Agamemnon wrote:

Goff is starting to do other stuff, too. It appears he is no longer drifting back in the pocket, but remains steady. Remember when that was a criticism. He has a lot of stuff like that to learn. A lot of stuff he never had to learn in college. That includes more types of throws he will need to learn as a pro. imo

Agamemnon wrote:

off has to keep learning new stuff, because the other team will try to take away what he does best. It is all a process, until you can do more than they can stop. His college offense probably did not require him to make a wide variety of throws. He will need to learn a bigger skill set for the NFL. imo

I think that’s all completely true.

.

Bonsignore: Rams are a legitimate playoff threat

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/23/bonsignore-rams-are-a-legitimate-playoff-threat/

At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, it’s time to get ahead of ourselves.

That means it’s time to stop pretending or skirting or avoiding.

Be it out of fear of jinxing, the other shoe falling or having been burned and hurt so many times before simply protecting yourself from getting your hearts ripped out and trampled upon again.

It’s time to embrace and accept reality. And own it.

The Rams are a legitimate playoff contender.

There, that wasn’t so bad now was it? But why stop there?
The Rams are a legitimate threat to make a serious postseason run, too.

Boom. It’s out there.

And really, what’s to argue at this point?

Take a look at the rest of the NFC and tell me there’s a team that has all its bases covered like the Rams do right now.

An offense that’s generally been humming behind second-year quarterback Jared Goff, an offensive line playing as well as any in the league, a deep, versatile group of wide receivers and pass targets and running back Todd Gurley, the favorite for Comeback Player of the Year honors and the Most Valuable Player award.

They lead the league in scoring and are ninth in total yards. They are the sixth-best rushing team in the NFL and the 12th-best passing team. On both fronts, there is ample room to get even better.

There might be better defenses in the NFL, but after stabilizing themselves after a shaky initial transition to Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive scheme, the Rams have surrendered just 39 points over the past 14 quarters and, by all data and metrics, seem to be getting even better while combining an underrated back-end pass defense with the big push being generated upfront by Aaron Donald and friends.

That’s not all.

The Rams special teams are as good as any in the NFL with punter Johnny Hekker, sure-footed kicker Greg Zuerlein and return and coverage units that have already scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and blocked punt, forced a critical fumbled punt and also picked up an important first down on a fake punt.

At various times this year, the Rams have beaten opponents by outgunning them offensively, slamming the door shut defensively or generating points via special teams. Sometimes all in the same game.

Few teams can say that. And fewer can confidently count on all three phases clicking on a game-to-game basis.

The Rams can.

Which means they are uniquely built to deal with whatever weather issues lay ahead. And they’re versatile and flexible enough that, if one part of their game is struggling, they can rely on multiple others to help steady the ship or, as they already have this year, flat out be the difference in winning a football game.

Those are the qualities of a playoff team. And one that can make a serious postseason run.

Go ahead and embrace it. Own it.

It’s OK. Because it’s all valid.

The Rams moved to 5-2 Sunday by thrashing the Arizona Cardinals 33-0 in London. To put that all in perspective, the last time they saw the Cardinals was in a 44-6 whupping on New Year’s Day at the Coliseum to finish off a dreadfully embarrassing 4-12 season.

Success never seemed so out of reach than it did that day.

A new coach needed to be hired. A 13-year culture of losing needed to eradicated.

The worst offensive line and wide receiver groups in the NFL had to be rebuilt. Gurley needed to be nursed back to life after being let down by bad coaching, bad blocking and a terrible supporting cast.

Let alone Goff, the victim of 26 sacks in seven games that left him so battered and bruised and ineffective, a national narrative materialized insisting he’d forever be considered a bust.

The future seemed dauntingly miserable. And all roads back to respectability seemed closed, unavailable or nonexistent.

But lo and behold, a gift from the coaching heavens fell into the Rams’ appreciative arms in the form of 31-year-old Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay, who represented everything previous head coach Jeff Fisher didn’t.

McVay was young and creative with a deep offensive background after being groomed by sharp offensive minds like Jon and Jay Gruden and Mike Shanahan. He valued teaching and communication and accountability, and the staff he built represented and preached all of those principles.

It was difficult not to be impressed by the energetic McVay merely at first glance. And he instantaneously made people assess Goff in a different light when, upon being asked what he thought about the young quarterback, continually reminded everyone it was Goff’s presence on the roster that attracted him to the Rams job in the first place.

McVay immediately developed a bond and chemistry with holdover general manager Les Snead, whose future with the Rams seemed dubious at best after the collapse of the Fisher regime. Snead was granted a reprieve thanks to the working connection he forged with McVay, and I still recall multiple conversations with Snead in which he praised McVay’s ability to distinctly and effectively articulate and describe the characteristics he sought in the type of players he needed to produce in his system.

Even if it meant whipping out a smartphone or other available mode of technology to visually describe it.

That was reflected in the players the Rams soon began to acquire and how easily you could visualize them fitting into McVay and Snead’s overall puzzle. Especially offensively, as McVay and Snead rebuilt the infrastructure around Goff and Gurley.

It’s remarkable looking back how quickly it all unfolded for the Rams. It all seemed so daunting on New Year’s Day, but reeling in McVay and the personnel changes that ensued transformed the Rams almost overnight.

And as we see in McVay’s offensive teaching, design and play calling, it’s seamlessly transferred from merely “on paper” to actual on-field production and success.

Goff looks like the top overall pick and franchise quarterback he was billed to be. Gurley has been resurrected into an MVP candidate. All the other pieces fit and make sense and complement each other. As do the plays being called.

McVay has even figured out a way to make Tavon Austin a viable and productive member of the Rams offense, for which Coach of the Year honors would have been warranted had it not been for the fact he’s also turned the Rams into legitimate playoff contenders almost overnight.

Yes, playoff contenders. I said it.

And legitimate threats to make a serious postseason run.

It’s time to embrace reality.

Ain’t that just like Bernie.

A long article about positive developments, and, he says many objectionable and questionable things. In fact, no matter what your viewpoint is on the Rams and their history, you can find at least one thing to object to. So people of widely divergent views who agree on nothing can all find at least one thing in that article that is flamboyantly wrongheaded.

..

Defense Leads the Way in Shutout Victory

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Defense-Leads-the-Way-in-Shutout-Victory/3693db0f-55b0-4f47-af9c-29b3502a8a82

TWICKENHAM, England — Shutout. Blank. Goose egg.

It’s been a while since the Rams have been able to use those terms to describe a defensive performance — nearly three years to be exact.

The last time the club held an opponent scoreless was in 2014 with a 24-0 victory over Washington, which sported a coaching staff that coincidentally included Rams head coach Sean McVay. That game was the second of back-to-back shutouts, as the previous week the Rams beat the Raiders 52-0.

Under McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the Rams have made considerable defensive progress over the last few weeks. Los Angeles allowed only six points to Dallas in the second half of a 35-30 victory. Then Seattle scored just 16 points in Week 5. And the Jaguars managed only 17 points in Week 6.

While there’s still room to grow, a lot came together defensively for the Rams to shutout the Cardinals 33-0 on Sunday.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to do that,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said postgame. “I think last time we did that was 2014 or something like that. So for us to do that all the way in another country against a division opponent, it definitely brings a lot of energy and a lot of confidence.”

“Anytime you let the offense get zero points — definitely with the offense they have with the players on their offense, and you do something like that — it’s confidence,” defensive lineman Aaron Donald said. “A lot to build off.”

L.A. held Arizona to just 193 total yards, 10 first downs, and 3-of-12 on third down. It’s the first time the franchise has held an opponent to fewer than 200 yards since November 2015.

A week after rushing for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns agains the Buccaneers, running back Adrian Peterson finished with just 21 yards on 11 carries. Los Angeles also kept wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald in check, as he finished with only three receptions for 29 yards.

“I don’t think it really matters who it is — I think we go out and play football the way we’re supposed to play it and be disciplined and execute and we’ll come out with great results like we did tonight,” inside linebacker Mark Barron said.

Barron played Sunday’s game with cast on his hand for a thumb injury, but was still able to record an interception in the second quarter.

“I caught it with both hands — well this hand and the club,” Barron said wryly after Sunday’s game. “Just caught the ball — he threw it to me and I caught it.”

That was Los Angeles’ second interception of the game — this one off of quarterback Drew Stanton. Earlier in the period, Ogletree’s pass rush forced starting quarterback Carson Palmer into an errant throw safety Lamarcus Joyner picked off in the middle of the field. Joyner’s second interception of the season set the Rams up for an 18-yard Todd Gurley touchdown run.

The starting safety had missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, and seemed thrilled after getting back on the field.

“I was missing this game,” Joyner said, crediting head trainer Reggie Scott for an effective treatment program.

“I mean I felt physically healthy, but mentally and physically I have to get back trusting my technique and fundamentals and trusting coaching and getting the cobwebs off,” Joyner added. “But I’ll do that.”

Entering the week tied for No. 2 with 20.0 sacks, Los Angeles put up three more — one by Donald, one by Matt Longacre, and one by Ethan Westbrooks. Longacre leads the team with 4.0 sacks. Donald has 3.0 on the season, also recording a pair of tackles for loss against the Cardinals.

Still, putting together such a complete performance heading into the bye week appears to have some positive implications for the defensive unit as L.A. heads into the second half of the season.

“I think the defense has done a great job of continuing to improve and I think that’s a credit to our coaches and our playing staff,” McVay said. “Obviously, getting Aaron back and getting him into a rhythm you see why he is an All-Pro caliber player as good as anybody. But I think they are playing together, they’re getting more and more comfortable with the system and the way that we want to operate and I think ultimately at the end of the day, however you win you feel good about that result.”

“It’s just us coming into our own, taking this defense in, us as a team just playing well together,” Ogletree said. “We didn’t start how we wanted to start. We knew we had the players and the ability to do a lot of stuff, but you just have to keep chugging along, keep plugging at it until you get it right. We still have some things to work on and get better at.

“We definitely haven’t peaked yet for sure, and there’s definitely a lot more to come,” Ogletree continued. “But I am confident in the guys that are here to be able to get that done.”

Hello, world: The Rams are here to stay

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/35982/hello-world-the-rams-are-here-to-stay

They traversed a nation, then crossed an ocean. The Los Angeles Ramsaccumulated more than 6,400 airline miles over a nomadic 10-day stretch, navigating from Southern California to Northern Florida to Western Europe, all to play the two games that remained before their bye week.

They’ll return home, for the first time in a long time, with the look of an elite football team.

Seven days after a decisive road win against a tenacious Jacksonville Jaguarsteam, the Rams dismantled their division-rival Arizona Cardinals while serving as the home team from Twickenham Stadium in London. They won 33-0, pitching their first shutout since Dec. 7, 2014, and going 5-2 for the first time since 2003.

The first-place Rams, coming off a 4-12 showing in their first year in Los Angeles, have suddenly morphed into a legitimate playoff contender under Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.

That much was crystal clear in Sunday’s Week 7 victory.

Todd Gurley reached 100 yards on the ground for the fourth time in the past five weeks, after going 20 consecutive games without triple-digit rushing yards. He ran for 106 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown that saw him fight off two defenders as he raced his way to the outside, and caught for another 48. Jared Goff had another productive, efficient afternoon — save for one interception — going 22-of-37 for 235 yards and two touchdowns, while allowing six receivers to make at least two catches.

And the defense dominated a Cardinals offense that was without Carson Palmer for the entire second half. Safety Lamarcus Joyner and linebacker Mark Barron each had interceptions, giving the Rams nine this season — just one shy of their total from all of last year.

The Rams’ defense, seemingly rounding into form under coordinator Wade Phillips, has held opponents to 39 points in the past 14 quarters.

They entered halftime with a 23-0 lead, capped by a 53-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein, then had a 10-play drive, an 11-play drive and a 16-play drive, the latter ending in an 18-yard catch-and-run by rookie sensation Cooper Kupp.

By the end of it, the Rams held the ball for more than 39 of 60 minutes. They converted 28 first downs, went 13-for-19 on third down and outgained the Cardinals (3-4) by 232 yards.

The Rams are finally heading back home now, set to cover 5,500 miles from London to Los Angeles on Monday morning.

But in another sense, they aren’t going anywhere.

Rams show how much their defense has improved in shutting down Arizona Cardinals

Rich Hammond

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/22/rams-show-how-much-their-defense-has-improved-in-shutting-down-arizona-cardinals/amp/

LONDON — Wade Phillips shrugged a couple weeks ago. He seemed almost bored by the questions, even as everybody who followed the Rams wondered what in the world was wrong with their defense.

Apparently it wasn’t anything Phillips, with his 40 years of NFL coaching, couldn’t fix.

The magic happened at halftime three weeks ago at Dallas. Since then, the Rams have allowed only 39 points in 14 quarters. The high point came Sunday, when the Rams’ defense shut out Arizona, 33-0, knocked quarterback Carson Palmer out of the game and shut down running back Adrian Peterson.

The Rams forced two more turnovers Sunday and held the Cardinals to 193 yards and 10 first downs.

“It’s just us coming into our own,” linebacker and team captain Alec Ogletree said. “We didn’t start how we wanted to start. We knew we had the players and the ability to do a lot of stuff, but you just have to keep chugging along, keep plugging at it until you get it right. We still have some things to work on and get better at. We definitely haven’t peaked yet, for sure. There’s definitely a lot more to come.”

The transition to Phillips’ 3-4 scheme was clunky, and it probably didn’t help that star lineman Aaron Donald missed all of training camp and the season opener because of a contract holdout.

The Rams allowed 99 points in their first 14 quarters, and they couldn’t stop Dallas in the first half of that game. Then everything turned, dramatically and quickly, and the Rams have been thriving in areas where they struggled early in the season.

Run defense is foremost. Arizona’s Adrian Peterson rushed for 134 yards against Tampa Bay a week earlier, but the Rams held Peterson to 21 yards on 11 carries. Peterson’s longest run was for 6 yards.

“That’s how you do it,” Rams lineman Michael Brockers said. “If you get 11 hats to the ball and stop him before he gets started, man, he turns into a normal human being (instead of) the Hall of Famer he truly is. I think that’s what we did today and we did a good job at it.”

The Rams stuffed Peterson early, then played increasingly good pass defense and started to get to Palmer in the second quarter. The big play came with under six minutes left in the second quarter, when Ogletree smashed Palmer on a sack and broke Palmer’s arm. The injury is expected to require surgery, and Palmer could miss the rest of the season.

Arizona crossed midfield only once after Drew Stanton took over for Palmer.

“It’s unfortunate,” Brockers said. “You don’t want to hurt anybody, but when you get out there and you get that quarterback out, it messes up the rhythm of their game and I think we just took advantage of it.”

ANOTHER HUNDRED

Todd Gurley, who never rushed for more than 85 yards in a game last season, topped the century mark for the fourth time in his past five games, as he gained 106 yards on 22 carries. Gurley scored on an 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and also caught four passes for 48 yards.

“Whenever he’s getting going, it obviously helps our whole offense,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I love handing off the ball and letting him run. There’s nothing better than that, letting him go. Then obviously it opens the pass game a lot more, so any time we can get him going, we want to.

“I think it’s a testament to the guys up front. I think (Gurley) would say the same thing. It’s nice having the holes he’s having now, and him doing the rest.”

Gurley did agree with Goff, and deflected praise, but he’s clearly running with more confidence than in 2016. The Cardinals hadn’t allowed an opposing running back to rush for 100 yards this season.

“It felt good,” Gurley said. “Coach did a great job with the play-calling and the line was doing a great job of creating holes, and me and Malcolm (Brown) were able to have a couple big runs.

FEELING FRESH

The Rams had high praise for the way Coach Sean McVay handled their week.

Last year, when the Rams lost to the New York Giants, they spent almost a full week in London, with the hope that it would acclimate them to the time change. It didn’t work, as the Rams looked flat. This time, the Rams spent four extra days in Jacksonville and didn’t arrive in London until Friday morning.

“The way we did it this time was way better. Way better, I think,” Goff said. “We felt good. I think you can ask anybody. We felt really, really good (Saturday) and the day before and all the way throughout the week in Jacksonville.”

McVay pushed the credit for the sharp play back onto his players.

“I think it’s them,” McVay said. “We’ve got mature players. We’ve got high-character players in that room, and they knew we were coming on a business trip. They did a great job of just taking it one day at a time. That’s a credit to our players.”

INJURY REPORT

Rams center John Sullivan left the game in the third quarter with a left knee injury and limped to the locker room.

“I think John is going to be OK,” McVay said. “The early results on him were positive.”

The only other apparent injury for the Rams was to rookie receiver Josh Reynolds, who suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff.

Rams safety Cody Davis missed the game with an injury, but safety Lamarcus Joyner returned to the lineup.

==

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/22/rams-dominant-in-london-victory-over-cardinals/

LONDON — It’s OK to say it with a straight face. Unlike a year ago, nobody is going to point and laugh.

The Rams are playoff contenders.

A lock for the playoffs? No, certainly not. The season hasn’t even reached its midpoint, and any number of things could knock the Rams off track. If the Rams’ masterful 33-0 victory over Arizona on Sunday at Twickenham Stadium proved anything, though, it’s that their success cannot be considered a fluke.

The Rams have a 5-2 record for the first time since 2003. Their defense, an eyebrow-raising weakness early in the season, seems to be improving by the week and recorded its first shutout in three years. Todd Gurley gained 100 yards again. Jared Goff made one mistake but otherwise guided with a calm hand.

Not long ago, the question was, what would be considered success in Coach Sean McVay’s first season? Well, here’s one answer: The Rams already have won more games than they did in 2016, when they went 4-12.
“So happy. So excited,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “This is the first time I’ve felt success for a long time. So now it’s, how you can handle this success and go week after week, putting your best foot forward?”

The mere mention of the word “playoffs” made some players visibly uncomfortable after Sunday’s game.

In some ways, it must seem crazy to a player such as Saffold, who has been with the Rams since 2010. At that point, the Rams were only six years removed from their last playoff appearance. Saffold has spent most of his adult life in the NFL and never has ended a season with more than seven victories.

So perhaps this just feels a little surreal to the Rams. Perhaps they don’t want to jinx it, but it seems clear that they’ve sent a message that the postseason, and perhaps a division title, are not out of reach.

“Call it whatever you want, man. We’re just trying to win games every week,” Goff said. “I don’t think we’re ever content with where we’re at. (Being) 5-2 feels good, but offensively especially, we have got a lot of things to improve. I was talking to the guys after the game and I was like, ‘How do you think we played?’ ‘Oh, we played OK.’

That’s not false modesty by Goff, which might be the most encouraging thing about these Rams. They’re not playing over their heads. This doesn’t feel “magical.” It seems like a good team finding ways to win, but it also seems that the Rams still could improve if small things get cleaned up.

To be clear, the Cardinals were awful. They arrived in London a couple days before the Rams and should have been better adjusted, but they looked flat from the game’s start. It certainly didn’t help that quarterback Carson Palmer broke his arm in the second quarter after an Alec Ogletree hit.

That sent the Rams on their way. Palmer’s pass fluttered after that hit, and Lamarcus Joyner intercepted it. Gurley scored on the next play, on an 18-yard touchdown run, to give the Rams a 13-0 lead, and the Rams added 10 points in the final two minutes of the second quarter, without a timeout.

The Rams dominated, statistically. They held the ball for 39 minutes, which included a 10-minute drive in the fourth quarter, and outgained Arizona 425-193. The Rams converted 13 of 19 third-down attempts.

Gurley gained 106 yards on 22 carries against a Cardinals defense that had been strong against the run. Gurley now has four 100-yard games this season. Goff threw for 235 yards and was nearly flawless, other than a fourth-quarter interception on a play that appeared to include (uncalled) pass interference.

At the end, the Rams basically shrugged and did their best to deflect praise.

“We’ve experienced a lot of things in these seven games, but by no means have we arrived,” McVay said. “There’s improvement that we can continue to focus on, both as coaches and as players. We’re going to enjoy the bye week and get healthy and get rested.”

The Rams don’t play again until Nov. 5, with a road game against the New York Giants. After Sunday’s game, a team executive joked that he wished the Rams could just keep playing.

McVay, whose January hiring was met with some skepticism, seems to be succeeding everywhere his predecessor failed. The Rams have scored 212 points in seven games. They scored 224 points in 16 games last season, and now they have a quickly improving defense to provide extra support.

“It feels good,” defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “I think today we sent a message to our division, and we’re not going to be sneaking up on anybody. We’re expecting everybody’s A-plus game and we’re up for the challenge.

“I’m not making any predictions or anything. This is a good team. That’s all I want to let you know. This is a good team. We’re here to play.”

Rams vs. Cardinals Postgame Notes

– Rams last shutout against an opponent in their division was at Atlanta (10/9/88), by a score of 33-0. (Atlanta was in the NFC West up until 2001).

– Tonight’s game marked the Rams’ third game of the 2017 season that they held an opponent under 250 yards. Last time they held a team under 200 yards was against San Francisco (11/1/15).

– The contest is only the fifth time in franchise history that they shutout the Cardinals. The last time the Rams shutout the Cardinals was on 9/30/79, a 21-0 Rams win.

– RB Todd Gurley notched his fourth 100-plus yard rushing game of the season. Gurley rushed 22 times for 106 yards and caught four passes for 51 yards.

– Gurley recorded his eighth touchdown of the season (five rushing, three receiving). Gurley has 24 career touchdowns.

– Rookie WR Cooper Kupp registered his third touchdown of the season on an 18-yard pass from Goff.

– S Lamarcus Joyner intercepted Palmer at the Arizona 47-yard line and returned it 29 yards to their 18-yard line to set-up the Rams’ first touchdown of the night on the following offensive snap.

– Joyner has two interceptions in 2017, which is a new personal-best.

– LB Mark Barron intercepted Cardinals QB Drew Stanton at the Arizona 38-yard line and returned it 10 yards. Barron has two interceptions this season and seven career.

– Marks the third game this season that the Rams defense has collected two interceptions.

– The Rams have three players this season with two interceptions (Robey-Coleman, Joyner and Barron) each have two.

– Joyner joins teammate Nickell Robey-Coleman as one-of-four players in the NFL with multiple 25+ yard interceptions returns. Nickel Robey-Coleman (25 yard INT return (9/21/17) & 31 yard INT return (10/15/17). Colts Malik Hooker (32 yard INT return (9/17/17) & 29 yard INT return (10/1/17). Lions Glover Quin: (25 yard INT return (9/10/17) & 37 yard INT return (9/24/17)

– *Joyner, Quin and Robey-Coleman are the only three players in the NFL with multiple 25+ yard INT returns and an INT return for a TD.

– DT Aaron Donald notched a sack on Cardinals QB Carson Palmer. Donald has 3.0 sacks this season.

– DE Ethan Westbrooks sacked Stanton for a 5-yard loss.

– According to press box statistics, Rookie S John Johnson and CB Trumaine Johnson split the team lead in tackles, each with five.

– WR Pharoh Cooper returned three punts for 30 yards.

– K Greg Zuerlein converted four-of-four field goals (23, 33, 53, 34).

– Zuerlein entered today’s game as the NFL’s leading scorer and he added 15 points to push his season total to 84 points.

– P Johnny Hekker punted two times for 119 yards. He placed the two punts inside the 20-yard line and had a long of 65 yards.