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znModeratormuch better,snappier than the long looping release on the last pass in game 1.
To be fair on that pass…that’s when he had the bad leg…the quad. There are references in JT, for example, to the fact that he made that pass on one leg. He couldn’t plant and use good form. He wound that one up to heave it.
The thing about Hill for me is the brain-arm synergy. He has a pretty quick release, some nice velocity, but it’s combined with very quick decisions. Like on the TD to Britt–on the replay, endzone view, you can see it. The INSTANT he sees Britt it’s load it and zing it.
znModeratorI’m not sure, but i think
you have to go back to 2006 ?
to find the last time the Rams
beat two Winning teams in a row.w
vIt was 2004. In games 16 and 17, they beat the 13-3 Eagles and the 10-6 Jets.
JUST 2 in a row, winning teams aside?
Games 15 & 16 last year (New Orleans & Tampa)…before that games 5 & 6 last year (Jacksonville & Houston)
Last time the Rams won 3 in a row?
Games 12-14 in 2012 (ARZ, SF, Buffalo)…before that games 15-17 in 2006 (Oakland, Washington, Minnesota).
Last time the Rams won 4 in a row?
…actually it’s 7 in a row in 2003, games 10-16 (Baltimore, Chicago, ARZ, Minnesota, Cleveland, Seattle, Cinncinnati).
November 21, 2014 at 3:23 am in reply to: news bits: Zuerlein, Rams HOF finalists, some Denver game follow-up #12276znModeratorJim Thomas @jthom1
Overall pass-rush numbers vs. Manning: 17 pressures, 6 QB hits, 2 sacks. Quinn had 4 pressures, 4 hits; Hayes had 5 pressures.Greg A. Bedard
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/11/20/brian-hoyer-contract/
Peyton Manning and his injured weapons get a lot of air time, but a big problem with the Broncos has been that their offensive line, which was terrific last year until the Super Bowl and has gone downhill in a hurry. You thought Denver would be better getting injured Ryan Clady back at left tackle and moving Chris Clark to the right side, but that hasn’t been the case. Clady hasn’t played up to his usual level, and Clark was benched after five games. Paul Cornick wasn’t the answer at RT, so the Broncos have been playing musical chairs. RG Louis Vazquez was moved to RT in the loss to the Rams, with C Manny Ramirez moving to RG and Will Montgomery inserted at center. The Broncos better find a viable unit by the time the regular season ends or they’ll be making a quick exit in the playoffs.
znModeratorfrom off the net
===
RamfanDave
Chargers have played an easy schedule
the Raiders twice, the Jets, Jacksonville and Buffalo are five of their six wins. They did beat Seattle but lost to Miami, Denver, KC and Arizona. We have a chance and then the schedule gets a whole lot easier.
November 21, 2014 at 12:57 am in reply to: Ogletree reported to camp out of shape//Ogletree is back up to speed #12272znModeratorOgletree is back up to speed
By Jim Thomas
With six games to go, it’s neck-and-neck once again for the team tackling title between linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree.
“Right now?” Ogletree said after Thursday’s practice.
Yes, 10 games into 2014, Ogletree and Laurinaitis have 103 tackles apiece entering Sunday’s contest at San Diego.
“It’s definitely good to have a guy like that to compete against,” Ogletree said. “I definitely think he’s one of the top linebackers in the league. We’re just trying to be a great duo out there on the field.”
After leading the Rams in tackles in each of his first four seasons in the league, Laurinaitis was edged out by Ogletree last season when Ogletree finished with 155 as a rookie to the 144 stops posted by Laurinaitis.
But it’s not like either player is rushing to the Rams’ PR staff after each game to check on their tackling totals.
“Tell you what, I try do whatever I can do to help the team win,” Laurinaitis said. “And he’ll say the same thing. At the end of the day, I don’t care how many tackles — you can give me two in a game — if we get the ‘W,’ that’s all I care about.”
Right. Like Laurinaitis ever had just two tackles in a game.
In any event, for much of September and October, it didn’t look like Ogletree would be competing for much of anything. He wasn’t playing terribly, but he wasn’t displaying the flash he did for about the final two-thirds of his rookie campaign in 2013.
On several occasions earlier this season, Ogletree lost contain on the edge, leading to some big runs on the perimeter. And at times he struggled in coverage, leading to some easy completions by the opposition. At his best, Ogletree is a run-and-hit linebacker, and there were a couple of plays where there wasn’t enough “run” to make the hit — that is, he didn’t look as fast as usual.
But these past few games, particularly vs. Arizona and Denver, the light switch has come on in a big way.
Against Denver, he had 12 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. The interception came on the first play of the fourth quarter when he stepped in front of a pass intended for Broncos tight end Jacob Tamme over the middle. It set up the fourth of five Greg Zuerlein field goals in the Rams’ 22-7 victory.
Ogletree also snuffed out Denver’s last chance for any kind of comeback with 2 ½ minutes left to play when he batted down a Peyton Manning pass on fourth-and-1 from the St. Louis 41.
A week earlier, in the 31-14 loss at Arizona, Ogletree once again had 12 tackles and an interception, which he returned 44 yards. His day also included a forced fumble, two pass breakups and a quarterback hit.
“For whatever reason, he’s triggering faster, and he’s made the plays that have come to him,” Laurinaitis said. “He made a great play in Arizona for that ‘pick.’ Last week, he does what he’s coached to do on a seam route — makes a great catch.
“He’s just flashing. For whatever reason, he’s playing faster. And I like to see that out of him, because when he plays fast he can be a destructive force.”
Lately, the Rams have had players “flashing” at every level of their defense — D-line, linebackers and in the secondary. And that’s one reason why the unit has played so well lately. Adding Ogletree to that group recently has helped take the defense to a new level.
“Alec’s playing at a really high level the last few weeks,” coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. “He’s making a lot of plays. I think he’s got a much better feel for what he’s doing.
“It took him a while to get in good shape. And we’re using him a lot more behind the ball, as opposed to just lining up on the line of scrimmage and the tight end.”
Fisher also slipped in a line about Ogletree showing up to training camp out of shape in the third week of November. It’s as if Fisher wanted it out there, on the record — a little nudge in Ogletree’s direction not to let it happen again.
Because once the regular season arrives, and you’re basically practicing only three days a week, it’s hard to play yourself into shape.
When asked if he was on the sportswriters’ diet during the five-week break between the conclusion of OTAs in June and the start of training camp in late July, Ogletree laughed and said: “No. I just ate a little more than what I should. But for the most part right now I feel pretty healthy and feel pretty much in shape.”
Ogletree added, that he “wasn’t super overweight or anything” when he reported to camp. But pro football players are like finely-tuned machines: being just a little off can make a difference.
“You definitely have to try to keep yourself in shape in the offseason,” Ogletree said. “And going into this (next) year, I’ll definitely do more of that. … I should’ve done a better job of coming back at the right weight and stuff like that.”
Meanwhile, Manning must have left St. Louis glad about one thing: Ogletree doesn’t play in the same division. Because during a 2013 preseason game — the key third preseason game when the Broncos were taking their high-tempo offense out for a spin — Ogletree prevented what looked like a sure TD by knocking a Manning pass away in the end zone.
And he made a quick-reaction interception over the middle in that game in Denver, a play that had Manning shaking his head as he walked off the field.
“It’s definitely exciting picking off one of the greatest players in the league,” Ogletree said.
znModeratorEx-Rams QB Kellen Clemens giving Chargers tips from scout team
November, 20, 2014
SAN DIEGO – Executing an opposing team’s offense in practice can be tedious at times, but the San Diego Chargers have an experienced hand helping them prepare for the St. Louis Rams in second-string quarterback Kellen Clemens, who spent three seasons in St. Louis, finishing 4-8 as a starter for the Rams.
Clemens
Clemens is very familiar with St. Louis offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s West Coast-based offense, having played in that scheme with the Rams and the New York Jets. Clemens also intimately knows the Rams’ personnel from his time in St. Louis.“It’s huge for us,” Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano said. “For him to be able to stand in the huddle and say, ‘This is how this is run,’ or those types of things when he sees a play. He’s got his job to do, and he’s still got to prepare. But when he has the opportunity to look at the plays and talk to guys about certain routes, it’s always huge for that.
“But you can’t put too much into that. Regardless of him, we have to go out and play, and we have to go out and execute. And that’s the most important thing.”
Clemens also downplayed his role in getting San Diego’s defense prepared for Sunday.
“I think I can give them as good of a look as I can, up until this point,” Clemens said. “I know the offense. I know how they’re going to read it. I know how they’re going to try to attack it, and the adjustments they’re going to make.
“There’s little things that I can see while running the scout team in terms of how they’re going to run things. But a significant difference? I wish I could claim that, but I don’t think I can.”
Clemens a two-year, $3 million contract with San Diego as a free agent, and said he holds no bad blood toward his former team. Clemens said he looks forward to seeing old teammates and friends made while in St. Louis on the field before the game starts.
“I’ll be out a couple minutes early probably to get my warmup in,” Clemens said, smiling.
November 20, 2014 at 10:50 pm in reply to: pickem entry forms available for weeks 12, 13 and 14 #12266znModeratorstickied for everyone’s convenience
November 20, 2014 at 10:21 pm in reply to: Rams defense, rankings last 3 games v. 10 game rankings #12264znModeratorNovember 20, 2014 at 10:14 pm in reply to: RGIII: Great QBs don't play well if teammates don't #12262znModeratorTipsheet: Rams make strides while RG III stumbles
By Jeff Gordon
The RG III Trade looks better for the Rams with each passing week.
The Rams collected a mother lode of draft picks from the Washington You Know Whos for the rights to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. And while the RG III situation gets worse by the week with that dysfunctional team, the Rams are finally making real progress with all their young players.
The Broncos game was a great example of that. Outside linebacker Alec Ogletree got back to making big plays instead of big mistakes, flying all over the field to make Peyton Manning’s job difficult.
Wide receiver Stedman Bailey made tough catches for critical first-down conversions. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson made a critical interception.
These were just some of the guys the Rams got for RG III. Left tackle Greg Robinson and Janoris Jenkins, two other pieces of the bounty, had some big mishaps in the game.
But mostly they held up while playing a Super Bowl-caliber team. The resulting 22-7 victory didn’t save another difficult season for the Rams, but it did add another quality victory to the list — proving that this still-maturing team is learning to play with the NFL’s best.
Aaron Donald, T.J. McDonald, Tre Mason, Brian Quick, E.J. Gaines . . . a lot of guys have taken big steps this season. Give this team steady quarterback play next season and the Rams will contend for the playoffs.
That brings us to the Washington Redskins. They are not getting steady QB play from RG III.
SI.com’s Andy Benoit reviewed some Griffin game tape and came away unimpressed:
Locker room leadership can be overrated. How a quarterback really loses his team is by leaving receivers open on the field. This is Robert Griffin’s biggest problem, and has been throughout his career. What’s most concerning is that he’s leaving receivers on the field out of a variety of formations and against a variety of coverages. The common thread is bad mechanics and a poor sense of timing . . .
Griffin, who has good arm strength, must play smarter from the pocket and protect the football. It’s especially important because the film shows that he can’t run anymore. There’s an underlying heaviness to his movements that could be attributed to the ankle injury. The quickness and acceleration with which he mesmerized crowds during his rookie season is gone. Maybe it’s only temporary, or maybe not. Given how Griffin played last year, this change could be linked to post knee-surgery rust, which, now nearly two years old, likely wouldn’t shake off.
Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley offered a harsh assessment of Griffin for ESPN 980 in Washington D.C., with the Washington Post listening in.
Here were some highlights:
“I can’t grade the pass game. Our quarterback does not allow a proper grading of the pass game, because there was something I’ve never seen go on on a football field before.”
And . . .
“There was a game plan initially installed, which was not run or operated in any way shape or form the way it should have been. There was a quarterback not reading the field when he should have been, there was a quarterback scrambling when he (shouldn’t have been) . . . You can’t grade anyone else around Robert because of the way Robert played.”
And . . .
“And I want this to be really clear as we move forward with this breakdown. I’m not making fun of Robert. I like Robert. I like him as a person. This is not a personal attack. I am not going to make fun of him. I think he handled the media afterward improperly; we’ve discussed that. And I think he played poorly. And because of that, I’m going to now walk you through the game.”
znModeratorNFL Preview: Rams at Chargers
NFL Films previews the Week 12 matchup between the St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers.
znModerator============================
Glyndwr71 — Cossell on McDonald and McCleodSpeaking on Ross Tucker’s show, Cossell says that over the past month the Rams’ safeties are playing as well as any duo in the NFL.
============Discusses the Rams/Denver game starting at 18:44 in or so.
Cosell goes on about how the Rams defense has played really well the last month and praises what WMs did to Manning.
Tucker wants nothing to do with it, and is like, un hunh, so, is Denver in trouble?
.
November 20, 2014 at 4:44 pm in reply to: "awaiting moderation," the mods, avatars, passwords, embedding, formatting, etc #12248znModeratorWhy are we still ‘awaiting moderation‘
on this board?Maybe some of us want to be immoderate.
Or excessive, unreasonable and possibly
even intolerable.I wont even get into this
embedding thing.Btw, this is a good little board.
w
vLook, you allow immoderation, and what inevitably follows is impropriety… and THEN you’re already halfway to indiscretion.
So, it is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
I agree about the board btw. It’s our Malta.
znModeratorznModeratorhttp://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/defense/sort/sacks/year/2014/seasontype/2
I was glancing at the sack stats and i couldnt find any Chargers
on the first or second page of stats. Maybe i missed someone,
but i dont think they have any dangerous sackers.I see Mr Suh has only 4.5 sacks.
Calais Cambbell of Ariz only has 3.
I’d like to see Quinn get four more,
and be in double digits. He’s got six.I wonder which player gets held the most —
it might very well be Quinn.w
vSan Diego is kind of like ARZ on this, in the sense that they manufacture sacks from the scheme. Sub-packages, that kind of thing.
SD sacks:
NAME POSITION SACKS
Donald Butler ILB 1.0
Marcus Gilchrist SS 1.0
Kavell Conner LB 1.0
Corey Liuget DE 2.5
Jarret Johnson LB 1.0
Jahleel Addae db/s 1.0
Kendall Reyes DE 1.0
Ricardo Mathews DT 1.0
Sean Lissemore NT 1.0
Reggie Walker LB 0.5
Cordarro Law DE 1.0
Jeremiah Attaochu DE 2.0
Dwight Freeney LB 2.0TTL 17
Sack percentage: 25thznModeratorIf he doesn’t come back soon,
i say we ban him.w
vMack is a regular in the chat room during games.
Unlike you.
But then you post regularly.
And he hasn’t been.
Hmm. Wait minute.
Okay. That’s not hard to figure out is it.
Which one of those 2 is the secret identity?
Or are they BOTH secret identities?
znModeratorhttp://cinesport.stltoday.com/saint-louis-sports/thomas-fisher-keeping-rams-fresh/
CineSport’s Brian Clark asks the Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas how the Rams are staying fresh ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chargers, and what to expect in San Diego.
znModeratorThey probably fined Sims for it.
I think the really bad one was the league fining Quinn for being held so much.
znModerator(Earlier this week, Fisher put the blame on the coaches for the breakdown that led to Sanders being wide open for a 42-yard touchdown. Not the players.)
? I missed that.
znModeratorMore flags on D spins scoreboards
By Gregg Easterbrook | ESPN.com
Green Bay and New England have outscored opponents by more than 100 points. Touchdown passes are lighting up the night sky. Seven NFL quarterbacks already have at least 20 touchdown passes — 20 years ago, only eight reached this mark on the entire season. Scoreboards are spinning as never before.
Is the reason better athletes on offense — or is the reason more penalties?
It’s well known that defensive holding flags have increased this season — blame the Seattle secondary for that. But there’s a 10-year trend toward more flags against the defensive secondary. These trends translate into more first downs and fewer punts. Result? More scoring drives.
Considering only accepted penalties, so far there have been 137 defensive pass interference walk-offs this season, compared to 110 at the same point in the season a decade ago. That’s a 25 percent increase. There have also been 137 accepted defensive holding penalties, compared to 99 at this juncture a decade ago. That’s a 38 percent increase.
Defensive pass interference means a chunk of yardage, and both fouls provide an automatic first down. A decade ago at this point in the season, there had been 568 first downs by penalty. This season it’s 652, a 15 percent increase. More first downs means fewer punts. A decade ago, 1,581 punts had been launched at this juncture. This season it’s down to 1,468.
More automatic first downs, fewer punts. Skadoosh — spinning scoreboards.
New rules against deliberate helmet-to-helmet contact also help the offense. Sunday at New Orleans, Cincinnati facing third-and-long, A.J. Green ran a stutter-go and beat the cornerback. Saints’ safety Rafael Bush was closing but pulled up one step before he would have drilled Green, who made a 38-yard reception that proved the game’s decisive down. Five years ago, Bush legally could have laid Green out, which might have broken up the catch. This year, Bush knew that contact with Green’s helmet would be an automatic first down whether the catch was made or not. So he pulled up and hoped the pass would be dropped.
That’s exactly what reformers want defenders to do in potential helmet-to-helmet situations — and if reducing helmet-to-helmet contact favors the offense, so be it. Vicious hits on defenseless players are “substantially down,” which is good news.
But much of the increase in flags against the secondary comes from what seems like a trend toward ticky-tacky calls, as if there is now an assumption of guilt against pass defenders. These corrections suggest themselves: Just as defensive holding was an officials’ “point of emphasis” this season, ignoring incidental contact should be next season. At Rule 8, Section 4, Article 4 says: “Beyond the five-yard zone, incidental contact may exist between receiver and defender as long as it does not materially affect or significantly impede the receiver, creating a distinct advantage. Additionally, Rule 8, Section 5, 3 (a) says: If there is any question whether contact is incidental, the ruling shall be no interference.”
The zebras need a refresher course in this standard.
Rather than automatic first down, defensive holding should be 10 yards and replay the down, just like offensive holding. Under current rules, the defense is penalized more than the offense for the same foul. Let’s make defensive and offensive holding equivalent.
Stricter enforcement of the pick play by the offense. This season on two-man combo patterns, many wide receivers and tight ends look like Fuzzy Thurston pulling on a Green Bay Packers 1960s power sweep. No secondary can cover a receiver who for intents and purposes has a downfield blocker before the pass is released. Here’s the rule that needs to become a point of emphasis, also at 8, 5: “Blocking more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a pass being thrown is offensive pass interference. Note: It is also pass interference by the offense to block a defender beyond the line while the pass is in the air, if the block occurs in the vicinity of the player to whom the pass is thrown.”
And a fabulous suggestion from reader Zac Maodus of Fort Lauderdale, Florida: “If defensive pass interference results in automatic first down, shouldn’t offensive pass interference result in an automatic fourth down?” That rule change would discourage pick plays and pushing off by offensive receivers, swinging the pendulum toward officiating parity between offense and defense.
In other football news, if the season ended today, 4-6 Atlanta would host a playoff game, while defending champion Seattle, at 6-4, would be out; the previous defending champion, Baltimore, also 6-4, also would be out. Six teams at 6-4 would be denied the postseason, while 4-6 Atlanta got to host a party.
The NFL’s goofy playoff formula is marching toward its worst outcome since 2008, when 8-8 San Diego hosted a postseason party, but 11-5 New England wasn’t invited to the playoffs. Unless you think its worst outcome was 2010, when 7-9 Seattle hosted 11-5 New Orleans, while two 10-6 clubs did not reach the postseason. The NFL’s goofy postseason formula rewards mediocrity while punishing success. Time for a seeded tournament!
In sports-and-society news, it looks like the predicted NFL painkiller scandal is beginning. Predicted where? Here in these pages, which includes an excerpt from my 2013 book, “The King of Sports.” The book warns that “there is a small pharmacy within an NFL team facility” in which narcotics might be common. Apparently, Drug Enforcement Administration agents were attempting to determine whether that happens legally.
Since NFL players are adults who are well-compensated for knowingly assuming risks, why should anyone care if they become addicted to narcotics? Because, as in head injury and weight gain, the NFL is setting a terrible example for society. Prescription drug overdoses now cause more deaths than street-drug overdoses, and 72 percent of the deaths are from opioid painkillers. The United States is in the midst of a painkiller-abuse epidemic. Having NFL players popping painkillers — and then performing with abandon, as if football doesn’t hurt — sends the wrong message. That taxpayers subsidize this wrong message should be seen as an outrage.
znModeratorSnead talks about Barron … Donald … Mason … Robinson … the Rams quarterbacks … Britt … Austin …
znModerator
Rams look to close tough stretch on high noteBy Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13837/rams-look-to-close-tough-stretch-on-high-note
EARTH CITY, Mo. — If the St. Louis Rams can find a way to beat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, they will be 4-4 in their past eight games.
That .500 record over that span would be the very definition of mediocrity, but for those paying attention, it would represent a pleasant surprise because of the teams they did it against.
When the schedule came out in the spring, many pointed to this eight-game stretch as one of the most difficult slates of games facing any team in the league. It included nothing but 2013 playoff teams and the Arizona Cardinals, who went 10-6 last season. Considering that, a 4-4 record would have likely had most Rams fans giddy at what the rest of the season might hold.
But the Rams’ inability to take advantage of a lighter schedule in the first three weeks combined with their consistent inconsistency would leave them shy of a .500 record for the season even if they do beat the Chargers.
On the heels of last week’s surprising 22-7 win against the Denver Broncos, the Rams find themselves searching for some sort of consistency. Even two wins in a row would be a sign of progress.
“That’s the thing and the guys were talking about that last night in the locker room is that we had a big win now can we go ahead and put another one together,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Because it’s going win-loss, win-loss, win-loss and it needs to go win-win. That’s our focus.”
The Rams are 4-6 with six to play and though they are almost through the toughest part of their schedule, that guarantees nothing in terms of the rest of the season. However, the fact that they have been as competitive as they have through the past seven weeks would lead to a reasonable conclusion that they could make some hay if only they can prove capable of stringing a couple of wins together.
Fisher is pleased with how his team has performed during the past seven weeks.
“With the exception of the second half in Kansas City we’ve been in it,” Fisher said. “We just have to find ways to win games consistently, but this team has played hard and played physical against some really good teams. Big-picture wise I think we’re building it right. We’re building to contend and compete in the division. I think young teams need to learn how to match-up against those unfamiliar opponents, which we did yesterday. Now we have to do that again.”
If they can do it against San Diego, they go into a stretch that includes games against teams like Oakland, Washington and the New York Giants. While it’s almost certainly too little too late to make a run at the postseason, the Rams would seem poised to at least make a run at .500 or even their first winning season since 2003.
But before dreams of a strong finish can even begin, they must first win two in a row by finishing the eight-game stretch with a win in San Diego.
znModeratorI merged a couple of “SD game coming what do posters say” threads. Grits and Winbrad got added to the previous thread which bumped it here.
November 20, 2014 at 12:17 am in reply to: RGIII: Great QBs don't play well if teammates don't #12190znModeratorRobert Griffin III – QB – Redskins
Based on conversations with the Redskins’ old coaching staff, ESPN’s Steve Young stated that he knows Robert Griffin III “doesn’t put the time in.”
“I’ve talked to his previous coaches, people I really trust and admire, that know quarterbacks,” Young said. “He doesn’t put the time in.” Current Redskins coach Jay Gruden all but confirmed Young’s comments by recently stating Griffin has “fundamental flaws” and his footwork is “not even close” to where it needs to be. On Wednesday, Gruden continued to dance around the topic and paint a rose-colored picture. “He could do more probably,” Gruden acknowledged, “[but] he studies himself and he comes back with ideas the following day. Whether he’s here or not, there’s a lot of work you can do. … I really think he works hard at it. He puts his work in.” Dan Snyder will probably have to decide between RG3 and Gruden this offseason.
Source: ESPN.comhttp://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7406/robert-griffin-iii
==========
===========Jay Gruden OK with RG III’s work habits
November 19, 2014
By John Keim
http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/13092/jay-gruden-ok-with-rg-iiis-work-habits
ASHBURN, Va. — Steve Young took a jab at Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III’s work ethic, based on conversations he’s had with previous coaches. But coach Jay Gruden said he’s fine with the work Griffin does to prepare for games.
Gruden said Griffin “does what he’s supposed to do.” And the fact that he can watch film of opponents or their own practices on his iPad at home makes it easier.
“He could do more probably, [but] he studies himself and he comes back with ideas the following day,” Gruden said. “Whether he’s here or not, there’s a lot of work you can do. There’s a lot of different ways to communicate now than it was back in the 80s when Steve played … I really think he works hard at it. He puts his work in.”
In the offseason, Gruden pointed out a couple times how hard Griffin worked and not just in the weight room. In the first two years, one complaint from the coaches was that Griffin perhaps spent more time working out in the weight room and needed to devote more time to the other aspects of the position.
Young, who played three years for Mike Shanahan when Shanahan was an offensive coordinator in San Francisco, said in an interview on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN New York, “I’ve talked to his previous coaches, people I really trust and admire, that know quarterbacks,” Young said. “He doesn’t put the time in.”
Young also compared studying in the NFL to going to law school, which he attended.
“I’m telling you, studying for week-to week in the NFL, and memorization, and reflexive recall … you have to drive it into your brain so far. Especially playmakers, guys that can use their legs, it’s like they’re not desperate. Guys that can’t use their legs are naturally more desperate, so they’ll put more of the time in … Even [in] this watered-down version of the NFL, the quarterback, still, the success is really about expertise and data management. Reflexive recall of data, and that’s just pure memorization. It’s boring May, June, July work, and going to school. It’s as difficult of a process of memorization as it was for me in law school.”
znModeratorWagoner talks about Gaines and how lucky they are to have him. He filled in at corner, when the Rams have actually had 3 injuries at the position (Jenkins, Johnson, McGee), and now fills in at nickel after they lost Joyner.
Gaines and Zuerlein are the best Rams 6th round picks since…
Mike Guman, 1980.
.
znModeratorWith the SD game, the Rams will have played 6 top 10 defenses in 7 games, going back to the 1st SF game. In a row that’s SF (4th), Seattle (3rd), KC (8th), SF (4th), ARz (13th), Denver (5th), & then SD (9th).
Then there’s Oakland (18th).
November 19, 2014 at 8:52 pm in reply to: news bits: Zuerlein, Rams HOF finalists, some Denver game follow-up #12182znModerator”
Great game and love his big leg and all but IMO, Gregatron the Leg needs to be improve when kicking under pressure.I think a lot of players needed to recover their confidence. Maybe he did.
znModeratorRams Shut Down Manning Machine – Stats and Records
From Stats Doctorhttp://www.101sports.com/2014/11/19/day-manning-rams-stats-records/
Peyton Manning played in his 250th regular-season game when the Broncos took on the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. His remarkable career is now in its 17th season, and one can only wonder just how many more times he will face the Rams on their home turf. After all, the schedule for an NFC team rotates from one AFC division to another each year, meaning it could be four or even eight years before Denver returns to face the Rams. If, by chance, this happened to be his final game here, it could be remembered both for what he accomplished and what the Rams prevented him from accomplishing in the 22-7 victory. Here are some rather remarkable numbers to consider from last Sunday.
To say that an offense is prolific with Manning at the helm is quite the understatement. When the Rams held the surefire future first-round Hall of Famer to one touchdown pass and a total of seven points, this was indeed an historic accomplishment. Coming into the game, Manning had a touchdown pass in 48 consecutive games and had an NFL-record 15 straight multiple passing touchdown games. The former record remains intact; the latter record has been halted. Had the Denver signal-caller thrown a second touchdown pass, he would have become the all-time leader with 160 games with at least two touchdown passes. He can break the record against someone else.
Only five times before last Sunday had a team quarterbacked by Manning scored no more than seven points in a regular-season game. Two of those games occurred in the second and third games of his career in 1998 – 29-6 at New England and 44-6 at the Jets. The last time a Manning team was held to seven points was in the final game of the 2009 season – a 30-7 loss at Buffalo.
The Dolphins were the last team to allow fewer than seven points, and that was 14 years ago in a 41-6 game. Out of those 250 total games, 64 have been played against NFC teams, and the Rams held a Manning-led squad to its lowest point total of those 64 contests.
The Broncos might have been held to only seven points, but this is not to say that Manning did not pass the ball for considerable yardage. The 369 net passing yards for Denver was the fourth-highest total ever allowed by the Rams in a win. The most yards allowed in a victory were 420 by Jacksonville in a 1996 17-14 win. Last year, the Rams gave up 388 net passing yards to the Colts and 371 yards to the Saints in 38-8 and 27-16 victories, respectively. In all four of those contests, the opposing quarterbacks—Mark Brunell, Andrew Luck, Drew Brees and Manning – all threw at least 52 passes.
One might have a hard time recalling this, but the Broncos actually did try to run the ball on occasion against the Rams’ defense. Denver only ran the ball 10 times out of its 66 plays from scrimmage, and nine of those 10 runs came on first down. That means that 35 of the Broncos’ 36 plays on downs two through four were pass plays. Their last running play came virtually at the halfway point of the third quarter as they attempted to go to the air on their last 26 plays and, overall, 31 of their 35 second-half plays.
For the second week in a row, the Rams’ defense was downright stingy when it came to allowing rushing yards. Denver ended up with but 28 yards on those 10 rushes. The Rams have now allowed 51 yards rushing on 26 carries in the last two weeks, or just under two yards per carry. If my research is accurate, this marks the lowest two-game total for rushing by Rams opponents in franchise history. The next closest I could come up with was 75 yards in back-to-back games in 2007 against the Saints (43 yards) and the 49ers (32 yards). Since the Rams started playing 77 years ago, teams have been held to no more than 51 rushing yards in one game only 76 times.
The Rams did not allow Denver to have any red-zone drives, as its deepest play from scrimmage was from the St. Louis 28 on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter. The result of that play was a 12-yard sack of Manning by Aaron Donald. The Rams have played only two other games in the past 20 years in which they prevented a red-zone drive – a 19-6 win at Arizona four years ago and a 26-21 victory at New Orleans in 2000. For the day, the Broncos ran only 16 of their 66 plays past midfield compared to the Rams’ total of 28 plays in Denver territory.
You will sometimes hear the term “hidden yards” mentioned, and that was something that was actually quite visible against the Broncos. The difference in the average drive start was huge as Denver started on average at its own 18-yard line, with no drive starting past its own 25-yard line. Only two of those 13 drives started past the 20-yard line. The Rams, in contrast, began their drives on average at their own 33-yard line. The difference in the second half was even more pronounced, with the Rams enjoying a 25-yard advantage (Rams at the 42, Denver at the 17). Another way of looking at these numbers is to point out that Manning had to throw for 161 yards – about 40 percent of his total passing yardage – just to make up the difference in starting field position and get to where the Rams were starting their drives.
Here is where the special teams come in to make a real difference. Denver had 13 possessions in the game, with seven starting after kickoffs and six beginning after punts. Johnny Hekker’s six boots resulted in four fair catches inside the 20, one fair catch right at the 20 following a 54-yard kick, and one return for no yardage.
Only once did Hekker have to punt with the line of scrimmage inside the St. Louis 37. When Greg Zuerlein kicked off, five of his seven kicks were touchbacks with the other two returned by Andre Caldwell for no more than 14 yards on a return.
Zuerlein single-handedly outscored the Broncos by connecting on all five field-goal attempts, including two 50-plus-yard efforts as well as one extra point. Generally speaking, you’re not likely to see a team make all those field goals with only one touchdown and expect to beat a Peyton Manning-led team that had already scored 37 touchdowns (24 in the red zone) coming into the Rams game. In the last two games between the two teams in St. Louis, 11 of their 12 scores have been field goals. Eight years ago in the season opener, Jeff Wilkins scored all of the Rams’ points on a team-record six field goals for an 18-10 win. Zuerlein’s 16 points on the day vaulted him from 20th to 15th place in Rams all-time scoring as his 272 career points surpassed Wendell Tyler (258), Dan Towler (264), Jim Benton and Jack Snow (270) all in one game.
The Rams’ offense was effective and allowed no turnovers, making the game the first St. Louis win with a positive turnover margin. Interestingly, all three Denver losses have occurred when it has lost the turnover battle. Furthermore, the Rams led in time of possession in all four quarters. Shaun Hill found Kenny Britt for a season-long 63-yard touchdown pass as part of a team season-best 128 receiving yards. Tre Mason became the first running back to rush for the century mark all season against the Broncos. For five seasons from 2008 until 2012, Steven Jackson had been the only 100-yard rusher for the Rams. Mason joins Benny Cunningham and Zac Stacy as 100-yard rushers since the start of last season.
It is great fun to recap an exciting victory like the Rams enjoyed against the Broncos. However, it’s back on the road and, once again, it’s a trip out west to take on the Chargers in San Diego. A win every other week has become the pattern, but maybe the time has come to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season. This will be a challenge, as the Rams have won only once in San Diego, and that was on their first trip in 1975.
At the then-named San Diego Stadium, Tom Dempsey kicked a 22-yard field goal in the team’s first-ever overtime game to give the Rams a 13-10 victory.
znModeratorfearsomefour
A couple of huge plays early in the third quarter.
Denver’s first possession they ran a well executed WR screen to Sanders. There were two well executed blocks and Sanders had a big play, likely a TD in front of him. Brockers ran the play down from behind and tackled him around the ankles. The Rams went on to get a D stop and remain ahead 13-7. Brockers has been a bit unsung this season but that play showed great hustle and “want”. Starting a pass rush, getting off the block and out of the traffic of the middle of the line and running down a WR on the outside to save a TD….big, big play.
Also, on the Rams possession that started at 12:29 in the third quarter Hill made two very good plays. First on the 3rd and 3 and under pressure from the pass rush Hill did not panic, he slid out to the his left (not a sprint….eyes downfield) and made a nice back shoulder throw to Cunningham to convert a third down.
Later in the same possession under major pressure, again on third down, Hill slid in the pocket and stepped up making an accurate throw to Cunningham before getting hit by two Broncos….again, Cunningham picking up the first down.
These are not big plays on the stat sheet, but, these kinds of plays that a vet QB can give you hold so much value for a team, especially for one that is playing very good D. The ability to remain calm under the pass rush, keep they eyes downfield and keep possession is huge. Instead of a three and out the Rams ended up punting at 8:19 of the third quarter. No points on the drive, but, changing field position (something not done in recent weeks) and holding the ball for 4:10 effectively took a possession away from Denver’s dangerous offense.
Also, Kendricks played a role in limiting the Bronco pass rush. He was schemed in a lot and helped block those quick outside rushers.
A great team win with a lot of contributors. We may look back and say this was the game that started the upward swing in the Fisher era.
znModeratorThis D reminds me of the 2009 Saints D. It’s got William’s fingerprints all over it.
Interesting. Elaborate? Explain?
November 19, 2014 at 10:39 am in reply to: multi-media from the Denver game (highlights, Fisher post-game, etc.) #12153znModeratorRelive the Rams dominant victory over the Broncos.
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