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Blake Countess fined/Coby Fleener lands on injured reserve
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 34 Replies
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/01/blake-countess-fined-24308-for-hit-on-coby-fleener/
Blake Countess fined $24,308 for hit on Coby Fleener
Posted by Josh Alper on December 1, 2017
Getty Images
The Saints will be playing without tight end Coby Fleener against the Panthers on Sunday because Fleener is in the concussion protocol.
Fleener briefly remained in the game after a shot to the head from Rams defensive back Blake Countess, but was pulled a short time later with a head injury. Countess should be in the Rams lineup against the Eagles this weekend, albeit with a lighter wallet waiting for him in the locker room.
PFT has confirmed that Countess, who was penalized, was fined $24,308 for the hit on Fleener. That is the minimum fine for a first illegal hit on a defenseless receiver offense.
None of the other players to be flagged for personal fouls in Sunday’s game were fined. Saints safety Kenny Vacarro and Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein were called for facemask fouls while Saints running back Mark Ingram was penalized for a chop-block.
Blake Countess fined $24,308 for hit on Coby Fleener
Posted by Josh Alper on December 1, 2017
Getty Images
The Saints will be playing without tight end Coby Fleener against the Panthers on Sunday because Fleener is in the concussion protocol.
Fleener briefly remained in the game after a shot to the head from Rams defensive back Blake Countess, but was pulled a short time later with a head injury. Countess should be in the Rams lineup against the Eagles this weekend, albeit with a lighter wallet waiting for him in the locker room.
PFT has confirmed that Countess, who was penalized, was fined $24,308 for the hit on Fleener. That is the minimum fine for a first illegal hit on a defenseless receiver offense.
None of the other players to be flagged for personal fouls in Sunday’s game were fined. Saints safety Kenny Vacarro and Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein were called for facemask fouls while Saints running back Mark Ingram was penalized for a chop-block.
John Clayton: Rams are 10 win Wild Card team
- By Loyal
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 51 Replies
Listening to listener's question segment, in which a fan asked "How many games will the Rams win the NFC West by?"
His co-host snorted before Clayton said "I can's say that the Rams will win the West by anything because I don't think they will win the West. I see them as a 10 win wild card team."
Ok, I want the Iggles to pound them into the freaking ground right now. I HATE THESE MOTHERFREAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His co-host snorted before Clayton said "I can's say that the Rams will win the West by anything because I don't think they will win the West. I see them as a 10 win wild card team."
Ok, I want the Iggles to pound them into the freaking ground right now. I HATE THESE MOTHERFREAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Power Of Play-Action
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 6 Replies
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/30/16718672/play-action-pass-success-vikings-rams-eagles
Harnessing the Power of Play-Action
One of football’s most intuitive concepts has been dramatically dialed up this season. For the Vikings, Rams, and Eagles—and each of their breakout quarterbacks—it’s made all the difference
BY ROBERT MAYS
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57802275/PlayAction_Getty_Ringer.0.jpg)
Getty Images/Ringer illustration
The NFL is barreling toward a playoff picture that no one would’ve been able to imagine back in August. Entering Week 13, both the Packers (5-6) and Seahawks (7-4) are on the outside looking in.
A postseason lacking Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson might seem shocking, but what’s more shocking may be the quarterbacks who are set to replace them in the NFC field. Jared Goff, Case Keenum, and Carson Wentz are all piloting teams in the mix for first-round byes, and each looks drastically different than he did in 2016.
Coaching changes, personnel upgrades, and year-to-year development have all played a role in these quarterbacks’ respective transformations, and all have been cited in explaining the recent success of their teams.
Yet among that jumble of factors exists one unifying thread that’s contributed to their breakouts: All three are among the league leaders in play-action rate. The use of play-action—and the effect it can have on an offense—has emerged as a central theme of the 2017 season, and nowhere has it been more evident than in the unexpected efficiency of the Rams, Vikings, and Eagles.
Among quarterbacks who’ve played at least 75 percent of their team’s snaps this fall, Keenum leads the NFL in percentage of dropbacks to include play-action (28.7 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. Goff is second at 27.8 percent, and Wentz is fourth at 27.5. Last year, the Falcons’ Matt Ryan was the only passer with a similar percentage (27.6).
It’s no coincidence that some of the league’s most overachieving offenses have heavily relied on play-action. The tactic has long been used to make quarterbacks’ lives easier, and this season, a handful of staffs have been willing to use it more often. The benefits of this approach, and the flaws with previous thinking surrounding play-action’s limitations, have been plain to see.
Most play-action throws have a straightforward goal: By feigning a handoff, offenses hope to entice defenders into biting on the fake, thereby creating wider windows into which quarterbacks can throw. This most frequently works when linebackers commit to charging the line of scrimmage at the first sign of a run, thus vacating the middle of the field and allowing passers to drop throws in front of the safety. Take this play from the Vikings’ 34-17 win over the Buccaneers in Week 3:
Because Tampa Bay linebacker Kendell Beckwith takes two steps forward, Keenum is left with an ocean of grass between him and receiver Adam Thielen. With the Bucs lined up in Cover 3 and corner Vernon Hargreaves III playing the deep third of the field, Keenum doesn’t even need to make a perfectly accurate throw; as long as he tosses the ball in Thielen’s vicinity, this is probably going to be a completion. To wit, Thielen corrals a pass that’s slightly off target, picking up 11 yards in the process.
This is how play-action helps quarterbacks at its most basic level, and it shows up again and again throughout Keenum’s tape this season. On this first-quarter play from Minnesota’s 30-23 win over the Lions last Thursday, Keenum’s pass comes this close to nicking Detroit safety Tavon Wilson’s finger, and that’s followinga fake that pulls Wilson up toward the line of scrimmage.
The end result is similar to Thielen’s nice grab against the Bucs. Asking any cornerback—even one as talented as Darius Slay—to play off coverage against the Vikings’ pair of starting receivers without help underneath is just cruel.
The difference between Keenum’s numbers with and without play-action this year is jarring. When using a play fake, he is completing 70.2 percent of his passes and averaging 9.9 yards per attempt to go with a 119.7 passer rating, the second-best mark among quarterbacks who’ve taken at least 75 percent of their team’s dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. On traditional passes, Keenum’s completion percentage drops to 64.4 percent with an average of 6.5 yards per attempt and an 86.9 passer rating. The types of throws above are a huge reason.
Both the Eagles and Rams feature plenty of standard play-action throws in their schemes as well, but a good portion of their offensive success comes from using play fakes to open up every area of the field. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay loves setting up downfield shots via play-action, which is a good reminder that linebackers and overanxious pass rushers aren’t the only defenders targeted in these scenarios. Take this Robert Woods catch from the Rams’ 41-39 victory over the 49ers in Week 3:
The Rams are going after Niners cornerback K’Waun Williams, who’s in man coverage on Woods. As Woods comes off the line, he breaks down as if he’s going to engage Williams as a blocker. The receiver’s slight hesitation works in concert with Goff’s play fake, which is enough to get Williams flat-footed. Woods then bursts open down the sideline for a 21-yard gain.
On plays like this (and Wentz’s beautiful touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery on a run-pass option against Denver in Week 9), a play-action fake works because it fools one cornerback. In some instances, though, it can spin an entire defense around. The way both McVay and Eagles head coach Doug Pederson can twist up opponents with play-action screen designs has led to a ton of easy completions and huge gains for their young quarterbacks.
The Rams love to manipulate defenses horizontally with wide play fakes in the red zone, and Goff’s touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins in a 33-7 rout of Houston from Week 10 is an ideal example. By the time Goff releases the ball, Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney has moved from the hash mark on one side of the field to the other. With big ol’ Andrew Whitworth out in front, this turns into an easy score.
The flashy parts of what make this touchdown effective are obvious. Goff and running back Todd Gurley both sell the fake hard, Watkins is dynamic in the open field, and Whitworth’s mobility and ridiculous finish seal the deal. The quieter aspects of the play are equally well-executed, though, and those are the ones that can go overlooked in a basic analysis of what makes a play-action game so potent.
Outside-zone fakes, which involve the entire offensive line stepping in the same direction in unison as the back aims for the tackle’s outside shoulder, are brutally effective precursors to play-action throws. The movement is so dramatic that a sell is inherently built in, and it’s made more devastating when the offensive linemen are fully committed to the farce. Check out Whitworth’s right foot in that clip above. In taking that initial flat step by bolting back outside, he adds one more layer of deception for the Houston defense to sift through.
With all the benefits that play-action has brought teams like the Eagles, Rams, and Vikings this season, it would stand to reason that other teams should be following suit en masse. But that isn’t happening. And part of the explanation lies in that step by Whitworth—and in the complications that come with changing the mind-set around play-action throws.
Play-action usage has remained relatively uniform over the past decade or so. The league average on dropbacks typically hovers around 21 percent, per Football Outsiders, with a few outliers approaching or surpassing 30 percent. There were a number of exceptions about five years ago, when the read-option revolution ushered in a massive spike for a small pocket of NFL teams.
In 2012, four (Washington, Seattle, Minnesota, and Carolina) used play-action on at least 33 percent of their dropbacks, with Washington finishing at a ridiculous 42 percent clip. During Robert Griffin III’s rookie campaign, play-action was a way of life, and the results were spectacular.
Only the Peyton Manning–led Broncos averaged more yards per pass on play-action that season, and Washington averaged a ludicrous 4.6 yards per play more on dropbacks that included play-action than on those that didn’t.
Griffin and then-offensive-coordinator Kyle Shanahan combined to form the NFL’s version of the modern-day Houston Rockets—they had an almost dogmatic commitment to exploiting a perceived inefficiency.
As the read-option transitioned from a foundation of some NFL offenses to another wrinkle, though, play-action rates fell below even their previous standard. In 2015, the average NFL team used play-action looks on just 19 percent of its dropbacks. Last season, that figure fell to 18 percent. And the reasons for the dip are myriad.
To begin with, for as much as our understanding of the sport has shifted in recent years, the belief that a play-action game’s effectiveness is linked to a strong, high-usage running offense has remained steadfast. The Eagles and Vikings rank second and third in rushing percentage in 2017, and the Rams (eighth) aren’t all that far behind.
Jacksonville has run more often any team in football, so it’s not surprising to see Blake Bortles check in at sixth in play-action rate (25.3 percent). With more teams eschewing the run game and embracing smaller personnel groupings and shotgun formations, the factors that would lead to frequent play-action looks have become a rarity.
And while the Patriots have been able to maintain an effective play-action balance despite minimizing their rushing attempts, not every team has been so lucky. New England runs on only 38.1 percent of its plays, but that number jumps to 52.2 percent on first down, giving credence to early-down use of play-action and allowing Tom Brady to be masterful on those throws (70.6 completion percentage and 9.2 yards per attempt).
It’s also impossible to overstate the rigidity that exists within NFL coaching circles. Some playbooks include only a handful of tacked-on play-action concepts that occasionally aren’t even linked to the team’s collection of running plays.
Where Shanahan’s outside-zone offenses (and that of the Rams, whose staffers worked closely with the now–49ers head coach in Washington and Atlanta) feature bootlegs and wrinkles off play-action, teams lacking that section of the playbook have to mine less conducive concepts for play-action results.
Finally, there’s the offensive line element. Conventional wisdom suggests that play-action passes take longer to develop than many other plays, although that should be countered by the initial movements of the offensive linemen causing defenders to anchor down and delay their pass rush.
Yet play-action can create vulnerabilities in pass protection from time to time. The potential for disaster is high when linemen are asked to attack defenders directly after the snap, especially when they don’t have any help on the play.
Another issue is the backside edge rusher. In a lot of cases, that player will go completely unblocked. In others, a tight end such as Tyler Higbee will be asked to block a guy like Jadeveon Clowney. That can go about as well as you might assume:
Figuring out these issues requires ingenuity and a healthy dose of creative problem-solving. Many teams reliant on outside-zone action will bring their tight end across the formation to seal the backside, a tactic that Shanahan’s offenses have repeatedly employed over the years. Sometimes, teams use even cleverer wrinkles.
The Vikings, for instance, will have center Pat Elflein loop back around to take care of linebackers, as he did against Washington’s Preston Smith in Week 10. At times, a pulling lineman sealing the back side serves to further sell the run fake by playing with a linebacker’s keys and creating more misdirection and mass confusion.
The reason that teams like Minnesota have solutions to these potential headaches is that they’ve seen the overwhelming success that play-action can bring. For the Vikings, Rams, and Eagles, the play-action game isn’t just an obligatory section of the playbook; it’s as one of the pillars of their identity. It’s who these offenses are, and how they’ve turned Keenum, Goff, and Wentz into three of the league’s most compelling stories.
One of football’s most intuitive concepts has been elevated into a staple for some of the league’s most innovative coaches. And during a season that’s defied expectations at every turn, it’s put this trio of teams in position to make some serious noise come January.
Harnessing the Power of Play-Action
One of football’s most intuitive concepts has been dramatically dialed up this season. For the Vikings, Rams, and Eagles—and each of their breakout quarterbacks—it’s made all the difference
BY ROBERT MAYS
Getty Images/Ringer illustration
The NFL is barreling toward a playoff picture that no one would’ve been able to imagine back in August. Entering Week 13, both the Packers (5-6) and Seahawks (7-4) are on the outside looking in.
A postseason lacking Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson might seem shocking, but what’s more shocking may be the quarterbacks who are set to replace them in the NFC field. Jared Goff, Case Keenum, and Carson Wentz are all piloting teams in the mix for first-round byes, and each looks drastically different than he did in 2016.
Coaching changes, personnel upgrades, and year-to-year development have all played a role in these quarterbacks’ respective transformations, and all have been cited in explaining the recent success of their teams.
Yet among that jumble of factors exists one unifying thread that’s contributed to their breakouts: All three are among the league leaders in play-action rate. The use of play-action—and the effect it can have on an offense—has emerged as a central theme of the 2017 season, and nowhere has it been more evident than in the unexpected efficiency of the Rams, Vikings, and Eagles.
Among quarterbacks who’ve played at least 75 percent of their team’s snaps this fall, Keenum leads the NFL in percentage of dropbacks to include play-action (28.7 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. Goff is second at 27.8 percent, and Wentz is fourth at 27.5. Last year, the Falcons’ Matt Ryan was the only passer with a similar percentage (27.6).
It’s no coincidence that some of the league’s most overachieving offenses have heavily relied on play-action. The tactic has long been used to make quarterbacks’ lives easier, and this season, a handful of staffs have been willing to use it more often. The benefits of this approach, and the flaws with previous thinking surrounding play-action’s limitations, have been plain to see.
Most play-action throws have a straightforward goal: By feigning a handoff, offenses hope to entice defenders into biting on the fake, thereby creating wider windows into which quarterbacks can throw. This most frequently works when linebackers commit to charging the line of scrimmage at the first sign of a run, thus vacating the middle of the field and allowing passers to drop throws in front of the safety. Take this play from the Vikings’ 34-17 win over the Buccaneers in Week 3:
Because Tampa Bay linebacker Kendell Beckwith takes two steps forward, Keenum is left with an ocean of grass between him and receiver Adam Thielen. With the Bucs lined up in Cover 3 and corner Vernon Hargreaves III playing the deep third of the field, Keenum doesn’t even need to make a perfectly accurate throw; as long as he tosses the ball in Thielen’s vicinity, this is probably going to be a completion. To wit, Thielen corrals a pass that’s slightly off target, picking up 11 yards in the process.
This is how play-action helps quarterbacks at its most basic level, and it shows up again and again throughout Keenum’s tape this season. On this first-quarter play from Minnesota’s 30-23 win over the Lions last Thursday, Keenum’s pass comes this close to nicking Detroit safety Tavon Wilson’s finger, and that’s followinga fake that pulls Wilson up toward the line of scrimmage.
The end result is similar to Thielen’s nice grab against the Bucs. Asking any cornerback—even one as talented as Darius Slay—to play off coverage against the Vikings’ pair of starting receivers without help underneath is just cruel.
The difference between Keenum’s numbers with and without play-action this year is jarring. When using a play fake, he is completing 70.2 percent of his passes and averaging 9.9 yards per attempt to go with a 119.7 passer rating, the second-best mark among quarterbacks who’ve taken at least 75 percent of their team’s dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. On traditional passes, Keenum’s completion percentage drops to 64.4 percent with an average of 6.5 yards per attempt and an 86.9 passer rating. The types of throws above are a huge reason.
Both the Eagles and Rams feature plenty of standard play-action throws in their schemes as well, but a good portion of their offensive success comes from using play fakes to open up every area of the field. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay loves setting up downfield shots via play-action, which is a good reminder that linebackers and overanxious pass rushers aren’t the only defenders targeted in these scenarios. Take this Robert Woods catch from the Rams’ 41-39 victory over the 49ers in Week 3:
The Rams are going after Niners cornerback K’Waun Williams, who’s in man coverage on Woods. As Woods comes off the line, he breaks down as if he’s going to engage Williams as a blocker. The receiver’s slight hesitation works in concert with Goff’s play fake, which is enough to get Williams flat-footed. Woods then bursts open down the sideline for a 21-yard gain.
On plays like this (and Wentz’s beautiful touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery on a run-pass option against Denver in Week 9), a play-action fake works because it fools one cornerback. In some instances, though, it can spin an entire defense around. The way both McVay and Eagles head coach Doug Pederson can twist up opponents with play-action screen designs has led to a ton of easy completions and huge gains for their young quarterbacks.
The Rams love to manipulate defenses horizontally with wide play fakes in the red zone, and Goff’s touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins in a 33-7 rout of Houston from Week 10 is an ideal example. By the time Goff releases the ball, Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney has moved from the hash mark on one side of the field to the other. With big ol’ Andrew Whitworth out in front, this turns into an easy score.
The flashy parts of what make this touchdown effective are obvious. Goff and running back Todd Gurley both sell the fake hard, Watkins is dynamic in the open field, and Whitworth’s mobility and ridiculous finish seal the deal. The quieter aspects of the play are equally well-executed, though, and those are the ones that can go overlooked in a basic analysis of what makes a play-action game so potent.
Outside-zone fakes, which involve the entire offensive line stepping in the same direction in unison as the back aims for the tackle’s outside shoulder, are brutally effective precursors to play-action throws. The movement is so dramatic that a sell is inherently built in, and it’s made more devastating when the offensive linemen are fully committed to the farce. Check out Whitworth’s right foot in that clip above. In taking that initial flat step by bolting back outside, he adds one more layer of deception for the Houston defense to sift through.
With all the benefits that play-action has brought teams like the Eagles, Rams, and Vikings this season, it would stand to reason that other teams should be following suit en masse. But that isn’t happening. And part of the explanation lies in that step by Whitworth—and in the complications that come with changing the mind-set around play-action throws.
Play-action usage has remained relatively uniform over the past decade or so. The league average on dropbacks typically hovers around 21 percent, per Football Outsiders, with a few outliers approaching or surpassing 30 percent. There were a number of exceptions about five years ago, when the read-option revolution ushered in a massive spike for a small pocket of NFL teams.
In 2012, four (Washington, Seattle, Minnesota, and Carolina) used play-action on at least 33 percent of their dropbacks, with Washington finishing at a ridiculous 42 percent clip. During Robert Griffin III’s rookie campaign, play-action was a way of life, and the results were spectacular.
Only the Peyton Manning–led Broncos averaged more yards per pass on play-action that season, and Washington averaged a ludicrous 4.6 yards per play more on dropbacks that included play-action than on those that didn’t.
Griffin and then-offensive-coordinator Kyle Shanahan combined to form the NFL’s version of the modern-day Houston Rockets—they had an almost dogmatic commitment to exploiting a perceived inefficiency.
As the read-option transitioned from a foundation of some NFL offenses to another wrinkle, though, play-action rates fell below even their previous standard. In 2015, the average NFL team used play-action looks on just 19 percent of its dropbacks. Last season, that figure fell to 18 percent. And the reasons for the dip are myriad.
To begin with, for as much as our understanding of the sport has shifted in recent years, the belief that a play-action game’s effectiveness is linked to a strong, high-usage running offense has remained steadfast. The Eagles and Vikings rank second and third in rushing percentage in 2017, and the Rams (eighth) aren’t all that far behind.
Jacksonville has run more often any team in football, so it’s not surprising to see Blake Bortles check in at sixth in play-action rate (25.3 percent). With more teams eschewing the run game and embracing smaller personnel groupings and shotgun formations, the factors that would lead to frequent play-action looks have become a rarity.
And while the Patriots have been able to maintain an effective play-action balance despite minimizing their rushing attempts, not every team has been so lucky. New England runs on only 38.1 percent of its plays, but that number jumps to 52.2 percent on first down, giving credence to early-down use of play-action and allowing Tom Brady to be masterful on those throws (70.6 completion percentage and 9.2 yards per attempt).
It’s also impossible to overstate the rigidity that exists within NFL coaching circles. Some playbooks include only a handful of tacked-on play-action concepts that occasionally aren’t even linked to the team’s collection of running plays.
Where Shanahan’s outside-zone offenses (and that of the Rams, whose staffers worked closely with the now–49ers head coach in Washington and Atlanta) feature bootlegs and wrinkles off play-action, teams lacking that section of the playbook have to mine less conducive concepts for play-action results.
Finally, there’s the offensive line element. Conventional wisdom suggests that play-action passes take longer to develop than many other plays, although that should be countered by the initial movements of the offensive linemen causing defenders to anchor down and delay their pass rush.
Yet play-action can create vulnerabilities in pass protection from time to time. The potential for disaster is high when linemen are asked to attack defenders directly after the snap, especially when they don’t have any help on the play.
Another issue is the backside edge rusher. In a lot of cases, that player will go completely unblocked. In others, a tight end such as Tyler Higbee will be asked to block a guy like Jadeveon Clowney. That can go about as well as you might assume:
Figuring out these issues requires ingenuity and a healthy dose of creative problem-solving. Many teams reliant on outside-zone action will bring their tight end across the formation to seal the backside, a tactic that Shanahan’s offenses have repeatedly employed over the years. Sometimes, teams use even cleverer wrinkles.
The Vikings, for instance, will have center Pat Elflein loop back around to take care of linebackers, as he did against Washington’s Preston Smith in Week 10. At times, a pulling lineman sealing the back side serves to further sell the run fake by playing with a linebacker’s keys and creating more misdirection and mass confusion.
The reason that teams like Minnesota have solutions to these potential headaches is that they’ve seen the overwhelming success that play-action can bring. For the Vikings, Rams, and Eagles, the play-action game isn’t just an obligatory section of the playbook; it’s as one of the pillars of their identity. It’s who these offenses are, and how they’ve turned Keenum, Goff, and Wentz into three of the league’s most compelling stories.
One of football’s most intuitive concepts has been elevated into a staple for some of the league’s most innovative coaches. And during a season that’s defied expectations at every turn, it’s put this trio of teams in position to make some serious noise come January.
Samson Ebukam ready for first NFL start
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 12 Replies
http://www.dailynews.com/2017/11/30...for-first-nfl-start-after-early-frustrations/
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam ready for first NFL start after early frustrations
By RICH HAMMOND
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam, right, hits Texans quarterback Tom Savage to force a fumble during their game at the Coliseum Sunday, November 12, 2017
(Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Samson Ebukam dominated a special-teams drill on the fourth day of training camp. Then, in a moment that required little interpretation, Ebukam reached for the back of his leg.
“It was the first day of pads,” Ebukam said. “I was like, ‘Come on, man, I’m trying to prove myself.’”
Ebukam, a linebacker drafted by the Rams out of Eastern Washington in the fourth round this year, missed most of camp with that strained hamstring. Slowly but steadily, Ebukam has showed himself worthy of playing time, first on special teams and then on defense, and now his big moment has arrived.
Starting linebacker Connor Barwin broke a bone in his forearm last week, so Ebukam is expected to start his first NFL regular-season game Sunday when the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ebukam said. “Everything that has happened to bring me to this point, it’s all God’s plan. I really hate seeing any of my teammates get injured, especially the way he did, but he’s done a great job of leading me to where I am today.”
Ebukam increasingly has given the Rams reason to trust him. Last week, after Barwin hurt his arm late in the first half against New Orleans, Ebukam stepped in. He sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second half, and the Saints scored only 10 second-half points in the Rams’ 26-20 victory.
Ebukam started this season as a backup who played approximately 20 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps, but he had a breakthrough three weeks ago against Houston, when he crushed Houston quarterback Tom Savage for a sack and a forced fumble.
Now the Rams are confident that Ebukam, who played 23 of 57 snaps last week while he continued his role as a valuable special-teams player, is ready for an even bigger role.
“He has played well, rookie-wise, for the time he has been in there,” Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said after Thursday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “I think he will come in and do a good job for us. He has worked hard. He’s a smart kid and he’s got a world of talent.
“He’s got some talent and I think he’s ready to go. He told me he was nervous. I said, ‘Are you nervous?’ He said, ‘Heck yeah, I’m nervous.’ I said, ‘Well, you better be.’ He’s got all the energy.”
The Rams took something of a chance on Ebukam when they drafted him in the middle of the fourth round. Ebukam, a team captain at small-school power Eastern Washington, received a fifth-round draft grade from NFL.com and was valued for his speed but criticized for a lack of refinement.
Ebukam then didn’t participate in most of the Rams’ summer program, first because of an NFL rule that prohibited him from practicing until his class at Eastern Washington graduated in mid-June. Then came the August hamstring injury that kept him out for approximately three weeks.
“I missed everything,” Ebukam said, “I was trying to prove myself and get some trust from the team. I knew I couldn’t do it if I was injured and sitting on the sideline, doing nothing. I was really (upset), but I trusted the process and we have the best trainers in the league, and they got me back just in time.”
Ebukam played in the final preseason game and became a reliable special-teams contributor at the start of the season. He was allowed to grow into a larger role on defense and received 10 to 15 snaps per game until this month, when he received increased time after the Rams’ bye week. In particular, Ebukam’s speed and athleticism have made him a threat on pass-rushing downs.
Rams coach Sean McVay recently praised Barwin for his willingness to mentor Ebukam, on and off the field. Ebukam agreed, and said Barwin and fellow veteran linebackers Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron and Robert Quinn have helped him rebound from mistakes and “stay calm and not get too hyped up.”
Barwin is expected to miss at least two games as his forearm recovers, so this could be an audition for Ebukam, in part because Barwin signed only a one-year contract with the Rams in March.
The Rams have several important roster decisions to make on defense after this season, so even though Ebukam might end up replacing Barwin as the Rams’ strongside linebacker, Ebukam expects Barwin to provide plenty of advice and encouragement before Sunday’s game.
“Yeah, probably,” Ebukam said. “He’s going to be in my ear and, hey, that’s fine with me. He’s been playing for, like, nine years. He’s got all the tips. Keep them coming. I’m going to soak all that in.”
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam ready for first NFL start after early frustrations
By RICH HAMMOND
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam, right, hits Texans quarterback Tom Savage to force a fumble during their game at the Coliseum Sunday, November 12, 2017
(Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Samson Ebukam dominated a special-teams drill on the fourth day of training camp. Then, in a moment that required little interpretation, Ebukam reached for the back of his leg.
“It was the first day of pads,” Ebukam said. “I was like, ‘Come on, man, I’m trying to prove myself.’”
Ebukam, a linebacker drafted by the Rams out of Eastern Washington in the fourth round this year, missed most of camp with that strained hamstring. Slowly but steadily, Ebukam has showed himself worthy of playing time, first on special teams and then on defense, and now his big moment has arrived.
Starting linebacker Connor Barwin broke a bone in his forearm last week, so Ebukam is expected to start his first NFL regular-season game Sunday when the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ebukam said. “Everything that has happened to bring me to this point, it’s all God’s plan. I really hate seeing any of my teammates get injured, especially the way he did, but he’s done a great job of leading me to where I am today.”
Ebukam increasingly has given the Rams reason to trust him. Last week, after Barwin hurt his arm late in the first half against New Orleans, Ebukam stepped in. He sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second half, and the Saints scored only 10 second-half points in the Rams’ 26-20 victory.
Ebukam started this season as a backup who played approximately 20 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps, but he had a breakthrough three weeks ago against Houston, when he crushed Houston quarterback Tom Savage for a sack and a forced fumble.
Now the Rams are confident that Ebukam, who played 23 of 57 snaps last week while he continued his role as a valuable special-teams player, is ready for an even bigger role.
“He has played well, rookie-wise, for the time he has been in there,” Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said after Thursday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “I think he will come in and do a good job for us. He has worked hard. He’s a smart kid and he’s got a world of talent.
“He’s got some talent and I think he’s ready to go. He told me he was nervous. I said, ‘Are you nervous?’ He said, ‘Heck yeah, I’m nervous.’ I said, ‘Well, you better be.’ He’s got all the energy.”
The Rams took something of a chance on Ebukam when they drafted him in the middle of the fourth round. Ebukam, a team captain at small-school power Eastern Washington, received a fifth-round draft grade from NFL.com and was valued for his speed but criticized for a lack of refinement.
Ebukam then didn’t participate in most of the Rams’ summer program, first because of an NFL rule that prohibited him from practicing until his class at Eastern Washington graduated in mid-June. Then came the August hamstring injury that kept him out for approximately three weeks.
“I missed everything,” Ebukam said, “I was trying to prove myself and get some trust from the team. I knew I couldn’t do it if I was injured and sitting on the sideline, doing nothing. I was really (upset), but I trusted the process and we have the best trainers in the league, and they got me back just in time.”
Ebukam played in the final preseason game and became a reliable special-teams contributor at the start of the season. He was allowed to grow into a larger role on defense and received 10 to 15 snaps per game until this month, when he received increased time after the Rams’ bye week. In particular, Ebukam’s speed and athleticism have made him a threat on pass-rushing downs.
Rams coach Sean McVay recently praised Barwin for his willingness to mentor Ebukam, on and off the field. Ebukam agreed, and said Barwin and fellow veteran linebackers Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron and Robert Quinn have helped him rebound from mistakes and “stay calm and not get too hyped up.”
Barwin is expected to miss at least two games as his forearm recovers, so this could be an audition for Ebukam, in part because Barwin signed only a one-year contract with the Rams in March.
The Rams have several important roster decisions to make on defense after this season, so even though Ebukam might end up replacing Barwin as the Rams’ strongside linebacker, Ebukam expects Barwin to provide plenty of advice and encouragement before Sunday’s game.
“Yeah, probably,” Ebukam said. “He’s going to be in my ear and, hey, that’s fine with me. He’s been playing for, like, nine years. He’s got all the tips. Keep them coming. I’m going to soak all that in.”
Sean McVay: Robert Woods probably out two more games
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 18 Replies
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/01/sean-mcvay-robert-woods-probably-out-two-more-games/
Sean McVay: Robert Woods probably out two more games
Posted by Curtis Crabtree on December 1, 2017
Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods missed last Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and won’t play this week against the Arizona Cardinals either.
A shoulder injury has forced the Rams’ leading receiver to the sidelines for the time being. The team would certainly like to have Woods back in time for next week’s matchup against the NFC leading Philadelphia Eagles. However, head coach Sean McVay indicated on Thursday that possibility may not be all that likely.
“I think a more realistic target would be the Seattle game,” McVay said, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com.
“A couple weeks from now is probably what’s the most realistic approach. But you never know with Robert.”
The Rams travel to face the Seahawks on Dec. 17. He was injured two weeks ago in Minnesota while being tackled by safety Harrison Smith. The play left Woods with a sprained left shoulder.
Woods has caught 47 passes for 703 yards this season for the Rams after leaving the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Sean McVay: Robert Woods probably out two more games
Posted by Curtis Crabtree on December 1, 2017
Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods missed last Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and won’t play this week against the Arizona Cardinals either.
A shoulder injury has forced the Rams’ leading receiver to the sidelines for the time being. The team would certainly like to have Woods back in time for next week’s matchup against the NFC leading Philadelphia Eagles. However, head coach Sean McVay indicated on Thursday that possibility may not be all that likely.
“I think a more realistic target would be the Seattle game,” McVay said, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com.
“A couple weeks from now is probably what’s the most realistic approach. But you never know with Robert.”
The Rams travel to face the Seahawks on Dec. 17. He was injured two weeks ago in Minnesota while being tackled by safety Harrison Smith. The play left Woods with a sprained left shoulder.
Woods has caught 47 passes for 703 yards this season for the Rams after leaving the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Snap counts vs the Saints
- By OldSchool
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 8 Replies
My snipit missed one guy Smart had 5 snaps on defense. Mannion was the only active player not to take a snap.
Watkins’ Unselfish Attitude Pays Off on Field
- By shovelpass
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 27 Replies
http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Watkins%E2%80%99-Unselfish-Attitude-Pays-Off-on-Field-/580141fc-355c-4a12-bbc8-2b727584693c
Watkins’ Unselfish Attitude Pays Off on Field
Kristen Lago Rams Writer/Reporter
In the NFL, wide receivers are known for a few things — their athleticism, their sure handedness, and, often, their selfish outlook on the game. At most times, it’s the big-name wide receivers, not the tight ends, nor the running backs, who prove to be the most outspoken about wanting the ball.
And while it’s rare to find a top-flight wideout who doesn’t outwardly prioritize his own stats and targets, that’s exactly what the Rams have in Sammy Watkins
.
“I’m just realistic,” he said. “You’ve got Robert Woods, you’ve got Cooper Kupp, you’ve got Pharoh Cooper — we have so many guys where I can be honest and say they can go out there and make any play and run any route. I’m not in a situation where I’m just the one wide receiver.”
But he wasn’t always singing that tune.
The Clemson product spent his first three pro seasons as the Bills’ No. 1 wideout. And when Watkins wasn’t getting the targets he wanted in Buffalo, he spoke out loud and clear.
Admittedly, Watkins said he was consumed by his numbers, concerned with just three things: me, myself, and I.
“I was a statistics, an ego guy in Buffalo. I was all about numbers and it wasn’t healthy for me, my teammates, or my coaches,” Watkins said. “So now I really focus on my teammates being happy and winning. And so far it’s been going well.”
When Watkins was first traded to the Rams in early August, however, he said “there were definitely some tests.” After all, he was brought to L.A. on the premise of providing a dynamic No.1 style receiver with the ability to stretch the field.
But after a couple of games with the club, he quickly realized he wasn’t going to be the star of the Rams receiving room — at least not in the traditional sense.
“At first I was definitely like, ‘What is going on? I’m not getting the ball,’” he said. “At first I wasn’t taking it well mentally. And then I finally started recognizing like, ‘Hey this is what’s going on, this is all a part of the game.’”
“I really had to evaluate the situation in myself,” Watkins continued. “I would rather win than get 180 yards, 15 targets and then be hurt when the focus is all on me. Here the focus is not on me, I have so many guys that can help — help each other and help myself out with the game.”
Now, Watkins says he gets to have fun again, playing the game he loves with a smile.This season he has caught
28 passes for 490 yards and five touchdowns. But as quarterback Jared Goffsaid, many of the good things Watkins does on field “go unnoticed, because it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”
“He just plays hard on every snap,” Goff said Sunday, after the Rams 26-20 victory over the Saints. “I think that’s something you never have to worry about him, is his effort. Every snap whether he’s blocking [or] he’s running a route, you know he’s aggressive and physical. He’s fun to watch once he gets the ball in his hands, that’s for sure.”
“Everything happens for a reason. Now it’s starting to play out where I’m playing at a high level, I’m blocking, I’m not being selfish and I’m playing hard,” he said. “And now the ball is slowly starting to come my way and we’re winning.”
And winning, he said with a laugh, is a better feeling than any targets or number of yards could provide.
Watkins’ Unselfish Attitude Pays Off on Field
Kristen Lago Rams Writer/Reporter
In the NFL, wide receivers are known for a few things — their athleticism, their sure handedness, and, often, their selfish outlook on the game. At most times, it’s the big-name wide receivers, not the tight ends, nor the running backs, who prove to be the most outspoken about wanting the ball.
And while it’s rare to find a top-flight wideout who doesn’t outwardly prioritize his own stats and targets, that’s exactly what the Rams have in Sammy Watkins
.“I’m just realistic,” he said. “You’ve got Robert Woods
, you’ve got Cooper Kupp, you’ve got Pharoh Cooper — we have so many guys where I can be honest and say they can go out there and make any play and run any route. I’m not in a situation where I’m just the one wide receiver.”But he wasn’t always singing that tune.
The Clemson product spent his first three pro seasons as the Bills’ No. 1 wideout. And when Watkins wasn’t getting the targets he wanted in Buffalo, he spoke out loud and clear.
Admittedly, Watkins said he was consumed by his numbers, concerned with just three things: me, myself, and I.
“I was a statistics, an ego guy in Buffalo. I was all about numbers and it wasn’t healthy for me, my teammates, or my coaches,” Watkins said. “So now I really focus on my teammates being happy and winning. And so far it’s been going well.”
When Watkins was first traded to the Rams in early August, however, he said “there were definitely some tests.” After all, he was brought to L.A. on the premise of providing a dynamic No.1 style receiver with the ability to stretch the field.
But after a couple of games with the club, he quickly realized he wasn’t going to be the star of the Rams receiving room — at least not in the traditional sense.
“At first I was definitely like, ‘What is going on? I’m not getting the ball,’” he said. “At first I wasn’t taking it well mentally. And then I finally started recognizing like, ‘Hey this is what’s going on, this is all a part of the game.’”
“I really had to evaluate the situation in myself,” Watkins continued. “I would rather win than get 180 yards, 15 targets and then be hurt when the focus is all on me. Here the focus is not on me, I have so many guys that can help — help each other and help myself out with the game.”
Now, Watkins says he gets to have fun again, playing the game he loves with a smile.This season he has caught
28 passes for 490 yards and five touchdowns. But as quarterback Jared Goff
said, many of the good things Watkins does on field “go unnoticed, because it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”“He just plays hard on every snap,” Goff said Sunday, after the Rams 26-20 victory over the Saints. “I think that’s something you never have to worry about him, is his effort. Every snap whether he’s blocking [or] he’s running a route, you know he’s aggressive and physical. He’s fun to watch once he gets the ball in his hands, that’s for sure.”
“Everything happens for a reason. Now it’s starting to play out where I’m playing at a high level, I’m blocking, I’m not being selfish and I’m playing hard,” he said. “And now the ball is slowly starting to come my way and we’re winning.”
And winning, he said with a laugh, is a better feeling than any targets or number of yards could provide.
Reconstituting a kitty
EDIT: Sorry this got a little long.
Well some of you may have seen the post where I mentioned I had a cat story so here goes..........
My girlfriend got two kittens for her kids (age almost 8 and almost 14) and also to help keep her yappy ass dog company during the day.
One of the kittens was hanging out being a kitten when a bad accident occurred, I wasn't there but this is what happened.
My girlie girl had one of those floor to ceiling shower contraptions that has several baskets on a tension rod. It was put together but not yet installed, it was leaning against a wall. The kitten jumped onto her bed, then onto her dresser, then into the top basket. Her legs went through the basket and the pole toppled over with her unable to protect her 9 week old self. She hit the tile floor head first and her legs got bent terribly. She was rushed to the emergency vet and checked out. No broken bones but very bad sprains on three legs and a kitty concussion that was pretty bad. She was a mess.
She was going to need around the clock care for a couple of days and since I was off for the next two days and was already home from work the evening this happened........I put the S on my chest and took up the task.
To give you an idea of how bad it was she could not walk and was moving like she had a serious neurological disorder. Just writhing around, flopping actually, as she tried to adjust herself on a blanket I had her on.
So while my girl stayed here at my place I ran out to get some pedialyte and liquid milk like cat treat since she was going to be fed by syringe for what turned out to be almost two and a half days. She also had pain reliever in pre-measured syringes that I had to give her every 8 hours.
The first night I had her on my chest and held her while I laid on the coach. She peed on me to show me how grateful she was haha. But since she wasn't able to take a lot of fluid it was a small amount. Altogether I got peed on 5 times betwen that night and the next 48 or so hours. Because she couldn't walk I was carrying her around with me when she wasn't sleeping so every now and then I felt the warm of her friendship if you know what I mean. After a couple of days she was able to pick herself up and wobble around but wouldn't eat wet food, just the cat milk treat, and I was still giving her as much pedialyte as I could.
At the same time she was coming out of the fog from hitting her head, but still in pain so she was still getting medicine for that. Side note it was an opioid based liquid. She seemed to be over that issue in about 4 days. However she took a few more days to be able to break into a light trot, clearly bouncing back but still hurt. When she was first walking she was not letting her right front paw touch the floor, but it was a big plus to see her moving. Since she couldn't clean herself I used damp paper towels to give her kitty sponge baths a couple of times. You know me, I don't like a dirty smelly kitty LOL.
A few days later she was moving around mostly like a kitten but not jumping very much........and boy did her appetite finally kick in, which was good because she was 9 weeks old when this happened and had lost a noticeable amount of her body mass in the handful of days she was only taking liquids. A day or so later she was up and going and over the next few days got back to 100%. This whole process went from later one Wednesday evening two weeks ago until yesterday morning when my girlfriend took her home after crashing here. So now she's back home with the kids and her other kitten buddy and everyone is happy.
I have to tell you it was something to see her come back to 100% from how bad off she was when she arrived. I was worried there was going to be permanent damage but she is back to perfectly normal.
Well some of you may have seen the post where I mentioned I had a cat story so here goes..........
My girlfriend got two kittens for her kids (age almost 8 and almost 14) and also to help keep her yappy ass dog company during the day.
One of the kittens was hanging out being a kitten when a bad accident occurred, I wasn't there but this is what happened.
My girlie girl had one of those floor to ceiling shower contraptions that has several baskets on a tension rod. It was put together but not yet installed, it was leaning against a wall. The kitten jumped onto her bed, then onto her dresser, then into the top basket. Her legs went through the basket and the pole toppled over with her unable to protect her 9 week old self. She hit the tile floor head first and her legs got bent terribly. She was rushed to the emergency vet and checked out. No broken bones but very bad sprains on three legs and a kitty concussion that was pretty bad. She was a mess.
She was going to need around the clock care for a couple of days and since I was off for the next two days and was already home from work the evening this happened........I put the S on my chest and took up the task.
To give you an idea of how bad it was she could not walk and was moving like she had a serious neurological disorder. Just writhing around, flopping actually, as she tried to adjust herself on a blanket I had her on.
So while my girl stayed here at my place I ran out to get some pedialyte and liquid milk like cat treat since she was going to be fed by syringe for what turned out to be almost two and a half days. She also had pain reliever in pre-measured syringes that I had to give her every 8 hours.
The first night I had her on my chest and held her while I laid on the coach. She peed on me to show me how grateful she was haha. But since she wasn't able to take a lot of fluid it was a small amount. Altogether I got peed on 5 times betwen that night and the next 48 or so hours. Because she couldn't walk I was carrying her around with me when she wasn't sleeping so every now and then I felt the warm of her friendship if you know what I mean. After a couple of days she was able to pick herself up and wobble around but wouldn't eat wet food, just the cat milk treat, and I was still giving her as much pedialyte as I could.
At the same time she was coming out of the fog from hitting her head, but still in pain so she was still getting medicine for that. Side note it was an opioid based liquid. She seemed to be over that issue in about 4 days. However she took a few more days to be able to break into a light trot, clearly bouncing back but still hurt. When she was first walking she was not letting her right front paw touch the floor, but it was a big plus to see her moving. Since she couldn't clean herself I used damp paper towels to give her kitty sponge baths a couple of times. You know me, I don't like a dirty smelly kitty LOL.
A few days later she was moving around mostly like a kitten but not jumping very much........and boy did her appetite finally kick in, which was good because she was 9 weeks old when this happened and had lost a noticeable amount of her body mass in the handful of days she was only taking liquids. A day or so later she was up and going and over the next few days got back to 100%. This whole process went from later one Wednesday evening two weeks ago until yesterday morning when my girlfriend took her home after crashing here. So now she's back home with the kids and her other kitten buddy and everyone is happy.
I have to tell you it was something to see her come back to 100% from how bad off she was when she arrived. I was worried there was going to be permanent damage but she is back to perfectly normal.
Sean McVay’s Rapid Rise With Rams Offers NFL Coaching Search Lessons
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 16 Replies
Click the link below to watch video.
*******************************************
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/11/30/coach-hiring-firing-season-rams-sean-mcvay-nfl-notes-mmqb
Sean McVay’s Rapid Rise With Rams Offers NFL Coaching Search Lessons
By Albert Breer
HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES
The moment Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff and general manager Les Snead knew they had the right guy to be the team’s next head coach came when Sean McVay started talking about staffing, and Wade Phillips’ name first came up.
McVay planned to bring the ex-Broncos, Bills and Cowboys head coach to run his defense, but it wasn’t just the idea of stacking the staff that got the Los Angeles brass excited about the idea. It was deeper than that, going back to the research they’d done after firing Jeff Fisher a month earlier.
They were told, first and foremost, to focus on the person. And McVay’s tentative inclusion of Phillips told the interviewers two things about the interviewee. It spoke to McVay’s reputation, that a respected coach with Phillips’ credentials, and options, would choose to go with the young Redskins offensive coordinator. But even more, it struck the Rams’ guys that McVay, then 30, didn’t feel threatened by Phillips.
“His true confidence in his expertise actually allows him to be extremely, extremely humble,” Snead said Wednesday night, between draft meetings. “That gives you the element where he’s not threatened. It’s just, ‘Hey, we’re two people who, let’s call it what it is, are good at what we do and we respect each other. And that respect will make us great teammates.’”
On Sunday, the Rams will be in Arizona. With a win there, they’ll lock up their first winning season in 14 years, and they’ll do it with a quarter of the schedule left. Suffice it to say, they feel pretty good that they got the right coach, and person.
We’re starting with the Rams, and for a very specific reason—it’s about to be coaching search season, and a lot of teams screw it up. Just look at the numbers, and the turnover, and you’ll see how many get it wrong. Over the past seven offseasons, there have been 51 coaching changes. Seven teams haven’t made changes, meaning the other 25 are averaging two changes during that stretch.
The Rams certainly hadn’t been above the fray either. Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo lasted three seasons apiece, and Fisher hung on for five, with the three of those guys combining for zero trips to the playoffs.
So how did a franchise that got it wrong for a decade finally get it right? Pay close attention if you root for one of those teams that’ll be looking in a few weeks. We’ll take you through it...
• Define what you want. The Rams fired Fisher with three weeks left in the season, which allowed them to start the process early, and it kicked off with some research. More specifically, the team started panning people inside the building (players, trainers, scouts, equipment people) about what was lacking. Then the Rams started to kick the tires on the methods of some other teams, like the Steelers.
The biggest thing to come from that work: Xs-and-0s were a small piece of what the team should seek, which was part of why the Rams inquired about position coaches like Steve Wilks and Mike Vrabel. And yes, McVay has that part of it, but it was more important, based on their own self-study, for the Rams to emphasize accountability, communication and energy. McVay quickly made it clear he had those things, too.
“You’re hiring the person,” Snead says. “Going with that, you quickly realize the head coach is directly managing some of the most important people in the building, and that’s the 53 players on the roster, and the 15-20 coaches.”
• Identify and assess the coach’s weaknesses. This one was easy for the Rams to find; McVay hadn’t yet turned 31 when he was interviewed. Over time, though, it became clear that age was really the only roadblock standing in the brass’ way.
Within the first 20 minutes of McVay’s interview, Snead made a note to himself: “Age doesn’t matter. It’ll be if we want to hire him or not.” And the research backed that up. For every Lane Kiffin washing out, you had a Mike Tomlin thriving. For the Josh McDanielses and Raheem Morrises, you have your Jon Grudens.
“Thirty doesn’t matter, it might actually be a positive here,” Snead said. “Those most important people in your building? Hey, most of them are in their early 20s.”
• Vet the candidate. The Rams actually reached out to the agents of players who played for the team, but not unit, of each candidate. So in McVay’s case, that meant Snead and Demoff gathering testimonials from Redskins’ defensive players, all of whom helped the push the process along.
“It was unanimous,” Snead said. “I can remember showing Sean the texts, and it was relayed through their agents, what players he’d touched, coached, mentored along the way had said about him. It was one of the more touching moments for Sean to see it. And again, it was unanimous: ‘home run,’ ‘no-brainer,’ ‘hire him tomorrow,’ ‘best teacher I’ve had,’ ‘best motivator,’ ‘best coach to put us in position succeed as a unit, as well as individuals.’ A potpourri of compliments from a lot of different personalities on that team.”
• Project him. This is where the Xs-and-Os come in, via board work.
“There were moments in there where I felt like I could run his offense,” Snead says. “I wasn’t gifted with genetic capabilities of some of these QBs, their minds to take in info and process it so quickly. But there were moments where it was like, ‘I certainly couldn’t throw it like they do, but I may be able to play QB for this guy.’ He was so clear and concise and such a good teacher. … You could see the chess being played but it was in a manner where you felt like you were playing checkers.”
So the Rams got him with Goff in a similar setting, and Goff told Demoff and Snead afterwards: “I hope we’re hiring that guy, because after spending two hours with him, I don’t want to play for anyone else.”
• Have the timing line up: This wound up working out for the Rams. The Redskins’ ouster on Week 17 allowed them to get to McVay quicker than they thought they’d be able. That means by the time a second team, the Niners, decided to bring him in, McVay had already built a relationship with the Rams. Demoff called McVay before the San Francisco interview and told him, “Do well, but not too well.”
The Niners interview went well. But by then, the Rams were moving to make him their coach. And this advanced a train of thought they’d come to adopt in coming to a comfort level with his age.
“Get him now, don’t let somebody else get him,” Snead said. “Don’t come out of this saying he’s a year away, and then in a year, somebody else gets him, because that somebody else is gonna beat you with him.”
It’s an understatement to say this all worked out. The Rams are in first in the NFC West, second in the NFL in point differential, and second in points scored, a year after being as listless as they come offensively. Jared Goff’s broken through, Todd Gurley’s revitalized, the offensive line’s stabilized and Phillips is doing what McVay figured he would with the defense.
Is there another McVay out there for someone in 2018? It’s hard to say now. But above all else, the process we just outlined should give teams a decent idea of who they’re hiring. It did for the Rams, who, by the way, aren’t as stunned as you might think about their new coach’s swift assimilation to the role.
“It’s the easy thing to say. But I’d probably be lying [to say I’m surprised],” Snead says. “He hasn’t exceeded expectations because you just had gut intuition that he was going to be special. Did I think we’d go from 32nd to 2nd in points per game? Maybe not. Did I think we’d have eight wins? I’m never thinking how many wins you’ll have after 11 games. So I don’t think he’s exceeded our expectations. But …”
Whatever McVay’s doing sure is working.
*******************************************
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/11/30/coach-hiring-firing-season-rams-sean-mcvay-nfl-notes-mmqb
Sean McVay’s Rapid Rise With Rams Offers NFL Coaching Search Lessons
By Albert Breer
HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES
The moment Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff and general manager Les Snead knew they had the right guy to be the team’s next head coach came when Sean McVay started talking about staffing, and Wade Phillips’ name first came up.
McVay planned to bring the ex-Broncos, Bills and Cowboys head coach to run his defense, but it wasn’t just the idea of stacking the staff that got the Los Angeles brass excited about the idea. It was deeper than that, going back to the research they’d done after firing Jeff Fisher a month earlier.
They were told, first and foremost, to focus on the person. And McVay’s tentative inclusion of Phillips told the interviewers two things about the interviewee. It spoke to McVay’s reputation, that a respected coach with Phillips’ credentials, and options, would choose to go with the young Redskins offensive coordinator. But even more, it struck the Rams’ guys that McVay, then 30, didn’t feel threatened by Phillips.
“His true confidence in his expertise actually allows him to be extremely, extremely humble,” Snead said Wednesday night, between draft meetings. “That gives you the element where he’s not threatened. It’s just, ‘Hey, we’re two people who, let’s call it what it is, are good at what we do and we respect each other. And that respect will make us great teammates.’”
On Sunday, the Rams will be in Arizona. With a win there, they’ll lock up their first winning season in 14 years, and they’ll do it with a quarter of the schedule left. Suffice it to say, they feel pretty good that they got the right coach, and person.
We’re starting with the Rams, and for a very specific reason—it’s about to be coaching search season, and a lot of teams screw it up. Just look at the numbers, and the turnover, and you’ll see how many get it wrong. Over the past seven offseasons, there have been 51 coaching changes. Seven teams haven’t made changes, meaning the other 25 are averaging two changes during that stretch.
The Rams certainly hadn’t been above the fray either. Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo lasted three seasons apiece, and Fisher hung on for five, with the three of those guys combining for zero trips to the playoffs.
So how did a franchise that got it wrong for a decade finally get it right? Pay close attention if you root for one of those teams that’ll be looking in a few weeks. We’ll take you through it...
• Define what you want. The Rams fired Fisher with three weeks left in the season, which allowed them to start the process early, and it kicked off with some research. More specifically, the team started panning people inside the building (players, trainers, scouts, equipment people) about what was lacking. Then the Rams started to kick the tires on the methods of some other teams, like the Steelers.
The biggest thing to come from that work: Xs-and-0s were a small piece of what the team should seek, which was part of why the Rams inquired about position coaches like Steve Wilks and Mike Vrabel. And yes, McVay has that part of it, but it was more important, based on their own self-study, for the Rams to emphasize accountability, communication and energy. McVay quickly made it clear he had those things, too.
“You’re hiring the person,” Snead says. “Going with that, you quickly realize the head coach is directly managing some of the most important people in the building, and that’s the 53 players on the roster, and the 15-20 coaches.”
• Identify and assess the coach’s weaknesses. This one was easy for the Rams to find; McVay hadn’t yet turned 31 when he was interviewed. Over time, though, it became clear that age was really the only roadblock standing in the brass’ way.
Within the first 20 minutes of McVay’s interview, Snead made a note to himself: “Age doesn’t matter. It’ll be if we want to hire him or not.” And the research backed that up. For every Lane Kiffin washing out, you had a Mike Tomlin thriving. For the Josh McDanielses and Raheem Morrises, you have your Jon Grudens.
“Thirty doesn’t matter, it might actually be a positive here,” Snead said. “Those most important people in your building? Hey, most of them are in their early 20s.”
• Vet the candidate. The Rams actually reached out to the agents of players who played for the team, but not unit, of each candidate. So in McVay’s case, that meant Snead and Demoff gathering testimonials from Redskins’ defensive players, all of whom helped the push the process along.
“It was unanimous,” Snead said. “I can remember showing Sean the texts, and it was relayed through their agents, what players he’d touched, coached, mentored along the way had said about him. It was one of the more touching moments for Sean to see it. And again, it was unanimous: ‘home run,’ ‘no-brainer,’ ‘hire him tomorrow,’ ‘best teacher I’ve had,’ ‘best motivator,’ ‘best coach to put us in position succeed as a unit, as well as individuals.’ A potpourri of compliments from a lot of different personalities on that team.”
• Project him. This is where the Xs-and-Os come in, via board work.
“There were moments in there where I felt like I could run his offense,” Snead says. “I wasn’t gifted with genetic capabilities of some of these QBs, their minds to take in info and process it so quickly. But there were moments where it was like, ‘I certainly couldn’t throw it like they do, but I may be able to play QB for this guy.’ He was so clear and concise and such a good teacher. … You could see the chess being played but it was in a manner where you felt like you were playing checkers.”
So the Rams got him with Goff in a similar setting, and Goff told Demoff and Snead afterwards: “I hope we’re hiring that guy, because after spending two hours with him, I don’t want to play for anyone else.”
• Have the timing line up: This wound up working out for the Rams. The Redskins’ ouster on Week 17 allowed them to get to McVay quicker than they thought they’d be able. That means by the time a second team, the Niners, decided to bring him in, McVay had already built a relationship with the Rams. Demoff called McVay before the San Francisco interview and told him, “Do well, but not too well.”
The Niners interview went well. But by then, the Rams were moving to make him their coach. And this advanced a train of thought they’d come to adopt in coming to a comfort level with his age.
“Get him now, don’t let somebody else get him,” Snead said. “Don’t come out of this saying he’s a year away, and then in a year, somebody else gets him, because that somebody else is gonna beat you with him.”
It’s an understatement to say this all worked out. The Rams are in first in the NFC West, second in the NFL in point differential, and second in points scored, a year after being as listless as they come offensively. Jared Goff’s broken through, Todd Gurley’s revitalized, the offensive line’s stabilized and Phillips is doing what McVay figured he would with the defense.
Is there another McVay out there for someone in 2018? It’s hard to say now. But above all else, the process we just outlined should give teams a decent idea of who they’re hiring. It did for the Rams, who, by the way, aren’t as stunned as you might think about their new coach’s swift assimilation to the role.
“It’s the easy thing to say. But I’d probably be lying [to say I’m surprised],” Snead says. “He hasn’t exceeded expectations because you just had gut intuition that he was going to be special. Did I think we’d go from 32nd to 2nd in points per game? Maybe not. Did I think we’d have eight wins? I’m never thinking how many wins you’ll have after 11 games. So I don’t think he’s exceeded our expectations. But …”
Whatever McVay’s doing sure is working.