Most sacked QBs since 2020…

Russell Wilson – 135
Joe Burrow – 124
Matt Ryan – 119
Kirk Cousins – 113
Daniel Jones – 111
Carson Wentz – 108
Baker Mayfield – 105
Ryan Tannehill – 104
Justin Herbert – 101
Matthew Stafford – 97

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 18, 2023

"I've seen it first hand… Dude's all-world."

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo on @AaronDonald97. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/BBYZJCDANV

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 17, 2023

GLAD HE WAS THERE……
Not on his watch, ONE OF THE BEST EVER, at his position…
( JIM EVERETT #11)
( HOF JACKIE SLATER #78 ) pic.twitter.com/Onlwv5Ks9z

— HENRY YEP photography (@yep_henry) August 17, 2023

Shout out to former Rams safety, Rodney McLeod as he enters 12th season in the league, now with Cleveland.

Over a decade as a starter in this league after being an undrafted free agent by the Rams.

Amazing longevity! 💪 pic.twitter.com/wT3pDhIbgq

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) August 18, 2023

wv wrote:

Whats the major knock on St. Bennett? Why wasnt he considered as a top pick? w v

Jack pretty much covered it. He’s 5’11 & 190. Look at Bennett compared to Stafford:

The Rams saw him as a gamer who is especially good at improvised plays when the blocking breaks down (he can run, and also throw on the run).

The Rams believe it’s better to have a rookie Bennett as the #2 qb rather than some more expensive NFL veteran. He’s likely to be more talented than any career #2 they could have signed, and he’s more pro-ready than any other qb they could have gotten in the draft w/out a first round pick. Bennett gives them a chance to compete if MS misses a game or 2.

Tutu Atwell continues to make his case as the Rams’ No. 3 receiver with another impressive practice, this time against the Raiders https://t.co/qrQfMcQAJ3

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 18, 2023

My favorite throw of the preseason so far. This type of throw will keep you in the League for years.
Stetson Bennett w/ some CAPITAL AAAAAAnticipation. Outstanding. No hitch, too? Love it. Dot. #RamsHouse
Full video: https://t.co/OKxsin9p9Z pic.twitter.com/yYV9FTk9Hv

— The QB School (@theqbschool) August 17, 2023

Raiders-Rams practice: Garoppolo-Renfrow sharp in red zone, pressure mounts for LA offense

Jourdan Rodrigue and Tashan Reed

https://theathletic.com/4785676/2023/08/17/raiders-rams-joint-practice-preseason-observations/?source=emp_shared_article

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams hosted the Las Vegas Raiders for the second of two joint practices Thursday.

The Athletic’s Rams beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue and Raiders beat writer Tashan Reed also joined forces — to gather takeaways. Jourdan focused on the Rams’ offense going against the Raiders’ defense while Tashan handled the Raiders’ offense taking on the Rams’ defense.

Raiders offense-Rams defense (Reed)

• Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was limited during team drills after taking a rest day Wednesday, but he kicked off one-on-one drills with a bang when he flattened Raiders guard Netane Muti and drove him to the ground on his first rep of the day. Muti shoved Donald and a brief skirmish began, but linemen on both sides quickly separated them.

• Donald set an early tone that seemed to energize the Rams’ defensive line. Edge rusher Byron Young beat Raiders offensive tackle Kolton Miller twice during one-on-ones.

• Fellow edge rusher Desjuan Johnson had the rep of the period when he bull-rushed Raiders guard McClendon Curtis and knocked him off his feet. Young took that honor in two-on-two drills when he torched Raiders offensive tackle Justin Herron. Overall, the Rams’ defensive linemen consistently got the better of the Raiders’ offensive linemen early.

• Conversely, the Raiders’ receivers and tight ends were giving the Rams’ defensive backs the business in one-on-one and seven-on-seven red zone drills. Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow, in particular, kept finding ways to get open and caught three red zone touchdown passes from Jimmy Garoppolo. There were no interceptions and pass deflections and incompletions were infrequent.

“Hunt’s been awesome, man. He sees the field very well. He makes it easy on me. He’s very decisive in his routes,” Garoppolo said Thursday. “All those guys have been doing a good job. They’re giving me easy targets, so it makes my job a lot easier.”

• While starters didn’t face each other often Wednesday, both sides had their first-team units on the field once an 11-on-11 move-the-ball drill began. The Raiders attempted to lean on the run game initially, but had little success. The starting interior of the Raiders’ offensive line saw some shuffling with left guard Dylan Parham missing his second straight practice due to injury. Muti was at left guard, Andre James was at center and Greg Van Roten was at right guard. They were fine in pass protection, but the run blocking left plenty to be desired.
• When the Raiders’ offense turned to the air, the Rams’ secondary appeared to settle in. Raiders receiver Davante Adams was left in one-on-one coverage and tested Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on a go route. Garoppolo recognized the matchup and threw a good ball toward Adams, but Witherspoon timed his jump perfectly and swatted the ball away. The Rams’ pass rush had slowed, but with the run defense and pass coverage on point, they still managed to force a stop.

• During the same drill, the Raiders’ backup offense actually had more success. Quarterback Brian Hoyer found receiver Tre Tucker on a post route for a 30-yard touchdown to cap off the first scoring drive of team periods.

“I have a great room, obviously. They’ve helped me come along,” Tucker said Thursday when asked about his progress. “Thanks to those guys, I’m continuing to progress as fall camp goes. I don’t think it ever stops. For me, it’s just taking all the years that I have in my group and just trying to apply it to myself to try to be the best player I can be.”

• Tucker had a rough preseason debut against the 49ers that included two drops, but he performed well against the Rams this week.

“He’s explosive. He’s strong,” Garoppolo said. “He’s willing to fight for that ball. And for a rookie to come in and have that, that’s pretty rare. He’s nowhere near perfect. He’s got room to grow. When you’re a rookie, you just got to keep going. … He’s built the right way. And, mentally, I think he’s ready for it.”

• Next up was a two-minute drill and the Raiders’ first-team offense found its groove. Garoppolo peppered the Rams’ defense with multiple short sideline completions to Adams and Renfrow and the offense made its way down the field with little pushback. The Raiders came close to running out of time once they made it into the red zone, though, and ultimately settled for a field goal.

• After a special teams period, the Raiders’ first-team offense took the field again for another move-the-ball drill. Garoppolo led another meticulous drive that ended with a short touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer in the red zone.

• The Rams’ defense looked to be reeling, but they recovered once the backups took the field. Rams edge rusher Nick Hampton and defensive end Earnest Brown IV each registered would-be sacks that helped force a stop.

• The final period of practice was an 11-on-11 red zone drill pitting the Raiders’ first-team offense against the Rams’ first-team defense. Early in the possession, Donald quickly beat Muti and pressured Garoppolo into an incompletion. Garoppolo bounced back with a couple short completions, though, and worked the Raiders within a few yards of the goal line. A Rams defensive back — his jersey number couldn’t be made out from the media’s point of view — nearly ended the drive when he jumped a pass intended for Renfrow, but he dropped an interception.

• Garoppolo should’ve completed a touchdown to Mayer on the next snap, but he was off target and threw behind him. On fourth down, Garoppolo targeted Adams on a fade route in the corner of the end zone. Adams made the catch and the Raiders’ sideline celebrated, but the referees ruled him out of bounds. There was a lengthy discussion between the two teams debating whether Adams was in, but the call ultimately stood and the Rams’ defense ended practice with a win.

“We got video footage. We just needed a red flag to be thrown,” Garoppolo joked when asked if he thought it was a catch. “There was a lot of competing out there. I’ve gone against these guys a lot, so it was a lot of fun these last couple days.”

Rams offense-Raiders defense (Rodrigue)

• One-on-one (or in Thursday’s case for some periods, two-on-two) offensive lineman/defensive lineman drills can be subjective and often need context, but some of the Rams’ offensive linemen seemed to step up their physicality after a tough Wednesday. Left tackle Alaric Jackson and center Coleman Shelton especially appeared to improve. Meanwhile, Maxx Crosby remained extremely difficult to block on many pass-rush reps, particularly on the right side of the Rams’ offensive line, and that carried from drills into 11-on-11s where the Rams’ first-team offense faced the Raiders’ first-team defense. The Raiders’ defense, despite starting slow Thursday, immediately had a ton of visible (and audible) energy whether on the field or the sideline waiting to rotate into a series.

• Reserve right tackle Logan Bruss had two of his fingers painfully facing the wrong direction after one of the drills, and a Rams medical assistant tried to reset them on the field. Bruss went into the athletic training room and re-emerged with new tape on his hands and wrists. It became pretty important that he got back on the field, despite the injury, because starter Rob Havenstein left practice during 11-on-11s with what McVay said is a neck stinger. He added he believes Havenstein will be OK.

• However, that meant Bruss, who fully reverted to right tackle just three weeks ago after missing his entire rookie season to injury, had to face Crosby repeatedly. Bruss has generally looked consistent on run plays but was up-and-down in pass protection, especially when aligned across from Crosby — though he had a nice pass-pro rep late in the day.

“I think he’s getting more comfortable, we’re kind of settling him in at the right tackle spot,” McVay said. “You’re going against one of the premier players in this league. Think there are some things where he’s continuing to gain confidence, think there’s certain things that he has done at a high level and there’s things that we want to continue to see more consistency. It’s like anything else, you just have to continue to work at it.”

• Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Crosby drew their respective competitive lines in the sand in the opening 11-on-11 series. A flag flew after a couple of linemen on either side of the ball flinched, and Stafford appeared to believe it was a false start while Crosby argued the opposite. McVay decided on a compromise: To replay the down. Stafford got the defense to jump a little later on a hard count.

• Stafford hit tight end Brycen Hopkins on a sharp mid-range throw while rolling to his right, and this ended the first series. He also found success with catch-and-run plays to veteran tight end Tyler Higbee. However, on a later series, Hopkins dropped a missile of a pass across the middle and then the Rams turned the ball over on a handoff.

• Then, Stafford wanted a deep receiver on a throw but settled for a short pass to beat pressure from Crosby. Stafford’s second series, minus Havenstein, featured heavy pressure from the Raiders’ defensive line. If sacks counted, Stafford would have had one from the interior (Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler), and another off the right edge on fourth down from Crosby.

• Stafford also threw deep to receiver Tutu Atwell in his second series in 11-on-11s but the two couldn’t connect (however, they did hook up for a touchdown near the end of 11-on-11s). He tried receiver Van Jefferson on a similar concept in a later series but again, the pass was incomplete. Stafford’s quick, short passes and pressure-beaters were often effective – and deployed at high volume. That meant fewer opportunities for the Raiders’ defensive backs to make plays on the ball. Teams don’t typically game plan for joint practices, so it seemed like they were adjusting to different types of pressure from the Raiders on the fly (as the Raiders also had to adjust to what the Rams presented).

“It’s situational, I mean we’re playing ‘rules ball’ out here. Obviously, if you are going against a player like (Crosby) … you’re going to have different things (in a real game) that (are) the first part of when you’re building an inventory to put a game plan together offensively and defensively,” McVay said. “That wasn’t the case for the last couple days. I think it’s a great opportunity, both for Rob (Havenstein) and then obviously Logan Bruss, getting the opportunity to go against a player like that. If you can really be able to go through some of these stressful situations, with no real repercussions other than, ‘let’s go try to f—— compete as best we can, and see what happens,’ that’s what we want to see guys do.”

• The Rams’ backups, led by quarterback Stetson Bennett, took over next (first and second teams rotated series’). When Bruss eventually replaced Havenstein as first-team right tackle, Grant Miller got some snaps at reserve right tackle with Bennett’s group.

• Bennett has continued to fluctuate in camp, but it has become a given that for every few bad plays he’ll make an outstanding one or come back from pressure in a positive way. Thursday, Bennett was “sacked” twice on his first drive of 11-on-11s, then a couple of plays later he completed a tough pass to receiver Tyler Johnson, down the left sideline (that looked similar to the third-and-long throw he made in last week’s preseason game). Bennett opened his second drive by completing his first two passes, but overthrew Demarcus Robinson on the right sideline near the end of the drive.

• Running back Cam Akers was back at practice after getting ejected Wednesday when he and Crosby got into it. Both players seemed in great spirits, including with each other, and Crosby chattered to Akers after correctly diagnosing and stuffing a Rams run play. Akers broke off a run later in the practice that drew loud praise from coaches on the sideline. After the play, receiver Puka Nacua was praised for his effort in helping block for Akers. Nacua was also targeted heavily by Stafford in his last series in 11-on-11s.

Rodrigue: 5 things I think after the Rams’ first preseason game of 2023

• McVay switched back and forth between the first-team offensive field and the first-team defensive field. When he wasn’t with the offense, the trio of offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur, quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson and pass game specialist Jake Peetz took over the operation, with LaFleur and Robinson calling plays. Robinson will call the offense for the Rams on Saturday; McVay always delegates preseason play calling to his assistant coaches as does defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

Notes

• There were seven Raiders who didn’t practice: running back Brittain Brown, receiver Phillip Dorsett, guard Parham, defensive ends Chandler Jones and Adam Plant Jr., defensive tackle Byron Young and cornerback Brandon Facyson. Cornerback Nate Hobbs returned to practice after missing Wednesday.

• Rams tight end Davis Allen got more reps with the reserves in his second day at practice, after missing all of training camp with a soft-tissue injury. Tight end Hunter Long did not practice after McVay said he had a “setback” with a quad pull.

• Rams center Brian Allen did not practice for unspecified reasons, but was present — indicating a scheduled rest day. Cornerback Derion Kendrick, who has missed the entirety of training camp with a hamstring issue, did not practice. Receiver Cooper Kupp (hamstring) did not practice although McVay has said he believes Kupp could get back into the mix in Denver next week.

• The Rams will raise funds by selling custom T-shirts and designate their 50/50 raffle in Saturday’s game to support the American Red Cross relief efforts in Hawaii following devastating wildfires. The shirts say “Malama Maui”, which translates to “Care for Maui”.

• A reporter asked Donald who he thought won the skirmish between Akers and Crosby, and Donald chuckled — saying he had asked both players.

“‘I won, I won,’” he said, imitating the response from both Akers and Crosby. “I don’t know, I’m gonna say it’s a tie.”

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
One-on-ones are pretty subjective. That said, Alaric Jackson and Coleman Shelton put together a couple nice reps. Crosby remains real tough for anybody on the right side to block.

Tougher sledding than it already was on that right side vs Crosby during 11/11s

Ted Nguyen@FB_FilmAnalysis
Raiders still couldn’t connect deep but offense had some answers and moved the ball more efficiently. Meyers was particularly effective vs what the Rams were doing in 11 on 11. I think they got a lot from these practices to work with.

Logan Reever@loganreever
#Raiders defense bringing a better energy and effort today.

But Stafford still getting his with chunk plays. Pocket collapsing quick and d-line is forcing roll outs, but Rams O still completing balls. Pin point accuracy from Stafford again even on the run.

.

Great move by Puka, but that ball placement is just… sheesh https://t.co/ige0u9Y8XH

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 17, 2023

wv wrote:

Tutu is an interesting case. I’m not optimistic about him, but its interesting to think about how we would look at his story if he ‘did’ make a significant leap this year. Coaching. w v

He was injured for a bit last year. But what showed me that he needed to develop were his sideline catches. Several times, he would catch the ball on the sideline but not get his feet inbounds properly, making it an incompletion. That’s something that should be basic.

But apparently he heard the call, and stepped up this summer. We’ll see what that means in games.

Here’s JB Long on Atwell this summer, from this thread: https://theramshuddle.com/topic/roster-countdown-thread/

Why it’s taken this long is a conversation for another space, but there’s ample optimism that it will be worth the wait in the end. If training camp is any indication, it’s clicked for Atwell and the Rams. He’s becoming a more complete threat. I expect Tutu to surpass his career receiving totals this season… hopefully, before the bye week.

Ronnie Rivers (#30) with the sound eyes and finish in protection pic.twitter.com/Tv4ThRitxy

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 16, 2023

Former Rams head coach Mike Martz believes a .500 season would be impressive for Los Angeles in 2023. https://t.co/8xNmOR2Pso

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 17, 2023