Agamemnon wrote:

Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1 ·
Team source confirms that Bailey has been shot. Team thinks he’s OK, but again, team is still collecting info.

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Rams receiver Stedman Bailey was shot in the head Tuesday, FS1 NFL Insider Mike Garafolo confirmed through a team source. Garafolo reported the team would have an official statement on the incident later in the evening.
Garafolo also reported that Bailey is conscious, though he will need extensive surgery.While much of the details surrounding the shooting and Bailey’s injury remain unknown, multiple reports indicated Bailey was shot in South Florida (he is from Miami), and that he was also shot in the hip.

The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported that the surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/rams-receiver-bailey-shot-in-head/ar-BBnpBtm?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=UP97DHP

Source: Stedman Bailey has been shot

Mike Florio

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/25/source-stedman-bailey-has-been-shot/

Rams receiver Stedman Bailey was shot Tuesday evening in Miami. A league source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed to PFT that rampant rumors of the incident are indeed true.

Per the source, a statement from the Rams is expected within the next hour or so. The source was unable to confirm at this point any specific details regarding Bailey’s condition.

Bailey played college football at West Virginia. He was a third-round pick of the Rams in 2013.

UPDATE 12:28 a.m. ET: Mike Silver of NFL.com reports that Bailey suffered a head wound that is not considered to be life threatening. Per Silver, Bailey is scheduled to undergo surgery in the morning.

PA Ram wrote:

I just find it very hard to believe that Fisher was so unaware of Keenum’s concussion–but who knows.

(not personal but) I find it hard to believe people actually think that.

What is there to gain from ignoring a concussion to the qb in the final minute of a game?

This particular accusation has me baffled. Think about what that is saying. I wouldn’t accuse a coach I personally hated with all my heart of that.

This is one of the strangest periods of recent Rams history.

http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2015/11/12/stopwatch-tom-brady-ultra-quick-release-offsets-depleted-offensive-line-in-win-over-redskins/

By our count, Brady took an average of 1.86 seconds from snap-to-throw on his 40 pass attempts, which was his second-lowest mark of the season and lowest since Week 1 against the Steelers when he took an average of 1.85 seconds.

It’s worth noting this number could have been even lower if it weren’t for a completion to Brandon LaFell in the first half that took 4.13 seconds from snap-to-release.

“I’d say we learned a lot last week in the second half of the game about kind of where we’re at as an offense and things we’re going to need to continue to improve on,” Brady said Wednesday. “And like I said, you don’t plan for certain scenarios and all of a sudden they happen. You’ve got to figure out what to do when you’re under fire, and that’s part of the challenging thing about football. I’m glad we came out of it ahead.”

Of Brady’s 40 pass attempts, 24 of them (60 percent) took less than two seconds from snap-to-throw. On those plays, Brady was 17-for-24. Furthermore, on 12 plays Brady took less than 1.5 seconds from snap-to-throw — an insane number.

A major reason for this was the increased number of quick screens to receivers. This could have been because of two reasons: the loss of running back Dion Lewis and the depleted offensive line.

With the offensive line still battling injuries heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Giants, Brady’s quick release will likely be key to the offensive once again.

—

http://suffolkvoice.net/2015/11/19/new-england-dealing-with-injuries/

The common reaction from the Patriots fan, when asked about the state of the offensive line is, “Well Brady gets rid of the ball so quickly, it won’t effect them.”

…

Of late that has changed.

Of course they are scoring quite often, it just is not coming as easily and it is a direct result of the injuries. Against the Redskins the offense was rolling until both Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer went down. After that the playbook was essentially thrown out and they just wanted to get out of that game in one piece.

In this past Sunday’s thrilling victory over the Giants, the Patriots offense looked awkward and desperate at times. Forcing big plays down field to Brandon LaFell and Aaron Dobson. Again a direct result of the offensive line injuries and Julian Edelman going down.

Rams lose another offensive lineman to injury

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-lose-another-offensive-lineman-to-injury/article_bebb199b-22f0-5248-a5da-29f67967560b.html

BALTIMORE • For the third time in two games, it looks like the Rams have lost a rookie offensive lineman to a season-ending injury.

Andrew Donnal, who started at right tackle in place of the injured Rob Havenstein, suffered a knee injury on a second-quarter passing play in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to Baltimore.

“We’ll know (Monday), but it’s the knee,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “I’ll just say it doesn’t look good, unfortunately for him. He was playing well.”

Donnal, a fourth-round pick from Iowa, was making his second NFL start, having started at left guard two weeks ago in Minnesota.

Last week, the Rams lost starting guard Jamon Brown (fractured leg) and backup tackle Darrell Williams (wrist) for the season, with both injuries occurring chasing Chicago linebacker Willie Young on an interception return.

Yet another rookie, sixth-round pick Cody Wichmann of Fresno State, made his first NFL start Sunday — at right guard.

When Donnal went out, the Rams switched starting left guard Garrett Reynolds to right tackle, moved Wichmann to left guard and brought Demetrius Rhaney off the bench to play right guard.

“It made it a little more difficult for us, just because we were throwing guys in there — guys that hadn’t practiced that position all week,” center Tim Barnes said. “We just had to do the best we could.

“We know that’s why the guys are on the team — because they can do it. It just made it a little more adverse for us. We just gotta make sure we finish.”

MASON BENCHED

Running back Tre Mason, the team’s leading rusher as a rookie last season, was benched for Sunday’s contest. Mason was a surprise member on the team’s pregame inactive list.

“He violated team rules (Saturday),” Fisher confirmed in his postgame news conference.

He did not elaborate. After leading the Rams in rushing with 765 yards as a rookie last season, Mason has become nearly a forgotten man this season. He had a chance to establish a foothold in the backfield early in the season, before rookie Todd Gurley was fully recovered from last season’s knee surgery while at the University of Georgia.

But Mason was slowed by a preseason hamstring injury, missed the opener entirely because of that injury, and hasn’t been a factor so far this season. He has 44 carries for 129 yards, averaging 2.9 yards a carry, getting much of that work in mop-up time against Chicago and San Francisco.

Minus Mason, the Rams went with just three running backs against the Ravens: Gurley, third-down specialist Benny Cunningham, and special teams core player Chase Reynolds.

QUINN SITS

For the second time in three games, the Rams were without two-time Pro Bowler Robert Quinn at defensive end. Quinn was ruled out on Saturday because of a hip injury, and thus was among the Rams’ pregame inactives for Baltimore.

“He’s dealing with a hip and a knee,” Fisher said. “The knee is OK. I think the knee’s good enough for him to play, but he’s dealing with some other things now.”

Eugene Sims started once again in Quinn’s place, and undrafted rookie Matt Longacre of Northwest Missouri State provided depth, playing in his second NFL game.

Other Rams inactives were QB Sean Mannion, S Christian Bryant, TE Justice Cunningham (finger), OT Isaiah Battle, and Havenstein (calf). There were unconfirmed reports that Battle also was benched for disciplinary reasons, but he may have been a pregame inactive anyway.

LONG PLAYS

After missing four games with a bone fracture following a knee-to-knee collision in Green Bay, defensive end Chris Long returned to action. William Hayes got the start at left defensive end, but Long was part of the defensive line rotation.

Long was frustrated with the loss and frustrated with his play.

“I just wish I could’ve helped us more,” Long said. “I felt OK, I just played like a (bleep). I can’t wait to hopefully play up to my standards, and next week help us win more.”

RAM-BLINGS

With Sunday’s loss, the Rams are 14-23-1 under Fisher in non-division games. They are 10-10-1 against NFC West foes.

• All 10 Baltimore games this season have been decided by eight points or less, the longest such streak to begin a season in NFL history.

• Gurley didn’t have his best game, but with 775 yards in just eight contests, he has the fourth-most rushing yards by a Rams rookie in franchise history.

• To combat Baltimore punter Sam Koch’s directional skills, the Rams deployed both Tavon Austin and Wes Welker as returners on most punts.

Another bitter Rams loss puts season on brink

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/another-bitter-rams-loss-puts-season-on-brink/article_76afdc46-65fa-58e6-ae60-5822f501bf60.html

BALTIMORE • In a rapidly crumbling season, the Rams couldn’t move the football with any consistency, couldn’t hold on to the football and couldn’t hold a late 10-point lead.

The result was another numbing defeat, a 16-13 loss to a 2-7 Baltimore team on a game-ending 47-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.

For the second time in three games, the Rams have lost on a last-play field goal. Sandwiched between a 21-18 overtime loss to Minnesota two weeks ago and Sunday’s bitter setback was that 37-13 humiliation to Chicago.

So what was once a promising 4-3 season now sits at 4-6, casting doubt on the ability of coach Jeff Fisher, general manager Les Snead and executive vice president Kevin Demoff to get an organization that hasn’t had a winning season since 2003 over the hump.

Under normal circumstances, Sunday’s loss at M&T Bank Stadium is the kind of defeat that helps get coaches and GMs fired. But with Rams owner Stan Kroenke preoccupied with trying to move the team to Los Angeles, these are far from normal circumstances.

The organizational signals at the outset of the season were that only a disastrous 2015 campaign would lead to a coaching and/or GM change. After squandering a 10-point fourth-quarter lead Sunday, and with a road game next week against a formidable Cincinnati squad, this may rapidly become a matter of semantics. Namely, what constitutes a disaster?

“Well, that one was a hard one,” Fisher said after the Rams lost for the sixth time in seven games this season against a non-NFC West foe. “Probably one of the hardest I’ve been around since I’ve been here. It’s difficult when you lose that way, in a game that we somewhat controlled or dictated. Gave up the lead.

“But nonetheless, it’s hard to overcome four (turnovers) against a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.”

The Rams lost four fumbles on a chilly, windy afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium — leading to 13 Baltimore points.

The last fumble, on a sack of quarterback Case Keenum, gave the Ravens the opening they needed to pull out the victory. On third-and-5 from the St. Louis 36, Baltimore linebacker Courtney Upshaw got around Rams left tackle Greg Robinson, knocking the ball loose from Keenum.

Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy recovered at the St. Louis 41 in a 13-13 game with 54 seconds left to play. The Ravens were out of timeouts but didn’t need any. After an incomplete pass, two runs by Javorius Allen produced 12 yards and a first down.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, the one-time Super Bowl MVP, finished out the game despite what was a season-ending knee injury. He spiked the ball with two seconds left and out came Tucker to kick the game-winner.

He had missed a 51-yarder with 1:13 to play, wide right. Rams counterpart Greg Zuerlein had missed a 52-yarder just 28 seconds earlier, wide right.

“I don’t think I hit it as well as I could have,” Zuerlein said. “I could feel my foot scrape the ground a little bit before I hit it. And then I should’ve picked a better target, really; little bit more inside (to adjust for the wind).”

Keenum apparently suffered a concussion two plays before his sack fumble, on a play where he was sacked by defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. That sack didn’t count because of an offside penalty on Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil, but Keenum was clearly shaken up on the play — the second-to-last Rams offensive play of the game.

Fisher didn’t mention the concussion during his postgame news conference and sounded as if he were unaware of the injury.

Because when asked what else could be done to address the Rams’ offensive struggles, Fisher replied: “I’m gonna give Case a good week of practice. I expect him to do better than he did today. You can see he’s mobile, he can move around, he can do things.”

It was more than 25 minutes after the game that Rams officials said Keenum would not be available to reporters because he had been diagnosed with a concussion. The league had no comment Sunday night, but it’s standard policy for the league to look into all procedures when a player suffers an apparent concussion.

Keenum struggled for most of the day, completing 12 of 26 passes for 136 yards on a day when the Rams lost another offensive line starter — rookie right tackle Andrew Donnal — to what looks like a season-ending knee injury. More often than not, Keenum was under pressure as the Rams’ patchwork and inexperienced line struggled to protect him.

The Rams managed only 213 yards against the league’s 20th-rated defense. Running back Todd Gurley scored a touchdown for the fifth consecutive game but was held to 66 yards rushing on 25 carries. In addition, he lost one fumble and was part of another on a botched exchange with Keenum.

“At the end of the day, we put the ball on the ground four times,” Gurley said. “That’s never a good sign.”

(The other Rams fumble came on a muffed punt by Tavon Austin late in the second quarter — a turnover that set up the first of three Tucker field goals.)

“The fumble wasn’t Todd’s fault,” Fisher said. “That was defensive penetration; that was a problem up front. He hadn’t got his hand on the ball. It’s penetration that created the exchange problem, too, inside (on the botched exchange).”

Keenum tripped and lost his balance on the botched handoff.

“That’s what I said — it’s penetration,” Fisher said. “The (Baltimore) defensive line got penetration and pushed our guys back, and that’s where he tripped.”

Keenum’s 30-yard touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Lance Kendricks with 6:14 to go in the third quarter seemingly put the Rams in control. Even when Zuerlein’s extra point was blocked, the Rams led 13-3. The Baltimore offense, which lost running back Justin Forsett to a broken arm in the first quarter, was having trouble stringing together first downs.

But the Ravens started nibbling at that lead. A Gurley fumble on the second play of the fourth quarter resulted in Baltimore’s only TD of the day. Two Tucker field goals followed, and that 13-3 lead became a 16-13 defeat.

“It stings. It hurts,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “You never want to lose in this type of fashion. The fact that we did, it sucks.”

“It just really hurts the way we gave it up in the fourth quarter like that defensively,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said.

In seven seasons with the Rams, Laurinaitis has played for teams that are 34-71-1. So he’s endured plenty of losses, but this one may have stung the worst.

“Just the way it happened, and the fact that the whole game you feel like they can’t move the ball on you a lot,” Laurinaitis said. “And then the fourth quarter. … Yeah, this one hurts like none I can remember.”

Handling of Keenum’s concussion raises questions about NFL policy

Sean Wagner-McGough

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25385972/handling-of-case-keenums-concussion-raises-questions-about-nfls-policy

At the tail-end of the Rams’ 16-13 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, quarterback Case Keenum was concussed. With just over a minute remaining in a tied game, Keenum was thrown to the turf by a Ravens’ defender.

In what was completely clear to anyone with a TV and a set of eyes, Keenum’s head bounced violently off the turf.

Keenum’s pain was also clear. He immediately grabbed his head. He squirmed on the ground. Eventually, he got up with the help of his teammates.

But the game didn’t stop. While the officials sorted out a flag, Keenum spoke to a member of the Rams’ staff on the field. Thirty seconds later, he was back in the huddle and dropping back to pass. Two plays after the sack, Keenum fumbled and the Ravens won the game on a last-second field goal.

After the game, reporters discovered that Keenum was diagnosed with a concussion, which raises questions: Why wasn’t the game stopped? Why didn’t Keenum come out of the game? Even if the Rams official spoke with Keenum and thought that he was fine, why didn’t an NFL concussion spotter stop the game so Keenum could be examined off the field? Could a concussion test really be administered in 30 seconds? Did the Rams even give Keenum a concussion test?

Earlier this month, Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins revealed that he played during a game with a concussion and hid it from the medical staff. Because the hit that caused Jenkins’ concussion was inconspicuous, nobody knew that Jenkins was concussed. The onus was on Jenkins to tell a trainer, but he didn’t. Like Keenum’s concussion, it’s scary to consider that Jenkins played football with a brain injury.

But in this case, Keenum’s head injury wasn’t hidden, it was clear as day. As Keenum withered around in pain, someone — a Rams’ trainer, an official, a concussion spotter, a teammate — had to have spotted that something could be wrong with player who just had his helmet slammed off the turf.

Nobody stopped the game. The game continued. And just moments later, Keenum took a snap and fired an incomplete pass toward Wes Welker.

Ravens Top Rams on Last-Second Field Goal

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Ravens-Top-Rams-on-Last-Second-Field-Goal/864b936f-93cb-411a-901d-f869f1cd419d

BALTIMORE, Md. — The offensive woes continued for the Rams on Sunday, as the club totaled only 213 yards and lost four fumbles en route to a 16-13 loss to the Ravens.

“That one was a hard one — probably one of the hardest I’ve been around since I’ve been here,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “It’s difficult when you lose that way in a game that you somewhat controlled, dictated — gave up a lead. But none the less, it’s hard to overcome four [fumbles] against a Super Bowl winning quarterback.”

The Rams took a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but could not hold it as the Ravens capitalized on late turnovers. After the two teams traded missed field goals with under two minutes in the final period, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker hit a 47 yarder as time expired to give the home team the victory.

“We’ve got to find a way defensively to hold on,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “That’s what really burns right now, is that we had a 10-point lead there and had every opportunity to go ahead and seal it. I don’t care how many times we’re put out there. We’ve just got to find a way.”

Still, St. Louis continues to be hampered by a lack of offensive production. It was tough sledding for running back Todd Gurley throughout the contest, as he finished with 25 carries for just 66 yards and a touchdown. Gurley also had a late fumble that proved costly — a rarity for the sure-handed running back. The rookie was hit in the backfield just after receiving a handoff and the ball ended up on the ground.

“There really isn’t an excuse,” Gurley said. “Whether it’s someone hitting me as soon as I get the ball — at the end of the day, I’m a running back. Hold onto the ball.”

Quarterback Case Keenum also had a tough day in his first contest as the Rams’ starting signal-caller. He completed just 12 of his 26 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Keenum did, however, tally three fumbles — one of which was a backwards pass into the flat that went out of bounds for a 7-yard loss. After the game, Keenum was diagnosed with a concussion.

“I feel like Case did a good job of battling his butt off in there,” tight end Jared Cook said.

Keenum’s other fumbles were in a botched exchange with Gurley and a late sack/fumble. The Ravens recovered both, with the latter setting the club up for its game-winning field goal.

“There was penetration that created the exchange problem, too, inside,” Fisher said.

Injuries were the catalyst for some of the issues up front, as the Rams started rookies Cody Wichmann at right guard and Andrew Donnal at right tackle. Donnal then suffered a knee injury during the contest, forcing more shifts. Garrett Reynolds went to right tackle, Demetrius Rhaney came in at right guard, and Whichmann moved over to left guard.

After the game, Fisher said the team would have more information later on Donnal, but the head coach did not sound optimistic.

“I’ll just say, it doesn’t look good,” Fisher said. “Unfortunate for him. He was playing well.”

The Rams were the first to score in the game’s opening period with the help of a key penalty. Baltimore missed a 51-yard field goal, giving St. Louis the ball at its own 41-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Keenum dropped back and looked like he was trying to throw into the flat. But with his receiver covered, the quarterback proceeded to run toward the line of scrimmage.

That’s when Keenum saw Cook with a step on his man deep down the middle of the field. The signal-caller lofted the ball up, and Cook was able to draw a 49-yard defensive pass interference penalty from cornerback Jimmy Smith. The flag put the Rams at the Baltimore 10-yard line.

After that, Gurley did the rest. The running back gained 9 yards on two carries, bulldozing his way in from a yard out on a third to put the Rams up, 7-0.

The two clubs traded punts for a while until St. Louis came up with a turnover midway through the second quarter.

Safety Rodney McLeod made his first interception of the season in Baltimore territory. Quarterback Joe Flacco overthrew his intended target, tight end Crockett Gillmore, and McLeod got in position, made the catch, and returned the pick four yards to the home team’s 42.

But St. Louis could not capitalize on the field position, going three and out.

After the defense forced a three and out of its own, it looked like the Rams would have a chance to increase its lead with a four-minute drive before halftime. But wide receiver Tavon Austin muffed the return, with the Ravens picking up the fumble at the visitors’ 30-yard line. It was an uncharacteristic mistake for the punt returner.

Baltimore would advance deep into Rams’ territory, but defensive tackle Aaron Donald helped limit the yardage. On 2nd-and-7 from the St. Louis 11, Donald broke through a double team to sack Flacco for a 7-yard loss. The defensive tackle had six total tackles — two for loss — a sack, and a QB hit in the first half alone. He’d finish with 10 tackles on the day, a mark that led the team.

Nevertheless, Tucker would hit a field goal as time expired in the first half, cutting the visitors’ lead to 7-3.

The two teams then traded turnovers in the early going of the third quarter. Keenum began a drive with a 7-yard pass to Cook, giving the Rams 2nd-and-3. But on the next play, Keenum would mishandle a handoff to Gurley, causing a fumble. Baltimore recovered the loose ball on the St. Louis 42.

“It was penetration, yes,” Fisher said. “The defensive line got penetration and pushed our guys back. That’s where [Keenum] tripped.”

But it wouldn’t be long until the Rams got the ball back. On the third play of Baltimore’s possession, Flacco overthrew his intended target — tight end Maxx Williams — and Trumaine Johnson was there to make the pick. The cornerback returned the interception 25 yards, before sliding down. At that point, Johnson left the game with a thigh injury and did not return.

St. Louis was able to capitalize on the turnover in just a few plays. Austin moved the chains with a 16-yard end around, bringing St. Louis to the Baltimore 30-yard line. Then Keenum made his best pass of the contest, hitting tight end Lance Kendricks on the backside of a play action pass for a 30-yard touchdown. The extra point, however, was blocked, meaning the Rams extended their lead to 13-3.

Fisher said one of the reasons for the block was all the changes up front.

“We had penetration moving people around in there,” Fisher said. “And we’ve been working on it, working extra in practice, and they’ve got to do a better job.”

In the fourth quarter, the Rams turned the ball over in their own territory, giving the Ravens another opportunity. Baltimore defensive tackle Brandon Williams got into the backfield and popped the ball out of Gurley’s hands. Linebacker Courtney Upshaw recovered the fumble, giving the home team the ball at the St. Louis 42.

“I put the ball on the ground twice,” Gurley said. “There’s no excuse for that.”

The Ravens would take advantage of their opportunity, driving seven plays to cut the visitors’ lead. Flacco hit an open Gillmore over the middle for 16 yards to give Baltimore 1st-and-goal from the Rams’ 3. A play later, Flacco found wide receiver Kamar Aiken open in the end zone for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Rams led 13-10.

Following another St. Louis punt, Baltimore would continue its string of points with a big play to Gillmore leading the charge. Flacco hit the tight end on a short pass to the left, and Gillmore rumbled down the field for a 46-yard gain to the St. Louis 8-yard line. The Rams would clamp down in the red zone, leading to a Tucker 20-yard field goal to tie the game at 13.

On the ensuing possession, Benny Cunningham came up with a big play on 3rd-and-3 to move the chains. The Rams had moved the pocket to the right, but Keenum had no one open to throw to. Cunningham stayed on the backside of the play, and the quarterback hit him with a pass, giving the running back an opportunity to make a play in the open field. Cunningham shook off a couple defenders, gaining 20 yards and a first down.

But that’s about all the Rams would get. Keenum couldn’t connect with Austin on 3rd-and-5 from the Baltimore 34. And then Greg Zuerlein missed a 52-yard field goal wide right, giving the home team the ball back at its own 42.

It wasn’t over, though, as Tucker would miss his own 51-yard field goal wide right, giving the visitors the ball back at their own 41. But Upshaw forced another St. Louis turnover with a sack/fumble on Keenum, providing the home team the opportunity to win.

“Give them credit — they created the turnovers,” Fisher said. “We created some turnovers. But they created the turnovers when they needed them.”

This time, Tucker drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired, winning the game.

With the loss, the Rams are not 4-6 on the season.

“This one might be one of the hardest over the last seven [years] — maybe the hardest,” Laurinaitis said of the loss. “Just the fashion of it. The fact that it was a real pivotal game in the season from an overall outlook. A chance to get back to .500 and make a push. And now, being 4-6, it’s like you have zero room for error [when] you look at the big picture of everything. So you always take it week-to-week, but when you’re around seven years, you kind of look at the overall picture. So this stings on multiple levels. Might be the hardest one to swallow.”

St. Louis will be on the road once again next week against Cincinnati.

zn wrote:

MylesASimmons

Got word in locker room Rams QB Case Keenum has been diagnosed with a concussion.

==

ATC spotter failed to call medical timeout to remove Case Keenum

Mike Florio

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/22/atc-spotter-failed-to-call-medical-timeout-to-remove-case-keenum/

This year, the NFL for the first time gave ATC spotters the power to stop play in order to remove from the field players potentially suffering from concussions. It’s a great idea in theory; in practice, it requires the spotter to be willing to slam on the brakes at a key moment in the action.

Late in Sunday’s game between the Rams and Ravens, the back of St. Louis quarterback Case Keenum’s head slammed against the ground during a late drive in a tie game. Keen immediately was in clear distress, struggling to get up.

But the game continued with Keenum at quarterback, without the Rams or the officials or the ATC spotter doing anything to get him off the field.

It’s possible that ATC spotter wasn’t paying attention. It’s more possible that the ATC spotter was reluctant to yank Keenum off the field during crunch time.

Regardless, the ATC spotter failed to protect a player who needed to be protected from himself. Keenum was never going to tap out voluntarily. In moments like that, the ATC spotter is there for one purpose: To tap out the player involuntarily.