California Dreamin'

[Manning2Harrison]

8/2 Practice Notes

Monday was a special teams-only session, but on Tuesday the pads went on, and although Jeff Fisher put his men in a number of different situations, the offense generally got the better of the defense in just about all of them.

“We moved into the red zone today and the offense made a lot of plays, a lot of good throws, a lot of good catches,” Fisher said. “We had a lot of good work in the special teams period and got a lot of work just throwing the ball into tight areas in the red zone, which is hard. I thought all of the quarterbacks did a nice job today.”

Whether it was in two-on-one drills with QBs and wideouts vs. cornerbacks, 7-on-7, or 11-on-11 the offense was consistent in making plays.

“Everybody was just playing sound football today,” receiver Tavon Austin said. “Everybody did what they were supposed to do — nobody was extra. Our energy level was up."

“I think we just came out and competed and we had guys knowing their responsibilities. I think we worked with good tempo,” quarterback Case Keenum said. “It was a good day for us — a good day to build on. I think we set the bar and I want to get better tomorrow."

Keenum and wideout Kenny Britt connected on a number of passes, displaying their chemistry established last season. Britt caught a pass of at least 25 yards from Keenum in each of the Rams’ final four games, two of which went for touchdowns.

“Obviously, you feed off of good plays — great plays. I think they like it when you throw them touchdowns. I like it when they catch touchdowns and get open,” Keenum said. “So I think that sort of stuff builds camaraderie and … chemistry between receivers and quarterbacks.”

Keenum also had some nice throws to Austin and Brian Quick, showing good command of the first unit.

But rookie Jared Goff had a strong day with the second unit, too, displaying many of the traits that induced L.A. to trade up to No. 1 for him.

“I thought he did well. He made some really good throws — a couple, the balls should have been caught,” Fisher said. “I thought he was making really good decisions. We had a little bit of noise the last period, so they had to focus in the huddle and I thought he took charge of it. He’s progressing well.”

Fellow rookie Mike Thomas was on the receiving end of a good number of Goff’s passes, but the Cal product’s best throw of the day may have been when he uncorked a ball down the right seam to undrafted WR Nelson Spruce (Colorado), who ran it in for a touchdown. Spruce is another player who always seems to catch the ball when it’s in his orbit.

With so many receivers vying for a roster spot, Austin described the vibe in the position’s room as competitive, but in the best way possible.

“One thing I like about all of us — all of us look at it like we’re brothers,” Austin said. “Nobody is ever hating on each other. We’re always motivating the next person — especially me. I’m always motivating the next person to get better, because that’s only going to up my game.”

Althiugh the offense looked sharp on Tuesday, Fisher said the unit better come with it on Wednesday.

“I’m expecting the defense to answer a little bit tomorrow,” the head coach said. “The offense is probably going to need to strap it up a little bit tomorrow. It was a good day overall.”

[R1zzo23]

I'll definitely be following! I bought Madden 16 late last football season and only played MUT. I may look into the franchise upgrades and give that a chance.


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[Manning2Harrison]

Goff So-So In Debut

The Los Angeles Rams opened 2016 exhibition play with a 28-24 come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Cowboys, playing in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a preseason game. But not only did the Cowboys’ 4th round pick, Dak Prescott, steal the rookie QB show from LA’s Jared Goff, Goff got outplayed by incumbent starter Case Keenum and second-year man Sean Mannion. In fact, Goff got out-played by every rookie QB who saw the field during Week 1 of the preseason, including Green Bay’s Joe Callahan of Division III Wesley College. Entering the game with 9:45 left in the half, after Keenum had gone 6-of-7 for 58 yards, it only took Goff two attempts to throw a pick. While it’s true that the pass was a wounded duck due to Goff being hit in the act of throwing, Goff never even felt, much less saw, the oncoming pass-rusher. With the hit causing his non-throwing shoulder to get “a little stiff” (Jeff Fisher said) during the intermission, Goff did not see any second half action after initially being slated for the first two series of the third quarter. He finished with a stat line of 4-for-9 for 38 yards and that interception. His numbers would have been enhanced had fellow rookie Pharoh Cooper held on to a perfectly thrown ball just outside the goal line. Dallas safety J.J. Wilcox broke up the potential touchdown by jarring the ball loose. Goof took a sack on the following play, which put the Rams out of field goal range. Prior to those mishaps, he did look more comfortable in that second series, especially on his three completions to rookie tight end Tyler Higbee, two of which moved the sticks. Overall, Goff’s performance was a can of mixed nuts that received a C+ grade from former player and scout and current NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks. Brooks said that Goff “flashed some of the traits (size, arm strength, touch and anticipation) that are expected of a QB1, but he also delivered some of the mistakes (an interception and a sack) that typically accompany young quarterback play.” He added that “None of Goff's miscues are necessarily glaring, based on his transition from a spread offense to a pro-style scheme. His performance simply suggests he needs more time and reps before ascending to the top spot for the Rams.” Prescott, meanwhile, earned an A+ from Brooks, but he did have the advantage of spending some of his time behind that remarkable first team o-line, while Goff was burdened with second-teamers at best. In further comparison, Carson Wentz got a B-, Paxton Lynch an A-, and Seattle’s undrafted Trevone Boykin received a B.

With Goff’s debut stint curtailed, Mannion played the entire second half, direction the game-winning touchdown drive and finishing at 18/25 for 147yards, 3 TD’s and one interception.

Good News/Bad News: Jeff Fisher brought in undrafted rookie Nelson Spruce out of Colorado because of Spruce’s resume’ of being the Pac-12's all time receiver, believing him to be a legit sleeper signing. Prior to the Cowboys game, Spruce vindicated Fisher’s belief with impressive camp work. And he appeared to solidify his chances of making the 53-man roster by leading LA receivers with 6 catches for 51 yards and a tub. Unfortunately he also tweaked a knee (diagnosed as a strain), which will keep him out of the next one or two games, which will cost him some invaluable further on-field evaluation.

[djp73]

Mannion2Britt

[R1zzo23]

I liked Sean Mannion a lot in his early years at Oregon State but he didn't have much to work with his final two seasons. Maybe he has a chance to stick around in the NFL - perhaps with you in LA - as a backup.


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[Manning2Harrison]

Quote: Originally Posted by djp73

Mannion2Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by rhs_rizzo

I liked Sean Mannion a lot in his early years at Oregon State but he didn't have much to work with his final two seasons. Maybe he has a chance to stick around in the NFL - perhaps with you in LA - as a backup. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I was a Mannion fan as well when he was with the Beavs. Also Matt Moore, and I was pulling for Sean Canfield to make it because he and I went to the same high school.

[Manning2Harrison]

Week 1 Start Looking More Iffy For Goff

Under the right circumstances, Jared Goff can thread a needle, and it’s undeniable that he possesses the physical attributes one expects of a franchise quarterback. But having the best tools in the world means nothing if you don’t know how to use them. Many are the tales of woe of studly college QB’s who didn’t have what it takes between the ears to master the game at its highest level. In the Rams’ 21-20 preaseason week 2 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the first pick of the 2016 draft mostly struggled, despite getting to play his first two series with the first team offense, further solidifying Case Keenum’s chances of retaining the starting job through opening day.

After Keenum directed a pair of touchdown drives, going 4-for-5 for 53 yards and a score, Goff came in and fired a dart to Brian Quick, but the inattentive receiver did not make the catch. That may have rattled Goff, but elite signal-callers routinely shake off much worse than that. On the next snap, he tried to step up in the pocket but tripped over one of his own blockers, losing a fumble that was converted into enemy points. In the following series he lost the ball again, fumbling out of bounds. His internal clock should have told him to throw the ball away instead. Fortunately that did not result in a turnover, as the ball tumbled out of bounds. He also dropped a snap, bringing to mind the under-center issues prominent in the first episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. “Overwhelmed” would be a good description of Goff for the duration of the first half, and he really didn’t find a groove until the fourth quarter, but by then he was facing third- and fourth-stringers on the KC defense. Even on his first TD pass of the preseason, the lion’s share of the credit goes to running back Malcom Brown, who made a spectacular one-handed catch. Not all the shame falls on Goff, however, as conservative play-calling did him no credit. The Chiefs quickly diagnosed a lack of downfield routes and began sitting on the short ones, leaving Goff with small windows to try to force his passes into. A stat line of 8-for-12 for 82 yards and a TD doesn’t look bad on paper, but on the field Goff looked like his top floor was mostly unoccupied. Perhaps the team should have determined prior to the draft, rather than after it, whether Goff knew where the sun rises and sets. That’s something which shouldn’t be a mystery to a player you make your first round pick not only of this year, but of 2017 as well.

[Manning2Harrison]

Finally got my first test game in, using Flazko's sliders. Those look to be a very good starting point for me as I was mostly pleased by the numbers, especially on the CPU side. I did think the game was too high-scoring though. Hopefully that was an aberration and not a function of 15 min. quarters (I didn't do a play count). I'd really like to stay with 15 min. quarters but I also don't want to drop the clock runoff below 12. Also it was preseason and those game always seem to play differently for me. One of the things I was particularly happy with was only 2 sacks per team. Sacks might have been fixed last year but keep in mind I skipped 16. Anyway I'm very optimistic about being able to start as soon as the 53-man roster update is available.