QB Change

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 36 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #34231
    NERam
    Participant

    Wow, Rams name Case Keenum as Sunday starter. No details yet.

    #34232
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    not totally surprised. foles hasn’t looked good. can’t get worse. can it?

    one random thought i had today. if manning was a free agent next year, would you sign him given the talent on this roster? he played horrible this weekend, but here they’d just need him to be a caretaker of the offense.

    #34233
    Avatar photoZooey
    Moderator

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000581729/article/rams-name-case-keenum-starting-qb-vs-ravens

    Go to the link above if you want to see a video of Fisher’s announcement. He looks like he is announcing the death of his gramma.

    Case Keenum to start for Rams; Nick Foles benched

    By Gregg Rosenthal
    Around The NFL Editor
    Published: Nov. 16, 2015 at 06:06 p.m. Updated: Nov. 16, 2015 at 06:43 p.m.
    Three months after giving Nick Foles a three-year contract, the St. Louis Rams have decided to bench him.

    Rams coach Jeff Fisher announced that Case Keenum will start at quarterback for the Rams at Baltimore this week. Foles has been removed as a starter after two straight losses by the 4-5 Rams.

    “You know, Nick just needs a break,” Fisher said. “Nick just needs a break right now.”

    Foles was acquired in a March trade between teams dealing starting quarterbacks when the Rams sent Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Nick Foles, a 2016 second-round pick and a move up in the middle rounds of last year’s draft. The pick is nice, but this benching is tantamount to admitting defeat in the deal. The Rams’ long-term contract doesn’t include true guaranteed money after this season, so the Rams can move on from Foles if they chose to. It would be a surprise at this point if Foles was even on the roster next year.

    The timing of this move still is stunning. Keenum, who went undrafted out of college, has started 10 games in four seasons. All of those starts were with the Texans, although Keenum did spend time with the Rams and Texans last season. He’s been Foles’ backup throughout this season.

    Every game, all season

    Fisher said his offense needs a spark, which is clear to see. Foles has seven touchdowns, six interceptions and five fumbles. The Rams have very few sustainable features on offense. Their only success comes from Tavon Austin gadget plays and big runs by rookie Todd Gurley. Foles has a big arm and has connected on the occasional deep ball this season, but he has played particularly poorly over the last month.

    Foles was 0-12 on passes thrown over 10 yards Sunday, which was the most attempts on such passes without a completion in the last 10 seasons, according to the Rams’ website. Fisher wasn’t making any promises about how long Keenum would start, but he clearly has the chance to keep the job. St. Louis has a playoff-ready defense, but plenty of challenging games remaining against Cincinnati, Arizona, and Seattle.

    Foles might very well get another chance to start at quarterback for the Rams, but Fisher probably hopes it’s not necessary. The Rams are letting their Case Keenum flag fly.

    #34235
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    he just seems really late on the throws. like he needs to be anticipating the receiver getting open. instead he waits for the receiver to actually get open before throwing it. but by then it’s too late. maybe part of that is not trusting his receivers to get open? i don’t know.

    #34236
    Avatar photoZooey
    Moderator

    We will rally around Case Keenum, and we will play good football.

    #34237
    Avatar photocanadaram
    Participant

    I see that both Williams and Brown suffered season ending injuries on the Foles INT late in the game. Thankfully Havenstein was already out with his calf injury so he managed to avoid a season ending injury trying to make a tackle. So in case you’re counting that’s 3 injured o-linemen in yesterday’s game. I don’t know how much time Havenstein misses, but calf injuries are tough on a big guy. Next week it will be Barnes and Robinson at their regular positions. I’m guessing Reynolds is at RT and it will be two new guards. Wichmann and Rhaney/Donnal? Battle will likely be dressed as a back up. Some things never change. Fun times.

    #34243
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    he just seems really late on the throws.

    Fisher had interesting comments on all that:

    Nick also understands that he eventually will be under center for us again.

    But, he just needs to get more experience under his belt in this offense.

    There were some routes that weren’t correctly run. There were some protection issues where he had pressure in his face. There were some opportunities where we had some people open when the ball should’ve been delivered on time and the ball should’ve been completed. Again, it’s not just yesterday. It’s over the last few weeks.

    There was a few times when, had we been a little more patient and gone through the progression, the ball would’ve gone to the correct place and we may have extended some drives.

    #34244
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    how exactly does keenum alleviate any of those problems fisher just mentioned?

    my guess is fisher thinks that to take a step forward the rams need to take a step back first? let foles sit back and get evaluate?

    he pretty much says that foles will be the starter again at some point which to me seems to mean that he doesn’t think keenum is the answer.

    also

    I see that both Williams and Brown suffered season ending injuries on the Foles INT late in the game.

    who is williams?

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
    #34247
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    how exactly does keenum alleviate any of those problems fisher just mentioned?

    my guess is fisher thinks that to take a step forward the rams need to take a step back first? let foles sit back and get evaluate?

    he pretty much says that foles will be the starter again at some point which to me seems to mean that he doesn’t think keenum is the answer.

    What I got out of what Fisher said is that Foles doesn’t get/know the offense yet.

    .

    #34248
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    from off the net

    CoachO

    I am shocked that Fisher made the move. Not that I don’t think it needed to be made.

    As far as Keenum….. He’s gonna make his share of mistakes as well. He is in the same mold as Austin Davis. He’s gonna force some throws into tight windows and I fear we may see more turnovers.

    But what he will also provide is more mobility and a better idea of where to go with the ball.

    IMO the biggest negative with Foles was his holding onto the ball way too long. I lost count just in yesterday’s game the number of sideline outs he tried to force across the hash marks. And every single one of them came out late. More often than not Foles simply throws the ball in an area and hopes for the best. I’ve yet to see him (with any consistency) hit receivers in stride or put the ball in a consistent place where the onus isn’t on the receiver to make a circus catch. Even on routine routes. I’ve been consistently voicing my concerns about him since training camp. And all the things I saw up close and personal that concerned me in training camp and he’s still doing the same things. Slow thru his reads and a tendency to become very jittery when his first read isn’t available. Add to it the absence of even looking to the middle of the field.

    For me it’s all about his lack of command in this offense. Even on balls that end up as competitions his accuracy just isn’t there. How many throws to Quick and Welker were so far off target that they couldn’t even get a hand on it? Keenum will be MUCH BETTER in that area as well.

    I was encouraged yesterday they actually tried to incorporate some slants and dig routes from Quick. Just Foles confirmed my suspicions. He can’t make those throws with any accuracy.

    If they stick with those concepts Keenum will complete them more than not.

    In terms of the play-action? The conventional train of thought is to utilize a play action passing attack off of the success of the running game. But as Minnesota showed last week, if they continue to blitz it eliminates the ability to play action. Lost count of the number of times Foles would follow thru with his play action fake and immediately be faced with pressure coming from the blitz.

    Kinda concerning that a fourth year QB can’t see it coming pre snap and make the necessary adjustments.

    This is the pure definition of a red-shirt year for Mannion. Mannion for all intents and purposes hasn’t taken a meaningful rep in practice since training camp. Foles has gotten the lion’s share of reps every week with the game plan. Keenum takes nearly all of the “scout team” reps to stay sharp. That laaves Mannion on the outside looking in. So unless and until they move him up on the depth chart, he’s unlikely to be given any consideration at all. But IMO. He should come into 2016 with a legitimate chance to compete for the job. It’s no coincidence in my mind that Foles was given a two year deal. Sean Mannion could very well be the guy moving forward.

    Austin Davis’ issues weren’t experience. They were physical. He just didn’t have an NFL caliber arm. He can’t make the throws needed to be consistent. I’m not missing the pick 6’s from his game. Or the badly underthrown desperation throws downfield that were late.

    .

    #34249
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    how exactly does keenum alleviate any of those problems fisher just mentioned?

    my guess is fisher thinks that to take a step forward the rams need to take a step back first? let foles sit back and get evaluate?

    he pretty much says that foles will be the starter again at some point which to me seems to mean that he doesn’t think keenum is the answer.

    What I got out of what Fisher said is that Foles doesn’t get/know the offense yet.

    .

    does that mean keenum does? what advantage does starting keenum offer if he doesn’t think keenum is the long-term starter? cuz he says foles will be back at some point or is that just lip service?

    #34252
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    ok. i just read the response from coach o. still. fisher seems to indicate that foles will be the starter again. i guess he thinks some time away will be beneficial.

    #34253
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-bench-qb-foles-keenum-to-start/article_62d1ed44-4a88-506b-a185-2f118f252f14.html
    Rams bench QB Foles; Keenum to start
    2 hours ago • By Ben Frederickson, Jim Thomas

    Rams coach Jeff Fisher benched quarterback Nick Foles on Monday and named Case Keenum the starter for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

    In making the announcement at Rams Park, Fisher said Keenum could provide a spark to a team that has lost back-to-back games.

    “We’ve been over the last — I would say four to five weeks — looking at the offense and the big picture (on) the offense,” Fisher said at his regular early Monday evening media session. “And just the production of our offense.

    “Decided to go ahead and make a quarterback change. We’re gonna go ahead and go with Case. I have recently — an hour or so ago — talked to all three quarterbacks, and Coach (Chris) Weinke.”

    Weinke is the Rams’ quarterbacks coach.

    “This is my decision,” Fisher said. “Nobody came down the hall and said this is what we need to do. This is my decision. As I told the quarterbacks, the lack of production is not Nick’s fault. The lack of production is a collective offensive effort and coaching.

    “But we need more production and it starts with that position.”

    Foles, who was traded by Philadelphia to the Rams in the offseason in exchange for quarterback Sam Bradford, has completed 55.6 percent of his passes this season. He has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating this season is a lowly 75.9, which ranks 29th in the league.

    The Rams signed Foles to a three-year, $26 million contract extension in early August, before he had thrown even a preseason pass for the Rams. The deal included $13.79 million in guaranteed money, and included incentives that could max out the deal at $39.5 million.

    “By no means do we regret the trade, by no means do we regret the extension,” Fisher said. “Nick is a good quarterback. He’s captain of the football team. But at this point, right now, based on where we are offensively I feel like this is the direction we have to go.”

    In Sunday’s 37-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, Foles completed fewer than 50 percent of his throws (17 of 36), threw a late interception and didn’t look comfortable in the pocket.

    Foles threw high and late on several occasions and continued to miss open receivers — including not seeing a wide open Jared Cook in the end zone in the third quarter. Foles instead threw incomplete in the other direction to Brian Quick.

    Keenum, who was added to the Rams roster last season, has never started a game for the Rams, but started 10 games for the Houston Texans during his short career.

    “As I told Case, he doesn’t have a short leash,” Fisher said. “I’m gonna let him play. I’m gonna let him use his legs, and let him make some plays. Nick also understands that he eventually will be under center for us again.”

    After the preseason injury to Bradford on Aug. 23, 2014, the Rams claimed Keenum off waivers from the Houston Texans. He spent the first seven games of the ’14 season on the Rams’ active roster, and then spent the next seven on the practice squad.

    But Houston signed Keenum to their active roster Dec. 15, and Keenum led the Texans to victories over Baltimore and Jacksonville in the final two games of the season.

    Fisher, however, wanted Keenum back. So on the same day (March 11) that the Rams engineered the Bradford for Foles trade with Philadelphia, they also sent a seventh-rounder to Houston for Keenum.

    Keneum has a 55.2 percent career completion percentage, and has thrown 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions in the NFL. He also started eight games with Houston in 2013.

    Agamemnon

    #34255
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Jeff Fisher looking for Case Keenum to provide ‘offensive spark’ for Rams

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams are making a quarterback change.

    One day after the Rams lost 37-13 to the Chicago Bears, Rams coach Jeff Fisher named Case Keenum his new starting quarterback and sent Nick Foles to the bench in a move Fisher said he has been contemplating for the past four or five weeks.

    “We’re going to go ahead and go with Case,” Fisher said. “This is my decision. Nobody came down the hall and said, ‘This is what we need to do.’ The lack of offensive production is a collective effort and coaching. But we need more production, and it starts with that position.”

    Nine games into the season, Foles ranked 32nd in QBR (34.1), 29th in passer rating (75.9) and 28th in passing yards (1,678). As an offense, the Rams are 31st in yards per game and 32nd in passing yards per game.
    Nick Foles, right, was part of the trade that sent Sam Bradford to Philadelphia. “By no means do we regret the trade, by no means do we regret the extension,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “Nick is a good quarterback.” AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

    Despite those offensive woes, the Rams were 4-3 just two weeks ago, after consecutive wins over Cleveland and San Francisco. However, Foles’ struggles came into view more clearly after back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Chicago, which apparently tipped the scales in Keenum’s favor.

    “I don’t expect Nick to like it,” Fisher said. “He’s competitive, but he understands, and we’re gonna move forward here. I’m not saying this is week-to-week, but this is what’s best right now for our team as we move forward, from a production standpoint offensively.”

    Keenum has started 10 games since he signed with the Houston Texans in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. In those games, the Texans went 2-8 and Keenum threw for 2,195 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a QBR just above Foles’ current mark of 34.5.

    Fisher is seeking to jump-start his offense, and with rookie offensive linemen Jamon Brown (leg) and Darrell Williams (wrist) lost for the season, Keenum’s mobility could be important behind a patchwork offensive line.

    “He’s won games at Houston with a team that had significant injuries around him and he found ways to win games,” Fisher said. “We’re going to trust his mobility and his ability to extend plays and things and just give us an offensive spark that we need.”

    Fisher stopped short of committing to Keenum for the rest of the Rams’ seven games, but he said he’s not going to have Keenum on a short leash if the QB struggles against Baltimore on Sunday.

    “He’s going to play, we’re going to use his legs and going to make some plays,” Fisher said. “Nick also understands that he will eventually be under center for us again. But this is my decision, based on what I think is best for this team, offensively, is to go this direction.”

    “This is my decision. Nobody came down the hall and said, ‘This is what we need to do.’ The lack of offensive production is a collective effort and coaching. But we need more production, and it starts with that position.”
    Rams coach Jeff Fisher

    Keenum spent part of the 2014 season with the Rams before Houston signed him off St. Louis’ practice squad at the end of that season. Although he never got much of a chance to play in St. Louis, Keenum did enough to impress for the Rams to attempt to get him back.

    The Rams traded for Foles and Keenum in March. They sent quarterback Sam Bradford to Philadelphia for Foles and draft picks and reacquired Keenum from Houston for a seventh-round 2016 pick.

    Before Foles took a snap in a regular-season game, the Rams signed him to a deal that guarantees him almost $14 million.

    “By no means do we regret the trade, by no means do we regret the extension,” Fisher said. “Nick is a good quarterback.”

    Fisher said Foles will step into the backup role with rookie Sean Mannion continuing as the team’s third quarterback.

    “Nick just needs a break,” Fisher said. “He just needs a break right now. He’s going to continue to work. He’ll run scout team, he’ll be prepared to play, but he just needs to get more experience under his belt in this offense. And we need to do a better job around him. I keep circling back to that. It’s not easy. It’s hard, but to me, it’s the right decision for us moving forward.”

    http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14148976/st-louis-rams-bench-nick-foles-name-case-keenum-starting-quarterback

    Agamemnon

    #34259
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    how exactly does keenum alleviate any of those problems fisher just mentioned?

    my guess is fisher thinks that to take a step forward the rams need to take a step back first? let foles sit back and get evaluate?

    he pretty much says that foles will be the starter again at some point which to me seems to mean that he doesn’t think keenum is the answer.

    What I got out of what Fisher said is that Foles doesn’t get/know the offense yet.

    .

    does that mean keenum does? what advantage does starting keenum offer if he doesn’t think keenum is the long-term starter? cuz he says foles will be back at some point or is that just lip service?

    Keenum has taken more snaps under center in the pros, yeah. He also adds some mobility.

    #34261
    NERam
    Participant

    Disappointed, fer sure.

    I really thought, at the beginning of the season, that Foles would turn out better than just a game manager.

    One particular play stood out, for me, anyways. During the Seahawks game, he floated a beautiful pass in between Sherman I believe, and another DB. Nice arc, soft touch.

    That touch is something you didn’t see too much of with Bradford. Sam threw lasers, but how many passes did we see clanging off receivers hands from a laser, when a softer pass would’ve probably been caught.

    I liked what I saw out of early Foles, but now, Mio Dios…

    #34267
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    from off the net

    Blue and Gold

    Here are Foles’s first 4 games

    70/111 63.1% 815 yards 5 TDs 1 INT 96.5 rating

    Here are his last 5 games

    75/145 51.7 % 863 yards 2 TDs 5 INT 60.2

    What has perplexed me is who is the real Foles? Now, the drops were WORSE in the first 4 games than they have been the last 5 at least going by memory, the Kendricks drop stands out.

    Maybe some are sure that the last 5 games is the “real” Foles . . . but the first 4 were more like he was in Philly

    What happened?

    #34278
    Avatar photonittany ram
    Moderator

    How is it possible that Foles could play SO poorly? Many people who were against the trade said there were flaws with Foles’ game, but there was nothing that could have predicted this complete futility. Of course the new offense and poor o-line play are contributors but…sheesh. It’s like his overall suckiness is greater than the sum of its parts.

    #34279
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    I see that both Williams and Brown suffered season ending injuries on the Foles INT late in the game.
    Thankfully Havenstein was already out with his calf injury so he managed to avoid a season ending injury trying to make a tackle….

    This is good posting,
    right here. Excellent work.

    w
    v

    #34280
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    IMO the biggest negative with Foles was his holding onto the ball way too long… More often than not Foles simply throws the ball in an area and hopes for the best. I’ve yet to see him (with any consistency) hit receivers in stride or put the ball in a consistent place where the onus isn’t on the receiver to make a circus catch. Even on routine routes. I’ve been consistently voicing my concerns about him…

    This is exactly what Zooey has been saying.

    Is it possible Zooey,
    is, Coach-O

    Wouldnt that make Coach-O
    a Raider fan?

    w
    v

    #34281
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    How is it possible that Foles could play SO poorly? Many people who were against the trade said there were flaws with Foles’ game, but there was nothing that could have predicted this complete futility. Of course the new offense and poor o-line play are contributors but…sheesh. It’s like his overall suckiness is greater than the sum of its parts.

    ————————

    Yeah, its bad. Story of the year
    for the Rams. I think it
    even overshadows the Gurley story.

    Unbelievable.

    w
    v

    #34282
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Foles as a rookie for Reid. Why is he worse now?

    Agamemnon

    #34283
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    Foles as a rookie for Reid. Why is he worse now?</span>

    I dunno, but the vast majority of those hi-lites
    involved a nice clean pocket or at most
    one pass-rusher attacking from one edge,
    and Nick could easily glide away from the rusher.

    w
    v

    #34285
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    I dunno, but the vast majority of those hi-lites
    involved a nice clean pocket or at most
    one pass-rusher attacking from one edge,
    and Nick could easily glide away from the rusher.

    w
    v


    Those were just highligths. He was sacked 20 times in 7 games. That is about twice what he got this year.

    Agamemnon

    #34288
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Many people who were against the trade said there were flaws with Foles’ game, but there was nothing that could have predicted this complete futility.

    Foles as a rookie for Reid. Why is he worse now?

    It would be interesting to find out how much shotgun he played in for Reid. I believe he was all shotgun in college and certainly was all shotgun with Kelly.

    So I think it’s telling that Fisher in effect says he still has to learn the offense.

    I don’t think he means the playbook. I think he means executing the offense in real time with real bullets while dropping back from center.

    A lot of that was new to him. To me he looked unconfident and overwhelmed. If he gets back to his Philly 2014 level he will be of course better than he was in his last 5 games. But that again may be rhythm, feeling comfortable, executing etc. while dropping back from center. ‘

    .

    #34298
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    Many people who were against the trade said there were flaws with Foles’ game, but there was nothing that could have predicted this complete futility.

    Foles as a rookie for Reid. Why is he worse now?

    It would be interesting to find out how much shotgun he played in for Reid. I believe he was all shotgun in college and certainly was all shotgun with Kelly.

    So I think it’s telling that Fisher in effect says he still has to learn the offense.

    I don’t think he means the playbook. I think he means executing the offense in real time with real bullets while dropping back from center.

    A lot of that was new to him. To me he looked unconfident and overwhelmed. If he gets back to his Philly 2014 level he will be of course better than he was in his last 5 games. But that again may be rhythm, feeling comfortable, executing etc. while dropping back from center. ‘

    .

    It looks to me like 2014 is the exception or outlier , Chip Kelly’s offense before the rest of the NFL caught. Foles never was that guy. imo

    Agamemnon

    #34302
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    It looks to me like 2014 is the exception or outlier , Chip Kelly’s offense before the rest of the NFL caught. Foles never was that guy. imo

    I think you’re thinking of 2013.

    2014 is more the guy I would expect if he rights himself.

    I agree that 2013 is the outlier.

    #34303
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    It looks to me like 2014 is the exception or outlier , Chip Kelly’s offense before the rest of the NFL caught. Foles never was that guy. imo

    I think you’re thinking of 2013.

    2014 is more the guy I would expect if he rights himself.

    I agree that 2013 is the outlier.

    Your right, I meant 2013. I agree with that.

    Agamemnon

    #34307
    NERam
    Participant

    Some stats from Foles supporting cast, 2013. Not too too shabby in the rushing and receiving depts.

    PLAYER, ATT, YDS, YDS/ATT, LONG, TD,
    LeSean McCoy, 314, 1,607, 5.1, 57, 9,

    PLAYER, REC, YDS, YDS/REC, LONG, TD,
    DeSean Jackson, 82, 1,332, 16.2, 61, 9,
    LeSean McCoy, 52, 539, 10.4, 70, 2,
    Riley Cooper, 47, 835, 17.8, 63, 8,

    #34308
    Herzog
    Participant

    Foles reminds me of a spread qb coming out of college. Very disappointing. I think it’s time we start using the 4 tight end formation BTW

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 36 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Comments are closed.