I could not be any happier with the win. It was a HUGE step for this young team and we will continue to grow. I still have a major issue with the play calling yesterday. Perhaps if a couple of calls were a little more imaginative, we all wouldn't be biting our nails until the last play. Three instances in particular were really bad.

• End of the half, Rams have the ball. They just need one first down and they get out of the half with at the very least a 10-3 lead. Keenum is mobile enough to roll and make a play. But instead they run twice and throw an out from the pocket. Result is a punt. Cards get the ball, defense is gassed and Cards score.
• Late Q3. Rams have he ball close to FG range. Rams decide if they dont get a 1st on 3rd down, they'll go for it on 4th rather than try a FG. Two plays in a row, needing a yard and a half, they throw, one 20 yards down field? Could we not have a bunch formation with a TE drag? Even Gurley out of the backfield?
• After Barron pick, three straight Gurley runs. Again, could we not roll Keenum and give him a run pass option? You know everyone is in tight stopping Gurley.

What Boras did do well in general was to open up the playbook again as Keenum is getting single coverage with 8 in the box. This ultimately will be what frees Gurley. Now, with Cooper and Spruce back, It would be interesting to see the Rams spread the field and move the ball with the passing game. This would indeed make the Rams harder to defend. Boras and Fisher need to continue to evolve to continue this teams growth trajectory.

Watched the Good Morning Football program on NFLN, and it took a while until they talked about the Rams victory over the Cardinals in Phoenix. One of the hosts named Peter Schraeger spent Saturday watching the Rams practice, and then watched the game on Sunday. His take is that the Rams play freaking ugly, and 31 other teams do not want to play them right now. He said the front defensive seven are monsters, and the Rams offense did enough to win. Keenum is a gamer. The 'table' said that the star of the team in Hollywood, was the DLine, which wasn't very "LA". But then Schraeger says the Rams know who they are and that's a strength. On top of that, Schraeger got a twinkle in his eye and said, Goff was throwing beautiful ball's away from the limelight. "There's a lot to be excited about in LA"

Last week Jim Thomas wrote that the only reason the Rams won was because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could not tell time or manage the clock or, well, whatever? This week I'm sure he will write that the only reason the Rams won was because they knocked Carson Palmer out of the game and I'm sure somehow Thomas will refer to that hit as a "cheap shot."

Now everyone knows I have always defended Thomas and I have conversed with him and drank with him too, however, the stick is getting old, but I understand why he's doing it. I am just interested what is his take will be this week or will he write about the hot Buffalo Bills and how Rex Ryan will end the Rams 3 game winning streak?

Again I appreciated Thomas when he was the Rams beat writer because he was not ever first, but he was usually right, but since the Bradford incident and then the move I understand the bitterness and I get it, but I hope he gives the Rams some credit this week, heck talk up the return of E.J. Gaines Jim, he's a Missouri grad and my condolences on the St. Louis Cardinals not making post season too.

Jeff Fisher has Rams riding high after victory in desert


By Michael SilverNFL Media columnist Published: Oct. 3, 2016

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- He sat in a folding chair a few feet from the showering area of the visitors' locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium, flashing the tiniest hint of a self-satisfied smile under his ubiquitous Highway Patrolman's mustache.

Jeff Fisher, perhaps the NFL's most maligned coach heading into the 2016 season, was doing his best to low-key the Los Angeles Rams' 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, calling his team's third consecutive triumph after a putrid season opener "an under-the-radar win by a quiet team just going about its business."

It was a valiant effort -- until I asked Fisher what he'd told his pumped-up players before reporters had entered the locker room, and a man who has spent 22 years of his adult life as an NFL head coach finally stopped concealing the edge that has helped him connect with several generations worth of gridiron warriors and fessed up: "I told them, 'This was (the Cardinals') Christmas present. We see them after Christmas (a Jan. 1 rematch at the L.A. Coliseum). This was their Christmas present. We just gave it to them early, OK?'"

More specifically, Fisher's trash talk was a parting gift for a certain white-haired gentleman who, at the moment, was feeling pretty far from jolly. Certainly, after watching his highly regarded team fall to 1-3 and seeing his franchise quarterback suffer a concussion on a jarring fourth-quarter takedown,Cardinals coach Bruce Arians did not need to have insult added to injury. Yet Fisher did it anyway, because frankly, at that particular moment -- and I paraphrase -- he did not give a damn.

"Go back and see all the s--- Bruce said against us a couple of years ago," Fisher said, referring to Arians' comments following a 12-6 road victory over the then-St. Louis Rams in December of 2014. ("I love it when nobody says that you will have a chance to win," Arians had said. "There is an 11-3 team, and a team that is always 8-8. You figure it out.")

It's not hard to figure out why Fisher remains so perturbed by that particular taunt: The always 8-8stereotype is one that has been used against him increasingly as he struggles to shake the Rams out of their recent pattern of perpetual mediocrity. It's true that Fisher has had his share of middling campaigns: In 10 of his 20 full seasons as the head coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans and Rams,

Fisher's teams have gone either 8-8, 7-9 or 7-8-1. In fairness, he has also had a trio of 13-3 regular seasons, including one from the gritty Titans squad that fell a mere yard short in Super Bowl XXXIV --but it has been 13 years since his last postseason victory, and the noise questioning his credentials has grown more deafening than a Metallica concert.

The outside world got a glimpse of Fisher's frustration when, in the season premiere of Hard Knocks:Training Camp With the Los Angeles Rams in August, Fisher referenced the "7-9 bulls---" he vowed no longer to tolerate from his players.

It was a stirring storyline -- until the relocated Rams headed north for their season opener against theSan Francisco 49ers last month and soiled themselves on Monday Night Football, suffering a 28-0 defeat in which they mustered only 186 yards of total offense.

At that point, it looked like Fisher would have trouble winning one game, let alone seven -- and that he might not make it past September. Instead, for theRams and their suddenly swagger-drenched coach, it's Christmas in October, something exactly no one on the outside saw coming a few weeks ago.

"Hey, it's L.A." quarterback Case Keenum joked as he sat at his locker after Sunday's victory. "It's Hollywood. It's a storyline... and it's not short on drama."

It certainly wasn't on Sunday, as the Rams pulled out a come-from-behind victory on the strength of a timely Tavon Austin punt return, a second Keenum touchdown pass to receiver Brian Quick with 2:36 remaining and a trio of fourth-quarter takeaways, the last a T.J. McDonald interception of a Drew Stanton Hail Mary as time expired.

The Rams' defensive devastation was an all-day affair, as they forced five turnovers and knocked out Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, whose head slammed violently against the turf when he was sacked by L.A. linemen Aaron Donald and Eugene Sims with five-and-a-half minutes remaining.

And when it was over, for the second consecutive Sunday, the Rams had won a road game they had to sweat out until the final snap -- and, with a 3-1 record, remained tied for the NFC West lead with theSeattle Seahawks (a team they defeated in their lone home game of the 2016 season), two games ahead of the struggling Cardinals and Niners.

To understand how the Rams got here, you have to go back to that abysmal opening night in Santa Clara. As Fisher trudged off the Levi's Stadium turf, he was being lambasted across the football-watching land -- partly because his team looked overmatched, and partly because Jared Goff, the rookie quarterback for whom his team made a blockbuster trade to draft with the first overall pick, was in street clothes while the unheralded Keenum ran (or, in that case, attempted to run) the offense.

We'll get to the Goff situation in a moment. First, let's appreciate the fact that Fisher resisted the compulsion to panic, and that his team responded accordingly.

"My mindset was really simple," Fisher recalled. "It was a Monday Night game, and earlier that weekend 15 other teams had lost... and a lot of 'em were good football teams. That was the message to our team, that we're just one of the 16 teams that lost our opener. I told them, 'We're a good football team.' We put it behind us as quick as we could."

Amazingly, Fisher seemed to be speaking the truth. And as the Rams prepared to host the NFL's first regular-season game in Los Angeles in more than two decades, they vibed off their coach's calm demeanor.

"Jeff's one of the better coaches in the league, in my opinion," said middle linebacker Alec Ogletree, who had seven tackles against the Cardinals. "He does a great job of taking care of his players, and of getting us prepared, and we love playing for him. We've just got to keep playing the way he wants us to play."

Added Austin, who likely would have scored Sunday's winning touchdown had Arizona's Ifeanyi Momah not dragged him down by the facemask to short-circuit a 47-yard punt return with 5:09 remaining: "After (the 49ersdefeat), I definitely was shocked.

That wasn't us. Looking back, I think we were just smelling ourselves -- thinking we had arrived without putting in the work we need to put in. One thing about Coach Fisher, he always calms us down and helps us fight back. That's where the mindset comes from that has allowed us to win these games."

Even after their 9-3 victory over the Seahawks at the Coliseum, the Rams still seemed shaky -- in two games, they had yet to score a touchdown, which amplified the calls from outsiders for Fisher to make the switch to Goff. Instead, the coach chose to make light of the Rams' offensive struggles, telling his players in a team meeting two days after the Seahawks victory,

"I just unpacked one of the boxes from the move (to the team's temporary training facility at Cal Lutheran University), and guess what I found in there? Some touchdowns. They do exist!"

Later that day at practice, Fisher pulled the entire offense out of a drill and asked them to gather at the far side of one of the team's practice fields. "This is the end zone," Fisher deadpanned. "See, this is what it feels like."

Last Sunday, the Rams' air attack got untracked in a 37-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Keenum (18 of 30, 266 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) wasn't as prolific against theCardinals, and with star second-year running back Todd Gurley (19 carries, 33 yards) continuing to struggle to find any semblance of running room, it took a full-team effort to vanquish the Cardinals (1-3), who have now lost as many regular-season games as they did in all of 2015.

In other words, the NFC West Crisis Watch has officially migrated east to the Valley of the Sun, while the Rams head back to Tinseltown riding high in advance of Sunday's home game against the Buffalo Bills. And while it's still possible Keenum could give way to Goff at some point this season, he remains the Rams' leading man -- at least in the eyes of the people who matter most.

"Here's what Case is to us: He's 6-2 in our last eight games," Rams general manager Les Snead said. "That's the definition of him."

And Goff, who was the team's second-string quarterback Sunday, says he's perfectly cool with Fisher's patient approach -- with a not-so-surprising caveat.

"As long as we're winning, I'm good," he said after Sunday's game. "We're 3-1, and I'm just trying to enjoy it."

For one thing, Goff understands that Fisher's preference for easing him into his lofty role is a philosophical one. This was the way the coach handled the early stages of the late Steve McNair'sTitans career, with highly successful results, and Fisher says he will do what he believes is best for Goff's development and for the franchise's long-term interests, period.

"That's clear -- and it's been that way from Day 1," Fisher said. "Our rookie quarterback is making really good progress. Our rookie quarterback is a Case Keenum fan, and Case is a Jared fan. It's all good."

While Fisher and his assistants would like to see Goff reduce the amount of interceptions he throws against the scout team, they're convinced that if thrown into the fray immediately, he has the physical skill, instincts and intelligence to thrive. That said, they recognize that he is only 21, and that many successful quarterbacks -- including Palmer, now 36 -- benefitted by observing and learning in the early part of their careers.

So, even though No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz has had a strong start for the Philadelphia Eagles, and other rookie quarterbacks have been effective in the first month of the 2016 season, Fisher has no qualms about playing the long game with Goff.

Said one Rams assistant coach: "Wentz turns 24 later this year. Goff is 21. This is a lot to take in for a 21-year-old. We said in our draft meetings, if you had to play a guy right away, you'd probably take Wentz, cause he played in a pro-style system and is older. The whole point with Jared is that he doesn't have to play right away. We love the kid."

Staying patient with the future face of the franchise would not seem to be the preferred approach of a man coaching for his job -- but Fisher, to his credit, doesn't seem to be especially stressed out by any of that. He declined to comment on his contract status, including the whispers that he and the Ramshave already hammered out a multi-year extension that has yet to be announced, but he certainly exudes the confidence of a man who feels very secure about his present situation.

Fisher is the first to concede that his immediate past wasn't as fulfilling as it might have been: His first four seasons with the Rams -- and the first week of his fifth season -- were not without their share of 7-9 BS, or worse.

"I know what took place here from the day we walked in the door," Fisher said. "We took over a 2-14 team that was depleted. And we played six different quarterbacks. And now we're starting to get some stability, and we think we can take it a lot further."

And if Fisher's right? Well, Christmas in Tinseltown could be pretty festive this year, and January could be even better.

By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161002/this-magic-moment-belongs-to-rams-tavon-austin



GLENDALE >> As much lip as Tavon Austin gives his defensive teammates – and the quietest guy you’ll ever meet freely admits he’s the loudest guy in the stadium come game day – even he knew it was time to shut up and step up late in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals on Sunday.

“Someone needs to make a play,” he thought to himself as he lined up to take a punt return with just over five minutes left in the game.

The crazy thing is, from the blockers in front of Austin to the teammates standing on the sideline, there was a feeling among the Rams that someone was about to get sprinkled with the pixie dust again.


Just as Alec Ogletree did two weeks ago against the Seahawks while forcing a fumble to preserve a Rams win and Robert Quinn did seven days ago when he chased down Jameis Winston to save the day against the Buccaneers.

“We’re starting the get that feeling that someone, somehow, is going to make the play that needs to be made,” said defensive tackle Michael Brockers.

Austin was about to be that guy.

And you know what, if you’re being honest with yourself, you sensed something was about to happen too.

That is, when you weren’t screaming bloody murder wondering if they’d ever get out of their own way long enough to beat what’s turned out to be the very beatable Cardinals.


Just as you did the last three games, only for it to improbably all work out in the end.

Makes you wonder if something special is happening to the suddenly tough-minded and gritty Rams.

We can’t quite put a finger to it, but it’s fun and fascinating and absolutely surprising. And it’s pushed them to an improbable 3-1 start after Sunday’s 17-13 win over the Cardinals and first place in the NFC West and a growing sense of confidence within locker room.

“We’re starting to believe,” Austin said.

Maybe we all are.

It might not be pretty and it can be downright maddening watching them play offense, but they’re suddenly figuring out ways to win games they typically lost in years past.

In what’s becoming a bit of a theme to the Rams first season back in Los Angeles, they muddle around through long afternoons and sometimes force you to turn away in disgust at the lack of offensive imagination and the silly penalties and passes that miss the mark or catchable balls that fall to the ground.

You’ll cuss at them and throw your hands up in frustration. You’ll threaten to change the channel in anger or lose hope and give up.


But you don’t, because it’s becoming a thing now to – wait for it - stick it out to the very end with the Rams.

And witness some game-changing or game-saving play that rips victory from the jaws of defeat.

Like, say, the smallest guy on the team making the biggest play of the game to set the Rams up for the go-ahead touchdown and first place in the division.

And in the process, alter the way we look at the Rams and the way the Rams look at themselves.

“I feel when you win and you’re a 3-1 team, that will change the look of your team,” Rams linebacker Mark Barron said.


Amen to that.

With a tip of the hat to Austin.

As usual, the Rams defense was playing lights out against the high-powered Cardinals, building a near impenetrable wall at the goal line and battering Carson Palmer so viciously he eventually had to leave the game with a concussion.

The Rams offense, not so much.

Once again, they couldn’t get Todd Gurley off in the run game and while Keenum played admirably, it wasn’t reflected in points or production. With Gurley getting stonewalled again, and penalties sabotaging potential scoring drives, it was a mostly frustrating afternoon for the Rams offense.


Which is why the very reasonable 13 points the defense had surrendered to the Cardinals by the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter was only enough to keep the Rams in the game and not lead it.

Austin, as honest and conscientious as they come, bore his share of the responsibility for the offensive struggles, taking his spot in line with all the rest of the players on that side of the ball.

“Thing is, the defense was playing so great,” Austin said. “We put them in such tough positions but they kept fighting though. They kept us in the game. They did their job. So you want so badly to do your part.”


After Quinn and Aaron Donald sandwiched Palmer on a vicious sack to force a punt with 5:26 remaining, Austin lined up at the Rams 20-yard-line hoping against hope Cardinals punter Ryan Quigley would give him a chance.

I thought they were going to sky it, which is what they were doing all game,” Austin said.

Inexplicably Quigley sent a perfectly returnable ball floating in Austin’s direction.

“I lucked out and he gave me one,” Austin said.

Upon catching the punt Austin leaned right, and immediately saw on-coming Cardinals tackler Justin Bethel trip and fall.


“Once he fell down, that was the key,” said Austin, who raced to the right sideline and turned up the field. “We got some great blocks out there (special teams coach John Fassel) put a great return together and just did what I do best.”

The result was a 51-yard return that set the Rams up at the Cardinals 19. In fact, had it not been for a face mask penalty on Ifeanyi Momah it might have been more.

“I was gonna walk it in,” Austin said, laughing.

He didn’t need too. Two plays after Austin’s game-changing return Keenum hooked up with Brian Quick on a 4-yard touchdown pass and the Rams led 17-14.

“I gave us the momentum. Quicky finished it up,” Austin said.

Well, actually it was the defense that put the finishing touch on the Rams third straight win, with Barron intercepting Drew Stanton to end one comeback drive and T.J. McDonald picking off another Stanton pass at the back of the end zone as time expired to end another.

But Austin’s point was clear.

For the third week in a row, the Rams needed someone to step up and save the day. And for the third straight week someone did just that.

“At any given time, someone can pop,” Austin said.

It was his turn with the pixie dust Sunday.

You’re starting to believe next week, it’ll be someone else.

By Chris Chase
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...oes-that-mean-for-no-1-pick-jared-goff-100216


The Los Angeles Rams are 3-1, and if you saw that coming after the team's disastrous 28-0 season-opening loss on Monday Night Football, then, regrettably, I have to declare you, sir or madam, a liar. It doesn't matter if you had a crystal ball. You'd have just thought it was scuffed. If doesn't matter if you're Marty McFly and had a copy of Gray's Sports Almanac. You'd assume it was a typo. Heck, I'm looking at the standings right now and still can't believe it. The Los Angeles Rams are 3-1, and they're doing it all without the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, quarterback Jared Goff, during a year in which rookie quarterbacks are off to prolific and historic starts.



It would have been unbelievable enough to predict the Rams' start at the beginning of the season, but after that loss to the 49ers, in which the team was unwatchable, there was legitimate (if ridiculous) belief that the Rams could be bad enough to flirt with 0-16. They had 185 total yards. Quarterback Case Keenum had 3.7 yards per pass attempt (the worst QBs in the NFL hover around 6.5 ypa). L.A. had more penalty yards (100) than rushing yards (65). It had seven drives of three-and-out, punted 10 times and didn't run a single play from inside the red zone.



The last time a team had been shut out in Week 1 was 2009. It was these same Rams (playing in St. Louis, of course), and they lost to a division rival by a familiar score of 28-0. That squad went 1-15. At that moment less than three weeks ago, there were exactly two things to be excited about if you were a new Rams fan: that Los Angeles had a football team again and that sometimes it would break out those sweet throwbacks.



And then, without warning, came a win in Week 2 over the perennial power Seattle Seahawks.



Yeah, but it was a weird game won by the bizarre score of 9-3 (just the 11th time a game had finished that way since the merger). Maybe the Seahawks weren't any good (they'd only defeated the lowly Dolphins 12-10 in Week 1), and it's not exactly as if three field goals and nine total points in two games is anything to pique excitement.



The next week, like dominoes of worry toppling one-by-one, the offense came to life, scoring 37 points in a win over Tampa Bay. After not scoring a touchdown in the first 120 minutes of the season, the Rams scored five in 50 minutes of the Bucs game. Not only did they come back from a 10-point deficit (again -- they'd scored nine points total coming into the game) but they made a defensive stand to win when Jameis Winston had his offense running six plays from inside the red zone in the game's final seconds. It counted the same in the win column but was of an entirely different nature.



And then came Sunday, when the Rams scored a touchdown in the final three minutes to upset last year's NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals 17-13 and move to 3-1 for the first time in a decade. Yes, the Cards are struggling in 2016. They committed far too many penalties and had five giveaways. Carson Palmer getting hurt didn't help matters. But the 16-game NFL schedule is about taking advantage of opportunities, and plenty of teams don't -- including the Rams for about the last 13 years. These Rams have and, stunningly, they are tied with the Seahawks and have a two-game lead on the Cardinals a quarter of the way into the season. Plus they hold tiebreakers on both teams.



They're doing all this with Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in April's draft and the team's would-be savior, sitting on the sideline. Meanwhile, five rookie quarterbacks, all drafted below (and in some cases, way below) Goff have played this year, going 9-4 in games they've started or in which they've gotten serious playing time.



That shouldn't be a knock on Goff. How can he be better than Carson Wentz when he's not on the field? Remember, Wentz didn't win a starting job in Philly. Like all four of the other rookies to get playing time this year, he only got on the field because of an injury to somebody else. Goff might be a victim of circumstance. The guy he's backing up hasn't gotten hurt.



It's absurd. Sitting as a rookie, even as a No. 1 pick, has been the rule for most of the common-draft era, not the exception. The difference with the others is that they weren't immediately dismissed as busts because of a bad preseason and the success of guys taken below him.



Goff's image isn't helped by the nonstop NFL news cycle, which declares successes or failures every week. There was a way to finesse the narrative and the Rams trampled all over it. It wasn't as if Fisher badmouthed Goff, but everything he said sounded like a dig. The coach qualified his statements."Jared's had a great camp. So has [then second-string quarterback] Sean [Mannion]." He bit when asked questions about Goff's status and implicitly confirmed these negative rumors. "It's unfair to compare him to anybody else."(Well, now that's exactly what we're doing!) And then did it some more."Regardless of what everybody else is saying out there, [Goff is] our quarterback; he's going to be our franchise player. It's just not right now." It was baffling. Jeff Fisher knows everything he says will dissected into minutiae. Yet there he was, burying his quarterback while tacitly defending him.



L.A. set up its preseason like a competition, one that Goff finished in a distant third with his unsure play and constant fumbles. Had Fisher set expectations lower, saying Goff was likely to sit early, then the entire idea of Goff as a disappointment never gets started. The Rams started this, not the media or the fans.



Maybe the Rams blew it trading up and taking Goff. Maybe Wentz was the pick. Maybe they should have waited and taken a Paxton Lynch or a Dak Prescott later. Or maybe they did it exactly right, making Goff a rookie backup -- the same as other No. overall 1 picks like Palmer, Michael Vick and Eli Manning -- and waiting for him to blossom into the talent everybody anticipated him becoming.



For the Rams, it's a wonderful problem. You have a young quarterback improving each week. You have a team left for dead in Week 1 that is now atop of what's been the NFL's most competitive division in the last five years. And you have a No. 1 pick waiting in the wings, his future unwritten despite attempts to the contrary.

This next game has the makings for an old school defensive brawl. The Rams defense is really hitting its stride. Guys like Tru are in midseason form. The defense is causing turnovers, things are really coming together on that side of the ball.

Next up is Buffalo. A team that just shut the Patriots out. A team that spanked Cards. The Bills have an excellent defense, with a very good OLine and a running QB. I think this one is much tougher than I originally thought it would be.

I hope the Bills emptied the tank against New England, and coupled with a long flight to L.A., that they are a bit worn out for their game against the Rams. The last time the Rams faced Rex, it didn't go as I had hoped.

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Think it's time to start giving the workin girls some recognition!

*** Winner ***
Congrats Falcons!



*** Runner up ***
Congrats Cardinals! (It's not easy lookin that delicious when your team gets punked by a division rival)

One thing I haven't seen much discussion on is the depth chart aspect of things and its relation to the offensive improvements.

QB is the biggest example of this. Case knows he has to win, because if he doesn't the kid's gonna take the reins. So he's playing with a level of determination he did not have last year from a consistency perspective, and IMO the competition has a lot to do with it. Now maybe Mannion would have provided that push, but that aside there is no doubt that Mannion plus a number one overall pick at QB are providing it.

Another good example is Quickie. Dude was already demoted to 4th WR in camp when they had Coop running with the starters as the third wideout. He gets a very small window of games to get it together, and we could hear it in Fisher's voice that he was about fed up with the drops and mental excuses. What does the dude do? Last two games he's raised the bar.

Back in the offseason Britt tweeted or was quoted, forget which, showing some ruffled feathers about the Rams' moves with the WR position. Dude has responded with 281 yards and is on course for well over 1000 yards in four games (1124 to be exact).

Last year the Rams went out and drafted a ton of OL (5, which is insane for one draft) and the guy who was on the hot seat, Robinson, goes and signs on for an offseason program to sharpen his skills. He's night and day better now, still a ways to go sure but IMO the competition pushed him just like the rest of these guys on offense.

Not taking anything away from these guys, btw. THEY are the ones raising the bar and getting it done. And lastly I do think the coaching staff has done a good job actually teaching and growing these guys this offseason and camp and it's starting to show on the field. The question is how good can they be? What if TG starts getting those seams? What if one of those rooks provides a small boost in possession? I think we could end up with an average offense and that's exciting as F.

unique .. not

GLENDALE, Ariz. >> The Rams followed a familiar pattern Sunday, as the defense came with a number of impressive stops and the offense, well, hoped for something good. Finally, it arrived.

Given a handful of chances to win a closer-than-expected game, the Rams got a big fourth-quarter punt return from Tavon Austin, then followed it up with a touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Brian Quick and the Rams held on for a 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Austin’s 47-yard punt return gave the Rams, trailing 13-10, the ball on the Arizona 19-yard line, and the Rams scored five plays later when Keenum connected with Quick on a 4-yard touchdown with 2:36 remaining.





Arizona had another chance, but without quarterback Carson Palmer, who had to leave the game in the fourth quarterback as he underwent evaluation for a concussion.



Drew Stanton took over at quarterback, but Rams linebacker Mark Barron came up with a game-clinching interception with 1:27 remaining.



The teams came out of halftime tied 10-10, and the third quarter was a near stalemate, at least until the Cardinals got a 21-yard field goal on its final play and took a 13-10 lead that held up as the winning score.

Each team forced and recovered a fumble in the third quarter, and the Rams held on even though the Cardinals moved the ball with increasing ease. Palmer did a good job of getting rid of the ball early, to help neutralize the Rams’ pass rush.

Palmer completed 23 of 36 attempts for 288 yards, and the Cardinals got enough from the running-back combination of David Johnson (83 yards) and Chris Johnson (34) to create some balance.

The Rams had none, and it seemed to influence their play-calling at an important time.

Once again, the Rams could not get star running back Todd Gurley going. Gurley rushed for 33 yards on 19 carries, and early in the fourth quarter, with the score 13-10, the Rams faced a third-and-1 play at the Arizona 35.

Instead of handing the ball to Gurley, who finished with the third-most yards in the NFL last season, the Rams threw it to him out of the backfield, and the Cardinals swarmed Gurley for a four-yard loss.

On the next play, a fourth-and-5 call from the Arizona 39, Keenum attempted a deep throw to receiver Brian Quick, but the ball was deflected away by Arizona’s Patrick Peterson.

The Rams’ defense followed with another big play, when Dominique Easley hit Johnson and forced a fumble that was recovered by Rams linebacker Josh Forrest at the Rams’ 41.

Once again, though, the Rams couldn’t convert. On third and 3 from the Arizona 39, the Rams once again attempted to pass instead of run. Keenum did an incredible job of avoiding a sack three or four times and found tight end Lance Kendricks for a first down, but the play was negated when offensive lineman Greg Robinson was penalized for being downfield.

The Rams had to punt with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the defense gave the offense yet another chance when it sacked Palmer to force a punt. That set up Austin’s big return and Keenum’s touchdown pass.

Keenum finished 18 of 30 for 266 yards.

The Rams’ first half could be summed up as, two big plays and too many little ones.

After the Rams three and out on their first possession, they struck big on their second attempt. On third and 7 from the Rams’ 35, Keenum threw deep toward Quick. One Arizona defensive back attempted to play the ball and another slipped, and Quick completed a 65-yard touchdown.

On their next possession, the Cardinals drove into the red zone but had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro, which cut the Rams’ lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Rams returned the favor on their next possession, as they drove to the Arizona 11 but got only a 29-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, which moved their lead up to 10-3.

The teams traded punts before the Rams made their second big play of the half. Arizona had the ball at the Rams’ 33 and went for the endzone, but Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson was perfect in coverage and intercepted Palmer’s attempt in the endzone.


Finally, the Cardinals broke through. After forcing a Rams three-and-out punt, the Cardinals marched 80 yards in only 1 minute, 24 seconds, and tied the game 10-10 on Palmer’s 5-yard pass to Michael Floyd with 24 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Rams got only 17 yards from Gurley in the first half (on eight carries) and only five first downs.

-- [www.dailynews.com]

Whicker: Rams starting to grow confidence in QB Case Keenum

By MARK WHICKER / STAFF COLUMNIST

GLENDALE, Ariz – . In the third quarter Case Keenum saw daylight, even indoors. He ran through the bad-intentioned Cardinals for 27 yards, and a first down on the Arizona eight.

Hold everything. Penalty on Rams’ tackle Greg Robinson, for holding.

In the fourth quarter Keenum felt the ceiling descending on him, and he took off, stutter-stepped, doubled back, kept hoofing, and lobbed a 27-yarder to Lance Kendricks that took the ball to the Arizona 12 and put a broad smile on the face of Fran Tarkenton, wherever he was watching.

Hold everything. Penalty on Rams’ tackle Greg Robinson, illegal receiver downfield.

“I was out of breath when I was calling the next play,” Keenum said. “I felt kinda foolish, running back 40 yards to where it started.”

Somewhere between those two forfeited moments, and the end of the Rams’ 17-13 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, you remembered what everybody said. Keenum is basically part of the Rams’ ride-along program, carried by the defense and Todd Gurley.

But your eyes are telling you different. The Rams are not succeeding in spite of Keenum. At times, it’s the reverse.

Keenum had a 111.2 quarterback rating Sunday, which is Rodgers/Brady territory. He hit 18 of 30 passes with no interceptions, although he flirted with a couple. He threw erratically to Tavon Austin on one play and then drilled a pass between two Cardinals to Brian Quick, and when those Cardinals lost their footing Quick went 65 yards for the first touchdown.

He has thrown one interception in the three-game win streak. He might not be a master but he acts like a Commode, and the Rams are 3-1. They were 3-2 when he started last year.

“He wants to make a play,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “It’s the confidence and the trust we have in him. On some of those plays, we’re saying, ‘Hey, Case, what are you doing?’ But he keeps his eyes downfield and looks for that big bomb. That’s what we appreciate about him.”

The Rams still won, and have to win, in grinding, NFC West fashion. They had three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, three sacks and four tackles for loss. Aaron Donald and Eugene Sims knocked Carson Palmer out of the game. Larry Fitzgerald had only one catch.

Not until Austin exploited Bradley Marquez’s block and jumped out for a 47-yard punt return, with a face mask penalty thrown in, did Keenum get close enough for the winning score. That was a four-yard strike to Quick, after he had thrown to Gurley for a first down.

“The trust in Case has been there,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s really good in the huddlle. He overcomes tough situations. He’s reckless, but he’s fun.”

The game falls to Keenum because NFL defenses continue their obsession with Gurley. He squeaked out 1.7 yards per carry on Sunday. He was averaging 2.8 before Sunday. The Rams are putting him wide more often, but they will continue to butt their heads, or his, against that wall until something breaks.

“We felt that if we were handing the ball off to Todd in the fourth quarter we’d be in good shape,” Fisher said.

But Keenum came up with three pass plays of 30 or more yards on Sunday, and that’s with a couple of dropped balls, and those two buzz-killers by Robinson.

“I can think of at least three passes I’d like to have back,” said Keenum, who was also thinking of the Rams’ failure to get any points off those five takeaways.

“We were realy close on some of those explosive plays after we faked to Todd. There’s a lot of offense out there. I took a sack (and fumbled) one time, with too many hitches. I need to let the ball go there. The chemistry isn’t perfect, but we’re getting there. You have to win close games in this league to be successful.”

The Rams beat Seattle by six, Tampa Bay by five, and Arizona by four. Next week they play host to Buffalo, who won a shutout in New England Sunday.

“In our recent history, once we get on a high, that next game is really not there for us,” Brockers said. “We have to make sure that changes.”

As Carson Wentz, Trevor Siemian, Dak Prescott and Jimmy Garoppolo have thrived to various degrees, the NFL intelligentsia continues to wonder when the Rams will remove the bubble wrap from Jared Goff. But with each week and with each win, they should notice why Goff isn’t playing quarterback for the Rams. There isn’t a vacancy.

-- [www.ocregister.com]

Login to view embedded media
Reminds me of how we were treated before the move to LA. Johnson gets stripped, ball bounces back to him for the recovery, and then he stands up with the football. Refs give the Redskins the ball and refuse to overturn the call.

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Postgame-Interview-with-Brian-Quick/f87632e8-4f91-493b-96cc-f1705f288930


Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Postgame-Interview-with-Trumaine-Johnson/60fc9c95-de05-4256-a721-569b8981493a

What team pitched a shutout the previous week, then was shutout at Home?

That would be the New England Patriots.

How do you guys think we get Todd back on track?

Become less predictable? Sign a stronger vet FA? Is Todd becoming to indecisive?

I think there are 2 things that can make Todd more successful:

1. More outside runs. How many times this year have we just whammed it straight up the gut? I can remember many stretches and I can recall a single pitch. Our interior is our weakest area, particularly Whichmann and Barnes. If we could get a nice sweep to the left behind our big, athletic boys in GRob and Saffold I'd be very happy. Also our solid WR run blocking (Britt and Quick) is negated when we run up the gut.

2. More targets. In his minimal touches catching the football in the NFL, Todd has shown good hands and obvious great skills in space. It puzzles me why we don't swing him out more, instead it seems like most games his few targets are predictable screens. As much as I love Benny and acknowledge his solid play on 3rd as a pass blocker and shifty and powerful receiver, I think Todd's ceiling as a 3rd down back is much higher. Just look at how he impacted the game today when Benny went down. His 37 yard one hander was huge (was held on that play) and his 3rd down start-stop-start sideline conversion in the RZ was huge. I'm hopefully we design and script more pass plays around Todd.



What are your suggestions?

http://forums.azcardinals.com/showthread.php?71626-Jeff-Fisher

Jeff Fisher

Was just shown on post game saying this is their Christmas present. Good luck to them going on the road in a short week without a QB. What a piece of ....
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YUP.

Arians will undoubtedly show this clip in the future. Our Christmas present.....ok..

Fisher is suddenly very mouthy for a career 7-9 coach with a #1 draft pick not good enough to see the field or knowing which way the sun rises.
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I would not at all be distraught if he took a blow to the head if that's the kind of attitude he's going to have about a player being hurt.
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He must have been waiting all year to get Arians back for his comments last year. These grown men need to grow up.
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There is real bad blood between the two. I wonder the back story. It must go way back as both have been in football forever
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There is real bad blood between Fischer and the entire league. Everyone knows he is a dirty coach, and he and Greg Williams have not made any friends. He is mediocre, and mouthy...which is a bad combo...plus he tries to hurt players.
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Post the link or video. I so dislike him and his d coach williams
Who is known to try and kill the head and the body will follow quote. He was banned from the nfl why the ____ ---- does he get back in and some players can't.
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http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/losing-to-fisher-makes-me-want-to-puke.240822

Losing to Fisher makes me want to puke

That guy is a putrid coach. Those were 2 of the worst challenge calls I've ever seen. Their offensive play calling is as unimaginative as any in the last 10 years. The only reason that team is competitive is their dirty scumbag D-Coordinator who should still be banned from the league.
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They showed locker room video of Fisher telling his team that knocking Carson Palmer out of the game was their Christmas present to us & then they laughed about us having to play on Thursday night.

What a douchebag.
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what are you talking about? I saw the locker room thing and he didn't say a word about knocking Palmer out was their Christmas present.
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I usually dont like threads that attack people....but damn this is pretty accurate. He really is an awful coach and Williams has been known to head hunt.
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Maybe BA shouldn't have opened his mouth.
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Our team sucks 'Tis what it is
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This is what I heard:

Fisher: That team has to go play on Thursday.
Team: laughing, someone says "& without their quarterback"
Fisher: That was our Christmas present to them & we'll see them again after Christmas (big smile & laugh)
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starting to wonder if Arians is the offensive Rex Ryan. Big, blustery player's coach who has a lot of success his first two years as a coach and then is figured out and that bravado just starts to look stupid when you're not winning.
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Yeah Fisher took a nice jab at the cards for Palmer being out. Doing them a favor. But BA always talks smack so it's all good.
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right... so, he didn't say we knocked their QB and that's their christmas present. He said we beat them and they have to play thursday night (and someone else said something about without Palmer).

that's completely different then the coach bragging about knocking Palmer out and that's their Christmas present.

anyway... with all the trash Arians talked to the Rams for years, no one had a problem with it. if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Anyone got a video or GIF of that hit on Floyd tonight?

Feels damn good. We are scratching and clawing our way to wins. Defense is still inconsistent, but they are feasting on negative plays. Donald had an amazing game today. Keenum delivered when asked. We gotta find a way to get Gurley going.

I also felt that Austin had a really good day. He gave Peterson problems. But he just barely missed pulling in that deep ball and Keenum missed him a few times with inaccurate passes.

I'm glad we're winning, but I'm still of the opinion that I want to see Goff against Buffalo. Hopefully, Fisher deems he's ready. But I'd be shocked if that happens.

Still, I feel like it's the perfect time for Goff. The OL and WRs/TEs are coming into their own.