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znModeratorCooper Likely a Solid Slot Option for L.A. Offense
Myles Simmons
The Rams’ blockbuster trade up to No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft left them with four remaining picks — two in the fourth round, and two in the sixth. But on Day 3, Los Angeles swapped fourth-round picks with Chicago, moving down to No. 117 to gain an extra sixth-round selection.
With the club’s second pick of the day, the Rams continued to add pieces to their passing offense by selecting wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.
According to head coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams have had their eye on the wideout for a couple years. They noticed how Cooper was one of the catalysts for former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier’s offense.
“He was running the football, he was catching balls, and returning,” Fisher said. “He’s just somebody you need to get the football to.”
“We felt like he would be a really good prospect for a slot receiver where he could get in there and uncover and get open because he’s strong, he’s powerful,” Fisher continued. “He’s got really good ball skills.”
Cooper also saw his share of time as a returner — both punt and kick — and even had a few trick plays as a QB in college.
“Every time I get on the field, I’m on the field to make plays, help my team get in situations where I can score touchdowns and win games no matter where I’m at,” Cooper said during last week’s rookie orientation. “Just [making] plays — that’s kind of how I stand out from the rest.”
Because of Cooper’s versatility and physical style, general manager Les Snead admitted rookie camp likely isn’t the best place for him to show off his skill set.
“Right now, I would say, this is the worst time of year for Pharoh. It’s helmet and shorts,” Snead said. “But when you put shoulder pads on and full pads, and he catches a football, then the fun starts.”
Still, Cooper said he enjoyed just getting on a football field again after the long draft process. It’s a common refrain from rookies both on the Rams and across the league.
“Like I said early in the draft process — the Combine process — I’m not a Combine guy. I’m not a Combine freak. I’m a football player,” Cooper said. “So just to step on that field again, and put some cleats on, and a helmet on, start learning plays, running routes — it felt great to actually be out there and catch the football.”
As the young wideout goes through learning the playbook, he may have a slight edge. Cooper was a quarterback in high school, and knowledge from that time aided in his transition to receiver.
“Just knowing where everybody is going to be,” Cooper said. “Cover 2, you know where the safeties are going to be. Cover 3, you know where the safeties and the corners are going to be at. So switching from quarterback to receiver was, pretty much, an easy transition.”
Cooper won’t be alone in studying up on the plays. His new teammate, wide receiver Tavon Austin, had already reached out to lend his support before the two even met in person.
“We actually were on FaceTime,” Cooper said. “He was asking me about the film, asking me what was going on, what plays we were running — little things like that. We didn’t really talk about other stuff. We were just talking football last night.”
On his conference call just after being drafted, Cooper said he had long admired Austin’s career. Now that the two are teammates, Cooper’s relishing the chance to be on the same field at the same time.
“He’s always making plays,” Cooper said. “He’s just so fast and quick. He always makes somebody miss. I just love watching him play.”
As the Rams offseason program continues, Cooper’s looking forward to making strong early impressions not only for the coaches, but also his teammates.
“Just for them to know that I’m a hard worker and that I’m going to compete every day — every day of the week when we have practice,” he said. “I’m going to study the playbook so I’m not on the field looking clueless when the play comes up. I’m not focused on trying to get a starting spot right now. I’m just focused on working hard, trying to get all the formations and plays so that when I get on the field, I know what to do.”
If he’s successful in those endeavors, Snead had a fairly lofty comparison Cooper may live up to.
“There’s a lot of comparisons on him, but I always say he reminds me of a long time ago, a long-time player named Hines Ward coming out of Georgia,” Snead said.
If Cooper becomes that kind of player, the Rams should have a high-quality receiver for years to come.
znModeratorRams ready for their close-up as subject of ‘Hard Knocks’
Joe Curley / Ventura County Star
An admitted fan of “Hard Knocks,” Aaron Donald isn’t concerned about being a subject — rather than a consumer — of the long-running HBO NFL training camp series this summer.
“It’s just a camera in your face,” the star defensive lineman said Thursday. “With the game that we play, there’s always a camera in your face. So just go out there and do what you’ve been doing.”
As if the Los Angeles Rams didn’t have enough going on this offseason as they transition from St. Louis to Southern California, the franchise will be the first NFL West team to be the subject of the annual HBO and NFL Films collaboration.
“I’m not worried,” Rams running back Todd Gurley said. “I’m already an outgoing person. If the cameras come around, that’s cool. But we’re going to do our job.”
The Rams welcomed HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson, NFL Films coordinating producer Ken Rodgers and Hard Knocks director Matt Dissinger to River Ridge fields in Oxnard on Thursday to discuss how the Rams “made sense” for the five-part, behind-the-scene reality show’s 11th season.
“As soon as the announcement was made at the (January) owners meetings that the Rams were returning to Los Angeles,” Rodgers said, “I really think it was a three-way tie between the organizations calling each other … HBO, NFL Films and the Rams saying, ‘This makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?’ ”
After all, what is more Los Angeles than reality TV? Of course, the Rams will be the first team to have their move captured by the show, which means the filming has already begun.
“It really is a dream as a filmmaker to have a situation like that with a team that is intent of taking the next step and doing so in a new market,” Rodgers said. “It’s not only great for HBO and the viewers, it’s great for NFL Films historically to record this.”
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was sold once he was satisfied the show wouldn’t put the team at a competitive disadvantage.
“From a competitive standpoint, they’re not going to capture walkthrough and installations and football and all those things,” Fisher said. “It’s more about the storylines. Once we got past that, it really made total sense to do this.”
The Rams are the eighth franchise to do the show, joining Baltimore, Dallas (twice), Kansas City, Cincinnati (twice), New York Jets, Atlanta and Houston.
Rodgers mentioned the last six teams on the show “have had as good as or better record than the year before they appeared on ‘Hard Knocks.’ ” Four of those six teams have made the playoffs.
Quarterback Jared Goff will be the first No. 1 overall draft pick to have his rookie season chronicled by the show.
Although Dissinger was quick to point out that this season “will not be the Jared Goff show.”
“I’m not concerned about Jared being able to handle it,” Fisher said. “He’s not going to be the only story. That’s the key with what we’re doing. He’ll be a story. I’ll be great to follow him, to follow his progress. But it’s not going to take away from his ability to compete and potentially become a starter as soon as he can.”
Although much of the show will be filmed at UC Irvine, where the Rams will hold training camp in August, Ventura County should have more than a cameo, considering the Rams are currently based in Oxnard and will be gradually be moving into their in-season home at Cal Lutheran during the show.
Donald, who is featured playing cards in the trailer released by HBO, said he’s already been filmed “relaxing” at teammate Robert Quinn’s house.
Quinn said last month that he’s currently renting near River Ridge.
Punter Johnny Hekker said he had already been filmed, along with several fellow special teamers, during a go-karting trip at MR2 Raceway in Thousand Oaks.
“It was a fun little afternoon,” Hekker said. “You try not to get too hyped up with camera around. But when you’re on the track getting competitive, the juices just flow.”
Hekker said he reached out to Texans long snapper Jonathan Weeks, who experienced the show last season.
Weeks’ most memorable advice? Know who is mic’ed up.
“A lot of guys are mic’ed up during practice, so you can’t crack the same jokes always that you want to,” Hekker said. “HBO is uncensored, too, so we’ll see. I’ve got to make sure my grandma doesn’t have to hear me bleeped out or anything like that.”
“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams” will be filmed by a crew of 32 people with 12 robotic cameras. Actor Liv Schreiber returns as narrator.
Fisher seems committed to putting on a memorable show.
“We want this to be the best show to date,” Fisher said. “We want this to be the No. 1. We want to be the best. … We want to pave the way for our member clubs that will line up for the opportunity to do this during camp.”
znModeratorRams RB Todd Gurley isn't concerned about the constant spotlight during training camp that Hard Knocks represents.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
“I’m not worried. I’m already an outgoing person. If the cameras come around, that’s cool. But we’re going to do our job.” — Gurley
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
HBO/NFL Films camera have already been documenting the Rams moving process. Just by seeing the teaser, you can see several 805 spots.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
Aaron Donald said his only experience with cameras so far came when he was hanging out at Robert Quinn's house. That's in trailer as well.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
Punter Johnny Hekker said the NFL Films cameras tagged along with the special teamers' go-kart trip to MR2 Racing in Thousand Oaks.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
"You try not to get too hyped up with cameras around. But when you’re on the track getting competitive, the juices just flow." — Hekker
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
So already, even though training camp will be in Irvine, that's potential Hard Knocks scenes filmed in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
While some players and staff have already completed their move to the area, many are still being housed at the Residence Inn.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
Hekker said he thinks most of his teammates will ultimately be based in Thousand Oaks as long as the Rams are based at CLU.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
“I think most of guys are thinking around Thousand Oaks as the epicenter… We’re going to be (at CLU), so you don’t want to be too far away.”
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
"You don’t want to be too far from work with the traffic around here, so a lot of guys are going to be in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills."
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
And it's pretty obvious that Rams P Johnny Hekker is home in Ventura County. I brought up food. He brought up Topper's Pizza. — @JHekker
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
“Out here, it’s Topper’s Pizza. That place is unreal. Big plug… They did not pay me to say that. The pizza speaks for itself." — @JHekker
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) May 12, 2016
znModeratorthing is. for me. it can’t just be a 10-15 yr qb. not for how much they had to give up. he’s gonna have to be better than ryan or manning. he’s gonna have to be drew brees good to ever think that trade was worth it. either that or lynch is gonna have to blow chunks.
Yeah we’re opposite ends of the spectrum on this.
They wanted a sure bet at landing their guy. It wasn’t just a qb, they wanted their qb. It’s like how they use a draf to turn a weakness into a strength…but whereas before when they did that, they would use multiple picks to take multiple players (2 CBs in 2012, 5 linemen counting Battle in 2015), with a qb, when you do that, you need multiple picks to get one player.
To me, it doesn’t matter if Lynch surpasses him (and I highly doubt that will happen anyway). To me, them getting their guy at qb is worth the picks. If Goff develops as expected, I won’t be going “but what about the picks in 2016.” I will be just be going “yay Goff.”
Besides…and I keep saying it but…Goff looks like he has Warner, Manning, Montana, Brady traits in him.
But I will be fine with an Eli level guy (cause after all Eli was a #1 pick too and the Giants traded a lot to get him).
.
znModeratorIR, a lot of our issues came up in this article:
Wagoner: adding more receiver versatility to Rams offense (Tavon, Cooper)
znModeratorRams don’t expect ‘Hard Knocks’ HBO series to be a distraction
Sam Farmer
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-rams-hard-knocks-20160513-column.html
The first time NFL Films documented a training camp was 49 years ago, when the legendary storytellers focused their lens on the Green Bay Packers. It was a good news/bad news experience.
The good news: Packers coach Vince Lombardi was enthralled, giving rare access to his players, who seemed energized and especially sharp with the cameras trained on them. The coach, initially skeptical, insisted the filmmakers stay for a second day.
The bad news: The crew ran out of film by the end of Day 1.
That didn’t bother Lombardi, who was entirely comfortable with the crew faking it on Day 2, simply pointing empty cameras at his players to keep them on their toes. He recognized the upside of putting his team in the spotlight.
Empty cameras won’t be an issue for NFL Films this summer when it chronicles Rams training camp for “Hard Knocks,” the critically acclaimed, all-access HBO series. Five camera crews and 12 robotic cameras shoot roughly 350 hours of footage for a single one-hour episode.
“Just to get through the footage is a challenge, let alone crafting the story and editing it,” said Ken Rodgers, who oversees the show as NFL Films coordinating producer.
When Rodgers began working on the series in 2007, when the Kansas City Chiefs were the focus, NFL Films would send footage back to its New Jersey headquarters on two flights per day. Now, with everything shot digitally and uploaded over the Internet, the process is virtually instantaneous.
“Before practice is over, on any given day, the team back at NFL Films can start working on the footage that was shot at the beginning of practice,” Rodgers said. “That’s how quick the turnaround is now.”
Rodgers participated in a “Hard Knocks” news conference Thursday at the Rams’ temporary home in Oxnard, along with Peter Nelson, executive vice president of HBO Sports; Matt Dissinger, the show’s director; and Rams Coach Jeff Fisher.
“We pride ourselves in making as small a footprint as we can, relative to other productions,” said Dissinger, whose crews have already been gathering footage on the club’s move back to Los Angeles. “We try as best we can to blend into the background, and hope Coach Fisher and his staff will have the same reaction that we’ve had in past camps where people don’t even notice we’re around.”
Fisher said he talked to several coaches, assistant coaches and players from previous “Hard Knocks” teams to make sure it wouldn’t put the Rams at a competitive disadvantage to participate. The recent numbers weigh in his favor. The last six “Hard Knocks” teams have matched or improved their win-loss record from the previous season, and the Cincinnati Bengals (2009, 2013), New York Jets (2010) and Houston Texans (2015) all made the playoffs in the season they were featured.
The show kicks off its five-episode season Aug. 9 at 10 p.m., airing each subsequent Tuesday and culminating with a Sept. 6 finale.
“We want this to be the best show to date,” Fisher said. “We want to pave the way for the member clubs to line up for the opportunity to do this … The players are familiar, they understand what’s ahead, we’ve talked to the coaches and they’re excited.”
Fisher was quick to add, though, that “we want them to be football players, not actors.”
Running back Todd Gurley said he expects training camp to be business as usual, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald likewise shrugged off the notion of “Hard Knocks” potentially being a distraction.
“It’s just a camera in your face,” Donald said. “The game we play, there’s always a camera in your face.”
As for punter Johnny Hekker, he will be especially mindful of his word choice.
“I’ve got to make sure,” he said, “that my grandmother doesn’t have to hear me bleeped out.”
znModeratorFirst ‘Hard Knocks’ trailer focuses on Rams’ move, Jared Goff
Nick Wagoner
If you’re a Los Angeles Rams fan, the team’s upcoming appearance on the HBO docu-series “Hard Knocks” is the television event of the summer. And what would a highly-anticipated television show or movie be without a trailer?
On Thursday, HBO and the NFL unveiled the first footage of the next season. The 11th season of the popular show, which airs the first episode on Aug. 9, will focus on the Rams as they re-adjust to making their home in the City of Angels.
The Rams and HBO held a joint news conference at the team’s training facility in Oxnard, California on Thursday afternoon to discuss the project. As you’d expect much of the subject matter for the show will center on the team’s move and all that goes into it.
NFL Films coordinating producer Ken Rodgers made it clear that choosing the Rams was easy after their move was announced.
“I’m going to start with an admission,” Rodgers said. “There’s been many years that we’ve spent at NFL Films a lot of time trying to decide which team should be part of ‘Hard Knocks.’ There’s been a lot of discussions in the past with HBO about which teams would be the best fit for their viewership and there’s been a lot of discussions with various NFL clubs about the show and their involvement. That was not the case this year.
“As soon as the announcement was made at the March owners meetings that the Rams were returning to Los Angeles, I really think it was probably a three-way tie between the organizations calling each other — HBO, NFL Films and the Rams — and saying, ‘This makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?’ It really is a dream as a filmmaker to have a situation like this with a team that is intent on taking the next step and doing so in a new market.”
Much of the one-minute, eight-second trailer is devoted to showing the Rams moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles and setting up shop in California. But part of it also offers a glimpse of the team’s decision to trade up and draft quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick.
“Hard Knocks” director Matt Dissinger said that while Goff will be a storyline, he won’t be the whole story.
“It’s not going to be the Jared Goff show,” Dissinger said. “It’s up to what happens in terms of what storylines are going to be there.”
It will, however, stick to the general focus of the show, which is to hone in on the people playing football rather than zeroing in on the details of football itself.
“It’s the one time a year that the NFL really embraces pulling back all the curtains and showing all the players not as multimillionaires who get to play a kid’s game, which is sometimes a wrong perception,” Rodgers said. “They’re young people trying to get a job, keep a job just like a lot of young people in America.”
znModerator‘Hard Knocks’ is best workplace drama on television
Dan Hanzus
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000662343/article/hbo-unveils-2016-la-rams-hard-knocks-trailer
OXNARD, Calif. — Choosing a Hard Knocks team isn’t usually easy. This year proved to be an exception to the rule.
The Rams will make their star turn when the ground-breaking HBO series makes its return for an 11th season on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET. Hard Knocks coordinating producer Ken Rodgers explained how quickly it came together during a news conference at the Rams’ practice facility Thursday.
“As soon as the announcement was made at the March owners meetings that the Rams were returning to Los Angeles, I really think it was a three-way tie between the organizations calling each other — HBO, NFL Films and the Rams — and saying, ‘This makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?'”
The Rams make for compelling Hard Knocks fodder, no doubt. This will mark the first time the series will document what goes on behind the scenes when an entire organization moves from one city to another. It’s also the first time Hard Knocks will have cameras rolling with a No. 1 overall pick in the building.
Just don’t expect the season to be a Jared Goff-fest.
“It’s not going to be The Jared Goff Show,” said Matt Dissinger, director of Hard Knocks since last year’s Texans excursion. “It might seem, and hopefully we do this well, that when you watch the show you’ll think we shot a million times with him, but in reality he wears a wire once during practice, during the game, then get a couple of off-the-field shoots throughout the duration of camp.”
Some other takeaways from the Hard Knocks news conference:
» Rams coach Jeff Fisher was on the makeshift podium, situated on a tennis court at the Residence Inn in Oxnard that doubles as the Rams’ home. I asked Fisher a couple of questions about how he’ll handle Hark Knocks cameras, but ol’ Fish was more slippery than general manager Les Snead at a crew cut convention.
Would Fisher be worried about the robotic cameras (there will be 12 of them on the grounds) catching him saying or doing things he’d rather keep private? “No, I’ll have plenty of towels,” Fisher said. “I’ll just flip a towel over the lens and we’ll be fine.”
In addition to the dozen robotic cameras, NFL Films will have a 32-person crew on site for each day of shooting. And you wonder why some coaches are spooked by the thought …
» Rodgers and Dissinger both offered good insight on what Hard Knocks tries to do and made no apologies for not catering to the Xs and Os crowd. Said Rodgers: “This is a personality-driven show about what it’s like to get a job and keep a job. … This show has always been about people and we’re going to continue to keep it that way.” Dissinger put it another way: “I look at Hard Knocks as a workplace drama.”
» Rams running back Todd Gurley was made available to journos after the news conference and didn’t sound like a guy who would be scheming for air time on premium cable. We asked Gurley if he’d be fine if a Hard Knocks cameraman hopped in his car for a day in the life with Todd: “Nah, I’m not doing all that,” he replied. “Me personally? I don’t need that.”
» Aaron Donald was under the mistaken impression that HBO bleeps out swearing in HK episodes. I let him know that was not the case. Was he worried his mother could come down on him for salty language? “It’s a game. It’s a physical game. There’s a lot of emotions. Just like if you were out with your brother, you fight your brother sometimes, but at the end of day you’re going to squash it and that’s going to be that.”
» There are no shortcuts for the Hard Knocks creative team. No one is asked to repeat a funny line, or walk through a doorway for continuity’s sake. Rodgers said there are 90 different storylines entering camp, which each player representing a story.
“It reminds me of a saying that Steve Sabol had when he described what it was like to produce Hard Knocks,” Rodgers said, referring to the late co-founder of NFL Films. “He said it’s like building an airplane in a flight. Only once it takes off can you figure out what you have to do to keep flying.”
A scary thought, but a process that delivers year after year. Don’t miss our Around The NFL episode recaps in August.
znModeratorMontana: Every indicator says Goff will make it in the league
Hall of Famer Joe Montana talks about Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff and how well he will transition to the NFL.
znModeratorAm I the only Goffian here?
Interesting.
I would have been fine with Wentz btw if they took him, and initially he was my choice. But I am now pretty much a Goffian. Or, Goffite. Or, Gofficaner.
I think the kid has the chance to be something special.
If he’s not, I think he will be at least Eli/Flacco good.
Personally I don’t mind trading the picks. It amounts to losing a 2 and 3 this year and a 1 next. (That’s not strictly accurate or literal…hence the “it amounts to” construction.) Would I trade that much to get a 10-15 year qb? If I didn’t have one…yes.
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May 12, 2016 at 7:39 pm in reply to: mmqb: long, interesting article on "How Quarterbacks Are Made" #43959znModerator“When you have two parents and you have wealth and you have structure, you have more access and you’re exposed to more things,” Whitfield says. “Then you know when to get on that circuit. To know when to get some highlight tapes—you need an institution behind you.
“Really, truly, you could have a working-class family and many have made it out, but when you just peek around the league at some of your star quarterbacks, they were raised to be CEOs, and rightfully so. That’s not a knock.” ….
…“A lot of it comes down to resources,” says Bruce Feldman, author of The QB: The Making of the Modern Quarterback. “The position is so nuanced, you don’t have guys showing up in college with very little experience and having success at quarterback like you see with other positions. Rarely do guys all of a sudden become quarterbacks…
—————————–w
v===
I knew Brady was a product of all this. I didn’t know most of them are. Or rather, I didn’t think about it.
…
May 12, 2016 at 11:42 am in reply to: mmqb: long, interesting article on "How Quarterbacks Are Made" #43941znModeratorfrom off the net
==
MamaRAMa
I went to school with George Whitfield’s parents, George & Cheryl, when we were all students at Wichita State University. We all lived in the same dorm. His dad was a linebacker on the WSU football team and I was a WSU cheerleader the year of the plane crash (the school dropped the football program after the 1986 season). Like me, his mom was an education major and we shared many of the same classes. I’ve always found it interesting that George Jr wasn’t good enough to make it as a professional player himself, but he’s become a respected QB guru who gives private instruction to many NFL and college pros.
By the way, there is an excellent, 57-minute award-winning documentary called “Black & Gold: Remembering The WSU Plane Crash” which you can view for free online at:
http://watch.kpts.org/video/1870760480/
That’s me at the 2:15 mark. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
May 12, 2016 at 10:52 am in reply to: from "away" – draftniks & reporters on the draft as a whole #43940znModeratorPro Football Focus ranks Rams most improved in NFC West
Nick Wagoner
Part of the beauty of the NFL offseason is the many differing opinions on every team’s approach to it. Those that spend big money in free agency are often times considered “winners” right after they make those moves but rarely so when the games actually start.
Others point to making smart, low-budget roster moves while focusing on nailing the draft as the proper approach, a time-tested method that’s worked for consistent winners such as the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.
The Los Angeles Rams have attempted both in the recent past with mediocre results. But earlier this week, Pro Football Focus named the team in each of the NFL’s eight divisions it believes improved itself the most in the 2016 offseason. Their choice for the NFC West division? The Rams.
PFF credits the Rams for a strong draft (with a grade of A-minus) and lauds them for the bold move up to land quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick. PFF also approved of the Rams’ moves to add pass-catchers for Goff in the later rounds, with a particular affinity for sixth-round receiver Michael Thomas.
Undoubtedly, the Rams have a steep hill to climb in the NFC West with Arizona and Seattle looming at the top but if the offseason turns out as well as PFF believes, it could be a little less daunting.
znModerator
znModeratorReceiver, runner, returner, passer: Pharoh Cooper adds more versatility to Rams offense
Nick Wagoner
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher speaks of newly drafted multipurpose receiver Pharoh Cooper in similar terms as he used for Tavon Austin back in 2013.
“We’ve been watching ‘Coop’ seems like for a couple years now, and he is (South Carolina’s) favorite player, their best player,” Fisher said. “They figure out a way to give him the ball. The statistics are obvious. You watch him and he is throwing the ball, his return skills, his run after catch, his ability to get open. He is a strong player. We felt like he would give us an additional target inside to uncover and do those kinds of things.”
Buzz words such as versatility are at the top of the list of words thrown toward Cooper after a college career at South Carolina in which he did a little bit of everything. But if the Rams already have a smallish receiver capable of lining up all over offensive formations in Austin, where does that leave Cooper?
“I mean, if we were to both come in the starting lineup, that’d be great,” Cooper said. I’m not going to go in there and say I should be starting right away. I am going to have to prove to the coaches that I’m worthy and that I’m going to work hard. That’s the main thing I’m going to do — I’m going to work hard. If we are both on the field at the same time, it could be dangerous.”
Don’t scoff at the idea that Cooper and Austin could be on the field at the same time on a fairly consistent basis as Austin’s role has evolved in his three seasons with the Rams.
When the Rams drafted Austin, he was viewed as more of a slot receiver and that’s where he spent the bulk of his time as a rookie. But Austin has run fewer routes from the slot in each of his seasons. He ran 236 routes with 54 targets and 30 catches inside as a rookie. In 2014, those numbers dipped to 174 routes, 22 targets and 14 catches.
Last year, the Rams began using Austin more outside, where they could get him moving before the snap and hand him the ball on jet sweeps and reverses. He ran just 88 routes from the slot with 17 targets and 11 catches inside.
In fact, the Rams got minimal production from all of their receivers in the slot in 2015. Austin, Wes Welker, Stedman Bailey, Bradley Marquez and Brian Quick combined for 69 targets from the slot in 2015 and finished with 38 catches for 330 yards (8.7 yards per catch) and one touchdown.
Cooper, who primarily worked from the slot for the Gamecocks, averaged 8.2 yards after the catch per reception alone in his college career. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he averaged 8 yards after the catch per reception in 2015.
That ability to get open, catch the ball and get extra yards comes from Cooper’s former life as a quarterback.
“That’s just my mark,” Cooper said. “Catch the ball, make yards, that didn’t really come from anywhere. I played quarterback in high school, so I got hit a lot. So getting tackled and running through holes, and getting extra yards and fighting for extra yards — that is just what I love to do. That’s just the biggest part of my game.”
Cooper, who got his unique first name from his father drawing inspiration from Egyptian royalty, earned first-team All-SEC honors each of the past two seasons. He had 69 catches for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore and 66 receptions for 973 yards and eight scores as a junior last year.
In addition to his slot duties, Cooper also lined up as the Wildcat quarterback often during his time at South Carolina. He rushed for 513 yards and four touchdowns in his three collegiate seasons and completed nine of 16 passes for 118 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned punts and kickoffs.
“(I can) play anywhere on the field,” Cooper said. “Punt return, kick return, you can line me up in the backfield, slot, the outside.”
Even quarterback?
“Yes, sir,” Cooper said. “If they need me to throw the ball, I’ll throw the ball for them. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it. I’m just happy to be a part of the organization. I’m ready to start playing now.”
Assuming Cooper is able to quickly grasp the Rams offense and the NFL route tree, it’s not out of the question that he’ll be asked to contribute right away. In terms of slot receivers, the Rams have not re-signed Welker and Bailey’s status remains uncertain after he suffered two gun shots to the head last November. Marquez returns and figures to be the most likely competition for work inside.
If that means sharing time with another smaller wideout capable of doing it all, that’s fine by Cooper.
“I look at it as just an opportunity to get on the field,” Cooper said. “Go out there, work hard and do my best. Wherever they play me, that is where I’m going to try to excel and do my best to excel. You know the receivers … I’m happy to go in there and work with Tavon. I followed his career when he was at West Virginia and I’m excited to line up (with him) while I’m on the field.”
znModeratorVoter fraud is not real. Not in any way that matters.
Except to win.
We know the purpose of it if it DID exist.
But Mack is saying it does not exist. Not in any statistically meaningful way.
If you believe it does, you have just swallowed some propaganda whole. I will say this. You will not be able to present any evidence for it that stands up to scrutiny.
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znModeratorfrom TOP 101 NFL PLAYERS FROM THE 2015 SEASON
PFF counts down the 101 best players from the 2015 NFL season.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/05/09/pro-top-101-nfl-players-from-2015-nos-76-101/
1. Aaron Donald, DT, St. Louis Rams (18)
Dethroning J.J. Watt from atop of the PFF Top 101 takes some serious production. Coming into this season, Watt was the No. 1 name on the list for three straight years following his breakout sophomore campaign, and it looked like he would remain there as long as he stayed on the field. For Aaron Donald to force himself into the same kind of echelon already in his career is truly staggering.Donald was the highest-graded interior defender in the league, and in his second season—just like Watt—he pushed that grade into the stratosphere. The Rams’ star may not have posted the kind of numbers Watt did, but Donald played exclusively inside as a defensive tackle, whereas Watt has become a true edge rusher, a position that typically generates far better stats than their interior teammates. Donald still ended the season with 79 total pressures and 51 defensive stops, and actually gained more pressure on a per-rush basis than the Texan.
Donald may have the quickest first step in the game among linemen, and was a constant presence in the backfield of offenses, blowing up plays against the run and pass with frightening regularity. He may not have the ideal size that teams look for, but there was no better NFL player in 2015.
Best performance: Week 1 versus Seattle: +10.7
Key stat: Aaron Donald was the highest-graded player in the NFL last season (99.9 on PFF’s new 1–100 scale).
znModeratorHigbee’s Size, Speed Make a Promising Prospect
Myles Simmons
It’s no secret the Rams’ passing game struggled in 2015. To address that, the club not only drafted quarterback Jared Goff at No. 1 overall, but also spent four of their next five picks on offensive skill players.
Tight end Tyler Higbee was the first off the board. The Rams ended up drafting two tight ends — the other being sixth-round pick Temarrick Hemingway — in part because it was a position of need.
“When we looked at the board, both Hemingway and Higbee were guys who we had in the column who we really liked,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “We needed to address the tight end position, particularly because we only had three on the roster.”
Given that the blockbuster trade bringing the Rams the No. 1 pick was consummated two weeks before draft day, Los Angeles had more time to extensively study players likely to be drafted in later rounds. Higbee ended up being one of those players still around when the Rams got back on the clock at No. 110.
General manager Les Snead said he noticed HIgbee while doing some film study on his teammate, quarterback Brandon Doughty, who ended up as a seventh-round pick.
“When you went and watched the QB, you kept seeing this big, large, tight end, who was probably one of his top targets,” Snead said. “He made catches.”
Higbee has been recording receptions for years, going all the way back to when he was seven. That’s when he started playing football as a wide receiver — a position he maintained until his redshirt sophomore year in college when he flipped to TE. His extensive experience as a receiver helped him become more of an asset inside because he already knew the routes.
“As far as the route tree, I’ve been running those routes since I was a little kid,” Higbee said. “But at the same time, it was different coming in and learning fronts and defenses rather than just, ‘run to’ or ‘run away’ or just the routes. Now as a tight end, I’ve got to know everything — almost as much as the quarterback.”
With Higbee’s considerable size and speed — he checked in at the Combine at 6-foot-6 and 249 pounds — he projects as a significant matchup issue for defenses.
“I can create mismatches with linebackers and safeties,” Higbee said. “Some of the smaller guys — use my physicality. Some of the bigger guys, I can use my speed with. Create those mismatches, and get open, and hopefully score some touchdowns for the Rams.”
Fisher has said Higbee looked dominant at times at the collegiate level as a receiving tight end. But given that the Rams’ offense is likely to be based around running back Todd Gurley’s considerable rushing skills, it’s important for the club’s TEs to be strong blockers.
“He can drop his hips in the run game and he can be a factor,” Fisher said. “And that’s what we’re looking for — some who can give us an edge presence in our run game.”
Higbee’s first exposure to the Rams’ playbook came at rookie orientation over the weekend. While it does include plenty to learn, the tight end said he felt like he was picking the offense up well with the guidance of his position coach, John Lilly.
“You’ve got to take pride in it, and learn it, and go from there,” Higbee said. “The big thing is, you can do all those things with the coaches, and and your teammates, and on the field, and in your meetings, but you also have to take time outside of those meetings with the coaches and the team and take it upon yourself and learn it.”
While there is a lot of time before the 2016 season starts in September, Fisher said he feels Higbee will play “sooner than people think” in part because of his competitive nature.
“I think I’m going to bring some things to the table that others can’t,” Higbee said. “I think it was right of them to take a chance on me and I’m going to make them proud and work for it. I think they realized I’m a hard worker, and I’m going to put the blinders on and go to work.”
znModeratoralthough i concede that saying he could be goff’s go to receiver was going a little overboard. i’m just a little anxious about how goff will do his rookie year. feel like he’s gonna need the receivers to step up. don’t think the rookies are gonna be up for it. not this year. austin seems like their best chance.
This kind of no-holds-barred, “I’m just right” board war has to have limits. So maybe by July we should think about slowing it down.
Anyway, you’re right…Goff would do better as a rookie if he had a receiver. I don’t know, it’s possible that Tavon steps up and adds more receiving chops. It’s also possible Britt does the same. Maybe Marquez has some of that in him. Maybe Quick goes back to what he was showing early in 2014. It’s also possible they work Gurley in more to the passing game. (I’m not going to count Bailey.) Maybe all that happens, or a percentage of it. Maybe a rookie defies the normal odds and steps up.
I don’t think it’s bleak, it just looks like one big question.
Reminds me of the snakebit past, a little. Bradford began his rookie season with Mark Clayton, and Clayton looked like he was going to be better than his Ravens self and give SB a go-to guy. Then he was hurt in the 2nd game. This isn’t like that…there’s no Clayton this time, and there probably isn’t a Laurent Robinson or Gilyard either (meaning I don’t think they will end up stuck with guys who are just that bad). There’s no Amendola either, but then Amendola was a mixed blessing (he was a short yardage magician but not an outside guy).
I think it’s possible there’s someone in this mix who can get 60/900–
Austin?
Britt?
Cooper?
Marquez?
North?
McRoberts?
Quick?
Spruce?
Thomas?I am not listing Williams because he has too far to go and too much to prove.
My own view, remember, is that 2017 will look better regarding all this than 2016 does now. Which, I know, is a big help. I am even afraid to use the phrase “be patient” around longterm diehard Rams fans. It sounds too much like “Niagra Falls.”
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…znModeratorFormer Auburn WR Duke Williams signs 3-year deal with LA Rams
http://abc3340.com/sports/auburn-university/duke-williams-signs-three-year-deal-with-la-rams
LOS ANGELES, Cal. — D’haquille Williams made a good impression on his first weekend in the NFL.
The Los Angeles Rams signed the former Auburn wide receiver to a 3-year, $1.62 million contract on Tuesday, just two days after Williams took part in the Rams rookie minicamp.
Williams was not selected in the NFL draft after his early exit from Auburn. He was dismissed from the football team in October after he was reportedly involved in nightclub fight.
Prior to the final off-the-field issue, Williams was considered among the top receiver prospects in college football. The 6-foot-2, 216 pound Williams was rated as the nation’s top-ranked JUCO receiver before signing with Auburn in 2014. In his first season with the Tigers, he caught 45 passes for 730 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games.
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ME: That’s basically a free agency contract, not even a simple UDFA contract. I am not familiar with the nuances—I don’t know why he qualifies as a free agent, as opposed to a simple UDFA (maybe ag will know that). The deal will obviously be structured in a way that lets the Rams cut him at any point without cap damage. If he signed a deal like that it suggests to me that other teams were pursuing him too.
znModeratorznModeratorbut my point is his abilities as a receiver and i do think they’re being written off somewhat.
not that being a hybrid weapon is bad. but i think he could have more to contribute as a receiver.
Well maybe we just mean different things by “go-to receiver.” And obviously it’s all just opinions. But, while I think it’s certainly possible he could catch more than he has before, I just don’t think of him as a go-to, clutch play at the right time kinda guy. I think they need a different critter to become that. I think if/when they get that, Tavon will complement him…but I don’t think it will be him.
But then if I was always right I could get paid for posting.
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znModeratorMaybe one or two of these new guys make it happen.
Between the draft picks and the UDFAs, yeah, looks like they could come up with someone.
But, it’s not all that common for receivers to emerge as rookies.
…
znModeratorjust wondering out loud. is there still things we have yet to see from this guy? i’m convinced that goff is going to need at least one receiver he can rely on. even brady had troy brown as a second year player.
i’m wondering if maybe austin could be that. a lot of people have written him off but last year he had a career year in terms of just receptions 52. i think an uptick to 70 receptions is possible along with his usual threat as a ball carrier. but being able to make quick safe passes to this guy and letting him make plays. i think there’s still some potential to be tapped.
some receivers especially a converted running back can take a little longer to develop. he’s only played three years and came in more raw than most prospects. there’s plenty of players in this league who didn’t break out until their fourth year. some really good ones.
and despite seeing an uptick in touches he’s actually gotten more durable. he’s gone from 49 to 67 to 104 touches on offense. so could i see an increase of about 20 more touches this season. i think it’s very possible.
of course i don’t know anything about his route running abilities but again. these are things i believe he can improve on.
I don’t see him as a receiver. I see him as a hybrid weapon (he has as many rushes as he does catches…and he gets 8.3 a carry). The guys who write him off do so because they judge him as a receiver. I don’t write him off–I see his value–and I have never seen him as a receiver, going back to when I advocated picking him before the draft.
If Goff gets a go-to guy in 2016, I don’t think it will be Tavon.
Though, Tavon ought to do his hybrid weapon style damage as usual, IMO.
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znModeratorSo it isn’t a question of fraud, at least. Just a bit of academic caution being exercised.
Agreed.
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Teen Probably Didn’t Unearth an Ancient Mayan City Using Star Maps
Sadly, the feel-good/feel-embarrassed-about-how-little-you’ve-accomplished story of a Canadian 15-year-old discovering a previously undiscovered Mayan city isn’t quite as impressive as first hoped.
The tale, as it went viral (and as we originally wrote it), was simple: Canadian 15-year-old William Gadoury thought he’d found an abandoned Mayan city deep in the heart of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Using star maps, Gadoury discovered that 22 major Mayan cities correlated with the brightest stars in constellations. He was the first person, teen or otherwise, to use this method, the Telegraph reported, and using the location he determined from the third star, Gadoury connected with the Canadian Space Agency, who sent the teen satellite images showing visible geometric shapes consistent with a lost city. Gadoury (as well as Dr. Armand Larocque, a remote sensing specialist from the University of New Brunswick) believes it’s a central Mayan pyramid, with several other nearby structures.
Sadly, Larocque’s endorsement wasn’t shared by the academic community. Since this story was first published, several skeptics have voiced concerns with Gadoury’s potential discovery. “This current news story of an ancient Maya city being discovered is false,” David Stuart, an anthropologist from The Mesoamerica Center-University of Texas at Austin, wrote on Facebook.
The whole thing is a mess – a terrible example of junk science hitting the internet in free-fall. The ancient Maya didn’t plot their ancient cities according to constellations. Seeing such patterns is a rorschach process, since sites are everywhere, and so are stars. The square feature that was found on Google Earth is indeed man-made, but it’s an old fallow cornfield, or milpa.
We’ve reached out to Stuart and will update this post further if we hear back. IO9 has also updated its post with quotes from other Mayan experts, who agree that the corn field is most likely a milpa. UC San Diego Anthropology professor Geoffrey Braswell explained via email that the zones shown in Gadoury’s images are “places that are well known to archaeologists who work in the area” and that the images are “not of Maya pyramids.” But he did also say one of the sites could contain “active marijuana fields,” so at least there’s that.
znModeratorAnd Rams have signed WR J.J. Worton, who attended weekend rookie orientations on tryout basis.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) May 10, 2016
May 11, 2016 at 8:58 pm in reply to: John Clayton & others: how soon will Goff be ready to start #43894znModeratorRecent history bodes well for Rams, Jared Goff
Vincent Bonsignore
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160511/bonsignore-recent-history-bodes-well-for-rams-jared-goff
A month or so before the Rams moved from the 15th spot in the first round of the NFL Draft to the first pick overall and before any discussion about starting the season with a rookie quarterback behind center, Rams general manager Les Snead opened a wide window to both possibilities.
The Rams, Snead explained during a break at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., had already begun canvassing some of the teams drafting ahead of them about the possibility of swapping picks.
The target, obviously, was Cal quarterback Jared Goff, whom the Rams selected with the first pick overall after working a blockbuster deal with the Tennessee Titans and perching themselves atop the draft.
After surrendering five picks to acquire Goff, including next year’s No. 1 and No. 3, conventional wisdom would suggest the Rams are in a hurry to anoint him their starter.
Perhaps even in time for the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
Two months ago in Florida, though, Snead explained the folly of creating some artificial timeline to get a rookie quarterback onto the field.
“Because if you do draft someone and say: ‘He has to play by this date,’ it’s kind of like a false deadline,” Snead said “How do we even know that deal?”
In other words, slow your roll.
But then Snead told a fascinating story that bore an uncanny resemblance to the Goff addition to the Rams quarterback room,
And why Goff unseating Case Keenum as the Rams starting quarterback is more probable then unlikely.
GOFF SHOULD START SEASON OPENER
In 2007, Snead was working for the Atlanta Falcons when backup quarterback Chris Redman came off the bench late in the season and played well enough to earn a two-year contract and be installed as the starter for the 2008 season.
The connection to Keenum was obvious. Much like Redman did for the Falcons nine years ago, Keenum stabilized the Rams’ quarterback position by going 3-1 over the final four games of 2015. The Rams were impressed enough to re-sign Keenum and declare him the starting quarterback going into training camp.
But as Snead also explained, the Falcons used the third pick of the 2008 draft to select Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. Much like the Rams have done with Goff, the Falcons immediately said Ryan would play only when he proved he was ready.
Which, as it turns out, didn’t take long at all.
“Lo and behold, after the third preseason game, we were like … he’s ready,” Snead said.
That doesn’t mean Goff will take the field as the starter Sept. 12 in Santa Clara when the Rams open the season against the 49ers. That’s on him at this point.
GOFF REPORTS FOR DUTY AT ROOKIE CAMP
But as history has shown with rookie quarterbacks, some of it directly related to the Rams current leadership, Goff will be given every opportunity to do exactly that.
“We will do what’s right to develop him so he’s ready when he goes on the field on Sunday,” Snead said.
Count on it being much sooner rather than later.
A recent trend has developed in the NFL in which young quarterbacks are being pressed into starting duty almost immediately.
Last year the top two picks in the draft, Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota, won the starting job for their teams in training camp. Before them, first-round picks Ryan, Joe Flacco (Ravens) Mark Sanchez (Jets) Matthew Stafford (Lions), Robert Griffin III (Redskins), Sam Bradford (Rams), Andrew Luck (Colts), Cam Newton (Panthers) and third-round pick Russell Wilson (Seahawks) all began their rookie years as their team’s starter.
Ryan, Flacco, Winston, Mariota, Stafford, Luck, Newton and Wilson all remain the starting quarterbacks for their original clubs.
Wilson has led the Seahawks to two Super Bowls, winning the 2013 title. Flacco won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012. Newton led the Panthers to last year’s Super Bowl and Ryan, Luck and Stafford have all been to the playoffs.
That’s a pretty strong recent track record, which is why the Rams are clearly open and plenty motivated to follow a similar blueprint.
But they also won’t force it.
“We have always had the philosophy that we are going to play them when we think they are ready,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We aren’t going to subject them to fail, so whenever that is, you are going to see him under center. We aren’t going to come out Day 1 and announce that he is a starter. It’s going to happen pretty soon, sooner than probably later. We have some things to do coaching-wise. He’s got to learn our offense, he’s got to get to know his teammates, get in sync with his receivers. So when that happens, I don’t know, but that has always been our philosophy.”
It should also be noted Goff is coming to a unique situation. In fact, relative to the roster Goff is joining, Wilson is the best comparison. And that should bode well for Goff.
Winston, Mariota, Stafford, Luck and Newton were all drafted by teams that earned their picks atop their respective drafts.
To put it bluntly, the Buccaneers, Titans, Lions, Colts and Panthers were all terrible.
Wilson, on the other hand, was drafted in the third round by a Seahawks team coming off a two consecutive 7-9 seasons and whose roster had been completely turned over by Pete Carroll.
Much like the Rams right now, the Seahawks were solid and sound across the board in 2012.
They just lacked a quality quarterback to elevate them from just OK to very good.
With Wilson behind center, the Seahawks went 11-5 and were a late field goal away from reaching the NFC Championship game in 2012, followed by a 13-3 finish and a Super Bowl championship in 2013.
That isn’t to say the Goff will guide the Rams to the Super Bowl in two years.
But he walks into a similar situation.
And as recent history shows, the Rams will give him every chance to walk onto the field in the season opener as their starting quarterback.
znModeratorA “free Market” is not science—it is indeed rules and regulations. . . . These are choices a society makes. Either you want a middle class or you don’t. It won’t happen by itself.
Well, just to philo-so-phize spontaneously on a message board — I, personally, dont think its moral or just or appropriate or kind or loving or reasonable or sensible or ok, to even HAVE ‘rich’ and ‘poor’.
w
vThere are ways…some of them just fantastically easy…to fix this. And even hardcore conservatives agree… like Single Payer. And…single payer doesn’t stop innovation. I go to the VA and Germany has single payer healthcare…and most of the MRI and Cat-scan and PET-scan machines are made by Siemens, a German company. The VA isn’t buying the GE machines. I dunno why. Point is that innovation can come from single-payer economies. And currently DOES.
Governments make rules that govern commerce. And every rule ever written tilts the playing field in a certain direction.
The only economic question, really, is how we want the playing field tilted. That’s the only question.
In very different (though compatible) and interesting ways, everyone I quote here states a central core tenet I share with them—economies are policy-driven, not “natural.” They are shaped this way or that way…and there is nothing outside of that shaping. There’s no pure economics, just economic policies. Which as was stressed–are chosen (and then defended in terms that often disguise the choice.) And also like everyone I quote, I too think that the policy choices driving the american economy are wrong-headed and hurt the majority of the population. And that’s where ideology comes in. These policies would not be in place if they didn’t appeal to a large number of people. But most of those people not only don’t benefit from the policies in question, they are positively hurt by them. But what they THINK they are backing is “free enterprise.” What they are ACTUALLY backing is an oligarchy that dominates politics at the expense of democracy and which accumulates wealth that is NOT put to good use (the refutation of “trickle down” is that the wealthy don’t “create jobs”–they do 2 things instead–first, limit the power of labor, and second, save and earn money off of savings.) In their own way they’re no different from the landed elite that ruled England in Jane Austen’s day.
By definition all markets are regulated exchanges.
The “free” (non-)market is what you see in The Road Warrior.
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znModeratorJabriel Washington earns NFL contract after tryout
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/05/jabriel_washington_earns_nfl_c.html
College: Alabama Number: 23
Height: 5-10 Weight: 175
Position: CB Pos2: FS/ST
40 Time: 4.66 40 Low: 4.56 40 High: 4.73Former Alabama safety Jabriel Washington will have a chance to extend his football career in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams have signed Washington after he attended their rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Washington is getting a shot at the pros even though he started one game during his four seasons at Alabama. Washington played in 39 games with the Crimson Tide, bouncing back to finish his senior season after missing the first five contests because of a knee injury suffered in practice.
znModeratorIt is odd the siting of cities based upon constellations but makes sense with the Mayans given their known astronomical knowledge. Perhaps it was some sort of religious observance? Regarding necessary resources they were in a place where it didn’t matter much given the climate and rainfall throughout the region.
I wonder how did the kid settle on a starting point to reference the various constellations on the ground? Perhaps the largest known or presumed capitol city?
Since I posted on this I have been reading people who are saying it’s not legit.
This may not be a real story.
Up until I read that more critical stuff, my thoughts were similar to yours on this.
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