Zooey wrote:

I think an argument can be made the Rams are the team who is doing it right, and the Eagles are screwing it up.

Depends though. If Phil. is willing to take the hits on losses, then, they are giving their qb live action reps. The difference is, Phil can handle the losses because they’re rebuilding with a new head coach. Rams are in win-now mode. So it can be argued that each is doing the right thing given their different circumstances.

Though, Phil didn’t plan that. They didn’t plan on making this a rookie sacrifice season. They were initially going to play the veteran qb. Bridgewater changed that.

We’re going to play the best guys we have that they bring in the door. I don’t draft them, I don’t sign them, but when they get here, I’m going to coach them and if they don’t like how (I coach them), then that’s too bad.”

Gregg Wms. is always good for a quote or 2.

.

Zooey wrote:

I think if I was going to go to the effort of writing a op-ed, I would have chosen a different thesis to argue. That article was a waste of time.

Well…yeah. Have to agree.

See that’s what you need the LA Times for.

Not one of us ordinary “well-informed fan” types could have answered those questions with the same depth of insight.

.

Keenum Ready for 1st Opening-Day Start

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Practice-Report-98-Keenum-Ready-for-1st-Opening-Day-Start/453e9430-31ca-4222-8d48-5034f331be18

When the 2015 season ended, quarterback Case Keenum had helped stabilize the Rams’ offense by coming in and winning three of the last four games at signal-caller. The Houston product’s performances in those four games earned him Los Angeles’ starting role to at least begin the offseason program.

But since then, Keenum has clearly seized the opportunity in front of him. Yes, quarterback Jared Goff was taken No. 1 overall and will ascend to QB-1 in due time. But until he does, Keenum has displayed he can effectively command the offense. Because of that, he’s earned the first opening-day start of his career.

“It’s exciting,” Keenum said. “It’s Monday Night Football. It’s a divisional opponent.

“It’s my first my time for it to be ‘my show’ starting out, and not just taking over — like, “Oh [no], send out Case now,’” Keenum continued, laughing.

Keenum dons a funny-guy persona when at the podium, but the reality of Keenum’s journey to Rams opening-day starter has a bit more depth.

“We traded for Case — people forget that. But we wanted to get him because of his ability,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s done a great job this offseason, in the preseason games. … He’s ready to go.”

Keenum has a laid-back personality, which the media gets to see with his demeanor in press conferences. According to wide receiver Tavon Austin, that’s the way he is all the time — and it makes a difference in building relationships. Keenum was voted a captain for the first time in his career.

“Case has done a good job whenever he stepped in, from last year to now,” Austin said. “We’re not just teammates with Case — we’re definitely real brothers. And he fights for us just like we’re going to fight for him.”

Still, being “the guy” at quarterback for an entire offseason and training camp has certainly been different for Keenum.

“When I go talk to receivers now, it’s like, ‘Hey, this is how we should do this. This is how I want it, how do you want it?’ Instead of, ‘Hey, let me go ask somebody else and we’ll see how they want it,’” Keenum said.

Those are the kinds of minor factors that can make a major difference during games. But Keenum’s feel for the Rams’ offense has undoubtedly helped him take steps in his progression this year.

“Every week, you’re seeing more and more command of the offense, which is comforting,” Fisher said. “He’s going to get up there and make the right decisions. The position itself is hard to play, but he’s going to give us a chance with checking in and out of run stuff, changing protections, getting the ball down the field, making plays, [and] extending plays with his legs.”

“He’s one of those guys who you know what you’re getting day-in and day-out, but I think he’s progressed — gotten more comfortable with us, just like we’ve gotten more comfortable with him,” center Tim Barnes said.

There may be no more important connection than the one between center and quarterback on the field. Barnes said he’s particularly noticed how the communication between he and Keenum has improved with the Houston product taking the vast majority of first-team reps.

“That’s a big thing, is we’ve been able to do that the whole time,” Barnes said. “For the most part, we’ve been able to be there with each other and know what we’re thinking.”

Of course, Keenum’s final start of 2015 came against the same team at the same venue where the Rams will begin this season. The major difference being now, the 49ers are coached by Chip Kelly.

The Rams have been watching all kinds of film at their disposal in order to prepare, such as Cleveland’s defense from last year. Niners defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil held the same position with the Browns in 2015.

“It’s a different team than the two games we played against them last year. A lot of the same players, but different schemes,” Keenum said. “It does make it a little bit of a challenge to go back and watch and maybe different coordinator’s defense and see — you don’t look at personnel, but you maybe look at schemes and what they’re trying to do defensively.

“But it’s like any first game,” Keenum added. “They can throw anything at you.”

Given the magnitude of the game — the Rams’ first contest representing Los Angeles in two decades, and Keenum’s first opening-day start — it’s fair to expect Keenum to be juiced for it. As much as quarterbacks usually like to be even-keel, Keenum knows himself and the parts of his own personality he’ll have to embrace.

“I’m going to get excited no matter what,” Keenum said. “That’s who I am.”

If this game goes how the rest of 2016 has so far for the QB, Keenum should be able to efficiently lead the Rams’ offense to success against their division rival.

“I’m just coming out and doing my job, and my job is to be the quarterback of this team, to get the ball in the right people’s hands, convert on third downs, and score points,” Keenum said. “So that’s my job and I’m going to come in every day and work on doing that.”

RICH HAMMOND

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gurley-728552-rams-game.html

LOOKING AROUND

The Rams haven’t been watching as much opponent game video as normal. That’s because the 49ers have a new head coach (Chip Kelly) and defensive coordinator (Jim O’Neil).

Kelly coached in Philadelphia from 2013-15 and O’Neil was the defensive coordinator in Cleveland the past two seasons. That video is likely more beneficial from a scheme standpoint. The Rams beat Cleveland 24-6 last season and lost to Philadelphia 34-28 in 2014.

“We’re watching a lot of stuff right now,” Fisher said. “I’d imagine they are as well. That’s part of the intrigue of the first game. People hold things back through camp and the preseason, and have a lot of things that they like that they put in the first game. Yeah, we’re looking at Cleveland’s defense and Philly’s offense. That’s what the coaches are looking for, and turn over every stone.”

BIG STAGE

The Rams will be playing a “Monday Night Football” game for the first time since Oct. 13, 2014, also against San Francisco (in St. Louis). They’ll hope for better results. The Rams, with Austin Davis at quarterback, lost that game 31-17 and dropped their record to 1-4. They finished the season 6-10.

ALSO

Rams starting right tackle Rob Havenstein, who missed almost all of training camp because of a foot injury, has returned to full participation in practice and presumably has a chance to play Monday. Reserve linebacker Bryce Hager (concussion) also has returned, but cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh) and receivers Pharoh Cooper (shoulder) and Nelson Spruce (knee) remain completely out of practice. … The Rams released reserve offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds, who had been on injured reserve. Reynolds received an unspecified injury settlement from the team.

Some Eagles veterans have concerns about decision to dump Bradford for Wentz

Mike Florio

Some Eagles veterans have concerns about decision to dump Bradford for Wentz

Last Saturday’s surprising two-in-one decision by the Eagles to trade starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings and to make rookie Carson Wentz the new starter raises an obvious question: Will veteran players be concerned about the perception that the franchise has decided on a path that makes the Eagles less competitive in 2016?

Appearing on Friday’s PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio, former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook addressed that issue.

“I kind of feel for those veterans like Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins, because I know and I was in the situation,” Westbrook said. “I had Donovan McNabb my entire career in Philadelphia but at some point they benched Donovan McNabb when we were in Baltimore and they put in Kevin Kolb. You just wonder, ‘OK, what are we doing here?’ Because we felt right now we had one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Donovan on the bench.

“It’s a little bit different situation with Sam Bradford because he hasn’t been one of the better quarterbacks on that same type of level as Donovan but if I’m on this football team here in Philadelphia right now and I’m a veteran I’m saying, ‘Well, hold on, timeout. We’re building for the future but that future does not necessarily include me and I have a problem with that.’ It’s good for the organization but not necessarily good for those veteran guys and so I would be a little disappointed.”

Westbrook’s explanation led to the question of whether he knows that guys on the team feel the way Westbrook would feel under these circumstances.

“Definitely,” Westbrook said. “There’s no doubt about it and I’ve talked to a few guys that have expressed that. A few guys have said, ‘We’re trying to win this year because I don’t know if I’m going to play next year and I’m definitely not sure if I’m going to be able to be in Philadelphia next year. So as much as we want this young guy Carson Wentz to be successful we’re concerned about winning this year. We’re concerned about winning now.’ . . .

“I think that there’s an understanding from the fans, the coaching staff as well as the front office that, ‘Hey, we’re going to need to take some time to build this thing the right way.’ Unfortunately for some of the older players, some of the veteran players, that doesn’t necessarily mesh with what your goal is as far as winning right now.”

Appearing earlier this week on PFT Live, Eagles executive V.P. of football operations Howie Roseman addressed the potential concerns outlined by Westbrook.

“Just being around our players through all the whole offseason in training camp and in the preseason games they all believe in Carson Wentz, that’s clear,” Roseman said. “You get a chance to talk to him a lot during that period of time just in between drills and on the sideline. All of them can see his unique physical ability and then his work ethic and his mental makeup is off the charts so it wasn’t something where the rest of the team couldn’t see how talented this kid is. A lot of this, our message to them is that we believe in them and we believe that the teams who’ve had success with a rookie quarterback are built the same way that we’re built. So it’s an opportunity for all of them to show their leadership [and] to step up their game and we understand there are a lot of doubters outside our building but we’re really looking forward to kicking it off on Sunday.”

Westbrook’s comments show that not all veteran players have that attitude. If Wentz succeeds quickly, their attitudes could change.

— X — wrote:

Seems that everything they can go wrong, typically does.

I find the entire pessimism/optimism thing really interesting. PA and I are old friends who go way back and have been teasing one another about the P/O thing for a long time. This is from his “game reaction thread” post following the Chiefs preseason game. The joke here is that his reaction is to the chat room discussion, not the game:

PA Ram wrote:

…“as usual” ZN could barely contain his cheerleading efforts. Explaining away the dismal time of possession–ZN insisted that the Rams “wanted to get a look at the defensive guys”. When Goff fumbled he explained that this was simply a “new passing style they were trying out”, something that LOOKS like a fumble but would have gone for a touchdown if only Quick was where he was supposed to be at the time. The penalties were for “pre-season” infractions–just stuff the NFL was trying out and would not have been penalties during the regular season.

We go back and forth like that. It’s a tradition.

I have to admit though I am not used to seeing you be more on the pessimistic side. I think of you as more of an “honest homer” type like me (there is no hint of anything derogatory in that…there is such a thing as an honest homer, a guy who can cheerlead as PA says, but when it’s time will look the objective realities in the eye without flinching). I’m not doing a “what gives.” Just being conversational.

Personally I am still cheerfully optimistic about game 1. I think Keenum has enough to keep them rolling, and I think Gurley is going to be a lot to handle. I think that Quinn and Donald are too much for them to handle. But yes they do have a mixed record in opening games.

.
…

Zooey wrote:

Just read that Shaun Hill has a higher career completion %, higher ypa, higher qb rating, and a better TD/INT ratio than Bradford.

Well they shoulda just asked a Rams fan.

We’ve seen them both. Of the 2, if we had to choose, which one would we want.

.

49ers coach Chip Kelly has studied the Rams and then some

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160908/49ers-coach-chip-kelly-has-studied-the-rams-and-then-some

To hear him tell it, Chip Kelly and his staff have been buried in film for several weeks.

The 49ers hired Kelly this offseason, the latest attempt by the franchise to right itself since ousting Jim Harbaugh. New head coach, new offensive scheme. Considering all those changes, one might wonder how useful it is to watch last year’s season finale against the Rams — one in which star running back Todd Gurley didn’t even appear.

“We’ve watched everything,” Kelly said Thursday. “Everything that’s available to us film-wise, we’ve watched. So, we’ve watched every game Case has played. We’ve watched everything Jeff has done. We played him when I was in Philadelphia two years ago — we’ve watched that game. We’ve watched every game.”

For the record, Case Keenum has played in 16 games in his career, starting all but one across three seasons. Jeff Fisher is heading into his fifth season with the Rams and his 22nd as a head coach — not to mention more than three decades working on NFL staffs.

If Kelly has indeed studied film as thoroughly as he claimed, it’s worth considering if he’s had time to sleep and eat.

WHO’S COACHING THE 49ERS?

After turning Oregon into a perennial collegiate power, Kelly jumped to the NFL and led Philadelphia to back-to-back 10-win seasons. For a while, some suggested that his up-tempo offense was signaling a revolutionary moment for the league. The honeymoon didn’t last, as the Eagles canned him before the conclusion of a six-win campaign a year ago.

Back on the West Coast, he’ll be eager to show he has what it takes to contend for championships in the pros as well.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 — NFC West titles for 49ers under Jim Harbaugh

0 — NFC West titles for 49ers under other coaches, since 1997

26-21 — Chip Kelly’s win-loss record in three NFL seasons

22.21 — Average seconds between Eagles’ offensive plays in 2015, fastest in NFL

8 — Games started by 49ers QB Blaine Gabbert in 2015

63.1 — Completion percentage by Blaine Gabbert in 2015, a career high

PLAYER TO WATCH

In an offense that lacks any truly dangerous playmakers, Carlos Hyde may be the 49ers’ best hope for a go-to option.

A former second-round pick in 2014, Hyde has only one triple-digit outing to his name. As a rookie, he was stuck behind Frank Gore, the franchise’s all-time rushing leader. He opened last season by rushing for 168 yards against the Vikings — but added only another 302 before a foot injury robbed him of his last nine games.

The 6-foot, 235-pound back returned from a concussion this week, and is likely itching to show what he can do as a No. 1 tailback.

“He’s not a guy you have to get off the field on third down,” Kelly said. “He’s great in blitz pickup. He’s also a threat to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. When you defend Carlos, you have to defend everything.”

Rams lineman Aaron Donald small in stature, huge in impact

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/donald-728420-defensive-tackle.html

IRVINE – Since the advent of the forward pass, conventional knowledge dictates a pass rush should be built from the outside. For decades, that meant the NFL’s most feared defenses were crafted around freakish defensive ends or rush linebackers, most of whom appeared predisposed to terrorize quarterbacks. Glory – and glamorous paychecks – were earned collecting gaudy sack totals. Sack artists, they were so glowingly labeled.

Just a few feet inside, meanwhile, their counterparts at defensive tackle were often cast as oversized workmen, plugging rush gaps and forcing double teams, toiling away in relative obscurity. They were almost always paid less. Rarely were they counted on to get after the quarterback.

On the all-time, single-season sacks list, only three defensive tackles crack the post-merger top 50. From 2003-12, the position was even more bereft of pass-rushers: Only six defensive tackles tallied double-digit sack totals in a season during that stretch, while 40 defensive ends reached that mark.

At the outset of the 2016 season, though, that balance of power on the defensive line might finally be shifting inside. In March 2015, the Dolphins made defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL with a six-year, $114.375 million deal. The Buccaneers and Bills also locked up their own interior weapons in Gerald McCoy and Marcell Dareus, respectively, signing them each to deals of $95 million or more.

This June, the mega-deals continued, as the Eagles’ contract extension with Fletcher Cox surpassed nine figures – and included about $4 million more in guaranteed money than Suh’s deal. After years of anonymity, the interior renaissance finally is upon us.

As it stands, five of the nine biggest NFL contracts on defense belong to defensive tackles. But still missing in that group is the most feared interior rusher in all of the NFL, who – at 25 years old, with only a $2.7 million cap hit – might very well redefine the defensive tackle position as we know it.

“The game has changed,” says Aaron Donald, that rare talent who over the course of two seasons, 20 sacks, and an endless highlight-reel of nightmare-inducing bullrushes, has almost singlehandedly turned the Rams into a defensive force.

It’s the final week of his third training camp with the Rams, and on the practice field in Irvine, Donald is explaining just how an undersized defensive tackle became the new prototype at a position once defined by size and brute strength.

“It’s more of a speed game now,” he says. “There’s a lot more zone schemes, a lot more running sideways. You can be a guy who’s 285 and 6-foot-1, as long as you can hold a double-team sometimes and do your job.”

Of course, to suggest that Donald wouldn’t succeed in a different era is to ignore everything he has demonstrated in his two seasons. His speed on the interior is unmatched. His strength is akin to that of a much larger, bulkier tackle, even after he cut his body fat percentage below 10 percent in the offseason. He easily slices through double teams.

Quite simply, Donald is as close to unstoppable as one finds in the NFL. And as an already-pass-heavy league continues to evolve in his favor, football’s new prototype in the middle is ready to wreak havoc on NFL offenses, and – in due time – take that havoc to the bank.

* * *

The first time Mike Waufle sat across from Donald in his office, the Rams defensive line coach told his first-year defensive tackle something he’d never, in 14 years of coaching, considered telling another NFL rookie. But after playing and replaying Donald’s highlights from Pitt, watching him win every collegiate defensive award, obliterate his competition at the Senior Bowl, and then, run the fastest 40-yard dash for a defensive tackle at the combine since 2000 (4.68), it was clear Donald required a different approach.

That Donald fell all the way to 13th overall, where the Rams had been waiting with their second first-round pick of the 2013 draft, was no less than a miracle to Waufle. Unlike others, he was not deterred in the slightest by Donald’s “undersized” frame. As an assistant with the Raiders and Giants, he routinely used smaller, quicker linemen on the interior. With the Giants, he once used 263-pound end Justin Tuck as a nose tackle during the team’s Super Bowl run.

In his office, Waufle looked his rookie straight in the eye: “I’m going to say a lot of things in this room,” he told him. “However, I do not want you to listen to one word I say. Just play like you did in college.”

Still, Donald asked Waufle to cut up highlights of Vikings Hall of Famer John Randle and other great, undersized defensive lineman such as Warren Sapp of the Bucs and La’Roi Glover of the Saints, both of whom stood 6-foot-2. Donald studied the film obsessively.

Such obsession is part of his personality, he explains. From high school into college, he was so determined to become a pingpong virtuoso that he played for hours on end, challenging anyone willing to play – coaches, teammates, strangers. “It was non-stop,” he says. But it worked. As one episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” showed, Donald is an exceptional pingpong player.

In training camp that fall, that thirst to be the best was instantly clear. The Rams offensive line couldn’t block him. During his first week, nose tackle Michael Brockers remembers sitting down to casually watch Donald’s college highlights on YouTube that first week. He ended up consuming all 14 minutes.

By October, Donald announced his presence to the entire league. In a Week 7 win over the Seahawks, he burst through the line and body-slammed running back Marshawn Lynch in the backfield for a violent 5-yard loss. Teammates were stunned.

“I remember thinking then this might be the best football player I’ve ever seen,” defensive end William Hayes says.

Donald was named Rookie of the Year and followed that with a more dominant 2015 season. He tallied 11 sacks – already startling for a defensive tackle – though, he almost certainly could have had more. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald hit or hurried quarterbacks 37 times last season – 14 more than any other defensive tackle.

In an increasingly pass-heavy league, Donald’s size – or lack thereof – has become one of his greatest assets. At 6-foot-1, he has a lower center of gravity than most defensive tackles, which allows him to get under an offensive lineman’s pads easier than the likes of Brockers, his interior counterpart, who stands five inches taller. In addition, his fast first step makes it nearly impossible for linemen to keep their footing in front of him.

“It’s all about leverage and speed,” Waufle said. “He has a whole lot of both.”

He also has an advantage in Waufle, whose career has been tailored to exploit such a unique skillset. Waufle learned the nuances of defensive line play from respected assistant John Teerlinck, who helped popularize the 3-technique defensive tackle with John Randle in the 1990s. Like Donald, Randle was 6-foot-1, and as Waufle enters Year 3 with his transcendent young tackle, he is using Teerlinck’s work with Randle as his guiding light. This season, Donald will move around even more on the Rams’ line. He might even rush off the edge.

Donald insists he’s more comfortable in that role as this season begins. He’s quicker. His understanding of the scheme is more complex. His pass-rushing technique has improved. He promises he should get to the quarterback even more often in 2016.

“He’s the best defensive player in football,” Hayes said. “That’s the reality, and I don’t think it’s even really that close. He’s just different. Different than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

* * *

Most of the NFL’s best defensive tackles are still towering, 300-pound behemoths. The five highest-paid players at the position stand at least 6-foot-3 and weigh at least 295 pounds.

But with Donald, that is destined to change. The 2018 season, once his option is picked up, will be the final year of his rookie contract. Before then, the Rams will almost certainly offer Donald a contract that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, one that could eclipse six years and $120 million.

Such a deal would fall just short of the deal handed to Andrew Luck by the Colts this offseason – a significant investment in any non-quarterback, let alone a defensive tackle. In Donald’s case, though, he looks to be worth it.

Until then, he will keep studying film of past undersized greats, gleaning as many details as he can.

“When you talk about 3-techs – the John Randles, the Warren Sapps, the La’Roi Glovers – I want my name in that conversation,” Donald said. “I’ve got a lot more work to do, but that’s my mindset. I want to be great.”

In the Rams’ own building, one of those greats has watched closely over his first two years in the NFL. A four-time All-Pro with the Saints at just 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, Glover, now the Rams’ director of player engagement, has offered his advice to Donald on occasion, one undersized defensive tackle to another.

But as Waufle understood, Glover isn’t sure how much he can really teach Donald, either. After watching these last two dominant seasons, in fact, he wonders if Donald might already be on a level of his own – an undersized but overpowering nightmare at tackle, with the capability of changing how defenses value the interior.

“I’m not afraid to say it,” Glover said. “He has the potential to be the best ever.”

bnw wrote:

By the mid ’90s pipes with holes running the length were found to do just as good a job and were practically maintenance free.

Mine have the pipes.

from Practice Report 9/8

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Practice-Report-98-Keenum-Ready-for-1st-Opening-Day-Start/453e9430-31ca-4222-8d48-5034f331be18

— Aside from Keenum, running back Todd Gurley, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, linebacker Alec Ogletree, and punter Johnny Hekker have been named the Rams’ captains for 2016. Hekker is the only returning captain for the club.

— The Rams somewhat made waves by releasing presumed starting strongside linebacker, Akeem Ayers, in the final round of cuts. Though Fisher appeared to leave the door open for Ayers’ return, the linebacker has since signed with the Colts.

As Fisher explained on Thursday, the Rams were slated to be playing with two linebackers and five defensive backs more often than not regardless of who else was on the roster.

“As you know, we face a lot of three wide-receiver offenses,” Fisher said. “So, it’s two linebackers and it’s five DBs or six DBs. So teams aren’t normally starting with that group, and what teams like to do to us is spread us out and get rid of the football.”

Still, Fisher said he’s been pleased with what he’s seen from the rookies at linebacker, Josh Forrest and Cory Littleton.

“It’s just a matter of time before they’ll see live defensive snaps,” Fisher said.

— For a pair of minor roster moves, the Rams waived linebacker Nic Grigsby and signed cornerback Steve Williams. Williams is a former fifth-round pick of the Chargers who made two interceptions and two forced fumbles for San Diego last year. The cornerback was waived on Sunday.

L.A. also released running back Terrance Magee from its practice squad and signed offensive lineman David Arkin to the group.

— For the first injury report of the 2016 season, linebacker Bryce Hager (concussion) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (foot) both participated in practice on a limited basis. Cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh), wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (shoulder), and wide receiver Nelson Spruce (knee) all did not participate in the session.