Checking in on the 2020 Draft Class at the bye 🔍

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 7, 2020

Most rec. yards vs. single coverage:
1. D.K. Metcalf – 533
2. Robby Anderson – 378
3. Stefon Diggs – 373
4. Davante Adams – 340
5. D.J. Moore – 337 pic.twitter.com/AEA8jidfgz

— PFF (@PFF) November 8, 2020

Two whale-watchers off Avila beach had a terrifying experience when a humpback overturned their kayak and appeared to nearly swallow them. The women surfaced and shortly after, other kayakers and paddleboarders came to help them and check they had not been hurt

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Humpback whale almost swallows kayakers near a California beach
The two managed to escape unscathed, briefly going underwater after capsizing before reemerging.

https://abc7.com/pets-animals/humpback-whale-almost-swallows-kayakers-near-a-ca-beach/7647518/

AVILA BEACH, Calif. — Two whale watchers had a close encounter while kayaking off the coast of Avila Beach, California, that they will likely never forget.

Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were watching humpback whales on Monday when one decided to get up close and personal. A whale came up underneath them and caused them to capsize.

“I saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water,” McSorley told CNN affiliate KMPH. “I saw the whale come up. I thought, ‘Oh, no! It’s too close.'”

“All of a sudden, I lifted up, and I was in the water.”

Footage from a witness nearby makes it appear as if the kayakers are being swallowed by the whale, but the two just tipped over.

“The whale was right here in my face, literally,” Cottriel told KMPH.

“I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m gonna push. Like, I’m gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought. I’m thinking, ‘I’m dead. I’m dead.’ I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, I’m underwater.”

The two managed to escape unscathed, briefly going underwater after capsizing before reemerging.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/11/07/rams-troy-hill-touchdown-allowed-coverage/

The Rams have allowed the second-fewest passing yards (1,577) and second-fewest touchdown passes (9) in the NFL, and they lead the league in net yards per pass attempt (5.2). They’ll face their toughest test of the season against the Seahawks in Week 10, with Wilson leading the league in touchdown passes (26) and passer rating (120.8).

PFF@PFF
PFF’s highest-graded defenses:

1. Steelers
2. Buccaneers
3. Broncos
4. Rams

matt30

Miami game

What worked in the second half was (1) not going empty (2) play action (3) screens. If the game plan was beating the 3rd ranking blitzing defense with hot routes, that’s a terrible game plan. No matter who is the QB. Hot routes on designed pass plays are for unexpected pressure. Throwing balls to hot routes in the face of an expected unblocked man is a 50/50 scenario, unless you can generate space/time with your legs.

The first turnover occurred on a totally unnecessary deep pass attempt on 2nd and 2 where the Rams ran an empty set with 4 receivers running deep routes and a single receiver running a hot route. The Dolphins got unblocked pressure with 3 linemen and 3 Miami players were covering the hot route. (1) that’s an excellent defensive play call, (2) there was still 23 seconds on the play clock when that ball was snapped. Nobody changed the play into something that would actually work. That play was doomed to fail.

I could see letting Goff throw in shotgun empty set against a bring the house blitz once to see what he would do. But we did it at least 6 or 7 times. Tempting fate at that rate. Call a timeout if you have you but you can’t let that play go forward.

These defenses are a QB's worst nightmare 😳 pic.twitter.com/ghb1dhQCzf

— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) November 6, 2020

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Average offensive efficiency of the 8 opponents the Rams have faced so far: 22nd.

Average of the next 4 coming out of the bye (SEA, TB, SF, ARI): 7th.

Brandon Staley’s group has been sensational. Can’t wait to see them tested by TB12 rather than Tua, Wilson as opposed to Allen.

Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
Darrell Henderson among NFL’s best RBs at creating big plays

When you compare Henderson’s workload to those of the other four running backs ahead of him, this stat becomes even more impressive.

Here are the number of carries for each running back on PFF’s list above.

Hunt: 115
Cook: 122
Henry: 161
Henderson: 95
And here is the percentage of runs that have gone for at least 10 yards for each running back.

Hunt: 17.4%
Cook: 14.8%
Henry: 10.2%
Henderson: 16.8%

Nearly half of the league currently has COVID-19 issues, and that number will only increase as the virus continues to spread, throughout the country https://t.co/XRFqO0h5cj

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 6, 2020

from midseason performers of the year: https://theathletic.com/2180137/2020/11/05/nfl-midseason-players-of-year/?source=emp-shared-article

…
Continuing his late-coming Hall of Fame candidacy, Andrew Whitworth has had his own challenging lineup. Because the Rams offense is a bit more formulaic, it requires substantial pocket protection and as little chaos as possible. Whitworth’s presence is huge for that effort and he might still be the best pass protector in the NFL despite nearly retiring last offseason.
…
It should be no surprise that Aaron Donald has made the list. He’s been remarkable against the run and leads all defenders — at any position — in quarterback pressures. His ability to appear, suddenly, in the backfield has complicated offensive plans, and he does it despite high double-team rates. Donald is probably the best player in the NFL and is playing like it this season.
…
Jalen Ramsey has done an excellent job taking advantage of the pressure Donald provides up front and has closed down on high-level receivers on a consistent basis, getting punished for only two big mistakes all year. He’s had five games with under 20 yards allowed and might be proving the Rams’ heavy investment in him was a wise decision.