PFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams
Highest-graded Rams in the preseason opener:

Nick Hampton – 87.0
Omar Speights – 85.5
Jordan Whittington – 84.8
Zach Thomas – 84.1
Logan Bruss – 81.5

InvaderRam wrote:

what are his strengths as an offensive coach?

You know, I have only a basic sense of that. I listen to and read good analysis of what Rams do on offense a lot, but I’m not fluent in repeating it. But basically, it’s designing an offensive system where the defense has trouble telling plays apart before the snap and the routes are designed to be mutually supporting in ways that always gets a guy open.

He’s self-aware enough to add new wrinkles, like using a lot of duo blocking in the run game and putting Stafford in the pistol, which he did a lot last year…and none of which he did before. Anothing thing he added last year was building all sorts of variations into using the TE as a blocker on the move (turning motion for example into a running head start into blocking assignments).

I sometimes think is less adept situationally, meaning  he’s not always tactically adept at play calling in specific situations. For example, in spite of all their fire power, the Rams have only been top 10 in this stat–NFL Team Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only)–only 2 seasons out of 7 since McV took over (2019 and 2023).

But yes he and Vermeil rank at the top of Rams coaches since I first started following them back in the 70s. It’s culture. It’s communication. With Vermeil, it was team-building (McV inherited his team in 2017 though he and Snead are obviously catching up when it comes to their team-building chops). With McV, it’s offensive innovation and design.

On team building. One Vermeil hallmark, which Snead/McV are now doing too. It’s using to the max every single way to acquire players.

Drafting, low and high. Holt, but also Little and Hakim. Actually Sn/McV may have surpassed DV at this in the lower rounds.

Trades.  Faulk.

High market free agents. Green, Timmerman, Wilkins.

Low market free agents. Nutten, Jones.

UDFAs. Fletcher, Jenkins, Horne.

“Ronin.” Warner, McCollum.

And then the player development to go along with that.

Sn/McV may be surpassing DV when it comes to combining all those things, all being done at a high level all at the same time. Look at their starting OL for example (when it’s healthy). 2 decently high picks (Avila, Hav). 1 tow round trade (Dotson). 1 high market FA (Jackson). 1 UDFA (Jackson). And their new guy, Limmer, already looks like a great low-round pick.

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wv wrote:

Has McVay ever ‘developed’ a rookie QB ? I guess he constructed Goff, but he also deconstructed Goff.

But with Goff there’s a “history.” McV was not the de facto qb coach in 2017 and 2018. He didn’t start taking over that role until 2019. In both 17 and 18 JG had legit, well-regarded qb coaches (1 each year) who among other things were buffers between the HC and the qb. In 2018 it was Greg Olson, who was a long-standing great qb coach (he was the coordinator for the Rams in 2006 and when he took over the play calling that year, it led to Bulger’s best games). Olson left to take an OC job, and then the qb coach was Zac Taylor, the now HC for the Bengals who developed Burrow.

Stafford and McV have a much more collaborative relationship.

So in fact McV didn’t develop Goff, and it’s not clear he has ever developed a young qb.

wv wrote:

I’ve seen enough of Mr Bennett.   If I’m a defensive coordinator, I LOVE facing Stetson. They can do better.   w v

It’s simply a matter of coaching. They just sit him down and say okay Stetson, stop throwing interceptions…fair enough big guy?

Voila. Problem solved.

You’ve never really learned how to appreciate coaching.

Rodrigue, from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5694672/2024/08/11/la-rams-53-man-roster-projection-depth-chart/?source=emp_shared_article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A preseason game with quite a bit of “bad” — four interceptions’ worth, and nearly a fifth that was called back due to a penalty — from third-string quarterback Stetson Bennett, also featured one great moment with just seconds to play and the Los Angeles Rams in a six-point deficit. Bennett flushed to his left at the 6-yard line, then slung a pass to reserve tight end Miller Forristall for the game-tying touchdown. Rookie kicker Josh Karty hit the game-winning extra point in the 13-12 victory (Karty was also 2-for-2 on field goals of 28 and 39 yards).

Bennett went 24-of-38 with 224 yards, the touchdown and the four interceptions for a 48.5 passer rating. While he made multiple bad choices with throws (and admitted as much postgame), he did look more confident getting in and out of the huddle and in setting up the actual offense in general. This was not at always the case in 2023, whether in training camp practices or the preseason.

“I thought I played well, and then just made a bunch of bad decisions if that’s possible,” Bennett said. “… I told myself today, ‘We’re gonna roll with the punches.’ My goal was to not make any mental errors, (it) was basically to run the offense correctly. I know the interceptions are different, but like, to run in and out of the huddle, execute. And I thought we did that for the majority of the day. There were some lapses, obviously. …

“Not overthinking it. You get a play in, you give a play, and then you do your job. I think last year I was kind of building it up to be more than that. I was trying to find the answer somewhere. The answer is, listen to (the coaches). They tell you what to do. Do it.”

The brightest moments of the day came from two rookies, receiver Jordan Whittington and Karty. Whittington looked at ease in coach Sean McVay’s offense, as “vanilla” as the preseason is, and showed his comfort with NFL contact (even backups) with a 31-yard catch-and-run slant during which he broke a tackle.

“He played like a grown man with the ball in his hands, (and) did a great job without it,” McVay said of Whittington. “He’s going to be a factor for us.”

Whittington has gotten a significant workload since spring OTAs, including with the first team and especially in the absence of Puka Nacua (knee).

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Also notable: the second- and third-team defensive units did not allow a touchdown, despite playing so much of the game in sudden-change after Bennett’s turnovers.

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Davis had a very good preseason debut, with six tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hit.

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Even for a McVay-coached team, seeing the Rams top two draft picks in street clothes — for all the right reasons — for Preseason 1 vs DAL tells you everything you need to know about the impression Jared Verse & Braden Fiske have made and the role they’ll have for this defense.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
What an ovation in here for Stetson Bennett who – of course on the move – finally throws the TD. Rams up 13-12 with four seconds left. Good for him.

Saw some solid things from a more comfortable-looking Bennett early on, plus a couple bad decisions – but now the turnovers are compounding as he throws his third INT.

INT No. 4 for Bennett – who will have some work to do to keep developing into QB3 here in LA.

Wrote about fans needing to keep an eye on Whittington after this year’s draft, based on his connection to Snead, to McVay’s offense and “heartbeat” label from Texas teammates. “He’s going to be a factor for us”, says Sean McVay about Jordan Whittington, among other comments.

ILB Jake Hummel wore the green dot for his group today, he told me. He felt comfortable in that role. He was proud of how clean the defense played overall.

Gregg Rosenthal@greggrosenthal
Jordan Whittington with a strong opening statement to the Preseason MVP voters

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Lot to like in that Rams first half.

As succinctly as possible, how about Les Snead & Co.’s 6th Round? All making a great first impression at SoFi.

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From https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/8/11/24218250/rams-cowboys-winners-losers-jordan-whittington-stetson-bennett?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_content=turfshowtimes&utm_source=twitter

Jordan Whittington, WR

Whittington was one of the players I was most excited to see in this game. He’s stood out in training camp practices and made a strong impression in his first game as a Ram. It’s worth noting that Les Snead’s son, Tate Haver, was college teammates with Whittington at Texas—giving the team as reliable as an inside source as you can get. Sean McVay is also close to head coach Steve Sarkisian, so it’s possible the NFL focused too much on early round receivers Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell, and TE Ja’Tavion Sanders while overlooking
Whittington.

The rookie caught Bennett’s first pass of the game for an early first down. Perhaps his next catch was his best of the day, as he made a contested reception, broke a tackle, and then showed a burst of speed as he ran for 30 yards in total. An important ability in McVay’s offense is running after the catch, which is something Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have made their living on, so this is a positive sign for the rookie.

Whittington finished with six catches on nine targets for 74 yards.

Jake Hummel, MLB

Hummel is usually LA’s defensive MVP in the preseason, and the first half against Dallas was no exception. He’s possibly LA’s best coverage player at linebacker and he made his presence felt in that facet early and often. It’s fair to wonder why the Rams haven’t felt compelled to use Hummel with the first-string, especially considering Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom’s struggles in coverage.

All-in-all he finished with three total tackles and one recorded pass breakup.

Josh Karty, K

This was the first time we saw Josh Karty in live action after the team selected him in the sixth round of this spring’s NFL Draft. He’s reportedly been strong in practice, but kicking in a live game with a rush is a different animal.

Still, Karty passed the test and converted both of his field goals with a long of 39 yards. He made the game-winning extra point attempt which you could argue came with some pressure.

Tyler Davis, DT

Seeing the trend here? The Rams made four selections in the sixth round of the draft this year, and Davis’ inclusion puts three of them on the “winners” list for this game along with Whittington and arty.

Davis flashed at times as a pass rusher and then made an impressive tackle for loss in the run game while Sean McVay was talking with the broadcast team. He’ll be an important player to keep an eye on over the final two preseason games to see if he can carve out a role when the games start to count.

Davis finished with six total tackles including one for a loss.

Highlights: Rams’ Top Plays vs. Cowboys Preseason Week 1 | Stetson Bennett’s Game-Winning Drive

In this game they talked to McV live during a defensive series, with him commenting on the action as it unfolded. That was a lot of fun.

Notes

Scott is good, they coach him in this system to run in much the same manner as Wms. (patience, sudden burst). Evans is okay, but is not as good as Scott.

The OL for the 2s (going against Dallas 2s) held up. It didn’t look like the confused mess we heard about in the Chargers practice. Tight, decent play.

Bennett juuuuusst missed a TD pass Stafford would’ve nailed. He also lofted one into traffic, almost an INT, but that looked like a “not on the same page” throw. He had an INT I didn’t see and then another one in the redzone I did see, which was just a dumb bad throw. He can complete fairly tight ones over defenders. They mostly rolled him out btw.

Pass rush keeps getting there but it’s 2s against 2s. The rookie NT Davis stood out.

Man the 2024 draft is full of players. A higher percentage than 2023, looks like. It looks like we can expect things from guys, either as starters or as good depth,  like Verse, Fiske, Corum, Kinchens, Davis, Whittingon, Karty, and Limmer. That would be a 80% hit rate, which is beyond exceptional.

I’ve got it on now.

Rams look better in joint practice with Cowboys, but offensive line gets sacked again

By Gary Klein

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2024-08-08/rams-cowboys-joint-practice-offensive-line-sacks

During Thursday’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford scrambled to his left and threw a low pass near the goal line that was tipped twice.

“Stop!” coach Sean McVay said he thought to himself when he saw Stafford pursue the airborne loose ball.

McVay no doubt harked to last season at Dallas, when Stafford’s right thumb hit the turf after catching a two-point conversion pass in the end zone, aggravating an injury he suffered earlier in the game.

“Stop!” McVay thought. “Stop!”

But Stafford would not be denied.

The 16th-year pro grabbed the ball and stumbled into the end zone to complete the highlight play of the day.

“It was sitting on some dude’s helmet, and I was like, ‘All right, I’ll take it and try to sneak in,’” Stafford said. “I guess it worked. I don’t know: probably would have got tattooed to be honest with you.”

The Rams need Stafford, 36, to be ready for their Sept. 8 opener at Detroit. He is the key player for a team attempting to improve upon last season’s 10-7 record and playoff appearance.

There was no tackling during the practice in Oxnard, but what was Stafford thinking?

“How just absolutely old I looked,” he said, chuckling. “I was asking the [Cowboys defensive backs] like, ‘Man how bad did that look?’ I was like … they can’t touch me or whatever, and they were just laughin’ at me. I’d have laughed at me too, but shoot, I guess it worked.”

Stafford’s catch stood out on a day the offense rebounded from its rough performance four days earlier against the Chargers.

In that practice, the Chargers took advantage of an injury-depleted offensive line and tipped multiple passes, intercepting several and batting down others.

Against the Cowboys, the same line Rams’ combination — center Steve Avila, guards Kevin Dotson and Zach Thomas and tackles Joe Noteboom and Warren McClendon Jr. — struggled early in attempt to contain edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, who broke through for what would have been multiple sacks.

But an offense without injured star receiver Puka Nacua did not commit a major error while executing mostly conservative play-calls.

Stafford completed short routes or swing passes to receivers and running backs. Receiver Demarcus Robinson bounced back from an early drop and made several plays. Receivers Cooper Kupp, Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell and tight end Davis Allen also had moments, and running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum ran hard.

A spirited Rams defense, led by an aggressive front, tested Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Prescott and veteran receiver Brandin Cooks combined for multiple completions, but lineman Kobie Turner, linebacker Troy Reeder and rookie safety Kamren Kinchens made plays that energized the defense.

At least three minor skirmishes broke out between the Cowboys offense and the Rams defense but none stopped the practice for more than a few moments.

The Rams play the Cowboys on Sunday at SoFi Stadium but McVay will not play starters or players expected to be major contributors.

Veteran back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended for the first two regular-season games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances list while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. McVay said Garoppolo would “probably not” play in preseason games.

Garoppolo has plenty of experience and it is “important” for quarterback Stetson Bennett “to get a bunch of work,” McVay said.

“But if [Garoppolo] said that he wanted to, knowing that he’s going to miss those first couple weeks, I’d be open to it,” McVay said, adding, “I would not want to play him unless he told me he wanted to.”