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znModeratorznModeratoralthough now i worry about saffold.
Saffold missed a lot of time this summer. But he has been very effective before. He’s slow out of the gate this year for obvious reasons. When that happens IMO you (ie. generic “you”) just wait for him to get his game back.
znModerator7 things to watch: Rams at Cardinals
Jim Thomas
First came Ben Roethlisberger. On Oct. 11, it’s Aaron Rodgers. But next up in the Rams’ three-game gauntlet of elite QBs is former No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer. As was the case last week with Roethlisberger, Palmer is playing some of the best football of his career, ranking fourth in the NFL in passer rating at 117.8. He’s attempting to become the first Big Red QB to win 10 consecutive starts since Ray Mallouf of the Chicago Cardinals in 1948. Remember him? Didn’t think so.
CHASING CARSON
Palmer can make all the throws, and remains accurate on intermediate and deep throws at age 35. It obviously takes longer for deeper patterns to develop and Palmer has never been the most mobile QB around. So if the Rams can make the Big Red one-dimensional by shutting down the run, they should be able to get to Palmer with a pass rush that shares the league lead in sacks (13) with New England. Even so, Arizona’s offensive line looks much-improved, allowing only one sack so far — a league low.
FITZGERALD REVIVALLast season, WR Larry Fitzgerald caught “only” 63 passes, the second-lowest total of his stellar career, for a career-low 784 yards. It was his third consecutive season falling short of 1,000 yards. But Fitzgerald is experiencing a career renaissance at age 32, aided of course by the return to health of Palmer. He ranks fifth in the league in yards receiving (333) and has scored as many TDs (5) as the entire Rams team. He’s doing a lot of damage in the slot this year, so the pressure’s on Rams nickel back Lamarcus Joyner.
MORE THAN FITZ
Even with Fitzgerald’s feats, the Cardinals appear to have more balance on offense, particularly in the passing game, than they’ve had in a long time. Former first-round pick Michael Floyd, who led the team in reception yards in 2013 and ’14, is off to a slow start but provides another big target at 6-2, 220. John Brown has a shoulder issue but is a legit deep threat. He caught a 48-yard pass for the go-ahead TD in last year’s game at Arizona. There are options as well at TE with Jermaine Gresham and Darren Fells.
CJ2K LIVESIt was six seasons ago that RB Chris Johnson became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, with 2,006 for Jeff Fisher and the 2009 Tennessee Titans. (Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson became the seventh with 2,097 yards in 2012.) Cut by Tennessee after the 2013 season and by the New York Jets this past offseason, Johnson suddenly looks fresh at age 30. In place of the injured Andre Ellington, Johnson rushed for 110 yards last week against San Francisco.
NO FLY ZONE
Led by four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, Arizona has one of the deepest, most-talented secondaries in the NFL. They disguise their coverages well, and have versatility in how they deploy their top six or seven players. But when it comes down to it, you’re going to have to beat man coverage to succeed against this group — and that’s easier said than done, especially for a Rams receivers corps still looking to find its stride. Brian Quick’s return to game action should help.
MIZZOU CONNECTIONTwo former Missouri standouts, Sean Weatherspoon and Markus Golden, are part of a talented LB corps in Arizona’s 3-4 scheme. Weatherspoon entered the NFL as a first-round draft choice by Atlanta in 2010. After missing the entire 2014 season with a torn Achilles, he signed a free-agent deal with the Big Red and starts at inside LB. Golden, the rookie from Affton High, was a second-round draft pick this past spring. He’s at his best rushing the passer and had a half sack in Week 2 vs. Chicago coming off the bench at outside LB.
znModeratorRams will try to top the talk in Arizona
Jim Thomas
Blunt-talking Bruce Arians couldn’t resist rubbing the Rams’ noses in it late last season when his Arizona Cardinals won a Thursday night slugfest 12-6. His one-two punch in his postgame press conference went as follows:
“Everybody that wanted to talk all that stuff about how great their defense is, I think they saw a good defense tonight. It was in red and white.”
Ouch! And he followed that with:
“I love it when nobody says you’re gonna have a chance to win. There’s an 11-3 team, and a team that’s always 8-8. You figure it out.”
Double ouch!
At the time, the Rams were coming off back-to-back shutouts of Oakland and Washington. As for the Cardinals, they were en route to an 11-5 record and a wild-card playoff berth — doing so despite the absence of star quarterback Carson Palmer for 10 games due to injury.
In a sense, not that much has changed as the NFC West foes renew their rivalry Sunday in Glendale, Ariz. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. (St. Louis time) at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Cardinals, with a healthy Palmer, are 3-0 and one of the NFL’s hottest teams.
As for the Rams (1-2), well, they haven’t even been 8-8 since 2006, so maybe Arians — now in his third season as Big Red coach — was being too kind.
Save for a bad first half in Washington, the Rams’ defense has played well. As for the offense? After a promising opening-day performance against Seattle, it has degenerated to milk carton status. That’s right, disappeared.
Arians’ comments were in circulation this week, and several Rams defenders were aware of them during the practice week at Rams Park. But most declined to nibble when reminded.
Any thoughts on Arians’ remarks, coach Jeff Fisher?
“No, none whatsoever,” Fisher said evenly, with his best poker face. “He’s an outstanding coach. They’ve got one of the top teams in the NFC, and that’s a great challenge for us.”
How about you, linebacker James Laurinaitis?
“He’s entitled to his opinion,” Laurinaitis replied.
Do you have an opinion?
“I do have an opinion,” Laurinaitis said. “I will keep it to myself.”
But defensive tackle Michael Brockers elaborated on what many on the probably team felt.
“When somebody takes a shot like that, at your team, you try not to look into it,” Brockers said. “But deep inside, it’s a little fire in you saying, ‘OK, I’ve got to get these guys back.’
“We haven’t taken any shots at them, any shots in the media at all. We have a lot of respect for them, to be honest with you. We’ll see Sunday who’s the better team. If it’s them, it’s them. If it’s us, it’s us.”
Almost universally, most people outside the confines of Rams Park expect Arizona to be the better team Sunday.
“We really don’t care about those people,” said Rams tight end Jared Cook. “All the naysayers and the negatives, we don’t even condone any of that. We don’t put any of that in our head.”
But who wouldn’t feel that way on the outside? The Cardinals are firing on all cylinders.
Coming off a 47-7 crush job of San Francisco, Bill Bidwill’s Big Red have scored 126 points in three games. Not only does that point total lead the NFL, it’s tied for fourth-most in league history after three games.
They have scored 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1969, when Charley Winner was the coach, Charley Johnson and Jim Hart were the quarterbacks, and Busch Stadium was home.
Palmer has won his last nine starts, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one of the league’s hottest pass-catchers, and the Arizona secondary — AKA the “No Fly Zone” — already has seven interceptions with three returned for touchdowns.
“I’ve said it before, they’re playing at a really high level right now,” Cook said. “So we have to get our minds right to go in there and do something to disrupt that. We know it’s not gonna be easy.”
“They have a lot of weapons,” Brockers said. “Those guys are good, so we’ve gotta bring our ‘A’ game. I think if we can win this game, it’ll bump our confidence up.”
The Rams have reason to take at least some degree of confidence into the game. They’ve played the Cardinals pretty tough in recent seasons; Fisher’s Rams are 3-3 against them.
The Cardinals swept the season series in 2014, with that 12-6 contest last Dec. 11 in St. Louis preceded by a 31-14 loss at Arizona on Nov. 9. But Arizona led by just 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter in that one before the Cardinals returned an Austin Davis interception and a Davis fumble for touchdowns to close out the game.
“We feel we’ve played these guys very hard the last few times we’ve played ’em defensively,” Laurinaitis said. “When we were down there last time, we really got after ’em.
“We feel very confident on how we match up to them. And it’s a division game. You don’t need any motivation. When you play anybody in the division, it’s time to roll, and things get more intense.”
But if the Rams needed any additional motivation, there are always those words from Arians last time they met.
“I try not to really read into press conferences and newspaper articles too much,” said defensive end William Hayes, one of the Rams’ elder statesmen at age 30. “We’ll just see Sunday. Our goal is go out there and be the best defense on the field. And I’m pretty sure they’ll say the same goal. So we’re just gonna go out there and play good, solid football.”
And see who’s talking afterwards.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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jrry32
I’m sitting here and watching film to see if the claim that Bailey doesn’t get separation holds any water. Thus far, it doesn’t. I’ve now seen two different plays where Bailey had separation past the first down marker and Foles took a sack. And I just started the Washington game (previously looked at Seattle). When Bailey is on the field, he’s getting enough separation to throw to him. No, he’s not wide open. But this is the NFL. What separates great QBs from averages ones is the ability to trust their WR to make the catch and put the ball in a tight window. Rodgers and James Jones work well together because Rodgers has no issues trusting Jones against tight coverage. Now, Foles isn’t Rodgers but he needs to trust Bailey. When the guy has a step on the defender, give him a chance. Bailey isn’t DeSean Jackson. He’s not going to burn guys by 20 yards. But he’s a guy that will use every inch he has to box out defenders and then outmuscle them for the ball in traffic.
Here are two perfect examples of what I mean:
Stedman is wide open on 3rd down and he’s 5 yards past the sticks. Foles locks onto Tre Mason at the beginning of the play and refuses to move off of that read despite there being absolutely nothing there. On the other side of the field, both Washington DBs cover Tavon Austin and NOBODY covers Stedman Bailey. He is running wide open the entire play and Foles doesn’t give him a second look (or a first look for that matter). Instead, he forces an incompletion in Mason’s vicinity and we get to punt.
I think many of us saw this play in the Seattle game. This is in OT and it’s the third down before we kick the FG that ultimately wins it. This play should have ended the game without forcing us to go on defense. The pass protection is superb but Foles inexplicably decides to run himself into pressure by scrambling out of the pocket. This forces him to throw it away to avoid the sack. If Foles had been patient in the pocket, he has a wide open throwing lane to Bailey once Bailey clears the LB who isn’t even looking at him. Earl Thomas is too deep to stop Bailey from catching the ball and with all the green grass in front of him, Bailey likely takes it in for six.
Now, I realize these are only two plays but I watched every snap Bailey played against Seattle and Washington. There were plays to be made. Bailey could have easily had 4-5 catches against Washington if Foles were on his game. And he could have easily had a bigger line than his 3 catches for 58 yards against Seattle.
znModeratorznModerator4th Q:
Maybe I will finish this. Maybe I won’t.
I especially agree with your review of the 4th quarter.
znModeratorI thought more than a million died in the Civil War. I was way off.
I didn’t realize american wars were that lackluster.
Is it coaching? Or talent? Or leadership?
znModeratorBut IF WE HAVE THE TALENT … then that makes the continuing failure even more damning of the coaching staff.
I don’t agree, though, for this reason. New offense. The way I see it, they had a viable OL and a starting qb in 2013. I think they would have turned the corner in 2014, but the combination of injury problems on the OL and losing the qb meant that came up short. On top of it Schott left. That’s a triple whammy. So with a new coordinator, new QB, and new OL, essentially (the way I see it) they re-started the clock. They hit re-set. One such change wouldn’t lead to the the “re-set problem” but 3 can’t help but do that, no matter who the coach is. At a minimum, I would say that they can’t be judged by the 1st 3 games.
I don’t think any of that is coaching.
My bet is that we see the fruits of all this change in the 2nd season after the bye.
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znModeratorRams keeping focus on preventing big play against Cardinals
Nick Wagoner
PHOENIX — A look three things to watch when the St. Louis Rams play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium:
1. Staying underneath: Three weeks into the season, the Rams defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 81.6 percent of their passes. Without question, that’s an eye-popping number for a defense that has been expected to carry the load in the early part of the season. While that number will certainly drop (it almost has to), the Rams actually don’t mind it so much, especially when playing dynamic offenses like Pittsburgh or this week’s opponent, Arizona.
The reason? Well, the Rams aren’t allowing big plays down the field, instead relying on the pass rush to force the ball out quick and make tackles short of the sticks. Last week, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had just four incompletions on 24 attempts but his yards per dropback came in at just 6.3. That was a big step back from the 13.67 he had the previous week against San Francisco and the 8.45 he had in the opener against New England. The result was a Pittsburgh offense that didn’t have a passing play over 20 yards and the only one going that long was a catch-and-run by running back Le’Veon Bell.
Antonio Brown
The Rams have kept opposing offenses bottled up by making them throw the ball quickly.
With that in mind, don’t be surprised if the Rams take a similar approach against Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and his offense. Palmer enters the game fourth in the league in yards per attempt (9.4) and won’t hesitate to take shots down the field. That means the Rams will probably again try to force him to get rid of the ball quick and make the Cardinals dink and dunk their way down the field.2. Finding big plays: On the other side of the ball, the Rams find themselves in a position where they must attempt to do offensively what they’re trying to stop defensively. In the season opener against Seattle, the Rams had eight plays of 20-plus yards so even when they struggled to run the ball, they were able to get yards in big chunks and put points on the board.
Over the past two weeks, the Rams have had a total of three plays of 20-plus yards. That wouldn’t be a big deal if they were running the ball with any consistency but they aren’t. The Rams are 29th in the league in rushing and still adapting to new zone concepts in the running game. Although they insist they’re close to a breakthrough, it probably won’t come this week against an Arizona team that is tied for fourth in the league in rushing yards per attempt allowed at 3.45.
Putting the ball in the air against opportunistic defensive backs such as Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu can be a dangerous proposition, but the Rams will have to lean on the passing game if they want to get the chunk plays needed to reach the end zone.
3. Scoring other ways: If you’re picking up on a theme here about the Rams finding a way, any way, to score more points, well you should be. They’ve averaged eight points per game over the past two weeks. Is that surprising? No, not really. Most expected the offense to struggle with so many moving parts early in the season. Though perhaps the Rams’ offensive struggles have been greater than expected.
But if the offense can’t do it that means we have to unfairly put even more of a burden on the defense and special teams to make something happen, right? Well, yeah. It’s asking a lot of the defense and/or special teams to come up with a touchdown every week but that’s the world the Rams live in right now. In three games, they have one such touchdown, a punt return from Tavon Austin in the opener. It might not be a coincidence that that stands as the only game the team has won so far.
Palmer and the Cardinals generally do a good job of taking care of the ball, but there might be some opportunities for Austin if the Cardinals actually kick to him. It’s a small sample size, but Arizona has allowed an average of 19.67 yards per punt return on three tries in the first three weeks. Logic says they won’t give Austin a chance but if there’s a mishit, perhaps he can again make a play that changes the game.
znModeratorRams see Cardinals as ‘a lot better’ with Carson Palmer back
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra…inals-as-a-lot-better-with-carson-palmer-back
EARTH CITY, Mo. — It’s not exactly a groundbreaking observation to note the influence quarterback Carson Palmer has on the Arizona Cardinals’ offense when he’s behind center.
For proof, one only needs to look at the struggles the Cardinals had without him in recent seasons when they leaned on the likes of Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley, John Skelton and Kevin Kolb to provide enough offensive punch to complement one of the league’s stoutest and most opportunistic defenses.
Now that Palmer’s twice-repaired knee is back to full strength, there’s nobody associated with the St. Louis Rams who hasn’t noticed the Palmer effect as they prepare to play the Cardinals on Sunday.
“They’re a lot better,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “The offense goes through him. Once he gets going, everybody else follows along with him. It’s going to be a challenge for us to get to him and keep pressure in his face and try to limit him from making big plays.”
With Palmer at the controls and some help from that defense, the Cardinals have scored the fourth-most points (126) of any team in the first three games of a season in league history. In the process, Arizona has gone 3-0 and Palmer has extended his streak of consecutive victories as a starter to nine, the longest active streak in the NFL. The Cardinals are 16-2 in Palmer’s past 18 starts.
So what is it about Palmer, aside from the fact that he’s a legitimate starter and not a backup masquerading as one, that elevates the Cardinals?
Let the Rams count the ways.
“He’s a leader but he’s also patient with the football,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “He’s not going to throw a lot of picks. A lot of times on third down, he will take a sack and not force it. He’s not trying to turn it over.
“He really changes their whole offense and what they do. When Carson is healthy, he makes their offense that much better. The challenge is can you make them one-dimensional and then when you do, can you make Carson uncomfortable by trying to make him kind of move in the pocket. It’s a big challenge, even bigger than last year.”
Among NFL quarterbacks, Palmer’s 91.1 QBR is second only to injured Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Palmer also ranks 10th in passing yards, fourth in yards per attempt, tied for second in touchdown passes and fourth in passer rating.
Palmer has been particularly effective using the middle of the field. According to Pro Football Focus, on throws from 10 to 20 yards between the hashmarks, he’s completed all 17 of his passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns.
And whether he’s under pressure or not, his numbers are about the same. On plays when he’s not pressured, Palmer has a passer rating of 125.8. While that number drops when he is under pressure, Palmer still has a 100.4 passer rating when he is under fire.
According to Rams coach Jeff Fisher, part of the reason for that is Palmer’s ability to maneuver in the pocket, which hadn’t been a staple of his game before this season.
“Carson is moving around,” Fisher said. “I wouldn’t have thought that you would get a quarterback at his age that’s showing the ability to move and escape the pocket and extend plays the way he does. He’s doing a really, really good job.”
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Laurinaitis, Kenny Britt probable to play against Arizona
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra…-kenny-britt-probable-to-play-against-arizona
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams made some roster moves Friday as their injury report indicated a need for another safety. So the Rams released cornerback Brandon McGee and called up safety Christian Bryant from the practice squad.
While McGee could have helped on special teams, Bryant gives the Rams the help on special teams while also serving as depth at safety. That depth is apparently more important for the Rams than depth at corner this week because safety Maurice Alexander is out this week because of a groin injury.
As expected, the Rams probably will have the services of receiver Kenny Britt and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Britt and Laurinaitis sat out Tuesday and Wednesday because of shoulder soreness and non-injury related reasons, respectively.
Elsewhere, the Rams are mostly status quo though they added running back Benny Cunningham to the report after he sat out Friday with knee soreness. Cunningham is also listed as probable to play.
The Rams also signed cornerback Eric Patterson to the practice squad to replace Bryant.
Here’s Friday’s full injury report:
Out: DE Eugene Sims (knee), S Maurice Alexander (groin)
Doubtful: RB Chase Reynolds (knee)
Probable: WR Kenny Britt (shoulder), LB James Laurinaitis (not-injury related), RB Benny Cunningham (knee)
October 3, 2015 at 5:19 pm in reply to: Wagoner: Run-first Rams' struggle go beyond the basics #31642znModerator. they could have stayed strictly with a man blocking scheme.
That’s assuming the zone scheme never works out.
Because if it does, then, using a lot of zone is just..,again…doing something early that they might struggle at at first in order to set up something good longterm.
If they abandon the zone scheme, I would both say you’re right AND nice try Rams.
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znModeratorRight now Aaron Donald is as close to unblockable as it gets in the NFL. He has outplayed Watt, and every other interior defender through three weeks of the season, and is on pace to rival the best seasons we have seen from Watt. Donald isn’t just good, he’s utterly terrifying, and quite possibly a generational talent in his own right.
It’s like talking about a Faulk caliber player just on defense.
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October 3, 2015 at 4:18 pm in reply to: Wagoner: Run-first Rams' struggle go beyond the basics #31631znModeratorag makes a good point about preseason preparation. i don’t think they took the optimal route. the oline should have played more snaps together.
With all due respect, I don’t see it that way. And of course this is all just opinion and mine is, I think that whole issue is a molehill.
I think when teams lose, we dredge up a million reasons why, and we all have our favorites.
These coaches have had lines ready for the season before. Between Fisher and Boudreau, that’s 4 decades of combined experience fielding OLs.
IMO nothing would have changed or mitigated the fact that an OL this inexperienced would struggle at first. No different policy here, no change there, would have made any difference. No coach in the NFL would have found a way to make it any easier or better.
For example, this is the best explanation (from a reporter) I have heard to switching Saffold and Brown—that that was the plan all along. Saffold was always going to be the right OG. BUT during OTAs, they kept him over their for the time being to help Robinson out.
And who’s to say that was the better or worse thing to do?
In terms of center, Barnes is the one Rams lineman getting consistently good grades in live action so far. Rotating centers just did not set him back.
So personally, I just don’t see any fatal flaws in their approach to fielding a young OL. In fact truth is, they are doing better than I expected.
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znModeratorI am reading more and more that people want Fisher fired.What’s your take this?
In my mind? That kind of fan reaction mood? I have never had much interest in it. I like talking to individuals. I think group movements are just as often wrong as right. I was a critic of Martz very early on, when it wasn’t popular. I agreed with the general view that Linehan was a bust. For years, criticism of JZ was met with hostile responses…until the tide turned. Then being critical of JZ was not as dangerous to your posting health. I defended Vermeil after 98. Looking back I think Spags had all the flaws of a first-time coach, but then I never thought 2011 was on him…and I was in the minority on that.
I think Fisher will start winning, at least that’s how it looks to me right now, and I mean for consecutive seasons. IMO when that happens, the consensus will shift back his direction.
October 3, 2015 at 3:33 pm in reply to: Wagoner: Run-first Rams' struggle go beyond the basics #31628znModeratorNow you may say that flies in the face of the “fast start” talk in preseason, and I respond by saying, “Big deal.” I don’t care
That talk, pointedly, was all about the defense…at least when it came from THEM.
I don’t think the team itself ever pretended that a young line would be optimal right off.
And of course, fast start talk by the defense made perfect sense. The defense itself started slow in 2014, largely because the team did not know the system, but also—and this is me—because Wms had never before taken over a new unit and installed his system in the new conditions dictated by the CBA.
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znModeratorWith Brian Quick back, Chris Givens trade makes sense for all sides
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams traded wide receiver Chris Givens to the Baltimore Ravens for a seventh-round draft pick in 2017, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning.
It was far from an earth-shattering move considering Givens was the Rams’ fourth receiver and had only played 42 snaps in the first three weeks. The Rams have an open roster spot that will likely be filled Monday when running back Trey Watts is eligible to return from a four-game suspension. It’s expected that he will land back on the 53-man roster at that time.
But it was a logical move for the Rams, Givens and the Ravens. Here’s why:
Why it makes sense for the Rams: Coach Jeff Fisher made it clear Friday that receiver Brian Quick would be active Sunday in Arizona for the first time this season. With Quick up, it was unlikely the Rams would keep six wideouts on the game-day roster. And the assumption is that Quick’s role will only increase moving forward. Since Stedman Bailey and Bradley Marquez are core special teams players, that made Givens the odd man out. The Rams simply don’t use a lot of three-plus receiver sets and Givens was viewed as more of a deep threat and occasional gadget player. Since Givens is in his contract year, it made sense now to get something for him while they still could.
Why it makes sense for Givens: Put simply, this is an important year for Givens, who is still seeking the consistency to prove he’s worthy of his next contract. It’s also been a difficult year for him as he has grieved the loss of a close friend and again found himself mostly out of the week-to-week game plan save for the occasional touch here and there. In the Rams’ offense, Givens was mostly lost in the shuffle despite flashing big-play ability. But now he gets a fresh start in a place that could utilize his greatest skill: deep speed. With Joe Flacco at quarterback for the Ravens, Givens should get his share of deep shots and get plenty of playing time to prove he belongs.
Why it makes sense for the Ravens: Baltimore is banged up at wide receiver with rookie Breshad Perriman (knee), Steve Smith (back) and Michael Campanaro (back) all dealing with varying degrees of injury. Campanaro has already landed on injured reserve and Perriman and Smith are essentially week-to-week propositions. Givens offers an immediate influx of speed and fits in well with Flacco’s ability to throw it deep. The Ravens let Torrey Smith go in free agency, and though Givens is by no means at Torrey Smith’s level in terms of production, he offers a similar skill set when it comes to going deep. With 12 games to go in the season, Givens should get plenty of chances to show the Ravens what he can do.
znModeratorWhich is why they signed a WR to the practice squad, apparently.
znModeratorCan you honestly say you maintain much real investment in this team’s endless succession of losing football?
Well yes speaking honestly for myself, I can say that. To me, the 90s were worse. This time, what I see is a team that is marching toward the light, but circumstantial stuff keeps holding it back.
For example, my view is that when this team had these 3 things it did well. 1. A starting caliber qb. Not even a great one. 2. A decently effective OL not held back by either multiple simultaneous injuries or massive inexperience. 3. A running threat.
The problem is, it has only has all 3 things in 11 of the last 51 games. (Last 8 games of 2012, games 5-7 of 2013). In those 11 games they went 7-3-1, and that includes 6 games against top 10 defenses.
So I just assume that when they have all 3 things they will do well. What happens in the meanwhile is that I roll with the losses and enjoy the victories—but not just enjoy them as stand alone things…I also view them as revealing what the team can be when it settles down.
That means (for me anyway) there’s something to root for. This isn’t 96. There’s something special brewing under the stormy surface. That’s just how I see it.
In terms of Fisher, I just don’t blame him as much as you do; but at the same time, I figure, this team has so much that if they move on to another coach, then that’s fine. Any good coach is going to have to be patient with this bunch until they cohere, and will benefit greatly when they do.
Coaching, to me, though, is another, longer, different issue. I just responded here to the “are you invested issue,” though even the way I describe the ISSUE is different.
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znModeratorWhat I like: Rams D against the ARz O — pressure. But it’s a test for that secondary too. More so even than the Steelers were.
What sobers me up: The blitz-crazy ARZ veteran D against the still in pre-season Rams O, including both the OL and a struggling Foles.
But it’s a division game and the Rams CAN win those, even while they’re still in flux on the O.
My prediction: points will be scored, unevenly distributed between the 2 teams, with the team accumulating more of the points getting the win.
znModeratorThese guys get paid. They should get their facts right.
Agreed.
znModeratorCosell is very good here. Good listen. Covers a lot of territory.
znModeratorPractice Report 10/2: Quick Set to Return
Myles Simmons
It’s been a long road back from a serious shoulder injury for wide receiver Brian Quick, and all indications are that he will be on the field when the Rams take on the Cardinals in Arizona.
“Had a great week of practice,” head coach Jeff Fisher said of Quick. “I hope it carries over into the game.”
“I’m really excited, man,” Quick said after Friday’s session. “I can’t wait to get out there with my brothers and try to get this win.”
Quick has been a healthy scratch for the first three games of the season, but his injury was a factor for why he was not in. Because of the shoulder, Quick was not able to fully participate in much of the Rams’ offseason program. The wide receiver said part of making his way back was simply catching up with the new elements in the offense.
“It was just everything, period,” Quick said. “Just getting back to the speed that I needed to get back into. So I’m still working, and any opportunity that I get, I’m ready for.”
Quick said one of the indications he had a good chance to play against the Cardinals was his increased practice reps.
“There are certain things that you just have to prepare for, going into the week,” Quick said. “So when the coaches put you out there, you have to be ready for anything.”
One factor for the practice time was Kenny Britt sitting out earlier in the week due to a minor shoulder injury. While Britt is listed as probable to play Sunday, Fisher said Quick was impressive in Britt’s stead.
“He stepped right in there and literally was flawless with his reps,” Fisher said. “He knows exactly what to do.”
Though Quick had not been playing, he said he’s spent time with the entire offense developing chemistry with quarterback Nick Foles.
“Reps after practice, us going in the meeting room together as a unit — those are the little things that separate offenses and different players, just to have that chemistry together as one,” Quick said. “We’ve all been meeting and doing the extra things we needed to do.”
And last week, Foles said he’s seen plenty of potential from the 6-foot-3 wideout.
“The sky is the limit for that guy,” Foles said. “So talented, such a big receiver. His ball skills are among the best I’ve seen, just how he goes up and gets it.”
“When he gets out there, it’ll be exciting,” the quarterback added.
Given how hard and how long Quick has been working hard to be an active player on gameday, it wasn’t much of a surprise when he admitted Friday it was sometimes tough to sit and watch.
“You’re out here working every day and you see your brothers out there fighting, going out there giving it everything they have,” Quick said. “You want to go out there and do the same thing with them.”
And now that he will be able to do just that, Quick doesn’t need a moment to look back at all he’s overcome to get back to this point.
“I let it sink in every day — every day I’m out here,” Quick said. “Once you get a chance to even sit on the sideline, to even be out here, be in this locker room — you’ve got to take advantage of it and love everything that you do. So I just take that approach every day.”
INJURY REPORT
The Rams have six players listed on their injury report for Sunday’s contest.
Wide receiver Kenny Britt (shoulder) returned to practice Friday with full participation and is listed as probable. Linebacker James Laurinaitis (not injury related) is also listed as probable after having Tuesday and Wednesday off. Running back Benny Cunningham (knee) was added to the injury report Friday, but is listed as probable.
Running back Chase Reynolds (knee) did not practice all week, but is listed as doubtful. Defensive end Eugene Sims (knee) and safety Maurice Alexander (groin) have both been declared out for Sunday’s contest.
ROSTER MOVES
The Rams made a few corresponding roster moves to solidify the roster in preparation for Sunday.
Given the absence of Alexander, the Rams promoted safety Christian Bryant from the practice squad to the active roster.
“I think he’s got a chance to be active and help us on special teams,” Fisher said. “We’ve designated Maurice Alexander as ‘out’, so ‘CB’ can fill in for him till he comes back.”
The Rams selected Bryant in the seventh round out of Ohio State in the 2014 draft. The Cleveland, Ohio native spent last season on St. Louis’ practice squad.
“Christian was their Defensive MVP before he got hurt there at Ohio State,” Fisher said. “He’s one of those classic examples of what a difference a year makes. So, had a really good preseason. I’ve got all the confidence in the world that he’ll go out there and do the right things.”
To make room for Bryant on the active roster, the Rams cut cornerback Brandon McGee. The club also added cornerback Eric Patterson to replace Bryant on the practice squad. Patterson is an undrafted rookie out of Ball State, who spent the early portion of the offseason with the Patriots before going between the active roster and practice squad of the Colts. Indianapolis waived Patterson earlier this week.
znModeratorRams cut Brandon McGee promote S Christian Bryant
Bryant…interesting.
znModeratorI thought we got rid of all Raiders fans from this forum. What’s Nittany still doing here?
Without freedom of speech, we would not have examples of how bad you can look when you espouse an unworthy cause, like being a Raiders fan.
We call it the “but for the grace of god” policy.
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Well, the Raiders are 2-1 so…
Well, Mr. BandWagon, we’re Rams fans. We don’t need “winning records” to be loyal.
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znModeratorNick Wagoner
ESPN Staff WriterRams coach Jeff Fisher says WR Brian Quick will play Sunday. Quick will be making his 2015 debut after returning from shoulder injury.
znModeratorRams preparing for same old dominant Larry Fitzgerald
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — As one of the three teams Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has played against the most in his NFL career, it stands to reason that Fitzgerald’s numbers against the St. Louis Rams would be impressive.
But for all the teams that Fitzgerald has posted big statistics against, there’s not one that he has had more success against than the Rams. His 16 receiving touchdowns in 22 games against the Rams are the most by any active player against a single team in the NFL. In addition to those touchdowns, Fitzgerald has averaged 6.2 catches and 74 yards per game against St. Louis.
Now for the scary part: at 32, fully healthy and with a true starting quarterback in Carson Palmer, Fitzgerald might be playing as well as ever through the first three weeks of 2015.
“He has just a rare understanding of the game,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s got great body control and hand-eye coordination and speed and he just gets open. You’re hearing a lot about these receiver-quarterback tandems with [Falcons WR] Julio [Jones] down in Atlanta and some of the other guys, but this one is special. They’re special together. Carson and Fitz, they’ve got it going, so we’re going to have to play really well.”
As one of the most accomplished wideouts in the league, Fitzgerald is enjoying a renaissance in 2015 after he dipped below 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past three seasons. Those believing that Fitzgerald had lost a step are eating crow as Fitzgerald has 333 receiving yards (fifth in the NFL), and his five touchdown catches lead the league and are one more than the Rams have as a team.
How is he doing it? Well, it starts with a return to health. Fitzgerald battled an MCL sprain in 2014 and was left wearing a knee brace for most of the season. But he has struggled to get going without the services of a true No. 1 quarterback. With Palmer lost for most of the past two seasons because of knee injuries and less than optimal options before Palmer’s arrival, Fitzgerald has had to try to corral passes from the likes of Ryan Lindley, Drew Stanton, John Skelton and Kevin Kolb.
Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis and Fitzgerald go way back to their days in Minnesota and have trained together in the past. Laurinaitis keeps tabs on Fitzgerald and points to Palmer’s presence and Fitzgerald’s health as reasons for his early-season revival.
“He sprained his MCL, so he’s out there with a knee brace on and that’s not a good look for a wideout to have a knee brace,” Laurinaitis said. “So the combination of him not feeling well and you don’t have your starting quarterback, it makes a huge difference. He’s got probably the best hands in ball, arguably, very strong hands, and he’s a savvy vet now. He knows how to get open.”
Palmer has been Fitzgerald’s personal fountain of youth, feeding him the ball all over the field, and Arizona is not shy about moving Fitzgerald all over the formation. He has been particularly effective out of the slot or even stacked near the line of scrimmage in various bunch formations. In moving him around, the Cardinals have been able to create favorable matchups for him against nickel corners, safeties and even the occasional linebacker.
Fitzgerald and Palmer’s connection is stronger than ever. The two have connected on 23-of-28 targets (82.1 percent) and have been particularly effective using the middle of the field on intermediate and deep routes. According to Pro Football Focus, Fitzgerald has caught all 11 balls thrown his way between the hash marks at least 10 yards down the field for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s played it ever since we’ve been here,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “Now he’s playing a lot more flanker where he’s always been the split end where we can move him and he’s just bought into our philosophy. He’s probably one of the best blocking receivers in the league right now. But, it’s also helped him in the play-action game. We’re running the ball better than we have in the past, so that’s opening him up also.”
Which means the Rams must be constantly be aware of Fitzgerald’s presence on Sunday or a set of numbers that’s already impressive will continue to grow.
znModeratorI thought we got rid of all Raiders fans from this forum. What’s Nittany still doing here?
Without freedom of speech, we would not have examples of how bad you can look when you espouse an unworthy cause, like being a Raiders fan.
We call it the “but for the grace of god” policy.
.
znModeratorNo Excuses For Rams. Just Look at Arizona
Bernie Miklasz
It’s typical of Bernie to ignore or downplay contexts. It’s just his way. I’ve been saying that now for years btw, about Miklasz. And IMO him doing that just leads to bumper sticker analysis.
Here’s a quick glance at the ARZ roster, based solely on the roster put up for them by PRF for their last game.
EG. Arizona’s avg. experience for starters on defense is 5 years (I count the year they’re IN. So a rookie in 2015 is in year 1.) Their D has at least 5 starters who are in their 5th year or more.
On their OL, the avg. experience is 5.6 years. The youngest is a 3 year vet and it includes 2 6 year vets and a 9 year vet.
The way I have always seen Miklasz work, going back to the days he used to trash Vermeil in 98 based on criticisms he was getting from Zygmunt, is that he gets an emotion based on the team record, then adds reasons that justify the emotion.
He doesn’t really do any analysis where the conclusion is not pre-ordained.
So for example it would not even occur to him to compare the relative experience of the Rams D v. the ARZ D, or the Rams OL v. the ARZ OL. That stuff is just not on his horizon. He doesn’t even think to do it. When confronted with material like that, and an analysis that differs from his, he trots out the great “shut down conversation” word….”excuses.” (Excuses = an analysis you don’t like. That’s it, that’s all it ever means in football discussions.)
Meanwhile look at the Fisher Rams from 2012-2014. They did well when they had: (1) a starting caliber qb, (2) a relatively healthy OL (meaning one that does not have multiple simultaneous injury replacements), and (3) a running threat.
BTW if you have a top qb you can get by without number 3. Palmer is that; both Foles and Bradford need a running threat IMO.
But in any event, they did well when then had those conditions. And they had those conditions for 11 out of 48 games. In those 11 games they went 7-3-1, and that includes 6 games against top 10 defenses.
Arians is clearly a good coach, but then, give any struggling team Palmer, Fitzgerald, a veteran D (even one with injuries), and a veteran OL, and they ought to do well.
In contrast, I assume that when Foles and the Rams young OL get some experience together that the unit will cohere and they will do well.
But see that’s where the “e” word comes in. Bernie will dismiss all that as “excuses.” I just call it analysis. He disagrees with it, mostly based on an emotional reaction to the record, so we get the “e” word.
All IMO naturally and of course.
znModeratorGurley looking forward to his next chance
Joe Lyons
Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley ran the ball six times for nine yards and caught a five-yard pass in his much-awaited NFL debut in a return from November knee surgery.
In addition to getting comfortable in the NFL, Gurley is also adjusting to the Rams’ new zone blocking scheme, Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
“We had an outside zone run (in college at Georgia), but we never ran it,’’ Gurley said. “It definitely requires patience, getting those ‘backers to flow and stretching the D-end, making sure you’re pressing the track and making the cut at the heels of the line.
“It’s something new to whole offense and definitely new to me, but it’s no excuse. It takes repetitions, looking at other team’s outside zones and learning from that, watching film with the O-line. We’ll get it down.’’
Gurley was asked about getting more touches going forward and replied diplomatically.
“One carry could be for 80 yards,’’ he said. “It doesn’t matter how many touches I get as long as we win. I’ll let the coaches call that; I don’t call the plays.’’
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