Garrett Reynolds offers calming presence in replacing Rodger Saffold

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22573/garrett-reynolds-offers-calming-presence-in-replacing-rodger-saffold

EARTH CITY, Mo. — With Rodger Saffold lost for the season because of shoulder surgery, the St. Louis Rams will turn to the one backup on the roster with extensive NFL experience to replace him.

That would be seventh-year veteran Garrett Reynolds, a free-agent offseason addition from Detroit. After playing the first four games with the same five offensive linemen in place, Reynolds got his first extended action with the offense last week in Green Bay when he came in for Saffold.

According to coach Jeff Fisher, Reynolds fared well upon entering the game.

“When Garrett went in, it was kind of almost a settling factor in there,” Fisher said. “The guys almost seemed to settle down when Garrett went in there. That’s not a negative towards Rodger, but it just settled down for us, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Garrett Reynolds is the most experienced lineman on the Rams and has moved around the line. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Where it goes now that Saffold is on injured reserve is that Reynolds will step into the starting lineup at one of the guard positions. He filled in for Saffold at right guard against the Green Bay Packers but he played a lot of left guard in the preseason. Some in the organization believe he’s more suited to that side, though he’s played both guard spots and right tackle in his career.

Either way, Reynolds instantly becomes the most experienced lineman on the roster with 57 games and 27 starts to his credit. In his time with Atlanta and Detroit, Reynolds has moved around on the line which makes him a logical fit in the sense that there’s very little he hasn’t seen.

“I haven’t played center or left tackle but wherever they need me, that’s the kind of mentality I’m going to try to keep on it and just go wherever I’m told to go, know what I’m supposed to do and play whatever role I’m needed to play,” Reynolds said.

At 6-foot-7. 305 pounds, Reynolds’ reputation upon arriving in St. Louis was as a power blocker in the run game with limited upside in pass protection. He worked with the starters at left guard during organized team activities as Saffold was recovering from the left shoulder surgery he had in the offseason. He says he had little trouble picking up the offense, though the terminology is different than what he’s used in the past.

“There’s a lot of carryover no matter where you go because football is football,” Reynolds said. “Of course some things are going to be different, terminology is going to be different, the lingo, the offensive line language might be a little bit different but by OTAs, usually you have that down.”

Although Reynolds is just now getting the opportunity to start, he immediately embraced a leadership role for the Rams’ young line, a job that will only grow in importance now that he’s in the lineup.

The Rams have rookies at right tackle and one guard spot, a second-year left tackle and a center only emerging as a starter this season — plus a quartet of backups made exclusively of players who have never played offense in regular season NFL games. So Reynolds had better be the type of calming presence Fisher insists he is.

To that end, Reynolds poked a little fun at himself when asked what he thought Fisher meant by calling him a “settling” factor.

“Probably just because they are all faster and more athletic than me so if I can get in the way then you guys can too,” Reynolds said.

Quarterback Nick Foles offered a better explanation.

“He’s a guy who’s been around, been in the league,” Foles said. “He’s a very knowledgeable, talented guy who’s played a lot of football. I think he’ll bring another veteran guy in there.

snowman wrote:

I would think that having good vision of what’s going on around you is important to being able to pick up stunts. Don’t bother double teaming the DT to your left if you lose sight of what is happening to your right.

They’re take is that everyone knows what to do the problem is, under fire, they don’t know what the other guy next to them is going to do. A young line with communication issues.

With Saffold out, it’s Reynolds’ turn

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/with-saffold-out-it-s-reynolds-turn/article_8109b720-2080-553d-bc00-8efccd6bc8f8.html

Last March in free agency, the Rams signed Garrett Reynolds for moments like this. Backup guard, backup tackle and he was ready to step in and start at a moment’s notice if somebody went down.

When right guard Rodger Saffold suffered a right shoulder injury last Sunday in Green Bay, Reynolds figured he might be starting for a week or two. On Thursday, “a week or two” became most likely the rest of the season when the Rams placed Saffold on the season-ending injured reserve list.

After being checked out by Rams doctors, Saffold received a second opinion from his own specialist. According to coach Jeff Fisher, both sets of doctors agreed that undergoing surgery right now was the best course of action to repair labrum damage in Saffold’s right shoulder.

“You know, he was willing to try to play, but inevitably it’s gonna come out again when we talk about the condition of his shoulder,” Fisher said. “So we just felt like career-wise and future-wise, it’s best to get it fixed.”

Fisher said the surgery will take place “in the next couple of days.”

Saffold fought through a similar injury last season to his left shoulder, wearing a brace and playing in pain when that shoulder popped out, putting off surgery until the end of the season. He decided against doing that this time around.

By having the surgery done now, it’s expected that Saffold should be healthy by late February or early March, meaning he’ll miss little or no offseason work.

With Saffold done for the year, Reynolds becomes the most experienced offensive lineman on the roster in terms of career starts – with 27. At age 28, Reynolds already was the oldest O-lineman on the team – 11 months older than Saffold.

Reynolds is from Knoxville, and speaks with a Tennessee drawl. But he played his college ball at North Carolina, and as a senior Reynolds was teammate to a talented Tar Heels freshman named Robert Quinn. The better part of a decade later, they are teammates again with the Rams.

“Kind of a flashback,” Reynolds said. “It’s kind of funny where life takes you.”

Indeed. Just five games into his first season in St. Louis, life has taken Reynolds into the Rams’ starting lineup at right guard.

He spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, with Paul Boudreau his position coach there in 2009-2011.

“He grew up playing behind Harvey Dahl, so he learned the right way,” said Boudreau, who came in with Fisher as Rams O-line coach in 2012.

The now-retired Dahl, who played in St. Louis after a stint in Atlanta, was a tough-minded player who protected his quarterbacks and running backs, even it meant playing outside the lines from time to time.

(Think back to 2013 when Dahl went after Carolina safety Mike Mitchell after Mitchell celebrated a sideline hit that knocked quarterback Sam Bradford out of the game and out for the season with a knee injury.)

Well, Reynolds has some of that spirit in him. Go after his quarterback or running back too vehemently, and Reynolds will, uh, clean up the pile.

“It comes with the territory, I reckon,” Reynolds said.

Fisher said the line seemed to settle down when Reynolds entered the Green Bay game following Saffold’s injury. That that happened probably is not mere coincidence. Because of his experience and past association with Boudreau, Reynolds was positioned as a leader of the line almost from the moment he set foot in Rams Park.

“He knows me, and he knows when I’m (upset),” Boudreau said early in training camp. “He knows when we’re doing OK. So he’s kind of been my helper as far as getting ’em together off the field.

“He’ll say, ‘We’re all going out, we’re gonna have pizza and beer. And if you don’t show up, you’re gonna pay the bill.’ ”

After spending the 2014 season with Detroit, the chance to hook up again with Boudreau was a major reason why Reynolds signed with the Rams.

“It’s easier to come in and understand the scheme,” Reynolds said. “Even though it’s gonna be a little bit different, you can relate it back to, ‘hey, it’s something I did a couple years ago.’”

Reynolds has started at guard and tackle during his NFL career, but most of his experience has come at right guard. When he signed with the Rams, he figured his job description would be backup/fill-in starter.

“Nothing was ever said to me, but that’s kinda the person I’ve always been,” Reynolds said. “Wherever you need me, throw me in, and I’ll be ready to roll.”

Added to that in St. Louis, Reynolds said, “is to be the older guy and try to bring some these young guys along.”

As for having a settling influence on the younger players, Reynolds said: “I just get in there and remind guys to stay calm and let’s keep rolling. It’s a long game, and just stick together. That’s the most important thing: just stay together and keep pushing.”

In terms of his blocking, Reynolds more than held his own once he replaced Saffold at Lambeau Field.

“He played well,” Fisher said.

Fisher also likes what he sees from rookies Cody Wichmann and Andrew Donnal. Eventually one of them could take over the starting spot. Perhaps next season if the team decides to part ways with Saffold. But for the foreseeable future, it’s Reynolds’ time.

“You never want to see anybody, especially any of your buddies, go down,” Reynolds said. “But that’s part of the game. I’m looking forward to playing.”

Offensive Lines in Crisis: Why the Seahawks, Saints and Others Are in Trouble

Mike Tanier

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2579050-offensive-lines-in-crisis-why-the-seahawks-saints-and-others-are-in-trouble

Offensive line play in the NFL is no worse than it has been in recent years. In some respects it may even be a little bit better.

At least, that’s what the statistics show.

This table shows the sack rates, both per game and per 100 pass attempts, for the NFL over the past five years. It also shows the rushing yards per carry and the adjusted sack rate, a Football Outsiders metric that accounts for down-and-distance situations and other variables.

Offensive Line Performance: 2011 thru 2015

Year…Sacks-game…Sacks-100 pass attempts…Yards-rush…Adjusted sack rate
2015…………..2.3………………………… 6.4…………………………4.1…………… 6.3%
2014………….2.4…………………………. 6.8……………………….. 4.2…………… 6.6%
2013………….2.5…………………………. 7.1…………………………4.2…………… 7.0%
2012…………2.3………………………….. 6.6……………………….. 4.3…………… 6.5%
2011…………2.3………………………….. 6.8……………………….. 4.3…………… 6.7%
Pro Football Reference and Football Outsiders

There’s nothing new or noteworthy statistically about the 2015 season. Sack rates are actually down a little bit from 2013. Rushing averages are in an imperceptible decline: Two-tenths of a yard over five years is not the kind of difference you notice when eating hot wings on a Sunday afternoon.

So the stats say “nothing to see here; everything is fine.” Tell that to Drew Brees, who got battered behind a makeshift line last week and is likely to be missing several starters up front Thursday night. Tell it to Alex Smith, who has been sacked 21 times through five games.

Tell it to the Seahawks, whose offense is one long Russell Wilson scramble; or the Colts, whose Super Bowl dream has become barely-beat-the-Jaguars reality thanks to an ever-changing cast of ineffective blockers; or the Lions, averaging a league-low 2.8 yards per rush; or the Broncos, who hoped their running game would make Peyton Manning’s golden years easier but have gotten mediocre performances from a makeshift cast of linemen.

If offensive lines are playing well this year, many are doing a great job of hiding it.

I contacted several experts—former players, executives and coaches—to find out if there really is something wrong with the offensive line play this season. The experts generally agreed with the statistics: There really hasn’t been a sudden drop-off in offensive line play, just a few high-profile examples of line failure.

But most have seen a gradual decline in blocking quality in recent years, and all offered explanations as to why several teams that entered the season with playoff or Super Bowl expectations are being sabotaged by their offensive lines.

Bad Planning

A few teams brought their offensive line woes upon themselves. “Some teams, it’s just a lack of prioritizing, which is ‘shame on the GM,’ ” one former general manager told me via email. “The GMs that didn’t focus on it deserve a lot of criticism. They have paralyzed their teams.”

This former exec wasn’t pointing any fingers, but it is not hard to speculate about which teams he was referring to. The Seahawks traded center Max Unger away from an already weak line, then sat out the first three rounds of a draft that was rich in quality interior line prospects. The Eagles ignored the offensive line completely in the draft for two straight years but released veteran guard Todd Herremans in February and cut guard Evan Mathis over a summer salary dispute.

Of course, not all of the teams with line woes neglected to restock the cupboards. The Chiefs offensive line is filled with recent draft picks and veteran trade acquisitions. The Lions drafted Laken Tomlinson and traded for Manny Ramirez in the offseason.

Neglecting an offensive line is always bad. Change for change’s sake, however, is not much better. “I don’t think teams value the continuity and chemistry as they should,” said Ross Tucker, former NFL lineman and host of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. Teams that swap out linemen just because they “need a spark”—think the Colts—aren’t likely to enjoy immediate results, because the new linemen aren’t used to working together.

It doesn’t help that the players getting swapped in and out aren’t very good in the first place.

Bad 2013 Draft

Teams that have invested along the offensive line in recent years are not getting the return they would like on that investment. “Look at the draft class [in 2013],” one former offensive lineman told me. “All those top picks should be All-Pro right now, but none of them can stay in the lineup.”

Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher, the first pick in the 2013 draft, was terrible in 2014 and has been shifted back from left to right tackle. He may be starting to come around, but Donald Stephenson has been pressed into service as the Chiefs’ left tackle, and Pro Football Focus charges Stephenson with two sacks and 15 hurries allowed through five games.

Luke Joeckel, the second pick in that draft, has had two difficult years and missed three games for the Jaguars with a sprained ankle this year; replacement Sam Young outplayed him in his absence.

Fourth overall pick Lane Johnson played well for the Eagles in 2014 but has allowed three sacks already, according to Pro Football Focus. Seventh overall pick Jonathan Cooper has been plagued by minor injuries and finally cracked the Cardinals lineup this year.

There were also many fine selections that season—Kyle Long, Travis Frederick, David Bakhtiari, other capable starters—but imagine if quarterbacks who were selected 1-2-4-7 in the draft were struggling or fighting for their jobs three years later. It would be a major national storyline.

The proliferation of spread offenses in the NCAA—that favorite bugbear for NFL traditionalists—may be having a greater impact on young linemen than young quarterbacks. The former linemen I contacted spoke of top college prospects who never even had to identify the “Mike” (middle linebacker) pre-snap and were only expected to get a good initial set-and-strike on pass-rushers instead of sustaining blocks and coping with counter-moves.

“The techniques and nuances of the craft, particularly pass protection, have suffered in college,” Tucker said. “It’s all about tempo now.”

Bad Injuries

It’s impossible to watch a Steelers game and forget that Ben Roethlisberger is unavailable, but it’s easy to forget the impact of Maurkice Pouncey’s injury. The “Peyton Manning is old” story overlooks the fact that left tackle Ryan Clady got injured during OTAs. Branden Albert’s injury in Miami hastened Joe Philbin’s firing. The Saints played without starters Jahri Evans and Terron Armstead on Sunday; Drew Brees was sacked five times as a result. Teams like the Chargers and Texans have resorted to some desperate juggling on the offensive line.

When quarterbacks or star receivers get hurt, we lower expectations. When offensive linemen get hurt, we forget that they are playing short-handed or wonder why the replacements haven’t stepped up. It’s the nature of life in the trenches.

The replacements for injured stars lack timing and chemistry with their linemates. They may lack fundamental skills. They may also just not be very good at all.

Bad Athletes

Ben Muth, former All-Pac-10 lineman and offensive line analyst for Football Outsiders, has watched (and participated in) enough preseason football to know that things always get ugly when the second- or third-string lines enter the game. In the last few years, however, he noticed the situation got so bad that “offenses almost stop functioning” once the starters leave.

Injuries, coaching preferences and the failure by executives to prioritize the offensive line have forced many of those second- and third-stringers into action already. Cody Wallace, the 30-year-old back-of-the-roster journeyman subbing for Pouncey in Pittsburgh, can often be seen getting blown backward by quality defensive tackles.

Matt Paradis, the 2014 sixth-round pick charged with protecting Peyton Manning (we’re a long way from Jeff Saturday, folks), has surrendered seven hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. The NFL is full of interior linemen who just “look slow and unathletic,” in Muth’s estimation.

A lack of top athletes may explain why teams were so eager to draft Fisher and Joeckel two years ago. Fisher was a small-school standout who tore up the predraft process, Joeckel a physical prototype who didn’t do much conventional pass-blocking while protecting Johnny Manziel. When good athletes are rare, teams draft rare athletes, despite concerns about the system or level of competition.

So where have all the fast, athletic linemen gone? Muth theorizes that athletic two-way high school football linemen are more likely to focus on defense when they enter college. College defenses now rotate waves of eight or nine linemen, making the path to playing time for a freshman quicker on that side of the ball. The second-tier athletes end up on the interior offensive line.

The Seahawks are trying to use converted tight ends as tackles (Garry Gilliam) and converted college defenders as centers (Drew Nowak), clear signs that they aren’t finding the athletes they want in the draft.

Andy Reid has long preferred smart interior linemen to overpowering ones, so the Chiefs line is full of players like rookie center Mitch Morse (playing well early in the season) and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (recently benched).

A Gary Kubiak searching for quick, technical blockers for his system may not be able to find enough of them. Teams that suffer an injury or two have no choice but to draw from an increasingly shallow pool of offensive line talent.

Of course, the offensive line is not the only position facing a talent shortage.

Bad Quarterbacks

Nothing makes an offensive line look bad like a bad quarterback. So far this season, NFL teams have started two rookies, four second-year players and at least five aging journeyman backups at quarterback, not to mention young veterans adjusting to new systems (Sam Bradford, Nick Foles), old backups who are now starters (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown), inexperienced young starters (Ryan Mallett, Tyrod Taylor, Kirk Cousins) and the occasional top prospect who has completely lost his way (Colin Kaepernick).

Bad quarterbacks hold the ball too long, scramble themselves into trouble or allow safeties to creep up and crash running plays because they don’t fear deep passes.

Inexperienced and over-their-heads quarterbacks also do little things that hurt their offensive lines—or at least fail to do little things that would help their offensive lines. “Offenses may need to utilize the snap count [more effectively],” one veteran offensive lineman told me. “[Aaron] Rodgers does a great job of using the snap count to his advantage.”

A hard count can get defensive linemen to reveal their assignments. Watch Rodgers, Tom Brady or one of the other top-tier veterans at the line of scrimmage, and they often lure defenders into flinching toward a gap or dropping a foot toward coverage; much offensive pointing and adjustment ensue.

Young quarterbacks aren’t ready for such maneuvers. Journeymen who bounce from system to system don’t often have a good hard count in their quiver. And some systems don’t offer much leeway for the hard count. The Eagles, for example, prioritize snapping the ball quickly, not letting the quarterback identify potential blitzers.

Bad Tight Ends

One former coach recently lamented the sorry state of tight end blocking in the NFL. “The fast ones don’t want to block and the big ones are too slow to block s–t,” he told me.

Old coaches have been complaining about tight ends’ blocking since they were complaining about Kellen Winslow’s blocking. But this has been an awful year for tight ends’ setting the edge or providing extra pass protection. Pro Football Focus only gives 10 tight ends “green light” positive rankings as run-blockers through five weeks; 39 tight ends have “red light” rankings. Only Marcedes Lewis of the Jaguars, Garrett Celek of the 49ers and Heath Miller of the Steelers get positive grades as pass protectors.

It’s no surprise that many of the tight ends with low blocking ratings are excellent receivers: Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen, Travis Kelce and Jason Witten (usually a fine blocker, but battling injuries this year) are too important to their teams in the passing game to quibble much about their blocking (unless it makes a juicy Monday Night Football talking point, as was the case with Graham).

Second-tier and backup tight ends, however, used to stay in the league because of their blocking. Many teams now keep two catch-first, block-maybe tight ends in their rotations. True blocking tight ends have become rare, and rarely see the field when they do make rosters.

It’s all fun and games until someone is expected to block Von Miller.

Good Defenses

Understaffed, undertalented offensive lines are increasingly facing more complex, dynamic defenses. “Defensive coaches are doing a better job of understanding how the offense is protecting the quarterbacks,” one former offensive lineman told me.

Defensive coaches have always had an advantage in the line-of-scrimmage chess game: They can vary fronts, slide defenders around before the snap and rotate fresh legs and situation specialists into the game while the same five offensive linemen line up the same way on snap after snap.

Recent seasons have seen even more sub-packages and defensive creativity. When the Giants attacked the Patriots with four defensive ends in Super Bowl XLII, it was a novel tactic. Now, “everybody employs their own version of the ‘NASCAR package,’ ” Tucker said. “They’ve all got four legit rushers on the field.”

These souped-up defenses are facing understaffed offensive lines that lack continuity, fundamentals and talent. It’s a wonder that sack totals have edged downward instead of flying through the roof. For all the issues plaguing offensive lines, the problem really isn’t quite as bad as it appears.

Bad Timing

The whole NFL appears to have an offensive line crisis right now because several high-profile teams are facing an offensive line crisis. It’s unusual for a two-time conference champion like the Seahawks to field so terrible an offensive line. The Eagles spent lots of money and energy signing big-name players who spend as much time moving the ball backward as forward this season.

Offensive line woes have caused the Colts’ supposedly explosive offense to fizzle and may be opening up fissures in the franchise’s power structure. Alex Smith is on a painful sack pace that can only get worse with Jamaal Charlesout of the lineup. The Broncos cannot run the ball, and every hit he absorbs could be Peyton Manning’s last. Saints line injuries led to a Brees injury that has contributed to a miserable start to a promising season.

[​IMG]
Ed Zurga/Associated Press

These are traditional playoff teams, most of which play in prime time and generate lots of national attention. Meanwhile, offensive line play has been good-to-excellent for teams like the Falcons, Cardinals and Redskins: small-market teams, perennial doormats or both. If the Eagles and Redskins, Saints and Falcons or Seahawks and Cardinals swapped offensive line quality this season, we might not be talking about the state of blocking in the NFL. It would just be business as usual.

Several experts reminded me that defenses are often ahead of offenses developmentally early in the year, especially now that practice and preseason reps are limited, preventing offensive lines from perfecting their timing. In a few weeks, lines that look “out of sync” now may coalesce.

“It’s like having a conversation with your wife on the phone,” Tucker joked. “You never step on each other, because you know when the other person is done talking. … During the course of a season, provided they stay healthy, offensive lines should always get better, because of that familiarity.”

After talking with experts on a variety of NFL topics this week, I came away with a sense that offensive lines look terrible right now because everything looks terrible. Backup quarterbacks look terrible. Kickers look terrible. Injuries have taken some of the biggest stars off the field. Officiating isn’t exactly stellar. Unless you are watching the Patriots, Packers, Bengals, Falcons or Cardinals, it’s easy to point to something that looks lackluster and disappointing during an NFL game, often several somethings.

The stats say that offensive line play is not as bad as it seems. The experts see gradual forces at work, not an emergency. Maybe offensive line play will improve as newcomers develop and lines jell; maybe that’s precisely what happened to the Eagles last week. Saints, Seahawks, Colts and Chiefs fans are hoping that happens before it is too late.

Rams’ Tre Mason focused on staying ready despite reduced workload

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22526/tre-mason-focused-on-staying-ready-despite-reduced-workload

EARTH CITY, Mo. — After St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley burst on the scene in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that backup running back Tre Mason didn’t get more work on a day when Gurley had 19 carries.

Fisher attributed Mason’s lack of snaps to an overall lack of snaps for his offense, which ranks last in the NFL in first downs and thus has struggled to sustain drives.

“I’d like to get Tre more playing time, but that’s an offensive issue,” Fisher said then. “That’s a production issue — a team issue. When you’re not converting third downs or you’re having difficulty on first down and our opponents are getting a lot more snaps than we are, it’s hard to get the reps. We need more offensive reps. Fortunately, we got it in the second half and it showed what we can do. I’d like to get Tre more snaps and we’ll continue with Todd. It’s the way we’ve been doing it.”

Last Sunday against Green Bay, the Rams did both of those things, but the Gurley part of the equation was far more substantial than the Mason portion. Mason played just two snaps against Arizona. He played five against the Packers, not exactly a major increase in workload. Gurley, meanwhile went from 19 carries on 35 snaps to 30 carries on 44 snaps.

On Monday, Fisher again said the Rams would like to get Mason more work moving forward.

“We wanted to get Tre in more; it just didn’t happen,” Fisher said. “He will play more. I think 30 carries a game down the stretch is probably a little much for [Gurley]. He’ll probably be one of those guys that get some rest this week.”

Indeed, nobody will get any carries this week with the Rams on their bye week. Gurley is getting a breather after so much work the past two weeks, but it’s hard to see Fisher pumping the brakes too much on Gurley, who is already the Rams’ best offensive weapon.

All told, Mason has played just 51 snaps in four games after missing the opener because of a hamstring injury. Gurley has claimed the starting job, playing 93 snaps in three weeks and Benny Cunningham (the only back to play in all five games) is the team’s trusted third-down option. He leads the team’s running backs with 112 offensive plays.

For the second year in a row, the Rams’ leading rusher from the previous season is watching his playing time dwindle dramatically. No one could blame Mason if he was frustrated by the situation, but if he is, he’s not expressing it publicly.

“You have got to stay positive,” Mason said. “It’s not my decision. I’m just thankful for every day I wake up. You have got to be thankful for every day you wake up. Of course you want to be on the field and you want to win. The main goal is to win.”

A third-round pick in 2014, Mason didn’t earn his way into the lineup until week 6 of his rookie season. But when he finally got his chance, he claimed the starting job from incumbent Zac Stacy and finished with 765 rushing yards and averaged 4.27 yards per carry.

As this year’s draft approached, the Rams decided that Gurley could be the type of game-changing running back who could become the focal point of the ground-oriented attack that Fisher has committed to. The Rams used the No. 10 overall pick on Gurley and traded Stacy to the New York Jets. Gurley’s ascension to the top of the running back depth chart was just a matter of getting his surgically-repaired ACL back up to speed.

Now that it’s happened, Mason is doing his best to stay ready for when his number is called.

“I’m doing everything I can, I feel like,” Mason said. “Just be ready, prepare myself as a starter and continue to be ready. When you truly are thankful for waking up in the morning, then you’ll have a nice mindset to be ready.”

Understandably, the Rams want to continue to get the ball in Gurley’s hands as much as possible. His 5.71 yards per carry easily exceeds Mason’s 2.45. But Mason still figures to have some value and has the type of outside speed that could not only be a good complement to Gurley, but also ease some of the burden on the burgeoning rookie.

“Those aren’t my decisions,” Mason said. “I’m a player. I just want to win. That’s my mindset.”

Bye week gives Rams chance to shore up offensive line

R.B. FALLSTROM (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated Press

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bye-week-gives-rams-chance-shore-offensive-line-230029059–nfl.html

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams lost plenty of experience on the offensive line when guard Rodger Saffold injured his shoulder in the first half of Sunday’s loss in Green Bay.

They’re using the bye week to help figure out what to do.

Left tackle Greg Robinson, in his second year and now a veteran in this group, said part of Tuesday’s workout was devoted to dealing with stunts and twists that teams have been throwing at the Rams (2-3). Coaches are stressing that proper technique can foil such tactics.

”We worked on it a lot today, just because it was so obvious that teams have noticed we’ve struggled with it and if we don’t fix it it’s going to continue to happen,” Robinson said. ”Once you stop them, they’ll stop gaming us.”

Linemen worked on making sure they popped back off the line at the snap to give themselves room to deal with the rushes that are coming from everywhere.

”If we keep everything in front of us they’ll basically be twisting on air,” Robinson said. ”If we give them our bodies and we don’t get back it’s easier for them to knock us off-balance.”

The line is a collection of diligent workers absorbing the finer points of the game from line coach Paul Boudreau.

”If we don’t exaggerate the techniques in practice, we won’t really fix the games,” Robinson said. ”Nine times out of 10 they will give it away, guys will talk or there will be things you notice.”

Saffold, a six-year veteran, will be out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury. He also had problems with the shoulder during the preseason. He also has had issues with his left shoulder, and underwent surgery after last season.

On Tuesday, coach Jeff Fisher had no update on the prognosis for Saffold, who had been undergoing testing.

”He was one of the vets in the room and we need that leadership on the field,” Robinson said. ”I just hope that things go well and he can stick it out.”

The Rams signed swingman Garrett Reynolds to a free agent deal in the offseason for just such a situation. He has 27 starts, including four last season at tackle with Detroit and 10 at guard in 2013 with Atlanta.

”Nothing was ever said to me, but that’s just the kind of person I’ve always been,” Reynolds said. ”Wherever you need me, throw me in there and I’ll be ready to roll.”

The Rams made it tougher on the opposition when they separated rookies Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown, who played side by side much of the preseason. Havenstein stayed at right tackle and Brown moved to left guard.

”Breaking us up made it harder to pinpoint, but we’ve still had our share of twists and stunts,” said Brown, a third-round pick. ”I think teams are going to keep doing it because it’s the hardest thing to pick up.”

Even after losing Saffold, the line showed its strength in the run game by opening holes for rookie Todd Gurley. Gurley had 146 yards at Arizona in his first start and topped that with 159 yards last week. He ranks second among rookies with 314 yards to go with a 5.7-yard average.

”Gurley has had two big games,” Robinson said. ”He’s a great player, he’s been running hard – and we’ve been blocking hard.”

InvaderRam wrote:

if he has made no progress by the end of the season, i will officially be worried.

He has already made progress.

Right?

To me the only question is, how much progress.

.

from Stats and Records: Rams Commit to Ground Attack in Loss to Packers

Stats Doctor in National Football League October 13, 2015

http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/13/stats-and-records-rams-commit-to-ground-attack-in-loss-to-packers/

…

The Rams committed to the run, and it shows in a variety of statistical categories.

St. Louis ran 28 plays on first down and 23 of them were running plays. Paired with the numbers from last week in Arizona, the team has now stayed on the ground for 39 of their last 50 first down plays (78%).

There are 15 teams in the NFL that have rushed more than passed on first down so far this season, but none of those teams match the 64 percent rushing rate of the Rams on first down.

Those first down runs have averaged 5.62 yards per play while first down pass plays have averaged 9.56 yards per play. Five games into a season, you don’t often see a team that has an overall average of just over seven yards per first down play. For the game, two-thirds of the Rams offense occurred on first down (223 of the 334 total yards).

After the abysmal first half rushing numbers of nine yards in nine carries in Arizona, the Rams have run for 346 yards on 53 carries for a 6.5 yard average. If you just look at the second half of the last two games, the stats are even more impressive as the Rams have turned 33 runs into 220 yards for an 8.2 yard average. In the fourth quarter alone in Green Bay, the Rams had 166 yards total offense that was only two yards shy of the total of the first three quarters combined. In Arizona, the Rams had identical rushing and passing yardage with 164 yards of each. In the second half against the Packers, St. Louis had identical totals of 112 yards rushing and passing.

Todd Gurley’s 159 yards on the ground gave him a two-game total of 305 yards. He becomes the first Rams player with over 300 rushing yards in back-to-back games since 2002 when Marshall Faulk had three games in a row with 158, 183, and 178 yards against the Raiders, Seahawks, and Cardinals.

Only one of the first five drives for the Rams crossed midfield, but seven of the last eight drives went into Packers territory. St. Louis ran 31 plays past midfield for the highest total of the season while also allowing the fewest plays past the 50 with 21. The Rams managed only ten points in those last eight drives and the six drives of the second half were a study in futility.

It’s not every day that you see a team go scoreless in one half even though that team was forced to punt just one time. That’s what happened when the Rams had three missed field goals and two red zone interceptions on those other five possessions.
…

The Rams had all three touchdowns against Arizona on third down plays. Unfortunately, the converse was true against the Packers as all four interceptions came on third down. For the day, Nick Foles completed only five of his 16 third down passes to Rams players for 51 yards while Aaron Rodgers went 5-8 for 73 yards along with two sacks. The Rams defense allowed only one third down conversion in the last seven attempts by Green Bay.

When it came to finishing drives, this is where the Rams offense was lacking.

In the fourth quarter alone, Gurley had his longest run of the season when he set sail on a 55-yard scamper on the first Rams play of the quarter.

That was also the longest run allowed by the Packers this season by a whopping 32 yards.

The first play of the team’s final drive went for a season long 69 yards from Foles to Stedman Bailey. But, the finish of those red zone drives basically finished off the Rams’ hopes for a come from behind win.

Last season, the Rams had three red zone turnovers in 64 quarters of football. Last week, the Rams had two red zone interceptions in less than nine minutes of one quarter.

The offense ran ten plays in the red zone for just 14 yards out of a possible 46 yards netting one touchdown along with the two picks. The Rams defense allowed no plays from scrimmage in the red zone because Mason Crosby concluded the day’s scoring with a field goal on fourth down from the Rams 17-yard line. However, the Packers dialed long distance for their scoring plays with touchdowns covering 31, 45, and 65 yards. As it turned out, both teams recorded the season’s longest pass plays for and against their teams.

The Packers remain undefeated and have managed to win the turnover battle by exactly +1 in each of those five wins. The four Rams turnovers led to Foles having a passer rating of 23.8, the lowest since Marc Bulger recorded a 22.2 passer rating against Miami in 2008. When the starting quarterback has a passer rating lower than the number of points scored by the opposition, the chances of winning are extremely slim.

The four interceptions were the most since Keith Null threw five picks against the Titans in 2009. This was the 29th time in franchise history that a Rams opponent intercepted at least four passes and the Rams are now 2-27 in those games.

The bye week comes a bit on the early side in Week 6, but maybe the timing is just right to heal and make corrections before back-to-back home games with the Browns and the Niners.

from off the net

==

RustyRay

G Rob is playing better and better every week. The Rams run behind him and he is mashing people. He is playing better and he is grinding people up in the ground game. He may not win every single play but the defenders get paid too…you know what I mean?

He is a dominant top run blocking LT right now. His pass pro is improving. He hasn’t even played a full 16 games yet at the position. It is a very common theme for most rookie LT’s to struggle at times….but Robinson is fast becoming a dominant run blocker, he is not struggling there at all.

Pass Pro is still a work in progress…but watch each and every pass play…and I bet you see some dominant plays, some good plays, some stalemates and a few plays where he just blows it…Its too bad that when he wiffs or makes a mistake on 1 or 2 plays it dwarfs the multiple good to dominant wins he had…such is the life of an NFL LT picked at #2 though.

Robinson was the right pick I firmly believe it. It might be next year still before he really gets his due….but ask anyone who pays attention or has the all 22….Robinson is playing at a high level in the run game…top level in fact….he is steadily getting better with his pass sets as well…The guy has all the tools he just needed to be coached up get experience and play LT for more then 8 games. Lets all remember he isnt even to 1 full season at the spot yet. He will be an All Pro imo.

Rams notebook: Rams begin bye-week workouts

Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notebook-rams-begin-bye-week-workouts/article_d9337475-9432-586c-a358-6aaa88bd18c6.html

The Rams kicked off their bye-week practices Tuesday, going through a quick workout without a number of veterans who were given the day off to rest.

Among those not practicing were defensive linemen Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers, linebacker James Laurinaitis, tight end Lance Kendricks and running back Todd Gurley. Also missing were the two players who suffered injuries Sunday — defensive end Chris Long (knee) and guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder).

Rams coach Jeff Fisher had no update on Saffold’s status, saying that they were still running tests. The team will not have another official injury report until Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), who’s missed the last two games with a groin injury, worked out with team trainers Tuesday.

The offensive line did some extra work after Tuesday’s workout.

Fisher said the team has a method to its bye-week work.

“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps …’’ the coach said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some reps here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with the offense and defense, just to make sure they they’re ready at a moment’s notice. So the coaches got together yesterday, we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today.

“It was a modified practice, but we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.’’

The Rams, who won’t play again until hosting the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25 at the Edward Jones Dome, are making use of the off week to evaluate what went right and wrong during the team’s 2-3 start.

“We’re self-scouting this week,’’ Fisher said. “The coaches are ahead (in their game-planning for Cleveland), but we’re just working on some things.’’

GURLEY EXPECTS MORE OF HIMSELF

After sitting out the first two games and running for 9 yards on six carries in Week 3, Gurley has clearly arrived as a key in the Rams’ attack.

After coming on strong in the second half of a 24-22 win over the host Arizona Cardinals in his first NFL start, Gurley ran 30 times for 156 yards Sunday as the Rams fell 24-10 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

“I feel fine,’’ the former University of Georgia star said Tuesday. “I was a little banged up, but nothing the cold tub and treatment can’t take care of. The knee feels fine.’’

Was he prepared for 30 carries?

“I don’t know about all that, but we’ll see,’’ said Gurley, who’s still not completely satisfied with his performance. “The explosive plays, I think they’re a good sign, but it’s definitely frustrating not being able to finish runs, to take them all the way. I feel like there were a couple of runs where I could’ve broken the tackle or maybe kept my feet. And, in the first quarter, I was still trying to get a feel for the game and missed on a couple of reads. But those are things that I know I’ll get better at.’’

One strength evident Sunday was Gurley’s ability to stiff-arm.

“It’s something that comes natural for me, something we’ve work on with (running backs coach Ben Sirmans),’’ he said. “The key with the stiff-arm is you can’t show it too early because then the defender knows what you’re doing. Gotta strike him and keep it moving.’’

Gurley said he talked to former Georgia teammate Nick Chubb on Monday. Chubb, the Bulldogs’ next great back, suffered a season-injury Saturday in a 38-31 loss at Tennessee. Last November, Gurley’s college career ended similarly.

“I just told him to enjoy it,’’ Gurley said. “Even though he’s injured and nobody wants to be hurt, this is a time for him to focus on himself , to stay positive, to work hard and to make sure he’s doing things right because once he gets back to football, it’s definitely going to be a grind.

“But it’s nothing he can’t handle.’’

GURLEY NOMINATED AGAIN

The reigning Pepsi NFL rookie of the week, Gurley has been nominated again after the big game against the Packers.

His competition: Green Bay cornerback Quinten Rollins, Seattle running back Thomas Rawls, Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston and Arizona running back David Johnson.

Fans can vote through Friday at 2 p.m. at http://www.nfl.com/rookies.

At the end of the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors, with fan voting through January. The winner will be announced at the 5th annual NFL Honors awards show in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50.

RAM-BLINGS

• Running back Trey Watts, a second-year pro from the University of Tulsa, cleared waivers Tuesday. At his Monday news conference, Fisher said the Rams would try to re-sign him to the practice squad.Signed as an undrafted free agent, the versatile Watts enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with the Rams, mostly on special teams.

• Linebacker Alec Ogletree, the team’s leading tackler, was spotted in the locker room Tuesday. He’s in a cast and using a cart after having surgery for a broken leg suffered against Arizona.

• The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Jayson DiManche (Southern Illinois) and guard Michael Liedtke (Illinois State) to their practice squad Tuesday.

Rating the Packers vs. Rams

Bob McGinn | On the Packers

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/rating-the-packers-vs-rams-b99594632z1-332282942.html

Green Bay — The St. Louis Rams demonstrated Sunday at Lambeau Field that their reputation for fielding one of the NFL’s leading defenses was legitimate.

Equally as impressive, however, was the defense of the Green Bay Packers, which registered three sacks, eight knockdowns and four hurries in a 24-10 victory over the Rams.

“We had too many hits but I’m going to credit their front,” St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. “Clay (Matthews) is really disruptive regardless of where he comes from. They pressure the back, they pressure the A gap with him, they rush him on the edge.

“Then you’ve got (Julius) Peppers and the rest of that group that can collapse the pocket pretty quickly, especially when it’s hard to hear.”

Here is a rating of the Packers against the Rams, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses:
RECEIVERS (2)

Part of the reason the Packers aren’t able to stretch defenses is their tight end. Richard Rodgers (58 of 62 snaps, including 16 in a three-point stance) led the team in receptions (six) and targets (eight) largely because the Rams paid him little heed. If the Packers want him with the ball in the flats or on check-downs, the Rams weren’t concerned. Rodgers never breaks a tackle. He’s 270 pounds, but little bitty defensive backs just chop him down with no problem. When he ran a slant from out wide on third and 3, SS T.J. McDonald stopped him from reaching the marker. On a 10-yard screen pass, Rodgers couldn’t get CB Janoris Jenkins blocked and the gain was wiped out on his illegal-block penalty. Rodgers’ exceptional hands failed him on a dropped 30-yard TD pass. His blocking was uneven, too. Rodgers had to play too much (94%) because rookie Kennard Backman (three) must not be ready. The Packers kept their distance from Jenkins, the Rams’ best cover man. When James Jones (57) or Ty Montgomery (61) was across from Jenkins, Aaron Rodgers ignored them. The Rams loaded the box to stop the run, confident that Jenkins, Johnson and nickel Lamarcus Joyner would prevent separation and that bracket-type coverage would contain Randall Cobb (54). The only way Cobb could get the ball was on short turn-outs. Not one time did the Packers line up Cobb alone to a side. He wasn’t in the backfield, either. The game plan was static, and the results were just as dull. His bum shoulder seems to be affecting Cobb’s normally robust run blocking, too. Montgomery tried a stop-and-go against Jenkins on the second play and was blanketed deep. When Johnson short-circuited on Montgomery’s two-man game with Rodgers, the rookie had a gimme 31-yard TD. Disrespecting Jones’ ability to blow past him, Johnson gambled and won on the interception. Jones came back against Joyner, beating him on a 17-yard turn-in and outracing everyone for the 65-yard TD. Jones juggled that ball, but he still hasn’t dropped one in five games. Jared Abbrederis debuted on the closing kneel-down; Jeff Janis played special teams only. At this point, the Packers seem to have no interest in a four-WR formation.
OFFENSIVE LINE (4½)

Josh Sitton solidified his standing as a premier guard by shutting down Aaron Donald, probably the hottest 3-technique in the league. Everyone has the size advantage over Donald. Most guards, however, can’t cope with his sudden take-off, quick hands, underrated strength and all-out style. Sitton is different because he’s smart, patient and agile, besides being massive. At least half of Donald’s 50 snaps were against Sitton. Donald’s lone pressure came against T.J. Lang before he departed with a knee injury on his 24th snap. Donald’s only involvement in a “bad” run came against Josh Walker (32), the replacement for Lang. Don Barclay played right guard in the two-minute drive of six plays at the end of the half, wasn’t sharp after having played mostly tackle for the past two months and gave way to Walker. Once Walker settled down, he belonged. He’s even bigger than Lang, and his aggressive traits serve him well. Corey Linsley slid over to help the guard that was pass blocking Donald. Still, for Walker to escape unscathed in pass pro against Donald was unreal. Linsley took the blame for Robert Quinn’s strip-sack because he snapped the ball prematurely assuming the Rams had jumped when they hadn’t. Nose tackle Michael Brockers’ bull-rush sack was at least partly on Linsley, too. On routes that required at least 2.5 seconds, the Packers often used either Richard Rodgers or Eddie Lacy to smash Quinn in conjunction with David Bakhtiari. It was smart football. Hard to knock Bakhtiari for the strip-sack because the early snap made him late off the ball. Other than that, the talented Quinn beat him for just one-half pressure. Bryan Bulaga returned from a three-game absence (knee) and was top-notch. He caught a break when defensive end Chris Long suffered a hyperextended knee on his 15th snap. Backup William Hayes is starter-caliber, but Bulaga didn’t yield a pressure to either one. The Rams did a lot of two-gapping up front, and the entire unit wasn’t sustaining drive blocks. On five power runs with pulling linemen, the net was just 10 yards.
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QUARTERBACKS (1½)

It was almost like Rodgers didn’t trust his offensive line, especially after Lang departed. Some of that is understandable because the Rams raised Cain with previous opponents. Even though the protection was remarkably good, he remained impatient in the pocket. Half the time Rodgers ran, the pocket was firm. Maybe he felt the called route combinations wouldn’t succeed, and his only way to get a receiver open intermediate to deep was on a broken play. This was just his second game (Tampa Bay, 2009) when he turned it over three times. The batted interception was bad luck, but the check-down that nose tackle Nick Fairley dropped was good luck. The pick on the hitch was a mistake and the lost fumble, his first since the Dallas playoff game, was the result of not stepping up and holding the ball low. His delay-of-game penalty off a stoppage was awful. The handoff to James Starks worked for 7 yards and avoided a sack, but that’s a risky play. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blitzed 41.5% on passes, including 10.9% with six or more. He won many of the plays but Rodgers won the game.
RUNNING BACKS (1½)

Part of the bad day running stemmed from Williams’ decision to crowd the box. Still, his nickel package usually had just five “bigs,” with safety Mark Barron playing the other linebacker. The three backs should average more than 2.5 in their 19 carries no matter what the Rams were doing. In 14 touches, Lacy (36) never broke a tackle all day. On fourth and 1, he was cut from the side by a safety (McDonald) and came up a foot short. He also tripped on a promising draw that gained only 3. The difference between Todd Gurley and Lacy was startling. Starks (26) broke one tackle in his eight touches. That came early against Barron on a screen that went for 19. Lacy remains more dependable than Starks in protection and as a receiver. Starks had two drops: a sideline pass that would have converted on third and 4, and another screen. Most passes are an adventure with him.
DEFENSIVE LINE (4)

The unit was better rushing the passer than stopping the run. Exhibit A was Datone Jones. In just 22 snaps, almost all coming inside in the dime next to Julius Peppers, he had three knockdowns. He beat right guard Rodger Saffold on two stunts, and on the second Saffold left with what Fisher suggested might be a major shoulder injury. He also beat veteran Garrett Reynolds, the veteran replacement for Saffold. On his few snaps when the Rams ran, Jones did get abused physically. The Packers played a season-high 22 snaps of base, and Mike Daniels (45), Letroy Guion (35), B.J. Raji (26) and Mike Pennel (17) all had impressive moments stuffing blockers and piling up Gurley. They all got steamrolled as well. As the game wore on, left tackle Greg Robinson played like a man among boys, and rookie left guard Jamon Brown moved people, too. With refinement, Robinson might have the dancing-bear feet and aggressive temperament to become the next dominant tackle. Daniels, who posted 2½ hurries, appeared to peek inside and void his gap on Gurley’s 55-yard burst. Raji (groin) departed early in the third quarter after being cut by Reynolds. Muscled up to the max, Guion now epitomizes a “phone booth” player. Blockers tend to fall off him, but his range has lessened. For the second straight week, he risked a taunting penalty with some over-the-top woofing. Maybe someone should calm him down.
LINEBACKERS (4)

Matthews (45 inside, 17 outside, nine in “Bear”) played every snap again. At this rate, he’ll be a candidate for defensive player of the year honors. Matthews had 1½ sacks, 1½ knockdowns and one hurry. On his full sack, he stayed in the middle in “Bear” when Nate Palmer moved outside to the line and promptly blitzed the A gap right by Reynolds to demolish luckless Nick Foles in 1.9 seconds. Like everyone else, Matthews paid a physical price getting tagged by Robinson and assorted wham blocks. Palmer (52) probably had his poorest game on an afternoon when the Gurley-led opposition cried out for a swashbuckling middle backer. He was late reacting at times, a step slow and neither physical nor effective getting to the football. Dime backer Joe Thomas (19) positioned himself right in Foles’ throwing lane on third down from the 7. He didn’t make the catch but, on a tip, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix did. Peppers (48) registered 3½ pressures, and two came at Robinson’s expense. In dime, he stunts almost every time, and it has been effective. Mike Neal (45) managed the club’s only tackle for loss when he crashed in to upend Gurley for minus-3 at a key juncture in the third quarter. Before that, he seemed a little overwhelmed by Gurley’s power and burst. When Nick Perry went out with a shoulder injury on his 12th snap, Andy Mulumba (13) joined Jayrone Elliott (24) on the second line. Mulumba showed smarts by widening on motion, putting him in position to corral speedy Tavon Austin for no gain on a third-and-2 jet sweep. Elliott flattened inside twice to drag down Gurley but also was blown up or fooled on a few other plays.
SECONDARY (5)

Quinten Rollins made the most of his 16 snaps, picking two passes in zone drops and taking one back for a 45-yard TD. Stedman Bailey, who isn’t a burner at 4.53, sprinted away from Rollins on a slot corner route for 68. Clinton-Dix (71) made a marvelous hustle play chasing down Bailey to save a TD and, possibly, the game. Other than two or three plays, he was outstanding. Micah Hyde (71) again filled in for Morgan Burnett (calf). He was around the ball and tackled well except for his miss on Gurley’s breakaway run that resulted in 39 extra yards. He was right there to nab Foles’ pass when Gurley fell down on a check-down. There’s nothing wrong with Chris Banjo (31) as the No. 3 safety. He really knows the defense, showed off his speed cutting off a promising swing pass to Tre Mason and even nailed a pressure off the edge. Not many people can go stride-for-stride with Austin on a “9” route but Sam Shields (71) did, and with relative ease. He’s playing almost all bump coverage and making exceptional deflections downfield. On the other side, Casey Hayward (59) and nickel back Damarious Randall (33) helped stifle the Rams.
KICKERS (3½)

Mason Crosby had a 47-yard FG waved off by penalty. His 35-yarder did count, and his five kickoffs averaged 74.2 yards and 3.40 seconds of hang time. Four were touchbacks. Other than having poor touch on an Aussie punt, Tim Masthay hit the ball better. His four-punt averages were 47.8 (gross), 36.8 (net) and 4.34 (hang time).
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Peppers has been a kick-blocking threat for years. Datone Jones looks like another. Taking advantage of poor technique by Robinson, he rejected Greg Zuerlein’s 50-yard try. His effort is high on a consistent basis. When Demetri Goodson slipped not once but twice in coverage, punter Johnny Hekker was able to complete a 20-yard over him for a first down. Richard Rodgers’ illegal-hands penalty cost three points. St. Louis started what turned out to be an 80-yard TD drive after Janis botched downing a punt at the 1.
OVERALL (3½)