off the net from ADonaldBeast

We destroy things, we are nasty, we have a chip on our shoulder, WE WANT TO F $$$ YOU UP!!!!

How many of you got chills when you heard this. Wow. Mike Waufle is officially my favorite ram coach. That was awesome. Watching this over and over again

off the net from bluecoconuts

Loved the extra work by Goff on the fades, he really showed off his redzone skills in the end.

Donald getting upset about Ping Pong was pretty funny.

My favorite line was about Goff taking snaps from under center. “Your knuckle needs to be in his icehole, get in there” with Kush responding “That’s what I told him!”

off the net from Ramsblood

Loved the Hard Knocks show tonight.

Our D- line, and shout out to coach Waffle, is going to strike fear in most any offense. Can’t wait for Donald-newfreak, Quinn, Hayes and company to destroy teams.

Gurley’s frikin hilarious and super talented.

The UDFA’ s need to learn how to swim.

That yoga instructor is HOT!!

Jeff Fisher needs to invite me to his Montana Ranch in between camps.

Donald is yolked. Can play a mean ping-pong.

off the net from A55VA6

high praise from Mike Singletary on Aaron Donald: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid like 99. I’ve NEVER seen a kid like him.”

Also, the bit we saw of Gurley – he looked freaking quick. He has a chance to be scary good this year. And Goff threw a few beautiful balls in that goal line drill

Rampage2K

Quick observations from Monday’s practice. I mostly focused on the QB’s and WR’s….they were in shells, so there wasn’t a full padded practice, but there was plenty of pads thumping.

This team looks bigger and quicker then last year.

WR’s look much better this year!!!

Groh is all over them….lots of coaching, barking and the occasional F bomb. I love it!!! A much needed shot in the arm to this group.

Goff has a rifle and very nice touch, in the one on one’s he looked great, but in the 11 on 11 he seemed to hold on to the ball way too long or just check it down.
Not too worried, it’s still very early…the defense has a huge advantage in shells anyway because the O-line cant go low and really block like the would in regular game.

Best looking QB in the 11 on 11 was Mannion…by far the most improved player on the team. Granted he was going against the 3’s, but he was the only one looking deep and dropping dimes.

it’s clear Case has been named the starter as he got all the 1’s, Goff 2’s and Mannion 3’s…. the other kid never even got in.

Quick, didn’t have a good practice…drop and a fumble on an end around. He might not make the team with all these youngsters hanging around. Hoping he can bounce back.

Duke Williams is a big kid!!! He looks the part that is for sure..If he has speed and learns how to run crisp routes…look out.

Britt had a great toe drag TD vs Tru on a dime in the back of the endzone from Goff in the 1 on 1 drills…. He also had a ball bounce off his chest on a quick slant in the 11 on 11.

The defense was dominant, as they should be…D-line is relentless and the DB’s are all over our WR’s. No worries in that dept. Stay healthy and they should make noise this year.

Greg Williams is the carbon copy of Groh on the defense…constantly coaching and dropping bombs when he see something he doesn’t like.

There was a scrum that had the whole team trying to pull apart……couldn’t exactly see who was involved, but from my photographic evidence it looked like Reynolds was one of them.

Tavon and Joyner seemed to be jawing quite a bit with each other…TA took a short out route that Joyner just missed on and would have gone to the house with…Fantasy owners better take him earlier then his ADP is or you might miss out on a late round gem on him this year, they seem to be involving him much more this year.

It’s clear from what they showed in practice that this offense is going to be up-tempo and quick striking…. I like it.

I got lucky and picked some great spots to head to as most of the action was on one of the two fields. crowd was nice and light maybe 1-2K mostly all one the side with the action.

Goff stayed late and worked out with Cooper and Thomas on some redzone routes Gurley stayed late and worked on jugs machine, Quick and Marquez also stayed on field and worked out together along with Mannion and some of the young RB’s…

All in all, it was a pretty good day of practice, no injuries.

You can tell this team is ready to hit somebody else…Saturday should be fun!!!

Practice Report 8/8: Austin Never Stops

By Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Practice-Report-88-Austin-Never-Stops/81d772d2-8872-47d7-9b20-7f7ef7c91543

If you come out to watch a Rams training camp practice, there’s one distinct voice cutting through all the noise in support of the offense. He proudly sports No. 1 instead of his regular No. 11 during each session, but there’s no mistaking his identity.

Wide receiver Tavon Austin is as high energy and competitive as they come when he’s between the white lines. He has a rare ability to extend plays and make something happen with his shiftiness — even when it looks like he has no place to go. But even when he’s observing his teammates in one-on-one matchups with defensive backs, or watching the second and third offense in team drills, Austin is constantly shouting words of his encouragement. Or leaping up to celebrate a great catch. Or talking trash.

“That’s always been me,” Austin said Monday. “It keeps me on my toes and helps me motivate my teammates around me.”

Listed at 5-foot-8 — Austin claims he’s actually 5-foot-9 — the wide receiver is like a ball of energy. It’s almost as if he’s not physically capable of just standing still for very long.

“I’ve oftentimes joked about this. He’s got two speeds: One’s fast and the other’s sleep,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “When he’s not sleeping, he’s going fast and that’s how his personality is.”

“He’s just going fast all the time,” Fisher continued. “That’s what’s great about him He’s a really smart player, a very exciting, explosive player. He loves to play and compete.”

Austin’s also growing more into a leader. Heading into his fourth NFL season, that’s an important step in the West Virginia product’s development.

“I think a lot of people feed off my energy, so for the most part I’ve got to keep that up. I can’t just be loud one day and then the next day not say anything,” Austin said. “I’ve got to keep doing it. I’m one of the older guys on the team now. I love doing it, to be honest.”

But it’s not like Austin hasn’t been an energizing force on the past. It’s likely part of why he’s earned his teammates’ respect.

“It’s one thing to see him on the practice field and it’s another thing to see him in a game,” Fisher said. “On the sideline, when the defense is on the field, he’s rooting for the defense. He’s excited to have any chance to participate in special teams.

“He’s one of those guys who’s really unselfish from the standpoint of, as long as we get the ball in the end zone, he doesn’t care who does it,” Fisher added. “And that’s the important thing.”

Fisher described Austin as the kind of player who wants the offense to score on each play — especially if he has the ball. That’s part of why Los Angeles has been making a concerted effort to put the pigskin in his hands more often. So far, Austin says he’s noticed the difference in the schemes from offensive coordinator Rob Boras and passing game coordinator Mike Groh.

“I’ve been catching a lot of passes,” Austin said. “For the most part, our [two] coordinators have been doing a good job of trying to get me the ball.

“I appreciate it — just what I’ve been through so far,” Austin continued. “It’s going to get better from here. And it’s not just about me. I’m worried about the wins. So anytime I get to touch a ball, hopefully I can make something good happen with it.”

But Austin has noticed improvement all over the offensive unit, echoing comments defensive end William Hayes made last week about the men up front.

“I think it starts from the O-line, though. The O-line is doing a great job,” Austin said. “For all the receivers, we’ve got a couple more things we’ve got to get tightened down. but for the most part, I think it’s coming along — slowly but surely. We still have minor mistakes, but they are definitely correctable. That’s what we keep looking forward to.”

If Austin has anything to say about it — and he surely will — the Rams will fix those mistakes with an unreserved energy.

EXTRA POINTS

— After a day off, the Rams were back in full pads for Monday’s session. Fisher said the club will do the same for Tuesday’s 3:30 practice.

“I thought they handled things pretty well,” Fisher said. “We didn’t do a lot of running, a little shorter today. Tomorrow we’re coming back out in pads again and we’re going to have a couple of run periods that will also get very competitive.”

— Cornerback E.J. Gaines was in pads for today’s practice, but mainly did rehab work on the side. Offensive linemen Darrell Williams and Isaiah Battle also did not practice on Monday.

“We’re in a good place — we don’t have many issues physically,” Fisher said. “We’ve got a couple guys that are working their way back now and that should be up and available for the game Saturday.”

— Defensive linemen Quinton Coples and Ethan Westbrooks have mainly been working at defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively, this preseason. But on Monday, the Rams flipped that to have Coples at DT and Westbrooks at DE.

“Today was the first time [Coples] moved inside,” Fisher said. “We talked about it this morning. We kind of are going to flip a little bit and give Ethan Westbrooks some defensive end work and we’ll give Quinton some stuff inside, just as a rusher.”

— Finally, Fisher said that running back Todd Gurley should get a few reps in Saturday’s game against the Cowboys. But probably don’t expect to see the 2014 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year too much in that contest.

“He’ll get a few reps,” Fisher said. “I’m not going to come in and say he’s going to get 12 carries this week and 16 next week. He’s going to get some reps. I don’t know how much we’re going to do this week with him, but we’ll sit down in the middle part of the week and talk about playing time.”

Keenum listed as starter over Jared Goff for first exhibition game, but Rams aren’t naming regular-season starter yet

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/goff-725101-rams-first.html

IRVINE – The Rams put a depth chart together for their game Saturday against the Cowboys – for whatever that’s worth. Predictably, all eyes were immediately drawn to the quarterback position, for which the name Case Keenum is listed first.

That’s neither a surprise or particularly newsworthy. It carries no hidden message, nor does it necessarily reflect where the quarterback position will stand one month from now or even two weeks from now.

As sure as Team USA will crush the field on its way to Olympic basketball gold in Rio, Keenum was going to start the Rams’ first preseason game ahead of rookie Jared Goff, the first overall pick in April’s draft and the future face of the franchise.

It’s a point the Rams have made overtly and privately almost from the moment they turned their draft card in to Roger Goodell four months ago in Chicago and officially hitched their wagon to the former Golden Bear.

The message then and now is clear: Goff will eventually be the Rams starter, but they will neither rush it or put a timeline on it. His ascent to the throne will be an organic process rather than contrived.

Until Goff successfully completes that process – and make no mistake, it’s on him and him alone to make that case – Keenum is the starter.

Which brings us back to the depth chart, and the stir it caused when word started spreading that Keenum would be under center when the Rams first take the field against the Cowboys at the Coliseum on Saturday rather than Goff.

Upon doing some poking around, the advice I was given and the recommendation I will pass along is this: The depth chart for Saturday is so inconsequential at some positions, rather than digest it with a grain of salt, best bet is to taste it, swish it around and then just spit it out.

That is, unless you actually think T.J. McDonald, who has been running with the ones all camp, is really the third-string safety.

That isn’t to say Goff will absolutely be the starting quarterback when the Rams open the regular season against the 49ers.

Only that the Rams aren’t close to making a declaration one way or another.

Which makes sense, of course.

There is absolutely no upside to naming Goff the starter right now, even if the Rams believe he’s ready or just want convince themselves and others they nailed the top pick in the draft.

In fact, it would set up a potential downside so detrimental and destructive it could take months – if not longer – to climb out from under the rubble.

If you declare Goff the starter barely two weeks into training camp – only to find out he isn’t ready to command a preseason game let alone the bright lights of the regular season – the awkward walk back from that decision and ensuing drama could engulf the rest of the season.

Forget the firestorm it would create outside the organization, the damage inside the locker room could be devastating.

It’s hard enough as it is navigating across the treacherous waters of an NFL season, let alone sabotaging the voyage by poking self-inflicted holes into the bottom of the boat.

So the Rams will prudently wait to declare Goff the starter. The goal, of course, is that it’s a decision they’ll make just one time over the foreseeable future. The last thing they want upon handing him the keys to the car is a sharp, immediate U-turn back to the garage.

Not that it isn’t a fair question, wondering how long it will take Goff to state his case as the starter.

His first week of training camp offered just glimpses of a possible timeline.

There were obvious growing pains at the beginning of the week, when the bulk of his interceptions and poorly thrown balls were thrown. But he showed progress over the first six practices, including a strong day Tuesday on the first day of pads and a perfectly run two-minute drill during Saturday’s scrimmage at the Coliseum when he marched the Rams 65 yards in 1:34 for a touchdown.

It was a segment that revealed intangibles just as much as talent, such as game clock, play clock and timeout management and the leadership qualities essential to the quarterback position.

Like when fellow rookie Duke Williams dropped a perfectly thrown pass at the goal line as the Rams were closing in on the end zone. Rather than sulk or get angry, Goff immediately pulled Williams aside and told him to forget about the drop and that the ball was coming his way if he was open.

“I told him, right after he dropped it. I said I’m going to come right back (to you),” Goff said.

True to his word, two plays later Goff found Williams cutting across the end zone for a perfectly thrown touchdown pass.

It was a telling moment, and it left Rams coach Jeff Fisher praising the two-minute drill performance and Goff’s overall performance the first week of camp.

“He’s been doing a great job with his reads, and he’s been getting better every day,” Fisher said.

Behind the scenes, the Rams have expressed confidence Goff is progressing at an adequate pace and that he’s consistently flashed the skill set that convinced them he was the best player in the draft.

At his best, he’s been poised and timely while delivering accurate passes on the throws he’s been asked to make – most of them the medium to short variety.

His problems occur when he doesn’t set his feet correctly – more often than not when he’s lofted throws off his back foot – and balls sail on him. You can sometimes get away with that in college, but in the NFL, not so much.

While he’s thrown his share of picks over the first week, the organization believes the interceptions are the result of correctable mistakes rather than talent flaws.

It’s not enough to anoint him the starter yet.

But a month ahead of the season opener, there is plenty of time for that to happen organically rather than forced.

ramsman34

SOME FOLLOW-UP

we watched d line work get offs and one on one pass rush moves and Quinn looks very explosive and back to his flexible “Gumby” self. ADon also very explosive. there is some great competition and our depth there should be even better than last year.

VIDEO: Tavon Austin — "I'm definitely not no possession receiver. I'm trying to go to the house." @Tayaustin01 pic.twitter.com/kzXxd0s6Rh

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) August 9, 2016

—

VIDEO: Watch Aaron Donald explain why he feels this Rams defensive line "can go down as one of the best in history." pic.twitter.com/LquI8BGef2

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) August 9, 2016

Pace’s St. Louis salute deleted for a time on NFL video outlet

From staff and wire reports

link: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/pace-in-the-hall-thread-w-tom-nutten-on-playing-next-to-orlando-pace/#post-50415

Orlando Pace’s enshrinement speech Saturday night at the Pro Football Hall of Fame included some heartfelt thanks to Rams fans in St. Louis:

“To the St. Louis Rams fans, I’m so proud to say we brought that city a championship,” Pace said. “Thank you for the support that you gave us during that run. No one could ever take that away from you.”

But as deadspin.com pointed out Sunday, and much to the chagrin of some in St. Louis, those remarks were not included in the initial posting of Pace’s speech online on the NFL’s YouTube channel. It looked very much like a slight to St. Louis by the NFL, which voted in favor of the relocation of Stan Kroenke’s Rams to Los Angeles in January.

But according to a league official, it merely was a mistake that was rectified by the league by late Sunday afternoon.

Podcast: Orlando Pace never got a ball, but he was the biggest cog in the Greatest Show on Turf
“The NFL Media group said this was a technical error that led to an incomplete version being uploaded. They uploaded the full version at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time),” NFL senior vice president of communications Brian McCarthy said via email.

Pace’s speech lasted a little over 16 minutes. His remarks thanking St. Louis came with just a few minutes left in the speech. According to McCarthy, the Pace speech mistakenly was cut off at the 8:01 mark, or about halfway through.

A check of the NFL’s YouTube channel Sunday night showed that Pace’s full St. Louis remarks were included. The full version of Pace’s speech appeared all along on the nfl.com web site

That was a seriously empty article as articles go.

Skip it, I say.

Or, free pie to anyone who finds something in it anyone of use couldn’t have written better ourselves.

Plus of course the title is silly. Musical chairs on the OL? Cause Hav is out? Hav coming back sends Saffold back to LOG, and in the meanwhile Wichmann gets reps with the 1s, which is good. Man a newbie. If they think that is Rams OL disruption, then heaven shield them from the horror of knowing what has come before, in previous years.

I don’t always read em before I cut n paste em.

Which btw will probably be the motto on my gravestone.

Isiah58 wrote:

I guess my premise is that there are two types of high percentage passing teams: those that are good to very good at it, and those that are rather bad at it. In the Rams’ case, I suspect that their percentage is not necessarily a reflection of Fisher’s true model but rather a by-product of an offense that miserable passing and on third down.

So let’s look at the Tampa Bay game from last year (because it is the only game that I can remember where the offense was working, both pass and run). The Rams jumped out to a big lead through Keenum’s passing and some decent balanced offense, and won 31 – 23. In that game, Keenum threw 17 passes and the Rams had 33 rushing attempts, so basically a 2:1 run to pass ratio. Now, the Rams jumped out to a big lead so they ran the ball more in the second half, but my point is that when the Rams pass WELL, the pass more infrequently and when the pass POORLY, they pass more.

Isiah 58

I took that game (Tampa) as just being how they would use Keenum.

In 2012, for example, they tried the Rams offensive signature stuff in game after game—play action passing, running the ball, setting up shots (Rams are always in the top 3rd in the league in percentage of total attempts thrown 31 yards or more). BUT they also had a great “comeback win” 4th quarter offense (they won 4 comeback games that year though actually one was a tie not a win). So they put more on the qb.

With Keenum, it’s different.

My bet is that with Goff, when he’s up to speed, it will be different still again.

Yes, meanwhile, 3rd down is an issue. Which I bet they also fix.

Isiah58 wrote:

I have another thought that is wholly unsupported by any empiracle evidence. The premise is that having a crappy pass offense can actually result in a higher pass to run percentage. Normally, we associate high pass ratios with better QBs and more sophisticated passing offenses. But the Rams have been a very poor passing offense since Bradford went down for the last time, with some notable exceptions.

If you try to pass unsuccessfully on first or second down, it virtually assures that you will need to pass again on third down. A better indicator would be how the offense runs when it’s running well (both running and passing). Evaluating what a coach or coordinator does in that situation I submit is a better view of what tendencies are organic rather than imposed.

Just a thought,
Isiah 58

But actually applying an empirical matrix to that…how does it break down if you add together pass percentage, passing TD%, and wins? This is a made-up on the spot hypothetical but I will try it. I don’t know if it addresses what you’re saying, but it’s at least a tangential exercise related to what you;re saying.

I will list the top 10 teams in terms pass percentage and then rank them according to a general passing TD% + wins rubric. This doesn’t tell you why they won or lost, because of course that could be many things. Let’s see what it does tell us if anything.

All from the 2015 season.

New England: 5.7% TD percentage (ranked 7th), record = 12/4
Indianapolis: 4.2% TD percentage (ranked 20th), record = 8/8
Oakland: 5.6% TD percentage (ranked 8th), record = 7/9
Detroit: 5.2% TD percentage (ranked 12th), record = 7/9
New Orleans: 4.8% TD percentage (ranked 14th), record = 7/9
Miami: 4.1% TD percentage (ranked 23rd), record = 6/10
Jacksonville: 5.8% TD percentage (ranked 6th), record = 5/11
Baltimore: 3.1% TD percentage (ranked 28th), record = 5/11
San Diego: 4.5% TD percentage (ranked 17th), record = 4/12
Cleveland: 3.3% TD percentage (ranked 27th), record = 3/13

OUt of the top 10 passing percentage teams only one has a winning record. You would have to go case by case but most (except the Patz) were clearly passing to try to stay in games. Whether they were efficient or not? Either they weren’t and that was the oddly negative reason they passed more (as you said, they weren’t good passing on 1st and 2nd downs and so had more 3rd downs passing), or they were but it’s all the team had (it had no defense or running game)…or both.

Jared Goff should be the Rams’ starting quarterback

Sam Farmer

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-farmer-goff-20160808-snap-story.html

The Rams were bold when they acquired a massive chunk of land in Inglewood and planned a $2.6-billion stadium, bold when they seized a Los Angeles market gathering dust for two decades, bold when they made a historic leap up to the No. 1 pick in the draft.

And they should be bold again in making rookie Jared Goff the starting quarterback.

Goff is working with the No. 2 offense — Case Keenum is the starter — but with each practice the former University of California standout is showing he’s increasingly ready to take the reins. The exhibition opener against Dallas on Saturday will shed more light on how far he has come.

The Rams are closely monitoring how quickly Goff is picking up the offense, how he’s seeing the field, his anticipation in terms of throwing to spots and letting receivers go get the ball, as opposed to aiming for the receivers themselves. Day by day, he’s getting increasingly comfortable.

“You can see it, especially when you go back and hit rewind a few times on the film,” General Manager Les Snead said after Saturday’s practice at the Coliseum. “I always give the quarterback credit because he’s actually doing it without rewind, in real time.”

Snead says he sees a distinct difference between this Goff and the one in Organized Team Activity workouts in the spring. Remember, Goff has had to relearn taking a snap from under center, something he hasn’t done with any regularity since his freshman year of high school.

“In OTAs, he was memorizing the vocabulary words, now he’s applying them,” Snead said, comparing learning the playbook to learning a new language.

First, you learn Spanish words. Then, you use it in everyday life. When you start dreaming in Spanish, then it’s your language.

From the start, Coach Jeff Fisher has made it clear he’s not going to rush Goff onto the field, or put any absolute deadlines on when he needs to get out there. Fisher has taken a when-he’s-ready-we’ll-know approach.

Regardless, when the games are real, Goff should be the starter. The argument against that is the risk of putting a young quarterback out there too early and destroying his confidence. Hey, Aaron Rodgers got to learn at the elbow of a seasoned pro in Green Bay. Same for Philip Rivers in San Diego. But those teams had Brett Favre and Drew Brees as starters. The Rams have Keenum, who is at best a temporary fix.

In 2008, rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan (drafted third by Atlanta) and Joe Flacco (18th by Baltimore) started every game for their teams and each made NFL history by reaching the playoffs. Since, every rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall has opened his season as the starter — that’s Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston. So it would actually be breaking with tradition to sit Goff.

No matter when he takes over, Goff will encounter some type of turbulence. Of course there will be a learning curve. But his ability to withstand that is one of the reasons the Rams fell for him in the first place, that he worked through the rough patches and took Cal from 1-11 to 5-7 to 8-5. That included a 55-16 humiliation in a monsoon at Oregon, when the freshman Goff lost two fumbles on the Bears’ first three possessions and was benched near the end of the first quarter. His passing numbers: three for six for 11 yards.

Coach Sonny Dykes resisted the pressure to replace him as the starter after that debacle, and Goff now looks at that moment as one that shaped who he is today. He didn’t crack; he grew from it. The Rams took that into account when they traded up 14 spots to draft him.

Dykes told The Times before the draft that Goff and his family are as “low maintenance” as any people he has encountered as a coach.

“We threw that poor kid to the wolves his first year,” Dykes said. “He just got teed-off on play after play, and nobody ever said a word. Mom and dad were never, ‘Hey, wait a minute guys, what are y’all doing to my son?’ They were just supportive, exactly the kind of people you would want.”

Obviously, a player’s parents aren’t part of that equation in the NFL, but that’s reflective of the fact that Goff is tough, not a Faberge egg to be coddled. He has shown he’s capable of handling pressure, and growing through it.

The Rams open Sept. 12 at San Francisco, and they’ve had months to prepare for that game. If they decide to start Keenum, they’ll have to give him the majority of the snaps in the days and weeks leading up to that, which will slow Goff’s progress.

For Goff, a Monday night start at San Francisco would not only be a homecoming, but would bring the family’s story full circle. His father, Jerry, a former major league catcher, got his first career hit at Candlestick Park. You can bet the researchers at ESPN will have a video clip of that at the ready.

The future is now for Goff, and his team has made lots of gutsy moves to get to this point. Why stop now?

ramsman34

Classic stadium feel. My first time there, this place is old and antiquated – there is only one “seeable” jumbo-tron opposite the Peristyle side. If you, like me are in that end zone, seeing replays, scoreboard, etc. will require turing around 180 degrees. not good. the opposite end “monitors” are terrible and in bright daylight – you can’t seem to see a thing. Maybe a USC fan can help me out on this. What is the view like of the peristyle end scoreboards, etc. during afternoon games? you may not think this important but, at the end when Goff ran the 2-minute drill, you could not see down, distance, time remaining on the scoreboard at that end. it’s too damn tiny.

It was warm and breezy like ’71 said but let me tell you; my face is bright red sunburnt. sunscreen is mandatory for those of us who lack olive skin. LOL.

Beer: $13+ WHAAAAT, no thanks. but, a lot of different food types there. I was impressed with the variety, not the prices.

FYI My end zone seats are pretty nice (sec 13) but my sec. 17 have better sight lines.

Crowd and announcer: I estimated the crowd at 30K, and they/we were pretty loud upon occasion. I do think we will have a home field advantage for the first season, especially if we are winning. If not, the LA factor might kick in (quiet, texting, occasional boos, and leaving early). the announcer was awesome, lol. Very monster truck like deliveries…”PA, who’s house is it…FANS, “rams house” THAT will be a catch phase that all fans will jump on I am sure. Crowd went nuts when he announced “TD, Todd Gurley”. One fan said to me the Rams had 4 years to win a SB – that is how long it took in STL. Interesting take.

Did I mention the sun, lol. No shade anywhere regardless of sideline unless you are under the press box, high up. You are either getting face-baked or red-necked. Sunscreen, don’t forget sunscreen!

Practice:

I watched/enjoyed more than took notes but still have about 3 pages worth.

STs:

Started with some 2-man wedge set up drills, then half field stuff before full on kick returns. Fassel pays attention to detail and this will once again be a strong suit of our team. I saw Mike Thomas and I believe Cooper returning kicks along with Benny.
BTW – Benny looks great? leaner, quicker, faster, more patient – and this is at RB.

WRs – Easy ups and 1 on 1s: Not much to see here. Guys running pretty nice routes and all making almost every catch. However, Spruce and McRoberts have velcro for hands – they rarely if ever drop anything within their vicinity. there were some nice battle btx DBs and WRs, with True getting called for PI at least twice – he was being aggressive and physical – teach them rook WRs Tru!!!

7 v 7 was rather uneventful, a couple TD throws mixed in with some good pass defense, bad throws, drops, and PI.

11 v 11 is once again where my focus was: 1s v 1s – KEENUM

Real quick regarding personnel groups. For those who might not know, the numbering system refers to the number of RBs, then TEs. The total number of eligible pass catchers always = 5. So (00) personnel is an empty set w/ 5 WRs (i will always call this “empty”), (10) = 1 back, 0 TE, 4 WR, (11) = 1 back, 1 TE, 3 WR and so on.

First play, (21 personnel), back shoulder fade to Brit good for 20+
(21) – short motion TE to off set “I”, 90- flip, Gurley, big gain
(11) – Slant to TA off play action, 7yds
(12) – delay handoff to Benny, 6+
(11) Cooper in motion, TA false start; repeat play – outside zone, Benny 9+ (Cooper is back and in a number of situational packages with both the first and second team)

GOFF
(21) Draw, Brown, nice gain
(20 personnel – 2 back, no TEs, 3 WRs) – Ck down to Brown, 7+ this is a look with RB, a fullback who can also then be used as a move TE, and 3-wide.
(12) Quick in motion, “kill” as ’71 stated, check to run EVERY time – that has to change – inside zone play or power 9was watching the d line – blown up by Westbrooks.
(11) against cover-2, draw play, short gain

MANNION – He didn’t get many reps until the live session at the end of the day
(21) – inside run by A. Green that he bounced outside – that was his bread and butter in college. It will work occasionally here. But, he has to accept pressing the hole inside and grinding for 3-4 yds from time to time. It’s the NFL son.
(20) – Draw A. Green for 7
(12) – Motion #9 (Hill), to stack twins right, check down to TE #49 Stoneburner – Great name for a TE. (Elvis, there are 2 #49s on the roster and Darreon Herring is a LB)

11 v 11 RED ZONE – 1s – KEENUM
(11) SACK
(12) – Inside zone off jet action, short gain
(11) – TE curl, Higbee, 7+
(21) Inside run – Benny, short
(12) ck down to Benny TD

GOAL LINE – Exclusively in (23-personel, 2 RB, 3 TE)
first play – SACK – looong developing TE crosser from right side to left corner.
false start
inside run to Benny
oustide zone to TG, TD

11 v 11 RED ZONE – 2s – GOFF
Empty – quick out to Quick, pun intended, 5+
(11) – Draw to Brown – 4
(12) Quick out to Harkey – 4
(11) – off tackle to Reynolds, 10-TD
(11) – same play as before, blown up, defense learns lessons quickly, lol
GOAL LINE – THIS TIME 22-PERSONNEL
Sprint right option, TD – right corner of end zone to TE (not sure who) – BEST PLAY OF THE DAY. It was scary how Goff looked like Montana on this throw. He was absolute money on this throw.
Draw – Brown, TD

2 MINUTE DRILL – 1s – KEENUM
(11) jailbreak screen to TA, blown up
(?) outside zone to Gurley, big gain
missed play 3
(11) – TE short curl – Drop by Kendricks – I agree with 1971; he will be sitting behind Higbee on passing downs if he isn’t careful
(11) – Keenum keeper and slide
(11) – benny outside zone, decent gain
(11) – deep out to Tavon, nice ball by Case, gain of 17+

2 MINUTE DRILL – 2s – GOFF
(11) – Blitz/LB/left side – screen, dropped (39 i think) would have been a nice blitz beater for a decent gain
(?) – Brown inside run, nice gain
(11) – M. Thomas, speed out, 5
(11) outside zone, #34, 4
(11) zone coverage, crosser to “sit” in hole by Marquez – good zone recognition, 5
(11) – draw, 3
(11) M. Thomas, fade for big gain
(11) – quick out to Duke #81, 7

The last session before the “Back-up, nice to see ya Bowl” was mainly blitz pick up. Keenum threw a bad pass on a dig route to Britt only to be picked by Tru, which he then took ceremoniously to the end zone. In empty and against 6 man pressure, Case hit Ta on an out route for a big gain. Then a mis communication btx hm and Kendricks (those footsteps you hear Lance; Tyler Higbee). then hit Britt on a fade for a nice gain
Goff was just ok in this session. Held the ball too long; a 5yd swing, followed by 2 incompletions and a sack.

Goff really shined in his 2 minute work at the end with the 2’s. He connected with Spruce, Thomas, and Duke on a number of impressive throws. Duke heard footsteps on a shallow cross in the end zone, it bounced off him for the near pick. He scored on an out route the very next play.

After Tuesday in Irvine, I was convinced Goff would be the starter…not so fast my friend. After reading Bucky Brook’s article (yes, he knows more than I do about the game and gets to do it full-time, watch lots of film, etc.), I can see where the 2nd string D is not as exotic as the 1st string. and, that Goff is still inconsistent and a bit slow reading post-snap. Al QBs “seem” to lock on to a WR or side of the field but this is what it looks like to fans in the stands. We might be wrong on this. We don’t know the play call and we can’t see the QBs eyes to see if if is staring guys down or looking at multiple routes to one side. Preseason games should reveal more about this.

As it stands today – Keenum is our starter. Goff is progressing but he just has so much left to master to give us a shot at winning. My opinion on this is likely to flip flop multiple times before the SF game – cut me some slack on that, lol. Goff looks awesome when he is on and in rhythm, he looks shakey as hell and rushes throws when he is unsure – makes sense. Keenum is a gamer who has a command of this offense. His arm strength is what it is and renders the deep middle, and dig routes useless areas of the field to attack. He can throw the deep fade when he really anticipates it. Mannion makes the most of his reps and will become a very good #2 for us. He was not a wasted pick as some have opined – Not even close. He looks like a cat that can win you some games if the starter goes down. Better command of the O and pace than Goff, just not a quick or accurate.

Saturday against the Cowboys should be great. I wish I could get a press pass to give RFU a solid report. If I am in the stands, I am just going to watch and not take notes. I don’t think their pass rush/blitzing can beat out O at all. The QBs should have more time than they do against our D and hopefully shred them in the passing game. Look for everyone accept TG to run the rock. He will be bubble wrapped on the sideline, lol.

*

* Goff not ready yet, will be sooner rather than later. His 2-minute drill was great and he is a surgeon in the red zone – been a while since we had that. In fact, with TG, Tavon, the big WRs and the TEs – we should be significantly improved in red zone efficiency, especially when Goff is running the show.

* Another thing on the Coliseum, the field itself looked impeccable and fast. The signage will be nice but understated. this will feel a lot like a college atmosphere vs a real NFL environment. And, that just might be a good thing!

Rampage2K

Awesome day yesterday to say the least…. Just like the Rams did, I also used it as a dry run for what to expect when the games start for real next week.

Unfortunately my buddy had to leave by 4 so I never got to see the actual scrimmage, just some one on ones and a little 7 on 7 before having to leave…wasn’t too bummed knowing I’ll be back there next week for a real game!!! Great seeing some old friends and finally being able to see what my seats look like in real life.

After having a few cold ones in the lot we headed in about 2:30 and went a picked out some seats close to field corner endzone just below my season seats….picked a good spot because that’s where the QB’s came over to work out… It was great!!! Amazing how many showed up for a scrimmage….I estimated over 20,000, but heard it was actually closer to 30,000!!!

Clear to see the NFL made the right choice on who to bring back to So Cal.

Quick observations from the little I saw.

For a hundred year old stadium, it looked beautiful.

Field looked amazing!!! Looked fake how good it looked.

Goff threw a beautiful corner route that dropped in perfectly to Marquez for a TD in the one on ones.

The refs were throwing the flag for everything on the DB’s … I’d hate to be a defensive back in this day and age.

We have some pretty good looking DB’s…not worried about that position at all.

The WR group looks big and athletic and very crowded.

Higbee looks like the real deal.

The PA announcer was annoying.

$16 for a can of Corona

itsjohnben

I’m 27 years old, from Los Angeles, been a Rams fan, my entire life! But never had the chance to attend a St louis Rams practice but always enjoyed reading all the camp reports every summer, so now that the Rams are in Los Angeles, I decided to contribute with a little report of my own.

Location: LA Coliseum Attendance: 30K

Jared Goff: I was extremely impressed with Goff’s performance today! He was nearly perfect today, he completed 98% of his passes, the other 2% of his passes hit the receivers in the hands, but were dropped. He was poised in the pocket, spreading the ball around to multiple rookie pass catchers (Higbee, Thomas, Williams & Spruce) at one point, in the red zone he rolled out and hit one of his receivers (forgot who) in stride, for a perfectly thrown TD pass! Another thing I noticed about Goff is that he’s really good in the red zone, like damn near perfect good, (something we haven’t been really good at in YEARS!

Todd Gurley: IS A BEAST! he looks so much faster this year, if this guy is healthy…LOOK OUT! He’s scary good.

Mike Thomas: Caught a 30 yard bomb from Goff … he’s fast, runs good routes and catches everything thrown his way

Duke Williams: This is another guy that caught my eye, this guy can flat out ball, he’s a big physical receiver that seems to have great chemistry with Goff, He dropped a pass in the end zone but made up for it the very next play by plowing his way and dragging DB’s to the end zone, very Alshon Jeffery like.

Tyler Higbee: or shall I say “Tyler BEASTBEE” This guy is already running with the first team offense and looks like he belongs..standing at 6’6 250 he is a red zone machine, catching multiple TD’s from both Keenum and Goff, I’ll go as far as saying that he’ll be an early offensive rookie of the year candidate..catches everything thrown his way and breaks arm tackles like it’s nobody’s business

Nelson Spruce: had himself a nice day! he’s a great route runner and has soft hands, this dude makes plays…he’s a bigger/faster “Danny Amendola” we’re loaded at WR this year..If he doesn’t make the team, somebody’s gonna snatch him right up

Tavon Austin: TA was TA caught a 10 yard in route and took it to the house..look for him to do more then just jets sweep’s and screen passes this year, he looks like a legit WR threat this year.

Kenny Britt: Look for KB to have a break out year..Keenum was looking his way early and often and KB didn’t disappoint, he caught a nice 35 yard bomb from Keenum.

Offensive Line: This group has me worried as hell..I understand stopping our Defensive Line is task not many offensive lines in this league can accomplish but it seemed like the D-Line was getting constant penetration on every snap… we’d still be trying to pick up our QB’s off the turf if that was a live game situation.

Defensive Line: With out a doubt the best unit on this team..Robert Quinn was man handling Greg Robinson, having his way with him on 1 on 1’s and 11 on 11’s, Will Hayes is Monster!!!! AD99 is unstoppable, even saw him drop in zone coverage at one point and he looked good doing it 😉

Defensive Backs: Tru J0 picked off Keenum and took it to the house and broke up multiple passes, he’s easily our best CB…I’m not sure how I feel about Mo Alexander at FS, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong but he looked kinda slow out there today.

Greg Zuerlien: Was a perfect 6/6 today even connecting on a 64 yard field goal..very impressive, “Young GZ” he has to be the most hot and cold kicker i’ve ever seen, If he can be consistent this year, he’ll be the best kicker in the league.

Well that’s it for me, I hope you guys enjoyed my little camp report.

Thanks for reading!