The run game was at it's best yesterday when Todd had a fullback to follow into the hole. Gurley played with a lead blocker throughout his college career and seems more comfortable doing so. He excels at putting defenders where he wants them and it helps when he can steer them into a fullback. Almost all of his successful runs were lead by Harkey:

Login to view embedded media
The Bills had a lot of success running the ball at the Cardinals and a lot of it came out of the I-formation. I think every one of McCoy's long runs were lead by the FB.

Login to view embedded media
Hopefully Boras and Fisher see this and attack the Cardinals in a similar fashion.

These are only excerpts from this article. To read the whole thing click the link below.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/09/26/carson-wentz-eagles-nfl-week-3-monday-morning-qb-peter-king

Don't bother looking for anything on the Rams. There was only one comment near the end of the article and it was negative. Here it is..."I think I speak for all Rams fans when I ask: Case Keenum, what were you thinking on the worst interception of the weekend? And where oh where is Jared Goff? Or even Sean Mannion?"

And another shot at the Rams about Jared Goff at the beginning of the article.

Yet PK spends plenty of time kissing Patriots butt as usual. I'm at the point where I'm thinking of sending him Dr. Phil's email addy so he can get some counseling. But then again that would require effort on my part.


-----------------------------------------------------------
Carson Wentz and the Young NFL Quarterback Revolution
A trend is developing, as evidenced by the on-field success of some very raw players in Week 3. Plus the most impressive win on Sunday, a debate about the greatest coach ever, weekly awards, 10 things and much more
By Peter King

“If Wentz wins this game, the people in this town are going to tear down the Rocky statue and put up one of Carson Wentz.”
—ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, before Carson Wentz’s Eagles went out and beat Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers by 31 points Sunday.

PHILADELPHIA — Something’s happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoKr9VDg3A


But this Wentzmania (we’ll get to his details shortly) leads the way for a slew of kid quarterbacks that has defined the first month of the season. Six of them. None named Jared Goff.

How ridiculously well the young quarterbacks have done. (For stats, click the link above).

Young Turk W-L record: 11-2. Young Turk TD-INT ratio: 15-3.

Is that really different? I’d say so. Last year, there were two young guns playing early, and Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were a combined 2-4 after three weeks. This year, as we prepare to exit September, the four kids who’ve played enough to qualify for the league leaders—Garoppolo, Wentz, Siemian and Prescott—are 2, 7, 11 and 12, respectively, in the league in passer rating.

My theory on why we’re seeing such competent-to-outstanding play by these millennials was explained in three words by Wentz outside the Eagles’ fairly excited locker room Sunday evening. They’re the same three words he spoke to me at the combine last February when Wentz was on trial for his future, trying to make the jump from North Dakota State to the NFL.

“It’s just football,” he told me.

Wentz doesn’t make it too big. I mentioned in this column after Week 1 that there were some preternaturally young kids playing well at quarterback, and now it’s not just a novelty act. Siemian, Prescott and Garoppolo have the same ethos as Wentz. (I’m not too familiar with Kessler or Brissett, who are playing solely due to injury.)

Siemian strafed the Bengals on the road on Sunday, Prescott looked like a six-year vet on Sunday night in beating Chicago, and Wentz—well, let Eagles coach Doug Pederson do the gee whiz part of this. “Who’d have thought a kid from North Dakota would be such a mature individual and would make the adjustment to the pro game as quickly as he has?” Pederson said.

When it’s just football, you’ve got a chance.

* * *

It’s Just Football


Photo: Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Near the end of the Eagles’ 34-3 win over the Steelers, Kalyn Kahler of The MMQB went into the stands at Lincoln Financial Field to ask a few of the legions wearing Wentz jerseys about their three-game hero. Said 24-year-old Kyle Frazier: “I am literally in tears with how good he is. I've been an Eagles fan for 24 years, my whole life. I bought this jersey three weeks ago. When we drafted him I thought he was the change of the franchise.” And Vince Fabrizio, 54, said: “He will take us to a Super Bowl as some point.”

Like, now? This has been an absurd ride so far. Wentz and the Eagles 34, Big Ben and the Steelers 3. The guy who was supposed to redshirt this season, the guy who wouldn’t be playing right now if Teddy Bridgewater hadn’t suffered a freak injury last month, 1,170 miles away, the guy who has every downtrodden fan in Cleveland vomiting (again) this morning because the Browns gave away the chance to draft him … that guy is 3-0, with the wins coming by 19, 15 and 31 points, and just when is construction beginning on that statue, Sal?

Six months ago this week the Eagles locked onto Wentz. They told no one. But they spent a day and a half in Fargo at North Dakota State—on the practice field, in the classroom (for three hours) and out to dinner—and Philly’s staid offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, was reaching for the right word after Sunday’s game about that 36 hours studying Wentz.

“Magical,” he said. “Seriously. Like magic. There was just something about him. I’ve been around a lot of smart quarterbacks, a lot of really good quarterbacks. This guy had something we all noticed. On the practice field, just watching him warm up and get ready, I was giddy. His movements, his explosiveness in his lower body. His arm strength. His accuracy. Then in the classroom, his intellect and his football acumen—hard to describe. But all there. He could not be stumped, by any of us.

What’s your protection here? Why’d you pick this receiver? What do you like about this play? He was so far ahead of guys I’ve studied. And we kept hearing the level of competition, that people were worried about the North Dakota State part of it. I said, ‘Let ’em keep saying that! Please keep saying that.’ ”

“I remember it well,” Wentz said. “They tested me quite a bit. I just thought, Be myself. Talk football. Have fun.”

Pederson probed about Wentz’s focus. “I asked him something that was important to me,” Pederson said Sunday night. “You can be a dedicated person, but sometimes your family can be a drag on you. Sometimes they can be demanding, and distracting. I asked him, ‘Is your family gonna be a distraction?’ He said, ‘No sir. Coach, I can tell you, it’s all about football for me.’ ”

There was an innocence, an earnestness to Wentz—and Pederson bought what he was saying. He hasn’t regretted it. When the Eagles left Fargo, GM Howie Roseman worked with Cleveland to deal from eight to two in the first round, and a week before the draft the deal went down.

One more deal had to be made to get Wentz on the field this month: the Vikings trading for prospective Eagles starter Sam Bradford. When I asked owner Jeffrey Lurie whether he was nervous when the Bradford deal was close with the Vikings early this month, he said: “No. Because of Carson.”

One play Sunday encapsulated Wentz’s early proficiency. On the first Philly drive of the second half, Wentz faced third-and-eight at his 27. Pederson called for a three-by-one formation: three receivers left, one to the right, Darren Sproles as a sidecar to Wentz in the shotgun. At the snap, Wentz stared left, trying to pick the most open option; but Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt burst through the line and pressured Wentz. “I just turned upfield,” Wentz told me, “and went improvise-mode.”

He shook to the right a step, causing a lunging Tuitt to miss. No happy feet on Wentz here. While evading Tuitt, Wentz stared downfield and pressed forward, and then a few steps to the right while four Steelers chased him. Jogging right, he saw linebacker Ryan Shazier, covering Sproles out of the backfield, creeping up to join the chase, and Wentz, on the move, flicked a perfect ball to Sproles. The pass hit him in stride, and the dangerous lightning bug sprinted and bobbed and weaved for a 73-yard touchdown.

It’s just football.

“Obviously it’s bigger,” Wentz said. “There’s more of a media machine now. And you play against guys you’ve been watching since you were a kid. [Wentz was 11 the day the Steelers drafted Roethlisberger.] But it’s a game. Just a game. Just football. I’ve been playing it for a long time. My thought is, keep preparing. Prepare, and play the game we all love.”

It shouldn’t be happening this fast for the Eagles, coming up from 7-9 with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback from North Dakota State and a defense that needed a new leader. But it is, and there’s nothing fluky about it. The Eagles are legitimate deep-into-January contenders right now.

* * *


Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Most Impressive Win of the Weekend

How can any win be bigger and better than Philadelphia whacking Pittsburgh? Tough call, but the Vikings losing two of their most indispensible players (Adrian Peterson, left tackle Matt Kalil) plus important defensive-line piece Sharrif Floyd during the week and traveling to NFC champ Carolina made for a pretty tough day.

This is one premier defense that Mike Zimmer has built. The Vikings held explosive Carolina scoreless for the last 50 minutes. They sacked Cam Newton eight times. They intercepted him three times. They nailed him for a safety. They held big targets Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess catchless. And though the Minnesota offense struggled all day, Sam Bradford played his second straight turnover-free game, and the Vikings didn’t give anything away.

Minnesota travels to Philadelphia in Week 7. They could meet again in January.

What team loses its three most important offensive pieces—quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, left tackle Kalil and star back Peterson in the span of a month—and wins at the NFC champ’s house? One of the important elements for the Vikings, I believe, has been the ability of GM Rick Spielman to constantly look forward. Two interesting pieces to the Minnesota puzzle coming up:

• Spielman got fried publicly when he traded a first-round pick and another mid-round pick to Philadelphia for Bradford. But he knew, and didn’t say at the time, that he would likely have the ability in 2017 to have one of the best chips in the league to trade. Bradford is signed through the end of 2017, and Bridgewater is rehabbing after knee surgery.

Suppose doctors tell Spielman in March that Bridgewater will certainly be back for 2017. Then Spielman could choose to trade Bradford or Bridgewater, certainly recouping a first-round pick. Or he could hang on to both and have the deepest quality quarterback situation in football. “I hope we have that difficult choice to make,” Spielman told me last week.

• Spielman wasn’t in love with his options late in the third round last spring, so he dealt the 86th overall pick to Miami (Leonte Carroo) for a sixth-round pick this year and third-round and fourth-round picks next year. “So even though we traded two picks to get Sam,” Spielman said, “we’ve still got eight picks in next year’s draft.”

“When you build a roster,” he continued, “you have to build it with the kind of depth to withstand the injuries that we’ve had. You have to think that every pick you make is eventually going to have to play.” It’s a good philosophy anyway. But with the Vikings 3-0, Spielman’s been pushing every right button so far.

* * *

The Greatest Pro Football Coaches Ever

Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Well, there’s a headline that’ll be hard to live up to. But here are my five:

1. Paul Brown. 1946-49, Cleveland (AAFC); 1950-62 (NFL).

2. Bill Belichick. 1991-95, Cleveland; 2000-16, New England.

3. Vince Lombardi. 1959-67, Green Bay; 1969, Washington.

4. Chuck Noll. 1969-91, Pittsburgh.

5. Don Shula. 1963-69, Baltimore; 1970-95, Miami.

Notably absent are George Halas (40 years coaching the Bears, six titles) and Bill Walsh (offensive trendsetter, three Super Bowl wins) and many others, and I could have had Shula anywhere from third to fifth on the list. And it could be that one day Belichick will beat out Brown for the top spot. I won’t argue vehemently if folks think Brown benefited from the eight-team AAFC (he did) and then a 13-team NFL when he joined in 1950 (he did).

But here’s what you should remember about Paul Brown. The All-American Football Conference was essentially the AFL founded 14 years earlier, and Brown’s Cleveland franchise won the league in all four of its seasons. When the NFL merged with the AAFC, the Browns joined the big league—and played in the NFL title game in each of the first six seasons it was in the league. Brown won the championship of his league seven times in his first 10 years as a pro coach.

So many modernisms started with Brown—sophisticated game-planning, scouting reports, coach-to-quarterback radio communication, signing black players—and Belichick reveres him. “Paul Brown integrated football without saying a single word about integration,” sportswriter Terry Pluto quoted Jim Brown as saying in 1997.

I covered the Paul Brown-owned Bengals in 1984, and I remember coach Sam Wyche telling me that having Brown for a boss was like living next to a library. “And I’d be a fool not to check out the books,” Wyche said.

As for Belichick, competing in the modern game with double (or more) the teams to beat every year makes his accomplishments significant. As does going 14-5 (to this point) with Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, and winning four Super Bowls, going to two more, and having a dominant team for 15 years, winning in so many different ways.

There are those who will take him off this list because of the spying and deflation scandals, and though they count, I cannot believe the results would have been much different—if at all—if neither thing ever happened. (And I am not convinced the Deflategate thing ever did happen, and there’s zero evidence Belichick knew about any of it if it did.)

Lombardi is simple. He’s a legendary no-nonsense coach who built a dynasty in the smallest market in American professional sports. Noll changed the culture in Pittsburgh, a change we see to this day. Shula won in a lot of ways, and more games than anyone.

Disagree? Send me your top five and brief rationale. When I write my mailbag column Wednesday, I’ll use the best arguments to shoot me down. Send your lists here. Thanks.

* * *

The Award Section

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Trevor Siemian, quarterback, Denver. In his first NFL road game as a starter, Siemian beat a perennial playoff team. What a performance for the man who platooned with Kain Colter for two years at Northwestern. Against the Bengals, Siemian was 23 of 35 for 312 yards, with four touchdowns and no picks, for a rating of 132.1. Remember when the wideouts in Denver were sort of quietly grumbling? Well, Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas combined for 15 catches, 217 yards and three touchdowns. Let’s assume the flight back to Denver was a happy one.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Everson Griffen, defensive end, Minnesota. Griffen had three of the Vikings’ eight sacks in a marauding performance at Carolina, bugging Cam Newton from start to finish. The Vikings hit Newton 12 times (according to the official game book), helping lead to three interceptions. Griffen is sometimes forgotten on a defense with so many shining stars, but Mike Zimmer is using him to generate pressure consistently, and he was vital in holding the Panthers to one touchdown on 12 possessions Sunday.

Jamie Collins, linebacker, New England. In what could have been the best game by a defensive player in this young season, Collins had 14 tackles and an interception that showed his great range at an important time of a still-competitive game early in the second quarter against Houston. The play I liked most in the Patriots’ 27-0 win—other than the athletic pick—was this one:

Last gasp for Brock Osweiler, first play of the fourth quarter, Houston down 20-0, third-and-four at the Pats’ 36, Osweiler dumps off a pass to running back Jonathan Grimes, and Collins slams him down; no gain. Good thing the Patriots chose to devote major cap room long-term to Collins over Chandler Jones. Collins is better.

Quinton Dunbar, cornerback, Washington. He made a contested catch on a 31-yard fake punt throw from Tress Way, leading to the go-ahead fourth-quarter field goal against the Giants. When New York sliced and diced its way through the Washington defense on the ensuing drive, and Eli Manning stood 15 yards from the go-ahead TD, and threw for tight end Will Tye in the end zone, Dunbar muscled past Tye and picked off the ball a yard deep. Touchback. Perfect instincts on the play from the second-year man from Florida.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tress Way, punter, Washington. Talk about some guts from Washington coach Jay Gruden and from Way … with 18 minutes left and Washington trailing the Giants 24-23, and with a fourth-and-12, Way was asked to execute a fake-punt throw deep down the left side. To a cornerback. (Well, there’s some extenuating circumstances there: Quinton Dunbar, a corner now, played receiver at Florida and caught 111 passes in four seasons. He was moved to corner in Washington last year due to a rash of injuries.) Way’s pass traveled 40 yards in the air, and Dunbar snagged it despite a call of interference on the Giants, and it led to the field goal that gave Washington the lead.

Ryan Allen, punter, New England. Seven punts against Houston. Zero return yards. Dropped, respectively, at the Houston 11-yard-line, 10, 10, 20, 14, 5 and 4. I mean, can a punter have a better game? No wonder the Texans were so feeble Thursday night. They had to travel from Boston to Galveston to score a point.

COACH OF THE WEEK

Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Philadelphia. Schwartz kept his lips zipped when he got fired as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator after the 2014 season, when his D ranked fourth in the league, and first in third-down conversion percentage. He didn’t mouth off when Rex Ryan limped home the following year with the league’s 19th-rated defense, and 23rd-rated on third down. But there’s no denying that Schwartz is one heck of a defensive coach.

For a third consecutive week, the Eagles defense was dominant in the 34-3 win over Pittsburgh, holding the explosive Steelers to 251 yards and badgering Ben Roethlisberger all afternoon. For the year, Schwartz’s crew is surrendering 9.0 points, 274 yards and one touchdown per game.

GOAT OF THE WEEK

Kameron Canaday, long-snapper, Arizona. The same undrafted rookie snapper whose snap was off-line and led to a 47-yard Chandler Catanzaro miss in the final minute of the 23-21 loss to New England in Week 1 had another airmail job Sunday in Buffalo. With the Cards down 23-7 and needing a field goal to make it a two-score game against the Bills, Canaday snapped it over holder Drew Butler’s head, and the Bills’ Aaron Williams scooped it up and ran 53 yards for a touchdown. Two losses, two major errors by the snapper. That’s not something the Cardinals are going to be able to withstand.

“Grow the hell up. It has nothing to do with anything but what’s between his ears.”

—Arizona coach Bruce Arians, on the problems of rookie long-snapper Kameron Canaday.

Cody Parkey, kicker, Cleveland. A 46-yard field goal, with a perfect snap and clean hold, ought to be pretty easy in today’s NFL. And it should have been for Parkey, in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter at Miami in a 24-24 game. But Parkey’s kick started left and stayed left, finishing eight feet wide. A good boot there, and Cleveland wins before overtime. Of course, the Browns lost.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback, New York Jets. Six interceptions in the 24-3 loss at Kansas City. Nothing else need be written.

* * *

Right Combination of the Week

Dante Scarnecchia, offensive line coach, New England, and his line: Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Marcus Cannon. In his third game back after Bill Belichick fetched him out of retirement, and working on a short week, the 68-year-old Scarnecchia turned in a great teaching game for his still-developing line. When coaches talk about team play and right combinations of the line, they should show a tape of the New England line, orchestrated by Scarnecchia. Over the first two weeks of the season, the Texans’ trio of pass-rushers—J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus—combined for five sacks, six additional QB hits and nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

On Thursday night, the combo platter of Patriot linemen held the Texans to zero sacks, zero hits and three pressures on rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett in New England’s 27-0 victory. That’s called smart obstruction of great rushers, particularly Watt, by Scarnecchia and coordinator Josh McDaniels.

* * *

Things I Think

I think these are my notable people for Week 3:

1. Sammy Watkins just isn’t right. He’s got a significant foot injury, and it’s likely he won’t be the player the Bills traded two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for until at least next year. You can’t ask a speed player to be an impact player if his foot’s not right. And this isn’t just a one-week or two-week injury; it could take the season to heal.

Jacoby Brissett won a game no one expected him to win, 27-0 over Houston, and he exited with a right thumb injury. Did you see the in-house video of Brissett from the post-game locker room Thursday night? High fives, hearty handshakes … nothing showing he was favoring the thumb. I don’t expect the Patriots are too nervous, particularly with a teeth-gritting Jimmy Garoppolo hoping to harness up to play one last game before the Week 5 return of Tom Brady.

Ton of really good kickers in the NFL right now, but Justin Tucker of the Ravens is as clutch as any. Baltimore trailed Jacksonville 17-16 with 67 seconds left Sunday, and Tucker drilled a 54-yarder that went straight down the middle and hit halfway up the net. Seriously: That thing would have been good from 65.

This seems like a pretty good sign: On a humid 88-degree afternoon in Jacksonville, old man Raven Terrell Suggs, coming off his second rehab for a torn Achilles, sacked Blake Bortles twice in the last 12 minutes of the game. Ravens are 3-0, unexpectedly, and though it hasn’t been pretty, they enter October two wins better than the Bengals. We didn’t see that coming.

John Harbaugh, 90 wins with 13 games (or more) of his ninth year left. What a decision the Ravens made to take a chance on a special teams-turned-DB coach from the Eagles.

Whatever the reason, the Bills showed up for new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, and Lynn called LeSean McCoy’s name 17 times (for 110 yards), and the Bills ran 32 times in all for 208 yards. That’s more of the offense Rex Ryan wants, which Lynn knows. The players like playing for Lynn.

The early view on Russell Wilson is that he wants to play against the Jets in New Jersey next Sunday, then rest and rehab his sprained right ankle and strained left knee (if that’s all it is, which will be discovered with finality today) over the Seattle bye week. Teams usually hate having the bye this early, but an early October week off couldn’t come at a better time for the Seahawks.

The Cardinals are not in big trouble, but losing at Buffalo and falling to 1-2, with an offense sputtering too much for the talent they have, should make for nervous times this week in Tempe. Carson Palmer has 10 interceptions in his past five games, which, of course, is not sustainable if the Cardinals want to be Super Bowl contenders.

The MMQB/SI Takeover cover guy, Khalil Mack, has opened the season with three sackless games. Not that I believe in the SI cover jinx. Just saying. Mostly, teams are running and game-planning away from Mack.

2. I think the Jets-Chiefs game, analytically, has to be one of the strangest games in recent history. Eight of New York’s 11 drives ended in a turnover; I mean, has there ever been a game with an 8-to-1 turnover margin in the NFL? Crazy thing is, Ryan Fitzpatrick was never sacked, and he threw six picks. “Sh---- game plan, sh---- execution, sh---- all around,” summed up Jets coach Todd Bowles. Boy, that must have been a fun flight back to New Jersey last night.

3. I think Mike McCarthy’s dream game plan likely is very close to Sunday’s 34-27 win over Detroit: 24 runs, 24 passes, four touchdown passes, no interceptions, Aaron Rodgers in commend in a huge first half, Jordy Nelson a factor again. Not perfect, but a B-plus game for an offense that desperately needed it.

4. I think Darren Sproles is the most underrated offensive weapon in football.

5. I think I don’t know whether Dak Prescott, rookie version, is a better option for the Cowboys a month from now than Tony Romo, rehab version. But I do know Prescott hasn’t done enough yet to wrest the job from Romo full-time. And we won’t know next week (at Niners) either. We won’t know until Prescott meets the Bengals and Packers in Weeks 5 and 6 before the Cowboys’ bye.

6. I think Rick Spielman is the executive of the month … unless, like me, you give John Elway credit for passing on paying Brock Osweiler $72 million so Denver could play Trevor Siemian. But for the Vikings to be 3-0 with all the adversity they’ve had in the past month is amazing.

7. I think the continuing brainlock of some return men stuns me. I wrote last week about returners now being assured of the ball on the 25-yard line by virtue of the NFL’s new rule to put touchbacks on the 25 instead of the 20. The league was littered in the first two weeks with returners who took kicks out from well into the end zone.

And Sunday, with the Lions down by 17 points midway through the third quarter, Detroit returner Andre Roberts—a six-year veteran and former Larry Fitzgerald protégé who should know better—took the ball seven yards deep and chose to come out. Keep in mind that Roberts would have had to return the ball 33 yards to the Detroit 26-yard line to make this worth the risk. Nope. He returned it to the 18. Cost his team seven yards.

8. I think that David Bruton interception in the end zone, when the Washington safety stole the ball from Giants back Bobby Rainey, sure looked like an interception to me. Replay saw it otherwise. I don’t buy it.

The Niner loss was devastating, we all wondered if this would be a lost season but I expected a coaching/team bounce back. So we outmuscled the Hawks while we lamented the continued offensive ineptness. This game was key but as the offense showed sparks of competence, the defense revealed it's flaws. With the Cards gathering themselves off their wake up pounding by the Bills, I will address the "State of the Union" of our beloved Rams.

THE GOOD:

1. The game began with better offensive execution. There were clutch third down conversions. The Quick TD demonstrated a willingness and ability to stretch the field in a manner not seen in the previous two games. Hope was rekindled.

2. The defense provided turnovers and points. While this team still relies way too much on explosive plays from this unit, at least this game produced enough of them to produce a win.

3. Robert Quinn re-established himself as a difference maker and the two years of injury limitations may be behind him for awhile.

4. The Rams won on the road, outside the West, and after an emotional win against the Hawks.

5. Tavon is expanding his game beyond the bubble screens and end arounds.

6. Gurley saw a couple holes to exploit. It sure beats having NONE.

7. Bennie Cunnungham continued to prove he is the most under appreciated man on this team as most of his touches produce effective results.

8. A win is a win and 2-1 must not be overlooked.

THE BAD:

1. The Rams gave up over 400 yards to Jamies. Credit must be given to Winston for extending plays and beating the blitz, to Evans for showing what a #1 receiver should do, and to Koetter for knowing how to exploit Williams' tendencies.But the holes in the Ram secondary were clearly exposed and the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter.

2. Cunningham has proven to be an outstanding kick returner. Austin's boom or bust mentality put the offense in terrible field position to end the game.

3. The propensity to predictably run Gurley into the teeth of 8 and 9 man fronts continued.

THE UGLY

1. The early pick six by Keenum sapped all the early momentum the first series and the defense produced.

2. Gregg Williams will always coordinate a defense that lives by the sword and dies by it. When the blitzes don't get home, bad things happen.

3. Someday the Rams need to find receivers who regularly catch the ball. This teams still suffers way too many drops to be feared as an offense.

While I'm grateful for the win and recognize several areas of improvement, this team is still a long way from playoff caliber. Perhaps the development will continue through the season as players like Cooper, Spruce, and Gaines get healthy and add to the production. Maybe Goff's skills can expand the offense. There's a chance that OLine continuity may actually happen on this team for the first time in 15 years. This team is not yet great, but at least it's become interesting.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(Opening Statement)
“What’d you guys do for an hour? You know, it’s funny, this is the second time in a row that we’ve had a little break, coming down here, and having a weather delay and then coming out and fortunately finding a way to win at the end. It was a great win for us, especially coming off the emotional win and the emotions from last Sunday at home, the long trip, and the circumstances. When you score points, which we did, you got a chance. Turnovers hurt us early but we got the two big plays on defense, the return for touchdown and the interception by Mark (Barron). That kind of balanced things out. I thought Case (Keenum) made some good throws. The game was hard but he made some really good throws. It was great to get the ball in the end zone, finally.”

(On first time Rams starting 2-1 since 2006)
“All I know is we got Arizona at Arizona next week. None of them are easy, but we’ll take it.”

(On his approach towards dealing with a weather delay)
“The most important thing is communicating with the players. Unfortunately, to begin with we didn’t know (about delay). We heard rumors that it may be 15 minutes, 60 minutes, or it may be an hour-and-a-half. The officiating crew did a great job keeping us informed and then I would relay the information to the players. Finally, I told them that we were going to get this thing going again. The staff got together and we had plenty of time to talk about what we were going to do, as they did as well, how to go about getting them warmed up and ready to go again after that delay. Especially the fatigue factor, both teams were extremely fatigued and I thought both teams rallied and came back and played well.”

(On getting Todd Gurley going)
“The difference there was we converted some third downs. We had some opportunities with him, a turnover here and there helps for extra carries. He’s not there yet, not because of Todd Gurley personally, but we don’t have him there offensively to where we want to get to.”

(On performance of defensive line)
“I’m going to look at the tape but that’s about as hard a job as you can ask of them considering we went to two ends, When Will (Hayes) came in, was injured, and when he returned we lost Eugene (Sims), but Aaron (Donald) was playing end and Ethan (Westbrooks) had to play the whole time. In the conditions, that’s hard. They’re going to need some rest the next couple of days but I was really impressed with the tenacity, the effort, and the enthusiasm the defense played with throughout the game.”

(On Toddy Gurley’s two touchdowns)
“Yeah, touchdowns. We found him in the box. It’s kind of sweet. I’m excited to hand them out.”

QUARTERBACK CASE KEENUM

(On the importance of Los Angeles’ first offensive drive of the game)
“It was really big. I wanted the ball, coming out. Coach (Jeff) Fisher said he wanted the ball. We wanted to go put some points on the board. We converted on some third downs which were really big coming out of the gate and (wide receiver Brian Quick) ran a great route on the post and spread it out there. He went and got it. It was great. It was really good.”

(On the offense working well together)
“There were some mistakes we want back. Obviously turnovers are huge. I know they got points off my turnover – they may have gotten them on the other one too, I’m not sure – but clean that stuff up. When we’re rolling and we’re doing what we do well – running the ball, play-action, quick game, throwing the ball down the field. It’s a good mix and I think we’re good when we do that.”

(On what the players did during the delay)
“We were just playing spades in there (laughs). No, we were trying to stay locked-in, obviously. Trying to stay hydrated, actually eating. It was weird. I guess that’s kind of (how) hockey players (are), you know the three periods. To have that crucial of a moment being paused, it was tough. It was really tough, but guys responded, did well. Defense came back out and did a heck of a job.”

(On the offense not having an issue scoring touchdowns tonight)
“Nope. We executed. We put it in the endzone. We had a couple of goal line series where we had a lot of plays down there and the offensive line did a great job of blocking for (running back) Todd (Gurley) and Todd finished on all of those, which was really good. And then the couple of explosive plays – guys getting up and downfield making plays for me, which was great.”

(On the importance, for him, of scoring a touchdown on the first drive)
“Anytime you can get out there and have success early it just kind of settles you down as an offense. Obviously the next drive was not what we wanted to do, but I was seeing the field well, (center Tim Barnes) and those guys up front were doing a good job with points and kind of getting settled in that groove. We hit that there in the third quarter as well and put together some drives when we needed to.”

(On wide receiver Tavon Austin)
“Tavon is a threat and any way we can get the ball in his hands, (our opponents) are looking out for that and he did a good job.”

(On what’s going through his mind on the last play of the game)
“I’m confident in my defense. This is the best defense in the league. I believe that and I had no doubt that they were going to stop (Tampa Bay). Obviously you have to give Tampa credit. They did a great job. They’re a really good football team and Jameis (Winston) is a great quarterback. He keeps slinging it no matter what is coming at him. He (gave) them a chance to win the game and our defense made a play when we needed it.”

(On the team being 2-1)
“I think it’s great. I think we are in a good spot. I think we are getting better each week, which is what you want to do. Going on the road and being successful is obviously really good, too. We’re going to have another tough test with another with a really good football team on the road again this week, so we’re going to enjoy this tonight and look forward to this next week.”

(On the amount of discussion the team had about what play to run after the delay)
“I think it changed a few times. There was some discussion. It’s (offensive coordinator) Rob’s (Boras) deal and I trust him. He trusts us to make plays and I trust (wide receiver) Kenny (Britt), I trust my guys, I trust the line and unfortunately (Tampa Bay cornerback Brent) Grimes got up and made a good play. We trust our defense too, at the same time. I love the play-call. I love the ball in my hands.”

WIDE RECEIVER KENNY BRITT

(On coming back out to play following the weather delay)
“It’s actually my second time [in a weather delay] with Coach Fischer. He does a great job bringing the team back together in the locker room, getting a good stretch in and motivating us to go back out there.”

(On the passing game progressing)
“We’re getting [Case] Keenum the ball in our game plan and plays book. You can tell Case is getting more comfortable back there in the pocket. As you see as the game goes on the defense loosens up and that guy in the backfield took advantage of it.”

(On teammate’s success)
“I’m happy about all my guys. Regardless of who it is, I’m proud. That’s my brother. Brian Quick, he did a great job today, he showed up. Right now you can tell the sky is the limit for us.”

(On spreading the ball around)
“It does a lot for our team. You can’t just zone in on one person every game. You can’t just zone in on Tavon Austin, or me, or Brian or the guy in the backfield. You can definitely see that today that they [Tampa Bay] were confused on who would get the ball.”

(On Coach Fischer referencing a box full of touchdowns to get)
“It’s always motivating because you always want to please your head coach. You want to do what he asks for. At the beginning of the week he asked for some touchdowns and guess what? He got some touchdowns.”

(On starting out 2-1 under Coach Fischer)
“I’ve played with Fischer before. We started off 5-0 before. So me as an L.A. Ram, it feels good definitely, keep this momentum going. We’ve got a divisional opponent next week, got to take it to Arizona.”

DEFENSIVE END ROBERT QUINN

(On character of team)
“We had a little rain delay, guys had to take a breather, get their mind right. We only had two minutes left. We were hoping the offense could go down there and score so we didn’t have to get on the field. But they put it on us to win the ball game. We just figured out a way to win. No matter how we did it, no matter what form or fashion we did. We just figured out a way to win and that’s all we care about – winning and nothing else. That’s all that really matters in this league is winning.”

(On not giving up on last play)
“As a D-lineman you can’t. You’ve got to kind of have a relentless effort. Like I said, I got upfield, came back and I thought he [Jameis Winston] was going to take off running for the touchdown, but I saw him pull up looking to the end zone. I just gave every last bit of effort I had to try to get to him. Luckily I had enough time and no one got open in time. I was able to get him down.”

(On the fumble return for touchdown)
“Just trying to get off on the ball. I think it was a passing down or I read pass. I just tried to get up, make a play. I think before that play I really didn’t do anything in the game, so it was a crucial moment. Luckily Ethan [Westbrooks], he got his hands on it cleanly and a few guys threw some blocks and led him on into the end zone. That was a big momentum swing. Like I said the guys really kept trucking away after that.

(On if Winston was aware of defensive pressure on the fumble)
“I guess he didn’t. All I know is I saw the ball still in his hands. That means I had time to try and get to him. That’s all I did. I didn’t really think anything else. I was just hoping the secondary linebackers locked their man down and if he started to take off running hopefully someone would pull him up. I just tried to give every last bit of effort I had to close the game out.”

DEFENSIVE END EUGENE SIMS

(On getting ejected from the game)
“He did something, I reacted and the result was me getting kicked out.”

(On his opponent having to do something really bad for him to react the way he did)
“Actually, it wasn’t a bad reaction. It was the same thing he did to me, so that was what it was.”

(On what his opponent did to make him react that way)
“It was on the field. I’m going to leave it at that.”

(On if he has ever been involved in a game with this sort of weather delay)
“This is the first one since I’ve been playing for seven years. This is the first one.”

(On how he would describe the delay)
“Boring, being ejected. Waiting on my teammates, it felt like I was grounded – which I was – and that’s what it was.”

(On what he learned from this game tonight)
“Just keep you composure as a veteran. It’s something I learned on the back end of my career. You do something l like that and you get caught up, it hurts your teammates, hurts you, hurts the organization. I had to put it on me and put it behind me and move one.”

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN ETHAN WESTBROOKS

(On returning a fumble for a touchdown)
“We practice the ball drill so much in practice, I just picked it up and ran as fast as I could.”

(On if anyone was going to catch him running for the touchdown)
“No, I was hoping they wouldn’t, but I looked up at the screen and saw someone, I don’t know who it was – [Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis] Winston or somebody – I was just like, ‘Please Lord, don’t let anyone catch me.”

(On looking up at the scoreboard while running for a touchdown)
“[It was] about the 30 or 40-yardline. I had to look up. I saw a red jersey so I didn’t want to turn all the way back, but I saw somebody coming.”

(On how exciting the game was)
“It happened like this my rookie year – we had the little weather delay thing, so it wasn’t anything too new. It definitely gave me a breath of air that I needed.”

(On the defense ending the game)
“We got the offense. The offense got us. It was the special teams. All three phases, we just had to ball out and make it work.”

(On the fumble return)
“I just saw it on the ground and I thought about just jumping on it, but we do so much ball drill work at practice, I just picked it up and hoped nobody was going to catch me, pretty much.”

(On if he was out of breath after his fumble recovery for a touchdown)
“Oh yeah, I was pretty done after that. My coaches were just like why didn’t I celebrate. I honestly had no energy to celebrate. I barely had enough energy to get to the sidelines.”

HEAD COACH DIRK KOETTER

(Opening Statement)
“Alright well, give the Rams credit, they made the plays they needed to make and we didn’t. I’m proud of the way we competed, coming back twice from two scores [down] in the second half to give ourselves a chance in the end but we didn’t make enough plays. We had plenty of chances and again, congratulations to the Rams, they got us.”

(On if there was an opportunity to call a timeout following Charles Sims’ catch on the last drive)
“Yes, there was an opportunity. I got a lot of confidence in our two-minute [offense] and I sometimes push the envelope on that, on getting to the next play. I thought we were a little bit slow lining up on that next one, I thought we still had time to check it down again and use it but as it worked out, we were still lining up so I probably should’ve use it there.”

(On if a close game like this is the very reason the team drafted Roberto Aguayo)
“I am not sure about that, we try to draft good football players. Obviously you can’t miss an extra point and the field goal is more difficult but that was just one of many things that we didn’t do good enough tonight.”

(On feeling like they were chasing points)
“We said it on the headphones right after the extra point, you play that game the rest of the game. You’re in that mess of figuring out the two-point chart the rest of the night and it hurt us.”

(On the final play of the game)
“Must score from the 15-yard line on fourth down, we tried to get some guys in the end zone. The way it opened up – now I’m looking at it from the side, you guys are looking at it from up top –obviously when he popped through there in the crowd, the crowd roared and reacted and everything. I don’t know, I’ll know when I see it on tape, but, that ground usually get covered a lot faster in real life than we usually think it does and again that’s one play out of many. There were so many plays that were big in this game, any game like this and that’s one. It shouldn’t come to a fourth-and-15 on the 15 play.

(On a fourth-and-1 conversion thrown to Evans)
“We had a play that we liked if that situation came up and we went with it.”

(On if the Rams took Mike Evans away on the final drive)
“Well, when you’re in the no-huddle, a lot has to do with what hash mark you’re on. Mike and Vince play sides when they’re in the no-huddle, they play left and right, and so some of it has to do with the plays that are called and what side of the field we’re attacking right there, but again, we had our chances there.”

(On if there should have been safety help on the Rams’ first touchdown)
“Yep, we should’ve had safety help there, on that first touchdown, we should’ve had safety help there and we didn’t. On the crossing one, I am not sure if we were in man or zone on that one so I am really not sure on that one, but on that first touchdown, definitely, safety should’ve been there.”

(On if safety play was also responsible for Tavon Austin’s touchdown)
“I am not real sure about that, that’s the kind of stuff that is hard for me to see during the game. I mean Tavon Austin, obviously a talented player, isolated on anybody. It depends if we’re man or zone, so a safety is going to be covering him in man but if it’s zone, that could be based on if we’re on a two-deep coverage or three-deep coverage or quarters-coverage. That could be a variety of different people’s responsibility.”

(On if Charles Sims should have gone out of bounds on his reception during the final drive)
“We always tell those guys when they’re near the sideline, if it’s a situation where they can get out, but if the guy overruns it when we have timeouts then they should take the yardage. He made a good play there.”

(On his level of concern with Roberto Aguayo)
“Well I’m concerned with everything that contributed to us losing and that was one of the things, I mean, there’s a lot of things that contributed to our team losing tonight. Heck I was one of those people that contributed but of course I’m concerned with it.”

(On if 32 points should be enough to win a game)
“It wasn’t tonight so I mean, I don’t think we ever think like that. You think like you need one more than the other team’s got, and tonight we didn’t do it. I thought we might have a chance there at the end to get one more but we didn’t.”

(On what he discussing with his players during weather delay)
“Both offense and defense, the coaches met, talked about strategy, what they were going to do. What we were going to do defensively, it was going to be one play basically to get off the field, what the punt return was going to be and then we had a list of plays. We figured we’d only have one timeout left and that we’d get the ball somewhere around the 35-yard line. We had a list of plays that we wanted to go to in the no-huddle in the two-minute offense and it played out just that way until we got down there and just couldn’t punch it in.”

(On the lesson the team needs to learn)
“That’s a great question, the lesson our team needs to learn is that every week is a battle and it doesn’t matter who the other team is. Our culture is not where it needs to be and that starts with me. I am the head of that so I am putting that squarely on my shoulders. There is something about our culture, I wish I could grab it, I’ve been on teams that have had it and you don’t want to let go of it but when you don’t have it is hard to figure out what it is but there’s something in our culture and it’s my job to fix it, along with the coaches, of letting games like this get away. Please understand that takes nothing away from the Rams because the Rams executed their game plan. I am concerned with what our team does and we just have to get over that hump, and we’re not there.”

(On if his confidence in Roberto Aguayo is shaken)
“We [have to] play better across the board, we [have to] coach better, we [have to] play better.”

(On “Mike Smith’s defense” allowing explosive plays)
“First, you know guys, it’s not Mike Smith’s defense, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense and I’m in charge of that. There’s plenty of blame to go around and that starts with me. It’s never one guy’s fault. We could line up, we could put all of the pictures up here and check off this guy, this guy, this guy, plays that we left on the field tonight so, there’s no use, there’s no finger pointing, there’s no blaming. This is the greatest team game in the world and we came up short.”

(On Jameis’ Winston competitiveness)
“The competitiveness, not only of Jameis, but the whole team, there is nothing wrong with our competiveness. We preach compete and our guys did that. I have no issue with where we are at competitive-wise but we [have to] play better, we [have to] execute better, in all phases.”

QUARTERBACK JAMEIS WINSTON

(On Rams defensive end Robert Quinn’s sack and forced fumble of Winston in the fourth quarter)
“The defensive end made a good play. As I was about to release it he stripped it.”

(On the play of the Buccaneers defense leading to the final drive)
“The defense did a great job of getting us the ball back. Great situation for us. I’ve just got to complete the football. I missed too many targets and in moments like that, you’ve got to make those completions.”

(On if the team considered calling a timeout after his completion to running back Charles Sims on the final drive)
“No. We had a lot of time left. We had a lot of time left. Chuck, he made a good play. He got us that first down which was needed. So I’ve just got to hit open guys.”

(On if he realized where he was on the field on the final play)
“I did, I was just trying to bait them, get closer to the end zone. In that moment I’ve just got to give somebody a chance in the end zone. But when I [saw] them drop basically the whole team, I was like, ‘Man, let’s see what we can do.’ “

(On if there was an incident between Winston and wide receiver Vincent Jackson on the bench during the game)
“No. I just was in the heat of the battle, just always constantly telling my guys, ‘I need you. I need you to play for us,’ and that’s all. I had that conversation with everybody.”

(On the final play)
“That was just dumb on my part. That was bad. I’ve got to get somebody a chance there.”

(On if he tried to thread his pass into a tight window on the second two-point conversation attempt instead of throwing it away)
“The second two-point conversion, I don’t even remember the play. And if I do remember, I think I did throw it high and it was over somebody’s head.”

(On if his throw on the two-point conversation was his first read on that play)
“No, I don’t think it was.”

(On the play of tight end Cameron Brate)
“Cam’s a great player and my job is to get our good players the football. And he’s going to show up, day-in and day-out, but we’ve just got to get better. But definitely on that last drive I just can’t miss open targets.”

(On if he wished he had just tucked the ball and run on the final play)
“You’re just trying to play football. I knew as long as I can get those guys back and back, I can get to the end zone. But 94 [Quinn] came behind me and got me from the back. I wish I had eyes in the back of my head so I could’ve seen him.”

(On if the lightning delay benefitted the Buccaneers at all)
“I don’t think it benefitted us at all. I think with the momentum that we had, and definitely seeing the way that crowd was, we definitely had that on our side, but you know, you face adversity. But you’ve got to bounce back. I felt like we really fought hard. That was a hard-fought game. You’ve got to commend their team. Their team did really well, their offense did well, their defense did well. Me, I can’t turn the ball over. Our defense got a pick-six to help us out. I can’t fumble and let them get another six on their defensive side of the ball.”

(On what ingredient is missing from the team right now)
“I think this game in particular, just quarterback play. I’ve got to complete the football. That’s the main thing. I had Vincent Jackson wide open for a touchdown in the corner of the end zone. That’s just pitch and catch. I had Vincent Jackson wide open for another big completion. That’s just pitch and catch – I overthrew him. I had Charles Sims coming over on the check down – overthrew him. But I’m going to get better, I’m going to get better, I guarantee you. I guarantee you I’m going to get better.”

(On how he would evaluate the play of tackle Donovan Smith against defensive end Robert Quinn)
“Man, how many times did Robert get to me? That was one time, so I think Donovan Smith had a great day. And I don’t think that was his fault, I think [Quinn] just made a great play. When you’re blocking a guy that’s Robert Quinn and you’re blocking Aaron Donald, and how many sacks did they have today? I don’t think they had [many], so my offensive line did a great job. We played our heart out. Donovan Smith did a great job. Like I say, the quarterback has to step up and make plays for his team. [Our] defense put me in a great situation. Two-minute warning, we’ve got two timeouts. I’ve just got to make the plays.”

(On how the team puts this game behind them and gets ready for the Denver Broncos)
“Like we did last week. Last week you would’ve thought that the sky hit the floor, but we bounced back. We had a decent week of practice. We’re going to be facing a very tough opponent so we’ve just got to battle. We’ve got to keep competing and keep playing.”

(On what it meant that eight-year old Joshua Fisher, a cancer survivor whom Winston knows, led the Buccaneers out of the tunnel)
“That really pumped us up when Josh led us out of the tunnel. I think that helped us, helped motivate us. If you all don’t know Josh’s story, I forget how many times he’s beaten cancer but that kid is strong and when I saw him, I was happy to see him. And that’s the stuff in life that you’ve got to appreciate. You have games like this and I’m going to be down on myself but I’m going to bounce back up because of kids like Josh. He’s been fighting and he’s just living his life and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to keep fighting, I’m going to keep getting better and I’m going to start helping this team out.”

(On how much his adrenaline factored into the final plays of the game)
“I know I was ready. I know I was ready but at the end of the day, you’ve got to complete the football.”

KICKER ROBERTO AGUAYO

(On his missed extra point)
“Just rushed it a little bit, picked up my head. At the end of the day, I moved on after that. More and more opportunities, but you’ve got to move on from those.”

(On his missed field goal)
“That wasn’t my day. I’m just excited for next week, to move on. Excited to get back to my craft. That’s what I do and [will] just recuperate next week and come back and be ready for Denver.”

(On the team going for two over kicking the extra point late in the game)
“At end of the day, whatever [Head] Coach [Dirk] Koetter wants, going for two or the extra point. But when my name’s called, I’m always ready to go out there. Like I said, moving on to next week and just getting back, recuperating.”

(On his confidence)
“Confidence is always there. Just excited to get back to next week and doing my kicks. It’s there. Times like this are going to happen, you’ve just got to go back. The confidence isn’t shaken, I know what to do. I’m excited to get back on the field and kick again.”

LINEBACKER KWON ALEXANDER

(On the weather delay)
“I appreciate all the fans that came out and stayed even though it rained. I really appreciate that. They are the best fans. We have to get back ready for next week.”

(On how the team will handle two straight loses this week)
“Do the same thing every week. Just have to go in there and correct and just get better every week and perfect on your craft. We’re going to be alright.”

(On if close games are harder to lose)
“A loss is a loss. We don’t need any more losses. We need to start building around each other and start getting victories and turning this program around.”

(On if he feels the defense is improving)
“We’re getting better and better every week. We’re just going to keep getting better, we’re going to keep progressing.”

(On his interception returned for a touchdown)
“I was just in the right place at the right time, just made a great play for my team and my defense. That was the first takeaway [of the season], so it was just a great feeling.”

TIGHT END CAMERON BRATE

(On what worked well to put the Buccaneers in position to potentially win at the end)
"We believe in each other. When you've got a quarterback like Jameis and a receiver like Mike, when those two are on the same page they're really hard to stop. We made some really nice plays on that [final touchdown] drive. We had a good drive going there at the end, too; we just kind of ran out of time."

(On how the Buccaneers handled the delay of the game)
"It's not ideal, it's not what you want, but we did it a couple times during training camp so it's not a situation we're really not used to. Especially down here in Florida, weather's always kind of an issue. We just tried to stay warm, tried to draw up some plays. We knew the defense was going to get a stop and hopefully we'd get a shot there at the end."

TACKLE DEMAR DOTSON

(On Sunday’s game)
“I think we were ready. It’s just a tough game. The lack of effort wasn’t there, but we let it get away.”

(On if Los Angeles did anything defensively that they didn’t expect)
“No, they just fought hard. And I think the guys up front fought hard, but at the end of the day they won the war. But it wasn’t from the lack of effort. I commend those guys, they played their tails off. But you’re not awarded on effort, you’re awarded on wins and we didn’t get one.”

(On what the team was doing and what Coach Koetter said during the lightning delay)
“We were just trying to stay loose. Not knowing how long it was going to take to get back out, but [Winston] was just trying to tell guys to stay loose, hydrate.”

(On if he expected the offense to get the ball back)
“Oh no doubt. It was third-and-11 on like the five-yard line, so we knew the defense would hold out so we all knew that we would get this ball back with a two-minute drive.”

WIDE RECEIVER ADAM HUMPHRIES

(On the Buccaneers losing in the final seconds of the game)
“Any loss is tough. I think we showed a lot of fight in the fourth quarter, we just weren’t able to get it done. We’re going to have to figure out what we need to do to eventually get over that hump and win some games.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLE GERALD MCCOY

(On if close games are harder to lose)
“Yeah, we were in a position to win, but all the loses hurt. We just feel like – getting over that hump, we’ve got to find out what it is we’re doing wrong to get over that hump.”

(On coming out after the lightning delay)
“We knew exactly what we need to do, knew what calls we’d be in and we had calls for every situation for what they might [do]. We made a play on defense and gave our offense a chance. What the offense does from there is none of our business, it’s our business to get the ball to them and we did that. But we put our offense in a terrible position defensively.”

(On Los Angeles’ long touchdown passes)
The first touchdown, this one’s going to sit on my shoulders for a long time because when you lose by five – the very first touchdown we had a play where the offensive line split, I had a one-on-one and I missed with my hands. I know if I were to just landed with my hands, I would’ve at least hit him, at worst. I was thinking about that the rest of the game. As time went on, you’ve got to move on, but I know this one will bug me all night because I know us losing by five, that one play was a touchdown.”

(On allowing 101 points in three games)
“Yeah, that’s a concern. It’s not good. Defensively, we don’t worry about the offense does, but regardless of what they do, if we don’t these teams from scoring, we’re not going to win. That’s not good at all, we have to be better.”

(On if four or five plays determines a winner in an NFL game)
Absolutely. You have all those different plays, but you can pinpoint a couple where you’re like, ‘if we had that one back, maybe this would have happened.’ And [the Rams’ first touchdown] is one I wish I had back. I saw everything. I saw his hands coming. I don’t know how I missed [with] my hands. I have no idea how I missed with my hands. I know I timed it up perfect.”

CORNERBACK ALTERRAUN VERNER

(On the Rams’ long passing plays)
“That’s what we can’t afford, we can’t give up big plays – the one in the beginning and the one at the end. The more we tried to make them dink and dunk it, we played our better football. So yeah, it was unfortunate that we gave up those plays.”

(On what happened on the Rams’ first touchdown)
“It was a little bit of a miscommunication on my part, but at the end of the day I’ve got to make that play. That’s pretty much enough said about that one, it was my play to make and I didn’t make it.”

(On where the team goes from here)
“We’ve still got 13 games. Most of the [teams] in our division, the highest somebody’s going to be is 2-1 after this game, so we still have a lot to play for and we still have a lot of division games and a lot of games to play, so nobody should get their head down.”

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Case-Keenum-Postgame-Press-Conference---925/f93c478c-ab11-416a-bd51-5fd132d59e70


Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Todd-Gurley-Postgame-Press-Conference---925/ebb3cb3c-3e41-49ad-a83c-bd8aadc90b65


Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Postgame-Interview-with-Ethan-Westbrooks/fab8db68-20e1-4c22-9eeb-6a1e22da0173


Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Postgame-Interview-with-Brian-Quick/2e3ae4d8-4291-4670-ac88-a9a1518b5c85

according to this bimbo at ESPN... TB won the game !!!!

Buccaneers hold off Rams despite lightning delay
9:06 PM ET

• 
  
  Jenna LaineESPN Staff Writer

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Email
• print
• comment

TAMPA, Fla -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 37-32 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Raymond James Stadium was suspended for nearly 1 hour and 10 minutes Sunday due to lightning at the two-minute mark.

Moments earlier, with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston completed an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans.

A failed two-point conversion made it 37-32.

On second-and-7 at the Rams' 9-yard line, Clinton McDonald stuffed Rams quarterback Case Keenum on a draw play for a 4-yard loss, setting up a third-and-11 from the L.A. 9-yard line. That's when the thunder kicked in, followed by gusts of wind and some debris falling from the upper decks onto the field.

The game officially resumed at 8:28, after players completed a 10-minute warmup.

How did the game go after the delay?? I had to hit the road to get back to school and couldn't wait to watch! Rams baby!!!

And gets a job as the new Planters peanut.


Meanwhile neither Harvey Peanut or his attorney were able to be reached for comment.

FUCKIN HELL YEAH!! WERE #1 IN THE NFC WEST AND WE GOT THE CARDS THIS WEEK! THAT WAS A HEART STOPPER!! GO RAMS!!

wow did they waste so much time...

You gotta make sure you get the touchdown instead of worrying how much time is left.

Bless em for doing that though.

Thanks!

Woot!

Can't watch game pass on my Xbox one. If I go through edge explorer it says adobe flash player 10.2 required and won't install. Anyone know how.

This game should be fascinating for any Rams fans that still have an interest in our old buddy, Sam Bradford. Btw fans might have problems getting in and out of the stadium...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-entrances-to-stadium-for-panthers-vs-vikings
*******************************************************************
http://www.vikings.com/news/final-t...Panthers/57e56647-54f9-444b-bed7-4d738a313886

Final Thoughts: Vikings vs. Panthers
Mike Wobschall/vikings.com

Two of the NFC’s top teams are set to do battle at Bank of America Stadium today, with the Vikings and Carolina Panthers both coming off wins last week and looking to maintain their spots atop their divisions. Kickoff is coming up quickly, so here are a few final thoughts on today’s game.

Early-down defense important for Vikings creativity

For the Vikings defense to do a number on Cam Newton today the way it did a number on Aaron Rodgers last week, it must first do a number on the Panthers early in the down and distance. Carolina has a powerful and diverse rushing attack and they will stick with it if it’s not stopped. For the Vikings defense to get creative and exotic with its sub-package tactics, it must put the Panthers offense in a position where it gets out of its base personnel and is behind schedule in the down and distance.

New-look rushing attacks

The Vikings and Panthers have long been known as teams who emphasize and excel in the rushing attack. But each team will unveil a new look in the running game this week. The Vikings will be without the best runner in the game – Adrian Peterson – and will deploy Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon in his stead. Carolina is also without its star runner – Jonathan Stewart – and will likely go with a multi-pronged approach that could start with second-year back Cameron Artis-Payne but will also include a combination of Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker.

Carolina’s attack figures to undergo the least amount of change in terms of structurer and execution, largely because QB Cam Newton is a big part of it and he’ll be in the lineup, whereas the Vikings figure to look profoundly different in the running game with Peterson sidelined and the more versatile pair of Asiata and McKinnon splitting the workload.

Linebacker showcase

If you like linebackers, you will like today’s Vikings-Panthers matchup. Carolina features as good a duo as you’ll see in the NFL with Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, plus they have an impressive youngster in Shaq Thompson. The Vikings feature a talented duo of their own with Antony Barr and Eric Kendricks, plus they can throw veteran Chad Greenway in for good measure.

The field position game

Expect the Vikings to take field position at a premium today against the Panthers. Vikings opponents have started drives inside their own 20 eight times this year, and they’ve scored zero points on those drives. The drives have ended like this: punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, downs, fumble, INT. The Panthers offense, meanwhile, has started drives inside their own 20 eight times, and has scored just one touchdown. Their drives have ended like this: TD, punt, INT, punt, fumble, punt, punt, fumble. When it comes to be decision-making time for head coach Mike Zimmer, he’ll keep field position top of mind as he makes choices on how to manage the game.

Heat could be a factor today

The forecast calls for a kickoff temperature of 84 degrees and an increase to as high as 88 degrees before today’s game should conclude, conditions that could be hot enough to be a factor for the Vikings. In our hotel interview with Ronde Barber on Saturday night, the FOX game analyst said he thinks the heat was an adverse factor for the San Francisco 49ers last week as the Panthers pulled away from them late in the 4th quarter.

Tragic news I'm at a loss for words

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/espn/status/780033846188380160

Lets get this big W today!!

Rams’ Rob Boras, bed are strangers lately

By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News

[www.dailynews.com]

TAMPA BAY >> The tossing and turning through sleepless nights has been all too prevalent these days for Rob Boras. And that’s after the Rams offensive coordinator finally pulls himself away from the game plans and play books and video clips he scours over at un-Godly hours of the night in search of some shut eye.

“What’s sleep?” Boras asked rhetorically.

He was responding to a question about the toll of the last two weeks while bearing the burden of the Rams offensive struggles.

To be blunt, he isn’t sleeping very well at all.

“I don’t think any of us are.” Boras said.

To be expected.

And as he and the Rams arrive in Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers Sunday, they are in search of answers to an offensive riddle that’s left everyone befuddled.

Continued failure to do so will eventually cause a ripple effect of consequences.

“This week is a new challenge with Tampa Bay and the guys have accepted it,” Boras said. “They recognize that we’ve fallen short.”

Who hasn’t?

The Rams have gone eight quarters without scoring a touchdown this year, the measly nine points they’ve posted coming on three field goals and representing the lowest scoring total in the National Football League.

They rank dead last in points per game, yards per game, yards per play, passing yards, first downs, third downs converted and third down conversion percentage.

Case Keenum, the game manager the Rams were counting on to provide efficiency and dependability at quarterback, has an league-worst 57.8 quarterback rating among NFL starters.

Todd Gurley, the second-year star running back, is 107th in the NFL in yards per carry at 2.7.

Tavon Austin, whom the Rams rewarded a new $42 million contract extension and worked all offseason and training camp to unleash on the NFL, has been targeted 22 times — fifth in the NFL — but is 41st in receptions and ranks 200th in yards per catch at 7.0.

Even when the Rams have strung together positive plays or mounted meaningful drives, they’ve sabotaged their goal line aspirations with silly mistakes.

“Negative plays in the red zone, whether its penalties, negative runs, sacks, those are all really big mistakes that you can’t make,” Keenum said. “You have to have a really good play to make up for those. We’ve got to get better at that, we got to get better at red zone, explosive plays, and then stringing together those plays. We had some good plays, but we couldn’t string enough together to put a drive in the end zone.”

You can twist and turn numbers and words to deliver any message you want these day, but it’s impossible not to look at the Rams’ offensive statistics and not come to a very bleak conclusion: They’ve played downright horrible so far.

And for the man in charge of it all, a coach the Rams elevated to offensive coordinator over the last four games of 2015 and then entrusted with the job full time during the offseason, it’s the source of tremendous frustration.

“That’s our job, so I’d be ignorant to say otherwise,” Boras said.

The angst is everywhere.

“We all take it personal — players and coaches,” Boras said. “We understand that’s our responsibility.”

Or, as Rams head coach Jeff Fisher put it: “Anybody that knows this game would be concerned about not scoring touchdowns, now come on. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but we need to score some touchdowns.”

Two saving graces are the source of hope — or at least provide some positivity in a high tide of negativity.

The Rams are 1-1 while playing some especially bad offense. Things would look a hell of a lot worse standing in an 0-2 hole.

And as terrible as they’ve been, two games is still an incredibly small sample size.

So there’s that, at least.

In all seriousness, there are some things trending in the right direction. You might have to look really, really hard to find them, but they’re there.

Despite not punching the ball over the goal line in Sunday’s 9-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams did drive into scoring range three times and did play sufficient situational football in order to consistently win the field position battle.

“It was a step in the right direction. Obviously, it’s just a step. We need to take bigger strides,” Boras said. “The thing we challenged everybody with is making some plays down the field, and I think you saw a combination of (Q Case (Keenum) and (TE) Lance (Kendricks), and Case and (WR) Kenny (Britt).”

The mandate for bigger plays can’t be understated. The Rams need to stretch the field more and create some big-chunk yardage plays rather than moving the ball incrementally.

“It’s hard to drive and score points four yards at a time, and the fact that we pushed the ball down the field, I thought was a good thing,” Boras said. “Even if it was defensive pass interference, we’re gaining chunks of yards.”

By doing so it will help open things up for Gurley, who is consistently running into eight- and nine-man defensive walls so far.

Of all the Rams disappointments, not getting Gurley untracked tops the list. And that falls on everyone.

“It’s a combination, right, it’s the ultimate team game, it takes 11 guys to protect the quarterback, it takes 11 guys to be able to run the football,” Boras said. “It’s just like anything, when things aren’t going well in business or in football, it’s not always the same guy. It’s one guy has a break down here, one guy might have a break down there. When we’re going to hit on 11 cylinders, which we’ve done in the past and we’re going to continue to do, you’ll see the success that we’re going to have.”

In theory, at least.

But it’s time to actually see it.

If not, the sleepless nights will continue.

I know about Firstrow, but what are the other sites that I can watch the game. Thanks in advance!


MOD EDIT:

RAMSONDEMAND does not promote or endorse any of these sites; nor do we accept any liability for viruses, malware, or ransomware that you may encounter as a result of using these external websites. As always, make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and you use care & common sense when downloading or streaming any content outside of this site.

Thank you.

Stumbled upon this. Pretty cool for us nerds out there:

Login to view embedded media

Keenum's handshake game is ON POINT.
Goff's ... not so much. lol.

Login to view embedded media View: https://vine.co/v/5vOvajg6Ij6