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znModeratorPractice Report 10/14: Foles, Offense Looking for Consistency
Myles Simmons
The Rams have had big wins and disappointing losses in their first five games. And as they use the bye week for some self-scouting, quarterback Nick Foles said the offense has been working to become more consistent.
“There’s some good and there’s some stuff we need to improve on. The big thing I see is we need more consistency on offense. Whether it be my play or just us moving the ball,” Foles said. “It’s the ultimate team game in the sense [that] on offense, everybody’s got to work together. It’s something that we’re working towards this week.”
So far, Foles has completed 57.4 percent of his passes this season for 956 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions — four of which came last week against the Packers. Still, head coach Jeff Fisher said he’s liked what he’s seen from the quarterback so far, knowing Foles still has plenty of room to grow.
“He’s going to continue to get better,” Fisher said. “He’s just become more and more familiar with our system and our players and he’ll continue to improve. So, by no means has he peaked.”
“There definitely has been some growing pains and I’m learning,” Foles said. “But where I want to be right now — I want to keep improving every day. I am where I am right now, but I want to keep getting better. I want to keep building, keep improving. The big thing is just being consistent every week and putting us in a situation where we can win the game.”
Part of the improvement process is gaining more comfort in the offense. The quarterback is still relatively new within it, but has been able to grasp it well. Still, Foles said there is more he can do to master it.
“It’s a process. I’m learning more and more every day,” Foles said. “As long as I play this game, I’ll keep learning. We’re still improving, still figuring it out. That’ll always be the case. Guys who play in this league for 15 years will still tell you they’re still working to figure it out and get better and that’s what we’re doing.”
It’s clear the quarterback and his receivers are working to gain chemistry and comfort with one another, as they’ve been spending extra time on the field following practice.
“That’s what he does,” Fisher said of Foles. “He has a chance to look at the cut-ups and to be involved in the self-scout process. Those things understandably help. Then, as we make changes offensively, he’s involved in them — which he should be.”
Part of that process has been getting to develop relationships with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
“We’re getting to know each other more and more each week,” Foles said. “You want to build those relationships throughout the weeks. Go through these tough times together. There’s also been a lot of great things going on together, so as a group we build consistency.”
But even as he’s involved in the offensive tweaks, Foles said he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel.
“They have the system — Cignetti’s system,” Foles said. “Me, I just try to learn the system more and more and more of what he wants from each and every play. Through time, if I see something I mention it and then we work together on how we can fit it in to what he already has.”
And so as the season continues, Foles said he feels like the offense is close to clicking, especially with the emergence of Todd Gurley in the run game.
“There’s definitely a lot of great things that are going on,” Foles said. “The key is to stay positive, keep working. Keep working on your craft. You’ve got to be critical of yourself, but at the same time, keep yourself uplifted. And that’s what the guys are doing.”
znModeratorBye week gives Rams chance to shore up offensive line
R.B. FALLSTROM (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated Presshttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/bye-week-gives-rams-chance-shore-offensive-line-230029059–nfl.html
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams lost plenty of experience on the offensive line when guard Rodger Saffold injured his shoulder in the first half of Sunday’s loss in Green Bay.
They’re using the bye week to help figure out what to do.
Left tackle Greg Robinson, in his second year and now a veteran in this group, said part of Tuesday’s workout was devoted to dealing with stunts and twists that teams have been throwing at the Rams (2-3). Coaches are stressing that proper technique can foil such tactics.
”We worked on it a lot today, just because it was so obvious that teams have noticed we’ve struggled with it and if we don’t fix it it’s going to continue to happen,” Robinson said. ”Once you stop them, they’ll stop gaming us.”
Linemen worked on making sure they popped back off the line at the snap to give themselves room to deal with the rushes that are coming from everywhere.
”If we keep everything in front of us they’ll basically be twisting on air,” Robinson said. ”If we give them our bodies and we don’t get back it’s easier for them to knock us off-balance.”
The line is a collection of diligent workers absorbing the finer points of the game from line coach Paul Boudreau.
”If we don’t exaggerate the techniques in practice, we won’t really fix the games,” Robinson said. ”Nine times out of 10 they will give it away, guys will talk or there will be things you notice.”
Saffold, a six-year veteran, will be out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury. He also had problems with the shoulder during the preseason. He also has had issues with his left shoulder, and underwent surgery after last season.
On Tuesday, coach Jeff Fisher had no update on the prognosis for Saffold, who had been undergoing testing.
”He was one of the vets in the room and we need that leadership on the field,” Robinson said. ”I just hope that things go well and he can stick it out.”
The Rams signed swingman Garrett Reynolds to a free agent deal in the offseason for just such a situation. He has 27 starts, including four last season at tackle with Detroit and 10 at guard in 2013 with Atlanta.
”Nothing was ever said to me, but that’s just the kind of person I’ve always been,” Reynolds said. ”Wherever you need me, throw me in there and I’ll be ready to roll.”
The Rams made it tougher on the opposition when they separated rookies Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown, who played side by side much of the preseason. Havenstein stayed at right tackle and Brown moved to left guard.
”Breaking us up made it harder to pinpoint, but we’ve still had our share of twists and stunts,” said Brown, a third-round pick. ”I think teams are going to keep doing it because it’s the hardest thing to pick up.”
Even after losing Saffold, the line showed its strength in the run game by opening holes for rookie Todd Gurley. Gurley had 146 yards at Arizona in his first start and topped that with 159 yards last week. He ranks second among rookies with 314 yards to go with a 5.7-yard average.
”Gurley has had two big games,” Robinson said. ”He’s a great player, he’s been running hard – and we’ve been blocking hard.”
October 15, 2015 at 1:12 am in reply to: 101, 10/14 – Wagoner, Frank Schwab of Shutdown Corner, & Mark Rypien #32379znModeratorMark Rypien joins The Turn to discuss the state of QBs in the NFL
znModeratorif there was a good young candidate available i would consider it.
but it’s too soon to even consider something like that.
To be fair. And painfully honest. Though I am not aiming this at anyone in particular. It’s just an impression of mine.
But, historically, I have found that discussing coaching candidates is by far the least valuable thing posters do, as a rule. They just have no idea, really. They just rely on what the media knows, and the media knows nothing. For example see if you can think of anyone who in advance named a long list of successful coaches, like McCarthy or Arians. It’s just not something we posters do well.
znModeratorPractice Report 10/14: Foles, Offense Looking for Consistency
Myles Simmons
The Rams have had big wins and disappointing losses in their first five games. And as they use the bye week for some self-scouting, quarterback Nick Foles said the offense has been working to become more consistent.
“There’s some good and there’s some stuff we need to improve on. The big thing I see is we need more consistency on offense. Whether it be my play or just us moving the ball,” Foles said. “It’s the ultimate team game in the sense [that] on offense, everybody’s got to work together. It’s something that we’re working towards this week.”
So far, Foles has completed 57.4 percent of his passes this season for 956 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions — four of which came last week against the Packers. Still, head coach Jeff Fisher said he’s liked what he’s seen from the quarterback so far, knowing Foles still has plenty of room to grow.
“He’s going to continue to get better,” Fisher said. “He’s just become more and more familiar with our system and our players and he’ll continue to improve. So, by no means has he peaked.”
“There definitely has been some growing pains and I’m learning,” Foles said. “But where I want to be right now — I want to keep improving every day. I am where I am right now, but I want to keep getting better. I want to keep building, keep improving. The big thing is just being consistent every week and putting us in a situation where we can win the game.”
Part of the improvement process is gaining more comfort in the offense. The quarterback is still relatively new within it, but has been able to grasp it well. Still, Foles said there is more he can do to master it.
“It’s a process. I’m learning more and more every day,” Foles said. “As long as I play this game, I’ll keep learning. We’re still improving, still figuring it out. That’ll always be the case. Guys who play in this league for 15 years will still tell you they’re still working to figure it out and get better and that’s what we’re doing.”
It’s clear the quarterback and his receivers are working to gain chemistry and comfort with one another, as they’ve been spending extra time on the field following practice.
“That’s what he does,” Fisher said of Foles. “He has a chance to look at the cut-ups and to be involved in the self-scout process. Those things understandably help. Then, as we make changes offensively, he’s involved in them — which he should be.”
Part of that process has been getting to develop relationships with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
“We’re getting to know each other more and more each week,” Foles said. “You want to build those relationships throughout the weeks. Go through these tough times together. There’s also been a lot of great things going on together, so as a group we build consistency.”
But even as he’s involved in the offensive tweaks, Foles said he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel.
“They have the system — Cignetti’s system,” Foles said. “Me, I just try to learn the system more and more and more of what he wants from each and every play. Through time, if I see something I mention it and then we work together on how we can fit it in to what he already has.”
And so as the season continues, Foles said he feels like the offense is close to clicking, especially with the emergence of Todd Gurley in the run game.
“There’s definitely a lot of great things that are going on,” Foles said. “The key is to stay positive, keep working. Keep working on your craft. You’ve got to be critical of yourself, but at the same time, keep yourself uplifted. And that’s what the guys are doing.”
znModeratorif he has made no progress by the end of the season, i will officially be worried.
He has already made progress.
Right?
To me the only question is, how much progress.
.
znModeratorThe Raiders medical people were right.
Well actually they were at best half-right.
They didn’t like his other shoulder, the left. It, they felt, needed surgical repair. Eventually Saffold got that. Either way, that’s all Oakland said. The left shoulder needed surgery.
They said nothing about the right shoulder, and that’s the one that’s at issue now.
.
znModeratorfrom Stats and Records: Rams Commit to Ground Attack in Loss to Packers
Stats Doctor in National Football League October 13, 2015
…
The Rams committed to the run, and it shows in a variety of statistical categories.
St. Louis ran 28 plays on first down and 23 of them were running plays. Paired with the numbers from last week in Arizona, the team has now stayed on the ground for 39 of their last 50 first down plays (78%).
There are 15 teams in the NFL that have rushed more than passed on first down so far this season, but none of those teams match the 64 percent rushing rate of the Rams on first down.
Those first down runs have averaged 5.62 yards per play while first down pass plays have averaged 9.56 yards per play. Five games into a season, you don’t often see a team that has an overall average of just over seven yards per first down play. For the game, two-thirds of the Rams offense occurred on first down (223 of the 334 total yards).
After the abysmal first half rushing numbers of nine yards in nine carries in Arizona, the Rams have run for 346 yards on 53 carries for a 6.5 yard average. If you just look at the second half of the last two games, the stats are even more impressive as the Rams have turned 33 runs into 220 yards for an 8.2 yard average. In the fourth quarter alone in Green Bay, the Rams had 166 yards total offense that was only two yards shy of the total of the first three quarters combined. In Arizona, the Rams had identical rushing and passing yardage with 164 yards of each. In the second half against the Packers, St. Louis had identical totals of 112 yards rushing and passing.
Todd Gurley’s 159 yards on the ground gave him a two-game total of 305 yards. He becomes the first Rams player with over 300 rushing yards in back-to-back games since 2002 when Marshall Faulk had three games in a row with 158, 183, and 178 yards against the Raiders, Seahawks, and Cardinals.
Only one of the first five drives for the Rams crossed midfield, but seven of the last eight drives went into Packers territory. St. Louis ran 31 plays past midfield for the highest total of the season while also allowing the fewest plays past the 50 with 21. The Rams managed only ten points in those last eight drives and the six drives of the second half were a study in futility.
It’s not every day that you see a team go scoreless in one half even though that team was forced to punt just one time. That’s what happened when the Rams had three missed field goals and two red zone interceptions on those other five possessions.
…The Rams had all three touchdowns against Arizona on third down plays. Unfortunately, the converse was true against the Packers as all four interceptions came on third down. For the day, Nick Foles completed only five of his 16 third down passes to Rams players for 51 yards while Aaron Rodgers went 5-8 for 73 yards along with two sacks. The Rams defense allowed only one third down conversion in the last seven attempts by Green Bay.
When it came to finishing drives, this is where the Rams offense was lacking.
In the fourth quarter alone, Gurley had his longest run of the season when he set sail on a 55-yard scamper on the first Rams play of the quarter.
That was also the longest run allowed by the Packers this season by a whopping 32 yards.
The first play of the team’s final drive went for a season long 69 yards from Foles to Stedman Bailey. But, the finish of those red zone drives basically finished off the Rams’ hopes for a come from behind win.
Last season, the Rams had three red zone turnovers in 64 quarters of football. Last week, the Rams had two red zone interceptions in less than nine minutes of one quarter.
The offense ran ten plays in the red zone for just 14 yards out of a possible 46 yards netting one touchdown along with the two picks. The Rams defense allowed no plays from scrimmage in the red zone because Mason Crosby concluded the day’s scoring with a field goal on fourth down from the Rams 17-yard line. However, the Packers dialed long distance for their scoring plays with touchdowns covering 31, 45, and 65 yards. As it turned out, both teams recorded the season’s longest pass plays for and against their teams.
The Packers remain undefeated and have managed to win the turnover battle by exactly +1 in each of those five wins. The four Rams turnovers led to Foles having a passer rating of 23.8, the lowest since Marc Bulger recorded a 22.2 passer rating against Miami in 2008. When the starting quarterback has a passer rating lower than the number of points scored by the opposition, the chances of winning are extremely slim.
The four interceptions were the most since Keith Null threw five picks against the Titans in 2009. This was the 29th time in franchise history that a Rams opponent intercepted at least four passes and the Rams are now 2-27 in those games.
The bye week comes a bit on the early side in Week 6, but maybe the timing is just right to heal and make corrections before back-to-back home games with the Browns and the Niners.
znModeratorSeems to be a huge disparity between PFF’s evaluation of GR and those in this thread.
Well that depends on what PFF means by its grading system. They could be seeing the same things, more or less, but the PFF numbers just work a certain way according to their system. So PFF may subtract a lot for one whiffed pass block, while the guys in this thread go “enh that’s gonna happen with a green LOT but he’s trending up.”
I actually don’t really pay much attention to PFF grades, and look instead just at rankings. Even then I just take them as “more or less.” My view is that PFF rankings more or less square with what you see yourself and that when it comes to that they are seldom wildly wrong.
.
znModeratorfrom off the net
==
RustyRay
G Rob is playing better and better every week. The Rams run behind him and he is mashing people. He is playing better and he is grinding people up in the ground game. He may not win every single play but the defenders get paid too…you know what I mean?
He is a dominant top run blocking LT right now. His pass pro is improving. He hasn’t even played a full 16 games yet at the position. It is a very common theme for most rookie LT’s to struggle at times….but Robinson is fast becoming a dominant run blocker, he is not struggling there at all.
Pass Pro is still a work in progress…but watch each and every pass play…and I bet you see some dominant plays, some good plays, some stalemates and a few plays where he just blows it…Its too bad that when he wiffs or makes a mistake on 1 or 2 plays it dwarfs the multiple good to dominant wins he had…such is the life of an NFL LT picked at #2 though.
Robinson was the right pick I firmly believe it. It might be next year still before he really gets his due….but ask anyone who pays attention or has the all 22….Robinson is playing at a high level in the run game…top level in fact….he is steadily getting better with his pass sets as well…The guy has all the tools he just needed to be coached up get experience and play LT for more then 8 games. Lets all remember he isnt even to 1 full season at the spot yet. He will be an All Pro imo.
znModeratorfrom off the net
==
thehammer
who’s hot, who’s not
hot
Gurley..can you say red hot? 307 yards in last 2 games..shame he won’t ‘t last 2 seasons with all those carries playing for Fisher..
Havenstein -4.3, 0, +2.1, -.4, +.7
will be, as I predicted, a decent long time starter in the league and maybe someday as good as Barksdale and Remmers..Brockers consistently good +6.2 and on the way to his best season 14th overall at dt
Nick Fairley a +6.9 overall having a solid season
James Laurinaitis is trending up -1.8, -3.7, -.9, +.7, +2.5….has replaced Bradford as the whipping boy but having his best season
Jenkins +4.9 for the season and having best season of his career
NOT
Donald +10.7, +7.7, +2.8, +2.2, .3 only the biggest Fisher acolytes won’t notice a slight trend in his grades…maybe being 2nd in snaps at dt has something to do with it..one things for he’s on path for a short career if those snaps don’t decrease …Donald grades are plummeting..partly because he is facing better guards and partly because attention he is garnering..and partly snaps. the Rams statistically mediocre D will fall even farther in the rankings if the Rams can’t get him more help
C Long…4 straight declining games then hurt
Trumaine Johnson +2.4, +2.2, +.9, -.4, .0
Kendricks -6.2 consistently bad..worst season of his career….Kendricks and Cook are having bad seasons…wonder if it is because Boras has been promoted to asst head coach/offense in charge of the running attack. Have a high opinion of him as a coach but wonder if he is being stretched too thin…
Greg Robinson -7.5 consistently bad
Barnes is trending down +.8, +.1, -2.4, -.9, -.8 Person is 9th/34 at center and Mitch Morse is 7th/34
we could of kept Remmers and Person and had a better lineJamon Brown brutal -4.4 and -7.1 in last 2 games…be interesting watching his grades after the bye
Saffold brutal -13.2 for season and 76/79 overall..guess moving him to rg at end of preseason was a mistake..he sure sounded pissed about the move
special mention Foles only because of his -6.3 game vs GB
both Hot and Not
Tavon Austin hot because of his 5 td in 5 games Not because he is still a bust as a wr..
around the league
hot
Bradford over 600 yards in his last 2 games and 6 td /2 int in his last 3
Richie Incognito 3rd ranked guard out of 49…what do you think our record would be if we signed Incognito and kept Person and Barksdale/Remmers? 5-0, 4-1? decisions matter
Josh Norman 2nd ranked cb and best in coverage used to throw him in all my mocks..loved him coming out of Coastal Carolina we drafted Rok instead
znModeratorit’s been 8 seasons of crappy offensive line play…. but there is hope in the horizon..
Well actually.
Here are the periods in the midst of that where they did okay:
2010: virtually no injuries
2012: second half of the season…after starters come back from injuries
2013: the injuries hit late in the year (eg. PFF ranked the Rams OL 12th that year)2007-2009, 2011, first half of 2012, and 2014? Massive continual simultaneous injuries. 2015? I agree, hope on the horizon.
Though it wasn’t all bad across those years…there were as I said islands of “pretty good” in there. Times when the Rams OL Injury Reaper took a break.
znModeratorYup they truly suck, worst line on a whole I can remember
I beg to differ.
The injury massacred OLs of 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011 were far, far worse.
Not only were they bad, they had no hope whatsoever of getting better.
This OL at least shows in fits and starts that it is on the road to being a good one.
znModeratorRams notebook: Rams begin bye-week workouts
Joe Lyons
The Rams kicked off their bye-week practices Tuesday, going through a quick workout without a number of veterans who were given the day off to rest.
Among those not practicing were defensive linemen Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers, linebacker James Laurinaitis, tight end Lance Kendricks and running back Todd Gurley. Also missing were the two players who suffered injuries Sunday — defensive end Chris Long (knee) and guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder).
Rams coach Jeff Fisher had no update on Saffold’s status, saying that they were still running tests. The team will not have another official injury report until Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), who’s missed the last two games with a groin injury, worked out with team trainers Tuesday.
The offensive line did some extra work after Tuesday’s workout.
Fisher said the team has a method to its bye-week work.
“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps …’’ the coach said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some reps here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with the offense and defense, just to make sure they they’re ready at a moment’s notice. So the coaches got together yesterday, we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today.
“It was a modified practice, but we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.’’
The Rams, who won’t play again until hosting the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25 at the Edward Jones Dome, are making use of the off week to evaluate what went right and wrong during the team’s 2-3 start.
“We’re self-scouting this week,’’ Fisher said. “The coaches are ahead (in their game-planning for Cleveland), but we’re just working on some things.’’
GURLEY EXPECTS MORE OF HIMSELF
After sitting out the first two games and running for 9 yards on six carries in Week 3, Gurley has clearly arrived as a key in the Rams’ attack.
After coming on strong in the second half of a 24-22 win over the host Arizona Cardinals in his first NFL start, Gurley ran 30 times for 156 yards Sunday as the Rams fell 24-10 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
“I feel fine,’’ the former University of Georgia star said Tuesday. “I was a little banged up, but nothing the cold tub and treatment can’t take care of. The knee feels fine.’’
Was he prepared for 30 carries?
“I don’t know about all that, but we’ll see,’’ said Gurley, who’s still not completely satisfied with his performance. “The explosive plays, I think they’re a good sign, but it’s definitely frustrating not being able to finish runs, to take them all the way. I feel like there were a couple of runs where I could’ve broken the tackle or maybe kept my feet. And, in the first quarter, I was still trying to get a feel for the game and missed on a couple of reads. But those are things that I know I’ll get better at.’’
One strength evident Sunday was Gurley’s ability to stiff-arm.
“It’s something that comes natural for me, something we’ve work on with (running backs coach Ben Sirmans),’’ he said. “The key with the stiff-arm is you can’t show it too early because then the defender knows what you’re doing. Gotta strike him and keep it moving.’’
Gurley said he talked to former Georgia teammate Nick Chubb on Monday. Chubb, the Bulldogs’ next great back, suffered a season-injury Saturday in a 38-31 loss at Tennessee. Last November, Gurley’s college career ended similarly.
“I just told him to enjoy it,’’ Gurley said. “Even though he’s injured and nobody wants to be hurt, this is a time for him to focus on himself , to stay positive, to work hard and to make sure he’s doing things right because once he gets back to football, it’s definitely going to be a grind.
“But it’s nothing he can’t handle.’’
GURLEY NOMINATED AGAIN
The reigning Pepsi NFL rookie of the week, Gurley has been nominated again after the big game against the Packers.
His competition: Green Bay cornerback Quinten Rollins, Seattle running back Thomas Rawls, Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston and Arizona running back David Johnson.
Fans can vote through Friday at 2 p.m. at http://www.nfl.com/rookies.
At the end of the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors, with fan voting through January. The winner will be announced at the 5th annual NFL Honors awards show in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50.
RAM-BLINGS
• Running back Trey Watts, a second-year pro from the University of Tulsa, cleared waivers Tuesday. At his Monday news conference, Fisher said the Rams would try to re-sign him to the practice squad.Signed as an undrafted free agent, the versatile Watts enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with the Rams, mostly on special teams.
• Linebacker Alec Ogletree, the team’s leading tackler, was spotted in the locker room Tuesday. He’s in a cast and using a cart after having surgery for a broken leg suffered against Arizona.
• The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Jayson DiManche (Southern Illinois) and guard Michael Liedtke (Illinois State) to their practice squad Tuesday.
znModeratorRams giving veterans down time during bye week
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22487/rams-giving-veterans-down-time-during-bye-week
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams opened their bye week Tuesday with a short practice focused on correcting mistakes from Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and getting some young players much-needed repetitions.
“What you try to accomplish here is to get young guys some valuable reps during the bye week that haven’t really gotten the reps,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “The backups need the reps. A lot of the starters need some reps here the first couple of days, so we take advantage of that. We even include the practice squad players with offense and defense, just to make sure that they’re ready at a moment’s notice. So, coaches got together and, like I said, yesterday we looked at some things that we need to improve and we got a head start on it today. So, it was a modified practice, particularly because it’s Tuesday. But we’ll have two good sessions Wednesday and Thursday.”
Those practices will follow a similar pattern with young players getting plenty of work and some of the team’s more experienced veterans getting some time off. Beyond injured starters Chris Long (knee) and Rodger Saffold (shoulder), Fisher also granted some down time to linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive tackle Michael Brockers, end Robert Quinn, tight end Lance Kendricks and running back Todd Gurley.
Injured safety Maurice Alexander, who has missed the past couple of games with a groin injury, worked on the side with trainers during the portion of practice open to reporters.
Fisher offered no further update on Saffold, although the Rams aren’t required to offer an injury report during the bye week. But without Saffold, the majority of the offensive linemen stuck around for extra work.
As for the practice week, the bye is often used as a chance to do what NFL types call “self scouting.” In other words, instead of just turning the page to the next opponent, Fisher and staff identify trends in performance and try to get those issues corrected through the course of the week.
“We’re self-scouting this week,” Fisher said. “The coaches are ahead, but we’re just working on some things. Then, we had numerous mistakes on defense on the field, so we went through some of those just as a reminder, so they don’t come up. Then, we’re working on the first down stuff and polishing the run game. We have some technique things we need to work on, as far as special teams are concerned.”
The Rams play Cleveland in Week 7 and will get a head start in that regard but, for now, the focus is in-house.
October 13, 2015 at 9:00 pm in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32319znModeratorRating the Packers vs. Rams
Bob McGinn | On the Packers
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/rating-the-packers-vs-rams-b99594632z1-332282942.html
Green Bay — The St. Louis Rams demonstrated Sunday at Lambeau Field that their reputation for fielding one of the NFL’s leading defenses was legitimate.
Equally as impressive, however, was the defense of the Green Bay Packers, which registered three sacks, eight knockdowns and four hurries in a 24-10 victory over the Rams.
“We had too many hits but I’m going to credit their front,” St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. “Clay (Matthews) is really disruptive regardless of where he comes from. They pressure the back, they pressure the A gap with him, they rush him on the edge.
“Then you’ve got (Julius) Peppers and the rest of that group that can collapse the pocket pretty quickly, especially when it’s hard to hear.”
Here is a rating of the Packers against the Rams, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses:
RECEIVERS (2)Part of the reason the Packers aren’t able to stretch defenses is their tight end. Richard Rodgers (58 of 62 snaps, including 16 in a three-point stance) led the team in receptions (six) and targets (eight) largely because the Rams paid him little heed. If the Packers want him with the ball in the flats or on check-downs, the Rams weren’t concerned. Rodgers never breaks a tackle. He’s 270 pounds, but little bitty defensive backs just chop him down with no problem. When he ran a slant from out wide on third and 3, SS T.J. McDonald stopped him from reaching the marker. On a 10-yard screen pass, Rodgers couldn’t get CB Janoris Jenkins blocked and the gain was wiped out on his illegal-block penalty. Rodgers’ exceptional hands failed him on a dropped 30-yard TD pass. His blocking was uneven, too. Rodgers had to play too much (94%) because rookie Kennard Backman (three) must not be ready. The Packers kept their distance from Jenkins, the Rams’ best cover man. When James Jones (57) or Ty Montgomery (61) was across from Jenkins, Aaron Rodgers ignored them. The Rams loaded the box to stop the run, confident that Jenkins, Johnson and nickel Lamarcus Joyner would prevent separation and that bracket-type coverage would contain Randall Cobb (54). The only way Cobb could get the ball was on short turn-outs. Not one time did the Packers line up Cobb alone to a side. He wasn’t in the backfield, either. The game plan was static, and the results were just as dull. His bum shoulder seems to be affecting Cobb’s normally robust run blocking, too. Montgomery tried a stop-and-go against Jenkins on the second play and was blanketed deep. When Johnson short-circuited on Montgomery’s two-man game with Rodgers, the rookie had a gimme 31-yard TD. Disrespecting Jones’ ability to blow past him, Johnson gambled and won on the interception. Jones came back against Joyner, beating him on a 17-yard turn-in and outracing everyone for the 65-yard TD. Jones juggled that ball, but he still hasn’t dropped one in five games. Jared Abbrederis debuted on the closing kneel-down; Jeff Janis played special teams only. At this point, the Packers seem to have no interest in a four-WR formation.
OFFENSIVE LINE (4½)Josh Sitton solidified his standing as a premier guard by shutting down Aaron Donald, probably the hottest 3-technique in the league. Everyone has the size advantage over Donald. Most guards, however, can’t cope with his sudden take-off, quick hands, underrated strength and all-out style. Sitton is different because he’s smart, patient and agile, besides being massive. At least half of Donald’s 50 snaps were against Sitton. Donald’s lone pressure came against T.J. Lang before he departed with a knee injury on his 24th snap. Donald’s only involvement in a “bad” run came against Josh Walker (32), the replacement for Lang. Don Barclay played right guard in the two-minute drive of six plays at the end of the half, wasn’t sharp after having played mostly tackle for the past two months and gave way to Walker. Once Walker settled down, he belonged. He’s even bigger than Lang, and his aggressive traits serve him well. Corey Linsley slid over to help the guard that was pass blocking Donald. Still, for Walker to escape unscathed in pass pro against Donald was unreal. Linsley took the blame for Robert Quinn’s strip-sack because he snapped the ball prematurely assuming the Rams had jumped when they hadn’t. Nose tackle Michael Brockers’ bull-rush sack was at least partly on Linsley, too. On routes that required at least 2.5 seconds, the Packers often used either Richard Rodgers or Eddie Lacy to smash Quinn in conjunction with David Bakhtiari. It was smart football. Hard to knock Bakhtiari for the strip-sack because the early snap made him late off the ball. Other than that, the talented Quinn beat him for just one-half pressure. Bryan Bulaga returned from a three-game absence (knee) and was top-notch. He caught a break when defensive end Chris Long suffered a hyperextended knee on his 15th snap. Backup William Hayes is starter-caliber, but Bulaga didn’t yield a pressure to either one. The Rams did a lot of two-gapping up front, and the entire unit wasn’t sustaining drive blocks. On five power runs with pulling linemen, the net was just 10 yards.
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QUARTERBACKS (1½)It was almost like Rodgers didn’t trust his offensive line, especially after Lang departed. Some of that is understandable because the Rams raised Cain with previous opponents. Even though the protection was remarkably good, he remained impatient in the pocket. Half the time Rodgers ran, the pocket was firm. Maybe he felt the called route combinations wouldn’t succeed, and his only way to get a receiver open intermediate to deep was on a broken play. This was just his second game (Tampa Bay, 2009) when he turned it over three times. The batted interception was bad luck, but the check-down that nose tackle Nick Fairley dropped was good luck. The pick on the hitch was a mistake and the lost fumble, his first since the Dallas playoff game, was the result of not stepping up and holding the ball low. His delay-of-game penalty off a stoppage was awful. The handoff to James Starks worked for 7 yards and avoided a sack, but that’s a risky play. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blitzed 41.5% on passes, including 10.9% with six or more. He won many of the plays but Rodgers won the game.
RUNNING BACKS (1½)Part of the bad day running stemmed from Williams’ decision to crowd the box. Still, his nickel package usually had just five “bigs,” with safety Mark Barron playing the other linebacker. The three backs should average more than 2.5 in their 19 carries no matter what the Rams were doing. In 14 touches, Lacy (36) never broke a tackle all day. On fourth and 1, he was cut from the side by a safety (McDonald) and came up a foot short. He also tripped on a promising draw that gained only 3. The difference between Todd Gurley and Lacy was startling. Starks (26) broke one tackle in his eight touches. That came early against Barron on a screen that went for 19. Lacy remains more dependable than Starks in protection and as a receiver. Starks had two drops: a sideline pass that would have converted on third and 4, and another screen. Most passes are an adventure with him.
DEFENSIVE LINE (4)The unit was better rushing the passer than stopping the run. Exhibit A was Datone Jones. In just 22 snaps, almost all coming inside in the dime next to Julius Peppers, he had three knockdowns. He beat right guard Rodger Saffold on two stunts, and on the second Saffold left with what Fisher suggested might be a major shoulder injury. He also beat veteran Garrett Reynolds, the veteran replacement for Saffold. On his few snaps when the Rams ran, Jones did get abused physically. The Packers played a season-high 22 snaps of base, and Mike Daniels (45), Letroy Guion (35), B.J. Raji (26) and Mike Pennel (17) all had impressive moments stuffing blockers and piling up Gurley. They all got steamrolled as well. As the game wore on, left tackle Greg Robinson played like a man among boys, and rookie left guard Jamon Brown moved people, too. With refinement, Robinson might have the dancing-bear feet and aggressive temperament to become the next dominant tackle. Daniels, who posted 2½ hurries, appeared to peek inside and void his gap on Gurley’s 55-yard burst. Raji (groin) departed early in the third quarter after being cut by Reynolds. Muscled up to the max, Guion now epitomizes a “phone booth” player. Blockers tend to fall off him, but his range has lessened. For the second straight week, he risked a taunting penalty with some over-the-top woofing. Maybe someone should calm him down.
LINEBACKERS (4)Matthews (45 inside, 17 outside, nine in “Bear”) played every snap again. At this rate, he’ll be a candidate for defensive player of the year honors. Matthews had 1½ sacks, 1½ knockdowns and one hurry. On his full sack, he stayed in the middle in “Bear” when Nate Palmer moved outside to the line and promptly blitzed the A gap right by Reynolds to demolish luckless Nick Foles in 1.9 seconds. Like everyone else, Matthews paid a physical price getting tagged by Robinson and assorted wham blocks. Palmer (52) probably had his poorest game on an afternoon when the Gurley-led opposition cried out for a swashbuckling middle backer. He was late reacting at times, a step slow and neither physical nor effective getting to the football. Dime backer Joe Thomas (19) positioned himself right in Foles’ throwing lane on third down from the 7. He didn’t make the catch but, on a tip, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix did. Peppers (48) registered 3½ pressures, and two came at Robinson’s expense. In dime, he stunts almost every time, and it has been effective. Mike Neal (45) managed the club’s only tackle for loss when he crashed in to upend Gurley for minus-3 at a key juncture in the third quarter. Before that, he seemed a little overwhelmed by Gurley’s power and burst. When Nick Perry went out with a shoulder injury on his 12th snap, Andy Mulumba (13) joined Jayrone Elliott (24) on the second line. Mulumba showed smarts by widening on motion, putting him in position to corral speedy Tavon Austin for no gain on a third-and-2 jet sweep. Elliott flattened inside twice to drag down Gurley but also was blown up or fooled on a few other plays.
SECONDARY (5)Quinten Rollins made the most of his 16 snaps, picking two passes in zone drops and taking one back for a 45-yard TD. Stedman Bailey, who isn’t a burner at 4.53, sprinted away from Rollins on a slot corner route for 68. Clinton-Dix (71) made a marvelous hustle play chasing down Bailey to save a TD and, possibly, the game. Other than two or three plays, he was outstanding. Micah Hyde (71) again filled in for Morgan Burnett (calf). He was around the ball and tackled well except for his miss on Gurley’s breakaway run that resulted in 39 extra yards. He was right there to nab Foles’ pass when Gurley fell down on a check-down. There’s nothing wrong with Chris Banjo (31) as the No. 3 safety. He really knows the defense, showed off his speed cutting off a promising swing pass to Tre Mason and even nailed a pressure off the edge. Not many people can go stride-for-stride with Austin on a “9” route but Sam Shields (71) did, and with relative ease. He’s playing almost all bump coverage and making exceptional deflections downfield. On the other side, Casey Hayward (59) and nickel back Damarious Randall (33) helped stifle the Rams.
KICKERS (3½)Mason Crosby had a 47-yard FG waved off by penalty. His 35-yarder did count, and his five kickoffs averaged 74.2 yards and 3.40 seconds of hang time. Four were touchbacks. Other than having poor touch on an Aussie punt, Tim Masthay hit the ball better. His four-punt averages were 47.8 (gross), 36.8 (net) and 4.34 (hang time).
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)Peppers has been a kick-blocking threat for years. Datone Jones looks like another. Taking advantage of poor technique by Robinson, he rejected Greg Zuerlein’s 50-yard try. His effort is high on a consistent basis. When Demetri Goodson slipped not once but twice in coverage, punter Johnny Hekker was able to complete a 20-yard over him for a first down. Richard Rodgers’ illegal-hands penalty cost three points. St. Louis started what turned out to be an 80-yard TD drive after Janis botched downing a punt at the 1.
OVERALL (3½)znModeratorRams slide to 17th in ESPN Power Rankings
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22474/rams-slide-to-17th-in-power-rankings
The up and down St. Louis Rams continued their rollercoaster ride this week with a 24-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
As you’d expect, that meant another dip in the Rams’ spot in this week’s ESPN NFL Power Rankings. After surging to No. 11 last week on the heels of knocking off then-No. 2 Arizona, the Rams dropped six spots back to No. 17 in this week’s edition.
At 2-3, the Rams check in on the list behind the likes of San Diego, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Indianapolis. Of course, there’s no shame in losing to Green Bay, which held steady at No. 2 this week. And the Rams have wins against No. 6 Arizona and No. 8 Seattle.
What will be more interesting is to see how the Rams fare coming out of this week’s bye. The first five games included contests against four teams ranked in the top nine. After the bye, the Rams will face Cleveland (No. 20), San Francisco (No. 25), Minnesota (No. 16), Chicago (No. 24) and Baltimore (No. 23) before playing a top-10 team again in No. 5 Cincinnati on Nov. 29.
Before that, the Rams will spend this week doing some self-scouting and working to get things going on offense where they have yet to put together a complete performance.
October 13, 2015 at 3:07 pm in reply to: Wagoner: Todd Gurley is already the Rams' offensive centerpiece #32307znModeratorThe most impressive thing about G is what he does on poorly blocked plays.
Didn’t you say you haven’t seen the ARZ game yet? In the second half of that game he has huge holes to run through.
I think the fact that he did a lot of it on his own in the GB game is really only half the story.
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znModeratorWhat matter is it the age of the story? It’s still a problem.
Well we’re kind of talking past each other. I raised the issue for a completely different reason than you did. I was simply saying that we have seen the issue before and other qbs handled it better.
In terms of how you mean that, you see a continuous line of problems. I don’t. The fact is that the Rams have just had back luck with OL injuries going back probably to 2006 and certainly to 2007. I see nothing there to “blame.” 2007 was 4 coaches, 4 GMs, and 3 owners ago. The only thing continuous in all that is the logo.
In terms of this game, for some reason not everyone is remembering that this newest OL has actually been performing better than people expected, especially in pass pro. GB ambushed them. Now it seems that means different things to different people. To some it means they are bad and the GB game is this big reveal. I don’t take it that way. I assume that a young OL will be up and down and struggle in some games. I don’t take this as anything but a speed bump.
In terms of Foles performing poorly under pressure, I was posting stats about that at the time of the trade. That’s not new either. Heck we saw it happen in 2013 when the Rams played the Eagles.
BUT, at the same time, in 2014, Foles also showed the ability to bounce back in the end and come through with clutch play.
So the way I take all this is this: we knew about Foles, and it’s not all bad (far from it); we knew a young line would struggle. The rest depends on whether people personally take the GB as this big giveaway and as a sign of failure or as the kind of speedbump that was going to happen in this season, particularly early. No one knows the true answer since the true answer is history that has not happened yet, BUT, given that we’re all going with our hunches, my hunch is that the GB game was a speedbump.
znModeratorhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/13/pfts-week-six-power-rankings/
12. Rams (previous = 10): With the intersection of an underground landfill fire and a radioactive dump not far from their practice facility, the Rams should spend their bye week in any place but St. Louis.
znModeratorI want no more talk of unionization around here.
BTW thanks for the retirement funds, we’re putting them to good use.
October 13, 2015 at 9:23 am in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32290znModeratorI kept hearing that Jamon Brown is doing OK, but not from that grade above. Apparently, he sucks.
He WAS doing well. Against the Packers, he had a bad game. The way I see it, GB has this cagey old defensive coordinator and a veteran D, plus…and no one before really had this…4 games worth of film on the OL as a group. So this young OL, which was actually doing okay in pass protection till then (and against top defenses too) walks into this buzzsaw designed just for them.
I doubt they have another game this bad again. Not that they won’t struggle some, but they will work on what got exposed against GB.
October 13, 2015 at 1:18 am in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32287znModeratorSTL-GB Grades: Packers defense smothers Foles, Rams
The top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Packers’ 24-10 win over the Rams.
On top of it, FOUR Rams managed to make PFF’s “worst players at every position” list for week 5:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/12/worst-players-at-every-position-for-week-5/
Quarterback: Nick Foles, Rams (-8.4)
Foles went 11-for-30 yesterday. That’s a 36.7 percent completion rate, one of the worst you’ll ever see. He only managed 141 yards. He threw four terrible interceptions. Under pressure, he was an abysmal 5-for-17 for 110 yards. It was not an easy day for Foles, and as such, he more than earned a spot on this team.
Fullback: Cory Harkey, Rams (-2.7)
Harkey was struggling at lead blocking for the Rams rushing attack. He was beaten multiple times for tackles, and even more often, was unable to get any movement on Packers defenders. The Rams definitely expected more than what Harkey produced yesterday.
Guards: Jamon Brown, Rams (-8.7) and Jamon Meredith, Titans (-3.7)
Two guards named Jamon on the list? What a nice little coincidence. But there was nothing nice about Brown’s play yesterday. He allowed two QB hits, and two more pressures, but that isn’t even the worst of it. He had a -5.7 run block grade, and was beaten 14 times on running plays. It was a rough day all around for the Rams’ offensive line, and Brown by far had the most issues of the bunch. Meredith actually graded positively in pass blocking, but a -5.1 run block grade really did him in. He was constantly whipped around by that Bills’ interior, and really got nothing going for a run game that struggled.
Punter: Johnny Hekker, Rams
Hekker averaged only 40.3 yards per punt, and one really bad touchback punt. If we were counting his fake punt pass for this, he might not be here.
October 13, 2015 at 1:04 am in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32286znModerator
STL-GB Grades: Packers defense smothers Foles, RamsThe top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Packers’ 24-10 win over the Rams.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/12/stl-gb-grades-packers-defense-smothers-foles-rams/
St. Louis Rams
– DT Aaron Donald (+1.3) has definitely cooled off a bit after what was a ridiculously hot start. While this game was still positively-graded for him, thanks to three QB hurries and three solo stops, it wasn’t quite like some of his last few games. The Packers really schemed around him this week, double-teaming him seemingly every play, and running away from him every chance they could. They did a very good job of limiting the damage he could cause, and forcing the rest of the Rams’ defense to try and beat them.
– QB Nick Foles (-8.4) was dreadful this week, posting a -7.0 passing grade along with two delay of game penalties. He struggled under pressure, which is unfortunate since he was under pressure on 61 percent of his dropbacks. There, he went 5-for-17 for 110 yards and two interceptions. On his 13 attempts without pressure, he averaged a miniscule 2.4 yards per attempt, and also threw two interceptions. Even when you take away his throwaways, a spike and a time where he was hit as he threw, he still only completed 45.8% of his passes on the day. On a day where the defense came up big against a strong Packers’ offense, Foles really cost the Rams this game.
– The Rams’ offensive line was not doing Foles or their running game any favors this week. LG Jamon Brown was the worst of the bunch, posting a team-low grade of -8.7. That was thanks in large part to a -5.7 grade against the run. He was constantly beaten by the Packers’ interior defensive line, and rarely won any blocking battles. As a whole, the offensive line allowed three sacks, nine QB hits and nine additional hurries. The lone bright spot was RG Garrett Reynolds, who posted a +2.1 run block grade coming on in relief of injured RG Rodger Saffold (-5.1). Saffold managed to allow a QB hit and three QB hurries despite only being on the field for nine passing plays before being injured.
Top performers:
DE Robert Quinn (+3.1)
S Mark Barron (+2.2)
LB James Laurinaitis (+2.1)
S T.J. McDonald (+1.9)
DE William Hayes (+1.9)
Green Bay Packers– QB Aaron Rodgers (-3.8) had an incredibly uncharacteristic bad game yesterday, posting his lowest passing grade since Week 12 of 2008. It wasn’t a case of too much pressure, as he only felt pressure on 23 percent of his dropbacks, but rather he just simply seemed off. His second interception was a great play by the defender, but a read and a throw Rodgers would love to have back. There was also a two-play sequence in the third quarter which began with Rodgers throwing the ball directly at the hands of a Rams’ defensive lineman, only to see him drop it. The very next play Rodgers held the ball in a bad spot with one hand, and was stripped. This seemed like an anomaly more than any kind of trend, but it was certainly strange to see Rodgers struggle like he did.
– The Packers defense played well, but RE Mike Daniels (+6.4) was on another level for this team. Almost every play, especially in the run game (+4.5 run defense grade), Daniels was getting involved. He made seven tackles, five of them stops, and also had two QB hits and a hurry. A lot of his work in the run game didn’t show up on the stat sheet. He consistently beat his block so quickly that the Rams’ running backs were forced to cut away from their intended hole, and try another non-designed direction. Daniels was the main reason that the Rams (not counting Gurley’s big 55-yard run) averaged only 3.9 yards per carry.
– The duo of Clay Matthews (+3.9) and Julius Peppers (+3.8) were a two-man wrecking crew when it came to rushing the passer in yesterday’s game. They each had identical grades of +4.2 in pass rushing, and together combined for three sacks, six QB hits and four additional hurries. On almost every third down play they were getting some kind of pressure on Rams QB Nick Foles. The Packers also had a nice contribution from LE Letroy Guion (+1.8), who managed one QB hit and two QB hurries on only eight pass rushes. It was a good day for the Packers pass rush, as they totaled four sacks, 13 QB hits and 10 QB hurries.
Top performers:
RE Mike Daniels (+6.4)
ILB Clay Matthews (+3.9)
OLB Julius Peppers (+3.8)
OLB Nick Perry (+2.6)
OLB Mike Neal (+2.3)October 12, 2015 at 11:44 pm in reply to: Wagoner: Todd Gurley is already the Rams' offensive centerpiece #32284znModeratorfrom off the net
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Rampage2K-
Gurley first Rams rookie to rush for 140+ in back to back games since …1983 when some guy named Eric Dickerson did it
October 12, 2015 at 9:08 pm in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32279znModeratorRams sustained drives, but turnovers did them in against Packers
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra…ves-but-turnovers-did-them-in-against-packers
EARTH CITY, Mo. — A look at how the St. Louis Rams fared in three key areas of Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
1. The best defense … : One way to slow Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is to keep him on the sideline. The Rams’ offense did its best job this season in sustaining drives and actually winning time of possession by a comfortable margin.
Nick Foles’ four interceptions killed the momentum built by the Rams’ ground game.
Most of that can be attributed to running back Todd Gurley’s 30 carries for 159 yards as the Rams finished with a time of possession of 33:43 to Green Bay’s 26:17. The Rams even had their first two drives of more than five minutes on the season.All good signs, right? Well, yeah if those longer drives are ending in points. The Rams had four drives end with turnovers and three more that finished with missed field goals. The idea of a long, sustained drive is that, at worst, it puts the offense in position to score some points. The Rams did the first but the second wasn’t frequent enough.
2. Staying disciplined: The Rams and Packers both had some issues with their communication devices which helped lead to delay-of-game penalties on both sides. The Rams had three, though one was of their own choosing before a punt, and they had to burn two timeouts to avoid another couple of flags. Overall, the Rams had six offsides, delay-of-game or false-start penalties. They were even offsides on a kickoff.
On the bright side, they let Rodgers draw them offsides only twice, once on a running play in which it was close enough that Rodgers couldn’t switch it to throw deep and another time when the Rams played through to force the officials to blow it dead. So Rodgers was unable to add to his list of victims who bite on his cadence to set up big plays down the field. Still, the Rams finished with eight penalties, all of the 5-yard, mostly avoidable variety.
3. Takeaway time: I thought it was asking too much of the Rams’ defense to come up with three takeaways against the Packers, considering that Green Bay entered the game with just one giveaway. It wasn’t.
The Rams defense did more than you could have asked, forcing Rodgers into three turnovers, the first time he ever has done that at Lambeau Field. So looking through this list, the Rams checked each box as a positive until this one. The problem? The Rams couldn’t afford to nullify their takeaways by giving the ball right back. Quarterback Nick Foles, under pressure for most of the day, threw four interceptions, and the Rams simply couldn’t overcome them no matter what the defense was able to do.
October 12, 2015 at 7:41 pm in reply to: Proud of the defense. Offense? Not so much… (game reaction thread) #32273znModeratorHere’s my 22 cents after taking a day to absorb it and read around.
We’re all happy about the defense, I think, and I echo that.
Naturally the concerns are Foles and the offense.
I just think a one-time thing happened. A young, inexperienced line faced a top coordinator who also had film on them. And Capers basically found a way to attack that line (though that didnt do him much good against the running game). Being a young line they struggled with communication and timing and nuances, while getting attacked in ways they hadn’t before.
Foles fell apart in the middle of that. But that;s an old story for Rams fans. At least this time the OL struggles come from youth, not injuries, though we have seen similar things happen to Bulger and Bradford.
He really did fall apart. That was a bad game from him, even given the circumstances.
But 2 things.
1. Foles has enough pride and competitiveness to go back out and play better. The only thing I fear would be him losing confidence, and I don’t think he is going to do that. That was just a particularly bad game. We have seen enough to know he is an effective qb who may also have clutch play in him.
2. The OL is not going to face that again. Not that they will always play well, but that was a game designed to disrupt who the are as a unit in week 5. If they have anything in them at all they learn from it and improve. They fix communication issues with more urgency than they might have normally. To me, that kind of humbling game, one they KNOW they could have had if it had fallen right, has the chance to increase resolve and by exposing issues, put them in a position to fix those issues.
So unless I see that happen again…and I doubt we will…then I am not tripped up by this.
It happened before a bye, too.
Last time something like this happened before a bye—in 2012, when the Patriots just massacred them in London—they came out better. They then went 4-3-1 including 2 games against the to-be NFC champs, and looked good doing it. That stretch included a comeback tie, and 2 comeback wins. To me that’s the model for what this will lead to. And this is a better team overall than that one was.
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znModeratorWow. Hi, guys. Nice to feel missed.
I think you can assume that! We’re an old community and I think everyone in it means something to everyone else, and you’re a big part of all that. That’s my sense of it anyway.
October 12, 2015 at 7:05 pm in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32264znModeratori don’t think any running back period could handle that kind of a workload. i’d venture to guess that no one in the history of this game has ever had to shoulder 30 carries a game.
If it’s any consolation Fisher did say this
@nwagoner
On Todd Gurley’s workload, Fisher said he didn’t plan for 30 carries for Gurley and acknowledged that’s not sustainable moving forward.
October 12, 2015 at 6:48 pm in reply to: reactions around the net to the Packers game (if you see one you like add it) #32262znModeratorfrom off the net
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alyoshamucci
We could really be 4-1. That’s the truth, and while there are good and bad things about the game that I will address, there is no reason to think we can’t be a part of the conversation come December.
Also there are a lot of players who may or may not be with us next year whose play I’m watching closely.
The Great (rare in a loss)
1) Todd Gurley … I don’t think I have to say anything else, but the possibility of having a 1000 yard rusher pro/bowler rookie who missed the first 3 games is just wild.
2) We held the Pack offense to 17 at home, and Rodgers threw his first two picks in 3 years there.
The Good
3) I think TJ is playing at pro bowl level, specifically the 3rd down stop …
4) Our coverage was on point. Besides a slip that led to the Jones TD and the busted coverage (C’mon TRU!) that led to the Montgomery TD we were in good shape. Pretty sure they threw five TDs against us last time. Joyner for me stood out, but Tru’s INT and Jenkins (must be new) footwork handling a double move were stand outs also.
5) Quinn strip sack … just like seeing it.
6) Quick on the field, more on him in other sections …
7) Benny is still running hard after making the catch.
8) JL with a heads up AND athletic play.
9) I may be missing something, but this game seemed like GRob’s best. Curious about everyone else’s take on it.
10) Tavon’s TD was inspiring. Really thought he was dead to rights at the 2.
11) Foles continuing to throw a really good deep ball and took a TON of hard hits.
The Bad
12) FOUR INTS. Lord. First one Gurley fell down, not Nick’s fault. Second one Jared stopped running, not Nick’s fault (though a questionable decision to not eat it there) … 3rd … the pass to Kendricks in the end zone, he was double covered/bracketed. THAT WAS A TERRIBLE CHOICE. Can’t remember the fourth but the third was a killer.
13) Tru you can’t get lost in that defense …
14) Mcleod, you’re not athletic enough to save yourself after a mistake.
15) Garret Reynolds, c’mon man. Matthews coming and getting the QB in his drop?
16) GZ, I get that it was windy … but I was bummed to see you miss those.
17) Quick, you HAVE to come down with those. We need you active and playing your size.
18) CL injury … ugh. Bummed.
19) Aaron Donald, quietest game as a pro for me, are you injured?
20) Only 2 sacks?
So, these are now, in my opinion, from here on out, all winnable games. Gurley is the real deal. All we need to do is make some progress in the passing game and we’re in good shape. I get the fan frustration, I just am unlikely to be moved by it. Not my style.
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