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znModeratorESPN’s NFL Live crew breaks down the Week 2 matchup between the St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins. Both Mark Schlereth and Brian Dawkins pick the Rams.
znModeratorNFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal and Marc Sessler discuss the St. Louis Rams defense going into their matchup with the Washington Redskins.
znModeratorBut why not play tight? If the blitz is coming, there isn’t as much time for a receiver to make separation.
Because if you;re blitzing there’s nothing behind the CB coverage. Either way, no matter which scenario you name, and no matter how it’s done—including what you describe there—if they play off, the completions are short and therefore there must be many of them to get down the field. It’s playing the odds by keeping the score down. You tighten up in the redzone if they get there, while making them take long drives to get there, which increases the chances of a mistake.
You don’t know the first thing about football, do you?
That’s what SAFETIES are for.
Besides. It’s not a “play on the line” or “Play back 15 yards” dichotomy. They could play off, say, 5 yards. No way a WR gets behind a CB on a blitz in that situation.
You know we’re talking about the game with the oblong ball, right?
Okay, board war it is then. Just don’t get personal, the way people of your type usually do. Anyway. If the corners play tight and the safeties are always deep help then either safeties don;t blitz or when they do they leave a wide open hole.
But see to me, the Rams strategy works, so I am not concerned. The times last year when the secondary got chewed up, it was always on busted coverages. The strategy itself doesn’t bother me. Why not? Cause, I am of the “there’s lots of ways to do it and they can all work” school of deep thinking, so I generally just accept it and look for the strengths. And press-man coverage has disadvantages, including the fact that to do it effectively, the CB has to turn his back on the qb.
How about Sunday? Seattle had the ball for 79 plays on 11 drives and scored 17 points on offense, including just one TD. (They had 3 FGs, 1 TD, and 1 2 point conversion.) Last year they were 9th in the league in scoring so they were held below their avg. So I would say that on the slim basis of one game, so far, whatever it is they are doing, it works fine.
znModeratorChallenge for Rams: Get to Kirk Cousins
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/17/challenge-for-rams-get-to-kirk-cousins/
When the Rams defense digs into the turf Sunday at FedEx Field, setting up to go after Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, their pass rushers can’t waste time. The ball will be gone. Cousins won’t stand around and wait for the Rams to hit him.
Cousins isn’t elusive. He doesn’t scramble much. He will stay in the pocket.
Cousins won’t make anyone’s “Best Quarterbacks” lists. After all, we’re talking about a fourth-year QB that has played in only 15 NFL games including 10 as a starter. He has more career interceptions (21) than touchdown passes (19) and a mediocre passer rating of 76.9.
But Cousins does present a challenge for an aggressive defense that thrives on pressuring and disrupting quarterbacks.
Cousins is one of the quickest draws in the NFL.
He sets up. He fires. He releases the throw before the pass rushers have time to blink.
This is part of coach Jay Gruden’s system. He doesn’t want his quarterbacks to loiter, free-lance, or otherwise hold onto the ball. If you want to play QB for Gruden’s Redskins _ sorry, Robert Griffin III _ then you’d better be decisive and deliver the pass without hesitation.
The Rams have an abundance of active, swarming pass rushers known as “Sack City.” The cast includes defensive ends Robert Quinn, Chris Long and William Hayes. (Plus Eugene Sims, who injured a knee in the season-opener vs. Seattle.) And on the interior are defensive tackles Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Nick Fairley. It’s a group that features five first-round draft choices, impressive career sack totals, and enough pass-rush heat to make any quarterback squirm.
Last Sunday “Sack City” got after Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for six sacks and 22 total QB pressures. The mobile Wilson couldn’t escape the rush. The Rams trapped him early and often.
This may sound crazy, but Cousins figures to be a more difficult challenge for the Rams.
It’s not because Cousins is the superior quarterback. Obviously, Wilson is the better player. And unlike Cousins _ a stationary target _ Wilson is capable of breaking down a defense with his quicksilver running ability. But in the simple task of getting rid of the football to avoid sacks, Cousins can frustrate a defense with his rapid-fire delivery.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins needed an average of only 2.41 seconds to put his passes in flight last season.
In Sunday’s 17-10 opening-afternoon loss to Miami, Cousins averaged 2.32 seconds to release his throw.
In 2014, Cousins used only 2.5 seconds or less to get the ball out of his right hand on 60 percent of his passing attempts. Against Miami, 72 percent of his passing attempts went airborne in 2.5 seconds or under.
That fast release time puts Cousins near the top of the charts among NFL quarterbacks over the past two seasons.
This is what happens when Cousins uses 2.5 seconds or fewer to defy the rush with his quick-release trigger.
In 2014 … a 70 percent completion percentage and a 101.9 passer rating.
Against Miami … a 77.3 completion percentage and a 94.3 passer rating.
But when Cousins holds the ball for more than 2.5 seconds, he’s a different quarterback. And not nearly as good. On his 2.6+ throws last season Cousins completed only 49 percent with a passer rating of 61.5. Facing Miami, Cousins connected on 44 percent of the his 2.6+ passes, threw two interceptions and had a sickly passer rating of only 13.
The Rams’ assignment couldn’t be clearer. Their rushers have to find a way to out-quick Cousins, and it won’t be easy.
Like most quarterbacks, Cousins is more effective when he can throw without harassment.
In his one season (and one game) as Gruden’s quarterback, Cousins has completed 62 percent of his passes with an 80.8 passer rating when the defense doesn’t pressure him. But when the defense puts him under pressure, Cousins has completed only 49 percent of this throws, has two TD passes and five interceptions, and a terrible passer rating of 50.8.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Redskins’ vulnerable offensive line and lapses in pass protection. But the Redskins’ big men kept Cousins relatively clean last week against Miami’s well regarded pass rush. The Dolphins managed one sack and only nine total QB pressures.
Rams quarterback Nick Foles had to cope with considerably more discomfort against the Seahawks, who sacked him twice and swooped in for 16 total pressures. The Rams’ offensive line struggled in its pass protection, with Pro Football Focus giving its lowest pass-blocking grades to left tackle Greg Robinson and right tackle Rob Havenstein. (Center Tim Barnes scored well in his run blocking but got a negative pass-pro grade from PFF.)
Compared to Cousins, Foles has a slower release, averaging 2.7 seconds to get the ball away against Seattle. Foles had about the same timing for Philadelphia last season, and was even more deliberate in 2013 with an average release time of 3.3 seconds. But Foles put that extra release time to good use in 2013, being selected to the Pro Bowl after throwing 27 TD passes and only two interceptions.
The Redskins have at least one menacing pass rusher in outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who roams the edges of a 3-4 defensive alignment to hunt for a pass-protection weakness or mismatch. Left defensive end Stephen Paea had a sack and three hurries vs. Miami last week, and outside linebacker Preston Smith gave the Dolphins as much trouble as Kerrigan.
The young Rams O-line will be tested by the Redskins. Count on it.
And the Rams’ defensive line will have to speed up to put a hit on Cousins before he flicks his wrist.
znModeratorBut why not play tight? If the blitz is coming, there isn’t as much time for a receiver to make separation.
Because if you;re blitzing there’s nothing behind the CB coverage. Either way, no matter which scenario you name, and no matter how it’s done—including what you describe there—if they play off, the completions are short and therefore there must be many of them to get down the field. It’s playing the odds by keeping the score down. You tighten up in the redzone if they get there, while making them take long drives to get there, which increases the chances of a mistake.
znModeratorI buy that they trade short yards for no big gains, with the premise that (1) they tighten up in the redzone, and (2) they are forcing teams to make long drives with no mistakes.
When Wms defenses are top 10 in yards they are also top 10 in points allowed. To me that justifies the blizing. That is, when it works, it works.
znModeratorfrom PFT’s Week Two picks
Mike Florio
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/17/pfts-week-two-picks-6/
Rams at Washington
MDS’s take: The Rams’ defensive line is ferocious and will pressure Kirk Cousins into at least a couple of turnovers. Another quarterback controversy may be coming in Washington.
MDS’s pick: Rams 27, Washington 10.
Florio’s take: The Rams hoped to dominate with the picks acquired from Washington in the RG3 trade. They may not be ready to dominate the rest of the league, but they’re ready to dominate Washington, again.
Florio’s pick: Rams 27, Washington 10.
znModeratorFormer NFL official said he was long suspicious of Patriots’ Jim McNally
Clearly I was too confident Thursday morning when I wrote that we could hopefully go a few days without hearing about deflate-gate after the NFL announced that it had reinstated New England Patriots employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally, the pair named heavily in Ted Wells’ report.
Because here we are six hours later and the d-word has reared its ugly head – again.
This time it’s courtesy of WTHR Indianpolis reporter Bob Kravitz (who broke the deflate-gate story in the hours after the AFC championship game), who has former NFL linesman Mark Baltz saying thathe was long suspicious of McNally, the game-day worker who served as a locker room attendant and was in charge of shuttling the Patriots’ footballs to officials and then to the field.
“He always asked for the footballs way, way before he was supposed to get them,’’ said Baltz, who was an NFL official from 1989-2013. Baltz spoke to WTHR.com last week, before the pair was reinstated. “If he could get them 10 or 15 minutes before he was supposed to get them, instead of the usual two minutes before the game – and there were some crews that let him do that – he would do it. I wouldn’t let him take them early, and I think he eventually figured that out because he stopped asking after a while. I probably did 10 to 15 games up there (in Foxboro, Mass.) and those first few times, he’d always ask. I always thought it was very suspicious. He certainly acted in a suspicious manner.’’
Baltz does not make any specific accusations against McNally, though he says he reported McNally to the NFL “six or eight years ago” over McNally’s early requests for the footballs and his behavior before and during games.
“For an officials’ locker room attendant, I always thought he was an unusual dude,’’ Baltz said. “Most locker room guys, they sit there and if you need something, they got it for you. When you left the locker room, you’d lock the door and they’d stay right there. The other 31 teams, that’s what they would do. That was his job.
“But McNally, he was running all around like a chicken with his head cut off. Asking for the balls early. What I specifically reported him for several years ago, and I thought this was really unusual, he’d run out on the field with the footballs before the game and the next thing you know, he’s playing pitch-and-catch with [Tom] Brady. Then, next thing, he’s on the sidelines right next to [Bill] Belichick, like he’s a [bleeping] assistant coach or something.”
There is at least one problem with Baltz’s story: according to reports, McNally became the locker room attendant in 2008, and worked only Patriots home games, and according to pro-football-reference.com, Baltz worked only four games in New England from 2008 until retiring in 2013. The Patriots were 2-2 in those games, including their divisional-round playoff loss to the New York Jetsat the end of the 2010 season.
znModeratorNFL analysts Pete Prisco, Pat Kirwan and Brady Quinn break down the keys for the St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins ahead of Sunday’s Week 2
znModeratorhttp://espn.go.com/nfl/game?gameId=400791675
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Rams have a 54% chance to defeat the Redskins Sunday. FPI currently favors the Rams in 6 of their next 8 games.
znModeratorMichael Brockers lets it go so he doesn’t get lost on Rams’ D-line
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — As part of a defensive line tradition before every game, the St. Louis Rams have a conversation about which of them is going to step forward and set the tone for the day.
Those conversations often spawn a healthy competition among one of the league’s most talented position groups, pushing each member forward in an on-going race to the ball. As the resident nose tackle on a line that boasts ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long and Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers knows that the nature of his job will often mean he’s not going to win the race.
“We talk about who is going to eat today?” Brockers said. “There’s probably no food left at the end of the day when you have Rob and Aaron and Chris. I’m just trying to get the little scraps I can, man.”
Brockers feasted as much or more than his fellow linemates last week against Seattle. According to the coaches review of the film, he had 13 tackles, which is rare for someone playing Brockers’ position. None of those were more important than the fourth-and-1 stop he and Donald combined for on Seattle back Marshawn Lynch to cement the team’s overtime victory.
Before the play, Brockers lobbied defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to go back to a defensive scheme he used earlier in the game but Brockers didn’t play as well as he’d hoped. That Brockers and the Rams knew what Seattle was going to do is actually not the most important part of the play.
“The last play of the game spoke for itself,” Brockers said. “Early in the game I had a bad play on that same play. I wasn’t in my gap or something happened where I messed it up. I told coach, ‘You have got to trust me on the next one and next time you call that call I will be in the backfield and I will do my assignment,’ and it showed up on the last play of the game. I told him to call it and he came back to it and I did my job.”
That Brockers relentlessly pushed for Williams to go back to a play he didn’t handle properly the first time represented an important step forward in Brockers’ development. It’s easy to forget that when the Rams drafted Brockers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he was only 21 years old.
By his own admission, Brockers has struggled with forgetting about the bad plays and moving on to the next snap when something goes wrong. Developing a short memory was a point of emphasis for him during the offseason.
“I think I just let it go,” Brockers said. “Usually I get in my own way. I’m very critical of myself so if I have a bad play, I’m stuck on that bad play for awhile. I just let it go and ran to the ball, tried to get as many tackles as possible.”
Having the competition with his fellow defensive linemen doesn’t hurt. Brockers is one game into his fourth NFL season and though the Rams have already picked up his fifth-year option for 2016, a big season would go a long way in solidifying his future with the franchise. For the record, both parties have expressed interest in keeping Brockers a Ram.
And though the nature of his position and the supernova that is Donald conspire to keep Brockers out of the spotlight, linebacker James Laurinaitis is quick to point out that Brockers is a valuable piece to making the defense work.
“(Donald) is special and I think people forget about (Brockers),” Laurinaitis said. “Mike has had a really good offseason overall. He came into OTAs with a phenomenal attitude, worked extremely hard this offseason, has taken practice seriously and you’ve seen his growth through camp. He’s motivated. I think he’s starting to understand that he can dominate guys when he wants to.”
Make no mistake, Brockers wants to do just that and if he can feast like his fellow line mates, all the better.
“I still have time to grow, that’s what’s crazy,” Brockers said. “It’s funny to say but I’m just now starting to believe in my technique, in my pass rush, not being so hard on myself that I get in my own way. This year is a big year for me. I can feel it. Playing with all these guys makes it easy and I’m just now coming into my own.”
znModeratorI thought I remembered it being $29 or so last year. They tripled the price?
They sure did.
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znModeratorfrom the net
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aeneas1
i guess it could be argued that the overtime drive was the real money drive, but the rams’ final drive of the 4th quarter was what got them to ot, it was a huge drive, especially considering seattle had scored 18 unanswered points that turned a rams’ 24-13 lead into a 24-31 deficit, especially considering foles was absolutely flattened on the previous rams’ drive, which resulted in a sack/fumble/td for the bad guys and seemed to be the certain nail in the coffin… nope, imo the final drive of the 4th was the money drive, would the rams respond or call it a day?
1st & 10: 9 yard cunningham run. saffold crushed bennet (72 de), jamon blew up bennet (50 ilb), barnes drove hill (97 dt) to the ground, have cut clark (55 olb), grob made great initial contact with morgan (57 olb) then held him after benny was thru, got away with it, while cook did his best to avoid contact. great run, solid blocking, nice 9 yard gain on the first play of the drive:
2nd & 1: nice play action call, nice play design, everything seemingly went according to plan, except foles threw wide to an open stedman for a first:
3rd & 1: appeared to be zone blocking, oline pushed dline right, benny cut back left, with only bailey (37 ss) to beat for a big gainer, lynch had picked up a huge gainer on an almost identical play earlier, bailey did a nice job, forced benny back inside while also tripping him up, still a 3 yard gain which was enough for a first:
1st & 10: nice pass pro, altho have got pushed back, not the first time, he’ll get better imo, dart to cook who sat in the zone for an 8 yard pick up:
2nd & 2: one yard loss but great play design… jamon pulled right but missed his block which was key to the success of the play, grob drove wight (55 olb) into the next county, have missed his second level assignment… if the guys can all click on this play it’s a keeper, a big gainer waiting to happen:
3rd & 3: nice pass pro on 7 yard dart to tavon for a first:
1st & 10: excellent pass pro other than have getting beat wide, heads up play by foles who felt the heat, scrambled left, looked back to make sure how much time he had before throwing it away, it appeared foles wanted to make sure there was no chance of getting hit while attempting to throw it away which might result in a fumble… also, foles appeared to want to go to cook in the left flat on the play, who was covered, so throwing it away worked out well:
2nd & 15 after saffold jumped offsides: great call, great play, great pass pro, could have been a nice gainer, erased a large part of the15 yards to go, but benny, who otherwise had a great outing, dropped the pass:
3rd & 15: awesome play…. good pass pro, the tackles drove their guys beyond the pocket, foles stepped up with plenty of room in front, scrambled right to buy even more time, had tavon open underneath but he was short of the sticks, threw to britt instead who cut off his route when saw foles scramble right, just a great heads up vet move by britt, foles hit him between the numbers for a huge first down on 3rd & 15:
1st & 10: nice pass pro, trips left, foles hits kendicks with a dart across the middle for a 5 yard pick up… grob got beat inside on one of those crashing down on the tackle stunts, but held his ground long enough for foles to get off the pass:
2nd & 5: nice pass pro, just a little wide to tavon:
3rd & 5: seahawks show blitz, foles sees kendricks, spread wide left, 1-on-1, takes 3 steps back and fires deep, perfect pass, td even if the db doesn’t stumble and fall… barnes did a great job picking up the blitizing ilb, jamon did a fantastic job picking up the stunting de, a bull rush but the oline held just long enough for foles to get off a beautiful pass:
September 17, 2015 at 12:14 am in reply to: Wow, how thunk that? (Seattle game reaction thread) #30710znModeratorfrom off the net
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BRF-the-3rd
Just rewatched the condensed version again.
Seattle spent most of the game with 8 men in the box, and on a few plays, 9 men. Really, does Benny Cunningham rate that much, or was it just a feeling that Rams would be very conservative? This allowed the play action and screen passes to work. Hags actually blitzed more than the Rams did, and weren’t very effective out of faking the blitz then dropping back. Gregg Williams clearly has the better coached D that game.
Hags missed Chancellor. Baily played deep and basically rarely broke on a ball in the air, which allowed the long completions.
Rams OL passed blocked pretty good, only 1 sack allowed to a DL, and 3 throw away passes. Run blocking was spotty, but the 8 in the box had some of that against them.
Foles was very good about going quickly from his first read to the next. He also is more of a “curve ball pitcher”, vs Bradford, who is more of a fastball pitcher. (only comparison I will make, ever. Promise) This allows him to drop the ball into places like the throw to Baily that previous Rams QB’s couldn’t do consistently. Wilson also has that talent, which makes him so effective at times. The key was, Wilson never had the time to make those type of passes, he was constantly being moved around by Rams DL.
I don’t think this team has a let down. They seem to be self motivated, and face it last year, 30 minutes into their season, they were playing a 3rd string QB, and had lost Chris Long for 1/2 the year. Not very inspiring.
Was this game by Foles like Warners first game vs the Ravens? Beating a good D at home, when no one really knew how you would do? Time will tell.
September 16, 2015 at 11:53 pm in reply to: Tweets 9/16 …. injuries & recoveries (Johnson back?) #30709znModeratorRams running back Tre Mason full go in practice, says he’s ready
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams stable of running backs continued to move closer to full strength Wednesday when running back Tre Mason was a full participant in practice.
Mason, who aggravated a hamstring injury in the third preseason game against Indianapolis and has been out since, said afterward that he expects to be ready to play this week against the Washington Redskins.
“(It was) kind of just bad luck kind of thing,” Mason said. “It doesn’t really happen much but soft tissue injuries, they just kind of nag a little bit but I’m a pretty quick healer. I try to stay on top of things but I’m ready to go.”
Mason worked out for the coaching staff and trainers before last week’s game but wasn’t quite ready to go. From the looks of his Wednesday practice, that won’t be necessary this time out.
“I was close,” Mason said. “I wasn’t 100 percent. I’m not going to lie. I was pretty close. I feel like it was a smart decision to sit that week out so I didn’t miss more time. So it was a very good decision.”
Given a few extra days of rest, Mason doesn’t expect to have any issues returning this week against the Redskins. He’s viewing preparation this week like a race car getting ready for the Daytona 500.
“Just trying to take care of my body, staying in the cold tub,” Mason said. “I keep my body like a Lamborghini, if I’m at a race, you have to go to the race and as soon as the race is over, you have to go right into the pit stop. I’m tuning up right now, tuning up the engine, a little oil change, new tires, put a little nitrous in there.”
Mason wasn’t the only Rams running back listed as a full participant in practice. Rookie Todd Gurley (knee) also had that designation and will continue to get reps through the week before a decision is made on his status. It still seems likely that he’s probably not going to debut in Washington but coach Jeff Fisher still isn’t ruling him out.
“I’ll have an injury report for you guys on Friday like we normally do,” Fisher said. “Then we’ll just wait and see, yeah.”
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson also did some work in practice on a limited basis. He has one more test to clear to be able to play Sunday but Fisher indicated that Johnson practicing was a good sign for his availability this week.
Here’s the full injury report from Wednesday:
Did not participate — RB Chase Reynolds (knee), DE Eugene Sims (knee)
Limited — CB Trumaine Johnson (concussion)
Full — LB Daren Bates (knee), RB Tre Mason (hamstring), RB Todd Gurley (knee)
September 16, 2015 at 11:52 pm in reply to: Tweets 9/16 …. injuries & recoveries (Johnson back?) #30708znModeratorPractice Report 9/16: Mason’s Back in Business
By Myles Simmons
While the Rams won their Week 1 contest, they did so without starting running back Tre Mason. Head coach Jeff Fisher said the Auburn product had a good workout prior to kickoff, bit it wasn’t worth further risking Mason’s health to play him.
“I wasn’t 100 percent — I’m not going to lie — but I was pretty close,” Mason said on Wednesday. “I felt like it was a smart decision to sit out so I don’t miss more time.”
Even though it may have been the best choice for the future, Mason said it didn’t necessarily feel great in the moment.
“I think that was my first game that I’ve ever missed [due to injury] in my career and so that really hurt me,” Mason said. “But I’m glad we came out victorious as a team, and we are looking forward to next week.”
Now Mason has been back on the practice field and he’s feeling healthy. On Wednesday’s injury report, Mason was listed as a full participant in the session.
“I’m out there watching over it and making sure I don’t redo it,” Mason said of his hamstring. “But right now I feel good and ready to roll.”
And for Mason, waiting to play has made a difference. The running back said it’s especially important in a sport like football to take all the time you can in order to recovery from an injury.
Given that, Mason said he’s been spending plenty of time in the cold tub. He likend the way he maintains his body to the way one would maintain an expensive Italian sports car.
“I treat my body like a Lamborghini,” Mason said with a smile. “I feel like if I’m at a race, as soon as the race is over you have to go right back into the pit stop.
“I’m tuning up the engine right now — get a good oil change, new tires, put a little nitrous in there,” he continued with a laugh.
Mason’s imminent return will help restore the depth at his position group. And with talented players like Mason, Benny Cunningham, Isaiah Pead, and Todd Gurley, there’s some friendly competition within the room. But Mason said the players all know each strong performance benefits the team.
“We look at each other like brothers. If everyone is doing well then that means we’re doing well as a team and as a unit,” Mason said. “We’re pretty confident in whoever’s back there.”
So far this week, Fisher has yet to rule out Gurley for Sunday’s contest and Mason said he’s looking forward to seeing what the rookie can do.
“He’s going to be a big help,” Mason said.
And Mason can’t wait to be contributing on the field himself once again.
“My main thing is I just feel like I want to be a playmaker,” Mason said. “I feel like I am and when the ball is in my hands, I just try to make something happen — make something positive for this team happen.”
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald and wide receiver Tavon Austin accomplished a first for the franchise as they were both named an NFC Player of the Week. Donald was Defensive Player of the Week for his 2.0-sack performance against Seattle — in which he also tallied three tackles for loss, according to the press box stats. Austin was named Special Teams Player of the Week for his 75-yard punt return touchdown.
Prior to Wednesday, no two Rams had ever been named Player of the Week for their performances in the same game.
“They’re both very deserving of it, in my opinion,” Fisher said. “I thought Aaron played as good a game since he’s been here. Then Tavon’s return was one of the difference makers in the game. So it was good to get some attention from the league.”
While it’s Donald’s first Player of the Week honor, it’s Austin’s third. He most recently won the award for his performance at Washington last year on Dec. 7, in which he tallied 143 punt return yards — including a 78-yard touchdown.
“It means a lot to me,” Austin said. “For me, it means a lot more for my team. My punt return team does an excellent job. My hat goes off to them. If it weren’t for them, there wouldn’t be all of this, so I give all my praise to them every single day. I did make the play but at the end of the day, if it weren’t for them it wouldn’t happen.”
Austin said those kinds of returns result from strong work during the practice week.
“We finish all the way to the end zone at practice, and to see it happen on Sundays — it just makes us feel good that all the hard work we’re put in is really paying off,” Austin said.
As for Donald, it seems like this could be the first of many Player of the Week awards. Fisher said the defensive tackle’s ability to play every situation makes him so effective.
“He’s got that art of penetration where he can be very disruptive, both in the passing game and the run game,” Fisher said.
STOPPING BY FOR A VISIT
Former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil and general manager Charley Armey both stopped by Rams Park to visit practice on Wednesday.
“When Coach comes into town, he always makes a point to stop by and say hi,” Fisher said. “He’s welcome here all the time. It’s good to get caught up with him.”
Our own Dani Klupenger got a chance to catch up with both Vermeil and Armey, and you can watch their one-on-ones in the videos below.
znModeratorSo.
The Rams ranked the 3rd best in the NFC.
Seems a little…optimistic.
I get your hesitation, what with you being a lifelong Raiders fan and all, but an actual real Rams fan would say “why are they ranked so low?”
But then as I said I get why you can’t see this the right way, not being a Rams fan and all.
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znModerator4. La Règle du jeu
Jean Renoir, 1939 (100 vote
Which I know in its english subtitled version as Rules of the Game.
It’s a great film, but I was surprised to find out it was universally hated in France when it was first released.
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znModeratorHe Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.
Let’s run with that kind of talk.
How about Jimmy Kennedy?
Floats like a dump truck, stings like a lily.
..
znModeratorPFT Live 9/16: Antonio Brown, Michael Brockers
Posted by PFT Editorial Staff on September 16, 2015, 5:04 PM EDTMike Florio breaks down all the latest news from around the NFL, including Adam “Pacman” Jones’ $35K fine. Wednesday’s guests: Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News (12:15), Steelers WR Antonio Brown (18:49), Rams DT Michael Brockers (35:22), and former NFL official Jim Daopoulos (45:39).
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znModeratorThe Rams have already instituted a number of sweeping changes based on the early results of their research. Instead of having team meetings that last hours, followed by on-field practicing, the team now has 10 to 15 minutes worth of informational meetings and then hurries to the practice field to execute what they’ve just learned without pads.
Some have been concerned that Fisher doesn’t prepare players. I’ve seen that all over the net.
Turns out, IMO, he’s just doing it in ways we basically are not privy to most of the times.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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Rampage2K-
Schlereth broke down AD today on SPortsCenter
Said he is the quickest D-line he’s ever seen, calls him “greased lightning” … Said he hasn’t seen someone like him since Warrem Sapp. Talked about how good and unique his swim move is and it’s too quick for most olineman to handle….he is dominant.
znModeratorHuge trap game for the Rams. This will be a good test.
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Rams seek perspective in order to sustain success
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — A victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday would elevate the St. Louis Rams to their first 2-0 start to a season since 2001.
That year, the Rams rattled off six straight wins to open the season on their way to a runner-up finish in Super Bowl XVI. That it’s been so long since they’ve started a season with consecutive victories should tell you all you need to know about how difficult it’s been for the Rams to find any sort of success, let alone sustain it over the past decade-plus.
On the few occasions the Rams have had a small taste of momentum after a big win, they’ve consistently given it back with a letdown in a seemingly winnable game. Such is the challenge that coach Jeff Fisher faces this week.
After a dramatic victory against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Rams are riding high. They’re making big jumps in various NFL power rankings, popping up on national television and radio appearances and even raked in NFC defensive (Aaron Donald) and special teams (Tavon Austin) player of the week awards.
With all of that going on, it’s incumbent on Fisher and his team to quickly forget what happened last week and move on to this Sunday’s game.
“Success in this league requires you to keep wins and losses in perspective,” Fisher said. “After a tough Sunday afternoon, things don’t work out – you have to get them back. When we have a really emotional win like we did, you have to keep things in perspective. We have to correct mistakes. We have to put another good plan in and we have to go out and carry respect in for next week’s opponent.”
Since Fisher arrived in 2012, big victories such as Sunday’s against the Seahawks have been fairly frequent. The Rams have beaten Seattle three times in the past four years at home, knocked off Denver in 2014 and the Colts and Saints in 2013. They’ve also had a bad habit of losing games that observers believe they should win, such as games against the Jets in 2012, Titans in 2013 and the Giants last year.
Under Fisher, the Rams have had just six winning streaks of two games and only once were they able to win a third. They’ve never won more than three in a row under Fisher and have never been more than one game above .500.
In each of those three seasons, the Rams were the youngest team in the NFL. The inconsistencies of those previous seasons have often been tied to the team’s relative youth. But the Rams are the youngest team in the league again this year, which begs the question: What will be different this time around?
“I think our team is more mature,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “I think that showed on Sunday just the mental toughness this team has and nobody is celebrating around here. We are happy we got the win but it’s on to Washington. We know the challenge that we have going forward.”
One thing that Laurinaitis hopes will help in turning the page to the next game is the team’s modified practice schedule. While “Victory Monday” is still part of the plan, having a practice Tuesday instead of a day off means the Rams have to quickly refocus on the next task.
“It really forces you to get a jump-start on the next opponent,” Laurinaitis said.
Laurinaitis said he already saw the team getting a head start on Monday afternoon when he arrived at Rams Park for the day’s only required activity (weightlifting) and his teammates were all sticking around to watch Redskins tape. That wasn’t something he saw much of in the past after big wins.
“Guys weren’t enjoying it and taking two days off from watching film and relaxing and waiting until Wednesday to find out about the next team because they were celebrating,” Laurinaitis said. “Guys were really honed in and watching tape to try to figure out more about the Redskins and put the game to rest. It felt really good, probably one of the most exciting games I’ve played in the dome, but to get where we want to go, we’ve got to stack wins. We know the next challenge is the Redskins.”
The Rams are also well aware that they have plenty to fix before playing the Redskins. Namely, they must cut down on turnovers (they somehow managed to win despite a minus-3 second-half turnover differential against Seattle) and do a better job of extending drives and keeping the offense on the field (Seattle had the ball for almost 10 minutes more than the Rams) in order to get a second consecutive victory.
“You can’t overemphasize the importance of getting better,” Fisher said. “We have to improve in a lot of areas.
“It’s one week at a time. We have to build on this and carry this intensity and the lack of mistakes that have hurt us in the past and into Week 2. We’ll see what happens.”
September 16, 2015 at 3:30 pm in reply to: Wow, how thunk that? (Seattle game reaction thread) #30668znModeratorBTW, where is Brian Quick?
He was held back on inactives. The thing seems to be, he is physically ready, but not entirely game ready because he didn’t do that much in the pre-season.
Add to it that Marquez can play on 4 special teams units, and it kind of nudged BQ to the inactives.
What this means is that the offense is getting up and going far better than anyone expected, and yet they STILL don’t have Gurley, Mason, or Quick.
I smell blood in the water. You smell blood in the water?
Yeah that’s blood in the water….
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znModeratorJM, I moved your post about Tavon to this thread.
http://theramshuddle.com/topic/wow-how-thunk-that/
There, I also respond to your question on Quick.
znModeratorRams Land Two Top Plays for Week 1
The Rams landed two of the NFL’s Top 10 Plays from Week 1 of the 2015 regular season. Check them out.
znModeratorDamm. It’s still up.
znModeratorAll 22: Tavon’s Game Tying Touchdown
Join Rams insider Myles Simmons for a closer look at wide receiver Tavon Austin’s rushing touchdown.
znModeratorAnd, they are considerably rarer. The league always has a dozen or so really good QBs. But it is very, very rare to get a DT with Donald’s level of dominance.
I feel exactly the same way.
In fact back in the old days, before the 2010 draft, that’s exactly why I wanted them to draft Suh.
Now times have changed since then. I dislike Suh as a character so much now that I can’t imagine advocating him, regardless of talent. (Donald could not possibly be more different.) And as Bradford played, I developed a lot of appreciation for the strengths he had (like the comebacks).
That aside in the debates before the 2010 draft, I was just adamant that an elite DT is rare and does more to change a defense for the better than any other position.
znModeratorSix Takeaways from the Rams’ Win Over the Seahawks
Randy Karrakerhttp://www.101sports.com/2015/09/14/six-takeaways-from-the-rams-win-over-the-seahawks/
Rams coach Jeff Fisher celebrates after his team’s OT win over Seattle.
For the 51,792 on hand, it was awesome to be completely emotionally invested in a game, to be physically and mentally spent when it was over. There haven’t been many times in the last decade when I’ve come home from a Rams game and crashed, but I did on Sunday.
The players put everything into it, and so did the fans. Once again, we saw an example of how a football team can galvanize a community. The community of Rams fans at the Dome on Sunday could not have enjoyed it more, or been happier after it was over. It was a great day.
With that, six takeaways from a Rams win in the opener:
1) Sunday was only the second time under Jeff Fisher that the Rams have lost the turnover battle but won the game.
Last year, the Rams were 0-7 when they turned the ball over more than they took it away, and in three years under Fisher, they were 1-18-1 before they knocked off the Seahawks despite being a minus-2. There are two factors at play here.
Number one is that the Rams offense was able to respond to adversity, which is huge. So many times in the past if the Rams had allowed a late turnover touchdown like they did with Cary Williams’ fumble return with 4:39 to go, it was game over. Last season against Dallas, Austin Davis threw an interception that Bruce Carter returned for a touchdown and a ten point lead, and the Rams could never come back. Against San Francisco, Davis threw a pick-six with a minute left that knocked the Rams out of contention in a 31-17 loss.
After the sack-fumble that Nick Foles lost for a TD, he deftly moved the Rams 84 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 37 yard TD pass to Lance Kendricks. That tied the game, and sent it to the overtime in which the Rams won.
Secondly, even without running backs Todd Gurley and Tre Mason and wide receiver Brian Quick, the Rams had enough talented players on offense to make plays to win the game. Tavon Austin, Lance Kendricks, and Stedman Bailey all made monstrous receptions to contribute to a win.
gregg williamsRams DC Gregg Williams
2) The second year under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams apparently will make a difference, if this game is any indication.
The Rams turned in some really creative packages, especially when they utilized Lamarcus Joyner and Mark Barron in blitzes, and made Russell Wilson’s afternoon miserable.
Aaron Donald (two sacks, team-high nine tackles) is a legitimate star. Last year, the Rams had one sack through five games. Getting six sacks against Wilson and the Seahawks says a lot about where the Rams are defensively. St. Louis allowed Seattle just one offensive touchdown, and success on just one-of-four trips into the red zone.
3) Fisher spent the off-season talking about how he wanted to get Tavon Austin more involved in the offense.
When he hired Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator, he talked about it. At the outset of camp, he talked about it. And even on the first Jeff Fisher show of the season, he talked about getting the ball into the hands of Austin.
Austin had four carries, including one jet sweep for a touchdown, and was targeted in five pass plays, catching two. Throw in his 75-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Austin was a major factor.
It’ll be interesting to see if he continues to be such a factor. One would think that as Todd Gurley and Brian Quick return to health, Austin will become more specialized.
4) How about a round of applause for the scoreboard crew?
After Seattle tried an onside kick to start overtime that the Rams recovered, the officials convened and determined that the kick had touched the ground first, and Bradley Marquez’ fair catch recovery was illegal touching.
Almost immediately, the play was shown on the big screen, clearly showing that the ball did not touch the ground before Marquez touched it. Magically, the officials reconvened and determined that the ball had not touched the ground, and that rather than getting the ball deep in their own territory, the Rams would get it at Seattle’s 49. The Rams moved 30 yards to set up Greg Zuerlein’s eventual game winning field goal.
5) I still think the Seahawks should have run Marshawn Lynch at the goal line in the Super Bowl last February.
Even though on 4th and one he got stopped when his team needed it most at the end of this one. Credit to Michael Brockers and Donald, who stopped Wilson on 3rd and two and then Lynch on the final play of the game to seal the victory. Those two were fantastic all day, and deserve much credit for the win.
nick foles-3Rams QB Nick Foles
6) Foles made athletic plays that haven’t consistently been made by Rams quarterbacks since Marc Bulger’s heyday.
Foles’ two-handed push pass to Cunningham early in the fourth quarter set the Rams up in great shape, but Isiah Pead fumbled on the next play. Foles was able to scramble out of trouble and make his offensive line look better than it really was.
Not to disparage the young line, which played very well, but Foles helped it out.
His playmaking ability can be the difference in winning games. Having an established NFL starter rather than the backups the Rams have used the last year and a half will offer them better chances to win.
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