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November 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm #57341
znModeratorRest of team waiting for offense to show up
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161108/rams-rest-of-team-waiting-for-offense-to-show-up
THOUSAND OAKS >> The post-practice scene in the Rams’ locker room Tuesday seemed appropriate. Defensive players mulled about and chatted, while nary an offensive player could be found.
Turns out, nothing more than a meeting delayed the offensive players’ arrival by a few minutes, but the same can’t be said on the field, where the Rams’ offense is vanishing at a more frequent rate.
Halfway through the season, the Rams’ defense is meeting expectations, if not exceeding them, while the offense mostly is slumbering. As the Rams prepare for a possible season-defining road game Sunday against the New York Jets, it’s reasonable to wonder if any intra-team tension is developing.
“You get frustrated,” linebacker Mark Barron said after Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “We haven’t won in four weeks. You’re going to get frustrated. At the same time, everybody has to stay together because we have to operate as one. Frustration can come in. It can seep in when you’re losing, but at the end of the day we all have to stick together.”
It’s tough to find fault with the Rams’ defense at the moment. It is allowing 6.6 yards per pass attempt and 3.7 yards per run attempt, which rank as the sixth- and seventh-lowest averages, respectively, in the NFL.
After their season-opening stinker against San Francisco, and a rough effort against Detroit that included significant injuries along the defensive line, the Rams consistently have been stellar on defense.
It almost seemed as though coach Jeff Fisher had to reach for areas in which the defense needs improvement. He cited third-down conversions, but the Rams’ defense is at 42 percent, and 18 of the NFL’s 32 teams allow at least 40 percent of third downs to be converted.
Fisher also cited a lack of turnovers, which certainly is legitimate. The Rams have forced only one turnover in their last three games and have recovered only one fumble this season.
“We have to swarm the ball and rip the ball out, and get interceptions,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “All kinds of things. When you get a sack, rip the ball out of the quarterback’s hands. Stuff like that, to help create more possessions for our offense. That will probably be our biggest focus for this week.”
Still, any improvements needed by the defense pale in comparison to the other side of the ball. The need for offensive improvement is across the board.
Quarterback Case Keenum’s completion percentage needs to increase and his interceptions need to drop. The Rams must find a way to get running back Todd Gurley going, and must find a way to get the ball into the hands of playmaking receiver Tavon Austin, who totaled only 18 yards in last Sunday’s 13-10 loss to Carolina.
The Rams, essentially, have had two good offensive games this season: a 37-32 victory at Tampa Bay in September and a 31-28 loss to Detroit on Oct. 16, in which Keenum set a franchise single-game record for consecutive completions.
“(Three) weeks ago, we were one of the top offenses,” Austin said. “The last two weeks, we kind of fell a little short. Now they’re saying we’re the worst. It really doesn’t make a difference to us. These last eight game, we’re going to come out week by week and try to go as hard as we can.”
This week’s game doesn’t suggest an obvious offensive breakout. The Jets’ defense is, in general, below average against the pass but one of the best in the NFL against the run.
The game sets up in a familiar way. The Rams are likely to play well on defense against a Jets offense that is unsettled at quarterback, and the game could come down to the ability of the Rams’ offense to make plays. So far, that hasn’t happened very often, but apparently there’s little internal blame-gaming.
“Your emotions and all that stuff kind of calm down,” Ogletree said. “We still feel good about where we’re at, but it’s definitely time to flip the switch and get things going.”
November 9, 2016 at 6:39 pm #57344znModeratorRams’ midseason grade: Mediocrity remains their staple
Alden Gonzalez
Here’s a look at the first half of the season for the Los Angeles Rams (3-5) and a preview for what to expect in the second half:
Grade: C- This is reflective of the Rams’ general state of mediocrity. They won three in a row, then lost four in a row, and in that stretch, six of seven games were decided by seven points or fewer. Their offense ranks among the bottom two in yards and points per game, with quarterback Case Keenum committing too many costly turnovers and the offensive line not doing nearly enough to set Todd Gurley free. Their defense has made several big plays in key situations, but hasn’t been consistent enough against the pass or run.
Midseason MVP: This season’s first half has only solidified Aaron Donald’s case as the game’s best defensive player, regardless of position. Donald had a huge game in Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers and has now compiled five sacks and 49 total pressures, tied for the NFL lead despite the constant double- and triple-teams in the interior. As a defensive tackle, nobody is even close to Donald when it comes to getting to the quarterback. The crazy thing is that not even the game’s best edge rushers have been on par.
Best moment: It came with less than a minute remaining on Sept. 18. Russell Wilson threw a short pass to Christine Michael, and first-year middle linebacker Alec Ogletree caused a strip, jumped on the football and ran to the stands to gift the souvenir to his parents. It sealed a 9-3 win over the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in the Rams’ highly anticipated return to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was stuffed with more than 91,000 fans. And it avenged an embarrassing 28-0 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Worst moment: The Rams were 5,500 miles from home but only 15 yards from a game-tying touchdown. In London on Oct. 23, trailing 17-10 with less than a minute remaining against the New York Giants, Keenum called an audible at the line of scrimmage. He intended to throw a fade route to Brian Quick in the corner of the end zone. Problem is, Quick never got the signal. He ran a short route, then helplessly watched Keenum’s pass float into the arms of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for an interception. It was Keenum’s fourth of the day and it dropped the Rams to 3-4 heading into their bye week.
Player to watch: At some point, you have to think Gurley will get going. He’s too gifted a runner. Gurley finished third in rushing yards as a rookie in 2015, even though recovering from a torn ACL meant he started only 12 games. This was the year many expected Gurley to ascend as the game’s best running back. Instead, he has struggled mightily to find space against opposing defenses that are stacking the box and behind an offensive line that is not blocking well. He has been a lot more involved in the passing game, but it has not been enough.
Second-half outlook: The Rams begin with a trio of games against beatable opponents in the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints, then face a hellish three-week stretch against the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Seahawks. The Rams have gone 12 years without a winning record. Their only hope of snapping that is Gurley getting hot. And the biggest thing to monitor will be the status of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, who remained a backup throughout the first half but could be installed as the starting quarterback if the Rams fall out of it.
November 9, 2016 at 6:39 pm #57345znModeratorDefense Looking for More Takeaways
Myles Simmons
When it comes to points allowed, the Rams defense rebounded well after surrendering 31 to the Lions in Week 6.
Though the Giants scored 17 points in London against the Rams, only 10 were scored on the defense with safety Landon Collins returning an interception for a touchdown. And in Sunday’s game against the Panthers, L.A. allowed just 13 points — three of which came after an interception put Carolina in good position to score.
So while head coach Jeff Fisher said he’s been pleased with the defense’s performance over the last two games, the club is finding ways where the unit can still improve. One of those is with takeaways.The Rams have 10 takeaways so far this season — five of which came against the Cardinals in their 17-14 win in Week 4. But since then, Los Angeles has forced only one takeaway — a forced fumble against the Giants — during the team’s four-game losing streak.
Coming out ahead in the turnover margin is key for teams across the league for a reason, but it’s been particularly predictive for Los Angeles’ results this year. When the Rams have been ahead or even in the turnover differential, they’ve won. When they’ve been behind, they’ve lost.
And so if Los Angeles can come up with a few takeaways, that should undoubtedly help the offense in giving that unit more opportunities to score.
“If we get a couple of turnovers a game defensively, and things are different, those are more opportunities for our offense,” Fisher said.
All that is part of why the Rams are putting a heavy emphasis on getting takeaways against the Jets this Sunday.
“I feel like we’re operating pretty well right now, but we can definitely still improve,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “And I think our biggest thing right now is creating the turnovers — being able to help our offense out and give them more offensive possessions. If we can do that with defense, then I think that will help us be a much better defense.”
Inherently, though, forcing turnovers comes from a defense taking advantage of opportunities that may come up on the field. So how are the Rams practicing their techniques?
“We’re starting it at practice — we’ve got a takeaway circuit,” safety Maurice Alexander said. “It all starts at practice. We’ve got to get the ball at practice and it’ll overturn to the game.”
“We have to swarm the ball and rip the ball out, get interceptions — all kinds of stuff,” Ogletree said. “Get a sack, knock the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. Stuff like that to, like I said, help create more offensive possessions for our offense.”
If there is any opponent perhaps advantageous for the Rams to increase their takeaway output, it could be the Jets. New York has registered the most giveaways with 19 — 14 interceptions, and five fumbles. Only the Jaguars have a worse turnover margin at -12 than the Jets’ -11.
That said, the Rams’ focus this week is more about them than any opponent they may face.
“There’s opportunities every week, no matter who you play,” Alexander said. “It’s just up to us to get the turnovers.”
Scoring points, of course, has been the Rams’ most significant issue over the last few games. And as a defense, getting more takeaways is one way the unit feels it can be part of the solution.
“That’s probably our biggest focus this week, is continue to do the things we’re doing well, but also emphasize a little more on creating turnovers,” Ogletree said.
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