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Negotiations between the @Raiders and @Mack52_ appear nonexistent. Would you pay him QB money?

(Mack) is saying, “If the quarterback is so important, I’m the one that neutralizes him.”

Sam Shields never lost his speed and athletic ability. And now he’s feeling good again after missing nearly two seasons dealing with the affects of concussions. He’s already been a hit in #Rams camp. If he stays healthy, their secondary can be special https://t.co/7ZoDFybitE

— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) July 31, 2018

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Wade Phillips Press Conference

The Professor

This was my first camp practice of the year. I got in about 90 minutes before camp and was able to go through the signing area where Fred Dryer and Michael Stewart were signing autographs. I bought a mini football for them to sign. So it was a nice start to the day. Some nice additions from last year are a) the covered bleachers (it was pretty hot), the replay screen (but I was in a bad spot to really be able to see it). It was pointed so that the players could see it well. I was on the 50 yard line and it was on the 30 or so on my side of the field pointing at the field so it was not really helpful for me to see. Both fields have scoreboards which list the clock for each part of practice, which part of practice they are in, the play clock and the down.

McVay runs a tight ship. After the clock ran down on a practice session, that session is whistled over, and the next practice session starts with a new clock on how long that period will last. The practice session counter was not labeled so I was confused about it initially. I noticed it was at 8 when Allen was QB, so I first thought it was listing who was at QB but when it did not change when Goff was QBing I was able to figure it out.
The team started off stretching. One coach would show the team what to do, and every ten or so seconds, McVay would blow a whistle and then the next stretch was modeled. McVay was constantly moving during this time period and sometimes would model the stretch.
After the stretching, the players went to their position groups to work on specific drills. In front of me, Cooper, Nick Holley (Rcool smiley, and JoJo Natson (WR) were practicing catching punts/KOs from a jugs machine. I doubt Holley or Natson make the squad, so I am not sure who is the real backup. Initially, they were doing it against air, then they did it with one of the others running at them, finally they did it in a set of three kicks. If they caught the first, then they had to catch the second while still holding the first ball and the third while holding both previous balls. Cooper had a chance at catching it when holding the other two, but the punt was way shorter than ANY other I saw in the drill and he could not get there.
The DBs practiced covering the WR coming off the line in press coverage. The DBs would alternate played D or simulating a WR coming off the line. They started off at a jogging pace but picked up the pace and worked on getting their hands on the receiver as the play started.
Goff, Allen and Perez started off just talking with the three centers Allen, Sullivan, and Blythe. Mannion was not there. I learned later on that he had the day off to be with his wife who is very far along in her pregnancy.
The other oline man worked on their hand placement coming out of their stances. Initially, they did this against air, later on against other olinemen.
The special teams kickers were hanging underneath an easy up between the two fields. Next to them were three stationary bikes. Peters and Talib started out stretching by those and then started pedaling.
The other DBs and a two WR/TEs were working on punt coverage/return on each side there would be a gunner and two return team players trying to route the gunner away from the center.
I did not focus a lot on the Dline at this time. I noticed them stretching and at one point they were doing this next to the Oline doing the same.
In the next practice session, the QBs, RBs and WRs ran a drill. I don’t remember if the QB started with the ball or it was snapped by a coach, but the WR would take a jet sweep handoff in front of the QB and run down the line. Another coach would then flip a second ball to the QB and the running back would come out of the backfield and the QB would hit him in the flat.
At the next practice session, the QB would practice play action drop backs and then throw to the RBs. These were the only players in this drill. The simultaneous WR/TE drill had the player run 5 yards one direction 5 yards back and then catch a pass as they go back in the original direction. Later on the receivers were about 20/30 yards from the coach throwing, they had to juke around a coach in between them and catch a pass as they ran towards the coach with the ball.
The olinemen would hit the blocking sled and then drive into another olineman who held a pad to cushion the blow. As there were practices going on both fields, I do not have much to say about the defense’s practice as they were practicing on the far field.
On the offense’s field, the QBs started playing with a RB and four receivers (including TEs). My biggest takeaway of the practices was Perez is not ready for the NFL. He was consistently high with his passes. Many were over the receivers’ heads and gave them no chance to make a play. Allen was better than Perez but not accurate enough. I felt that Mannion improved his chances of being the number 2 and he was not even there. At one point, Goff and Allen were both passing to receivers at the same time (one throwing to the left side the other to the right). The receivers were alternate plating on the right and left side so they got some reps with both QBs. On the other side of the field, Perez was throwing to the 3rd string WRs/TEs. He still was high and again this is against air. I mostly focused on the 1s and 2s, but I did see one of the coaches showing Allen some tips on his footwork after he lofted a throw. During the first part of these drills, one throw was high to Woods and he had to make a one handed grab and then spin to keep his feet in bounds. After hearing a lot of Ooohs and Ahhs from the crowd, he took a bow as he went back to the QBs.
When the Offense started playing against the D in 5 on 5, Goff hit Gurley for a TD and shortly afterwards was picked by Christian. Goff was low on a completion to Cooks but for the most part was pretty accurate.
When 11 on 11 started, the starting D seemed to be Westbrooks, Suh, Donald, up front, Littleton, Wilson, and ? as LBs (I did not catch the edge player’s number), and Talib, Peters, Joyner, Johnson, and Robey-Coleman in the secondary. I read that both Peters and Talib would take one side of the field for their teams last year. They were not lining up that way for the Rams. They were often on the same side. Sometimes Peters was in the slot, sometimes playing man and tracking their receiver as he moved presnap.

Most of my oline commentary is on the LTs as that was right in front of me. I watched Whitworth vs. Price for a few plays. The first one Price was stood up, on the second Price got through, around Whit but as it was a running play to the right side, this may not have been a win for Price, Whit may have been letting Price take himself out of the play. The next two plays I watched, the left side of the line held up well.

At one point when Goff was in shotgun, he raised his hands to call for the ball and perhaps draw the D offsides, but the LG jumped. Unfortunately, I do not know who it was. The other times the oline was flagged before a play it was on the left side as well. When Noteboom played LT, the first play I watched he was pushed back but held his position (Hill picked Allen on that play but I did not really see it as I was not looking at that aspect of the play). On the next two plays, Noteboom stood up the DE, handed him off to the guard and then picked up the linebacker (Sickles). At this point Lucas was the RT. Late in the practice, Eldrenkamp played RT (as they were going in the other direction at that time I focused on RT).
I will add more comments about the D and the receivers in a second post. It is getting late, so I will be signing off now.

bubbaramfan

Great day at Irvine, upper 80’s and not a very large crowd. Had a beer (and no more) and sat on the south side of 2nd field. The team came out and stretched for about 15 min. then broke off into groups. OL and DL on south end of field 1 away from our vision. We had Coach Fassell and ST doing punts and kickoff coverage in front of us. Lots of players, mostly bottom tier, interchanging reps. Hekker focusing on directional punts, Cooper, Fred Brown and Kendal Thompson stayed back to field punts.
Most punters keep both hands on the ball until the foot comes up and hits it. Hekker is unusual in that he releases the ball from his grip about shoulder height, letting it drop, putting either back or forward spin on the ball with his hands before it hits his foot, giving the ball direction when it comes down on the field. Was fun to watch him do this in practice.

Whistle at 15 min and group rotation. We get LB’s for tip drills. One coach threw a ball about 10yds, another then tips in up, and players then try and recover while the other set up return. good drill.

whistle rotation. TE’s and RB’s short passes over middle w/ no D from #9 Perez Hemingway and Everrett the quickest. Higbee biggest.

Whistle, rotation. 11 on 11. 1st team OL Whitworth, Saffold, Sullivan, (yes, Sullivan is OK and took a lot of snaps today), Brown and Havenstien. Gurley, Goff. WR’s alternated between Woods, Cooks, Kupp, Reynolds, Cooper and Thompson. Defense 1st team rotated a lot of players in and out, with Bockers and Suh getting snaps at first then being pulled and Westbrooks, Joseph-Day and Omairus Bryant getting work with the ones. I saw a lot of switching around and different guys getting reps at different positions. Trevon Young, and John Franklin Myers saw a lot of work at DE. Franklin-Myers impressed me. He is quick off the snap and gets around the edge. Mixed up the LB’s but Littleton, Hagar and Ebukam played with the ones.
Good pass rush but Goff gets the ball out quick. Good timing with wr’s. Gurley is fast. Several deep balls Cooks got a TD, Reynolds dropping balls, at least three he should have caught. Thompson never even got a look.
Woods clearly the best WR today.

2nd team 11 on 11 started off with an OL of Demby LT, Noteboom LG (next play they switched and continued switching for several plays), Blythe C, (several plays , then Allen), Neary, Womac LG, and Corneilius Lucas at RT. Lucas played exclusively at RT. I didn’t see anyone else but Hav and Lucas at RT. I don’t think D Williams dressed, injury? Demby, Noteboom and Lucas looked to hold their own. Allen at QB, Brown, Davis and Kelly rotating snaps. Brown looks leaner and caught passes out of the backfield, Davis has good lateral movement and is quick, but Kelly is fast and fights through traffic, got a TD. Going to be a battle between Davis and Kelly. TE’s Higbee, Everett and Hemmingway all took snaps with ones. All got targets and all had receptions. Higbee had a drop he should have caught.

DB’s Peters and Talib are the real deal. Great competition with WR’s. they feed off each other. Hill and Peterson looked very good. Peterson getting in and getting his hands on the ball had an INT.

LB’s, I think every one of them get in with ones or twos. this is getting sorted out still. Longacre got reps and then got sat. He looks fine.
11 on 11 over 40 minutes

Whistle, group rotation. 2minute drill. they did this in a kind of slow motion, with McVay jumping around on the field yelling instructions and pointing at people. , Clearly trying to get something across. Wished I could have heard what he was saying.

whistle, rotation. FG attempts with a D rush. I think this was a first for TC and Zuelien. Ball snapped at 35, making it a 45-7 yd FG attempt. Greg nails the 1st three, putting the ball on the roof of the endzone bleachers. Greg’s back is “back”.

Whistle rotation. We didn’t get to see much of the OL or DL. they were on the other field furthest from our view. We walked around to the endzone where McVay was in serious teaching mode with Goff, Allen QB, Kupp, Cooks, Woods and Gurley. He had Goff and Allen taking long snaps and getting it out of their hands as fast as possible, flinging it sidearm to one of the four. Curious drill.

That’s all for now from my notes. There will be much more later as it comes to me.

They have an off day tomorrow, and I intend to go again on Wednesday.

Elvis

Harold Jackson was in the house. How cool is that? I kind of feel bad for Michael Stewart. Yesterday they had him with Fred Dreyer and today with Jackson. He should talk to his agent.

Today’s practice was in pads but a little on the short side, heavy on special teams, not a ton of 11 on 11 and what there was was often with Allen at QB. And these bleacher canopies are really screwing with my ability to take pictures of the action.

Goff hit Woods on a nice thing up the middle for a long TD, and on another play Cooks, covered by both Talib and Peters was open but Goff overthrew him.

Right now, with Cooks, Woods, Kupp and then Gurley also in the passing game, it’s an embarrassment of riches. And i’m not even factoring in the TEs.

Reynolds dropped another one. But he’s made some nice plays too.

Pactice ended early but after there was a long intense session with McVay and the skill guys: Goff, Cooks, Woods, Kupp and Gurley. I don’t know if McVay was pissed or they were just taking things to another level, seemed to be working on the quick dump off to a WR or Gurley in extreme detail.

McVay, in general, was even more animated than usual today, feels like he’s growing into a job he was already pretty great at…

10 Observations from Day 5 of Training Camp

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-day-5-of-training-camp

1) Before the first whistle of practice officially blew, punter Johnny Hekker was on the field practicing working on directional kicks to both the right and left sideline. The accuracy and precision with which he was punting the ball to equipment assistants 40-to-50 yards downfield was fairly remarkable — though not entirely surprising from the four-time first-team All-Pro.
2) Center John Sullivan was back in pads for Monday’s practice. He left Sunday’s session with trainers after sustaining a minor arm injury. Head coach Sean McVay did say following Sunday’s practice that he thought Sullivan would be OK. Sullivan’s presence on the line is a key factor in Los Angeles’ offensive success.

3) During individual drills, linebackers worked on securing tipped passes for interceptions. Linebackers coach Joe Barry would toss a pass for assistant linebackers coach Chris Shula to tip in the air about five-to-six-yards away. After the deflection, each linebacker would have to catch the pass for a pick.
4) Also in individual drills, cornerbacks worked on jamming receivers in the red zone. Each corner would line up opposite another in his group posing as a wide receiver. The corner would then have to get his hands on the receiver off the line and react to where a popular goal-line route was going. As one might expect, veteran cornerback Aqib Talib excelled at this particular drill — expertly reading the movements of younger DBs.
5) That particular cornerbacks drill is relevant because Los Angeles practiced red zone one-on-ones with quarterbacks, wide receivers, and cornerbacks. Notably from the period…
Talib performed well covering wide receiver Robert Woods, blanketing him in coverage to force quarterback Jared Goff into some uncomfortable throws.
Wide receiver Mike Thomas made an outstanding catch on the offense’s left. Goff delivered a back-shoulder throw, Thomas went up, secured the ball, and maintained possession and he hit the ground.
Cornerback Troy Hill and wide receiver Josh Reynolds had two decent battles. On their first rep, Hill batted away a fade route. On their second, Reynolds got the best of the matchup with a solid slant, catching a touchdown.

6) In a later 11-on-11 period, Goff and Woods connected for what would’ve been a touchdown pass down the seam on the left. Woods was wide open on the play, as there may have been a miscommunication from the scout-team defense.
7) Talib and fellow cornerback Marcus Peters are always communicating on the field. During one play in 11-on-11 drills against the first-team offense, wide receiver Brandin Cooks got behind the secondary and was open for what would’ve been a long touchdown reception. However, the pass was just a bit overthrown and ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, Talib and Peters stayed in conversation all the way to the sideline to dissect exactly what went wrong, correcting it for the next play.
8) In a red-zone 11-on-11 period, Goff hit running back Todd Gurley over the middle for a touchdown pass. Not that there was any reason to expect something different, but it’s clear that Gurley will once again be a significant part of Los Angeles’ passing game in 2018.
JL8_2244
9) Kicker Greg Zuerlein nailed all six of his attempted field goals on Monday, with the longest coming from 50-yards out. Special teams coordinator John Fassel said following practice that Zuerlein is “full go” after the back injury that landed him on injured reserve late in 2017. Fassel added that Zuerlein is likely “feeling as good as he has in years.”
10) After five straight days of practices, McVay shortened the length of Monday’s session and used the day’s last period to give younger players time for more 11-on-11 work. These plays didn’t quite feature “live” tackling, but the thudding was noticeable as players were probably trying to make a strong impression before the preseason games even begin.

Phillips said of Suh “Middle pressure [on the quarterback] – we’re going to be No. 1 there with him and Donald. They’re not ready for those two guys.”

=

A young Whitworth interviews .@sonofbum — interestingly… says .@awhitworth77 is his fave offensive player of all time… pic.twitter.com/ckMoMqjBzm

— khs (@KaraHenderson) July 30, 2018

Jimmy Durkin@Jimmy_Durkin
Jon Gruden on @nflnetwork on if Raiders defense can be as good as it needs to be without 52: “We weren’t very good last year with Khalil Mack.” That’s not a shot, but the point is with or without Mack, the pass rush and the whole defense in general needs to be better.

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
Feels like Oakland is hoping someone offers up a few picks for Mack

Caught @CooperKupp burning Sean McVay today on video 😂 how can you not love this guy?! #ThatsMyCoach #RamsCamp @RamsNFL @JaredGoff16 @TG3II pic.twitter.com/58ojFb0UHL

— JBro (@JBroFronk) July 30, 2018

Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez

To those concerned about the Rams’ depth/talent at linebacker — it isn’t expected to show up as much of an issue. Rams are expected to play a lot fewer four-linebacker sets, which means they won’t really operate much as a traditional 3-4. They’ll play to the depth in their secondary, which means slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman will be on the field more often. DB Blake Countess might be, too. I imagine Samson Ebukam and Matt Longacre will be more of an edge-rushing rotation, with Cory Littleton and Mark Barron in the middle.

Peterson undercut a route, made the pick on the defense’s left sideline, and had no one in his path on the way to the end zone. It was a nice practice for the Oklahoma State product who intercepted a pair of passes in Week 17 last year.

Beyond Talib, Peters, Roby-Coleman, and Shields, we hear good things so far about Hill and Peterson.

They ain’t keeping 6 corners. Assuming they keep Shields, do they trade Hill or Peterson to someone? Like they did with Gaines last year?

Eventually the Rams will populate the entire rest of the NFL with their DBs.

…

Practice Report 7/29: First Padded Practice

Clarence Dennis

https://www.therams.com/news/practice-report-7-29-first-padded-practice

It seems fitting that the Rams first padded practice of 2018 came on a Sunday.
The first padded practice of camp provided a bit more of a realistic look at the what this year’s Rams might look like on Sundays that count.
Throughout the first few days of training camp, head coach Sean McVay has mentioned how it’s easier to evaluate practices once players are in pads.
On Saturday, McVay said his team won’t go full-tackle football during camp, but padded practices will allow the team to “thud.”
“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that know how to practice [with] pads on,” McVay said following Saturday’s practice. “Want to try to make sure we’re getting that physicality, but also limiting the risk for injury with some of things that can occur when guys are going to the ground, consistently getting rolled up on.”
Veteran center John Sullivan exited Sunday’s practice early, but McVay said he expects Sullivan to be “OK.”
Overall, McVay considered Day 1 in pads a success.
“For the first day, the biggest thing is great energy. Guys were competing but doing it in a smart way and that’s what we like,” McVay said.

PHYSICAL DEFENSE

McVay got his desired physicality and maybe more in some instances on Sunday afternoon. Some of the first “thuds” of the season could be heard when the defensive linemen, led by Michael Brockers and Ndamukong Suh, joined veteran Andrew Whitworth’s offensive line for a series of drills to start practice.
Once scrimmage was underway, fans reacted to a handful of hits that may have surpassed McVay’s definition of the word “thud” — kicked off by a strong defensive effort by defensive back Isaiah Johnson on tight end Gerald Everett.
The tough hits on tight ends continued just a few minutes later, when safety Marqui Christian laid the biggest hit of the day on tight end Temarrick Hemingway. Christian rounded out his big day with an interception.
Big hits and all, McVay praised his teams’ now-padded defensive effort.

“I thought the defense did a great job, came out with good energy, matched a lot of our concepts, played the run really well, and the offense found a way to have a little bit of success,” McVay said.

THROWING AND CATCHING

In a padded practice that seemed heavily focused on the run game, many of the highlights from Day 4 — for better or worse — came with the ball in the air.
Third-year quarterback Brandon Allen took the majority of snaps on Sunday. Fellow QB Sean Mannion was away from practice for the birth of his child.
Starting quarterback Jared Goff seemed to take fewer snaps on his fourth consecutive day of work in Irvine. The pair combined to throw three interceptions, two of them from Allen.
Following practice, McVay addressed Goff’s passing into Wade Phillips’ newly remodeled secondary.
“I think those windows close up a little bit faster with some of those guys that are on defense. We always talk about reading with your feet and sometimes it’s appropriate to be able to try to fit those in those tight windows and sometimes the coverage dictates, we need to progress and do it a little bit faster manner,” McVay said.
Even though many of the windows slammed shut on his quarterbacks, McVay had good things to say about Goff’s ability to bounce back, and elaborated on just how difficult the quarterback position can be.

“But, what he’s done such a good job of is being receptive where he’s able to kind of – he’s seeing it real well right now. Even whether it be good or bad he’s able to kind of correct himself immediately after,” McVay said. “When you’re looking at 11 bodies on defense, rush is coming at you, different coverages — it’s a lot for a quarterback. I think, really, our group as a whole has done a nice job. But always, always striving to improve.”
While Goff and Allen, throwing in pads for the first time, struggled at times on Sunday against a physical backfield, a few of the Rams’ wide receivers wowed fans with some impressive catches.
Tight end Gerald Everett had undoubtedly the catch of the day during some red-zone work. Everett turned just in time, leaping to snag an Allen pass over his defender.
First-year Ram Brandin Cooks also showed off his hands, reeling in well-paced pass that Cooks bobbled across the middle of the field amidst tight coverage. He then showed off his speed, racing to the end zone for what likely would’ve been a touchdown.