At the quarter pole of the season we are starting to see what kind of team we have. I was curious what general opinions and observations my fellow Ram fans on this forum have formed about our current Ram’s squad after watching the first four games? I have seen some some prevailing opinions about the team and certain players emerge in just the day to day forum discussions but it I wanted to combine some of these opinions in one place so here are a few of mine......

Even though it is early, I think McVay is the real deal as a head coach. I hope I am right and my optimism is not misplaced.

For me, my biggest disappointment has been the defense in general for the amount of points they have allowed. I have full confidence in Phillips as DC. I put much of the blame on the players overplaying things putting themselves out of position or getting misaligned to impact he play. Three defenders in particular have disappointed me and have not played up to what I had expected. Those three are Quinn, Olgetree and Alexander. With Quinn being the biggest disappointment by far. In Quinn’s defense he has played against some of the better left tackles in three of the four Rams outings and he looks rusty after not suiting up in any of the preseason games. However, if Quinn cannot not feast on Seattle’s depleted offensive line playing beside the likes of Donald and Brockers then he may be washed-up in my book. For Olgetree I think he is undersized for a 3-4 MLB and he is getting blocked out of plays too much especially since the Rams do not have that space eating DT to eat up blockers. Tree has great range and speed so I expect him to continue to improve but to date he has not warranted a fat 2018 contract extension from the Rams.

On the flip side Joyner has been a pleasant surprise for me at FS and Brockers is doing better with the 3-4 transition than I expected. I actually thought Baron might struggle because he is undersized for a 3-4 ILB. To Barron’s credit he is leading the team in tackles and he has made some really nice plays like the screen saving tackle against the 49ers but he has also been badly out of position on some of the big runs the defense has given up.

On offense I have been pleasantly surprised by their production. I felt they could be a much better unit but still I had tempered my expectations just because last year’s offense left such a bad taste in my mouth. I surely did not expect the offense to be averaging 31.5 points per game. I was hoping Gurley could bounce back but after last season’s struggles but I was not certain he would. Now any concerns I had about Gurley have finally been put to rest.

I am actually not surprised by Goff. So far he is who I thought he could be and I think he is not even close the being the finished product we will see three to four years down the road when I think he will be considered one of the top 5 QB’s in the league.

I am really impressed by the young talent the Rams have assembled at WR and TE. The WR group has a lot of upside if they can stay healthy.

Kromer was a great hire and he has greatly been helped by Whitworth who looks like he could be is one of the best FA acquisitions the Rams have ever made.

After watching the rams these first few weeks it’s got me thinking this is the #1 most important thing in the game. Play calling and having players able to execute. You can have all the talent in the world but without the right plays being called you’re not going anywhere.

https://www.thescore.com/news/1389334
The 4 biggest stories after 4 weeks of the NFL season
by Sage Rosenfels 1h ago
With most teams having played a quarter of their season, here are the major developments so far.

The Rams are McReal
Coaching makes a bigger difference in football than in any other pro sport, and no team makes this more obvious than the Los Angeles Rams.

Sean McVay has immediately changed the football team he inherited from Jeff Fisher. During Fisher’s run as head coach of the Rams, the defense was the only feared aspect of the football team. They were generally in the top half of the league in defense, but their offense was usually near the bottom.

The ceiling collapsed on the Rams in 2016. The offense ranked dead last, and the defense could no longer keep the team in games. Fisher was fired and McVay, who helped turn fourth-round draft pick Kirk Cousins into Washington’s franchise player, was hired to cure the Rams' offensive woes.

McVay’s “quarterback-friendly” attack has paid immediate dividends. One of his greatest strengths as an offensive mind is understanding what players do well. Todd Gurley, who looked like a below-average back last season, has regained his reputation as one of the premier runners in the league. He isn’t just a runner, either - currently, Gurley leads the Rams in rushing, catches, and receiving yards.

On Sunday, Jared Goff found his running back on a well-designed seam route for a touchdown. This play showed me multiple things. Goff threw an accurate ball into a small window to a running back, which isn’t easy. Not just a typical tailback, Gurley ran a perfect route, caught the ball naturally like a receiver or tight end, and outran the defense to the end zone.

Lastly, it displayed McVay’s judgment and creativity on that side of the ball. It didn’t take him long to see Gurley's rare talent as an overall athlete, and then design concepts to use him out of the backfield.

The NFC West already looks like a two-team race. The Seahawks will be in the hunt in December as usual, but they'll be pushed to their limits by the L.A. Rams. This team has a stout defense, the league's most improved quarterback, a running back whose unique talent is finally being appreciated, and a 31-year-old head coach who is wise beyond his years.

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Rams Snap Count: Week 4 vs. The Cowboys
Posted 20 hours ago

Kristen LagoRams Writer/Reporter@kristennlago



The Rams mounted a second-half comeback on Sunday, outscoring the Cowboys 19-6 to beat the home team 35-30 at AT&T Stadium. Below is a list of the reps taken for each player in Week 4, broken into offense, defense, and special teams.

OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS



- Los Angeles’ 69 offensive snaps were the team’s most so far this season. The performance also marked the Rams’ fourth straight game with 20 or more points.

- Despite entering Week 4 with a groin injury, center John Sullivan played through every offensive snap, alongside left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Rodger Saffold, right tackle Rob Havenstein and right guard Jamon Brown. Though the Dallas defensive line, led by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, had eight sacks in the last two games, the Rams’ front five held their own, allowing just one sack of quarterback Jared Goff.

- Running back Todd Gurley added to his string of impressive performances, recording 215 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches marking the highest single-game output of his career. Gurley played 55 of 69 offensive snaps. Only wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods — who took 60 and 59 snaps, respectively— played more among the skill position players.

- Wide receiver Cooper Kupp saw his role grow in Week 4. The former Eastern Washington standout played 49 snaps — 71 percent of the Rams’ time on offense. He finished the afternoon with five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

- Wide receiver Tavon Austin was utilized for the majority of Sunday’s contest as a runner, playing 15 offensive snaps. Austin had six rushes for 48 yards, marking his best showing of the season. Through four games, he has also continued to be used in the gadget role, coming in motion on the fake jet sweep.

DEFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS



- With safety Lamarcus Joyner out with a hamstring injury, Cody Davis and rookie John Johnson saw an increase in their time on field, playing 58 and 29 snaps, respectively.

- Linebacker Alec Ogletree was the only defensive player to play all 71 snaps. He was followed by cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Kayvon Webster, as well as linebacker Mark Barron, who each took at least 67 snaps. Barron and Ogletree split the team lead with seven tackles. Though the Rams’ defense struggled to contain Dallas’ offense in the first half, the Cowboys first four second-half possessions resulted in three punts and an impressive interception by Barron — his first of the season.

- Los Angeles made an adjustment to its starting defensive line, shifting Tanzel Smart to nose tackle and Michael Brockers to defensive end. The defensive front was flanked by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Brockers recorded two tackles, one sack, and two quarterback hits on the night. He also forced quarterback Dak Prescott to make an errant pass that Barron intercepted. Donald recorded two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss in Sunday’s win.

- Outside linebacker Connor Barwin, who played 56 of the team’s 71 defensive snaps, recorded the 52.5 sack of his career on Sunday.

SPECIAL TEAMS



- The Rams special teams unit looked much improved in Week 4 with kicker Greg Zuerlein leading the way. Zuerlein, who played 18 snaps on special teams, converted seven field goals, setting a single-game franchise record.

- Cornerback Troy Hill capitalized on his 18 special teams snaps, recovering a fumble on punt return, to put the Rams at Dallas’ 18-yard line in the second quarter.

- Wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, who fumbled a kickoff return in Week 3, bounced back on Sunday with a 66-yard return to set up a Rams’ scoring drive. Through nine offensive snaps and 19 special teams snaps, the wideout finished with 123 total yards.

Players that appear to be potential future starters? Maybe as soon as next year? Some possibly even later this year?

In no particular order...

Everett. Just a matter of time, maybe by midseason?
Reynolds. Gonna get more and more snaps, no question.
Johnson. Maybe by next year? Both Joyner and Alexander are not expected to be extended.

These 3 guys have future starter written all over themselves.

But there may be a few other surprises waiting in the wings, too.

I see a possible opening for Quinn’s spot. Maybe more and more this year and certainly by next year unless he really gets his season turned around.

Same for Barwin’s spot. It’s only been 4 games, but I expected more. Maybe Wade got his D “fixed” at halftime of the Cowboy game?

Is Ogletree gonna be an ILB next year? Or even be extended beyond this year? Looking kinda iffy up to this point, huh?

Those last 3 players appear vulnerable for next year with the Rams. Anybody on our roster capable of replacing any or all of them? I dunno.

But I’m sure that the Ram brain trust is all over these situations, and then some.

They better decal the helmets away from the white too.

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Wanted to savor the big win over the Cowboys along with everybody else. And Tavon’s contributions to the win.

Here are Tavon’s stats in that game. [www.nfl.com]

Six runs for 48 yards. His best game in a long time.

One reception for -2 yards (because Dallas was sitting on him).

Three PR for a total of 18 yards. Longest being 7 yards. No fumbles. Cough, cough.

I believe I read that he had something like 22 total snaps. If true, then the remaining 12 snaps he was a decoy. Not a bad thing, btw.

Cooper Kupp, by way of comparison, quietly had 5 receptions for 60 yards and a TD, longest of 24 yards. And did some danged fine blocking on his other snaps. No need to mention Gurley’s contributions, is there?


McVay has indicated that we will carry 7 WR’s now with the return of Thomas. I get that. That gives us the best 6 WR’s (Tavon is a RB in my mind, now). And I trust McVay on O matters implicitly, for obvious reasons.

What to conclude?

Here are my thoughts...

McVay is doing his best to utilize Tavon in his O, given that a trade or release are not viable options this year due to his contract. It’s really that simple.

Yeah, Tavon has decoy value. But to imply that Gurley (and others) would not be able to be extremely effective without Tavon there to distract the D is simply not accurate, IMO.

We should ask ourselves these questions:

How to explain the production of others when Tavon isn’t on the field? Cause that Tavon-less production is considerable.
Isn’t McVay fully capable of creating favorable mismatches for our other players if Tavon is on the sideline? Of course he is.
Goff has a ton of quality weapons to utilize when Tavon is off the field. A DC’s nightmare arsenal, actually.
What is the hidden cost when another player such as Kupp has to come off the field to accommodate Tavon?
Have you seen our OL lately? Any doubt that they can open holes for Gurley if Tavon is off the field?
I would love to see more snaps for Everett since I think he’s gonna be a star in our future. Harder to do if Tavon is on the field.

Look, I don’t hate Tavon. And I’m pulling for his success as long as he’s a Ram. But I think his days as a Ram are numbered. Maybe even before this season is over if the Rams have been showcasing him for a trade (an internet rumor?). And I think that his value as a decoy/RB are overrated by some.

So, I intend to enjoy his contributions this season. But I look forward to the contributions of our many other weapons, as well. Especially those of Kupp and Everett. They are our future.

I think that this Tavon thing will sort itself out by next offseason, one way or another.

Coach John Fassel had a few hiccups in San Francisco, but the special teams were truly special in Arlington on Sunday. Greg Zuerlein won the game and Pharoh Cooper who all of us were really tough on to stay in the end zone brought one out with a great return to set up points too, they also recovered a fumble that was huge and did not have any crazy penalties that extended drives.

There is no questioning the Rams have three great ones in deep snapper Jake McQuaide, Johnny Hekker & Zuerlein, but I was very pleased with Cooper and Tavon Austin caught everything cleanly as well. One thing we have been spoiled in over the years under coach Fassel is the special teams and last week was not their finest hour, but Coach Fassel & Assistant Special Team Coach Tyrone McKenzie had their unit ready in the Lone Star State and because of it the Los Angeles Rams sit atop the NFC West.

So, you cannot make this stuff up ...

Going into Week 4, ESPN had the Rams ranked #16, which seemed reasonable, given our SOS and the close game with the 49'ers.

So in Week 4, what do we do? We go into Dallas, and beat the Cowboys.

Where does ESPN rank us after the victory?

16th! No joke, no kidding, dead serious. We didn't move up at all. As a matter of fact, in their commentary, all they did was trash our run defense.

Cowboys of course, are still ranked ahead of us at 12.

Seahawks beat a terrible Indy team, and they move from 12 to 6. No mention of their terrible run defense.

How do these idiots have jobs? It's a serious question ...

watching the Dallas game was kind of alarming when looking at all the rush they had on our field goal kicks. That’s one reason why I was so impressed with GZ he got the kicks off and he didn’t sacrifice on his accuracy. I’m sure bones is going to look at the tape and fix it but it definitely was some close calls.

Let's kick things off with an oldie but a goody from July 10th of this year. Let's hope we can make them eat these words.
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https://www.fieldgulls.com/2017/7/10/15914616/nfl-st-louis-los-angeles-rams-nfc-factory-of-sadness

The Rams are the NFC’s Factory of Sadness
by Mookie Alexander


The last time the Rams were actually good, and they still didn’t win a playoff game that year.
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The post-expansion NFC West wrapped up its fifteenth year of existence last season, and the team with the most division titles (8), playoff appearances (11), Super Bowl appearances (3), and Super Bowl wins (1) is the Seattle Seahawks. Would anyone like to take a guess as to which team has the fewest of everything I’ve just mentioned? If you picked the St. Louis-turned-Los Angeles Rams, congratulations.

If the Cleveland Browns are the NFL’s Factory of Sadness, then the Rams have at least been the NFC equivalent for more than a decade. This was once the Greatest Show on Turf, for crying out loud! Let’s run down some incredible facts about their long stretch of futility:

The last time the Rams made the playoffs was in 2004-05, with a record of 8-8 and a point differential of -73. Only the Bills and Browns have failed to make the postseason at least once during that span, so the Rams have the longest drought for any NFC team.

In that same season, the Rams memorably swept the Seahawks and eliminated them in the wild card round, which is their most recent playoff win. They scored seven touchdowns in their two games at Seattle and averaged 30 points. The Rams have only managed ten touchdowns in their twelve trips to Seattle since the 2005-06 season, and have scored no more than 23 points in any of these games.

The Rams’ last division-winning season was in 2003-04 and quickly ended in a 29-23 double overtime home loss to the Carolina Panthers. This means that their last home playoff win was in 2001-02, back when the Seahawks were in the AFC West and the Arizona Cardinals were somehow in the NFC East.

In the 32-team era, the Rams have managed just one season with a winning record (12-4 back in 2003-04), which is the fewest in the NFL. That’s right, even the Bills and Browns have had at least two.

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The Rams haven’t been three games above .500 since October 2006, when they were 4-1. To add to that, the Rams haven’t been over .500 at any point during the month of December since 2003.

From 2007-2009, the Rams racked up an incredibly pathetic record of 6-42. For comparison, the Lions went 9-39 in the same time span, although 7 of those wins came in 2007 and none in 2008.

Offensive DVOA ranking by season (2005-2016) during their playoff drought: 20th, 14th, 31st, 32nd, 32nd, 30th (Bradford era begins), 32nd, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 29th, 32nd (Goff era begins)

The Rams have been shutout six times since 2005. Only the Raiders (7) have been held to a goose egg on the scoreboard more than them.

A complete history of Rams starting quarterbacks after Kurt Warner had seen his best days in St. Louis end during the 2002 season: Marc Bulger, Jamie Martin, Scott Covington (Who?), Chris Chandler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin, Trent Green, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Jared Goff.

In 2006, Sunday Night Football on NBC became the marquee primetime game of the week, lessening the value of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The only time the Rams have featured on SNF on NBC is the 2010 week 17 game against the Seahawks, which was flexed into an otherwise empty slot. Cleveland (2008), Buffalo (2007), and Jacksonville (2008) are the only other teams who’ve only made one regular season appearance on the network.

Of course, as mediocre-to-laughably awful as this franchise has been, they have given the Seahawks a few scares and caused the occasional upset victory. They could’ve had a couple more unlikely wins if not for these Rams-ian failures.







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One day, the Rams will be good again (and so will the Bills, Browns, and Jaguars). I know there will be jokes in the comments that this will most certainly not be the case, but no team just stays a singular way forever, except the Patriots, who will probably at least make the Super Bowl with Hologram Belichick and a 97-year-old Tom Brady at QB. For now, just enjoy their incompetence and hope that they stay locked in the cellar.
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I doubt their 5 year stretch where they set a record with 15win
Will ever be broken
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10 straight losses to Seattle, '05 through '09. And then only one win in 2010, followed by getting swept in '11. So, 13-1 from 2005-2011...
I don’t care how close some games were, that’s awful.
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Or is it just some more Jeff fisher, 7-9 bullshit???
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The Rams are doomed for at least another decade.

They swung for the fences with Goff, and hit a popup. The rest of the offense is horrible, with the only hope being an injured running back with one decent season. The defense has about three decent players.

Los Angeles is the worst possible spot for them. LA fans are cruel and fickle, and won’t come to their games. There is no such thing as a lovable loser in that town- when the Clippers were shitty, people only went to see them because the tickets were cheaper than the Lakers, who toyed with them (as the Hawks will toy with the Rams minus Fisher, whose only skill was miraculously beating the Seahawks). NFL cameras will need to either photoshop or avoid crowd shots altogether, as the shiny new stadium will become a giant empty beer parlor.

I don’t feel sorry for them. Somebody has to be on the bottom in the NFL, and maybe they’ll become lovable losers like the Browns or the Cubs. Yeah, right, in Los Angeles. At least the players won’t suffer, since they know right away they suck. And LA comes in handy here: lots of young good looking women, who love football players whether they win or not.
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I think you are possibly right, but you can't just waive off Goff. He has a long way to go to prove his rookie year was just a steep curve, but it isn't impossible that he turns out to be decent.
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It's certainly possible, but Goff has had some record-setting levels of futility so far

That said, there’s no such thing as being doomed for the next decade. They could easily end up sucking for that long, but it’s far from inevitable, and would require more terrible decisions on their part.
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"The last time the Rams won a home playoff game was a few months after the Mariners' last playoff appearance." is a line I wanted to write
But I had mercy.
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Since realignment, the Seahawks lead the series 20-11. Sure, the Rams have recently given the Seahawks trouble but they hardly own them. Do you know the score of the last meeting? Give you a hint: the Rams got stomped.

In large part due to their rookie quarterback being historically bad. More importantly, I would rather get swept by the Rams and win the division than be below .500 and split with the division winner. That’s just me though.
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I would rather have the sadness of consistent 10+ win seasons with a franchise QB than being a laughing stock who happens to steal a couple wins each year.
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the reason I am personally happy that Fisher is gone is that hopefully it means the Rams won’t be so dirty. I’m hoping the new staff keeps them on the up and up. They have talent on defense and Phillips is a legend but that offense won’t be magically good over night.

Gurley lacks vision, the line isn’t exactly great (something we know all about), Goff looked abysmal, and his targets aren’t exactly scaring anyone. Goff could improve of course but it would have to be a truly remarkable change for them to be good this year. They will eventually be good again but I wouldn’t count on this year.

Is there a player more important to a team's success than Russel Wilson?

Without him, The Seahawks would be a mediocre team at best. They have a good defense, but they are shit across the board on offense without Wilson. He IS their offense.

Their Oline sucks, but that doesn't matter 'cause of Wilson's legs. They have an average receiving corps, but that doesn't matter because they just run around while Wilson is scrambling and he will find them. They have no star running backs, but that doesn't matter because Wilson gets yardage on the ground all by himself. Finally, he is the luckiest motherfucker I have ever seen - how many times does he just heave up a jump ball and his guys somehow come down with it?

Luckily, the Rams have been pretty good at containing Wilson, especially at home. That is gonna have to continue if they want to win on Sunday.

I hate Rusty Wilson, wish he was a Ram.

Who thinks the Rams should convert WR Thomas to backup cornerback? The Rams, I think need a CB more than another receiver. Plus, Thomas' hands seem to be better suited to cornerback work. I know it's a hugely different position and good CBs are hard to find. Just a thought. I know it's not necessarily a good fit. It may be the worst idea ever. I know. Maybe he could be a dual purpose sort of guy playing WR/CB? Let the flaming begin, ha ha.

Well I graded the Rams vs Cowboys game and my suspicion that Goff’s PFF grade was ridiculous was confirmed. He graded out as I suspected he might with an average grade. He was better against pressure than PFF eluded to and there were some completions against pressure that I don’t think they counted. They had him going 3 for 11 against pressure. I had him completing 9 of 16 against some form of pressure, although 1 of those completions was considered incomplete by the officials. 4 of the incomplete passes were throw aways and 1 was miscommunication so he was 9 (or 8) of 11 when trying to get a completion. One of those completions was slightly deflected at the line by a free rusher. I gave him credit for it because he had back side pressure and threw against the free rusher and there wasn’t much else he could have done, plus the pass was in the general area of a wide open receiver even after the deflection. It wasn’t like it was tipped up high and the receiver had to fight for it. The receiver just had to move a step away from where he was. I can see how PFF gets to 7 of 12 by taking away 2 completions and 4 attempts against pressure on bootlegs. They get to 6 of 12 by agreeing with the refs on the 1 I didn’t agree with. They can get to 5 of 11 by disregarding the deflected pass. I’m not sure how the hell they got to 3 of 11. Even at 5 of 11, you still have to account for the fact that 5 of them were not incomplete because of accuracy. This has been a suspicion of mine that they’ll throw out the numbers against pressure to justify a poor grade by a QB but the number is misleading because the QB wasn’t as bad as that stat suggests. The real number according to my chart is that Goff made good decisions or plays on 14 of 18 plays against pressure in total. The 4 bad plays against pressure; 1. He missed on a deep throw but was hit on that play. 2. He threw a ball away after rolling out but he had receivers open very early in the play. 3. He fumbled when hit from behind from quick pressure. 4. He missed on another deep ball on a bootleg, he was tackled just after getting rid of the ball on that play. 14 of 18 looks a hell of a lot better than 3 of 11. This may make it seem like Goff should deserve a better grade than the average grade I gave him but he did get some great after the catch production and some nice catches by his receivers to make up for minor accuracy issues. He managed the game well and that is why he deserves a average grade more than he deserves the poor grade that PFF gave him. The grade sheet is attached.

I'm not sure if this deserves it's own thread, but it's something that crops up in MANY threads, it's in regard to the perpetual question about trading Tavon, because of his salary - can we please try and draw a line in the freaking sand, because it's starting to get a little boring and frustrating because if you guys CAN'T see what Tavon brings to the table then you're being extremely blinkered. In my mind, at the moment, he's contributing far more than AD99 or Ogletree is. His presence on the field opens up space for Gurley and the WRs, without some of his fake sweeps etc, we wouldn't have had certain 1st downs or TDs - can't you all see how McVay is using Tavon, he's a decoy, he's a target and a threat and if defences sleep on him, he may just take it to the house!

If you don't want to believe me, have a read of what TGII has to say on the matter:

"That definitely helped me a lot," Gurley said. "Without Tavon, that’s the extra defender being there, or extra two defenders being there."

The facts
Gurley (with TA on the playing field) 8.1 yards per carry
Gurley (without TA on the playing field) 3.3 yards per carry

I don't want to see Gurley drop his YPC, it's one of the reasons we're winning - and TA is integral to keeping that YPC high.

"It might not show up on the stat sheet, but he's contributing in a lot of ways that goes unnoticed," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "It certainly doesn't in our building."

So please guys, we're winning at the moment, because of the huge TEAM effort the guys are doing, lets celebrate and not tear into a guy that's just doing his job for his coach and his team mates.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams are expected to carry seven wide receivers by the end of this week.

Mike Thomas, suspended for the first four regular-season games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, will be added to the roster, coach Sean McVay said. But the Rams also will keep their six other receivers: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Tavon Austin, Pharoh Cooper and Josh Reynolds.

Cincinnati Bengals.

Thomas, listed at 6 foot 1 and 195 pounds, is a vertical threat who also can be a factor on special teams. His role, however, will be limited. Cooper will continue to return kickoffs, and the likes of Watkins, Woods and Kupp -- not to mention Todd Gurley -- will continue to soak up the targets. Going with seven receivers seems like a move made mostly to preserve depth because Austin has carved out a role in the backfield and any one of the Rams' young receivers probably would get claimed off waivers.

Thomas was a sixth-round pick in last year's draft who hardly played early in the 2016 season and made a couple of notable mistakes down the stretch, fumbling the opening kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons and dropping an easy long catch against the Seattle Seahawks. But Thomas impressed the new coaching staff during the offseason program and in training camp, even though he was limited in both by minor injuries.

The Rams probably will wait until late in the week to make a corresponding move to fit Thomas onto their 53-man roster.

"Mike's got a lot of value," McVay said. "He's got some speed. I think he's continued to improve the nuances of playing the position. Then he's also a big asset to [John Fassel] and the special teams. How that affects the 46 on game day is something that we're going to monitor as the week progresses. But Mike's a guy that we're glad to get back."

Click to expand...

Why not? We only need to carry 1 RB

It's VICTORY MONDAY!!! Celebrate right by listening to the Downtown Rams podcast. We have Rams Insider, Joe Curley on to help break down the Los Angeles Rams' 35-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys as LA is now 3-1! #MobSquad #RamsUp

iTunes: http://apple.co/2xKVvT1
Android: http://bit.ly/2g3q38n

Thrilled with the 3-1 start, but when you look at this team you can easily state that if they stay relatively healthy, they can get so much better.


Wade's D

Defense has a ton of room to get better and while they may have a few square pegs that they are trying to fit into round holes in the new 3-4, there is plenty of physical talent to get this to a top 12-15 defense.


The Role of the TE Expanding

Everett has shown flashes, but slowed the last two weeks by injury so not a lot of impact recently. Then Higbee stepped up yesterday. If these two get it going together it really opens up Watkins, Kupp, & Woods, not to mention Gurely.

Goff Gaining More Experience

Just an obvious observation that the more he plays the more comfortable he will be in this offense and the better he should get even as they start facing some better defenses. This should get Watkins more involved as well.


The OL Gelling

Again, the more Brown and Havenstein play together as well as Saffold and Whitworth, these tandoms should be more effective.


Again the qualifier is they have to stay healthy, but the pieces are in place, the coaching seems up to the task, and while I am sure there will be some bumps in the road for Goff and McVay, they have shown that this is not the SOSAR's!!

There is a home I drive past everyday on the way to work. Older neighborhood. The homeowners live on a main road that people tend to drive a little too fast. To protect them from drivers like me, you probably couldn't blame them if they had one of those signs out front that read, "Drive like your kids live here", or my favorite,



After all, those fat little bastards will get hit, unless we warn passing drivers. It's always the slow kid with "cankles", I suppose, that live on the busy streets, and need signs like these to protect them. The fleet-footed, more agile kids' parents can afford to live in the cul-de-sacs, or at least those kids can better dodge cars on their skateboards. I bet Grob lived on a busy street. A sign like this probably saved his ass once or twice. But I digress.

No, though you couldn't blame them, my neighbor actually decided sometime over the summer to go all-in on a different kind of sign. They decided to become one of "those houses." You know the type, for good or for bad, that adorn their dwelling with something that turns peoples heads as they drive past. Maybe it's a wild paint color, ("That's where those crazy people live") or maybe cars up on blocks, ("There goes the neighborhood.") My neighbor decided to do something different,






"Be Kind & always assume good will", their sign says. Right on the top of the garage. BOOM. For all the world to see. Sort of an appropriate font, too. Don't you think? A soft font, that says, "I'm not yelling this. I love you, and I want to make your day better."

When I first saw the sign back in June or July, I remember thinking, "Good for them." But otherwise not thinking much of it. But as I've passed their home time and time again, sometimes I'll glance at their sign and think different things. Once, I wondered what inspired them. Once I wondered if a traumatic event in their lives turned their life perspective into a softer approach. Another time, I contrasted their sign with my dads infamous philosophy, "Hey daddy. You gotta screw them, before they screw you!"

Sigh. Dad thought that if you assumed good will, the next guy will get over on you. Oh, dad had great love in his heart, too, but insecurities and hatred can sometimes dominate the character of a man.

And I suppose my father's son has been guilty of assuming the worst of others. I've driven past my neighbor's home on a bad day, and thought, "Sappy fools, I bet people don't pick dog crap off your lawn!"

But today, as I drove past their home, glad for yesterdays Ram victory over the Cowboys, but preoccupied and sad about the horrific shooting in Las Vegas, I was given some hope. "Be kind & always assume good will." Thanks neighbor.

Believe me, I believe in Peace through Strength, but I too have come to realize, as God changes my heart, that any hope for our world is not going to come from the guy with the biggest gun, but from millions more people like my neighbor, daring to love greatly, and with reckless abandon.

I don't know about you guys , but it sure is nice to have guys that are humble and not in the news in the wrong way . Guys like Becham , Zeke , and Antonio Brown are great players , but their antics are something I'm glad we don't have to deal with . It's actually embarrassing to watch sometimes .

Ascending Rams team at home in front of what should be a growing crowd on the heels of a big win in Dallas.

Perennial winners of the NFC West, the gatekeepers of divisional ownership, coming to LA to put the upstart Rams in their place.

Seattle's strength--their defense--matching up against the Rams' strength in the league's top producing and most balanced offense.

Rams' underperforming defense matching up against the plodding Seattle offense. Both units with a capability of dominating but haven't shown it thus far.

Such a huge game. Game of the week IMO and if the Rams win this one they will be in the driver's seat going forward.

what a shitty day. thanks for the music man.

I'm convinced that if last years offense played like this years the Rams would have been 4-0. If this years offense played like last years offense they would be 0-4.


And if this years defense played like last years defense they would be 4-0. If last years defense played like this years defense they would be 0-4.

Interesting I think.

Through 4 games......different opponents etcetcetc I know but I wanted to see how things looked held up against each other, I wanted to take a quick peek under the rug after thinking about what I just said above.

2016 points 63 (hold your nose LOL)
2017 points 142

2016 points against 76
2017 points against 105

Some other stuff I thought was interesting

2016 total yards 1076
2017 total yards 1574
(side note Goff has 1072 yards passing essentially matching 2016's total yards through 4 games)

That equals about 118 more yards per game. That's an enormous turnaround that extrapolated over 16 games is 1,888 yards.

2016 rushing TD's 2
2017 rushing TD's 5

2016 TD/INT 4/3
2017 TD/INT 7/1

I know it's Goff v. Keenum here but still it's part of the equation.

This is a telling stat.

2016 total yards given up 1471
2017 total yards given up 1518

A difference of 2.94 yards per game. Or the equivilant of one 2016 Todd Gurley carry. (Ha sorry couldn't resist because I'm so glad he is in a zone).

So the 2016 was bend but don't break through three games and the 2017 defense seems to be bend and then break. They have been gashed by big plays that have led to points.

Overall I thought it was interesting to see how the records are the same but how different the numbers looked and how different the games felt. The vibe from last year was light years from the vibe this year.

it's time the LA media eats some crow on Jared Goff! He's currently rated as a top 10 in virtually every category. I dunno about you guys but I'm gonna be terrorizing the LA media buffoons twitter accounts today.

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Love Skip getting roasted by Shannon! :rolllaugh::rolllaugh:
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Hate how people rake ED over the coals here and refuse to see he is just a Rams fan like us... Look at him! Wearing his jersey on national television celebrating our win! Love me some ED! He's just a fan like you or me.