waterfield wrote:

. I can’t recall who they were playing

If you mean first game in 99, that was the Ravens.

In the wake of the game I think I am starting to see what I will like in Foles, but it hasn’t put down roots yet. Still too soon.

It;s like house hunting. Hey I think I will like this one. Let’s go look at it again. Maybe all the dead weasels in the basement is something we can fix. That kind of thing.

I;ve said it before—IMO Bradford would be a better fit in Phil than Foles was. At the same time Foles would be a better fit in St, Louis than he was in Phil. That means potentially it’s win/win. A rare thing in NFL history—a win/win qb trade. Interesting.

I think Foles is a “win ugly” kind of qb, but then, that’s fine. Nothing wrong with that.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher- 8/29/15

(On the Rams injuries)
“I’ll start off with the two players, the noticeable players who left the game Tre (Mason) and JB (Jamon Brown). Tre has a mild hamstring strain so we’ll evaluate it. I don’t know how long that’s going to be, but he’s a quick healer. It appears to be mild at this point, but it would be unlikely that he would play this coming Thursday. But I think he’ll be fine. For JB it appears to be a lateral ankle sprain. When you’re talking high ankle you’ve got problems, when you’re talking lateral sprains they’ll come back fast. He (JB) wanted to come back in the game, but we held him out. Beyond that we ended up fairly good in the game from an injury standpoint.”

(General comments on the game)
“In the big picture nobody after Week 3 is where they think they need to be and nor are we. I think we got better. I think we improved this week, with a week of practice and some of the things that we saw in the game. Nick’s (Foles) numbers were good, but it’s really unfortunate that he got offensive pass interference called in that first drive. I didn’t see it, but I was told it was questionable. That was a big throw on that drive. We could have done some things on that drive. So, unfortunately for the offense because of that and then they stole a possession from us with surprise on-sides kick. We didn’t get the possessions that we wanted with our guys, but still nonetheless he (Nick Foles) was 10-of-11 and in control. I thought he did a good job spreading the ball around.”

Defensively, it was a great challenge against Andrew (Luck). You know, we blew a coverage and he threw a touchdown pass. There was some confusion and he found the tight end but beyond that we made them drive the football and they weren’t going to let him get hit. The Colts came out quick and they ran it. We tackled better.

From a big picture standpoint we still have some work to do. Obviously tonight is a great illustration of if you turn the football over you have costly penalties at the wrong time it will cost you a ballgame. We’ve got to get the penalty thing under control.”

(On Foles performance being masked by the offensive penalties)
“I thought it was yes. His numbers were good. He knew where to go with the ball. We had a couple of protection issues, which I think you attribute to preseason. He knew he was going to get hit and he got back up and he kept playing.”

(On the offensive line switches)
“We started Jamon (Brown) at left (guard) and went ahead and started Demetrius (Rhaney) over at right (guard). We were just getting them work.”

(On the Rams defense against the run)
“The numbers reflect that we were better, a couple of issues, we had a couple of bounce out things. Both teams tonight set themselves up to stop the run and I think both teams – us and the Colts – did a good job playing the run defense.”

Rams QB Nick Foles

(On the importance of the first team offense being productive tonight)
“Absolutely. We haven’t really…we haven’t seen the end zone so just to get in there…I felt like we had opportunities. We had a couple good drives. We could have had an opportunity to get in there more, but I think the big thing is we have to clean up the penalties. That’s going to be something that’s going to be really stressed each and every day because those are drive stoppers and puts you in a tough position. I think just today, we moved forward as a team. We have a long ways to go. We’re not there yet. We just have to keep plugging along. I think our young o-line has done a great job coming along. We were able to get some really good run plays going, some play action down field to (WR) Chris (Givens). Chris did a great job tracking the ball, going to get it and showing his athletic ability.”

(On his trust factor with Givens)
“I have a trust factor with all my guys. They know that I trust them and when that ball is in the air, they’re coming down with it. I don’t care who’s on. They know they have to go win on their routes because I’m going to get it out. I’m going to let them go do their thing. They’re extraordinary athletes. They’re great teammates. I believe in them.”

(On his reaction when G Jamon Brown went down)
“Yeah, trust me, I was extremely excited about the touchdown, but when I saw Jamon down…that’s the most important thing. I knew I could go celebrate with (WR) Chris (Givens) and everybody after. A guy that’s coming along…he’s such a great teammate. The guy’s protecting me each and every down and to see him down, you think the worst, but he’s a tough guy. I know he’s going to bounce right back. So I was excited to see him walking around and have a smile on his face.”

(On the offensive line)
“We just have to keep working. It’s a process. We just have to…and I know I…it sounds like a broken record, but it really is every day you just have to keep working on it and keep thinking positive, keep correcting. If you mess up again, just keep correcting because they’re coming along. They’re getting better and better and they’re doing a great job right now. They’re going to continue to improve.”

(On if he feels comfortable throwing on the move)
“Yeah, I do feel comfortable throwing on the move. I’m trying to keep my eyes down field because I don’t have the burners like a lot of guys do so I try to use my arm in those situations. I think just having a pocket awareness, knowing when it’s breaking down or could break down, getting out. Receivers did…(WR) Kenny (Britt) did a great job on one play giving me a body to throw to and he made a great catch. So those are times on third down or throughout the course of the game you’re going to have a couple plays that break down and you just have to use your feet and make something happen.”

(On if he wishes the offense was further along, even though it’s still preseason)
“I think with the penalties…that’s one thing that we need to cut out. We were moving the ball well. We definitely need to keep improving. We’ll always want to keep improving, but we’re where we’re at right now and we just have to go from there.”

(On if he would like to play in the fourth preseason game Thursday)
“We get reps every day. I don’t know what the situation will be. I know I’m always ready to play. That’s my mindset no matter what. But each and every day is an opportunity to get better so we’ll be back in the office tomorrow looking at this film, looking at what to improve on and it’s a never ending process so no matter what happens, I’ll always be ready to play no matter…even if I don’t.”

(On what he had to work with as far as game planning and selection)
“A little bit more but still the preseason. You’re trying to get your offense going. You’re trying to get players going. It’s a lot of different variables. Defense isn’t…they install stuff every week too, so you’re watching film on them. They’re going to bring out something new so it’s not like you have all their stuff to game plan. We definitely had a little more time to study them because we practiced against Dallas when we were playing against Tennessee. That’s never an excuse, but as we move on we’re going to continue to game plan. The season is right around the corner, so it’s about to get real, real soon.”

(On if this was his last preseason game, if he is satisfied with his play)
“I feel like we’re improving. To answer your question, I feel like every day I’ll have an opportunity tomorrow to get better. Whether or not I play in the game, I’ll still continue to improve. I’ll continue to work and be ready to play. That’s just how I’m engrained.”

(On him hitting 10 of his 11 passes)
“I felt like there was improvement. I still expect more from myself. I expect more from this offense, as does every player on this offense. Can’t say enough, I feel like it’s a one step in the right direction and just have to continue to improve on it.”

G Jamon Brown

(On his leg injury in the first half)
“We’ll take a look at it and go from there.”

(On deciding if he should return to the game following his injury)
“We kind of played it by ear and seeing how I was feeling, but ultimately they want to make sure I’m healthy going into the next game and into the regular season. So we thought it was a good idea to pull me out of this one.”

(On if it mattered to him playing right or left guard)
“Oh no, it doesn’t matter. I’m comfortable either way with those. As long as I’m out there, I’m comfortable.”

(On if he felt like he was missing out on reps because of his injury)
“I was eager to play because it was a good football team we were playing and a good coach. And I wanted to get the reps and get the experience and have that game experience. But unfortunately, I took an injury so I have to keep going and keep working.”

Rams RB Tre Mason

(On how he felt the team did as a whole in Game 3)
“We took a step forward to get better. We’ve got a lot to learn from this loss, but from here on out we’re going to figure out ways to get better and put in the pieces to the puzzle.”

(On how QB Nick Foles played against the Colts)
“He’s a great leader. He has a strong arm and he does what he does best. He comes out to take over our offense and he has a good, deep arm and has a very long throw. You know, he’s a good quarterback and a great leader.”

(On the first team offense scoring a touchdown)
“We’re so anxious to get in the end zone all the time. That’s our job, to get down there and score points. We’re always anxious to score.”

(On if he dodged a bullet on his hamstring injury)
“Definitely. It’s always scary when a (hamstring’s) involved. But we played it safe and I don’t want to make it any worse.”

Rams S T.J. McDonald

(On how the defense played)
“We didn’t start as fast as we’d like. We always want to start fast. At the same time, we did respond and we came back, we were able to make some plays and get the noise going and get into a groove. We’re definitely not where we want to be right now, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

(On the penalties)
“Penalties will hurt us. That is one thing that we have to eliminate. That’s one thing that beats us. You can’t beat yourself like that with penalties and win. Like you said, with the (CB Janoris) Jenkins interception, that takes away big momentum from the game. We just have to play disciplined and stay on top of everything and make sure that we’re on top of everything. We had busted coverage where they scored a touchdown. That’s something that we’re going to have to clean up. Things like that happen, but I think after that we took a step in the right direction as far as communication and the communication stepped up and we were able to start doing things the right way.”

(On if it’s tough to mix and match with first and second team players on the field)
“No, whenever you’re out there, you’re a starter, that’s my philosophy.”

(On how much his game has evolved since playing Andrew Luck in college)
“The game has slowed down for me a lot with this being my third year. Definitely being in the same scheme for a second year and having all 11 guys back on the field it’s definitely slowed down for me and I feel like I’m able to play a lot faster a diagnose what’s going on a lot faster. I’m not too worried about what I’m doing, what my job is, just because I know that from preparation from out the week, that allows me to focus more on what the offense is trying to do to us. I think a lot of our guys on our defense have matured that way. We’re taking steps in the right direction. We still have a long ways to go, we’re not where we want to be by any means, but we’re taking steps to get there.”

Rams LB James Laurinaitis

(On how the defense played)
“We did a really good job against their first unit. Progress, but we’re not where we want to be yet. Good, but this last week will be crucial here, especially in practice, because I’m not sure what the game reps will be on Thursday.”

(On getting good work done in practice since the starters will not get a bunch of playing time in the final preseason game)
“We’ve done really well during our practices. Our communication has been really good. I thought after that first series we talked well on the sidelines. Like I said, the one busted coverage, the one run was more of a, they got us a call that can be tricky against the run play. They had a good run on it. Before that last two minute drive, we put in two secondary, I looked up and they had 101 yards. Holding number 12 (Colts QB Andrew Luck) to that, like I said, I’m taking the optimistic outlook on it. I really like the way we practiced this last week too. We had a really tough, physical practice.”

(On how much fun it was when they backed up the Colts)
“That’s the way it needs to be. That’s the play that we expect, or that I expect out of our defense. It’s kind of like people got upset and decided to take it to another level. Our d-line fired off big time three plays in a row. ‘Brock’ (DT Michael Brockers) and (DT) Aaron (Donald) were all over it. They tried to do a lot of unbalanced runs today against us, tackle over type of stuff, which was interesting, especially for this early in the season, or preseason. I don’t know if they’re trying to get teams to prepare for it in the first four games of the season, but it didn’t work well for them. They tried to do that backed up, I think on the second play when we ran through. Brock had a good swim there. That’s the fun, those are the fun series, when you’re rolling like that. When everyone is on the same page, that’s what this defense can be. It’s just, are we going to be on the same page for 55-60 snaps every game and if we are we’ll be salty and if not then we at least we hope we have all of the eligible covered and we roll from there.”

PA Ram wrote:

This makes sense to me.

But why didn’t they do that at the beginning?

My guess? Sounds to me like they now think Hav needs Saffold more than Robinson does.

Rams notes: Mason leaves with hamstring injury

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notes-mason-leaves-with-hamstring-injury/article_d49accf7-1c11-5ffd-8d13-a87a338b4ec1.html

The Rams didn’t escape injury Saturday night in their third game of the 2015 preseason. But all things considered, they got by much easier against Indianapolis than in the third game of the 2014 preseason.

In that game, in Cleveland, now-former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season with a knee injury. And starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson was lost for half the season with a knee injury.

Against the Colts, running back Tre Mason left late in the first quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. (He had missed time earlier in training camp with a similar injury.)

“It was just a little tweak,” Mason said. “It’s nothing too bad. It’s just tight. It got a little sore, so got out of there.”

Rams athletic trainers immediately applied ice to Mason’s right leg. Even if the injury isn’t serious, the team closes preseason play in just five days against Kansas City, so Mason won’t be seen until at least the season opener against Seattle.

With Todd Gurley not expected to play in the regular season opener, it’s obviously important to have Mason ready for the Seahawks.

He carried four times for 12 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards before he left. His last play was his longest gain of the night — a 14-yard gain on a screen pass from quarterback Nick Foles.

“You’ve got to get those yards first, then you can get out,” Mason said, laughing.

Rookie offensive guard Jamon Brown suffered an injury to his right ankle in the second quarter. Brown walked off the field on his own, got the foot examined and taped, but did not return to the game. But since he didn’t even put ice on the foot, it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury.

“It appears to be just a lateral ankle,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “When you’re talking high ankle, you’ve got problems. When you’re talking lateral, they’ll come back really fast. He wanted to come back in the game, we just kind of held him out.”

Lateral ankle sprains usually sideline a player for maybe a week or two.

LINE SHUFFLING

Brown actually started at left guard Saturday instead of his usual right guard spot. Demetrius Rhaney, who had worked at left guard all week in practice, started instead at right guard.

When asked why Brown suddenly showed up at left guard, Fisher said: “He played quite a bit on the left side in college and we wanted to get him some work there.”

Barrett Jones got the start at center. When Brown left the game with his injury, he was replaced by Garrett Reynolds, who was picked up from Detroit during the offseason via free agency.

SITTING IT OUT

Left guard Rodger Saffold sat out his second consecutive preseason game with a shoulder injury, so if he’s going to get any additional preseason work, it will have to be in Thursday’s preseason finale against Kansas City. Saffold tweaked the shoulder on the fourth play of the preseason opener against Oakland.

Also sitting out Saturday’s game: Gurley (knee), CB Brandon McGee (foot), LB Darren Bates (knee), LB Korey Toomer (ankle), OT Andrew Donnal (finger), TE Brad Smelley, DT Doug Worthington, and DT Nick Fairley.

Fairley has some soreness in the collarbone area.

LANGFORD RETURNS

Kendall Langford started 36 games for the Rams at defensive tackle from 2012 through 2014. But he lost his starting job to rookie Aaron Donald after four games last season, with his playing time decreasing as the season progressed.

Released at the end of February in a salary cap move that saved the Rams $6 million, Langford signed with Indianapolis two weeks later. His four-year deal with the Colts is worth $17.2 million, but with only a modest $2.5 million guaranteed.

So far this training camp and preseason, Langford has been the best defensive lineman on the Colts’ roster. That’s somewhat of a relative term, because the Colts aren’t nearly as talented athletically on their D-line as the Rams.

After three seasons playing tackle in a 4-3 front in St. Louis, Langford has returned to playing end in a 3-4 alignment for Indy. That’s the position he played during his first four years in the league, with Miami.

LOCAL LINE

The Indianapolis roster includes Missouri State offensive guard David Arkin and three former University of Illinois players: offensive guard Hugh Thornton, wide receiver Ryan Lankford, and cornerback Vontae Davis. Thornton did not play Saturday because of a knee injury.

Former Rams assistant coach Rick Venturi, who spent several years as a radio analyst in St. Louis once his coaching career was done, is now doing radio and TV work in Indianapolis. He was the color analyst Saturday for the Indianapolis telecast of the Colts-Rams contest.

LAST TIME (IN AUGUST)

Saturday’s meeting was just the fifth preseason contest between the teams. The most recent contest opened the 2012 exhibition season, marking Jeff Fisher’s Rams coaching debut. It was also Indy quarterback Andrew Luck’s pro debut, with the Colts winning 38-3 and Luck throwing two TD passes.

Rams offense shows up in loss to Colts

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-offense-shows-up-in-loss-to-colts/article_f1079185-e5c9-5482-af2d-9f6571507ee8.html

Well, it took nine series to get there, but Nick Foles and the Rams’ first-team offense finally got into the end zone.

And even though the Rams made enough mistakes and committed enough penalties to give them plenty to work on next week, the offense showed signs of life in Saturday’s 24-14 loss to Indianapolis.

Only 37,460 tickets were distributed for the Rams’ preseason home opener.

“I think we’re improving,” Foles said. “We still have a log ways to go, but I was really proud of the guys. We were moving the ball. We had a couple of good drives. We have to stop getting penalties on ourselves, but I think we’re stepping in the right direction.”

Despite spotty, at best, blocking by the offensive line, Foles easily was the sharpest he’s been in the preseason, completing 10 of 11 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was 145.5.

“It looked like Nick was very precise,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “His numbers were good, he knew where to go with the ball. We had a couple protection issues which I think you attribute to preseason. He knew he was gonna get hit and he took the hit. He got back up and kept playing.”

That first touchdown came as a result of good field position, compliments of the special teams and defensive units.

After Isaiah Pead downed a Johnny Hekker punt, Indianapolis was pinned at it’s own 5-yard line to start a second-quarter possession. Three running plays later, the Colts were punting from their 1 thanks to stout run defense by defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald, who dropped Colts running back Daniel Herron for back-to-back losses.

“That’s kinda the play that we expect, or that I expect, out of our defense,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It’s like people got upset and decided to just take it to another level. Our D-line fired off, big time.”

The Rams took over at the Indy 44 following a Colts’ punt, and struck quickly. Using play-action that included a fake end-around, Foles seemed to temporarily freeze the Indianapolis defense then threw deep to a streaking Chris Givens, who ran under the ball for a 44-yard score.

It was the second big play for Givens in as many games. Against Tennessee, he scored on an 80-yard TD pass play from backup QB Case Keenum. This one came with 10 minutes, 18 seconds to play in the first half and narrowed Indy’s lead to 10-7.

“It definitely feels good,” said Givens, who has been the Rams’ most impressive wide receiver this preseason. “It felt a lot better too hook up with Nick and make a good play for our team when I felt like we needed it the most.”

Even prior to the Givens’ score, the Rams’ offense showed signs of life but self-destructed on two occasions because of penalties:

• On the opening series, Foles connected with Tavon Austin for a 25-yard gain that was wiped out by an offensive pass interference call on Austin. Austin did extend his arm as if to push off, but his jersey also was grabbed briefly by a Colts defender. All in all, it should have been a no-call.

• On the Rams’ second series, the Rams overcame a facemask call against center Barrett Jones, but couldn’t overcome a facemask call against right guard Demetrius Rhaney deep in Indy territory. A sack by Erik Waldenn, who got around right tackle Rob Havenstein, took the Rams out of field goal range.

“Tonight’s a great illustration of if you turn the football over and you have costly penalties at the wrong time, it can cost you the ballgame,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to get the penalty thing under control.”

The Rams were penalized 10 times for 83 yards and have been guilty of 29 penalties for 229 yards in their three preseason games — all losses.

After the Given’s TD, the Rams reached their 44 before stalling after failing to pick up a well-executed Colts blitz, leading to another sack of Foles.

Defensively, the Rams were able to shut down the Indianapolis running game in the first half, limiting the Colts to just 28 yards on 15 carries — or 1.9 yards per carry. It should be noted that Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore, the former 49er, did not play.

“We always want to start fast,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We didn’t do that this game, but we bounced back. That’s one thing that we always talk about is responding. I think we responded real well. We have some stuff that we’ll go over in the film room and get better.”

Converting on a pair of third-down plays, the Colts did put up three points on an Adam Vinatieri field goal on their opening drive. They then fooled the Rams on an onside kick, with Indy’s Clayton Geathers outscrapping the Rams’ Cody Davis for the loose ball.

Quarterback Andrew Luck then got a freebie. A busted coverage left Andre Johnson, the longtime Houston Texan and seven-time Pro Bowler, open deep down the seam. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a chance to bring him down at the 7-yard line but whiffed. The result was a 32-yard TD and a 10-0 Colts lead with 7:45 to play in the opening quarter.

Luck came out to start the third quarter, but a botched handoff by running back Josh Robinson resulted in a fumble on the first play from scrimmage of the second half. Rookie linebacker Byrce Hager recovered for the Rams at the Indianapolis 17.

With Keenum in at quarterback, the Rams needed just three plays to reach the end zone — two runs by Trey Watts sandwiched around an 8-yard reception by Cory Harkey. Watts’ second carry was a three-yard TD run off right tackle in which he scored untouched.

The extra point by backup kicker Michael Palardy gave the Rams a 14-13 lead with 13:28 left in the third — their first lead of the preseason since Greg Zuerlein’s field goal on the Rams’ first possession of Game 1 in Oakland.

But the lead didn’t last long, with Indianapolis converting a Sean Mannion interception into a TD (and 2-point conversion) and Vinatieri added a third field goal late.

Penalty and protection issues persist but Rams make progress

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20819/penalty-and-protection-issues-persist-but-rams-make-progress

ST. LOUIS — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 24-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts:

What it means: The Rams starting offense finally offered some hope with quarterback Nick Foles putting together his best performance of the preseason. He had just one incompletion on 11 tries with 128 yards and threw the first unit’s first touchdown of the exhibition slate. All of that despite an offensive line that did its best to make things difficult. The starting five allowed two sacks, a handful of other pressures and committed two 15-yard facemask penalties. The run game continues to struggle, mustering just 28 yards on 12 carries with the starters in the game. There was improvement from last week, but many of the issues that have been prevalent under coach Jeff Fisher and this preseason continue to persist.

Play of the game: For the second week in a row, it’s a Chris Givens touchdown. Givens got behind the Indianapolis secondary for a 44-yard touchdown from Foles for the starting offense’s first preseason touchdown. Givens had an 80-yard touchdown last week against Tennessee.

Stat of note: Seven for 60. That’s how many accepted penalties the Rams starters had in the first half. It’s an issue that has plagued this team since Fisher arrived and doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

Line dancing: The Rams continued to tinker with their offensive line. Without guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), the Rams moved rookie Jamon Brown from right guard to left guard with Demetrius Rhaney starting at right guard. As expected, Barrett Jones started at center. But moving Brown offered more intrigue. At this point in the preseason, the most logical reason for the move would be that the team intends to move Saffold back to right guard when he returns. Saffold played there in 2013, and going back to that spot would also allow the Rams to breakup the two rookies on the right side.

Injuries of note: Brown left the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury. He had the ankle taped but did not return to the game. Running back Tre Mason left in the first quarter, had his right leg wrapped in ice and also did not return.

What’s next: The Rams join the rest of the league in making their first round of cuts as they must get down to 75 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. From there, they wrap up the preseason at home Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1

Asked around but didn’t get much of an explanation for the busted coverage that led to the 32-yard TD pass to an uncovered Andre Johnson.

Was told it was a coverage that Rams have practiced and used throughout camp, so it shouldn’t be something DBs should get confused

Jeff Fisher said Jamon Brown suffered a “lateral ankle” sprain. (As opposed to a high ankle sprain.) Brown wanted to go back in.

A lateral or “low” ankle sprain usually is a one_ to two-week injury.

Tre Mason told me he just tweaked the hamstring _ it’s the same one that sidelined him earlier in the camp. Said it’s nothing big.

I’ve been to every preseason game since the Rams moved to St. Louis. This was easily the smallest crowd I’ve seen. Maybe 25,000 in house.

Maybe.

Wouldn’t call Foles a scrambler, he admits he’s not fast enough. But was impressed by his escapability and ability to throw on run.

Stop if you’ve heard this before: Fisher said Rams have to get penalties under control: 10 for 83 yards vs. Colts; 29 for 229 this preseason

Tackling was better on defense.

Rams running game still far from where it needs to be. Continuity of the essence now for offensive line

bnw wrote:

Why not?

My understanding is, that game is not broadcast live on NFL net

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notes-rookie-qb-mannion-makes-the-most-of-limited/article_f0bdb168-b15c-5dc1-8e38-bee25b70b92c.html

NOT LOOKING BACK

The last time the Rams faced the Colts was on Nov. 10, 2013, as the visiting club stunned playoff-bound Indianapolis 38-8 at Lucas Oil Stadium. In that game, the Rams quickly quieted the big crowd by building a 28-0 halftime lead and were up 38-0 before Indianapolis scored.

That game marked the coming out party for Tavon Austin. The No. 8 overall pick in that year’s draft, Austin finished the day with 314 total yards and three touchdowns.

With the Rams already up 14-0 early in the second quarter, he grabbed a bouncing punt near his goal line and returned it 98 yards down the right sideline for his first score. Later in the quarter, he blew by the Colts’ defense along the left sideline to haul in a 57-yard scoring pass from Kellen Clemens.

Just after halftime, he caught a Clemens pass over the middle and outran the Indy defense for an 81-yard touchdown that stretched the Rams’ lead to 35-0.

In that game, Austin returned four punts for 145 yards, one kickoff for 27, had one carry for 4 and caught two passes for 138.

“It was definitely a huge day for me and thankful for everything that went my way that day,’’ said Austin, now in his third NFL season. “But I can’t get that game back. It’s a great memory, but at this point, it really doesn’t mean a thing.’’

Austin, who stands 5 feet 8 and weighs 176 pounds, is expecting big things this season.

“I worked hard in the offseason and I’m anxious to see that work pay off,’’ the 24-year-old said. “I won’t say things are easier, but the game has definitely slowed down. I’m mentally stronger now and I have a better feel for the playbook. I want to play smart and focus on making plays.’’

In an 18-3 loss to Oakland to open the preseason, Austin caught a short pass from Nick Foles on the second play of the opening drive and turned it into a 35-yard gain. It helped set up a Greg Zuerlein field goal.

Last weekend, in a 27-14 loss in Tennessee, Austin was targeted twice but did not have a catch.

“We’ve got some work to do, trying to develop some offensive chemistry,’’ Austin said. “But I’m confident it’ll come.’’

RamBill: Young talks with Randy K. and D’Marco Farr. Young is looking forward to the match up of the Rams DB’s and the Colts WR’s. He sees Luck doing a lot of passing in the first half. He wants to see the Rams O-line get the right combination of players and to develop some continuity. Young favors Barnes at OC. He sees Foles pressing a bit…forcing things… trying to make things happen that may not be there.

Short version.

1. Foles was never a Kelly guy. He didn’t draft him and was reluctant to start him over Vick.

2. Foles kind of descended in 2014 and things Kelly didn’t like came to the fore.

3. From what I have gathered, Foles is more of an improviser than Kelly likes. Kelly also likes someone who can see the field well and make quick decisions and fire quick accurate passes, including long passes. Foles really is none of those things.

4. There was buzz about him not getting along well with his qb coach in 2013.

My own take on it is, that Foles is a much better fit for the Rams than he was for Kelly. Kelly like McD is a system uber alles type offensive coach, and too much of what Foles is and does can’t be fit into that. Bradford is a much better fit there.

One dead giveaway is what Kelly says about trading for an injured qb. He said, look at Brees, if you want a special player sometimes the only way you get one is because he was injured. In other words, Foles does not fit his idea of a special qb.

Fisher on the other hand doesn’t need that kind of special qb. He could make the offense work with a healthy Bradford, or a healthy Foles. It would look and act different with each qb, but then that kind of flexibilty lets them feature Foles, whereas Kelly, with his system at stake, just saw too much he didn’t like.

.

Cal wrote:

Last year at this time it would have been Langford & Brockers instead of Donald & Westbrook, who are both in the 285 pound area. That’s a HUGE difference in size.

For that game.

And Brockers isn’t gone.

I am just not as concerned about it as you, though I get the point. To me, anyway, the question you raise is whether Fairley for Langford is a useful swap.

I attribute most of the run issues last year to gap discipline. And you know btw who had the same issues? The GSOT Rams defense, before 99. When they got gashed on the run it was gap discipline. Or so they kept saying.

We see this thing differently so far, Cal, though as always, good discussion.

Jump into the chat room tonight if you can.

Rams’ defense step up in class vs. Luck, Colts

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-defense-step-up-in-class-vs-luck-colts/article_3acc8be1-86d8-5607-886a-aa437a028464.html

The top story so far this preseason has been the starting offense’s inability to get out of its own way. As for the work of the Rams’ first-team defense? So-so.

Entering Saturday’s 7 p.m. contest against Indianapolis at the Edward Jones Dome, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’s starting unit has given up 191 yards but just two field goals in five total series against Oakland and Tennessee.

But it took an end zone interception by cornerback Trumaine Johnson to end one drive against Oakland. And in Nashville, Tennessee running back Dexter McCluster dropped what should’ve been a touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota in the end zone, causing the Titans to settle for a field goal.

“We’ve got to get better on both sides of the ball, my brother,” defensive end William Hayes said after the Rams’ 27-14 loss to Tennessee. “We’re doing a lot of things that good football teams don’t do right now.

“I can’t speak for the offense, but defensively there’s just a lot of plays that we’re not making where we’re not really doing our jobs like we’re supposed to. We’ll get it fixed. I know up front, we’re not really being gap sound. Like I said, that’s something that’s easy to correct.”

There’s more of a veteran presence on the defense, even though the Rams don’t have a player over 30 years old (on either side of the ball). And when it comes to the front seven in particular, there are no excuse makers.

This unit knows when it plays well and knows when it doesn’t. And it has enough talent, savvy, and work ethic to fix things that go wrong.

“We’re not playing the way we should be right now,” defensive end Robert Quinn said. “We still have a couple more weeks to improve, but those weeks fly by. You can’t take one day for granted.

“So hopefully guys after this (Tennessee) game realize what’s at stake. What’s our true potential. Hopefully guys just start playing the way we should. There were some positives, but I think at the end of the day we had too many negative plays, and that’s not the type of style the defense really wants to play.”

Tennessee got out of the gates quickly Sunday night with a 16-yard pass play and then an 18-yard run by Bishop Sankey on its first two plays.

On the Titans’ second possession, tight end Craig Stevens got loose for a 35-yard catch and run on a play where both Johnson and safety T.J. McDonald were in the vicinity but got caught looking in the backfield for the run.

Two plays later, Sankey broke loose for a 19-yard run. On one of the long Sankey runs, linebacker Alec Ogletree failed to fill the gap, giving Sankey a clear seam to get off the line of scrimmage.

A few yards downfield, linebacker James Laurinaitis was blocked out of the play by a Tennessee guard. Strong defensive line play versus the run keeps offensive linemen from getting those second-level blocks on linebackers and safeties.

At the end of the second drive, on the dropped TD pass, Ogletree strayed from his coverage area in zone defense, which left McCluster wide open.

After watching the Rams’ defensive starters yield 5.9 yards a carry in the first two preseason games (94 yards on 16 carries total), coach Jeff Fisher placed special emphasis on the run game in Tuesday’s practice.

“We got some things fixed,” Fisher said. “Again, we didn’t prepare an awful lot for (Tennessee’s) formations and things, and their run game. We did make adjustments, however, in the second half. I thought we made a lot of plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage, which was good.”

The Titans had only 36 rushing yards on 13 carries in the second half and rushed for only 56 yards on 20 carries once the Rams’ first-team defense was done for the night in the second quarter.

Obviously, the Rams need to get that kind of play from their starting unit — not just the reserves — once the real games begin Sept. 13 against Seattle.

“Any time you’re not playing good football there’s a sense of urgency,” Hayes said. “I’m a realist. They (Tennessee) kind of did what they wanted to with us. And it wasn’t because they were just better than us. It was because we weren’t doing what we were supposed to do. So I think once we fix that, we’ll be fine. It’s small stuff that’s easily correctable.”

The starting defense steps up in class Saturday in facing quarterback Andrew Luck and the potent Indianapolis offense. Like the Rams, the Colts are 0-2 in the preseason and haven’t done much offensively in losses to Philadelphia and Chicago, scoring only 21 points total.

Luck has been on the field for only 4½ series, completing 10 of 15 passes for 114 yards. On the Colts’ only TD drive under his stewardship, Luck ran it in himself for a 5-yard score.

The Colts have had issues with their offensive line, but Luck is surrounded by a talented group of receivers and now has former San Francisco 49er Frank Gore to bolster the running game.

“He’s got a tremendously strong arm, quick release, sees the field,” Fisher said of Luck. “And then he’s mobile. He buys time in the pocket, scrambles around. … He’s the real deal. Don’t know how much he’s going to play, but it’ll be a good challenge for our defense.”

And another chance to step beyond the ranks of the so-so.