Aaron Donald is already dominating Rams practices

Aaron Donald will be "on a pitch count" in his return to the field on Sunday, according to Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Kevin Reece/Icon Sportswire

Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams ran a play that called for Sam Rogers to take a handoff during Wednesday's practice. But Aaron Donald penetrated the line of scrimmage and worked his way into the backfield before the rookie fullback could even touch the ball. And that's when Todd Gurley knew that Donald was really back.

"Aaron's Aaron," Gurley said. "He's going to dominate practice."

The Rams expect him to dominate in the upcoming game, too, even though he basically spent the entire summer working out on his own. Donald ended his holdout on Saturday, but he didn't practice with the team until Wednesday and he wasn't in full pads until Thursday. Teammates still didn't notice much of a dropoff.

"Some things you just know," Rams left guard Rodger Saffold said. "He’s been doing this for a long time now. I expect him to continue to do the same. As far as conditioning and everything else, it seems like he’s fine. You never really know when you get into a game, but I bet money that he’s going to be fine playing."

Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said Donald will be "on a pitch count" in the Week 2 home game against the Washington Redskins. Phillips said the same thing about Robert Quinn heading into the opener, and Quinn wound up playing 25 snaps, or 50 percent of the defensive workload. Donald could get something similar, maybe even a bit less. The Rams' Week 3 game will be the following Thursday, on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, and that quick turnaround may be a consideration.

"He looked to be in good shape," Phillips said of Donald. "You know, football shape and shape are two different things because you’re carrying a lot more weight with pads on and so forth. But he doesn’t seem to be bothered too much by the reps we’re giving him in practice. It’s not wearing him out.”

Donald isn't really expected to be in football shape yet.

I’m not even in football shape, so I doubt he’s in football shape," Gurley said, laughing. "It takes a while. But hey, you never know. He’s built differently. He’s one of a kind, so there’s no telling. He might already be right. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t just chilling. I know he was definitely getting it in back at home, so he’ll be fine.”

The Rams, coming off a 46-9 blowout of a shorthanded Indianapolis Colts team, have a much tougher test in their second game of the season. The Redskins' offense -- formerly under the direction of Rams head coach Sean McVay -- boasts a solid offensive line, a proven quarterback in Kirk Cousins and an array of weapons, including Jordan Reed, Terrelle Pryor and Jamison Crowder. The Rams' front seven will have to bring consistent pressure to make Cousins uncomfortable and take some of the strain off their secondary, which is why Donald's return is so crucial.

But is it fair to expect Donald to be the same guy after missing so much time?

"Yeah," Rams inside linebacker Alec Ogletree said. "I don’t see why he shouldn’t be the same person because he’s just that type of athlete, and he’s a guy that I know works hard when he’s not here. I wouldn’t expect anything less."

Donald, who eventually may be the game's highest-paid non-quarterback, skipped the three weeks of organized team activities during the spring, then held out for 43 days in training camp and in the preseason. But he was with the Rams during their voluntary minicamp in late April and during their mandatory minicamp in the middle of June. He was able to pick up a lot of Phillips' defense then. It's a new scheme, but Donald's role won't really change -- he'll still line up as the 3-technique, and he'll still rush the quarterback.


"When he goes in there, we tell him, ‘Go,'" Phillips said. "It’s not real complicated for him."

Phillips believes Donald's presence has "energized our team." He didn't address the players when he returned, and McVay didn't even bring up Donald's absence during the first team meeting on Monday. The Rams moved forward as if he had been there all along. The players didn't feel as if Donald owed them an explanation.

"There’s a business side to this situation," Ogletree said, "and he had to handle it the way he had to handle it. We weren’t mad or anything. We welcomed him back, just like we’ve been saying we would."

"He’s got to do what’s best for him and his family, so we’re not going to question him about any decision he makes as far as contracts," Saffold added. "We’re just happy to have him back in the building, because we feel like we have something special here."

[www.espn.com]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/09/14/wade-phillips-plans-a-pitch-count-for-aaron-donald/

Wade Phillips plans a pitch count for Aaron Donald
Posted by Mike Florio on September 14, 2017


Getty Images

The Rams have yet to definitively say that defensive tackle Aaron Donald will play on Sunday against Washington. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips made it fairly clear that Donald will indeed go.

Asked by reporters how much he plans to play Donald, whose holdout ended five days ago, Phillips didn’t say, “It hasn’t been decided that he’ll play” or anything like that. Instead, the answer implies clearly that Phillips expects to see him on the field.

“It’s more of a pitch count I think,” Phillips said. “But it’s a number of plays and we’ll see how he is. He looked to be in good shape. You know, football shape and shape are two different things because you’re carrying a lot more weight with pads on and so forth. But he doesn’t seem to be bothered too much by the reps we’re giving him in practice. It’s not wearing him out, so we’ll make sure in the ball game that we watch him.”

Phillips isn’t sweating the fact that Donald will be transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense.

“When you have a great player, I think it’s really not the coaching, I’m sorry to say,” Phillips said. “I think coaching makes a difference, I do think coaching — I wouldn’t be in coaching if I didn’t think it makes a difference and I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t think we could help good players or even great players get better, so that’s what we try to do. But once you get that caliber of a player, you just have to scheme things where you get him one-on-one as much as you can, things like that.

“When he goes in there, we tell him, ‘Go.’ It’s not real complicated for him. . . . [H]e knows the defense pretty well already. There’s a few things that he had to clean up, but a lot of his play is one-on-one, beat the guy in front of you.”

That’s something Donald can do as well as anyone who has played the position since Warren Sapp. And it sure seems like Donald will be doing it on Sunday, regardless of whether he gets a new contract before then.

At least in the Madden commercial I just saw. Watkins catching a TD. Not sure why Rampage was watching from the couch instead of the sidelines though....

Unusual to actually see the Rams in a Madden commercial. Don't think I've seen that since Jackson in like 07.

I know Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp still have to prove themselves further and the Rams got lucky and beat a terrible team in the Colts last weekend but I am thinking Cooper and Jared might have a pretty decent game this week as our boys come away with another convincing win against the redskins this week. Other "experts" think otherwise apparently. Just saw this on MSN and it's the only way I know how to post it.

Rams' McVay to face former boss Gruden, Redskins

BERNIE WILSON (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated PressSeptember 14, 2017

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2016, file photo, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald tries to fire up the crowd during the team's NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. One week after Aaron Donald ended his four-month contract holdout, the All-Pro defensive lineman probably will go straight into the Los Angeles Rams starting lineup, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo, File)

Come Sunday afternoon, McVay will try to beat his old boss and continue the Rams' bold start to the season.

McVay, 31, worked for the Redskins for seven seasons, including the last three as offensive coordinator under Gruden, before being hired by the Rams as the youngest head coach in modern league history.

''Well, honestly I didn't think he'd get one this quick,'' Gruden said with a laugh. ''He's pretty young, but we had some success on offense and he did great things with (Kirk) Cousins. ... There's a lot to like about Sean once you get to know him. I just didn't know that people would give him that opportunity at such a young age, but once they started giving him interviews, I figured that he would get one of them, because like I said, he has all of those traits to be a good head coach.''

Naturally, the big focus Sunday will be McVay's familiarity with the Redskins, particularly with Cousins. While Cousins became a full-time NFL starter and set and broke the franchise record for passing yards under McVay, he had a rough start to 2017 in a 30-17 loss to Philadelphia.


''Coach Gruden taught me a lot of stuff, so I know he's mixed it up,'' McVay said. ''I've got a lot of respect for him. He's taught me a large portion of things that I know and things that we do here, so we've got some familiarity with each other. But, I can't say enough about how much I respect him and what he's done for my coaching career.''

The mutual admiration will pause for some three hours Sunday.

Some things to watch for when the Rams (1-0) host the Redskins (0-1).

DONALD'S BACK: The three-time Pro Bowler wasn't at the Coliseum last Sunday after ending his four-month holdout. He'll start against the Redskins, although it's not sure how much he'll play. He's playing for $1.8 million this season after failing to reach agreement on a contract that likely would have made him the highest-paid defensive player in football. Donald said he learned ''pretty much everything'' he needs to know about defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' new 3-4 scheme during his brief time in the offseason program before he began his holdout in May.

UNBALANCED REDSKINS: Considering McVay ran Washington's offense the past three years, it's imperative for Gruden to strike a run-pass balance that was lacking in the loss to Philadelphia. The Redskins ran on just 17 of 61 offensive snaps, so little that Robert Kelley couldn't find any kind of rhythm and the Eagles could focus on stopping the passing game. That won't work against a Rams defense that tormented the Colts last week, including returning two interceptions for touchdowns and getting a safety.

COUSINS IN FOCUS: While Washington's offensive line struggling in the opener contributed to Cousins' two fumbles and there were some drops, his interception and a few errant passes are squarely on his shoulders. Cousins sees his and the offense's problems as correctable, and Gruden doesn't sound worried. ''We just have to keep trying to work with him and hopefully drill him in practice and get him better,'' Gruden said.

GOFF'S GROWTH: Goff passed for a career-high 306 yards and a touchdown in his first victory as an NFL starter. The best stat? ''No turnovers,'' McVay said. ''That's an outstanding stat to have as a quarterback and then I think he did a great job of distributing the ball. When you see four of your top guys all have over 50 yards receiving, that's a credit to him and the decision making.'' Overall, Goff completed passes to eight receivers.

THIRD DOWN AND OUT: The Redskins' third-down defense was worst in the NFL last season and allowed Philadelphia to convert on 8 of 14 opportunities last week. Gruden considers the pass rush, or lack of an effective one, an issue along with not wrapping up the quarterback. ''When plays are there, we just need to make them,'' cornerback Josh Norman said. ''When we have the quarterback wrapped up, we've got to bring him down. When we have our hands on the ball, we've got to bring that down as well.''

https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-mcvay-face-former-boss-gruden-redskins-234845484--nfl.html


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Who you got? I'm thinking Cincy tonight, Houston is horrid on the OLine and that defense didn't look good last week stopping the run, granted neither did Cincy. I'll go with the home team in a close game.

finally got around to watching this on Amazon. just gotta watch the last episode.

besides reliving the nightmare that was last season.. it really hit the feels especially after Fassel took over fuckin love that guy.

couple takeaways
- it was cool to get a look inside the locker room and team meetings and see the players outside of football
- rough seeing the team after the losses kept piling up
- how easily we coulda been 6-1
- don't miss Fisher at all
- don't miss Williams at all
- Hekker's the fuckin man

Remember 1999? Rams came off a terrible season and hit it hard, adding:

1. OC Mike Martz.
2. OG Timmerman
3. RB Faulk for a round 2 pick
4. WR Torry Holt (impact wideout in draft)

Then they had a QB on their roster that nobody expected to play well come out and light the league on fire in Warner.

This year they added:

1. HC Sean McVay and other quality offensive staff
2. OT Whitworth
3. WR Watkins for a round 2 pick
4. WR Kupp (impact wideout in draft)

Game one we had a QB on our roster, and ok he was a high draft pick but still, who came out and lit the first opponent on fire.

Both in 99 and now we have people struggling to process it, going immediately to the schedule as the obvious rationale for what they're seeing. We see a team that has swagger building fast, where the confidence was evident even before game 1 just like there was in 99.

Just an interesting parallel in things I think. I then find myself with that thought in my head "is it possible for that to happen again, for our Rams to go from nobodies to the best team in this league?" Followed by "Yes. Yes it can happen and IT WILL DAMMIT..!!! BARTENDER ANOTHER KOOL-AID AND KEEP 'EM COMIN..!!!

Login to view embedded media View: https://soundcloud.com/betweenthehorns/ep-25-the-mcvay-era-begins-with-a-46-9-win


Here's Between the Horns with D'Marco Farr and Myles Simmons. It's a pretty good listen.

Here's one highlight:

Myles (on bringing Aaron Donald back in): Integrating him back into the defense--how big of a process is that?

D'Marco: Oh! I'll tell you. "Tanzel, Ty Walker, OUT!" That's it.

Myles: [laughing] Okay, but he hasn't played. You know what I'm saying...?

D'Marco: Tanzel! Ty Walker! Aaron, get in there!

Just curious. My son just talked me into getting tickets.

Anyone who has attended a game at Giants Stadium, how are their fans? Are they as bad as Eagle fans when it comes to dealing with opposing fans? We went to Washington a few years ago, they were pretty mellow, no issues, and we certainly stay low key anyway.

Just wondering how the environment is...in case my kid gets us in trouble.

I'm going to toss some pics here and give a brief description. This isn't the worst of the damage, first responders, through the local news stations, asked people not to go into the part of Naples that was really hammered, I drove in for a quick look but didn't go all the way in and I did it at night when nobody was around. I didn't take any pics, I kind of wish I had but I will tell you this..........it's pretty bad. Way worse than the pictures I'm posting.


Too add to the shit that was this storm my vehicle picked up a bolt on the trip up to STP. This was taken two days later when I was finally able to get it fixed thanks to a neighbor that had a compressor. I filled it up and went to a shop and got a new tire. Biggest hole I've ever seen in a tire LOL. The scary thing is if you look at the head of that bolt it has some miles on it so who knows how long I was driving on it.

The car is covered is slime from the saltwater and crap the storm picked up and dumped. It was clean when I parked it there.

I mean, blind, stupid lucky beyond anything remotely normal or expected?

Kurt Warner. A UDFA just sitting there when Green was injured.

Russel Wilson in the 3rd round.

Tom Brady in the 6th round.

Every once in a while extreme good fortune just falls into one's lap. Have I properly set the scene?

Well, I've got a sneaky feeling that the Rams may have gotten similarly "stupid" lucky with the McVay hire.

They were reportedly hot for Shanahan and were conducting due diligence interviews with others while waiting for Shanny to finish his playoff run.

Including this 30 year old youngster named Sean McVay.

McVay had a jaw dropping interview and to their credit, the Rams hurriedly conducted a 2nd interview and then wrapped him up with a 5 year contract. They STOLE him from right underneath the Niners noses! The Niners actually had interviewed McVay previously and were also blown away with him. A delicious "steal", huh?

Due to a blizzard, the Rams never did get that interview with Shanny. More Ram "luck"?

See what I mean? What an unusual chain of events that resulted in the hire of our 30 year old (at the time) HC.

Don't know about you, but I'm beyond impressed with this young man. Almost too good to be true impressed, honestly.

Yeah, it's early. But we HAVE had nothing but superlative feedback from players, coaches, and beat writers about him for 8 months straight. Plus the 4 PS and one regular season game.

Know what? I foresee a lot of good times and not a few playoff wins in our Ram future with Sean McVay. Has lightning struck twice for the Rams in these last 18 years?

We'll see. But you can color me very optimistic as of today. Lol.

Click link below to watch video.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/14/los-angeles-rams-sean-mcvay-jared-goff-mmqb

Game Plan: Jared Goff, L.A. Rams Progressing Under Sean McVay With Redskins Looming
ALBERT BREER


JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES

Sean McVay’s work as offensive coordinator in D.C. was done, and he was headed to Los Angeles to become the youngest head coach in NFL history. But before he left, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins stopped by to give him something.

It was a jersey Cousins had signed, with a message inscribed inside the ‘8.’

“It was cool, man,” McVay said late Wednesday night. “It’s as special as anything I’ve ever gotten from a player. It says, ‘I owe you my career.’ Which … Certainly, I can say the same thing to him. There’s a mutual respect there, and an appreciation for the relationship we had, and I think it was unique that both of us got the chances we got.

“You get a chance as a coordinator to start calling plays and then he gets the shot to start full-time. That coincided those two years, and I think there was a special bond created with one another because of that.”

Eight months later, McVay is trying to recreate that in southern California. So far, so good, based on what we saw in the opener. Jared Goff finished his first game under the Rams’ 31-year-old coach with 306 yards, a touchdown and no picks on 21-of-29 passing in a 46-9 rout of the Colts.

And yet this weekend, with Cousins and the 0-1 Redskins coming to the Coliseum, and all the memories rushing back, McVay gets a reminder of how far he and Goff have to go.

"It’s the fact that we just haven’t worked together long enough," McVay said. "We’re trying to figure it out ourselves as we get comfortable with one another. That’s the biggest thing.”

After an uneven rookie year, Goff looked every bit the part of the first pick in the draft in his sophomore debut. And the biggest difference, with all due respect to Andrew Whitworth and Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, is the people teaching him.

McVay, of course, will get the credit and the blame as a head coach does. But he insists that coordinator Matt LeFleur and quarterbacks coach Greg Olsen have been just as big a part of getting Goff right. First, it was about fixing the pieces around him. So in came Whitworth, Watkins, Woods and rookie Gerald Everett. From there, the focus turned to getting Goff to operate with confidence.

“Everything we do has the quarterback in mind first, because I think that’s the most difficult position, so you want to make it as easy as possible for those guys,” McVay said. “The things that we'll accentuate with Jared vs. Kirk, while there’s a similar approach, there are some different things that they each feel comfortable with that we might call. Because ultimately it’s about them feeling good about it, not me.

“I mean, I’ve got a handful of plays that I like but I don’t want to run plays that our players aren’t comfortable going and executing. It’s an ongoing thing as I get to know [Jared]. Working with Kirk a little bit longer, you knew what he liked and we were able to grow in a system together.”

To begin with, though, McVay and the coaches tried to lay a foundation that any quarterback would like. He wanted a run/pass balance, and the Rams ran it (33 times) more than they threw it (31) against Indy. McVay wanted to stay out of long yardage, and Los Angeles faced just eight third downs with more than 5 yards to gain all afternoon.

From there, the staff wanted to use that balance to generate play-action opportunities and let Goff throw on rhythm. Three big plays illustrate how that worked:

• Early in the second quarter, the Rams faked an end around to Tavon Austin, and as soon as Goff’s right foot planted, the ball was on its way out to Cooper Kupp for an easy 24-yard gain.

• On the first play of the Rams’ next possession Goff sold a play-fake to Todd Gurley, turned and, working off five-step-drop timing, found Sammy Watkins on an in-cut for 24 yards through a dead spot in the Colts’ zone.

• On the Rams’ third offensive snap of the third quarter, Goff set up off jet-sweep action to Austin, and threaded a high-cross to Robert Woods between three defenders for 27 yards.

Each play was what the Rams qualify as “explosives” (20-yards plus). Each helped build Goff’s comfort level within a new offense, which is similar to how it was done for Cousins in Washington.

“The first thing you’ll notice, you want plays that start out looking the same that are different—your run actions, whether it’s play-action, or some of your movements, where you’re bootlegging him,” McVay said. “Those are the things he’s really done a good job with, especially when you take into account the stuff in the preseason where early-down plays, you’re running play-actions and movements.

“He’s good at it, he’s gotten really comfortable with it. And that’s where there’s a good chance to open up some things down the field.”

This week, the challenge changes, of course, with an opponent that knows McVay and his scheme exceedingly well, because it’s their scheme, too. And so, as the coach is quick to point out, they’ll have to keep what he calls “the progression going.”

But the fact is, Goff’s in a much better spot than he was even a few months ago. McVay’s proud of Goff for completing 70 percent of his passes last week, and even prouder that he stayed out of the turnover column. On the other hand, Cousins’ presence on Sunday will serve as a reminder on how far they have to go.

“Hopefully, you’re an extension of one another where they can anticipate what’s going on because you’re so in tune with the game plan,” said McVay. “That evolves over time. With my relationship with Kirk and really Colt McCoy over the last couple years, they had a really good feel for what we were trying to get done offensively as a coaching staff and that allowed them to anticipate the play calls coming in.

“Things take time. (Goff) is in a really good place, it’s not one or the other. It’s the fact that we just haven’t worked together long enough. We’re trying to figure it out.”

As for that Cousins jersey, it found a home in McVay’s upstairs theater room at his house just Southeast of the facility. “I’ve got a couple nice things up there,” he said, “but it’s probably the most special thing.”

In case you were wondering, yes, there’s room up there for more.

http://www.nfl.com/labs/cfb247/derwin-james/derwin-james.html

He might be college football's most freakish athlete, but scouts see a future NFL superstar in Florida State safety Derwin James

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-- Long before Derwin James emerged as one of college football's elite talents, before he was a five-star recruit, before the nation knew his name, his mother knew what was coming.

Shanita Russell had no doubt after the realization -- a "vision," she calls it -- that James' name would be in lights, his games would be on television, and his talent would take him to the top. So she took him home.

"Since we were from Haines City," Russell said, "I moved him back there so when they said his name on TV, they said, 'From Haines City, Fla. ...' "

The vision came to fruition two years ago, when James cracked the starting lineup at Florida State as a freshman and established himself as one of the game's most dynamic defenders.

Now, just 16 games into his college career, NFL scouts already have a vision of their own about James. They see a future star; a spectacular athlete who can play multiple positions and transform a defense with a rare mix of talent and charisma.


Working with freakish athletesis nothing new to FSU strength and conditioning coach Vic Viloria. Over the last 13 years, from LaRon Landry to Devonta Freeman to Dalvin Cook, he's seen them come and go. And this is how he sums up James: "It'll be some time before I see another one like this. Maybe never."

He's not just talking about James' athleticism -- more on that to follow -- but what the redshirt sophomore can do in a weight room is almost as breathtaking as what he can do on a football field.

"The first time I saw him, he was doing dumbbell presses," Viloria said. "He grabbed the 120s, and I thought, 'You're going to kill yourself, bud.' He sat down and somebody brought him the dumbbells. That grabbed my attention. Here's a true freshman, and somebody's bringing him the dumbbells? I knew he must have earned some respect outside of the building. Then I watched him do it, and he crushed it. But I wasn't going to allow myself to get caught up in it yet."

It wouldn't take long.

A few months later, before James had even played a down for the Seminoles, Viloria posted a video of James leaping clear over a standing man. A close look at the clip shows the prop ducked slightly to avoid contact; an even closer look shows he didn't need to.

James is a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, with strength and explosiveness that set him apart even in one of the most talented locker rooms in the country. He can bench press 450 pounds, and he's approached 600 on the squat rack. He's broad jumped 11 feet, 3 inches, which would have ranked him in the top five among more than 300 players at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. You want speed? He was clocked at 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Nike Opening coming out of high school.

"There is no flaw," Viloria said of James' athleticism.



James is a physical freak. Said one NFL scout: "He's got one of those body types where you could play him at about seven different positions." (warchant.com photo)
The coach grabs two pens off his desk and fires them across his office to illustrate what separates James from others.

"Here are two 4.5s," he says, throwing the first object to represent the more typical athlete. With the second, he hesitates, then flicks the pen with much more force. "Which one was faster? They both crossed the finish at 4.5, but that second (pen)? That's Derwin," Viloria said.

His point? Speed is one thing; initial burst and acceleration are something else. And James has the former, plus the latter.

"He's pretty-looking. He's got one of those body types where you could play him at about seven different positions," said an NFC scout. "He looks most like a strong safety, but he's got the frame to put weight on and be a linebacker, he could be a huge corner. He looks kind of like what Patrick Peterson was coming out. Just a great-looking frame."

Comparisons like that one -- a frame like Patrick Peterson's -- are common for James. But with the versatility to play everything from safety to linebacker to even cornerback comes a wide array of comps, most of which can't, by themselves, do James justice.

Take the Seahawks' Kam Chancellor, the Legion of Boom's enforcer at the strong safety position. He and James are both blessed in the size department, both have reputations as punishing hitters, and both are aggressive in run support. Yet for some, that common comparison falls a bit flat. James is considered the better athlete of the two. Faster, more explosive, more versatile and more agile. Chancellor's place as one of the game's top safeties is secure; he's been named to four Pro Bowls and just signed a contract extension with a $25 million guarantee. But he didn't test especially well as a draft prospect, clocking a 4.60 40-yard dash and a 31.5-inch vertical jump at Virginia Tech's 2010 pro day.

James, however, should test extremely well.

Former Haines City coach Jake Chapman coached James and, before that, Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier at Plantation (Fla.) High, which has produced a handful of NFL athletes over the last decade. Shazier blew scouts away at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, with a 42-inch vertical leap at 237 pounds, and a 10-10 broad jump. A week later, he clocked a blazing 40 at Ohio State's pro day (between 4.35 and 4.41 seconds, depending on whose stopwatch you're using), yet Chapman doesn't hesitate to put James squarely in Shazier's class as an overall athlete. "No question," he said, "the best two athletes I've coached."

Viloria recognizes the difficulty of comparing James with just one player, so he doesn't bother trying. Instead, he assembles a collective cast of the most impressive athletes he's trained in seven years at FSU.

"I think if you take all the attributes of all the best ones, combine it into one, you're getting close to Derwin," Viloria said. "He's got strength like (Nigel) Bradham. He's got the desire to chase the deep ball like (Lamarcus) Joyner, competitiveness like Jameis (Winston). His ability to hit and be strong for a skill player is like Jalen (Ramsey). … His acceleration is freakish; it's that of a Devonta Freeman. … You can keep going down the list."

Of all the praise heaped upon James and his potential as a pro, that might be the highest: that there is no single comparison befitting of what experts see in him. At his essence, he breaks the mold.

“He’s a separate entity,” said Hall of Fame and former FSU cornerback Deion Sanders. “There aren’t too many people who do what he does or have what he has.”



The root of James' statusas a draft prospect remains his true freshman season of 2015. It's the only extended look scouts have gotten of him; a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee ended his sophomore season after just two games.

Without a down of college experience, he cracked a starting defense full of NFL-quality talent, including Jalen Ramsey, whom the Jacksonville Jaguars took with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft. James' impact was immediate and profound.

He was a three-down player with a role in every package -- regular, nickel, dime -- and could easily transition between them. And as a blitzer, he was truly dynamic. Former Seminoles OT Roderick Johnson, now with the Cleveland Browns, claims James could not only blitz with a speed rush, but showed power like a defensive end at just 210 pounds. Seminoles OL Landon Dickerson says nothing about that has changed.

"He is an explosive player," Dickerson said. "He's got strength to go with the speed, and that makes him difficult to deal with."

James finished his freshman campaign second on the team with 4.5 sacks, behind future NFL pass rusher DeMarcus Walker. More telling about his ability to find the ball and get to it before anyone else was how he led the entire defense in solo tackles (52). As scouts closed their evaluations of Ramsey as a versatile defender, they opened them on James, who was every bit as impressive. He took on a level of ownership in the defense that is rare for a freshman, rarer still on a defense as talented as the Seminoles'. Ramsey was the star, but according to one FSU insider, it was James' defense.

Last year after his knee injury, despite some initial hope he would be able to return to the field toward the end of the season, he was eventually shut down. It wasn’t easy news to take. As he recounted his lost season last week, as well as an embarrassing 63-20 loss to Louisville in the Seminoles’ first game without him, the normally affable James dropped his head and winced .

"That was the first time I'd ever had any kind of surgery in my life," he said. "Then to have to watch Louisville on TV and what happened there, that was the hardest."


James (left) and CB Tarvarus McFadden help form one of college football's most feared defensive backfields. (USA TODAY Sports)
It was the last time James would be at home on game day the rest of the season. He approached coach Jimbo Fisher about traveling with the team on the road so he could offer his teammates some sideline advice. Fisher obliged, even though James counted against the ACC's travel roster limit of 72 players.

In a two-game sample last year before he was injured, scouts noticed improvements in his game. He made the first interception of his career against Ole Miss' Chad Kelly in the season opener, and a team-high eight tackles in the Seminoles' 45-34 win. James was able to take a redshirt for 2016 because he played so little, making him a third-year sophomore this fall and still eligible for the 2018 draft if he chooses to enter. It's not a decision he's ready to make, or at least announce, but he's not shy about his readiness to transition to the pro ranks.

"Physically and mentally, my understanding of the game, I feel like I am ready," James said.

He certainly looked it in FSU's season opener against Alabama, before Hurricane Irma punched a two-week hole in the Seminoles' schedule. Lining up at six different positions (safety, CB, slot CB, LB, edge rusher), James made six tackles, picked up an assisted sack, and was a disruptive presence in the Crimson Tide backfield. He was also robbed of a pass breakup when he came off the edge and deflected a screen pass by QB Jalen Hurts, only to have Hurts catch it for a bizarre self-completion, a 1-yard loss.

It was a clear signal James was back, healthy as ever, and primed to again be a dominant presence in the ACC.

» FIRST LOOK: SCOUTING REPORT ON FSU SAFETY DERWIN JAMES

“His athleticism jumps off the charts. His size and physicality is a whole ’nother asset as well,” said Sanders. “And he loves the game of football. One of my dear friends, Mario Edwards, works down there (as FSU's director of player development) and can tell me about his intangibles, his practice habits, who he is off the field. All those coincide for a recipe of success.”

One of the few concerns scouts have about James is whether he'll be able to play deep in coverage, because Florida State's scheme calls for him to play most snaps closer to the line of scrimmage. But just because there won't be much film of James ranging deep in coverage doesn't mean he'll be incapable of it. In fact, the cornerback position might not even be out of reach for him.

"If you put him at corner and you were patient with the technique stuff, he'd be able to do the physical stuff," the scout said. "But with his size, you'd prefer him covering tight ends. It's as hard to find guys to cover tight ends as it is to cover wideouts right now."


There is no shortage of athletesin James' family. Three of his cousins -- Mike James, Vince and Karlos Williams -- already have reached the NFL. His father, Derwin Sr., was a celebrated football player at Haines City High and played at Olivet College in Michigan, but his life would take him to a higher calling than professional football.

"I've got some kids I oversee at a group home. I'm pretty much (combating) human trafficking and dealing with kids who are wards of the state," said Derwin Sr., who on this day is making arrangements to keep a group of children safe from Hurricane Irma. "They have nowhere to go. They're with me."

Only a few minutes into a conversation with James' father, the origin of Derwin Jr.'s leadership qualities becomes clear. The father has been working with kids his entire adult life, starting with his own.

His first football coach was Horace West, who is now a Haines City Commissioner. Nicknamed "Blue", the elder Derwin taught his son to play football the same way he learned it from West -- aggressively, studiously, relentlessly. Haines City defensive coordinator Olin Gee coached both father and son, and remembers them as very similar players.


As James' size grew, so did the interest of college recruiters. At 14, he was offered his first scholarship. (James family photos, USA TODAY Sports)
"His father ran the defense. Blue was a coach on the field, just like Derwin," Gee said. "His dad was a film fanatic, and our captain. He could go sideline to sideline, just like Derwin. He averaged 200 tackles a year. One year, he had about 240."

The All-Polk County linebackers of the day: Blue and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, who played for Haines City rival Lakeland Kathleen High. Derwin Sr.'s football career didn't unfold with all the glory of Lewis' but he raised a son who is on the same golden path. When Derwin Jr., was too young to play tackle football -- until age 6 he was supposed to be playing in a flag division -- his dad allowed him to suit up.

"Derwin had good enough size on him. His mom got on my case when I took Derwin to practice with me," said Derwin Sr., who coached his son in youth leagues. "Even though he wasn't eligible to play, we'd sneak him in a few plays, then bring him out. But he held his own."

The kid, simply, was born to be an athlete.

"You couldn't even take him to the grocery store," his mother says. "Back in the day when they had baskets of balls in the aisles, he would grab one every time. He would jump out of the buggy for one if he had to."

In time, the community began to buzz about the next athlete in the family pipeline, so a lot was expected. The college football community took notice, too; Fisher offered James a scholarship to FSU when he was a 14-year-old high school freshman.

"A lot of times, those (younger) guys, you can't see size potential, but you saw it in him at that age," Fisher said. "He had the size potential and was physically developed. And then you saw the maturity, the athleticism, and you knew -- almost instantly -- this guy was going to be a player and you better start recruiting him now. He had speed, size, intangibles, and when you got around him, his intelligence. ... It was very obvious."

James began his high school career not at Haines City, but at nearby Auburndale. Up until then, he'd never played a down at safety. He'd come through the middle school ranks as an unstoppable offensive playmaker at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. But defense was his only path to the starting lineup at Auburndale.

"They really don't start freshmen on varsity, and there was only one position open; it was safety," James said. "I had never played safety in my life before, but I didn't want to play JV. I wanted to play varsity. So I learned how to play safety. I probably wouldn't be playing safety today if there had been an offensive position open."

Six years later, he's gone from learning the safety position to being arguably the best one in the college game. By the time he'd logged two seasons at Auburndale, his mother's vision had compelled her to move back to Haines City. In his first game for the Hornets, the 2013 season opener at Winter Haven High, he made his presence felt.

"It's the first quarter and I said, 'I don't see what all the hype is about,' " said Haines City athletic director Mel Gables. "Right after that, he laid an NFL hit on this kid. I mean, this kid went flying. And I looked at my friend sitting next to me and said, 'That's what everyone's talking about.' "


Over and above James' statusas an elite athlete are leadership qualities that figure to further galvanize his eventual draft standing with NFL clubs. When Viloria expressed uncertainty as to whether he'd ever train another player quite like James, it wasn't just the athleticism to which he was referring; it was also to James' intangibles.

"He'll focus on bar speed and technique when he's trying to get other skill guys to work out with him," Viloria said. "If he really wanted to, he could embarrass those guys and they'd go work out on the other side of the room."

James first met Sanders in the summer of 2016 at Sanders’ Prime 21 youth camp, where top college players, pros and former pros serve as instructors for the nation's elite high school players. There, Sanders was impressed by the way he blended in with likes of former NFL greats Aeneas Williams, DeAngelo Hall and Kevin Mathis.

“He was very hands on (with the campers). He was very knowledgeable of the game and his position,” Sanders said. “Derwin didn’t lay back, he really was involved. I loved it. And he asked a lot of questions to help his own game as well.”

Last year, Patriots coach Bill Belichick suggested draft prospects who train exclusively to improve their combine numbers are doing themselves a disservice because to do so limits football-specific training. For the same reason, the combine is a bit of a sore subject with Viloria. He doesn't see bench press reps of 225 pounds as a true test of strength, nor the 40-yard dash as a true test of speed.

That's why he appreciates a Derwin James workout more than others.

"As a strength coach, it's weird to hear me say this, but I'll kick guys out of the weight room if they're only coming in to make their combine numbers better," he said. "They're combine freaks. Derwin only trains to be a better football player. He runs and gets his body in shape only to chase offensive players. … Sharpening your skill set, that's what the gym is for. And that's why Derwin does it."

The Seminoles tend to rally around James' determination, adopting his methods, learning from his example. Chapman saw much the same thing in James at the high school level.

"He was always the best athlete on the field, but with some guys, it's 'You need me,' " Chapman said. "With Derwin, it was 'I need you. I'm not Superman here. I need you.' Whatever NFL team gets him, they're getting a diamond who is going to make the rest of the team shine."

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YO! ROD!!!!!

Week 2 : The Gruden vs. McVay Bowl! If your interested in joining our tailgate in Lot 5 shoot me a text with your headcount, drink order, and food suggestions. I'll bring all the food and whatever soda or beer you want (iced down). Just reimburse me at the game for your food and drinks. I will also supply bottled water. Any donations towards the Lot pass are greatly appreciated, the passes run around $150-200 a game, any lil bit helps. Please let me know counts and drink orders by Friday, I'll go shopping Saturday.

Greg
(714) 510-7693

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Alex Smith expects to play elsewhere next season
Posted by Charean Williams on September 13, 2017


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Alex Smith leads the league with a 148.6 passer rating. He won AFC offensive player of the week honors for Week 1. Yet, Smith expects to play elsewhere next season.

That’s what the Chiefs quarterback said during a recent interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger.

“For sure,” Smith said when asked if he felt like 2017 would be his last in Kansas City. “It absolutely does. Without a doubt.”

The Chiefs traded up to 10th overall to select Patrick Mahomes to groom behind the 33-year-old Smith.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Smith said. “It’s like, man, [we] could’ve added this or this or this position or this player.”

Smith’s contract runs through the 2018 season. The Chiefs gave up a first-round 2018 choice and a 2017 third-rounder to Buffalo for Mahomes, who completed 34 of 54 passes for 390 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the preseason.

Smith understands the NFL is a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” business, and he wants to make it a hard decision for the Chiefs in the offseason.

“Structurally, the contract, the guarantees are less, and that’s just the reality,” said Smith, who has a 2-4 playoff record. “You have to prove yourself year in and year out and if you can’t get the job done, every team is going to go and try and find somebody else that can. That’s the reality of the deal. I don’t care who you are.”

http://m.therams.com/photos/photo-g...Practice/acc6c379-308a-4978-a4fd-64cc9315c0a8

I am motivated by this new staff...

Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden – Conference Call – September 13, 2017

(On what it’s like coaching against a guy that he gave an opportunity to and helped raise in the NFL)
“Obviously, I was excited for (Rams Head Coach) Sean (McVay) to get the job. He earned it and deserved it. He did a lot of good things with the Redskins and got a head coaching job. Now, the only way to approach it’s another game. We have a very important game to play and we’re 0-1 and we’ve got to try and get our first win and that’s the only focus that we have. We just have to go from there, but after the game I’m sure I’ll talk to Sean, right now it’s about trying to get our first win.”

(On if he always assumed that Coach McVay would get a head coaching job)
“Well, honestly I didn’t think he’d get one this quick (laughs). He’s pretty young, but we had some success on offense and he did great things with (Redskins QB) Kirk Cousins obviously and he’s very organized. The whole trick is to get in front of a room and I had a feeling that once he got in front of a room, some general managers and some owners that he would be able to get in there because he’s very presentable, he’s very knowledgeable, very smart, he’s a very loyal guy and very passionate about the game. So, there’s a lot to like about Sean once you get to know him. I just didn’t know that people would give him that opportunity at such a young age, but once they started giving him interviews, I figured that he would get one of them because like I said, he has all of those traits to be a good head coach.”

(On the status of Redskins S Su’a Cravens)
“There’s no update. He’s on left quad (exempt/left squad) right now and he’s dealing with personal issues. But we drafted him and he had some great moments last year for us as a young player, as a 21-year-old kid. Playing, we put him at DIME linebacker to start, we tried to move him to safety this year in the offseason, he was making good progress and then the personal issues hit him. We hope he gets well and hope that he figures out what he wants to do in life and we support him either way.”

(On the difficulty of facing a colleague that knows him so well and vice versa)
“Not really. I just know that knowing what we do offensively, it’s going to be hard for our defense. They’re going to give us a lot of different formations, a lot of change-of-tempos offensively, quick counts, speed breaks, no huddle, a lot of different formations, a lot of stacks and they’ve got a good running game with (Rams RB) Todd Gurley and he changes it up with good play-action passes. I can tell them what he likes, but stopping it is another issue because you stop certain things but then they hit you with the running game or they hit you with the play-pass or hit you with the bunch-stack deal and the quick game and it’s a great changeup. He’s got a great changeup to his offense right now and when you’re in a groove offensively and you have your whole playbook open, it’s very hard to stop. The best way to stop them is to get them in third and long and make them one dimensional or get a big lead and make them one dimensional. It’s easier said than done, but that’s obviously the goal.”

(On what stood out on tape about the offense that shows him Coach McVay has made his imprint already)
“I just said, yeah, he just has a great ability to change it up. You don’t know what’s coming. You think, first and 10, stop Todd Gurley and then they do a play-pass and launch it over your head or they do a boot leg and hit somebody in the flat for a gain of nine and then they come back – he’s just got a great way of changing up the tempos and keeping you off balance. That’s what this offense is built around with the quick passes, boot legs that are friendly for the quarterback and then obviously staying out of third and longs is the key. But, if you can keep the offense friendly for the quarterback, you can have a lot of success because there’s a lot of ways that you can attack the defense and not make it too difficult on the ‘Q’ (quarterback).

(On what his initial idea was to hand over play calling duties to McVay at such a young age)
“I think when I first got the job here, I didn’t want to just totally change the entire system. Some of the terminology in place here in the running game and some of the play-action passes and keepers and all that stuff. So, the drop-back game we tried to implement from what I’ve known from over the past with my brother (Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden) and in Cincinnati and Sean has a great idea of that also because he was with us in Tampa Bay for a year and he was also with me in the UFL (United Football League) for one year. So, I felt like just from talking to the quarterbacks, instead of me having to tell him what the call to the quarterback and so forth, it was quicker to let him do it. We came up with the game plans together and situational – type football we came up together and then I still had a little bit of input, but I let him handle it because he was good and did a fine job.”

(On if there’s something about his personality that makes him a good play caller)
“He’s detailed. He’s very detailed in what he’s teaching. He’s got a system that he believes in – he knows he has a good combination from what he learned from the Shanahans and obviously what he learned from my brother and hopefully here from me a little bit, so, it’s a combination. And it’s important to protect the quarterback, which is I think the most important thing you can do as far as a play caller. You can have all the big plays in the world, but you have to protect the quarterback, so he’s got a good foundation for protections and getting the quarterback out of the pocket and getting him off the same spot and letting him move around and be comfortable. That’s all key.”

(On what he saw from Rams QB Jared Goff in the first game and if he can already see McVay’s imprint on him)
“Yeah, obviously they scored a lot of points and they were in great situations. The defense got two touchdowns for them and they had a big lead, so it’s a lot easier for a play caller, without a doubt. You’re comfortable and your whole playbook is open. It’s a little bit more difficult when you’re trailing by seven or 10 or something like that and you have third and longs that you’ve got to deal with. But you can see his imprint without a doubt. The play-passes, the nakeds (boot legs), to the running game and obviously the drop-back passing game with all the stacks and all the different formations that you’re going to get. He’s done a good job of implementing it, making it easy for Jared and Jared did a great job of executing and that’s what you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have a guy that can handle calling all those plays and formations, but then you have to execute it and Jared did a good job.”

(On if there was anything that McVay struggled with when he first started as the play caller in Washington)
“Not really. We worked on the game plan together. We had O-line coaches help in the running game, I helped with third downs, we had a coach help with the red zone, so it wasn’t like Sean was the only one putting the game plan together. We had a lot of people, a lot of input in the game plan. I’m sure he has that there with (Rams Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer and (Rams Tight Ends Coach) Shane (Waldron) and the other coaches he has there, (Rams Offensive Coordinator Matt) LaFleur, they’re helping with the game plan. Once you have a game plan in, you have your situations and you have your first 15 (plays of the game) and then it’s just a steady flow of how to call the plays. It’s a matter of how you use the people around you and I’m sure he’s got the resources to have good people around and help him.”

(On how often he has stayed in touch with McVay since he got the Rams job)
“We stay in touch all the time. I haven’t talked to him today, but we stay in touch quite a bit. I’ve known him for a long time. His family and my family go way back. My dad worked for his grandfather with the 49ers as a scout. Obviously we worked together. My dad coached his dad at Indiana, so we go way back as far as our families are concerned. We’ll be friends for the long haul I would think.”

(On if there are a couple things that stick out in his mind about Kirk Cousins development with McVay as the offensive coordinator)
“I just think the total package, not just Sean. I think (then Redskins Quarterbacks Coach Matt) Cavanaugh had a little bit of input in that also, he did good things with him as a quarterback coach. It was a team effort with Kirk and ultimately, a quarterback has to do it and Kirk has done a good job of establishing himself as a starter. It’s a matter of getting to know your quarterback, trying to make him comfortable, trying to protect the quarterback and not making every play really, really hard. There are certain plays that you try to make easy for the quarterback, whether it’s quick game or getting a bootleg and getting down flat or maybe a crosser that’s open – sometimes it’s easier than others, but I think for the most part, we came up with a system that Kirk was comfortable with and we were able to implement it and Kirk was able to execute it.”

(On the instinct of improvisation element when play calling)
“Well you have your scripts for every situation. You have 120-150 plays sometimes on your game plan call sheet, but you have your scripts as far as third and two-to-five, third and six-to-nine, third and 10-plus – whatever it is, you have short yardage, goal line, you have redzone, redzone third downs, so you go by the script of what you practiced. You’re not going to deviate off of that. Now, what you’re going to call as far as when you’re going to call your play-actions and your running game and all that stuff, that’s the important thing, to mix it in there. But, once you get down you become one dimensional and then your script becomes very, very tight and small and that’s where it becomes difficult. Fortunately for Sean, he didn’t have to deal with that last week, hopefully he will this week (laughs). But, that’s the whole goal of this offense and anybody’s offense, quite frankly. You look around the league and there was a lot of offenses that struggled, the majority of those were down and got in a lot of third downs and couldn’t get any rhythm going. You have to convert on third downs. I don’t know what the Rams were last week, but we were three-for-10 and that just makes it hard for the play caller because the next drive you’ve got to get something going instead of maintaining the ball and field position and all that stuff where you can keep the defense off balance. Each game is different, different challenges, but it’s very important for the playmaker to adjust and Sean’s always done a pretty good job of that.”

(On what he saw from the Rams defense on film)
“It’s a (Rams Defensive Coordinator) Wade Phillips blueprint without a doubt. He’s an excellent football coach, we know that and he’s got great personnel. He had great personnel in Denver. I don’t know how many Pro Bowlers he had over there, I don’t know how many he’s got this year. He’s got five first-round picks on the defensive line, he’s got (Rams LB Alec) Ogletree, he’s got a heck of a corner (Rams CB Trumaine Johnson) who is a Pro Bowl type corner. (Rams S Lamarcus) Joyner is playing excellent. (Rams LB Mark) Barron, I don’t know if he’s a Pro Bowler, but he damn near looks like one. So, they’ve got a very talented defense over there and when you have talented cover guys and you can play man-to-man and rush five or four and get home with your four-man pressures, you can be very successful no matter what you call. But his system is very solid and very sound – people know what they’re doing, they don’t have any coverage mess-ups, the quarterback is always, always getting hurried, at least (Indianapolis QB Scott) Tolzien was. I mean, every play he was getting hit or had somebody in his face. When you disrupt the timing of routes and you have four-man rushes and five-man rushes that get to the quarterback, you’re going to have a ton of success on defense and that’s the look of a Wade Phillips defense right there.”

(On how difficult it is to project what the Rams will do with DT Aaron Donald)
“We know where he’s going to be – he’s going to be a three-tech and he’s going to rush and he’s going to rush hard. He’s a heck of a pass rusher, the best three-technique pass rusher and we just played a great one in (Philadelphia DT) Fletcher Cox. Now, okay, we’re done with Fletcher Cox and now we’ve got Aaron Donald, so two great challenges, two of the best three-techniques in the game back-to-back weeks. Our guards have got to ready. They have to strap it up and protect because he’s got every move you want – he can power rush you, he can spin you, he can rip you, he gets off the snap with great tempo and he’s fast, so it will be a great challenge. Then you’ve got (Rams OLB Robert) Quinn over there and (Rams DT Michael) Brockers, they’ve got a nonstop arsenal of pass rushers. (Rams OLB) Connor Barwin still looks good. They’re a good football team.”


Redskins QB Kirk Cousins – Conference Call – September 13, 2017

(On what ways he feels like Rams Head Coach Sean McVay aided his development in Washington)
“Well, being our play caller and our offensive coordinator, he had as big a role in my development as anybody. This is the first year in the NFL that I’ve not been able to work with him because he’s been on the staff every year of my career with the Redskins. I have a lot of respect for him and am grateful for the role that he played, which is a very large role in my development.”

(On how McVay makes life easy on the quarterback)
“Well, I think he does a good job all week long, working really hard, putting in long hours and really having an intent for every play that he calls. He’s not just spinning a rolodex and picking a play out at random. He really has a reason and intention for every play he calls and he’s designed those plays during the week for a specific reason. He’s not just drawing them up in the dirt and hoping they work. There’s an intention there and a mastery of football that enables him to design those plays. Ultimately, players have to execute them, but he does a really good job with the design, the scheme and then he has to communicate it to the players. You know, those plays are no good if you don’t have the ability to transfer it to the players and he does a good job all week installing, teaching and communicating in such a way that the players understand their job and they do it.”

(On what exactly makes McVay an exceptional play caller)
“I think he’s a quick thinker, he’s got a sharp mind. He’s highly organized. He’s a good communicator. All those things play a role in being a strong play caller. As to what sets him apart the most, hard to say. I think when you can have all those abilities in one, not many people have that in one package. He also has a lot of presence up front, so when he communicates to the team or to the offense, people are listening. And, they follow what he’s saying and they get behind him because of the presence he carries himself with.”

(On if he noticed a difference from when McVay first started play calling to the end of their time together in Washington)
“I think he improved. I think he was very sharp and on top of it from the start. But, in 2014, I think there was a lot that was new, with a new head coach and I think we were all trying to understand how it was going to work. I think 2014 was a bit of a trial by fire and a learning experience for all of us. Then, where Sean really took off was in that offseason of 2015 getting ready for the 2015 season. He just did a really good job of going back to the basics. Having a plan and a reason for everything we did. Organizing the gameplan and the installs and just communicating really well. That carried over through the ‘15 season into the ‘16 season and we were really getting better each year. Thrilled for him that through those positive seasons he was able to transform that into a head coaching opportunity. You always want to see guys that you play with and work with have a chance to move up in this league and certainly that was the case with Sean.”

(On how QB Jared Goff, as a young quarterback, will benefit the most from working with McVay)
“Well, I think Sean has experience working with another young quarterback in myself. He knows what it’s like to try to teach his system to somebody who’s new to the league and new to starting, so this is not the first time around for Sean along those lines and Jared has all the talent in the world, you know with the arm talent and that certainly gives them a great chance then, because that doesn’t limit what Sean can do from a play calling standpoint when Jared has that ability to throw it all over the field. I think with some of the additions they were able to get this offseason and then trade for (WR) Sammy Watkins, it gives them the resources they need to make those plays work. I think when Sean has those tools at his disposal, that’s when he’s really able to be at his best.”

(On if he’s concerned that he’s playing against a staff that knows him and if that presents any challenges for him)
“Sure. We have to be smart and aware that they’re very familiar with our scheme and with our personnel. It is a unique situation, so we have to be aware of that and plan accordingly. In this league that tends to happen week-to-week or year-to-year as people change and move. There’s always people in other buildings that have information or experience that they can share to try to help each end. You just have to try to be a step ahead and have a plan to handle that.”

(On DT Aaron Donald not being present in film from the Rams-Colts game and how that will affect their game planning)
“Well, it’s just going to come down to match-ups where Aaron is such a great player and we have to understand that he can really take over a game and we have to account for him and have a plan to block him in both the run game and the pass game. He’s a great player and we’ll certainly be aware of his presence on the field come Sunday.”

(On his first impression of McVay)
“I remember more or less meeting him when I was drafted. He was the tight ends coach. It was 2012 in the spring, we just start by doing drills on the field. I remember just throwing routes to the wide receivers and tight ends and there was this really, really young guy coaching the tight ends and I thought that’s interesting. I don’t know how old he is, but he can’t be more than 27 years old. I thought that was just unique, because where I had come from at Michigan State – which is all I had known at the time – we didn’t have coaches that were that young, position coaches. We had (Rams offensive coordinator) Matt LaFleur, we had (49ers Head Coach) Kyle Shanahan – all those coaches were young at that time, but they were all sharp. You could see right away, Sean, as he coached the tight ends – not only was he sharp, but he knew his material inside and out. There was a conviction when he taught it that what this guy is saying, not only is correct, but it’s going to help me become a better player. Regardless of his age I think guys listen to him right away and people who were older than him were willing to be coached by him because they respected his knowledge for the game and his desire for them to succeed.”

http://www.espn.com/blog/washington...an-mcvay-fan-club-still-exists-among-redskins

John KeimESPN Staff Writer

ASHBURN, Virginia -- Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden spotted it when Sean McVay was barely old enough to drink. That's why he hired him in the UFL. And it's why Gruden tried to hire him away from the Redskins when he landed in Cincinnati.

The Redskins saw it, too. It's why they denied Gruden's request.

The players? They weren't surprised, either. McVay spent seven seasons in Washington, working his way up from a 23-year-old assistant tight ends coach to tight ends coach to offensive coordinator. Now the coach of the Los Angeles Rams, McVay's offense scored 30 of the team's 46 points in a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

"He's like a mad scientist," Redskins tight end Niles Paul said. "He's a genius, man. He's like a football genius."

Jared Goff plays another good game and Kirk Cousinsstruggles for Washington. It's not as if there's pressure on Gruden, who has three more years on his contract.

And it's not as if the Redskins' struggles are directly related to losing McVay. They also lost receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Some of the same questions that arose after Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles existed under McVay, from play-calling to the lack of a run game. The Redskins' offense struggled at times last December as well, scoring a combined 25 points in home losses to the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants.

That said, the Redskins were long aware of McVay's football acumen.

"He is organized and detailed," Gruden said.


Those were two reasons why he let McVay call plays the past three seasons. Gruden said he married the Redskins' existing system with his own but, because he'd sometimes uses Bengals terminology, he opted to let McVay call plays instead.

"It was a steady, good flow that he had about him," Gruden said. "I didn't have to step in a whole lot. I did from time to time, but he is a good playcaller. We just kind of let him roll with it."

Gruden and McVay both relate well to the players: Gruden is comfortable operating a little more off-schedule, like the former quarterback he was in college. He'll admit to going with a play based more on instinct. McVay, numerous people have said, was more about the details. Not that both coaches don't have the other skill; each has their strengths. Both are personable, perhaps one reason they've remained close. Gruden said they talk every week or so. He called McVay to congratulate him Sunday.


McVay has always talked about how much he liked that Gruden let him develop as a playcaller by giving him freedom. McVay also coached three seasons under Mike Shanahan.

"You could tell he learned a lot under the tutelage of Mike Shanahan," Redskins tackle Trent Williams said. "He learned a lot about how to make plays look the same that aren't the same. He knows defenses extremely well so he knows how to set people up. He studies film more than you would believe. His ability to predict what's coming and to put the players in the right position to me stood out. And what I liked that he did from a players' standpoint he let everyone do what they did best. He didn't have a cookie cutter style."

Williams said Gruden does the same.

The player also said McVay took a big-picture approach, something Paul noticed when he moved to tight end in 2012.

"He goes through the whole progression of the offense," Paul said. "He'll tell you from the O-line to the receivers what the responsibility is, where he's supposed to be at. A complete grasp of the offensive system. You feel like now he has a chance to be totally him. That's what he's always wanted to be. I know for a fact he's always been capable of that."

He's a football junkie.

"I'm not surprised by his success because he puts the work in," Redskins tight end Vernon Davissaid. "He stands out. His energy. It doesn't matter what time of day it is or where he is, he's always talking football, talking about plays. He's even going back and reminding me of some plays I had in San Francisco that I don't even remember. He remembers and brings it up."

They also know some of what McVay will want to do Sunday; the tough part will be knowing when -- and then stopping it.

"He'll run naked [bootlegs] and keepers," Davis said. "He'll take shots deep. He loves to go deep. He loves the tight end so he'll use them. You'll see a lot of seam routes by the tight ends with him."

"He'll try to hit three or four shot plays," Gruden said, "and attack our defense with some play-action shots. Some sort of play-action bombarooski. Those are the ones that make or break a close game. You hit that and it changes momentum. It changes everything. We have to figure out a way to hit some and I know he is."

Mcvay has shown such an ability to have ownership over things in games and practice. This guy is such an amazing mind and example to not only our players but also people in general.

He gets asked about a bad run play. He discuss said run play, the ins and outs, how this/that player could have done better, but that ultimately it falls on him. He (McVay) needs to put his players in better positions to execute.

Own that ship

In the past I've not been a big believer in this dude... lots of penalties, attitude, ect.

I'll give him his due last week he played maybe his best game as a Ram.

Pick 6, 1 really nice deflection and a couple other plays.

Hopefully he's figured it out.

http://alabama.247sports.com/Board/116/Contents/Tua-Language-Barrier-107351501

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Alabama fan concerned about ‘language barrier’ between Hawaiian QB Tua Tagovailoa and teammates
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...anguage-barrier-hawaiian-qb-article-1.3493395

An Alabama fan is concerned about the “language barrier” between quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammates, considering the freshman had to “transition to the states” from... Hawaii. . . .

[Story continues: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...anguage-barrier-hawaiian-qb-article-1.3493395 ]