Nick Foles, LA Rams do each other a favor

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160727/nick-foles-la-rams-do-each-other-a-favor

IRVINE >> The Rams cut quarterback Nick Foles on Wednesday in a move that, apparently, can be considered an act of mercy.

Oh, no, not for Foles, who reportedly asked for his release. Rather, the team evidently was looking out for the rest of us, the Rams already showing how deeply they care about their new fans.

Even before the veterans officially began checking in for the start of training camp here, the team sliced its roster by one, slicing being among the most effective ways to remove a wart.

Personally, I have only limited knowledge of how Foles played last season, since last season for the Rams happened in St. Louis.

But Kevin Patra, who writes for the NFL’s website, had a better view, and he definitely didn’t like what he saw.

In his report on the Foles transaction, Patra detailed how inaccurate the quarterback was in 2015, how Foles struggled reading defenses and how he “made mind-numbingly terrible decisions and was annoyingly obnoxious to watch.”

And I ask you, would a responsible professional sports franchise subject an otherwise wholesome market to such offensive images?

The Rams, more than six weeks before their first real game, should receive some sort of civic services award.

Patra concluded his story by predicting that, given the NFL’s lack of quality quarterbacks, “even Foles’ terrible game tape won’t stop him from finding work.”

Though it wasn’t specifically noted, I think we can safely assume that Patra then vomited on his laptop.

As a columnist, I have to admit I’m a little saddened by the Rams’ latest personnel decision. Sounds like Foles could have provided fodder for a season’s worth of epic rip jobs.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had the chance to describe someone was being “annoyingly obnoxious to watch,” and I witnessed nearly every one of Josh Hamilton’s at-bats with the Angels.

Of course, Foles wasn’t likely to play for the Rams this season, coach Jeff Fisher having benched him last year and the team using the No. 1 pick in the draft on Jared Goff.

In an ideal world, Goff will emerge this summer as the Rams starter, lead the team to an undefeated season and then win the Super Bowl by throwing for 600 yards and eight touchdowns, a performance made all the more amazing by the fact that, en route to being named the title game’s MVP, Goff never stopped playing Pokemon Go.

Naturally, things are unlikely to unfold so ideally for the Rams, although the questions about the pressure to succeed immediately arrived at training camp this week only minutes after the players did.

It was the second question, to be precise, to the first player the team made available to the media on Tuesday afternoon, when the Rams’ rookies reported to UC Irvine.

“This is my (first) year, so I can’t really say too much about all that,” wide receiver Pharoh Cooper explained. “We’re just going to go out there and try to win as many games as we can.”

I love this parochially charming notion that the Rams, by moving from St. Louis to Southern California, somehow now face the burden of immensely increased expectations.

Yeah, around here we never would stand for the Dodgers going without a World Series title since 1988. Or the Lakers being worse than they’ve ever been. Or the Angels having their poorest season in years.

Or the Clippers never advancing beyond the second round of the playoffs. Or the Ducks annually failing to win a Game 7 at home.

In St. Louis, the Rams only had to worry about being compared to the NHL’s Blues and baseball’s Cardinals, a franchise that hardly ever wins in the postseason, particularly against the Dodgers.

Yet, win-now will be a popular theme for the Rams with the local media, just like the suggestion that — with this being glitzy, star-driven L.A. — Goff absolutely has to be the starter sooner than later.

See, we’re entirely too sophisticated and demanding to accept faceless, boring Case Keenum as our quarterback, an idea that conveniently forgets that, the last time the Rams played locally, their starter was Chris Miller.

As it is, at least one of the Rams is entering training camp talking like a potential glitzy star. Rookie wide receiver Mike Thomas certainly didn’t sound like a sixth-round pick this week.

“I’m very confident, 100-percent confident,” he said. “You gotta be 100-percent confident in this game. If you don’t have enough confidence, you’re going to play like you have no confidence.”

Or, maybe even worse, you’re going to play like Nick Foles, whose “mind-numbingly terrible decisions” are mercifully and rightly someone else’s problems now.

This is Southern California, you know, where, whenever necessary, anything lacking can be surgically enhanced. Even our expectations.

Countdown to Camp 2016 – Defensive Line

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Countdown-to-Camp-2016—Defensive-Line/5eebbe6e-f912-48c2-8be8-9dbcb456e303

We’re down to three days in our Countdown to Camp series and today we’re taking a look at Los Angeles’ defensive line. If you’ve got a question about our next position group, running backs, be sure to submit it via Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments below.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Newcomers: Quinton Coples, Dominique Easley, Cam Thomas, Morgan Fox, Ian Seau

The Rams’ defensive line is home to a man quickly emerging as one of the league’s most impactful players in Aaron Donald. While there have been some departures in the club’s D-line rotation, Los Angeles has reloaded its depth in order to continue to have one of the most ferocious lines in the league.

Donald’s 2015 campaign was, in a word, outstanding. He led all defensive tackles with 11.0 sacks — just a half-sack away from tying the Rams’ DT franchise record. He also led the team with 49 QB pressures and 29 QB hits. His first step is arguably faster than anyone else, which allows him to make so many plays behind the line of scrimmage. Expectations for Donald’s third year probably couldn’t be much higher, but he still has a chance to exceed them.

Defensive end Robert Quinn will look to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2015, finishing the season on IR. Despite issues with his hip and back, Quinn recorded 5.0 sacks in just eight games. He mainly did work on the side and in individual drills during OTAs. Los Angeles may continue to bring him along slowly to ensure there are not setbacks before Week 1.

Michael Brockers often does the dirty work along the interior of the line by taking up double teams, freeing up Donald next to him and the linebackers behind him to make plays on the ball. Because of that, much of Brockers’ value as a defensive tackle can’t necessarily be seen in box scores. Still, Brockers has 14.5 career sacks, including 3.0 last year.

At age 31, William Hayes is one of the oldest Rams — one of the few over the age of 30. Los Angeles re-signed the defensive end to a three-year deal in March. While he’s been a key rotational piece in the past, he’s started 21 games over the last two years, including the final 11 in 2015. Hayes was the most productive defensive lineman not named Donald last year with 5.5 sacks, 41 quarterback pressures, and two forced fumbles. He was particularly a force in the Week 16 victory at Seattle, in which he racked up two full and two half-sacks.

Eugene Sims filled in admirably for Quinn in 2015, starting nine games. He totaled 45 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed, and an interception in Week 17 at San Francisco. If Quinn is healthy, Sims slides back into being a key rotational piece for the defensive line, helping keep everyone fresh.

Two years after making the team as an undrafted free agent, Ethan Westbrooks returns for his third season with the Rams. He appeared in 13 games in 2015, registering 33 tackles and 2.0 sacks.

Defensive end Matt Longacre signed on with the Rams’ practice squad following the roster reduction at the end of the preseason, and was promoted to the active roster prior to the Rams’ Nov. 18 contest at Minnesota. He made 28 total tackles with six quarterback pressures and five QB hits.

Los Angeles signed three unrestricted free agents to bolster the depth along the line, two of whom are former first-round picks. In March, the Rams signed defensive end Quinton Coples, who spent his first few seasons with the Jets. New York selected him No. 16 overall in 2012, but cut Coples midway through 2015, and Miami claimed him. He’s registered 16.5 career sacks.

The Patriots cut 2014 first-round pick Dominique Easley in mid-April, and the Rams signed him about a month later. Easley has faced his share of injuries early on in his career, as he finished the season on IR for both his rookie and sophomore campaigns. But if he’s healthy, Easley can be a strong pass rushing force as a defensive tackle.

L.A. brought in defensive tackle Cam Thomas midway through OTAs on June 6. Originally selected by the Chargers in the fifth round in 2010, Thomas spent the past two years with the Steelers. He’s best described as a very large human — he’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 335 pounds — and looks like someone who can have success taking up double teams.

As for this year’s class of undrafted free agents, the Rams added Morgan Fox and Ian Seau to compete for roster spots. And while Louis Trinca-Pasat was on the practice squad last year, he was placed on IR during OTAs with a season-ending knee injury.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

@MylesASimmons Who will have the most sacks this year? Donald, Quinn, or even Hayes?

— Bruce Boyer (@pboss100) July 27, 2016
For the purposes of this hypothetical, let’s assume Quinn is completely healthy heading into the season.

It’s been a few years since Quinn recorded 19.0 sacks and seven forced fumbles. But because of his position, I’d say he’s the one poised to have the most sacks this year. What I mean by that is he’s someone who has the special skills to beat O-linemen and go after quarterbacks from the outside. Going against left tackles in one-on-one situations like he often does puts him at an advantage.

Now, Donald’s unique skill set makes this a legitimate question. He racked up 11.0 sacks from the inside, and that was largely without Quinn on the outside to garner attention from opposing offenses. Donald is so fast off the line and so good at using his leverage to split double teams that he can easily get in the face of quarterbacks before they’re ready to throw. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has also made a concerted effort to put Donald in more one-on-one pass-rushing situations. So while Quinn is probably best poised, Donald’s talent and work ethic mean there’s definitely a competition there.

As for Hayes, he can get after the passer, too. Last year, he was second on the team with 41 quarterback pressures and 5.5 sacks. The advantage of having a healthy Quinn and Donald would be that teams must focus on preventing those two from wreaking havoc in the backfield. And when that happens, then Hayes should get more opportunities to go one-on-one with offensive linemen. And many times, Hayes can win those matchups to get sacks.

It’s should be fun to watch Williams juggle the many pass rushers on his unit to get the most out of them.

—

I don’t know what if anything this means.

—

Nick Foles agreed to accept a lower guaranteed salary from the #Rams in 2016 to win his release and be free to sign with any team

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) July 27, 2016

wv wrote:

What are the ‘swing states’ btw? Ohio, Florida….what else?

w
v

Delaware. I think. Or…maybe it’s Puerto Rico?

People will always remember this day as being the end of the Foles Era.

Rams training camp opens with rookies reporting to UC Irvine

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-723582-rookies-goff.html

Crawford Field at UCI has been transformed into a temporary practice facility for the Rams. Rookies are scheduled to report Tuesday and begin practicing Wednesday.

It’s back-to-school time for the Rams’ rookies, and the syllabus appears rather daunting.

Just a few months after most of them left college, the Rams’ 27 rookies will move into UC Irvine campus housing Tuesday, then hit the field Wednesday for the first of their two practices before veterans arrive.

The big man on campus, naturally, will be quarterback Jared Goff, who made his name at another University of California school, the flagship in Berkeley. Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, has a secure roster spot but will attempt to win the starting job during camp.

The Rams last camped at UC Irvine in August 1994. Two months later, Goff was born, and in April 1995, the team moved to St. Louis. Now, 22 years later, the Rams have returned for five weeks of practice.

The rookies check in Tuesday and get a two-day head start on the veterans, who arrive Thursday in advance of the first full-team workout on Saturday. The youngsters will need to utilize every practice in order to show coaches they deserve to deserve a spot on the 53-man roster in early September.

Many of the rookies – six draft picks and 21 undrafted free agents – won’t survive the Aug. 30 first round of cuts, which will take the roster from 90 players to 75. Another 18 cuts will come Sept. 3, but that’s when the Rams can establish a 10-player practice squad and keep alive the NFL dreams of some rookies.

The vetting process already has begun. Most of these rookies were on the field in Oxnard, in May for a mini-camp and in June for full-team optional workouts. Some stood out while others made little impact.

The most intriguing battles might be at receiver and tight end, positions critical to Goff’s development.

Only five or six receivers are likely to be on the roster, and fourth-round pick Pharoh Cooper, a standout in OTA practices, looks like a good bet to earn a spot with veterans Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt.

That leaves two spots, and the question of whether returning receivers such as Brian Quick and Bradley Marquez can hold off rookies such as sixth-round pick Mike Thomas and undrafted free agents Marquez North, Nelson Spruce, Duke Williams and Paul McRoberts.

The Rams, who typically carry only three tight ends, drafted Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway this year, and already have Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey, who fills a fullback-tight end hybrid role. Higbee and Hemingway missed OTAs with injuries and need to make an early impact.

It will be a week of renewal for the Rams, who camped in Irvine from 1990-92, then again in 1994 (plus stops at Compton College, Loyola Marymount, University of Redlands, Chapman, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State).

Practices on Wednesday and Thursday are closed to fans and reporters. Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. session is the first one open to the public and will be followed by an autograph session.

It’s back-to-school day as Rams rookies report for training camp at UC Irvine

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-rookies-20160726-snap-story.html

As they arrived at UC Irvine on Tuesday afternoon, Rams rookies could not help finding reminders of college.

They are pros now, preparing for their first NFL training camp, but the dorm-style apartments and campus buildings took them back to university experiences that ended several months ago.

“I thought I left college,” tight end Temarrick Hemingway, a sixth-round draft pick from South Carolina State, said while laughing, “but it seems like we’re right back at it.

“So I guess I need my textbooks and should start studying for my chemistry test.”

Hemingway and other rookies said they mainly had been studying their playbooks in preparation for the start of camp, which includes rookie walk-throughs and practices in the days leading up to Saturday’s first full-squad public workout.

Quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was not made available to the media Tuesday. He arrived about 45 minutes before other rookies and was greeted by a crew from the “Hard Knocks” television show as he checked in, a team employee said.

The campus residential facilities do not include air-conditioned suites. Goff purchased fans for all of the offensive players and coaches, a team spokesman said, as the Rams hunker down for about six weeks of camp at a campus that last hosted the franchise in 1994.

Some veteran players were present but most are scheduled to arrive Thursday or Friday for a training camp that will feature 16 practices open to the public.

The Rams also will hold an open scrimmage Aug. 6 at the Coliseum.

UC Irvine does not field a football team but the campus’ Crawford Field has served as a training site for the Rams, USC and other college and pro teams.

The facility for this year’s training camp features two fields surrounded on three sides by bleachers capable of seating about 6,000 fans.

The Rams have set up their locker room and training room facilities next to the campus aquatics complex, only a short walk from the practice fields.

Fans can park at a structure just beyond the right-field fence of the baseball stadium, and then walk to the practice fields. (Parking fees and information: http://www.parking.uci.edu/rams/parkingpasses.cfm).

Receiver Pharoh Cooper and tight end Tyler Higbee said they were among a group of players who had been training the last few weeks with Goff and veteran quarterback Case Keenum in Westlake Village, where Nelson Spruce, an undrafted receiver from Colorado, played in high school.

Cooper, a fourth-round pick from South Carolina, impressed coaches and teammates during organized team activities in June.

Asked to rate his anxiety level heading into training camp, he chuckled and said “10 out of 10.”

But Cooper sounded as if he were ready to pick up where he left off.

“This is the real deal right here,” he said, adding, “OTAs, you kind of go in there nervous, coming right out of college, trying not to mess up.

“Now it’s training camp. The confidence level is high, you know the playbook. You know you can start running full speed, get the pads on and start being physical with it.”

Notes

A limited number of single-game tickets for Rams home games at the Coliseum will go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, the team announced. The Rams have said they sold 70,000 season tickets. They play exhibition games at home against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. Their regular-season home games are against the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. They are the home team for an Oct. 23 game against the New York Giants in London.

off the net from Saguaro

TA’s 10 TD’s and how they affected Ram games in 2015.

Game 1: With the Rams scoreless in the 1st Q, and trailing the Seahawks 7-0, Austin opens the 2nd Q with a 16 yard TD run for the Rams’ first score of the game and of the year. TA takes a run designed to go up the middle, sidesteps a defender in the backfield, cuts left and then just makes 3 Seahawk defenders look silly with his superior speed and maneuverability as he easily glides through them and into the endzone. Crowd goes wild and the Rams are back in it after a shaky start. Later in the game, 4:40 to go in the 3rd, Rams leading only by 4, Tavon receives a punt, follows two blockers left, then a fake to the middle that freezes the Seahawk defenders, cuts back left and following blocks, tightropes down the sideline for a 75 yard TD. In a game that went to OT, TA’s electrifying touchdowns were a winning factor.

Game 4: At the Cardinals, another big divisional rival game, and Austin again opens the scoring for the Rams with a nice cut and catch across the middle for a 12 yard TD. This puts the Rams up 7-0, and with the defense denying the Cardinals the endzone, it provided a nice cushion of confidence for the Rams, who never trailed in this pivotal road game. But with only 3:41 left in the 4th Q, the Rams were clinging to a 17-15 lead when Foles pump fakes and then hits a laid out flat Austin just as he sails across the goal line. A beautiful catch for 12 yards and the winning TD. The Cards scored again late, but it wasn’t enough thanks to Austin’s heroics.

Game 5: At GB, Tavon Austin scores the Rams’ only TD of the day, despite Gurley’s yards on the ground, in a frustrating loss.

Game 7: Rams win 27-6 over the 49ers. An easy laugher, right? Not when it was a defensive struggle at 13-6 late in the 2nd Q. Tavon takes an end around left to right and uses pure speed to race past two unblocked 49ers and stretches just enough for the pylon to get his first TD of the game. More offensive struggles ensue in the 2nd half until Tavon gathers in a short screen pass, squirts through 2 defenders and turns it into a 66 yard TD. Austin gets the Rams’ only score of the half, the last two of the game, and nails the 9er coffin shut.

Game 11: A bad day for the Rams, with TA’s 5 yard rushing TD the only score they could manage. It’s the same end around he ran against SF, and Cincinnati knew it was coming, but his speed to the corner was just too much for them on that play.

Game 14: Once again, TA opens the scoring for the Rams and for the game, taking a screen down the middle of the field through befuddled Buccaneers for a TD and a quick 7-0 start. The Bucs would never recover. In the 2nd half he added another 21 yard rushing TD, taking an end around to the right and cutting through multiple defenders to the end zone. This was another of those plays that few players besides Austin could have finished.

What do we see here? Austin gets the Rams going when the offense is stalled. They’re able to get TD’s out of him in close quarters or long, due to his speed and his elusiveness even when the redzone is crowded. TA had double TD’s in 4 games, and the Rams won all of those games. That’s 4 of their 7 wins, 3 of them against division rivals.

When the Rams get the ball into Austin’s hands, he can produce points that lead to wins.

Others have mentioned his decoy value, but I’d like to point out that on more than one occasion he made great downfield blocks for Gurley as well.

More touches, Jeff! More touches!

off the net from ramithard

Weekend at the Legends game

We arrived in town on Friday morning and checked into Lumiere Hotel/Casino…..went down to my favorite bars in La Clede’s Landing….Showme’s and Sundeckers….both closed:banghead…..walked to Big Daddy’s and bartender there said those bars have been closed for a year….also Jakes Steaks and about 4 others are shut down….very sad…

Everyone is at Ball Park Village now……we Ubered there and hung out at Brewhouse….lots of Dodger fans in the house….went up to our seats on Rooftop deck of Brewhouse…..great view and Cardinal fans were nice……this is the game we lost in the 16th inning….I went back to Big Daddy’s after 8th inning ,pretty drunk, thinking we had a win….my son stayed until the 14th inning….but I k new I wanted to get up early to get in line at Dome.

I walked over there with my items for signing at 8 AM .. hung over………doors were opening at 10
: 30……I was second in line, behind a guy and his Dad from Florida…it was there first time ever in STL…..the line started forming behind us by 9 o’clock….by 10 , there were about 500 in line …my girl and son showed up with the other things I had for signatures.

Doors opened and they took us down to the tunnel that Rams come out of onto field……the lobby filled up and they had to arrange 3 or 4 seperate lines…..trying to figure which people were ahead of who…. I heard some people complaining they got screwed…..but I was second, and they said they were going to send in 50 people at a time…..We were told that there were 4 players per table and to follow path around stadium, and not to cut across the field…..they let us in at 11:15 and I went straight to Bruce….he signed 5 things and I shook his hand…..I skipped a table that had Vermeil but he wasn’t there…went straight to Kurt…..he had just sat down and we were second to get to him….he signed five items and we told him we were from LA and he loved it….i asked him ” are you gunna win the game today against Bulger?….He said….” I don’t know, we shall see “…..I said ” What ? is the game rigged like the WWE?” he got a big laugh outta that..

Went to other tables and we were first at each….got autos from Proehl, Holt, Wilkins, Martz, Vermeil, Coady, MCCullom, Timmerman, Zgonnia, Bly, etc….was awesome…

At noon lines were crazy….probably 250 in the Warner line alone……..they had a running clock and once it hit 0:00… it was shut down ….and people were pissed….I heard a guy sitting behind me say he bought 4 of the $ 100 tickets…and he only got Warner’s auto on one item…he got there toooo late and he was pissed….

Game was fun…..but it was sad seeing all the former season ticket holders wearing their old Ram jerseys and knowing it was over….I felt bad….people were spread out around the Dome and I know they were season ticket holders , just sitting in their seats for the last time…it was also amazing to see the stuff they brought to get autographed….I’m talking full size 4′ x 5′ framed pictures, posters, Jerseys, footballs, everything with 99 Superbowl Champs you can imagine….you could tell they had this stuff hanging on their walls and wanted a special souvenir from a team that has gone…..talked to many fans, and when they found out we were from LA , they were very nice and wished us good luck…

…..I wore my LA Rams hat and shirt a few times and got a few double takes ….but people just laughed….wore them everywhere except to the Dome game…..one guy at the Arch said ” You’re sure trying to stir the pot ,huh “….and he laughed…

Didn’t have the energy to go to the Dodger game on Saturday night….nor the $$$$$…..got up Sunday and went to Caleco’s for lunch….then one last trip to the Arch….ended up getting drunk Sunday night at Joey B’s and Big Daddy’s……very emotional final walk back to the hotel….

Over 20 years and 22 visits later, it was over….Hard to believe…..love the STL.

wv wrote:

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

Feelings have often, if not mostly always, trumped facts
in elections.

Talking-feeling-monkeys.

Anyway, J.Oliver should give equal time to Hillary’s flaws.
crooked-narcissist-egomaniac-pro-corporate-Billionaire-Donald.
vs
Crooked-Neoliberal-pro-Corporate-empire-builder-hawk-Hillary.

Whats a talking-feeling monkey
to do?

w
v

The talking monkeys can begin by making the Donald list more realistically reflect the actual problems.

How about adding racist hyper-nationalist sexist lying demagogue who will appoint an anti-choice supreme court while lowering taxes on the upper brackets in an already inequality-mired economy.

For starters.

=============
No argument from me.

But then, the Hillary list could be longer too

w
v

The length of course is not as pertinent as what’s on it.

Yes Hillary represents the unenlightened coporatacratic status quo.

And..as paradoxical and ironic and dark humorish as it sounds, Trump represents a big regression from that. That will also still include that anyway.

So it;s like this.

A: We have 2 choices.
B: What’s the 1st choice.
A: Well we stay with the Roman empire and its hierarchical socio-economic system.
B: I see. What’s the 2nd choice.
A: The empire is overthrown and all its institutions destroyed by burnt earth hordes who practice human sacrifice and treat all outsiders as pagans to be tortured and slain.
B: Can I just join a monastery?
A: The hordes take particular delight in tormenting monasteries.
B: Hmm. Okay Let me think….

#Rams: No statement on Tre Mason until Saturday at earliest https://t.co/9fs6awzbPr

— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) July 26, 2016