stickied for everyone’s convenience

Tipsheet: Rams make strides while RG III stumbles

By Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/tipsheet-rams-make-strides-while-rg-iii-stumbles/article_46accdec-5bde-5e2f-b38b-ed494ac7ec61.html

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.”

wv wrote:

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Glyndwr71 — Cossell on McDonald and McCleod

Speaking 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.
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http://cdn46.castfire.com/audio/522/3384/25098/2392672/2392672_2014-11-20-123112-7770-0-0-0.64k.mp3?cdn_id=46&uuid=6525b19ea9f56f655a39081616fac0f5&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fpodcastone.com%2FRoss-Tucker-Football-Podcast

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?

.

wv wrote:

Satan-Ram wears many guises.

w
v

(watch it close now…give it at least 3 seconds:)

wv wrote:

If he doesn’t come back soon,
i say we ban him.

w
v

Mack 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?

More flags on D spins scoreboards

By Gregg Easterbrook | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/TMQWeekEleven141118/more-defensive-penalties-causes-change-nfl-tuesday-morning-quarterback

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.

Rams look to close tough stretch on high note

By 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.

Robert 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.com

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7406/robert-griffin-iii

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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.”

With 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).

Winnbrad wrote:

This D reminds me of the 2009 Saints D. It’s got William’s fingerprints all over it.

Interesting. Elaborate? Explain?

I agree with your whole take on Hill. I like watching him, he has a quick mind and makes quick, smart throws. He also has a steady air of confidence I like. Last year McCown was in the right place at the right time with Chicago, and as a result, his averaged out numbers from previous seasons just didn’t tell you who he would be in that offense that year (and now whatever it was, he has since lost it). Maybe that’s the case with Hill this year–being in the right place at the right time. Last time he started several games, in Detroit, they had nothing but Hill to Johnson—no running game, the 21st ranked defense. Unlike the Rams 2014 defense, it was a real ranking…that was really them. Clearly, in contrast, the present Rams defense is playing way better than their averaged out rankings would suggest. So maybe this is just the time and place for Shaun Hill.

Zooey wrote:

And next year, we can get all sky high about the draft picks, and the “year under the belt,” and the return of Bradford, and the development of the young ‘uns….

Plus by then we will be able to post in 3D.