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December 13, 2015 at 6:32 pm in reply to: that is what football people call "a win" (Lions game thread) #35591
znModeratorAnother thing that fueled a win—I thought a depleted secondary would be an issue. It wasn’t. Alexander while not all that active at the level we’re used to from McD, held his own. And Roberson came through, in a couple of cases quite dramatically.
December 13, 2015 at 6:03 pm in reply to: that is what football people call "a win" (Lions game thread) #35590znModeratorSo do you think they’ll just win one super bowl now,
or do you think it will be a Dynasty?Whoa slow down. Let them go ahead and win their first 3 or 4 superbowls before we get into any “dynasty” talk.
December 13, 2015 at 5:43 pm in reply to: that is what football people call "a win" (Lions game thread) #35586znModeratorDefense was great. Had Stafford off on his throws. The second half, Gurley got unleashed. Keenum didn’t make any major mistakes in spite of a shaky pocket. (His one INT was a “hit as you throw” thing that was at the end of the half and inconsequential.) Austin made some crucial big plays too.
znModeratorSo, from a maturation standpoint they are roughly at the same level they were in 2011?
2011 was a good year. There was all sorts of young potential on the roster, they were bound to get a high draft pick in 2012, and they got to try out 3 different quarterbacks.
What more could you want.
.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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thehammer
don’t love any of this years wr’s…Parker, Cooper and White were WOW! players..can’t say the same about this years crop….none are in the Cooper, White Parker class
Michael Thomas 6’3 210 true #1 wr…strong nfl body snatches the ball scholar athlete soph…only lacks elite deep speed
Laquon Treadwell 6’2 210 big hands/powerful wr who snatches the ball fast twitch athlete with some Dez Bryant similarities both off and on the field..might take a couple years wonderlic? will be over drafted but high ceiling
Josh Doctson 6’2 195 stylish wr…smooth out of breaks..great body control and tracking ability..smart, thin upper body so might have trouble if pressed and against elite cb’s…immediate zone type starter 1st down maker..
Will Fuller 6’0 184 speedster with great hands. Fast out of breaks can beat man to man coverage
Early starter junior says coming back for senior seasonCory Coleman 5’10 190 elite slot wr..similar to Austin but a.much better wr and smarter then Austin. Bigger/stronger and almost as fast Majoring in health, kinesiology and leisure studies. 45 vertical
Tyler Boyd 6’2 200 natural wr…hands, body and size without elite speed/quickness
Sterling Shepherd small…lacks elite speed out of breaks..manhandled
just started the process…lot more players to look at
znModeratorznModerator
December 13, 2015 at 7:52 am in reply to: reporters (including Detroit writers) set up the LIONS game #35567znModerator7 things to watch: Rams vs. Lions
Jim Thomas
HERE COMES MEGATRON
Calvin Johnson is listed as questionable by Detroit with an ankle injury and didn’t practice Friday. Even so, he’s probably eager to play on Sunday against the injury-depleted Rams secondary. As such, it should be the first and possibly only appearance in St. Louis (depending on relocation) for arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver. Johnson needs 35 yards receiving to reach 1,000 for the sixth consecutive season. “The size, the speed, the athleticism. He can just go get the ball at any point. He’s one of a kind,” Rams secondary coach Brandon Fisher said.
SPEAKING OF THAT SECONDARY
The Rams will be down two starters in the back end: cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion) is doubtful and strong safety T.J. McDonald (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Friday. At least the team is getting cornerback Trumaine Johnson back after missing two-plus games because of a thigh injury. He has the size and length (6-2, 208) to at least have a chance physically against the 6-5 “Megatron.” But otherwise, it’s the inexperienced Marcus Roberson starting at the other corner, and 5-8 Lamarcus Joyner at nickel back.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT TATE
Now in his second year in Detroit, wide receiver Golden Tate had some big moments against the Rams as a Seattle Seahawk. In his past three contests against the Rams, all with Seattle, Tate had a combined 327 yards receiving and three TDs. He’s a master at coming down with the 50-50 ball. Veteran Lance Moore gives Detroit a reliable third wideout, and second-year man Eric Ebron is a productive tight end — the pair has eight TD catches between them. “Megatron” is the headliner, but this is a pretty good supporting cast.
IN THE BACKFIELD
Although they’ve been more productive lately, the Lions come to town with the NFL’s 31st-ranked rushing offense. Detroit is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry and hasn’t had a ball-carrier gain more than 67 yards in any game this season. This is good news for the Rams, who have been hemorrhaging on run defense lately. Arizona gashed them for 175 yards last week; Cincinnati gained 140 two weeks ago. But keep an eye on Theo Riddick, who has 60 catches out of the backfield — the league-high at running back this season.
A RARE ARM
Matthew Stafford has the kind of arm strength most QBs dream about. He can squeeze the ball into tight windows, throw deep outs with ease and get the deep ball behind any secondary. Since Jim Bob Cooter replaced Joe Lombardi as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Stafford has been more careful with the ball. Mixing coverages can help against him. As Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams put it: “We’ve got to paint different pictures to try to cause (Stafford) to reset. Can we get him to hold the ball a little bit longer?”
MAKING HIS CASE
After missing two weeks because of a concussion, Case Keenum finally gets another chance at quarterback for the Rams. He wasn’t very good before suffering the injury, but coach Jeff Fisher hopes Keenum’s energetic personality and ability to extend plays with his mobility can provide a much-needed spark for the offense. On a personal level, these final four games mark a great opportunity for Keenum to establish himself as more than a backup in the NFL. Detroit has a middle-of-the-pack pass defense.
RUSH HOUR
Led by defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah, the Lions can get after the quarterback. Ansah’s 12½ sacks lead the NFC and he is second in the NFL to Houston’s J.J. Watt (13½). As a team, the Lions are tied for seventh in the league with 33 sacks. Former Baltimore star Haloti Ngata remains a force in the middle. All told, the Lions have made a league-high 105 tackles behind the line of scrimmage making this a tough, tough challenge for the young, inexperienced Rams offensive line.
znModeratorI havent seen a comment like that
from an NFL player very often.To me it sounds like things they were saying in 2011.
December 13, 2015 at 5:58 am in reply to: reporters (including Detroit writers) set up the LIONS game #35560znModeratorRams in familiar December territory — playing out the string
Jim Thomas
Yes, the holiday season is upon us. But when it comes to Rams football, it’s anything but the most wonderful time of the year.
Once again, December football in St. Louis has absolutely nothing to do with playoff races, fighting for division titles or jockeying for a first-round playoff bye. At 4-8, the Rams are cursed with their 12th straight non-winning season.
“It’s not fun going on these slides that we’re on right now,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “You don’t want to be in these weeks at the end of the year in December where you’re playing football essentially for your jobs, but also just for momentum carrying into the offseason. You want to have games that mean something.”
Oh well. Maybe next year.
A loss in Sunday’s noon game against the 4-8 Detroit Lions would make this the Rams’ ninth consecutive losing season. And in a cruel irony for a franchise that plans to file for relocation to Los Angeles in little more than three weeks, it’s Fan Appreciation Day at Edward Jones Dome. There are discounts on food and merchandise, there will be contests and giveaways.
But the best way to show fan appreciation? How about scoring more than 18 points for the first time since Nov. 1? Or snapping the team’s five-game losing streak?
Unfortunately for long-suffering Rams fans, the now-familiar catch phrases of “playing for pride” or “putting out good film” once again are in full effect.
“I think we have to build confidence,” tight end Lance Kendricks said, speaking specifically of the offense. “Somewhere along the line, we just lost that confidence. It could be due to injuries, with the O-line being a little limited. Inconsistency. Penalties.
“We haven’t really had a rhythm on offense in a long time. That’s something we’ll be looking for.”
At least the Rams are moving down in class this week against Detroit, which has the benefit of the so-called “mini-bye,” having last played on Dec. 3 in a Thursday night game against Green Bay.
Were it not for that disastrous ending against the Packers, a 61-yard Hail Mary pass from Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers — against a botched defensive alignment on the final play of the game — Detroit would be coming to town with a four-game winning streak and on the fringe of the wild-card race at 5-7.
Instead, the Lions, who lost their first five games and started 1-7 this season, are out of it, a bitter come-down after winning 11 games and earning a wild-card berth a year ago. Who knows how the Lions will react to that 27-23 loss to Green Bay. Can they regain the momentum of that “almost” four-game winning streak? Or will they mentally pack it in for 2015?
Meanwhile, the Rams’ fall has been swift and dramatic. In a league built for parity, they simply have been non-competitive in their most recent two losses, getting outscored 58-10 by Cincinnati and Arizona. Granted, the Bengals and Cardinals are elite teams. But the Rams were either beating those types of teams (Seattle and Arizona) or competing with them (Pittsburgh) earlier in the season.
“Just to be here now at 4-8, when we were just — it seems like yesterday — we were 4-3 and then everything spiraled,” Laurinaitis said. “Yeah, it’s frustrating.”
The organization is awash in uncertainty. There’s no way at this point to know if the coaches will be back, if any of the team’s many pending free agents will be back, or even if the team itself will be in St. Louis in 2016. There’s nothing that the players or coaches can do about any of that at the moment. The only thing they can make right on Sunday is somehow getting a victory against Detroit.
They’ll try to do so after another tumultuous week, a week in which offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti was fired and Rob Boras promoted and given the play-calling reigns.
“I’ve just been pleased with the players’ response (to Boras),” coach Jeff Fisher said. “That’s the most important thing — is how the players respond. They’re pulling hard for him. They don’t want to let him down.”
Case Keenum, who was 12 for 26 passing for 136 yards three Sundays ago in a 16-13 loss in Baltimore, gets another start at quarterback after spending the last couple of weeks working through the NFL concussion protocol. To say he is excited about this opportunity would be understatement.
“It’s a dream come true for me to be a starting quarterback in the NFL,” said Keenum, who has been thinking about it “since I was 5 or 6 or 7 years old in second grade. I told my teacher I wanted to be an NFL quarterback. She kind of said, ‘OK, Case.’
“Well, I get to do that this week, and there’s not many people that have ever gotten to do that. So I’m not taking it lightly.”
On the other side of the ball, the Rams will face the league’s ninth-ranked passing offense without their best pass-rusher (Robert Quinn), best linebacker (Alec Ogletree), best cornerback (Janoris Jenkins), and arguably, their best safety (T.J. McDonald).
Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford can make all the throws, and he’ll undoubtedly be looking early and often to Calvin Johnson, aka “Megatron.”
“Any time you’ve got Stafford under center or in shotgun, and Calvin and (Golden) Tate out there, they’re a threat,” Fisher said. “Calvin is as good as there is. He’s just so tall, and (has a) big catch radius. Matt knows that and he puts the ball up and makes his plays.”
Containing Johnson won’t guarantee a victory, but it would certainly make that task a lot easier.
“You have to always change things up, whether it’s man or zone,” Fisher said. “Or at times you’re going to have to affect coverage and try to double him. Even though you see team after team after team (use) double coverage on him, he’s still coming up with the play.”
znModeratorI wouldn’t take anything future nittany says seriously. After the Lions game he nearly drowns in his own tears and his brain is deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes.
Wait. Only future Nittany could say that, since it involves knowledge of the future.
So…do we take it seriously?
December 12, 2015 at 5:02 pm in reply to: It wasn’t long ago that Richie Incognito was a pariah in the NFL #35549znModeratorMy clients have to make it thru three years
of probation before anyone starts
handing out medals.Then tell them to become NFL players.
Presto, voila, no problem.
.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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-X-
Again, massive amounts of injuries has (again) destroyed what the youngest team in the league is capable of doing. When you go from youngest team to injury-depleted-youngest team and have to play even younger and/or more inexperienced backups, then you’re essentially freaked. The one constant in Fisher’s tenure here so far is that all of his QBs have been ineffective, injured, or had some kind of a fatal flaw that severely limited what the offense as a whole could do in the passing game.
I’ve studied the Titans’ teams he’s coached and I see similarities. He had a 13 year stretch once where he had only 3 non-winning records while going to the playoffs (and SB) 6 times. During that time though, two years in a row (2004, 2005), his record took a sharp decline and resulted in two of the three losing records. Because during those two years (tell me if this sounds familiar), there was a pretty significant cap problem with the Titans which led to the release of several players, in addition to having an unprecedented amount of injuries across the board – not the least of which caused him to use 3 different QBs during the season and 2 the following season. Once that got sorted out he got them back to .500 and then the playoffs two years in a row. Those aren’t the actions of a crappy coach.
Admittedly his brand of football is more reliant upon defense and special teams, and the margin for error is less than that of a team that can air it out with regularity, but that in and of itself doesn’t make him a bad coach or wrong for the job. All it means is that he can’t afford injuries to key players on a scale like we’ve been witnessing. And he ESPECIALLY can’t afford to have it at QB. It’s a fact that better QB play, or even a better QB, could have yielded him almost a dozen more wins over the course of his time here. I’ve seen QB play cost this team games for almost 4 years now and can safely assume (without being blind) that a Steve McNair type QB, or even an in-his-prime Kerry Collins could have gotten him a few winning seasons here.
I’m not prepared to blame him for betting on Bradford when he took the job here. All I can really blame him for is his hit-and-miss drafting and lack of foresight. That’s still not enough to say he’s wrong for the job. It just means he’s close to becoming crap out of luck.
It’s a sting that Fisher has felt before when with the Titans in 2004. Prior to that the Titans were in the playoffs 4 out of 5 years, but then his team got steamrolled with injuries and he ended up winning 5 games. In 2005, they had serious cap issues and they won 4. In 2006 he again stabilized the team and won 8 games. In 2007 and 2008 they were back in the playoffs.
I made this short video a few years ago to illustrate this point.
znModeratorYellow is the new orange.
December 12, 2015 at 2:31 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35534znModeratorRams notes: Johnson set for return against Detroit on Sunday
Joe Lyons
All Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson could see was the end zone.
“Not might. It would’ve been six (points), for sure,’’ Johnson joked Friday when asked about his third-quarter interception on Nov. 22 at Baltimore.
On the play, Johnson picked off the Joe Flacco pass and returned it 25 yards before pulling up with a thigh strain.
“It actually happened on the play before, on a fade route,’’ Johnson explained. “Then I got the interception and tried to open up and that’s when I felt it. The second it happened, I knew I couldn’t run any more, so I just tried to secure the ball.
“Really wish I could get that one back.’’
The interception was the career-best fourth of the season for Johnson, who leads the 2012 draft class with 12 career picks. Unfortunately, the thigh injury kept him sidelined for recent losses to Cincinnati and Arizona. He is listed probable for Sunday’s noon game against the Detroit Lions at the Edward Jones Dome.
“I’m feeling good, feeling great,’’ the fourth-year pro said following Friday’s workout at Rams Park. “I’ve been practicing all week and the leg’s been coming along. My confidence is up; it’s not going to be 100 (percent), but it should be good enough to play on Sunday.’’
Good news, especially since it appears the Rams’ other starting cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, won’t play. Another fourth-year pro, Jenkins is listed doubtful for Sunday as he continues to work his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol. Jenkins did not practice this week.
Second-year pro Marcus Roberson is expected to make his fourth straight start at corner.
Johnson figures to match up a lot with the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, a five-time Pro Bowler, on Sunday. The 6-foot-5 receiver has 70 catches for 965 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Other key receivers for Detroit are former Seattle Seahawk Golden Tate (67 catches, 615 yards, two TDs) and Theo Riddick (60, 534, three) out of the backfield.
The Lions’ Johnson is “a beast, one of the best in the league right now,’’ 6-foot-2 Trumaine said. “He’s fast, he’s big and he’s physical. They like to throw the ball to him, man, no matter what — single, double, even triple coverage.
“You gotta look forward to games like this, it’s competition. … I pray for matchups like this.’’
RAM-BLINGS
Slated for shoulder surgery, safety T.J. McDonald was placed on IR Friday. To fill the roster spot, the team promoted cornerback Eric Patterson from the practice squad. Patterson, a 5-foot-10, 193-pound rookie from Ball State, joined the Rams in early October.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by New England and played in two early-season games with Indianapolis this season, contributing a pair of tackles.
“It feels great to get an opportunity,’’ the 22-year-old said Friday. “I’ve been practicing with the starting D all week, so when my number’s called, I’ll be ready. The big thing is making sure you’re game-ready and preparing as if you’re going to play.’’
To fill Patterson’s spot on the practice squad, the Rams signed WR J.J. Worton, a former University of Central Florida product who suffered a torn ACL late in his senior season that prevented him from being drafted last spring. Before being hurt, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Worton averaged 42 catches and 590 yards in four seasons at Central Florida. He scored 21 career touchdowns and was also a standout punt returner for the Knights.
• The Washington Redskins have signed former University of Illinois running back Pierre Thomas.
December 12, 2015 at 2:30 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35533znModeratorSims, Westbrooks trying to fill Quinn’s shoes
Jim Thomas
For most of the past five weeks, the Rams have been trying to get by without Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn. Then on Monday, coach Jeff Fisher announced it would be a season-long thing.
Quinn needs back surgery. Although he has yet to be placed on the injured reserve list, he’s done for the year.
That means even more of an opportunity for Eugene Sims, who has been starting in place of Quinn, and a renewed opportunity for second-year player Ethan Westbrooks.
“Eugene may be the toughest individual in that entire building,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said after Friday’s practice at Rams Park. “If a fight broke out, I’d want to go stand behind him.
“If you ask any of his teammates on either side of the ball — he’s a very tough individual. As he has developed his skill development he’s gotten better and better and better.”
Sims is an interesting case. A small-college find out of West Texas A&M, he was drafted in the sixth round in 2010. Raw but talented when he entered the league, Sims gradually worked his way into a niche as a valuable rotation player behind Quinn at right defensive end.
As the years have rolled by, Sims is now one of the most-tenured players on the team. Only defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis have been with the Rams longer.
The 2014 season was Sims’ best, with the Mississippi native registering a career-high 45 tackles and matching his career high with three sacks. He started well this season, with a sack of Russell Wilson plus a quarterback hit and QB pressure in the opener.
But Sims suffered a knee injury on the final play of that game and missed the next three contests. By Sims’ own admission, it was a slow-go once he returned to the lineup; he wasn’t playing his best football.
“Now, I feel like I’m playing pretty good,” he said. “Pretty solid. The sack numbers aren’t there.”
Sims, in fact, hasn’t had a sack since the season opener despite starting five games in Quinn’s absence. Every game at right end, he’s lining up over the opponent’s left tackle — in theory, that team’s best pass-blocker.
“It’s been pretty challenging,” Sims said. “But my mindset is to do better and win every play I can win.”
The Rams’ pass rush hasn’t been the same without Quinn. Over the past five games, coinciding with both the team’s five-game losing streak and the first game Quinn missed (Minnesota), the Rams have recorded only six sacks. They had 26 sacks in their first seven games.
“Robert’s a rare pass-rusher,” Williams said. “There’s not very many people that can do the things he can do in the league, and how he can turn the corner so quick.”
Sims, 6-6, 269, hopes to better fill that void in Sunday’s home game against quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. He is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after this season, so he can help the team and help himself with a strong finish over the final four games.
“I’ve been trying to control what I can control, do what I can do right now for the team,” Sims said. “So I’m not really worried about the contract. Let it play itself out.”
Backing up Sims at right end Sunday will be Westbrooks, who is getting another chance to show his stuff after being a pregame inactive the past two weeks against Arizona and Cincinnati.
“Yeah, I’m gonna be back ‘up’ this week,” Westbrook said, referring to his playing status. “I’m taking it serious. Every snap is a blessing in the NFL so I’m just really trying to focus in on this, do my best and hopefully make a couple big plays this week.”
Against the Cardinals and Bengals, undrafted rookie Matt Longacre of Northwest Missouri State had moved ahead of Westbrooks in the rotation, backing up Sims.
“We wanted to see what we had in Matt,” Williams said. “It’s important when you have that culture that we have in our (meeting) room in there, that they know that we’re watching.
“Matt has been practicing very, very well and we wanted to give him the opportunity. We wanted to reward that work ethic that he was showing. He did very well.”
But now it’s another opportunity for Westbrooks, who has 22 tackles and two sacks in nine games this season. He has been playing both end and tackle this season, and it’s been tricky finding a weight that makes him bulky enough to be effective inside but quick enough to get around the edge at end.
“He’ll get back in the mix (against Detroit),” Williams said. “You’ll see him do that. He has versatility on being able to play inside and outside. He’s a very powerful man, too.
“The big thing with him is I just don’t want to fill his head up with too many things where he has to over-think. So he can just play fast.”
Fast enough to get to the quarterback — which hasn’t been happening nearly enough for the Rams minus Quinn.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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TheDYVKX
Damn, I loved Worton at UCF. That’s a great flyer. He actually has talent and upside if he’s healthy. Would love to see him compete, he’s the type of guy that just ends up sticking.
znModeratorJJ Worton, WR/PR, Central Florida – 2015
Positives: Runs with adequate speed and is shifty after the catch or fielding punts. Has above-average body control, and can extend and snag fast passes at times. Fair concentration on passes in traffic. Above-average downfield blocker. Is also the holder on field goals.
Negatives: Not much change-of-direction ability. Poor ball security technique: he holds the ball away from his body while making moves – even on the goal line. Suspect punt return fielding hands and decisions, often returning in traffic or misjudging his position. Inconsistently able to extend – more often than not, he will body catch. Has a little bit of trouble adjusting to passes behind him. Below-average quickness. Below average routes and is fairly slow in and out of breaks.
znModeratorRAMS HAVE SIGNED FORMER UCF KNIGHT WIDE OUT JJ WORTON
http://nfldraftdiamonds.com/rams-have-signed-former-ucf-knight-wide-out-jj-worton/
Today the St. Louis Rams signed former UCF wide out JJ Worton. During his four-year career, at Central Florida, Worton recorded 168 receptions for 2,360 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. He also contributed 740 punt return yards and returned a kickoff 22 yards for a touchdown.
Worton was best known for “The Catch,” a stunning one-handed touchdown grab that sparked a late rally at Temple two seasons ago. Worton stretched out and gripped the ball with his fingertips, refusing to drop it as he crashed into the end zone. The play was featured on NBC Nightly News, during which anchor Brian Williams said, “this is how we catch the ball in our dreams.”
Worton previously worked out for the Bears and Patriots this week, so there was clearly a decent amount of interest in him.
znModeratorThey promoted CB Eric Patterson from the practice squad to roster.
Jim Thomas @jthom1
2 Oct 2015…the Rams have signed CB Eric Patterson (Ball State) who was in camp w/Indy and w/Pats in offseason
Note: this is from a hodgepodge of different sources, with a part from here and a part from there. The only part I identify is the paragraph from Brandt.
Newly signed CB Eric Patterson comes over from offseason jaunts with the Patriots and Colts. Patterson was waived by the Colts after playing two games with them in 2015.
Gil Brandt: Cornerback Eric Patterson (5-9 1/4, 197) ran the 40 in 4.5 and 4.53 seconds. He had a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-2 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.38 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.01 seconds. He performed 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Patterson had a good pro day workout
Positive: Nice-sized cornerback with average ball skills. Quick up the field on the blitz, sacrifices his body to make tackles and gives effort defending the run. Aggressive, lays heavy blows on opponents and competes hard.
Negative: Slow backpedaling, struggles staying with receivers out of breaks and does not display sense of timing on pass defenses. Blows assignments on occasion.
Analysis: Patterson offers potential as a dime back at the next level but his greatest value will be returning kicks.December 11, 2015 at 11:37 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35514znModeratorVisualizing the defense.
Red = not 100%
Blue = question mark…
Jenkins Johnson …Joyner Roberson
Gaines
McCleodMcDonaldAlexander
OgletreeBarron Laurinaitis Ayers
QuinnSims Donald/Fairley/ Brockers Long …Hayes Longacre WestbrooksDecember 11, 2015 at 11:31 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35513znModeratorCorner update: Johnson back, Jenkins still in concussion protocol
Jim Thomas
Three injured Rams _ cornerback Trumaine Johnson, tight end Lance Kendricks, and defensive end Williams Hayes _ all had status upgrades Thursday, boding well for their participation in Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions.
Johnson (thigh) and Kendricks (concussion) were upgraded to full participation after being limited on Wednesday. Hayes (thigh) was limited after not practicing at all on Wednesday.
The rest of the Rams’ injury report remained unchanged: cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion), G/T Andrew Donnal (knee), K Zach Hocker (thigh), and P Johnny Hekker (not injury related/rest) did not practice for the second day in a row. That’s not good for Jenkins, in terms of clearing the concussion protocol in time for Detroit.
Also, WR Wes Welker (calf) remained limited, while K Greg Zuerlein (hip) and QB Case Keenum (concussion) were full participation.
DE Robert Quinn (back) and S T.J. McDonald (shoulder), who are both scheduled for season-ending surgery, have yet to be placed on injured reserve. Coach Jeff Fisher indicated Thursday that they probably would be replaced by practice squad players. One possibility is cornerback Eric Patterson, a second-year pro from Ball State.
December 11, 2015 at 11:26 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35512znModeratorInjuries, snap counts catching up to Rams’ defense
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Through the first nine weeks of the NFL season, it looked like the St. Louis Rams defense would finally deliver the type of statistical performance that would meet the vast potential of their heavy investments on that side of the ball.
It was a group that still ferociously rushed the passer but now had the sticky coverage, crisp tackling and consistent run-stuffing to realize the lofty expectations thrust upon it both inside and outside the organization.
But as the season wears on, the Rams defense appears to be wearing down. And, really, it’s not the players’ fault.
“We don’t ever, ever think that,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “We really don’t. It doesn’t make a difference if we’ve got to play 150 snaps, if we’ve got to play 35 snaps. That doesn’t make any difference. One of the things we take great pride in as you see [is] when we play in sudden-change situations. If there’s an adverse situation we have to go into, an extra situation we have to go into, look at the guys rally. Look at the guys rally on the sideline and how they take the field. All of that is mental toughness. When we’re mentally strong, we understand that our job is playing no matter what the situation is, no matter how many snaps we have to play. We have to keep on doing that. So, we’ll never use that for an excuse at all. No, we’ve got to play.”
Obviously, Williams isn’t going to throw the Rams’ offense under the bus, but let’s be honest here, the Rams defensive “regression” since week 10 is a product of attrition by injury and the wearing down of a group that has consistently been hung out to dry by an inept offense.
Let’s start by looking at how the defensive numbers have changed in recent weeks:
Through Week 9, the Rams were fifth in the NFL in yards allowed per game (323.8), fourth in yards allowed per play (4.93), eighth in rushing yards allowed per carry (3.8), sixth in points allowed per game (18.2) and second in sacks per pass attempt (9.7 percent).
In the time since, the Rams are 30th in yards allowed per game (421.2), 30th in yards allowed per play (6.15), 20th in rushing yards allowed per carry (4.27), 29th in points allowed per game (27.8) and 29th in sacks per pass attempt (3.6 percent).Those sharp drops in production correlated first and foremost with a rash of injuries that began to pile up even before the team’s Week 6 bye. They lost cornerback E.J. Gaines for the season, then linebacker Alec Ogletree was lost in Week 4 against Arizona and probably won’t return. End Chris Long suffered a knee injury in Week 5 against Green Bay and fellow end Robert Quinn apparently injured his back somewhere in there, played only 14 snaps since the bye and is headed for season-ending shoulder surgery.
The injury bug has bitten in the secondary, too, where cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins (concussion) and Trumaine Johnson (thigh) are dealing with issues, and safety T.J. McDonald is set to join Quinn on injured reserve with season-ending shoulder surgery.
No matter how much depth you have, when you have to start digging that deep at nearly every position, it’s going to catch up. The loss of Quinn, in particular, has altered how the Rams can play defensively.
“One of the things I’ve always taken great pride in and we’ve always taken great pride in is next man up,” Williams said. “And we’ve had some guys really shine. Last year, (end) Will Hayes just did a phenomenal job shining when Chris was down. Look at Mark Barron right now shining with ‘Tree’ down. Look at Trumaine coming back and having his season with E.J. down. We’ve had a lot of those kinds of situations. I think the best group of defenders, maybe the best coaching staffs have always taken great pride in being able to adapt to what we have to do with who we have to coach. These guys are fun. They’ve taken ownership with it. They understand why we do what we do. And we do make minor week-to-week, series-to-series, we make changes on who has to play for who because of what they can do strong-wise. Really, not hiding weaknesses [as] much as highlighting strengths that guys can use.”
Beyond the injuries, the lack of any sort of offensive production has made things doubly tough on the defense. In assessing the team’s problems a couple of weeks ago, coach Jeff Fisher said it was 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense, but the offense has contributed a lot to that 30 percent.
For the season, the defense has been on the field for 799 plays, tied for seventh-most in the league. But with better offenses such as Cincinnati and Arizona on the schedule recently, it’s been even more difficult to get off the field on a regular basis. The defense played a whopping 84 snaps against the Cardinals last week, tied for sixth-most by a team this season.
Through the first nine weeks, the defense got at least a little bit of help from the offense, playing 525 snaps, which was 16th in the NFL in that span. Since Week 10, the Rams have played 274 snaps, third most in the NFL.
To their credit, Rams defenders haven’t made excuses or pointed fingers for the recent drop-off.
“We’ve been just self-reflecting in that defensive room,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “How can we play better? Everyone individually has to do it. … What am I doing to contribute to these losses? Am I part of the problem? Am I part of the solution? You hope that you have enough guys in there that want to be part of the solution and fix it.”
Unfortunately for Laurinaitis and his defensive teammates, the solutions are going to have to come from some combination of the offensive meeting room and the training room
December 11, 2015 at 11:20 am in reply to: status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general #35511znModeratorAlexander’s first home start will be family affair
Jim Thomas
For the better part of two seasons, Maurice Alexander’s family and friends have shown up at the Edward Jones Dome wearing their No. 31 shirts and jerseys to watch their hometown hero play for the Rams.
For the most part, they’ve watched him play special teams. There were several times he didn’t even dress as a pregame inactive. And on rare occasions, he’d get a few snaps in playing safety.
That all changes Sunday against the Detroit Lions, when the Eureka High product makes his first home start as an NFL player. He has started once before, replacing an injured T.J. McDonald Nov. 8 at Minnesota.
But with McDonald now out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery, it’s Alexander’s turn. He used to clean up the Dome as a janitor after Rams games. Now, if the Rams introduce their defensive starters in Sunday’s noon kickoff, Alexander will run out the tunnel and onto the field as a starter.
The players don’t usually know whether the offense or defense gets introduced until pregame.
“I need to figure out what I’m gonna do when I come out,” Alexander said, laughing.
Either way, it’s quite a story and quite a journey for the second-year pro, a fourth-round draft pick by the Rams in 2014 out of Utah State.
“One of the beautiful things about our league is you can go in every locker room on Sunday and there’s some kind of a story,” said Brandon Fisher, one of the Rams’ secondary coaches. “But I think you’d be hard-pressed to find one better than Mo’s when he walks out there.”
Suspended by Utah State in 2012 when he punched a teammate after a party, Alexander returned to St. Louis and spent part of that season picking up trash in the stands following Rams games.
That memory still burns bright.
“Every time I go out there I think about that,” Alexander said. “That’s one of the things I’m thankful for. From cleaning there to playing there.”
Alexander has come a long way as a player, not only in terms of learning to play the safety position, but also in terms of learning the game, and learning what it takes to be successful at the game.
“The growth, the development in the last year, he probably exceeds I’d say anybody in that locker room,” Fisher said. “We knew when we brought him in that there was gonna be a little bit of a learning curve just from the positions he’s played in college and the background.
“You really saw the light come on, probably halfway through the season last year. We saw him doing stuff on special teams. He just kept developing on defense.”
And now this.
“His first start at home this weekend. But he’s played a lot of football for us already this year,” Fisher said. “He’s continued to progress and we’re really proud of where he’s ended up.”
Alexander has gotten a little bit of seasoning this year. He was in for a handful of plays at safety against Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. He was in for every defensive play, 72 of them, in the start at Minnesota.
And with injuries to cornerback Janoris Jenkins and McDonald last week against Arizona, Alexander was on the field for 26 defensive plays. His season totals are eight tackles, two sacks, and one quarterback hit.
Those two sacks attest to his pass-rushing skills. He played some defensive end in college, but mainly outside linebacker before finally moving back to safety.
“When we worked him out (before the draft) we saw the overall athlete,” Fisher said. “He’s had success rushing off the edge for us. He can play behind the ball, and play in space. It’s a unique skill-set for a bigger guy. Typically you don’t see that transition, to go from the front of the defense to the back.”
His size (6-1, 220) makes him a pretty big safety. And he runs well. He also fits in well with veteran safeties McDonald and Mark Barron because he has shown flashes of being a big hitter just like them.
“That’s one thing we emphasize,” said the soft-spoken Alexander. “Be physical in the back end. Let ’em feel us. We made up a name for ourselves.”
The members of the secondary call themselves: AGNB. That’s short for All Gas, No Brakes. They’ve got T-shirts and everything.
“Definitely we like to make our presence felt,” Alexander said.
It was hard for Alexander to make his presence felt as a rookie. He was so raw.
“Last year, he couldn’t have a football discussion,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “And when I say this, it’s not any knock on him. But here’s a kid that only played one year as a defensive back in college football.
“One year in his career, from Pop Warner to now. Now he comes in the National Football League and has to play in the secondary. I mean, it was overwhelming.”
Williams can be very demanding as a coach; his personality can be overwhelming. Alexander saw this firsthand.
“Trying to break his spirit on a couple of things, and getting him to be more structured, more accountable, more focused,” Williams said. “He’s done fabulous. He can have a conversation now where I think I’m talking to one of his coaches.”
Alexander isn’t there yet. No one’s calling him the next Ronnie Lott or anything. But the game has slowed to the point where he’s doing more anticipating and less guessing.
“I grew a whole lot from last year to this year,” he says.
So Sunday marks his coming-out-of-the-tunnel party. Against Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron, and running backs Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick.
“We ask Mo to do quite a bit, and so he’s gonna get his shots at defending all of them,” Fisher said. “He’s got a great challenge on his plate.”
December 11, 2015 at 11:18 am in reply to: Wagoner etc. …reporters on Boras/Cignetti & the change #35509znModeratorNo lie: Rob Boras knows new job will be challenging
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — New St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras is well aware that his new job will not be easy.
When Rams coach Jeff Fisher announced Monday that Boras would be taking over play-calling duties and he was firing previous coordinator Frank Cignetti, he was asking Boras to help turn around an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in many major statistical categories. That could have been a possibility had it happened in January when Fisher opted for Cignetti over Boras.
But with four games left? Boras is the first to admit it’s a tall order.
To wit:
Asked if there will be an adjustment to calling plays at any level for the first time since he was the offensive coordinator at UNLV in 2003, Boras didn’t mince words.
“I’d be lying if I said no,” Boras said. “There’s going to be an adjustment. That’s part of the process. It’s not going to be perfect. Football isn’t perfect. I’m not going to be perfect. Plays aren’t perfect. That’s why you trust your players to move forward and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Asked if he felt pressure to get things turned around even in the face of dire circumstances, Boras again opted for the truth.
“I’d be lying if I said no,” Boras said. “Yeah.”
Here’s some more unvarnished truth: Boras is highly thought of in many league circles; he’s a smart, energetic coach and the tight ends (the position he previously coached) think highly of him. But it’s hard to look at this final quarter of the season as anything other than setting Boras up to fail. Through no fault of his own, he’s been thrust into a position where the only answers to the Rams’ offensive problems have to come from outside the walls of Rams Park.
Sure, Boras has some talented pieces in guys like running back Todd Gurley and multipurpose weapon Tavon Austin. But he also has a banged up offensive line that can’t pass protect or run block consistently, a backup quarterback coming off a concussion and a group of pass-catchers with no more than 445 receiving yards from any one of them this season.
Given all of those limitations and this late point in the season, there’s no time to attempt any sweeping changes to the scheme.
“I don’t know how [it] can change,” Boras said. “Obviously, it’s a different philosophy. We have different thoughts, but at the end of the day, we’re pretty far down the road right now. There’s not going to be a whole lot that’s going to change.”
That doesn’t mean that Boras isn’t going to try. Although he hasn’t had much experience calling plays, Fisher believes Boras can push the buttons a bit better and get the run game going.
“Finding out when we did, it’s hard to change a whole lot,” Boras said. “You hope to become more efficient. We’ve got to try to put guys in the best position they can to make plays, but it can’t be a huge change. Guys can’t handle that right now. We’re too far entrenched with our system to think there’s going to be wholesale changes.”
Speaking to the media Wednesday for the first time since his promotion, Boras acknowledged that he was as surprised as anyone when Fisher informed him of the change around noon CT on Monday. In the time since, Boras hasn’t had much time to sleep, let alone communicate with the outside world.
Boras joked Wednesday that he hasn’t been able to call his wife and even the occasional text has been limited to heart emojis to let her know he loves her. Boras has also had to go about getting to know all of the offensive players.
“A couple of them have learned my name,” Boras said, laughing. “No, it’s a great group of guys. We all have our ups and downs. But, the thing we’ve said since we’ve been here, we have really good people in the locker room. They’re willing to do what they’re asked to do. We just have to be smart to ask them to do the right things. That’s a great group of guys.”
For now, Boras made it clear his focus is on trying to “win a day at a time.” In other words, he’s just trying to get through the week as best he can as the Rams put in the game plan for Sunday’s matchup with Detroit. It doesn’t figure to be easy but Fisher has confidence in Boras.
“He’s going to be fine,” Fisher said. “The big challenge is the game plan during the week. That’s the challenge in my opinion. Getting the plays called and getting them in, no, he’s not going to have any difficulty with that. No concerns about that.”
For his part, Boras said he wants to make it a point to feed the ball to Gurley and Austin as much as possible. He hasn’t worked with quarterbacks in the past so he’ll lean on quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke to help with those efforts though he sat in on a meeting Wednesday.
When all is said and done, the responsibility for the Rams’ lagging offense can’t and shouldn’t fall in Boras’ hands, just like it shouldn’t have all landed squarely on Cignetti. The Rams’ offensive woes are an institutional problem, something that’s plagued the franchise throughout Fisher’s tenure and even before him.
Clearly, the Rams offensive coordinator job can age a man quickly.
“This week seems about a month,” Boras said. “It’s been two days.”[
znModeratorIt’s good to hear all that worked out on the positive side. Quite an epic there. Why are migraines related to strokes? What’s the connection there?
December 10, 2015 at 6:46 pm in reply to: reporters (including Detroit writers) set up the LIONS game #35501znModeratorWhat kills me is that Bradford really seems to be coming into his own
To be honest I expected Bradford to do well. Then again I also expected Foles to do well. Not as well as Bradford but that wasn’t necessary. What I didn’t expect was a serious showstopping meltdown. I have this feeling that the Rams are the first time Foles ever has had to work through all his old spread qb stuff. I don’t know if he is even comfortable yet making reads while dropping back from center.
znModeratorI’ll respect Boras if we can get more than 20 from the offense. Then again, I so don’t see that happening.
Yeah. 20 touchdowns? That’s asking for a bit much I think.
.
znModeratorAnd Martz wasn’t dissing Warner he was praising him.
I know, I didnt think he was dissing Warner. We’re on the same page with that.
znModeratorIts interesting how the went in another direction
with Hav though. Havenstein was Mr Try-Hard,
from a pro-offense-school. Not a physical freak.
Just a tough, hardnosed football player.
And he seems to be working out.An interesting detail about all of this. Some say the Rams should have taken Jake Matthews in 2014 instead of Robinson. Okay, I can see the case for that. One argument is that Matthews was more ready to go. He did have a rough first year, and not all it because of injury (though some of it was cause of injury), but he’s doing fine in his 2nd year.
But. According to PFF rankings, while Matthews in his 2nd year is (at present) ranked as the 19th OT overall, Havenstein in his 1st year is ranked 20th.
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