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Game Preview: Rams Finish Off Preseason Against the Packers
What to Watch: Rams vs. Packers
The NFL preseason is officially coming to a close. For their fourth exhibition game, the Rams will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Thursday night. This trip will represent the team's last game action before they open up the regular season on Sept. 10 against the Colts.
Head coach Sean McVay announced earlier this week that the starters on offense and defense would not take the field for Thursday's game.
"We've made the decision that we were going to get a chance to evaluate the guys that we're not projecting as starters and get them an opportunity to compete against Green Bay," McVay said on Monday.
This year the NFL made a rule change allowing teams to carry a full 90-man roster all the way through the preseason. And while that allows many players who, in the past, might have been cut after Week 3 an extra opportunity to participate, it also means the Rams will have to cut down nearly half of their active roster to 53 men.
As such, Thursday night will provide one final opportunity for many of the players vying for a roster spot to showcase their skills to both Los Angeles' coaching staff and the rest of the leagu.
"I think it's going to offer a great opportunity to see a lot of players that, at some point just based on the way an NFL season goes, we'll probably be relying on, where they'll start out maybe providing depth but you never know what ends up happening," McVay said. "[And] I think it offers the unique opportunity for a handful of guys that would've been cut, to be able to put some good game film on tape. If it doesn't work out for us, hopefully it will work out for one of the other 31 teams."
McVay has reiterated throughout the week that he is looking forward to evaluating a variety of different players on both sides of the ball, as well as on special teams.
"Every single position is so important. It's going to a great opportunity to evaluate some of those guys that fill will in those depth positions," he said. "Whether it be the inside linebacker position, some of those additional rushers that we're looking at, guys that are going to be your backup lineman, in addition to the five guys that we're counting on being our starters."
On offense, quarterback Sean Mannion has gotten a lot of preseason reps this year behind projected starter Jared Goff. Mannion completed 49-of-76 passes for 490 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions throughout three games. But instead of Mannion at the helm this week, expect to see Dan Orlovsky taking the majority of snaps in the preseason finale.
As far as wide receivers go, the Rams have a lot of depth. And while receivers like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Tavon Austin, and Sammy Watkins have solidified roles in McVay's offense, Thursday should give the other six receivers a chance to showcase their own set of unique skills.
Rotational options like Pharoh Cooper and Josh Reynolds bring a lot of athleticism to the table. These two along with Brandon Shippen and Paul McRoberts should provide a challenge for the Packers' secondary. In addition, it will be exciting to watch wide receiver Shakeir Ryan on both offense and special teams as he looks to carve out a roster spot for himself.
The Rams' tight end group will be another to keep an eye on in Thursday night's game. Last week against the chargers, tight end Temarrick Hemingway went down with a fractured fibula which will keep him sidelined for an extended time. McVay characterized Hemingway as a player who has done "a lot of really good things on the line of scrimmage [and] especially in the run game." Although losing Hemingway before the regular season is "a big loss" for the team, the Rams do have a few other tight ends who will be looking to step up in his absence.
"I think the immediate guys that are going to be asked more of them in the run game are Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett and then obviously what Cory Harkey has been to this organization over the last couple years, offers him an opportunity to step up," McVay said earlier this week. "I think we'll get a chance to see Johnny Mundt and Travis Wilson looking forward to this Green Bay game where they'll get a lot of snaps and it will be a great opportunity for us to evaluate them as well."
Finally, on defense the Rams will be looking to add players to fill the bottom of their roster and add necessary depth on the line and in the secondary. On the D-Line look for defensive tackles Tanzel Smart and Mike Purcell to step up alongside defensive end Morgan Fox. While defensive backs like Marqui Christian and Blake Countess will be battling for a free safety role.
Klein/Thiry Podcast: Donald Holdout, Goff Progress, Jamon Brown & Snead Interviews –Audio
Anxiety is starting to build around the Los Angeles Rams as star defensive tackle Aaron Donald continues his holdout with the preseason schedule nearing an end, plus The Times’ Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry discuss the progress of Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense. Special guest, offensive guard Jamon Brown joins the podcast and general manager Les Snead also stopped by briefly.
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Gotta say I love this dude's style. Positive. Team-first mentality. Ready to go on teams. And vocal out there on the field.
It's early yeah. But man, really looks like they hit it out the park with his selection.
We don’t have much of a sample on the 31-year-old head coach, who will also be calling plays in 2017. In two years as offensive play-caller in Washington, we saw a committee backfield and a committee receiving corps. His WR1 amassed 19.4 percent of the team’s targets (second-fewest), while his WR2 ranked 15th-most, and WR3 (fifth-most). This appears to be just another dent in Sammy Watkins’ fantasy value following his trade to Los Angeles. McVay’s RB1 averaged only 9.0 fantasy points per game (worst), and amassed only 61.0 percent of the team’s running back carries (eighth-worst) and 19.8 percent of the team’s running back targets (worst). Perhaps Lance Dunbar was signed in free agency to compete for the “Chris Thompson role” in McVay’s offense, but following a knee injury (out indefinitely), McVay has talked up Gurley’s ability as a pass-catcher. I’m confident Todd Gurley sees a workload more in line with his career norms than McVay’s, and am also confident in an improvement in efficiency following the departure of mediocrity incarnate Jeff Fisher. McVay featured his tight ends in Washington and has talked about running multiple tight ends sets (including 13 personnel) in press conferences. Only three active play-callers targeted their TE1 more frequently than McVay. Part of that is, of course, due to the luxury of coaching Jordan Reed, but McVay’s arrival in Los Angeles should be encouraging for the dynasty prospects of Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett.
You guys ever think you did something you were supposed to, but then realize that you didn't? Well, that happened to me and that's why this podcast is so late getting posted on here. Thanks guys and sorry for the delay!
(Opening Remarks)
McVay: “Starting off, today was a good day for us where we were able to get some good work, competitive work against each other. We really ramped it up a little bit for the guys that we know aren’t going to play in the game on Thursday, and then we got a little bit of work for those guys that will work against Green Bay. Tomorrow we’ll get a walk-thru and give those guys an opportunity to really be able to evaluate a lot of the guys that maybe we aren’t projecting as starters and kind of shape up the bottom of this roster. I think today is a special day for this organization to honor a great player, a great person and somebody who has done a lot of special things, meant a lot to the organization and this league as a whole. With that, I’ll pass it to (General Manager) Les (Snead).
Snead: “As an organization, it is rare that you get to sign a Hall of Famer to your roster and that’s exactly what we did this morning. Now, the only thing we have to figure out is, can we get him a few reps and maybe spell (RB) Todd (Gurley) a little bit. Now, obviously when you sign a Hall of Famer it probably means that they’re in the twilight of their career, so probably couldn’t give us too many reps. Maybe, (Head Coach) Sean (McVay), if we get (RB) Eric (Dickerson) and maybe a few of his OL (offensive line) buddies, bring them back in a goal line package or short yardage.”
McVay: “It looks like he’s got some carries left in him.”
Dickerson: “Uh, no (laughs).”
Snead: “If you’ve followed the Rams and followed me since I’ve gotten the job as GM – I think I’ve told this story many times and don’t want to tell it today. But, obviously when I’m in middle school, I’ll elaborate in a little bit and it shows you a little bit about what football and why football is family, why it’s significant and why it’s more than wins and losses. But, I’m in middle school in Alabama. Down in Alabama there’s no professional football teams, it’s college football. I remember it’s a cold, cold day right around January 1st, laying on the coach and came to watch this Cotton Bowl with two future Hall of Famers – one being (Dolphins Hall of Fame QB) Dan Marino and I hate to say it, but I turned on the television to watch Dan Marino and this pony express and (Dickerson) and his facemask and I kind of became and Eric Dickerson fan. What that did for me was turned me into a professional football fan. That’s where the whole story of me skipping school to watch the draft. Eric’s first draft, Dan’s draft was the first time I skipped school to watch that draft and I became an NFL fan in a college football country. More than that, for a guy who was raised with a single Mom, it gave me a passion for football – something that I could really, really focus on and ended up making a career of this thing. When it goes full circle and before I introduce Eric, it’s an honor with the gold jacket (Hall of Fame jacket) and all and what football means, but we’re going as an organization to hire Eric as our Vice President of Business Development. Really with the main goal of doing what he did for me a long time ago – bridging fans to our organization and then not only making them fans of the Rams, but making a difference in their life. With that being said – Eric Dickerson.”
Dickerson: “Thank you, Les. Thank you, coach. First of all, it’s an honor for me to be sitting here. It’s like getting drafted all over again. I see my friend Jim Hill, when I got drafted he was there. To be back, truly a Los Angeles Ram. I played for the Los Angeles Rams for four years and it seemed like I played longer because I always ask people, how long do you think I played for the Rams? Ten years? No. Eight years? No. Twelve? No. Four. And I just feel like God gave me such a gift and I thank him for this opportunity. To the things that I was able to do on the football field through the guys that played with me – my friend (Former Rams TE) David Hill right here who was my tight end. Laying down the blocks – (Former Rams OL) Dennis Harrah, (Former Rams G) Bill Bain, (Former Rams T) Jackie Slater, (Former Rams G) Tom Newberry – all those guys – (Former Rams TE) James McDonald. Dennis Harrah, I know Dennis would like to be here with his big head (laughs). Those guys and (Former Rams Head) Coach (John) Robinson who put in the running game for me and made me that guy. It was an honor to play for the Los Angeles Rams. We were truly a running football team. When we came to town, people knew what we were going to do, there was nothing fancy about it. We ran the ball, we ran it well and we had some great guys on this football team. I can say that I’m really happy for this moment because even when I left the Rams, I was always a Ram. I was always a Los Angeles Ram. I never wanted to leave this football team when I got traded and in my heart I think that – my heart was broken, just like a lot of the fans hearts were broken that day. As a player and as a man, as a young man back in your 20s, 26 or 27 years old – you don’t want to show any emotions. You are like, ‘Hey, that’s part of the business.’ But really, I can honestly say sitting here at 56 years old, that my heart was broken when I left the Rams because I played hard for them and I still pull for the Rams. Even when I came back into the Ram family, years after I retired, I still pull for my football team. Just like last year, it was a rough year for the team, but no matter what, I still pull for the team. I love the football team. It’s just like whatever college you play for, you love that college and somebody else may not like it, but you like your college. I just want to say coach, thank you and Les, thank you very much for the opportunity to sign my one-day contract. I just want to know when I’m getting my signing bonus.”
McVay: “It’s all incentives. You’ve got to get some yards for that bonus.”
Dickerson: “See, coach still knows how to put it down. You’re right. I just want to say, man I’m really pleased. It’s a proud moment for me to be back as a Ram – not as a player anymore, but just to be with the organization. With an organization that I have a lot of passion for and I’ll always be passionate about it. So saying that, I think I said everything I wanted to say. If you want to ask me some questions.”
(On how emotional it was for him to be able to retire with the Rams and become an executive with the team)
Dickerson: “That’s a great question. As a matter of fact, I want to make sure, I said, ‘Man, I don’t want to get up here and cry. I didn’t even cry at my Hall of Fame speech.’ (Laughs) It’s a really good feeling, it really is, to be back with the Rams and like you said, in an executive position. For me, my thing is that I’m all about the fans. And I’ll say this – I still have my radio show to do. I have TV I do now. Coach, I’m letting you know now, if you play well I’m going to say you’re playing well. If you’re not playing good, then you’re going to hear it from me. I’m your biggest fan and your biggest critic that is just me. I love this football team. Les, I want my team to win just like I said last year when they were asking me about this or that. I said, ‘Look, I’m like the owner. I don’t care. I just want to win.’ And that’s what it’s all about. I think winning cures everything. When you’re winning, everyone’s happy. In the locker room, you go in the locker room, if you’re losing and in the locker room you have a cup on the floor, ‘See, this is why we lose. You have cups on the floor and everything!’ But when you win, the locker room can be dirty and, ‘Man, this is just a bunch of guys having fun!’ So that’s the attitude I want to have, is that we’re going to do some winning around here. That’s going to happen because the Ram organization, to me is a proud organization, it really is. That horn means a lot to me, so I’m looking forward to moving forward with the organization. Like I said, I have a job to do now. I’m going to keep it real. I’m going to be who I am, but most definitely, like I said, I don’t want anyone to get it confused at all – I love my football team. I do, I love my football team. I just want our team to be very successful – not just playing on the field, but also off the field – in the city, in the community. People get to know who the Los Angeles Rams really are. We’ve been gone for 22 years, we’re back in L.A. and we want to make a statement like, ‘Hey, we’re back and we’re going to let you know that we’re back.’ So when it happens, you don’t want to be one of those fans that say, ‘Well, I used to be a Ram fan when we went to the Super Bowl. But, I’m a fan all over again.’ Uh, no you’re not that kind of fan. You’re a fair weather fan. We want all of our fans to be true fans of the Los Angeles Rams.”
Snead: “We’re on the same page.”
(On what he thinks about DT Aaron Donald’s holdout)
Dickerson: “I’m glad he asked that question because as a former player, I know how hard it is for a player to holdout. You think it’s easy on a player, it’s not easy on a player. Guys get antsy. I was with a player a couple weeks ago, (Raider T) Donald Penn that was holding out and I was having dinner with him. He was like, ‘Man…’ I could tell and I said, ‘Man, this is going to happen. Just settle down.’ It no different for me. When I held out it was no fun and I’m sure it’s not fun for Aaron Donald. Look, he’s a great football player. I mean, he’s our best football player on our defense and he’s probably if not – I think he’s the best football player in the NFL on defense, for sure. I do believe that we will get him back. I don’t know the specifics on contracts – that’s not my deal. But, I know this much here, if I’m Aaron Donald, and I’ve been in Aaron Donald’s shoes, he wants to come back here very badly. Trust me, I know how a football player thinks. You want to get paid because this is, you do it for a living. This is his job. I know he’s not trying to be selfish with his football team, but like anything else, he has to take care of him and also the team has to move forward too. It was the same thing when I was holding out. You see, the team has to move on and when you show up, ‘Alright, we’re that football team again.’ So, I believe that Aaron will be here, no doubt. When he comes, I can say I’m truly an Aaron Donald fan and I’m for him no matter what because I’m always a player first most definitely, but he’ll be back for sure.”
(On how being employed by the Rams will affect his job as an analyst and if he feels the need to pull back)
Dickerson: “I’ve never been a guy to pull it back. I don’t try to bash or kill anyone. I mean, even if I don’t like something – I’ll use this as an example, I’m not a Cowboy fan at all, but I just keep it real. If they’re playing well, they’re playing well. If my team, if they’re playing good I’m going to step up and say, ‘Hey, they’re playing well.’ A player doesn’t play well all the time. I didn’t play well all the time. Look at our young quarterback that we have. We have a lot of high expectations out of him. But, you look at last week’s game, he didn’t play well. But, no one plays well all the time. No one does. I didn’t. I always say this; I remember the worst football game I played to date. We played the Redskins, I had three fumbles. My friend David had a fumble, too (laughs). We had six turnovers in that game. We lost the football game I think 17-9 and the media, they talked about how terrible I played and I said, ‘But you know what, I agreed with them.’ For sure, I felt like I helped them lose that football game. So like I said, I’ll keep it real with what I talk about. I’m fair, you know I want to be fair and I always say, it’s always my truth. It might not be everyone else’s truth, but it’s what I believe. And, it’s no matter what the situation is, if it’s about myself, the football team, the organization or whatever. It is what it is. If I went out and I said that, ‘The Los Angeles Rams, man, they’re a great football team at 4-12.’ Now, people would say, ‘What the hell are you talking about? Are you crazy? You know, that’s not a great record.’ But, if I look back and I said that the Dallas Cowboys – I know I keep talking about Dallas. But the Dallas Cowboys, you know, “Oh, they’re a terrible football team. The quarterback’s terrible, the running game’s terrible.’ People would think I was crazy. I mean they really would. So, you have to be objective and I’m objective, I am. I told Shannon (Sharpe) when we did the show on FS1 last week. I said, ‘Man come on, I’m not a Cowboy fan for sure, but you’ve got to say when they’re playing well.’ And, that’s the same thing for my football team here. When we’re doing well, when we’re doing good, you might have to say, ‘Eric, curve it back a little bit. I mean, I know you’re excited about playing well, but can you hold it back some?’ Because I’m going to be that excited about it. Sometimes people say, “You’re too honest.’ But, that’s the only way I know.”
(On what his role with the team will entail)
Dickerson: “My thing is I want to really get into the community. Even when the Rams weren’t, I was the guy that went to the hospital took stuff to the kids and try to get them to know about football. Everyone doesn’t love football, but when the Rams came back and it made it that much easier. Going to the hospital, being in the hospital, giving to the community – then people know who the Rams are. Our football team, knowing who we are, we’re out here in Thousand Oaks, but we’re still the Los Angeles Rams – even though we’re not in the city, so that part. I’ll be at games. Stuff with the new stadium – trying to get people to come to our new stadium, sell the luxury suites. That’s a part of my job that I’m hoping I’ll be good at. I know I’ll be good at it, just put it like that, I know me. But the most important thing is and I keep saying this is putting a good product on the field. When you put a good product on the field, you won’t have a problem selling anything. I can sell you a bunch of shoe strings and you just love them to death because it’s a good product. So, that’s part of my role. I don’t have to come here every day to work, so that’s a good thing. I don’t have to show up here every day. I get a chance to go to games – free. I love my life. Let’s put it like that. I have to thank these guys.”
(On where this moment ranks in his career)
Dickerson: “Did I think this moment would come? No, I did not. I really didn’t. I saw it happen for other people – you know I saw it with my friend Emmitt Smith, saw he went back and retired as a Cowboy. Brett Favre. I’ve got to say, no, I did not. I talked about it with my friend, Miguel Gustavo, we started talking about it. He said, ‘Man, it would be a great thing if you could go back and retired a Los Angeles Ram.’ I always had in the back of my mind, I really did. Then, I talked to (chief operating officer & executive vice president of football operations) Kevin (Demoff) about it a couple months ago, brought it up to him. I didn’t know if he liked the idea or not, I just felt like that doing it here in Los Angeles was proper. Nothing against St. Louis. The Rams did great in St. Louis, but I never played in St. Louis. Here I thought was the perfect spot, the perfect time. When he said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘We’ll make it happen.’ I told him what date I wanted because you know my number’s 29. I want to do it on my number and I thought that was significant for me. He called me like almost a day and a half before and said, ‘I think we can get it done.’ The day before I was sitting at my house and I was looking on my cell phone just watching some of my highlights because I don’t watch my highlights. You don’t watch yourself play, I just never was that guy. I was like, ‘Man, I just can’t believe that I played and I was able to do some of the things that I did.’ Am I excited about it? Man, very. I’m humbled by it. I thank God for it. That’s who really made this happen. I thank Kevin Demoff, I thank (owner/chairman) Stan Kroenke and most definitely, Coach Sean McVay, Les Snead – I thank you all. I mean, they didn’t have to, they don’t owe me anything. But for them doing it, I thank them and I’ll always thank them for that.”
Snead: “What Miguel didn’t tell you is because we’re using a roster spot for you - we’ve got one more preseason game and we’re going to rest a lot of starters, so we are going to need you to finish that fourth quarter for us.”
Dickerson: “Let me run home and get those googles and if I don’t show up – just hold the bus until I come. Just keep holding it, keep looking for me.”
Snead: “So, at that point we’ll re-sign our kicker. Let him finish the fourth quarter.”
Dickerson: “The kicker’s got a good shot at coming back let me put it like that.”
(On if he had one more play, what would it be)
Dickerson: “If I had one more play you know what that play would be – 47 gap. Forty-seven gap on one, ready break. That would be the play. David (Hill) knows, he’s got to get out there and get somebody.”
(On this week of practice without preparing for a game)
“It’s been good. Try to approach it just like any other week – try to look at Indy a little bit, get started on them a little bit, so we have an idea of what we’re doing heading into next week and get a head start on it. It’s been good, just going about our business every day.”
(On where he feels this team is right now compared to where it needs to get to)
“I feel like we’re in a good spot, but with that being said, we’ve got some work to do and we’ve got some stuff we need to clean up and continue to keep getting better. I don’t think that’s not obvious to anybody, I think we all know that and we all need to keep better. We’re pleased with what we did in the preseason, a lot of the stuff we did was really good and a lot of the stuff we can learn from. We’re in a good spot though right now.”
(On if he saw anything from the film from the Chargers game that was better or worse than initially thought)
“No. I think there was a couple plays in there that that I’d like to have back, everything else I felt pretty good about. I watched the film and obviously every time you watch, there’s stuff you like and stuff you don’t like no matter how it goes. Just like any other game that was the case with that one.”
(On making defenders miss and avoiding a sack and if he would have made that play a year ago or if plays like that come from experience)
“Yeah, I think so. I think it was just a pretty natural play, just avoided the rush and tried to get it out to (RB) Malcolm (Brown).”
(On how much progress he’s made with WR Sammy Watkins)
“A lot, a lot – just getting to talk to him and getting to communicate with him – understanding the type of receiver he is, the type of routes that he’s good at and the type of routes he may not like so much, the type of ball he likes, different stuff like that you can get to know. I don’t think you can replace anything with reps. I think reps are the most important thing. The past few weeks have been good with him.”
(On how Watkins compares to other receivers that he’s worked with)
“He’s been great so far. He’s done a great job, he’s picked up the offense extremely fast. I think the best part about him is his communication – he just keeps telling me what he likes and what he doesn’t like, that’s only going to get us where we want to be faster.”
(On if he’s got a sense of Watkins’ talent and ability to change the game and why he was such a high draft pick)
“Yeah, no doubt. He’s a tremendous player and someone who’s going to make a difference for us for sure.”
(On if he’s got a chance to work with WR Tavon Austin and if he has an idea on how Austin will fit in this offense)
“Yeah, Tavon just got back out here this week and it’s good to see. Having a guy like that, especially with the energy that he brings and everything that comes along with him is really important for our team. I had a good talk with him about ways we would love to use him and I’m not coaching by any means, but we’d love to get him out there and hopefully get some plays with him involved.”
(On how important it is for Goff to make Austin feel involved)
“I think he does. I don’t think I need to do anything extra, I think he does. He’s obviously a big part of our team and going to be a big part of our offense this year. I don’t think he needs to be told that too much, he knows. He knows how much we’re going to need him and how much he’s going to make a difference.”
(On how different it is going into the year as a starter compared to last year)
“I’ve gone into every year but last year with that mentality. So, it’ll be more like anything than less like something.”
(On what it entails being the starting quarterback Week 1)
“Yeah, I think so. I think anytime you’re in the first game it’s obviously always a lot of energy, a lot of speed – people are moving around probably a little bit faster than they will be halfway through the year, so you have to expect that a little bit, expect that on the first two drives that it might be a little bit faster than it normally would be. But besides that, I think it’s pretty much like any other game, you just got to be ready and come out with a good game plan and do the best we can.”
(On if this is a tough day with it being the last practice with a 90-man roster)
“Yeah, you don’t really think about that too much when you’re out here, honestly. There’s a bunch of guys that – obviously we have 90 out here and we’re going to finish with 53 and then practice squad guys, so mathematically, we’re going to lose some guys. It sucks, but at the same time, it happens every year. You try to get used to it, but you don’t really. You get attached to some of these guys, so it does suck, but at the same time you understand it is part of the game.”
(On the talent level with the wide receivers compared to a year ago)
“I think with the stuff we’ve done, with the addition that we’ve made, I feel really good about it. I think adding guys like (WR) Cooper (Kupp) and (WR) Josh Reynolds and (TE) Gerald Everett and (WR) Robert Woods and now (WR) Sammy (Watkins) – it’s been great working with those guys and getting a chance to get them the ball. Just get the ball to the play makers’ hands and let them work. It’s been a lot of fun.”
(On what it means to the organization to have Eric Dickerson retiring a Ram)
“It’s awesome, man. Having a guy like that, especially with what he did here and how special of a player he was, to get him officially a Ram, getting him retired is awesome. It’s a good day.”
(On not playing in the final preseason game and preparing for Week 1 of the regular season)
“Yeah, just trying to get those reps and try and go as hard as you can in practice while you can because you know you’ve got to get ready for Week 1. That first game gets real.”
(On if he wishes the preseason was shorter than four games)
“Oh yeah, most definitely. We’ll get that changed, sooner or later (laughs).”
(On how many preseason games would be enough to prepare for the regular season without being worn down in an ideal world)
“Maybe two, if none.”
(On why he thinks the NFL sets the preseason at four games and if he thinks he needs any games at all)
“Technically, some teams get more than four games if you practice against about four other teams. By the time you get ready for the season, you’re on your eighth game, kind of sort of. Don’t know. I guess it’s always been that way. It does play a role, just as far as tiring guys, and guys get new coaches so, shoot, some guys will be out there the whole game. So you never know. You hate to see a guy get hurt during the preseason, which is bound to happen. Somebody’s going to get hurt every year. That’s just playing this sport.”
(On playing more in the preseason compared to last year and how he feels coming out of it this time around)
“I feel good. (Head) Coach (Sean McVay) has been doing a great job, (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Ted (Rath) and (Director of Sports Performance) Reggie (Scott), just the whole staff. We’ve been doing a great job communicating with them and they’ve been doing a great job of just helping us out. The days we do work, we want to make sure that we’re out there getting work in and not ‘half-assing’ it or anything because you don’t want a coach to be looking out for you and you’re up here jogging around and not going hard. So, just the main focus is just making sure we’re all on the same page.”
(On if he thinks DT Aaron Donald can be ready for the start of the regular season despite not playing in the preseason considering his personal philosophy of not needing a lot of preseason games)
“Oh no, he’s going to be hurting (laughs). It doesn’t matter. I work out three times a day during the offseason and you come back that first day of practice, it is what it is. That’s just football for you. It takes some time, but I’m pretty sure he’s grinding. It’s definitely different just playing in a game.”
(On the importance of needing to get practice before the first regular season game with respect to Donald)
“Even practice doesn’t even work half the time. You just have to suck it up in the game.”
(On if the team is getting concerned that Donald is still not here with the regular season approaching)
“I control what I can control. I’m here trying to get better with the offense. We miss him. Hopefully he’s back, but it’s out of my control.”
(On what a day like today is like considering the fact that it may be the last practice for some players who do not make the final roster and his roster spot is guaranteed)
“It’s the NFL, nothing is guaranteed. You see what they’re doing up there in Buffalo (laughs). It’s cool being in the position that I am. But at the end of the day, these young guys, they’re trying to make this team and take my spot. You’ve got to help those guys out, we’re all a team at the end of the day. But my thing is setting the tempo and showing everybody, this is how it’s done, this is how you work. So, just trying to make sure I’m right on that.”
(On Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson officially retiring as a Ram today)
“That’s about 20 years too late, they should have already done that (laughs). It’s cool. I didn’t know. I thought he had been retired as a Ram. It’s pretty cool. Congratulations to him. Obviously, everybody knows him from playing for the Rams – and he only played with what two teams? Them and the Colts. It’s good for him. And we’re back in L.A., so I guess it does make a little more sense.”
(On the running backs room potentially getting smaller as final cuts approach and how he thinks the other backs have performed thus far in the preseason)
“I hope it doesn’t get any smaller than it is now. There’s only about three or four guys in there (laughs). They cut De’Mard (Llorens) last week. It’s always tough just seeing all those guys go. Everything’s going to work out for everybody, just keep working hard. Most guys don’t even get cut just because they didn’t have a good preseason, it’s just a numbers game. So, you know try to make sure you talk to those guys, keep in touch with them and just tell them, ‘Just keep grinding, keep working.’”
(On if any of the other running backs have surprised him since training camp and the preseason)
“No. They’ve been doing their thing. Everybody was one of the best players that was on their team in college, so they’re here for a reason. They’ve been doing a great job.”
Terrell Owens: It’s a “joke” I’m not on the field
Posted by Charean Williams on August 30, 2017
Getty Images
Terrell Owens always was in the best of shape. He has that much right. But to think he could still play in the NFL?
Owens thinks he could. Or at least that’s what he says.
“Me not being on the field right now is a joke,” Owens said on Fox Sports Radio with Eric Dickerson. “I don’t care what people say. Even though I’m 43, trust me, I’m not your average 43-year-old.”
Owens, who turns 44 in December, hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 19, 2010. Jerry Rice was 42 when he played his last game on Jan. 2, 2005, the oldest receiver to play an NFL game.
“Even when I was 35, 36, 37 they said I was too old, but I was still ballin’ out with the 20-year-olds. I can go out right now and give you a 4.4 [in the 40],” said Owens, who ran a hand-held 4.63 at the 1996 combine.
Owens, a six-time Pro Bowlers and one of the most productive receivers in NFL history, has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame the past two years but has yet to advance to the reduction to 10.
Todays list includes Q-R, with a surprisingly few players in Ram history that have a last name beginning with Q- most from this decade. It is top heavy with Hall of Fame quality players, ...then it drops off a bit.
The List begins with two old-timer Hall of Famers, which is fittingly dedicated to the speedy recovery of our pal, @DaveFan'51 . :boxing::boxing::grouphug:
Also from old-time follows two borderline Hall of Famers from our '70's line backing corps, and a guy from the current team that could become a Hall of Famer if he can stay healthy.
Les Richter
Andy Robustelli
Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds
Isiah Robertson
Robert Quinn
Lance Rentzel
Jeff Robinson
Doug Reed
David Ray
Barry Redden
Future Riser: Josh Reynolds
Honorable Mention : Gerald Robinson, Fred Robbins, Skeets Quinlan, David Rocker, Daryl Richardson,
Chase Reynolds, Jeff Rutledge, Clifton Ryan, Brian Quick.
Notable: Jerry Rhome, Mark Rypien, Jerry Richardson, Henry Rolling, Laurent Robinson, TJ Rubely, Leonard Russell, Brady Quinn.
Todd Gurley. Which Gurley will show up this year? The '16 version or that 5 game only '15 version? Show us the money, Todd!
Tavon Austin. Might be the biggest prove it player this year. $10.5 million per needs to be justified by some serious production somewhere. Big challenge for Tavon and McVay early on. Otherwise, there's no shortage of eager players at WR and PR. We also have some interesting players in the wings at RB, don't you think?
Sully. Can he stay healthy? If he can, I like him at starting C. A lot. But if he can't stay healthy, Oh Boy! It might be scary, huh?
Rob Havenstein. Is he a quality RT, or what? Are we gonna see that rookie Hav again? Fingers crossed.
Jamon Brown. Big year for Jamon. I think it could go either way. This year will determine whether he can be a quality starter or is he destined to be a career backup. Kromer is gonna have his quality RG by '18, one way or another. Hope it's you, Jamon. Good luck.
Higbee. I know it's only his 2nd year, but this is a prove it situation nonetheless. Everett looks like the "starter" in the very near future, so Higs must prove that he deserves to be that 2nd deployed TE in sets for McVay. Hands and blocking need improvement over what we've seen so far this PS. Otherwise, McVay will find his 2nd TE elsewhere in '18. Hemingway should be healthy by '18, btw. Just sayin'. Cough, cough.
Barron. Does he fit well in this 3-4 Wade D? Apparently, Wade thinks so, but I think that Barron needs to really stand out there this year to justify his salary. Let's face it, there are some LB's already on this roster that seem likely to be ready to jump in there by '18 should Barron stumble. And Barron's salary is a biggie, sooooo...
TruJo. Don't laugh. I know that many assume that he's a goner after this year. But if he has a big year and loves playing in LA and for Wade, why not extend with the Rams? 'Course, unless he has a big year (probably a REALLY big year), why would the Rams be interested? All depends on what kind of year TruJo has, I think. Another that could go either way.
Webster. Finally gets his chance to be a starter, but will he be a quality starter? Wade wanted him pretty badly, so there is that. Needs a big year. Yet another one that could go either way.
Joyner. Is he gonna be a top FS, or what? Many have thought that FS is his best position, but Joyner hasn't exactly blown the doors off yet, has he? He needs to have a statement season if he hopes to be extended, that's for sure.
Alexander. I only include him because of his new position. Contract year plus new position at SS, by definition, means that he has something to prove. I'm fairly confident that he will justify his promise, but there's no substitute for seeing it on the field, is there?
Goff. I saved the biggest for last. Goff needn't be Brady like, but he does need to demonstrate substantial improvement this season. And improvement should continue to be seen steadily as this season progresses. Otherwise, McVay strikes me as a HC that might look in another direction for the '18 season. I'm serious.
There are other players that I've skipped over. In fact, every year is a prove it year for every player when one gets right down to it. But I thought the above were the ones most pivotal and pressing in this first season under McVay.
I have to say Good-Bye For a while! Yesterday I had a Massive C.O.P.D. attack! Please bare with me!.....I can't breath well ... and it's hard to concentrate, read, and write! ( It's taken me 10 minutes to just write these 3 Lines!!)
It takes me forever just to get out of Bed .. Go to My Home Office .. and fire-up the Old computer!
I'm taking all sorts of meds, But I fear I may have to go to the Doctor on this one, and that well mean Hospital time!
I try to periodically read a few posts! But this alone has now taken me over 20 minutes to write!
Gut to go lay down, I hope to be back to 100% soon!! BEST WISHES - Your Bro! DaveFan'51
From Rams cult hero to possible cut, Nelson Spruce forges on
Los Angeles Rams wide receivers Nelson Spruce (86) and Robert Woods (17) stretch for Organized Team Activities on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at the team?s practice facility at California Lutheran University. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)
By Ryan Kartje
Was this a dream?
Around him, the scene felt so surreal, he couldn’t help but wonder.
Tens of thousands chanting his name. The entirety of the Coliseum pulsing with energy, roaring in harmonious praise. This was only a preseason game, and he was merely an undrafted free agent with a puncher’s chance of making the Rams’ 53-man roster. But as time ticked away and the Rams marched down the field, it was as if he’d stepped into the chill-inducing climax of a Hollywood sports classic, unaware he was the star.
“SPRUUUUCE!” the crowd roared. “SPRUUUUCE!”
In a quarter’s time, Nelson Spruce rose to cult hero status. Then, just as quickly, the hope he’d forged on the Coliseum field slipped away.
Ecstasy and agony
In the year since a stadium of Rams fans chanted his name, Spruce recalls watching film of that preseason game just once.
That one night was enough to earn him a roster spot then. Not to mention a place in Rams’ lore. But this season, as he fights 12 other receivers for a spot on the Rams roster -- a spot that will be determined this final week of the preseason -- his feelings from that night remain messy and complicated. “The highest of highs,” he says, “and then, the lowest of lows.”
With under two minutes to play, in the Rams’ first game back in Los Angeles, backup quarterback Sean Mannion threw the winning touchdown pass, capping the comeback Spruce had manufactured almost entirely by himself with a game-high six catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. But away from the play, Spruce’s knee buckled. It seemed innocuous. With the adrenaline still pumping, he left the field still thinking of the celebration to come.
The prognosis was more deflating than he could conceive at the time. He’d miss the rest of the preseason, they told him, probably more. He acknowledged the news, let it wash over him, but struggled to process what it meant. <em>How could this happen now?
His family, still in shock from his performance, greeted him after the game. He couldn’t find the words to tell them. He called his father, Neal, from the bus.
That night, he couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to celebrate, either. Instead, he stayed in his training camp dorm room at Irvine, wondering what was next.
“He’d never been injured, never missed a game in his life,” Neal says. “Not Pop Warner, not high school, not Colorado, and he ended up missing his whole first year in the NFL.”
The knee injury gave way to a calf injury in October, which led to him being placed on injured reserve. Spruce was devastated. Everything he’d worked for seemed to lead to that moment a year ago, and then, poof. It was gone.
“He went to a dark place,” Neal says. “His body had never let him down in his life, and then, at the worst possible time, it let him down. He thought his whole career was being taken away.”
Over the months that followed, as Spruce watched from the sideline, doing his best not to slip into despair, he tried to keep his mind occupied. He started reading more. He took up yoga. He meditated.
The peace he’d made with his injury was still tenuous. “It was something I had to learn to deal with,” he says. But slowly, he pulled himself back up.
All around him were reminders of his quarter-long brush with stardom. Fans stopped him to take photos. They yelled his name in public, wherever he went. One afternoon, as he prepared to tee off at Sherwood Country Club, employees assured him that they wouldn’t announce his name over the loudspeaker. They were concerned the announcement might incite a mob of Rams fans.
Even in London, when the Rams traveled to play the Giants, he was greeted by British customs officials who unleashed their own “SPRUUUUCE!” chant.
For months, he worried his career was over. But as he returned to Rams camp in late July, he walked onto the field to the same roar. When he caught a touchdown during the Rams’ second practice, tiptoeing the sideline, the stands exploded with excitement.
No one had forgotten.
Waging an uphill battle
On Aug. 11, the Rams announced a blockbuster trade that brought top wideout Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles. The move indisputably improved the team’s receiving corps. It was applauded by nearly everyone inside and outside the building. But for Spruce, the trade signaled something else entirely. With another receiver in the mix, he was all the more expendable.
Watkins, Robert Woods, Tavon Austin, Pharoh Cooper, Cooper Kupp, and Josh Reynolds are basically guaranteed spots on the Rams roster. Mike Thomas, who’s suspended for the first four weeks, will likely remain on the team, as well. That’s seven wideouts. The likelihood of Spruce making the 53-man roster, realistically, is quite low.
“That’s the fact of it, I guess,” Spruce says. “But one thing I learned last year having all that time off and learning about so many different things, was that I can really only worry about the things that I can control. I guess that’s the only way to look at it.”
The injuries he dealt with last season have lingered into camp this year, making his uphill battle for a roster spot even more grueling. He caught six passes in the Rams’ exhibition opener against Dallas on Aug. 12, but played just five snaps in the preseason win over the Raiders. Last Saturday, with Kupp out and an opportunity to showcase his ability, Spruce was inactive. He did not practice Tuesday and is questionable to play in the final exhibition Thursday at Green Bay.
“When Nelson’s been available, you can see he’s a conscientious football player, just has a good feel for the game, good natural hands,” Rams coach McVay said. “Unfortunately, he’s struggled with just some rare injuries, whether it be his calf or some pulls here and there. Not being able to be available has made it a little bit difficult.”
Spruce is still confident he can survive cuts. But even if he’s a roster casualty this week, his story is hardly over. Last season, the Rams feared placing him on the practice squad would lead another team to claim him. So it’s not hard to believe that same claim could be made this season.
Perhaps the chants will follow him wherever he lands. But even if they don’t, the undrafted free agent from Westlake High will always have that storybook night under the Coliseum lights, when he lived his NFL dream and a legion of Rams fans responded with a hero’s welcome.
Not sure how I'm feeling about this year's group. Last year I had both David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell, the latter I got in the 5th round b/c of his suspension. I was spoiled lol.
QB: Derek Carr - new contract, lots of weapons, good offense
RB: Todd Gurley - banking on him, hope all that determination pays through
RB: LaMarr Miller - at first was excited I got him, but then...it looks like he may be a "meh"
WR: Antonio Brown
WR: Dez Bryant
W/R: Amari Cooper
^^^OK, obviously my WRs are my strength
TE: Hunter Henry - he had 9 TDs last year, and Phillip Rivers likes going to the TE.
K: Sea Bass - I figure Oakland/LV is going to be a top offense, so that = points from K
DEF: Houston Texans - duh, take the most potentially dominant D in the league
Bench:
Basically, my bench is full of RBs in case LaMarr Miller (or maybe Todd Gurley) under perform:
Matt Forte, Ty Montgomery, and recently Kareem Hunt. I also have WR Kelvin Benjamin in case one of the starting WRs get hurt.
Tyler Eifert is on my bench, as he is also a TD machine in case Hunter has a sophomore slump.
And I have the Rams defense, because it was the last pick and I wanted them.
So who is going to the opener? My daughter and her boyfriend invited me to go with them it will be the first live game I have seen since they left Anaheim back in the day. When they left I threw away my Everett jersey but I still watched every game since then on tv. We have tailgate parking so if your around say hi I will be in my New Jersey my daughter will have an Gurley jersey on. Just got this today can't wait to go
Ceiling: 8-8.Jared Goff might be, uhhhhh, uninspiring to the masses. But if he can absorb the techniques and scheme that Sean McVay imparted on Kirk Cousins ... why not .500 ball in Los Angeles? The "fight for L.A." will go the Rams' way with the resurgence of Todd Gurleyand the emergence of Cooper Kupp. The defense merely needs to perform like it did early in 2016, before the putrid offense wore it out by year's end.
Floor: 3-13. Loved the signing of Andrew Whitworth, but if his 35-year-old body says it's had enough, then McVay's offense is in trouble. Goff's pocket awareness might not be nil, but it could stand to improve a notch or three. Liked the Sammy Watkins deal, but if his foot doesn't respond ... ugh. Injuries could really hurt this roster; deep is not a word you hear much to describe it.
Tipping point: Please, Vince Ferragamo, Eric Dickerson and Jack Youngblood, don't let Aaron Donald's holdout bleed into the season. Pull some rank. (Actually, Dickerson may not be the best person to ask, here ...)
Knock Brady on his butt, play after play and don't give the receivers a cushion. That's the answer for the NFL's Patriots problem. Unfortunately that's easier said than done because the refs negate that by protecting the NFL's "Golden Boy."
****************************************************************************************** https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/29/houston-texans-defense-new-england-patriots-nfl-preview
How Do You Beat the Patriots? The Texans Have an Idea of How To Solve That Problem The 31 teams not based in Foxborough face a dilemma: The reigning Super Bowl champions, led by QB Tom Brady, got even stronger this offseason. But the Texans, with their five-across diamond defense, may have the key to toppling New England. ANDY BENOIT
“After that night we knew…” begins Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. He pauses to search for the right words. “We knew we were better.”
Mercilus makes this assessment from his team’s training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, surrounded by densely forested hills, 58 miles from the nearest Starbucks. He’s talking about last season’s divisional-round playoff game between Houston and New England, and he’s comparing his defense to the Patriots’ offense. “We could’ve done a lot more than we did that night,” Mercilus says.
Scary thought. The Texans’ defense, which in 2016 ranked No. 1 in terms of yards allowed (301.3 per game), went into Foxborough in January and gave Tom Brady & Co. fits. A few uncharacteristic, out-of-structure downfield completions ultimately left Brady with a respectable 287 yards passing and propelled the eventual Super Bowl LI winners to a 34–16 victory.
But the score had been surprisingly closer, 24–16, early in the fourth quarter when Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler threw the second of three interceptions that eventually cost his team the game. Brady dropped back 40 times that night and connected on only 18 passes, his worst completion percentage (47.4%) in 34 career playoffs games.
Afterward, Patriots coach Bill Belichick warned, “We have to play better, we have to coach better . . . or there won’t be much left in our season.”
Privately other coaches around the league would later say that they were surprised how poorly New England handled Houston’s pass-rush scheme that evening. A telling snapshot came at 6:06 in the second quarter, when the Patriots faced third-and-six from the Texans’ 33-yard line.
Brady was in shotgun. Opposite him, five Houston defenders lined up along the line of scrimmage. On the edges, outside of each offensive tackle (in a wide-9 position), were linebackers Brian Cushing and Benardrick McKinney. In the B gaps, between New England’s guards and tackles (in a 3 technique), were defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney and Antonio Smith. Mercilus stood directly over center David Andrews.
At the snap, only Clowney, Smith and Mercilus rushed; Cushing and McKinney dropped into shallow coverage. The QB now had eight pass defenders to sort through. But before Brady could get into his progressions he was engulfed by Mercilus, who’d easily spun past Andrews, an undrafted second-year center with middling size.
The Texans had dropped into their “max” coverage, and still they got a premier pass rusher one-on-one against an overmatched lineman. They’d done the same thing earlier in the game, when Mercilus’s pressure had created a sack for Cushing.
ROB TRINGALI
Brady’s long evening—18 pressures, eight hits, two sacks—and the Texans’ near upset all stemmed from Houston’s relentless use of a five-man front, creating a quintet of intriguing one-on-one matchups with the offensive linemen. It’s a concept that defenses have long used in running situations but that has only recently evolved into a prominent passing down tactic.
“That front allows me to use my ability against a lesser athlete than myself,” says Mercilus, who since being drafted in the first round out of Illinois in 2012 has grown into one of the league’s most versatile pass rushers. “There are athletic offensive linemen out there, but if you match them up with somebody who’s quicker and smaller, that’s where you change the game. And that’s what we are, a matchup defense.”
Therein lies the beauty of the five-man front, which Houston has come to call the “diamond”: Not only did the Texans force the Patriots to pass-block one-on-one, they also got to dictate those matchups.
Ultimately, Mercilus’s sack was just one moment; it had little bearing on the 2016 season. The Texans still watched Super Bowl LI as spectators. But the ingredients of that play—and many others like it that evening—hint at a recipe for upending the reigning champions.
J.J. Watt is back on the field after a back injury landed him on IR last September. Clowney continues to blossom. Mercilus is in his prime. The diamond front, specifically in Houston, represents the NFL’s best chance of dethroning Brady and the Patriots.
* * *
With the recent rise in spread offenses, the NFL has become such a pass-happy league that a D’s only hope is to go on the offensive. “Defenses are becoming just as multiple [or flexible in their arrangement] as offenses,” says Texans coach Bill O’Brien. “Especially on third down.”
For the past two decades, a double-A-gap front—four down D-linemen, plus two additional defenders over the center, one on each shoulder, creating a six-man front against five O-linemen—has been the go-to pressure look for NFL defenses. Longtime Eagles coordinator Jim Johnson introduced the concept, Mike Zimmer (now in Minnesota) perfected it, and you still see it used regularly, including in Houston.
But the diamond front is quietly becoming the pressure look of choice for teams that have the personnel to execute it. With some regularity, the Broncos, Lions, Panthers, Patriots, Rams, Saints, Steelers and Vikings used diamond fronts in passing situations last season, while several other teams dabbled in the tactic. No defense, however, employs the front more frequently or more effectively than the Texans.
In order to succeed, a diamond front requires a single pass rusher who can’t be blocked one-on-one. In Watt, Clowney and Mercilus, the Texans have three. “We have a lot of talented guys,” says the most talented of all, Watt. “The ability to put different pieces in different places gives you a lot of multiplicity up front. [You can] wreak havoc that way.”
On the surface, this all sounds simple. Five defenders across from five blockers?Most offensive players have seen this since peewee football. But the diamond’s real complexity shows in passing situations, when those five players start running stunts—or what Mercilus refers to as “games.”
At the snap, a given defender might attack a blocker’s shoulder or try to cross over a blocker’s face, creating a lane for another defender to loop in and attack. “We practice those games every single day,” says Mercilus, “so we get the timing down, the rhythm down.”
Those games can put tremendous stress on an offensive line. On any given play against a healthy Texans team, for example, at least three offensive linemen are led to believe presnap that they’re about to block an elite pass rusher. But that pass rusher may relocate at the snap, with a whole new defender appearing.
Imagine gearing up to block Clowney—possessor of one of the league’s most explosive and powerful initial bursts—and then seeing him leave . . . only to realize you’re now blocking Watt, the most destructive defensive force of this era.
Even if every blocker recognizes a stunt correctly, blocks must still be executed, often against defenders rushing from unusual angles. And when 300-pound offensive linemen are forced to move their feet and turn their hips, bad things can happen.
“It all comes down to how comfortable we are with each other, having that communication, whether it’s verbal or nonverbal,” says Watt, who’s entering his fourth year playing with Clowney and Mercilus. “Being able to communicate with each other and really having a great feel for what each of us likes. . . .”
Watt says this with the stoicism of an Easter Island statue; he’s notoriously protective of trade secrets and he’s not about to compromise his chances of beating the Patriots. “You’re asking for the playbook, man,” he says. “I’m not going to give it up.”
* * *
So where did the diamond come from? “Buddy [Ryan] really popularized the five-down look in the early-, mid-’80s,” says seven-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, as good a source as you’ll find on just about any defensive subject. “He played it a lot in his base defense.
His thing was really to get Dan Hampton [with the Bears], and then Reggie White [with the Eagles] on the nose. So part of it was the [structure of having] five-down, but part of it was to take the best player he had and put him on the center.”
Ryan applied the diamond concept more against the run than against the pass, as many teams still do. (It’s a sibling of Ryan’s famed “Bear front.”) Where it’s changing the game today is as a sub-package tactic in passing situations.
“Back in [Ryan’s] day, you didn’t have the frequent substitutions we do now; for the most part, the same 11 guys were on the field on third down as on first down,” says Belichick. “By the later ’80s, there were more three-receiver sets [and thus] more nickel defenses.
“When I was with the Giants [in the 1980s] we ran five-man out of a 3–4 [defense]. When I went to Cleveland [in the early ’90s] we played a four-man D-line in nickel schemes, but we built a package with a linebacker, Clay Matthews, over the center. We could stem in and out with the linebacker—we could be in five-down, then walk [Matthews] out and be in a 4–2, then back in a 5–1, then in a 4–2.”
In the passing game, “five-man changes a lot of protection rules, particularly for the back and the quarterback, especially if you have players on the line of scrimmage who can drop into coverage. If an offensive tackle goes out to block [one of those five players], but then the defender drops into coverage and you blitz up the middle, you create some mismatches.”
Belichick would know; he still deploys diamond fronts in New England. He goes on, dissertating on five-man fronts against various concepts, reaching all the way to read-option offenses in college schemes—then he grinds to a halt. “I mean, we can talk about this all day,” he says with a smile.
He refocuses. A big key to the diamond front is having coverage defenders begin a play up on the line. That’s where much of the disguise lies. But also much of the risk.
“Instead of being in a 4–2 [alignment] you’re in a 5–1, a one-linebacker defense,” says Belichick. “That gives you fewer people behind the ball. So if you get split, there’s only one guy playing the second level.” A defense could “get split” by a running back who quickly breaks through the line of scrimmage. Or, in passing situations, by a scrambling quarterback.
Or by a receiver on a short inside route. Anytime you take bodies from the linebacker level of the defense and put them up on the line of scrimmage, you become more vulnerable to a big play should a ballcarrier quickly or unexpectedly reach open space.
ERICK W. RASCO
Of course, all defensive schemes have weaknesses. If there were one without a downside, every team would play that way every snap. As aggressive pressure packages go, though, a diamond front is relatively safe. In the popular double-A-gap front, for example, six defenders are up at the line.
But it’s rare that all six will rush—if they did, every defensive back would be isolated in single coverage—which means that double-A-gap concepts rely heavily on players being able to drop back into coverage. And that’s not ideal.
“In zone coverage, [those guys] are covering from the line of scrimmage, trying to get back to an area and see guys behind them,” Belichick explains. “That’s all easier to do [if you’re initially aligned] off the ball.”
With one fewer line-of-scrimmage player than in a double-A-gap front, a diamond defense is less reliant on backpedaling defenders. Executing a four-man rush out of diamond, for example, requires only one defender to drop, and that difference—one dropper instead of two—creates more flexibility in coverage. With two droppers, a defense is inclined to play zone; with just one dropper, man-to-man becomes more feasible.
(In fact, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman says that “when I hear ‘diamond’ in the chatter at the line of scrimmage, it usually gives you an indicator that there’s going to be some sort of man coverage. . . . Of course, when you publish this, defenses are probably going to change that.”)
Because the Texans are so experienced and effective at playing two-high-safety matchup-zone coverages, a foundation under the O’Brien regime, they don’t always feel compelled to play the man coverage that diamond allows—but it’s an option. Whatever they land on—hybrid-man or zone—they’re fond of eight-man coverages, like the one they used on Mercilus’s postseason sack of Brady.
Altogether, the Texans dropped two linemen back in coverage and rushed only three about 30% of the time they were in diamond last season. Dropping two defenders in this instance is less worrisome than out of a double-A-gap look because it creates an eight-man coverage instead of a standard seven-man coverage. Defenders have more help around them.
Which brings us back to the Patriots. Eight-man coverages are the best way to stymie offenses that “like to run a lot of man-coverage-beating [route concepts],” says 12th-year Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph. Offenses like New England’s.
“It’s hard for the quarterback to read through all those defenders,” Joseph explains. The Texans showed a diamond front and dropped into eight-man coverage six times against New England in January. On those plays they sacked Brady twice and gave up just one completion, for seven yards.
Besides crowding the short area of the field, a defense that drops eight players into coverage also discourages the offense from cushioning its pass protection with extra blockers—a running back or tight end, or both. And when extra blockers are sought? Then the defense can end up with at least two men in coverage for every route-running receiver while a bunch of O-linemen are left blocking air. An offense can’t sustain success this way.
Putting eight bodies in coverage also allows a defense freedom in disguising its looks, and against the Patriots that’s crucial. As one NFL defensive coordinator puts it, “You cannot let Brady get a beat on your coverages before the snap. He’ll kill you. You have to change it up.” Mercilus offers similar sentiments. “With somebody as smart as him, who knows the game inside and out. . . you’re playing against his mind. He knows where the holes are.”
New England works hard to make those defensive holes predictable—everything it does before the snap centers around unmasking the coverage. “We’ll have a motion indicator,” says Pats receiver Danny Amendola. “If you see a guy in motion and there’s a defensive back running along with him, that’s man coverage. If [there’s no one] running with him, that’s zone coverage.” The Patriots can also unmask coverages by how they structure their formations.
“We’ll disperse guys in and out of the formation,” Amendola goes on. “We just put a tight end or running back outside.” He smiles. “Not to give away too much of our offense.” (What Amendola is getting at: If Brady has a tight end or back out wide and there’s a linebacker or safety across from him, it means that linebacker or safety followed him there, which tells the QB he’s facing man coverage. If there’s a cornerback across from that split-out tight end or back, it means that corner stayed home; it’s zone.)
And so we’re bound to see two chess matches unfolding when Houston and New England meet in Week 3 this season: the Texans dictating matchups with their five-man diamond front, and the Patriots dictating matchups with their receiver alignments. So who’s really in charge?
“That’s an interesting question,” says O’Brien, “and I’m going to answer that out of both sides of my mouth. Sometimes, defensively, we’re just going to put our personnel out there and make our call regardless of what the offense is. But sometimes our personnel and our call is based on the offense. It’s all dictated by, How can we play the fastest?”
Last season Brady got rid of the ball in an average of 2.57 seconds, which ranked 16th out of the 39 QBs who attempted at least 130 passes. On Mercilus’s sack it took the linebacker a hair over two seconds to reach Brady. This play is brought to O’Brien’s attention.
“That’s one of the things about this league,” he says. “It’s not only a chess match schematically; it’s a chess match of evaluating personnel. How can we get our guy [lined up against] a weaker player? I think that’s the ultimate chess match.”
The season draws near, and as the Rams prepare for their last preseason game, I turn my attention to great Ram players whose last name begins with P. There are a few greats, a couple Ram favorites, and a couple notable names that may be better known for their coaching prowess.
Orlando Pace
Jack Pardee
Roman Phifer
Rod Perry
Irv Pankey
Myron Pattios
Ricky Proehl
Don Paul
Duane Putnam
Steve Preece
Honorable mention: Elvis Peacock, Bucky Pope, Austin Pettis, Tommy Polley, Ryan Pickett, Mike Piel, John Pergine, Jim Purnell.
Notable: Dan Pastorini, Mike Pagel, Ritchie Pettibon, Gerald Perry, Ellijah Pitts, Marquez Pope.
PFT's Mike Foolio must have enjoyed the results of this poll considering he has been dumping on the Rams organization for years. But then again, winning cures everything and shuts people up.
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Who wins the NFC West?
Posted by Mike Florio on August 29, 2017
Our ongoing look at the various divisions has landed on the division that many expect the Seahawks to continue to own. So now is the time to turn those vague thoughts into numbers.
Browns trying to trade Joe Haden
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 29, 2017
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In Cleveland, the philosophy is clear: Get rid of expensive veterans, and load up on draft picks. Which means another expensive veteran may soon be traded.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Haden is under contract for three more seasons, with base salaries of $11.1 million this year, $11.1 million next year and $10.4 million in 2019. The Browns apparently don’t think he’s worth that kind of money, but some other team might.
Haden has been plagued by injuries the last two years and has had two groin surgeries. He has, however, started all three preseason games this year and appears to be healthy. A healthy Haden may be playing for some other team when the regular season starts.
Report: Browns trying to trade Cameron Erving
Posted by Josh Alper on August 29, 2017
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Cornerback Joe Haden isn’t the only member of the Browns that the team would reportedly like to unload as teams set their initial rosters for the 2017 season.
Erving was a first-round pick in 2015 and has moved between positions during his time in Cleveland. He started at center for most of last season, has seen time at guard and was in the mix for the right tackle job this summer. It looks like the Browns have settled on Shon Coleman for that spot, however, and it appears the Browns are done shifting Erving around in hopes of finding a lasting home on their line.
Erving is set to make just under $1.3 million this year and is signed for just over $1.7 million next year on a rookie deal that also includes a team option for the 2019 season.
