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Sammy Watkins of Los Angeles Rams quick to impress starting quarterback Jared Goff in practice
- By tomas
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 1 Replies
Sammy Watkins of Los Angeles Rams quick to impress starting quarterback Jared Goff in practice
Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer
10-13 minutes
"He's been sharper than I've expected," Goff said Wednesday. "That's not saying anything negatively about him, but it's a new system for anybody. He's been on it. He's been sharp. It's been a really pleasant surprise."
The Rams officially acquired Watkins from the Buffalo Bills on Friday morning in exchange for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick in next year's draft. Watkins didn't join his new teammates until Saturday afternoon, three hours before their preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He had no idea how he would fit then, saying, "I don't even know the offensive plays yet."
But Watkins has been a quick study. He's rooming with fellow receiver Robert Woods, his teammate in Buffalo the past three years. And assistant receivers coach Zac Taylor has been guiding him through the scheme.
Rams coach Sean McVay said he felt confident Watkins could learn the plays relatively quickly because there's some carryover with what Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison implemented. Watkins estimated Monday that it would take him "a week and a half" to get fully up to speed with the way McVay attacks defenses.
Rams coach Sean McVay is learning a little bit more about Sammy Watkins every day. "You can feel his speed and his juice down the field." Watkins caught several intermediate throws from Jared Goff today and was constantly matched up with Trumaine Johnson.
By Wednesday, Watkins found himself constantly matched up with Trumaine Johnson, the Rams' long, big-bodied primary cornerback. They faced one another in red zone drills and Watkins juggled Goff's throw out of bounds. Watkins then caught a couple of Goff passes deep toward the middle of the field during 11-on-11 work, and the two connected on what was about a 20-yard gain on the far side of the field.
Goff said he found himself in awe at times.
"You try not to," he said, "but then you kind of turn around and look at everyone like, 'Everyone see that?'"
"Big, physical, fast -- a complete receiver," Johnson said when asked his impressions of Watkins. "I can't wait for him to settle down, after a week or two, getting the offense in. I'm trying to work him out as much as I can, trying to match up every time."
If healthy, Sammy Watkins gives the Rams the vertical outside threat they've been missing. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday, Johnson intercepted Goff for the second time in three days. He was the underneath corner in zone coverage and Goff threw it right into his chest while attempting to hit Watkins in stride. Johnson also intercepted Goff on Monday while in the red zone during 11-on-11 work when he jumped a curl route from Robert Woods.
Cody Davis, John Johnson, Kevin Peterson and Troy Hill also intercepted Goff on Monday and Tuesday, and Lamarcus Joyner and Mike Jordan missed some easy ones, too.
"I was being a little aggressive the past couple days," said Goff, who looked a lot better and was more accurate Wednesday. "Some plays I can't make. And just learning. I'm still learning, still growing. You should test your limits a little bit, I think, but at the same time I have to be smarter than that. I have to take care of the ball better than that, and I will."
The Rams are already getting excited for what Watkins' presence can do for Goff and the dynamic of their entire offense. Watkins' health has been a big question in his career, including two recent foot surgeries. But if healthy, he gives the Rams the vertical outside threat they were missing, someone who can take the top off coverages and open things up for the likes of Woods, Cooper Kupp and Tavon Austin.
Watkins is expected to play with the first-team offense against the Raiders on Saturday in Oakland, a homecoming of sorts for Goff. McVay hopes to get all his starters in the game for at least the entire first quarter, though Watkins' workload may be a little lighter than that of the other receivers.
"He's looked really good," McVay said. "He's got great hands, an ability to run through the football. You can feel his speed and his juice down the field."
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ress-starting-quarterback-jared-goff-practice
Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer
10-13 minutes
Close- Joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Los Angeles Rams
- Previously covered the Angels for MLB.com
"He's been sharper than I've expected," Goff said Wednesday. "That's not saying anything negatively about him, but it's a new system for anybody. He's been on it. He's been sharp. It's been a really pleasant surprise."
The Rams officially acquired Watkins from the Buffalo Bills on Friday morning in exchange for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick in next year's draft. Watkins didn't join his new teammates until Saturday afternoon, three hours before their preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He had no idea how he would fit then, saying, "I don't even know the offensive plays yet."
But Watkins has been a quick study. He's rooming with fellow receiver Robert Woods, his teammate in Buffalo the past three years. And assistant receivers coach Zac Taylor has been guiding him through the scheme.
Rams coach Sean McVay said he felt confident Watkins could learn the plays relatively quickly because there's some carryover with what Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison implemented. Watkins estimated Monday that it would take him "a week and a half" to get fully up to speed with the way McVay attacks defenses.
Rams coach Sean McVay is learning a little bit more about Sammy Watkins every day. "You can feel his speed and his juice down the field." Watkins caught several intermediate throws from Jared Goff today and was constantly matched up with Trumaine Johnson.
By Wednesday, Watkins found himself constantly matched up with Trumaine Johnson, the Rams' long, big-bodied primary cornerback. They faced one another in red zone drills and Watkins juggled Goff's throw out of bounds. Watkins then caught a couple of Goff passes deep toward the middle of the field during 11-on-11 work, and the two connected on what was about a 20-yard gain on the far side of the field.
Goff said he found himself in awe at times.
"You try not to," he said, "but then you kind of turn around and look at everyone like, 'Everyone see that?'"
"Big, physical, fast -- a complete receiver," Johnson said when asked his impressions of Watkins. "I can't wait for him to settle down, after a week or two, getting the offense in. I'm trying to work him out as much as I can, trying to match up every time."
If healthy, Sammy Watkins gives the Rams the vertical outside threat they've been missing. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday, Johnson intercepted Goff for the second time in three days. He was the underneath corner in zone coverage and Goff threw it right into his chest while attempting to hit Watkins in stride. Johnson also intercepted Goff on Monday while in the red zone during 11-on-11 work when he jumped a curl route from Robert Woods.
Cody Davis, John Johnson, Kevin Peterson and Troy Hill also intercepted Goff on Monday and Tuesday, and Lamarcus Joyner and Mike Jordan missed some easy ones, too.
"I was being a little aggressive the past couple days," said Goff, who looked a lot better and was more accurate Wednesday. "Some plays I can't make. And just learning. I'm still learning, still growing. You should test your limits a little bit, I think, but at the same time I have to be smarter than that. I have to take care of the ball better than that, and I will."
The Rams are already getting excited for what Watkins' presence can do for Goff and the dynamic of their entire offense. Watkins' health has been a big question in his career, including two recent foot surgeries. But if healthy, he gives the Rams the vertical outside threat they were missing, someone who can take the top off coverages and open things up for the likes of Woods, Cooper Kupp and Tavon Austin.
Watkins is expected to play with the first-team offense against the Raiders on Saturday in Oakland, a homecoming of sorts for Goff. McVay hopes to get all his starters in the game for at least the entire first quarter, though Watkins' workload may be a little lighter than that of the other receivers.
"He's looked really good," McVay said. "He's got great hands, an ability to run through the football. You can feel his speed and his juice down the field."
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ress-starting-quarterback-jared-goff-practice
John Sullivan on Rams' offense:"We're not going to be an easy out
- By Juice
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 26 Replies
http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...rams-offense-were-not-going-to-be-an-easy-out
By: Alden Gonzalez
IRVINE, Calif. -- It has been eight years since veteran center John Sullivan joined legendary quarterback Brett Favre on the Minnesota Vikings, the last stop in what became a Hall of Fame career.
But hearing Favre's name still makes Sullivan's right buttock sting.
"He used to smack your ass so hard," Sullivan, now the Los Angeles Rams' starting center, said after a recent practice. "You'd be standing in a walk-through and you had to keep your head on a swivel because you just knew if Brett came up behind you, you were getting one, and you were going to have a handprint on there for a couple days."
Sullivan was Favre's center in 2009, the year he made the Pro Bowl and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game at the age of 40. He still laughs at all the times Favre used to make stuff up as he went along. Like that one two-minute drill in Pittsburgh, when Favre didn't bother calling plays or protections. At one point he barked instructions to one of his receivers, yelled at Sullivan to snap him the ball and completed a five-yard out. The offense and defense was so flat-footed that the linemen didn't even make contact with one another.
"He was an amazing player in terms of having a very natural feel for the game; instincts," said Sullivan, also Favre's center during his final season in 2010. "You talk about a youthful exuberance about the sport -- he was 40 years old and he was playing like he was a 10-year-old kid in the backyard. It was refreshing for everybody. I was a 23-year-old kid fresh out of college, and even for me it was refreshing at that point in time."
Sullivan, now 32, is surrounded by youth these days. His quarterback, Jared Goff, is 22, the youngest among the 10 players Sullivan has ever snapped the ball to in an NFL game. His boss, Sean McVay, is 31, the youngest head coach in NFL history.
Sullivan played under McVay last year, when McVay was in his last of three years as the Redskins' offensive coordinator. Back issues began to plague Sullivan after a six-year run of being one of the game's better centers. He started 93 of a possible 96 regular-season games from 2009 to '14. He spent all of the 2015 season on injured reserve, the product of two back surgeries, then lost the starting job in 2016 and was released at the end of August.
Rams center John Sullivan on Sean McVay: "He's an incredible motivator, amazing with the X's and O's, and so far proving himself as a great head coach in terms of leading this organization and changing the culture ..." Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
The Redskins picked him up on Sept. 27, shortly after starter Kory Lichtensteiger injured his calf. It was a Tuesday, heading into Week 4, the day of the Redskins' walk-through. Sullivan flew into Washington, D.C., that morning, worked out, signed his contract and went straight into an offensive meeting before even having a chance to text his wife.
There, he met McVay.
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"You're going to these offensive install meetings, and he is so on the screws on every single detail," Sullivan said. "But he's not micromanaging. It's just pointing out things that you can be looking for, and really coaching in the classroom in terms of being detail-oriented. He was incredibly impressive. I didn't know his age at that point. I didn't know he was 30. And even to this day, it doesn’t make any difference. He's an incredible motivator, amazing with the X's and O's, and so far proving himself as a great head coach in terms of leading this organization and changing the culture, and making sure that everybody buys into our message. That's just a connected team, with a 'We Not Me' slogan."
Sullivan started only one game during that 2016 season, then re-joined McVay with the Rams, where he will replace former starter Tim Barnes at center. McVay believes Sullivan is fully healthy now. His presence in the room, with the knowledge he has of his offense, "has helped immensely," McVay said.
"He's one of the more impressive players I've ever been around, just in terms of his above the neck and the way that he's able to translate things from the meeting room to the grass," McVay went on about Sullivan. "He truly is one of those linemen -- like we talk about with the quarterbacks -- that's an extension of the coaching staff. He's got a great grasp of what we want to get done. He knows why, so he's able to help his teammates out. He's been a breath of fresh air."
More than the offense, though, Sullivan knows McVay. He knows his thought process on protections, he knows the way his offenses function, and he knows how he likes to attack. McVay is trying to do for the Rams what he did for the Redskins, even though his new personnel is significantly younger and less accomplished. He's going from Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis to Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett, two tight ends who have combined for 11 career catches. He's going from Kirk Cousins to Goff, who's coming off a disastrous rookie season. He's going from DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, two former Bills teammates together again on the Rams.
"We scored a ton of points last year, and that's the expectation here in Los Angeles now is we're going to do that exact same thing," Sullivan said. "We're going to use all the facets of the game to attack teams, and we're going to try to put defenses on their heels, make them defend the entire field."
It's been a long time since the Rams put opposing defenses on their heels. They have finished outside the top 20 in defense-adjusted value over average after each of the past 10 seasons. The past two years, they were last in the NFL in yards. This past season -- a 4-12 season -- they were held below 300 total yards in 10 games. Sullivan isn't willing to set concrete expectations for what McVay can do for this offense, but he is confident in one thing.
"We’re not going to be an easy out for any defense we play," Sullivan said. "We're going to come out, we're going to attack you, and we're going to execute as well as we possibly can. We're very process-oriented. We focus on coming out here and working the right way every single day. And the belief is that if you do that, the results will follow. We'll see."
By: Alden Gonzalez
IRVINE, Calif. -- It has been eight years since veteran center John Sullivan joined legendary quarterback Brett Favre on the Minnesota Vikings, the last stop in what became a Hall of Fame career.
But hearing Favre's name still makes Sullivan's right buttock sting.
"He used to smack your ass so hard," Sullivan, now the Los Angeles Rams' starting center, said after a recent practice. "You'd be standing in a walk-through and you had to keep your head on a swivel because you just knew if Brett came up behind you, you were getting one, and you were going to have a handprint on there for a couple days."
Sullivan was Favre's center in 2009, the year he made the Pro Bowl and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game at the age of 40. He still laughs at all the times Favre used to make stuff up as he went along. Like that one two-minute drill in Pittsburgh, when Favre didn't bother calling plays or protections. At one point he barked instructions to one of his receivers, yelled at Sullivan to snap him the ball and completed a five-yard out. The offense and defense was so flat-footed that the linemen didn't even make contact with one another.
"He was an amazing player in terms of having a very natural feel for the game; instincts," said Sullivan, also Favre's center during his final season in 2010. "You talk about a youthful exuberance about the sport -- he was 40 years old and he was playing like he was a 10-year-old kid in the backyard. It was refreshing for everybody. I was a 23-year-old kid fresh out of college, and even for me it was refreshing at that point in time."
Sullivan, now 32, is surrounded by youth these days. His quarterback, Jared Goff, is 22, the youngest among the 10 players Sullivan has ever snapped the ball to in an NFL game. His boss, Sean McVay, is 31, the youngest head coach in NFL history.
Sullivan played under McVay last year, when McVay was in his last of three years as the Redskins' offensive coordinator. Back issues began to plague Sullivan after a six-year run of being one of the game's better centers. He started 93 of a possible 96 regular-season games from 2009 to '14. He spent all of the 2015 season on injured reserve, the product of two back surgeries, then lost the starting job in 2016 and was released at the end of August.
Rams center John Sullivan on Sean McVay: "He's an incredible motivator, amazing with the X's and O's, and so far proving himself as a great head coach in terms of leading this organization and changing the culture ..." Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
The Redskins picked him up on Sept. 27, shortly after starter Kory Lichtensteiger injured his calf. It was a Tuesday, heading into Week 4, the day of the Redskins' walk-through. Sullivan flew into Washington, D.C., that morning, worked out, signed his contract and went straight into an offensive meeting before even having a chance to text his wife.
There, he met McVay.
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"You're going to these offensive install meetings, and he is so on the screws on every single detail," Sullivan said. "But he's not micromanaging. It's just pointing out things that you can be looking for, and really coaching in the classroom in terms of being detail-oriented. He was incredibly impressive. I didn't know his age at that point. I didn't know he was 30. And even to this day, it doesn’t make any difference. He's an incredible motivator, amazing with the X's and O's, and so far proving himself as a great head coach in terms of leading this organization and changing the culture, and making sure that everybody buys into our message. That's just a connected team, with a 'We Not Me' slogan."
Sullivan started only one game during that 2016 season, then re-joined McVay with the Rams, where he will replace former starter Tim Barnes at center. McVay believes Sullivan is fully healthy now. His presence in the room, with the knowledge he has of his offense, "has helped immensely," McVay said.
"He's one of the more impressive players I've ever been around, just in terms of his above the neck and the way that he's able to translate things from the meeting room to the grass," McVay went on about Sullivan. "He truly is one of those linemen -- like we talk about with the quarterbacks -- that's an extension of the coaching staff. He's got a great grasp of what we want to get done. He knows why, so he's able to help his teammates out. He's been a breath of fresh air."
More than the offense, though, Sullivan knows McVay. He knows his thought process on protections, he knows the way his offenses function, and he knows how he likes to attack. McVay is trying to do for the Rams what he did for the Redskins, even though his new personnel is significantly younger and less accomplished. He's going from Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis to Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett, two tight ends who have combined for 11 career catches. He's going from Kirk Cousins to Goff, who's coming off a disastrous rookie season. He's going from DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, two former Bills teammates together again on the Rams.
"We scored a ton of points last year, and that's the expectation here in Los Angeles now is we're going to do that exact same thing," Sullivan said. "We're going to use all the facets of the game to attack teams, and we're going to try to put defenses on their heels, make them defend the entire field."
It's been a long time since the Rams put opposing defenses on their heels. They have finished outside the top 20 in defense-adjusted value over average after each of the past 10 seasons. The past two years, they were last in the NFL in yards. This past season -- a 4-12 season -- they were held below 300 total yards in 10 games. Sullivan isn't willing to set concrete expectations for what McVay can do for this offense, but he is confident in one thing.
"We’re not going to be an easy out for any defense we play," Sullivan said. "We're going to come out, we're going to attack you, and we're going to execute as well as we possibly can. We're very process-oriented. We focus on coming out here and working the right way every single day. And the belief is that if you do that, the results will follow. We'll see."
Custody Fight for Rally Cat?
Rally Cat custody case: Feral Cat center has him, Cardinals want him
A Busch Stadium grounds keeper retrieves a small cat that ran across the outfield past Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain in the sixth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com
A small cat runs across the outfield during St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina's at-bat in the sixth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Molina hit a grand slam on the next pitch after the cat was retrieved by a grounds keeper. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com
The Rally Cat sits in a cage at the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach in south St. Louis on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. He is a classic tabby cat, and is about 16 weeks old. Volunteers with St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach caught him in City Garden last night 3:45 am. They used sardines and mackerel to lure him into the trap. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Could a custody fight be in Rally Cat’s future?
The cat — who scampered to fame after running across the Busch Stadium outfield last week — is being cared for by St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach. But the Cardinals are claiming custody of the feline, whom the outreach center has officially named Rally Cat.
“We’ve had thousands of inquiries from throughout the region, including many great organizations like the St. Louis Cardinals, in addition to many cat-loving individuals about adopting Rally,” the center said.
The center said it had an adoption process in place, and the most important thing is for Rally to have a happy and healthy life.
Enter the Cardinals, who have staked a claim to “our” cat.
“The St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach organization has assured us they will be returning our cat to us after a mandatory 10-day quarantine period,” said Ron Watermon, the team’s vice president of communications.
And when does that 10-day quarantine end? Monday — the day before the team comes back to Busch Stadium for a homestand.
Team owner Bill DeWitt asked Watermon “to plan a formal ‘welcome home’ ceremony next week when the Cardinals return from their road trip,” Watermon said. The ceremony will also honor the outreach center’s volunteers who helped rescue the cat.
So if Rally winds up at Busch Stadium, where would he live?
“Rally Cat will be cared for by our team, making the Cardinals Clubhouse his home,” Watermon said. “Mike and our players are looking forward to loving and caring for him.”
The team is making plans to help raise awareness with St. Louis Feral Cat by planning — of course — a Rally Cat appreciation day to help raise money for the outreach center on Sept. 10 at a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (If only it were the Detroit Tigers.)
The outreach center says Rally’s health is fine but he needs to gain more weight, and will be neutered — part of standard policy.
“It is our hope he will be ready for his first public appearance, hopefully at the Rally Cat Appreciation Night,” the center said.
- By Denise Hollinshed St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- 13 hrs ago
- (37)
A Busch Stadium grounds keeper retrieves a small cat that ran across the outfield past Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain in the sixth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com
A small cat runs across the outfield during St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina's at-bat in the sixth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Molina hit a grand slam on the next pitch after the cat was retrieved by a grounds keeper. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com
The Rally Cat sits in a cage at the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach in south St. Louis on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. He is a classic tabby cat, and is about 16 weeks old. Volunteers with St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach caught him in City Garden last night 3:45 am. They used sardines and mackerel to lure him into the trap. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Could a custody fight be in Rally Cat’s future?
The cat — who scampered to fame after running across the Busch Stadium outfield last week — is being cared for by St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach. But the Cardinals are claiming custody of the feline, whom the outreach center has officially named Rally Cat.
“We’ve had thousands of inquiries from throughout the region, including many great organizations like the St. Louis Cardinals, in addition to many cat-loving individuals about adopting Rally,” the center said.
The center said it had an adoption process in place, and the most important thing is for Rally to have a happy and healthy life.
Enter the Cardinals, who have staked a claim to “our” cat.
“The St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach organization has assured us they will be returning our cat to us after a mandatory 10-day quarantine period,” said Ron Watermon, the team’s vice president of communications.
And when does that 10-day quarantine end? Monday — the day before the team comes back to Busch Stadium for a homestand.
Team owner Bill DeWitt asked Watermon “to plan a formal ‘welcome home’ ceremony next week when the Cardinals return from their road trip,” Watermon said. The ceremony will also honor the outreach center’s volunteers who helped rescue the cat.
So if Rally winds up at Busch Stadium, where would he live?
“Rally Cat will be cared for by our team, making the Cardinals Clubhouse his home,” Watermon said. “Mike and our players are looking forward to loving and caring for him.”
The team is making plans to help raise awareness with St. Louis Feral Cat by planning — of course — a Rally Cat appreciation day to help raise money for the outreach center on Sept. 10 at a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (If only it were the Detroit Tigers.)
The outreach center says Rally’s health is fine but he needs to gain more weight, and will be neutered — part of standard policy.
“It is our hope he will be ready for his first public appearance, hopefully at the Rally Cat Appreciation Night,” the center said.
Training Camp (THU Aug-17)
- By CGI_Ram
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 28 Replies
Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Training-Camp-Report-Everything-You-Need-to-Know-From-Day-15/c79811e8-52cd-4d7d-9cfe-537274ce19f9
Training Camp Report: Everything You Need to Know From Day 15
The Rams held their 15th practice of 2017 training camp on Wednesday afternoon. The pads were back on for today’s practice and overall it proved to be a fun and spirited session for the entire team. After tomorrow’s morning workout, the Rams will pack their bags and head up to Oakland to face off against the Raiders in Week 2 of the preseason.
Here’s everything you need to know from the Rams’ penultimate day at UC Irvine:
TOP TAKEAWAYS
Participation update
Wednesday saw the return of wide receiver Nelson Spruce to the practice field. Although Spruce was limited in the amount of reps taken throughout the afternoon, he had some solid catches in the 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills and should see some game action in Saturday’s matchup.
There were, however, a few members of the Rams’ secondary missing from practice today. Cornerbacks Nickell Robey-Coleman, Mike Jordan, and Kayvon Webster watched from the sidelines as a variety of other defensive backs were worked in along the outside. Head coach Sean McVay said keeping them off the field was “really just precautionary” at this point.
“Because of where we’re at, we want to be smart with those guys,” McVay said. “A lot of the time it ends up just being some of those nagging injuries that those skilled players, those receivers and those corners you have to be really careful with.”
A number of veteran players also took the day off as part of the team’s “maintenance program” under director of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott and the rest of his training staff. Center John Sullivan, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Rodger Saffold and linebackers Mark Barron and Connor Barwin were held out in an effort to keep them healthy coming into the regular season.
“It’s about being able to do that while also giving some younger guys a chance to maybe get some reps that they wouldn’t get otherwise,” he added. “I think it’s worked out well for us throughout the course of training camp and so far, so good.”
Looking toward Oakland
One question heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Raiders is how much will the Rams’ starters play? After practice, McVay addressed that question saying that the first-team offense and defense will work on field through the end of the first quarter. The Rams’ newest addition, wide receiver Sammy Watkins, will be included in that first team lineup.
“We’ll play our starters — the goal is a little bit more,” McVay said. “We’ll see how that goes, but Sammy’s going to be a guy that is a big part of our plans offensively and we expect to get him involved on Saturday.”
After two days of padded practices, Watkins has increased his reps with the first- and second-team offense. Though he said on Monday that it “would take him about a week and a half” to fully grasp the offense, he has proven to be a quick learner.
“Just what a great person he is, a great communicator, how quickly he’s picked things up,” McVay said. “He’s able to articulate his role and responsibility within the framework of some of the things we’re asking him to do and he’s been very impressive in that regard. He did a great job, so it was good to have Sammy today.”
As Wednesday’s practice went on, he looked more and more comfortable with the rest of the offense, catching a couple of deep passes from Goff in the 11-on-11 drills. His quarterback took notice, calling Watkins a “special player” to watch.
“He’s brand new to some of the stuff, but you see the first play of live team there – the way he ran through that ball is something I don’t think we’ve seen in a little while. It was pretty special the way he plucked it and ran through it.”
Tight ends stepping up
Over the last two days of practice, tight ends Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee have made for a dynamic duo. Both have been impressive in the passing game, showcasing good hands and quick speed, and have provided solid additions as blockers.
McVay was known for his productive use of the tight end position with Washington and brought that tight-end friendly offense with him to the Los Angeles. Everett and Higbee, along with Temarrick Hemingway and Corey Harkey, have been targeted consistently throughout camp and should take on even greater responsibilities in the next few preseason matchups.
Asked whether fans can expect to see Higbee and Everett working together in a ‘12’ personnel grouping, McVay told reporters it’s a real possibility.
“When you’ve got functional players that can both compete in the run and the pass it allows you to be a little bit more multiple offensively,” McVay said. “And that’s why you feel really good about our tight end group and what we’ll hopefully be able to present to defenses.”
Today, Everett looked especially effective in the team’s red zone work, out-jumping his defender to reel in a touchdown pass from Mannion. In Tuesday’s practice Higbee was targeted heavily by Goff, while Hemingway made some impressive grabs in traffic. All in all, the tight end group should be an exciting position to watch develop throughout the rest of August.
FIELD-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS
- Ball protection drills were featured as a point of emphasis for the third consecutive day of training camp. McVay said that after the five fumbles occurred in the preseason opener, protecting the football would be a primary focus on the practice field.
“You look at it and it starts with me — I’ve got to do a better job of emphasizing it and it’s like we talked about too, you try to mimic and emulate those game like situations, as much as possible in practice,” McVay said of the drills. “We’ve got to be mindful of protecting, especially in those congested areas. Looking forward to seeing how we improve on Saturday.”
- Cornerback Trumaine Johnson recorded the first interception of the day rising up to pick off a pass from Goff in 11-on-11 drills. Dominique Hatfield recorded his second-straight interception in the last two days, picking off a pass from Dan Orlovsky towards the end of the day.
- Day 15 also gave fans a preview of the Rams’ depth at a selection of different positions as many veterans had the day off from practice. Tackle Darrell Williams, center Austin Blythe and guard Cody Wichmann stepped in on the offensive line, while defensive end Matt Longacre took reps with the first-team defense.
PLAY OF THE DAY
Today’s play of the day was really more of a “portion of the day” and came from a selection of exciting grabs in Wednesday’s one-on-ones between wide receivers and cornerbacks.
The first came from Cooper Kupp, who put a nice move on Johnson at the line to bring in a touchdown pass from Goff. The second happened just moments later when wide receiver — and birthday boy — Mike Thomas jumped up to grab a lobbed ball from Mannion, gliding his feet in for the touchdown in the back corner of the end zone.
PRESS POINTS
After practice McVay spoke to the media about Everett’s progression thus far in training camp. Catch up on his most interesting points from Day 15:
SEAN McVAY:
On Gerald Everett’s progression in red zone situations: “I think that’s where he’s done a nice job. You see the size, you see the ability in terms of being about to have great body control for a man of his size with the ball skills. He does a nice job in the red zone and when the ball’s in his hands he was excellent running after the catch and offers a lot of versatility for us at that tight end spot. I have been very pleased.”
Sean McVay on Mike and Mike 8/16/17
- By Corbin
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 1 Replies
http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=20358710
Start talking with McVay at 23:15.
Never knew about Pappie Lewis as the coach of the Cleveland Rams
haha Did anybody else know about him?
Start talking with McVay at 23:15.
Never knew about Pappie Lewis as the coach of the Cleveland Rams
haha Did anybody else know about him?Bosignore: Josh Reynolds Getting McVay's Attention
- By Florida_Ram
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 41 Replies
Bonsignore: Rookie Josh Reynolds another intriguing addition to Rams’ revamped receiving corps
IRVINE — The Rams added a shiny new toy to their offense this week. A big, explosive wide receiver able to stretch a defense, go up in traffic and get the football, or be a Red Zone threat able to turn third-down throws to the corner of the end zone into touchdowns.
And he put a little bit of all of that on display Tuesday when he came up with a handful of big catches that drew “oohs” and “aahs” from fans who made their way to UC Irvine for Rams camp.
Oh wait, you thought we were talking about Sammy Watkins, didn’t you?
Watkins figures to do plenty of that in the weeks ahead as he transitions to the Rams from the Buffalo Bills, who sent him to Los Angeles for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a future second-round pick.
But Tuesday actually belonged to wide receiver Josh Reynolds, the lanky 6-foot-4 playermaker the Rams drafted out of Texas A&M in the fourth round, then waited patiently for the last two weeks for him to finally do his thing.
The delayed reaction was the cause of a nagging quad issue that kept Reynolds on the sideline as the Rams conducted the formative part of training camp.
Having to wait out the injury killed him as much as it did his new bosses, who were eager to see their potential new difference-maker work his way into a wide receiver group that has undergone a near-complete makeover from last year.
“Definitely frustration,” Reynolds said of the injury. “But at the end of the day you have to be a professional about it and make sure you’re body is 100 percent before coming back. “Otherwise it can cause major issues.”
That opportunity finally arrived Tuesday, and Reynolds wasted no time making a big impression. And It didn’t take long for people to notice
“He had a great day,” said Rams quarterback Jared Goff. “He made a lot of big plays. Showed some stuff we haven’t seen yet, and it was really good to see. Some stuff downfield – he was obviously fresh – but, good player. Smart. He’s done a good job.”
Reynolds was pleased with his return.
“I felt great,” he said. “Fresh legs, I was moving fast and definitely getting good looks,” he said. “When you’re out, you never feel like you’re getting any better so being able to come back out here and get my techniques is always a great thing.”
And with that, the box into which Goff will reach for tools got even bigger and better.
The big get, obviously, is Watkins, who joins rookies Cooper Kupp and Gerald Everett, free agent pickup Robert Woods and second-year holdovers Tyler Higbee, Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas and Nelson Spruce in a nearly completely redone wide receiver group.
That doesn’t even account for veteran Tavon Austin, for whom new coach Sean McVay is determined to figure out an optimal role.
Now add Reynolds, who brings the element of size and a broad catch ratio, and the entire Rams receiver dynamic has changed dramatically from last season.
“It’s nice when you have a good complementary group and everybody has something unique about their game,” McVay said. “But you have to also be mindful these guys can all do a little bit of everything as well.
You don’t want to be predictable, but you want to put guys in position where they’re doing things that they do best but also be mindful of what the defense is doing and what you’re presenting them.
The more versatility you can have at the wide receiver position the more beneficial it’s going to be for our group as a whole.”
It remains to be seen how Reynolds figures into things given how crowded the wide receiver room now is, and with Watkins, Woods, Austin and Kupp slated for the bulk of the playing time.
But he was getting work with the first-team offense in situational 11-on-11 plays Wednesday, so it’s obvious Reynolds is working his way onto McVay’s radar.
“Josh is one of those guys that – he’s got a great stride length, consistently made big plays throughout the course of his career in college and he’s kind of one of those guys that’s deceivingly fast,” McVay said.
“I think getting him back out there healthy – he’s continuing to grow. It’s funny, right before he got that injury I was just telling him how much improvement he’s made from the offseason program, so it will be good to get Josh back out there and watch him compete against the Raiders on Saturday.”
Those are attributes typically associated more with premium draft picks rather than a guy taken in the fourth round.
But in spite of starting three years for the Aggies and never registering fewer than 51 catches and 840 yards — and going beast mode against Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl with 12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns last year — Reynolds took a bit of a tumble on draft day.
“You always have higher expectations for yourself, so did I go in the round I wanted to?” Reynolds said. “No.”
That 115 players were taken before him is a slight point of contention, but Reynolds is already over the disappointment.
He’s happy to be in Los Angeles, and even happier to be part of a young wide receiver group some believe will be a catalyst that pulls the Rams offense into the 21st century.
“We have a whole bunch of talent at receiver,” he said. “Lust a bunch of guys who can do a bunch of different things. A Tavon, who is a speed guy.
Robert Woods who can do everything. Sammy is a playmaker and Kupp is a great route-runner. It’s all kinds of guys who can bring all sorts of different elements to the position.”
http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/1...ng-addition-to-rams-revamped-receiving-corps/
IRVINE — The Rams added a shiny new toy to their offense this week. A big, explosive wide receiver able to stretch a defense, go up in traffic and get the football, or be a Red Zone threat able to turn third-down throws to the corner of the end zone into touchdowns.
And he put a little bit of all of that on display Tuesday when he came up with a handful of big catches that drew “oohs” and “aahs” from fans who made their way to UC Irvine for Rams camp.
Oh wait, you thought we were talking about Sammy Watkins, didn’t you?
Watkins figures to do plenty of that in the weeks ahead as he transitions to the Rams from the Buffalo Bills, who sent him to Los Angeles for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a future second-round pick.
But Tuesday actually belonged to wide receiver Josh Reynolds, the lanky 6-foot-4 playermaker the Rams drafted out of Texas A&M in the fourth round, then waited patiently for the last two weeks for him to finally do his thing.
The delayed reaction was the cause of a nagging quad issue that kept Reynolds on the sideline as the Rams conducted the formative part of training camp.
Having to wait out the injury killed him as much as it did his new bosses, who were eager to see their potential new difference-maker work his way into a wide receiver group that has undergone a near-complete makeover from last year.
“Definitely frustration,” Reynolds said of the injury. “But at the end of the day you have to be a professional about it and make sure you’re body is 100 percent before coming back. “Otherwise it can cause major issues.”
That opportunity finally arrived Tuesday, and Reynolds wasted no time making a big impression. And It didn’t take long for people to notice
“He had a great day,” said Rams quarterback Jared Goff. “He made a lot of big plays. Showed some stuff we haven’t seen yet, and it was really good to see. Some stuff downfield – he was obviously fresh – but, good player. Smart. He’s done a good job.”
Reynolds was pleased with his return.
“I felt great,” he said. “Fresh legs, I was moving fast and definitely getting good looks,” he said. “When you’re out, you never feel like you’re getting any better so being able to come back out here and get my techniques is always a great thing.”
And with that, the box into which Goff will reach for tools got even bigger and better.
The big get, obviously, is Watkins, who joins rookies Cooper Kupp and Gerald Everett, free agent pickup Robert Woods and second-year holdovers Tyler Higbee, Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas and Nelson Spruce in a nearly completely redone wide receiver group.
That doesn’t even account for veteran Tavon Austin, for whom new coach Sean McVay is determined to figure out an optimal role.
Now add Reynolds, who brings the element of size and a broad catch ratio, and the entire Rams receiver dynamic has changed dramatically from last season.
“It’s nice when you have a good complementary group and everybody has something unique about their game,” McVay said. “But you have to also be mindful these guys can all do a little bit of everything as well.
You don’t want to be predictable, but you want to put guys in position where they’re doing things that they do best but also be mindful of what the defense is doing and what you’re presenting them.
The more versatility you can have at the wide receiver position the more beneficial it’s going to be for our group as a whole.”
It remains to be seen how Reynolds figures into things given how crowded the wide receiver room now is, and with Watkins, Woods, Austin and Kupp slated for the bulk of the playing time.
But he was getting work with the first-team offense in situational 11-on-11 plays Wednesday, so it’s obvious Reynolds is working his way onto McVay’s radar.
“Josh is one of those guys that – he’s got a great stride length, consistently made big plays throughout the course of his career in college and he’s kind of one of those guys that’s deceivingly fast,” McVay said.
“I think getting him back out there healthy – he’s continuing to grow. It’s funny, right before he got that injury I was just telling him how much improvement he’s made from the offseason program, so it will be good to get Josh back out there and watch him compete against the Raiders on Saturday.”
Those are attributes typically associated more with premium draft picks rather than a guy taken in the fourth round.
But in spite of starting three years for the Aggies and never registering fewer than 51 catches and 840 yards — and going beast mode against Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl with 12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns last year — Reynolds took a bit of a tumble on draft day.
“You always have higher expectations for yourself, so did I go in the round I wanted to?” Reynolds said. “No.”
That 115 players were taken before him is a slight point of contention, but Reynolds is already over the disappointment.
He’s happy to be in Los Angeles, and even happier to be part of a young wide receiver group some believe will be a catalyst that pulls the Rams offense into the 21st century.
“We have a whole bunch of talent at receiver,” he said. “Lust a bunch of guys who can do a bunch of different things. A Tavon, who is a speed guy.
Robert Woods who can do everything. Sammy is a playmaker and Kupp is a great route-runner. It’s all kinds of guys who can bring all sorts of different elements to the position.”
http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/1...ng-addition-to-rams-revamped-receiving-corps/
Camp pics Tuesday Aug 15
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 14 Replies
I tried something a little different and placed a caption on these photos.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Copenhagen wheel
https://content.superpedestrian.com/the-copenhagen-wheel
COPENHAGEN WHEEL
BUY IT
TRY IT
THE MOST ADVANCED ELECTRIC BIKE TECHNOLOGY
Cycling with the Copenhagen Wheel is a magical experience. Packed with the most advanced e-bike technologies, the Wheel synchronizes with your movements and amplifies your pedal power 10X. Ride it like a regular bike, but with a seamless powerful boost.
The best cycling experience
Technology never seen on any vehicle
Dynamic torque-based pedal assistance
No wires or throttles
COPENHAGEN WHEEL
BUY IT
TRY IT
THE MOST ADVANCED ELECTRIC BIKE TECHNOLOGY
Cycling with the Copenhagen Wheel is a magical experience. Packed with the most advanced e-bike technologies, the Wheel synchronizes with your movements and amplifies your pedal power 10X. Ride it like a regular bike, but with a seamless powerful boost.
The best cycling experience
Technology never seen on any vehicle
Dynamic torque-based pedal assistance
No wires or throttles
MMQB: A Lesson on Tackling from Falcons' Head Coach Dan Quinn
- By Prime Time
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 6 Replies
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/15/dan-quinn-atlanta-falcons-training-camp-preseason-defense-tackling
A Lesson on Tackling from Falcons' Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn knows that the Falcons' defense must be top-notch in order to complement his high-powered offense. And how does he do that? By going back to the basics.
CHRIS BURKE
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Dan Quinn stands, hunched over the elevated desk in his office—he never sits because he doesn’t have a chair—alternating his gaze from his computer to the large television monitor at the front of the room.
“Give me a second,” he says as his guests enter. For the second consecutive training camp, Quinn has invited members of The MMQB’s NFL training camp tour bus to join him for a 30-minute coaching tutorial. He’s putting the finishing touches on his presentation.
To the right of the TV screen, there’s a framed quote from pastor and author Charles Swindoll that includes the following: “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”
To the left hangs “The Tale of Two Wolves,” a parable of a Cherokee grandfather, who tells his grandson that inside each person rages a battle between a good wolf and a bad wolf. “Which wolf wins?” asks the grandson. The grandfather replies: “The one you feed.”
It’s the next-to-last day of Falcons camp, and Quinn is still wearing his practice attire: long pants and a long-sleeve shirt (despite 100-degree temps), plus a tee that features the words “I am the sword” encircling two axes.
This is a football coach, in a football coach’s office, and there’s no mistaking either.
After a moment, Quinn stands up to shake hands with his guests, then resumes his position behind his desk.
“You guys ready? Alright,” he says. “Let’s talk tackling.”
When The MMQB bus stopped in Flowery Branch in 2016, Quinn fired up tape on Keanu Neal and explained how, and why, the then-rookie safety would help elevate the Falcons’ defense.
This year, the lesson dives deeper into the basics, and that comes as no surprise. Quinn’s coaching career began as a D-line coach back in 1994—for context, a year before 2017 Falcons first-rounder Takk McKinley was born—and he remained on the that side of the ball, as an assistant or coordinator, until taking the Atlanta head coaching job in ’15.
That’s also where the Falcons must show improvement to stay atop the NFC. Its offense (save the painful second half of Super Bowl LI) lit up the NFL last season, but Atlanta allowed 30-plus points in seven games, including the 34–28 OT loss to the Patriots.
The numbers likely would have been even uglier had it not been for the rapid development of Neal and LB Deion Jones, both 2016 draft picks.
So, all through the offseason program, Quinn has continued to hammer home his message.
“We talk tackling not every day, but damn near,” the third-year head coach says.
Quinn calls the Falcons a “leverage-tackling team. If the ball carrier is on [a defender’s] left side, tackle with the left shoulder; if he’s on the right side, tackle with the right shoulder.”
Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not.
“[It takes] about half a year” to learn, Quinn says, while pulling up a play where Neal flew downhill and tackled a player on his left with his right shoulder.
Keanu Neal (in red box) chasing down Greg Olsen.
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
“This should be a left-shoulder hit, but his face is really in the tackle. That one to me ... I’m showing you examples of how to do it better. Keanu likes to hit on a right shoulder, but he has to be careful—if he right-shoulders there and misses, that’s an explosive play. We all have a dominant hand, you have to make sure you’re not always tackling with your dominant shoulder, make sure there’s always leverage.”
The Falcons mainly utilize a 4–3 under, three-deep zone scheme, so in an ideal setup, Quinn’s leverage strategy boxes in a ball-carrier by funneling him from defender to defender. On the screen in front of him, he runs through a series of plays from the Falcons’ 2016 season to emphasize this.
“As long as 32 keeps his leverage, he knows 59 can sprint through the hit,” he says as the next cut-up rolls, showing CB Jalen Collins (No. 32) forcing a receiver back inside so LB DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) can clean up the play.
“If 32 jumps too far inside, then the runner can come too far inside. The player who’s coming [Campbell] can be a sprint tackle, but he’s got to trust that no matter what 32’s forcing the player back to him.”
Jalen Collins (No. 32) puts pressure on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36) while De'Vondre Collins (No. 59) lurks.
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) makes the tackle on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36).
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
Quinn calls this ‘compression’: “When two guys have a ball carrier trapped and they make a tackle on leverage.” His follow-up emphasis is on what the Falcons have dubbed “The Secret Sauce,” a tackling method which demands players run through contact—five steps—and finish the hit.
What the Falcons want to avoid is any situation where a defender is facing a ball carrier straight on—Quinn refers to this as a “two-way go,” because the offensive player can break left or right on his choosing, rather than reacting to how the defense is angling him.
“You don’t want a guy going straight at you,” says Quinn, who then comes out from behind his desk to demonstrate. (“Come on, I’ll have you tackle me,” he instructs my colleague Tim Rohan.) “A two-way go feeling for a defender is bad. A ball carrier wants to get that, to come [straight] at you and go. Think of all the slot receivers, Wes Welker, he was trying to get to heads up on a guy.”
De'Vondre Campbell (59) and Jalen Collins (32) bring down Seahawks' Alex Collins (36) in the 2017 NFC Divisional round.
SIMON BRUTY
The obvious reason that Quinn sells his “leverage” system is that he believes it works. During his two seasons as defensive coordinator in Seattle (2013–14), the Seahawks twice led the league in points allowed en route to back-to-back Super Bowl trips (one win, one loss on Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception). That was Quinn’s second stint with the Seahawks—he was assistant head coach/D-line coach from 2009–10—and he also made stops with the 49ers, Jets, Dolphins and University of Florida.
The other factor in this approach for Quinn? Player safety. The first slide Quinn puts up includes a “strike zone” graphic—he wants his players to focus on a knees-to-shoulders range, similar to what technically constitutes a strike in baseball. “We are throwing strikes, but fastballs,” he says later during his presentation.
Doing so is meant to help with the leverage approach, but also to keep any dreaded helmet-to-helmet contacts out of the equation. “Through the years we’ve done a lot of rugby tackling to talk the technique,” Quinn says. “I thought their sport has done a good job of keeping the head out of the hit.
“We want to hit the strike zone lower than the ball carriers’ shoulder pad,” he adds. “We want to hit with a rising blow where we’re coming up through a guy instead of just catching him.”
The Falcons invited local college and high school coaches to their earlier OTAs. ”I like them to see how we’re teaching tackling without pads, how we’re teaching concepts,” Quinn says. During Sunday morning’s practice, prior to his invitation-only lecture, a professional women’s football team takes in the Falcons’ two-hour workout.
“Ten years ago, it felt like youth football was taking a hit,” Quinn says, “and I feel it’s turned the corner now where it’s back really safe, the teaching. That part, I want the parents to know that people are putting in the time to teach the game safely for their sons and daughters.”
As noble as that cause is, Quinn’s job—like that of every coach in the NFL—hinges on wins and losses. The Falcons claimed 11 of them during the 2016 regular season, plus an NFC title, on the strength of its league-best offense.
The defense remains remarkably young—at least eight of the Falcons’ projected defensive starters have entered the league between 2013 and now. Bump that total to 10 if McKinley and fellow rookie Duke Riley manage to crack the first team.
Quinn and the front office have emphasized speed, first and foremost, when finding all those prospects, but a great deal of effort also goes into whether or not a player’s mindset fits the Falcons’ mold.
And fusing all those inexperienced players together poses a mountainous task. The flip side, though, is that Quinn can mold those newcomers in the Falcons’ desired image.
“It’s tougher for that [veteran] player,” Quinn says, “because they’ve had a lot of years ingrained in them and can say, ’I’ve made my living playing this style.’ For the college guys coming in, they’re pretty apt to get it done how you want it done. They’re trying to put their best foot forward.”
No matter the age, everyone who arrives in Atlanta is expected to buy in to Quinn’s system, even if it does require a little tear down and rebuild. It’s an ongoing process, for player and coach. Quinn’s 30-minute Sunday film session barely scratches the surface of all that’s involved.
“It’s not as difficult as you think as long as you’re drilling it and drilling it,” Quinn says. “I think if you did not have a plan as far as how to tackle, it would be really difficult.”
A Lesson on Tackling from Falcons' Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn knows that the Falcons' defense must be top-notch in order to complement his high-powered offense. And how does he do that? By going back to the basics.
CHRIS BURKE
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Dan Quinn stands, hunched over the elevated desk in his office—he never sits because he doesn’t have a chair—alternating his gaze from his computer to the large television monitor at the front of the room.
“Give me a second,” he says as his guests enter. For the second consecutive training camp, Quinn has invited members of The MMQB’s NFL training camp tour bus to join him for a 30-minute coaching tutorial. He’s putting the finishing touches on his presentation.
To the right of the TV screen, there’s a framed quote from pastor and author Charles Swindoll that includes the following: “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”
To the left hangs “The Tale of Two Wolves,” a parable of a Cherokee grandfather, who tells his grandson that inside each person rages a battle between a good wolf and a bad wolf. “Which wolf wins?” asks the grandson. The grandfather replies: “The one you feed.”
It’s the next-to-last day of Falcons camp, and Quinn is still wearing his practice attire: long pants and a long-sleeve shirt (despite 100-degree temps), plus a tee that features the words “I am the sword” encircling two axes.
This is a football coach, in a football coach’s office, and there’s no mistaking either.
After a moment, Quinn stands up to shake hands with his guests, then resumes his position behind his desk.
“You guys ready? Alright,” he says. “Let’s talk tackling.”
When The MMQB bus stopped in Flowery Branch in 2016, Quinn fired up tape on Keanu Neal and explained how, and why, the then-rookie safety would help elevate the Falcons’ defense.
This year, the lesson dives deeper into the basics, and that comes as no surprise. Quinn’s coaching career began as a D-line coach back in 1994—for context, a year before 2017 Falcons first-rounder Takk McKinley was born—and he remained on the that side of the ball, as an assistant or coordinator, until taking the Atlanta head coaching job in ’15.
That’s also where the Falcons must show improvement to stay atop the NFC. Its offense (save the painful second half of Super Bowl LI) lit up the NFL last season, but Atlanta allowed 30-plus points in seven games, including the 34–28 OT loss to the Patriots.
The numbers likely would have been even uglier had it not been for the rapid development of Neal and LB Deion Jones, both 2016 draft picks.
So, all through the offseason program, Quinn has continued to hammer home his message.
“We talk tackling not every day, but damn near,” the third-year head coach says.
Quinn calls the Falcons a “leverage-tackling team. If the ball carrier is on [a defender’s] left side, tackle with the left shoulder; if he’s on the right side, tackle with the right shoulder.”
Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not.
“[It takes] about half a year” to learn, Quinn says, while pulling up a play where Neal flew downhill and tackled a player on his left with his right shoulder.
Keanu Neal (in red box) chasing down Greg Olsen.
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
“This should be a left-shoulder hit, but his face is really in the tackle. That one to me ... I’m showing you examples of how to do it better. Keanu likes to hit on a right shoulder, but he has to be careful—if he right-shoulders there and misses, that’s an explosive play. We all have a dominant hand, you have to make sure you’re not always tackling with your dominant shoulder, make sure there’s always leverage.”
The Falcons mainly utilize a 4–3 under, three-deep zone scheme, so in an ideal setup, Quinn’s leverage strategy boxes in a ball-carrier by funneling him from defender to defender. On the screen in front of him, he runs through a series of plays from the Falcons’ 2016 season to emphasize this.
“As long as 32 keeps his leverage, he knows 59 can sprint through the hit,” he says as the next cut-up rolls, showing CB Jalen Collins (No. 32) forcing a receiver back inside so LB DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) can clean up the play.
“If 32 jumps too far inside, then the runner can come too far inside. The player who’s coming [Campbell] can be a sprint tackle, but he’s got to trust that no matter what 32’s forcing the player back to him.”
Jalen Collins (No. 32) puts pressure on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36) while De'Vondre Collins (No. 59) lurks.
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) makes the tackle on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36).
SCREENSHOT VIA NFL GAMEPASS
Quinn calls this ‘compression’: “When two guys have a ball carrier trapped and they make a tackle on leverage.” His follow-up emphasis is on what the Falcons have dubbed “The Secret Sauce,” a tackling method which demands players run through contact—five steps—and finish the hit.
What the Falcons want to avoid is any situation where a defender is facing a ball carrier straight on—Quinn refers to this as a “two-way go,” because the offensive player can break left or right on his choosing, rather than reacting to how the defense is angling him.
“You don’t want a guy going straight at you,” says Quinn, who then comes out from behind his desk to demonstrate. (“Come on, I’ll have you tackle me,” he instructs my colleague Tim Rohan.) “A two-way go feeling for a defender is bad. A ball carrier wants to get that, to come [straight] at you and go. Think of all the slot receivers, Wes Welker, he was trying to get to heads up on a guy.”
De'Vondre Campbell (59) and Jalen Collins (32) bring down Seahawks' Alex Collins (36) in the 2017 NFC Divisional round.
SIMON BRUTY
The obvious reason that Quinn sells his “leverage” system is that he believes it works. During his two seasons as defensive coordinator in Seattle (2013–14), the Seahawks twice led the league in points allowed en route to back-to-back Super Bowl trips (one win, one loss on Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception). That was Quinn’s second stint with the Seahawks—he was assistant head coach/D-line coach from 2009–10—and he also made stops with the 49ers, Jets, Dolphins and University of Florida.
The other factor in this approach for Quinn? Player safety. The first slide Quinn puts up includes a “strike zone” graphic—he wants his players to focus on a knees-to-shoulders range, similar to what technically constitutes a strike in baseball. “We are throwing strikes, but fastballs,” he says later during his presentation.
Doing so is meant to help with the leverage approach, but also to keep any dreaded helmet-to-helmet contacts out of the equation. “Through the years we’ve done a lot of rugby tackling to talk the technique,” Quinn says. “I thought their sport has done a good job of keeping the head out of the hit.
“We want to hit the strike zone lower than the ball carriers’ shoulder pad,” he adds. “We want to hit with a rising blow where we’re coming up through a guy instead of just catching him.”
The Falcons invited local college and high school coaches to their earlier OTAs. ”I like them to see how we’re teaching tackling without pads, how we’re teaching concepts,” Quinn says. During Sunday morning’s practice, prior to his invitation-only lecture, a professional women’s football team takes in the Falcons’ two-hour workout.
“Ten years ago, it felt like youth football was taking a hit,” Quinn says, “and I feel it’s turned the corner now where it’s back really safe, the teaching. That part, I want the parents to know that people are putting in the time to teach the game safely for their sons and daughters.”
As noble as that cause is, Quinn’s job—like that of every coach in the NFL—hinges on wins and losses. The Falcons claimed 11 of them during the 2016 regular season, plus an NFC title, on the strength of its league-best offense.
The defense remains remarkably young—at least eight of the Falcons’ projected defensive starters have entered the league between 2013 and now. Bump that total to 10 if McKinley and fellow rookie Duke Riley manage to crack the first team.
Quinn and the front office have emphasized speed, first and foremost, when finding all those prospects, but a great deal of effort also goes into whether or not a player’s mindset fits the Falcons’ mold.
And fusing all those inexperienced players together poses a mountainous task. The flip side, though, is that Quinn can mold those newcomers in the Falcons’ desired image.
“It’s tougher for that [veteran] player,” Quinn says, “because they’ve had a lot of years ingrained in them and can say, ’I’ve made my living playing this style.’ For the college guys coming in, they’re pretty apt to get it done how you want it done. They’re trying to put their best foot forward.”
No matter the age, everyone who arrives in Atlanta is expected to buy in to Quinn’s system, even if it does require a little tear down and rebuild. It’s an ongoing process, for player and coach. Quinn’s 30-minute Sunday film session barely scratches the surface of all that’s involved.
“It’s not as difficult as you think as long as you’re drilling it and drilling it,” Quinn says. “I think if you did not have a plan as far as how to tackle, it would be really difficult.”
A breakdown of the Los Angeles Rams' 2017 draft class
- By tomas
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 16 Replies
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Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer
Gerald Everett, TE, second round (No. 44 overall): Everett at times appeared to be the No. 3 tight end in Saturday's preseason opener, with Temarrick Hemingway getting some snaps alongside Tyler Higbee with the first-team offense. But Everett has looked good catching passes with the second unit throughout training camp. He will eventually be used alongside Higbee in two-tight-end sets, with both of them capable of stretching the deep middle of the field.
Cooper Kupp, WR, third round (No. 69): Kupp, already 24, is about as polished as a rookie receiver gets. He's a precise route runner with reliable hands and great field awareness, which he showed while hauling in a couple of passes for 35 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. Kupp has already solidified a role as the Rams' slot receiver, an he will be heavily involved.
John Johnson, S, third round (No. 91): Johnson missed the offseason program because of injury, but Rams coach Sean McVay recently identified him as someone who "continues to emerge" on defense and special teams. "John’s clearly a talented athlete that had that versatility at Boston College, which is what we like so much about him," McVay said. Johnson could see time at both safety positions this season.
Josh Reynolds, WR, fourth round (No. 117): Reynolds was limited early in camp because of a quad injury, but he returned to practice late last week and should see some action in the Rams' second preseason game. Reynolds is long and can stretch the field, but he is also raw. And the Rams just traded for Sammy Watkins.
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Samson Ebukam, OLB, fourth round (No. 125): A soft-tissue injury has kept Ebukam from practicing, and others may be moving ahead of him on the depth chart. Linebackers Matt Longacre, Cassanova McKinzy and Carlos Thompson impressed in Saturday's preseason game. But the Rams like Ebukam's speed and explosiveness.
Tanzel Smart, NT, sixth round (No. 189): Smart helped seal the Rams' 13-10 win over the Cowboys by recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter. Aaron Donald's holdout and Dominique Easley's season-ending knee injury have given Smart a lot of extra reps in camp. Smart is a 3-technique who was quick and disruptive in college, but it will take him some time to adjust to the NFL.
Sam Rogers, FB, sixth round (No. 206): Rogers -- a stocky, relentless, do-everything fullback -- has wowed onlookers with some nice moves in open space during camp. His playing time will hinge on how the Rams use Cory Harkey and how McVay integrates fullbacks into his offense.
Ejuan Price, OLB, seventh round (No. 234): The Rams addressed their linebacker depth with the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, and now it's a little bit crowded. Price, listed at 5-foot-11 and 241 pounds, is undersized, but he has good burst and can be an effective sub-package rusher. It may be hard for him to push through this season, but he did do a nice job creating pressure on Saturday.
http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ooper-kupp-already-looks-like-an-nfl-receiver