next day Saints game reflections: PFF, J.Thomas, & Fisher

Plenty to work on, but Rams’ miscues not significant
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/plenty-to-work-on-but-rams-miscues-not-significant/article_5b941c55-1109-5ff0-9ef4-820696148460.html

When coach Jeff Fisher threw out the red challenge flag late in the second quarter Friday night, there couldn’t have been many in the Edward Jones Dome who thought Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines had stopped Saints wide receiver Nick Toon short of the first-down marker.

Actually, neither did Fisher.

“No, I thought it was a good spot,” Fisher said. “I was standing right there.”

So why did he make the challenge?

Basically, Fisher was doing a favor for referee Carl Cheffers and his crew.

“(Friday) was the first time that this crew was gonna potentially communicate with New York,” Fisher said.

Last March, club owners approved a change in the replay system, allowing the league’s officiating headquarters in New York to have input on replay challenges to crews.

“So I just said if there’s anything close, I’ll go ahead and challenge it for you and see how it goes,” Fisher said, referring to Cheffers.

As expected, the call was upheld, the Saints got their first down, and as a result of the unsuccessful challenge the Rams were charged a timeout.

It’s a timeout the Rams could’ve used in the final 2½ minutes of the half with their offense on a drive that started at the St. Louis 8 and ended with a 45-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein as the half expired.

With an extra timeout in his pocket, the Rams might have had a chance for a touchdown. As if you didn’t already know, that replay challenge sequence further illustrated that August football isn’t the same as the brand of ball that takes place after Labor Day.

Normally a two-point loss in which you’ve missed two field goals in the final five minutes would be gut-wrenching. But it’s August, which also explains why Fisher, in summing up the Rams’ 26-24 loss to New Orleans, merely stated: “All in all, I think it was a good exercise.”

Exercise in the sense that the Rams ran around, worked up a sweat, played at a lot of players and kept it simple. No game-planning, no scheming; just block, tackle, catch, run.

(And in several cases missed blocks, tackles, catches, and running the wrong way.)

When all was said and done Friday, Fisher found plenty to work on after reviewing the game film, but nothing to stress out about.

“There were some good things,” Fisher said. “Some good effort, good plays. No turnovers. We got two (takeaways) on defense. … We ended up with balance when all was said and done — we had 34 pass attempts and 32 rushes.”

On the downside, there were too many penalties, too many rushing yards allowed and too many missed tackles.

The Rams committed 14 penalties, most of them by players who won’t be on the 53-man roster in September. Those 14 resulted in 118 yards marked off, and Fisher said he agreed with all but two of the 14 flags.“We have to learn from them,” Fisher said. “Penalties became the common theme through the game after we subbed.”

A bevy of missed tackles helped the Saints rush for 123 yards and 5.1 yards per carry, including 83 yards on eight carries by Mark Ingram.

The Rams missed at least nine tackles in the first half alone by unofficial count, and several of them were missed by players who are expected to make the 53-man roster — including linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong and safety Cody Davis.

“Usually when the runs were popping, there was either nine guys doing their job and one guy (not),” Fisher said, “or the defense got cut. Or we just weren’t setting the edge. Or we had a couple tackles in the hole that we missed.”

But again, Fisher wasn’t overly concerned.

“We really didn’t load up to stop the run, or pressure,” Fisher said. “We got caught in a few pass stunts, which creates some seams in the defense. Obviously in a normal game situation, you don’t think this will happen.”

Exhibition openers frequently feature more missed tackles simply because nobody tackles in training camp anymore. But Fisher said the Rams do practice tackling form, so he wouldn’t use that as an excuse.

Fisher also gave credit to Ingram, who scored the Saints’ second touchdown on a 22-yard run late in the second quarter.

“Ingram’s a fine back,” Fisher said. “He’s gonna make some people miss and he’s gonna run over people. He’s been doing that since his college days.That’s not an excuse, but we did miss him a few times.”

But Ingram is no Adrian Peterson, and that’s whom the Rams will face in the regular-season opener when the Minnesota Vikings come to town Sept. 7.

Against New Orleans, nine of the normal 22 starters on offense and defense didn’t play because of injuries and other factors. All told, 18 of the 90 Rams on the training camp roster didn’t suit up.

“When you have nine starters that don’t play for whatever reason, you end up playing a lot of (backup) players earlier in the ballgame,” Fisher said. “And when that happens, some of the inexperience translates into penalties, and we had way too many penalties.”

With Green Bay coming to town for a 3 p.m. contest Saturday, things should get turned up a notch. For one, there should be a lot more familiar faces on the field because there won’t be 18 guys sitting out.

“This week, it looks as if we’ll probably get maybe 15 or 16 of them back,” Fisher said.

One of them will be quarterback Sam Bradford.

“I haven’t decided how much, but yeah, he’s gonna play this week,” Fisher said.

And here’s a safe bet: There probably will be no “courtesy” challenges this week.

Fisher finds positives in Rams’ loss
By Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/story/1432368-fisher-finds-positives-in-rams-loss?s=124

ST. LOUIS — Rams coach Jeff Fisher found plenty of things that he liked from his team’s first preseason game, a 26-24 loss to the visiting Saints on Friday night.
“There was some good things, some good efforts, some good plays, no turnovers,” Fisher said when he met with the media on Saturday. “We got two on defense. We capitalized on some turnovers right of the bat. We ended up with balance. When the game was all said and done, we had 34 pass attempts and 32 rushes, the rushing yards are a little skewed because of the punt fake but still, none the less, it was a good run. The bottom line is this: I think we had 18 guys that did not play in the game for whatever reason, nine of whom were starters and this week it looks as if we’ll probably get 15 to 16 of them back.”

Perhaps the only news to come out of Fisher’s press conference on Saturday — and, that said, it’s not exactly surprising — is that he said quarterback Sam Bradford will play this week after sitting out the preseason opener against the Saints.

“Yeah, he’s going to play,” Fisher said. “I haven’t decided how much but yeah he’s going to play this week.”

Bradford taking the field on Saturday against visiting Green Bay at the Edward Jones Dome will be the next big step in the quarterback’s return from the ACL injury that ended his 2013 season. He’s looked good throughout training camp, but this will be the first time he will be under siege against a defense that will be allowed to hit him.

Fisher didn’t elaborate on the other players who sat out against the Saints but are expected to see game action this week. Among the players sitting out Friday were three-fifths of the starting offensive line — left tackle Jake Long, center Scott Wells and right guard Rodger Saffold — along with starting defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford and three of the Rams’ top cornerbacks in starters Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson and reserve Brandon McGee.

So the team that takes the field on Saturday afternoon against the Packers should look at lot different than the team that lost on Friday. That includes the Rams’ rookies who were getting their first real taste of game action in the NFL.

“We should see everybody take a big step this week, from week one to week two,” Fisher said.

The coach liked what he saw from the Rams’ two first-round picks, offensive lineman Greg Robinson and defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Robinson started at left guard but then moved out to play left tackle. Donald started at defensive tackle with Brockers and Langford out.

“I thought he did good,” Fisher said of Robinson. “We had a problem early with communication inside. We turned the nose guard loose, he was supposed to come down. That resulted in a sack but from a run game standpoint he was good. Most of the time the pass protection was solid. He was downfield and I thought he played pretty well considering he played two positions. … Aaron played about 35 to 38 plays. Flashed, made some plays, penetrated, got in the backfield. The ball’s coming out quick. That was their plan. Different situations he’s probably got a couple hurries, possibly a sack but got tired. Played a lot and got tired so it’s hard, and that happens. Again, they learn.”

One undrafted rookie who had a strong debut was tight end Alex Bayer, who the Rams scouted out of Bowling Green University.

“We liked what we saw, the athleticism, the pass catching ability, he was well-coached there,” Fisher said. Tight ends coach “Rob Boras went out and had a private workout with him a week before the draft. We were kind of hoping he would fall, he did and so far it’s work out for us. He takes a lot of snaps here at camp and played a lot of snaps yesterday. I think he played over 40 snaps yesterday, 45 snaps. He’s hanging in there and continues to make the plays, so reliable. He’s getting to the right spot and the young quarterbacks trust him.”

With Mason Brodine suffering a season-ending injury against the Saints, the competition for the No. 4 tight end spot is down to Bayer and Justice Cunningham. Bayer had five catches for 71 yards on Friday, leading the Rams in both categories.

Rams rewind: Preseason opener
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10389/rams-rewind-preseason-opener

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams’ preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints on Friday night offered plenty of bizarre moments, including a wild finish that yielded a 26-24 Saints victory.

Some leftover thoughts on the game after watching it again (unfortunately on the TV broadcast since the All-22 is not yet available):

Defensive end Robert Quinn only played a handful of snaps, with the Rams using him exclusively on obvious third-down passing situations and on one fourth down when New Orleans went for it. He was his usual, disruptive self but was unable to get home as the Saints clearly made it a point of getting the ball out quick.

Rookie offensive lineman Greg Robinson split his time between left guard and left tackle, starting the game on the inside. It appeared Robinson was responsible for allowing a sack early in the game when he kicked out on a block when he was supposed to block down to the inside. Coach Jeff Fisher confirmed as much Saturday. Fisher called it a communication issue, something that Robinson probably won’t struggle with as much when veterans Jake Long and Scott Wells return to his flanks. But aside from that, Robinson seemed to handle himself just fine. Even kicking outside to tackle, Robinson looked comfortable protecting the edge. Granted, it came against the third team defense but it was still a positive step for the young lineman.

Fellow first-round pick Aaron Donald also continued to show why he’s earned rave reviews in camp. He was his usual quick self off the snap and spent plenty of time in the Saints’ backfield. The Rams want to be an aggressive, up the field unit but one thing worth watching is whether the Rams will have to get him to dial back his push a little in some running situations. It’s strange to say because Donald is at his best pushing up the field but there were a couple of times where he seemed to take himself out of the play because he was in the backfield so quickly and the Saints sent an extra blocker over to keep him from blowing up the play. It may not matter in the real games, though, because the Rams have the benefit of picking and choosing their spots with Donald behind Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers.

As suspected at first blush, cornerback E.J. Gaines did have a strong performance. He started and played a lot and spent most of the evening around the ball. His instincts to read the play and react allow him to get to the ball fast. He’s putting himself in a good position to win a roster spot.

Two of the team’s prized undrafted rookies are also beginning to make their cases. Tight end Alex Bayer has been making plays since the spring but looked faster and more athletic when he was able to cut it loose in a game. He was solid as a blocker, too. Ethan Westbrooks, who could push for a ninth defensive line roster spot, also was active. He chased ball carriers down the field and made three tackles but also flashed his pass-rushing potential. Westbrooks doesn’t play special teams like Michael Sam does but he has the versatility to play inside and out, which could help his cause.

Rookie running back Tre Mason got 15 carries — more than the Rams would have liked — and he had some good moments. There were a couple of runs where Mason looked like he made the wrong read and bounced it outside costing himself yards, but he seemed to settle in as the game wore on. Perhaps the most impressive play of his night was a blitz pickup in the second half when he stood up a pass-rusher as if he’d been doing it for years. That’s one way to fast track himself onto the field more as a rookie.

It was clear the Rams had issues with tackling. So did the Saints. We’ve covered that ground already. But it was particularly noticeable with linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong. Each time the Rams missed a tackle it led to a big gain. They can scheme ways to better defend the run, and they will when the season starts, but Armstrong doesn’t look ready to be a full-time linebacker just yet. Some are wondering about an expanded role for him in the defense, and that could still happen, but don’t expect it to be a starting down-to-down scenario. The Rams defense, in general, was missing many key components, but middle linebacker James Laurinaitis’ absence was the most glaring.

It should be no surprise that defensive back Lamarcus Joyner made a positive, physical first impression. He proved a solid open-field tackler and looks to have the makings of an outstanding gunner on punt teams. On the first punt of the night, Joyner worked past two blockers and pinned the returner to the other side of the field where he was promptly forced out of bounds.

There’s still plenty to sort out among the backups on the offensive line. Mike Person, Davin Joseph and Tim Barnes look poised to be the top backups beyond the starting five after getting the first opportunity against the Saints.