Goff: 21 of 29 for 306, 72.4%, 10.55 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INTs, qb rating of 117.9

TRUUUUUUUU #INDvsLA pic.twitter.com/0TiJbQmMzQ

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 10, 2017

5 things I think for Colts vs. Rams: Scott Tolzien has a chance — really

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2017/09/09/5-things-think-colts-vs-rams-scott-tolzien-has-chance-really/641966001/

Here are five things I think ahead of the Indianapolis Colts opening their 2017 regular season Sunday against the Rams in Los Angeles (4:05 p.m., TV: CBS, Radio: WFNI-AM (1070)):

1. I think the Colts are beyond lucky that Aaron Donald’s not playing.

The Colts will be without their best player on Sunday. So, too, will the Rams.

Andrew Luck won’t play, as the Colts’ star quarterback continues to rehab from his January shoulder operation. Rams stud defensive tackle Aaron Donald won’t either, as he continues holding out in hopes of securing a long-term deal. What’s that you hear? That’s Scott Tolzien, celebrating.

Same goes for the Colts’ interior linemen, two of whom will be starting their first NFL game.

Tolzien will get the nod for the Colts under center, the fourth regular-season start of his career, while Donald, one of the elite defensive players in all of football, remains at odds with Rams’ management, demanding he be paid like it. Donald is under contract with L.A. for two more years on his rookie deal, and is set to make $1.8 million this season. In terms of production, he’s worth far more. Donald’s amassed 28 sacks in three seasons, a ridiculous number for a defensive tackle.

As for the Colts, it’s a massive break for an ever-fluid offensive line that will, for the sixth-consecutive season, start a new group in Week 1. Donald’s absence will undoubtedly help undrafted rookie Deyshawn Bond, who’ll get the nod at center for the Colts, and Jeremy Vujnovich, who’s starting his first NFL game at left guard. Right guard Jack Mewhort missed portions of the preseason but vowed this week he’ll be 100 percent heading into Sunday.

2. I think Tolzien’s got a shot. Really.

The Colts said all along that if Luck wouldn’t be ready to play for the first week, they’d move forward with Tolzien, no questions asked. Now that’s their reality. It’s not pretty. But all is not lost.

Thus the onus shifts to offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who’ll have to pick and choose his spots to be aggressive, just as he did a year ago when Tolzien saw his only start with the team on Thanksgiving night.

Tolzien went 22-for-36 in that loss to the Steelers, throwing for 205 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Colts moved the ball fairly efficiently, only to twice come up empty-handed in fourth-and-goal situations — once, when former wideout Phillip Dorsett dropped a pass in the endzone, another time when Tolzien botched a bootleg run.

The stark difference this time will be the Colts won’t feel like they need to score 25 or more points to win. The Rams were dead last in the league in scoring in 2016 at just 14 per game. Anything in double digits might be enough to win this.

“He’s a guy that works as hard if not harder than anybody in the building,” Chudzinski said about Tolzien. “He’s here all the time. He’s trying to get it right.

“He doesn’t have to be Andrew Luck. He just has to be Scott Tolzien; the best Scott Tolzien he can be.”

Chuck Pagano, Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts, talks about his feelings going into the first game of the season, a Sunday contest in Los Angeles, against the Rams, Indianapolis, Friday, September 8, 2017. Robert Scheer/IndyStar

3. I think the Colts are overdue for a season-opening win.

In each of the past three years, the Colts have stumbled out of the gate, dropping their first two games of the season. Only in 2014 did they recover, ripping off five-straight wins and eventually advancing to the conference title game. The past two years, they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

Even with Luck temporarily sidelined, Indy has a chance to avoid the early-season cellar. Three of their first five games are against the Rams, the Browns and the 49ers, teams that combined for six wins in 2016. The Colts will host Bruce Arians’ Cardinals in Week 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium and head to Seattle for a stiff road test in Week 4.

Without knowing when The Franchise can return, any victory — ugly as it needs to be — is welcomed.

“We want to start fast. If we focus on the results and not the process, we’ll get screwed up,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said this week. “Process has no fear. You start focusing on results and you get away from the things that win football games and that’s great fundamentals, great communication, efficiency, execution, eliminating turnovers, creating turnovers, don’t penalize yourself.”

Considering the quality of opponents the Colts will see on the backend of the schedule (Houston twice, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Denver, Baltimore) it will be imperative for this team to get off to a good start. Also, remember: Only once in the Pagano era, 2013, have the Colts won their season opener. They’re 1-5 overall.

Indianapolis Colts coordinators Ted Monachino and Rob Chudzinski and safety Darius Butler talk about the team’s preparation for their upcoming season opener against the Rams, during practice at the Colts complex, Indianapolis, Sept. 7, 2017. Jenna Watson/IndyStar

4. I think it’s time to see if this new-look Colts defense is for real.

The Colts will field at least nine new starters on defense Sunday, symbolic of this team’s ambitious rebuild on that side of the ball. It can’t go worse than last season, right? The Colts finished 30th in total defense, their worst since moving to Indy in 1984.

Gone are veteran starters Robert Mathis, D’Qwell Jackson, Mike Adams and Kendall Langford.

In their place? New arrivals John Simon, Jabaal Sheard, Malik Hooker and Johnathan Hankins.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of moving pieces,” said one of those new faces, starting inside linebacker Jon Bostic. “But at the end of the day, we’re going to expect guys come in and do the job they’re being asked to do.”

The emphasis, from the spring through this week’s opener, has been on takeaways. In that regard, General Manager Chris Ballard has liked what he’s seen thus far. They can be the great equalizer for a team lacking star power on the defensive side of the ball.

“They’ll play hard and they’ve gotten the fact that we need to take the ball away,” Ballard said Monday. “They understand that. You see them stabbing at it. That makes a difference in ballgames. Taking the football away and taking care of the football is a difference-maker on Sundays.”

And with veteran cornerback Vontae Davis out for at least a few more weeks, the onus will shift to the team’s young trio of defense backs, a group that have to learn on-the-go this season. Cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Nate Hairston, as well as Hooker, the first-round pick at safety, all expect to see a considerable number of snaps starting Sunday.

5. I think the Colts could get the best of Jared Goff.

Jared Goff had a rocky rookie season. (Photo: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
It’s no secret that second-year quarterback Jared Goff, 2016’s No. 1 overall pick, struggled last season and, at times, struggled this preseason. In seven games last year, Goff threw five touchdowns to go with seven interceptions. His passer rating was a dismal 63.6, and it climbed above 82 just once.

Goff went 24-for-32 in preseason work this year (one touchdown, one interception). At his disposal are two weapons, running back Todd Gurley and newly acquired wideout Sammy Watkins, that figure to ease the burden on the QB and present the Colts’ defense with some challenges.

“Big, talented guy, good manager of the offense,” Pagano said of Goff. “Good manager of the offense, making good decisions, got arm talent, can make all the throws.”

The one area on his football team Ballard seemed to take comfort in was the defensive line. Long a glaring weakness on the defense, Ballard’s 2017 group actually has depth — two of the players cut over the weekend were picked up by other teams (T.Y. McGill is on the Browns’ active roster, David Parry the Saints’ practice squad). The prized offseason acquisition spoke in truths this week.

“It starts in the trenches,” Hankins said. “They’ve got a great running back with a great offensive line. They just picked up (wideout) Sammy Watkins, so that’s another weapon to worry about. So if we can stop the run and focus our attention on the receivers and get to the quarterback, I think it’d be vital for us.”

Hankins is right. For the Colts to have any shot, the defense will have to carry the day.

Game Preview: Rams Set to Open Season vs. Colts

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Game-Preview-Rams-Set-to-Open-Season-vs-Colts/d7192359-5434-4733-b4b8-ee2e1ae936aa

Football is back.

The regular season is finally upon us, as the Rams will host the Colts at the Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. When the two teams last met in 2013, the Rams executed well in all three phases to down Indianapolis, 38-8.

This week head coach Sean McVay is looking for his team to do this same, beginning his tenure in Los Angeles with a successful home opener.

“It certainly has a different feeling this week. I know I’m excited about it [and] I certainly feel it from our players and our coaching staff,” McVay said. “Our guys have done a great job of utilizing the offseason program and training camp to put ourselves in a position to be ready to go. But, we know that we’re still focused on taking it one day at a time and hopefully that will lead to us peaking at one o’clock on Sunday.”

The Rams’ “one day at a time” approach has allowed them to come into Sunday’s game injury free. The Colts, however, have not been as fortunate. Indianapolis will be without three of its primary players for the season opener: quarterback Andrew Luck, center Ryan Kelly, and cornerback Vontae Davis.

Without Luck, veteran backup Scott Tolzien will be the Colts’ signal-caller. Undrafted rookie Deyshawn Bond is expected to get the start at center. During the preseason, Tolzien started in all four games, completing 23 of 34 passes, for 241 yards and one interception. And although McVay acknowledged the benefit in taking on an offense without its starting quarterback, he recognizes the challenges Tolzien can present.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of respect for Andrew Luck. To say that I’m disappointed not to see him, I probably wouldn’t say that,” McVay said with a laugh. “But, what I would say is that, a lot of respect for them as a team, for Scott Tolzien. And we know that it’s going to be a great challenge. I think they’ve got great players on that offense.”

The Rams’ defense will face off against two very talented Colts’ stars on Sunday — wide receiver T.Y Hilton, who led the NFL in receiving yards last season, and running back Frank Gore, who has accumulated over 13,000 yards in his career, including 1,025 yards last year.

“The Colts have a really good offense, they’ve got a premiere receiver in the league and [offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski] ‘Chud’ does a great job,” Rams’ defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said on Thursday.

Philips plans to utilize his secondary to contain Hilton and shut down the Colts’ primary receiving target. Expect cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Kayvon Websterto match up with Hilton throughout the game.

“‘Chud’ is a really good coordinator and he’s got a great player there and he utilizes him,” Phillips said. “That’s what you do, you put him in situations where you can get him one-on-one and you can get him running option routes where he can go any way he sees, which he’s great at. So, you have to double him every play, so we will.”

Although many defensive starters will see their first game action of the year this weekend — including Webster, outside linebacker Robert Quinn, and linebacker Mark Barron — the defense as a whole did not express any major concerns about playing together for the first time.

“Not at all because we’ve been working together throughout this whole camp and OTA’s so as far as that, no, not at all,” Johnson said.

“I don’t know that I’m concerned, I’m just waiting to kind of see how we do,” Phillips said. “I think there’s going to be good things. I’ve been impressed with our practices and we have all our guys healthy and all of them are practicing now, so you’ve got to carry that to the game, but I thought we’ve practiced really well.”

Though defensive takcle Aaron Doanld reported to the Rams on Saturday morning, he will not play in Sunday’s game.

On offense, quarterback Jared Goff will take the field on Sunday for his first season opener. Last season, Goff was inactive for Week 1 against the 49ers. This year, however, the former No. 1 pick is ready to show off the team’s development on offense and make a strong statement in front of the Rams’ home crowd.

“I think as a whole we’ve really improved everywhere — not only offensively, but defensively, special teams, everywhere we’ve improved,” Goff said. “I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we feel really good where we’re at.”

“I think we’ve done a good job so far up to this point game planning and getting a good sense of what they do defensively,” he added. “They do a lot of things well and they do have a lot of good players there, so we’re excited to get a chance to see them this Sunday and get a chance to show off what we’ve worked on the last six to nine months.”

The Rams receiving corps has been strengthened this season through the addition of playmakers like Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Cooper Kupp. Wide receiver Tavon Austin is also expected to contribute in Sunday’s game, after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury. And because the Colts will be without their primary cornerback, expect the Rams to look to exploit downfield matchups.

“Absolutely, every time one of their star players is not playing, you have to take advantage of that,” wide receiver Pharoh Cooper said. “I know the coaches have alerted us and told us that because they have seen it on film. So we’re just going to try and attack, try our best to get open. And without their best corner playing, it should open up a lot of passes.”

Running back Todd Gurley also saw increased playing time throughout the preseason and is expected to be a major contributor for the offense this season. And after being named a captain for the second-straight year, the running back also said he feels added responsibility coming into Sunday’s game.

“For that to be my second year in a row to be a captain it means a lot. So, I appreciate that – just trying to work hard and try to be the best leader, the best teammate I can be,” he said. “When you have that ‘C’ that gives you just a little bit more edge to do a little bit more, say a little bit more, because they voted for you for a reason,” he said.

Gurley also expressed confidence at his team’s ability to produce on offense.

“You know it’s just a new offense. It felt like things have been clicking,” Gurley said. “We feel a lot more comfortable with the offensive schemes that we’ve been running the last four, five months…Just going out there and practicing, executing – not looking sloppy, catching the ball, running the ball, not turning the ball over. The more things you do…the more comfortable you get. So that’s just kind of how we feel right now.”

For McVay, Sunday will represent his first true test as an NFL head coach. And while he is prepared for the jitters that come along with a season opener, he is also ready to take on the many challenges that lie ahead, beginning with the Colts this weekend.

“Once the game kicks off you’re getting right into your normal flow and hopefully that’s how it feels, but there’s certainly a level of excitement and I’m very fortunate to be in this role and to have the opportunity to be a part of this team,” he said.

“It’s an exciting thing, it’s not a nervous thing,” McVay continued. “It’s confidence to watch our guys go compete, confident that hopefully our preparation will allow our coaches to make good decisions and put our players in good spots and confident that it’s going to be a great opportunity to go compete against a great opponent.”

link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzCuEQv_ZRf4RGlTbGhQSW0tVDQ/view

Sean McVay’s plan to succeed as youngest coach: Don’t do it alone

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/35225/sean-mcvays-plan-to-succeed-as-the-nfls-youngest-coach-empower-others

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Sean McVay has never really slept well. His mind races constantly, so he spends most of his nights tossing and turning, waking up almost every hour and finally lifting himself out of bed before the sun rises.

“But this has been a week where I’ve gotten a little less sleep,” McVay said. “I’m a little more irritable than normal.”

McVay’s Los Angeles Rams begin their season this weekend, so irritability is probably justified. They’ll kick off against the Indianapolis Colts at 1:05 p.m. P.T. on Sunday, at which point McVay will officially become the youngest head coach in a game in modern NFL history. He is less than eight months removed from his 31st birthday, and history hasn’t necessarily been kind to those who came before him. The four youngest Super Bowl-era coaches before McVay — a list that includes Lane Kiffin, Raheem Morris, David Shula and Josh McDaniels — went a combined 52-115 before being fired by their respective teams, with no other head-coaching jobs in sight.

McVay shrugged that off in a recent interview with ESPN. He doesn’t know where they all went wrong, but he seems to have a firm grasp on how he won’t.

“The biggest thing,” McVay said, “is trusting the people around you.”

McVay isn’t merely a bright coordinator, as most young head coaches tend to be. He is a natural and a continually developing leader who’s fascinated by the art of relationship building. He has injected the Rams with a jolt of energy and has brought some much-needed innovation to the way they run their offense. But McVay knows he’ll have to do more than that to succeed in a position like this. So he wants to be accountable, he wants to communicate clearly, he wants to remain consistent and he wants to empower others.

“For whatever reason, I’ve always been interested in those types of things, leadership books, and different ways to connect with people in a real, authentic, genuine type of way,” McVay said. “The consistency is really important. You don’t get a lot of sleep; stressful things come up. But you have to make sure that you’re always even-keeled, you’re always the same.”

McVay was raised by a grandfather, John, who was a distinguished executive with the San Francisco 49ers, and a father, Tim, who has long held high-ranking positions with ABC affiliates. He became close friends with Jon and Jay Gruden, who brought him into a world of strong, capable NFL leaders. And McVay spoke to several of them in the weeks leading up to his first training camp.

Their biggest advice?

“Don’t try to be like anybody else,” McVay said. “Do it your way.”

McVay has a lot on his shoulders these days. He’s calling plays for an offense that has been the NFL’s worst over the last two years and steering a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record since 2003. The Rams not only need to get on track under McVay, they need to capture the attention of the nation’s second-largest media market, with three years left before they join the neighboring Chargers in the world’s most expensive stadium.

McVay will tell you that the most surprising aspect of being a head coach has been “the amount of things that come across your plate that you can’t anticipate,” the most notable of which is Aaron Donald’s prolonged holdout. Through that, McVay has tried his best to keep things simple and has grown more comfortable entrusting his assistant coaches. To him it’s easy, because Wade Phillips is one of the game’s most accomplished defensive coordinators and John Fassel is as good as it gets running special teams.

Security with oneself is a requirement for empowering others, but so is humility. And many will point to that as one of McVay’s best traits, because he’s so comfortable admitting what he does not know.

“The more that I’ve done this,” McVay said, “the more I’ve realized there’s a value in experience.”

That thought resonated with him a couple of years ago, when he started calling plays as the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator. McVay always believed he could, but it became more difficult than he ever imagined. He made mistakes, and it humbled him. He listened to more experienced people around him, and it helped him grow.

“I think once you stop learning, you’re going to stop growing,” McVay said. “You always want to surround yourself with better people than you.”

Phillips, involved in the NFL for five decades, is a prime example. When McVay landed the interview with the Rams, he asked Phillips if he would join him as his defensive coordinator. Phillips agreed largely because he thought so highly of what McVay could become.

“The more I’m around him,” Phillips said, “the more I have that feeling.”

Phillips worked under and ultimately replaced Marv Levy, who’s now in the Hall of Fame. He also spent a lot of time around Dan Reeves and Marty Schottenheimer, who won a combined 390 games.

“This guy is potentially that kind of coach because he’s got a clear message,” Phillips said of McVay. “The players know what to expect, and that was the thing that [Levy, Reeves and Schottenheimer] had.”

McVay replaced the ultimate player’s coach in Jeff Fisher, so he understood that he probably had some ground to make up in the locker room. But he stayed true to himself. He met with each player individually, and veteran offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said he “made you fall in love with the way that he wants to coach.”

The learning curve is real, and McVay will make mistakes along the way. He knows this.

Jon and Jay Gruden taught him something about that.

“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘Oh, hey, my bad,’” McVay said. “Take accountability yourself. I think a lot of times we talk about asking our players to be accountable. But I know that I’m imperfect. And if I can’t admit a mistake, then what does that represent to our guys? The best leaders that I’ve seen have that accountability.”

Rams remain without Aaron Donald and will have other defensive starters on ‘pitch count’ against Colts

By RICH HAMMOND

link: http://www.dailynews.com/2017/09/07/rams-remain-without-aaron-donald-and-will-have-other-defensive-starters-on-pitch-count-against-colts/

THOUSAND OAKS — Wade Phillips joined the NFL in 1976, so it’s tough to put something new past the Rams’ defensive coordinator, but this year’s season opener even seems to have Phillips scratching his head a bit.

“I don’t know about concerned,” Phillips said after Thursday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “You’re just waiting to see how we do. I think there’s going to be good things. We’ve been practicing really well this week.”

Phillips can’t be certain, though. His best player, Aaron Donald, remains in a contract holdout, and while the Rams haven’t officially ruled out Donald for Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, the idea that Donald could play Sunday, even if he reported to team headquarters Friday, seems improbable.

At least the Rams can plan for that absence. Phillips indicated that he isn’t certain how much the Rams will get out of linebackers Robert Quinn and Mark Barron, both of whom (along with starting cornerback Kayvon Webster) missed the four-game preseason schedule because of injury concerns.

The Rams don’t have any players listed on their injury report, a fact Coach Sean McVay happily reiterated for a second consecutive day, but Phillips indicated that Quinn and Barron might be limited against the Colts. That could mean more work for players such as Matt Longacre and Cory Littleton.

“We’ll have to be aware, and monitor how many snaps they have,” Phillips said of Quinn and Barron. “They’ll be on a snap count or pitch count or whatever.”

Phillips also said the Rams wouldn’t change their defensive game plan depending on Donald’s availability, but said he might ask different things from a player with a different body type or skill set.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that the player primarily expected to fill Donald’s spot, rookie Tanzel Smart, has similarities. Donald is listed at 6-foot-1, 280 pounds, compared to Smart’s 6-1, 290 pounds. Phillips didn’t seem riled about the prospect of coaching a game without his star player.

“We know what the situation is and I know what the situation is,” Phillips said. “It’s disappointing that he’s not here, for whatever the reasons are, but I’ve been through it before. You have to play with the guys you have. We believe we can play well, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”