anyone else watch the 4K broadcast of the game last night? It looked pretty sweet and the added bonus of no commercials...

Many people pointed to how lucky the Rams were last year in these three categories - we recovered an inordinate amount of our forced fumbles (and offensive fumbles), our opponents missed FGs at a rate that was kind of insane, and we rocked it in one score games.

I dismissed the record in one score games because many were misleading - such as the Broncos game last year - we were up 17 and ended up winning by 3 after garbage time.

But on the flip side, it would be disingenuous to ignore the win over the Packers last year as pertaining to this type of luck. Same for the game in Seattle, where a late holding call pushed them back and helped us force a punt, which lead to the QB sneak.

Which brings me to this: wins and losses are fluky. If that FG was 6 inches to the left, we'd be 4-1 and Seattle's season would basically be over.

I love how the team played last night and we're experiencing a little regression in the luck category - which I have no problem with. Heck, I even prefer it - adds some adversity for these guys to overcome. Especially when it's a road game - despite us being better than Seattle, you really shouldn't be a division rival on the road if they are at least an average football team. We all remember how often we beat Seattle when they were going to Super Bowls and we were winning 6-7 games.

By: Cameron DaSilva | 4 hours ago


No team has used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three receivers) more often the last two seasons than the Los Angeles Rams. With three great receivers in Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods in the fold, it’s easy to see why.
With defenses figuring out ways to shut down L.A.’s running game, Sean McVay adapted on Thursday night against the Seahawks. He utilized 12 personnel more to counter the often-used 6-1 defensive front, getting two tight ends on the field throughout the night. It provided a spark for the running game, but also limited the playing time for the receivers.

Looking at the snap counts, there were some major shifts at a couple of positions, including running back, tight end and wide receiver. The defense also had Troy Reeder out there for the majority of the game, while the rotation up front was deep.


Offense

Either Sean McVay wanted to send a message with Todd Gurley or he really didn’t feel confident in Malcolm Brown. It was probably the former as Gurley played 93% of the snaps compared to just 4% for Brown. With endless questions about Gurley’s usage, McVay was out to prove he’s still the top choice at running back for the Rams.

Cooper Kupp had nine catches on 17 targets in this game, which is even more impressive when you consider he only played 48 snaps (67%). It was a surprisingly low total for Kupp, as was the case for Brandin Cooks (46 snaps), who left the game with a potential concussion. His absence was more about injury, while Kupp was pulled off the field in favor of two-tight end sets.
Speaking of the tight ends, Gerald Everett has pulled ahead as the No. 1 option at the position, playing 81% of the snaps compared to just 56% for Tyler Higbee. He proved the coaches right, too, by having a career day (seven catches, 136 yards).


Defense




Reeder replaced injured Bryce Hager in the starting lineup, but his role was far greater than Hager’s had been in the first four weeks. Reeder played 54 snaps (73%), which is 29 more than Hager played in a single game this season. He had his share of rookie lapses, but Reeder was physical against the run and led the Rams with 13 tackles. If he didn’t miss a few tackles, his numbers would’ve been even better.

The rotation at outside linebacker featured Dante Fowler Jr. (81%), Clay Matthews (64%) and Samson Ebukam (55%). The gap between Matthews and Ebukam isn’t huge, which speaks to how the coaching staff views Ebukam.

Up front, Morgan Fox played 20 snaps with Tanzel Smart chipping in 14 of his own. Greg Gaines played 13 snaps at nose tackle (and had two tackles), though Sebastian Joseph-Day (40 snaps) remains the top choice at that spot. Aaron Donald paced all defensive linemen with 61 snaps played, though Michael Brockers was out there for 60 himself.

Nickell Robey-Coleman’s role was limited due to the Rams running a more traditional 3-4 defense against Seattle. He played just 21 snaps and forced a fumble on the Seahawks’ first drive. Marqui Christian played 18 snaps in place of an injured Taylor Rapp.

By: Steve Rebeiro | 7 hours ago


Imagine you’re back in school, and you get handed a math test. You have no idea what any of the material on the test means. You do your best, and when the results come back your grade is a 10%. You try hard to learn for the next test, and you’re able to improve your grade to a 45%. You still failed despite the improvement. The problem isn’t that you didn’t try on the first test. You’re just bad at math.
That’s what it feels like watching the Rams offensive line. After five weeks, they’re simply not a good unit. They were the worst in the NFL through the first four weeks, according to Pro Football Focus.Things got better on Thursday night in the Rams’ loss to Seattle, but not by much. Is it possible that they’ll continue to improve their grade and bring that F up to a D or, dare I say, a C? Sure, but there isn’t a ton of evidence that it’s going to happen.

Andrew Whitworth, Rob Havenstein, and Austin Blythe have no excuse this season. All three have seen their PFF grades tank from last year to this year. Havenstein’s fall-off has been the most notable. He’s been directly responsible for two Jared Goff fumbles, and has been getting manhandled when faced with tough assignments this season. His PFF grade dropped from 84.7 last season to 47.5 through the first four weeks this year. Havenstein’s dip was nearly double the size of Whitworth’s, who has slipped from an 83.1 to a 64.6.
The trio played better than last week, especially Havenstein, but continued to make crucial mistakes. Both Havenstein and Whitworth were flagged for penalties that could have been avoided. Havenstein has three false starts in five games. These guys need to play better. The team is relying on them. Hopefully they can continue to get back into form like they did, for the most part, tonight.
Then there are the new guys. Joseph Noteboom has struggled, but it would be silly to put most of the blame on him. He’s shown flashes playing out of his native position at guard. He whiffed on a block early in the game that resulted in a 5-yard loss, but it was a tough block to make. Noteboom shouldn’t be asked to make a tough block, and that’s part of the inherent problem with this offensive line.
Then there’s center Brian Allen. Last year’s starting center John Sullivan had a terrible year, and yet his presence is somehow missed due to how bad Allen has been. The Rams have continued to say that they “like what they see” with Allen. What, exactly, are they seeing? There hasn’t been a moment this season where Brian Allen has flashed greatness.

Allen was also responsible for arguably the most unacceptable mental mistake of the season. Faced with a third-and-10 on Seattle’s 35-yard line and 20 seconds remaining on the game clock, the Rams swallowed a delay of game penalty because Allen didn’t snap the ball. This doesn’t happen in the NFL. It barely even happens in high school football. The Rams ultimately made up the ground, but Allen almost cost the Rams 5 yards of crucial field position. Goff was screaming for the football. It’s hard to hear, but if you want to be considered one of the 32 best centers in the world, this should not happen under any circumstances.

The three veterans should get their act together. Noteboom might develop into a quality guard. But it seems unlikely that Allen will develop into even an average starting center. The Rams don’t have time to deal with growing pains of this magnitude.
Trent Williams is currently sitting on his couch waiting for a call. Hell, John Sullivan is sitting on his couch waiting for a call. If the Rams want to be playing in February, they need to take a serious look at this unit and see if there are any ways to improve it externally. There doesn’t seem like much can be done internally.

I am probably WAY out of line but I just wonder if the Rams worry so much about getting players hurt during the Pre-Season that they may not give them enough game condition time playing together (Starters) to really be prepared for the start of the season. Too these VERY UNPROFESSIONAL Eyes it just seems that it takes the Rams Starters a few games or more to get comfortable and adjusted to each other. Just Curious/Probably TOTALLY Wrong!!!

Our Rams sitting at 3-2, downtrodden and third in the division. Talking heads smugly writing us off. Fans wailing about run snap counts, throwing out Martz comparisons, calling for Wade's head, we need a new kicker, our OL sucks, etc., etc., etc. Season over is the theme, Super Bowl hangover, Rams aren't the same team, and so forth and so on.

But the Rams... They be like:

Don't blame Jared Goff for the loss to the Seahawks. The Rams let him down.
By: Henry McKenna | October 4, 2019

It was hard to resist the temptation to blame quarterback Jared Goff for the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

Goff nearly threw two pick-sixes at crucial moments in the fourth quarter — only to get lucky when Seahawks defenders dropped the ball. Goff misfired in the direction of an open Cooper Kupp on a third-and-7 on the 18-yard line in the fourth quarter and the Rams settled for a field goal. But Goff was also 6-of-9 on the Rams’ final drive, and seemed poised to lead his team on an impressive pair of drives during the final three minutes.

The Rams’ penultimate offensive drive ended with an interception, which wasn’t his fault. On a third-and-10, Goff hit Gerald Everett in stride, but the tight end dropped the ball, which somehow deflected into the hands of Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson for a circus-catch interception with 2:12 left in the game.

The stat sheet shows a strike against Goff. But that misrepresents what happened. The blame falls on Everett, who was otherwise brilliant on the night (7 catches, 136 yards).

“He’s got some of the most natural hands I’ve ever been around, so that’s a fluke for him to happen,” Goff said of Everett’s drop after the game. “He was hard on himself, and he knew it might have put us in the wrong situation, but I told him, ‘We’re going to need you again. If we get a stop, we’ll get the ball right and we’re probably going to need to go right back to you.'”

And Goff was right. When the Rams defense stopped the Seahawks on the ensuing drive, Goff got the ball back to Everett on a 67-yard drive with 1:27 left on the clock. As mentioned, there was a close call on a pass that was nearly intercepted. But with a minute left on the clock, Goff fired a beauty to Everett over linebacker K.J. Wright for 28 yards. The Rams were in field goal range. It was a pinpoint pass at a crucial moment.

Yup, Goff looked clutch — at least for a few passes.

Todd Gurley finally starts strong for Rams, but in the end it doesn’t matter
By Gary Klein Staff Writer /Oct. 4, 2019


Rams coach Sean McVay finally got running back Todd Gurley into something resembling an early rhythm. Gurley rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns in 15 carries, and he caught three passes for six yards at CenturyLink Field.“We wanted to get him going,” McVay said. “I thought he did a good job. He had some tough, hard-earned yards against a good defensive front.”

In the days leading up to the game, McVay and Gurley appeared to have grown tired of constant questions about the running back’s physical condition and how McVay was seemingly limiting his carries while alternating him with backup Malcolm Brown.

McVay had said multiple times during the first four weeks of the season that he needed to do a better job of getting Gurley, the 2017 NFL offensive player of the year, involved in the offense.
Gurley carried the ball for nine yards on the Rams’ first play. By the the midpoint of the first quarter, he had five carries — as many as he had in the Rams’ 55-40 defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gurley scored touchdowns on runs of eight yards and one yard.

“Just being able to get some runs off enables you to stay in those normal downs and distances,” McVay said. “It opened up some other things.”Said quarterback Jared Goff: “I thought it was great.”

But any happiness about a good start was tempered for Gurley by the defeat.
“We lost the game,” he said, “so it doesn’t really matter.”

Tough loss, but I was happy to see the offense in top gear for the first time in a long time.

The reversal of the 2pt conversion run by Goff was critical. If that stands, the game would have probably been 31-31 (Seattle kicking an extra pt instead of missing 2pt conversion also). My question is, I don't recall seeing a definitive view that showed Goff NOT making it. Did I miss an angle shown on TV? It was very close, but routinely the officials are pretty conservative - no clear replay to the contrary, no reversal.

The second question is the TD catch by Woods that we challenged. It looked like the knees touched in-bounds at the precise instant his elbows touched out of bounds. You may dispute this, but presume this is how it happened. What is the rule there on that? I would think it should be like baseball - tie goes to the runner, or in this case, in-bound body part wins. TD Rams.

Thanks.

.... or is Seattle's pass rush below average?

I think Goff immediately feels better with Blythe in there and Blythe is back up to speed.
Allen and Noteboom continue to improve.

Add in;
Two games where this team proved they have no quit in them.
It all bodes well for our playoff run.

Some good points.. he reminds everyone that two years ago we lost to Seattle in week 5.. and that didn't end the season.

Also the offensive line pass protected much better today.

By: Steve Rebeiro | 18 minutes ago


The Los Angeles Rams suffered a heart-breaking defeat at the hands of division-rival Seattle Thursday night. When the game is decided by one point, the mistakes sting a bit deeper. Here are six takeaways, both positive and negative, from the Rams’ gut-wrenching Week 5 loss to the Seahawks.

Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes

The Rams ended the game by missing a 44-yard field goal. It’s a kick that Greg Zuerlein almost always makes. It was the icing on the cake for a game marred by Rams mistakes.
The good news is that the Rams played much better this week than they did against Tampa Bay in Week 4. The bad news is that they still lost the game, and are currently in third place in a tough division. Worst of all, the loss could have easily been avoided if not for a handful of crucial mistakes.
Missed tackles were a major factor in Seattle’s offensive success. Chris Carson and Russell Wilson were bouncing off tacklers all game. It felt like anytime a Seattle runner took off he’d break a tackle or two. Pee-wee football coaches everywhere watching this game were losing their minds about tackling form and wrapping up.
There were dropped passes, including Gerald Everett’s that resulted in an interception. There were plenty of missed throws from Goff. There were missed blocks by the offensive lineman and a few crucial mental errors to boot. Clay Matthews was called for roughing the passer late in the game, albeit a very questionable roughing the passer call. Brian Allen forgot to snap the ball with 20 seconds remaining in the football game. Even Todd Gurley fumbled for the first time in roughly 20 games.

Clean up a few crucial mistakes and this game doesn’t comedown to a last-second field goal. The Rams should have walked out of Seattle with a fourth straight victory against the Seahawks. That only makes the loss tougher to swallow.

McVay moves away from Gurley/Brown split
Through the first four games of the season, the Rams substitute Gurley for Malcolm Brown on a few drives each game. McVay opted to give each running back full drives rather than swap Gurley out for Brown mid-drive.

That wasn’t the case on Thursday night. For the first time all year, Gurley trotted onto the field for the first play of every single drive, and he barely came out. Brown received just one carry on the day.

It remains clear if this strategy will continue moving forward, but in Week 5 the Rams were not concerned with conserving Todd Gurley. He played nearly the entire game. Even though his touches and yards are down overall, Gurley has continued to show a knack for finding the end zone when given red zone touches, and scored two more touchdowns against Seattle.

The Rams offense was better as a result of keeping Gurley on the field. We’ll see if McVay is willing to stick with it against San Francisco next week.

Pass rush pressures Wilson, but can’t close the deal
Aaron Donald and the Rams pass rush were in Russell Wilson’s face all game long. Somehow, they only came away with one sack.

The Rams pass rush did a solid job of getting Wilson out of the pocket all night. Unfortunately, they were chasing after Russell Wilson. The six-time Pro Bowler had one hell of a game against the Rams, and some of his best throws came from outside the pocket. He went 17 for 23 with 268 yards, four touchdowns, and no turnovers. He added 32 rushing yards on eight carries.

Both the Rams and Wilson deserve credit for the lack of sacks. The Rams could not wrap up and bring down Wilson whatsoever. If somebody told me that Wilson doused his jersey in crisco oil before the game, I might actually believe them. That’s how insane some of Wilson’s missed tackles were. Credit goes to Wilson for evading pressure and looking phenomenal when rolling out of the pocket, but the Rams need to finish on these tackles. They should not be coming out of this game with one sack.

Gerald Everett’s career day marred by crucial mistake
Gerald Everett had one hell of a game on Thursday Night Football. The third-year tight end shattered just about every one of his career highs. He finished the night with seven receptions for 136 yards on 11 targets. All three are career highs. Everett should have added a touchdown to his stat-line, but was called down on the one yard line and the Rams chose not to challenge it. He looked unstoppable running the football after the catch.

Unfortunately for Everett and the Rams, he dropped a pass at the worst possible time. With just over 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Goff tossed a perfect pass to Everett over the middle for a first down. The ball went right through Everett’s hands. Somehow, Seattle safety Tedric Thompson was able to get his hands on the tipped ball and corral it for an interception.

The play almost the Rams the football game. Luckily, the defense was able to produce a three-and-out, and Everett had a shot at redemption. He recorded three receptions for 46 yards on the final drive of the game. Had Zuerlein made the game-winning field goal, Everett’s game would have been remembered for one of perseverance. With the loss, the dropped pass stings a bit more.

Goff not perfect, but trending in the right direction
It was an up-and-down game for Jared Goff on Thursday night. He made some miraculous throws against the Seahawks and he missed some that he’d certainly like to have back. This season, the misses outweighed the hits. Tonight, it felt like the opposite.

Goff didn’t have the best game of his career, but it’s hard to walk away feeling anything but positive when it comes to the fourth-year quarterback. Goff never backed down when things didn’t go right and fought to the very last breathe. He made strike after strike on the final drive to give the Rams a shot at a victory. When the offensive line got flagged for mental mistakes, Goff rebounded to keep those respective drives alive.

Rams fans will never have to worry about Goff not trying. Through the good and the bad, this guy has given it everything he’s got this season. The loss against Seattle was a step in the right direction for Goff. Let’s hope he takes another in a victory next Sunday.

It’s going to be a stressful season
The 2019 Los Angeles Rams are a good football team. As of October 4th, they are not a great football team. This is a team that should be playing come January. But it might not be as much of a cake-walk to the playoffs as it was last season.

The NFC West is as tough as it’s been in years. Seattle is still Seattle, and the 49ers are currently undefeated and will be a factor in this division. The Rams are going to have their hands full with two of their three division rivals. With the way they are currently playing, even Arizona doesn’t feel like a walk in the park.

Still, this is a team loaded with talent and a front office who hasn’t been afraid to make trades to improve the team mid-season. They should figure this thing out. They were on the verge of it against Seattle. The Rams have proven that they’re still a good team. But if they want to return to the greatness they achieved last year, they’ve got a lot of work to do.

While in the grand scheme of things I have no shits to give about the forty whiners.... After this gimme loss to the Shecocks we are gonna be so epically pissed. The Whiners are going to be SMOTHERED and overwhelmed. Mark my words.

If you want to know what our counter to the 6-1 or the A-Gap pressure (used by TB) is, it's Gerald Everett. If I'm right and he is breaking out, he solves both problems. If you can't cover Everett one on one, you can't attack the A-Gaps aggressively or plug up the LOS with the 6-1. The issue against TB was blocking their pass rushers (hopefully, the OL is starting to gel) and the defense. But Everett is the answer to how teams are defending us. They leave the middle of the field vulnerable to an inline TE who can win one on ones and create after the catch. And if teams have to respect Everett, that'll open up running lanes for Gurley. I think McVay has figured it out and is about to bring the pain to NFL D's again.

That one hurt, like a swift kick in the nuts (or beaver, don't want to be sexist in my metaphors). But there are some take aways that certainly give me hope for the 2019 season.

1. McVay showed progress!!

Yes thats right my dudes and dudets! Holy cow....we saw a 3 TE personnel set! WOW. Did McVay find smelling salts or something. The beauty of using HigBeast and Mt. Everett so much in the passing game was that the LB's looked nervous, Gurley had space, and Goff suddenly had some time! Whoa.. Yin to the 6-1 yang anyone?

That being said. I personally would rather see Kupp and Woods in during 12 personnel sets. What say you?

2. Hurry Up O is TD O

Our hurry up has been so effective in the last two weeks. If I see it, McVay sees it. Gotta get into this more often. Let the O play by instinct.

3.Who in the FUQ is teaching the CB's to tackle.

Talib and Peters look like the biggest pansies on the field 99% of the time. Like...make a tackle when it's your damn job boys. This is driving me absolutely up the wall.

4. Our Horns are Resilient AF

Down 21-0 last week, and the fight they put up this week. This O may be frustrating but boy do they have GRIT!!!

5.FAWK Wilson is so damn good (You know I'll never admit that in Portland)

I swear there were at least 6 would be sacks he escaped from. Threw dimes all night. He made the kinda of plays that you can't defend. Sometimes the other team makes plays. This was a straight up dog fight. Both teams landed punches all night.

6. On the 2nd to Last Possession

Goff did everything he could. Drop by Kupp. Beautiful pocket movement to avoid the rush and a less than stellar read, missing Higbee and throwing to Woods. Lastly a drop by Everett for an INT. What more can we really ask of the dude in those 3 plays in this game....(to see Higbee...sheeesh, give the guy a break lol)

7. High Stakes vs. Low Stakes

I know, I know...there's no such thing as a low stakes game. But this is the first game I really got pumped up for in pre game this year. Maybe the team is feeling the same. After so many high stake games they are coming out flat and can't get "up" for those low stakes games (Read another way, can't get up to play the teams they "should" beat) Just a theory...

8.This season is far from over!

So what we've lost two games. So what there are concerns. We just came into a division rivals house, the previous king (Or Queen...whatever) in the west I might add, and played them right down to the wire in a game that could swing the division in that direction for a season. It was the Hags version of a super bowl. We did loose to them at home in 2017 and blow them out in seattle later in that season right? Could happen the opposite this year.

If you're still feeling the heat of this loss and want to rile up any inflammatory remarks, there's a vent thread for that

I know this loss stings but let's look on some positives:

Gurley has shown some flashes that he's capable of playing like his 2017/18 self. Looks like we're definitely saving him for late into the season when our playbook is gonna look more dynamic. He's also made some great key blocks in pass protection.

Goff has mostly made some big boy throws and for the most part shown he's capable of being a lethal passer under a relatively clean pocket. That slide to the left under pressure in the final minutes of the 4th to avoid a sack was phenomenal to witness, would've been perfect had he made that made the read to throw to an open Higbee; hope to see more movement inside the pocket as he continues his growth.

Biggest positive for the night to me is the use of 12-personnel sets; it looks like it's still working out a few wrinkles but Everett aside from a missed crucial catch on the 2nd to last offensive drive looked excellent tonight. I look forward to seeing him settle more into this offense and will add a lot of dynamism to our playbook, especially if he gets the blocking assignments down. Higbee has shown why he got a paid, his familiarity with the offense adds value beyond his blocking and receiving skills.

Lastly, it's only week 5; great teams losing early in the season have time to learn from their mistakes as they head into the postseason. McVay has the mentality to adapt when things aren't working as shown with the adjustments above. Let's beat the Whiners next Sunday and put this game aside!

Also, gonna stick to #81's nickname as Mt. Everett from now on, this dude is YAC porn

Have at it

65” Samsung curved problem. I know nothing about tv’s. We didn’t hit it, didn’t move it. The black line just appeared a month ago and has grown in width. No warranty so I’m on my own.

A vexing start to the season for the Minnesota Vikings' offense has led to some angst from one of its best players.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that receiver Stefon Diggs' frustrations with the organization have been palpable, leading some teammates to wonder if he wants to be there, per sources informed of the situation.

Per Rapoport, despite Diggs' frustration, the team is adamant he's not available for a trade, barring a massive offer.
Diggs was not at practice Wednesday for what the team termed non-injury reasons. Diggs was full participant at practice on Thursday and spoke with reporters about a myriad of topics.

Diggs said that he was absent Wendesday because he wasn't feeling well. When asked about the reports that he wants out of Minnesota, he said, "There's truth to all rumors. I won't be speaking on that," per The Athletic.

Diggs also was asked point blank if he wanted to be dealt.
"I said there's truth to all rumors," Diggs said, per The Athletic. "What I mean by that ... there's a lot of speculation of me being frustrated. Of course being a receiver and wanting to have success and wanting to win. If you're not winning of course you'll be frustrated. That's my answer."
Speculation about Diggs being traded has swirled recently as the Vikings receiver was seen visibly frustrated on the sideline during Sunday's loss in Chicago, per multiple beat reporters at the game.

The 25-year-old receiver signed a five-year, $72 million extension with Minnesota last offseason. He has a base salary of $8.9 million in 2019, and north of $10 million each of the next four years.
With the Vikings preferring a ground-and-pound approach, the receiver corps in Minnesota has been frustrated with the pass-game through four weeks. Behind an offensive line that is woefully struggling to block, quarterback Kirk Cousins has been a check-down machine, eschewing deep shots to Diggs and Adam Thielen for repeated dump-offs.
Following Sunday's loss, Thielen voiced frustration, noting when teams stop the run, the Vikings "have to be able to hit the deep balls." Thus far, Cousins has come up short.

Diggs put up 108 yards on seven catches in Week 4 versus the Bears, but much of those yards were hollow stats. His second-quarter fumble also did the offense no favors. In the first three games of the season, Diggs was held under 50 yards receiving in each tilt and scored just one TD.
"The space that we're in right now definitely is a lot of questions," Diggs said when asked if he is upset with the Vikings' offense this season, per the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I can't sit up here and act like everything is OK because obviously it's not but I can say at this point I'm just trying to work through it."
Last season, Diggs enjoyed 9.9 targets and 6.8 receptions per game, those numbers have dipped to 4.8 targets and 3.3 receptions through four weeks in 2019.
The struggles of the passing game in Minnesota have led to Diggs' frustration, but the Vikings (2-2) do not yet have plans to jettison the star receiver. Of course, few expected Minnesota to trade Percy Harvin to Seattle back in 2011. With the trade deadline coming up on Oct. 29, stay tuned, just in case the Vikings get an offer they can't refuse.

By: Jake Gould | 1 hour ago

“It’s a copycat league.”
It’s the phrase you’ve overheard for years from broadcasters, players, coaches and fans when describing the NFL. But the football cliché has withstood the test of time (and will continue to do so for years) because it is as true as it is overused.

Sean McVay took the NFL by storm with his 2017 “worst-to-first” makeover of the Los Angeles Rams offense. How did league owners and executives respond? By making the young 33-year-old offensive wunderkind the poster boy for new head coaching hires.
And when the Los Angeles Rams went into Chicago last season for a Week 14 Sunday night game, then-Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio unveiled the blueprint to stifling the high-octane Rams offense through the air and on the ground: the 6-1 defense.
In a zone-blocking scheme, blockers are tasked to step in the direction of the play and get their near hip in front of the defender’s far hip to seal the edge. But it is difficult to expect all five offensive linemen to successfully “reach block” the man across from them when the defender has outside leverage – especially when dealing with speedy outside linebackers lined up in a “wide-nine technique” with the specific purpose of forcing runners to cut back inside.
So if I may, I’d like to drop another cliché – perhaps one that isn’t as restricted to the NFL.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
And if the tape shows that a 6-1 defense is truly McVay’s kryptonite, why on earth would opposing defensive coordinators ever abandon it?
Well, that’s because you can’t simply run a 6-1 all game without switching up some different looks. The Rams offense isn’t really “broken” either. But McVay certainly needs to consider fixing a few things here and there. This article breaks down the film of what is working and what isn’t working with the Rams offense through the first four games of the 2019 NFL season.

The good

WINDOW DRESSING
Integral to McVay’s offensive philosophy is “window dressing” everything to look the same. That means motioning guys back and forth with two, sometimes three play-fakes before running inside or outside zone, a jet sweep, a play action pass, a screen pass, a trap play to the wide receiver, etc.


But the widened edge defenders of a 6-1 defense takes away some outside zone opportunities. It is not that easy for an offensive line to beat slanting defensive linemen to the play side when the defense already has outside leverage in the direction of the play.
So, insert plays like “Toss Crack” for the Rams. It’s a nice addition to the offense that allows the Rams to use down blocks to replace pulling linemen.

Even though the Rams are primarily a zone blocking team, this does not mean they can’t run some trap blocking plays or toss crack/sweep plays that involve pulling offensive linemen. If teams continue to stack the defensive line with six-man fronts, McVay will have to answer with some creativity in the blocking schemes.

GETTING WIDE RECEIVERS INVOLVED IN RUN GAME
Rams are doing a great job of getting wide receivers involved in the running game.

Since the Rams are exclusively a one-back offense, McVay’s wrinkle in the run game involves a lot of motioned wide receivers getting the opportunity to carry the football on designed end-arounds, fly sweeps, and wide receiver trap plays.

As a team, the Rams are averaging 6.9 yards per carry on wide receiver running plays (not including the fly motion shovel pass, because that is actually a pass play) – which goes to show that they are doing well on these plays.
This doesn’t mean the Rams need to do it more. But they should continue to implement these plays as they already do, and maybe search for a few more nifty counters or reverses that defenses haven’t seen on tape before.

The bad
ABANDONING THE RUN

Just last year, Todd Gurley was an MVP candidate that fueled the Rams’ high-powered rushing attack. But a lot can change in a year.

It’s not as overblown as people like to say, but Todd Gurley’s mysterious knee injury has resulted in a noticeable decrease in his usage.

Every week since the opener, the Rams have carried the ball less than the previous week. Three weeks after Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown collectively ran for 166 yards on 32 carries against Carolina in the opener, the duo combined for a minuscule 11 carries and 28 yards.

It didn’t help that the Rams fell to an early double-digit deficit in last week’s home game against the Buccaneers, but McVay has to get the running game going by any means necessary.


As is expected, 10 personnel formations with four wide receivers and no tight ends feature more passing than 12 personnel formations with two wide receivers and two tight ends.

Even in their base 11 personnel, the Rams are a pass-heavy team. There needs to be more of a commitment to the run game

But don’t let the lesser yards per carry in 12 personnel fool you. Seven carries is a small sample size. It can’t hurt to test the waters of the running game in 12 personnel.

CONSISTENT EXECUTION WITH PULLING

Remember that trap play to Woods from the Carolina game? The one that went for 20 yards?

Well yeah, the play is not always going to look like that. Look at that clip side by side with the clip from the loss to Tampa Bay attached above. When McVay tries to run the same exact play against Tampa Bay (only with Kupp) – multiple things going wrong.

1. The two box defenders are not fooled by Goff’s fake toss to Gurley, therefore are not taken out of the framework of the play.
2. Whitworth is losing at the point of attack, so Kupp is forced to lose more ground than he’s supposed to on the trap handoff.
3. The unblocked edge defender for Tampa Bay (#94 Carl Nassib) is lined up much wider than is usually the case in a typical 4-3 Over front. This is probably as part of Tampa Bay’s strategy to eliminate outside-hitting stretch plays that the Rams love to do.
4. Noteboom fails miserably in his job of pulling and kicking out Nassib.
5. The Rams’ double team former teammate Ndamukong Suh with a “combo block” that fails to get up to the second level LB. As a result, the linebacker is able to fill in the hole and get in on the play.
6. The play is a loss of 2 yards.

This is just one play. One play does not mean the Rams can’t pull. But they will have to execute all blocking assignments much better across the board to open up opportunities against defenses that are starting to key on the Rams’ strengths.

A solution to the 6-1?
MORE 12 PERSONNEL

There’s a reason Rich Hammond and Vinny Bonsignore over at The Athletic host an L.A. Rams podcast called “11 Personnel” – it’s because the Rams live and die in the set.

Lack of 2 TE sets from the #LARams has some to do w/ Higbee’s health.
But IMO, more “12” personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) would help combat the 6-1 defense that’s successfully limited LA’s big plays on edge.

Take my opinion for what its worth, but there’s at least one former Los Angeles Rams quarterback who agrees :





✔@Jim_Everett
https://twitter.com/Jim_Everett/status/1179549151761035265
"A Defensive coordinator that wants to throw 6-1 and double A gap blitzes, i’d go with 12 personnel, balance alignment and balance runs. Pass...slow block both TE, get wins outside use dump downs to non blocking TE."

Simply put, the Rams have to spice things up. Teams are starting to adjust to McVay’s offense. The third-year head coach doesn’t have to scrap his entire offensive philosophy when his team is still 3-1 with loads of talent on both sides of the ball.

But a few adjustments here and there can’t hurt.

The Rams look to run with the Seahawks and avoid dropping the 3rd place in the NFC West.

By Skye Sverdlin@Skyeattolah Oct 3, 2019, 12:00pm CDT



Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

This week the Los Angeles Rams head to the kelpy banks of Puget Sound to take on their old beaked buddies from the Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks. As you may remember, last season the Rams swept the Seahawks in a pair of hotly contested affairs. Looking back at those games, despite emerging victorious, the Rams would like to do a much better job against running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny this time around. So far this season, the Rams have in fact been vastly improved against the run, but will be without the services of inside linebacker Bryce Hager, who injured his shoulder in the Rams’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. Hybrid safety/linebacker Taylor Rapp who splits time with Hager is also doubtful, so we may see guys like Marqui Christian and Travin Howard get a bunch of playing time.

Like the Rams offensive line, the Seahawks offensive line has also regressed this season, after enjoying a fair share of success in 2018. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been sacked 12 times in four games, two more than scramblin’ Jared Goff so far; but still it seems that much of this game will come down to which team is able to run the ball more effectively. On that front, it’s worth noting that Seattle is coming off a 104 yard effort from Chris Carson against the Arizona Cardinals, while the Rams all but ditched the very thought of running the ball their shootout with Tampa Bay.
Russell Wilson is still Russell Wilson, but has a couple of new favorite targets besides receiver Tyler Lockett. Second year tight end Will Dissly has become a weekly go-to guy for Wilson, and hulking rookie wide receiver DK Metcalf has stepped in and looked like a solid NFL receiver so far. Still with the Seahawks, the Rams will view things the same as ever: try to limit the ground damage and pummel Russell Wilson. Following a strong start to the season, the Rams defense looked awful last week, and will be looking to prove that the Tampa Bay game was an anomaly. If the Seahawks march down the field on the first drive behind Chris Carson it may be a long night.

On the other side of the ball, defensive end Frank Clark is gone to Kansas City, and Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah have arrived, but otherwise Seattle’s defense is pretty similar to last season’s unit. Of those three, so far Clowney has had the best 2019 so far, but even his impact has been inconsistent. Nonetheless, Clowney, Ansah, and emerging force Quinton Jeffersoncould be real handful for the Rams struggling line if they get going.
The story of the Seahawks defense though, remains their linebackers. Expect All-World middle linebacker Bobby Wagner will be everywhere on Thursday, as will KJ Wright and Mychal Kendricks.

As was the case against the Saints, Browns, and Buccaneers, the Seahawks secondary will be their most vulnerable unit on defense, despite Shaquill Griffin’s recent accession at the CB1 position. That being said, let’s hope the Rams don’t get lulled into forgetting about the ground attack again this week in an effort to avoid dealing with Seattle’s front seven. The Rams need to let their line redevelop an identity, which is hard to do if they’re moving backward all night, and it’s clear that Jared Goff can’t be his best self without a running game. Hopefully, the Rams milk the ground game and then finish the Seahawks through the air. All easier said than done in what may be wet and stormy conditions on the road.

One thing is for sure, although it’s still early, the Rams do not want to fall to 3rd place in the NFC West.

Ex-NFL WR Percy Harvin Says He Got High Before Every Single Game

Former NFL wide receiver Percy Harvin recently opened up about his eight-year career during an interview with Bleacher Report's Master Tesfatsion, including his struggles with anxiety and how he constantly smoked weed to level himself out.

As seen in the latest episode of "Untold Stories," Harvin explained that he smoked weed before every single game during his time with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. That would include Super Bowl XLVIII, when Harvin returned a kickoff for a touchdown at the start of the second half, as his Seattle Seahawks steamrolled the Denver Broncos 43-8.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/mastertes/status/1179411314931834880?s=21

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.

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

Go Rams!

———

Game Day Chat Room

GAME CHAT

https://sportsnaut.com/2019/10/five-things-to-know-for-rams-seahawks-tnf-game/
Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 10/2/19

The Los Angeles Rams head to the Pacific Northwest Thursday night in an attempt to bounce back after last week’s humiliating loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jared Goff and Co. could also potentially be batting for first place against the Seattle Seahawks depending on what happens with the San Francisco 49ers later in the week.
No matter how some players might feel about them, these mid-week divisional matchups are always fun. It’s in this that we look at five things to know for the Rams-Seahawks “Thursday Night Football” tilt.

Jared Goff’s struggles
It’s been well documented since last week’s four-turnover performance just how much Goff has regressed recently. He’s accounted for 13 touchdowns and 20 turnovers over the past 12 games. Goff has also thrown five touchdowns with 10 turnovers in his past six road starts.
No one can say it’s going to be easy heading into Seattle and taking on both the Seahawks and the “12th Man.” Goff has to make a statement in this game, especially given how much improved the NFC West is this season.

Rams history in Seattle is pretty good
Los Angeles has won three of their past four meetings against the division rival Seahawks in Seattle. That comes after a 10-year stretch in which the Rams went winless in the Pacific Northwest.
Whether this will translate to a win for the Rams remains to be seen. They are 15-3 on the road under Sean McVay. That’s the best road record in the NFL since the start of the 2017 season. As it relates to the Seahawks, they have uncharacteristically lost five of their past 12 home games.

Regression from Rams defense
Los Angeles wasn’t tremendous on defense during its Super Bowl run last season. In fact, it ranked 20th in the league in scoring at 24 points per game and 14th in yards against. Coming off a Week 4 outing in which they gave up 55 points to the Buccaneers, the Rams now rank 24th in scoring defense. Interestingly enough, they rank 11th in total defense.
At issue here is a red-zone defense that is giving up touchdowns at a whopping 64% clip. That ranks in the bottom 10 in the NFL. This number also stood at 55% last season. Comparatively, Seattle’s offense ranks second in the NFL in the red zone. It is scoring six a whopping 79% of the time.

Strong run defenses
The likes of Chris Carson and Todd Gurley, among others, are going to have a hard time getting it going on the ground in this game. For you daily fantasy football players out there, we’d caution against going with any running back here.
Seattle has yielded the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL at less than 80 per game. On the other hand, Los Angeles ranks ninth and is giving up just 3.6 yards per rush. For his part, Gurley is averaging 80 rushing yards per game in his career against the Seahawks.

Betting Lines (via DraftKings)
Line: Seahawks (-1.5)
Over/Under: 49.5
First touchdown: Tyler Lockett (+750)
First touchdown: Todd Gurley (+800)

I have a part time job on the weekends and so I hang out with a 25 year old friend for a few hours on the weekend. I normally would never get a chance to pick his brain about about different things. He's big into vaping wax tips. I'm a square in that I didn't know what that was until he told me. He doesn't have regular tv, which I don't know what that means anymore, anyway. He plays Playstation interactive video games online, he uses Hulu (as do I starting this year), and Netflix.

He and I hate CGI in movies. Looking at the original "Alien" and the way they created movie magic back in the 70's and 80's was more creative, real, and scary in a way than what they do in the Marvel movies, isn't (Our opinion, you don't have to share it). I bring it up because of all the great movies made before 1999, and he knows nothing about them, and I bet his freinds know nothing about them, unless he caught one like "Alien" by chance. I am not joking in that I could list 20 movies that were considered good-great-and even better before 1999...and nothing. The magic of now, is that I can show him clips of these movies on YouTube, most of which will inspire him to watch them.

It's not just about entertainment, it's the lack of connection between generations. Cable TV has split us all into 100 plus channels of crap (that is, if we have tv service at all.), and the weak networks have mostly bad tv shows on. In the 70's and 80's, we all watched the same shows on the three networks. There was a movie channel or two (or on the networks) and so I knew movies from the 30's to present. Today with all of the special effects/CGI, I think kids will just not sit down and watch a black and white Alfred Hitchcock movie, or the original twilight zone, or a comedy like Taxi. I watched the first couple of episodes of Taxi on Hulu (comes full circle, eh?) I forgot how really good that show was....Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, Danny Devito, Marilou Henner, and Andy Kaufman. It was so good that people talked about it the next day when it was first run....There is nothing like that today really, where the generations all saw something they enjoyed simultaneously. Maybe sports are the only opportunity for a communal experience anymore. I'm gonna continue to watch Taxi and shows that were good like it, but few of the younger generations, ever will. It's depressing.