press sets up the SEATTLE game

Practice Report: Rams Hold Wednesday Walk-Thru, Seahawks Dealing with Injuries

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-Rams-Hold-Wednesday-Walk-Thru-Seahawks-Dealing-with-Injuries/fc0b96cf-0430-40b4-b04f-d3574f50c129#content-tools-share

The Rams kicked off their preparation week for the Seahawks with a walk-thru session on Wednesday at Cal Lutheran. L.A. will resume on-field workouts on Thursday and Friday before travelling to Seattle for Sunday’s game.

INJURY UPDATE:

Although L.A. did not hold an actual practice on Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay did announce that several players would not have participated had the Rams done more than a walk-thru.

Center John Sullivan and linebacker Mark Barron were given their normal Wednesday rest day. But left tackle Andrew Whitworth — who is normally included in the veteran rest days — was held out with the knee injury he sustained in the first half of Sunday’s contest. McVay said Monday he’s expecting Whitworth to be ready for Sunday.

Wide receiver Robert Woods (shoulder) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (knee) would have been limited in the session, while outside linebacker Connor Barwin was back to full participation.

Both Barwin and Woods are expected to return to the field against the Seahawks after missing the last two and three games, respectively.

SEAHAWKS DEALING WITH MULTIPLE INJURIES

In Seattle, the Seahawks could be without as many as six of their defensive starters on Sunday. Defensive end Michael Bennett (knee), linebacker Bobby Wagner (hamstring), and linebacker K.J. Wright (concussion) were all non-participants in Wednesday’s practice.

Plus, safety Kam Chancellor (neck), defensive end Cliff Avril (neck), and cornerback Richard Sherman (ankle) are already out for the season.

Seattle was hit with a pair of injuries in Sunday’s contest against the Jaguars, when Wagner and Wright both exited the game early. On Wednesday, Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll addressed the media, saying that both of the Pro Bowl linebackers would be day-to-day.

“K.J.’s in the protocol and that’s up to the (doctors),” Carroll said, via http://www.seahawks.com. “Bobby’s going to go all the way through the week as he has the last couple weeks, so we’ll have to wait and see. He’s very upbeat and very positive and he’s planning on getting ready. That’s what he’s doing.”

And while the Seahawks have sustained several key injuries in their defense, McVay said the Rams’ approach to the unit will remain the same.

“Wagner is one of the best ones in the league and so is K.J. Wright, but whether they’re available or not, it’s still going to be a great defense,” he said. “And we’ve got to be ready to go, especially going there and what a tough atmosphere and environment that is to play in.”

CHANGING THE PRACTICE SCHEDULE

For the second week in a row, the Rams made a change to their normal practice routine — choosing to hold a walk-thru session over a full practice on Wednesday.

Last week, McVay and his training staff made the adjustment due to poor air quality caused by the fires in

Ventura County. But this time around, McVay said the decision was made in an effort to keep the players “as a fresh as possible for what we feel like is going to be another physical game on Sunday.”

As the regular season nears its conclusion, all NFL players are more prone to injury due to the physical nature of the game. As such, McVay said the mental approach taken on Wednesday allowed players to get work in, while giving the team one more day to recover.

“We felt like it was best to take an above-the-neck day, and really kind of get ahead on our installations for first, second and third downs,” he said. “Just talking with [head trainer] Reggie Scott and [head strength and conditioning coach] Ted Rath and what good resources they’ve been, we felt like this was going to be the best thing for our players.”

And the players seemed to agree.

“I think it’s really good for the bodies at this point in the season,” left guard Rodger Saffold said.
“I think we were very pleased at how fast we were able to move throughout the entire game last week and how we flew around. So, I think they just thought that continuing this type of schedule would help us out in the long run.”

McVay said the decision to schedule a walk-thru during first day of the preparation week is common throughout the league, mentioning that it was something he had done while in Washington.

“We’re all a product of our experiences and then when you just use some of the great resources that you have in this building, these are things that are common,” he said.

Typically, the change is made because of injuries. But for L.A. the adjustment was more preventative in nature.

“Fortunately for us, we have been able to stay healthy and there’s a premium on that,” McVay said. “[E]verything is geared towards what we feel like is best for the players and trying to be in the best position on Sunday.”

What They’re Saying: The Seattle Seahawks

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/What-Theyre-Saying-The-Seattle-Seahawks/ac12f638-3aa0-4bad-b2d6-01efbb87f84e

Each week TheRams.com will be taking a look at what Los Angeles’ opponents have to say about facing the Rams. Heading into Week 15 of the regular season, check out what the Seattle Seahawks coaches and players had to say about their upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Rams at the CenturyLink Field:

On how Wade Phillips’ scheme has changed how the Rams front seven is playing:

“The guys are the same, but there’s a little bit of a different scheme that he plays. But obviously, when you have an Aaron Donald — I mean that guy can make plays in any scheme. He’s a guy to be reckoned with. We have to make sure that we take care of him and account for him all the time. Obviously Robert Quinn as well. Those two guys can really wreck the game and that doesn’t mean that I want to diminish the other guys because they’ve had depth for a lot of years. There’s a lot of solid players there.”

– Seahawks’ OC Darrell Bevell

“The Rams are who they’ve been all year, they’ve been a really good team with some really good players. So to have us be in tact and together just gets you excited about what’s in front of us.”

– Seahawks’ OL Coach Tom Cable

On what Aaron Donald brings to the table:

“When I think about Aaron Donald, he’s probably in my opinion the greatest defensive player I’ve ever played against in terms of actually playing a game against. That’s a pretty big statement because I’ve played against some really good guys. I think back to my rookie year an my second year — I played against guys like Bowman, Willis, and all those guys in my head are probably the top guys I’ve ever played. And then I think about Aaron Donald and he’s up there as well. I have tremendous respect for how he plays the game. He’s really tough, he’s really quick. He’s pretty special. You look forward to those matchups because those are things you remember and what you’ll tell your kids one day. He’ll probably be a Hall of Famer no doubt.”

– Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson

“You know where he’s at. He’s at three-technique most of the time. You can move the front and move him places, but predominantly he’s the three technique. [And] that’s Aaron’s game, he’s a disruptive guy. He’s been disruptive, it doesn’t matter who they play. And so you want to minimize that as best you can. So that’s your target is to try and not have those negative plays.”

– Seahawks’ OL Coach Tom Cable

On what about the Rams makes them so tough to play:

“A number of different things. First and foremost they play a very physical brand of football which obviously we’re very familiar with. So when you put two physical-minded teams together you typically get a good football game. That’s always been the case, that’s been the case since I’ve been here. They’ve done a phenomenal job and obviously had extreme success with it this year.”

– Seahawks’ WR Doug Baldwin

On what he has seen from the Rams since the last time L.A. played the Seahawks:

“We have a heck of a matchup coming up against a team that has been playing great football. They’ve really turned everything around and have been enjoying a fantastic season. Saw a great matchup with the Rams playing Philadelphia last weekend, two really bigtime teams battling and it was a heck-of-a football game. We have good stuff to look, but man we have a lot of respect for what they’re doing in all phases. This is probably the most well-rounded a team…These guys are great on special teams, they’re playing terrific defense, and the offense is averaging over 30 points a game. So, we have to do everything right to have a chance.”

– Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll

“It all goes back to the quarterback play. He looks much more comfortable back there, he’s going through his reads more — first receiver, second receiver, those type of things. And the receivers are getting open.”

– Seahawks’ S Bradley McDougald

On how big of a factor RB Todd Gurley has been:

“The offense, I think, is clearly build around his ability and the dynamics of what he offers. He’s a terrific outside runner and inside runner. He’s great with the ball in his hands coming out of the backfield. He can do everything. And the remarkable thing about Todd is that he has been so durable and so consistent. He’s given them just real, obvious consistent factor throughout. They know it, they’re going to him. I mean the coaches talk about it, it’s in the stats. There’s no denying it, he’s really the centerpiece.”

– Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll

On the biggest differences from Goff year over year:

“It’s a big difference, it really is. He’s playing to his potential. You can see him game in and game out making great throws, he’s in command of the offense, he’s creative with the plays that he makes, he’s utilizing his players really well. He was in more of a survival mode his first year I think, and he’s not there at all anymore. From early on when we played him, he had started well and was already playing good football. He’s just continued to show that consistency which is a fantastic attribute.”

– Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll

On the Rams special teams unit:

“Yeah they are really good. They’ve always been really good. Fassel does a really good job coaching these guys and we’ve always had tremendous respect for the stuff that he’s been able to do over the years. Fortunately, we know them, they know us. But, scheme, an aggressive mentality, good players at the right spots. Their special teams — the kicker, the punter, the returner. Pharoh Cooper is doing great on the backend so it’s just a well-oiled group that will really challenge us.”

– Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll

On what sticks with him about punter Johnny Hekker:

“Well he’s a Washington guy, I know that. But Hekker has done an amazing job over the years and has done some really incredible things, but heart-breaking things for us. He’s got a great arm, he’s fast. Just a great athlete. He can really boom the football. To watch terrific, terrific punters is actually something fun for me to watch. Hopefully, he doesn’t do any tricks this time.”

– Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson

Rams look for offensive balance against always-tough Seattle defense

RICH HAMMOND

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/15/rams-look-for-offensive-balance-against-always-tough-seattle-defense/

THOUSAND OAKS — Todd Gurley needs the ball more. Robert Woods is back. Cooper Kupp is coming off a career game. Tavon Austin is still a part of the Rams’ offense, despite what the statistics indicate.

Then there’s Sammy Watkins, Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee.

The Rams’ list of skill players is impressive, but this week more than ever, it’s on Coach Sean McVay to figure out how to utilize them against a Seattle defense that is weakened by injuries but still dangerous, especially to the Rams.

The Rams have scored one touchdown and a total of 22 points in their last three games against the Seahawks, and the teams meet again Sunday in a game that could determine the NFC West champion.

McVay should have the pieces to get the job done, particularly against a Seattle defense that doesn’t have Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor or Cliff Avril and could be without K.J. Wright. But finding the proper balance on offense has been elusive for McVay, particularly against the NFL’s top defenses.

Several times this season, McVay has been self-critical about not running the ball enough. Todd Gurley’s lowest-touch games of the season were in last week’s loss to Philadelphia and an Oct. 1 loss to Seattle.

“He wants the run-pass balance,” Gurley said, “but stuff never goes as planned in the game. You go through situations and he sees looks that he likes. He calls the shots, he’s the head dog, and if he wants to pass the ball, we’re going to pass the ball. If he wants to run the ball, we’re going to run the ball.

“There’s only one ball and there’s 11 people on the field. You can’t get it every time, and you’ve got to just look at it like that.”

And the Rams need to move that ball, in what figures to be one of their most difficult challenges of the season. Recent history shows the Seahawks are tough to beat at home late in the season.

Since the 2012 season, Coach Pete Carroll’s third season and the genesis of the Seahawks’ recent run of success, they have an 11-3 home record in December games and have allowed an average of 11.9 points in those games. In seven of those games, the opponent didn’t score more than seven points.

The crown jewel in that run might have taken place two weeks ago, when the Seahawks played the Eagles, the highest-scoring team in the NFL, and held them to 10 points.

At least the Rams got some good news this week. Both of their starting tackles, Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein, suffered mild injuries against the Eagles last week, but both were full participants in the Rams’ practice Friday at Cal Lutheran and are expected to play against the Seahawks.

Then again, the Rams were healthy in their first meeting against Seattle this season and lost 16-10. In that game, the Rams gained 375 yards, but lost in large part because they committed five turnovers.

“It’s tough to get down there on a defense like that,” McVay said, “but when we did we weren’t able to capitalize on some of our opportunities, and then they did a great job kind of forcing some turnovers. There’s a reason why they’re a great football team.

“We know that going there, especially from an offensive standpoint, having to deal with the elements it’s always going to be about execution and trying to finish drives when you do get down in the red zone.”

It’s been tough for the Rams against the Seahawks of late. Last year, they managed a 9-3 victory at the Coliseum thanks to three field goals. Then last December, three days after the firing of Coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams totaled only 183 yards on a frigid evening and lost 24-3.

The Rams managed to win in Seattle near the end of the 2015 season, a result so surprising that Gurley recalled this week that a teammate told him he should save the ball after he scored a touchdown in that game.

A Gurley touchdown would be big in this game. The back exceeded 1,000 rushing yards for the season last week but touched the ball only 16 times. Statistics clearly show that the Rams’ offense is at its best when Gurley gets more than 20 touches in a game.

Seattle, though, consistently has one of the league’s top run defenses, and Gurley shrugged this week when asked if he agreed with his coach that he should be getting the ball more often.

“I want to be making plays to win the game,” Gurley said. “Obviously, it’s easy to say when you lose the game that you need the ball more, but when you’re winning and you don’t run the ball it’s no problem, so you’ve got to be consistent. As long as we’re winning and the outcome is good, it is what it is. I don’t even know our record anymore, but as long as we just keep winning, we’ll be in a good situation.”

INJURY REPORT

The Rams seem to have made it through the week relatively clean. Center John Sullivan did not practice Friday because of what McVay called an illness, and McVay said, “Hopefully that’s just short term and he will be ready to go.” As expected, receiver Robert Woods and linebacker Connor Barwin are set to return.

BRING THE NOISE

In anticipation of the elements in Seattle, the Rams practiced at times this week with wet footballs and also put speakers field-side with music, in an attempt to simulate the decibels of crowd noise.

“I think there was a couple times when it sounded like the speakers blew out,” McVay said. “I know their fans are going to be excited. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and something that our fans are looking forward to.”

Rams have chance to virtually claim division title vs. Seahawks

RICH HAMMOND

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/16/rams-have-chance-to-virtually-claim-division-title-vs-seahawks/

SEATTLE — Fret no longer about the Rams looking ahead. The target game has arrived.

The day that seemed impossible in February and improbable even in October has arrived. If the Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, they almost certainly will win their first NFC West title since 2003.

“It’s one of those games that you usually see other teams play in at the end of the year,” Rams running back Todd Gurley said, “and we’re in that situation this year, so it will be exciting.”

NFL playoff-clinching scenarios get wild in mid-December, but one is fairly straightforward. If the Rams (9-4) beat the Seahawks (8-5), they would have a two-game lead over Seattle with two games remaining for each team, and they would clinch the division with one more victory or one more Seattle loss.

Should the Rams lose Sunday, the teams would be tied with two games remaining, and the Seahawks would hold the tiebreaker (head-to-head results), so the Rams would have to finish with a better record.

So there’s no understating the significance of this one. The Rams have wobbled a bit of late, with losses in two of their last four games. Even with a loss to Seattle, their chances of earning a wild-card spot would remain strong, but on Sunday, the Rams have a chance to shake the last bit of little-brother feeling.

Seattle has won the division three of the past four years, and beat the Rams in October in the Coliseum, a game in which the Rams outgained the Seahawks but committed a crippling total of five turnovers.

The Rams have been excellent this season, far better than anyone’s preseason expectations, and the last doubt that remains is whether they win a tough road game late in the season, against a great defense.

The first chance came four weeks ago, at Minnesota, when the Rams scored a touchdown on their first drive but then were shut out for the rest of the game, totaled 254 yards and lost 24-7. Now, they face a similarly strong Seattle defense, in front of a similarly loud crowd, and it will be cold and likely raining.

“You don’t shy away from the opportunity that we do have,” Coach Sean McVay said. “We don’t need to do anything more than what our specific job on each play requires.”

McVay has attempted to keep the Rams’ attention narrowly fixed. When asked, in various weeks, about the significance of the upcoming game, McVay unfailingly fell into coach-speak and insisted that the team simply was concerned about winning its seventh game. Or eighth or ninth, depending on the week.

There’s no masking this one, though. If the Rams win, they’re one small step from a division title. A loss, depending on the results other games, could leave them outside of the NFC playoff picture for a week.

It’s typically folly to judge the “mood” of a locker room during the week, but it seemed clear that the Rams were more boisterous after practice this week. Did they feel any different heading into this game?

“Maybe a little bit,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I think you still try to go into each game the same way. But I think you see how many games are left on the schedule and we know if we do win this one, how big that is for the rest of the season going forward. But we can’t treat it like more than it is. Then you start doing things that you don’t normally do.”

The Rams seem to feel as though they don’t need to significantly change anything from the game they played against Seattle on Oct. 1, other than the crippling total of five turnovers they committed.

In that game, the Rams outgained the Seahawks 375-241, held quarterback Russell Wilson to 198 passing yards and 16 rushing yards and sacked him three times.

The main problem for the Rams in that game was holding onto the ball, but the Seahawks also held Gurley to 43 yards on 14 carries. Now, the Rams’ offense will have to deal with a hostile crowd, one that realizes the importance of this game just as well as the Rams do.

A Seahawks victory would allow them to control their destiny atop the division. A loss would be their sixth of the season, and would leave them zero margin for error in the playoff race. The Rams practiced this week as though they’d be playing in ear-splitting noise, in the most important game of their season.

“Not expecting to hear anything,” Gurley said, “but hopefully we go in there and do what we’re supposed to do and shut the crowd up. It’s a great environment. It probably is the loudest, or one of the loudest, stadiums in the NFL. It reminds you of playing back in college, that type of atmosphere.”