joemad wrote:

ZN, I had tried that during the game too, but it didn’t work either.

Recent OS upgrade on my iPhone maybe that’S why..

Okay. Sorry about that, we missed you.

I take it as a game reaction thread regardless of content. If everyone who wanted to vent after a loss started a thread we would have exactly the kind of mess other boards avoid by doing exactly what I am doing…saying, don’t start a series of separate vent threads after a loss.

I will just delete them next time.

Not arguing about this b. No multiple vent threads after a loss.

PA Ram wrote:

Yes–Keenum threw 4 picks. To be fair they were not all on him. If this offense didn’t have to rely on Keenum to win he’d be fine. He is the game manager type of QB we’ve talked about–but if all the weight is on him—forget it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was SUPPOSED to go through Gurley. But some passes were certainly horrible today.

I think that’s a very fair summary

does that (what I posted) work for you? better to find out now, right?

Winnbrad wrote:

Yeah probably. But so were the Saints in 2009. I’m fine with “the dirtiest team”. I’m tired of a “losing team”.

How are you doing, Winn?

…

Practice Report 10/20: Keeping the Offense Humming

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1020-Keeping-the-Offense-Humming/021097cc-2826-433f-a503-e9ddb35b281b

BAGSHOT, Surrey, England — When playing an NFL game, it’s hard to keep track of big-picture events that may or may not be going on. That’s exactly what happened on Sunday when quarterback Case Keenum set a new franchise record for consecutive completions against Detroit.

“Nobody knew how well he was doing until after the game and we found out he completed 19 straight,” offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said Wednesday. “He didn’t even know it, and he’s the one throwing them.”

“I think he was just in a rhythm,” tight end Lance Kendricks said. “I think he was feeling it. And I think we were all just confident in the game plan. We knew what our assignment was and we just kind of went out there and executed. We knew we had to hold our own.”

Jim Everett found receivers 18 straight times against the Giants in 1989, meaning Keenum and the offense took down a 27-year-old record. When it was all said and done, the Houston product completed 20 consecutive passes en route to becoming the Rams’ first 300-yard passer since early in the 2014 season.

“He got very comfortable,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said on Wednesday. “The game slowed down for him. Nineteen consecutive completions is hard to do, and he did it.”

The quarterback’s performance translated to a strong offensive day for Los Angeles, which the club will look to replicate this weekend against the Giants. According to Keenum, the Rams’ strong preparation was key to the offensive unit’s ability to consistently go up and down the field. L.A. recorded 23 first downs, matching their strong output from Week 5 against the Bills.

“I think we were well prepared. I think the coaches did a great job preparing us. Guys are playing hard,” Keenum said. “I thought I gave guys chances to make plays down the field. Obviously, the guys did a lot more than they didn’t.”

The last two games of strong offensive outputs, however, have not translated to victories. And that is certainly in part because of turnovers. When the Rams have finished the game ahead or even in the turnover margin this season, they’ve won. When they’re behind, they’ve lost.

Though Keenum threw an interception inside the last two minutes on Sunday, Fisher did not express much concern over Los Angeles’ final possession.

“He’s shrugged things off,” Fisher said. “This game didn’t need to come down to a two-minute drive to kick a field goal, or try to tie. Case, in his mind, he was expecting to put the ball in the end zone. So, he tried to make the throw, and they made the play.”

Nevertheless, Keenum said he and the offense have to do a better job of ending games on a high note. The quarterback had previously lamented the unit’s inability to move the ball on its penultimate drive that began with about six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But finishing such a strong game with an interception appears to leave a bad taste in Keenum’s mouth, too.

“Obviously, we’ve got to finish,” Keenum said. “To have the ball in your hands, with a chance to tie or win the game, with a minute and a half left, you’ve got to do that in this league. It’s something I want to do, and I know I can do, and I know this team can do. Offensively, I think it’s something that we’re going to pride ourselves on and win a lot of games in the future with that stuff.”

As for this week’s matchup, Keenum will face a somewhat unique situation in going against cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Rams before signing with the Giants in March. This year, Jenkins leads the Giants with two interceptions and seven passes defensed through six games.

Running the scout team for the majority of the 2015 season, Keenum threw in Jenkins’ direction practically every day in order to prepare him for opponents.

“But you know, we’re a year different,” Keenum said. “Scout team’s obviously a little different going against a guy. It’s a different defense, a different scheme. He’s a great player and he’s showing up on film. It’s no surprise. But we got to know where he is at all times.”

“I’ve got great respect for some of the top corners in the league, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone playing better than he is right now,” Fisher said Thursday of Jenkins. “He’s got a lot of PBUs … and he’s tackling well, he’s running well — looks like he’s in great shape.”

On the whole, Fisher said the Rams will be challenge playing a Giants’ group of DBs that has been on the upswing.

“Their secondary is playing well together,” Fisher said. “They’re flying around, not giving up a lot of points. So we’re going to have to be on par offensively.”

Aaron Donald’s modest persona obscures crazy talent

Gregg Rosenthal

LONDON — Twelve miles from Windsor Castle in the Surrey countryside, the Los Angeles Rams practiced American football this week in the home of England Rugby. Yet it might as well have been a New Jersey sports bar with all the questions about Odell Beckham Jr.

The fascination with the Giants receiver is understandable. He’s a transformative talent who sells. The fascination is also a shame because an equally excellent player quietly roams these very grounds at Pennyhill Park past the tasteful portraits, fireplaces and ivy walls. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, drafted the pick after Beckham in 2014, has already arrived as the league’s most dominant defensive force.

Quiet greatness

Donald is hardly an NFL secret. He backed up his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign with a 2015 season that ranks among any season authored by a defensive player since the turn of the century, including Darrelle Revis (at his peak) and J.J. Watt.

So what makes him so good?

“Pound for pound, he can generate more power than most anyone in the National Football League,” Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle said. “He may not have the height but he has the arm length of a 6-foot-5 man. [Donald is an even 6-1.] The strength level is phenomenal. You gotta remember, this guy ran a [4.68] 40 at the combine. The combination of strength, speed and power is the physical part.

“The mental part of it is … We share a meeting room. When I come in, I want to prepare for my meetings. I’m a teacher and I want to prepare my classroom. And I always have to wait for him to get done because he beats me into the classroom.”

There is a general understanding that Donald is a great player. But he still doesn’t get the true national attention and respect as one of the league’s truly transcendent talents. That lack of recongition can be boiled down to three reasons:

1) He’s low-key.

Donald’s not going to give a salacious quote. As laid back off the field as he is ferocious on it, Donald is visibly uncomfortable talking about himself. He steers the conversation back to his team. He talks about what he needs to do better and how early he is in his football journey. Asked to explain to a British audience what makes him so good, Donald wouldn’t bite.

“I’m just a football player. I’m just a guy. There’s nothing special about me,” Donald said Thursday.

If Beckham’s off-field image feels calculated, then Donald’s lack of image is calculated in its own way, too. He doesn’t need the adulation, much less seek it out. There are stories of Donald punishing himself in the weight room just days after the regular season ended. There are stories of Donald throwing down three different opponents on a single play. He’s just not going to be the one to tell you those stories.

Half the questions to Rams coach Jeff Fisher at Thursday’s press conference were about Beckham, in large part because of the Giants receiver’s erratic behavior on the field and his persona off it. You get the sense Donald likes it that way.

“[Beckham’s] an offensive player. It’s an offensive league,” Donald said.

2) His best plays don’t show up in the box score.

The amount of pressure Donald creates from defense tackle laps the competition. Pro Football Focus, which graded Donald the best player in football last year at any position has Donald down for 35 pressures in 2016. The next-closest interior lineman has 23. (A pressure can be a sack, QB hit or hurry.) While Donald only has three sacks this season, he’s more than doubling all other defensive tackles in QB hits.

“I don’t think words can explain what he does for our defense,” cornerback E.J. Gaines said in awe. “I’m just excited to be on the same field as him.”

What stands out from watching Donald’s snaps on Game Pass are the plays he deletes without ever showing up in the box score. A quarterback will rush a throw incomplete or give up on a play when he sees Donald coming. His hits and hurries force mistakes. So many of the plays in the video below are examples of him demolishing a down without getting any conventional credit for it.

Most great defensive linemen aren’t equally great in every situation. Donald is just as effective on third-and-long as he is on first-and-goal. While most defensive linemen love taking down the quarterback best, Donald told me he takes just as much pride in his run-stopping ability.

The stats back him up. Donald’s 21 tackles for a loss on rushing plays since the start of last year are the most at any position. PFF ranked him as the league’s best pass rusher and run stuffer last year at defensive tackle, a feat he’s nearly repeating this season. (He’s currently No. 3 in run defense and leads pass rushing by a mile.)

He is an advanced metrics darling, which doesn’t exactly raise his profile nationally. That brings us to our third reason he’s been overlooked: The jersey he wears.

3) He played for a mediocre team in St. Louis.

The Rams moving to Los Angeles should result in a larger profile for Donald. At least that’s what Waufle believes:

“We’re in L.A. now, not St. Louis. Just give him time.”

The only problem with that theory: The Rams still need to get better around Donald. There’s only going to be so much attention on a defensive tackle on a team that is dealing with the same 7-9 bull—-, no matter where they play.

The fourth quarter of last week’s game against Detroit was a great example of Donald’s uphill battle. In a tight game where the Rams cornerbacks were embarrassed — short two defensive line starters — Donald did everything humanly possible to close the game out.

He hit Matthew Stafford, forcing an incompletion. He had a sack that was overturned by a teammate’s penalty. He stuffed Lions running back Justin Forsett short of the sticks on second-and-1. He hit Stafford again. In a play that can only be properly enjoyed with coaches film, he tossed aside a double team and then grabbed Forsett from behind like an afterschool bully who won’t let some poor freshman get by him. All these plays happened on one drive.

By the time Donald sacked Stafford in a tie game with under two minutes left, I expected the DT to shout to the heavens: “What more do you want from me?!”

Asked about the sequence this week, Donald only expressed regret he couldn’t do more. That’s the trick about being an interior defensive lineman. Sometimes you can only do so much. (See: J.J. Watt’s season on a 2-14 team.) The Lions still hit a long field goal after Donald’s sack. Rams quarterback Case Keenum threw an interception on the ensuing drive. Donald needs more help and there is some reason to believe he’ll get it in London.

A breakout in London?
All of Donald’s hits should start turning into sacks soon enough, with the return of teammate Robert Quinn at defensive end helping matters greatly.

It was almost comical to watch how much opponents geared their game plans around Donald the last three weeks in Quinn’s absence.

“I’ve just been getting a lot of attention,” Donald said. “Lot of double teams, a lot of slide protection. It’s going to come. I haven’t had that big game yet this year with three or four sacks, but it’s going to come.”

Waufle echoed the same point.

“You can’t hit a QB in the league and not have a penalty. So he’s hitting the quarterback. You’re talking microseconds. It’s not even a second he’s that far away. This game is funny. It can just like that,” Waulfe said, snapping his fingers. “It can add up fast.”

With Quinn back facing the Giants’ shaky offensive tackles, New York will be forced to slide protection his way at times. Donald excelled even when Quinn was hurt last year, but the two players on the field at the same time offers a different dynamic. It was only three seasons ago that Quinn was the Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Watching the two pass rushers side by side makes running back Todd Gurley into a regular fanboy.

“It surprises me every game. It’s like ‘Damn, did they just do that?’ On third down, (Aaron) and Rob, it’s just ridiculous. It’s scary,” Gurley said.

Donald noted that his opponent Sunday, Giants right guard Justin Pugh, is a familiar foe from their college guys. Pugh has shorter arms and Donald expressed confidence in the matchup in the least trash-talking way possible.

That’s just Donald’s (lack of) style. Now in his third season, he’s on a trajectory to be another legendary Rams defensive lineman, updating the franchise’s proud Fearsome Foursome history in Los Angeles. Waufle believes that Donald is cut in the same mold of former Vikings defensive tackle John Randle and former Buc Warren Sapp, two other short defensive tackles who wound up in Canton.

Donald has the type of talent that doesn’t come along often, the type of talent Fisher calls “special” despite Donald’s protests, the type of talent that eventually will be recognized as that of the best defensive player in football. Waufle saw it from Day 1.

“The first meeting, I turned around and I said to him: ‘I’m going to say a lot of things in this classroom. Don’t listen to any of them. You just get lined up and you play like you play. I don’t want to change you one bit.’ “

NERam wrote:

Wow, the Rams kick 11 Field Goals?

Would that be a record setter?

Record for field goals by one team in a game: 8. Tennessee, 2007. http://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/most-field-goals-in-a-game/

Zooey wrote:

Do you keep three CBs that are very good so you have one in case another gets injured? Or do you keep two good CBs with cheaper depth and allot your resources to somewhere else?

I suspect that if not for the trade, they would have drafted a corner this year.

nittany ram wrote:

Interesting – they have the Rams offense ranked 21st and the defense ranked 8th. In both cases that’s better than what their stats (yards gained, points scored, etc) says they should be. They must use some nontraditional metric to rank them.

Depends. I have been applying the “last 3 games” rule. It should be 4 games, but the site that does this only does the last 3, so I either go with their numbers or do all the math myself.

According to the “last 3 games” rule, the offense is 19th in yards and 22nd in points. (And quite good in some other areas: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/last-3-games-metric-offense/ ).

Example:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/third-down-conversion-pct

The justification for doing this is that they actually did get better on offense after the 1st 2 games. Therefore, arguably, season-long averages (consisting of 6 games so far) don’t give you the real picture. (Whether this lasts is another story.)

On defense though it’s a different story.

Last 3 games: 21st in yards, 22nd in points. So like you I don’t know where “8th” comes from.

.

This week’s Rams opponent: Giants

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161019/this-weeks-rams-opponent-giants

The Rams haven’t faced the Giants since December 2014, but they’ll see a few familiar faces this Sunday in London.

New York signed cornerback Janoris Jenkins this offseason, rewarding him with a five-year contract worth up to $62.5 million after he spent the first four years of his career in St. Louis. He has seven passes defensed to go along with two interceptions, and Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that the former second-round pick is playing as well as any corner in the league.

That the Giants successfully pried Jenkins away from the Rams — who exercised their franchise tag on Trumaine Johnson — also delayed the arrival of another cornerback.

Coty Sensabaugh arrived in Los Angeles this offseason on a three-year contract worth up to $15 million, and was drawn to the Rams in part because of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, whom he had played for in Tennessee.

In doing so, Sensabaugh had spurned the Giants, the first team to contact him in free agency. Part of the reason? Jenkins’ presence.

But his stint in Southern California lasted a month into the regular season. The Rams benched Sensabaugh in the middle of his second game, deactivated him for his fourth, and cut him shortly thereafter. That freed him up to join the Giants, who signed him last Tuesday.

“Ironically, I ended up being here,” he told local reporters recently.

WHO’S COACHING THE GIANTS?

Even two Super Bowl rings only buy you so much time.

The Giants forced out Tom Coughlin this past offseason, ending a tenure that produced two championships over 12 years. Despite those thrilling peaks — including an upset of the then-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII — that span featured just six winning seasons, and ended with back-to-back 6-10 records.

His successor is Ben McAdoo, the 39-year-old who is getting his first shot as a head coach. Promoted after two years as the Giants offensive coordinator, McAdoo provides schematic consistency for quarterback Eli Manning, who is coming off the best statistical season of his 13-year career.

BY THE NUMBERS

35 — TD passes thrown by Manning in 2015, tied for second in the NFL

8 — TD passes thrown by Manning this season, tied for 12th in the NFL

420.3 — Yards per game allowed by the Giants defense in 2015, most in the league

363.7 — Yards per game allowed by the Giants defense this season, 14th-most in the league

114 — Millions of dollars that the Giants guaranteed to four free-agent signings on defense

1 — Sacks by Olivier Vernon, who signed a five-year contract worth up to $85 million

PLAYER TO WATCH

Barring a surprise recovery, the Rams will be without top cornerback Trumaine Johnson for the second week in a row.

That’s particularly worrisome given their looming matchup against Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the two-time Pro Bowler who broke out of a slow-ish start to the season with 222 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. But Beckham might not be the Rams’ only concern. New York could very well try to pick on cornerback Troy Hill rather than E.J. Gaines — a tactic that could mean big numbers for Sterling Shepard or Victor Cruz.

Drafted 40th overall out of Oklahoma, Shepard is currently the most targeted rookie receiver in the NFL, and has turned his 26 catches into 302 yards and two scores.

In last week’s 31-28 loss to Detroit, the Rams gave up just 10 receiving yards to Marvin Jones — who entered the game as the league’s leading receiver — but allowed 165 to Golden Tate.

WHAT DID HE SAY?

“I’m sure there’ll be some naps.”

— Manning, on the Giants changing their body clocks before flying to London on Thursday

Rams hoping plush resort in English countryside proves therapeutic

Bonsignore

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-732595-games-game.html

LONDON – It seems almost fitting the Rams ended up at the sprawling 123-acre Penny Hill Hotel during their week-long stay in England in preparation for their game against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Nestled in a perfectly British park side about an hour outside of London, the elegant, ivy-clad hotel sits amid a thick, woodsy area that provides seclusion and serenity.

Its origins trace back to the early 1600s. Over the years, British dignitaries such as Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Sir Lyndsey Byron Peters KBE have called the impressive main quarters home.

These days, it’s a popular Great British Holiday destination, a plush spa and resort folks retreat to to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.

In other words, it’s the perfect place for the Rams to retire to for the next few days to rid themselves of the anger and frustration of a two-game losing streak that threatens to change their status from contender to pretender.

“Being here at Penny Hill has been a great experience for us,” safety T.J. McDonald said.

Maybe even therapeutic.

“We didn’t like the way we played last week,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “This week is about putting that behind us and playing better.”

And perhaps in the process, re-discover the mojo that served them so well through a three-game winning streak and their best start to a season in more than a decade.

“Going out there and finishing games,” is how Ogletree summed it up.

The Rams weren’t dominant during their early-season surge, just well timed. Where consistency eluded them, bursts of brilliance saved them. They preserved three straight victories with closing-second heroics, and in doing so created a vibe and positivity that escaped them for years.

“When you don’t know how to finish games you tend to lose a lot of games,” Ogletree said. “Most games are settled by three points or less. If you’re not able to finish games it’s tough to win in this league.

As quickly as the Rams found that ability, it seemingly escaped them.

The tables now tuned, they suffered bitter back-to-back losses to the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

They played well offensively against the Lions, with career games from Case Keenum and Kenny Britt and more running-game efficiency then at any point this year.

But when it counted most, the Rams offense couldn’t mount a drive to put the Lions away and the defense wasn’t able to protect a 10-point lead.

And they lost a game they played well enough to win.

The resulting chagrin accompanied them across the Atlantic.

“It was a tough flight out here,” McDonald said. “We hold each other to high standards. That wasn’t acceptable to us. We’re definitely refocused and coming out here with a sense of urgency.”

Their ability to undress themselves of the lingering disappointment might be the determining factor in this trip being a tipping point or a much-needed re-boot.

“You definitely don’t want to dwell on it but you also don’t want to forget about it so you don’t let it happen again,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “We learned from it, now we’re moving forward.”

That’s now mandatory rather that obligatory.

The Rams return to California in four days facing a bye week.

The hope two weeks ago was to hit the break backed by a swell of momentum that would carry them through the second half of the season. Maybe to a division title. Or a playoff berth.

The objective now is to reach it walking upright rather than wounded and limping.

To do so, the Rams have to get back to where they were.

“The same thing we’ve been doing, but just focusing more and getting back to what we’ve been doing,” Ogletree said.

Ironic then, it might require traveling 5,500 miles away to find their way back.

But as they returned to the practice field after taking Tuesday off, the Rams appeared ready to put the last two weeks behind them.

“It was a good day to get back out here and get back into the flow of things,” McDonald said. “Just getting back out here on the grass, it feels good.”

McDonald was surrounded by the comforting cover of thick woods, plush green trees and 123 acres of tranquility.

It was wonderfully British. And positively soothing.

And maybe, just maybe, the perfect place for the Rams to discard the dismay and disgruntlement of the last two frustrating weeks.