(I was a lot better at catching passes facing the QB. Not the best in the world at catching bombs over my shoulder, in stride, etc.) – Billy

No joke, over the shoulder catches are the HARDEST in football…easiest to throw – but hardest to catch!!! The WR has to have incredible focus running full speed – with the world bouncing around – and focus on the ball as it descends while he adjusts. You are right that a QB will throw to the guy with the surest hands and that’s Kupp and Woods for Goff. imo
Goff or any QB will miss the guy he “knows” will catch the ball on 3rd down. Kupp and his 4.6 speed?
Forget it, I’d choose a slow guy with great hands over speed specimen any day of the week…but twice on NFL Sundays!! 😉

btw, I like Everett as that big tweener TE/WR…he has really strong hands and is one of the best RAC TEs in the NFL. imo
Everett just hasn’t had that many catches but he does alot with them when he gets them and doesn’t go down easy.

I’d love a Megatron type WR also…but we have guys that do very well at their niche…and McVay uses them well to suit their skills. In the coming draft there are some really tall -6-3, 230lb types that have great hands…but avg speed.

“Good to see ya Sun.
We go way back don’t we. ” -zn

Indeed, Alyo(my younger brother) & I (ha! It’s like “Withnail & I”! lol) have been reading you even before that…years before….when we were hardcore lurkers. I love the minds of the group that assemble here…such great class, wit, & intellect when discussing & agreeing/disagreeing…but always with the greatest respect for eachother.
Hats off to you, zn and to the guys for what you all have created here.

thnx for this place and to all you guys.
STvC

ps
“The Momentous Now”….
Don’t Die Wondering!

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.

So great to have a sense of humor about it…aces to Pace!!!
Bustin ballz since 2001!!! I love it!

I don’t feel the Rams offense OR defense has put together an entire game yet…… due to…well,
still getting comfortable with the schemes on both sides of the ball – making it 2nd nature. idk

What’s interesting to me is the offense and their lack of emotion in which they play….that’s not a bad thing…
it’s just I think they take on Goff’s personality a bit. The offense just executes or tries to…and if things go well – a mild celebration…and if they go poorly?
Nary an acknowledgement of failure…just walk off the field and ready to come back and do it again…just BETTER this next series.
Goff is missing something in his brain, which makes him quite suited for Football…..and that is his lack of fear…or much emotion. Goff is no Farvre/PRivers in their exuberance for playing a “game”…..but Goff just executes and comes back again….like the solemn executioner. Goff is quietly relentless in his stoic determination to come back and back and back and try again. A determination that is unemotional & always present. Memento Mori.

It’s an oddity, but I appreciate THAT quality in Goff…as I would if that quality was the man piloting a flight I was on (Sully?!)…or a surgery I was having and my doctor has that same demeanor. I think it lends itself to fewer emotional peaks&valleys and keeps Goff and his offense more present in the moment with no residue of bad mistakes from a previous play.

All this is…somehow, a compliment to Goff’s mental approach to the game…an approach that is foreign to me but one I appreciate.

I was watching with Alyo and we were talking about feeling so …odd…(from the weird Ref delays to Watkins running 3yds on 3rd & 5, etc)….over the way the game was starting and into the 3rd Qtr. I think what we saw on defense was lotsa rust & just the fact that Quinn, Barron, AD, etc had not played much together in the PS…and there looked to be real confusion on defense at times.

The offense just seemed off sans a few big plays(Everett, Kupps lunging catch at the 1yd line…and TG playing superbly in the passing game, etc). Everything just seemed off. I really think McVay & Wade were schemed against very well along with bad plays by some of our players. What the heck was up with Woods that last drive??? LOL Drops/penalties all by his lonesome!! Anyway, I expect some days will be like that. Pats had one of those days Week 1, btw. Sometimes yer the windshield…sometimes yer the bug! 😉

notes & things I think I think…..
***I think we need to defer if we win the toss. The offense & Goff are still new and getting rythym in this offense and I felt last qweek and this week there was jitters and a lack of sureness for the 1st few drives.

***Odd playcalling too sometimes…especially when we were at the 2yd line and were in shotgun with TG at Goff’s left…I wigged out and screamed get under center and use dble TEs and run it or PA out of it….they called TO..and did just that to my great relief.

** With all that went wrong…it was still a game within reach in a way that was non-existent from a decade before. We have an OFFENSE now. They’re young, but we have talent and they just need reps to settle down. But the game WAS entertaining and not a 10-7 type defensive struggle that we have been used to in the past.

*** Watkins needs to be thrown to more and they need to run level routes…and push that intermediate 15yd Dig route a bit more. imo….that will open up the running game & short passes, the deeper stuff(comebacks & deep outs, etc) and get us more explosives. Again, the offense & defense just seemed a tad lost for the first half….and the runs were what gave Wash the win. They ran on us which opened up the passing game when they wanted it.

I’m just sayin I think McVay and our defense are still getting their sea legs in these schemes.

I think Easley is a real good player and quietly goes about his game in the shadow of AD.
However, Easley is/may be the LDE…and THAT would be aces instead of having Easley just sub for AD all the time.
He was a great DL signing. imo

zn wrote:

SunTzu_vs_Camus wrote:

I think a new OC overhaul and a 2yr deal from Stan will give Fisher the team he needs to win with now that we have a QB and RB.

I honestly think it is THIS simple.

They just needed the qb.

Having the qb will not turn them into the GSOT.

But they have the pieces to field a decent scoring offense IF they just have the qb.

Right now, it’s not really personnel that holds them back–it’s playing in a situation where they are always close, and have a slim margin of error. This has led to pressing, magnifying mistakes, having to have everything go right every play for it to work, etc. It strains the OL.

You put a qb in the middle of all that, and it increases the margin for error. It just comes together more effectively. I think of the Seattle example–until they had Wilson, they were a perpetual 7-9 team.

And of course I think Goff is that qb. He isn’t Wilson, he’s a different animal, BUT I also think he can be close to Wilson in QUALITY of play, just doing it differently.

.

.

I agree…with both things…what you said and what I said! 😉
I DO think Goff is the right guy and will make this offense rank 15th…which is good enough for us to win with. imo

zn wrote:

joemad wrote:

ZN, you are the only person in the Rams world that justifies Fisher….

No there are others. Not that it matters either way.

“No…there is another…” 😉

I think Fisher definitely has his offensive blind-spots…but he is a good LEADER and that’s what a team needs as their HC.
Yep, I know…nearly everyone will disagree with that last sentence…and that’s okay. just opinions anyway.

I wanna bring something up…a conceptual thot of the game of football. I think it’s harder for an offense than a defense.
I think it’s harder to play with a ball, than without one. Kinda like the way Building something is waay harder than tearing it down.
An offense has to fight some sort of chaos-entropy to be successful with the ball in their hands. A defense is just run&hit. I’m not belittling the defense…cuz I love ours!!!

I just think scoring points is more valuable than having a great defense and an offense that cannot score many points. So, to me, having an OFFENSE oriented team….a team that excels on offense will win more than they would lose over time. Now, I appreciate a good defense as they can slow down/even stop the GSOT…but, all it takes is one mistake on defense and a team that can score will win. I’m being long-winded here cuz I’m not sure what I’m saying yet. lol

I think our focus should be on building an offensive juggernaut(and we have the QB, RB, etc to do it. imo)
IF…open up and get super aggressive on offense. What I find interesting is that Fisher interviewed/called some interesting OC names for our OC position this off-season. Names that I would not think Fisher would work with as they would be too aggressive and not run enough. I remember, those 4 games when fisher tried the open passing attack with Bradford before we scrapped it. But Bradford had like 14TDs 4INTs iirc and so Fisher was open to trying new things on offense but we lost many of those games and he went back to offensive basics. I think we should try that again now with Goff…well, next year. But I think they need to let this kid sling it in order to allow TG to pound the ball. I think we need a different OC guy to do that…and I think Fisher will get an experienced one….
if Fisher is indeed back next year which I think he will be UNLESS…the team quits on him and plays with no fire. Then, I think GW has a real chance to step in as interim if it gets outta hand in these last 5 games. However, I think the liklehood of that is small. Fisher is a great motivator and gets his team playing hard for every game…even if they make mistakes, they are always playing hard!! THAT is a very underrated ability for a HC…and the 1st casualty that leads to the HC being fired.

I think a new OC overhaul and a 2yr deal from Stan will give Fisher the team he needs to win with now that we have a QB and RB.
Fisher went thru many DCs until he got his guy(GW)…
he’s gone thru many RBs over the years til he got his guy(TG)….
Fisher will go thru another OC and get his guy this off-season.
…or maybe not!!! LOL

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.

On the 8/22 practice Goff took nearly every snap from under center as they really worked on PA passing.
Goff looked flawless in his movement. imo
That’s not to say that he won’t butt-fumble and make mistakes in real games…but he looked very smooth running PA passing game. And as I said, when any of the QBs stick that back foot and the ball comes out – after a step up – it’s generally a completion – meaning the PA worked!! It’s this way with every QB actually…just watch and test my observation. 😉

It’s when that doesn’t work and they have to improvise…..then the game goes to the best of those types of QBs that make something happen when the play is covered or their protection fails and they are forced to leave the pocket. Goff can do both. imo
And Goff will be murder in a year – but functional in time THIS year by game 3-6. imo
Anyway, you can just see it in him. Goff is a competitive guy and rarely displays it but if you look close to his demeanor/body language after the play…it’s easy to see he is grinding inside…in a good way! 😉
His feet maybe the best I’ve ever seen in the pocket…that’s hard for me to say….but I can’t think of any guys that resets his feet to correct passing position faster – yes, I have a bad memory…but still!! 😉

Goff is also very very resilient to bad things or even pressure from fans coaches, etc. Goff is absolutely fearless…I mean, easily like KurtWarner type fearless in the pocket. Mannion got so much bett at that too from last year. Mannion really stands in there and delivers. I was wrong about him…but he’s not my fav styl/type of QB…I like the BigGuns and see them much clearer. Still, Mannion has forced me to have some more crow at snack-time!! 😉
He’s “appears” to have the attitude of a surfer in that he’s laid back and looks like he doesn’t care…till the huge swells come and the big Waves appear from ElNino….(CA surf conditions that dictate who goes to play in the water!).
Then, he’s ice and goes out to the Big Ones when all other folks are coming in.
THAT’S Goff.

Goff is Fearless!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.

The OL and Secondary grades are severely underestimated. imo
We are getting EJGaines back and he played stunningly well, making some think he was the most steady CB we had in 2014.
Also, with regards to Joyner(whom I think would be a HoneyBadger type FS imo…but they’re keeping him in the slot, I guess) he is a great blitzer and feisty cover man in mold of a Bob Sanders cept at CB. MRoberson played well when starting and certainly was no liability.

The OL played better than I thought they would with all the injuries. We had a RB that ran thru holes that WERE there cuz of good blocking and the OL allowed a low number of sacks(18?) regardless of the % rate or whatever context used to reduce their achievement.
Also, they are ALL in their 2nd year and are ready to step up. I thought Hav, Brown, Wichman and Donnal played well while learning. Battle showed incredible athleticism at LT and was just too young but with an off-season and experience I think he may play a bigger role if his head is on right and he’s trying(not that he isn’t…I just don’t know how hard he works…but the potential is there.) OT Williams was the surprise keeper at OT and got experience also. The best thing is that they are ALL young…even GRob. Saffold might trade bait – or cut bait – if a rookie comes close to Saffold’s level of performance. They are signed for another 3yrs. for peanuts.
I really like the shotgun approach the Rams do to a position…odss are that they will find some diamonds, I would think.

Man, zn….I couldn’t agree more!! Add to that TJ and a real wildcard in MoWilliams as the BigNickel guy or even if heends up starting at FS or SS(with TJ moving to FS perhaps). THAT is some serious violence perpetrated on the other team if ALL those guys LBs & Safetys stay healthy all year. I love our LBs though (Tree & Barron were transcendent in their play at WLB last year). I truly DO think Tree will be just fine at MLB. It’ll be the mental aspect of getting the players in the right defense that is the unknown…but GW has pronounced his support for Tree and his maturation…so I won’t think too much about it until I see otherwise.

Also, Fisher’s teams play HARD…all the way thru the game….relentlessly.
That’s also, who fisher is.

In fact, Foles even mentioned admiring that about our Rams from the game last year…
“I remember playing this team and I remember thinking this is a talented team. The defense was scrappy, all over the place. Really tough to go against. I think the big thing I noticed, though, was the fight. I admire teams that continue to fight throughout the game because we had gotten, Philadelphia had gotten up by several points. The Rams kept fighting back, fighting back, and that’s when you know that that team’s together as one. You know that the coaching staff has everything together, the players are playing together. It was a tight game at the end and I really admired that. That was a game that I looked back and said, ‘That is a team that is going to be reckoned with.’ Now I’m a part of it and I’m excited about that.”

I think this roster has some questions – to be sure…but man, this looks like the strongest roster/depth wise
the Rams have had in over a decade. It’s on Foles to just play his part and we’ll do well and compete for the division. imo
I even think they can overcome the youth at the OL spots…just as long as they run the ball and keep it close with the defense.
Foles is more than competent to run this offense very well. imo

“…what we’re going to do is move Jeff into the receiver room with Coach (Ray) Sherman and really, he gives a different perspective. He gives that quarterback perspective to the receivers, which I think is helpful.”

I have always thought that each opposing group should spend time in the other/opposing positions coach film room, especially in OTAs/Summer so that they learn how the other side sees/attacks their schemes. Also, it’s very helpful for players to watch film of eachother (say OL vs DL) and find the weakness and how to exploit it…and then meet to tell eachother their strengths/weaknesses.
I really think that kind of adversarial scouting would challenge players/schemes(OC vs DC)…
and help players understand their counter-part a little better.

So, Garcia helps the WRs understand what a QB is looking for and wants the WRs to do situationally.
I’m sure the teams all do this anyway…but if they didn’t…man, what a wasted opportunity. imo

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by SunTzu_vs_Camus.

wow.

thanks for finding that.