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September 5, 2015 at 2:22 pm in reply to: post-KC game reactions …. Rams and Saints only 0-4 teams in pre-season #29870
znModeratorfrom off the net
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Rams43
Finally got to watch the Chiefs game…
I watched the OL play with particular attention. I believe that it is clearly the area with the most unknowns. I mean, I rewound each play multiple times to watch each OL player of interest.
Here’s what I came away with…
Once again, all 3 C candidates played “okay”. Of the 3, I thought Jones played best. He had one bad snap but otherwise looked pretty good. Rhaney was most athletic and might one day become a helluva starting OG.
Wichmann has a future in this league but failed to blow me away in this particular game. He does look like promising depth and a possible future starter to me.
Know which OL did impress me? Wait for it… Garrett Reynolds and Battle. I would go so far as to say Reynolds was our most effective OL player that night, both at LG and RT. very effective, indeed.
Battle exceeded my expectations, frankly. Never missed an assignment. Heck, he neutralized his man all night long. He looked like a 1st round pick and has the look of a future starter written all over him. GRob and Hav better stay on their toes because by mid season I predict that Battle will be capable of giving each a good run for his money. Brilliant value pick for a ’16 fifth rounder. Snead should be arrested for grand theft.
Cody Davis did some good things, but I saw him miss at least 2 tackles. Puzzling for such a good ST player, don’t you think?
Hope Bradley Marquez can make it to the PS.
Ditto Malcolm Brown.
Mannion definitely took a step backwards in this game. But, hey, he IS a rookie.
Hager seems to be EVERYWHERE. Looks like a nice 7th round value. Maybe even close to a steal there.
I think our OL is gonna exceed expectations. Expectations are admittedly not high, but still… By games 5-6, I think our OL might be downright beastly, actually.
We now look like a team that can and will run effective screens. THAT might slow down opponents edge rush, huh? And Foles is considered a fine play action QB, too.
We’ve got some real hitters in our secondary these days. Hope Bryant can join them.
If Givens hadn’t stepped up so much, I think Marquez was the favorite to replace him on the 53. Too bad for Marquez that Mannion had such a bad night.
September 5, 2015 at 12:38 am in reply to: post-KC game reactions …. Rams and Saints only 0-4 teams in pre-season #29857znModeratorTake a close look at the last part of the tavon run.
Isn’t it a bit odd that the two chief defenders
were able to catch up to tavon?
Didnt look like they had the angle,
but they caught him.w
vI think if you look at the play—which is here: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/foles-to-austin-43-yards-eventually-other-highlights/ — those defenders gain an angle on him because they are running ahead of his path, closing to the sideline, while he is back in traffic slowing for a sec to clear defenders. Those Chiefs defenders cut off his beeline because they did have the angle to arrive where he is going to be, not because they caught him from behind.
I am not sure I described that well, but it’s in the vid if you strategically pause it.
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This reply was modified 11 years ago by
zn.
znModeratorThe poor are taking my taxes just so they can sit back and relax, not having to work all day. Meanwhile, I’m busting my ass!
That’s why we hate the poor.
I see all types of attacks on “freeloaders” — you know, welfare recipients.
The most interesting thing to me about those types of statements is that they often come from someone who I know has received or is receiving government assistance, or at the very least some type of handouts (hand-ups?) from a charitable organization. They’re people who work, so you know, why should they pay any type of tax to support those freeloaders. They’re always ready to share a story about a welfare cheat or fraud. Or, worry about immigrants getting help from “my” tax dollars.
It’s small-minded thinking, as you know. I think, at the same time, these same people do want significant change that allows more opportunities — mainly out of selfishness. I mean, yeah, it’s always out of selfishness. Why else would you support a public policy? To help them? What about me and my tribe? How can a policy help me when it’s helping them, the Freeloaders, the Outsiders?
This mentality is played like a harp by the establishment.
How Trump Exposed the Tea PartyThe proof is in: the GOP base isn’t small-government libertarian; it’s old-fashioned populist.
By Michael Lindhttp://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/trump-tea-party-populist-exposed-213111#ixzz3koAanAKy
ere are some of the things that have been said by the guy who has galvanized the GOP’s Tea Party base and taken the lead in the Republican presidential race:
“Every Republican wants to do a big number on Social Security, they want to do it on Medicare, they want to do it on Medicaid. And we can’t do that.”
“As far as single payer [health care], it works in Canada, it works incredibly well in Scotland. … You can’t let the people in this country, the people without the money and resources, to go without healthcare.”
“People as they make more and more money can pay a higher percentage” of taxes.
Only one of two conclusions can be drawn here. Either the Tea Party base—which the media would have us think mainly consists of angry libertarians inveighing against taxes and runaway big government—hasn’t really been listening to Donald Trump, who made all the above statements, or, alternatively, most of the media have read the Tea Party and its true aims and ambitions entirely wrong.
I suggest the latter is the correct answer. The success of Trump’s campaign has, if nothing else, exposed the Tea Party for what it really is; Trump’s popularity is, in effect, final proof of what some of us have been arguing for years: that the Tea Party is less a libertarian movement than a right-wing version of populism. Think William Jennings Bryan or Huey Long, not Ayn Rand. Tea Partiers are less upset about the size of government overall than they are that so much of it is going to other people, especially immigrants and nonwhites. They are for government for them and against government for Not-Them.
This is what explains a lot of what’s going on now. After all, according to the commentariat, the Summer of Trump was supposed to have been the Summer of Rand Paul. It seems like only yesterday that the media were interpreting the rise of the Tea Party as a triumph of anti-statism and predicting that Paul, with his libertarian views on national security and data privacy, represented the future of the American right.
But Paul has all but disappeared from view, polling in the low single digits, while Trump has soared into the lead, and nothing he says, no matter how outrageous, seems to sour the right-wing base on him. Trump is no libertarian; quite the opposite. He is a classic populist of the right who peddles suspicion of foreigners—it’s no accident that he was the country’s leading “birther” raising questions about Barack Obama’s citizenship—combined with a kind of “producerism.” In populist ideology, society is divided not among rich and poor but among producers and parasites.
Populists are suspicious of unearned wealth, including the interest charged by bankers who manipulate “other people’s money” (to use the phrase of Louis Brandeis). And populists the world over are hostile to the idle or undeserving poor who allegedly live on welfare at the expense of productive workers and capitalists. Populists tend to attribute the existence of large numbers of the idle rich and the idle poor to government corruption. In the words of the 1892 People’s Party platform: “From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires.”
To anyone paying attention, it should have been clear from the 2010 elections onward that Tea Party voters were at odds with the libertarians in the Republican donor class and Beltway think tanks. Further confirmation came when David Brat, an obscure college professor, defeated Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a 2014 Republican primary in a shocking upset. Cantor was punished for supporting more legal immigration and amnesty for illegal immigrants, something favored by Republican elites but opposed by conservative voters. Of immigration, Brat told Fox News: “It’s the most symbolic issue that captures the differences between me and Eric Cantor.”
The hostility of the Republican right to illegal immigration is usually attributed by establishment pundits to pure racism, no doubt correctly in many cases. After all, according to traditional free-market libertarianism, open borders are good (“There shall be open borders,” was the mantra of the late Robert Bartley of the Wall Street Journal, summarizing the credo of the free-market right). But in the moral universe of populists, illegal immigrants of any race are classic “parasites” preying on hard-working producers. To begin with, they are all cheaters by definition, violating U.S. immigration laws, unlike legal immigrants who obey the law and wait in line for limited quotas. In addition, according to recent data, 51 percent of immigrant households receive some kind of welfare, compared with 30 percent for native-led households. Reflecting differences in education and income, welfare use is much higher for immigrants from Latin America than from South Asia, East Asia and Europe. Inasmuch as the populist right in the U.K. is galvanized in part by opposition to “Polish plumbers,” it is a mistake to attribute the opposition of populists solely to racism. Populist fears that the country is becoming a welfare magnet for the foreign-born poor also play a part.
Trump has catered to these fears while alienating the Republican establishment by delivering xenophobic putdowns of Mexicans and saying he wants to build a wall along the Mexican border: “I want it to be so beautiful because some day they’re going to call it the Trump wall.” When it comes to trade, Trump is an economic nationalist who has called for tariffs on imports from China and Mexico.
In domestic policy, Trump’s rejection of orthodox conservatism is just as dramatic. The establishment right supports cuts in Social Security and the voucherization of Medicare; Trump does not. No apostasy on Trump’s part is more unforgiveable to the conservative elite than his heresy on taxes. Conservative orthodoxy holds that the rich—no matter how they make their money—are by definition “wealth creators” and “job creators” and that the best way to grow the economy is to lower their taxes further. Trump, however, favors progressive taxation and despises “paper-pushers” on Wall Street: “The hedge fund guys didn’t build this country. These are guys that shift paper around and they get lucky…. But a lot of them—they are paper-pushers. They make a fortune. They pay no tax. It’s ridiculous, ok?”
A Marist poll of April 18, 2011, proves that Trumpist populism was a fully fledged worldview among Tea Party voters years before Donald Trump announced his run for the Republican presidential nomination. In the survey, 81 percent of self-identified Tea Party supporters opposed raising the federal debt ceiling. But majorities of Tea Party supporters also favored reducing the federal debt by raising taxes on those with incomes over $250,000 (53 percent) and opposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid (70 percent).
***It was the Great Recession that catalyzed the contemporary Tea Party movement. Like Occupy Wall Street activists, but from the right, Tea Party conservatives objected to the federal government’s bailouts of what they perceived as the rich parasites of the financial sector.
The famous on-air rant on February 19, 2009, by Rick Santelli of CNBC that helped to inspire the movement targeted a second group of parasites or moochers or takers—the potential beneficiaries of a proposal to bail out some homeowners threatened with losing their homes because of their inability to pay their mortgages. In classic producerist fashion, Santelli denounced the unfairness of bailing out “losers” while other hard-working Americans had to struggle to make their mortgage payments:
Government is promoting bad behavior. … Do we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages? This is America? How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage? President Obama, are you listening? How about we all stop paying our mortgages? It’s moral hazard.
A further clue to the values of the Tea Party right was provided by Representative Rob Inglis (R-S.C.), who was reportedly told by a constituent, “Keep your government hands off my Medicare.” This was widely interpreted by snobbish progressives to indicate that Tea Partiers are too stupid to understand that Medicare is a government benefit. But in fact Tea Party populists are being consistent, if selfish, in favoring universal, earned benefits that benefit people like them, while opposing means-tested welfare, which they suspect is encouraging laziness among the “idle poor.”
Trump’s establishment rivals, like Jeb Bush, accuse him of not being a true conservative. That is true, if conservatism is defined by the beliefs of the Republican Party’s elite donors and the think tank experts whom they subsidize. But if conservatism is defined by what the voters who make up the conservative base actually believe, then it is the deviations of the GOP establishment from right-wing populist orthodoxy that must be explained.
For years the Republican elite has gotten away with promoting policies about trade and entitlements that are the exact opposites of the policies favored by much of their electoral base. Populist conservatives who want to end illegal immigration, tax the rich, protect Social Security and Medicare, and fight fewer foreign wars have been there all along. It’s just that mainstream pundits and journalists, searching for a libertarian right more to their liking (and comprehension), refused to see them before the Summer of Trump.
September 4, 2015 at 5:12 pm in reply to: post-KC game reactions …. Rams and Saints only 0-4 teams in pre-season #29842znModeratorfrom off the net
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aeneas1
rhaney:
against the chiefs rhaney started at right guard and then took over at center, here he is making another great screen block from the center position, i really don’t know how the rams can keep this guy on the bench once the season starts…
and here he is, again from the center position, making a great second level block on the ilb that springs pead for a nice gainer:
grob:
robinson had a solid outing against kc, so did have for that matter… here’s grob saying hello to the chiefs 2014 first round pick, olb ford, clearly grob needs to work on his strength… 😯
here’s grob flattening the defender on a run to the opposite side:
and grob tossing his guy to the ground in pass pro:
other:
solid pass pro for foles on the pick, c’mon cook!
another angle:
pead making a great block on tavon’s scamper:
pead’s touchdown run, so much went down on this play…
1. cook, as usual, with a poor run block effort, pretty much just let his guy go by… but the funny thing is he inadvertently made a huge block that very well may have allowed pead to score. when he let his guy go by he pretty much just stood around, and turned back to watch the play unfold, then when a chief conveniently got within range, cooked knocked him to the ground, it was pretty funny, almost like cook thought the play was over but wanted to get a shot in… anyway i’ve highlighted it in the gifs below but they really don’t capture it as well as the actual footage, too many discarded frames…
2. rhaney did a great job on the td run, stood up his guy and held his ground.
3. reyonolds, at left guard, got blown back, launched, he was sent into orbit, not one of his finer moments.
4. barnes made a nice cut block.
5. havenstein had a second level assignment and also attempted a cut block. in fact i noticed the rams were doing a lot of cut blocking, or at least attempting it, last night, which i dig…
znModeratorAndy Reid, Jeremy Maclin praise Rams QB Nick Foles
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/177731/andy-reid-jeremy-maclin-praise-rams-qb-nick-foles
ST. LOUIS — Even after an entire offseason, training camp and preseason, it’s still hard to know what to expect from St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles in his first year with the team.
But to hear Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and receiver Jeremy Maclin tell it, the Rams made a wise move bringing Foles in and giving him a two-year contract extension. In town for Thursday’s preseason finale, Reid and Maclin — both of whom spent time with Foles in Philadelphia — were asked about Foles and both players offered high praise for the Rams’ new starting signal-caller.
“You are asking one of Nick Foles’ biggest fans,” Reid said. “He is smart, he has good accuracy, and he is a big body. A big strong guy, and he is young. He is going nowhere but up here. He is surrounded by good coaches and good skill players. I think he will do fine. He has to get back into this system. And it is just a matter of time.”
Of course, the Rams and their fans would prefer that it’s not a matter of too much time as the Rams enter an important year for their future in town. The Rams clearly agree with Reid, having handed Foles a contract extension before he ever plays in a regular-season game for them.
While Reid obviously has ties to Foles that would indicate a bias, he also coached Foles before he stepped into current Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s system. Reid runs a West Coast passing attack similar to what the Rams will ask of Foles so he should have at least some idea of how Foles’ skills translate to what the Rams want him to do.
Foles played in seven games with six starts for Reid in 2012 after the Eagles used a third-round pick on him that year. Foles only won one of those starts and threw for 1,699 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions for a rating of 79.1, but he earned the respect of Maclin and Reid in the process.
“I feel for starters, people can expect him to go out there and compete every single day,” Maclin said. “That’s the type of person Nick is. He’s also a guy that, as far as talent, can make every throw on the football field. I’ve kind of heard the Rams guys saying ‘In 5 we trust’ and all that other stuff so that just goes to show you the type of respect people give him based off of the type of person he is and the type of player he is.”
Foles and Maclin didn’t have many chances to play together because of Maclin’s season-ending knee injury before the 2013 season, but even on the bench, Maclin said he could see why teammates were drawn to Foles.
Maclin pointed to a Week 3 win against Washington in 2014 as an example. In that game, Maclin said Foles took a borderline late hit as he threw a pass that was intercepted but overturned by replay. Foles bounced back and drove the Eagles to a 27-yard touchdown toss to Maclin that helped seal the victory.
“It’s just that type of will that he has that people just respect,” Maclin said. “He was banged up after that, but it did not affect the way he finished the game.
“[He’s] always positive. If anything goes bad, he’s the first one to take responsibility for it. For anyone leading the team, that’s kind of what you want.”
September 4, 2015 at 2:30 pm in reply to: Getting to the 53 man roster…. more cuts listed 9/5 #29825znModeratorFinal Roster Projections
Youth and uncertainty force Rams to go heavy on offensive linemen
Nick Wagoner
Here is a final projection of a position-by-position look at who stays and who goes when the St. Louis Rams makes their final cuts.
QUARTERBACK (3): Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion
What once appeared to be a real competition between Keenum and Austin Davis never really materialized as Davis simply didn’t get much of an opportunity in the preseason. Granted, the Rams know what they have in Davis and wanted to get an extended look at Keenum but this one seemed pretty well set from the moment training camp started. Foles is the starter and Mannion will get time to develop.
RUNNING BACK (5): Todd Gurley, Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Isaiah Pead, Chase Reynolds
It should be noted that Trey Watts is suspended the first four games of the season, otherwise he’d be here instead of Pead. But for now, Pead gets a stay until Watts comes back. Considering the injury situations with Gurley and Mason, I considered keeping a sixth back. Malcolm Brown is difficult to let go after an impressive preseason but he doesn’t bring the special-teams value the Rams need from an additional back.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens
Entering camp, it appeared Givens might get a run for his money but he was actually the best wideout on the team in the preseason games. He should be safe. Nobody else really stood out to make a run for a potential sixth spot.
TIGHT END (3): Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Cory Harkey
The Rams traditionally keep at least one more here and they could keep Justice Cunningham or Alex Bayer for special-teams purposes. Neither did much in the preseason, though, and since the Rams have to keep an extra quarterback this year, this seems like a logical place to keep one less body.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Greg Robinson, Rodger Saffold, Jamon Brown, Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones, Rob Havenstein, Demetrius Rhaney, Garrett Reynolds, Andrew Donnal, Isaiah Battle
The Rams spent five picks on the offensive line in the offseason, which means they have a lot of young players they want to develop. Unless they’re willing to cut some of them already, that means they’re going to need to go heavy on the offensive line. This projection actually does remove sixth-round guard Cody Wichmann but a leg injury suffered in the spring prevented him from making much of an impression and he doesn’t offer positional versatility. They should be able to get him through to the practice squad. Battle is a different proposition. He didn’t play well enough to make the roster and another team might not scoop him if he’s available but the Rams surrendered a fifth-round pick next year for him and knew he would take some time to get up to speed. It’s a risk they probably aren’t willing to take. The competition at center is too close to call, though there seems to be some momentum for Barnes as the starter. Instead of making the decision, the team opts to keep all three contenders. Ten is a lot of linemen but the Rams have too much invested from the draft to cut bait on these guys already.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Nick Fairley, William Hayes, Eugene Sims, Ethan Westbrooks, Louis Trinca-Pasat
It seemed like this would be the year that the Rams actually keep only eight defensive linemen because of needs at other positions. Then Trinca-Pasat happened. In fact, defensive tackle Trinca-Pasat and end Matt Longacre both happened. Both players earned positive reviews for their work in the preseason and made a case to make the roster. But Trinca-Pasat ultimately wins out because of his ability to push the pocket and be disruptive on the interior. Theoretically, someone could push Westbrooks for a spot as well but the feeling is that with Hayes and Sims set for free agency after the year, the Rams give him another year to develop and potentially step into an expanded role next year.
LINEBACKER (6): James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Akeem Ayers, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Bryce Hager, Daren Bates
Bates’ knee injury might force the Rams to keep an extra player here right away for special teams but otherwise, nobody has really stood out enough to land a job. Korey Toomer would’ve been in the mix if not for a foot injury but otherwise, this one will only change based on how the team feels about Bates’ health.
CORNERBACK (4): Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Roberson
Imoan Claiborne’s release in the initial roster cuts this week was a bit of a surprise, leaving the door open for someone else to claim the spot. But there really isn’t any obvious choice unless the team wants to roll the dice on perpetually injured Brandon McGee. Because they went so heavy on offensive linemen, they will try to get by with four corners for now. In the meantime, they’ll keep their eyes open for veteran options and keep a couple of extra corners on the practice squad.
SAFETY (5): T.J. McDonald, Rodney McLeod, Mark Barron, Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis
Christian Bryant and Jacob Hagen both flashed at times in the exhibition games but there simply doesn’t appear to be enough room for either of them to land a spot on the roster.
SPECIALISTS (3): Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein, Jake McQuaide
No drama here.
September 4, 2015 at 11:41 am in reply to: Getting to the 53 man roster…. more cuts listed 9/5 #29819znModeratorCenter is the only position that affects a starter. imo
I am ready to keep 10 OL and 10 DL.
They are going to be cutting some good players this year, no question.
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September 4, 2015 at 11:33 am in reply to: Getting to the 53 man roster…. more cuts listed 9/5 #29817znModeratorRams’ lingering position battle nears end
Ben Frederickson
Listeners of the JOX Roundtable, a sports talk radio show on “Birmingham’s Favorite Radio Station,” didn’t get much of an update this week on the St. Louis Rams’ most important position battle.
“I certainly don’t feel that way yet,” Barrett Jones said when asked if he had secured the starting center spot during last Saturday’s preseason loss to the Colts.
“I feel like I had a good, solid start. I did some good things. But, it’s still an open competition, as far as I’ve heard.”
Years from now, the third-year center out of Alabama can see himself in broadcasting. He’s off to a good start, weighing in weekly on the same SEC-obsessed station that used to deliver a daily dose of Paul Finebaum to a rabid Roll-Tide contingent.
Jones’ call-ins are sponsored by a plumbing company. But wait. There’s more.
“I do two of them, actually,” Jones said after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m a weekly guest for 15 minutes.”
“The other one is a local Tuscaloosa show with a guy I know. They’re both good. I have a lot of fun doing them.”
Before he moves behind a microphone full-time, Jones would like to secure the job of snapping the ball to new Rams quarterback Nick Foles. He has company. Entering Thursday’s final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Rams are still — yes, still — waiting to name a winner between Jones, fourth-year grinder Tim Barnes and second-year center/guard Demetrius Rhaney.
The Rams’ offensive line is a big question mark, and the uncertainty starts in the middle.
“We are getting production out of not only Barrett and Tim, but also out of Demetrius,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Tuesday. “And Demetrius and Tim have the flex at guard. And Barrett can potentially play guard, if need be. It’s a good race right now.”
Let’s pause. Not knowing who will stand between Foles and opposing defensive lines is far from good. Ideally, someone would have claimed the spot that was vacated when the team cut veteran Scott Wells in March. But here we are.
The lack of resolution means Jones and Barnes still have a chance. Probably more than Rhaney.
Fisher says Rhaney belongs in this discussion, and you will find him listed as the No. 2 option behind Jones on the current depth chart. But Rhaney has looked more comfortable and more productive at guard. Recent practices point toward this being a two-man race between Jones and Barnes.
The former is an Alabama legend still trying to find solid footing as a pro. You know the story. Jones was a three-time All-American on three national-championship teams. He played three different positions and claimed the Rimington Trophy as a senior center. His incredible college career recently landed him a third-team spot on the Football Writers Association of America’s 75th anniversary All-American team. But since the Rams drafted him in the fourth round in 2013, he’s been slowed by injuries. He’s played just 23 snaps the past two seasons.
“You have to earn everything,” Jones said. “I’ve had a great situation here, though. I’ve had great people around me. I’ve learned a lot from Scott Wells, these past two years, about kind of what it takes to be a center in this league. Injuries did set me back a little bit, but I feel like I’m in a place right now where, I really believe I can play in this league. I feel like I’m playing really good football right now.”
And then there’s Barnes, a Missouri product seldom mentioned in the #MizzouMade promotions pumped out of Columbia, Mo. That might change if the former Tiger, undrafted in 2011, completes the practice-squad-to-starter leap. He’s more experienced, and has four starts under his belt. But those were back in 2013.
“It’s just one of those things where you just stairstep it,” Barnes said Tuesday. “Get on the practice squad, then try to get on the roster. Then be a backup, a solid backup. When you have that opportunity (to start), you have to try to make the best of. It’s what our goal was from the very beginning. Now we are close to seeing if it worked, or not.”
Preseason games can be a snore. If the thought of the I-70 series doesn’t make your toes tingle, focus your attention on an often-overlooked position. The guys snapping the ball on Thursday have plenty to play for. This center competition actually has to end sometime soon.
“You’ve got one more chance in a live situation where guys are going hard,” Barnes said. “It’s a big deal.”
When Jones returns to the Alabama airwaves next week, he should be able to offer a more concrete answer when the discussion turns to his position on the depth chart.[
September 4, 2015 at 11:02 am in reply to: 9/3 Fisher, Foles, Cody Davis, Tavon, Long … vids & transcripts #29813znModeratorRams Head Coach Jeff Fisher
(Opening Remarks)
“Well, disappointed we didn’t win it, but again, pleased with what took place out there. We played quite a few players in the game and we made our substitutions and we ended up with only (WR) Danny (Rodriguez) in the training room, which isn’t a good thing for Danny, but it’s a good thing overall for the club. It’s a classic fourth preseason game. We played a lot of players, saw some good things, had some drops, had some missed opportunities there at the end to win, and had the two penalties that hurt us. But there are great things, too. They were done by young players, but they’re great things to learn from. So overall, disappointed we didn’t find a way to win a preseason game, but I’m also very excited to have it over now as everybody else is and move forward and get ready for the Seahawks. So, I have a difficult day tomorrow and Saturday. That’s always the case. We’ve had discussions over the last few days and this will be our hardest cut down. And that would imply we’re getting better. So, we got to play a lot of players, play some young guys, but for those that didn’t play, didn’t play for probably two different reasons: One, we wanted to give them another week to heal up and two, we didn’t feel like they needed to play. So, I thought overall we got a lot accomplished tonight, but the best thing – the thing I’m most excited about – is our training room’s empty right now.”(On if there are still some roster sports up for grabs)
“Yeah, there are. We’ll have some discussions. It may take until Saturday. We don’t have to officially turn them in until 3 p.m. central time on Saturday. So, we’ll probably make a lot of decisions tomorrow, inform most of the players, probably sort some things out all the way up until Saturday at 3:00.”(On if he will look at the Chiefs game film closely to decide roster spots)
“Well, we’ll look at it as it relates to maybe a couple of players. But we’re not going to grade this tape like we ordinarily do as a staff and in all three phases and those kinds of things. We’re going to get through the hard decisions tomorrow and then take a look at it. But both teams tonight were pretty simple. We stayed basic and I thought it was great. Just let them play. We just let our guys play.”(On if he’s closer to making a decision at center and potentially keeping all three on the roster)
“There’s a possibility because of the position flexibility. Yeah, there’s a chance we keep all three. We’ll make the decision. As soon as we start to practice we can start preparation, which should be Tuesday.”(On RB Isaiah Pead’s play against the Chiefs)
“Each week he’s getting better. He’s just getting better. He’s dropped the brace, which is a huge thing psychologically for him, and each week he’s getting better. Great effort on his behalf to get to this point.”(On S Cody Davis’s play against the Chiefs and him making interceptions often)
“He does. He made a great play today…We’ll really get into detail of it because he’s wired. Yeah, he was mic’d.”(On Daniel Rodriguez leaving the game)
“Well, he didn’t pass the concussion protocol. So, we have to examine him over the next couple of days.”Rams QB Nick Foles
(On how he feels about getting to play tonight)
“I think anytime you get more reps and can go out there with the unit is great, especially because we’re all so young and new in the offense. So it was great to go out there and just get a couple series. First series didn’t end like we wanted to, but we were able to come out there and face a little adversity and move the ball right down the field and get a touchdown.”(On the first team offense moving the ball better these last few games and if he takes a little bit of momentum from that)
“Yeah, absolutely. I think any improvement is a great improvement. I think the big thing was we faced a little adversity early and we didn’t let it affect us. We went out there and we had some great runs and (WR) Tavon (Austin) made a great play going from one side of the field to the other and that’s stuff you have to do to win the game. So we didn’t come out on top tonight, but we stepped in the right direction and I’m excited about what we have.”(On if he had any view of WR Tavon Austin’s play)
“I mean I was right behind it. I didn’t quite know what to do because he’s so fast. I really just really try to stay out of his way and watch him do his thing.”(On how he felt about his preseason overall)
“I felt like I improved each and every game. I think the big thing is just felt comfortable running the offense, being out there playing again. Now it’s getting real. Season’s here. I’m excited. We’ll learn from this film. We’ll look at it, improve from it and move forward and get ready for Seattle.”(On if he’s excited to get more fans in the stands for the game against Seattle)
“I’m excited just to play, get this thing going. Get into a game plan, we get into that routine and then my first big, real game at home so I’m excited to see the fans here cheering us on. We’re going to need them there against Seattle. Be loud and rowdy.”(On if he thinks improvement can be made in practice time before Seattle)
“Yeah, absolutely. Each and every day you can improve. I think the big thing is just continue to get with the guys on routes. The more we can talk about different things, different looks, the better we’re going to be. The communication is something that I”ll continue to stress. The more they get to know me as a quarterback and me know them as receivers, tight ends, running backs – the better we’ll be. O-line is doing a great job up front of really getting the run lanes going and letting our running backs do their thing. So yeah, absolutely. I just think each and every day we just need to improve.”(On if he feels in sync with his top receivers)
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve thrown a lot of balls in my life so I feel really comfortable. We get a lot of work in practice, so it’ll be exciting to go out there and play in a full game and just let it rip.”(On his reunion with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid)
“Yeah, I was able to see Coach Reid before the game. Gave him a big hug. I love Coach Reid. He’s the one who drafted me in Philadelphia, so really enjoyed playing for him. He’s a great head coach. He’s done a great job there. So a lot of guys on that staff were there my rookie year so it was neat seeing them.”(On how he feels about opening the season here at home)
“I’m excited to open the season here at home. Just to get our fans there to support us and just be loud. We’re going to need them to be loud against Seattle. So I’m really excited about that.”Rams S Cody Davis
(On how good it felt to make that interception)
“It felt great. Just to put it on film. I’ve been making them in practice a little bit so to see it translate into a game feels really good.”(On if he’s aware of how many interceptions he made has in practice)
“No, not quite. Just want to put it on film for the coaches and execute to the best of my ability.”(On what he saw on the play)
“Cover 3, just rolling down and saw a three-step drop and the quarterback kind of turned his shoulder that way and I made the break. Luckily I guessed right.”(On if his eyes got big when the end zone was so close)
“It happened so fast, you go through it so much and it’s just kind of a reaction to take off right when you get the ball and not think too much.”(On if it’s important to make plays towards the end of camp so that people notice him)
“Yeah definitely. You want to improve every play, every year. As time goes on, you want to see that improvement and hopefully I’ve shown that.”WR Tavon Austin
(On if he and QB Nick Foles wanted to get the first-team offense in the end zone)
“Definitely, not just me and Nick; the whole offensive unit. That’s our goal to come and set the tempo and get some points on the board and from there see how the game goes.”(On if he feels ready for the regular-season opener)
“I believe we’re good. We’ve just got to keep on coming in to work, day in and day out. When it’s time for show time, we’ve got to show up.”(On if he has a sense that he’ll have an opportunity to put up bigger numbers in this offense)
“I really don’t get into too much individual stuff, but they will be using me a lot more than in previous years. I’m up for the challenge. Hopefully I can make some plays for us and give us the edge.”Rams DE Chris Long
(On how he feels about the state of the defense)
“I think we’re where we need to be at this point. We’re in that range and this is going to be a big week of preparation for us. These next 10 days are huge for us going into Seattle. We’re going to play them tough and we always do and they always play us tough. It’s going to be a really physical game. It’ll be a lot of fun.”(On if it was nice to see the offense move the ball these last couple of games)
“Yeah, it was good. They look really good in practice. Maybe it was a slow start, but to see some of the success come to fruition was good for (QB) Nick (Foles) and his receivers.”(On S Cody Davis’ interception after having several in practice)
“Yeah he does it a lot in practice. To see it in a game is exciting, the whole sideline erupted. He’s a favorite on the team, so guys were really excited.”(On if it bothers him to not get a preseason win)
“You play to win these games, but there are bigger goals that are being developed and worked towards that are probably more nuance that everybody might not see – players developing, units gelling together. Some of the really tough years where we were 2-14, go back and look at some of those preseason records, they were pretty darn good. Not saying that that’s necessarily good or bad, but I don’t weigh everything on winning and losing, it’s about what we were able to get accomplished.”znModeratorResilient Pead a bright spot for Rams
Jim Thomas
There have been more downs than ups for running back Isaiah Pead in the NFL. Many more.
He suffered a season-ending knee injury last season against Green Bay in the Rams’ second preseason game. In 2013, he served a one-game suspension to open the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
On the verge of this season, Pead has appeared in only 25 regular-season games with one start. But the former Big East offensive player of the year at Cincinnati and second-round draft pick in 2012 hasn’t given up on what to date has been a disappointing pro career.
If nothing else, Pead knocked off some rust in Thursday’s preseason finale against Kansas City. With the Rams resting Benny Cunningham, Pead started against the Chiefs and gained 52 yards on 12 carries — all in the first half of the Chiefs’ 24-17 victory over the Rams at the Edwards Jones Dome.
“Each week he’s getting better,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s dropped the (knee) brace, which is a huge thing psychologically for him. Each week he’s getting better, so it’s great effort on his behalf to get to this point.”
And this just in: With 2015 first-round pick Todd Gurley not expected to play in the Sept. 13 season opener against Seattle, and Tre Mason questionable with a hamstring injury, Pead may very well be the Rams’ No. 2 running back (behind Cunningham) against the two-time defending NFC champions.
With Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on hand, it was the Chiefs who took the Governor’s Cup back to the western side of the Show-Me State. Another very light crowd watched, with tickets distributed announced at 37,616. There were maybe 25,000 fans in the seats, and many of them were Chiefs fans.
For only the second time since the franchise moved to St. Louis in 1995, the Rams went winless in exhibition play, finishing 0-4.
“Disappointed that we didn’t find a way to win a preseason game,” Fisher said. “But I’m also very excited to have it over now, as everybody else is, and move forward and get ready for the Seahawks.
“And we ended up with only Danny (Rodriguez) in the training room, which is a really good night — not a good thing for Danny but it’s a good thing overall for the club.”
Rodriguez, the wide receiver from Clemson and an Afghanistan war hero, suffered a concussion on a kickoff return late in the second quarter.
Back to Pead, he also got in the end zone Thursday with a rushing touchdown, something he did 27 times in college for the Bearcats. However, it wasn’t all peaches and cream for him against the Chiefs. On his last carries of the half, he had two cracks at a first down on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1, but couldn’t move the sticks.
“It’s always good to get out and contribute,” Pead said. “Definitely feels good to get back in the end zone. Last time I did was against the Chiefs in the preseason a couple of years ago.”
On a night when the Rams rested 10 of the 22 expected starters on offense and defense, quarterback Nick Foles played two series, backup safety Cody Davis returned an interception for a touchdown, backup linebacker Bryce Hager recovered his second fumble of the preseason, and Greg Zuerlein drilled a 57-yard field goal.
“I feel good about it,” Foles said of the Rams’ offense. “We still need to continue to improve and progress, which we will because we have the guys here, we have the coaches … we come to work every day to get better. I feel good about where we’re at and I’m excited about where we’ll go.”
As is frequently the case in preseason finales, Thursday’s Bubble Bowl was an entertaining if not crisply-executed affair, filled with intense play by dozens of players on both teams fighting for a roster spot.
Second-year Rams safety Maurice Alexander, out of Eureka High, probably ensured his roster spot for 2015 with an active second half that included hard hits and pass breakups. Former minor leaguer Bradley Marquez may have shown enough at wide receiver and on special teams to at least earn a practice squad spot.
Even after the game, Fisher said there were a few undecided roster spots in terms of the 53-man roster the Rams will take into the regular season. He said the coaches won’t grade this game film Friday; instead they will look at it with an eye only in evaluating a few bubble players. The final roster cuts must be made by Saturday afternoon.
Kansas City took the early lead when Daniel Sorenson intercepted a well-thrown Foles pass that bounced off the hands of tight end Jared Cook on the Rams’ first series. He returned it 26 yards to the St. Louis 8, and two running plays later, the Chiefs were on the scoreboard thanks to a one-yard run by Spencer Ware.
The Rams tied things up on Pead’s one-yard TD run, capping a 73-yard drive that included a 43-yard reverse-field run by Tavon Austin that was aided by a Pead block.
Davis’ “pick 6” on a pass by former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel made it 14-7 Rams and there were still four minutes left in the opening quarter.
“We like the turnovers,” Fisher said. “We got a defensive score finally, which is good, I thought Nick put together a second drive, which is good. We got Tavon, who made the big play. … That’s what he’s here for.”
Even with those bright spots, the Chiefs scored 17 of the game’s final 20 points for the victory. Kansas City tied the score on a 15-yard TD pass from Daniel to Chris Conley, with Lamarcus Joyner getting beaten on the play.
After a Cairo Santos field goal gave the Chiefs a 17-14 halftime lead, the visitors took at 24-17 lead midway through the third quarter on a Darrin Reaves touchdown reception. He scored despite absorbing a big hit from Hager near the goal line.
Once Foles departed for the Rams, No. 2 QB Case Keenum got one series, as did Austin Davis. Davis was in for eight plays, and they were all handoffs. If Davis survives the final roster cuts over the weekend, it will be a major upset. Rookie Sean Mannion then took over for the rest of the game. Mannion struggled mightily, hitting only one of his first six passes and finishing 11 of 24 for just 107 yards.
znModeratorRams notes: Davis’ ‘pick 6’ is a highlight
Jim Thomas
For third-year safety Cody Davis, interceptions on the practice field have become a common occurrence this summer in training camp. On Thursday against Kansas City, the Rams’ third-year safety from Texas Tech got one in a game, and he did more than catch the ball — he took it to the house.
Davis picked off a pass thrown by former University of Missouri star Chase Daniel late in the first quarter and raced down the sideline for a 24-yard touchdown. It was his first NFL touchdown, be it preseason or regular season, and gave the Rams a 14-7 lead with four minutes left in the opening quarter.
As fate, would have it, Davis was “miked up” for the game, so his reaction to his big play should be available soon on social media and the highlight shows.
As Davis said, look for “probably a bunch of yelling, everybody slapping my helmet.”
He added, “It’s one of those plays where you’re just reacting, not much thinking. It’s kind of a blur now but it was fun when it happened.”
In the locker room after the game, fellow safety T.J. McDonald referred to Davis as White Lightning. “He’s got a 41 ½-inch vertical and runs a 4.3,” volunteered McDonald, doing his best Mel Kiper.
“It was hand-timed,” Davis clarified, “So you can add whatever you want on that. But it was a 4.37 I think at a regional combine.”
Davis last had a “pick 6” in college, returning an interception 88 yards for a touchdown as a senior against Texas State.
Davis appeared to be a pretty safe bet for a roster spot before Thursday’s contest, but if any doubt remained, his pick 6 probably clinched it. Signed as an undrafted rookie in 2013, Davis spent the first four games of his rookie season on the practice squad before getting promoted to the active roster.
Last year, he developed into one of the Rams’ better special teams performers, recording 10 tackles covering punts and kickoffs.
SITTING IT OUT
As is normally the case in preseason finales, a scorecard was needed to keep track of who wasn’t playing Thursday in the Governor’s Cup game at the Edward Jones Dome.
Sitting out for the Rams were running backs Tre Mason, Todd Gurley, and Benny Cunningham; cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Brandon McGee; linebackers Daren Bates and Jo-Lonn Dunbar; offensive linemen Rodger Saffold and Andrew Donnal; and defensive linemen Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, and Nick Fairley.
In the case of Cunningham, Johnson, Donald and Quinn, there were no injuries involved. They were just put on ice Thursday in anticipation of the Rams’ Sept. 13 opener against Seattle.
Among those sitting for the Chiefs were quarterback Alex Smith, running back Jamaal Charles, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (of Missouri), center Mitch Morse (of Missouri), and linebackers Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, and Justin Houston.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Spotted for the first time on a column of the Edward Jones Dome at one of the main entrances to the stadium was a sign regarding the “Banner & Sign Policy” for the building.
It read in part: “management reserves the right to prohibit any signs, banners, or similar items (including hand held signs) due to space availability, banner size, materials, interference with other fans, or message content.”
It went on to read that signs “must be football-related and be in good taste.”
Some Rams fans were upset during a Rams Park training camp practice that was televised live by the NFL Network last month because their signs were prohibited. Earlier in camp, some anti-Kroenke signs and keep the Rams in St. Louis signs were spotted at practice.
Some fans were further incensed later in camp when all manner of signs and banners were allowed by LA Rams fans attending the team’s practices against Dallas in Oxnard, Calif.
A Rams official later said the sign-policy banners were posted late last season in response to the Ferguson protests.
LONGTIME RIVALS
Not only have Jeff Fisher and Kansas City coaching counterpart Andy Reid coached against each other for years in the NFL, they squared off on the gridiron as high school players in the Los Angeles area.
Fisher reminded everyone of that fact when asked earlier in the week how long he’s known Reid.
“Played against him in high school. Is that long enough?” Fisher quipped.
Reid, an LA native, played for John Marshall High.
“He played offensive line,” Fisher recalled.
Fisher, meanwhile, was an all-American wide receiver at Taft High in Woodland Hills. “You don’t know who you’re playing against in high school,” Fisher said. “But yeah, we went back and we were in basically the same couple of conferences or divisions.”
PRESEASONS PAST
Thursday’s loss gave the Rams an 0-4 record this preseason, marking only the second time in the 21 seasons of “St. Louis” Rams football that the team went winless in the preseason.
It happened before in 2002, with the Rams still suffering hangover effects from their Super Bowl upset loss to New England. Besides going 0-for-the-preseason, Mike Martz’s team started the regular season 0-5 that year.
The Rams have finished exhibition play with a winning record only six times since the franchise moved to St. Louis in 1995. Three of those six successful preseasons came during former coach Steve Spagnuolo’s tenure.
Spagnuolo was Mr. August, going 10-2 in his three preseasons as Rams head coach. That matched his victory total in three regular seasons, in which he went 10-38
September 4, 2015 at 1:13 am in reply to: post-KC game reactions …. Rams and Saints only 0-4 teams in pre-season #29806znModeratorMissed the game tonight due to work. I plan to watch it over the next couple days. Not sure this game mattered for anything beyond settling some final roster spots.
Looks like Hager and Lynch had good games, eh?
One will probably make it and one to the PS.
There are a lot of interesting minor performances in the game. A lot to watch and notice. Including surprises like Pead. Britt and Cook, however, deserve to be dunce-capped and made to sit in the corner.
September 4, 2015 at 1:04 am in reply to: post-KC game reactions …. Rams and Saints only 0-4 teams in pre-season #29803znModeratorYou just started the official game reactions thread.
Just so you know, that comes with certain obligations.
You have to keep it watered. And, take it for walks. And, take all the stuff back to the rental place afterwards.
Btw the clown phoned and said something about a “relapse” but that he would “show up eventually.” He will take a check but not a credit card.
.
znModeratorFive Takeaways: Chiefs at Rams (Preseason)
Myles Simmons
The Rams and Chiefs finished off their preseason on Thursday night, with Kansas City posting a 24-17 victory to claim the Governor’s Cup. Here are five takeaways from the action.
1) Tavon Austin is (still) really fast
The Rams got Austin involved early on their second drive and it paid off well. The West Virginia product caught two screens in a row on the outside, but it was the latter that really made the difference.
Austin caught the pass on the left side of the formation, and then completely reversed field to run down the right sideline for a 43-yard gain. It was a classic display of what makes Austin such a weapon. His shiftiness and speed means he can take a play that may look like it’s going nowhere, and transform it into a big gain.
Austin said at halftime it felt good to finish off the preseason in that fashion.
“Coach (Jeff) Fisher said our plays were limited, so I had to go out there and try to make the best of something and give us a spark. I believe that’s what I did,” Austin said. “Hopefully I just keep on doing that the rest of the year.”
2) Pead shows his mettle
Running back Isaiah Pead has had a tough road coming back from tearing his ACL early in the preseason last year. But on Thursday night, he showed he has the chops to play in the league.
After Austin’s 43-yard screen pass placed St. Louis at the visitors’ 36, Pead got to work. The Cincinnati product ran it five straight times, reaching pay dirt for a 1-yard touchdown on the fifth.
“Definitely feels good to get back in the endzone,” Pead said. “Last time I did was against the Chiefs in the preseason a couple of years ago.”
Pead’s best run of the possession came on 2nd-and-7 at the Kansas City 12, when he broke a tackle in the backfield and received a nice block on the left sideline from wideout Brian Quick to spring him for a first down.
Pead finished the night with 12 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown — a good showing by the running back.
“I feel confident in my abilities to help the team on special teams, of course offense, running back,” Pead said.
3) Davis notches a pick six
Known as one of the Rams’ special teams aces, safety Cody Davis has had a nice training camp making many plays on the defensive end. He took that into the game on Thursday by picking off a Chase Daniel pass and returning it to the house.
Davis read the play perfectly, jumped the curl route, and then high-pointed the ball to catch it for the interception. That’s all the safety needed as there was plenty of green in front of him for the 24-yard touchdown.
It’s a nice cap on what’s been a strong preseason for the Texas Tech product.
4) Forcing another turnover
St. Louis wasn’t done creating turnovers after Davis’ interception. Late in the second quarter, undrafted rookie cornerback Montell Garner put a nice form tackle on the Chiefs’ Spencer Ware and popped the ball out.
Linebacker Bryce Hager was right there to pick it up, and the Rams came away with an extra possession.
Both Garner’s play and Davis’ interception illustrate how the Rams can utilize turnovers to their advantage. Really, that’s a staple of what coordinator Gregg Williams likes to do with the defensive unit. Look for more of that as the season begins on Sept. 13.
5) Zuerlein from long range
We all know by now that kicker Greg Zuerlein can attempt a field goal from a long way and the ball will still have a good chance to get past the uprights.
Well Zuerlein showed his leg power once again tonight, blasting a 57 yarder right down Broadway between the yellow posts, with plenty of room to spare.
While there was never any question about the kicker heading into the 2015 season, it’s still encouraging to see him hit from such long range — even if it was in the fourth preseason game.
znModeratorRams’ Cody Davis, Isaiah Pead make strong closing arguments
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — Here are some highs and lows in terms of individual performances from the St. Louis Rams’ 24-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs:
HIGHS
WR Tavon Austin: Austin played only a handful of snaps, but he once again flashed a glimpse of what he can do when he gets the ball with a little bit of room to work. After a catch behind the line of scrimmage lost 6 yards because he had no blocking, Austin got a block on a second one and weaved his way to a 43-yard pickup. He finished with two catches for 49 yards and another highlight reel catch-and-run to add to his tape.
S Cody Davis: Davis has had a strong camp, seemingly coming up with an interception in practice almost every day. He carried it over into Thursday’s game by reading Kansas City quarterback Chase Daniel’s eyes on a short curl, jumping the route and returning the interception 24 yards for a touchdown. He also chipped in two tackles and a pass defended.
RB Isaiah Pead: In an effort to preserve Benny Cunningham, who might have to start in Week 1 against Seattle, the Rams gave Pead the first opportunity in the backfield and he made his case to stick on the roster with a strong second drive. On the drive, he threw a nice block downfield to help spring Austin and chipped in 21 yards on five carries with a drive-ending 1-yard touchdown plunge. He finished with 52 yards on 12 carries and put himself in good position to nail down a roster spot on the initial 53.
LOWS
WR Kenny Britt: Not that you can blame him much, but Britt didn’t seem too interested in the preseason finale. He whiffed on a block that led to Austin’s 6-yard loss and though he picked up his assignment on the ensuing play, he didn’t put much effort into catching the ball on his lone target. He’s clearly ready for the regular season.
TE Jared Cook: On the Rams’ opening possession, quarterback Nick Foles threw a strike in traffic to Cook over the middle, but the ball bounced off Cook’s hands for an easy interception to Kansas City safety Daniel Sorensen. The Chiefs scored a touchdown a couple of plays later and Cook’s night ended with the starters soon after.
QB Sean Mannion: The Rams gave their third-round pick plenty of work as he took over in the second quarter and finished the game. He also showed why it’s going to be awhile before he’s ready to play. Mannion locked on to receivers and forced throws into traffic that were either nearly intercepted, got a wideout hurt or both. He finished 11-of-24 for 107 yards with a passer rating of 58.9.
September 4, 2015 at 12:19 am in reply to: Judge nullifies NFL's 4-game suspension against Tom Brady #29798znModeratorW & WV, both interesting reads, thanks
znModeratorCody Davis Returns an INT for a TD
Safety Cody Davis returns an interception 24 yards for a St. Louis touchdown in the second quarter.
znModeratorHighlights: Rams vs. Chiefs (Preseason)
Check out highlights from St. Louis vs. Kansas City at the Edward Jones Dome.
September 3, 2015 at 6:18 pm in reply to: JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game #29785znModeratorNick Foles eager to get Rodger Saffold back in the lineup
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/st-louis-rams-nick-foles-offensive-line-rodger-saffold-090215
Nick Foles understands how important Rodger Saffold is to the offensive line.
Consider this: Saffold has started a combined 60 games over the last five seasons in St. Louis.
The other pieces along the offensive line that are expected to start include Greg Robinson and two rookies in Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown. Robinson has started two career games.
In the three-way competition for the center spot between Demetrius Rhaney, Tim Barnes and Barrett Jones, the trio has combined for 14 starts.
Saffold is clearly the veteran of the group, even though he’s just 27 years of age.
“The guy has been in the NFL,” Nick Foles said, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s played at an extremely high level and he’s got a lot of wisdom. He’s a very talented player. So to get him healthy, that helps us out a lot.”
September 3, 2015 at 6:08 pm in reply to: JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game #29783znModeratorSeptember 3, 2015 at 5:49 pm in reply to: JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game #29778znModeratorRams get one more chance to evaluate final roster spots
Nick Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth and final preseason game Thursday at 8 p.m. ET at the Edward Jones Dome. Here’s a couple of things to watch for during the game:
Why watch: Rams coach Jeff Fisher indicated last week that he could get the roster to about 49 players, which means there are about four spots that were then up for grabs and still could be. The final preseason game presents an opportunity for those jobs to be won or lost. Pinpointing specific players is a difficult task that far down the roster but among the players to keep an eye on are defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat, tight ends Alex Bayer and Justice Cunningham, running back Malcolm Brown and cornerbacks Trovon Reed and Montell Garner.
Did you know? The Rams and Chiefs actually have a trophy for the winner of the game. It’s called the Governor’s Cup and it currently belongs to the Chiefs after their 34-7 win in Kansas City last season. The Rams are 9-5 against the Chiefs in preseason meetings since the team moved to St. Louis but 0-6 in the regular season. After leading the Rams to one of their victories in Kansas City as coach of the Rams, Dick Vermeil once famously blurted out “Where’s the other governor?” during the trophy presentation. He was quickly informed that the Chiefs do, in fact, reside in Kansas City, Missouri.
September 3, 2015 at 5:48 pm in reply to: JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game #29777znModeratorRams-Chiefs: Five Things to Watch
BY NORM SANDERS
News-Democrathttp://www.bnd.com/sports/nfl/st-louis-rams/article33534699.html
Here are five key things to watch as the St. Louis Rams play host to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday in their final preseason game (7 p.m.; TV: Fox Channel 2; Radio: WXOS-FM 101.1).
1. When the shuffling stops on the offensive line, and presuming veteran Rodger Saffold is healthy, who will be lining up where when the regular season begins Sept. 13 against Seattle?
Rams coach Jeff Fisher has tried numerous variations and the shoulder injury to Saffold early in camp allowed the team to take a look at more possibilities. Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson is set, as is rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein. Saffold will most likely fill the right guard spot, with rookie Jamon Brown at left guard if he’s good to go from an ankle strain. Still to be answered is the center question, where Barrett Jones and Tim Barnes are the front-runners. The Rams also seem intrigued by the athleticism of former center candidate Demetrius Rhaney, who has played right and left guard recently. Stay tuned. There are far too many questions for an offensive line being counted on to pound things out on the ground and keep quarterback Nick Foles upright and healthy for 16 games. May have to bring in another veteran.
2. Are there any real camp battles still going on?
Sure there are with 22 players still needing to be cut (or put on the practice squad) to reach the final 53-man roster. Among the hopefuls are Louis Trinca-Pasat, the former Iowa standout who has made some noise along the defensive line with 15 tackles. Fisher pronounced Case Keenum as his backup quarterback behind Foles on Tuesday, leaving veteran Austin Davis battling rookie third-round pick Sean Mannion for the third QB spot. Mannion has that basically in the bag, but the Rams could hope to snag a draft pick from some team interested in Davis. In fairness, Davis has gotten little chance to show what he could do in the first three preseason games so maybe he gets a longer look against the Chiefs. Linebacker Bryce Hager, who leads the team in tackles, has made an impression on defense and special teams.
3. With Todd Gurley still limited, Tre Mason injured and Trey Watts sitting out the first four games with a suspension, what happens at running back?
The best-case scenario would be to get Mason back from his hamstring injury in time for the season opener. There’s always Benny Cunningham, a workman-like ballcarrier who also excels as a receiver, but the Rams seem interested in taking a long look at Isaiah Pead. Rookie Malcolm Brown has also made some plays during camp, but would seem a longshot at best given the Rams’ ability to pick up a veteran off the waiver wire if needed.
4. Can wide receiver Chris Givens keep providing the Rams and Foles a consistent deep threat?
Givens has shown that ability throughout the preseason with seven catches for 179 yards, an average of 25.6 yards per catch. Whether he recaptures his form of his rookie year in 2012, when he had 42 catches for 698 yards and four TDs, is anyone’s guess. But he seems to have made positive strides in that direction.
5. Will the Rams ever find a way to actually limit the amount of penalties they receive?
It’s doubtful. It’s been a consistent companion of Fisher’s teams since he came here and shows no signs of slowing down with 29 already in three preseason games for a whopping 229 yards. A team that will rely heavily on its defense to keep things close cannot afford to continue hurting itself with penalties game after game after game.
September 3, 2015 at 3:09 am in reply to: Eagles QB Sam Bradford … how is he doing (from training camp thru pre-season) #29756znModeratorEagles’ Sam Bradford eager to start
SAM BRADFORD is less than two weeks away from playing in his first NFL regular-season game in nearly two years.
I was curious what he is feeling right now as he tries to move on from back-to-back ACL tears and the back-to-back rehabs that accompanied them. Excitement? Relief? Worry? Cautious optimism?
“It’s nothing but excitement for me,” Bradford said yesterday. “I’ve been excited this whole preseason. Excited just to get back on the field. I was excited for Baltimore and I was even more excited to be out there for Green Bay for three series. I’m just looking forward to it, to be honest.”
There’s a lot for Bradford to be excited about, and not just the fact that he’s healthy again.
He has the keys to one of the league’s most explosive offenses. An offense that reminds him an awful lot of the talent-rich one he quarterbacked at Oklahoma in 2008, when he threw 50 touchdown passes, won the Heisman Trophy and led the Sooners to the BCS title game.
“It’s a similar mindset [to that team] in that we have playmakers all over the field, and my job as quarterback is simply to distribute and get them the ball and let them make plays in space,” he said.
“It’s really comforting as a quarterback when you look out there and all five of your receiving options are really good players and have the ability to turn a 5- or 6-yard completion into a 60-yard touchdown.”
Bradford gave Eagles fans a glimpse of just what is possible Saturday night against the Packers. He played only three series and engineered three touchdown drives that consumed only 18 plays and ate up less than 7 minutes off the clock.
He attempted 10 passes, completing all 10 to six different receivers, three for touchdowns.
Coach Chip Kelly traded for Bradford because he fits his spread-tempo offense like a Roberto Cavalli dress fits Jennifer Lopez. He ran tempo at Oklahoma. He thrived in tempo because he can process information faster than a MacBook Air and is an exceptional decision-maker.
“The concepts aren’t quite the same as what we were doing in Oklahoma,” Bradford said. “We were spread [like the Eagles]. We were no-huddle [like the Eagles]. But we played a lot in ’21’ personnel [two running backs, one tight end), ’12’ personnel [one back, two tight ends), ’13’ personnel [one back, three tight ends]. Whereas here it’s primarily ’11’ [one back, one tight end, three wide receivers), with some ’20’ (two backs, no tight ends, three wide receivers) and ’12’ sprinkled in.
“But the tempo is very similar. When we were out there against Green Bay and we were rolling and got things moving, it felt very similar to being back in college and just going.
“I think the greatest thing about tempo too, when you’re playing fast, is you don’t have time to think. You’re just out there and you’re just reacting and you’re just having fun. You’re just playing.”
After spending the first five seasons of his career with a speed-challenged offense in St. Louis, after battling back from those back-to-back ACL tears, Bradford is overdue for some fun.
A year ago, after tearing it for the second time in 10 months in the Rams’ third preseason game, a devastated Bradford wasn’t sure he had the willpower to endure another long rehab, to stage yet another comeback.
“It was hard,” he said. “I think the most frustrating thing was that I really felt that the last couple of games before I got hurt [the first time] and then [again] last preseason, I felt I was playing as well as I had ever played.
“I felt I was seeing things really well and the ball was coming out quick and was coming out clean. I mean, I just felt really good. To get back and feel you’re in a good place, to feel healthy, feel normal again, and then to have to start over again, it was tough.
“Was I ever serious about retiring or quitting? Probably not. I think the thought initially enters your mind that I can’t do this again. But I don’t think it took but two days for me to realize I was coming back and I was going to give it another go.”
If he needed a push, he got it less than a week after last summer’s injury when Josh Heupel, who was Bradford’s quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma and now is the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Utah State, called him.
Bradford has called it a phone call he’ll never forget. “Josh probably had been as influential or as important to me as anybody other than my dad in my football career,” he said. “Just talking to him and just hearing someone else who has belief in you and who still believes the best is still ahead of you, it just meant a lot to me to hear that from someone other than my mom and my dad and my girlfriend.
“I was sitting on the steps in front of my place and talking to him. It was kind of just one of those moments where after I got off the phone with him, it was like, ‘OK, I’m back.’ ”
The only question after that was where “back” was going to be. Rams coach Jeff Fisher didn’t want to trade Bradford. Hell, he was the reason Fisher took the Rams’ head-coaching job in 2012 in the first place.
But after three straight losing seasons, Fisher’s job security is a bit tenuous. He couldn’t afford to take a chance that Bradford’s knee would fail him a third time.
Enter Kelly, who does have job security and was willing to roll the dice for the opportunity to get a guy he believes is a franchise quarterback.
“The hardest part about it was I had developed some relationships there [in St. Louis] with some people that meant, and still mean, a lot to me, and who I’m still in contact with,” Bradford said. “It was really hard, especially those first couple of days [after the trade] to realize I wasn’t going to go to work and see those people every day again.
“But at the same time, from a football perspective, I was nothing but excited. When you have the opportunity to come to an organization that has had the success that this organization has had and that values winning the way they do, I mean, I don’t know how you can ask for much more.”
znModeratorAfter a rough start I thought GRob got better and better, but man was that a rough start. Against Langford he did not have it all his own way but then Langford is a good lineman and will have his moments against anyone. He mirrors speed rushers nice but needs to show a little more patience while waiting for them and not over-committing and making their work easy. Still, he did not give up a sack.
That’s a good one, that read. It’s actually reassuring.
znModeratorOkay–I’m going to be one of THOSE fans.
I believe the Rams HAVE been treated unfairly by the refs. No idea what it is. Maybe they hate Fisher. Don’t know. But the discrepancy is real. While Seattle may have led the league with the Patriots in the #2 spot–not all penalties are equal. Some penalties are called when the game is already decided–useless “make-up” calls.
And there are the obvious calls NOT made–the holding on Quinn for example.
So—it’s not something I can prove but Bernie would have a hard time convincing me otherwise.
from off the net
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Rampage2K
the timing of the penalties are maddening and game changer types… Last weeks biggest drive killer penalty was the crap call on TA, then the INT that would have a game changer was called back for defensive holding, yet no number was associated with that call and I watched it multiple times and never saw any thing close to being defensive holding on that play…. I watch other games and I just don’t see the type of calls that the Rams always seem to get…it drives me nuts!!!
There were quite a few last year that were just mind boggling….then there are the other ones that aren’t called when it is blatant…we all remember Last year when Brock was yanked to the ground by his face mask as Romo hit Dez on the 60 yard TD that changed the game
znModeratorI want it to happen because we finally wake up and realize we need to do it for the future of humanity and every other living thing on the planet.
Oh, yeah. That could happen.
Maybe the robots will put a stop to it.
znModeratorFocusing on the Rams penalties on the OL, I think they happen for all the obvious reasons: sometimes lack of confidence because of re-shuffled lines (mostly due to injuries), sometimes youngsters who are too young, and so on. I don’t see that as coaching because both Boudreau and Fisher have fielded good lines before the Rams. The Rams OL can lose confidence in a game. To me when you lose confidence you start pressing. Saffold himself directly said that once about all his penalties in 2011. I think the false starts and holding calls will diminish the more the line settles.
What I can’t stand are those kinds of stupid penalties where the Rams are at the forefront.
Here all high rankings are bad–it’s the teams that did it the most. Lower rankings are good. These are undigested numbers and so rough indicators (a detailed, more accurate account would go by avg. penalties per game, not total numbers).
On the OL: they are 2nd in offensive holding and 8th in false starts.
They are tied for 1st in unsportsmanlike conduct and tied for 1st in delay of game, 1st in offensive pass interference, 8th in unnecessary roughness, 10th in neutral zone infraction, 8th in roughing the passer, and 8th in taunting.
To me that last group of penalties has to do with just being stupid in various different ways. I think we all feel that their “chippy” demeanor just does not work, and many of those come from that.
They are ranked low (good) in
defensive holding (24th), DPI (27th), defensive offsides (17th),
September 3, 2015 at 12:31 am in reply to: JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game #29746znModeratorIt’s Bubble Bowl time for Rams roster hopefuls
Jim Thomas
In high school, linebacker Cameron Lynch won a state championship playing for his Brookwood High team of Lawrenceville, Ga.
In college, he played in bowl games at Syracuse, including a Pinstripe Bowl victory over current teammates Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey of the West Virginia Mountaineers.
On Thursday, however, he plays in the Bubble Bowl, otherwise known as the Rams’ preseason finale against Kansas City at the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff is 7 p.m. for the almost annual Governor’s Cup contest between the Rams and Chiefs.
In terms of Lynch’s future in the sport, Thursday’s game has more meaning than those other milestone contests. In short he, needs to play the game of his life to make the Rams’ 53-man roster — the roster they will carry into the regular season.
“I told my dad that the other day,” Lynch said, “this is a make it or break it type deal. This is gonna be like a state championship or bowl game for me. I’m gonna treat it just like that. So I’ll try to fly around and make some plays.”
He’s not the only one with that in mind. There are maybe 25 to 30 players competing for just a handful of available remaining roster spots.
Lynch is competing with Bryce Hager and Marshall McFadden for what figures to be one or two remaining roster spots at linebacker.
At cornerback, Montell Garner and Trovon Reed remain in the running to nab the fifth cornerback spot.
Justice Cunningham and Alex Bayer are going to the wire for a fourth tight end spot, if the Rams indeed keep four tight ends.
There are still some roster spots to be sorted out on the offensive line. Can former minor league baseball outfielder Bradley Marquez nab a sixth wide receiver spot? And at quarterback, can Austin Davis beat what looks to be very long odds for a third spot on the final 53?
“Every week I play like it’s the Super Bowl ’cause you never know,” said Garner, the undrafted rookie cornerback from South Alabama. “This game right here, I’m gonna approach it like I’ve approached the other games — just going out there and having fun.
“I know this is a business, but this is football. I always think of it as fun. I try not to think about it like it’s a job. I don’t let my highs get too high; I don’t let my lows get too low. Just start grounded and trust the process.”
In the big picture for the Rams, the top priority against Kansas City simply is to avoid injury. With the regular season so close, even a garden variety ankle sprain could jeopardize a player’s availability for Sept. 13 against Seattle.
Priority No. 2 is deciding on the final few roster spots.
“Fifty-three’s not going to be easy,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Those are good problems to have. In years past, our first and second year (with the Rams), we could pretty much look at the start of camp and get to 55. So we have some tough decisions to make.”
Since taking the Rams’ job in 2012, Fisher has played the preseason finale in a variety of ways. In 2012, he opened the final exhibition contest (against Baltimore) with basically his entire starting lineup out there, and they played quite a bit. Quarterback Sam Bradford, for example, threw 16 passes.
Last season at Miami, there wasn’t a single opening-day starter in the lineup against the Dolphins.
As for 2013, also against Baltimore, it was somewhere in between with eight regular-season starters in the lineup.
This time around, it looks like Fisher is leaning toward the 2013 model. That is, partial use of starters to open the game. The plan calls for quarterback Nick Foles to play a series or two against Kansas City. And if Foles is in the game, you can bet that most of the other offensive starters will be out there as well, particularly the line.
Fisher indicated Tuesday that some of the younger offensive line starters could play a little longer. On defense, it’s likely the Rams will rest more starters, especially in the front seven.
That leaves plenty of playing time for bubble guys such as Lynch and Garner, and others hoping to grab one of the final spots on the 53-man roster, or at least one of the 10 practice squad slots available.
This year’s last round of cuts lacks the drama of the 2014 version, when University of Missouri star Michael Sam was attempting to become the first openly gay player to make an NFL regular-season roster.
But that doesn’t make this year’s decisions any less dramatic for the bubble players. Garner’s parents are coming to the game; his father, Milton, played cornerback for Kansas in the mid-1980s and has been teaching him the ins and outs of playing the position since his Pee Wee League days.
“I used to watch old film of my dad,” Garner said. “You’ve got to play with a lot of confidence, and you’ve got to have short-term memory. He taught me his ways and stuff, and I’ve been playing it ever since.”
Lynch wants to get into broadcasting when his playing days are over. While at Syracuse, his weekly Cam’s Cam video segment took a behind-the-scenes look at his Syracuse football teammates.
“We would do different stuff, like a cooking show type thing,” Lynch said. “OK, you’re chef of the team. What do you like to cook?”
Lynch hopes to keep his football career cooking and his broadcasting career on the back burner for as long as possible.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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tbux
I watched EVERY play concentrating on GR only
first series- he started very bad no question. Run play got pushed back, next play pass and he got blown away on a speed rush. third play he was fine. What that tells me- he was thinking too much and focused on snap count and not false starting more than likely that was stressed to oline. First series he was flat bad from those two plays.
From that point on- only saw one play he was beat on, and it didn’t result in a sack- the pass got off but he was beat, however every other play from the 2nd series and on, he did well. I watched every snap of his and I would give him a B grade. If not for the 1st series, I would have given him a B+. His feet are far from slow as OP stated, and he isn’t weak either as was insinuated by some. Far from it. What I saw was a player thinking too much, and when he wasn’t and was reacting, he was actually quite good. Still has a bit to go, but I challenge anyone on here to watch every play and him only and tell me what you think. get past the first two plays- where he was no doubt terrible, and tell me what you think. You will see a player who settled in and did his job. 30 or so plays, and only saw 3 where he was bad.
I think when he can go into every game reacting, and confident watch out. I think that day comes sooner than later. He isn’t slow, he isn’t weak, and he doesn’t have poor mechanics. Typical of a young player, sometimes they have too much in their head, and react too slow or too fast at times. Once the game slows down, and he has Fole’s cadence down and is reacting and not thinking- he is going to be a force. Strong kid, and agile for his size. He was actually pretty good after that first series. Still a ways to go, but you can see the talent there.
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TheDYVKX
Robinson has trouble with veteran rushers, or anyone with great technique really. Savvy vet Trent Cole was destroying him in this game.
If it’s just a battle of athleticism, for the most part GRob can manage. But those polished rushers beat him every single time. He needs to really work on technique and footwork. I’m concerned about him. I was hoping it was just Khalil Mack being godly, but no.
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BonifayRam
Jamon Brown has two full seasons 2013/2014 (26 games) starting on the left side @ OLT. The fact may be Brown is just better & performs better on the left side. Brown started 35 games starting @ OT. Having Brown & Robinson teamed for the future could be a serious duo as they both work to learn their starting jobs.
Having Saffold/Havenstein on the right side could greatly assist Havenstein with his pass protection issues. Saffold’s alertness & experience will add to Havenstein’s development. I think the big thing here is it breaks up having two rookies starting side by side(y).
From my observations just on Garrett Reynolds alone…..where he has played OLG-ORG-ORT….he has done very well! The best I have seen from him so far was the 2nd half of the Colts game.one of the main concerns was he was more ORG & not much OLG or even less ORT. If you have the ability go back & watch the 2nd half right side OL….GR looked good @ OT.I would also say GR has put on some very good bulk for a near 6-7 frame. Boudreau & Snead did very good work in bringing in GR here. GR is far from being an Adam Goldberg.
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GabesHorn
Rob Havenstein: we have seen lots of physical transformation and we know he is’nt dumb and he and Brown actually are better than I ever thought they would be going into the 4th pre-season game. I think Rob has techniques of course to learn to work against the leagues speed rushers in passing game and is still thinking too much and learning to square his shoulders against rushers but I love his effort and he has stayed after practice to work is humble and mean and knows how high the mountain he is climbing is. Love also he is from the Wisconsin OL program. People are a little hostile after a miscommunication and sack allowed in the Colts game and Rob has’nt seen the speedier rushers this league has to offer. We have 3 guys to help on his outside to block and now Saffold the coach will be next to him while J. Brown moves next to G. Rob.
I like what very little of Wichman I’ve seen.
Have’nt seen enough of Donnal to even form an educated opinion. I think it may come down to Barnes VS Donnal in just my own personal opinion as Barnes looks best at center in Zone blocking and gets pushed back the least with an unknown injury to his leg I am not aware of why he missed that one day of practice and I think a pre-season game.
znModeratorActually Keenum looks (so far) like the best Rams back-up qb since…um…well you can’t count Bulger or Warner, ultimately, as “back-ups”…they were more starters in waiting.
At the risk of bringing down the wrath of all the Jamie Martin haters, I will say Keenum looks like the best Rams back-up since Jamie Martin.
(The Martin haters joke is aimed at WV.)
(Cause he’s a Martin hater.)
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