tweets + other things (w/ VB Q&A) … 10/21 thru 10/23

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey played 65 percent (36) of the defensive snaps yesterday, five days after he was traded from Jacksonville.

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from: https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/10/21/nfl-rams-snap-counts-jalen-ramsey-defense/2/

Sean McVay initially said Marqui Christian would replace John Johnson in the starting lineup if the safety missed extended time, but that wasn’t the approach on Sunday. Yes, Christian played a lot (80% of the snaps) and had a good game, but it was Taylor Rapp who saw his role grow more. He played nearly every snap, leading the defense at 98%. Christian played 80%, while Eric Weddle was out there for 84% of the plays – essentially every meaningful snap on defense.

Part of the reason Rapp and Christian played so much is because of the Rams’ usage of three-safety sets. Troy Reeder only played 19 snaps on Sunday, because Wade Phillips opted to use Christian and Rapp in the box as hybrid linebackers often. It was a great game plan as the Falcons only had three points until the Rams’ backups came in, but it’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues next week.

LAT's @LATimesfarmer on Jalen Ramsey's debut with the Rams. https://t.co/qRl7mLo2yr

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) October 21, 2019

Ross Tucker@RossTuckerNFL
Have we ever gotten a good explanation why 5 yard penalties like illegal contact, holding, etc. are all automatic first downs?

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
This isn’t always the example … but if you hold a WR on 3rd n 9 and that WR would have been open for a longer gain, or a touchdown, and it’s only a 5 yard penalty… feels like we’d get a ton more holdings. Why not. Still 3rd down, get another chance for the defense

Ross Tucker@RossTuckerNFL
I guess.

Same argument for spot DPI in NFL vs. 15 yards in college and you don’t really see more PI in college.

I’d like to see it without it and see how it goes.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
It’s too early to definitively say David Edwards is an upgrade at LG, but if he plays well the rest of the way, he could help answer some of the Rams’ OL questions for 2020

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Very encouraging under-the-radar development: @SJD_51 has put together back-to-back terrific performances for #LARams. Further context: he’s done so, in part, against SF’s Laken Tomlinson and ATL’s Alex Mack, who are excellent centers.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Cowboys and Rams have had similar seasons so far

– Start 3-0
– Lose next 3, including one embarrassing loss
– Win 37-10 in Week 7

Peter Dunbar@PeterDunbar7
This season, Troy Hill sold his #32 to Eric Weddle for $32,000 and his #20 to Jalen Ramsey for $20,000. Make hay while the sun is shinin’

Adam Schein
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001068239/article/packers-are-nfcs-best-team-bears-doomed-by-mitch-trubisky?campaign=Twitter_atn

The NFC West is the best division in football.

An obvious fact. San Fran is for real, with a sensational defense leading the way. Seattle is still strong, despite Sunday’s setback against the Ravens. The Rams needed a get-right game, and everyone gets right against these defunct Falcons. Not to mention, I loved L.A.’s aggressive trade for Jalen Ramsey. Lastly, don’t look now, but Kyler Murray, Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals have won three straight! Great effort and win by Patrick Peterson, Chandler Jones, Chase Edmonds and Murray.

I trust the totality of the teams in the West over that of the NFC North.

Rams Q&A: Vinny Bonsignore
https://theathletic.com/1311748/2019/10/21/live-qa-with-rams-writer-vinny-bonsignore-on-tuesday-from-1-to-2-p-m-pt-7/?=twittered

The unfortunate part of the salary cap is guys will inevitably have to leave. But the Rams feel comfortable they can retain their priority players. They also believe in their draft/UDFA process but also their ability to add in older, still productive players on inexpensive deals who want to finish up in a winning environment and, in a lot of cases, closer to home.

[Goff] No doubt they are trying to do as much as possible to get him better, longer looks downfield. So there is flexibility in what they are doing, including getting him on the move a little bit. He’ll never be the “great” athlete at QB, but he and I have talked about his baseball playing days, and he was a middle infielder, and the footwork required to cover 2B and turn double plays translates to his football playing. He’s got good footwork. And he’s shown that

[Gurley] certainly isn’t acting – around us anyway – like a guy that’s really happy. Could be a bunch of reasons why. If there is a condition he’s managing, that can be frustrating. And then always having to be asked about it. That doesn’t help.

The question is, when [Gurley’s usage] does get ramped up is the knee strong/healthy enough for him to be the Todd Gurley we remember before last December? I don’t have that answer. We’ll all have to see

I know they still want to get him rolling a little more by any means necessary. He does appear annoyed, especially around us. He seems great in the locker room.

Henderson gives them the home run threat they have been lacking this year. I can’t imagine his role diminishing. To me it should be expanding

[Run game v. Falcons] To me there were some issues inside, especially on the right side where Austin Blythe didn’t have a good day. I also think in Todd’s case, there was some hesitation. I thought he missed some holes as a result. I do like that they stuck with the run. They need to remain committed, even if the yardage is hard to come by. I feel like Henderson is close to breaking a long one

Brian [Allen] is actually getting praised for his communication at the line of scrimmage. That said, given his inexperience, it’s not always going to be perfect. I’m sure there have been mistakes made and the wrong coverage calls. The key is learning from those mistakes and minimizing them

I think improving the defense and being proactive on addressing CB – Talib and Peterson were both likely to leave as FA’s – with a premier player and an ideal fit for their scheme was just too good a chance to pass up

The defensive dynamic has absolutely changed.

[Hill] is very undervalued, in my estimation, by fans. The Rams have always expressed confidence in him as a starter, but I think their bigger picture would be Troy as a reserve (playing a lot) and one of the younger guys – Long or Williams – taking that starters role

[David Long] They like the potential. They like where he is and how he’s developing.

Higbee is very valued by the team for his blocking in both the run and pass game. I think it’s getting overlooked a bit because the run game hasn’t been as strong – thought not his fault. Everett is really coming into his own, which is good to see. Room for both of them

DOWNTOWN RAMS [DTR]@DowntownRams
Are the #Rams moving Gerald Everett to more of a WR type of role? Johnny Mundt had 20 snaps in this game. This is one of only three games he had been active. He’s made some significant strides as a blocker. He’s first on the team in run and pass blocking grade per PFF.

Worth mentioning Mundt is a stellar athlete but injuries have held him back going back to his Oregon days.

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#LARams Dante Fowler was ELITE this week, earnings grades of 90.0+ in Overall Defense and Pass Rushing for Week 7

Fowler is currently on track to earn his highest career grades in Overall Defense, Rush Defense, and Pass Rushing for 2019 pic.twitter.com/Rk9QYM0Ejq

— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) October 22, 2019

These teams have been the best/worst at finishing red zone trips with TDs so far this season. #Skol #GoBills #InBrotherhood #GoPackGo #WeAreTexans #Colts #Bears100 #Seahawks #DallasCowboys #FlyEaglesFly #LARams #Titans @gregcosell | @MattBowen41 pic.twitter.com/vrQlv3k03D

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 23, 2019