leoram

Obvious points:

Wentz is a generational QB in the mold of Rothlisberger.

Keemun has limitations.

Goff would take time to learn the system.

Goff may be talented and better someday than Wentz but we won’t see that for awhile.

Keemun played well against Buffalo within the structure of this offense.

If our O Line were better, Keenum and Gurley would be better….so would Goff.

Our offense, while getting better, lacks downfield threat.

Wentz was schooled and experienced at play action behind center.

We Ram fans are frustrated over this loss and need to vent.

We all want to see Goff on the field soon.

Fisher is a coach that divides our loyalties because we expect to win.

2013 SCOUTING REPORT

CB DWAYNE GRATZ

5’11”
201LBS

OVERVIEW

Even though Connecticut’s 2011 Orange Bowl, 48-20, blowout loss to Oklahoma was not particularly fine moment for the Huskies -– or Big East Conference football -– Gratz actually matched his team’s offensive point total (six, as the other touchdown came on a kickoff return) by intercepting Sooners quarterback Landry Jones and returning the ball 46 yards to the end zone. Making that sort of play as a sophomore, and building on it over the next two years, has allowed scouts to project him as mid to late-round pick.

Gratz was a first-team all-region pick in Piscataway, N.J., as well as an all-county pick in track (he set the school record in the 55-meter hurdles), but Big East rival Rutgers couldn’t lock him up. In his redshirt freshman season, he played in all 13 games, coming on to start four of the last five games of the regular season (20 tackles, four pass break-ups). He started all 13 games of UConn’s co-Big East championship 2010 season (63 tackles, two interceptions, nine pass break-ups) that unfortunately ended with the BCS bowl loss to the Sooners. The team didn’t make it to a bowl at all in 2011, though Gratz played well enough as a 12-game starter (53 tackles, 4.5 for loss, three interceptions, four pass breakups) to garner second-team All-Big East honors from league coaches. As a senior, Gratz registered 53 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He was named second-team All-Big East for the second consecutive year.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Combines NFL height and overall strength. Stays low in his stance and when opening up in bail coverage. Good closing ability, quick to attack short passes to knock them away or make the tough tackle. Aggressive hitter, can put his helmet on the ball or cut down ballcarriers equally well near the line or in space. Used as a blitzer regularly and is fast to close off cutback lanes on run plays when uncovered. Quick hands and feet to consistently beat receiver blocks. Capable of making the interception with his hands or body on poor throws, fair ball skills to grab low or high passes.

WEAKNESSES Aggressiveness can be used against him, keeps his eyes in the backfield a long time, allowing his man to get deep and he lacks pure recovery speed to catch up. Struggles to track the football. Drops his head and goes down to the ground too early on some tackle attempts. Backpedal can be slow and choppy. Looks to be stiff in the hips.

BOTTOM LINE Gratz first stepped into the limelight with a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown against Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones in the team’s 48-20 loss to the Sooners in the 2011 Orange Bowl. He followed that up with two consecutive second-team All-Big East seasons, using his NFL-quality size, strength, and agility to handle receivers on the outside. As there are some questions about his long speed and hips, a potential move to safety could be in his future. However, Gratz will still likely find himself selected in the middle to late rounds.

nittany ram wrote:

I agree. If Quinn and Brockers play, the Rams win.

If not…is it a loss? Or just iffy?

Jason La Canfora ✔ @JasonLaCanfora
Good news for Rams – Trumaine Johnson avoided injury according to team source. Suffered a minor sprain

===

I would like to hear something official on this but I assume he doesn’t play in the Detroit game.

Five Takeaways: Rams 30-19 Loss to Bills

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Five-Takeaways-Rams-30-19-Loss-to-Bills/8fb7af0c-a875-4a16-944c-d44dcf92e173

With their 30-19 loss to the Bills on Sunday, the Rams’ record is now 3-2 on the 2016 season. There were many elements that added up to Los Angeles’ first home loss of the year, but there were some positive factors in the matchup as well. Let’s take a deeper look at both in this week’s five takeaways.

1) Turnovers in critical situations

In Los Angeles’ three 2016 wins, the club been either even or positive in the turnover margin. In Sunday’s contest against Buffalo, the Rams finished -3.

Running back Todd Gurley had two fumbles, one of which was recovered by the Bills’ defense. And quarterback Case Keenum threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

In all, the Bills scored 13 points off the Rams’ turnovers.

“It took points off the board [with] the first fumble and then we allowed them to put points on the board,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “In close ball games, those are going to be the difference makers there, so it’s disappointing.”

Keenum called the throw he made on the pick six “a bad decision,” and acknowledged that the Rams offense has to do better from a turnover standpoint going forward.

“There is a small margin of error,” Keenum said. “[It’s] not something we dwell on but that’s why … we want to be perfect every snap, because you never know what snap is going to be crucial point of the game.”

2) Buffalo shows strength in the run game

Since changing their offensive coordinator after Week 2, the Bills have been running the ball particularly well. That was especially true in Sunday’s game, as Buffalo racked up 193 yards on just 27 carries — good for a 7.1 yard average.

Running back LeSean McCoy led the charge with 150 yards on 18 attempts, including a 53-yard run that brought the Bills inside the Rams’ five-yard line.

“He just made plays,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “We just didn’t bottle him up, we didn’t get to him, we didn’t hit him enough and it showed.”

“It was especially on us, we just didn’t get in our gaps,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We just kind of made up some stuff and they took advantage of our miscues. I thought we did a good job when we did get around him, we were able to stop him a little bit. He’s one of the better backs in the league, if you make a mistake, he can definitely find a hole.”

Injuries likely contributed to the Rams’ difficulties against the run, as three of the club’s starters on the defensive line were inactive due to injury. Defensive end Robert Quinn (shoulder), defensive tackle Michael Brockers (hip), and defensive end William Hayes (ankle) were all questionable heading into Sunday’s contest.

“We don’t make excuses, but three of our starting four defensive linemen were watching the game today,” Fisher said. “What those guys do is they pressure the quarterback and Rob’s always making a chase play from behind, and we just didn’t get that today. Still not acceptable run defense, but they’ve been doing this for the last couple of weeks against a number of teams.”

Fisher said all three were willing to play, but the head coach held them out in order to be better equipped going forward.

“They’re all willing, but we’re looking at the long haul right now and they wouldn’t have been productive,” Fisher said. “They wouldn’t have been able to protect themselves.”

3) Bills ready for trickery

Early in the week, Fisher complimented the Bills for the way they clearly put a high priority on special teams. In many ways, it’s reflective of the way Los Angeles handles its own special teams unit.

Perhaps that was a factor in the fourth quarter when Fisher elected to try a fake punt on 4th-and-5 from the Rams’ 23-yard line, and the play ended up a few yards short of the first-down marker. Wide receiver Bradley Marquez was in formation as the up man in front of punter Johnny Hekker, received a direct snap, and darted to his right. But Buffalo, apparently ready for the fake, was able to tackle Marquez after just a two-yard gain.

“I wouldn’t have called it if I didn’t think it was going to work. That’s how those things are. We practiced it all week, we had the look, and it didn’t work,” Fisher said. “They executed it in practice, but they didn’t execute it there. I thought if that thing works it’s good stuff — really good stuff — but it didn’t. They don’t always work, but that type of approach in special teams has taken us a long ways.”

4) Red-zone efficiency

Los Angeles had its best game in terms of moving the ball, amassing 345 total yards and 23 first downs. The club’s offense also led in time of possession, 35:34 to 24:26.

But once the Rams entered the red zone, they had a hard time getting into the end zone. Of their four red-zone opportunities, L.A. scored only one touchdown.

“We’ve got to score in that red zone,” wide receiver Tavon Austin said. “We keep getting down there, but not scoring in the red zone. Three points is good, but three points is not going to win too many big games, and that’s what it showed today.”

Austin was among one of the more productive offensive players for the Rams on Sunday, making seven receptions for 59 yards and taking three carries for 26 yards. Wideout Kenny Britt continued his strong start to the season by making five receptions for 75 yards. And Gurley had 108 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in the contest.

“You saw some improvement out of the offense against a good defensive unit,” Fisher said. “We got the ball in our playmakers’ hands, and it seemed like either Todd, or Kenny, or Tavon or somebody was making plays offensively. We just didn’t get in the end zone.”

Finishing drives will likely be a point of emphasis going into next week’s game against Detroit.

5) Heading on the road

The Rams have spent three of their first five weeks of the season on the road, and they are now getting ready to head out on another tough two-game stretch. First, the team will travel across the country to take on Detroit for Week 6. And after that game, the Rams will hop on a trans-atlantic flight to London where they’ll spend the week preparing to take on the Giants at Twickenham Stadium.

If there’s ever a week for the 24-hour rule, it’s this one — especially since the Rams are still well positioned with a 3-2 record.

“I know there’s a lot of teams that would like to be 3-2, but we still have work to do,” Fisher said. “We have quite a challenge on our hands over the next couple of weeks, and the players know that. We’re going to get them back and have a great week of practice and then go on the road for a couple of weeks.”

“You have to move on and have a short memory in this league because we’ve got a lot of football left ahead of us and we are in a good spot. There are a lot of teams that would love to be where we are,” Keenum said. “So, we are going to keep fighting and we are going to take it a week at a time. And we’ve got another great opponent on the road this week, then going even further on the road for a home game. Never done that before — so not looking to that but we’ve got tests ahead of us.”

What we learned from Rams’ 30-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-what-we-learned-20161009-snap-story.html

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has said the Rams don’t have backups. OK, but there is still a starting lineup. And it usually includes the most productive players. Without the injured Quinn, Hayes and Brockers, Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy ran for 150 yards and Tyrod Taylor extended plays and passed for two touchdowns. Those called upon to play in place of the injured trio gave their best effort. But there is a difference when they are not available. And it showed.

Todd Gurley showed signs of coming on

Wait, what? Gurley fumbled twice, and the Bills turned one of his miscues into a touchdown. Gurley acknowledged the mistakes were inexcusable. But Gurley also showed progress. He rushed for 72 yards in 23 carries and scored the Rams’ only touchdown. He broke free for a 16-yard gain and attempted what has thus been a rare cutback. He also caught three passes for 36 yards.

Greg Zuerlein likes to kick in the Coliseum

Zuerlein kicked three field goals in the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, providing the Rams with all of their points in a 9-3 victory. On Sunday, he converted from 37, 32, 54 and 22 yards. After making only 20 of 30 field-goal attempts last season, the Rams were concerned about Zuerlein’s dependability. Zuerlein has made all nine field-goal attempts and all seven extra points.

Michael Thomas is contributing on special teams

Thomas, a receiver drafted in the sixth round, got the opportunity to return three kickoffs because Benny Cunningham was inactive because of a hamstring injury. Thomas averaged 20.7 yards per return. Thomas has been at his best on coverage teams.

Case Keenum must avoid pick sixes

Yes, that’s obvious. But it bears a mention because Keenum has had two intercepted passes returned for touchdowns in the last three games. Keenum’s miscue at Tampa Bay did not keep the Rams from winning. But Nickell Robey-Coleman’s pick six on Sunday broke a halftime tie and set the Bills on their way to victory. Keenum completed 21 of 31 passes for 271 yards, with two interceptions, against the Bills. He has passed for four touchdowns, with five interceptions.

Tavon Austin can line up anywhere

Offensive coordinator and play-caller Rob Boras seemed intent on making sure that Keenum and Austin began connecting. Austin caught a season-high seven passes. He also rushed for 26 yards in three carries. Austin ran from the I-formation and also on a fly-sweep.

Penalties kill drives, and they are especially costly in the red zone

The Rams’ first drive was moving along just fine until guard Rodger Saffold was flagged for a false start on third and eight at the 14. After the penalty, a pass fell incomplete and the Rams settled for a field goal. Saffold was called for holding on first and goal at the eight, but the Bills declined the penalty because the Rams had lost five yards on the play. The Rams eventually settled for a field goal.

Trick plays that work in practice don’t always work in games

The Rams tried a fake punt on fourth and five with less than four minutes left, but the Bills stopped receiver Bradley Marquez short of the first down. Coach Jeff Fisher stuck by the decision, saying that kind of approach on special teams “has taken us a long ways.” That’s true. The Rams have pulled off some dynamic special teams plays under Fisher during his four-plus seasons. And remember, this is the coach who called for what became known as the Music City Miracle play that helped the Tennessee Titans defeat the Bills in a playoff game in 2000.

But Sunday’s decision did not work out.

Case Keenum makes key mistakes, prompts more Jared Goff questions

Alden Gonzalez

http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1193836

LOS ANGELES — Resume the clamoring for Jared Goff in 3 … 2 … 1 …

Case Keenum didn’t necessarily play poorly — OK, he didn’t play dreadfully — but the Los Angeles Rams quarterback made a costly mistake late and missed on what could’ve been a big play early in a 30-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. That’s usually enough to prompt incessant questions about when Goff, the No. 1 overall pick, will be given a shot as the starting quarterback.

Keenum completed 21 of 31 passes, but two of his incompletions loomed large. One came early in the second quarter when facing third-and-1 from the Rams’ 30-yard line. Brian Quick had two steps on his defender down the field, but Keenum badly overthrew him on a deep ball. Had he hit him in stride, it could’ve gone for Quick’s fourth touchdown in three games.

“It hurt,” Keenum said. “It hurt a lot. But you’ve got to move on. Obviously, those are plays that you learn from. Seeing him make those plays, I’ve got to give him a chance. It was a tough one.”

Case Keenum missed on a couple of throws that cost the Rams. Jeff Gross/Getty Images
A much tougher incompletion came with four minutes left in the third quarter and the score tied at 16. Facing second-and-14 from the Rams’ 31-yard line, Keenum tried to hit rookie Pharoh Cooper, who was making his debut after missing the first four games with a shoulder injury, to the right side about 10 yards out. But Keenum’s throw didn’t have nearly enough zip. Bills corner Nickell Robey-Coleman, a USC alum, jumped the route, intercepted the pass and went untouched for what became the winning score.

“I can’t do that,” Keenum said. “I can’t do that, especially in this league. Across the board, there’s guys who will make that play. I can’t put my team in that situation, obviously. The game came down to one or two plays, and that was one play that I want back.”

Keenum threw another interception — also to Robey-Coleman — in the final minutes, but that was a desperation heave while backed up in his own territory and facing fourth-and-18. The game had practically been decided by then.

It was decided by a shorthanded defense that allowed 192 yards on the ground, and it was decided by an offense that marched into enemy territory on seven of its first nine possessions but managed only one touchdown, settled for four field goals and suffered through Todd Gurley’s first fumble. Gurley gained 108 yards from scrimmage, Tavon Austin made a season-high seven catches, and Kenny Britt gained 75 yards through the air, but the Rams’ offense did not do enough on a day when it needed to carry the load.

Those things usually fall on Keenum, who has a shorter leash — or perceived leash, at least — than anybody in the NFL.

“We just got to punch it in,” said Keenum, who entered with the NFL’s second-worst Total QBR. “We hurt ourselves in the red zone again.

Jeff Fisher cost Rams a chance to win, but he won’t admit it

Vincent Bonsignore

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/bonsignore-jeff-fisher-cost-rams-a-chance-to-win-but-he-wont-admit-it.46854/

Maybe in some alternate universe where Bradley Marquez is the equivalent of a prime-time Reggie Bush and the Rams didn’t have three timeouts remaining and their defense wasn’t playing its guts out and there were two minutes left to play, not four, maybe then Jeff Fisher would have been right to dial up a fake punt from his own 23-yard line.

Eh, who the hell are we kidding.

No, absolutely not.

No way, no how.

It wouldn’t have been a prudent call under those circumstances and it certainly wasn’t judicious in the situation the Rams faced on Sunday with a chance to steal a win over the Buffalo Bills and take another decisive step forward in the standings.

On a blazing hot Sunday afternoon in which the Rams left far too many makable plays on the Coliseum turf Sunday than they care to remember, the one they’ll be kicking themselves over most had less to do with execution or talent than flawed thinking.

Todd Gurley put a ball on the turf that resulted in a Bills touchdown in the second quarter.

Case Keenum floated a lazy sideline pass into the waiting arms of Bills cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman for a devastating pick-6 that put Buffalo up by a touchdown in the third.

And the Rams continued to shoot themselves in the foot with sloppy penalties at the most inopportune times.

All of which contributed to a 30-19 loss that sent the Rams stumbling into a two-week road odyssey to Detroit and London with negative momentum rather than positive.

But nothing was as egregious as the fake punt Fisher ordered with 3:47 left in the game, the Bills leading 23-19, and the Rams facing a fourth-and-5 from their own 23-yard line.

Rather then give his team one more chance to get the ball back and drive the field for a game-winning score, Fisher gifted the Bills the ball at the 24-yard-line. From there, they easily delivered a final dagger when Marquise Goodwin reeled in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor to put the game out of reach.

Then Fisher clumsily pointed the finger everywhere else — including the Coliseum crowd of all things — rather than admitting he might have needlessly rolled the dice when being careful would have been the proper call.

Culminating with one final reach by going all in on what might have been or should have been had guys just done their job.

“If that thing works, it’s really good stuff,” Fisher said.

But it didn’t.

And everything Fisher said to justify or rationalize it was simply chatter to shift attention from the real issue.

He blew the call.

It didn’t cost them the game. But it denied them one final chance to win it.

And with every victory so precious to the Rams right now while playing with limited offensive weapons that leave very little margin for error, that’s nearly as bad as losing it.

Winning is tough enough as it is, let alone your head coach stepping in to sabotage things.

With the right decision staring him right in his face, Fisher fumbled it all away.

Rather than punt the ball and then lean on the strength of his team to get it right back with sufficient time to mount a comeback. Fisher put it in the hands of Marquez on a direct snap fake punt that Buffalo easily snuffed out.

Then Fisher did the most curious thing: He simultaneously threw his players under the bus while also blaming the crowd at the Coliseum for alerting Bills cornerback Ronald Darby the fake was on.

While never once admitting that, well you know, the whole part about calling a fake punt inside his own 25 in a one-score game with all his timeouts left — and the two minute warning — was brutally ill-advised.

Instead, Fisher put it squarely on the shoulders of his players by insisting the defensive look fit the call, and had the Rams merely carried out orders everything would have worked out beautifully.

“They executed it in practice,” Fisher said, sternly. “They didn’t execute it there.”

Marquez manned up and took his share of responsibility — while giving credit to the Bills — but seemed dubious that the Bills presented the ideal defensive scheme.

“We didn’t get the look that maybe we were anticipating,” he said. “But it was still a look we thought we could be successful with.”

Unfortunately the Bills didn’t bite.

And that prompted Fisher to half-jokingly — we think — put the screws on Rams fans for tipping off Darby the fake was on.

In actuality, Darby made a brilliant read by breaking off his blocking assignment to roll back and nail Marquez 2 yards shy of the first down.

But apparently an assist goes to the crowd. At least according to Fisher.

“He stopped coverage when he heard the crowd roar,” Fisher said. “So he came back and made the play.”

That’s nonsense, of course.

And even Marquez seemed a bit taken aback by his coach’s summation.

“As far as the crowd, I can’t speak to that,” said Marquez, who rightfully tipped his cap to Darby.

“He sniffed it out and was able to set the edge.” Marquez said.

At least someone was honorable enough to call it right.

Fisher certainly didn’t.

It was the wrong call at the absolutely wrong time.

It didn’t cost them the win. But it likely denied them one last legitimate shot to win it.

And that’s just as bad.

Rampage2K

My game day report…..Wow!!! What a day….. Too bad the Rams loss ruined it a bit.

Got there early about 8:30 and fired up the grill and the breakfast beer..it was a picture perfect day as we enjoyed the pregame festivities…the Helpful Honda crew were walking around handing out sunscreen and what not, but then I noticed one of them talking to my friend Rudy and handing him some sort of ticket looking things, so I wisely and quickly went over to investigate and see Rudy with this look like he just won the lotto as he shows me a couple field passes….so I kindly tell the Honda guy how awesome he is and how much I love Honda’s ( I really do, big Honda/NSX guy) and ask/ beg him if he has a couple more??? What do you know..boom!!! Got the last two!!! So four of us lucky @#$%& got to go down to the field and rub elbows with the celebs and other dignitaries… Needless to say that shortened up our tailgate time as we wanted to head in early…so we headed down to the field about 11:45 and made our way over to the Rams sideline…met Steve Wychce on the way over then we met MJD… Made my way over to get some pics with the cheerleaders(of course) then headed over to the sideline to watch the warm ups…man those guys are much bigger up close and in real life..Marc Barron is a beast. I noticed Stan making his way over to the sideline as he walked towards the on field suites and got to shake his hand and tell him how stoked I was to have them back.. That would have been cool enough for me, but there was more…met and took pics with Vince Ferragamo, Mike Singletary, Coach McGiniss, Brandon Fisher, Les Snead, Kevin Demoff, Kara Henderson, Chief of police Charlie Beck, Kimberly Keenum, coach Fassel and some cheerleaders and some others I’m forgetting I’m sure……too bad the day didn’t end then, it was amazing…it was Rams fan heaven!!!

All the pics are in my phone and will post them soon.

Big thanks to the Helpful Honda People!!!!

Of course after that, anything but a win was gonna be a let down…sigh.

Another hot hot day in the stands as it was in the low 90’s at kickoff… The fans were great, not too many Bills fans, I was expecting more form a New York area based team…
Game started out good with the offense once again moving the ball well, but then stalls and we end up with three instead of seven. Then the defense took the field minus 3/4 of our starting d-line and right away you could tell it was gonna be a long day as Shaddy went right through it…although I love the guy and he is by far our best CB, Tru could have changed this entire game on the Bills first drive if he would have been looking for the ball instead of looking to kill the WR…easy pick six was there as the ball was tipped, but instead he blew up the WR instead of the coliseum…would have been 10-0 Rams and the place would have gone nuts….instead a few plays later it was 7-3 Bills ugggh 14 point swing not to mention the momentum.

Live by turn overs die by them… The Rams just didn’t have enough to over come the 2-0 turnover margin.

Turning point in the game was the roughing the kicker penalty… Game changed right then and there, although the Rams did end up forcing another punt it was shortly after that where Case threw that horrible pick six…uughhh. So frustrating. Thought it should have been a five yard penalty, but they gave him the 15 and that was it.

Gonna watch the game on dvr to see what I missed, but Gurley has been a disappointment to say the least… From my view it looked like he had some chances to bounce one or a cut back, but he doesn’t even try that…it’s just so straight forward with him right now. Boras did try some different looks but it wasn’t enough to get him going. He just isn’t doing the little things that made him great in those big games last year… Sadly, it’s been a lot longer then just the last five games since he’s had a good game running the ball… Keep hearing “he’s getting close” but just hasn’t happened yet… Hoping the light goes on soon and he and the Rams get back to him getting 120 rushing yards a game.

This team needs to change it up and become a pass first team until it softens up the defense…having better success threw the air right now even with Case Keenum. If Goff is ready it’s time to put him in.

I know Fish is getting killed for the fake punt, but dammit, that play should have worked…there was a huge hole with blockers right in front of him but he panicked and tried going outside with it… Hindsight is always 20/20 but there is no telling our hobbling defense was gonna get that ball back anyway… Although I thought a better time to take a risk was on the series before where we kicked the FG instead of going for the tie.

What can you do? Can’t win them all I guess, but it sure would be nice…. We are still in good shape at 3-2 and can win these games in front of us….hope to god we get healthy this week though…losing the d-line is a huge blow to any team, especially this defense and missing Tru will be even uglier….pray for health!!!

Peter King comment

from: http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/10/10/tom-brady-new-england-patriots-returns-suspension-nfl-week-5

Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator, Buffalo. Since Rex Ryan fired Greg Roman as coordinator and appointed long-time aide Lynn to run the offense, Buffalo’s running game has become one of the league’s most feared. The Bills ran for just 75.5 yards a game under Roman in 2016; that number has skyrocketed to 178.3 per game under Lynn—and Lynn has reinforced the fact that Buffalo will be a strong running team first and second, then a throwing team third. Excellent job so far by the understated Lynn, who has the respect of his players.

LMU93

here’s what I saw Sunday. I saw a depleted Rams defense but one that after getting gashed badly the first couple series really settled down and played well overall (4/12 on 3rd downs, 305 yards allowed). The running game was the best it’s been so far this year. Not great but best it’s been. Signs of life. Gurley had 13 carries for 71 yards through three quarters. Of course it would be nice if he had more than 13 attempts through three quarters, but he was averaging 5.5 YPC. Then he got bottled up for 1 yard on 6 carries in the 4th, including a 5 yard loss.

But the defense didn’t generate any turnovers while the offense gave the ball away three times. Formula for a loss.

Buffalo is not a bad team. They’re not a top 10 team either. To me they’re right in the range of the Rams- one of those mid-tier teams that can win or lose almost any game. It was a 23-19 game with minutes to play. And the Rams couldn’t pull it out where they had each of the past three weeks.

They lost to a decent team whose strength was running the ball on a day when 3/4 of their starting DL was out. Not that they’d have shut down McCoy but maybe they give up only 120 vs. 193 with Brockers and Quinn. Sims was also a pass rushing liability and big downgrade at RDE. Zero pressures in 22 pass rushes. Sims really should be limited to running downs if possible with Longacre spelling Quinn more.

On Keenum. I actually thought until the pick 6 he had played pretty well again. He was 14/18 for 180 yards at that point. A QB rating over 100. He was playing similar to what he had the previous 3 weeks. That was a really bad INT of course. And they can’t have more. Two in the past three games is enough…

Kenny Britt is playing well. His catch percentage has been very good- 72% (23 of 32). Right now he’s on pace for 74 catches and 1,139 yards. I think their best receiving options right now (in order) are Britt, Kendricks, Quick and Gurley. If Britt continues playing well they’ll have an interesting decision to make after the season.

On defense the Bills doubled Donald and the rest of the DL couldn’t get it done. I think it was a tall task to be down 3 of your starting 4 DL all at once and giving significant reps to their 9th and 10th DL. They did start off shaky allowing all those yards the first two possessions but then pretty much tightened up from there. Also credit Taylor for escaping several more possible sacks.

By the way Zuerlein is one of four kickers that is 9/9 or better so far this year. Only Vinatieri (IND), Tucker (BAL) and Matt Bryant (ATL) are better. Nice start for Greg.

They’re still well positioned for a possible 4-3 or even 5-2 start at the bye. I would guess that 2 of the 3 DL are back @DET but hoping Johnson’s injury isn’t bad.

Detroit and the Giants are two very winnable games. Detroit’s run defense is bad. They’re not top-tier in really anything. Lions run defense: 31st in yards per carry and 21st in yards per game. The Rams ran the ball better vs. a good Buffalo run defense than they had all year. One of these games they will really break out and maybe it’s @DET this week. The Rams played Detroit last year. They ran for 203 yards and Donald had 3 sacks by himself. Johnson pick-sixed Stafford.

The Giants offense is a mess.

Assuming the Rams get 2 of the 3 DL back this week they could be 4-2 next week which considering 4 of their first 6 games are road games is pretty darn good. And NFC games vs. Detroit and NY Giants are more important to win than Buffalo.

Simply can’t be -3 in TO ratio and hope to win.

Both FootballOutsiders and TeamRankings.com have Buffalo rated 8th in the NFL this week. Not saying I think they’re a top 10 team. And not that the Rams shouldn’t have come up better in places. But they also didn’t lay an egg vs a bad team.

This time, Rams defense can’t overcome team’s offensive woes

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-731632-play-coach.html

LOS ANGELES – While preparing to play the Rams, Buffalo coach Rex Ryan began last week talking about something being an example of “BSing the whole time.”

No, he wasn’t referring to the Rams’ 3-1 record or the statistically quirky and completely unforeseen path they took to arrive there.

But all those people who doubted the validity of 3-1 specifically and the Rams in general had their mistrust confirmed Sunday with the team’s 30-19 loss to the Bills.

The Rams’ offense again struggled to score and their defense this time didn’t write its name on the game’s signature play.

At two crucial points, Coach Jeff Fisher chose to go for it and so did quarterback Case Keenum, and both decisions left the Bills dancing with pleasure.

Then there was an injury-depleted defensive front that permitted running back LeSean McCoy 150 yards total and an 8.3-yard average, the Rams losing despite finishing with more first downs, offensive plays, time of possession and total yards.

“It’s basically on us,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We didn’t get in our gaps. We just kinda, you know, made up some stuff.”

Making up some stuff doesn’t typically work in the NFL, where even the cheerleaders’ routines are practiced until the Xs and Os are worn thin.

So, after opening the season as the pleasant surprise of the league, after climbing atop a surely stunned NFC West, after winning their first home game in 22 years, the Rams crash landed at the Coliseum by losing to a clown coach.

Ryan isn’t a clown as a coach, understand, but more a clown who’s a coach. His claim a week ago about having a “source” within the New England organization was the root of his BS comment, Ryan later admitting he made it all up.

See, that kind of making it up is OK in the NFL because it doesn’t directly influence the game’s outcome. Making it up on the field, however, is a completely different situation.

Then again, when three-quarters of your defensive line is out, well, this is the NFL, where they don’t make excuses, which Fisher pointed out afterward before making the excuse of missing three-quarters of his defensive line.

“When you make a mistake in this league, they can find the holes,” Ogletree said. “We definitely didn’t play well enough to win this game. We beat ourselves with a lot of stuff, I think. We really just lost the game ourselves.”

Fisher’s decision to fake a punt late in the fourth quarter was one that was debated Sunday by everyone but Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And that’s only because they had too many other topics over which to argue first.

The move was either gusty or idiotic, depending on how much or little you want the Rams to hire a new coach.

Since the play failed, history will remember the choice as idiotic, further fueling the belief that this team can do better.

Speaking of which, Keenum’s largely unsatisfying performance was low-lighted by a third-quarter interception former USC defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman returned for the deciding touchdown.

“I can’t do that, especially in this league,” Keenum said, admirably but also unnecessarily. “I can’t put my team in that situation.”

He had his bright moments, proving elusive enough more than once to avoid the Bills’ rush and finish plays. For a guy critics consider unworthy of starting in the NFL, Keenum can at times mask his deficiencies well.

But, when analyzing the Rams’ offense Sunday, this statistic says it better than any one person could:

Both teams scored five times – the Bills had four touchdowns and one field goal and the Rams four field goals and one touchdown.

“We’ve got to score in that red zone,” wide receiver Tavon Austin said. “We keep getting down there but not scoring. Three points are good, but three points aren’t going to win too many games.”

The Rams did finally score a touchdown here, Todd Gurley finding the end zone on a 1-yard run late in the second quarter.

It came on their 15th possession and 88th offensive play in the Coliseum this season, evidence that they could produce at home using something other than Greg Zuerlein’s leg.

On the team’s radio broadcast, play-by-play man J.B. Long captured the touchdown by saying Gurley “plunges” into the end zone.

Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem like the home announcer, no matter how bad the offense has been, should refrain from describing its achievements by making toilet references?

Anyway, five weeks after the Rams officially did, the NFL showed up again in L.A., an unforgiving league spitting out a team that spent much of the day under duress and overexposed.

“We didn’t take a step back,” Ogletree insisted. “We just lost the game.”

True, perhaps. But, in a league where every opportunity is precious, for a team with little room to waste, those two might be the same thing.

Agamemnon wrote:

I am not unhappy with Keenum’s play. In fact, I thought that overall the offense was better this game, better on 3rd down, better on ‘time of possession’, better on running, WRs catching the ball. The 2 turnovers killed them. imo

penalties 6-40
time of possession 35:34.

Late me add to that since I too am in the “light in darkness” club.

Here are some other little things.

* the defense stiffened up in the 2nd half, and that was with 3 DL starters missing
* Keenun threw for 8.7 YPA, which extrapolated for the season so far would be 2nd in the league
* Britt caught all 5 of his 6 targets…Austin was 7 of 10, Quick was 3 of 4…75%
* that Malcolm Brown screen was pretty…he’s a player

Yeah they lost because they handed them 13 points.

Dare I say it? Only the Rams can beat the Rams.