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znModerator3rd & 33? Just the way we drew it up.@JaredGoff16 ➡️ @robertwoods for the 52-yard TD!! pic.twitter.com/agvG4juXan
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 5, 2017
November 5, 2017 at 6:30 pm in reply to: media on the Giants game … tweets, articles, vids, etc. #76941znModeratorJames Laurinaitis @JLaurinaitis55
Happy for @RamsNFL brothers getting to experience this success! Keep it going fellas fun to watch!Isaac Bruce@IsaacBruce80
Boy!!! 3rd&33Convert! #GoRams @RamsNFLNovember 5, 2017 at 6:27 pm in reply to: media on the Giants game … tweets, articles, vids, etc. #76940znModeratorRams vs. Giants Postgame Notes
– The Rams beat the Giants 51-17 and improved to 6-2, which is their best start in the first eight games of the season since 2001 when they started 7-1.
– Today is the fifth game this season that the Rams scored 30-plus points, which is the most in a season since 2003 when they scored 30-plus points in seven of their 16 games.
– Today is the third time this season that the Rams have surpassed 40 total points scored. The last time the Rams scored 40-plus points in three or more games was in 2001. (2017: 3 games with 40-plus points; 2001: 3 games with 40-plus points; 2000: 5 games with 40-plus points)
– The last time the Rams beat the Giants was October 14, 2001.
– QB Jared Goff completed 14-of-22 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns (a new career-high) for a passer rating of 146.8, the ninth highest passer rating in franchise history.
– Goff is the fourth quarterback this season to have 300-plus passing yards, four passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a game:
o Tom Brady (9/24/17): 378 yards and 5 TDs against Houston
o Russell Wilson (9/24/17): 373 yards and 4 TDs against Tennessee
o Alex Smith (9/7/17): 368 yards and 4 TD against New England
– Marks Goff’s second game this season with at least 300 yards.
– RB Todd Gurley rushed 16 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Gurley now has seven rushing touchdowns this season and three receiving touchdowns.
– Gurley registered a rush of 36 yards, his longest rush since 12/13/15 vs. Detroit.
– WR Robert Woods notched his first touchdown of the season on a 52-yard pass from Goff. Also marked his longest touchdown reception of his career. Woods finished with four receptions for 70 yards.
– Woods added a second touchdown for his first multi-touchdown game of his career.
– TE Tyler Higbee hauled in his first touchdown of the season on an 8-yard pass from Goff.
– Rookie TE Gerald Everett is currently the only rookie tight end in the NFL with two 40-plus yard receptions this season (vs. Giants – 44 yard rec., vs. WAS – 69 yard rec).
– WR Sammy Watkins registered a 67-yard touchdown pass from Goff. Marked the longest receiving touchdown for the Rams since TE Lance Kendricks had an 80-yard touchdown reception at Tampa Bay (12/23/12).
– DT Aaron Donald notched a strip-sack on Giants QB Eli Manning. Donald now has 4.0 sacks this season. OLB Connor Barwin recovered the fumble.
– LB Alec Ogletree forced RB Wayne Gallman Jr. to fumble and Donald recovered the ball.
– CB Trumaine Johnson picked off Manning. Johnson has two interceptions this season.
– Barwin registered a sack on Manning to push his season total to 4.0 sacks.
– LB Cory Littleon blocked a Brad Wing punt at the New York 34-yard line.
– The Rams’ offense scored following all three defensive turnovers (two touchdowns, one field goal) and following the special teams’ blocked punt.
– K Greg Zuerlein converted field goals of 27, 46 and 47 yards. Entering today’s game, Zuerlein was the NFL’s leading scorer and he added 15 points today to push his season total to 99 points.znModeratorI’m just glad that Jenkins is out. I wonder what he did.
Missed the 1st meeting after the bye.
.
znModeratorfrom the wiki
…
Black players in professional American football
Charles Follis is believed to be the first black professional football player, having played for the Shelby Steamfitters from 1902 to 1906. Follis, a two sport athlete, was paid for his work beginning in 1904.
From its inception in 1920 as a loose coalition of various regional teams, the American Professional Football Association had comparatively few African-American players; a total of nine black people suited up for NFL teams between 1920 and 1926, including future attorney, black activist, and internationally acclaimed artist Paul Robeson. Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first black players in what is now the NFL in 1920. Pollard became the first (and until 1989, only) black coach in 1921; during the early-to-mid-1920s, the league used player-coaches and did not have separate coaching staffs.
1927 through 1933
After 1926, all five of the black players that were still in the subsequent National Football League left the league. Several teams were kicked out of the league that year, and with a large number of available, talented white players, black players were generally the first to be removed, never to return again. For the next few years, a black player would sporadically pop up on a team: Harold Bradley Sr. played one season with the Chicago Cardinals in 1928, and David Myers played for two New York City-based teams in 1930 and 1931.
In contrast, ethnic minorities of other races were fairly common. Thanks to the efforts of the Carlisle Indian School football program, which ended with the school’s closure in 1918, there were numerous Native Americans in the NFL through the 1920s and 1930s, most famously Jim Thorpe. The Dayton Triangles also featured the first two Asian-Americans in the NFL, Chinese-Hawaiian running back Walter Achiu and Japanese-Scottish quarterback Arthur Matsu, both in 1928, and the first Hispanic players in the NFL, Cuban immigrant Ignacio Molinet of the 1927 Frankford Yellow Jackets and Jess Rodriguez of the 1929 Buffalo Bisons, played in the NFL during this time frame.
1934 to 1945
In 1933, the last year of integration, the NFL had two black players, Joe Lillard and Ray Kemp. Both were gone by the end of the season: Lillard, due largely to his tendency to get into fights, was not invited back to the Chicago Cardinals despite in 1933 being responsible for almost half of the Cardinals’ points, while Kemp quit on his own accord to pursue a coaching career (one that turned out to be long and successful). Many observers will attribute the subsequent lockout of black players to the entry of George Preston Marshall into the league in 1932. Marshall openly refused to have black athletes on his Boston Braves/Washington Redskins team, and reportedly pressured the rest of the league to follow suit. Marshall, however, was likely not the only reason: the Great Depression had stoked an increase in racism and self-inflicted segregation across the country, and internal politics likely had as much of an effect as external pressure. Marshall’s hostility was specifically directed at the black race; he openly allowed (and promoted) Native Americans on his team, including his first head coach, Lone Star Dietz, widely believed to be a Native American at the time. The choice of Redskins as his team name in 1933 was in part to maintain the native connotations that came with the previous team’s name, the Boston Braves. Another reason for Marshall’s anti-black sentiment was to curry favor in the Southern United States; Marshall’s Redskins had a strong following in that part of the country, which he vigorously defended, and he stood up against the NFL’s efforts to put expansion teams in the South until Clint Murchison, Jr.’s successful extortion attempt (Murchison acquired the rights to the Redskins’ fight song and threatened not to let Marshall use the song unless he got an expansion team in Dallas) led to the establishment of the Dallas Cowboys in 1960.
By 1934, there were no more black players in the league. The NFL did not have another black player until after World War II.
Most black players either ended up in the minor leagues (six joined the American Association and several others found their way into the Pacific Coast Professional Football League) or found themselves onto all-black barnstorming teams such as the Harlem Brown Bombers. Unlike in baseball, where the Negro Leagues flourished, no true football Negro league was known to exist until 1946, and by this time, the major leagues had begun reintegrating.
Post-WWII
In 1939, UCLA had one of the greatest collegiate football players in history, Kenny Washington,a senior. Washington, an African American, was very popular, and his team had garnered national attention in the print media. After he played in the College All-Star game in August 1940, George Halas asked him not to return to Los Angeles immediately because Halas wanted to sign him to a contract with the Chicago Bears. After a week or so, Washington returned to Los Angeles without an NFL contract. Washington spent the majority of the early 1940s in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Bears, even during World War II, during which he managed to avoid military service, thanks in part to a timely injury that forced him to miss the 1942 season but likely rendered him ineligible for service. Washington, after his injuries were healed, was a rarity in that he was a healthy, available athlete during a time when the NFL was resorting to using partially handicapped players ineligible for service, but received no interest from any NFL teams at the time. (Washington would ultimately serve a tour of duty in the armed forces in 1945.)
In 1946, after the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles and Washington returned from the war, members of the African American print media made the Los Angeles Coliseum commission aware the NFL did not have any African American players and reminded the commission the Coliseum was supported with public funds. Therefore, its commission had to abide by an 1896 Supreme Court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, by not leasing the stadium to a segregated team. Also, they specifically suggested the Rams should give Washington a tryout. The commission advised the Rams that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African American in order to lease the Coliseum, and the Rams agreed to this conditionSubsequently, the Rams signed Washington on March 21, 1946. The signing of Washington caused “all hell to break loose” among the owners of the NFL franchises. The Rams added a second black player, Woody Strode, on May 7, 1946, giving them two black players going into the 1946 season.
Even after this incident, racial integration was slow to come to the NFL. No team followed the Rams in re-integrating the NFL until the Detroit Lions signed Mel Groomes and Bob Mann in 1948. No black player was selected in the NFL draft until 1949 when George Taliaferro was selected in the 13th round; Taliaferro signed instead with the rival All-America Football Conference. The AAFC, which formed in 1946, was more proactive in signing black players; in 1946, the Cleveland Browns signed Marion Motley and Bill Willis, and by the time the AAFC merged with the NFL in 1950, six of the league’s eight teams had signed black players, most by the league’s second season in 1947. In comparison, only three of the ten NFL teams (the Rams, Lions and New York Giants) signed a black player before 1950. The Green Bay Packers followed in 1950, but the bulk of NFL teams did not sign a black player until 1952, by which time every team but the Washington Redskins had signed a black player.
Marshall was quoted as saying “We’ll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites.” The Redskins had no black players until Interior Secretary Stewart Udall threatened to evict them from D. C. Stadium unless they signed a black player. The Redskins first attempted to comply by drafting Ernie Davis, who refused to play under Marshall; the Redskins in turn traded Davis to the Cleveland Browns. The Redskins eventually signed Bobby Mitchell and two other African American players by 1962.
Quotas limiting the number of black players were commonplace, and black players were often stacked into the same positions to allow them to be eliminated as a matter of competition. Reportedly, black players routinely received lower contracts than whites in the NFL, while in the American Football League there was no such distinction based on race. Position segregation was also prevalent at this time. According to several books, such as the autobiography of Vince Lombardi, black players were stacked at “speed” positions such as defensive back but excluded from “intelligent” positions such as quarterback and center. However, despite the NFL’s segregationist policies, after the league merged with the more tolerant AFL in 1970, more than 30% of the merged league’s players were African American.
The American Football League had the first black placekicker in U.S. professional football, Gene Mingo of the Denver Broncos (Mingo’s primary claim to fame, however, was as a running back, and was only secondarily a placekicker); and the first black regular starting quarterback of the modern era, Marlin Briscoe of the Denver Broncos. Willie Thrower was a back-up quarterback who saw some action in the 1950s for the Chicago Bears. In 1954, running back Joe Perry of the San Francisco 49ers became the first black player to be recognized as NFL Most Valuable Player, when United Press International named him pro football’s player of the year.
Today
At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.
These statistics are in contrast to the general population of the United States, which is about 28% non-white (white including Hispanic whites) although among the demographic that plays in the NFL (men approximately 21 to 35 years of age), the proportion of the American population that is non-white is somewhat greater.
Scout.com national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said: “I honestly think it’s harder for a white wide receiver than it is a black quarterback to get recruited at a high level in this day and age,” Biggins said. “Unless you have an extreme skill set that jumps out.”
In recent decades the cornerback position has been played exclusively by black players, and the halfback/tailback position overwhelmingly so. There are currently no white cornerbacks in the NFL and there have not been since New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn played his final season for the team in 2002. Since the 2010 season, only six white halfbacks have seen regular playing time: Toby Gerhart, Danny Woodhead, Peyton Hillis, Brian Leonard, Rex Burkhead and Zach Zenner.
No white running back rushed for 1,000 rushing yards in a season between Craig James in 1985 and Hillis in 2010. Gerhart alleged race was a factor in why four running backs were drafted ahead of him in the 2010 NFL Draft. There are also allegations that racial profiling exists at the lower levels of the game that discourages white players from playing halfback.
At the quarterback position, 23 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL were white at the start of the 2013 season. Whites slightly outnumber blacks in the makeup of offensive linemen (49% vs 46%) yet the center position is 82% white.
In contrast, of the 32 starting kickers in the NFL in 2013, only one was black. Also, there were two African American punters, Reggie Hodges for the Cleveland Browns and Marquette King for the Oakland Raiders.
Outside of playing, the first black head coach in the NFL since the end of the player-coach era did not come until 1989, when Art Shell took over the then-Los Angeles Raiders; he was followed three years later by Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings. An affirmative action policy known as the Rooney Rule was implemented in 2003 requiring teams to interview racial minorities for head coaching positions and, since 2009, other senior management and player personnel positions. (Such minorities need not specifically be black; Hispanics of any race and persons of any nonwhite race are also eligible to qualify under the rule.) The league has never had a black franchise owner (it rejected the opportunity to do so in 1974 when it chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an expansion franchise over Rommie Loudd’s Orlando Suns), and only two of the league’s owners (Korean-born Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills, and Punjabi Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars) are of non-European descent.
znModeratorThats confusing. So those two ram players were ‘not’ the first black NFL players.
Who was?
==
Kenny Washington paved way for black players in NFL
A UCLA running back was first African American to play in modern NFL. His story is not widely knownLots of kids know about Jackie Robinson and how in 1947 he became the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
Not as many kids — or adults — know about Kenny Washington. But Kenny Washington was the Jackie Robinson of the National Football League (NFL).
When the NFL started, in the 1920s, a handful of African Americans played in the new league. But from 1934 to 1946, there were no black players in the NFL. There wasn’t an official rule against them, but there was an unwritten understanding among the teams. The teams would not allow African Americans into the league.
Some owners and coaches claimed that African Americans were not good enough for the NFL. That’s hard to believe, especially considering that nine African American college football players were named all-American stars during those years. Still, none were drafted, even though the NFL had 10 teams in 1940 and each team drafted 20 players.
Washington was one of the college stars who went undrafted. He was a running back who set rushing and passing records at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1939, Washington led the nation in total yards while also playing defensive back. (Players played both offense and defense in those days.)
Washington also played baseball for the UCLA Bruins. He hit .454 and .350 during his two varsity seasons. His teammate on the UCLA football and baseball teams was … Jackie Robinson. The head coach at UCLA’s top rival, the University of Southern California, said Washington was a more skilled baseball player than Robinson.
Despite Washington’s incredible college career, no NFL team drafted him in 1940. For the next few seasons, Washington played in the smaller Pacific Coast Football League, where he earned all-league honors every year.
Washington finally got his chance to play in the NFL in 1946. The Cleveland Rams had relocated to Los Angeles. The Rams agreed to allow African American players on the team after local black newspapers and the city’s stadium commission pressured the team to integrate (mix black and white players).
Washington was 28 years old and had undergone five knee surgeries when in March 1946 he became the first African American in years to sign a contract with an NFL team. He was not as fast as he had been at UCLA. Still, Washington was among the leading rushers in the NFL during the second of his three seasons.
Like Robinson, Washington had to endure dirty plays and mean name-calling throughout his football career. Washington might have had it even harder than Robinson. After all, Washington had to carry the football with tacklers smashing into him.
Since 1946, thousands of African Americans have played in the NFL. They all followed in the footsteps of Kenny Washington.
November 4, 2017 at 9:59 pm in reply to: ex-Giants coach John McVay says Rams ‘perfect fit’ for grandson Sean #76899znModeratorJohn McVay thrilled for grandson, dismissive about ‘The Fumble’
Alden Gonzalez
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — John McVay laughed when reminded about “The Miracle at the Meadowlands” earlier this week, but not in a warm, inviting kind of way.
He was asked how often it crosses his mind.
“Never,” McVay said, “unless somebody brings it up.”
It was brought up, delicately, because the Los Angeles Rams, guided by McVay’s up-and-coming grandson, are in town to play the New York Giants on Sunday. McVay carved out a legacy as a front-office executive with the San Francisco 49ers, teaming with Bill Walsh to build what became a dynasty through the 1980s and 1990s.
But prior to that — and long before the 49ers named their draft room after him — McVay was the Giants’ head coach for 2½ seasons. He remembered how the Giants finally got off to a good start to begin his second full season in 1978, winning five of their first eight games. But they ran into a three-game losing streak, then hosted the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles at Giants Stadium on Nov. 19.
The Giants were on their way to a win, needing only to let the clock run out on third down. But instead, they ran a play. Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik bobbled the snap, which led to a fumble while he was trying to hand the football off to fullback Larry Csonka. Herm Edwards, now an ESPN analyst, picked it up and sprinted 26 yards for the winning score. Giants offensive coordinator Bob Gibson was fired the next morning, and McVay was let go as head coach at the end of the season.
Time — and success, with his own career and throughout his family — has pushed the memory of “The Fumble” deep into the background of McVay’s thoughts.
“That was a long time ago,” McVay, 86, said in a phone conversation from his home near Folsom Lake, located about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, California. “That’s like saying, ‘Do you remember when you got in a fist fight when you were in the eighth grade and got your butt kicked?’ You kind of dismiss these things from your memory. I have enough to think about right now.”
Foremost on McVay’s mind is his 31-year-old grandson, Sean McVay, who has guided the Rams to a 5-2 start as the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.
These days, McVay hears about his grandson mostly through his son, Tim. Sean’s hours are too intense for John to keep up. Lately, John McVay has been getting people coming through his door with letters for Sean, which he is now charged with getting to him.
“I pick up his fan mail,” McVay said, laughing. He hasn’t had a chance to see any of Sean’s games in person, but, he added, “We have a magic thing called television.”
McVay hasn’t missed a single game there.
“When I watch them, they’re playing hard,” McVay said of his grandson’s Rams. “The quarterback is making strides by leaps and bounds. I like their enthusiasm, and they’ve been playing well. They really have.”
McVay coached at Michigan State, Dayton and for a team called the Memphis Southmen of the short-lived World Football League before being hired as a Giants assistant in 1976. The man who got him the job, Bill Arnsparger, was fired after an 0-7 start, and McVay took over as head coach.
He went 14-23, suffered through one of the most devastating losses imaginable and never coached again.
The way McVay recovered from that, and almost immediately transitioned into one of the game’s most decorated and successful executives, always resonates with his grandson.
“The way my grandfather was able to respond from that tough experience says a lot about him, where you kind of don’t blink,” Sean McVay said during the offseason. “You show me a successful person, you show me a great leader — they’ve been through some adversity, and they’ve responded in a way that you want to show that mental toughness, that resilient mindset. I think that’s what he did.”
The Rams, coming off 10 consecutive losing seasons and a 4-12 showing in 2016, have outscored teams by a combined 74 points this season, giving them the NFL’s second-best point differential. Their offense, last in the NFL in yards each of the past two years, is averaging the sixth-most points per game. Their defense, led by 70-year-old coordinator Wade Phillips, has allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game over the past four weeks.
John McVay is the one who introduced his grandson to Walsh’s renowned book, “The Score Takes Care of Itself,” which Sean has read multiple times. McVay calls him “a very intense young man.”
“I should call him a kid,” McVay said, “but I can’t call him a kid.”
His biggest piece of advice: Pace yourself.
“I don’t think he does this, but there’s a lot of coaches that sleep in the office for six months,” McVay said. “Hopefully he doesn’t do that.”
His grandson already has one of the game’s brightest offensive minds, but those who know the Rams coach best will tell you that it’s his leadership, the way he can rally a group, that makes him special. He already has changed the culture and raised the accountability of the Rams players. They seem to follow his “We Not Me” mantra, and McVay recognizes that.
“It’s as a team and as an organization that they’re moving forward,” McVay said. “Right now, they’re hitting on all cylinders, and I think they’re playing well as a team. You don’t hear anything about superstar here, superstar there; nobody complaining about, ‘I didn’t get enough snaps.’ You don’t hear that kind of crap. It’s good to see.”
znModeratorRams feeling the impact of of good decisions and good fortune
VINCENT BONSIGNORE
EAST RUTHERFORD NJ — Assuming the weather experts got it right, a steady and comfortable 63-degree, partly cloudy afternoon will be the conditions welcoming the Rams when they play the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
In other words, pretty darn near perfect given the location, time of year, and the far worse possibilities that could have confronted them.
It’s not a big thing in the whole scheme of things. The Rams with the sixth-best rushing attack, seventh-best run defense and sound special teams are built to succeed in all weather conditions.
But it is further proof of the charmed life they’ve inexplicably enjoyed over the last 10 months, the one that’s turned all their coaching and personnel decisions into towering home runs or screaming doubles off the wall and wrapped a protective shield around them to ward off major injuries.
Call it lady luck or good fortune of the Football Gods looking over them, but the Rams under new coach Sean McVay have suddenly transformed themselves into an efficient outfit for which sound personnel decisions, insightful coaching and effective execution is accompanied by a particularly fortuitous sort of karma.And in the process, reached 5-2 for the first time since 2003 and, the way things are lining up, appear a good bet to soar to 7-2 before entering a teethy part of the schedule that includes showdowns against division leaders in the Vikings, Eagles, Saints and Seahawks.
“I think there’s a lot of good stuff going on right now and that’s what it is,” McVay said. “I think we want to try to keep that momentum going and how you do that is you take things one day at a time, one game at a time.”
Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long since the Rams have fielded a winning team we forget how the good ones are built to outwork, outwit or outmaneuver misfortune. If not spit in the eye of it when confronted.
But in a season in which McVay has emerged as a home run hire, Jared Goff is on track to being a franchise quarterback, Todd Gurley is securely positioned as an MVP candidate and every new addition from Andrew Whitworth to Cooper Kupp has been a worthwhile and timely asset, it’s hard not to dismiss the various other positive forces working on the Rams behalf.
Like the nearly clean bill of health they’ve enjoyed all season.
Aside from starting safety Cody Davis, who landed on the injured reserve list Friday, the Rams have sidestepped major injuries. And when they have taken the field at less than full strength — safety Lamarcus Joyner and cornerback Kayvon Webster both missed multiple games — capable replacements like Nickell Robey-Coleman and John Johnson provided the necessary relief.
Their injury report for Sunday is as pristine as its been all year. In fact, the biggest issue is finding a spot for running back Lance Dunbar, who returned to practice this week after spending all year on the Physically Unable to Perform list dealing with a knee injury. The Rams will decide over the next two weeks whether to add him to the active roster or put him on season-ending injured reserve.
Talk about new world problems. The Rams are in such good health, they’ll have to juggle just to make room for another weapon.
“Knock on wood, but usually you’re having to deal with some injuries, especially at the running back spot,” McVay said. “Where now it provides a great opportunity for Lance to come in, kind of serve as the role we envision in the first place. We’ve got a lot of playmakers who have stayed healthy and are available, so it’s a positive problem.”
In contrast the Giants have been decimated by injuries this year — wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Dwayne Harris, and Brandon Marshall are out for the season — and will be without six other key players on Sunday.
Including five starters.
Linebackers B.J. Goodson (ankle) and Jonathan Casillas (neck), right tackle Justin Pugh (back), center Weston Richburg (concussion) and defensive ends Olivier Vernon (ankle) and Kerry Wynn (knee) were all ruled out for Sunday’s game.
As a result, a game that leaned organically the Rams’ way to start the week is now decisively tilted in their direction. Provided they avoid any costly mistakes, it would be considered a massive disappointment if they leave New Jersey anything worse than 6-2 Sunday night.
“I think one thing we look at is, what’s our record when we won the turnover margin? And it’s 5-0,” Goff pointed out. “The two games we’ve lost, we’ve lost turnovers. I think if we continue to take care of the ball and the defense keeps playing the way that they are, we’ll be happy with what we’re doing.”
It’s why McVay preached a focused, careful approach this week. The Giants might be wounded, but if the Rams don’t come correct it won’t matter.
“I think what you talk about is that one of the things you realize about this league is that it’s one day at a time, one game at a time and if you don’t take that mindset and mentality, you get humbled very quickly,” McVay said. “It’s so competitive, there’s so many good players and coaches all around that anything – you hear the term, ‘Any given Sunday.’
“But, it’s true because regardless of the records, it’s why you see different outcomes occur every single week because there is such a competitive balance in this league with great players, great coaching and especially with going on the road, playing in a tough atmosphere at MetLife Stadium and then especially just with the previous experience that I have going against this team, they’ll be ready to go and we need to be ready as well if we’re going to come away with a win.”
The Rams have done everything right over the last 10 months. Either as a result of (or perhaps as a reward for) the Football Gods looking down kindly on them.
znModeratorcowboys, cardinals, and colts are all defenses the rams offense torched.
They also had trouble against Washington which is good against play action.
As are the Vikings and Titans, who are coming up.
And teams they will be playing who are bad against play action include the Giants and Texans.
znModeratorRich Hammond @Rich_Hammond
The Rams are 3-0 on the road. Teams with a winning record on the road almost always make the playoffs.“Coach McVay has done a great job with this offense — and with this football team.” –@EricDickerson
ED's 🔑s: #LAvsNYG pic.twitter.com/0qMPqBZzbd
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 4, 2017
These are the worst defenses in the NFL against Play Action!#BroncosCountry #FinsUp #DallasCowboys #BeRedSeeRed #GiantsPride #Texans #HTTR pic.twitter.com/DF52N8833v
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) November 2, 2017
znModeratordumb question: what is RT?
Formerly Russia Today. Now RT America.
RT America is a Russian government sponsored news channel that broadcasts american critiques of american policy in america.
Here’s the wiki on it:
znModeratorLA RAMS Rams improved offense led by O-line
link: https://www.fanragsports.com/rams-improved-offense-led-by-o-line/
Few saw the 2017 version of this team coming. The Rams lead the NFC West at 5-2 with a potent offense led by Goff, Gurley, and a revitalized offensive line. Significant credit goes to new head coach Sean McVay, who replaced the fired Fisher and has transformed the offense from one of the most uninspiring units just a year ago to one of the most innovative this season.
Improvement after a historically bad offensive year in 2016 was to be expected, but not to the degree the Rams have shown thus far. Their total offense has risen by more than 100 yards per game (369.1), third-down conversions are up to 49 percent (second) and the line has only given up 10 sacks (tied for fourth). Additionally, the line ranks third in run-blocking and fifth in pass-blocking DVOA.
Aside from McVay, the biggest factor in the Rams rectifying their offense is 35-year old left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was signed as a free agent from the Bengals. He has been magnificent, locking down Goff’s blindside in pass protection and playing his notable technique in the running game.
The Rams’ offensive staff, led by McVay and OL coach Aaron Kromer, have put tremendous faith in Whitworth — particularly in pass protection, often sliding their protection away from his side, leaving him alone on an island.
The Rams often slide their left guard, center, right guard and right tackle to the right at the snap. Whitworth works the opposite direction, tasked with blocking the left side of the line by himself, or with alignment help from a running back.
Context: The Rams have RB Gurley aligned to Whitworth’s side, helping to keep Cardinals pass-rusher Chandler Jones from initially bolting up the field to win the edge, allowing Whitworth to set flat toward Jones. This lets Whitworth work inside-out on Jones, cutting off any inside rush potential. Whitworth demonstrates efficient footwork in his pass set to win the half-man relationship, showing excellent patience and placement with his hands, running Jones past the quarterback with ease. The right side of the line blocks the remaining three Cardinals pass-rushers with four, providing Goff a firm, spacious pocket to work through his progressions:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
Sliding the bulk of the protection away from a single player is uncommon for most NFL teams, unless they have a premier left tackle. Whitworth allows the Rams to get into those four-on-three scenarios often this season, which is a testament to his reliability:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
The Rams’ running game received a major boost from Kromer, who was brought in from the Buffalo Bills after crafting the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense in 2016.
Context: The Rams open the third drive of their Week 7 matchup against the Cardinals by running “duo,” with two double-teams on the front of the formation — between the tight end and left tackle and between the left guard and center. This is a really nice job by TE Tyler Higbee of releasing to pick up linebacker Karlos Dansby, and by Whitworth of securing defensive end Josh Mauro inside. The movement on the LG/C double team to the weak side linebacker is also very good; Gurley has plenty of room to read his keys and find a crease in the C gap for a 9-yard gain:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
The Rams offense uses a heavy dose of both inside and outside zone, with “duo” being one of their favorite power runs. Duo has multiple double teams, relying on movement generated at the point of attack. The releasing blocker must make quick decisions to pick up flowing/scraping linebackers over the top. Not only do these schemes suit Whitworth’s skills very well, but also those of Los Angeles’ new center, veteran John Sullivan, who was signed from Washington in the offseason. Sullivan is back healthy after a season-ending back injury in 2015 and, with more than 100 career starts, he has the experience needed to solidify the interior of the line. Sullivan has been very good this season, particularly working double teams with both guards. He has shown the mobility to work underneath defensive lineman and the nastiness to finish with authority when needed:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
Whitworth and LG Rodger Saffold have formed one of the most underrated left sides of any line this season, with Saffold healthy after multiple years of battling injury and filling in at various positions. Finally set at left guard, he communicates very well with Whitworth to handle DL stunts in pass-protection. Here they decipher the E-T stunt quickly, passing it off seamlessly, and help to secure another stout pocket for Goff:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
Timely play-calling out of diversified personnel groups has been a staple of this offense this season. The Rams come out in 00 personnel here against the Seahawks’ dime defense with a single LB in the game (Bobby Wagner). The Rams have WR Tavon Austin lined up in the backfield and they run a stretch play to the right. They block it like outside zone, with the interior three linemen the key on this play. RG Jamon Brown gets around 3 technique Michael Bennett, taking a good track to the second level to cut off S Earl Thomas from pursuing from the backside. Sullivan kicks out Bennett, and Saffold gets to Wagner to seal him inside. Austin simply follows these blocks, going nearly untouched for the easy TD run:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
The development of third-year RT Rob Havenstein continues to trend upward. He is showing a smooth pass-set to intersect rushers in pass protection and a keen understanding of angles, hand usage, and nuance in the run game. Havenstein jump-sets the edge rusher here, immediately transitioning to a snatch-and-trap technique to take away the defender’s leverage, sending him to the ground:
Jump set transitioned into a snatch and trap. Havenstein gets on top of the rusher & once he pushes back takes away his leverage. pic.twitter.com/8BELT3rCol
— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) October 24, 2017
Sullivan went down in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals, prompting backup center Austin Blythe to play. I evaluated Blythe when he came out of Iowa in the 2016 draft, and I thought he could develop into a quality starter given his outstanding leverage, wrestling background, toughness, experience (51 college starts), and football intelligence.
I like Austin Blythe. Use of pad level and hands to win leverage stands out with him. Helps overcome lack of size. pic.twitter.com/zQ645KfA0H
— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) February 10, 2016
The initial word on Sullivan’s knee injury is that it is not that serious, and the Rams are off in Week 8, so Blythe might not get a chance to start long-term this season. Still, he remains a key backup capable of filling in anywhere along the interior of the offensive line.
Blythe played just 40 percent of the offensive snaps in week 7, but his leverage and hand usage to gain control of defenders was on display in the run game. Here Blythe gets underneath Cardinals DL Frostee Rucker, driving him nearly 10 yards off the ball:
— Brandon Thorn (@BTNFL86) October 24, 2017
The Rams have a talented, well-rounded offensive line, so McVay has the flexibility to call five-man protections rather than keeping excessive receiving options in to block. He has a diverse set of blocking concepts to keep the running game fresh and unpredictable. McVay has received much of the credit for the Rams’ success this season (deservedly so), but without the performance of the offensive line, led by Whitworth, the pliability of the play-calling to keep defenses guessing would not be as evident it has been.
November 4, 2017 at 12:38 am in reply to: Press sets up Giants game: Rams not been favored this much on road in 12 years #76874znModerator#LAvsNYG pic.twitter.com/pXmzaULQuL
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 4, 2017
znModeratorwhere they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Speak of the devil.
Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
Matt Lafleur mentions red zone as being a place of improvement worked on during the bye week.
Lafleur hints the Rams need to run the ball better in the red zone in order to have success in those situations.znModeratorIs Marshall Faulk Buying In On The Rams? | GMFB
Marshall talks about being traded. At first depressed about it, then he realized they had talent, then Green goes down. Unbelievable that Kurt was ready but that’s the nature of the game–be ready.
Marshall buys the Rams. NFC up for grabs. Like Eagles Rams are strong on both sides of the ball. Big difference is Goff. McVay gives him an offense but Goff worked hard in the off-season. You know what they were on defense but Wade brings something special.
Then they get silly.
znModeratorSaw it.
It’s good.
.
znModeratorwas listening to this interview with rich hammond. they asked him for possible breakout stars in the second half. he gave 2. robert quinn and john johnson.
That could be.
where they need to improve/change the most IMO
Redzone offense.
Looking at this stat: NFL Team Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only).
Rams are ranked 20th.
If anything they slipped last 3 games to 32nd.
They have 8 TDs on 33 passing attempts inside the 20, which is a pretty mediocre 24%.
Inside the 10 it’s 4 TDs on 14 attempts which is a still mediocre 28.5%.
The teams ranked 1-5 on NFL Team Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only) are anywhere from 62% to 73+%. Rams are currently at 33% (last 3 games).
It’s not just Goff, it’s the entire redzone package, playcalling included.
znModeratorTWO VIEWS
…
Blue and Gold wrote:
I watched some more to confirm what I thought I saw each week. Watkins gets open, and there have been missed opportunities but sometimes Goff takes the safer throw, and that’s fine. Watkins is our X and plenty of times he’s on the 2 receiver side and often when QBs are asked to read one side of the field only it’s the 3 receiver side, the strong side, so that will leave out some things that might go to Watkins if it were not a rookie QB, which Goff still kind of is.
I think the concern about Watkins isn’t that big a deal, at least not as big as it’s been made in sub-media and boards.
Sure, I will offense were hitting on all cylinders now, but if he are hitting on 5-6 of 8 and are 5-2 I have no beefs.
Some examples
This is game 4, he’s reading the strong side. This is a mirrored formation and mirrored route concept…and Goff looks right, and sees Higbee has enough leverage to get open and throws an excellent ball for a big gain. It’s just frustrating to look at the All-22 and see touchdowns left on the board.
IT shows the concepts are good, the routes are good, the protection is good and in 2nd half of year McVay can coach up Goff and maybe we get a few of these wide open big gainers.
This one is a good play, a good throw to Woods…but again Watkins has single coverage up top and when you watch Sammy is pulling away. All these really show that for whatever reason, Goff is not looking to Watkins. And on some of them it’s a good thing, Goff takes a safe throw for a good gainer, but at some point they need to look to the big play opportunities Watkins gives them. Not all of them, but on occasion
…
jrry32 wrote:
I’ve seen Goff go through 3 to 5 progressions on a single play more than a few times this year with my own two eyes. Hell, I’ll quote Sean McVay on this: “He got all the way through the progression and found Todd on the backside,” McVay said of Goff. “It was basically his fifth read. That’s impressive.”
Here’s the play he’s talking about:
We’re not running a two-read offense. Hell, that doesn’t even make sense. Gurley wouldn’t be having the year he’s having if we were running a two-read offense because he wouldn’t be one of the two reads. McVay loves to attack all three levels of the field. If he were running a two-read offense, Goff would be reading deep to intermediate. Instead, Gurley catches a lot of passes when Goff checks down after looking down the field.
This isn’t a two-read scheme. Goff is reading the entirety of the field and going through the same types of progressions as the Pro Bowl and All Pro QBs.
And they run the two and three WR bunch sets because it makes it difficult for the defense to press the WRs, causes confusion, creates early separation, and allows for us to utilize pick routes. Crosses and slants are known for being man-beaters. That’s why we run them so often.
…
November 3, 2017 at 8:15 pm in reply to: With two weeks to prepare, can Rams challenge the Giants? #76863znModeratorRockRam wrote:
The Bills lost to the Jets. Is this a warning to the Rams? Yes and no.
The Bills are very fortunate to be 5-2, and have a lot of flaws.
The Rams could easily be 6-1 or even 7-0 right now if only a couple of plays went a different way.
I’m sure not saying that the Rams couldn’t lose to the Giants.
I’m saying that I never thought the Bills were better than the Jets regardless of their records so it’s no surprise to me that the Jets won.
And I’m saying that the Giants are a genuinely poor team and the Rams are a head and shoulders better team than the Giants. It should be no contest.
But……teams can have an extraordinarily bad day while playing a team that has an extraordinarily good day.And young teams like the Rams who have virtually no experience in being a winning team can fall prey to days like that.
I think the the probability of that happening is small, but can’t be entirely dismissed.
Rams should win this handily. I think they will.znModeratorPFF
Los Angeles Rams: Defensive linemen Aaron Donald has achieved a pressure on 20.5 percent of his pass-rushes so far this season. He is the only interior defender since the start of the 2006 season with 100 or more pass rushes at Week 8, and a pressure rate above 17.5 percent. J.J. Watt in 2013 and 2014, and Aaron Donald last year round out the top four.
znModeratorThe highest graded interior defenders after Week 8 of the season pic.twitter.com/7IXpBFLp2N
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 3, 2017
November 3, 2017 at 7:15 pm in reply to: Press sets up Giants game: Rams not been favored this much on road in 12 years #76858znModeratorRams riding the road to best start since ’03, face Giants
http://pro32.ap.org/article/rams-riding-road-best-start-03-face-giants
FILE – In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif. The Rams (5-2) are this year’s road warriors heading into Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium against the self-destructing and disappointing New York Giants (1-6). (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
Rams Giants FootballFILE – In this Oct. 15, 2017, file photo, New York Giants strong safety Landon Collins (21) reacts after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Denver. The Giants host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney, File)
Prev 1 of 2 NextEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season — and it’s how they’re doing it that has been most impressive.
The Rams (5-2) are this year’s road warriors heading into Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium against the self-destructing and disappointing New York Giants (1-6).
Sean McVay’s club is 4-0 away from the Los Angeles Coliseum, with the last victory coming in a 33-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals in a “home” game in London.
“I think we enjoy playing on the road,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I don’t know why or what it is, but that ‘yourself against the world, we’re all we got, we’re all we need’ type of thing is part of our mantra and brings us together. We’ve played well on the road, so we enjoy it. It’s definitely not a disadvantage for us, we don’t think.”
The Coliseum hasn’t been good to Rams, who have won four of their last five games in getting off to their best start since 2003. They are 1-2 at home, with the only loss in that run being at home to Seattle.
The Seattle game was played on Oct. 8, and the Rams will not play there again until facing Houston on Nov 12, a 34-day span.
It has not made a difference for the Rams, who are looking to end a run of 10 straight losing seasons and earn their first playoff berth since 2004.
“That’s so far from where we’re at right now,” the 31-year-old McVay said. “We’ve still got nine games left, for sure, and right now, we’re focused on our eighth game and that’s really all there is to it for us.”
In many ways, the Rams are similar to the Giants last season under then-new coach Ben McAdoo. New York just found ways to win the close ones, including a 17-10 over the Rams in London in a game where Los Angeles held a huge margin in the statistics. The problem was Case Keenum had four passes intercepted.
McAdoo’s team is losing the close ones this season and the frustration is mounting.
New York will be without top cornerback Janoris Jenkins this weekend. He was suspended indefinitely after missing a workout Monday without calling the coaches to explain his absence. It’s the team’s second suspension in less than a month. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also was suspended for a violation of team rules.
“We’re going to be still competitive,” said safety Landon Collins, who had a spectacular, weaving 44-yard interception return for a touchdown in last year’s game. “I’ll speak for the defensive side. We’re going to be definitely competitive because we’re all trying to eat out there. We’re all still trying to be gritty even if it’s individual in bringing what we need to bring to the field. We’re still trying to do that and just be a great team overall.”
Here’s five things to watch on Sunday as both teams come off a bye week:
GETTING HEALTHY?: The Giants thought they would be getting some players back after the bye week. It might not happen.
Center Weston Richburg (concussion) probably won’t be back. Offensive tackle Justin Pugh continues to be bothered by a back problem, and defensive end Olivier Vernon has missed the last three games with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard (ankle) could return and give Eli Manning another target.
MY KINGDOM FOR WHITWORTH: The Giants went into the offseason needing help at offensive tackle. They thought 35-year-old Andrew Whitworth was too old. He signed with the Rams and has been a star at left tackle on their revamped O-Line.
“He’s been outstanding,” McVay said. “He’s influencing and affecting his teammates in a positive way, really from day one, since he got in here.”
Los Angeles is No. 6 running the ball. The Giants are No. 27.
REPLACING JACKRABBIT: With Jenkins suspended, either Ross Cockrell or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie probably will start. Eli Apple will be on the other side.
It would have been DRC had he not been suspended for the Denver game. However, his time has been limited since he came back. One thing in his favor: Rodgers-Cromartie had two interceptions in last year’s game against the Rams.
GURLEY GOING: Rams running back Todd Gurley is working on a career year.
After dropping off in his second season, Gurley has rushed for 627 yards and five touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 293 yards and three TDs. He is third in NFL with 920 yards from scrimmage; and shares the NFL lead with eight TDs from scrimmage. Gurley has three straight 100-yard rushing games on road.
GIANTS CONNECTIONS: McVay and Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel have connections to former Giants head coaches.
McVay is the grandson of John McVay, who coached the Giants from 1976-78. Fassel is the son of Jim Fassel, who coached the Giants from 1997-2003, taking them to the Super Bowl in January 2001. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo coached the Rams — then in St. Louis — from 2009-11.
znModeratorWhen it comes to Goff, the complaint is he can’t lead a team back from 14 or more down… Terry Bradshaw was saying that. I feel Bradshaw does not like Goff.
I don;t know Jack…was TB saying Goff can’t do it or hasn’t done it? Cause if he said he hasn’t done it, then, that’s just accurate. If he’s saying Goff can’t do it, that’s just his opinion, though certainly not an outrageous one.
I didn’t see him say those things so I can’t say.
…
znModeratorAnother key factor for me: RT doesn’t do critiques of Russian society in Russia, for Russians, and Russia, internally, is actually even more right-wing, hierarchical, plutocratic and anti-democratic than we are. As bad as we are, they’re actually a hell of a lot worse. The absence of Russian critique by RT is simply indefensible.
In all the swirling winds on this issue, that is one thing that firmly stands out for me.
And there is a critical and dynamic left critique available in the USA…you just can’t count on the mainstream knowing about it. But interested people know how to find it and we all rely on it. I would even call it The Leftist Public Sphere–based on the idea of “the public sphere,” which includes both sources of info and venues for discussion. It’s all there…we’re part of it. There is no equivalent in Russia. Russia does not have and does not allow a dissenting counter-mainstream public sphere.
…
November 3, 2017 at 3:17 pm in reply to: Press sets up Giants game: Rams not been favored this much on road in 12 years #76850znModeratorGiants end bye week in search of any hopeful sign amid disaster
Paul Schwartz
http://nypost.com/2017/10/30/giants-end-bye-week-in-search-of-any-hopeful-sign-amid-disaster/
When asked what he planned to be doing during the bye week, running back Shane Vereen offered a quick response: “Not thinking about football,” he said.
Smart guy.
The less thought about the pre-bye work of the Giants, the better. They lost six of their seven games, and only the Browns and 49ers were worse. Those two other teams, both winless, were supposed to be as rotten as they are. The Giants? Big, big things were anticipated. An NFC East title was certainly part of the discussion, and at the very least, this was a team viewed as worthy of serious playoff contention.
Not this.
All the hopes and dreams of the Giants are gone, and it is not even Halloween. It has been all tricks, no treats for Ben McAdoo’s team. The Giants head into their final nine games depleted and defeated, without Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall, sucking the life out of their offense. This dreadful downturn cannot be blamed on injuries, though, as the Giants were 0-4 and on the way to 0-5 when Beckham, Marshall and Dwayne Harris were lost for the season and Sterling Shepard went down with a sprained ankle in the loss to the previously winless Chargers, four receivers lost on a day of infamy in franchise history.
There is negativity in every corner of the Giants room.
“It’s even more important — don’t let the outside world affect what we’re doing,” Eli Manning said. “Now it’s about us playing for each other.”
It sure is not about playing for any tangible reward — other than an extremely high pick in the 2018 draft.
“I would say at some point it’s got to come down to pride,” Vereen said. “It’s got to come down to, ‘I’m a man, I’m with other men on this team, we’re a band of brothers and each week we’re going to go fight, we’re going to play as hard as we can.’ The outcomes definitely haven’t been what we wanted them to be. We all know that. We’re still going to go out every Sunday after this bye week and fight and fight. We got nine games left and we’re going to try to play the best Giants football we can.”
Pre-bye highlights (few) and lowlights (many):
Seven-game MVP: Not many great candidates here. Justin Pugh started the season as the left guard until injuries on the line prompted the move to right tackle. The move to the outside has increased Pugh’s value, and he can be viewed as the long-term right tackle, which is not a bad deal, as tackles in free agency make more money than guards.
Seven-game LVP (Least Valuable Person): Brandon Marshall was a candidate for this before he got hurt and Paul Perkins was in the mix before he banged up his ribs. Punter Brad Wing has been uncharacteristically inconsistent. Let’s go with the head coach. Ben McAdoo did not have his team ready to roll at the start of the season and should have given up the play-calling duties after the first two offensive stinkers.
Least surprising surprise: General manager Jerry Reese opted to keep the 2016 offensive line intact, leaning on what he believed would be significant development in the two 23-year old tackles, Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart. This plan was not embraced by fans and it turned out to be folly. The offensive line has been sub-standard, Hart got benched and Flowers’ improvement has been so sluggish that it seems obvious he will never live up to his lofty draft status.
Best surprise: Evan Engram is a first-round pick, and the initial expectation for him was to be an immediate factor as a pass-catcher. He has exceeded that expectation and is also a willing blocker, although that is not his forte. It looks as if Engram has a Pro Bowl in his future, and incredibly, he has already emerged as a respected voice in the locker room, which is rare for a rookie.
Biggest disappointment: Do we have to pick just one? The offense was anemic before all the injuries hit, and the offensive line has played down to the fears of most fans. This defense was supposed to be rock-solid, though, and it has not been. It is shocking the Giants are ranked 27th in the NFL — 23rd against the run, 27th against the pass — and blew three fourth-quarter leads.
Best moment: The Giants were ahead 10-3 in Denver, but the Broncos had the ball and plenty of time to cut into the deficit before halftime. That is when Janoris Jenkins lived up to his Jackrabbit moniker by anticipating a Trevor Siemian pass for an interception he returned 43 yards for a touchdown. The Giants were ahead 17-3, the Mile High fans were stunned and the Giants were on their way to their first, and only, victory.
Worst moment: Odell Beckham Jr. missed the season-opener with a high-ankle sprain and was slowed in game No. 2. He finally broke through with his first touchdown catch of the season in Week 3 in Philadelphia and decided to celebrate the feat by getting on all fours and raising his right leg, mimicking a urinating dog. Beckham was hit with a penalty, and the vulgar celebration drew the ire of co-owner John Mara, who had Beckham in for a private chat about it.
Most revealing stat: Here’s three for the price of one: The Giants are tied for 30th in the league in first downs per game (16.6), 30th in third-down efficiency (32.6 percent) and 30th in scoring (16 points a game). Get the feeling the Giants are lousy on offense?
Longest list: Remember back to the good-old days of 2016, when it appeared the Giants had finally solved their injury hex? Well, it’s baaaaack. The Giants have 14 players on injured reserve — the league average is 10.6 — and notably with Beckham and Marshall out for the season.
Upcoming decision: When does the time come to tell Eli Manning he must give up playing time in order to give the coaching staff and front office a look at Davis Webb? If the Giants are sitting at 3-10, Webb has to get some snaps in the final three games. Manning can continue to start (he’s made 206 straight), but at some point, McAdoo must tell the franchise quarterback to give the ball to Webb.
Upcoming decision, part II: Weston Richburg missed the past three games in the concussion protocol. When he is ready to return, does he immediately slide back in as the starting center, no questions asked? Brett Jones filled in admirably, and there are whispers around the Giants that Jones may not get pushed aside for Richburg, who was not playing great before he went out.
znModeratorznModeratorThese are the Most Targeted players on 3rd Down!#Chargers #HereWeGo #SKOL #Colts #TitanUp #Jaguars #OnePride #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/xOb3p09Zd2
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 27, 2017
znModeratorThese teams score the most Points Per Drive!#ChiefsKingdom #DallasCowboys #GoPats #LARams #FlyEaglesFly #FinsUp #Browns #DaBears pic.twitter.com/T8wxIohvMf
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 30, 2017
znModeratorThese Quarterbacks have the most and fewest completions over 20 yards!#GoPats #GoSaints #HTTR #LARams #Texans #FinsUp #RavensFlock #Giants pic.twitter.com/CkDjezdeHJ
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 30, 2017
znModeratorThese Defenses hold opposing Quarterbacks to the lowest passer ratings!#Jaguars #RavensFlock #HereWeGo #GoBills #Seahawks #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/HlzxYIi2BK
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 30, 2017
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