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Longest-tenured Ram Rodger Saffold on upcoming free agency
- By BonifayRam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 221 Replies
Longest-tenured Ram Rodger Saffold on upcoming free agency: “I don’t think it’s any surprise that I want to be back.”
https://www.therams.com/news/longes...on-upcoming-free-agency-i-don-t-think-it-s-an
by Clarence Dennis
The Rams offensive line perhaps faces the most uncertainty of any position group entering the offseason as to who will or will not return for a 2019 run at returning to the Super Bowl.
Left guard Rodger Saffold joins aging offensive linemen in left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan in the upcoming uncertainty as he faces free agency after nine seasons with the club.
Saffold also joined Whitworth in picking up his first postseason win against the Cowboys in the Divisional round — a welcomed change after an admirable career with wins few and far between since he was drafted No. 33 overall in the 2010 by the Rams. After two winning seasons under head coach Sean McVay protecting quarterback Jared Goff, Saffold sees himself a part of the club once again in 2019.
“Of course,” Saffold said when asked if he hope to return to his spot on the line of scrimmage in L.A. “I’ve said that all throughout the year, so I don’t think it’s any surprise that I want to be back. At the end of the day though I need to make sure it’s something fair for me, something I can not take advantage of, but something that I can feel that I was treated fairly.”
Saffold isn’t the only one aware of the value he adds to the league’s No. 2 offense in 2018.
"Yeah, I would love to have them both back,” Goff said of the left half of his offensive line. “They're both tremendous players. Guys that have been huge for us up front, leadership every day in meetings, everything, they've been so big for us.”
“[R]odger, he’s got a lot of great football in front of him I think, so hopefully it’s here with us playing for the Rams,” third-year right guard Austin Blythe said this week. “I’d like to have him back because I look up to how he plays, how he carries himself, so hopefully all five of us are back.”
The longest-tenured Ram, Saffold’s played in 114 games in the horns and his most-recent 16 regular-season outings were some of his best. Saffold’s offensive line took home the Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year award at 2019 NFL Honors after leading the way in the Divisional round’s multi-back, 238-yard rushing attack and keeping Goff mostly upright in the NFC title game.
But a day after taking home the award for the league’s top offensive line, Saffold, Whitworth, Blythe and Co. were beat by the Patriots defense, Goff took 12 quarterback hits and four sacks on 42 dropbacks, and the Rams offense put up just three points — a performance that is tough to go out on.
“I’m sure that there will be conversations in the near future, but at the end of the day, definitely not how I wanted to end my possible last game with this team,” Saffold said on Tuesday.
But whether game No. 115 is with the Rams or elsewhere, Saffold doesn’t see Super Bowl LIII’s outcome throwing the Rams off course.
“It hurts right now, but these guys are resilient, these guys show great poise, and I expect everyone to come back and have another victorious season whether it’s with me or without.”
https://www.therams.com/news/longes...on-upcoming-free-agency-i-don-t-think-it-s-an
by Clarence Dennis
The Rams offensive line perhaps faces the most uncertainty of any position group entering the offseason as to who will or will not return for a 2019 run at returning to the Super Bowl.
Left guard Rodger Saffold joins aging offensive linemen in left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan in the upcoming uncertainty as he faces free agency after nine seasons with the club.
Saffold also joined Whitworth in picking up his first postseason win against the Cowboys in the Divisional round — a welcomed change after an admirable career with wins few and far between since he was drafted No. 33 overall in the 2010 by the Rams. After two winning seasons under head coach Sean McVay protecting quarterback Jared Goff, Saffold sees himself a part of the club once again in 2019.
“Of course,” Saffold said when asked if he hope to return to his spot on the line of scrimmage in L.A. “I’ve said that all throughout the year, so I don’t think it’s any surprise that I want to be back. At the end of the day though I need to make sure it’s something fair for me, something I can not take advantage of, but something that I can feel that I was treated fairly.”
Saffold isn’t the only one aware of the value he adds to the league’s No. 2 offense in 2018.
"Yeah, I would love to have them both back,” Goff said of the left half of his offensive line. “They're both tremendous players. Guys that have been huge for us up front, leadership every day in meetings, everything, they've been so big for us.”
“[R]odger, he’s got a lot of great football in front of him I think, so hopefully it’s here with us playing for the Rams,” third-year right guard Austin Blythe said this week. “I’d like to have him back because I look up to how he plays, how he carries himself, so hopefully all five of us are back.”
The longest-tenured Ram, Saffold’s played in 114 games in the horns and his most-recent 16 regular-season outings were some of his best. Saffold’s offensive line took home the Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year award at 2019 NFL Honors after leading the way in the Divisional round’s multi-back, 238-yard rushing attack and keeping Goff mostly upright in the NFC title game.
But a day after taking home the award for the league’s top offensive line, Saffold, Whitworth, Blythe and Co. were beat by the Patriots defense, Goff took 12 quarterback hits and four sacks on 42 dropbacks, and the Rams offense put up just three points — a performance that is tough to go out on.
“I’m sure that there will be conversations in the near future, but at the end of the day, definitely not how I wanted to end my possible last game with this team,” Saffold said on Tuesday.
But whether game No. 115 is with the Rams or elsewhere, Saffold doesn’t see Super Bowl LIII’s outcome throwing the Rams off course.
“It hurts right now, but these guys are resilient, these guys show great poise, and I expect everyone to come back and have another victorious season whether it’s with me or without.”
How do the Los Angeles Rams approach the offseason?
- By BonifayRam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 19 Replies
How do the Los Angeles Rams approach the offseason?
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...gy-super-bowl-gm-les-snead-free-agency-trades
Loading up for title runs is expensive and attractive, but it comes with a future cost, too.
By Eric Nagel Feb 6, 2019
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63010625/usa_today_12104251.0.jpg)
You’re going to hear this for months: this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams are at a crossroads.Yada, yada, yada. It’s a narrative you’re going to hear from everyone (probably 3k...definately Sosa) and sure, it’s typically a crossroads for every team (what are their needs? what moves do they make?), but the added wrinkle of a humiliating Super Bowl LIII loss and the Year of the Knee might change the strategy the Rams employ.
But what is that strategy? There are a few options to consider.
Stand pat
Puns, baby. The thinking here is that the Rams made it all the way, but just couldn’t finish. Sure, there might be some additions to the roster - maybe an EDGE, maybe some offensive line depth depending on what happens to the veterans. But the key here is that the Rams should try their hardest to keep continuity going. After all, if your previous result is making it to the Super Bowl, that’s not exactly a team you want to break up. That of course, means tough decisions on some free agents. It also means little news and more speculation, which means Sean McVay gets to answer four months-worth of questions about Todd Gurley’s knee, and nothing else, so say we all.
Upgrade
This is the goldilocks of options. Yes, the Rams are probably going to lose some players in free agency. Yes, they’re probably going to gain some compensation picks after their expert navigation in free agency last year. But, they have cap space. They can afford to sign a marquee free agent, even if for a year on a prove it deal. Given that the Rams are a contender, it might be easier to pull a veteran away for a chance at a title. But the key is they won’t blow up their draft to add veterans. The Rams haven’t shown a lot of precedence in regards to developing rookies (Les Snead treats draft picks like Sean McVay treats timeouts) but in this approach, they might have to lean on whoever they choose with that first round pick. Because the point is, they’ll actually pick someone. It’s not exactly loading up for a run, but it’s not exactly not loading up.
All in
Let’s be real - this is easily the sexiest option in terms of an offseason plan. Moving your draft picks for players like Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks and Marcus Peters? Check. Adding players in free agency like Ndamukong Suh? Check. Here, the Rams try and bring in everyone they can and coalesce around a common goal: getting back to and winning the Super Bowl. It’s a good redemption story, and you know damn well MMQB would profile the team if they do this.
However, tossing away another year’s draft class means the Rams will hit a wall - hard. They won’t have a deep roster to lean on when Jared Goff’s inevitable contract extension comes due. Teams that feature multiple players on mega-deals like Aaron Donald (and a QB, like Goff), don’t typically survive without a young core to build around (on cheap contracts!). This means the team might lose in the future, which is hard to think about now, but important to plan.
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...gy-super-bowl-gm-les-snead-free-agency-trades
Loading up for title runs is expensive and attractive, but it comes with a future cost, too.
By Eric Nagel Feb 6, 2019
You’re going to hear this for months: this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams are at a crossroads.Yada, yada, yada. It’s a narrative you’re going to hear from everyone (probably 3k...definately Sosa) and sure, it’s typically a crossroads for every team (what are their needs? what moves do they make?), but the added wrinkle of a humiliating Super Bowl LIII loss and the Year of the Knee might change the strategy the Rams employ.
But what is that strategy? There are a few options to consider.
Stand pat
Puns, baby. The thinking here is that the Rams made it all the way, but just couldn’t finish. Sure, there might be some additions to the roster - maybe an EDGE, maybe some offensive line depth depending on what happens to the veterans. But the key here is that the Rams should try their hardest to keep continuity going. After all, if your previous result is making it to the Super Bowl, that’s not exactly a team you want to break up. That of course, means tough decisions on some free agents. It also means little news and more speculation, which means Sean McVay gets to answer four months-worth of questions about Todd Gurley’s knee, and nothing else, so say we all.
Upgrade
This is the goldilocks of options. Yes, the Rams are probably going to lose some players in free agency. Yes, they’re probably going to gain some compensation picks after their expert navigation in free agency last year. But, they have cap space. They can afford to sign a marquee free agent, even if for a year on a prove it deal. Given that the Rams are a contender, it might be easier to pull a veteran away for a chance at a title. But the key is they won’t blow up their draft to add veterans. The Rams haven’t shown a lot of precedence in regards to developing rookies (Les Snead treats draft picks like Sean McVay treats timeouts) but in this approach, they might have to lean on whoever they choose with that first round pick. Because the point is, they’ll actually pick someone. It’s not exactly loading up for a run, but it’s not exactly not loading up.
All in
Let’s be real - this is easily the sexiest option in terms of an offseason plan. Moving your draft picks for players like Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks and Marcus Peters? Check. Adding players in free agency like Ndamukong Suh? Check. Here, the Rams try and bring in everyone they can and coalesce around a common goal: getting back to and winning the Super Bowl. It’s a good redemption story, and you know damn well MMQB would profile the team if they do this.
However, tossing away another year’s draft class means the Rams will hit a wall - hard. They won’t have a deep roster to lean on when Jared Goff’s inevitable contract extension comes due. Teams that feature multiple players on mega-deals like Aaron Donald (and a QB, like Goff), don’t typically survive without a young core to build around (on cheap contracts!). This means the team might lose in the future, which is hard to think about now, but important to plan.
After making impact play in Super Bowl LIII, Franklin-Myers looking to improve for 2019 season
- By BonifayRam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 10 Replies
After making impact play in Super Bowl LIII, Franklin-Myers looking to improve for 2019 season
https://www.therams.com/news/after-...owl-liii-franklin-myers-looking-to-improve-fo
By Myles Simmons
If you followed the Rams throughout the 2018 season, you likely know that Los Angeles’ rookie class didn’t really have too much to do throughout the year.
And that’s not a knock on the team’s 2018 draft class, which began with two offensive lineman in tackle Joe Noteboom and center Brian Allen — both of whom are set up for success as their careers go forward.
But fourth-round pick John Fanklin-Myers played in all 16 of Los Angeles’ regular-season games this year, utilized in a rotational role on the defensive line. In 30 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps, Franklin-Myers recorded 2.0 sacks with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — earning the team’s Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.
And then came Super Bowl LIII, where Franklin-Myers was to be essentially the only rookie scheduled to be on the field as a contributor on offense or defense. He said during the week before the game that playing against quarterback Tom Brady would be surreal to him.
“That’s what you look forward to as a kid. So you finally get this opportunity, and as a rookie I think it kind of means more to me being able to do it so soon in my career, and just getting that chance to play him — a guy who’s the best quarterback to ever play the game,” Franklin-Myers told therams.com.
The rookie played only seven snaps on Sunday, but he made the most of them — becoming the first player to sack Brady in the postseason. Plus, he got the ball out, giving Los Angeles a chance at a takeaway.“It felt good,” Franklin-Myers said of the play on Tuesday. “Again, that was a dream that I’ve been having since I can remember. So I got a chance to do that and I think everybody was happier than I was. Sucks that we didn’t get the outcome, but that was a positive in the game.”
Really, Franklin-Myers’ entire season was full of positives. But this was a play that could launch him into a potentially larger role in his second season with L.A. He knows he still has a lot of work to do, though.“I think it’s a start. You’ve got to start somewhere and making a play like that I think, again, it helps show the coaches that I kind of — maybe I belong here. Maybe I mean business — I don’t know,” Franklin-Myers said. “What ever it does, I think it helps me. It’s not a negative.“But, I mean, I’ve got a lot to learn, a lot to improve on. So I’m not going to really focus on that sack as much as I am just improving every day.”
There’s just over two months until the offseason program begins in mid-April. So what would Franklin-Myers most like to improve in that time?“Maybe my physicality. Maybe get stronger, quicker,” Franklin-Myers said. “But for sure just work on just that grit, that determination that maybe I didn’t have as much of. So I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”
As long as the Stephen F. Austin product continues to work and improve, he should be making plays like the one he made in Super Bowl LIII for years to come.
https://www.therams.com/news/after-...owl-liii-franklin-myers-looking-to-improve-fo
By Myles Simmons
If you followed the Rams throughout the 2018 season, you likely know that Los Angeles’ rookie class didn’t really have too much to do throughout the year.
And that’s not a knock on the team’s 2018 draft class, which began with two offensive lineman in tackle Joe Noteboom and center Brian Allen — both of whom are set up for success as their careers go forward.
But fourth-round pick John Fanklin-Myers played in all 16 of Los Angeles’ regular-season games this year, utilized in a rotational role on the defensive line. In 30 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps, Franklin-Myers recorded 2.0 sacks with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — earning the team’s Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.
And then came Super Bowl LIII, where Franklin-Myers was to be essentially the only rookie scheduled to be on the field as a contributor on offense or defense. He said during the week before the game that playing against quarterback Tom Brady would be surreal to him.
“That’s what you look forward to as a kid. So you finally get this opportunity, and as a rookie I think it kind of means more to me being able to do it so soon in my career, and just getting that chance to play him — a guy who’s the best quarterback to ever play the game,” Franklin-Myers told therams.com.
The rookie played only seven snaps on Sunday, but he made the most of them — becoming the first player to sack Brady in the postseason. Plus, he got the ball out, giving Los Angeles a chance at a takeaway.“It felt good,” Franklin-Myers said of the play on Tuesday. “Again, that was a dream that I’ve been having since I can remember. So I got a chance to do that and I think everybody was happier than I was. Sucks that we didn’t get the outcome, but that was a positive in the game.”
Really, Franklin-Myers’ entire season was full of positives. But this was a play that could launch him into a potentially larger role in his second season with L.A. He knows he still has a lot of work to do, though.“I think it’s a start. You’ve got to start somewhere and making a play like that I think, again, it helps show the coaches that I kind of — maybe I belong here. Maybe I mean business — I don’t know,” Franklin-Myers said. “What ever it does, I think it helps me. It’s not a negative.“But, I mean, I’ve got a lot to learn, a lot to improve on. So I’m not going to really focus on that sack as much as I am just improving every day.”
There’s just over two months until the offseason program begins in mid-April. So what would Franklin-Myers most like to improve in that time?“Maybe my physicality. Maybe get stronger, quicker,” Franklin-Myers said. “But for sure just work on just that grit, that determination that maybe I didn’t have as much of. So I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”
As long as the Stephen F. Austin product continues to work and improve, he should be making plays like the one he made in Super Bowl LIII for years to come.
[Twitter] Warren Sharp -- The Super Bowl was lost before the game started
- By TSFH Fan
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 34 Replies
Here's the twitter unroll of Warren Sharp's Super Bowl autopsy thread. It is what it is.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1092791873092141056.html
Warren Sharp @SharpFootball
The Super Bowl was lost before the game started
•Belichick's game plan modified his defense to counter LA's strength (more zone)
•McVay didn't adjust his offense to attack NE weaknesses
It was frustrating to watch but even more devastating to review the film & analyze.
Heading into the game, we knew:
• The Patriots were GREAT defending 11 personnel passes
• The Rams throw the most 11 personnel passes
But, we also knew:
• The Rams were actually MORE efficient passing from 12 personnel
• The Patriots ranked #3 vs 11 personnel but #26 vs 12.
So what did the Rams do to account for this?
• 36 dropbacks from 11, only 6 from 12
• Only 1 pass from 12 before 4:30 left in the 3rd qtr
Would more 12 have worked? Compare the efficiency on attempts from both groupings:
• 11: 5.6 YPA, 29% success
• 12: 8.8 YPA, 60% success
Unbelievable: A big story in the game was the pressure the Patriots were getting on Goff. That was largely because the Rams continued to pass from 11. It was truly remarkable that the 1st time they passed from 12 w both TEs blocking was 3:42 left in the 3rd qtr. TD, but for Goff.
[av]https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1092797721818349576/pu/vid/1280x720/JpvutRQIIWP2J1Yp.mp4[/av]
The Rams used 12 personnel with both TEs blocking only 3 times the entire game:
-This should-have-been TD on 1st down
-16-yard completion on 1st down
-9-yard completion on 1st down
The Rams seemingly didn’t care that the Patriots were significantly better defending 11 personnel. McVay thought they could win by “doing what we do” and out-executing.
The Patriots, on the other hand, modified their entire strategy to capitalize on the Rams weaknesses.
The flaw in failing to attack more from 12 personnel likely cost the Rams the game. But there were other problems with the Rams offensive game plan.
The Rams needed to target RBs in the pass game. The Patriots ranked top-10 in YPA & success to WRs & TEs. Much worse vs RBs.
LA didn't have a single target to a non-WR in the first half.
LA threw just one early-down target to Todd Gurley all game (4th qtr).
LA threw 3 early-down targets to C.J. Anderson, but not until 4:30 left in the 3rd qtr.
A critical positional matchup edge wasn't explored.
Another huge element of this game was play action.
The Rams absolutely needed to use play action early and often.
Goff was significantly better with play action. And as importantly, the Patriots customarily do not get to the QB as much when the offense uses play action.
LA used play action (PA) on 35% of dropbacks YTD. I thought they should up that %.
They used it on 24% in the Super Bowl (17% from 11 personnel).
Results from 11?
No play action:
•5.3 YPA, 33% success, 3 sacks, 1 INT
With play action:
•7.2 YPA, 50% success, 0 sacks, 0 INT
Looking only at early downs, from both 11 and 12 personnel, here were the play action splits:
No play action:
•38% success, 6.5 YPA, 2 sacks, 1 INT (10% sack rate)
With play action:
•56% success, 7.6 YPA, 0 sacks, 0 INT
I've heard the Patriots "took away play action"... that would mean using play action in the 2nd half didn't work any more. But actually, 2nd half only, all downs:
No play action:
• 39% success, 6.5 YPA, 2 sacks, 1 INT
With play action:
• 60% success, 8.0 YPA, 0 sacks, 0 INT
What about tempo? This was a big question before this game. How often would the Rams go fast?
We know the NE def called 2 plays & switched late in the play clock. Why didn't McVay go fast to combat this? Remember, NE didn't face many fast offenses this year & LA was #1 in pace.
Here's a look at the seconds remaining on the play clock when the Rams snapped the ball (ignoring plays out of timeouts).
18 plays snapped inside of 5 seconds on play clock.
•1.4 yards/play plus an INT.
5 plays snapped w 1 sec:
•0.2 yards/play
Played right into NE's hands.
LA also needed to ensure they weren't losing efficiency by calling suboptimal run plays. The Patriots vulnerability to runs from 11 personnel was something I discussed last season & was still an issue this year.
Pre-game, my thoughts on how LA should optimize their run game:
On early downs (17 of 18 runs were on early downs), the Rams used 11 personnel on only 59% of run attempts.
LA used 11 personnel to run on 82% of run attempts YTD.
In biggest game of the yr, despite the need to run from 11, LA ran from 12 at their 2nd highest rate of the yr.
The Rams recorded more YPC when running outside zone from 11 personnel (9.0 YPC, 50% success) but ran outside zone from 12 personnel twice as often (4 times). These 12 personnel runs plays gained just 2.8 YPC.
There is a difference between game plan & adjustments. Belichick did both. The Rams should have game planned more 12 personnel passes. They didn't. But after seeing the O-line struggle vs just 4 & 5 man rushes, why didn't LA adjust & use 12 much earlier for the extra blocking?
This should not take anything away from the NE defense.
But there was a major opportunity missed by LA in creating their gameplan & adapting in-game.
Passing from 12 worked...
Play action worked...
Tempo worked...
Running from 11 worked...
but all were underutilized.
----------------------------------------------------
Original Start Tweet:
Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1092791873092141056
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1092791873092141056.html
Warren Sharp @SharpFootball
The Super Bowl was lost before the game started
•Belichick's game plan modified his defense to counter LA's strength (more zone)
•McVay didn't adjust his offense to attack NE weaknesses
It was frustrating to watch but even more devastating to review the film & analyze.
Heading into the game, we knew:
• The Patriots were GREAT defending 11 personnel passes
• The Rams throw the most 11 personnel passes
But, we also knew:
• The Rams were actually MORE efficient passing from 12 personnel
• The Patriots ranked #3 vs 11 personnel but #26 vs 12.
So what did the Rams do to account for this?
• 36 dropbacks from 11, only 6 from 12
• Only 1 pass from 12 before 4:30 left in the 3rd qtr
Would more 12 have worked? Compare the efficiency on attempts from both groupings:
• 11: 5.6 YPA, 29% success
• 12: 8.8 YPA, 60% success
Unbelievable: A big story in the game was the pressure the Patriots were getting on Goff. That was largely because the Rams continued to pass from 11. It was truly remarkable that the 1st time they passed from 12 w both TEs blocking was 3:42 left in the 3rd qtr. TD, but for Goff.
[av]https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1092797721818349576/pu/vid/1280x720/JpvutRQIIWP2J1Yp.mp4[/av]
The Rams used 12 personnel with both TEs blocking only 3 times the entire game:
-This should-have-been TD on 1st down
-16-yard completion on 1st down
-9-yard completion on 1st down
The Rams seemingly didn’t care that the Patriots were significantly better defending 11 personnel. McVay thought they could win by “doing what we do” and out-executing.
The Patriots, on the other hand, modified their entire strategy to capitalize on the Rams weaknesses.
The flaw in failing to attack more from 12 personnel likely cost the Rams the game. But there were other problems with the Rams offensive game plan.
The Rams needed to target RBs in the pass game. The Patriots ranked top-10 in YPA & success to WRs & TEs. Much worse vs RBs.
LA didn't have a single target to a non-WR in the first half.
LA threw just one early-down target to Todd Gurley all game (4th qtr).
LA threw 3 early-down targets to C.J. Anderson, but not until 4:30 left in the 3rd qtr.
A critical positional matchup edge wasn't explored.
Another huge element of this game was play action.
The Rams absolutely needed to use play action early and often.
Goff was significantly better with play action. And as importantly, the Patriots customarily do not get to the QB as much when the offense uses play action.
LA used play action (PA) on 35% of dropbacks YTD. I thought they should up that %.
They used it on 24% in the Super Bowl (17% from 11 personnel).
Results from 11?
No play action:
•5.3 YPA, 33% success, 3 sacks, 1 INT
With play action:
•7.2 YPA, 50% success, 0 sacks, 0 INT
Looking only at early downs, from both 11 and 12 personnel, here were the play action splits:
No play action:
•38% success, 6.5 YPA, 2 sacks, 1 INT (10% sack rate)
With play action:
•56% success, 7.6 YPA, 0 sacks, 0 INT
I've heard the Patriots "took away play action"... that would mean using play action in the 2nd half didn't work any more. But actually, 2nd half only, all downs:
No play action:
• 39% success, 6.5 YPA, 2 sacks, 1 INT
With play action:
• 60% success, 8.0 YPA, 0 sacks, 0 INT
What about tempo? This was a big question before this game. How often would the Rams go fast?
We know the NE def called 2 plays & switched late in the play clock. Why didn't McVay go fast to combat this? Remember, NE didn't face many fast offenses this year & LA was #1 in pace.
Here's a look at the seconds remaining on the play clock when the Rams snapped the ball (ignoring plays out of timeouts).
18 plays snapped inside of 5 seconds on play clock.
•1.4 yards/play plus an INT.
5 plays snapped w 1 sec:
•0.2 yards/play
Played right into NE's hands.
LA also needed to ensure they weren't losing efficiency by calling suboptimal run plays. The Patriots vulnerability to runs from 11 personnel was something I discussed last season & was still an issue this year.
Pre-game, my thoughts on how LA should optimize their run game:
On early downs (17 of 18 runs were on early downs), the Rams used 11 personnel on only 59% of run attempts.
LA used 11 personnel to run on 82% of run attempts YTD.
In biggest game of the yr, despite the need to run from 11, LA ran from 12 at their 2nd highest rate of the yr.
The Rams recorded more YPC when running outside zone from 11 personnel (9.0 YPC, 50% success) but ran outside zone from 12 personnel twice as often (4 times). These 12 personnel runs plays gained just 2.8 YPC.
There is a difference between game plan & adjustments. Belichick did both. The Rams should have game planned more 12 personnel passes. They didn't. But after seeing the O-line struggle vs just 4 & 5 man rushes, why didn't LA adjust & use 12 much earlier for the extra blocking?
This should not take anything away from the NE defense.
But there was a major opportunity missed by LA in creating their gameplan & adapting in-game.
Passing from 12 worked...
Play action worked...
Tempo worked...
Running from 11 worked...
but all were underutilized.
----------------------------------------------------
Original Start Tweet:
Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1092791873092141056
