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znModerator69RamFan
Today I focused more on the Offense side of the ball, since we really know what we have on the D side.
Offense
QBs
Keenum with the 1s Looked pretty good, had a few good throws to his WRs, especial;y one for about 20yrs to TA. And a deep post to Britt.Goff with with the 2s but played again the 2s and 1s Defense. Goff had some good throws, but I felt he didn’t have a great day, just my observation, I want to say hitting about 55 to 60% of his throws, that’s what it looked like, I wasn’t counting his throws, just an estimate. But one thing I did notice, if given the time, he reads through his progressions down the field as long as he can before checking down.
Mannion with the 3s, I must say, with my naked eye, Mannion looked really good, he didn’t look slow with his feet as some have been putting out. And he has a strong arm.
RBs
Gurley had this 40 or 50yd run, with a hole opening up and he took it to the house.
Benny Cunningham looked slim and trim, he had some nice runs.WRs
1s, Britt and TA Looked really good,
especially TA, when he gets the rock in open space, he is like a jack rabbit, hard to stop.
Britt a nice deep post catch.2s Quick, had some nice catches, one for a TD
Mike Thomas was looking really good, catching everything that was throw his way, maybe missed one or two throws.Duke Williams had a deep ball thrown to him for a TD, not sure if it was from Goff or Mannion.
After the catch, all of the WRs went to grab him and cheer him on. But it was a questionable call whether he caught it inbounds.TEs
1s Kendricks, I seen one drop, but mostly he was being target about five or more times.
Harkey, he is out there blocking.2s Higabee, everything that was thrown to him, he was making the catch. He is a nice big target. (He is no Cook which is good.)
OL
Hard to really tell, cause they didn’t seemed to really go all out from the D-line side of the ball.But the 1s did open up a hole with Gurley finding it and taking it to the house.
It was a nice time at the camp, my youngest daughter was getting some autographs and selfies,
one from Westbrooks and Greg the Leg.I actually walked right by Robert Quinn and William Hayes, but my daughter didn’t want their autograph,
she was all into getting Goffs autograph and selfie,,, which never happened,,, LoLznModeratorThis is always open to change, but as of right now, according to overthecap.com this is the Rams cap situation next year, assuming a cap of 166 ML
Team Salary Cap: $166,000,000
Team Cap Space: $43,955,849Cutting Foles added 12+ M to next year’s cap space.
That’s a big deal THIS year because it gives some future space to use for extensions (eg. words is, they have an offer out to Tavon).
The downside this year is that Foles, Long, and Laurinaitis combined = 13+ M in 2016 dead money.
August 4, 2016 at 10:37 am in reply to: Isiah58 tweets & vids – some play by play from 8/2 camp #50136znModeratorHow does Mannion look? Is he a viable possible future #2? (Keenum right now is on a 1-year.)
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znModeratorRamzee
Some of what I got from Rams camp in Irvine on August 2nd, 2016. I’ll keep editing and posting pics one by one until I’m done. Enjoy!
EJ Gaines (#33) nearly intercepts Jared Goff (#16) in 11 on 11’s. Goff intended the pass for Michael Thomas (#13) but Marquez Bradley (#15) is suspiciously running a similar route a yard away from him in the same area. Gaines was covering Bradley and I don’t think he’s supposed to be there by design.
Lamarcus Joyner (#20) high points a pass by Case Keenum (#17) in the front of the end zone in 7 on 7’s.
Brian Quick (#83) high pointing a pass in the back of the end zone. He holds onto the ball and gets both feet in bounds for the touchdown in 7 on 7’s. T.J. McDonald (#25) in coverage on the play.
Case Keenum (#17) throws a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone to rookie TE Tyler Higbee (#89) during 7 on 7’s. Higbee gets both feet in bounds for the score. T.J. McDonald (#25) in coverage on the play.
Rookie WR Michael Thomas (#13) jumps to catch a Jared Goff (#16) touchdown pass during Rams 7 on 7 red zone drill. Coverage by Cody Davis (#38) on the play.
WR Duke Williams (#81) dives in the back of the end zone for the touchdown in Rams 7 on 7’s. He retains possession but doesn’t stay in bounds. T.J. McDonald (#25) in coverage on the play.
Tavon Austin (#1) muffs a punt here in punting drills. Johnny Hekker (#3) was booming them 60+ yards regularly. Great hang time. Austin doesn’t seem to watch the ball into his hands on punts. I noticed it on several returns. He had a few dropped ones throughout the afternoon.
This time Austin reels it in.
Aaron Donald (#99) blew by Jamon Brown (#68) to stuff Gurley (#30) for a big loss in the back field during 11 on 11’s. He put his tremendous lower body explosion and quickness on display. He’s very hard to out leverage.
New thing I’ve been seeing over and over at camp is the Rams dropping Aaron Donald (#99) into coverage on zone blitzes. Here he covers TE Lance Kendricks (#88). He did it on back to back plays when this pic was taken and a few more times over the last two practices. He seems athletic and talented enough to do it! That should throw a few QB’s off this year. Maybe even generate the Rams a turnover.
Tavon Austin (#1) has an uplifting experience thanks to teammate Aaron Donald (#99). Austin spun to avoid a hit by Mark Barron, right into Donald’s waiting arms. After Donald ran him down on a quick screen across the middle. Thankfully Donald decided not to obliterate Austin and set him down nicely.
Lance Kendricks (#88) makes the catch across the middle with Aaron Donald (#99) in tight zone coverage. Despite giving up the catch, I was very impressed by Donald’s coverage and overall athletic ability.
Here is Ethan Westbrooks (#93) splitting the double team and getting what would have been a Jared Goff sack in a live game. Westbrooks had several disruptive plays throughout the day.
LT Greg Robinson (#73) stonewalls DE Eugene Sims (#97) during 11 on 11’s. He did a great job mirroring him and riding him out of the pocket during this particular drill.
WR Paul McRoberts (#8) makes a nice diving catch on the sideline from Jared Goff (#16) with CB Troy Hill (#32) on the coverage.
Case Keenum (#17) scrambles to the end zone for a touchdown in 11 on 11’s. The pocket broke down and Keenum escaped to his left. Using some pump fakes and head nods, he got the defenders in coverage to stick to their receivers, while he slipped away unabated to the corner of the end zone for the score.
Jared Goff (#16) scrambles to the end zone past Cameron Lynch (#50) and co. for a touchdown in 11 on 11’s. The pocket broke down and Goff scrambled to his right, right into about 4 Rams defenders but was still able to maneuver himself enough to get into end zone for the score. This came right after Keenum’s scramble. Rams QB’s showing off their mobility.
QB Sean Mannion (#14) bobbles the low snap on this play. This was a pretty common theme for the day for all the center/QB exchanges. I saw at least 5 bobbled or lost snaps just like this one between the different QB’s. Now’s the time to sort that out.
TE Justice Cunningham (#48) scores on a Sean Mannion (#14) pass during the red zone drill 11 on 11’s.Cunningham and Cory Harkey especially had very productive days in the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 red zone drills. Harkey had at least 3 TD’s I saw. Cunningham at least 2. All of the QB’s seemed to be using the TE’s a lot throughout the day. Harkey had a lot of targets for a guy who is primarily known for his blocking repertoire.
znModeratorChiefs are giving QB Nick Foles a one-year deal plus a team option for a 2nd year, per source.
Cowboys' hunt for a backup QB goes on.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2016
znModeratorWith (LT Greg Robinson) Rob missing time right now
Whoever did this transcript knows less than we do. The missing “Rob” is not Robinson, it’s Rob Havenstein.
Maybe it;s the donut intern. Job description–get donuts. Now and then, type up a transcript. Knowledge of football and/or of the Los Angeles Rams not required.
.
znModeratorhttp://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2016/qbase-2016
for what it’s worth football outsiders rates goff as the ninth best prospect since they’ve collected data on this stat. it’s a pretty impressive list. outside of leftwich every qb has had some degree of success at the pro level.
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Jared Goff (California)
While Goff is not a sure thing, his estimated chances of succeeding in the NFL are only a little bit lower than Marcus Mariota’s, QBASE’s favorite prospect from the 2015 draft. Goff had the kind of numbers in his final collegiate season (64.5 percent completion rate, 8.9 YPA, 43 TD, 13 INT) that successful NFL quarterbacks usually have. He posted those numbers against a good, but not great, set of defenses (ranked No. 30 in college football by our estimates). He had little help in terms of NFL-caliber talent at receiver or on the offensive line. The only teammate at those positions who projects to be drafted in the first four rounds this year or next is potential third-round receiver Kenny Lawler.
Goff becomes QBASE’s No. 9 quarterback prospect of the last 21 years. Mariota occupied that same spot last year, but has moved up in the reshuffling since another year of data has been added to the model.
QBASE Top 10 Prospects Since 1996
Player Projected DYAR
Philip Rivers 1,969
Carson Palmer 1,934
Donovan McNabb 1,831
Peyton Manning 1,306
Marcus Mariota 1,302
Russell Wilson 1,246
Byron Leftwich 1,239
Ben Roethlisberger 1,227
Jared Goff 1,211
Aaron Rodgers 1,205Players from earlier years are part of the model that creates the projections, so the takeaway here is not that Goff is likely to be as good as his fellow Cal alum just below him on the list. Goff placing so highly instead says that his resume resembles those of other prospects who succeeded as NFL quarterbacks. Our projection gives Goff the best shot this year, almost 40 percent, of being the kind of upper-tier player who solves a team’s long-term quarterback dilemma.
znModeratorMore talented? Gurley is an upgrade otherwise there isn’t an Amendola on this offense. TA is more of a runner and decoy.
You can’t neglect the difference the defense makes. It’s huge. And while SB had Amendola, he had nothing else. The Rams have a lot of developing “else” and just not one guy…yet. And IMO you underestimate what Tavon brings. He is not just a runner, he catches passes, which is why he works as a decoy–they don’t know which he will do, and that’s a guy who can break almost any play. A player does not work as a decoy unless defenses fear him. So he’s a combined yards player with 9 TDs. That’s something. He’s just not dismissable.
znModeratoroff the net from Eric
Goff and footwork
Want to see what it looks like? And compare it to other Rams QBs?
Welp.. here you go!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-training-camps/0ap3000000679089/Will-Jared-Goff-
:46 seconds in, you can see the drills and how much smoother Goff is.. how the ball is *always* in the right position and just how fluid he is.
The difference between him and the lumbering Mannion couldn’t be more stark.
znModeratorPractice Report 8/3 – ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’
Myles Simmons
On Tuesday, the Rams staged their first full practice in pads. And by all accounts, the offense was the better of the units for that particular session.
Los Angeles’ defense being full of competitors, head coach Jeff Fisher predicted the group might have a little extra in store for Wednesday. In fact, some defensive even asked to keep things exactly the same from one day to the next.
“The players actually were kind of lobbying to put pads back on today, because I think that was coming from the defense,” Fisher said.
One such defender was defensive end William Hayes.
“I was pushing for it,” he confirmed. “I felt like, since I’ve been here — four years — that was the most competitive we’ve been against each other. So I was all for it.”
But that’s not how the schedule worked out.
“But, we originally planned on not going back-to-back. So, they’re going to have to wait until Saturday now,” Fisher said.
Still, what made Tuesday so competitive? From Hayes’ perspective, it was all about the battles in the trenches.
“Those pads came on [and] I saw a different offensive line, which was pretty cool,” he said. “Those jokers were coming off the ball and they were getting after it. I think that was the biggest thing.”
“And it was like every single play [we were] fighting until the whistle was over with, which is a good thing,” Hayes continued. “So that was pretty exciting for me.”
As one of the veteran leaders on the defensive line, Hayes has been around for a while and knows how to get ready for a season. During this time of year, there’s no scout team — the first-team O and first-team D go head-to-head to try to make one another better. And at this point, Hayes feels like both the offense and defense are about even.
“We’re pretty good right now, man,” Hayes said.
For the D-line in particular, Hayes said one of the unit’s goals is to make sure it’s not just the Aaron Donald show. As good as the third-year defensive tackle is, everyone has to support him along the line.
“I mean, I don’t want it to be where you just see Aaron Donald — Aaron Donald’s carrying the D-line and he’s the only one making flashes the whole game,” Hayes said. “I want it to be all four of us just being disruptive and playing off of each other. And that’s one thing we’re doing better this year than we did last year. Everybody’s playing off of each other really good this year.”
And the camp competition between the two lines should help both units when it comes to translating those improvements into Ws once the regular season hits.
“Iron sharpens iron, and we’re going out there and we’re getting after each other really good,” Hayes said. “They’re getting after us really good. The only thing it’s going to do is just push us toward greatness.”
“I’m real optimistic to see what the season is going to look like,” Hayes added. “Right now, I can’t really see too many weaknesses on both sides of the ball. So I’m pretty excited to see what we’ve got ahead of us.”
EXTRA POINTS
— Are players a more self-conscious with Hard Knocks cameras around during camp? Perhaps a little bit.
“I’m trying not to censor myself so much, but I have to kind of watch my mouth a little,” Hayes said. “It’s just a little different than what I’m used to. It seems like every time I want to start laughing and joking, I start seeing a camera in my face. And I’m not really big when it comes to cameras. I’m not like a television-type guy. So that’s a little different for me. But it’s been fun.
“But the cool thing about Hard Knocks,” Hayes continued, is that “it’s given our team — well the whole NFL and everybody within the community — a chance to get to know our players and get to know us.”
— Wide receiver Mike Thomas has put together a couple strong practices in a row, catching a number of passes form fellow rookie Jared Goff. According to the sixth-round pick, the duo is establishing a nice rapport.
“We’re getting a lot of reps in together, so I feel like the chemistry is going great,” Thomas said. “Of course, there’s a lot of we need to work on. Just the timing and everything, yeah. But our chemistry is going great.”
— With starting right tackle Rob Havenstein on the preseason physically unable to perform list, Rodger Saffold has been filling in at right tackle with Cody Wichmann playing at left guard. Over his years in the league, Saffold has played all over the line, and has a good comfort in doing so.
“With Rob missing time right now, we decided prior to the start of camp — and notified [Saffold] — that we’re going to move him out to right tackle. He said, ‘Cool,’” Fisher said. “He says he loves it. He will play any position but center. So, it gives us the flexibility and the peace of mind knowing that if you do have an issue, Rodger can play any place.”
— Cornerback E.J. Gaines did get a few reps with the first-team defense on Wednesday, but Fisher said the Mizzou product “came up a little bit lame” toward the end of practice. The club will check him out and we’ll have an update when one is available.
— Finally, the Rams had a special guest at practice on Wednesday — seven-time Grammy award winner Kendrick Lamar. Check out our Dani Klupenger’s one-on-one interview with him in the video below.
znModeratorJared Goff shows off his arm and release to Rams and fans at training camp
By Gary Klein
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-training-camp-20160802-snap-story.html
It was only one pass, one late-practice throw.
And it seemed, for an instant, to momentarily freeze the Rams’ practice on Tuesday at UC Irvine.
Rookie quarterback Jared Goff had dropped back, stepped up to avoid the rush and zipped a spiral deep through the defense and into the hands of receiver Nelson Spruce.
It marked the first time the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft truly showed the arm and release that caused the Rams’ brain trust to trade numerous draft picks for the opportunity to select the former California standout.
Goff had displayed flashes during rookie camp workouts after the draft and during off-season and organized team activities in Oxnard.
But Tuesday was the first time that the Rams were in pads.
So when Goff stepped up and delivered, the crowd in the nearby bleachers roared. And though the play came with the second-team offense operating against the second-team defense, players and coaches appeared to sense the moment.
“He made some really good throws,” Coach Jeff Fisher said of Goff, adding, “We added a little bit of noise so they had to focus in the huddle and I thought he took charge of it.
“He’s progressing well.”
Goff is attempting to supplant Case Keenum at the top of the depth chart. He will need to make plays like he did Tuesday against the first-team defense and against exhibition opponents to convince Fisher that he is capable of starting the Sept. 12 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
Whether it happens at the outset or during the season remains to be seen, but it is only a matter of time before Goff ascends to become the starter.
Keenum, for his part, has looked comfortable in the role for now.
On Tuesday, he made several impressive plays, including a touchdown pass in a tight window to Brian Quick and a touchdown pass to Tavon Austin in the left corner of the end zone.
“I’m doing my job,” Keenum said. “When I’m at quarterback, I’m running the show. … It’s my huddle, my squad, my offense and I’m taking ownership of it.”
Comeback trail
Defensive end Robert Quinn took part in the team drills as he attempts to return to full strength after back surgery.
Quinn, 25, was a Pro Bowl selection in 2013 and 2014 before he was injured last season.
“I’m feeling more and more like my normal self,” he said. “They’re taking their time, making sure I’m healing properly and building my strength back up without trying to overwork me.”
Quinn, William Hayes, Eugene Sims and Aaron Coples are among the ends that will flank tackles Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers on a line that is regarded as a Rams’ strength.
“By Game 1, I should be full-go,” Quinn said.
Fisher said there was no rush.
“We’re going to watch him,” he said. “His reps probably aren’t up to where they normally would be. He’ll get there.”
znModeratorLA Rams’ rookies steal the spotlight
Vinny Bonsignore,
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160802/bonsignore-la-rams-rookies-steal-the-spotlight
IRVINE >> The figure Duke Williams cut as he slashed across the back of the end zone Tuesday was probably noticeable off nearby Newport Harbor.
Big, physical and imposing.
He certainly caught the eye of Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff, who immediately unleashed a tight spiral that Williams gracefully went to his knees to corral for a touchdown during 7-on-7 drills on the Rams’ first day in full pads.
In what was a bit of a theme on the day, Goff, Williams and fellow rookies Tyler Higbee, Nelson Spruce and Michael Thomas looked polished, athletic and productive against a Rams defense many consider on the cusp of being a top 10 NFL unit.
On a day the old dogs on the defense were supposed to bark loudest, it was the Rams’ puppies making the plays drawing the most ooohs and ahhs from the fans on hand.
“We’re young and fresh,” Williams said, smiling. “We’re letting the veterans take us under their wing and we’re trying to help get the defense better.”
They did more than that, actually. In fact from top the bottom, the entire offense looked good Tuesday.
And for an organization that desperately needs its offense to show an actual pulse outside of running back Todd Gurley, the surprising development was as pleasant as the soothing breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean just a few miles away.
“I like the group of receivers, young group of receivers,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said, “Coach (Mike) Groh’s doing a really good job with them. I think I said, you change the numbers, they’re all tall, they make plays, they elevate.”
Goff will play his part in making that happen — and his workout Tuesday was by far his best of the first four days of training camp — but it sure would help if a couple of playmakers can emerge around him.
Gurley has a chance to lead the league in rushing in his second season and Tavon Austin is an ace on the perimeter and screen and run games.
But the Rams need to add some power and productivity on the outside, and a go-to target Goff — or Case Keenum if he wins the starting job — can turn to on a consistent basis.
Enter Williams and Higbee, a pair of rookies who certainly look the part of the a pair of must-have assets Goff and the Rams need to turn a morbid offense into a respectable one.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Higbee is a fourth-round tight end out of Western Kentucky whose already getting run with the first-team offense. Higbee was considered a second-round talent before getting arrested April 10 on suspicion of second-degree assault, evading police and public intoxication after an altercation outside a bar in Kentucky that left Nawaf Alsaleh, 24, unconscious and bleeding from the mouth.
Higbee’s next court hearing is in September.
“I made a mistake and it’s something I’m still learning from,” Higbee said. “But it’s also something I’m not going to let define me. I’m just moving on.”
On the field, he’s unusually fast for his size and is easy to spot cutting across the field. And over the first four days of camp has shown an ability to get open and make himself a big target for Goff and Keenum.
“I’m just trying to get better every day,” said Higbee
Said Fisher: “Better every day. … Made a lot of plays, acted like he’s played before.”
Not thinking too far ahead, but the skill-set is there to be a match-up nightmare for smaller linebackers and safeties.
Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Auburn, adds a commodity sorely missing on the Rams the last few years. A big, fast, physical wide receiver who can take the top off a defense and make plays in the red zone. At 6-2, 215 pounds, that’s the sort of package Williams brings.
And he’s already opening eyes.
“I like Duke,” said Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson.”Just a big wide receiver. I like Duke a lot.”
For Williams, the positive day Tuesday followed a dreadful Sunday afternoon in which he dropped five passes. That’s not exactly the kind of impression you want to make trying to fight your way from the very bottom the roster.
Especially when you arrive with the kind of baggage Williams is carrying. Two years ago he was considered one of the best NFL wide receiver prospects in the country, but his reputation and draft status took a beating after a series of off-field incidents and rules violations got him kicked off the team at Auburn.
“Just complete immaturity on my part,” Williams said. “But it’s behind me. I look at life completely different now. All of that stuff, it’s in the past.”
Nevertheless, his amends weren’t enough to repair his reputation. He went undrafted as a result. In a low-risk, high-reward roll of the dice, the Rams signed him as a free agent on a prove-it or move-on basis.
“Duke came in, knew he had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity based on some of the things that happened in his history,” said Fisher. “We gave him the opportunity. He took advantage of it. Went off in the summer, came back, took a lot of weight off.”
Only for him to drop everything in sight the first chance he got on Sunday.
“It was a day I just had to mentally take on,” Williams said.
But it ate at him the rest of Sunday.
“It was in my head since since it happened,” he said. “It was like, ‘I can’t have a day like that again. I’m hurting myself, I’m hurting the offense. I’m hurting my teammates.’”
He rose out of bed on Monday determined to change the narrative, then went into beast mode during physical special teams practice in which me made like a battering ram against anyone he encountered.
“We saw a different side of Duke,” said Austin.
The momentum carried over into Tuesday, with Williams fighting to get open and hanging onto the ball whenever targeted.
“It’s just learn from my mistakes,” he said. “Today I came out and dominated. I had to come out here and forget about those drops, put them behind be. Nobody wants to drop a ball.”
As a result, on a day the defense was supposed to own it was the offense commanding the action.
znModeratorNick Foles has agreed to terms to join the Chiefs, source says. Reunion with Andy Reid.
Makes sense. He probably had an option or 2 besides that.
Article:
—
Chiefs agree to terms with former Rams QB Nick Foles
Chris Wesseling
The Kansas City Chiefs have found some insurance at the quarterback position.
The Chiefs have agreed to terms with former Rams quarterback Nick Foles, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported, via a source informed of the clubs talking contract with Foles’ representatives. The Cowboys and the Vikings had also extended offers to the former Los Angeles Rams quarterback, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport added.
It comes as no surprise that Chiefs coach Andy Reid was open to a reunion with a quarterback he selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In fact, Garafolo reported in February of 2013 that Reid was interested in bringing Foles along to Kansas City if Philadelphia were open to a trade.
Reid viewed Foles as a future starter at the time and has long been a believer in his talent.
The Chiefs do have a pair of promising young arms in Tyler Bray and 2014 fifth-round pick Aaron Murray. When Chase Daniel followed offensive coordinator Doug Pederson to the Eagles, though, Reid was left without an experienced option behind starter Alex Smith. Neither Bray nor Murray has ever thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season contest.
August 3, 2016 at 11:34 pm in reply to: Clint Eastwood on the "kiss ass" and "pussy" generation of political correctness #50095znModeratorYeah, well, it’s easy for the people at the top of the hill to tell the people at the bottom of the hill that they are making too big of a deal out of the climb.
Especially for the ones who were born near the summit in the first place.
Yeah. Mainstream straight white males telling everyone else to quit their bellyachin. Used to be better when MSWMs could say anything about everyone else, and why can’t everyone else just recognize that things were better then.
.
znModeratorJared Goff will be Rams’ franchise quarterback — in time
This is the best article IMO on why it might take time.
At the same time, it leaves things out, such as mastering the techniques and timing and vision you need making 3, 5, and 7 step drops from under center, and also recognizing what (more complicated) pro defenses are doing.
..
znModerator—
Note–this is one of those rare articles where the quotations are fresh and are not just re-cycled from press conferences
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Jared Goff will be Rams’ franchise quarterback — in time
Dan Graziano
IRVINE, Calif. — After every play Jared Goff runs in Los Angeles Rams practice — good or bad, pass or run — someone goes up and talks to him. Sometimes it’s offensive coordinator Rob Boras. Sometimes it’s quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. But after literally every single snap Goff took in practice Tuesday, a coach spoke with him.
“We want to make sure that he’s seeing what we’re seeing and make sure he’s looking at the right things,” Weinke said. “So yeah, after every single play, that’s part of the learning curve — make sure you’re seeing what you’re supposed to see.”
You can’t watch Goff practice without being impressed. He looks great. His footwork, whether it’s dropping back from under center or from the shotgun sets he ran exclusively in college, is sound. His arm strength is unquestionable. He’s a stellar athlete built for the position at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. You can see why the Rams traded up to draft him No. 1 overall.
But after every single play, when you see how much teaching Goff’s coaches are doing, you also understand how far he has to go.
“I’m asked all the time, ‘Is he going to start the opener?’ I don’t know,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We drafted him. We traded up to draft him. He’s going to be our franchise quarterback. When he gets under center full-time, I don’t know when that is. And I’m not going to rush him to do it.”
So what does Goff, who’s still taking second-team reps while incumbent Case Keenum takes the first-team reps, have to show the coaches to convince them he’s ready?
“We are looking for him to continue to command the huddle — which he’s doing a hell of a job [at], so continue to command the huddle,” Weinke said. “Continue to make good decisions in the passing game and collectively understand all of our checks in the run game.”
Not as simple as it sounds. Goff is working to master the protection schemes for which he didn’t have responsibility in college at Cal but does with the Rams. He’s working to learn the terminology of an offense that’s trying to fuse what Adam Gase ran in Denver and Chicago (passing game coordinator Mike Groh worked under Gase in Chicago) with the West Coast principles in which Boras was trained.
“That’s going to be the biggest thing for him coming from his offense — coming up to the line of scrimmage with multiple things he’s responsible for,” Weinke said. “He hasn’t called a play in the huddle for three years, because [Cal’s] offense is called from the sideline. The growth in his ability to be able to call a play with confidence from OTAs to now is huge. And now, it’s his ability to understand our protections, make the adjustments and then, with time, he’s going to have a better understanding of where to throw the football.”
With time. That’s the key. How much time, they won’t say. But watching Goff and talking to his coaches about him, you don’t get the feeling it’s going to be long.
znModeratorMyles Simmons @MylesASimmons
With RT Rob Havenstein on PUP, Rodger Saffold has been in at RT, Cody Wichmann in at LG. Fisher said they like Saffold’s flexibility.Myles Simmons @MylesASimmons
Also a note on Pharoh Cooper inside. Hasn’t practiced last couple days with quad issue, but should be back over next few days.VIDEO: DE William Hayes doesn't see many weaknesses on the Rams, is "real optimistic" for the season pic.twitter.com/h2lrNOmih7
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) August 4, 2016
Vincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
Williams is big, physical target (needs to work on focus) Thomas is smooth, but maybe a bit of a development playerAugust 3, 2016 at 7:25 pm in reply to: Tre Mason: reports on erratic behavior keep mounting up #50080znModeratorRams RB Tre Mason admitted to hospital for evaluation in late July
ESPN.com news services
Los Angeles Rams running back Tre Mason, from whom the team hasn’t heard despite multiple attempts to contact him, was “admitted for evaluation” to a hospital in late July after his mother called police in South Florida, saying Mason was acting strangely.
According to a police report, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s officers arrived at his mother’s house in Lake Charleston, Florida, after Tina Mason called to report that Tre Mason was “acting unusual and making irrational statements.”
Rams officials said Tuesday that they have tried several times to get in touch with Mason, who was arrested in March on charges of reckless driving, marijuana possession and resisting arrest. The team has been in contact with Mason’s family and his agent, Bus Cook, but has been unable to get answers about his condition or his whereabouts.
According to the police report, Tre Mason told officers that “he was going to call the White House and we were all going to lose our jobs” and that “the police were responsible for teaching al-Qaida how to fly planes.”
Police observed that a hole had been punched in the wall of Mason’s bedroom, and there was a broken vase and lamp in the room as well. Police determined that Mason wasn’t fit “to make decisions” for himself at the time, and he was taken to the hospital for a small laceration on his hand as well as observation.
According to the report, Mason also applauded the officers, telling them that “he was used to being the entertainment for others, but now (officers) were his entertainment.”
Rams RB Tre Mason, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s report, told officers that “he was going to call the White House and we were all going to lose our jobs” and that “the police were responsible for teaching Al-Qaeda how to fly planes.” Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Rams tackle Greg Robinson has been in contact with Mason at some point during the offseason via text, but officials said that communication has been complicated because Mason has changed his cell phone number multiple times.“Right now, we’re more concerned with Tre Mason’s well-being than we are his football career,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher told reporters at Rams training camp over the weekend. “We’re going to continue to try to reach him to see where he’s at.”
Officially, Mason is on the Rams’ reserve/did not report list, so he doesn’t count against their 90-man training camp roster.
TMZ Sports first reported that Mason was admitted for evaluation by police.
Police in Hollywood, Florida, said Mason refused orders to get out of his sports car on March 5, after he was pulled over for going twice the speed limit in a 35 mph zone. Officers said they used a stun gun on Mason twice.
znModerator8to12
I made it to Camp yesterday, but made it home a bit late to post here. I was able to record most of the 11-on-11 plays along with some 7-on-7. I will need to get help from some one on how to convert my iphone video to file that can be posted here.
Things I noticed on 8/02 :
– QB warm-ups ; watched Mannion and Goff play catch first at a 12 yard distance and then at a 25 yard distance. Mannion’s throws are direct, with a tight spiral. Goff’s throws have a little bit more Arc in them and are not as tight. …just something I noticed
– Tavon was back with the group while Pharoh Cooper watched.
– Punt return drills: Tavon and Chase Reynolds were doing something pretty cool….. they would hold a ball in their hands while waiting for the punted ball to arrived. As the punted ball got close, they would tooss the existing ball in the air, catch the punted ball, spin around and then catch the tossed ball. Reynolds was the only one who did it consistently. All the other guys couldn’t even get close.
– Mike Thomas had a good day. He was in with the 2nd team and also got some snaps the 1’s. He caught just about everything thrown to him. He looks like he belongs.
– For anyone that thinks Bradley Marquez may not make the team, a glimpse of this practice would definitely change their mind. He is getting to run with the 2’s and 1’s in 11-on-11 and the guy just makes plays.
– Special teams: Punt team worked on directional punting…. left sideline vs right sideline……. Hecker had a couple of 65 yard kicks that were inpressive.
– Offensive notes: Saw 2 new formations today ; first was 2 TE’s standing a few feet outside of the Tackles, not inline, with a receiver positioned a few feet to their outside shoulder. It looks like a “Bunch” formation with 1 RB. The second was a spread with 4 receivers to the Left side of the formation.
– TE ; Justice Cunningham was targeted a couple of times to day and he made 2 nice catches. Did not see Hemmingway much. They have Higbee running short out routes and seam routes, straight up field.
– Defense ; did not spend much time looking at the Defense, but I did notice that Nic Grigsby (rookie from Pitt) made 2 nice plays in the Passing game breaking up throws.
– not much else to report due to holding the iphone and making video the entire afternoon.
Anyopne that can suggest hoe to get my iphone video uploaded here would be greatly appreciated.I am now off to see this afternoon’s practice. I will try to just watch and make notes today.
znModeratorThanks. I forgot how blue that scene is. I’m ok if its not appropriate to just redact it (but it does reflect my thinking on Case Keenum) : )
We don’t have that problem here. Not with language in vids. If children read the board, we encourage them to speak that way (kidding
). The way the rules work, there are limits on direct obscenity so no porn, not that anyone would do that.
But a scene from The Wire? It’s fine.
Do you know the vid where someone took a clip from The Wire and added a laugh track?
znModeratorYeah, it really was supposed to be a pretty famous scene from The Wire where Stringer Bell describes something as a 40 degree day. It seemed appropriate when describing Keenum, but maybe its just my sense of humor. : )
I will put it in.
The way to post youtube vids is just to put the url in there without any additions. Just it by itself.
August 3, 2016 at 4:43 pm in reply to: Isiah58 tweets & vids – some play by play from 8/2 camp #50059znModeratorNote that I had a brain cramp and kept calling Mike Thomas Mike “Williams”. Will adjust in the future.
Isiah 58Do you want me to change it here via edit?
znModeratorGoff told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday that shortly after the Rams picked him, he sought out Titans passer Marcus Mariota for advice. Mariota suggested Goff try an exercise in his downtime: Record himself saying a play call, play it back, diagram the play on a sheet of paper, and then visualize the progression
Man I love this on so many levels. Not going to gush about it…but I am pleased.
Wait till he tries it with the Rams O line and WRs that are last in the league.
not feeling it? I don’t expect much until game 9
Well there’s good reasons to feel that way. I don’t though. I get a different vibe.
The OL is certainly going to be better than last year. IMO that is going to be a solid, deep unit.
THe WRs? My bet is they will be better than last year. And a lot of it last year wasn’t the WRs, it was the qb (Foles). I don’t know HOW good the WRs will be this year, but, yeah I say expect better than last year.
When Bradford came into the league, he had no weapons except Jackson and then just an emerging defense. It all fell apart in 2011. Goff, in contrast, has Gurley and Tavon and a real top caliber defense. He may have more than that, we’ll see.
.
znModeratorI tried to channel my inner Jimmy Fadler by live tweeting some of the action. If you see some tweets by @LBRamsfan, that’s my twitter handle. If you are curious about some of the individual plays, I think you can find most of it there.
I actually posted some of those, in the tweets/ etc for 8/2 thread. Well done!
Very good report btw. Thanks, it’s a great pleasure reading them.
Today I will go collect all the @LBRamsfan tweets and post them here.
Tell me what the link in section 8 is supposed to be…I can help with that. When I tried to trace it I ended up with a youtube vid from The Wire. Not sure that was what you intended.
znModeratorVincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
From the keeping it real department: #Rams offense looking pretty good on 1st day in padsVincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
Couple of #Rams observations: Goff was really, really good today. Tyler Higbee has a chance to make an impact as a rookieVincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
Also, I talked to Duke Williams. He was beyond pissed at himself for the drops on Sunday, and it ate at him all day 1/2Vincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
2/2 Said he was committed to making an impact Monday and Tuesday and he absolutely did. Really liked how he responded to some adversityVincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
3/3 Williams told me the rookie class is super tight and upfront and honest with each other. Seems like there’s accountability 3/4Vincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
4/4 Also he appreciates Tavon Austin taking him under his wing and showing him the way. My (personal note: Impressed w/Austin’s leadership)Vincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
Talked to Higbee too. He and Goff are roommates. He told me they stay up late after meetings quizzing each other/going over classroom infoznModeratorThe very late lily my wife says it is a Surprise Lily.
Your image didn’t come through.
Here’s another image of a Surprise Lily, which I assume is like what you wanted to post:
znModeratorThey said the same thing about Sam Bradford.
They tried to build around Bradford. He got injured.
They’re adding Goff to a more developed team: “The one piece that we needed to stabilize our team was QB,” Snead told USA TODAY Sports before Sunday’s practice.
That’s the key…they’re ADDING Goff to what is a more talented team. Goff and Bradford are very different kinds of qb talent btw.
znModeratorInside Training Camp: First Full Pads Practice
Go inside day four of the LA Rams training camp with Rams insider, Myles Simmons.
znModeratorCourts are finally pointing out the racism behind voter ID laws
Laws targeting minority voters are no different today than they were during Jim Crow.
Washington Post
Last week, a federal appeals court struck down North Carolina’s omnibus voter suppression law — a law so jam-packed with voting restrictions targeted at poor, minority communities that its moniker was the “monster law.”
The decision was handed down alongside a spate of other federal decisions in the past two weeks blocking voter restrictions and voter ID requirements in Wisconsin, Texas, North Dakota and Kansas. Some of these laws had been rushed through and passed following the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating 2013 blow to the Voting Rights Act, which for 50 years had protected voters from discriminatory laws like poll taxes, literacy tests and the like.
Congress has refused to do anything to restore the law’s protections, so litigation has remained the only real recourse for advocates trying to stop these voter suppression tactics more and more state legislatures have been adopting. Our organization, the Campaign Legal Center has been fighting the Texas voter ID law in court alongside several civil rights groups. And after tireless years of lawsuits, and millions of dollars shouldered by the victims of discrimination, advocates are finally achieving what they set out to do: Show that today’s cleverly masked voting laws — passed under false pretenses of stopping non-existent in-person voter fraud — are no different than the tactics used during the Jim Crow era to maintain white political power.
In North Carolina, notably, the federal appeals court directly took on the underlying issue in voting rights today. The decision should be required reading for all state legislatures that are targeting black and Hispanic voters with onerous restrictions because of minority voters’ well-known propensity to vote for Democrats. Their goal is to protect their own political power, but the legislators’ method is racial discrimination.
The 4th Circuit, in its decision last week, held that the North Carolina state legislature acted in order to entrench itself and “it did so by targeting voters who, based on race, were unlikely to vote for the majority party. Even if done for partisan ends, that constituted racial discrimination.”
The court called this strategy what it is: racist. The panel wrote that “sing race as a proxy for party may be an effective way to win an election. But intentionally targeting a particular race’s access to the franchise because its members vote for a particular party, in a predictable manner, constitutes discriminatory purpose. This is so even absent any evidence of race-based hatred and despite the obvious political dynamics.”
But outside of the courts, the public discussion around these laws has focused on politics, not race. After all, the partisan motive of the recent wave of voter restrictions is a poorly kept secret. Several legislators, such as Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai and Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman, have slipped from the usual Republican line that voter ID laws are about preventing voter fraud and acknowledged that the goal is to give the GOP an edge on Election Day. But given the demographic patterns of who votes for which party, the easiest way for them to gain that edge is by putting bureaucratic hurdles in place that make it harder for poor and elderly minority voters to cast ballots. Thus, race and politics are necessarily intertwined.
This racial strategy is just barely below the surface of many of these laws — they pick and choosing voting restrictions that benefit whites while harming blacks and other minorities.
In North Carolina, the legislature requested racial data on the use of electoral mechanisms, then restricted all those disproportionately used by blacks, such as early voting, same day registration and out-of-precinct voting. Absentee ballots, disproportionately used by white voters, were exempted from the voter ID requirement. The legislative record actually justified the elimination of one of the two days of Sunday voting because “counties with Sunday voting in 2014 were disproportionately black” and “disproportionately Democratic.”
The documents acceptable for proving voters’ identity in North Carolina were the ones disproportionately held by whites, such as driver’s licenses, U.S. passports and veteran and military IDs, and the ones that were left out were the ones often held by poor minority voters, such as student IDs, government employee IDs and public assistance IDs. The Texas voter ID law was designed the same way: There, officials accepted concealed weapon licenses but not student or state employee IDs. The Texas Legislature was repeatedly advised of the likely effect on minority voters but rebuffed nearly all amendments that would have eased its harsh impact.
Because of the strong link between race and party, some defenders of the laws have argued that the restrictions are nothing but “politics as usual” — that they’re not motivated by racial animus and are therefore lawful. For example, 5th Circuit Judge Edith Jones, dissenting in the Texas voter ID decision, wrote: “The law reflects party politics, not racism, and the majority of this court — in their hearts—know this.”
In North Carolina’s legislature, Republican senators vigorously denied that the law was racially discriminatory. But at the same time, they admitted that the bill rolled back voting expansions that, they believed, “Democrats passed to favor themselves.” In other words, Republicans admitted that they wanted to limit how easy it is for people to vote because more access to the ballot box for black voters is bad for GOP candidates. The district court judge in the North Carolina case, who originally upheld the “monster law,” apparently held the same view; his opinion noted that the law largely removed voting expansions passed by Democrats when they controlled the legislature.
Lawmakers often use this “politics, not racism” line in redistricting cases, as well. In the recent past, Republican legislatures have packed black voters at unnecessarily high levels into a few districts, hoping to limit black voters’ impact on the partisan balance in the rest of the state. When challenged, they claim politics made them do it.
In Virginia, a three-judge federal court held that legislators racially gerrymandered Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott’s district, purposefully packing far more blacks into it than necessary. On appeal to the Supreme Court, prominent conservative lawyer Mike Carvin argued repeatedly that the legislators packed black voters for partisan reasons, not racial ones, as if that makes a difference.
But for the hundreds of thousands of black voters harmed by these discriminatory laws, the effect is the same, whether they were singled out as black voters to reduce their power at the ballot box because of direct racial animus or partisan objectives. No doubt many Southern politicians supported Jim Crow before the civil rights movement as much because restrictions on black voters helped them stay in power as because of any personal racism. The intent and the effect is the same: purposeful suppression of black voters’ rights.
On the same day as the North Carolina decision, a Wisconsin federal court echoed this exact point. The court struck down restrictions on in-person absentee voting hours that were aimed specifically at limiting voting access in Milwaukee because of its large black population. The court wrote: “Republicans sought to maintain control of the state government. But the methods that the legislature chose to achieve that result involved suppressing the votes of Milwaukee’s residents, who are disproportionately African American and Latino. . . . [T]hat, too, constitutes race discrimination.”
Exclude minority voters because they tend to vote for one party over another is nothing more than an attempt to remove minority voices from vital policy debates and avoid addressing the political needs and demands of those communities. With this recent wave of court decisions, federal judges, at long last, have signaled a strong message to states: Seeking to target black and other minority voters for exclusion, regardless of motive, is unconstitutional and undemocratic, and it will not be tolerated. In order to survive judicial scrutiny, state legislatures should now understand that they must consider and respond to the needs of our most vulnerable voters when crafting electoral procedures. This should foster more participation in politics at a time when voter apathy is high. That’s good news for our democracy.
znModeratorzn, how did you ‘plan’ that garden? I mean did you read magazines, plan it out on paper, think about sizes, shapes, colors? did you make a chart or a map first?
No annuals? Why do you hate impatiens ?
w
vThere’s some annuals scattered in there. How did I plan the garden? Trial and error. I had a “feel” for what I wanted (not geometric formal, for example, more impressionist era cottage garden). I focused on plants I always liked, then, figured out what goes with them. Aiming at a time when it comes together (I don’t have spring flowers, just mid-late summer plus autumn.) Massing things then putting little variations around the massed stuff. Generally big gardens aren’t that hard cause the bigger, taller plants go in back and the smaller ones in front.
You don’t need magazines or books etc. nowadays because there are so many online resources. For example, you think about a certain plant, and you need all the specs, and some idea of what goes with it. There are places that do all that for you. For example take in this whole page (scrolling down) and see how much info it offers:
http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=780
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