🔊"Gerald Everett caught over the shoulder…at the 10…tip toes the sideline…TOUCHDOWN LA!"

Listen to @JB_Long on the home of the @RamsNFL, ESPNLA 710!
(📹: @NFL) pic.twitter.com/lpvf9iazJT

— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) November 21, 2018

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams injury report for Week 17 finale vs. Cardinals:

RB Darrell Henderson (Ankle) – OUT
CB Jalen Ramsey (Knee) – OUT
CB Troy Hill (Thumb) – DOUBTFUL

Everyone else expected to go against Cardinals.

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
McVay, speaking generally, about financial considerations affecting roster. “You’d love to see everyone get paid, you’d love to be able to keep everybody. Unfortunately, that’s not real and that’s not realistic.”

"Classic drop-back passer."

Bill Belichick shows you one of the greatest QBs to ever throw the ball in Johnny Unitas #NFL100

📺: NFL 100 All-Time Team pic.twitter.com/Yngq3er6NQ

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 28, 2019

Nice cover 3 mable beater from McVay.

Play action with 6-man pass pro. ILB has to pick up the crosser. ILB anticipates where the crosser will be so WR stops in hole in the zone. pic.twitter.com/9G6R9ay2Ju

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) December 28, 2019

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – – Dec. 27, 2019

(On if DT Michael Brockers and T Andrew Whitworth will play on Sunday)
“They both will. They were both full today. They’re feeling good and they’ll be ready to go.”

(On today’s practice being his last practice with this year’s team and if he viewed it as just another practice or if he took a moment)
“And we’ll walk-thru. The way the guys have worked consistently is a great representation of kind what we said all along. There’s been a consistent demeanor, a consistent work ethic, and I think that’s a credit to these players. They want to have a good performance, they want to finish this thing off the right way, and they’re putting themselves in a position to do that. That’s what’s been encouraging, not surprising, you’re just appreciative of it.”

(On LB Cory Littleton’s growth from an undrafted free agent to ranking at the top of the list for tackles in the league)
“He’s been really impressive. I think when you just look at the trajectory of his career, where he came in, made a name for himself on teams. He still is continuing to do a great job when (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) ‘Bones’ asked his to contribute, especially just his knack for blocking punts. As soon as he stepped into a leadership role on the defensive side – playing that ‘MIKE’ linebacker – what that positions entails, and then being able to really stay on the field on all three downs. He’s a truly complete player. You look at what he was great at, at (the University of) Washington in terms of rushing, but he’s great in coverage, he can tackle, he can go sideline-to-sideline, you can utilize him as a rusher where you get him good matchups on backs and things like that. He attacks the football. He’s truly been a complete player. He’s definitely earned the right to be mentioned amongst some of the really good football players and some of the best inside linebackers in this league and that’s what we feel like he is.”

(On if it gets frustrating for him as a coach when players he wants to keep have to be let go due to financial considerations)
“That’s something that you learn. It’s about working through and figuring out, ‘All right, based on what we do have, how can we make it work?’ I think the tough thing is, you want to see all of these players get rewarded accordingly because the work and some of the things that you go through together. It’s so awesome to see these guys get rewarded, be able to take care of their families. You’d love to see everyone get paid, you’d love to be able to keep everybody. Unfortunately, that’s not real and that’s not realistic. If these guys are getting rewarded, that still is something you can take a lot of pride in. You’d always love to be able to retain your own guys. As you’re continuing to kind of navigate through what’s the best way to shape out our roster, given the financials and all those types of things, those are things that you work through. Frustrating, but something that you have to deal with, and everybody has to deal with that.”

Which NFL teams are likely to move on from their head coaches this season?@AlbertBreer runs down potential openings and potential surprises https://t.co/sItBafCW58

— The MMQB (@theMMQB) December 27, 2019

zn wrote:

goff: a couple of beautiful back-to-back dimes including a crucial 3rd and 8

That 2nd pass was a classic Goff beauty.

…

aeneas1

goff: a couple of beautiful back-to-back dimes including a crucial 3rd and 8

It’s amazing how long Larry Fitzgerald has played at a high level. I remember reading a quote where he said Rams Ron Bartell is one of toughest Corners he’s ever played. In the prime of Fitz career I always thought Bartell matched up against him good as anyone in the league pic.twitter.com/etbFZPbp8L

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) December 27, 2019

ESPN Los Angeles@ESPNLosAngeles
McVay: “The only thing we can do is finish the season right way against the Cardinals… but we gotta figure out how to just be more consistent on all three phases.”

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
This being party season, if you end up at a get-together and get caught up in a conversation in which someone wonders aloud about how the @Rams can attract fans to SoFi Stadium drop this on them: The Rams are averaging more fans at the Coliseum this year than SoFi Stadium seats.

==

#LARams Thursday Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/uinqrl5y5v

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) December 27, 2019

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams DC Wade Phillips: “I enjoy coaching and I want to continue.”

Phillips acknowledges that he’s heard the rumors out there about his position with the Rams.

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Phillips on his evaluation of the Rams’ defense: “Some areas we’ve really done well, better than last year’s team – the run game, those kind of things overall. Yards per carry is way down from last year, but we didn’t get as many turnovers and that’s a key thing to me.”

Rams DC Wade Phillips: “I know it’s a sudden end when you know it’s the last game, but we’re still looking forward to this. We can still have a winning season. We’re playing on pride and character, and that’s two things I think we really have on this football team.”

Sosa K@QBsMVP
Brandin Cooks is by far having the worst year of his career:

– Only 58.2% catch percentage (2nd fewest)
– 2 TD’s (fewest)
– 8.1 yards/target (fewest)
– 41.8 yards/game (fewest)
– 29 first downs (2nd fewest)
– 39 receptions (fewest by far)

And this is in 13 games vs 10 as rookie

The Rams are gonna need a big bounceback season from Cooks in 2020. One thing to note: Goff missed Cooks down the field with good separation on at least 2-3 passes this season.

Gil Brandt@Gil_Brandt
Of all the non-playoff qualifiers this season, the Rams have to be considered the one with the brightest future.

PFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams
Tyler Higbee’s play in recent weeks has been otherworldly, proving to be not only a top receiving threat among TEs but WRs as well

In the last 5 weeks among all WR/TE (min 20 targets), he’s graded:
– 3rd in Receiving
– 6th in Overall Offense
– 6th in Fumble

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams HC Sean McVay on DL Michael Brockers (knee): He’ll be limited in practice, but they’ll be smart about it. Brockers’ ability, understanding of the defense would make them comfortable with him just taking mental reps in order to be as physically ready as possible for Sunday.

Brandon Lloyd only played 11 games as a ram but he sure brought the spectacular catch to the team. Here are his highlights against the Cardinals in 2011 pic.twitter.com/AXfTkM26ND

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) December 26, 2019

Rams’ Jared Goff takes encouragement and hard lessons from season

KEVIN MODESTI

link: https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/24/rams-jared-goff-takes-encouragement-and-hard-lessons-from-season/

THOUSAND OAKS — Jared Goff’s disappointing year is ending with an encouraging month.

After going all of November without a touchdown pass, the quarterback with the league-high $110 million guaranteed contract has been himself again in December and will take his best statistical stretch of the season into the Rams’ finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum.

It’s either one more example of the inconsistency that’s costing Goff and the Rams a chance to defend their NFC title, or a reason for hope that he and the coaches have found answers that will pay off in 2020.

“It’s better than finishing poorly,” Goff said Tuesday after a walk-through practice. “You always want to show you can bounce back and respond, not only personally but more so for our offense in general.”

Goff said his November slump, culminating with a rout by the Baltimore Ravens, highlighted what he needed to improve on.

“I just became a little bit more accurate and started playing a little better,” he said.

He added that this is “never a consolation” for a team’s lost season.

The contrast between Goff’s numbers this month and earlier in the season is striking, even if it’s easily overlooked because the Rams fell out of the playoff race in December while going 2-2, beating the Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks before losing to the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

In the past four games, Goff is completing 66.7% of his passes (up from 61.2% in the first 11 games), for 7.7 yards a throw (up from 7.3), 331 yards a game (up from 272) and 2.0 touchdowns a game (up from 1.0), and has been sacked 0.75 times a game (an improvement from 1.5). His interception rate of 1.0 (vs. 1.1) is about the same. It adds up to a passer rating of 95.7 this month (vs. 80.3 for the season’s first three months).

That’s the difference between the efficiency of the Rams’ passing game being bottom-10-quality for most of the season and top-10-quality recently.

The credit goes to more than Goff. More rollouts, and more play-action thanks to heavier use of running back Todd Gurley, have helped the offensive line to keep the heat off. The breakout month by Tyler Higbee, the first tight end since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to catch at least seven passes for at least 100 yards in four consecutive games, has given Goff another prime target.

“You knew they were going to figure it out (because) that’s what great coaches and players do,” said Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose team was the first to see the improved L.A. passing game when Goff had his highest-rated game in 2019 and the Rams won 34-7 in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 1.

“They’re a prideful group. They went back to the drawing board after that Baltimore game — you could see — and came back firing.”

There’s more to work on for Goff, 25, completing his fourth NFL season after signing a four-year contract extension in September worth $33.5 million a year.

In both the 44-21 loss to the Cowboys and the 34-31 loss to the 49ers, Goff threw damaging interceptions in the two minutes before halftime. The first set up the Dallas touchdown that made it 28-7, and the second was returned 46 yards by Fred Warner for the touchdown that gave San Francisco its first lead.

Goff said Tuesday the Warner interception is “one that will eat at me.” He said he didn’t see Warner when he threw a short second-down pass toward Malcolm Brown, but should have known the linebacker would be there and should have thrown the ball away.

Rams passing-game coordinator Shane Waldron praised Goff’s ability to learn from mistakes.

“Unfortunately we’ve had a few in those two-minute situations, where that quick reaction, if it doesn’t play out exactly the right way, then the next responsibility is to take care of the ball (and) find a throwaway,” Waldron said Tuesday. “It’s something he can learn from and keep learning from.”

The Rams (8-7) will need more months like this in 2020 from Goff and the rest of the offense. Without the errors, of course.

“You wish you could go back last week and not throw the interception at the end of the half, and finish with a touchdown (instead of a field goal) on that last drive (against the 49ers) and make it so that we are playing for something this week,” Goff said. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Whatever we did wasn’t good enough.

“But it was definitely on the ascending (path).”

Rams vs. Cardinals: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 17 https://t.co/XOAhB7bKfQ

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) December 26, 2019

The 1965 Rams did not play as well as they would have liked to but they finished the season strong finishing 3-1. Roman Gabriel and the Rams defense defeated the cardinals 27-3 in the LA coliseum! TE Billy Truax had a breakout game with the 59 yard touchdown pic.twitter.com/7FLZo4J7oO

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) December 26, 2019