reporters on the Colts game … articles, vids, audios, tweets etc.

Adam Schefter‏ @AdamSchefter

Wade Phillips’ Effect: Rams are first team in NFL history to record two interception-return TDs and a safety in season opener.

Vincent Bonsignore‏ @DailyNewsVinny
Just congratulated #Rams DB coach Aubrey Pleasant on his guys getting 14 points: “not enough. We dropped two picks. We can do better”

#Rams have a few things to clean up, obviously, but this is a pretty complete performance so far: offense/defense/special teams

Last season did a lot of harm. Some fans don’t want to admit it but it did. If #Rams keep playing like today, it’ll get better

Interesting watching Sean McVay on #Rams sideline. He’ll go sit by himself at Gatorade cooler looking at tablet, writing down notes

I wrote this week that #Rams Jared Goff could ease a lot of concerns depending on his performance today.

#Rams Goff is really managing this game and this offense. Complete turn around from last year

Can’t say enough about how well the #Rams offensive line is protecting Goff.

Joe Curley‏ @vcsjoecurley
Asked about outside criticism, Goff responds “I promise you I’m not thinking about the sports talk radio hosts when I’m out there playing.”

“1-0 is always better than 0-1. But we know much just stuff we can improve on” – Goff

“It was a great day for them,” Goff compliments his OL, which only allowed one sack.

McVay says the Gatorade bath he took was the first one. Said he could have avoided it “but I felt like I just had to take it.”

McVay calls the Everett catch a turning point in the game.

“I’m not surprised that he played that way… I thought he did a great job in his preparation throughout the week.” – McVay on Goff

McVay says offense “was okay,” but need to clean up the penalties. “We need to be able to run the ball better.”

Mike Wells‏ @MikeWellsNFL
This just summed up Chuck Pagano in the postgame presser. He said they got their “ass” kicked by the “49ers.”

Rich Hammond @Rich_Hammond
Lamarcus Joyner, on Aaron Donald’s return: “I even called my wife and told her he was back. I was excited.”

This is the most points (39) for the Rams since a 52-0 win over the Raiders on Nov. 30, 2014.

The Rams got a safety because, sure, why not.

Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Cooper Kupp is real, y’all. Go make your fantasy waiver claims now.

J.B. Long‏ @JB_Long
#LARams owner Stan Kroenke awards the Week 1 game ball to head coach Sean McVay in @RamsNFL locker room.

Return yardage allowed by #Rams special teams units today: 0

Points scored by #LARams at the Coliseum last year: 89

What a difference a year makes: Jared Goff was 40 passing yds shy of his career high… at halftime. 27-3 #LARams

Adam Caplan@caplannfl
#Rams are the first team in #NFL history to record 2 INT TDs and safety in season opener, per @RLiuNFL.

Lindsey Thiry‏ @LindseyThiry
Rams players all thrilled about the return of Aaron Donald.

Tavon Austin, visibly frustrated after the game, says the punt that he dropped hit the television camera cables.

===

Check out the cheer Jared Goff gets as he leaves the Coliseum after his first win as Rams quarterback @CVRamsClub pic.twitter.com/Vxm0HwG5qj

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) September 10, 2017

==

Making his regular season #NFL head coaching debut, @RamsNFL Sean McVay stops to great newly-minted Hall of Famer @kurt13warner. pic.twitter.com/G5ca5QFk2d

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) September 10, 2017

Rams Begin McVay Era with 46-9 Win Over Colts

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Rams-Begin-McVay-Era-with-46-9-Win-Over-Colts/8d138719-6038-41f2-bed6-dad556b8145e

LOS ANGELES — The Rams began head coach Sean McVay’s tenure with a dominating team performance to beat the Colts, 46-9.

Los Angeles’ defense recorded a pair of pick sixes — one from cornerback Trumaine Johnson and another from defensive back Lamarcus Joyner — forced three turnovers, and had five sacks while holding the Colts to just nine points.

The passing offense was impressive as well, with Goff completing 21 of his 29 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown. Newcomer Sammy Watkins was a significant target, as the wide receiver caught five passes for 58 yards. But Goff spread the ball around well — as is customary in McVay’s offense — completing passes to seven different targets.

L.A. got the ball first after the Colts won and deferred, and used a no-huddle offense to quickly move down the field. Goff completed a 13-yard pass to Watkins and a 21-yard pass to wideout Robert Woods to move the Rams down the field. Greg Zuerleinconnected on a 50-yard field goal to give the home team an early 3-0 lead.

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PHOTOS: Rams vs. Colts Game Gallery
But the score wouldn’t stay that way for long. On the Colts’ first set of downs, Johnson undercut what looked like an out route by wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and intercepted Scott Tolzien’s pass on the defense’s right. Johnson was off to the races from there, returning the pick 39 yards for a touchdown, putting the Rams up 10-0.

Indianapolis got on the board with a 20-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri — but that was after a strong L.A. goal-line stand. It looked like running back Marlon Mack would run in for a touchdown, but Joyner hit him out of bounds to keep the defense on the field. The extra effort would pay off.

Buoyed by a pair of nice catches from rookies, the Rams would extend their lead in the second quarter. First wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught a 24-yard pass on a deep crossing route. The pass was nearly out of reach, but the Eastern Washington product tipped the ball up to himself and reeled it in on the left side.

A play later, tight end Gerald Everett dove to catch a 39-yard pass on the left sideline, giving the Rams 1st-and-goal at the Colts six-yard line. Gurley finished off the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, extending the ball at the goal line before his knee hit the ground.

Kupp would catch his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter, too, making an 18-yard reception on a post route from Goff to cap a six-play, 58-yard drive.

With a Zuerlein 35-yard field goal, the Rams took a 27-3 lead into halftime.

While the offense garnered many of the first-half headlines, outside linebacker Robert Quinn looked strong in his first action of the season, recording a tackle for loss and the 55th sack of his career. Quinn is now No. 4 on the Rams’ all-time sack list.

The home team extended its advantage with a Zuerlein 44-yard field goal early in the third quarter, before Joyner removed all doubt with his pick six.

On 1st-and-10 from the Indianapolis 25, Tolzien attempted a short pass to the Hilton on the defense’s right, and Joyner undercut the route, leapt up, and snagged the ball. He had a shorter distance to run than Johnson, taking it 29 yards for the club’s second defensive touchdown of the day.

With the Rams up 37-3, the Colts inserted their new quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, into the game. Los Angeles had removed its defensive starters, and Brissett completed a long downfield pass to wide receiver Donte Moncrief to put Indianapolis in scoring position. Mack ran in a three-yard touchdown for the Colts’ first touchdown of the day, which came with 11:36 left in the fourth quarter.

Later in the period, linebacker Cory Littleton stripped Mack deep in Indianapolis territory. Brissett recovered the loose ball, but defensive lineman Morgan Foxtouched him down in the end zone for a safety.

L.A. closed out its scoring with a three-yard touchdown by Malcolm Brown, giving the club a 46-9 lead.

With the victory, the Rams move to 1-0 on the season. They’ll be back in action next weekend against Washington at the Coliseum

Defense Dominates in Rams Week 1 Victory

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Defense-Dominates-in-Rams-Week-1-Victory/8f4266ea-f993-4789-87bb-8060f9fcca4c

The Rams made history on Sunday, ushering in a new era under head coach Sean McVay with a dominating performance over the Colts.

In the team’s season opener, the Los Angeles’ defense put up 16 of the team’s 46 points, outscoring the Indianapolis offense by seven. The performance marked the first time in NFL history that a defense has recorded two pick-sixes and a safety in Week 1 of the regular season.

The unit started off strong in the first quarter when cornerback Trumaine Johnsonpicked off quarterback Scott Tolzien on the Colts’ first pass of the day. After a tackle for loss by defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker, Indianapolis was backed into a passing situation on 3rd-and-10.

Johnson cut in front of Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton on what looked to be a deep out to the defense’s right and took the ball 39 yards to the house, marking his 17th career interception.

“Just trying to set the tone early,” Johnson said of his interception. “Coming in we wanted to score on defense and we did that. I was glad to make a play for this team.”

But Johnson wasn’t done yet. The Rams’ captain also forced his second turnover of the day at the end of the first quarter.

On 2nd-and-8 from the Indianapolis 25, Tolzien completed a short pass to Hilton. But when he attempted to gain a few extra yards after the completion, Johnson stripped the ball right out of Hilton’s hands and dove on it to give the home team an extra possession.

“Like I said we just come out and try to set the tone early,” he said. “It was a big play for us. We went down there and scored after that.”

In the third quarter, safety Lamarcus Joyner recorded a pick-six of his own, leaping high into the air and taking it into the end zone untouched to increase the Rams’ lead to 37-3. The interception was the first of his career.

Joyner credited defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ new scheme with putting the secondary in the position to make big plays.

“When technique meets opportunity, you make the play and it’s up to Wade and his defensive scheme to put us in the right place,” he said. “And that’s what it’s been doing since preseason. We’re just capitalizing off the position that we’re put in.”

Even after two picks and a series of big tackles, the defense continued to play lights out. With 9:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, outside linebacker Cory Littleton stripped running back Marlon Mack deep in Indianapolis territory and the ball rolled into the end zone. Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett fell on the ball and defensive end Morgan Fox touched him down for the safety.

Overall, the Rams’ defense allowed just 225 total yards and one touchdown. The defense also recorded five sacks. With its dominant performance, the unit was also able to take some pressure off of quarterback Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense.

“When we come away with the field goal to start the game and then for Trumaine Johnson to have the pick-six. Then when they end up getting a little something going offensively, here comes Lamarcus Joyner,” McVay said postgame. “So can’t say enough about the defensive effort as a whole. I thought they were consistently putting pressure on Tolzien all day and really loved the way those guys fly around. It was fun to watch.”

“When you get two defensive touchdowns, that’s fun and getting ‘Tru’ out there and Lamarcus make those plays is fun for us, it helps us, takes a little load off us,” Goff said. “And then ultimately we have fun as a group. We preach that, we preach execute and have fun and enjoy it and today we did.”

Five Takeaways: Rams Season-Opening Win over the Colts

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-fivetakeaways/Five-Takeaways-Rams-Season-Opening-Win-over-the-Colts/8a5afa3c-5a73-4afb-9336-945e0b225c10

t was a historic way to begin head coach Sean McVay’s tenure with the club, and here are five key takeaways as Los Angeles heads into Week 2 against Washington.

1) Phillips’ defense came to play

If there was one area of intrigue for the Rams’ defense heading into Sunday’s game, it was how the unit would play together. Many of its key contributors — including outside linebacker Robert Quinn, inside linebacker Mark Barron, and cornerback Kayvon Webster — had not played at all during preseason.

But with his decades of NFL experience, it’s no surprise coordinator Wade Phillips had his squad ready to play. Still, even Phillips accomplished a feat for the first time on Sunday, as the defense because the first in NFL history to record two pick sixes and a safety in a season opener.

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson scored Los Angeles’ first touchdown of the season, intercepting Colts quarterback Scott Tolzien’s first pass and returning it 39 yards to the end zone. Safety Lamarcus Joyner’s pick six in the third quarter looked similar, with the Florida State product picking off the pass and racing down the right sideline for 29 yards to pay dirt. Then linebacker Cory Littleton stripped running back Marlon Mack deep in Indy territory in the fourth quarter. While quarterback Jacoby Brissett recovered the loose ball, he did so in the end zone where defensive lineman Morgan Fox touched him down for a safety.

“Scoring on defense is big — we put an emphasis on that all week,” cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “We got a couple of pick-sixes, a couple turnovers. It was good, it was good for our defense.”

“Unbelievable,” McVay said of the defense’s performance. “I thought they were consistently putting pressure on Tolzien all day and really loved the way those guys fly around. It was fun to watch.”

One defensive score can be hard to overcome, but two are often a deal breaker. Such was the case against Indianapolis on Sunday.

2) Goff starts Year 2 hot

Quarterback Jared Goff had the best performance of his budding career, completing 21 of his 29 passes — 72.4 percent — for 306 yards with a touchdown. The 22-year-old signal-caller didn’t turn the ball over, was sacked only once, and averaged 10.6 yards per attempt.

It’s one game, but Goff showed significant growth in from where he finished as a rookie in 2016.

“Yeah, I was happy,” Goff said of his performance. “You know, like I always say, I just try to get the ball out, distribute it to the guys that make the plays — and thought I was able to do that pretty well.”

“[J]ust from Jared as a whole, I’m very proud of him,” McVay said. “Thought he did a great job and it was awesome for him to get his first win.”

One indication of how well Goff saw the field on Sunday are the numbers from his receivers. The Cal product completed passes to seven different receivers, and five of them had a reception of at least 23 yards.

“I thought he was able to get a handful of different guys involved in the pass game and that’s what you want to be able to do when we do have a handful of playmakers at the skill guys with our receivers, tight ends, and backs,” McVay said. “So, credit to Jared. I am very pleased with him today.”

Again, it’s only one game, and as McVay says, the truest measure of performance is consistency. But it’s at the very lease encouraging to see last year’s No. 1 overall pick excel as he did on Sunday.

3) McVay gets his first win — and a bath

Before the end of Sunday afternoon’s game, McVay had never been bathed with the remnants of a sideline cooler. But he took it in stride, as the Rams congratulated him for putting them in position to win their season opener.

“I could have avoided it if I wanted to, but I felt like I kind of had to take it a little bit,” McVay said postgame.

The head coach also had plenty of praise for his assistants, again reiterating how Phillips and special teams coordinator John Fassel allow him the freedom to spend more time with the offense on the sideline if needed.

But McVay wasn’t making too much of his first win, especially because there’s a game next week with a very familiar opponent.

“It feels good. It’s a little surreal, but it’s one game,” McVay said. “I think the thing about the NFL is it’s an extremely humbling business and while this was the goal and we came away with that, I know we’ve got a great Washington team that I’m very familiar with and we’re playing next week.”

4) Hekker in midseason form

When a team scores 46 points, there’s not necessarily going to be that much punting — which is definitely a good thing for any football team. But when Johnny Hekker had his opportunities on the field, he capitalized on them and put the defense in good position.

Hekker punted five times, all five of which were downed inside the 20, with four spotted at or inside the 10-yard line. Hekker’s last punt put the Colts at their own 10, after which Littleton stripped Mack for the safety.

The punter also employed what’s apparently a little-used kicking technique on a punt that ended up out of bounds at Indianapolis’ seven-yard line. Former Colts punter Pat McAfee explained it in a video on Twitter (video NSFW — language).

And on Monday, the club announced Hekker has been signed to a two-year contract extension, keeping him with Los Angeles through the 2022 season.

5) Much to improve

McVay praised the players for their performance, but even just after the 37-point victory acknowledged room for significant improvement.

The Rams were assessed seven penalties for 50 yards, including three false-start penalties — two of which came on the drive resulting from Johnson’s forced fumble and recovery.

“Offensively as a whole, though, we have to avoid those penalties. We can’t beat ourselves with the pre-snap false starts, different things like that,” McVay said. “That will get you beat and we’ve got to get that cleaned up.”

Los Angeles’ offense also has room to improve in its ground game, as running back Todd Gurley had only 40 yards on 19 carries. As a team, the Rams had only 63 yards rushing on 33 attempts.

“We’ve got to be able to run the football better, more consistently get a hat on a hat, be targeted the right way and some of the things in the run game and then we’ve got to do a good job avoiding the penalties,” McVay said. “But, I think it’s a step in the right direction, definitely some positives in the pass game. I know our guys will be motivated the right way to respond, so that’s kind of where we’re at offensively.”