Peter King

FMIA Week 1: On Cusp of Antonio Brown Addition, Patriots Roll Steelers and Tom Brady Says: ‘Let’s Go Do It’

I’ve got three observations about the Jared Goff contract:

• I get the raised eyebrows over paying Goff $110 million guaranteed, but consider that just before Sean McVay got his contract extension with the Rams in late July, McVay told Rams brass: I just want to be sure we’re going to extend Goff too. I want him around as long as I’m around. McVay is sure he can win with Goff, and, as transcendent a coaching talent as McVay is, you’ve got to trust him.

• The cap has gone up an average of $10.8 million a year over the past seven seasons. It is $188.2 million this year. Even though the cap could fluctuate wildly with the next CBA being negotiated now, let’s just assume $10.8 million growth per year on the NFL cap. That would mean Goff’s cap numbers would take up these percentages of the Rams’ salary cap over the next six years, starting with 2019: 3.0 percent, 17.2 percent, 14.7 percent, 13.2 percent, 12.4 percent, 10.3 percent. The Rams usually don’t let star players play to the end of their contracts. Even if the last year ends up being rolled into a new deal, it’s a big plus if your quarterback, in his prime, is taking up 13.2 and 12.4 percent of the team’s cap, as Goff would at age 28 and 29.

• Please, please, please: Understand that the money quarterbacks make is monopoly money, and consider the percentage of the cap and not the raw dollars, because the percentage of the cap is all that truly matters.

trey wingo@wingoz
Rams are now 14-3 on the road since 2017…. by far best in the NFL

==

Brett Kollmann@BrettKollmann
There’s like five teams that I think could MAYBE beat the Patriots right now on a neutral field, and it’s only because their head coaches aren’t completely spineless in big moments.

1. Eagles
2. Chiefs
3. Rams
4. Ravens
5. Saints

Everyone else…we’ll see you in 2020.

==

𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥🏈@NFL_Journal
Most FGs, 56 yards or more, NFL hist

Sebastian Janikowski, 8
Mason Crosby, 6
Greg Zuerlein, 6 (one today)
Marr Prater, 5

—

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Aaron Donald finished Sunday with 1 tackle and 1 quarterback hit. “I’m just not satisfied, I’m just not happy,” he said after the game, visibly frustrated. “That’s just the way I am, so I just have to keep working.”

“I tried to tell everyone he looks exactly the same and no one wanted to believe me. I started him in fantasy this week.” — Jared Goff on Todd Gurley, after Gurley rushed for 97 yards in 14 carries against the Panthers

Rams QB Jared Goff struggled on his deep connection today. Goff was 0-of-5 on throws at least 15 yards downfield, including an interception in the 4th quarter.

but I thought the dragon-scenes ultimately failed because of the plot-visuals.

The only smaug scene I like is the one I post, with the encounter between him and Bilbo. I don’t think that one fits your description. The rest was made up goofy nonsense (like him chasing the dwarfs around).

“Rams DT Aaron Donald… is off to another slow start. Shut out Sunday, Donald has been held sackless in all of his season debuts save the 2015 campaign. He has 7½ sacks in 16 career September games but averages .83 sacks per game for the balance of his career.” — @ByNateDavis https://t.co/AZGBL6YybX

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) September 9, 2019

Todd Gurley proves he’s ‘the same old Todd’ in Rams’ victory over Carolina

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/1194652/2019/09/08/todd-gurley-proves-hes-the-same-old-todd-in-rams-victory-over-carolina/

CHARLOTTE — It isn’t often that an NFL locker room turns into the couch on which people unload their inner-most feelings. Then again, Andrew Whitworth isn’t your typical football player, Todd Gurley isn’t an ordinary running back, and the rampant rumors Gurley had to endure about his injured left knee isn’t an ordeal Whitworth remembered a friend ever having to deal with.

These realities came crashing down on Whitworth, the Rams’ towering left tackle, as he stood at his locker late Sunday afternoon after the Rams’ 30-27 season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. In the fourth quarter, the Rams leaned heavily on Gurley, who responded with 64 of his 97 yards rushing. Forty-one of them came on a decisive, seven-play, 57-yard touchdown drive for a 30-20 lead. He then carried two times for 12 yards to pick up a key first down that helped burn the Panthers’ final timeout and allowed the Rams to run out the clock.

Gurley’s clutch running was exactly what the Rams’ offense needed after a bit of a sputtering start to the 2019 season behind quarterback Jared Goff, who was unable to find a consistent throwing rhythm. With the passing game limited and the Panthers mounting a late comeback, the Rams desperately needed Gurley to move the chains and run the clock.

He delivered.

“Four-minute situation. Get a first down. Get out of here. Go back to L.A. with the win” is how Gurley explained it.

It was much more than that, of course, given everything that’s transpired since last December after Gurley went down with a knee injury and missed the last two games of the regular season. He returned a shell of himself while disappearing in the NFC championship game and the Super Bowl. The doubts about his health set off a wild offseason in which Gurley’s days as one of the NFL’s best running backs were deemed over.

Everywhere, that is, but within the Rams family.

“I tried to tell everyone he looks exactly the same and no one wanted to believe me,” Goff said.

Or as right tackle Rob Havenstein told The Athletic: “I didn’t hear a thing. I didn’t hear the rumors. I heard what I saw on the field. And that was just a guy that was preparing. Running hard. Getting his body right. And that goes right to the heart of who Todd really is.”

Gurley’s offseason was filled with speculation about his wounded left knee putting his career in jeopardy, as well as reports about him suffering from arthritis or a degenerative left knee that potentially could prevent him from being the same player again. With his jaw clenched tightly, he quietly went about the business of reworking his body and mindset in order to silence the noise once and for all.

And he responded the best way possible: with his actions.

“It makes me emotional just thinking about it,” Whitworth told The Athletic, his eyes intense and piercing. “What he’s been through. What people have said about him. It pisses you off. You want nothing but the best for him. And to see him go out today and play and show why he is who he is, it makes me so proud.”

“Because let’s be real,” Whitworth continued. “There’s not many people in the world, much less sports or anywhere, that can handle that kind of pressure. It’s hard when people are pointing at you and everything they’ve said or gone with. The topics they ran with. To handle it the way he’s handled it, what a great example for young kids. For everybody, really.”

By no means was Sunday a vintage Gurley performance. He has had monster games before — record-breaking performances that took our breath away en route to the Rookie of the Year Award and NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors — and that certainly wasn’t the case against the Panthers.

The manner in which he was used on Sunday — deliberately paced with light action early, heavy action late — figures to be the new norm. The Rams have enacted a load management program to preserve Gurley for the long haul of this regular season and many more to follow.

He had 14 carries, well below his regular usage rates, and played approximately 70 percent of the Rams’ snaps, far less than the 86 percent he participated in last year. To make up the difference, backup running back Malcolm Brown got 11 carries for 53 yards while alternating series with Gurley through most of the first half.

But it’s worth mentioning this isn’t in response to an existing injury. It’s a proactive approach in order to maintain the highest level of Gurley for as long as possible. That version of Gurley eluded the Rams last year when overuse throughout the early part of the season wore him down later in the year. That, combined with Gurley taking some big hits in early December against the Eagles, led to a prolonged healing process that hobbled him into the playoffs and Super Bowl. Ultimately, it led to the rampant speculation he was damaged goods and a player on the decline.

The Rams understood the cause and effect of riding Gurley as hard as they have the last few years, and they were determined to alter their approach. And so a plan was developed going all the way back to OTAs in which Gurley would practice less — and differently — and, as we saw on Sunday, be used in games in a way that keeps the big picture in mind as much as the immediate goals.

Whitworth himself has been the beneficiary of a practice-and-preparation process designed to prolong rather than exhaust. He understands it better than anyone.

“The reality is … from the moment he’s been here, he’s been a workhorse,” Whitworth said of Gurley. “People have pounded him. Us included. You know what, keeping him on the field that long and keeping him to where he’s getting that many touches … it’s tough. On anybody. So the reality is, there’s been some overuse there. So it’s time to find ways, as I’ve found out in my career, you find other ways to really prepare yourself outside of it always having to be about football.

“Not all of us are quarterbacks (who aren’t) always touched or stressed. To go through the actual physicality that a (running) back takes, that a lineman takes, a tight end even —snap in and snap out — that’s a hard thing to do. So to start finding ways to prolong your career is important. But it also takes a work ethic, too. Because nobody is standing there telling you (that) you have to have it. There’s no peer pressure with guys around you. You’re on your own a lot of times in those situations. So hats off to him with the way he’s been able to handle it.”

But again, it’s worth reiterating that the Rams’ plan isn’t to protect a wounded Gurley. It’s to preserve a healthy Gurley. That important point seems to have been missed. And his performance in the fourth quarter on Sunday should quiet the talk that Todd Gurley is no longer Todd Gurley. The Rams have known the truth for some time now.

“We were seeing the stuff you guys weren’t,” guard Austin Blythe told The Athletic. “Especially in camp. He looked awesome. His speed through the holes. His cuts. We knew what he had, that he was the same old Todd.”

“We always knew it,” Havenstein said. “You could have asked me that last year, two years ago. Three, four years ago when he came into the league. That guy is a dog and always will be. The way he is as a person, a player, a teammate, you see it in practice. You see it after a win like today or after a conditioning period. You know who he is, what you are going to get. The guy is an incredible talent and an even better person.”

And in the often hard world that is an NFL locker room, Gurley’s response left the biggest Rams player of them all a bit emotional.

“You know, there’s different ways to deal with stuff like that, with adversity,” Whitworth said. “But the best way, really, is don’t talk about it. But when you get your opportunity, go show who you are. Todd did that today. And I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

“Preaseason Gm #1” complete for Todd Gurley pic.twitter.com/HAlISltOtH

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 9, 2019

Solid jump-stop by Gurley to cut behind interior block. pic.twitter.com/gamixMP8ss

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 9, 2019

Speed_Kills

Rams opened in shot gun and 4 WRs. They came in guns blazing trying to get after what McVay thought was a favorable matchup against the Panthers secondary. Problem was Goff was off. I originally thought it was nerves but he actually just wasn’t sharp all game. They ran very little jet or play action in the first half.

However in the second half they opened with back to back play action passes that got them 2 big chunk first downs to Cooks. Basically the play action and deep dgig to Cooks back to back. From there the run game got going and it never looked back. The Rams as you know don’t run a ton of different run plays but today they ran several pitches and draws in addition to the signature outside zone plays. When Goff has play action he does better than when there isn’t.

They did not run much at all in the first half but certainly Brown was more effective of the two. Gurley has a knee issue and IMO it showed today too but the second half he had a ton more room and broke off some huge chunk runs as a result

Max

It was 95 degrees in direct sun beating down on us. Had to be brutal for the guys traveling 3 time zones.

We got the win because the Cam was worse than Goff. Goff just played smarter, but he didn’t look decisive. Even in pregame warmups, he was uncharacteristicly inaccurate. My son said Goff is missing guys badly. It carried over into the game especially early.

CMc is amazing to watch close up. What an athlete. He looked better than Gurley. Gurley is not the same guy I saw in NY in 2017. Not yet.

I’ve seen enough of Reynolds. He’s one of those guys with size and ability but I’ll never trust. He’s gone next year, bet on it.

I think we caught a break playing Cam week one. Our DBs especially Talib, were rusty. Tackling was not sharp.

From the field it looked like Goff had enough time but wasn’t decisive. Just looked a beat slow. But they weren’t giving us the deep ball at all.

Noteboom has the best feet of any of our OL. Noticeably quicker and ligher than Whitworth, and even more so than Hav. Watching them in pregame warmups, Noteboom really stood out. Allen looks like a fire hydrant. He got bull rushed a bit.

Bottom line, we won a game that very good teams win on the road in less than ideal conditions

Todd Gurley starts slow, finishes strong despite splitting carries https://t.co/eFws3R8jMc via @theramswire

— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) September 8, 2019

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Ball security issues. Miscues in all phases of special teams. Game management missteps. And you still win on the road, in victory formation. Take it every time.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Sean McVay just said Eric Weddle is in the concussion protocol. Update coming tomorrow.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“Cam is a readable guy,” – Rams LB Cory Littleton on what he saw when he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Unofficially, I had Todd Gurley on the field for 51 of the Rams’ 72 plays. That’s 70.8 percent, compared to 86.0 in 2018 and 81.4 in 2017. Of course, there is no “typical game.” I’ll try to get more into that later.

My margin for error on that 51 is about 2 or 3 plays. The official stats will be posted late tonight, most likely.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“Man I’m glad we won that!” Sean McVay exclaims after he walked off the podium following his new conference.

Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
The Rams are now 14-3 on the road during the regular season under Sean McVay.

NFL Research@NFLResearch
Christian McCaffrey is 1 of 5 players with 10+ receptions and 120+ rushing yards in a single game in the Super Bowl era. @run__cmc is the first player to do so in 2 career games.

Thank you, @Ty_Higs19! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6CJtkYS1Td

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 8, 2019

snackdaddy

Personally, I don’t think Gurley should be on a pitch count for this game, or the next. They’re trying to win games. I don’t believe there will be a problem early in the season. Its late in the season where they need to be prudent. I think the off season, preseason and in season management will go a long way to avoiding the issues. Less strenuous work in mid week practices and things like that. Gear the workouts to avoid putting too much stress on the knees.

https://www.therams.com/news/mcvay-chasing-history-matchups-to-watch-and-more-for-rams-vs-panthers

When they kick off Week One, the Rams will have been in sole possession of first place in the NFC West for 672 consecutive days and have held at least a share of the top spot for 728.