are the Rams for real? … thread 2

Rams winning with newfound poise, maturity

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/06/bonsignore-rams-show-poise-maturity-is-no/

EAST RUTHERFORD NJ – The Rams’ pummeling of the Giants was nearly complete Sunday when Jared Goff started spreading a message to teammates.

On the verge of completing a 3-0 sweep of games in far-away Jacksonville, London and New Jersey, the Rams had done more than just set themselves up beautifully for a second-half playoff run.

Sitting at 6-2 – and as they would discover just a few hours later, alone atop the NFC West standings – the Rams had answered questions, quelled concerns, turned skepticism into belief and altered a long-standing national narrative.

If not one that permeated their own building.

It’s a hell of a thing, turning around a franchise-wide mentality of losing and fear and a lack of confidence and composure. It can take years, if it ever happens at all.

But as Goff walked the sidelines at MetLife Stadium with the Rams on the brink of going 6-2 for the first time since 2001 and positioned to end a 13-year run of non-winning seasons, what he saw was a team, coaching staff and franchise for which something dramatic finally clicked.

One that’s well equipped to meet challenges, be it on the personnel or coaching level. And physically and mentally strong enough to keep forging ahead to a bright, exciting future,.

“We are a mature team. I think we have a lot of maturity,” Goff recalled talking to teammates about Sunday. “Although we are young, we do have some veterans that lead us really well. We are mature for being as young as we are. We are able to handle that stuff really well. It’s a testament to the coaches and the training staff. Everyone that puts that plan together, how we’re going to eat and all that stuff that goes into it. It’s been awesome.”

It would be easy to simply point to the additions of Andrew Whitworth, John Sullivan, Robert Woods and Connor Barwin – the four free agents the Rams sought out as much for their on-field impact as their off-field – as the catalyst for that infusion of maturity. And while each has been a home run import in all the ways the Rams hoped – greatly enhancing their skill level at key positions while also providing professionalism, wisdom and leadership – none of it would have mattered had they encountered a resistant or skeptical locker room or a coaching staff too insecure to provide them the necessary voice to spread their foresight and knowledge.

In fact, they encountered the exact opposite.

New head coach Sean Mcvay wasn’t just emphatic about seeking veteran savviness during free agency, he was ardent in giving those leaders the platform to advance their gospel. Not every coaching staff has the confidence or self-awareness to do that, worried it might usurp their authority or undermine their message. And you don’t have to trace back far in the Rams’ coaching lineage to find some that were resistant to giving too much of a voice to players.

McVay lacks nothing when it comes to confidence, even at the age of 32 and in the first year of his first head coaching gig. It also helps that he’s remarkably genuine and supremely talented in scripting and communicating a decisive, believable plan that compels those around him to not only buy in, but eagerly execute and embody it.

“The buy-in level was immediate,” Rodger Saffold told me Sunday.

Or, as Goff put it: “Coach McVay and his staff has done a great job implementing that high standard and expectation. Never settling. Just trusting what we do day in and day out. Trusting our process and never wavering from that.”

Just as importantly, what McVay and the newcomers like Whitworth and Woods found upon arriving in Los Angeles was a locker room thirsty for leadership and, in the cases of Alec Ogletree and Trumaine Johnson and Aaron Donald and others, players who were on the brink of ascending to positions of authority but, be it a previous coaching staff that subtly discouraged them or few credible veterans around them to serve as examples, hadn’t yet emerged as leaders.

They were all open to learning a new, better way. And eager to lead.

From the earliest stages of OTAs, Whitworth explained how he’d sometimes sit back and observe his new teammates to get a feel for their authenticity. He was impressed by what he saw. How serious guys were about earnestly and professionally going about their business day after day.

“We preach it every single day that we work,” Ogletree said. “It pays off in the long run, just being consistent.”

After the Rams lost a winnable game to the Washington Redskins in Week 2 at the Coliseum, some 30 minutes or so after the loss Whitworth observed to me about how well he felt the Rams had responded to the bitter defeat and how confident it made him about moving forward.

The Rams are 5-1 since that loss.

That maturity and professionalism is about to be tested in a major way.

As the Rams approach the second half of their season, three games beckon against teams currently in the NFC playoff picture – the Vikings (Nov. 19), Saints (Nov. 26) and Eagles on Dec. 10. In addition, they play in Seattle on Dec. 17 – the Seahawks are a game behind the Rams in the NFC West – and play the AFC South-leading Titans on Christmas Eve.

In case you’re wondering if the Rams are aware of what’s ahead, the answer is yes. Big time.

That awareness is also coupled with a level of confidence after going 6-2 over the first half and answering one pressing question after another.

“As long as we keep it up and keep doing what we are doing, we’ll be fine,” Donald said. “But that’s on us and that’s up to us, and the way we prepare and continue to stay hungry.”

Rams, eyeing a playoff run, are surprise story of NFL season

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-20171106-story.html

The Rams, by any measure, reached the midpoint of the NFL season ahead of schedule.

They are 6-2 and in first place in the NFC West under first-year coach Sean McVay. They lead the NFL in scoring with ascending quarterback Jared Goff and rank ninth in scoring defense with a unit led by relentless lineman Aaron Donald.

And they are positioned to make a run for their first playoff appearance since 2004.

“We’ve got a connected team right now,” McVay said Monday during a news conference in Thousand Oaks.

Now the question: Can the Rams sustain this over the final eight games?

“You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself because this is long season,” veteran linebacker Robert Quinn said after Sunday’s 51-17 victory over the New York Giants. “There’s a lot of great teams out there, great players, and all it takes is one week and the snowball effect, and it can get ugly pretty fast.”

The Rams have plenty of experience with unsightly finishes.

Last season, they started 3-1 under former coach Jeff Fisher and then nosedived to a 4-12 finish.

An upgraded roster that includes dominating left tackle Andrew Whitworth and receivers Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins — and a culture change instituted by McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips — makes a similar downward spiral improbable.
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Instead, starting with Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the Rams will be focused on maintaining the momentum that has made them the surprise story of the NFL.

“Our team’s got a lot of confidence right now,” McVay said, “but we know that it’s a week-to-week business.”

In their last two victories — routs of the Arizona Cardinals and Giants — the Rams played complete games, performing well on offense, defense and special teams.

“We’ve been clicking on all three cylinders,” safety Lamarcus Joyner said.

And yet….

“There’s a handful of plays in all three phases that we feel like we could have made,” McVay said.

McVay pointed to his evolving game management skills as one area that can be improved.

But the Rams are doing most things well.

They are averaging 32.9 points a game. Goff is coming of a career-best four-touchdown performance against the Giants, running back Todd Gurley has scored a league-high 10 touchdowns.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein has made all but one of his 25 field-goal attempts and is the league’s leading scorer.

The point production is a welcome change for veteran defensive players, who had grown accustomed to shouldering the burden of playing with the league’s least productive offense.
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“This is my first time being on a team like that, where the offense is doing what they want, literally,” sixth-year cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “And it’s not just one game…. It’s really nice to see.”

The defense has played well since the second half of a Week 4 victory at Dallas.

The Rams forced two turnovers in a 33-0 victory over Arizona, three more against the Giants.

Quinn said those results are expected when playing in Phillips’ 3-4 defense.

“As a player, it’s simple but complicated,” he said of the scheme, “Or complicated but simple. Because there’s so many different looks we can give that can cause an offense trouble.”

The Rams are looking forward to playing the Texans at the Coliseum, their first home game since losing to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 8.

They also have remaining home games against the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams, 5-0 away from the Coliseum, have remaining road games against the Minnesota Vikings, Cardinals, Seahawks and Tennessee Titans.

Linebacker Connor Barwin, who played for playoff teams in Houston and Philadelphia, said the Rams must continue getting better to sustain their fast start.
What we learned in the Rams’ 51-17 victory over the New York Giants

“The teams that win in the playoffs,” Barwin said, “are the teams that improve throughout the season.

“Whether you’re 6-2 or 4-4, the key is to improve every single week, and that’s what our goal needs to be.”

So far, Rams players have bought in. Barwin said the entire roster is pulling in the same direction with no individual selfishness.

“That’s, again, something you have to sustain through the whole season,” he said. “And that’s another challenge in itself when you start to have success.

“So those are things we’ll have to deal with that this team hasn’t had to deal with in the past.”

Etc.

The Rams waived receiver Bradley Marquez from injured reserve…. The Rams, off Tuesday, resume practice Wednesday.