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znModeratorRams Post Thrilling 34-31 Win Over Seahawks
Myles Simmons
ST. LOUIS — It was a wild one to open the season, but at the end of it, the Rams came away with a 34-31 overtime victory over the Seahawks.
The Rams won the coin toss, but they deferred to the second half, giving the Seahawks the ball to commence the year. St. Louis’ defense kept Seattle in check, with 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year Aaron Donald coming through with the unit’s first sack of the year.
Rushing up the middle, Donald used a power move to get into the backfield, then shed Seattle offensive guard J.R. Sweezy to get right in Wilson’s face for the sack.
But the home team was pinned back near its own goal line on the ensuing drive, and Johnny Hekker had to punt from his own end zone. While Hekker got off a decent kick, Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett returned the punt 58 yards to open the scoring. Lockett fielded the ball toward the middle of the field, and ran through an open hole and wasn’t touched on his way to the end zone, giving Seattle a 7-0 lead.
The Rams came right back from the touchdown in a big way, driving 80 yards down the field to tie the game with a Tavon Austin TD. Quarterback Nick Foles connected on all four of his passes on the drive, including a short one to Benny Cunningham on 3rd-and-15 the running back took 17 yards with some shifty moves for a key first down.
To cap off the possession, Austin ran it in from 16-yards out. Foles lined up in the pistol with Jared Cook beside him and Austin behind him. The offensive line flowed to the right, but Cook went left to seal the edge. Austin followed the tight end over to the left and went untouched into the end zone for a touchdown, tying the score at seven in the second quarter.
St. Louis got back on the board with points off a turnover. On 3rd-and-4 from Seattle’s 38, Johnson lined up over Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who was split out wide on the left side of the defense. At the snap, Lynch ran a comeback route, which Johnson read flawlessly and jumped. Fully extending himself to get the football, the cornerback came up with an interception to set up the offense at Seattle’s 26.
Greg Zuerlein would hit a 33-yard field goal to put the Rams on top, 10-7.
Seattle ended the first half with a field goal to tie the game at 10, and then used a turnover to put another three points on the board to open the second-half scoring.
But after that, St. Louis gained control with 14 quick points. The offense got going with an 18-yard pass from Foles to Kenny Britt, then moved further down the field with the help of a Seattle unnecessary roughness penalty. Foles kept the momentum rolling with a 9-yard scramble, and a play later hit Cook with a 30-yard pass to put St. Louis in the red zone.
On 1st-and-goal from Seattle’s 1-yard line, Foles showed his wheels again, faking a handoff to Cunningham and keeping it himself for an end-around touchdown. The score put the Rams back on top, 17-13.
It wouldn’t stay that way for long. Donald recorded his second sack on Seattle’s ensuing possession, making it 4th-and-12 from the visitor’s 18.
With Lockett already taking one to the house, Austin did him one better. The West Virginia product fielded a deep punt, and scampered 75 yards down the left sideline to pay dirt. Janoris Jenkins and Bradley Marquez gave him some good blocks to spring him.
Defensive end Robert Quinn had his first sack of the day in the first half, and put up another early in the fourth for St. Louis’ fifth QB takedown of the day. But Seattle would get the best of the drive, with Wilson connecting with tight end Jimmy Graham for a 7-yard touchdown. The Seahawks would make their two-point conversion attempt, cutting the Rams’ lead to 24-21.
While the Rams initially responded well to the score, an Isaiah Pead fumble in Seattle territory gave the visitors the ball back at their own 25.
Seattle made it to the red zone, but that’s where the Rams defense held stout. The unit forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-4 at the St. Louis 17 to induce a field goal.
With the game tied at 24, Seattle forced another turnover to get back on top. On the first play of the drive at the home team’s 20, the Seahawks blitzed cornerback Cary Williams who blindsided Foles. The quarterback lost the ball on the sack, which Williams picked up and ran to the end zone. The touchdown gave Seattle a 31-24 lead.
But this one wasn’t over quite yet. The offense responded as it had throughout the game, with Foles coming up with a couple strong to lead the Rams down the field to tie the game. On 3rd-and-15 from the St. Louis 37, the quarterback evaded the rush and fired a pass to Britt, which the wide receiver caught for 21 yards and a first down.
Two plays later on 3rd-and-5, tight end Lance Kendricks ran a streak down the left sideline. His defender fell to the ground, and Foles hit his open receiver for a 37-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Seattle got the ball back with 53 seconds, but the Rams defense prevented Wilson from getting anything going. Eugene Sims recorded St. Louis’ sixth sack of the game on 2nd-and-8 from the Seahawks’ 37. The defensive lineman was injured on the play, inducing the Rams to use a timeout with one second on the clock. But Wilson took a knee to send the game to overtime.
St. Louis won the OT coin toss, but Seattle tried a little trickery to start off the extra period. With the Rams in their base kick return formation, kicker Steven Hauschka kicked one short to the left side, trying to catch the home team napping. But wide receiver Bradley Marquez was ready, and caught the kick at midfield.
With another strong throw from Foles, the Rams got in position for their game-winning field goal. The quarterback dropped a stellar throw over the head of Richard Sherman and into the hands of Stedman Bailey to put the Rams on the Seahawks’ 25. Zuerlein nailed his 37-yard attempt to give the Rams a 34-31 lead.
On the ensuing drive, Seattle gave Lynch the ball on 4th-and-2 and he was stopped by Donald and Michael Brockers in the backfield to give the Rams the W.
znModeratorLed by Nick Foles, resilient Rams fight their way to victory
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — For the better part of the past decade, when the St. Louis Rams faced some adversity in a game, they folded up their tents and called it a day.
Whether or not Sunday’s 34-31 win against the Seattle Seahawks is a sign of a new era remains to be seen but for one day, at least, the Rams refused to go quietly into the St. Louis evening.
Nick Foles was pressured all day, but stood tall in the end.
And it was quarterback Nick Foles who set the example for the team’s newfound resilience. Under pressure for most of the day – Seattle had two sacks, six quarterback hits and many more pressures – Foles continued to stand tall in the pocket and deliver when the Rams needed him.Never was that more true than overtime as Foles and the Rams took over at midfield following Seattle’s failed onside kick attempt. Foles promptly delivered a 22-yard strike to receiver Stedman Bailey for a gain of 22 to Seattle’s 25.
That set up the game-winning 37-yard field goal from kicker Greg Zuerlein and was just one of many examples of Foles’ toughness.
All of that came after Foles was hit from behind and coughed up a fumble that gave Seattle a 31-24 lead with less than five minutes to play. Foles hobbled off the field holding his right arm. He then promptly led an 84-yard drive, capped by a 37-yard strike to tight end Lance Kendricks for the game-tying touchdown.
By that point, Foles had already led two 80-yard scoring drives after the ball bounced the other way, one after Tyler Lockett’s 57-yard punt return for a touchdown and another after a mishandled snap led to a turnover to open the second half.
Foles finished with 297 yards on 18 of 27 passing with a touchdown and a rushing touchdown. But beyond the numbers, Foles provided Rams fans with two more things they’ve been craving from the quarterback position: toughness and a season-opening win against a hated division rival.
September 13, 2015 at 4:43 pm in reply to: Wow, how thunk that? (Seattle game reaction thread) #30326znModeratorMan, I don’t want em ALL to be as up and down as that one.
But….a win with a new qb and young line against the NFC champs and the best defense in the league?
I ain’t gonna complain TOO much.
September 13, 2015 at 4:40 pm in reply to: All preseason I was the lone voice singing the praises of this team…. #30322znModeratorznModeratorLast time I was in SF, admittedly many years ago, when I travelled I just watched games in bars in the airport. Fwiw. Not even sure that makes sense nowadays.
znModeratorWichmann is 1 of 8 active OL. He was hurt during most of training camp. They really like him or they like him better than Rhaney at guard.
There’s some interesting stuff about them liking Wichman here —>
znModeratorAnyway, its fun to see young people stretching, growing,
changing, learning, aint it. I mean, when it actually happens.
Not sayin it will happen with this student.That’s not what I saw though, myself. What I saw was a young person struggling to explain her own ideological limitations but expressing them as these big revelations. It’s someone who wants to cling to the past.
So for example nothing threatens the private beliefs of her homeless man.
It’s just that we’re moving toward a society where limits on individual power includes less sanction for abridging the human rights and civil liberties of groups previously allowed less of either.
Oh and myself, I tend to look at rhetorical situations far more than “concepts.” Given that, the term “reverse racism” is just this excuse racists use so they can justify not changing.
Have I encountered situations where an individual or 2 expressed dislike for me solely on the basis of race? Yes. I didn’t bat an eye at it. Just moved on. I know I have multiple safe zones in my society when it comes to that. If I weren’t white, would that kind of thing happen far more frequently, and have a more far-reaching effect? Yes. Would I have fewer safe zones? Yes.
znModeratorAnyway, its fun to see young people stretching, growing,
changing, learning, aint it. I mean, when it actually happens.
Not sayin it will happen with this student.That’s not what I saw though, myself. What I saw was a young person struggling to explain her own ideological limitations but expressing them as these big revelations. It’s someone who wants to cling to the past.
So for example nothing threatens the private beliefs of her homeless man.
It’s just that we’re moving toward a society where limits on individual power includes less sanction for abridging the human rights and civil liberties of groups previously allowed less of either.
znModerator7 things to watch: Rams vs. Seahawks
Jim Thomas
BEAST MODE
When it comes to stopping the Seattle offense, the head of the snake remains RB Marshawn Lynch. No NFL player has rushed for more yards or scored more rushing TDs over the past four seasons. And he has been incredibly consistent, with 1,200-plus yards rushing and 10-plus TDs in each of those four seasons. The Rams’ highly regarded defense got off to a slow start a year ago vs. the run, and Lynch provides a formidable opening-day test. Because of his relentless running style, tackling him is not for the faint-hearted.
NEW AT TIGHT END
Seattle has added a dynamic weapon in former New Orleans Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham at tight end. Graham dominates his position like Lynch does at running back. Over the past four seasons, Graham has more catches (355), more receiving yards (4,396), and more TDs (46) than any TE in the league. He does most of his work away from the line of scrimmage, either in the slot or split out wide. He’s tall (6-7) and athletic, so athletic that the NFL banned “dunking” the football over the crossbar — a Graham specialty after scoring.
WILSON WINS
Granted, he gets plenty of help from his defense, but quarterback Russell Wilson has more regular-season (36), postseason (six), and overall (42) victories than any quarterback in NFL history has posted over his first three seasons. He can improvise as well as any QB in the league, scrambling outside the pocket, reversing field, and keeping plays alive. Maintaining integrity in rush lanes and sealing the perimeter are essential for opposing defensive lines. The Rams’ pass rush has had success getting to him, sacking him 26 times in six games.
LEGION OF BOOM
With three-time Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor still in the midst of a holdout, and unavailable Sunday, there’s not as much Boom in the Legion. At 6-3, 232, Chancellor is as big as a linebacker, so the Seahawks will miss his hard-hitting ways. Opposing ball carriers and receivers won’t. Meanwhile, the best free safety on the planet, Earl Thomas, isn’t 100 percent healthy following offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, but will play Sunday.
LINE DANCING
The Rams’ inexperienced offensive line faces a huge challenge right off the bat against a formidable Seattle defensive front. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett are accomplished, savvy veterans who can get to the quarterback. Bennett figures to line up most often over Rams rookie RT Rob Havenstein. Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane is a force in the middle. Unlike prior seasons, the Seahawks lack proven depth in their rotation.
CONVERSELY …
After losing C Max Unger and G James Carpenter in the offseason, the Seahawks have one of the NFL’s most inexperienced offensive lines. Not to the degree of the Rams’ O-line, but there are question marks surrounding the unit entering the season. Mizzou product Justin Britt has been switched to left guard from right tackle, and the Seahawks have untested players starting at center and right tackle. The Rams’ defensive front should be able to do some damage on the right side of the Seattle line.
TRICKY RAMS
Rest assured, Seattle’s special teams unit spent extra time this week working on defending every trick play known to man. That’s because the Rams always seem to have their number in this area. Last year, the Rams snookered the ’Hawks on “The Mountaineer,” a play in which Tavon Austin pretended he was fielding a punt on one side of the field only to have Stedman Bailey catch it on the other side of the field and race 90 yards for a score. There was also a completed pass by Johnny Hekker on a fake punt that sealed a 28-26 Rams victory.
znModeratorThis is a rare article that isn’t just a quilt of available quotations taken from press conferences. JT, looks like, got some time with guys with Hayes and Long.
znModeratorthe Rams execs were told to build for the splash that will be the 2016 season.
That’s an interesting thing to say for a writer who previously covered the Nuggets.
znModeratorRams-Seahawks: Five Things to Watch
BY NORM SANDERS
News-Democrathttp://www.bnd.com/sports/nfl/st-louis-rams/article35031273.html#storylink=cpy
Here are five critical areas to watch when the St. Louis Rams open their 2015 season at home Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome (noon; TV-Fox Channel 2; Radio-WXOS-FM 101.1):
1. How will the Rams’ inexperienced offensive line deal with one of the top defenses in the NFL?
That’s a question that may help decide this game. Even without holdout star safety Kam Chancellor, the Seahawks have an aggressive front seven (especially defensive ends Michael Bennett and Frank Clark) that will likely blitz a lot and allow all-world cornerback Richard Sherman to try to shut down whichever receiver Seattle chooses. Look for the Rams to provide extra blocking help with tight ends and use quick drops and short pass patterns, but this is a formidable defense. Rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein will have his hands full.
2. The Rams want to control the ball on the ground with a solid running attack, so how does that happen?
With rookie Todd Gurley ruled out and Tre Mason (hamstring) a game-time decision, it looks like the job falls to Benny Cunningham and Isaiah Pead. And they will be trying to move the ball behind an offensive line with two rookies and a first-time starter at center against a Seattle defense that has been the NFL’s best in fewest points allowed (15.9 last season) and fewest yards allowed (267.1 yards per game last season) in 2013 and 2014. The Seahawks are the first team since the 1969-71 Minnesota Vikings to lead the NFL in scoring defense for three consecutive seasons.
3. How will Seattle be able to deal with Rams’ sack demons Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald and a stout front seven?
Don’t overlook the fact that Seattle has two new offensive line starters in left tackle Garry Giliam and center Drew Nowak going up against one of the NFL’s best pass rushes. The attention paid to Rams stars Quinn and Donald helps free each of them up a lot, also creating additional space for more pass rushers and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ exotic blitz packages for linebackers and defensive backs. The Rams have sacked Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson 25 times in six games against them.
4. Can the Rams find a way to corral elusive Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson?
Wilson is at his best when he stretches defenses who have to honor his ability (and that of Marshawn Lynch) to run the football. He has a 100-plus yard rushing day against the Rams, but also has two shiny new offensive weapons in all-pro tight end Jimmy Graham and rookie receiver/return man Tyler Lockett. The Rams must keep constant pressure on Wilson, a tough thing to do when the Seahawks backfield also contains one of the NFL’s best running backs in Marshawn Lynch.
5. How will QB Nick Foles look in his Rams debut?
If Foles wants to win over the fan base quickly, he could start by engineering a head-turning upset over the defending NFC champs. However, he’s also playing behind an extremely untested offensive line with three new starters and two rookies. The Rams have two backups at running back and will be working against a proven “Legion of Boom” defense that is still tough despite not having Chancellor. Just keeping a starting quarterback healthy would be a good start for the Rams.
znModeratorI’m not sure at Arizona is very winnable. Not if Palmer is healthy.
That 4 game stretch of at Baltimore, at Cincy, AZ, and Detroit is a killer. I would be elated if they could go 2-2 against that group.
Because you live in the frosty netherworld of Vermont, this makes you, of course, and quite naturally, a Buffalo fan. Naturally, as this is only to be expected, you therefore look upon the Rams with barely concealed dismissive rage. I get that. No one is criticizing, this is all to be expected.
BUT I think it may have SOMEWHAT colored your ability to accept the fact that the Rams are going 14-2 this year.
It happens. No big.
znModeratorRams seek fast start, might need defense to provide it
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Of the many tactics St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams uses to get his players to respond, he’s leaned a little more on Pavlov than any others during this offseason.
At the start of every meeting, Williams has ingrained two words into his players’ heads: Start fast. Sometimes it includes a picture of a race car at the starting line or Usain Bolt in the blocks about to take off. Whatever the case, Williams has rarely let a day or meeting go by without a reminder of the defense — and, by extension, the team’s — top priority is this season.
“It’s every day,” Williams said. “Every meeting that we have. Every single, solitary meeting that we have, the very first thing that’s on the screen is, ‘Start fast.’ Some days we discuss it. Other days we just look at it.”
When Williams is feeling particularly Pavlovian, he takes it away, just to see the response he gets.
“What I’ve done is played with them a little bit,” Williams said. “When they come into the meeting room, it’s not on the screen. ‘Where is it?’ Then I click the button. ‘Oh, I just wanted to see if you saw it.’ So, it’s their idea, so it’s good.”
The “start fast” mantra doesn’t just apply to the defense. It’s a must for a franchise that historically has been unable to overcome slow starts. The last time the St. Louis Rams made the playoffs after a 2-3 or worse start was 1952. This season, they start the season with four of their first five games against opponents that won at least 11 games a year ago, tied for the second-most difficult opening five games in the league.
All of that for a team seeking to break the longest active streak of losing seasons in the NFL (eight) and the fourth longest streak of seasons (10) without a playoff berth.
But make no mistake, though the entire team would ideally get off to a fast start, the onus will fall largely on the defense.
“Defense will often times win games for you,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I’m not anticipating struggles on offense, but in the event that there are, the defense is going to have to find a way to play well and keep people out of the end zone.”
Fisher might not be anticipating offensive struggles, but there are many who are, especially in Week 1 against Seattle’s vaunted defense. The Rams offense underwent a major overhaul in the offseason and feature a new quarterback, coordinator, running back and three new starters on the offensive line. Expecting that group to come up with big scoring outbursts is asking a lot, and even if it does come together, it seems unlikely it would happen right away.
Which is where the defense comes in. It has been burdened with top-five expectations in recent seasons, but only lived up to them in short spurts. Last season, the unit struggled so much against the run in the first five weeks — the defense was tied for 29th in allowing 152.5 yards per game on the ground — that it rarely earned the chance to rush the passer. The result was league record for futility with one sack in the first five games.
That shouldn’t and can’t happen again in 2015. Williams returns 10 starters from last season’s defense, and the lone change was one the team considers an upgrade with Akeem Ayers at strongside linebacker. The players know the system, the coach knows the players and everyone knows the urgency of the situation.
“It’s fun to see the familiarity of what we do, why we do,” Williams said. “There’s not very many questions anymore about, ‘How do you do this? Why do you do this?'”
If nothing else, Williams takes solace in the fact that there’s nothing he hasn’t covered with his group. The fast start has been emphasized as a big-picture point, but so have all of the little details.
“The thing I feel comfortable about is, it’s been covered,” Williams said. “It’s been discussed. Any person that’s a teacher, if it’s a coach that’s a mentor, when it becomes more important to the person, to the participant that’s actually out on the field, when it becomes their idea, it’s when you have a chance to make change. All I do is present the ideas. This has been a fun group to see how they grasp that, and they’ve used that in all of the things they’re doing, so we’ll see. This is a good start and we need to start fast, we really do.”
znModeratorNote: all this article does is re-cap the 2 press conferences above. I figured I would just put it here. So…here’s a recap of what you can read above.
—————–
Practice Report 9/11: Rookie OLs Ready to Play
By Myles Simmons
As has been the expectation since the start of camp, the Rams will head into the season opener with two rookies on their starting offensive line. And as he has throughout the process, head coach Jeff Fisher expressed confidence in both right tackle Rob Havenstein and left guard Jamon Brown.
With both rookies likely harboring a good amount of excitement for Sunday’s contest, Fisher said a significant factor to open the game will be to just keep them calm.
“They’re going to be excited to play, but the great part about ‘JB’ and Rob is that they’ve played a lot of snaps in the preseason,” Fisher said. “They’ve played and matched-up against some good players in the preseason and they play good players out here every day in practice.”
Both Brown and Havenstein said this week they feel ready to go for Week 1.
“I think coach Fish and all the other coaches have prepared me and any of the other rookies who are going to play early for this day, for Game 1,” Brown said. “I’m really excited to do it for real rather than just a preseason game.”
“I’m very excited to get out there and get my first regular season NFL experience,” Havenstein said, “but I’m more excited to get out there and show what this team has.”
Brown recently moved from working at right guard to left guard, which has been a bit of an adjustment for him. But being left-hand dominant and his experience playing on that side of the line in college has aided the transition.
“Two years on the left side at left tackle,” Brown said of his experience at Louisville. “I think that’s helped also. But the majority of it from being left-hand dominant.”
The shift also put guard Rodger Saffold next to Havenstein on the right, which the Wisconsin product said has been quite helpful for his development.
“With him being an older guy, he obviously knows his stuff,” Havenstein said. “It’s helped me out tremendously, just knowing the confidence he brings, the calls, and everything. Knowing that he’s going to be the same physical guy that he always is, it just makes me play with more confidence.”
Both rookies have impressed the older players around them, with tight end Jared Cook saying they have come in with great maturity.
“It’s such an important position and they’ve got the offense down,” Cook said. “They communicate with me more than I communicate with them sometimes. They’ve just done a great job filling the role that we need them to fulfill. They’ve just got to go out there and put it together for 16 weeks, and we should be great.”
When it comes to nerves, Brown said he wasn’t feeling too many butterflies during the practice week. But that could change as kickoff draws near.
“I’m sure as we get closer to the game, and as the hype goes up for the game, I’ll have a couple,” Brown said. “But, like I said, I’m completely confident, and coach is confident in me, so when it’s time to line up and suit it up, all the butterflies will be gone.”
“They’re prepared, they’ve studied,” Fisher said, “and I think they’re only going to get better.”
DEFENSE STARTING FAST
Earlier in the summer, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said he’s been starting off every meeting emphasizing the need for the unit to start fast.
Apparently, that hasn’t changed as the team has moved to the regular season.
“Every single, solitary meeting that we have, the very first thing that’s on the screen is, ‘Start fast,’” Williams said on Friday. “Some days we discuss it. Other days we just look at it.”
“The thing I feel comfortable about is it’s been covered — it’s been discussed,” Williams added. “This has been a fun group to see how they grasp that and they’ve used that in all of the things they’re doing, so we’ll see.”
One of the major factors St. Louis will have to contend with on Sunday is Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. Williams said one of the biggest challenges the signal-caller presents is his ability to improvise, adding it can be frustrating when he is able to make plays like that — especially in the second half of games.
“We have to make sure that, athletically, understanding mentally what the concept is of what he’s trying to do to extend the play,” Williams said. “I think he is one of the best in our league right now.”
The Seahawks had the No. 1 rushing offense in 2014 — both in total yardage and average per carry — and a significant reason why is running back Marshawn Lynch. Williams said his ability to change direction is part of what makes Lynch special.
“People underestimate how powerful he is in the upper body. We’ve got to do a good job of staying down on his lower body,” Williams said. “If you try to tackle him up around his face, up around his shoulder pads, he’s embarrassed a lot of people.”
One aspect of Seattle’s offense that has changed since the end of last season is the addition of Jimmy Graham. The Seahawks brought him in through a blockbuster trade in the offseason, and Fisher has said he expects to see plenty of him on Sunday because he was utilized so little in the preseason.
“He’ll be a big red zone target for them, we understand that,” Williams said. “We’re going to have to make sure that we understand where he’s at.”
For more on Graham, check out our Opponent Breakdown post here.
INJURY UPDATES
The Rams had three players appear on the injury report this week, and Fisher provided an update on all three at the end of Friday’s practice.
Though running back Todd Gurley (knee) was a limited participant in practice, his status has not changed and he’s been declared out for Sunday. Linebacker Daren Bates was limited in Friday’s practice and will be questionable. And running back Tre Mason (thigh) did not practice and will be listed as questionable.
Should Mason not play on Sunday, Fisher said the team will be in good shape with Benny Cunningham, Isaiah Pead, and Chase Reynolds handling the load at running back.
Pead had a strong showing against Kansas City in the final preseason game, and Fisher praised his perseverance in coming back from last year’s season-ending knee injury.
“He finished up really strong two years ago for us on special teams, and last year was a really big year for him, we thought, and then he had the injury,” Fisher said. “But he’s come back and he’s returned right back to where he was. The injury’s not an issue anymore and he’s a productive [special] team’s player for us. He knows our offense and he’s definitely going to play.”
znModeratorBernie: 10 Keys to Rams’ 2015 Season
Posted by: Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/11/bernie-10-keys-to-rams-2015-season/
Plenty of good tickets remain for the Rams’ season-opening game against Seattle on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Standing-room only? Yeah, but only if the game is moved to Jeff Fisher’s backyard.
At least Rams are assured of having one sell-out in 2015: that would be Enos Stanley Kroenke.
The most interesting tail-gaiting scene will take place after the season, with local-TV news trucks gassed up to begin a close pursuit of Kroenke’s moving fans as they head west on I-70. If you’ve been waiting for the Rams to connect on a long pass, it will definitely happen if the NFL sends Kroenke on a fly pattern to Los Angeles.
With Kroenke’s franchise suspended in mid-air, we’re in for a weird season of football in St. Louis. We may witness something unusual, incredible, or truly outlandish.
The Rams could make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
They could have their first winning season since 2003.
They could become LA’s team for the first time since 1994.
Or, in the longest of longshots, Kroenke could speak publicly in St. Louis for the first time since Jan. 17, 2012.
That’s when the pinstripe-suited Kroenke _ displaying the personal magnetism of an especially morose undertaker _ briefly rocked the microphone to introduce Fisher as the Rams’ new head coach during a news conference at the team’s Earth City headquarters.
“I can tell you this,” Kroenke said. “As of five minutes ago, Jeff and I both put our names on a contract upstairs that will keep him here for a good while. And we’re really excited about it.”
You’ll notice that Kroenke said the signed deal would keep Fisher in St. Louis for a good while.
The problem is, Kroenke never said that HE would remain in St. Louis for a good while.
Kroenke’s future and the Rams’ home in 2016 will be determined after the season, after the NFL cuts the desired backroom deal. This much we know: the Rams are here now. And if the NFL turns its franchise-relocation guidelines into scrap paper, then it’s onto Inglewood.
As the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks traveled to St. Louis, they were preparing to enter another dimension.
A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
A land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
“It’s like you’re in the Twilight Zone,” Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane told Seattle-area media on Thursday. “It’s kind of hard to describe.”
OK, Mebane. You got it.
I’ll take the meme and run with it.
In 2015, the Edward Jones Dome should be rebranded and renamed.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Rod Serling Dome!
“It’s real tough to play there,” Mebane said. “The lights are real dim. The crowd is real small. It’s just real quiet out there. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning (Seattle time), so we try not to be too sleepy. We’ve got to wake up and we’ve got to go.”
That also would apply to the Rams.
After beginning each of the past three seasons with a 3-5 record halfway through the 16-game schedule, the Rams have to rouse themselves, energize, and accelerate to a more advantageous position. Another pokey start will doom them. If they want to end the streak of non-winning, non-playoff seasons, the Rams must quickly find the fast lane and zoom past their usual 3-5 start.
Seattle is the first roadblock.
Here are the 10 keys to a successful Rams’ season:
1. The rapid maturation of the offensive line.
Three new starters. Two rookies. Only one player, guard Rodger Saffold, with more than 12 NFL starts. Saffold has started 60 NFL games; the other four first-string O-linemen have combined for 16.
The path to a productive, above-average Rams offense will be cleared by the big men up front.
Or not.
“All these things have changed in football,” said Dan Dierdorf, the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle during an in-studio interview on my 101 ESPN radio show. “One of the things that has not changed in football is simply this: if you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you can’t win. You may win an occasional game by running back an interception or a punt. If you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you are never going to be a good football team.
“The Rams have struggled as you know on the line of scrimmage for years now. And with all that youth, how long will it take them to start functioning as a unit. It’s a very great question. … how long will it take? I’m telling you, a really good offensive line makes everybody better. It can make an average quarterback into a good quarterback. It can make an average running back into a thousand-yard back. How many times do you see it where if you can one first down will win you the football game? And you see teams that can’t do it. Teams that can do it _ they’re the ones that consistently win.”
2. Score more points, or forget the playoffs.
In Coach Fisher’s three seasons, the offense struggled to reach the end zone and never approached the playoff-team level of points scored. (I’m talking points scored only by the offense _ not on special teams or by the defense.)
In 2012, the Rams scored 261 points from scrimmage which ranked 28th. That season the 12 NFL playoff teams averaged 385 points from scrimmage.
In 2013, the Rams improved to 304 points on offense, which ranked 22nd; playoff teams averaged 401 points.
In 2014, the Rams slipped to 289 points from scrimmage, ranking 23rd. The playoff-team average was 385 points.
But there is a way into the postseason _ yeah, even if the Rams fail to meet the playoff-team standard on offense. A veteran Rams defense has the talent and potential to shut opponents down in 2015, and may not require a 400-point season from the offense to take care of business. That said, the Rams “O” would likely have to raise its points-scored total to at least the NFL-average level of the past three seasons. And that means around 340 points from scrimmage.
nick foles-2Rams QB Nick Foles
3. Quarterback Nick Foles: well, what is he exactly?
Foles was great in 2013, a Pro Bowl slinger that passed for 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
In 2014 an inconsistent and injured Foles fell out of favor with Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who bought the QB a bus ticket to St. Louis in a trade for the surgically repaired knees (and psyche) of quarterback Sam Bradford.
In July I wrote a column saying I had no idea what to expect from Foles. Based on glaringly contrasting and conflicting reports out of Philadelphia, Foles could be the Rams’ solution to a longstanding problem at quarterback. Or he could be just another disappointment.
Some readers ridiculed me for declining to offer the usual “hot take” stand.
Sorry brothers and sisters, but I refuse to score cheap big-mouth, macho-man, poseur points by pretending that I know what Foles will do for the Rans. In this instance, “I don’t know” is not only a reasonable answer; it’s an answer rooted in sanity and reality.
Because NO ONE knows, including you.
Ah, but we do know this: if the Rams can run the football with a consistent show of raw power, Foles will have a chance to be the best QB here since Marc Bulger circa 2006. If the Rams can’t run the rock effectively, Foles has a better chance of becoming Kyle Boller. Foles has skill as a play-action passer, but that won’t kick in unless he has a bloody-good rushing attack to open the passing-game possibilities.
4. Todd Gurley, the running back of Fisher’s dreams.
Fisher came to the STL with a rep for establishing a physical, punishing rushing attack. That perception _ and reputation _ wasn’t the reality. Over the past three seasons the Rams have ranked 19th in rushing yards per game (106.3) and 17th in average yards (4.1) rush. They were 29th in first downs via the rush, struggled to win the short-yardage battles, and only four teams pounded for fewer rushing TDs. There was the occasional breakaway run, but the big-play count was lacking.
Fisher and GM Les Snead coveted Gurley, the scintillating Georgia RB. Though Gurley was still rehabbing from knee surgery and would be highly unlikely to go to the post at the start of the 2015 season, the Rams made him the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft. For the Fisher offense to have legs, Gurley must emerge as a Tennessee hybrid: a combination of Eddie George and Chris Johnson, who gave Fisher’s Titans an offensive identity.
Gurley was born to run. But when will he enter his race?
5. The Rams defense must match the hype, starting Sunday vs. Seattle.
Under the formidable first-year defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the 2014 Rams defense opened the season by roaming around in a state of discomfort and confusion, playing so far below expectations that you’d find their statistics buried under the Ed Jones Dome carpet, right there with the careers of Joe Klopfenstein and Tye Hill.
gregg williamsRams DC Gregg Williams
In the first eight games the defense ranked 27th in the league by giving up an average of 27.5 points per game. They were in the bottom half of the league rankings in sacks, opponent passer rating (104.8), TD-INT ratio, opponent average yards per passing attempt, opponent completion percentage (70%) and stopping third downs. Only two NFL teams were plowed for more yards rushing per game over the first half of the schedule, and the frequency of opponent breakout runs was alarming.
Williams coached the fellows up, got everyone on the same page, and made critical adjustments. Over the final eight games the Rams defense ranked fourth in fewest points allowed per game (16.8), second in opponent TD-INT ratio, and were among the league top 10 in sack percentage, opponent passer rating (81.4), third-down stops, rushing-yards allowed (84 per game), yards allowed per rushing attempt (3.59). The improvement was dramatic, emphatic, and overdue.
And with most of the defensive membership back in place in 2015 the expectations are up again _ understandably so. With a young line, a new QB, a new offensive coordinator and Gurley idle on the sidelines, the Rams offense may need time to establish traction. The assignment for this defense: play at peak level, take over games, and dominate. Williams and the players are in synch now; really there are no excuses.
6. To repeat: a slow start will doom the Rams’ playoff hopes.
Earlier in the week we presented the hard numbers that show us what happens to a team’s playoff chances when it staggers out to a 3-5 record over the first eight games on the schedule. You can read that here. The short version: since 2002, only two of 65 NFC teams that completed the first half of the season with a 3-5 record went on to make the playoffs. The 2012 Redskins and the 2013 Eagles. Enough said.
7. One more time, with feeling: enough already with the blockhead penalties.
Historically, Fisher’s teams are chronic offenders that draw too many penalties. It happened again last season; the Rams flagged for the NFL’s highest totals in accepted penalties and penalty yardage. I offered the gory details in an earlier post, but it comes down to this: a Rams offense that until now lacks quick-strike capability and the ample firepower to overcome mistakes cannot destroy possessions with a lack of discipline that attracts the attention of alarmed, flag-tossing zebras. The defense can’t give opponents gratuitous penalties to keep drives going. The Rams’ margin of error is slim; penalties are especially damaging and must be reduced. This is on Fisher to control the mischief and hold players accountable for repeat mental errors.
8. Do something about the small crowds and potential dome-field disadvantage.
Realistically speaking, Rams players can’t fully restore the loyalty and support of a fan base that’s been beaten down by the devastating combination of a .309 winning percentage over the past 10 seasons plus a calculating owner that’s tried to alienate the customers to strengthen his case for moving the team to Los Angeles to expand his personal fortune. But if these guys can win games early, generate excitement and change the subject _ away from Kroenke _ then more fans will be motivated to return to the Dome for old times’ sake.
For all of the justifiable anger and grumbling over The Mustache, no fan ever went to a stadium to root for an owner. Fans cheer for players and attach their loyalty to a community identity _ one represented nationally by the pro-sports teams in our town . I’m not saying that a 4-2 start will fill the big warehouse of football. But a promising start to the season can shift the emphasis _ if ever so briefly _ back to football, and create a positive energy.
9. Frank Cignetti can’t be Brian Schottenheimer v. 2.0.
This is, and always will be, a Jeff Fisher offense. The head coach prefers leather-helmet football, and in a mythical NFL draft he would probably choose Bronko Nagurski or Marion Motley over Marshall Faulk or Terry Metcalf. Fisher and the crew at Rams Park have been dropping hints, suggesting that a Cignetti offense will be different than the usual Schotty offense. I’m skeptical. But Cignetti, the new offensive coordinator, appears to be a bright guy. And there is at least a reason to believe we’ll see more creativity _ even within the confines of the Fisher ground-control philosophy. And yes an offense can be physical without being predictable and boring. That’s the challenge for Cignetti. His first test case: Tavon Austin. We wish the OC well.
10. Ignore the noise — the imaginary sounds of rumbling moving vans.
That’s a prime challenge for the men that wear the classic Rams helmets in 2015.. They have to block out the moving speculation _ and concentrate on blocking the opponents’ front seven. They can’t be worried about Kroenke hauling them to Inglewood; they have to focus on hauling in touchdown passes. They can’t waste time knocking down rumors; they must knock down passes. They can’t stress over what might happen after the season; they have to devote themselves to winning games during the season. It won’t be easy to mute the noise. But it must be done. No distractions.
September 11, 2015 at 9:52 pm in reply to: articles on Givens; Brown & Havenstein; Laurinaitis; Darrell Wms. #30254znModeratorDarrell Williams was grappled with two opposing emotions this week.
The first came Saturday, when St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher called to inform the former Orlando Evans and USF offensive tackle that he had made the cut for the NFL Rams 2015 53-man roster.
“I got the call and I was elated … Coach Fisher just told me to take a deep breath and that I had made it,” Williams said. “I called my agent, called my parents and let them know the good news and yeah, I was really excited that I was able to stay here and get on the 53-man roster.
“After that it was a bunch of thank yous and celebrating.”
Then came the news the next day that former USF teammate Elkino Watson, one of the most likeable guys on the team during Williams’ four years in Tampa, was killed late Saturday night after being stabbed several times during a fight in Ybor City.
“Yeah man, he was a guy that came in with me in my recruiting class. It was literally the day after I found out that I made the roster, that I heard what went down with Kino,” Williams said. “It was very sad. Terrible, terrible news when I woke up. Kino, I really liked him. He was a great guy. He had one of the biggest smiles in the locker room and always was just trying to have fun.
“I never saw him fight and he wasn’t a very argumentative person. It’s still tough right now seeing stuff on Facebook and Twitter about his death.”
Certainly a tough way to enter his first week in the NFL, but Williams has always been able to overcome obstacles. He’ll remain focused with just two more days of preparation as the Rams get set to host the Seattle Seahawks at the Edwards Jones Dome on Sunday.
Through fall camp, Williams kept gaining more confidence with each practice, and he said the key has been always playing hard and studying the playbook vigorously.
“I just treated it as if I could get cut at any moment. There were a lot of talented offensive linemen when I got there, so I didn’ take the opportunity for granted,” Williams said. “I tried to master the playbook early on so that I could play faster when it came time for preseason games and every day was a grind.”
His confidence grew through camp, but it wasn’t always that way. During his first Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Williams said he was like a kid among men.
“When I first arrived for OTAs, I was nervous every single day. … but, honestly, after the first preseason game I felt much better about my ability to play at this level and also after that first game, the game really slowed down for me,” Williams said. “I was actually more calm than I thought I would be coming into [the period of team cuts].
“Going against our D-line every day in practice helped me a lot. We have one of the top D-lines in the NFL.”
The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Williams sits on the Rams depth chart as the No. 2 left tackle behind second-year player Greg Robinson out of Auburn.
Williams’ path to the NFL didn”t even start until after high school. He never thought about the NFL. Williams didn’t even begin playing football until his ninth grade year at Evans, his first school year in the United States after moving from Kingston, Jamaica.
“I thought I was going to be the next great basketball player,” Williams said after committing to USF in 2010. “But when I got [to the U.S.] I saw that all the basketball players were like 6-8 or 6-9 and so I knew I had to do something else to go to college.”
They told him he should play football, and, led by former head coach Greg Thompson, who has returned to take over the job again this season after a four-year hiatus, Evans coaches helped him hone his craft.
“When I first got there [USF], I was still pretty raw because I had only played in high school. Initially, I wasn’t thinking this far ahead. I can’t think of what I was thinking back then, but I probably didn’t believe I could make it this far,” Williams said. “I was blessed to be at South Florida and have the opportunity to play as a freshman and then have the opportunity to start as a sophomore.
“So I got a lot of experience and once I got [to the NFL] I just did what I was asked.”
His perseverance and work ethic have been the driving force. He’s gone from a person who hated football as a freshman in high school, skipping workouts, making up excuses, etc., to one of the hardest working individuals on any practice field.
“I’ve always been a very coachable athlete, so whatever is asked of me I do it to the best of my abilities,” he said. “I try not to make excuses and try to get better every day.”
Williams joins a long line of former Evans High football players who went on to the NFL, including Kenard Lang (now head coach at Wekiva), Tony McCoy (assistant coach at South Lake), Kerlin Blaise, Keith Council, Leon Searcy, Horace Copeland, Jamie Dukes, Jeff Zimmerman, Brandon Siler, Alex Haynes and Demetri Patterson.
“Alex Haynes gave me some wise words when I was getting ready for this process,” Williams said. “There were some big names that came out of Evans and I’m just very appreciative of that and hopefully I can be in that category as another one who had a long, successful career. I’m just trying to follow in their footsteps.”
Williams signed a three-year contract with the Rams as an undrafted free agent worth $1,582,500. He received a $7,500 signing bonus. After finding out he had made the team this week, he found a place to live in St. Louis in an apartment complex where several young Rams players live.
He’s a humble, well spoken individual who graduated with a communications degree last December. Don’t be surprised if you see this guy in the broadcast arena after his playing days. For now, however, he’s as focused as ever.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time. I still don’t think it’s sunken in all the way yet,” Williams said.
znModeratorI think they can win it. The Rams just play Seattle tough at home, and Seattle’s just not as tough on the road.
But there are so many unknowns it is not as easy to flat predict it.
September 11, 2015 at 5:27 pm in reply to: articles on Givens; Brown & Havenstein; Laurinaitis; Darrell Wms. #30239znModeratorJames Laurinaitis closing in on Rams’ tackles record
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis is 15 tackles away from owning a piece of franchise history.
Sitting at 901 career tackles entering this Sunday’s season opener against Seattle, Laurinaitis needs 14 stops to tie Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen and 15 to pass him. Laurinaitis already sits ahead of such Rams luminaries as Deacon Jones and Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds.
Laurinaitis doesn’t much care for the chance to tout his own accomplishments, but defensive coordinator Gregg Williams doesn’t mind taking up for his middle linebacker. Asked Friday why he thinks Laurinaitis doesn’t get more credit, Williams offered a rebuttal for those that criticize Laurinaitis.
“Most of them that probably don’t think that [Laurinaitis is a good player] were the same guys that probably thought they should have been all-conference in high school that didn’t get a chance to play after,” Williams said. “I laugh and I smile about that. The all-time leading tackler? That says something. Here in St. Louis you guys also had a guy that was undrafted that everybody didn’t like, remember the comments about London Fletcher? He just played 17 years without missing a game and he tackled pretty well, too.”
Williams went on to describe how important Laurinaitis is to all that the Rams do defensively.
“James Laurinaitis is the epitome of a tackler,” Williams said. “I can’t think of a better person than him to be the all-time leading tackler here. I didn’t know he was that close. I’m going to wonder why he doesn’t have all those tackles in the first quarter this week.”
Laurinaitis was second on the team in tackles in 2014 and has reached 100 tackles in each of his six seasons in the NFL.
September 11, 2015 at 5:26 pm in reply to: articles on Givens; Brown & Havenstein; Laurinaitis; Darrell Wms. #30238znModeratorRams’ Jamon Brown, Rob Havenstein set to take center stage
By Nick WagonerEARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams will start two rookies on the offensive line Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. For left guard Jamon Brown and right tackle Rob Havenstein, it’s a difficult task.
Which is why both Brown and Havenstein admitted this week there will be some butterflies before kickoff.
“There’s definitely going to be some nerves,” Havenstein said. “I think anytime you step in and play your first NFL game and the bullets count, I think there are going to be a little bit of nerves. But it’s something that if I want to be a good player, I’m going to have to get past them and just go out and trust the guys around me, trust the front five I’m going to have around me and know that I’m going to have their back and they’re going to have my back.”
Many eyes will be on the Rams’ young offensive line in 2015. It’s a group that will go a long way in determining the team’s success. The Rams enter the season as the youngest team in the league for the fourth straight year and the offensive line is no exception with the youngest projected group in the NFL. Of the five projected starters, only right guard Rodger Saffold has more than a dozen NFL starts.
Which means plenty of attention will be paid to others across the line, specifically the two rookies. Facing a dominant Seattle defense in their first game won’t make things any easier for Brown and Havenstein, but even if both have had their hiccups in the preseason, they have impressed the coaching staff with their resilience and professional approach.
“I think they’ll try to create some one-on-one matchups and step up in some gaps and try to confuse us,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “I wouldn’t have asked ‘JB’ or allowed JB or Rob for that matter, we wouldn’t have put them in a position to start if we didn’t think they were going to get the job done, and they’re only going to get better.”
The Rams don’t have much time to wait. After spending five draft picks on offensive linemen this year, they’re betting big on youth to rule the day. After plugging Brown and Havenstein in on the right side from the day they arrived in St. Louis, the Rams didn’t do themselves any favors by waiting until the day before the third preseason game to juggle the line by moving Brown to the left side with Saffold on the right.
It was a logical move considering Saffold’s success on the right in 2013, Brown’s experience playing the left side and the chance to split the rookies up but the timing was puzzling at best.
“We did it the day before the Indianapolis game so it was very surprising for me,” Brown said. “Obviously, the type of guy I am, it doesn’t really matter. As long as I play, that’s all I’m worried about. Making that switch kind of told me something. Coach gave me an idea of what his mindset was going into that game and getting the best matchups and combinations he could. He was pleased with what I did on the left side and decided to make it final.”
With Saffold on the sidelines for most of the preseason with a shoulder issue, Brown was probably the Rams’ most consistent lineman until an ankle injury slowed him in the game against Indianapolis. The Rams believe Brown’s athleticism and ability to get out and pull makes him a better fit on the left side.
As for Havenstein, he did fine as a run blocker but had some issues in pass protection, at times playing too high and, by his own admission, needs to get better at getting off the ball at the snap quicker.
But the Rams’ refusal to spend premium picks on the offensive line until the past two years puts Brown and Havenstein in position where much will be expected of them right away — even though they have yet to take an NFL regular-season snap.
For their part, Brown and Havenstein are aware that they must produce right away in order for the offense to have success in the early part of the season.
“I think we kind of keep all of our motivation kind of in-house,” Havenstein said. “We know what we need to do; we know how we need to work. If you start paying attention to what others are saying, you are going to be lost, especially in today’s world. You can be up all night reading everything and go down the rabbit hole. I think this group has done a heck of a job, especially with the older guys in the group kind of keeping us on track, knowing what we have to do and our success will be dependent on our room, not on some outside influences. If we play well, we’re most likely going to have a good game.”
znModeratorSix Points: Seahawks vs. Rams
FOX Sports
Sep 11, 2015 at 8:30a ET SHARE 4 TWEET 5
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/six-points-seahawks-vs-rams-091115
It’s a tale of teams at different stages heading into 2015.
The Seahawks have been perched atop the league for the last three seasons, and are seeking a third straight Super Bowl appearance. After a crushing Super Bowl XLIX loss, Seattle reloaded and acquired Jimmy Graham in the offseason to boost their offense. However, they will also be without the services of one of their best players on the defensive side in Kam Chancellor (contract holdout).
Meanwhile, the Rams are simply trying to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2004. St. Louis’ strength lies in a young defensive front the organization has built through the draft. It is the Rams’ offense, though, that needs some time to build chemistry with a number of new faces, including quarteback Nick Foles.
Here are three keys to the game for both the Seahawks and the Rams.SEAHAWKS
1. Focus, focus, focus
The Rams unleashed trick plays in handing the Seahawks their third loss of the season in October. Heading into 2015, Seattle is once again the favorite to win the NFC West, while St. Louis could be a team on the rise, or floundering in mediocrity based on Jeff Fisher’s track record the last three seasons. If there’s anything the Seahawks need to know, all they have to do is pull up the tape from Oct. 20, 2014, and be wary of anything the Rams will try to do to pull out a win in their home opener.
2. Protect Russell Wilson
The problems centering around the offensive line in the preseason were evident. Though coach Tom Cable said his starting unit could be the best he’s coached, the group is far from a finished product. On the other side, the Rams boast arguably the best defensive front in the league, headlined by Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald. If the Seahawks expect to get anything going on offense, protecting Wilson is paramount.
3. Pressure Foles
The Rams are working in two rookies along the offensive line, and a center with little starting experience (four games). And it will be Foles’ first career start. The Seahawks defense is known to generate a ton of pressure, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kris Richard’s unit force Foles and the rest of the offense to make plays outside their comfort zone.RAMS
1. Keep Foles upright
The Rams’ young offensive line will be tasked with slowing down the league’s best defense for three straight seasons. Foles is no stranger to seeing pressure; he was sacked 37 times from the 2013-14 seasons while in Philadelphia. If the Rams hope to have any chance of winning Week 1, they’ll need to protect Foles and give him time in the pocket.
2. Attack Seahawks secondary
If Foles is able to buy time in the pocket, the Rams boast a number of weapons on the outside that have big-play potential, including Tavon Austin, Brian Quick and Stedman Bailey. The Seahawks will have three new faces in the secondary starting alongside Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas: Dion Bailey, rookie Tye Smith and offseason signee Cary Williams. Most notably, they’ll be without Chancellor.
3. Wreak havoc in the backfield
There’s no question the Rams’ strength lies in their defensive front. But Quinn, Donald and Co. face a tall task in trying to slow down Marshawn Lynch and making Wilson uncomfortable. The Rams defensive unit will need to try generating pressure to make life uneasy for the Seahawks offensive line, and force Lynch and Wilson work.znModeratorRams keeping eyes wide open when it comes to defending Jimmy Graham
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Perhaps in an effort to keep their newest weapon under wraps as long as possible, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t ask much of newly acquired Jimmy Graham in their preseason games.
In watching the tape this week to glean how the Seahawks might intend to use their Pro Bowl tight end, Rams coach Jeff Fisher saw, well, not much.
“We suspect they have a lot of things in for him because you didn’t really see much of him in the passing game in the preseason,” Fisher said.
But just because the Rams haven’t seen how the Seahawks plan to use Graham doesn’t mean they lack the knowledge needed to slow him down. In fact, the Rams have players and coaches who are plenty familiar with Graham. And to hear them tell it, defending the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Graham doesn’t come down to things like strength or speed.
“You have to be very good with your eyes,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “A lot of times, when they do play action stuff, those guys are in the flat. But with a guy like Jimmy Graham, if you are a few steps behind, it’s hard to catch him. A lot of times even when you are in coverage, his jump radius, his ability to go up for it is challenging, but I really like our guys we have. [He’s] just another piece of ammunition for them and a great challenge.”
Since Graham entered the league in 2010, he has played the Rams three times. In those three games, Graham has been held to seven catches for 85 yards with no touchdowns. In those meetings, the Rams have mixed and matched ways to defend Graham, even using cornerback Janoris Jenkins on him in a 2013 victory.
With Graham now in the NFC West and on the schedule twice per year, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams figures to throw multiple looks at Graham. Williams knows Graham well from their time together in New Orleans and has another player who is plenty familiar with Graham.
That would be safety Mark Barron, who spent his first 2½ seasons in Tampa Bay, one of the Saints’ division rivals. Former Buccaneers special assistant Butch Davis once said the Bucs used the seventh overall choice on Barron in 2012 as a direct response to Graham’s emergence in New Orleans.
Although Graham had a 10-catch, 179-yard performance against Tampa Bay in Week 2 of the 2013 season, safety Dashon Goldson covered Graham in the first half when Graham had eight catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the second half, with Barron covering him, Graham managed two catches for 23 yards and Barron finished with 10 tackles.
The key to slowing Graham? Barron echoed Laurinaitis.
“As long as we keep our eyes right and don’t make mistakes, we’ll be fine,” Barron said. “In my opinion, that’s the key. A lot of his plays, he is tricky with his routes. So a lot of times, guys have bad eyes and guess the wrong thing. So I think we have to make sure we are smart with our eyes and we’ll be fine.”
Most tight ends are pretty straightforward with their routes because they aren’t athletic enough to change direction like receivers. But Graham is a different beast. Whether it’s Jenkins, a linebacker like Alec Ogletree or a safety like Barron or T.J. McDonald drawing the assignment, one false step and Graham can run right by for a big play.
“He’s just a really good football player,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “He came to us well-equipped. We’re thrilled about the kind of player that he is, but even more so about the person that he is. He’s just jumped in with our team and fit right in and has been accepted. Now it’s just a process of getting to utilize the things he can do and developing and building the chemistry between the quarterback and receiver and all of that kind of cool stuff. That will improve for some time I think, but he looks like everything you’ve seen. He’s legit. He can make big plays and be a factor, so we’re hoping to fit him in the offense and make him a regular part of it.”
And the Rams are hoping that process take at least an extra week for Graham to fit in. To make that happen, it’s all about the eyes.
znModeratorRams banking on revamped run game to get in the zone
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterEARTH CITY, Mo. — After Frank Cignetti took over as the St. Louis Rams new offensive coordinator early this offseason, he promised that there’d be some changes coming.
With former tight ends coach Rob Boras promoted to assistant head coach/offense with a focus on the run game, the Rams offered a clear glimpse at who they are hoping to become offensively. The emphasis and devotion to creating a run game that can move the chains, control the clock and offer quarterback Nick Foles opportunities to make plays down the field became more clear in the NFL draft when the Rams selected running back Todd Gurley No. 10 overall and followed with four offensive linemen.
On Sunday, the Rams will lift the curtain on their new-look offense against the daunting Seattle Seahawks defense after a preseason in which they once again took a vanilla approach to play calling.
“We went into the preseason with thoughts about what we wanted to get done before we even played a game,” Cignetti said. “We looked at it and said, ‘Hey we get four preseason games, what do we want to do in each game?’ from a standpoint of a run plan, a protection plan and a pass game plan.”
While Cignetti has installed some tweaks all over the offense, it’s the changes made to the run game that will perhaps be the biggest factor in whether the Rams can have more success offensively in the first season with Cignetti at the helm.
“It’s important for everything we do as an offense,” rookie guard Jamon Brown said. “Establishing the run early allows us once we get to the pass downs to be able to do what we’re trying to do and that’s convert those pass downs, those third downs. If we have positive yards on first and second down, it makes it easier for us on third downs. So establishing the run early is going to be very important for us and I think we’ve got the guys up front that are ready to get down and get dirty a little bit and open some holes for our backs to do our thing.”
To be sure, the Rams aren’t completely overhauling the offense or the run game. In addition to some of the power man-blocking concepts they’ve used in recent years, they intend to add more outside zone plays to the mix.
For the offensive line, outside zone concepts ask them to move laterally and push defenders to the side to open cutback lanes. That means they have to be diligent about moving fast to make things happen, especially as they adjust to lining up in a three-point stance on a consistent basis.
“If you are coming from a team that runs the read option and all those things in a two-point stance, it is a major adjustment,” offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said. “That’s a big adjustment for these guys. Even from high school, some of these guys have never put their hand in the dirt.”
For the running back, his task is fairly simple on the surface. His job is to find a hole, make one cut and go. It has been a staple of the Seahawks over the past few years and comes with one important prerequisite: patience.
“I feel like with this scheme, it’s more patience,” running back Benny Cunningham said. “You have got to be real patient and trust everybody. It’s not a lot of difference but the outside zone we are doing now, I feel like it’s just about being patient.”
From the Rams’ perspective, the adjustment shouldn’t be anything they can’t handle though they are also charged with the task of getting off to a fast start despite some moving personnel pieces. With Tre Mason (hamstring) and Gurley (knee) recovering from injuries, the Rams will likely look to Cunningham to jumpstart the offense.
Cunningham said he played in a scheme with a lot of outside zone at Middle Tennessee State and though he had to relearn it this offseason, it has come back fairly easily. According to Cunningham, the mantra for all Rams runners this offseason has been “slow to, fast through” the hole as a way of reminding themselves to be patient.
In two years with the Rams, Cunningham has not started a game and had double-digit carries in a game only once. But if his opportunity arises against a Seattle defense that held the Rams to just 3.13 yards per carry in two meetings last year, Cunningham knows it won’t be easy but that he must take advantage of the chance.
“Anytime you get the opportunity to kind of remind the team how valuable you can be, you try to look forward to those opportunities,” Cunningham said.
As for the offensive linemen, Rob Havenstein said Wisconsin did a little bit of outside zone when he was in college but the Badgers were more inside zone and power. Those will still be part of the Rams’ attack in 2015, but Havenstein said he’s adjusted well to new concepts.
Brown said he did a lot of zone in college at Louisville so it hasn’t been much of a change.
“It helped me make that transition to this level being able to do that in college and how often we did it helped me,” Brown said. “So really, I’m just trying to use the tools I learned in college, maybe tweak them a little bit to make it so I can do it at the NFL level and then go.”
If the line and the backs can make it work early, it would go a long way toward helping the Rams’ offense become what they envisioned when the offseason began.
znModerator
Gregg Williams Has Rams Thinking “DMSU”http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/09/10/gregg-williams-has-rams-thinking-dmstf/
ST. LOUIS (AP) — After practice Wednesday, St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Alec Ogletree was wearing a T-shirt with the initials “DMSU” on the front.
No, it’s not some obscure institution of higher learning or the latest nutritional concoction. The initials stand for “Don’t Make Stuff Up.”
All the linebackers have them, as reminders not to be freelancing on the field, but to stick to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’s system. That reminder figures to come in handy for the opener when all-field threat Russell Wilson and the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks come to town.
“Coach is always joking around that if you did something that he didn’t coach, he’d say DMSU,” Ogletree said. “It’s kind of our little motto.”
Wilson blankets the top 10 in franchise history for rushing yards by a quarterback, including 106 yards on seven carries last year in St. Louis. He’s thrown 72 touchdown passes, sixth most in NFL history, and has produced 15 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, most in the league since he broke in as a third-round pick in 2012.
Plus, he’s got a new tight end in Jimmy Graham, who leads his position in receptions the last four years and is fourth overall in that stretch.
The Rams (6-10) have high hopes for their defense, which has five former first-rounders on the front line. For the franchise to end a string of 11 consecutive seasons without a winning record, the defense must step up.
“Who better else to start with than the NFC champions?” tackle Michael Brockers said.
But they can’t afford to get carried away, and must respect Wilson.
“Russell’s very, very difficult to defend,” coach Jeff Fisher said.
What to watch for:
SUPER BOWL HANGOVER
Beyond the potential mind games lingering from Wilson’s lamentable last-minute end zone interception against the Patriots, the Seahawks open minus star holdout safety Kam Chancellor. Dion Bailey will make his NFL debut in place of Chancellor, who faces potential team fines in excess of $1 million.
“I mean, everybody’s disappointed,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “You’ve got to treat it like he’s not going to be here, because he isn’t.”
Two offensive linemen will be starting for the first time. Garry Gilliam is the new right tackle and unknown Drew Nowak won the center spot.
Because of Nowak’s inexperience, the Seahawks are asking more from Wilson in pre-snap reads and calling protections. Seattle has used the same five on the line for the last three weeks since inserting Gilliam at a tackle and shifting Justin Britt to left guard.
ROOKIE RESPONSIBILITY: The Rams have no advantage on the offensive line, breaking in rookie tackle Rob Havenstein and guard Jamon Brown. They finally settled the center competition won by veteran backup Tim Barnes just four days before kickoff.
“There’s going to be a big learning curve for our guys, and I’m sure their guys as well,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.
LEGION OF WHOM: What’s long been a strength for Seattle is now a bit of a question.
Other than missing Chancellor and breaking in Bailey, Thomas is coming off left shoulder surgery and did not play in the preseason. Sherman and Earl Thomas still patrol the back end, but the secondary may not be as imposing as the past two years when the Seahawks had the best pass defense in the NFL.
HOME FIELD: Seattle has won five of six in the series, but the Rams have taken two of the last three at home. All three games have been decided by six or fewer points.
There might not be a crowd advantage in the Edward Jones Dome, given general resignation that owner Stan Kroenke intends to move the franchise back to Los Angeles after the season. For both of the home preseason games, the 66,000-seat dome was probably about one-fourth full.
FOLES DEBUT: Nick Foles got a two-year contract extension before taking a single preseason snap. He’s perceived as a better injury risk than Sam Bradford and comes cheaper, too. Foles will have to get the ball out fast given the inexperience up front, and the Rams must develop a go-to wide receiver. Brian Quick, coming off potential career-ending shoulder surgery, could be the one to step up.
znModeratorbtw, This is a good video. Rams Report: 53-Man Roster Breakdown
Join reporter Dani Klupenger and insider Myles Simmons as they take an inside look at the Rams’ 53-Man Roster http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Rams-Report-53-Man-Roster-Breakdown/6bae10e5-0c17-4d33-85a9-b04d9520cc93znModeratorRams’ special teams trickery has Seattle’s attention
Jim Thomas
Last year it was the infamous “Mountaineer” play, and then a fake punt. Three years ago, it was a fake field goal and an onside kick. The result was a pair of upset victories by the Rams over Seattle.
You think the Seahawks are working overtime this week on stopping every special teams trick play known to man?
“Oh yeah,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “You can tell them that. We are.”
On Sept. 30, 2012 at the Edward Jones Dome, in just the fourth game for coach Jeff Fisher with the Rams, his team lined up for a chip-shot field goal attempt late in the first half. But punter Johnny Hekker, who doubles as the team’s holder, took the snap, stood up, and fired a two-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola to give St. Louis a 10-7 lead.
“A bit of a hideout situation,” Hekker recalled. “Danny was in the play before, so he didn’t have to go inside the numbers to declare (he was in the game).”
After a third-down play, Amendola lingered near the sideline, never left the field, and his presence went undetected by the Seahawks. It’s the kind of play you might see in a high school game … but in the NFL?
As a topper, the Rams successfully executed an onside kick and turned that into a franchise-record 60-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein. The Rams ended up winning 19-3.
Not even that 2012 trickery can match what took place last Oct. 13. In a 28-26 Rams victory at the Dome, Stedman Bailey scored a 90-yard touchdown on a bit of punt return trickery known as the Mountaineer.
With some great acting by return man Tavon Austin and most of the Rams’ punt return team, basically the entire Seattle coverage unit headed that way, thinking the ball had been kicked to Austin. Alas, the ball had been punted to the other side of the field, where Bailey fielded it and raced to the end zone against token resistance.
Bailey still sees the play pop up once in a while on social media, and his reaction is usually the same.
“Wow. We really did pull that off,” Bailey said. “A pretty spectacular play and I love it.”
It wouldn’t have been possible without the acting job by Austin, and because of that, Austin says he and Bailey long ago reached agreement on how the TD should be credited.
“Half and half,” Austin said. “He told me half his touchdown goes to me.”
If the fake field goal and its design three years ago was rare, how do you categorize the Mountaineer, so named because Bailey and Austin played college ball for the West Virginia Mountaineers?
“It’s probably a good chance it won’t happen again,” Austin said.
Maybe so, but the Seahawks undoubtedly will be on high alert for anything funky from the Rams in Sunday’s season opener, a noon kickoff at the Dome.
“They should be preparing for that 13-man punt formation,” Hekker joked. “We’ve been running that one a lot. Nine-man field goals — all this crazy stuff.”
Because of what happened in those past games, the odds say nothing of the sort happens Sunday, and if it does, it’s unsuccessful.
Rest assured, however, that Fisher and special teams coordinator John Fassel have some unused goodies left in their bag of tricks.
“We always will have something to draw upon,” Fisher said. “Whether we dial ’em up or not, that remains to be seen. You need the perfect situation for it.
“I think not only Seattle, but the rest of the league, understands that we’re one of those teams that’s going to — not take chances — but try to steal possessions with our special teams.”
But Fisher added: “We can’t go into a Seattle game expecting to win the game on a fake punt or a special teams play. We’ve got to play better offense and defense against them.”
Doing so obviously is easier said than done. Even with the special teams trickery that led to those victories over Seattle, the Rams are a mere 3-17 against their NFC West rivals since 2005. Over the past decade, the only team that has a worse record against a division foe is Buffalo at 2-18 against New England in the AFC East.
The headliners for Seattle are well-known by now: quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch on offense, cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas heading up the Legion of Boom on defense.
Hard-hitting safety Kam Chancellor, in the midst of a contract holdout, won’t play. But the Seahawks added another marquee player in the offseason, acquiring all-world tight end Jimmy Graham from New Orleans.
“They utilized the tight ends quite a bit last year, especially in our games, and they made some plays,” Fisher said. “Then you add somebody like Jim that’s got great ability, and catch radius, and run-after-catch. It’s gonna be a concern.”
The mere presence of Graham means that ganging up on Lynch and the Seattle running game becomes that much more difficult.
On the other side of the ball, the Rams’ new starting quarterback (Nick Foles) and new offensive coordinator (Frank Cignetti) are up against the NFL’s top-ranked defense from a year ago. Foles faces Seattle for the first time, and does so behind the league’s most inexperienced offensive line, one that will start rookies Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown.
“I think they’ll try to create some one-on-one matchups and step up in some gaps and try to confuse us,” Fisher said of the Seahawks. “But we’ve got a smart group up front. We wouldn’t have put (Brown and Havenstein) in a position to start if we didn’t think they were gonna get the job done. And they’re only going to get better.”
znModeratorbtw, This is a good video. Rams Report: 53-Man Roster Breakdown
Join reporter Dani Klupenger and insider Myles Simmons as they take an inside look at the Rams’ 53-Man Roster http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Rams-Report-53-Man-Roster-Breakdown/6bae10e5-0c17-4d33-85a9-b04d9520cc93Thanks for the heads up.
I copied that to another thread too.
znModeratorTomlin angry with communications problems at Gillette Stadium
Michael David Smith
An angry Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after tonight’s loss in New England that he and his coaching staff were having problems getting their headsets to work properly, and that communications problems are commonplace at Gillette Stadium.
“We were listening to the Patriots radio broadcast for the majority of the first half on our headsets, coach to coach,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin also said that it’s “always the case” that the Steelers have trouble with their in-stadium communications when they play in New England. He said that eventually the problem got fixed.
“We let the league officials on site handle it,” Tomlin said.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game that his team also had problems with the headsets.
Tonight’s issue with the Steelers’ communications comes after an offseason that was dominated by Deflategate, and comes in a week when both ESPN and Sports Illustrated published lengthy stories suggesting that the Patriots frequently break NFL rules. There have been previous reports that some teams thought the Patriots were tampering with communications devices, although those suspicions have never resulted in league discipline.
The league spent most of the offseason dealing with the Deflategate investigation. Now there may be calls for the league to embark on another investigation of what happened with the Steelers’ headsets.
znModeratorWell lots of different views on the Oline in general.
Those two guys sound fairly optimistic.I like the optimism, but notice it’s not total. They don’t say the entire OL as put together now will excel anytime soon or anything like that. So for example they don’t comment on Havenstein or Robinson, or how well Barnes will do (though they think he will be at least okay). You get the sense they like the longterm prospects, but these posters are not promising early greatness, by any means.
I posted them not because of their optimism, though, but because of their insight. There’s just stuff there no one else has said or noticed.
1. the unit has a whole looked better with Barnes starting, which means at least a little something anyway.
2. Saffold was always the ROG. He was at LOG through OTAs to be a kind of veteran resource on the field for Robinson.
3. The coaches like Wichman so much they didn’t want to risk losing him, which means that in essence it is keeping Wichman that cost them Jones. They had to choose between those 2.
4. Williams actually earned that spot and it was obvious (and I think it’s obvious that defies expectations). I want to add here (they didn’t say this I am) that that is such a coup. (Potentially) finding 2 left OT prospects in one year? Wow. Never seen it before. If both Battle and Wms come through next year, that’s just crazy depth. I promise you no one can name the last time the Rams were 3 deep at LOT (again that’s assuming all 3, including Robinson, come through, but that’s a real possibility).
5. A lot of people are down on Barnes because they remember how Mebane played him tough in 2013. But here, we learn that Barnes dedicated himself to a lot of film study and weight work over the last couple of years, in spite of his various injuries in 2014. Saying that’s not the same as claiming he will be a top center, but it DOES say he worked on the one real key weakness Rams fans know about (stemming from the losing battle with Mebane in 2013). The poster (who played OL) claims that watching Barnes this summer, you could tell the difference that working on lower body strength made in his play. Again that’s not a guarantee of anything, but it is worth noting.
6. Interestingly, the Rams CUT centers others noticed. There’s a web narrative out there that says Barnes was just the best of a bad lot. Well, the Rams didn’t re-sign a guy (Person) who is now the starting center in Atlanta. Jones was immediately picked up when he was cut. If as they say Barnes was the lead to start all along, then, he didn’t just measure up against Rhaney and Jones, they didn’t keep a guy who got signed away and then became a starter. That implies a lot of team confidence in Barnes. More than you would expect given the dominant narrative out there.
7. If these reports are right (and there’s reason to think they are…CoachO hears reliable stuff and GH gets his “inside” stuff from CoachO) then the Rams really scored at guard. Rhaney has promise as an inside swingman, Brown we know has promise (and btw he’s the 5th rated guard according to PFF pre-season grades, tied interestingly enough with L’al Collins), but what we didn’t know is that they are really high on Wichman too.
If true, and it’s at least plausible, that’s an amazing amount of positive OL scoring in one draft year. They got 2 LOT candidates and 2 guards they’re high on. You know, teams just don’t do that.
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znModeratorSorry, zack. I PM’d ya, but I wanted to post it prior to the kickoff.
The red, white and blue balls were the ABA… think Dr. J.
I do hope this lives on a bit and can be a reference point for conversations…
I know, ABA. I was playing goofy there.
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