PA Ram wrote:

The offense clearly has a long way to go but I’ll just enjoy this one.

Yeah I share that way of lookin at it. My view is, a win is a win, and always enjoy a win.

On Sundays, I don’t care about the draft, the record, the coaching debates, the player controversies. I just enjoy wins when they win.

The cloudy hardcore realistic issues can wait till Monday.

Rams snap five-game losing streak

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-snap-five-game-losing-streak/article_0e055790-405b-5980-96f4-dc69311d9ebc.html

What looked like a victory-clinching 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Tavon Austin got called back late in the third quarter Sunday because of a holding penalty on Cody Davis.

So instead of going up 21-7, the Rams were backed up at their 9, clinging to a 14-7 lead over the Detroit Lions.

Those are the kinds of mistakes the Rams seem to make all too often. And those are the kinds of mistakes that doom 4-8 teams. But not this time.

“Obviously, everybody was upset,” quarterback Case Keenum said. “I thought, ‘Heck, screw it. Let’s go 90 yards or whatever it is.'”

Keenum and the Rams did just that with a seven-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. Keenum got things going with his longest completion of the game, a 25-yard floater to Kenny Britt. Todd Gurley followed with a 24-yard run off right tackle. Next thing you know Gurley was in the end zone on a 15-yard run, giving the Rams that two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter. It was the longest drive of the season for the Rams.

From there, they were able to hold off the Lions the rest of the way, snapping their five-game losing streak with a 21-14 victory at the Edward Jones Dome.

“We’ve had some tough ones,” Keenum said. “We were on this streak of not being successful. That’s what makes winning just feel so good. I mean, it may not look pretty at time but coming into that locker room — any winning locker room is pretty awesome.”

There were 51,202 tickets distributed for what could have been the Rams’ last Sunday home game in St. Louis. With owner Stan Kroenke planning to move the team to Los Angeles in 2016, the home finale is Thursday against Tampa Bay.

As Keenum mentioned, Sunday’s triumph was no thing of beauty. But the Rams took a 7-0 halftime lead on a 58-yard interception return by cornerback Trumaine Johnson. In the second half, the Rams finally got their offense going — the running game in particular — posting a couple of touchdowns on Gurley runs.

Gurley finished with 140 yards on 16 carries, his first 100-yard rushing game since the Rams’ last victory — way back on Nov. 1 against San Francisco.

“It felt good,” Gurley said. “We had lost (five) in a row so that’s never a good feeling. … We want to finish on a strong note. We might not be going to the playoffs, but it’s always good to bring that momentum going into the offseason.”

All told, the Rams (5-8) rushed for a season-high 203 yards. Gurley now has 975 yards rushing for the season with three games left to play.

Besides his “pick six,” Johnson did stellar work against Detroit star wide receiver Calvin Johnson, limiting the player known as “Megatron” to one catch for 16 yards. And as T. Johnson was quick to point out, C. Johnson’s only catch came against zone coverage.

(With C. Johnson lined up in the slot anyway, and not outside opposite T. Johnson.)

The Rams also had a revived pass rush, getting three sacks from defensive tackle Aaron Donald. With 11 on the season, Donald is the first Rams defensive tackle since D’Marco Farr (in 1995) with 10 or more sacks in one season.

“That’s kinda what we want to do,” Fisher said. “We want to run the football and play good defense.”

With Rob Boras calling plays in his first game as offensive coordinator, and Keenum making his second start at quarterback, the Rams couldn’t dent the scoreboard in the first half.

Keenum’s mobility helped on a couple of plays. Boras made sure that Tavon Austin was involved. Austin gained 13 yards on a run lining up in the backfield, something the Rams haven’t tried in a while. He also gained 20 yards on a jet sweep — with Gurley making the handoff out of the wildcat formation.

The Rams reached Detroit territory three times in the opening half, but were in field goal range only once. But on third-and-5 from the Detroit 27 early in the second quarter, Keenum was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Ziggy Ansah.

Instead of trying a 55-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, who was back in the lineup after missing two games with a right hip injury, Fisher decided to punt.

But Boras, who replaced the fired Frank Cignetti on Monday, finally got some points on the board in the second half.

“(Boras) worked really hard, as the staff did and the players,” Fisher said. “The players supported the staff this week, knowing it was gonna be difficult.

“I’m sure he’s looking at it right now wishing he could have a bunch of calls back. But as a first time play-caller it’s hard to convince him sometimes when you don’t get a first down on first down — it’s not your fault.

“You’re playing a good defense. It’s hard to just call things and have success all the time. But you set things up. The most important thing from our perspective, which he did, was adjust. I thought the staff did a good job adjusting.”

Both Boras and Trumaine Johnson received game balls after the contest. Johnson, who had missed the past two games with a thigh injury, now has 13 career interceptions — the most for any player in his draft class (2012). His five interceptions this season are the most for a Ram since Oshiomogho Atogwe had five in 2008.

In a tactic rarely used by the Rams, he shadowed Calvin Johnson all over the field. He had known all week that was going to be his assignment.

“It was Johnson vs. Johnson the whole week,” Trumaine Johnson said. “I knew it was going to be a tough matchup, but I feel like I can match up with anybody with my big frame, especially him.”

Even so, Detroit (4-9) made a game of it. Golden Tate caught a two-yard TD pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 2:05 left, to make it a one-score game at 21-14. And then the Lions recovered an onside kick on their 47 with 2:03 to play and all three timeouts remaining.

But the Rams defense held. It was four-and-out for Detroit, and just like that the local gridiron nightmare was over.

“No matter what your record is, we’re going to keep playing and keep battling,” Donald said. “We’ve got to finish strong. That’s what it’s about. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley lead the way as Rams beat Lions

Michael David Smith

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/12/13/aaron-donald-todd-gurley-lead-the-way-as-rams-beat-lions/

Fisher’s last two first-round draft picks, running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, both had outstanding games today as the Rams beat the Lions, 21-14.

Gurley had 16 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best games yet for one of the favorites to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. It was a sensational game for Gurley, who showed once again that he’s a unique talent who was worthy of a Top 10 pick.

And Donald may have been even better. He sacked Matthew Stafford three times and had three other tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The Lions passed on Donald in last year’s draft so they could take Eric Ebron instead. That was a huge mistake.

The Lions’ offense couldn’t get much going. Calvin Johnson didnt catch his first game until just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, narrowly avoiding the first catchless game of his career. But they did make a game of it in the end, scoring a touchdown just before the two-minute warning and then getting the ball back. Unfortunately for Detroit, their last chance ended on a fourth down when a shotgun snap got past Stafford, and his bailout throw to Ebron fell incomplete.

Neither of these teams is going anywhere, but the 5-8 Rams have to feel pretty good about having young talent like Donald and Gurley. And the 4-9 Lions have to wish they had made some of the draft moves the Rams have made.

(On if getting in 1-on-1 situations helps the team)
“It means everything. You’re supposed to win 1-on-1s. That’s why they brought me here. When I get (a 1-on-1 opportunity), I’m supposed to win it. I’m just doing my job.”

I love it.

.

wv wrote:

So 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.

7 things to watch: Rams vs. Lions

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/things-to-watch-rams-vs-lions/article_00634f36-be3e-533a-b61b-ca264012fa04.html

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.

Rams in familiar December territory — playing out the string

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-in-familiar-december-territory-playing-out-the-string/article_23dbb6fe-84bb-539a-85f8-b85aa1443070.html

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.”

wv wrote:

My 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.

.

Yellow is the new orange.

Sims, Westbrooks trying to fill Quinn’s shoes

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/sims-westbrooks-trying-to-fill-quinn-s-shoes/article_86590219-ec15-5a33-96c0-4ddbd6e39b60.html

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.

JJ 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.

Corner update: Johnson back, Jenkins still in concussion protocol

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/corner-update-johnson-back-jenkins-still-in-concussion-protocol/article_1adda464-5374-5cb0-ad96-e872f532cd1a.html

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.