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znModerator(If this doesn’t work, feel free to delete the post).
Got it. Just directly put the URL right in the post.
znModeratorFirst, I don’t think anyone makes that trade.
Second, I like Bradford + Hill + new qb to be named later over Eli.
I would rather have 2 guys who know the system (Bradford & Hill) than one possibly descending qb who doesn’t.
znModeratorA closer look at Greg Zuerlein’s missed kicks
By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.comhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14449/a-closer-look-at-greg-zuerleins-missed-kicks
WASHINGTON, D.C. — St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein has had some rough days in the NFL. There haven’t been many but none worse than what took place in the first half of the team’s 24-0 win against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
In those first 30 minutes, Zuerlein missed an extra point and field goal attempts of 28 and 38 yards. Entering the game, Zuerlein had never missed an extra point or a field goal attempt inside 30 yards in his nearly three year career in the NFL.
Earlier this season, Zuerlein had a rough day against Kansas City, missing a 38-yard field goal and mis-hitting a kickoff that led to a 99-yard return for a touchdown by the Chiefs Knile Davis.
But something was clearly off Sunday as Zuerlein pushed all of his misses to the right. Even when he course corrected a bit in the second half, his kicks were still moving to the right.
So what, exactly, was the problem? Was it just a case of the yips?
“Yeah, I think so,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “It happens every once in awhile. He had a great week. He spent a lot of time outside on the grass in the weather and outside and he just had something wrong with the mechanics and the swing.”
I didn’t get a chance to catch up with Zuerlein after the game because the visitors locker room divides the offense and defense and I was spending most of my time catching up with defensive players after their second consecutive shutout. By the time I got back to the offensive side, Zuerlein was gone. To be clear, Zuerlein didn’t avoid anything and he never has. He’s always been a standup guy.
So we turned to quarterback Shaun Hill to get his perspective on if there was anything he could offer that might further explain Zuerlein’s struggles.
“The elements probably didn’t look that bad out there but the grass was long and the field was soft, the wind was blowing,” Hill said. “It’s a rough place to kick today out there for him and really a tough place to throw at times, too.”
That might just sound like a team captain doing what he should and sticking up for a teammate but I can actually vouch for Hill’s assessment of the field conditions. Redskins reporter John Keim and I walked on the field after to shoot our game balls video and it was obvious that the field was in horrible shape.
That’s not really an excuse for Zuerlein, who still has to at least make extra points and there’s little doubt that the first miss probably led to some mental block that led to the others. But it’s still worth noting.
For what it’s worth, Fisher expressed confidence in Zuerlein during and after the game.
“I told him we were going to need him and probably need him to win this game for us,” Fisher said. “So forget what happened and just hit it between those two poles that are at the end of the field. You want to hit them between them, you don’t want to hit them outside.”
Zuerlein’s job appears safe for now but if his problems continue Thursday night against Arizona, the Rams will have no choice but to take a closer look.
znModeratorRamsrule
Published on Dec 8, 2014
I decided to film the TD pass to Cook and subsequent fake PAT….. you can hear my calling for the play right before the snap. LOL!
After missing two chip shot field goals and a PAT, I call out Legatron as the Redskins best player of the day, and also call for the fake PAT seconds before it happens. LOL.
The entire section of Redskins fans I was sitting with laughed like hell after it happened….. they were good sports! They liked that I was calling GZ the Skins’ best player……..
December 8, 2014 at 12:13 pm in reply to: stats from the Washington shut-out & more stats too #13390znModeratorfrom off the net
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aeneas1
ej gaines
it’s impossible to say enough about this kid, a 6th rounder no less, who has played 98% of the rams defensive snaps thru week 14. in fact ej is only one of two 2014 6th rounders on pace to start every game this year. moreover only 6 of the 676 6th rounders taken from 1990-2013 were listed as starters every game their rookie year, and all but ej were olinemen.
znModeratorbiggame1190
Published on Dec 8, 2014
Rams AT Redskins compilation video
znModeratorFan-posted vid of Quinn celebrating with Rams fans after the game.
View: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153495858253484
znModeratormy favorites:
—Look at the Rams. Young at key positions, well disciplined. Well coached. Smart, quick football team getting better through the season. Then look at this group of ****wads wearing the burgundy and gold. **** you Snyder. **** you
Remember the days when we lost to the Rams but we went into the game actually THINKING we’d beat them?
It’s gotten so bad I almost read a book today.
A book.
December 8, 2014 at 11:15 am in reply to: stats from the Washington shut-out & more stats too #13379znModeratorfrom off the net
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LMU93
Rams defense- last 6 games….
9.0 PPG allowed
29 QB sacks
309.2 yards/game allowed
58.7 rushing yards/game allowed
3.26 yards/carry allowed
15 turnovers
27.3% (24/88) on 3rd and 4th downsThat’s as impressive as it gets…..
znModeratorPeter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/12/08/jj-watt-houston-texans-mvp-nfl-week-14/7/
Bryan Burwell: A good man, and a model for future journalists.
Washington honored Burwell in the press box for Sunday’s game against St. Louis. (Twitter.com/Redskins)Washington honored Burwell in the press box for Sunday’s game against St. Louis. (Twitter)Bryan Burwell, a longtime newspaper columnist, TV reporter, talk-show host and web trailblazer, died at 59 on Thursday, just two months after being diagnosed with liver cancer. He packed a lot of life into 59 years, and his death really hit me hard. Hit a lot of people hard, particularly in St. Louis, where he was an esteemed sports columnist and web personality for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
I last saw Bryan at Rams training camp in August. He had a tripod with him, and as we talked, he connected his smart phone to the tripod, and plugged in a microphone with an “stltoday.com” mike flag on it. We talked about how his job and all of our jobs in the media have changed.
“My job used to be 100 percent writer,” he said that day. “Now it’s 75 percent web stuff, 25 percent writer.”
This is why young journalists should learn from Burwell. Fifty-nine years old, and re-inventing himself with a smart phone and tripod and microphone, setting it up for an interview for his daily segment on the paper’s website called “Upon Further Review.” There’s another reason why Burwell’s a heck of a model for young media people: On this day, he was excited about talking to the seventh or eighth defensive lineman on the roster, an undrafted rookie named Ethan Westbrooks from West Texas A&M.
Who gets excited about talking to the 51st guy on the roster? On this day, Burwell was that guy. Two reasons: Because Ethan Westbrooks was a story to Burwell; every player in camp was a story to him. And Westbrooks was the player who might keep Michael Sam from winning a spot on the active roster. (Turns out Westbrooks, indeed, beat out Sam for a spot.) That made the story more interesting. But I can tell you this: Burwell was excited about speaking to him. It was a Wednesday in August, a dog day of training camp, and this former HBO correspondent and New York columnist and well-traveled media guy who counted Magic Johnson as a trusted source, was excited about interviewing a bottom-of-the-roster player using his phone and tripod contraption.
Now that’s an admirable person in our business.
On Friday, I spoke to Chris Long, one of the only veteran Rams, about Burwell, and his words confirmed what I believed people he covered thought of him.
“I never hung out with Bryan,” Long said. “But after I heard about what happened, it really hit home. He was a personable, cool guy. I liked his demeanor. You know, there are good football players and bad football players, good media people and bad media people. But you just like people who do their job with respect for other people. When I first got here, we were a pretty bad team, and he’d write about us and he knew the story—there was no sense killing us because he figured it out, that we had a long way to go. He was always very even-keeled. He’d talk to me, and I never really knew if it was on the record or off the record, but I didn’t really care. Because I trusted he got it—he got the big picture.
“Then, yesterday, to see all the outpouring from everywhere about him. I saw what Mike Wilbon said about him on Twitter and Facebook—and Wilbon’s one of the greats. I never, ever realized how big Bryan was. That’s because he never let you know it. He wasn’t one to talk about himself, or what he’d done.”
Over the weekend I went back to see his interview and report on Westbrooks from August. It’s a five-minute video, with an enthusiastic but professional Burwell smoothly intro-ing the interview with Westbrooks at Rams camp, letting it run two or three minutes, then coming back to talk about the strange face tattoo Westbrooks has—a tiny happy face/sad face near his left eye.
“I had to ask,” Burwell said on the video, breaking into a grin. “‘Dude! Was this just the result of a regrettable wild weekend in college, or did you really think this through?!’” And he told the story of Westbrooks and the tattoo, as well as pointing out early in the video that this is the man who could be the roadblock to Michael Sam. This is one big way today people are consuming news: through storytelling on video. Lots of people in the business—the vast majority young and flexible and smart—are making their mark this way. Bryan Burwell made his mark in so many ways, and it’s fitting the last way I saw him make his mark was smart, cutting-edge, informative and fun. Make him a lesson in journalism class, college professors and high school newspaper advisers. It’ll be a lesson your students will remember, a 59-year-old professional still learning at 59. I’ll miss the journalist, and the man.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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Son_Dee
Washington’s longest play of the day was 22 yards. And it came when their RB fumbled and Santana Moss picked it up and ran with it!
Also, that came in the 4th quarter when the game was basically out of hand. In fact, half of Washington’s top 10 longest plays came in the 4th quarter.
znModeratorTwo officials bump fists after Broncos TD, NFL says nothing wrong
After Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson scored against the Buffalo Bills, two officials very clearly bumped fists.
If you’re a Bills fan or player, that’s not what you want to see after a 24-17 loss.
There’s no way that two officials (line judge John Hussey and umpire Carl Paganelli, as identified by the Associated Press’ Eddie Pells) were celebrating a Broncos score in broad daylight, but Buffalo defensive back Aaron Williams was not amused.
Aaron Williams @ajwilliams23
No excuse for my performance but can’t win playing 16 vs 11 thought I seen it all SmhThe fist bump was bound to draw an overreaction, and the NFL put a stop to it right away by saying that there was nothing wrong with what happened.
“It was an acknowledgment of good mechanics between the two officials involved in making the call,” NFL spokesman Michael Signora told the AP.You can see on the video at the top that the two officials communicated to make the right call of if Anderson got across the goal line, which he did. It was obviously just two guys working, just like the players, to do their jobs well, and being happy they got the call right.
But since it’s a lot more fun to create conspiracy theories on social media, it’s a big deal. And, at least, you can see why the Bills wouldn’t be all that thrilled to see it.
znModeratorBernie: Rams finally show how good they can be
Bernie Miklasz
LANDOVER, Md. • This is the football team we’ve been waiting for. Talented, tough and all attitude. Young but maturing. Not quite complete, but progressing in an eye-opening way. Growing in stature and confidence. A team that can strut into an opponent’s stadium and clear the place out by dominating and turning the home crowd against the home team.
These are your St. Louis Rams. They are behind schedule in their arrival to respectability — but hellbent on making up for lost time. A team that has pulverized Oakland and Washington on consecutive Sundays, scoring 76 points and allowing none. Back-to-back wins. Back-to-back shutouts. Back-to-back demonstrations of how good they can be.
After the Rams shooed the Redskins and their fans out of FedEx Field during the course of a 24-0 victory, their locker room had the kind of positive, energetic vibe that’s been missing for too long. A happiness that’s been suppressed by so many depressing, losing seasons.
“There’s nothing like this feeling right here, after a win, in an NFL locker room,” Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It’s addicting.”
Granted, the Rams manhandled Oakland and Washington during this two-game winning streak. It’s not as if the Rams just got done ripping Green Bay and New England apart. That’s all duly noted. But I’m not fussing over the minor details. When the Rams rise up and drop a 52-0 on Oakland, and come back and wallop Washington 24-0, this catches attention and earns respect.
And this isn’t a two-week deal; the Rams have gone 5-3 since losing four of their first five games. They’re 4-2 in their last six. They’ve delivered a 3-1 record since coach Jeff Fisher reinstalled Shaun Hill as the starting quarterback.
Were it not for Hill’s unfortunate interception at the end of the game in San Diego, the Rams would be toting a four-game winning streak into Thursday night’s home game against 10-3 Arizona.
The Rams are playing their best all-around ball since Fisher became coach in 2012.
And if you say that isn’t true, then here’s my response: two games, two wins, 76-0, and the first consecutive shutouts for the franchise since the CLEVELAND Rams did it in 1945.
What have we learned here?
Let’s rephrase that: What have the Rams learned?
“It’s about finishing games,” said Rams tight end Jared Cook, who caught two touchdown passes Sunday. “I think that’s something we struggled with at first, but now we’re putting it all together and finishing. It’s something that you wish you would have had a few weeks prior, and we’d be in better position. But we’re playing great football right now. Everybody is playing collectively as a team, and it’s a pretty awesome feeling.”
Thursday’s assignment against the Cardinals doesn’t seem as impossible now. Arizona leads the NFC West with a 10-3 record, and the Rams are 6-7. And for a couple of reasons that 6-7 still gives me pause. If the Rams get blown out by the Cardinals, it’s a step back. And a loss would probably mean another losing season.
The best the Rams can do is go 9-7 by winning their final three games – home against Arizona and the NY Giants and the closer on the road at Seattle. And that 9-7 would be the organization’s first winning season since 2003. But if the Rams can win two of three, they’d at least have their first 8-8 mark since 2006. That’s progress.
Winning at Seattle is hard to do, but the Rams can still lose there and finish 8-8 by defeating the Cardinals and Giants at home. No one should treat this team like it’s just about to win a Super Bowl. The Rams’ advances — until the last two outrageous wins — have been modest and methodical. But winning is a new thing for this group, and it’s imperative to build on this instead of falling back again.
“After last week (Oakland), Coach Fisher said ‘Let’s keep this thing going’ and we focused really well during the week,” Laurinaitis said. “And I think he’s going to challenge us to focus really hard the next three days (for Arizona.) We’ve got to just really lock it in, and keep this thing going. There’s definitely momentum right now, but now we just have to keep fighting and keep stacking wins. But I thought it was huge to get two in a row.”
Hill is playing very well. The running game has life. Wideout Tavon Austin is making plays as a runner, receiver and returner and gave the Rams the jolt of 203 all-purpose yards in Sunday’s win. The highlight was his 78-yard punt return for a touchdown.
The Rams’ defense is the No. 1 reason for the revival. Two shutouts in a row? That hasn’t happened in the NFL since the Dallas Cowboys did it in 2009.
If the Rams’ defense continues to disrupt and deny opponents, then the team has a shot to win its final three. Over the last six games, the Rams’ defense has allowed six touchdowns from scrimmage, has 29 sacks and 15 takeaways, and has given up a mere 3.2 yards per rushing attempt. And offenses have converted only 29.6 percent of third downs against the Rams’ D.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is building a beast. His system still works. The players just needed to get acclimated to it.
“It’s just everyone getting comfortable and playing faster and not thinking so much,” Laurinaitis said.
Added defensive end Robert Quinn: “Guys are out there having fun, selling out, making plays, and creating turnovers. Guys are playing lights out right now. And hopefully we can keep going.”
Yes, please keep it going.
It’s fun to watch a winning NFL team.
In St. Louis, we’d kind of forgotten what it’s like.
The Rams aren’t true winners just yet; they’re still 6-7 on the campaign. But a two-game winning streak — marked by the rare achievement of two consecutive shutouts — is an emphatic way to start. In two weeks the Rams have gone from nothing … to 76 to nothing. You could say that’s progress.
znModeratorIt has GOT to be more fun to write these when they win convincingly.
znModerator
Bernie Bytes: Rams love that winning feelingBernie Miklasz
LANDOVER, Md. – Some notes on my flip card following the Rams’ 24-0 victory over the Redskins on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field. And pardon my typos:
* I realize the Rams have pounded a couple of dysfunctional teams over the last two weeks. We’re talking about the Raiders and Redskins here, two of the lesser NFL outfits. I get it; the Rams didn’t trigger back-to-back wins over the Patriots and Packers. But really, I don’t care about that.
The Rams have been stuck in a depressing cycle of losing for such a long time, I’m not going to sit here and shrug like it’s no big deal to see them demolish the Raiders 52-0, and follow up with a 24-0 smothering of the Redskins. Two shutout wins by a combined score of 76-0? The first consecutive shutouts for the franchise since the CLEVELAND Rams did it in 1945? Are you kidding me? That’s just crazy – and in a good way, for a change.
* Coach Jeff Fisher and his players something going now, and it’s almost surreal to enter a happy Rams’ locker room. Smiling, bright-eyed players slinging good-natured insults at each other. You can feel the energy. And the team’s increased confidence is obvious.
“There’s nothing like this feeling right here, after a win, in an NFL locker room,” Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It’s addicting.”
* The Rams have won two consecutive games for the first time since taking Games No. 14 (New Orleans) and No. 15 (Tampa Bay) on their 2013 schedule. But this has been brewing for a while now. After starting the season 1-4, the Rams are 5-3. And they’ve gone 3-1 since Fisher reinstalled quarterback Shaun Hill in the starting role. Were it not for Hill’s unfortunate interception at the end of the game in San Diego, the Rams would be taking a four-game winning streak into Thursday night’s home game against Arizona. The Rams are playing their best all-around ball since Fisher became coach in 2012.
* The Rams (6-7) can reach .500 by defeating Arizona. And I won’t be a phony here; I thought this team was burnt pie after losing the heartbreaker in San Diego. The painful loss left the Rams dragging with a 4-7 record, and there was nothing to get revved up about. But Fisher and his staff and the players wouldn’t give in to the frustration, and the Rams worked hard, sharpened their focus and bounced back by wiping out the Raiders and the Redskins. This team’s competitiveness should never be questioned. The Rams make too many mistakes, and they’ve given some games away, but it’s never been because of a lack of intensity. Unlike, say, the Redskins … the Rams’ effort is always there.
* Hill was 16 of 22 for 213 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions Sunday. Hill has a 96.0 passer rating in his four starts since the benching of Austin Davis. In the three victories, Hill has completed 67 percent of his passes, averaged a healthy 8.4 yards per attempt, and passed for five touchdowns without an INT. The passer rating in the three wins is 116.0. And Hill’s veteran leadership has become a positive factor. After the Rams made a mess of mistakes in Sunday’s first half – taking a too-small 6-0 lead to the locker room – Hill had a few things to say. He challenged the offense to clean it up and do better.
“He’s taken charge of that offense,” Fisher said. “He was really adamant about their play, and he took charge at halftime with the guys … that’s just his nature. He’s really into it.”
* The Rams out-rushed the Redskins 131 yards to 27. Ballgame. Without a running game Sunday the Redskins had no chance. Quarterback Colt McCoy was stalked and hounded all afternoon, with the Rams diving in fr seven sacks and two interceptions. The Redskins went 3 for 15 in converting third and fourth downs.
* Over the last six games, the Rams are 4-2, and the defense has absolutely led the way. In this disruptive six-game stretch, the Rams’ defense has allowed six touchdowns from scrimmage … and an average of only nine points per game from scrimmage … and has 29 sacks and 15 takeaways … and has given up a mere 3.2 yards per rushing attempt … and has allowed opponents to convert only 29.6 percent of their third downs. The Gregg Williams system: working.
“It’s just everyone getting comfortable and playing faster and not thinking so much,” Laurinaitis said.
“Guys are out there having fun, selling out, making plays, and creating turnovers,” defensive end Robert Quinn said. “Guys are playing lights out right now. And hopefully we can keep going.”
* Wideout Tavon Austin had 203 all-purpose yards for the Rams here Sunday, with 143 coming on punt returns, and that included his 78-yard runback for a TD. Austin was very effective as a runner, with five carries for 46 yards. In other words: this is what Fisher and GM Les Snead envisioned when they traded up to select Austin No. 8 overall in the 2013 draft.
“I think you saw him today, how special he is,” Fisher said.
* Rams tight end Jared Cook was at the center of controversy last week. Cook and four teammates set off a firestorm of debate and indignation with their “Hands Up” gesture in support of Ferguson. The five Rams had plenty of support for choosing to exercise their first amendment rights. But they drew heavy criticism. Cook became the designated spokesman for his teammates, which left him exposed to even more criticism. But as we saw Sunday, the controversy did not distract Cook or any of the Rams. They went back to work to prepare for the Redskins. And they dominated the game, with Cook contributing two touchdown catches in Sunday’s win.
“Once we get on the practice field, it’s all about business,” Cook said. “And that’s what you’ve got to do. No matter what’s going on, you’ve got to handle your business. That’s what you do as a man.”
* The Rams close with games against Arizona (home), the NY Giants (home) and Seattle (away.) The best they can do is finish 9-7 for their first winning season since 2003. If the Rams win two of three, then it’s an 8-8 record … and their first .500 finish since 2006.
znModeratorThe differences are many, including improved health at every level of the defense but perhaps nothing is more instructive than the Rams’ ability to adapt to the defense and spend more time identifying what the offense is doing rather than worrying about individual jobs from down to down.
You know there were hints of that coming from Rams players a few weeks ago. Some were saying, we have had all these extra meetings learning the defense, it is now time to spend that energy to study film and scout opposing players.
If called upon I can even find that stuff on the board.
znModeratorRams defense earning all ‘A’s’ right now
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14421/rams-defense-earning-all-as-right-now
for the second time in as many weeks and the third time in the past four games, coordinator Gregg Williams’ defense didn’t allow an opponent to run a single play from inside their 20-yard line
znModeratorRams defense earning all ‘A’s’ right now
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14421/rams-defense-earning-all-as-right-now
EARTH CITY, Mo. — After his team pitched a shutout for the second consecutive week Sunday against the Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long sounded like a hard man to impress.
The Rams’ 24-0 win against Washington was their second shutout victory in as many weeks, a feat only the 1945 Rams accomplished. For perspective, the Rams played in Cleveland then.
“I don’t think you’ll find anyone in here who is shocked by it,” Long said. “We’re pleased by it but we’re not shocked. There’s still things we could do better. That’s the crazy part. I don’t feel like we even played our best game on defense today.”
OK, well, how about the fact that for the second time in as many weeks and the third time in the past four games, coordinator Gregg Williams’ defense didn’t allow an opponent to run a single play from inside their 20-yard line?
“Now that right there is pretty cool,” Long said. “It doesn’t surprise me that we can shut two people out in a row, that red zone stat is pretty cool. Coach Williams is a doing a great job, the defense is doing a great job playing team defense, buying in.”
Call it buy-in, call it adapting to the scheme, regardless of your chosen platitude, you won’t find a defense in the NFL playing better than the Rams right now. Including Sunday’s domination of the Redskins, the Rams have now gone 128 minutes and 20 seconds without allowing an opponent to score. According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Rams are the first team since the 2009 Dallas Cowboys to have consecutive shutouts and the fifth to do it since 2000.
The Rams limited Washington to 206 yards of total offense, coming up with seven sacks and a pair of interceptions in the process. Redskins running back Alfred Morris finished with 6 yards on eight carries and was hit in the backfield on five of those eight rushing attempts.
That the Rams are playing good defense right now isn’t really breaking news. Since setting the NFL record for futility in sacks over the first six weeks, the Rams have become the pass rushing tour de force many expected them to be entering the season. Since week 7, the Rams now have 34 sacks, that’s the most in the league in that time.
The differences are many, including improved health at every level of the defense but perhaps nothing is more instructive than the Rams’ ability to adapt to the defense and spend more time identifying what the offense is doing rather than worrying about individual jobs from down to down. Nowhere is that more evident than when the Rams blitz.
To the surprise of no one, Williams is the most blitz happy coordinator in the league but now his group is starting to get home. He dialed up 22 blitzes against Washington quarterback Colt McCoy, bringing the heat on exactly half of Washington’s drop backs. The Rams, led by middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, got five of their seven sacks on those blitzes. That matches the five they had when bringing the heat last week.
And it’s not just a function of bringing the blitz but where it’s coming from. The Rams have been making a habit of attacking the “A” gaps (the space between the center and guard) with greater frequency in the past seven weeks, creating pressure up the middle which allows ends like Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Eugene Sims and William Hayes to run free to the quarterback.
“We knew with a guy like Colt McCoy, he’s a smaller guy so we said ‘Hey, you have to attack the A and B [gaps],’” Laurinaitis said. “When you do that you flush him out to your ends. You attack the A gaps, the quarterback will escape out and they escape out to Chris and Will and Eugene and Rob.”
Laurinaitis, who makes all of the defensive checks at the line of scrimmage, has even found a niche. He has three and a half sacks in the past six games after setting a career high of the same number in 2013.
“I love blitzing, I love it,” Laurinaitis said. “The good thing about blitzing is you don’t have enough time to think, you just go. A lot of times you let your instincts kind of take over. We’re working really well right now as a unit of showing one thing, doing another. Showing blitz, playing coverage and just understanding the whole defense. I think that’s our youth growing up in the back end and like I said getting guys healthy. Now we’ve got to continue to do it.”
znModeratorSome other teams’ defenses give up points.
Seriously, it’s true.
What’s more, from what I was able to gather they do it routinely.
By that I mean every week.
Frankly, I don’t know how fans of other teams manage to stomach such nonsense.
To me, it’s enough that other teams’s defenses give up points when playing the Rams.
As for the rest of the teams in all the non-Rams games? Enh. Whatever makes them happy.
znModeratorRAMS VS. REDSKINS REPORT CARD – WEEK 14
Jeff Gordon grades the Rams’ performance in their victory over the Redskins.Quarterback: A
Shaun Hill sailed a couple of throws, muffed one center exchange and spit up a sack fumble that could have proven hurtful. But otherwise he took good care of the ball while completing 16 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two TDs. That added up to a sterling 133.2 passer rating and another career-boosting victory as Sam Bradford’s stand-in.Running Backs: B
Washington generally stuffed the run, holding speedy rookie Tre Mason to just 66 yards on 20 carries. But Benny Cunningham got loose while rushing (w0 yards on three carries) and receiving (five catches, 28 yards) to gain some critical first-down conversions. Former starter Zac Stacy was limited to a brief appearance as a short-yardage decoy.Wide Receivers: A
Tavon Austin became the team’s best running threat, gaining 46 yards on five sweeps. Kenny Britt broke open down the field for a 41-yard catch and Stedman Bailey split the Washington secondary for a 26-yard catch-and-run play. This wasn’t the Greatest Show on Turf, but it was more explosiveness than we saw from previous Rams teams.Tight Ends: A
Jared Cook shook off a vicious hit to catch two touchdown passes, one on a 35-yard lightning strike right down the middle of the field. Overall he caught four passes for 61 yards. Lance Kendricks chipped in with an 11-yard catch and Cory Harkey atoned for a costly blocking penalty by catching a two-point conversion pass off a fake extra-point attempt.Offensive Line: C
The unit opened just a few inside seams for the running game and it struggled in protection, allowing four sacks and six QB hits. Hill had to scramble out of trouble way too often. C Scott Wells earned costly penalties for blocking to the face and holding, and he and Hill botched one snap exchange. OT Joe Barksdale had a tough time containing Ryan Kerrigan. And yet he Rams controlled the ball enough to win comfortably.Defensive Line: A+
This front throttled the Washington running game, holding RB Alfred Morris to just 6 yards on eight carries. The line maintained steady pressure on QBs Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III, earning four of the team’s seven sacks and splitting a fifth. Des Robert Quinn, William Hayes, Chris Long and Eugene Sims were especially disruptive, along with rookie DT Aaron Donald.Linebackers: A
Fans have complained about MLB James Laurinaitis and his inability to make more plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. He had no such problem against Washington, earning one sack and sharing another. He also had one tackle for a loss, two QB hits and a pass defense during his strong showing. OLB Alec Ogletree had a nice downfield pass break-up along with two solo tackles and five assists.Secondary: A
S Rodney McLeod had an early interception and S T.J. McDonald had a late pick to help lead the shutout bid. S Mark Barron was highly visible, too, earning one sack and one tackle for loss on blitzes. The cornerbacks yielded some space to WR Pierre Garcon, who caught nine passes for 95 yards, but they prevented big plays. Washington converted just three of 15 first-down bids on third and fourth down.Special Teams: B-
Greg Zuerlein suffered a first half breakdown, pushing an extra point try and two field goal attempts well wide to the right. That was the first missed extra point of his career and his first missed FG bid from inside of 30 yards. But Tavon Austin had 143 punt return yards, including a 78-yard touchdown spring, and P Johnny Hekker put down three of his four punts inside the Washington 20. Hekker added a two-point conversion pass on a fake extra point kick.Coaching: A
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has produced back-to-back shutouts, breaking down Oakland and Washington in consecutive games. This game could have been really ugly—perhaps Raiders ugly—but for some costly Rams penalties, ill-timed protection breakdowns and those head-scratching Zuerlein misses. But 24-0 on the road was impressive enough.znModeratorKaeperPick just tossed an int. Perfect.
Raiders with the ball at the 2 minute warning.
znModerator24-13 Oakland, 4th quarter
znModeratorRedskins hit bottom with embarrassing shutout loss to Rams
By Tom Schad – The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/7/washington-redskins-shut-out-st-louis-rams-embarra/
All season, rock bottom has eluded the Washington Redskins. So all season, they have continued to sink, lower and lower, in an apparent effort to find it.
At a chilly, half-empty FedEx Field on Sunday afternoon, they appeared to come close. There was a failed fake punt and a punt returned for a touchdown. There were St. Louis Rams receivers running wide open toward and through the end zone. There were interceptions, dropped passes, missed blocking assignments, penalties, sacks and chants of “R-G-3! R-G-3!” ringing through the stands in the third quarter.
The Redskins lost again on Sunday, 24-0, the most recent embarrassing performance in a season filled with them. Quarterback Colt McCoy was generally inaccurate in his third start of the season, throwing two interceptions before leaving the game with a neck strain at the two-minute warning. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 199 yards.
Upon his exit, the chanting fans got their wish. Robert Griffin III, the former face of the franchise who was benched by coach Jay Gruden last month, took the field and completed three passes. On fourth down, he overthrew tight end Jordan Reed and trotted back to the sideline, flipping his helmet to an attendant on the way out.
The Redskins fell to 3-10 for the second consecutive season and left the field to a chorus of boos.
Alfred Morris finished with eight carries for six yards. Meanwhile, Shaun Hill threw two touchdown passes for the Rams and Tavon Austin returned a punt 78 yards for a score of his own.
The first half was forgettable at best for both teams. But it began with a promising first drive by the Redskins.
All week, Washington’s coaches had stressed the importance of getting wide receiver Pierre Garcon more involved in the offense, and in the first seven plays, they succeeded. Garcon caught McCoy’s first pass for a 10-yard gain and had three catches for 44 yards in the first seven plays alone.
The drive unraveled when McCoy appeared to overthrow intended receiver Ryan Grant, who didn’t help matters by slipping on the route. Rodney McLeod dove for the interception, stopping Washington’s opening drive just outside the red zone.
And it was all downhill from there.
Facing a Redskins defense without two of its starters — linebacker Keenan Robinson and safety Brandon Meriweather — the Rams moved the ball at will for much of the first half. They got on the board midway through the first quarter, when Hill found tight end Jared Cook running open down the middle of the field from 35 yards out, a play reminiscent of last week’s frequent blown coverages in Indianapolis.
Fortunately for Washington, Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the extra point. For the rest of the first half, in fact, his inaccuracy was all that prevented St. Louis from widening the gap. He missed two field goals, each a chip shot, allowing the Redskins to escape the first 30 minutes with only a 6-0 deficit.
However, there was still one more half to play, 30 more excruciating minutes for those in the half-empty stadium, new lowly depths for the Redskins to discover.
znModeratorWASHINGTON FAN COMMENTS
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Prime Time
This Inept heartless bunch of losers has drained all my passion and fun of a game I’ve loved since childhood.So tired of watching prideless quitters bumbling around field disgracing what Redskins once stood for!!!!
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It’s gotten so bad I almost read a book today.A book.
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I’m hearing a lot from people decrying or naysaying, saying a petition won’t work, a boycott won’t work, etc… etc… and yet I see more and more people every day making the choices I’ve made as a fan.I no longer spend money on this team like I HAVE spent until recently.
I no longer contribute to ratings by watching the games at home.
Looking like nobody showed up to the game today. If you want to show your lack of support, show it in whatever way you want. Just like the phrase “winning solves everything,” when they start doing things right, we’ll cheer and stuff. If they don’t, well, just not cheering has gotten to be underwhelming. I won’t be a fan of another football team. The NFL and its rules are progressively making football less fun for me. However, I will and have stopped watching and supporting the redskins as a football team.
I just follow rugby now.
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i’m afraid the only way dan would sell would be if someone could come up with some dirt on him, ala donald sterling.. sigh
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I despise you, Snyder. With the burning, white hot heat of a thousand suns. You and your lapdog ass-sniffing soulless corporate lackeys. There’s a Bible verse that says, “don’t throw your pearls before the swine.” Then there’s the swine, who say, “Don’t throw the pearls someone threw us to Snyder.”===========
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Their kicker is our best player.. smmfh
Oh, they’re just taunting right in our faces.
Goodness gracious. Time to bring in Sonny. He hasn’t lost a step in the last 40 years…
This is a replay of st louis vs oak last week.. but dare I say worse??
OK, folks: are the Redskins playing against the ’85 Bears or the 2014 Rams?
Shut out at home? Not good Gruden.. not good
This will be a blowout…..what a sad state our beloved Skins are in
Will Haslett’s D make Shaun Hill look like Johnny Unitas?
Hazbeen is beyond embarrassing!
I still get the sinking feeling that Hazmat will be back next year
Forget going for the interception. Let’s just go for the head of the defenseless reciever! Genius players we have out there on D!
Look at the Rams. Young at key positions, well disciplined. Well coached. Smart, quick football team getting better through the season
Then look at this group of ****wads wearing the burgundy and gold. Loser city.
**** you Snyder. **** youThis defense reminds me of a wet Kleenex
Yeah the kind you blast a hole through in the urinalThe Rams are terrible on 3rd down and 30+.
16 mil to punt!!! We’re do I sign up!
Shaun Hill is awful.
Britt smoked Thomas and Breeland.
Benny “Barry Sanders” Cunningham
He had it set up for a seamless transition to Gregg, whom most all fans and players wanted; until lil’ Danny and the bug eyed buffoon intervened
Shaun Hill is a BEAST!
Remember the days when we lost to the Rams but we went into the game actually THINKING we’d beat them?
The Rams have speed all over the field. Must be nice.
Brian Shottenheimer out coaching us.
Loserville, Dan Snyder mayor
Damn, did RG3 just sneak into the game for the Rams?
Zuerlein with Chuck Knoblauch syndrome
Zuerline point shaving? Things that make you wonder.
I’m enjoying the Rams kicker…lol..he’s playing like he’s on the Snyders payroll
We’re getting shut out today by Rams at home….yikes!
There’s only like 50 Redskins fans at the game and you can still hear them booing.
Yeah, this is fun…..getting blown out at home against the Rams. Not sure why I expected a win. Wow. I am an idiot.
Rams are looking at back-to-back shutouts.
LOL we forgot that they have receivers. The Rams had 2-3 guys completely uncovered.
BeatDown by the Rams SMDH rubbing it in now 2 pt conversion yikes!
That’s how you do a fake.
Rams and Fisher rubbing our nose in it..LOL
Handclap for the Rams. Love it!
Well, at the least the Rams are TRYING to teach them something. Idk if the mental capacity on the Redskins side can handle the lesson.
Sims personifying what the rams are doing to us
All the way for Tavon ! and the embarrassment never stops !
Listen to the RG3 chants LOL
Chants for RGIII. Oh good.
Maybe it’s from laughing Rams fans?znModeratorXXXIVwin
Shaun Hill was AWESOME today!
He’s 3-1 as a full time starter for the Rams– GORGEOUS game against Denver, two BLOWOUT wins, and a nail-biting loss.
After today he is 75 of 121 for 895 yds 6 TD and 3 INT, for a 2014 QBR of 90.7…. nice stat line!!
He plays UGLY BEAUTIFULLY– his passes wobble, he waddles when he runs, and he’s no GQ model. But he plays SMART, is an excellent game manager (this is a GOOD thing BTW), and has a much stronger arm than people give him credit for.
Did I mention that he WINS GAMES?
Look, I love all my Rams brethren, but all of this “meh” and “career backup” crap is starting to get under my skin…. we have a solid QB right in front of us… the Rams would be CRAZY to let Shaun Hill walk next year!!!!
znModeratorRams defense, 4th down, last 4 games:
opposition 7 4th down attempts, 0 1st downs.
znModeratorMaddy wrote:
Fisher had the six players from the RGIII trade as coin toss captains. That’s pretty good.OMG, are you kidding me?
You are, arent you.w
vNo it’s true. JT tweeted it.
znModeratorRams romp to another shutout win
• BY JIM THOMASLANDOVER, Md. • For those keeping score, it’s now 76-0 Rams in the last two Sundays. They have scored back-to-back victories for the first time since Games 15 and 16 of last season after Sunday’s 24-0 blanking of Washington at FedEx Field.
A victory this Thursday night at home against Arizona will put them at a place rarely seen this late in the season for the Rams — .500.
After a first half in which the Rams seemed to take a step backward for every step forward, they dominated Washington in the second half with aggressive defense, some Jared Cook, and lots of excitement from Tavon Austin.
Cook scored two touchdowns, including one in the second half. Austin had a 78-yard punt return to seal the deal in third quarter. The Rams are now 6-7; Washington falls to 3-10.
The St. Louis defense registered back-to-back shutouts for the first time since they were the Cleveland Rams in 1945. For the second game in a row and the third time in four games, the opposing offense did not reach the red zone.
The Rams had all kinds of chances to bury Washington in the first half. But penalties, sacks and a major case of the yips by place-kicker Greg Zuerlein left them with only a 6-0 lead at the intermission.
Zuerlein missed the first extra point of his NFL career after a 39-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill to tight end Cook early in the second quarter. Zuerlein had made all 91 of his career extra points before that one went wide right.
OK, chalk that up as a fluke, right? Well, Zuerlein then missed two field goals before the half was out. He was wide right on a 28-yard field goal attempt with 5:32 to go in the first half. Until then, Zuerlein had been 16-for-16 on attempts of less than 30 yards in his three-year pro career.
And as time expired in the second quarter, Zuerlein missed from 38 yards. Again, it was wide right. It was only his fourth miss in the 30-39 range in his career. So instead of having a 13-0 lead at the half, the Rams had only the six points from the Cook reception.
After the Rams won the coin toss but deferred, Washington drove to the St. Louis 32 on its opening possession. But free safety Rodney McLeod ended that threat with his second interception of the season, coming on an overthrown pass from Colt McCoy intended for Washington wide receiver Ryan Grant.
The Rams then drove to the Washington 22, but an illegal hands to face penalty against center Scott Wells and an offensive pass interference penalty on fullback Cory Harkey on back-to-back plays pushed the ball back to the 42. The Rams had to punt.
In the second quarter, a 37-yard punt return for Austin, his second-longest return of the season at that point, went for naught on Zuerlein’s first missed field goal. The Rams had a first-and-goal from the 6, but back-to-back sacks forced them to kick a field goal. Or make that try a field goal.
On the Rams’ next possession, a 41-yard completion from a scrambling Hill to Kenny Britt gave St. Louis a first down at the Washington 38. But a second sack by Ryan Kerrigan forced the Rams to punt.
A 28-yard punt return by Austin gave the Rams possession at the Washington 47 on their next series. But that led to Zuerlein’s second miss at the end of the half.
But the Rams got going in the third quarter. After taking the kickoff to start the third quarter, they finally got a field goal from Zuerlein, who squeezed in a 34-yarder to make it 9-0 Rams after a drive that lasted nearly 7½ minutes.
After what looked like a 3-and-out by the Rams’ defense, Washington tried a fake punt on 4th-and-5 from its own 33. But punter Tress Way was stopped after only a two-yard gain, and the Rams took over at the Washington 35 with 6:07 left in the third quarter.
After a holding penalty on Harkey set the Rams back 10 yards, a 36-yard catch-and-run by Stedman Bailey on third-and-12 gave them a first down at the Washington 1. On the next play, Hill connected with Cook in the back of the end zone for Cook’s second TD of the day.
Instead of having Zuerlein kick the extra point, holder Johnny Hekker took the snap, raised up and threw a 2-point conversion pass to Harkey to give St. Louis a 17-0 lead.
Hekker is now six for seven as a passer in his career with two touchdowns.
Then Austin, who has flirted with a punt return TD on several occasions this season, put the capper on the day with a 78-yard return for a score with 1:36 left in the third quarter. This time, Zuerlein kicked the extra point and the Rams were up 24-0.
Many Washington fans headed for the exit after that score, and many of those who stayed started chanting for now backup quarterback Robert Griffin III to come off the bench.
RGIII did get in on the final possession of the day for Washington, which ended with an incomplete pass by Griffin.
BURWELL TRIBUTE
There was a seat set aside for late Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell in the press box Sunday at FedEx Field, with a vase of flowers and a photo placard that read: The Washington Redskins honor the life, work, and spirit of Bryan Burwell.
Several media members stopped by to look at the tribute, say a prayer, and take a photo. There will be a moment of silence in honor of Burwell prior to kickoff.
znModeratorWith Jenkins and Johnson healthy, appears Rams have answered how they’re going to handle having 5 healthy corners. Joyner/Roberson inactive.
That I guess means Gaines is the nickel, and if they lose a corner, Gaines goes to corner and McCleod covers the nickel.
They have 5 active safeties, looks like. Besides Mc and Mc, they have Barron, Alexander, and Cody Davis.
znModeratorLooking at the two fill-in QBs this year, Austin Davis has a higher QBR (85.1 to Shaun Hill’s 81.3) and better completion percentage (63.4 to 59.6).
I know you were just noting that as this interesting thing and not making any kind of case. But still, this to me shows that just doing raw averages doesn’t tell you much.
So for example if you compare Davis’s 1st 3 games then his last 3, they are vastly different.
Example, using traditional qb ratings (I tend not to use QBR)…
Davis’s first 3 games … 91.3 qb rating, completion percentage 71%
Davis’s last 3 games … 60.8 qb rating, completion percentage 57.28%Raw averages hide that difference.
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