offense with the return of running back Jonathan Stewart to health, paired with the scary running ability of 245-pound quarterback Cam Newton.
“They’ve got a funky scheme,” Rams defensive end William Hayes said of Carolina’s offense. “It’s just about preparing and getting your film work in and believing in what you’re seeing and doing it. With their offense, you can’t just go out there and freelance. You’ve got to go out and play your keys and play fast. That’s the thing. We’ve got to do a lot of rallying, because they can do a lot of things that are scary.”
Even after their three-game losing streak, the Rams remain only 11/2 games out of first place in the NFC West.
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