NEW YORK (AP) - The NFL is looking to eliminate the hip-drop tackle and will again discuss the "tush push" in the offseason.

League executive Jeff Miller said Tuesday the hip-drop tackle increases risk of injury by 25 times the rate of a standard tackle.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith briefly left a game against the Giants in Week 4 after getting hurt by a hip-drop tackle.

"It is an unforgiving behavior and one that we need to try to define and get out of the game," Miller said at the league meetings. "To quantify it for you, we see an injury more or less every week in the regular season on the hip-drop."

The league made the horse-collar tackle illegal several years ago because a defender’s body weight ends up on the legs of the ball carrier, enhancing risk of injury. Rich McKay, the chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, called the hip-drop tackle a "cousin" of the horse collar.

"What’s happening on the hip-drop is the defender is encircling tackling the runner and then swinging their weight and falling on the side of their leg, which is their ankle or their knee," McKay said.

"When they use that tactic, you can see why they do, because it can be a smaller man against a bigger man and they’re trying to get that person down because that’s the object of the game. But when they do it, the runner becomes defenseless. They can’t kick their way out from under. And that’s the problem. That’s where the injury occurs. You see the ankle get trapped underneath the weight of the defender."

The league is gathering data and conducting a study on the hip-drop to make a determination. McKay understands defensive players won’t be happy if another way to tackle is banned.

"Whether it’s a tactic that’s being used or a technique, it’s creating an unreasonable risk of injury to a player," McKay said. "It’s our job to try to find a way to regulate that."

As for the "tush push" — the quarterback sneak the Philadelphia Eagles have used so successfully — the play has been legal in the NFL since 2005 when the league removed the language in the rule book that prohibited pushing offensive players.

No team has taken advantage of it quite like the Eagles under coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts. In short-yardage situations, Hurts gets an assist when two or three players line up in the backfield and push him across the first-down marker.

There was a discussion about potentially banning the play after last season, but the NFL’s competition committee didn’t come up with a rule to be put to a vote that would prohibit it.

"There’ll be more data, whether there’s injuries or not, there will be success rates, there will be teams that will have an opinion," McKay said, noting it takes 24 votes to push a new rule.

"Last year, we did talk about it a lot. There were enough teams to say it’s one year, let’s see it and leave it alone. So we did, and I’m sure it’ll be back again. But I just don’t want to get in the business of predicting because I really don’t know what the outcome will be. I do know it will be talked about."

Before I get to my main point, let me stress... I'm a fan of Kyren Williams. I love his attitude, his approach to the game, his enthusiasm, and his well-rounded skill set. I'm disappointed that, after the best game of his career, he's now shelved due to an ankle injury.

That said, I'm not worried that this will drastically impact the Rams' running game.

Before last week's game against the Cardinals, Williams' numbers were pretty pedestrian. He was averaging 59.6 yards per game with a 3.9 yards/carry average. Then, in the second half last week, he exploded for 154 yards on 18 carries. Amazing numbers, no doubt, but I'd assert it wasn't all about Williams. Certainly, his efforts should not be ignored, but I also think that two very big factors were McVay's willingness to truly commit to running the ball, and the offensive line (with help from the WRs and TEs) opening up big holes.

If the Rams continue the commitment to the run like they did in the second half of last week's game, I believe they can find success with whichever of the four RB candidates (Zach Evans, Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson, Myles Gaskin) ends up being the RB1 (kind of hoping its Evans, who I see as the guy with the most upside potential). The Rams are facing the Steelers, who are currently allowing 143.8 rushing yards/game (29th) and 4.76 yards/carry (27th). They can't abandon the run like they did against the Bengals (also a statistically poor defense against the run), when they ran the ball only 12 times and allowed the opposing pass rush to tee off on Stafford.

Keep running, Sean!

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New Orleans Saints: 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video


ROD Sportsbook:

I think a lot of us are looking at next year as a legit SB run year. But this year is hugely important because it sets the table for 2024 and beyond. We have all wondered what would this team be without Stafford, Kupp and Donald. This year we got that answer. Nacua has been an understudy for Kupp for years, not just this year and it shows in how he plays. I view him as Kupp v2.0. Turner probably won't reach the heights of Donald, but he's showing that he can be a very able force on the IDL and worthy of being Donald's successor at DT. Young is proving he's the real deal an able followon to Leonard Floyd. In fact I think he will become better. Young has elite traits and an outstanding work ethic. IMO he will prove to be an absolute steal in the third round.

Avila has pro bowl written all over his highlights this year. He's a foundational OG for years to come. Shelton is looking like the guy I watched at UW for years. Smart, mobile and aggressive. Dotson looks to be playing better than he did in Pittsburgh. They played him at LG but he looks like a good fit at RG. So the IOL looks good for years to come. The old school way of OL building was from inside out. Havenstein is nearing his end as the starting RT. Jackson looks good so far but his inconsistencies show so the jury is still out. By the end of the season we will know if he is indeed the franchise LT.

Witherspoon is 28 so he's got another full contract in him. He's played outstanding so far. I think Shelley is the real deal at SCB as well. Both Lake and Yeast are outplaying their draft positions and I think they will be the safeties going forward.

Ethan Evans is a keeper. He's good now but will get better as he develops. IMO the jury is still out on Maher. He's got the leg, Even Zuerlein was only 80% between 40 - 49 yards. So far Maher has been better than Zuerlein.

There is a lot to like about this team. Coaching wise, Wendell is proving himself to be a good OL coach. Pleasant has the secondary playing better than they have in two years. I would have no reservations if he gets promoted to DC, whether or not Raheem gets a HC gig. I'm not overly happy with Blackburn's STs but they can still turn it around. This team is ready to make a run this year and into the future. If the Rams can grab a QB1 of the future in the next draft they will be set for a long time to come. The next draft will be deep in good QBs. Obviously there will be a run to grab Penix and my assessment of Sanders has really cooled the deeper I get into him. His biggest flaw is his immaturity.

After watching Bo Nix play the Huskies, my opinion of him has really improved. He was good at Auburn but he's better now. Right now he looks to be draft slotted probably 9-13. In the Washington game I could see him going through his progressions and his overall all mechanics though occasionally inconsistent have improved. I really loved what I saw in him. I could easily see the Rams targeting him in the draft. He would be a fit for McVay's offense if given a year to develop behind Stafford.

The Rams need to win at the very least two out of these next three games to remain competitive. They need to have balance with the run and the pass, I don't want to see McVay get pass happy again. Evans is going to need to be productive for this team to continue be successful. The next three games all appear to be winnable if the Rams/Mcvay are able to maintain some balance on offense.

This Rams team has exceeded all expectations I think it’s fair to say.

Snead had a helluva draft by any reasonable measure with all 14 picks making the 53, so kudos to Les for setting the stage.

And all the credit in the world for the various players for the effort, study, and hard work to get themselves to where they are already with even better things to come quite likely.

But at some point I think we should recognize that these collective Ram assistants are maximizing the talents and player results on the field.

Too many to name here but one only needs to look in any direction and see units exceeding all reasonable expectations.

RB
OL
WR
Edge (just look at how Young is coming along)
DL
CB (yes, CB given the turnover and youth)
S
ST

Lots of unsung hero’s amongst this coaching staff, imo.

McVay does have a few warts but I’ve gotta say this for him. One of his several superpowers is the ability to hire outstanding assistant coaches when given time and before they’re all picked over (like after the SB season).

This is an easy player and coaching roster to root for, that’s for sure.

Apparently we signed Myles Gaskin RB off the Viqueens practice squad.

He has talent, he’s had time to learn the system, and now he’ll have an opportunity.

Watch his college highlights…if he can translate his skillset to the NFL, the Rams could have an exciting 1-2 punch when Kyren Williams returns.
Login to view embedded media View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N7JVJ5Lg8lo&pp=ygUVemFjaCBldmFucyBoaWdobGlnaHRz

Derion Kendrick was arrested this morning. Cops found a gun in his car.

Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick was reportedly arrested this morning on a felony gun charge.

Kendrick was pulled over for a traffic violation early this morning in Los Angeles and a gun was found in his car, according to TMZ.com. Kendrick was booked at 2:14 a.m. on a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon and remains in custody this afternoon.

Buoyed by the fact the Rams are 3-3 and except for some egregious officiating calls their record could be much better it's still better than many on this board expected back in August. One thing I've always felt is that sometimes being a wildcard is better than being the division winner. That was proved in the 2021 season. Unless you are seeded 1 or 2 being the top wildcard is far better than being ranked 3 or 4.

The Rams play well away. The fact that SoFi is usually a home/away game in terms of fan noise, the benefit is that the Rams fare better as an away team than many other teams. So don't think that not being the division winner is not good, when in fact it may or may not be the case. IMO seeds 1, 2 and 5 are the best playoff slots to be in.

So looking at the number 5 spot it's clear the Rams need to beat the Seahawks, Cowboys, Packers, Saints and Commodes if nothing else than for seeding purposes. I'm not saying being the division winner is a bad thing, only being a wildcard is often underrated. The Rams are really fortunate to play all of the above potential rivals for playoff seeding considerations. Every one of those games is winnable.

This is why IMO the Ram's playoff run begins next Sunday. A whole lot of you probably thought that this prospect was out of reach this year. But look at the way this team is beginning to play. They simply need to put it all together and this is a good team and not the loser the media predicted. Both Purdy and Geno came back to reality on Sunday. I wish you could see how big my grin is right now.

Probably mentioned in the game thread but how can they take a sack away from AD?

Dobbs had no chance to throw on that play, as AD was in the backfield so quick....so he was going to try to run to evade AD.

Should be a sack!

Hopefully, McVay has learned his lesson on maintaining a balanced attack. If so, then this O can be downright potent.

‘Fixing’ the running game playcalling might have been the last missing puzzle piece.

Williams is a better back than I was giving him credit for. Hell, much better, tbh. He was a beast in that 2nd half and the entire team fed off of him. I think Rams are onto something with KW. Sure, the blocking was terrific but KW was getting still more on top of that. Very impressive.

Upgrading that OL this offseason and adding size and physicality was brilliant. That, plus the Wendell hire might have been the single biggest and best offseason move. Now all things are possible on O.

Don’t look now, but I think this OL is just gonna keep getting better and better. Many pundits failed to recognize how much Rams upgraded their OL and how important that was. Now look at the egg on their face. Lol.

This last Snead draft is looking better and better these days, huh? Might be an All Timer. Promising rookies everywhere.

The Witherspoon and Dotson signings are looking pretty darned smart, too.

Rams still are weak at one edge and I still consider Kendrick a ticking penalty time bomb but even I have to love the results on D this week. 9 points allowed? And 3 of those were gifted by that Trammel fumble. Wow! Can you imagine this D after the addition of a quality Edge and solidifying CB next offseason?

So many youngsters are already contributing and there are several others waiting in the wings for their opportunities. Rams future looks bright, especially considering the improved cap situation next year.

ST are looking downright solid lately, don’t you think? Evans and Maher keep improving, Trammel has flashed as a returner (fumble notwithstanding) and coverage units seem to be doing their job.

Bottom line, I now more than ever feel that this Ram team can be a legit wild card playoff candidate. That’s a great feeling in a rebuild year.

Rivers exited the Rams's game versus the Cardinals on Sunday with a knee injury, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports. Rivers is questionable to return after logging three carries for nine yards and catching his only target for an additional four yards. Zach Evans should now see more playing time behind Kyren Williams if Rivers is unable to return.

Sometimes, stats just don't seem to go together.

Here's an example...

The Rams are 7th in the NFL with a 76.7 passer rating allowed, and third in the NFL with a 56.9 completion percentage allowed.

They are also 28th in sacks per game (1.7) and 29th in sack percentage (4.67).

Clearly, the DBs have been doing a pretty good job, and you have to give a shout out to the defensive coaching staff as well. To maintain this level of effectiveness against the pass with what could only be described as an unproductive pass rush is noteworthy.

So, if the Rams are looking for one move that could make a huge difference in their playoff push, clearly that move would be the acquisition of a quality pass rusher.

The Rams are constrained by the cap, of course, and I don't think anyone here is looking to simply rent a player for the balance of this year, or to give up a future first round pick.

That said, if the Rams could make a move for a guy who could add some punch to the pass rush within their "budget," that could turn our pass defense from good to great.

Get to work, Les!

Monday, October 16, 2023

Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

ROD Sportsbook:

Am I the only one that still feels like we owe the Steelers a good ass kicking for that 31-19 SB loss?

If you looked at the first-half box score from Sunday’s game, you’d have thought the Los Angeles Rams were down 20 points. They only ran the ball three times for a total of 5 yards, completely abandoning the ground game against the Arizona Cardinals for the first 30 minutes.

When a team goes away from the run that drastically, it’s usually because they’re playing from behind and trying to come back. But for the Rams, they never trailed by more than six points, yet Sean McVay refused to run the ball.

Something obviously changed at halftime because on the opening drive of the third quarter, the Rams ran the ball eight straight times and that sequence of plays couldn’t have worked out much better than it did.

• 17-yard run by Kyren Williams
• 6-yard run by Williams
• 14-yard run by Williams
• 10-yard run by Williams
• 6-yard run by Ronnie Rivers
• 2-yard run by Rivers
• 6-yard run by Williams
• 1-yard loss by Williams

In total, the Rams gained 60 yards on those eight run plays, moving the ball methodically down the field and scoring on their 10th play of the possession, a 13-yard touchdown by Cooper Kupp.

It begs the question of what led to the dramatic philosophy shift coming out of the break. Sean McVay shed a little light on the subject after the game when asked what was said to his players in the locker room.

“What would you guess?” he said with a smirk, eliciting laughs in the media room.

Kidding aside, McVay said it came down to wanting the offensive line to impose its will and get going downhill rather than playing with more finesse in pass protection when they’re forced to retreat and react rather than setting the tone.

In the first half, McVay essentially admitted the Rams felt they had to abandon the run based on what the Cardinals were showing pre-snap, leading to some audibles and a pass-heavy attack. But in the second half, he didn’t let Arizona dictate what the Rams were going to do on offense.

“We got talked out of some things that we didn’t necessarily need to and wanted to be able to set their pads and be able to go downhill,” he said. “I think it was a great mixture of things that they were able to allow us to get off. And you had some explosive runs. When you’re able to have 10, 17 and then the 30-yard hit, I mean, those are big-time deals and it was awesome. But their execution is what enabled us to be able to do that. Really proud of those guys.”

After rushing for only 5 yards on three carries in the first half, the Rams gained 174 yards on 25 carries in the second half. It’s the most rushing yards in any half during McVay’s head-coaching tenure, which shows how impressive the finish to the game was.

Williams was obviously at the center of it all, rushing for a total of 158 yards and a touchdown in the win, scoring the touchdown that served as the knockout blow by putting the Rams up 23-9 midway through the fourth quarter. But he was certainly helped by the offensive line, too, including right guard Kevin Dotson.

After the game, Dotson told Adam Grosbard of the OC Register that he wants the Rams to lean on the run first before going to the pass when it doesn’t work.

“It’s the best. Because we as offensive linemen are getting tired, but, ‘Do it again,’ because we know that benefits the whole team if we can run it,” Dotson said. “I believe that should be our first option before we start passing, really test the run. Just see how they deal with it.”

It was a complete team effort on Sunday, with the defense allowing zero touchdowns and the offense putting up 20 points in the second half. But the offensive line and the rushing attack were the biggest difference in the game.

1. Now that's more like it!!!*

2. *For the final 30:43, that is!

3. There were definitely some execution issues with the offense in the first half, but I have to give some credit to the Cardinals. They clearly game planned well to take away some of the Rams' bread and butter passing plays. It was frustrating to watch.

4. Then, with 43 seconds to go in the half, the Rams complete a 49 yard bomb to set up a field goal that created some really positive momentum. Was that deja vu of the big completion against Tampa in the Divisional Round two years ago or what?

5. Then, in the second half, the Rams came out an absolutely ran the ball down the Cardinals' throats! I love the elegance and excitement of a dynamic passing game as much as the next guy, but that really appealed to my love of old school football. Somewhere in the heavens, Chuck Knox was smiling.

6. Can't say enough about Kyren Williams. He showed a level of patience, vision, and power that I have not seen from him. 20 carries for 158 yards (almost all in the second half) and TD. Awesome. He is my clear cut Offensive Player of the Week.

7. Cooper Kupp had a great game as well. 7 receptions for 148 yards and a TD. He is almost impossible to cover one on one.

8. Kyren and Cooper both tweaked ankles today. Hope they're both okay. Get those ice baths ready, because we're going to need these guys going forward.

9. Give the defense credit. Apart from a couple of Dobbs runs, they kept the game in control when the offense was finding its feet, then came up with two big turnovers to keep the Cardinals from getting back into the game when the Rams took a lead.

10. My Defensive Player of the Week is Aaron Donald. In the first half, he was key with 3 TFLs, and provided pressure all afternoon (including a sack nullified by a ticky tack facemask penalty on Michael Hoecht).

11. Speaking of Hoecht, it looked like he hurt his arm/elbow in the second half. If he has a significant injury, [INSERT TRADE SPECULATION HERE].

12. Byron Young is going to be a great player. He's already very good.

13. McVay just said he thinks Kyren "should be good" despite tweaking his ankle (these thoughts aren't only random, they're real time!)

14. The offensive line must have really loved being able to showcase their run blocking, and they didn't disappoint.

15. Its nice to see some "no name" defenders, such as Jonah Williams (2 TFL, 1 sack, 2 QB hits) and Christian Rozeboom (big INT!) making plays.

16. Matthew Stafford wasn't the headliner today, but he made some really nice throws, including the bomb to Kupp, a beauty to Tutu Atwell, and the TD to Kupp.

17. Puka Nacua had a quiet day on the stat sheet (and failed to reel in a TD opportunity), but McVay praised his run blocking. He's really become a big part of this team very quickly.

18. Six games in... .500 record... in the thick of the playoff chase. The team is really justifying our faith and loyalty.

19. Good luck to Sean and Veronika McVay, who may be parents by the time the Rams kick off their next game.

20. Aaron, Cooper, Matthew... lots of great name choices for baby-boy McVay!

RAMS WIN, RAMS WIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!! I was wrong to doubt them! Defense played outstanding to allow less than ten points.

Step by Step? You mean Three's Company.

Thanks for any help.

I. Want. Kris Abrams-Draine. A pick against Kentucky (and one wiped out on a penalty, so it could've easily been two). Four interceptions and nine pass breakups on the season. Perfect coverage. Brady Cook has his favorite targets in Luther Burden III (who is still only a true sophomore) and Theo Wease (former five-star Oklahoma transfer). Brett Norfleet (6'6" 245 lbs. true freshman tight end) and Marquis Johnson (speed demon true freshman wide receiver/returner) are part of a very bright future on offense, and that's not even mentioning that Brady Cook is still only a junior, and we have Sam Horn ready to take his place when Cook eventually leaves.

And then you have the defense. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. wasn't starting, but then Dreyden Norwood came up with a huge forced fumble. Ty-Ron Hopper all over the place at middle linebacker. And while we lack a truly elite starting lineman, we have a lot of very good ones, and have the number one defensive end recruit in the country next year in Williams Nwaneri (the highest ranked recruit we've gotten since Luther Burden III) coming in, along with a very good and very young defensive backfield.

We are going to be players in the SEC East for some time, and if we play this way in all of our SEC games, I can see us upsetting everyone except Georgia (yes, even Tennessee).

Sunday October 15, 2023

Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams: 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox​

Game Day Thread

The GDT is a live thread tradition here at ROD.

While we all get fired up watching the game, please remember our core principles;we always show respect for our team and each other.

Despite the emotional highs and lows watching a game, we will moderate this thread with that in mind, however please refrain from name calling. This applies to players, the Rams organization, and others.

This is the core rule of the GDT. Moderators are tasked to issue thread bans, at a minimum, to maintain this standard.

This is our team. Win or lose. Good days and bad. We are here for FUN, not to be dragged down.

A more loosely moderated atmosphere can be found in the chat room.

Go Rams!

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ROD Chat Room;

Game Day Room

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