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znModeratorWeek 3 Game Preview: Early undefeated showdown as Rams look to slow down Josh Allen and Bills
J.B. Long
https://www.therams.com/news/week-3-game-preview-rams-bills-2020
Game Trailer: Rams vs. Bills | Robert Woods back in Buffalo to face the franchise that drafted him
This is the Rams least important game in the first two months of the season.Folks, that is not how journalism school would want you to lead a column. “Thanks for stopping by; see you next week!”
Of course, this is a meaningful showdown between a pair of 2-0 teams, and there are mesmerizing matchups throughout. My point is only that if you were to rank the Rams schedule in the first half of the season in terms of playoff implications, this trip to Buffalo would be last or second-to-last.
Tier One: San Francisco (no explanation necessary)
Tier Two: Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas (NFC contenders)
Tier Three: New York, Washington (NFC pretenders)
Tier Four: Miami, Buffalo (AFC)
Now, how can the Rams convince themselves its Super Bowl LV in September?
Dead Heat Division
One way might be to remember there is no margin for error in the division.
Of the five unbeatens left in the conference, three of them are in the NFC West. It’s the only division in the NFL where all four teams are .500 or better, leading to some speculation that under the new postseason format, the entire West might reach the NFC postseason.
And looking at the out-of-town scoreboard, there’s a solid chance the 49ers, Cardinals, and Seahawks are all winning again this week.
Dual-Threat and Doubters
For the third consecutive week, the Rams defense will face a quarterback capable of doing damage on the ground.
Dak Prescott picked up 30 yards rushing; Carson Wentz only seven.
So far, so good for Brandon Staley.
However, this side of Lamar Jackson, you won’t find many signal-callers more dynamic than Josh Allen, who has more yards than 22 teams this season and has authored 18 rushing scores in 30 career contests.
Which might be why, for the third consecutive week, Jared Goff has to hear pundits prefer the opposition’s signal caller.
A chip on a shoulder is never a bad way to stay sharp and motivated, either.
Jekyll and Josh
One of two things has happened for Allen in 2020:
Either he remedied his major deficiencies or he’s due for a regression.
After two seasons, the book on Buffalo’s 2018 first-round pick was too many turnover-worthy plays (last out of 38 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus) and inaccuracy beyond 20 yards (lowest downfield completion percentage in the NFL in 2019).
After back-to-back career-best performances to begin this season, it’s been a total 180 for Allen. And everyone thinks they know the reason why.
Digging This Matchup
Stefon Diggs — one of the best deep targets in football – shares the NFL receiving lead and will collide with Jalen Ramsey for only the second time in their careers on Sunday.
With Minnesota and Jacksonville, respectively, in 2016 the star wideout went for three catches and 55 yards receiving against Ramsey, who was playing his rookie season for the Jaguars.
After a bumper-crop of draft picks exchanged hands, they’re playing for different franchises this time around.
Cornering the Market
The undercard has to be Robert Woods versus the second-highest paid corner in the league, Tre’Davious White. Last year’s NFL interception leader helped set the market for Ramsey and Los Angeles back in April.
Meantime, it will be the first trip back to Orchard Park for Bobby Trees, who was drafted 41st overall by the Bills in 2013.
“He’s one of the few back-to-back 1,200-yard fullbacks in the NFL,” McVay quipped this week, referencing his receiver’s tenacity. “If you don’t like Robert Woods, then something’s wrong with you.”
znModeratorAndrew Whitworth: “You’ve seen what we talked about last year has come to fruition”
https://www.therams.com/news/andrew-whitworth-what-we-talked-about-last-year-has-come-to-fruition
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Rams’ run game is back, which in turn is helping the passing attack and opening up the entire offense as a whole.
For any of that to happen, though, it requires a strong effort up front. Coincidentally, early returns on the 2020 version of Los Angeles’ offensive line are promising.
“You’ve seen what we talked about last year has come to fruition,” Andrew Whitworth, the most experienced member of the group, told reporters during a video conference Friday afternoon.
Statistically, the Rams are fifth in the NFL in total offense – ninth in passing and third in rushing.
From an analytics standpoint, the 38-year-old Whitworth’s 97 percent pass block win rate is good for sixth among all offensive tackles in the league, according to ESPN. As a team, the Rams have the seventh-best run block win rate, helped by two of those young players who gained experience last year: Austin Corbett, whose 77 percent run block win rate is fourth-highest among all NFL offensive guards, and Austin Blythe, whose 73 percent run block win rate is sixth among centers.
Amid all the injuries the Rams’ offensive line endured last year, Corbett and Blythe were bright spots. Blythe started at right guard, moved to left, then took over for Brian Allen at center after Allen’s season-ending knee injury in Week 10. That shuffling led to Corbett plugging the hole at left guard, and he showed enough there to retain a starting role, though at right guard instead. Blythe also retained his starting job at center.
“I mean, a lot of these guys that we believed in that were young, just had no experience, and you get out there and play in real games and get a little bit of trial by fire, and get out there and experience things, it started to come together the last part of the season last year,” Whitworth said. “The play got better and better.”
Whitworth sees that same toughness and physicality in second-year pro Edwards, who is now stepping in for Joe Noteboom (calf) following Noteboom’s placement on injured reserve. Like Corbett and Blythe, Edwards gained valuable experience as a rookie last year (six starts in 10 games) and is well-positioned to step into a starting role.
“Dave, that’s how he’s wired,” Whitworth said. “He’ll fit right in because that’s the style of football he’s used to playing at Wisconsin, that’s kind of the player he’s been when he’s stepped in for us, because that’s really the style he plays and what he’s best at. I expect him to step in and do well.”
Sunday presents perhaps the biggest challenge to date for Los Angeles’ offensive line, going up against a Buffalo defensive line that has contributed to the NFL’s No. 3 run defense and No. 5 total defense.
Pass this test, and it only further solidifies the progress that has been made.
“They really have,” McVay said, when asked how well the offensive line has been doing in the run game and limiting sacks through the first two weeks. “They’ve done an excellent job.”
znModeratorThat’s right only progressives know what causes poverty. BTW: I resent being put in the same group as “racists”.
Okay that’s fair, that list with 3 groups including racist, that didn’t help the discussion.
Anyway. I do stand by what I said: the KEY data is the fact that blacks are disproportionately stopped, arrested, etc. And disproportionately by a huge amount. That alone erases any argument about poor whites getting hassled by police too. The disproportion is by a huge number.
So no I do not have much tolerance for the “whites get hassled too” argument.
And the reason those who believe centrists and conservatives tend to view poverty in the same way is because those who say that believe both of the 2 Cs have a stake in what causes it. Is that fair? It actually might be!
And yes there’s poverty all over the world, but most of that is not occurring in the world’s wealthiest nation, so those other places have a lesser chance of fixing it. We are one of the places that could end or at least reduce it (if we wanted). At the same time, there’s less poverty than here in advanced countries like those in Scandinavia, places that follow very different social and economic policies than we do. What’s the reason for the big resistance to those policies here?
znModeratorThe main problem I (as a leftist) have with them is this — Yes, they are right to point out that Race does not explain the Facts/Stats.
Plenty of POOR-whites are killed by police.
And yes, plenty of POOR-blacks kill other POOR-blacks. Many more than the Cops are killing.These are all excuses the racists use, so they can argue that there’s no racism.
If you are black you have a statistically greater chance of being stopped, searched, arrested, held, tried, and convicted. And you then get a longer sentence. That’s if you don’t get killed in the first place.
A very good example is drugs. The percentage of whites and the percentage of blacks who do any kind of illegal drugs is about equal. But you are far more likely to be pulled over and searched for drugs if you are black.
And poor whites kill poor whites. Killing tends to happen in the neighborhood.
What stats don’t say about the so-called black on black crime thing is that the percentage of violent crime in areas economically defined by poverty are always high, regardless of race.
Which gets us back to WV’s point about why is there poverty. The centrist, conservative, and racist answers are all the same. They did it to themselves.
….
znModeratorAmerican football@NFL_Journal
little known fact: According to Phil Olsen who shared agents/lawyers with Gabriel, all players were traded (as assets). As such Gabe had no-trade clause & so demanded payment from the Rams-which he gotthe lawyer? Edward L. Masry of Erin Brockovich fame
znModeratorBills vs. Rams: Behind enemy lines with Rams Wire
Nick Wojton
The Bills are a mere couple of hours away from facing their first NFC opponent of the 2020 season, the Los Angeles Rams. It’s not a team Buffalo is known for facing, so perhaps you’re a little behind on your Rams knowledge. That’s fair.
In order to truly get some insight on all-things Rams related, Bills Wire linked up with our friend Cam DaSilva, managing editor of Rams Wire, to pick his brain ahead of Sunday’s Week 3 Bills-Rams meeting. Intel from behind enemy lines right here:
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Entering 2020, Tyler Higbee was one of the most slept on tight ends in the NFL… exactly how good is he? The Bills might be without their best coverage linebacker Matt Milano in this one.
CD: He’s really developed into a well-rounded tight end in the NFL. His route running has improved in the last year or so, as have his hands – which were a trouble spot for him previously. Some of his production comes from Sean McVay’s play calling, which gets him open on drags, checkdowns and simple out routes, but Higbee is a big possession receiver who can also attack the seams.
What’s your general thoughts on the extension for Robert Woods? Deserving? He never really took off in Buffalo, but he always was liked by Bills Mafia.
CD: Definitely deserving. He was one of the most underrated and underpaid receivers in the league before signing this extension, and had he not gotten hurt in 2017, he’d like be coming off three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He’s as reliable and consistent as they come, almost always proving to be good for five catches and 70 yards each week. He doesn’t get enough credit for being such a good blocker, either, which is a strength of his game – as I’m sure you know.
A bit better from Jared Goff this season? What’s different?
CD: He’s taking what the defense gives him and getting more time in the pocket. McVay is scheming receivers wide open for Goff, but it’s important that he’s taking those throws rather than trying to force passes into tight windows. It helps that he’s been given a heavy dose of play action, which was his bread and butter in 2017 and 2018. The biggest thing is that he’s getting good protection from his linemen, which has allowed him to see the field much better.
I’d be foolish not to ask about Aaron Donald. especially since the Bills’ interior O-line isn’t the best. As someone who watches him weekly, what will stand out about him?
CD: His quickness. A man that size should not be able to move as quickly as he can. Oh, and it helps that he can toss aside 300-pound linemen like they’re the size of you and I. He just does everything well. He can turn speed to power, he can bull rush right off the snap, he can use his hands to knock a blocker away, and he can win from anywhere on the line. There’s not an offensive lineman in the league that will win a majority of one-on-one matchups with Donald.
What’s your prediction for this one? Who wins and why?
CD: I think the Rams are going to win a close one. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to special teams because they’ve been bad in that area through two weeks, but I just think their offense is in such a rhythm right now that it might be hard for the Bills to stop them completely. This will also be the Rams’ toughest test, going up against the Bills’ defense, but McVay is outstanding at game planning and should be able to exploit any weaknesses in Buffalo’s defense. I’ll take the Rams, 26-24.
znModerator— 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥🏈 (@NFL_Journal) September 26, 2020
September 26, 2020 at 1:51 am in reply to: Rightwing violent-fringe, rightwing conspiracy theories, etc. #121721znModeratorPatriot Coalition: Leaked Messages Show Far-Right Group’s Plans for Portland Violence
The summer of 2020 has seen the city of Portland, Oregon, become a symbol and a venue for the further, dramatic polarization of the United States. More than a hundred nights of intense protests against police violence by left-wing activists have led to further police violence in response, and to President Donald Trump declaring the city a “beehive of terrorists” and an “anarchist jurisdiction.” A great deal of reporting has been dedicated to the city’s leftist protesters. Less national attention has been focused on those who perceive the protesters as their enemies: a network of “Patriot” militias and extremist groups, who have in recent weeks been staging violent confrontations in Portland’s downtown streets.
Bellingcat has acquired several months of chat logs from the Patriot Coalition of Oregon, a network of pro-Trump, pro-police activists. These chat logs were provided by an infiltrator affiliated with the antifascist collective Eugene Antifa. We were also given login information for the infiltrator’s account on GroupMe, a secure messaging app owned by Microsoft. This allowed us to directly observe the group’s communications, to verify the information provided to us and to export a log of those chats directly from the application. (Many posts contain spelling and grammatical errors, which we have not altered.)
These logs provide an intimate look inside a growing insurgent network, and shed new light on episodes of armed conflict which are already on the public record. Topics of conversation include plans for violence in the streets of Portland, celebration of acts of thuggery and even discussions about harming elected leaders and journalists. More than anything, the chats catalog the rapid radicalization of Patriot Coalition’s membership, many of whom express a willingness to kill their perceived left-wing enemies.
Who Are These People?
The Patriot Coalition of Oregon (often just referred to as Patriot Coalition) was founded in the summer of 2020 by a person who posted under the GroupMe username “Patriot Coalition.” Most other members called her “Momma Bear.” She appears to have been largely motivated by her love of the police and military, as well as her support for President Trump. On August 20th she wrote: “I am the founder of the group- I founded it months ago and it was because I was sick and F’ing tired of watching what was happening… we have men and women fighting for us to keep us safe- they deserve to come home to peace- NOT continue to fight! We owe that to them…”
The leaked chat logs appear to reveal that some members of the Patriot Coalition have taken part in multiple violent rallies throughout the summer, and that they claim to have operated a series of vigilante patrols and checkpoints during the Oregon wildfires. While the chats appear to show they work and fight alongside members of extremist groups like the Proud Boys, American Wolf and 1776 2.0, the Patriot Coalition seems to have no coherent ideology beyond a desire to violently confront leftists in the name of the police and President Trump. A user identified as Paige summed up the general feelings of the group in a post made ahead of a what turned out to be a bloody ‘Back the Blue’ rally on August 22nd in Portland when she wrote: “I’m waiting for the presidential go to start open firing.”
Online, Patriot Coalition prides itself on an unusually strict vetting process, which they (wrongly, it turns out) believed would protect them from being infiltrated. The group’s most public face was its Facebook group. A first (now archived) page had more than 1,500 members.
Individuals interested in joining were subjected to a “security check” before being allowed into a private GroupMe room where more secretive conversations occurred and potential illegal and violent activity was discussed. Membership in this group tended to hover a little over 100.
In chats, ‘Momma Bear’ and other leaders of the group repeatedly expressed confidence in their vetting process. This probably explains why members of the group felt comfortable posting shocking and disturbing content. In one example from August 16th, a user identified as Shelly A suggested members of Patriot Coalition might kill antifascists with injected poisons.
Immediately after this she notes that she is, “…getting tired of hearing about them and the evil Democrats.” Patriot Coalition members regularly declare Democratic politicians to be “Antifa” and thus fair targets for violence.
Over the course of the summer, the group’s original founder stepped down amid dissension over the group’s response to Oregon’s wildfire emergency – her efforts to restrain members from a vigilante response to false information about Antifa arsonists cost her popularity among members.
A new leader, identified as “Trent,” was appointed in her place, heading a leadership team which was often challenged and berated in the chats. Trent soon decided he didn’t want to lead the group either, but eventually changed his mind and recommitted. Beyond this leadership turmoil, the chat logs show frequent conflicts between members over the wisdom of certain actions, including attacks in the city of Portland. Some of these arguments have led to members leaving. Those who remain have expressed a growing desire to train and prepare for further violence, up to and beyond November’s Presidential election.
As user Roger Charlie Bravo posted on September 15th: “What we are doing is not random. Patriots around the country are currently organizing and preparing. We know D day is coming after November. We know that what we are seeing now is a betrayal of trust of the people by our government. We know that this war has a long time to go. We are not alone. There are people all around us supporting us. There are people all around that would stand side by side with us.”
Planning for Violence
Discussions of violence in the Patriot Coalition group chat are not hypothetical. While some individuals are likely grandstanding, the chat logs show members gearing up for a number of events where very real violence occurred.
On August 22nd more than 300 heavily armed right-wing demonstrators rallied in downtown Portland for what was, nominally, a rally supporting the police. Yet the situation quickly degenerated into a mass brawl, with numerous injuries (including to one of the authors of this article).
Those events reflected the plans that Patriot Coalition had made. In the lead up, members discussed acquiring paintball guns and freezing their ammunition for maximum damage. During a discussion on August 18th, a member asked: “Is this for real? Paintballs?” The group founder, ‘Momma Bear,’ who at that point was still in a leadership position, responded: “Some people do not own anything else – or they can’t own anything else.” Though she didn’t clarify the comment, federal gun laws in the United States bar felons from owning powder firearms.
She went on to write: “Paintball markers can be amped up to push more power- trust me – they freakin hurt and leave nasty ass bruises…So for all of you paintball marker carriers- see if you can somehow get your hands on Dynasty’s Banana paint- it has a nasty chemical in it that causes cramping.”
One member of the group, David Willis, messaged the group on August 18th to ask: “Where do you get rubber balls for your paintball gun?” During the rally, Willis was apparently filmed and identified by antifascist activists as having fired indiscriminately into a crowd of left-wing protesters. He later bragged in the chat, after the August 22nd protest: “I was the one with the ar style paintballcgun yesterday i had 200 rubber rounds they worked great but i did have some jams it could have been the gun.”
Willis is currently being sued as the result of an assault on a Portland cider bar frequented by antifascists. During one discussion in the chats, he urged members not to freeze paintballs as “it makes them wildly inaccurate.” Instead, he suggested purchasing “glass breaker balls that are rubber coated metal.”
The authors of this article attempted to reach out to Willis but did not receive a response before press time.
Mark Melchi, a member of the chat group who also heads a militant anti-Antifa group named 1776 2.0, posted on August 17th: “My Group 1776 2.0. Has been fighting Antifa in Seattle, Portland, for months. They are all hit an run tactics from a few behind the main rows of people. When things get going. The Portland Ganges who also hide in Antifa will shoot you…Like they have done with a few of our guys. This won’t be a simple fist fight. People will get shot, stabbed and beat. We have fought with guys in Portland who are like giant Russians so, they’re not all soy boys. We must be ready to defend with lethal response. If we don’t get to enough of them they will just comeback when we leave, just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan. We need to make it dramatic enough for them not to want to return. Suggest wearing mask and nothing to identify you on Camera…to prevent any future prosecution.”
A pseudonymous user who identified as Dan-Medford, appeared to agree: “Always wear a mask at these events.” He added, “if its my time, then its my time. But I’m going out the same way I came in. Bloody and screaming. No more terrorists in my home.” Another user, Rex, said: “We need to tell the feds ‘we’re coming and Hells coming with us’ and if they’re not going to help… then stay the f..k out of our way.” This too met widespread agreement, with a user named Ken stating on the topic of antifascists: “They need to be shot down like rabid coyotes no questions asked.”
When contacted by the authors of this article by email, Melchi suggested screen grabs of comments could have been easily altered with Photoshop, without addressing the exported chat logs, or accounting for his comments. In response to questions about his comments, and his political beliefs, Melchi issued threats, writing “Communist/Domestic Terrorists/Marxis have zero place in America and will be removed from our land, with hugs, violence, snacks, however!”
The chat logs appear to show that the eventual use of less-than-lethal weapons on August 22nd was a grudging compromise, made between more aggressive and cautious members for the sake of public impressions, or “optics.” Prior to the afternoon rally user Ramon Blackwolf warned that the event would receive “nation wide attention.” He followed up by promising: “But our fun will be Saturday night.” On August 19th Melchi asked for clarification about what was planned for the night of the 22nd.
“Hey guys, I guess I miss understood something originally. All the groups we have coming is for the night clearing operation or for the back the blue event in the day? I thought the night operation was the real focus. Just trying to clarify so I can correct with my members as well.”
A user who identified as Nate D. responded to him; “Both are important in my opinion. I plan to be there all day and night until the streets are clear lol.” Another member identified as Jason followed up: “I think most are in favor of both. A huge show of presence in the day to let them know we are here and a night op to show that we are done fucking around.” This plan met with widespread approval, with Patriot Coalition founder ‘Momma Bear’ noting: “Daytime we are to be respectful, calm, quiet, only react if forced to… we must be perfect… night time- it all changes.”
This planned night time raid never occurred, The “Patriots” and their Proud Boy allies were forced out of downtown by a crowd of antifascists that substantially outnumbered them. While they would later claim victory, contemporaneous private chats suggest a disorderly rout.
znModeratorCongratulations to this Australian Broadcasting Corp. reporter for asking a great question. https://t.co/ZC1GyQsB9R
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 26, 2020
September 26, 2020 at 12:14 am in reply to: do the Bills stand even a fraction of a chance against the Rams? #121719znModeratorAnd I put some Rodrigue in the “press sets up the Bills game” thread. That’s always a good read. http://theramshuddle.com/topic/press-sets-up-the-buffalo-game/#post-121718
znModeratorAgainst Bills quarterback Josh Allen…the Rams’ defense will need to be especially disciplined when plays break down. Allen can extend a play with his legs and is a big body who is hard to bring down. That will be the role of the defensive line and linebackers; when Allen takes off and runs, the secondary absolutely must maintain coverage and be sticky, because Allen will be looking downfield for players and has shown marked improvement in getting the ball to them after going on the run.
The Rams want to make Allen’s life miserable in many ways on Sunday, but the biggest one is introducing him to what defensive coordinator Brandon Staley calls “New York City rush hour traffic.” That means getting in his face, staying in his face when he runs, forcing him horizontally and keeping him off balance and off schedule, and locking down the back end so he can’t find an outlet. It seems like when Allen tries to force plays, things go wrong for him.
Safety John Johnson III said it much better: “Huge arm, huge body, and I just remember watching him take off and run like, ‘Wow you really gotta have a tackling plan for him.’ He’s not going to go down easy. He’s not going to run, he’s not going to slide. So you really gotta have plan. He just has a powerful arm, sometimes to a fault. So we just gotta make sure to stay deeper than the deepest, and go from there. We can’t let any balls go over our head.”
This is just me thinking out loud, but with the amount of trust the Rams are developing in their secondary and the overall range of the players within it, I wonder if they’ll try to activate more blitzers this week? They aren’t blitzing much — just 14 times so far, among the lowest in the league — but if they think flushing Allen can work for them and they know they’ll be OK sacrificing a defensive back on the other end, maybe…
September 26, 2020 at 12:00 am in reply to: do the Bills stand even a fraction of a chance against the Rams? #121717znModeratorI think the Bills are really good so I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rams stumbled a bit this week.
Tough game, tough team, on the road, one of the furthest road trips in the USA (2213 miles), and 2nd road trip in a row.
It’s a potential stumble game, for sure.
But still I ain’t betting against them. I’m not like you that way. I have actual values and standards.
znModerator— 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥🏈 (@NFL_Journal) September 25, 2020
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Rams uses FUller to rob, man lock—Johnson helps on strong side—Ramsey takes the tight end—man to man pic.twitter.com/X8KZRICD0g
— 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥🏈 (@NFL_Journal) September 25, 2020
September 25, 2020 at 6:08 pm in reply to: Rams vs Eagles Highlights + play breakdown vids (w/ Waldman on DH) #121703znModeratorCarson Wentz is not a dummy… he’s just shocking inaccurate.
Maybe the Eagles miss their former coordinator, Frank Reich. Maybe he was the coach behind the more successful Wentz of earlier seasons, not Pederson.
September 25, 2020 at 6:04 pm in reply to: Rams vs Eagles Highlights + play breakdown vids (w/ Waldman on DH) #121702znModeratorWeek 2 against the Rams was the same thing. A seemingly smart quarterback who can't get the ball to do the things he wants it to do
5 plays against Los Angeles in 125 seconds: pic.twitter.com/FT5NyiiaRr
— seth galina (@pff_seth) September 25, 2020
znModeratorRams Junkie
Rams OL Coach Aaron Kromer 11 months ago on new addition Austin Corbett: “Cleveland doesn’t use the techniques that we do, so it’ll take a little time but hopefully we can get him going.” [www.reddit.com]
The new techniques must be a good fit for him. I am glad to see Kromer bring out the best in him.
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Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
No practice for rookie running back Cam Akers (ribs) today, and I might expect the team to hold him out Sunday out of precaution – McVay will provide official update shortly. If absent, we will again see a lot of Henderson and Brown, and perhaps even a little Xavier Jones.’Rams have not decided whether they will activate Calais but Xavier Jones will definitely be RB3 and McVay adds he has done a great job on special teams so far.
znModeratorRams-Bills: The Friday before confidence poll and a preview of what Buffalo GM Brandon Beane has done in 3 years to make the Bills a Super Bowl contender https://t.co/lOwDUHyc5j
— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) September 25, 2020
znModeratorGary Klein@LATimesklein
Opponents wary of testing Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, who recently signed a $105-million extension. “I’m always up for the challenge and I always kind of want that. But you know, they got 105 reasons why they might not do that.”Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Jalen Ramsey will miss Bills Mafia on Sunday. “They’re loud & especially they have a good team now, so they would’ve for sure got hyped up and I don’t think they like me that much, so they probably would’ve gave me a little extra, I love it though. They would’ve been turnt up…”Jalen Ramsey was only targeted twice in a win over the Eagles. When asked if he wanted more action going forward, Ramsey said: “I’m always up for the challenge. Always kind of want that. They got 105 reasons why they might not do that.”
Get it, the $105 million extension? Face with tears of joy
Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey on rookie safety Jordan Fuller: (1/2)“I was very impressed with him from the jump. Just, really, how professional he is, and how he goes about his business, how he has the ambition to be the best at what he does.”
More Jalen Ramsey on Jordan Fuller:
“He’s just way better than, what, a sixth-round pick? I’m not sure how he slipped all the way there. That’s the question I keep asking myself about him, because I think very highly of him as a player and a person.”
Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
Van Jefferson: Jalen Ramsey is ‘one of the best teammates I’ve had’Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Samuel Sloman has missed a FG and PAT, but Sean McVay hasn’t lost confidence in him after just two weeksMcVay: “I mean, you’ve just got to get some more height under it. He didn’t hit it clean and didn’t have much trajectory underneath the ball. It was a flat line-drive that that’s going to get blocked regardless of how good the protection is.”
znModeratorAmp Lee scores at Buffalo on a reception where he spins his way into the end zone. Amp Lee was a premier 3rd down Back, with an elite ability to catch out of the backfield. Lee was Rams MVP of 1997 season. Injuries unfortunately derailed his career just as the GSOT got started pic.twitter.com/08BDWSGrZy
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) September 25, 2020
znModeratorAfter 4 1/2 years & starting 56 games, with 35 wins, 15000 yards, 90 TDs, 2-2 in playoffs, some fans (& others) want to argue if this QB is elite or not. 🐏 let’s be thankful that @JaredGoff16 is locked in & we aren’t suffering w/ a QB that sucks!
💪🏽🤗🏈 @RamsNFL #HeIsElite 👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/coyrKu2BQJ— 𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 (@Jim_Everett) September 24, 2020
znModeratorSo no George Kittle either. The 49ers offense will be without its starting QB (Jimmy G), top two receivers (TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel) and top two RBs (Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman). And that’s not to mention being decimated on defense, too! https://t.co/ZOnWmax0hQ
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 25, 2020
znModeratorTodd will always be a favorite Ram, and was one of the core players who helped turn the Rams fortunes around after a decade of losing.
However, we also saw in 2019 that he was no longer the player he once was. https://t.co/Xz89Ri4wV8
— SeattleRams (@seattlerams_nfl) September 25, 2020
znModeratorramsey is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/rJ7DuEGEmw
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) September 24, 2020
znModerator
WHILE DARING & INNOVATIVE, IT IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR THAT THE RAMS TACTIC OF DROPPING BALL CARRIERS ON TO THE FIELD FROM AN OVERHEAD HELOCOPTER IS ACTUALLY IN KEEPING WITH LEAGUE RULES.
znModeratorThe OL is built to move more vertically and with double teams. Zone runs, especially outside zone, are lateral runs with tons of 1 on 1 situations. So they've add more double teams and some different styles of run. And when they do run zone, the OL is more physical pic.twitter.com/Zy8IGEN3hM
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 24, 2020
September 24, 2020 at 11:07 pm in reply to: Rams vs Eagles Highlights + play breakdown vids (w/ Waldman on DH) #121681znModeratorAaron Donald working underneath then lifting & THROWING Seumalo (300+ pounds) off of his feet by the elbow. pic.twitter.com/YeF2JOFgyl
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 23, 2020
znModeratorBlitz pickup not for everyone pic.twitter.com/F4LGSxxkah
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) September 25, 2020
znModeratorBrock Huard@BrockHuard
Never been a better time to play QB in the NFL. No fans, no noise, no juice & offenses flourishing league-wideWeek 2 saw the 2nd most TD’s scored in a single week of play all-time. 98 touchdowns were scored Week 2, trailing only Week 14 of 2013 (104) on the TD leaderboard.
Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams fourth-year S John Johnson III on rookie Jordan Fuller:“It doesn’t feel like he’s a rookie. He came right in ready to go. I mean, that’s just a testament, I guess, to Ohio State and how they build up their players.”
Sarina@sarina
Van Jefferson on Jalen Ramsey:
“I knew going up against him every day of practice was only going to get me better. [Jalen] reaching out, coming to me during practice, telling me I need to get better, that means a lot to me… I think he’s one of the best teammates I’ve had.”znModeratorDeAndre Hopkins' natural chemistry with Kyler Murray has led to 22 receptions https://t.co/S9Rvv7pX8V
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 24, 2020
znModeratorWhat the Bills are saying about Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey
Cameron DaSilva
link https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-bills-aaron-donald-jalen-ramsey-quotes-comments/
The upcoming matchup between the Rams and Bills is certainly one of the best games of Week 3, pitting two of the last 11 undefeated teams against each other. And unless there’s a tie, one of them will suffer their first loss of the season.
The Bills offense is cruising at the moment, ranking first in passing, sixth in scoring and third in total yards, but they’ll face a real test on Sunday afternoon with Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald coming to town.
Naturally, the Bills’ top players and coach Sean McDermott were asked about Donald and Ramsey leading up to this pivotal game, and it’s hardly surprising that they all had great things to say about the Rams’ defensive stars.
Josh Allen on Aaron Donald
Allen is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL, but he’ll have his hands full trying to avoid Donald in the pocket. Like everyone else, he knows just how good Donald is at not only getting to the quarterback, but blowing up running plays in the backfield.
“He’s the best in the world at what he does and arguably the greatest to ever do it at that position,” Allen said, via the Bills’ official site. “He’s so explosive, so powerful, so quick. He can bull rush you, he can swim you, he can basically juke you at the line of scrimmage. So, he’s a tough task to handle.
“It’s not just the stats that speak out for him. Obviously, the stats are great, but it’s the other stuff. It’s forcing double teams and allowing his other players to get one-on-one matchups and it’s the attention that he brings to the game, which is the tricky part. You have to have a plan for him. You have to get two guys going to him at all times and even then it still might not be enough. It’s going to be a tough task on Sunday. We’re doing the best that we can do to game plan. We’re getting a good look on scout team right now and, ultimately, we’ve got to go and we’ve got to execute what coach tells us to do.”
Sean McDermott on Aaron Donald
McDermott is a former wrestler himself, and he can see wrestler traits in the Rams’ all-world pass rusher. Here’s what he said about Donald leading up to Sunday’s game.
“That speaks for itself, right?” McDermott said of Donald being a former wrestler. “Everything that goes into wrestling, man. I watched him warm up in the Super Bowl on TV and he’s warming up like a wrestler. If my information is right, I think he was a wrestler and a good one. I mean, that background serves people well in a lot of ways in their lives.”
Josh Allen on Jalen Ramsey
Allen will have to tread carefully on Sunday with Ramsey lurking on the other side of the field. He and Stefon Diggs have gotten off to a great start this season, but they haven’t faced a cornerback as talented as Ramsey.
Here’s what Allen said about the Rams’ top cornerback.
“The toughest part, in my opinion – I think 20 does a good job reading the quarterback in his drop,” Allen said on a conference call with reporters. “His eyes are really in the backfield and he’s able to tell if the quarterback’s speeding up his drop to get it out quick, ready to jump a route. He’s a very aggressive corner, can play in man, can play in zone. He’s very good at route recognition and it’s going to be tough to win some matchups versus him, but at the same time, it’s not time to shy away from anybody or anything.
“He’s definitely a problem to be dealt with and we have to keep our eye on him, for sure.”
Back in 2018, Ramsey took a flamethrower to quarterbacks across the NFL – Allen included. He called the Bills QB “trash,” and even though the two have squared off since then, it remains in the back of a lot of people’s minds.
Just not Allen’s.
“That was so long ago, that’s really a non-factor in my opinion,” Allen said via LocalSYR.com. “He’s been a great player in this league for a long time, and he’s only gotten better. He’s a problem we’re going to have to deal with.”
Stefon Diggs on Jalen Ramsey
Although the Rams haven’t been sticking Ramsey on their opponent’s No. 1 receiver, he’ll certainly line up across from Diggs at least a few times on Sunday.
Diggs doesn’t see that as a reason for Allen to shy away from Ramsey, but he also doesn’t want him to force the ball, either.
“He’s damn good, everybody knows that,” Diggs said, via the Buffalo News. “As far as shying away, it’s football. At the end of the day, we don’t really shy away in anything. I would just say trust in Josh, trust in Josh’s decision making. Each play is going to be big because he’s been playing some good football, and we trust him to make decisions and put the ball wherever it needs to go. Just taking what the defense gives you. You don’t want to reach for anything or try to force anything. You’re just going to take what they give you and let the game come to you.”
Sean McDermott on Jalen Ramsey
McDermott coached against Ramsey when Jalen was with the Jaguars, but he’s in a new scheme now with the Rams. He has confidence in Diggs to win those matchups with Ramsey, but he also knows it’s going to be a back-and-forth battle all day.
“Jalen Ramsey’s a heck of a player,” McDermott said, via the Rams’ official site. “You know how I feel about Stefon Diggs, so those are good matchups. Those are fun to watch. We’ve got a lot of respect for Jalen. Went up against him a time or two there in Jacksonville, and now again that he’s with the Rams here, should be a good matchup to watch.”
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