Siberian Ways. Big Log Fire

That’s clearly an analogy. I am just not sure what it says. Explain? Thanks.

.

Agamemnon wrote:

It was hard to tell a lot from the game. The Raiders looked the better team. I liked Havenstein, Brown, and Mannion. The rest seemed up and down.

Just speculating but it is entirely possible that Oakland game-planned the Rams whereas the Rams were just in normal pre-season mode.

Why would Oakland do that? It’s a good motivator for Del Rio to remind them about 52-0 and go get some payback.

Now of course as I said this is pure speculation. Meaning, anyone who dares disagree with this true insight of mine is not a real Rams fan.

.

Trumaine Johnson shows he’s capable of reclaiming starting job

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/174613/trumaine-johnson-shows-hes-capable-of-reclaiming-starting-job

It was the third preseason game last season when St. Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson suffered a knee injury that essentially cost him his starting job. It was an injury to another corner, this time E.J. Gaines, that might have given it back to Johnson.

“I don’t look at it like that,” Johnson said on the team’s broadcast. “I pray for the best for him for a speedy recovery. We always say it’s always next man up.”
.
Last year, Gaines was the next man up when Johnson went down. Gaines never looked back on his way to an impressive rookie season in which he held on to the job almost the entire season.

Now, with Gaines battling a foot injury that looks like it will keep him out a while, the roles are reversed. And Johnson showed Friday night that if indeed he has to step back into his former role, he’s more than ready to do so.

Johnson played only two series in the Rams’ 18-3 loss Friday night to the Oakland Raiders, but nevertheless he made his presence felt early and often. Playing in front of about 50 to 60 friends and family members from nearby Stockton, California, Johnson finished with a tackle, an interception and two passes defended. He did have a facemask penalty that cost the Rams 15 yards but immediately redeemed himself by coming up with the interception. He jumped an inside slant route at the goal line to kill a potential scoring drive.

It was a tantalizing reminder of Johnson’s physical talent. At 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, Johnson is the closest thing the Rams have to the bigger, more physical corner preferred by teams around the league. Despite that size, Johnson seemed to get lost in the shuffle after his injury in 2014.

By the end of the season, Johnson had 36 tackles and three interceptions in nine games. He played mostly on the outside with Gaines moving into the slot when the Rams went to nickel formations. But Johnson was also never really back to full strength until this offseason. He said Friday night that he’s no longer thinking about the knee issue.

“No, not at all,” Johnson said. “You can’t. It was feeling 100 [percent] on our first break, when we got those four months off after the season. I stayed in St. Louis for the most part, not because I was injured but because I wanted to.”

Whether Johnson will get the chance to stay in St. Louis beyond this season remains to be seen. He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the year. But with Gaines ailing, Johnson figures to get a shot to regain his job in the short term. And if he can carry over Friday’s performance into consistent production in the regular season, maybe even longer.

Five Takeaways: Rams at Raiders

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Five-Takeaways-Rams-at-Raiders/35dfaa7f-89bd-457f-babf-8f5c19c57325

The first preseason game is in the books, with the Rams getting good work in against the Raiders. The final score was 18-3. Here are five takeaways from the first exhibition matchup.

1. Tavon Austin is really fast

The wide receiver was electrifying on the Rams’ second snap, as he took a screen play 35 yards to set up a field goal. Head coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti have both stated that they would like to increase the number of times Austin has the ball in space, and this play was a prime example of that coming to fruition.

The wideout made the catch on the left side of the field, got a good block from fellow receiver Kenny Britt, and then juked his way past a few black jerseys to get to the middle of the gridiron. From there, it was Austin’s speed and quickness that sprung him for the big gain.

Keep in mind that the Rams will not be featuring their full package of offensive plays until the regular season starts. But at least from the first few plays of this one, the future looks pretty bright for Tavon Austin.

2. Foles getting in sync

While Austin’s shiftiness may have set up that field goal, the drive began with an impressive down-field pass from quarterback Nick Foles to tight end Lance Kendricks. The QB floated the ball right to the bread basket, and it ended up going for a 26-yard gain.

“He’s just in sync with the whole offense — a great rhythm, great timing with everybody, easy to work with,” Kendricks said. “It’s going to be a fun season”

Foles finished 3-of-5 passing for 69 yards in his Rams preseason debut. Kendricks said he was pleased with how the first offensive unit performed.

“I think we played pretty good, a couple mistakes here and there, but we’ve got to get better and we will,” Kendricks said.

3. Don’t test Trumaine Johnson

Johnson made a couple of key plays in the first quarter to keep the Raiders from putting up six points. The first came on Oakland’s first drive, when the corner deflected a pass intended for Michael Crabtree close to the front corner of the end zone. And while he committed a facemask penalty on the home team’s second possession, he recovered by ending it with an interception in the end zone.

“I just read the quarterback’s eyes and was able to make a play,” Johnson said of the pick.

While he missed significant time with a knee injury last season, Johnson quietly finished 2014 leading the Rams in interceptions. So far through training camp and limited preseason action, the corner’s ball skills are strong as ever.

4. Target No. 12 and No. 19

Wide receivers Stedman Bailey and Chris Givens led the way for the Rams in targets and receptions. Bailey caught three passes for 24 yards, and Givens caught four for 36. The wideout also took an end around 16 yards, displaying his considerable speed.

But if you noticed in the headline to the section, Givens is no longer wearing No. 13. This week, the receiver switched his number for a great reason, as Tweeted by Rams’ preseason play-by-play broadcaster Andrew Siciliano.

Rams WR Chris Givens will now wear #19 to honor former Wake Forest teammate Kevin Smith-Franklin who died last December in a car accident.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) August 15, 2015

5. A few too many penalties

In the first half alone, the Rams were flagged six times for 50 yards. Yes, it’s preseason and it’s the first time St. Louis has faced off against an opponent with referees. But holding, facemask, and delay-of-game penalties can be particularly detrimental to a team’s cause. Again, it’s only the first exhibition game, so it’s not reason for alarm. But the Rams will likely look to correct some of those issues over the next week practicing with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif.[/quote]

Agamemnon wrote:

zn, you posted an article that talked about Foles. In it, it said that when Kelly’s offense was new, teams were sort of forced to play man-to-man. When they started to figure it out and play more zone, Foles performance dropped. If memory serves?

yes

==========

http://theramshuddle.com/topic/2014-article-nick-foles-remains-a-qb-enigma/

In watching film from last season, the Jaguars saw what others have seen: Foles has a tendency to hold on to the ball too long. When he has to go through his progressions and find second or third reads, he can be hesitant, which leads to sacks.

The Jaguars thought if they could play solid zone coverage against the Eagles, their pass-rushers could get to Foles, which is exactly what happened in the first half.

“We knew if we started fast, he’d hold on to the ball a little bit, because they run long-developing routes,” Clemons said. “We knew if we could get to him, we’d go for what we call the run-run-reach, which is coming from behind and swiping the ball. When they can’t see you, it’s easy.”

Greg Cosell, executive producer of ESPN’s “NFL Matchup” show, has watched every snap Foles has taken as a pro. Cosell said the Eagles faced man coverage last season primarily from defenses that reacted to Philadelphia’s tempo. Cosell expects that teams will emulate what the New Orleans Saints did in a playoff win at Philadelphia in January and what Jacksonville did in Week 1: be more proactive and aggressive, particularly if the Eagles continue to have issues on their offensive line.

I think figuring Foles out is complicated. So I think that he has different aspects to him. You hear Foles has some gunslinger in him and I think that’s true. But you also hear that all Foles has to do is minimize mistakes and let Gurley and the D win games. I think that’s ALSO true.

Some of this I’ve said before but it’s Game Day so it rises in my mind. I have a long and a short version. Short version comes at the end.

Just some opinions and glimpses mixed in with some facts, but, I think Foles does have some gunslinger in him, from what I have seen, but it’s not always successful. Last year there were all sorts of different signals about Foles, and they show different things, some better than others (this is just a glimpse. I don’t have a handle on Foles yet. I need to see him in this offense.)

Foles is actually a good rhythm/short game passer. Last year Foles, as everyone knows, was not as stellar overall as he was in 2013, but where he did do well was throwing the ball in under 2.6 seconds. He had a 73.5% completion percentage when he threw quickly, which was 6th out of 39 qbs, and a qb rating of 103.5, which was 11th.

Everyone talks about Foles being able to get out of trouble and look downfield, but actually, he was a worse qb overall when he did that in 2014. Now this isn’t about the long passing game—you can set up and design long passes, without the improvisation. I am talking about what he’s like when he tries to extend a play or holds the ball to make something happen. (The kind of thing for example Wilson excels at.) When Foles has the ball for more than 2.6 seconds, his completion percentage in 2014 was 46.4%, which was 38th out of 39. His qb rating fell to 59.4, which was 37th out of 39. Only Blake Bortles and Josh McCown were worse.

I just think he’s far better at the improv stuff when there’s a very effective running threat.

In terms of holding the ball in 2013, he was much better. When he held the ball for 2.6 seconds or more in 2013, he had a completion percentage of 55.6% (which was 13th in the league) and a qb rating of 113.4 (which was 1st in the league). What was the difference between 2013 and 2014? Big mystery there. Probably a lot of things. One was that the Eagles ran the ball much more effectively in 2013. (Also, in 2013, when he got rid of the ball in under 2.6 seconds, he had a completion percentage of 74.5%, which was 2nd in the league).

But as for our dichotomy, you can have some Brett Favre in you and STILL run a good tight ball control game. In fact I think that’s precisely what they intend to do with him. That will go along, of course, with setting up big plays through play action.

Looking just at the NUMBERS (and I stress “numbers” because that means ONLY numbers, which isn’t ever quite enough), what they seem to say on this issue is that he’s up and down as a player who holds the ball and looks to make something happen, but he is consistently good as a ball control, rhythm passer.

But then…again, I see all sorts of early signs that the Rams are setting up a ball control, rhythm passing game. That;s actually the opposite of what we were getting last summer, when all sorts of signs pointed to the fact that they wanted to throw downfield a fair percentage of the time and exploit Britt and Quick in the medium passing range game (11-20 yards, and deep medium in the 21-30 yard range).

Short version.

I think he’s good at a ball control passing game, but can also be effective doing more than that if the offense sets him up to do that. That means running the ball effectively, reducing mistakes, doing the field position battle thing, relying on the defense, and passing in rhythm. So he CAN be a good deep passer and also a good improviser, but IMO only if he does it from a stable base with an offense that can control the ball most of the time.

So which is he? Ball control passer or gunslinger? Both. Good at the former, and better at the latter when the overall offense is under more control.

BUT at the same time in 2013 he showed all sorts of signs he was good at the 2 minute offense and comeback wins.

Just some preliminary guesses on my part.

5 things to watch: Rams vs. Oakland

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/things-to-watch-rams-vs-oakland/article_9bcfb84e-5292-5684-a592-fe08d4f40388.html

FOLES’ FIRST STEPS

The Rams have handed him the keys to the offense in the form of a three-year, $26 million contract extension. Hopefully, new QB Nick Foles won’t drive it into the Bay in Oakland. Actually, Foles won’t be on the field long enough to do much good or bad. But these will be the first passes he throws in a Rams uniform, albeit for only a series or two.

ROOKIES RULE

The biggest question mark on the team is the inexperienced offensive line, particularly rookie starters Rob Havenstein at right tackle and Jamon Brown at right guard. Despite their talent and early progress in camp, they need all the game reps they can get before the real deal comes in September. Look for them to play most if not all of the first half.

CENTER ATTRACTION

The battle for the starting center job begins to take form tonight in O.co Coliseum. The Rams’ official depth chart lists Barrett Jones as the starter, but Tim Barnes and Demetrius Rhaney should get playing time against the Raiders as well. Besides the obvious — blocking — this competition is about clean exchanges and making proper line calls.

BACKFIELD BACKUPS

First-round draft pick Todd Gurley won’t play as the Rams ease him back from knee surgery. Tre Mason (hamstring) probably sits this one out, too. So it will be all about the backups. The coaches know what Benny Cunningham can do. But Trey Watts, Chase Reynolds, Isaiah Pead, and rookie free agents Malcolm Brown and Zach Laskey all could get plenty of work.

CORNER MARKET

With E.J. Gaines out, and young veterans Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson missing practice time this week, second-year man Lamarcus Joyner could be on the field a lot Friday night. So could youngsters Marcus Roberson and Imoan Claiborne, who have shown good cover and ball skills in camp. They are in the mix for the fifth (or sixth) corner spot.

Rams set to take on Raiders

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-set-to-take-on-raiders/article_6f0039f8-f63b-5044-9f60-d9efbaa362ce.html

The last time Nick Foles stepped foot in O.Co Coliseum, home of the Oakland Raiders, he threw seven touchdown passes.

That came as a Philadelphia Eagle on Nov. 3, 2013, and it tied an NFL single-game record. He won’t throw seven TD passes Friday in the Rams’ preseason opener in Oakland. (Kickoff is 9 p.m. St. Louis time.) In fact, Foles might not even throw seven passes before he gives way to backups Case Keenum, Austin Davis and Sean Mannion.

Foles is expected to play only a series or two in his Rams debut, but coach Jeff Fisher couldn’t be happier with what he has seen from Foles so far, particularly from a leadership standpoint.

“Nick’s had a really good camp,” Fisher said. “I’m just really proud of him and happy that he’s here, so it will be fun to watch him play a little bit.”

For openers, Fisher wants Foles to get the ball out quick and wants the Rams’ inexperienced offensive line to give him a clean pocket.

“We want to protect him,” Fisher said. “We don’t want to get him hit. Get rid of the ball. Coach (Jack) Del Rio is a good football coach, a defensive guy. And he’s going to have them rolling off (the line). So we just have to be smart offensively.”

Del Rio, a former head coach in Jacksonville but most recently defensive coordinator for Denver, is the Raiders’ new head coach.

Protecting the quarterback obviously is a must no matter what style of offense you’re running. But in the case of the Rams, getting the ball out quickly will be standard operating procedure behind a young offensive line.

So regardless of who’s at quarterback, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams throw a lot of short stuff, using play-action to go deep once the running game has been established.

With rookies Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown scheduled to start at right tackle and right guard, respectively, and with an inexperienced player at center no matter who wins that competition, the Rams need to get the ball out quick early in the regular season while the O-line settles in. Friday’s game could start to set that tone.

Many of the Rams’ frontline players will be rested against Oakland due to a variety of aches and injuries. Others will play sparingly. But that’s the way of the world in preseason openers: It’s all about evaluating the younger players, particularly those on the back end of the 90-man training camp roster.

“We’re going to play younger players, particularly in the second half,” Fisher said. “When you look at the roster and you start looking at the 51st, 52nd, and 53rd player, so much of it has to do with their ability to contribute on special teams.

“We’re going to give guys opportunities to do some things and show us some things on special teams. But at the same time being mindful of the fact that if they’re playing every snap on defense, and then going out and covering every kick, that’s hard.”

The idea throughout is to see how the newcomers, and relative newcomers, respond to pressure. The kind of pressure that can only be applied by playing guys in opposing uniforms.

“That’s always the first thing that we’re looking at,” Fisher said.

And when that happens, the rose-colored glasses start to come off. The happy talk of the first couple of weeks of training camp is replaced by errant blocks, false starts, dropped passes and missed tackles.

As defensive coordinator Gregg Williams put it: “We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. … When I see them have their strengths then we’ll package those guys into those strengths.”

And when he sees their weaknesses exposed, Williams then tries to minimize those risks when those players are in the game.

“It’s important for me to get a chance to see them in competition,” Williams said. “These preseason games are important that way.”

Naturally, those that display too many weaknesses won’t be around when the roster is cut to the final 53 in early September.

Preseason game or not, Fisher is hoping for fewer penalties and better execution, even in what’s more of a free-form setting with next to no game-planning.

“We just want to go out and let players play,” Fisher said. “When you’re playing your vets and your starters early in the game, you want it clean. We want to avoid penalties. We want to avoid the line of scrimmage things and the things that have victimized us in years past. Hopefully, our emphasis here on the practice field will carry over.”

Following Friday’s game, the team will stay in California for most of the week, moving south to the Los Angeles area for practices against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday and Tuesday. The Rams will practice by themselves on Wednesday in Oxnard, the Cowboys’ camp home, before flying back to St. Louis.

For fans of the old Los Angeles Rams, it will be a glimpse of the team that owner Stan Kroenke is trying to move to the West Coast in 2016. The Cowboys usually practice before big crowds in camp practices there; the appearance by the Rams should bolster those numbers

Agamemnon wrote:

As expected, the deal will pay him almost $14 million guaranteed. The exact amount of guaranteed money is $13,792,000 and includes a $3 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed base salary this season of $1,042,500 and a $2 million roster bonus to be paid on Sept. 1.

So he counts 4 M this year.

No wonder they didn’t chase any more free agents. They used their remaining cap space on this, and obviously planned to all along.