Agamemnon wrote:

I want a fire pit in the chat room.

No problem.

Rams are seeking 8-8 finish

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-are-seeking—finish/article_b2feae1f-df7e-58e1-94bf-4bf168386c48.html

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. • Even with a victory Sunday, the Rams may spend the offseason wondering about that blown 10-point lead in the fourth quarter in Baltimore. That dropped touchdown pass by Lance Kendricks against Pittsburgh. Or Jeff Fisher’s decision to go for 2 after that first touchdown in Minnesota.

Because when the dust settles on the 2015 season Sunday evening, the Rams could very well fall just one victory short of their first playoff berth since 2004.

No matter what happens in the season finale against San Francisco (4-11), the Rams’ late-season revival will be a case of too little too late in terms of postseason play. And in that sense 2015 can only be looked at as another disappointing season.

But however trivial it may seem to some fans and observers, the Rams still have some goals in mind. Such as a 5-1 finish in the NFC West, their first season sweep of the 49ers since 2004, a four-game winning streak to end the season. And an 8-8 finish.

The Rams haven’t gone 5-1 in division plays since ‘04. They haven’t had a four-game winning streak since 2003, their last division championship team. That 12-4 squad actually won seven in a row at one point, only to be upset by Carolina in the NFC playoff semifinals in double-overtime.

An 8-8 finish would be more meaningful, because it would represent the Rams’ best finish since 2006. That Scott Linehan-coached team overcame a 1-7 stretch in the middle of the season by winning its last three games — against Oakland, Washington, and Minnesota — to finish 8-8.

Eight straight losing seasons have followed, including the infamous 15-65 stretch from 2007 through 2011 — the worst five-year record by any team in NFL history. The eight consecutive losing seasons is the longest current streak in football. All 31 other teams have had at least one .500 finish, if not a winning record, since 2006.

So yes, there is a difference between 7-9 and 8-8 for the Rams. An 8-8 finish would have some meaning to the organization.

“Yeah, it does,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “You always want to finish up on a winning note. Once you get past this weekend, there’s only one team that ends on a winning note.”

And that’s the Super Bowl champion.

“And so this weekend’s important for those that don’t have a chance to get into the postseason, to win a football game and jump into the offseason and the (offseason) program with some momentum,” Fisher said. “Unfortunately, I’ve been there a couple times before and it paid dividends the next year.”

The Rams haven’t won a season finale since that 2006 season under Linehan, a 41-21 victory over Minnesota. The energy was high in the locker room after that game; the players and coaches brimming with confidence about what lay ahead.

Alas, the Rams finished 3-13 in 2007, and after an 0-4 start in ‘08 Linehan was gone. So there are no guarantees.

Even so, the 2015 Rams are buying in. In part, because the prospect of 8-8 sure looks a lot better than what might have been. A month ago, a 5-11 or 4-12 finish seemed almost inevitable.

“We’re not going to the playoffs,” said defensive end Chris Long, the longest-tenured Ram. “But not everybody in this league plays it out to the end, and not everybody in this league cares when everybody says there’s nothing on the line. This locker room is totally different than that. So it’s a blessing to be in this room.”

To the point where some players wish they had a little more regular season left — to wedge their way into the postseason. Where’s that 18-game schedule when you need it?

“Oh man. Anything to get us in the playoffs,” wide receiver Kenny Britt said. “A couple more games to help us out, we sure would want to take those games. But now, we’re just gonna get ready for the next one.”

The last one for this season, and quite possibly the last one for the Rams as a St. Louis-based franchise. Tucked away in the semi-remote Napa Valley this week, far away from the flooding in St. Louis, the relocation topic didn’t come up this week.

But as the players have said all season, that’s out of their control. The only thing they can control is what’s in front of them. This week that happens to be how they perform at 3:25 p.m. (St. Louis time) at Levi’s Stadium against the 49ers.

“I believe it’s important from a confidence standpoint to be doing it right at the end of the year,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “I was pretty hard, pretty stern, about this last quarter of the season about being 4-0. We wouldn’t be in a position right now to go do that, to be 4-0 in this last quarter, had we not taken care of business the first three times — the first three games in this last quarter of the season.”

Meaning victories over Detroit, Tampa Bay, and playoff-bound Seattle. Williams, who spoke with reporters after Thursday’s practice, said he saw encouraging signs from the team this week.

“I haven’t had to really worry about them in the meetings and how focused they’ve been in the meetings,” Williams said. “They’ve really practiced well. You can see the tempo of the practices.

“You can see the communication of the practices, and you also see that these guys like being around each other. That’s the fun part of it, because it is a real tight-knit fraternity.”

Which makes you wonder. If only Williams had spoken with the team at midseason. About going, say, 6-2, over the second half of the season.

Practice Report 12/31: Finishing Strong Defensively

By Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1231-Finishing-Strong-Defensively/d3a8d1ea-f1c8-4645-96eb-befc707b6e94

NAPA, Calif. — A few weeks ago, the Rams fell to 4-8, which was a record far from the expectations the club had set for itself coming into 2015. Despite the disappointment, the team continued to stay focused, and defensively, coordinator Gregg Williams set a high bar for the last four games.

“Gregg always talked about going 4-0 the last quarter of the season,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “That was a big goal of ours. We’re at 3-0, we can accomplish that. Do something we haven’t done here, win four in a row and kind of move on from that.”

“I believe it’s important for a confidence standpoint to be doing right at the end of the year,” Williams said. “I was pretty hard, pretty stern about this last quarter of the season, about being 4-0. And we wouldn’t be in position right now to go do that, to be 4-0 in this last quarter, had we not taken care of business in the first three games.”

Now at Week 17, having the opportunity to finish a season at .500 is still significant, given it’s a mark St. Louis has not reached since the 2006 season.

“It’s not where we want to be, and quite frankly, this team, we’re going to look back and be like, ‘Goodness, how aren’t we 10-6 or 11-5?’” Laurinaitis said. “But it feels better to be at 8-8 saying that than at 6-10.”

Even though the playoffs are not an option, multiple players have said the team has treated these last couple weeks as if they were the postseason.

“We always talked about, hey, if we do make the playoffs, we’re going to have to go up somewhere like Seattle and play in a playoff-type atmosphere,” Laurinaitis said. “So we treated that like a playoff game, and we got over that hump of not winning there in a decade. Hopefully, it spurs our franchise around like it did the Cardinals, when they went up there when nobody was winning at Seattle.”

“We’re treating this game like a playoff game,” cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “We treated the Seattle game like a playoff game. That’s our mindset coming in. So I feel like if we do what we’ve got to do, we’ll come out with a victory.”

Last week, the defense played one of its best games against a Seattle offense that had been rolling. The multiple injuries to the unit, especially across the defensive line, made holding the Seahawks to just 17 points and 313 yards of offense that much more significant.

“The way our D-line played was remarkable. Really, the whole defense,” Laurinaitis said. “We were super physical with them, especially in that first half. I’m not sure a team has played them as physical as we did on Sunday. Anytime you can score on defense that early in the game, it really just lets you relax and play fast.”

Sunday’s victory also saw Johnson continue his run of strong play. He’s now intercepted a pass in each of his last four games, bringing his total to seven on the season.

“Finishing strong is the focal point,” Johnson said. “Our goal was to finish 4-0, and I’m doing everything possible to finish 4-0. So if anything, just finishing 4-0 and strong.”

“Tackling very well. Playing very smart. Jumping routes. Understanding route concepts, formations, splits, alignments and things like that. He’s doing a great job with that,” Fisher said of Johnson. “The hand-eye coordination is extraordinary. He can make plays on the ball.”

But this week presents another divisional challenge with the 49ers. While San Francisco has gone through its share of disappointments this year, it’s still a team with a noticeable identity on film.

“That’s their bread-and-butter right now, is keep the ball away from opposing offenses,” Fisher said. “They do a nice job of the conventional run game with the I-formation and stuff and the extra tight ends.”

“They do a great job of that,” Williams said of the Niners’ run game. “You take at those guys when their offensive linemen get off the bus, you say, well there’s some football players there. And they’re big, strong men. And we’ve got to play well in the run game.”

Plus, quarterback Blaine Gabbert has played well since taking over for Colin Kaepernick. The St. Louis native and Mizzou product has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,677 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. And while he may not be known as much for running as Kaepernick, Gabbert has rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts in 2015.

“For the most part, they’re still the same 49ers — the same structure, the same play concepts,” Williams said. “There’s a few other tendencies that Blaine does better and is able to do some things.”

“Colin, he had the zone-read style runs that were built in for him, they don’t do that as much with Blaine,” Laurinaitis said. “But it seems like on third-and-whatever, if Blaine’s first two options aren’t there, he’s running it.”

Shutting the offense down will be a challenge, considering the two teams are division rivals and thus know one another quite well.

“We’re going to have to be ready to go,” Williams said. “This division is a strong division. They know us, we know them. So it’ll come down to who’s prepared the best.”

“We expect everything from them,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s the NFC West. There’s no motivation [needed] for either team other than division game, cap it off. We’ve got all offseason to heal up.”

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

FTLOG-CRDAGR

Lost me.

Oh wait.

For-The-Love-Of-GOD-Can-The-Rams-Draft-A-Good-ROUTE-RUNNER

You know, there are those who claim the issue isn’t really the receivers. I will post some CoachO on this as soon as I dig it up.

.

Practice Report 1/1: Gurley Doubtful for Season Finale

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-11-Gurley-Doubtful-for-Season-Finale/afd3106a-e1f1-4248-b43f-2496b2359b41

NAPA, Calif. — Like all teams, the Rams have suffered their share of injuries throughout the season. But one from this week will be particularly significant, as it looks like running back Todd Gurley may not play in the season finale against the 49ers with a foot injury.

“We’ve listed Todd today as doubtful, so you can read between the lines there,” Fisher said. “We’re just thinking about the long-term future. He’s got an issue he’s dealing with, and we’re still doing tests. But the difference between him playing and making things worse can be the difference between six-to-eight weeks of rehab during the offseason.”

If Gurley has indeed played his last snap of the 2015 season, he’ll have reached a number of milestones in only 12 starts. He’s rushed for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 total games, including five games of at least 125 yards rushing, and three with at least 140. With his rushing touchdown last week, he joined Eric Dickerson as the second running back in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.

What makes Gurley’s season all the more remarkable is how that he didn’t move into the starting lineup until Week 4 and was coming off a torn ACL. Because of the injury, Fisher said he thinks the running back should be even better in 2016.

“As I said early on when he got started, just wait another year. He’s not 100 percent,” Fisher said. “He’s had a little setback with the foot, so I just don’t want to set him back any more. It just makes sense for the organization, the future of the organization.”

And so Gurley should be fine with a few weeks of rest. Keeping him on the sidelines this week should allow him to not suffer any setbacks and go into the offseason strong.

“Right now we’ve got really good news, and good results, but it’s doubtful that he plays,” Fisher said. “It’s rest for a couple of weeks, and he’ll be fine.”

If there is a silver lining to Gurley’s injury, it’s that running back Tre Mason should get a chance to show his considerable skill set against the 49ers.

“It’s a blessing to be able to start again,” Mason said. “I wish ‘TG’ was out there with me to give us some more power, but I’m willing to take on the role.”

Fisher said the initial plan this season was to balance the carries between Gurley and Mason much more. But, because of the general lack of offensive production, that did not work out.

“Unfortunately, if you look back through the year, our perfect world was 15 and 12 carries apiece [for Gurley and Mason],” Fisher said. “We wanted to carry at least 25 times, 27 times, and split them. We were unable to do that because we just struggled either getting the ball back, or struggled on third down, struggled with opportunities.”

“When you love the game, I know I put my teammates first,” Mason said. “Whatever’s going to put my team first, we’ve got to do it.”

Last year, Mason led the Rams with 765 yards rushing as a rookie, also making 16 receptions for 148 yards. He dealt with a hamstring injury early in the season, which kept him out of the Week 1 matchup with Seattle and may have hampered some early production. But the Auburn product still has confidence he can play.

“I’m a positive person,” Mason said. “I always think positive and just try to be great.”

And while his season has not been what he’d hoped, Mason said he’s enjoyed watching his teammate Gurley have his success.

“We learn from each other,” Mason said. “We take things from each other’s game. We criticize each other’s game to help each other get better.”

If he gets the opportunity, Mason plans to make the most of it against the Niners to cap the season.

“Tre’s in great shape right now,” Fisher said. “He’s fresh and he’ll go.”

“I feel like we’ve got a good plan this week, and we’re ready to attack,” Mason said.

“I love the game,” Mason added, “so every time I step foot out there it’s like I’m playing my last game.”

ROSTER MOVES & INJURY REPORT

The Rams have made another roster move in advance of Sunday’s matchup with San Francisco. Cornerback Eric Patterson has been placed on injured reserve, and the Rams promoted wide receiver Nick Toon to the active roster.

On Thursday, the club claimed cornerback Troy Hill, who arrived in Napa on Friday. Fisher said the Rams became intrigued with the defensive back when they went to work out quarterback Marcus Mariota in the pre-draft process.

“We had worked him out in Eugene when we went out to visit Mariota, and he had a really good workout,” Fisher said of Hill. “Coaches liked him, and for some reason he was waived yesterday [on Thursday], so we thought, let’s take advantage of the opportunity. So, we’ll have him in the offseason program.”

While Hill is with the team, Fisher said it’s likely the corner will be inactive on Sunday given the timing of his arrival.

Elsewhere on the injury report, safety Mark Barron (concussion), defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks (concussion), and defensive tackle Michael Brockers (thigh) are all probable. Offensive lineman Andrew Donnal (knee) is questionable. And, as previously mentioned, Gurley (foot) is doubtful for Sunday.

On 49ers: Miscalculations helped sink offense

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article52479580.html

BY MATT BARROWS
mbarrows@sacbee.com
SANTA CLARA
The Battle for the Bottom begins Sunday.

In one corner we have the 31st-ranked 49ers offense, which averages 293.5 yards a game. San Francisco has scored fewer points – by far – than any team in the league (14.6 per game) and has allowed the most sacks (52). The 49ers are four sacks from setting a franchise record in that category.

14.6 49ers’ points per game, by far the fewest in the NFL

In the other corner is the 32nd-ranked Rams offense, which averages 293.1 yards. St. Louis has the NFL’s worst passing offense and also is 32nd in first downs (220) and third-down-conversion percentage (26.1 percent). The 49ers are 31st in those two categories.

How did we get here?

At their end-of-year news conference, the 49ers might say that their ship was wracked by unforeseen squalls and punctured by hidden reefs, and in some cases that’s true.

It’s also important to remember that the 49ers haven’t had a high-revving, high-scoring offense since Steve Mariucci was the coach. Last year, for example, the team was 25th in points per game.

But the 49ers’ brass largely is being paid for its foresight. The job is to analyze, anticipate problems and provide options B and C if option A is unavailable. And in these ways, those who run the 49ers have failed:

1. Running back woes

At one point, Carlos Hyde – remember him? – was the NFL’s leading rusher. He came out of the chute in Week 1 with the aggression of a Brahma bull. But he could not sustain that style. He suffered a head injury in Week 2 that kept him out of the second half. He broke his foot in Week 5, eventually knocking him out for the season.

Asked if Hyde needs to alter his approach, coach Jim Tomsula said the 49ers drafted him for his hard-charging style and won’t ask him to change. Still, it’s hard to see Hyde lasting a full season as a workhorse runner.

He missed two games in 2014 because of an ankle injury when he was Frank Gore’s backup. He missed at least two games each season he was at Ohio State for reasons ranging from suspension to an MCL sprain.

Reggie Bush, who sat out five games because of injuries while playing for Detroit in 2014, played only 48 offensive snaps for the 49ers this year, and Mike Davis (hand) and Shaun Draughn (knee) also missed extended periods.

2. Offensive line issues

Tackle Anthony Davis didn’t do the team any favors when he announced in June that he wouldn’t play in 2015. Had he decided that in March or April, the 49ers could have made a move earlier in the draft instead of waiting until the sixth round to select an offensive lineman.

Still, the 49ers allowed one of the top guards in the league, Mike Iupati, to depart as a free agent with the thought that one of several young linemen drafted by general manager Trent Baalke would rise in his place.

That didn’t happen. Marcus Martin was forced to play center, where he was the lowest-rated player in the NFL. Brandon Thomas and Ian Silberman didn’t take a snap. The 49ers instead relied on two players, Jordan Devey and Andrew Tiller, who were not drafted by Baalke.

3. Tight end trouble

The 49ers entered the season thinking tight end was a strength. That struck the ear as odd when it was iterated in the summer. It now seems laughable.

One of those tight ends, Vernon Davis, seemed indifferent during the 2014 season while another, Vance McDonald, seemed unreliable. Neither did anything to change those notions this year. The 49ers’ best – or at least most consistent – tight end was Garrett Celek, and he ended the season on injured reserve for the second straight year.

The 49ers affirmed their miscalculation at midseason by trading Davis, one of three tight ends they dealt in 2015. Their tight end corps to end the year: McDonald, Blake Bell, Brian Leonhardt and Je’Ron Hamm.

Foot injury may sideline Gurley vs. 49ers

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/foot-injury-may-sideline-gurley-vs-ers/article_bdc522bc-0023-5198-b38b-465cdb61a65d.html

NAPA, CALIF. • With one full-scale practice remaining in preparation for the San Francisco 49ers, it’s looking more and more like Todd Gurley could miss the Rams’ season finale.

For the second day in a row, the rookie running back did not practice, casting doubt on his availability Sunday.

“We left him back (at the team hotel). He’s getting treatment on the foot right now,” coach Jeff Fisher said following the Rams’ Thursday practice.

Staying on the West Coast following last Sunday’s game in Seattle, the Rams are practicing this week at a facility used by the Oakland Raiders for training camp. The team is staying at a resort hotel 15 minutes from the practice fields, taking buses to and from practice.

Fisher said Gurley doesn’t have to practice Friday in order to play against the 49ers. He said Gurley suffered the injury late in the Rams’ 23-17 victory over Seattle.

“He was sore after (the game), and then woke up sore,” Fisher said.

Gurley has been in a walking boot this week in Napa. When the teams met Nov. 1 in St. Louis, Gurley rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries including a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of a 27-6 Rams victory.

Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham would share the workload if Gurley can’t go. And in another sign that Gurley may not play, the Rams promoted running back Malcolm Brown from the practice squad to the active roster.

Signed as an undrafted rookie out of Texas last spring, Brown has been on the Rams’ practice squad all season. During the preseason, he finished third on the team in rushing with 69 yards on 17 carries, and was tied for first in receptions (nine) and second in receiving yards (127).

Gurley ranks third in the NFL in rushing this season with 1,106 yards and was voted to the Pro Bowl. He originally was credited with 1,108 yards following the Seattle game, but a league review ruled that he fumbled at the 11-yard line in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks instead of the 9, thus subtracting two yards from his rushing total.
MORE ROSTER MOVES

Besides promoting Brown from the practice squad, the Rams claimed cornerback Troy Hill off waivers Thursday from New England.

Hill entered the league with Cincinnati this season, signed as a undrafted rookie from Oregon. He appeared in three games for the Bengals, recording five tackles, but was waived on Christmas Eve and picked up by New England before his Patriots’ release on Wednesday.

To make room for Brown and Hill, the Rams placed defensive tackles Doug Worthington and Nick Fairley on the injured reserve list. Neither had practiced this week because of injuries, with Worthington coming out of the Seattle game with a thigh injury and Fairley leaving early with a concussion.

As the third defensive tackle in the Rams’ rotation, Fairley finished with 63 tackles, one-half sack, and a fumble recovery. Worthington, who spent most of the season on the practice squad, had three tackles and a fumble recovery in two games.

Fisher had expressed optimism at the start of the week that Fairley would clear the concussion protocol, but obviously that proved not to be the case.
MORE ON INJURIES

There was better news on the injury front in other areas. Defensive end/tackle Ethan Westbrooks has cleared the concussion protocol, was full participation Thursday, and will play against San Francisco.

Also, linebacker/safety Mark Barron (concussion) returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis; Fisher said he expects Barron to be cleared Friday. Barron has been one of the Rams’ leading defenders this season, with a team-high 130 tackles along with one sack, a team-high four forced fumbles, and five pass breakups.

Defensive tackle Michael Brockers (thigh) was full participation Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Rookie offensive lineman Andrew Donnal (knee) was limited, while cornerback Eric Patterson (ankle) did not practice.
ROBINSON BACKER

Citing improved play recently by left tackle Greg Robinson, Fisher disagreed with the notion that Robinson’s 2015 season has been a struggle.

“No, it hasn’t,” Fisher said. “The left tackle position is really hard to play. Early on, we put him in too many one-on-one situations. Not every left tackle can handle one-on-one situations against great rushers all the time.

“He’s done a good job with it as of late. We’ve kind of changed some protection things up, and got him some help. And once Garrett (Reynolds) moved over next to him, he settled down.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR

Rams players had a curfew Thursday night, with a scheduled early morning start Friday as they continue preparations for the 49ers.

When asked after Thursday’s practice if he’d ring in the New Year in style, Fisher replied: “Probably not. Maybe on East Coast time, but not Pacific Coast time.

wv wrote:

So when is the last time the Rams
won four in a row?

w
v

2003