from off the net

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Youngblood_HOF

My brother and I decided to make a bucket list trip to Lambeau! (as if the Harley Davidson purchase two weeks ago wasn’t evidence enough of my mid-life crisis)

…

Interesting note: being identified as Rams fans all weekend because of our apparel, we’ve had lots of football talk with Packer fans, who are really nice and hospitable…and pretty knowledgeable football fans. Almost all of them have said the Rams are a solid, up and coming team with a defense to be respected. They say Fisher has them primed for contention. Having said that, they don’t expect to lose.

For the golfers out there, Whistling Straits is more extraordinary and spectacular than advertised.

Rams at Packers: 7 things to watch

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-at-packers-things-to-watch/article_af88b01f-122c-54f0-a268-2af408d5b298.html

MR. RODGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD

By his lofty standards anyway, Aaron Rodgers was just a little off last week at San Francisco, narrowly missing connections on some throws we’re used to seeing him make. The 49ers’ cornerbacks played pretty tight at the line of scrimmage, and their secondary as a whole didn’t allow much separation. But Rodgers is back at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field this week where he never — and we mean never — throws an interception. It’s 580 passes and counting without an INT by Rodgers at home.

BETTER BE READY

It’s tough to play catch-up against Green Bay, and the Packers have been getting out of the gates quickly this year. They have outscored the opposition 38-6 in the opening quarter in four games this season, and scored on their first possession last week although it took a penalty against the 49ers to keep the drive alive and prevent Green Bay from punting. That score came on a TD pass to tight end Richard Rodgers on a play in which Aaron Rodgers roamed in and out of the pocket waiting for someone to get open.

LEAK ON THE LINE?

Pinch-hitting for the injured Bryan Bulaga at right tackle, fourth-year pro Don Barclay had a brutal game against San Francisco, allowing three sacks and seven pressures. Rodgers avoided a fourth Barclay sack only by throwing a very short pass lefthanded as he was going down. Bulaga returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a knee injury Sept. 17 in practice, but he’s questionable for Sunday. If it’s Barclay, this is a matchup advantage Chris Long must exploit.

BACKFIELD BUSINESS

Green Bay is getting more help out of its running game than usual, rushing for 120 yards-plus in each of the first four games. That hasn’t happened since 1971 and the days of coach Dan Devine. Eddie Lacy, the 2013 NFL offensive rookie of the year out of Alabama, is seeking his third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. He’s been slowed by an ankle injury, and looks overweight, but has still been successful running more like a power back. Veteran James Starks is a capable backup.

BANGED UP RECEIVERS

The Packers miss the downfield ability of Jordy Nelson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during exhibition play. Davante Adams has missed all but three plays the past two games because of a high ankle sprain and isn’t expected to play this week. Randall Cobb has a team-high 25 catches but is playing through a painful shoulder injury. Veteran James Jones, who returned to Green Bay after ill-fated stints with Oakland and the New York Giants, has been a godsend but has a hamstring issue.

GURLEY’S TASK

After his breakout 146-yard rushing performance against Arizona, Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley will be challenged by an improving Green Bay run defense. After allowing 189 yards rushing against the Matt Forte-led Chicago Bears, the Packers yielded fewer than 50 yards rushing in successive weeks to Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (41), Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles (49), and San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde (20). A rejuvenated B.J. Raji has anchored the run defense up front.

IN A RUSH

The Packers’ pass rush has gotten to the passer 17 times this season, tied for second in the league with the Rams. Thirteen of those sacks have come in the past two contests, marking the first time since 1978 that the Packers have gotten six or more sacks in back-to-back games. Ageless Julius Peppers and five-time Pro Bowler Clay Matthews key the pass-rush, but the Packers have five players with two or more sacks already this season — four of whom are linebackers in the team’s 3-4 scheme.

Zooey wrote:

Maybe we could annually celebrate your awareness of that?

Unless I forget.

I’m at the stage now where not only do I forget why I am there when I leave the computer for the kitchen, but when I come back I forget what I was doing on the computer.

You of all people should understand that, Nittany.

,

For Rams, best defense against Packers is a good offense

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22337/for-rams-best-defense-against-packers-is-a-good-offense

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams (2-2) and Green Bay Packers (4-0) kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field. Here are three things to watch:

1. The best defense … : The Rams finally found some offensive success in the second half last week against Arizona, especially in the running game. Back Todd Gurley went for 106 yards in the fourth quarter alone and has practiced all week without a knee brace. He looks poised to build on that outing. And the Rams could really use it against the Packers.

It’s cliche but it’s cliche for a reason: Sometimes the best defense against a star quarterback like Aaron Rodgers is a good offense. You know, the kind of offense that consistently puts together long drives that eat up big chunks of the clock. That’s been a major weakness for the Rams so far this year. They are 31st in the NFL in time of possession margin with opponents having the ball for nearly nine minutes more per game in the first four weeks. The Rams are last in the league in first downs with just 55, that’s 14 less than Cleveland, the next closest team on the list. Taking it a step further, the Rams’ longest drive this season is 4:47, and they are averaging just 4.57 plays per drive, last in the league.

By way of comparison, Green Bay averages 6.02 players per drive and has an average time of possession margin of almost six minutes in its favor. Last week was a step in the right direction for the Rams’ offense, but the next step is for them to put drives together in which they regularly move the chains and keep the clock moving.

2. Staying disciplined: Earlier this week, I took a deeper look at the steps the Rams are taking to try to keep Rodgers from drawing them offsides and stealing big plays without any repercussions. It bears repeating here.

Through the first four games, Rodgers has drawn a league-high eight offside flags. Rodgers is taking those flags and rendering them pointless with what he does after they’re thrown. On those eight plays, Rodgers is 5-for-5 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, good for a perfect 158.3 passer rating and 100.0 QBR.

The Rams, meanwhile, have jumped offside an NFL-high 36 times (with 20 accepted) since coach Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012. This week, it was air horns, music and quarterback Case Keenum attempting to force the Rams to stay disciplined. But the Rams aren’t the first team to discuss the need to hold their water only to have Rodgers make them pay on Sunday. If they want to have a chance in this one, they must translate the lessons learned during the week to Sunday’s game.

3. Takeaway time: It’s no secret that Rodgers has an absolutely ridiculous streak going when it comes to avoiding interceptions at Lambeau Field. Dating to 2012, Rodgers has thrown 580 passes and 48 touchdowns without an interception at home (including playoffs). And while Rodgers is excellent at avoiding turnovers, so is everyone else on the offense. Green Bay has just one giveaway in the first four weeks, a James Starks fumble in Week 2 against Seattle.

The Rams have six takeaways this season, which puts them in the middle of the pack, but they were plus-three against Arizona last week, which ultimately made the different in a two-point game. It’s a tall order, but they’ll need a similar margin this week if they want to knock off an undefeated team on the road for the second consecutive week.

Thomas: Rams Have ‘Good Mindset’ Entering Packers Game

Brendan Marks posted on October 08, 2015 13:21

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/STLSports/STLRams/tabid/137/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/19165/Thomas-Rams-Have-Good-Mindset-Entering-Packers-Game.aspx

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Rams beat writer Jim Thomas made his regular Thursday appearance on The Hollywood Casino Press Box to discuss the several topics surrounding the team, including the NFL owners meetings and its upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers.

We typed up some notable excerpts. You can listen to the full interview below.

What do you think about the St. Louis stadium’s naming rights deal with Enterprise?

“No doubt about it (it’s a good thing). Why would the NFL be involved in the naming rights in St. Louis? It’s not their team. In an ideal world, Dave Peacock would be working with the owner of the team…but we know why that’s not happening. (Stan Kroenke) and the Rams have been intimating to the league is they don’t think the corporate support is what it should be in St. Louis. Well here’s $158 million worth of corporate support. I think there’s optimism among the St. Louis Task Force that will lead to more in terms of suite steals, maybe game day advertisements. Traditionally, at least some of that money goes to the owner. So in essence, Dave Peacock is helping Kroenke make more money. What’s wrong with that?”

What do you make of what happened at the NFL owners meetings?

“I’d say the headline would be, ‘It’s time.’ In other words, it’s time to get this financing done. I think (Texans owner Bob McNair’s) saying turning in the term sheet is overdue. It’s very telling. It’s time to ramp up the financing. Dot all the I’s, cross all the T’s. It’s time to wrap this up.”

“I really think it’s down to Carson or Inglewood, or St. Louis. I think they’d like to get it done now. I think for the task force, they’d rather have it decided now.”

Switching to this week’s game, elaborate on your stat about Packers QB Aaron Roders at Lambeau Field:

“It’s amazing. I wrote about it today. His last 19 home games, regular season and playoffs…The man has thrown 580 passes without an interception. It’s just incredible. He’s got 48 touchdowns, zero interceptions. The guy’s like RoboQB. He’s so efficient, it’s almost inhuman.”

“They’re not quite as much downfield without Jordy Nelson. So he’s thrown underneath a little more. But he takes plenty of chances downfield.”

On if the Rams can run the ball and keep Rodgers off the field:

“The Rams have to take a similar approach they did in Arizona. Have them kick field goals. Just keep them out of the endzone and you’ll have a chance. What Gurley did in the second half has engendered a lot of confidence in the offensive line. They’re certainly not overconfident. But there’s a good mindset on the team that they can go in there and make it a game. If they could somehow get out of their with a win and be 3-2 entering the bye week, we all know how their schedule softens up after Green Bay.”

On the schedule softening up after Green Bay:

“After Green Bay, nine out of the 11 teams they have on their schedule are either .500 or worse. The five teams they play right after Green Bay right now are a combined 6-14. So things could change. There’d be genuine reason to get excited if they could walk out of there with a win. Even if they lose, at 2-3 I don’t think it’s over.”

Which of the Rams’ offensive linemen is really grading out well?

“I think they’re really happy with Rob Havenstein. They’re happy with Jamon Brown too, but he’s had some hiccups with a couple blitz pick-ups. Havensteain has just been solid. We’ve seen some nice run blocking by him. You just don’t seem to notice him during games. For an offensive lineman, that’s a good thing.”

Rams hope running game continues to flourish

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot…cle_3fe78322-4e8f-505a-9ea9-402909960de2.html

A week ago before playing the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti told the media in separate sessions on separate days how close they felt the running game was to a breakthrough.

Yeah, right, was the collective response.

The Rams, after all, were ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing offense through three games. Rookie running back Todd Gurley’s much-anticipated debut had generated a scant 9 yards on six carries against Pittsburgh.

But then it happened in the second half against Arizona. After a first half in which the Rams managed just 9 yards on nine carries, the floodgates opened. With Gurley doing most of the work, the Rams rushed 17 times for 155 yards en route to a 24-22 upset victory. How did that happen?

“I tell you what, I just think it’s perseverance like we’ve talked about every time here,” Cignetti said this week. “You know, every day we’re getting a little bit better.

“My hat goes off to the coaches emphasizing the run game, the offensive line doing a great job. Obviously, the running backs made good, decisive reads, and I think you saw the progress.”

A running game that had produced only one carry longer than 16 yards in three games, had four runs of 20 yards-plus in the second half at Arizona — all by Gurley.

“Gurley’s a real good player,” left tackle Greg Robinson said. “He’s explosive, and he’s hard to take down. But just going throughout the week, we had talked about it in the (meeting) room that there was a chance that the running game would pop.

“And the running backs just needed to trust us to get the holes open and run hard. So Gurley stepped in at a critical moment and he made some big plays obviously. It’s a highlight of a night just to see the numbers that we put up in the second half.”

Turns out the same “we’re close” message the coaches were feeding the media was also delivered in the meeting rooms at Rams Park, albeit in more detail. Hold on to this block a little longer … a little better technique here … better footwork there … and good things would happen.

“It was preached throughout each week,” Robinson said. “Every game they just kept making the big emphasis on ‘we’re close.’ I really feel like we fought through it and just trusted that if we kept using the proper technique, the proper steps, and playing our hearts out, that we would eventually get something going. And we did.”

On what easily is the NFL’s most inexperienced offensive line, that second half in Arizona could be a confidence-builder and generate momentum going forward.

“I think we’re kinda starting to figure out what our identity is, and what we need to do in order to have big explosive plays,” right guard Rodger Saffold said.

“It’s something that the line can build off of,” quarterback Nick Foles added. “As an offense we can continue to improve our run game, improve our screen game, our dropback, and all of that. But it all stems from the run.”

No one expects Gurley to gain 146 yards every week — a total that was more than double what the Rams had been averaging as a team against Seattle, Washington and Pittsburgh. But now that they know they can do it, perhaps better days will continue in the run game.

“It think it gives everyone confidence,” Cignetti said. “There’s nothing like success. … The victory was big. We want to move on and get another one.”

Run game success won’t come easy this Sunday at Lambeau Field in a noon kickoff against unbeaten Green Bay (4-0). After getting gashed for 189 yards rushing by Chicago in the season opener, including 141 by Matt Forte, the Packers have tightened up considerably.

They have yielded an average of 90 rushing yards a game over their next three contests, and feature backs Marshawn Lynch of Seattle, Jamaal Charles of Kansas City and Carlos Hyde of San Francisco combined for only 110 yards on 34 carries in those three games.

“You can’t run it against ’em,” Fisher said Friday. “You go back and you watch these games — you watch Seattle and you watch San Francisco — they had a hard time running the ball against ’em. So we’re gonna have to find a way to get that done.”

A trimmed down B.J. Raji is tough to budge at 337 pounds in the middle of the Green Bay defensive front. Mike Daniels is quicker playmaker at 310. At linebacker, veterans Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews are more than just pass rushers.

“They’ve got a good defense,” Saffold said. “A bunch of guys that are really good running to the ball. You already know their offense, and the only way to beat their offense is one way: keeping ’em off the field. That’s the only way to do it. So five and six 3-and-outs to start off the game is not gonna help.”

The Rams are getting only 50 plays per game on offense, a league low and a dozen plays less per game than the league average. Their average time of possession, 25 minutes 40 seconds, is the second-lowest in the league ahead of only Philadelphia (22:28).

Those aren’t numbers conducive to keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense on the sideline. If ever there was a time for more from the running game, this is it.

from off the net

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aeneas1

Packers Vs Top 10 Defenses….

so is the rams defense legit? the unit held seattle’s offense to just 17, pittsburgh’s high flying offense offense to just 12, arizona’s high flying offense to 22, and washington’s offense to just 17 through 3 quarters and 12 minutes of play, before an exhausted d finally gave up 7 with 3 minutes remaining in the game, in fact the rams are the 7th stingiest defense through 3 quarters of football in terms offensive points allowed… all told the rams defense has held opponent offenses to an average of just 18.9 points per game…

looking at the packers, their offense has been relatively human when facing top 10 defenses (points allowed) dating back to 2014.. in the 7 games they’ve faced top 10 defenses their offense has averaged just 18.9 points per game, against defenses outside of the top 10, 15 in all, their offense has averaged a whopping 31.5 points per game. that’s the good news, assuming the rams are a legit top 10 defense. the bad news is the pack offense has averaged just 14.5 points per game against top 10 defenses on the road, but 24.7 against top 10 defenses at home.

from off the net

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Prometheus Faulk

The Rams defense, as it is currently constructed, has beaten high flying offenses led by great, HOF quarterbacks before. They’ve taken Brees. They’ve beat Peyton.

Rodgers and the passing offense looked out of sync last week to me against San Francisco. They won thanks to their defense playing great, the running game clicking, and good passing in the red zone, but I think he got sacked about six times and they only scored two TDs.

They still haven’t adequately replaced Nelson yet. Adams was supposed to be the guy and he got hurt. Jones has had one tremendous game but he is bound to be inconsistent game to game. Cobb is great but he’s mostly a short yardage/YAC guy and he can’t do it all himself. The tight ends and the younger receivers like Montgomery and Janis are kind of “catch as catch can.” Not to say any of these guys can’t have a great game, but they also aren’t ultra reliable, outside of Cobb. Cobb’s gonna do some damage underneath. That’s just going to happen. But if we take away some of the deep stuff our pass rush can get to Rodgers.

This game could be kind of ugly, tell you the truth. And ugly might win it for us. They have a great run game, a defense that is playing really well, and probably the best quarterback in the league right now. But something isn’t quite right with them without Nelson. The Rams can win.

Green Bay’s defense revolves around LB Matthews

Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/green-bay-s-defense-revolves-around-lb-matthews/article_90a7fc8a-f9d4-54cf-bb43-ca9c779b165e.html

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was born into one of the NFL’s legendary families.

His grandfather, Clay Sr., played defensive end for four seasons in the 1950s with the San Francisco 49ers and his father, Clay Jr., was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker who split 19 NFL seasons between the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.

And then there’s uncle Bruce, a Hall of Famer who played in Houston and Tennessee and is among the best offensive lineman the league ever has had.

But despite the pedigree, Clay III’s road to NFL stardom was anything but traditional.

A self-described “late bloomer,” Matthews did not start as a 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior at Agoura High in California. His defensive coordinator at the time — his father.

“His mom was giving me the business, but he wasn’t ready,’’ Clay Jr. said in a Los Angeles Times story that ran during Clay III’s final season at the University of Southern California. “He wasn’t very big and he wasn’t very strong.’’

Clay III did start as a senior in high school. But with recruiting interest limited to local community colleges, he walked on at USC, where his father and uncle starred. During a redshirt freshman season, a season in which the Trojans went undefeated and won a national title — a title that has since been vacated for NCAA rules violations — Matthews was asked almost weekly by head coach Pete Carroll and linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. if he wanted to get on the field late in blowout victories.

Each time, Matthews declined, knowing that taking the field would wipe out a year of eligibility.

After two years in the program, he received a scholarship and, after establishing himself on special teams, got a chance to start as a redshirt senior in 2008. Playing alongside future NFL linebackers Brian Cushing (Houston) and Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati), Matthews excelled as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker and finished with career bests in tackles (57), tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (4½).

On draft day in 2009, the Packers traded up to select Matthews in the first round, with the 26th pick.

“Fortunately (general manager) Ted Thompson and the Packers believed in me,” Matthews, 29, said this week in a teleconference call with St. Louis media members. “I’d like to think that I’ve given them everything that I have and will continue to do so for the duration of my career here. I think my high school and college story isn’t one of most blue-chip athletes or five-star recruits, but I believe it’s kind of given me that edge and that mentality that’s allowed me to become the player I am today.”

That happens to be one of the best and most disruptive defensive players in the NFL. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Matthews became the first player in the Packers’ storied history to earn Pro Bowl recognition in each of his first four seasons. He added a fifth Pro Bowl selection last year and was voted the NFC defensive player of the year in 2010; that season concluded with the Packers knocking off the Steelers, 31-25, to win Super Bowl XLV.

“What a football player,” Rams offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. “Fun to watch, a high-motor guy. He’s what this game is all about — guys who love football and play relentlessly.”

After spending the first five-plus seasons at outside linebacker, Matthews shifted inside midway through the 2014 campaign and has continued to excel over the last couple of seasons.

“Clay’s pretty much our feature player (on defense),” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s important for us to continue to move him around, create targeting issues for the offense. He’s off to a great start. Really, when we made the move at the midpoint of the season last year, I think you’re just seeing a continuation of that. He’s really an impact player.”

Through four games this season, Matthews has 14 tackles, three sacks, a pass defended and an interception. He averaged more than 10 sacks a season through his first six in the league, topping out with 13½ in 2010.

“It’s obviously been a change … but I feel as if we’ve got a good design of how I’m incorporated into the game plan each and every week,” he said of playing both linebacker spots. “Some game plans require me to be in a little more coverage against stud tight ends and running backs who are good out of the backfield. Others present some opportunities where I can rush and not just on the outside, but against guards and centers. I feel we do a good job of kind of moving me around and allowing me to be close to the ball. I like to think when I’m around the ball that good things are going to happen.

“For the most part, I enjoy the responsibilities that are asked of me.”

With Matthews setting the tone, the 4-0 Packers are ranked No. 8 in total defense in the NFL. The touted Green Bay offense, featuring all-everything QB Aaron Rodgers, will enter Sunday’s game against the 2-2 Rams at Lambeau Field ranked 10th in total offense.

“Defensively, it’s hard to keep up with (our offense); I think this is the first time in a long time where our defense is rated higher,” Matthews said. “We take a lot of pride in that because for long we’ve been known as an offensive team, and rightfully so. We’d like to carry our fair share of the load and help in games in which we get into a crunch.”

Matthews said he enjoys playing for veteran defensive coordinator Dom Capers.

“I think Dom does a great job of putting his playmakers into positions to succeed,” Matthews said. “A big part of moving me to middle linebacker was because we need to put our best 11 players on the field. …We’re playing fast, making plays, we’re smart and we’re disciplined. That’s what (Dom) is all about and what he preaches day in and day out.

zn wrote:

Some interesting numbers.

1. Rams are 31st in total yards, offense.

2. HOWEVER, they are 13th in yards per play.

3. They are both things because they are 27th in total offensive plays.

4. If they were just 20th in total offensive plays, they would be 15th in total yards.

5. They are 14th in yards per passing attempt (6.6).

And yet. There’s more.

Long pass

Foles is tied for 12th out of 32 for attempts of 20 yards or more. He is 6th in longball accuracy on passes like that (with 53.3%). Rams are 13th in terms of percentage of total attempts dedicated to long passes (ie. again that’s just 20 or more). He’s tied for 4th in TDs off of such passes.

Play action. Rams are 2nd in percentage of attempts that are play action passes. Foles’s qb rating as a dropback passer is 125, which ranks 8th. His completion percentage on PA is 73.3%, which ranks 7th among qbs who have thrown at least 20 PA passes.

On non-play action, Foles’s qb rating ranks 21st in the league.

Some interesting numbers.

1. Rams are 31st in total yards, offense.

2. HOWEVER, they are 13th in yards per play.

3. They are both things because they are 27th in total offensive plays.

4. If they were just 20th in total offensive plays, they would be 15th in total yards.

5. They are 14th in yards per passing attempt (6.6).