Hello everyone, I come in peace Just wondering for those who are not able to make it to the game this Sunday, do you know of any good Rams meet up spots/bars preferably in Orange County? I am a Seahawks fan but I think it would be fun to talk with some opposing fans this week. Any help is appreciated!

Just announced on Facebook with this photo. The team will wear the blue and yellow throwbacks. I'm now a bit more excited for this game.

The next three games are rough man. Seattle, @ Tampa, and @ Arizona. Tampa looks like a playoff team to me right now with Winston in year 2 playin like a boss, and we embarrassed them last season. Right now I think Fish is praying that Keenum plays well enough to get them through those games and to week five.

Why week five? Because we have Buffalo, then @ Detroit, and Giants, followed by the bye week.

Now, IF Keenum sucks on Sunday? Well, I'd guess they insert the kid in the @ Tampa game and let him settle in there before going to Arizona.

Keenum is playing for his job this Sunday IMO. Fish needs him to show up and play well or he's done.

If I remember correctly, there was a punt in the 2nd half, and Austin received it at the 30, and ended up going out of bounds at the 34. There was a penalty (I believe holding), against us, and after the break we got the ball on the 13 yard line. I couldn't figure out how the hell that happened.

Obviously, it had no bearing on the game, I am only asking out of curiosity, What did I miss?

To read all the picks click the link below.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/15/pfts-week-two-picks-7/

Seahawks at Rams

MDS’s take: The Rams have played well against the Seahawks in recent years, but it won’t happen this time. This Rams team looks awful.

MDS’s pick: Seahawks 20, Rams 7.

Florio’s take: Pete Carroll returns to the Coliseum facing a Rams team that could have a hard time against the best editions of his Trojans.

Florio’s pick: Seahawks 23, Rams 13.

It seems the Vikings are having issues finding their #1 WR also. See the 2 articles below. We are not the only team that can't seem to get the WR position right.

http://www.startribune.com/laquon-t...sunday-ive-never-been-through-this/393428911/

Laquon Treadwell on not playing Sunday: 'I've never been through this'
Treadwell said coach Mike Zimmer told him before the Titans game that, barring an injury, he would not have a role on offense during his own NFL debut.

By Matt Vensel

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 — 12:27PM

Laquon Treadwell hardly allowed a reporter to finish asking when the last time was that he was a healthy scratch before the rookie wide receiver, who was active but did not play in Week 1, blurted out, “Never.”

“It was more mentally challenging,” he said. “But you’ve got to go through it, create some fuel, I guess, to play harder. I don’t know. I’ve never been through this. I’ll just come in and work harder and get better.”

Even though starting split end Charles Johnson caught only one pass for five yards in the 25-16 win against the Titans, the Vikings did not give a single snap to Treadwell, the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft.

Coach Mike Zimmer explained Monday that he “still has work to do.”

Zimmer pointed to fellow wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who did not suit up the first three games of his 2015 rookie season and then exploded in his NFL debut, as an example of playing a rookie when the time is right.

But Treadwell wasn’t interested in comparing their experiences today.

“We’re two different people, though,” the 21-year-old said. “Everybody’s situation is different. Everybody’s situation is different. You’ve just got to keep getting better and go along with the team, keep competing.”

Treadwell said Zimmer told him before the Titans game that, barring an injury, he would not have a role on offense during his own NFL debut.

“We had a brief conversation,” he said. “But it’s part of the game. It’s his call. You’ve got to go with it and keep getting better every week.”

So what does Treadwell feel he needs to do to earn playing time?

“Just be me and continue to compete and get better,” Treadwell said. “That’s all I can do. My role will come whenever they give it to me.”
************************************************************************************************************************
http://www.startribune.com/but-find...has-become-elusive-for-the-vikings/393345141/

Finding a star receiver has become elusive for Vikings
If Stefon Diggs hadn't turned into a quality player in short order, the Vikings would be in deeper trouble at the position. Even with Diggs producing, the Vikings' real-world pecking order is worrisome.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 — 12:39PM
by JIM SOUHAN

For decades the Packers have been defined by long-lasting Hall of Fame quarterbacks who produced four Super Bowl victories, and the Vikings for fearsome defensive linemen and talented receivers who have not been able to elevate their teams in the biggest games.

Sunday, when the best rivalry in Minnesota plays for the first time at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings will find themselves in a predicament that once would have been unthinkable but now is the norm. They keep striking out on receivers, meaning the franchise of Ahmad Rashad, Anthony Carter, Jake Reed, Cris Carter and Randy Moss is remarkably dependent on a fifth-round draft pick in his second season who spent his first three NFL games on the inactive list.


Stefon Diggs quickly became the Vikings’ go-to receiver last season and was clearly their top receiver in their opening victory at Tennessee, which is strange, given the resources the team has spent trying to land someone with a more impressive pedigree.

In the past five years, the Vikings have:

• Signed Greg Jennings away from the Packers to give Christian Ponder a quality receiver. That didn’t work out well for Jennings, Ponder or the Vikings, while the Packers easily replaced Jennings.


• Traded for Miami’s Mike Wallace to give Teddy Bridgewater a deep threat. The threat remained idle as Wallace and Bridgewater missed connections on a dozen deep passes in 2015.

• Traded into the first round to draft raw Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who has caught three passes in his past 17 games.

• Signed former fourth-round pick Jarius Wright to a four-year, $14.8 million contract extension, believing they had found their slot receiver. Wright was a healthy scratch Sunday as undrafted free agent Adam Thielen turned into the Vikings’ second-most effective receiver.

If Diggs hadn’t turned into a quality player in short order, the Vikings would be in deeper trouble at the position. Even with Diggs producing, the Vikings’ real-world pecking order is worrisome.

Diggs is their best receiver, and has a chance to become the first Viking to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Sidney Rice in 2009.


Thielen, too often dismissed as a special-teams player who can play a little receiver, might be their second-best option. He looked impressive Sunday and runs sharp routes.

Which Vikings receiver deserves more playing time? Vote here

In a league that favors three-receiver sets, the Vikings do not have a third wideout who inspires confidence.

Patterson is unreliable.

Wright has either fallen out of favor with the coaching staff or has simply been beaten out by the more versatile Thielen, even though Wright’s reputation as a worker and contributor always has been exemplary.


Charles Johnson looked to be Bridgewater’s favorite receiver at the end of the 2014 season and in the summer of 2015.

A rib injury has been used to excuse his invisibility in 2015, but Sunday he once again struggled to get open.

Laquon Treadwell, not Thielen, was supposed to become a complement or superior to Diggs in the starting lineup, but Treadwell did not have a good training camp and did not run an offensive play on Sunday. Perhaps he’s a project who will mature into a good player, but the Vikings’ recent history at the position begs skepticism. If Treadwell couldn’t crack this lineup, he is raw as sushi.

The 32 NFL teams produced only two 100-yard rushers in Week 1. The NFL is and will be a passing league. No. 1 receivers are vital because they either produce big numbers, command extra coverage, or both. Without Diggs, the Vikings would have no one close to qualifying for the job.

Aaron Rodgers might be the league’s best all-around quarterback. Last year, robbed of Jordy Nelson, he posted the worst quarterback rating of his career as a starter. Randall Cobb didn’t handle Nelson’s role well, and Davante Adams made the Packers regret passing on Jacksonville’s spectacular Allen Robinson.


Lead receivers are vital. Only Diggs’ surprising ascension has given the Vikings a receiver they can nominate for the position.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/09/15/nfl-quarterbacks-jameis-winston-marcus-mariota-notebook



The Truth About Young QBs
by Albert Breer
Week 1 competency is great for new players, but it’s hardly a predictor of success. Checking in with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, plus more on the Bengals, Adam Gase and what game day is like for an NFL agent

A year ago, Marcus Mariota gave then-Titans offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey a debut that he won’t ever forget.

The second pick in the 2015 draft posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating and that doesn’t even paint the full Picasso here. Mariota hit on 13 of his 15 throws for 209 yards, four touchdowns and no picks in a 42-14 win over Tampa Bay.

“That was quite a game,” Mularkey, now the head coach in Nashville, said Wednesday afternoon. “We didn’t throw much and we won by a lot. We didn’t put a ton of pressure on him. We just asked him to make plays, and guys made plays around him. It was impressive. He certainly wasn’t intimidated by the atmosphere.”

Fun afternoon for the Titans too, but how much could it really tell us? As I’m gonna lay out for you momentarily … not much.

Just like last season, Week 1 was a blast this time around for young quarterbacks, setting up Week 2 for all of us. And so we’ll get to the Bengals taking another shot at the Steelers, Adam Gase getting guys on his program in Miami, some summer trade fallout, a college quarterback to keep an eye on and so much more.


Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston met Week 1 last season, with the Titans beating the Bucs.
We start, though, with the explosion onto the scene of a bunch of young gunslingers. Carson Wentz was third-string nine days before the Eagles opener, and looked as good as any quarterback in the league, except maybe Jimmy Garoppolo, who quieted months of questions by helping slay a monster in Arizona. Trevor Siemian came up big when it mattered most, and Dallas coaches had Dak Prescott throw it 45 times.

Afterwards, for better or worse, there was bound to be some brake-pumping—It’s only one game—coming out of each of those teams. You should listen to that. Seriously.

I decided to look a little closer by examining the 14 first-round quarterbacks who started their team’s openers as rookies. (I know Garoppolo and Siemian aren’t rookies, and Prescott isn’t a first-rounder, but this simplified things.) What I found was, well, not a whole lot to hang your hat on. Here they are, sorted by passer rating, in those openers.

QB, Team Comp-Att Yds TD INT Rating
Marcus Mariota, TEN 13-15 209 4 0 158.3
Robert Griffin, WSH 19-26 320 2 0 139.9
Matt Ryan, ATL 9-13 161 1 0 137.0
Cam Newton, CAR 24-37 422 2 1 110.4
EJ Manuel, BUF 18-27 150 2 0 105.5
Carson Wentz, PHI 22-37 278 2 0 101.0
Mark Sanchez, NYJ 18-31 272 1 1 84.3
Jameis Winston, TB 16-33 210 2 2 64.0
Joe Flacco, BAL 15-29 129 0 0 63.7
Sam Bradford, STL 32-55 253 1 3 53.1
Andrew Luck, IND 23-45 309 1 3 52.9
Ryan Tannehill, MIA 20-36 219 0 3 39.0
Matt Stafford, DET 16-37 205 0 3 27.4
Brandon Weeden, CLE 12-35 118 0 4 5.1

Starting in Week 1 is tough for any young guy, but the truth in these numbers—Griffin was better than almost anyone; Manuel and Sanchez were better than Flacco and Luck—is that the degree of difficulty keeps rising, and swallows whole plenty of promising careers.

“The biggest challenge is that it really is different every week,” Mularkey said. “The defenses they’re facing—you got people coming in all different directions, different fronts, personnel, coverages, strengths and weakness. In the NFL vs. college, there’s just so many differences week-in and week-out, and that’s tough. There’s more time leading to the first game, so there’s that too.

“You don’t spend as much time on 2, 3,or 4. You spend a lot of time on 1. And then, they throw you into a regular season week, where you have to do all of it in a condensed amount of time. That’s jarring for a young player.”

So maybe the best way to gauge the difference, in current terms, is to take a look at the most recent examples. Those are in Tennessee and Tampa.

And we can start with Winston, who didn’t puke on his shoes in last year’s opener, but clearly was out dueled by Mariota in a showdown between 2015’s first two picks. In his 2016 opener, Winston was appreciably better, going 23-of-32 for 281 yards and four touchdowns, against a single pick, in a 31-24 win in Atlanta.

Even better, Winston made three-dimensional the improvements that he and QBs coach Mike Bajakian were working. Winston sunk weeks into honing his drop technique and becoming more efficient moving within the pocket. Done and done in Week 1, per his position coach. And Winston also focused on being more willing to check down. Touchdown passes to Charles Sims and Brandon Myers came on, yes, checkdowns.

“Those might not have been plays he’d have made last year,” Bajakian explained.

Winston also showed more command. Where quarterbacks often are given two or three options on each snap, based on what the defense shows them, Winston flashed the ability Sunday to go off the script completely.

“We give him some parameters, and he did a good job of recognizing those times against unscouted looks, when he had to take over,” Bajakian said. “When it comes to the mental side, Jameis is outstanding.”

As for Mariota, his numbers weren’t as gaudy in this year’s opener, and the Titans didn’t win. But the growth was most certainly there in his 25-of-41, 271-yard, two-touchdown, one-pick start to his sophomore season.

Mariota went through more than the typical rookie quarterback does in Year 1. “He had to learn to play through injuries, he really wasn’t healthy the whole year after Week 2, and he learned they can change coaches in midseason, and that’s not an excuse to be distracted,” Mularkey said. And Mariota came out of it with a solid base.

Mularkey and new offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie have cut down the volume in the offense, and given Mariota more control at the line. And the lessons he’s learned aren’t all that different than what the Bucs have taught Winston. Chiefly, it’s been learning when to take chances, and when to play it safe, which showed up in the opener.

“He got us out of a bad situation by throwing it away. There was a bust on a play, it was an option, and there was nowhere to go, and he just threw it out of bounds,” Mularkey said. “In the past, he tried to make more of those. So he did it in the first half, and then he didn’t on one play in the second half, and it cost us a touchdown. But I know he won’t do that again. …

“The big thing is, if we’re in a bad situation, give us a chance to get out of it.”

So obviously, this now keeps moving forward for all the young guys who showed up big in their debuts last weekend. Stepping on that stage is hard for anyone, and harder for quarterbacks. But as we’ve learned, and those guys are about to find out, sustaining a strong start is even more difficult.

“The biggest difference for the college guys coming to the pros, and what they realize, is it’s a really long season,” Bajakian said. “The mental grind, the physical grind, you have to be tough. So whether or not they make it is as much how a player responds to the 16-game season with a four-game preseason and camp starting in July before it. …

“Even for Jameis last year, starting out he had a couple games with multiple turnovers, then 4-5 games in, he hit his stride, and it’s tough to keep that going.”

We’ll find out soon if Wentz and Siemian and Garoppolo and Prescott can.

(On if anything stood out about the inability to run the ball consistently yesterday)

“Well they didn’t let us – they weren’t going to let us – their whole defense was setup to that. We had, probably, a half-dozen runs that were close to getting unblocked to the safety with Todd, it’s just that close. Their commitment was to stop the run and then try to get us to make the plays outside. But we wanted to stay with the run because it’s the run game that helps you get the plays outside.”

"....we wanted to STAY WITH THE RUN....""??? NO SH!T...!!!! The 49ers knew that, i knew that, you knew that, my cat knew that !!!

EDIT

Just to lighten up things and get our minds back on the game we love. We are fans and no one can change what has happened. Poke fun at the team or yourself or anything to get your current state back to the now. Instead of 16-0, now our ceiling is 15-1. Seattle only scored 12 more points than the Rams. Come on group hug everybody :grouphug:

This is a public service announcement!


View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1569759766?ref_=pig_2k9m6lm3291jnnl0mm123a33lm3e&tag=hydfbook0e-20&ascsubtag=pfb-P01-V01-O3-B110

Mad respect for this guy, btw. One of the best personalities in the media in my opinion:

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/MikeSilver/status/776275898119053312


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Rams' Case Keenum was "seeing ghosts" in season-opening flop


GREG BEACHAM (AP Sports Writer)•Sep 15, 2016, 1:04 PM



View photos
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Case Keenum (17) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. The 49ers won 28-0. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Case Keenum waited five years to begin an NFL season as a starting quarterback. When he finally got the chance with the Los Angeles Rams, his first start was haunting.

''I think that I was seeing ghosts,'' Keenum said Wednesday. ''I was seeing things that weren't there. I wasn't trusting myself and my abilities. I tried too hard.''

And now Keenum's job status is increasingly tenuous after just one week.

The Rams can't wait much longer to cure the profound offensive ineptitude of their opening 28-0 loss to San Francisco. Their official homecoming game against the Seattle Seahawks looms Sunday, and Keenum likely must improve sharply and quickly to persuade the Rams not to play No. 1 pick Jared Goff immediately.

Keenum's 17-for-35 performance for 130 yards and two interceptions was just one faulty part of a creaky Los Angeles offense that produced 10 punts and a turnover on downs.

With the 49ers loading up their run defense while daring Keenum and his receivers to beat them, the Rams were the only NFL team that couldn't score a point on opening weekend, and they couldn't even get in the red zone. The Rams went 3 for 15 on third downs, with Keenum repeatedly throwing to receivers who weren't far enough downfield to move the sticks.

''Case, he made some plays, and then missed some opportunities,'' coach Jeff Fisher said. ''But every game you watch, quarterbacks are missing opportunities. We have to just make sure we take advantage of those opportunities when they're there.''

Keenum believes the solution to the Rams' problems centers on confidence - specifically his own.

''Just trust what you see and let it fly,'' Keenum said. ''That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to trust ... my protection, my mechanics, my rules, my footwork, and trust what I see. Trust the guys out there.''

Kenny Britt had four catches for 67 yards - more receiving yardage than all of his teammates combined. Even Britt realizes the Rams can't rely on the passing game to win.

''We have to do what we do best: Run the ball and run it well,'' Britt said. ''That will loosen it up on the outside, and we can take a couple of shots downfield and take that eighth man out of the box.''

The results weren't exactly a surprise after the Rams finished 32nd in the NFL in total offense and passing offense last season, and then didn't anything in the offseason beyond rookies Tyler Higbee, who started at tight end, and Goff. Fisher said he still hasn't decided whether Goff will move up to become the backup quarterback Sunday.

Fisher said the Rams' new play-caller, offensive coordinator Rob Boras, emerged from the game frustrated with himself. The Rams continually failed to create running room for Todd Gurley, and that problem is only likely to get worse against Seattle's vaunted defense, which limited Miami to 10 points in its defense-dominated opener.

Gurley didn't participate in the Rams' brief workout Wednesday after carrying the ball 17 times for 47 yards in the opener. The Rams barely used Gurley in the preseason to keep him healthy, but his fresh legs weren't much good against a San Francisco defense that smothered him, particularly between the tackles.

Britt attributed many of the Rams' problems to opening-night jitters. After eight months of uncertainty and moving, the regular season's arrival might have caught the Rams thinking too much instead of playing instinctive football.

''That will change up this week,'' Britt said. ''You realize it's only the first game, and everybody is always overexcited when you come into the first game. You don't want to overthink stuff. You don't want to miss stuff. You don't want to see one thing and then miss the next thing, so I know things will calm down for all of us.''

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

I have been hearing about this guy for a while, although he has only been the HC at Houston for 2 years. Dude has his little school beating good schools from the Big Boy Conferences. He is 14-1 as Head Coach, and his team's performance may push it's way into a "Power Conference", in which case his boss (UO), will give him $5 million bonus. He's young and he's relevant, and gets out a lot from his squad of players vs supposed superior football programs. Sounds attractive to me as a possible HC for the Rams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...0acea4-751e-11e6-be4f-3f42f2e5a49e_story.html

LA Rams Film Room Review: Week One At San Francisco 49ers

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2016/9...film-room-review-week-one-san-francisco-49ers

"Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is outsmarting himself."

There is a Jeff Fisher approval poll at the bottom of the linked article if anyone would like to ask Jeff Fisher "WTF was that?"

For the first time in the decade, Buck & Aikman will be commentating for us. The last time these two commentated for us was in 2008 against the New York Giants, week 2 (coincidentally) when Holt was playing his last year with us, Bulger was still under center, and Linehan was our HC.

My thoughts: I was critical of Buck's commentary back then for being lackluster in showing any emotions. Many fans still despise him for that disgusting act by Randy Moss years back as well as the lack of passion for commentating the 2008 Super Bowl, especially during that Tyree catch. Fast forward to 2010, he was on the verge of losing his job as a commentator. Since getting help, he's improved exponentially and I believe his commentary in recent years does an excellent job representing primetime football on FOX; there's been more passion in his tone when big plays occur and I definitely can appreciate improvement from someone who's been rather monotone before. Haven't made much observations on Aikman but I would say his color commentary is good too, keeping the Cowboy homer to a dull roar.

If I recall also, he also burned Stan K hard prior to moving to LA, I look forward to hearing those angry rants; if you're going to talk about this subtopic, please do not derail this into an LA vs StL thread, feel free to lock this topic mods if it gets out of hand. Other than that, your thoughts, comments, favorite NFL commentators?

Head Coach Jeff Fisher, 9/14

(Opening remarks)
“You’ve heard of the 24-hour rule. If you haven’t, and you’re new to this, I’ll explain to you what it is. We basically have this philosophy, and everybody does, that you get 24 hours to get this thing over with, and corrected, and done. In this case, I gave them a 22-hour rule, because we got a short week. We’re just wrapping up with the players now at 5:00 p.m. We’re correcting things and looking at tape, and see what happens, and then we go on; we have to move on. Everybody is sleep deprived, but that’s a part of the Monday Night game. So, the coaches have already got a good start on our next opponent. I did ask the players, just to take an extra half hour…so maybe it’s an 22.5-hour (rule), and go back and reflect; make sure that we did everything possible that we possibly could do last week. That’s about preparation, and everything. Players are resilient, they bounce back. They’re excited about this challenge this coming weekend.

“As far as the game is concerned, you don’t win games converting 3-of-15 on third down, You don’t win games with 10 penalties, seven on defense. Not rushing the football, not scoring points, giving up too many big plays. There were some really good things in the game. Great, tremendous efforts, tremendous plays, in all three phases. Let me remind you, this is not a preseason game. This is a regular season game, and we didn’t do enough to win the game. So, you learn from it and you move on. From an injury standpoint, we came through it healthy, which is encouraging. Everybody is in good shape.

(On what disappointed him the most about last night’s game)
“It was the constant inability to get back into the game. We had opportunities. When we were third-and-3, we called a timeout, avoided the delay of game, got the first down, and then we get the penalty. We get (RB) Todd (Gurley) has the penalty. So now, we’re back out 15 yards, and we throw the interception. We had opportunities to get back in the game; we just never capitalized on it.”

(On his thoughts regarding last night not looking like a Jeff Fisher coached team)
“We didn’t. We expected to go in there and compete, and win the football game. I didn’t expect to go in there and get beat 28-0. Yes, you have to go back and look at it. Offensively, we couldn’t make plays. It’s a combination of bad decisions at the quarterback position, and drops at the receiver position. When you look at games like this, what happens is…I’ll take, for example, the offensive line. You’ve got five guys up there that are going to grade out really well, in a loss, but each one of them had a mistake. If you add those five mistakes in critical situations, that costs you a third-down conversion, that costs you an opportunity to score. We had mistakes; we had too many mistakes at different positions at different times, it added up.”

(On if he’s concerned about the decision-making of his leaders, in regards to the Gurley and DT Aaron Donald penalties)
“That’s a great point. We addressed it today. Todd was a little frustrated when he flipped the ball past the official and it landed in the hands of an opponent. Sometimes that’s called, and that’s not called. The learning experience from that is just give it to him, put it on the ground. When they scored their final touchdown, their tight end spiked the ball right in front of three of our defensive players; that was not called. So, that in itself is also a learning experience for our guys. Now with respect to Aaron, Aaron was playing really hard, and there was some chirping going on in that little scrum. He shouldn’t have done it, but he kind of pushed (WR Quinton Patton) 11 away, who I am fond of, I think he’s a really good player, I’ve known him since he was about this big, he played at Nashville. So, the helmet comes off; so now things start. The officiating department got involved. One of the officials put his hands on Aaron, and Aaron, just didn’t know him, he just slapped hands down, so that’s what he was ejected for. The helmet coming off was a result of the ejection, which I disagree with. The helmet doesn’t come off if he’s not ejected. He does have a 15-yard penalty, which is not acceptable. When you have time to look at it and be realistic, that’s how those things play out. But, we addressed it. These are two captains that had significant penalties in this game, and we just can’t have that.”

(On if anything stood out about the inability to run the ball consistently yesterday)
“Well they didn’t let us – they weren’t going to let us – their whole defense was setup to that. We had, probably, a half-dozen runs that were close to getting unblocked to the safety with Todd, it’s just that close. Their commitment was to stop the run and then try to get us to make the plays outside. But we wanted to stay with the run because it’s the run game that helps you get the plays outside.”

(On if he has made a decision regarding whether QB Sean Mannion or QB Jared Goff will be the backup on Sunday)
“No I haven’t, I will. And there’s that chance, too (that Goff is the backup). He’s pushing along; this whole experience for Jared was good – not good for our team, but good for him to see all this. We’ll decide later in the week.”

(On if he was aware that DE Robert Quinn and WR Kenny Britt were going to raise their fists during the National Anthem)
“I was not aware of that and I still haven’t seen it and I haven’t addressed it with them yet. But they have the right, they totally have the right and I get the issue. I think what we’ve done and what the organizational philosophy, with respect to the anthem, is well-known. They have the right to do that. I think there’s a difference between what they did and sitting down or kneeling down or sitting on the bench and things like that. But they have that right and I respect that.”

(On the kind of game he thought offensive coordinator Rob Boras called and if they were trying to get the ball up the field more)
“As a head coach, as coordinators, we all second-guess ourselves after it’s all said and done. Rob was not happy with himself, but a lot of it was dictated by what the defense was doing and by what we were trying to do. We wanted to get the run-game going, we needed to get the run-game going. We felt that, even at halftime being down two scores, we felt (that) we just needed to take balance in this game and make some plays and get some points and we’ll find a way to win this. As I mentioned to you in the past, Rob did an outstanding job calling plays the last four or five weeks (of last season) when I put him in a difficult position – he’s a good playcaller, we just didn’t execute for him.”

(On if he has to massage egos or if the team was down on themselves today)
“There’s the actual sense of disappointment and frustration, but you have got to push that out, you have got to eliminate that and come back ready to work. Our challenge, which we talked to them about, was we’re on a short week already, so we’re back tomorrow. And today we’re trying to recover, so tomorrow’s going to be a mental day and we have to get everybody back in the swing of things, physically. Yeah, we talked about it. Players are different than coaches – my job is to go back down the hall and get the coaches going because losses linger much longer with coaches than they do players. Players wake up in the morning and go ‘Oh, shoot, who are we playing this week?’ But, you also have to go into detail, like we said, about what happened.”

(On starting G Cody Wichmann at right guard and the rotation during the game)
“Yeah, our plan going in was to let them both play – Cody and ‘J.B.’ (G Jamon Brown). We’ll probably settle into one or the other by the end of the week. But you’re very observant, they both played and they both had a moment, but they also both did some really good things there. In addition to that, I was really pleased with (T) Rob (Havenstein) – once he settled down after the first quarter, it was really good to have Rob back at the right tackle spot.”

(On Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll coming back to the Los Angeles Coliseum after coaching at USC for a number of years and if addresses the type of reception he expects Carroll to get)
“I would like to think that we would have a significant home-field advantage there. From a personal standpoint, I’m excited – this is our home opener here. We’re disappointed what happened last night, but as the week goes on, the enthusiasm and excitement is going to grow. As far as Pete is concerned, I could see the emotions that Pete is going to go through. He and I have been doing this a long time, this is about our teams competing and finding a way to win the game. I’m sure he’ll have an emotional moment. I may bring him into my office – which was his old office – and let him see it.”

(On how to not allow a defeat like this to define the team)
“It’s pretty simple, if you beat them down all week because we got beat, you have really little chance of having success the next week. You have to learn from it and move on. It’s, again, what I said earlier – they’re resilient, they come back. Everybody is either 1-0 or 0-1 right now, our focus is on Week 2 and that’s what gives you a chance. It’s a good group, they’re disappointed, they’re disappointed in each other but they’re together. The defense understands that they’re going to need the offense and the offense understands that they’re going to need the defense and special teams will balance it out. They’re together right now and they’re ready to compete this week and get ready.”

(On what advice he will give the team about shutting down the outside noise that will be talked about for the rest of the week and focus on the upcoming game)
“Well that’s okay, it’s talked about in every NFL city. Teams are winning and hey, they’re going to the playoffs. Teams lose and they’re not going to the playoffs – it’s doom and gloom. You don’t get caught up with that, you just focus on what you’re doing – turn to each other and have fun and prepare.”

(On if there’s a little bit of advantage to playing a team that you have had recent success against after just suffering a loss)
“I don’t know if there’s an advantage or not. My job, as the head coach, and our jobs as a staff is to get them ready to play and respect this opponent because they’re highly-talented. I think Miami is a good football team and for them to hang in there and find a way, even with (Seahawks QB) Russell’s (Wilson) ankle situation, to find a way to win that game is impressive. We’re just going to prepare. We’re familiar with them, they’re familiar with us; we respect them, they respect us. I love watching them play – the Seahawks – because they play hard, Pete does a great job and fortunately, we’ve had some success against them.”

I hope we win 6 straight starting this Sunday but ... I'm asking your honest opinion.
If we start off 0-4 do you think Kroenke pulls the plug on Fisher and fires him instantly?
I don't see how he could keep his job at 0-4 in year five.

Or what about the bye week? We will have played 7 games.
What Win-Loss record do you feel it would take to fire Fisher at the bye week?

I'm thinking 2-5 would make it happen.

Check out @MylesASimmons's Tweet: Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/MylesASimmons/status/776217842102505472?s=09

for some QB school or training program? Which QB did he think the Rams should have taken #1? And was Fisher the only thing that kept Weinke from having Goff ready for week 1? Was Goff forced on Weinke?

I was really in hopes that Weinke was hired to make up for Fishers short comings as far as getting a QB ready to start his NFL career, but if that was the case why didnt he tell Fisher the best way to get him ready for the NFL was to give him as many preseason reps with the 1s as possible?

First post here. Rams fan for 45 years located near Toronto. I was sorry to see the Rams leaves St. Louis but going back to LA was about the best possible outcome.

Like every one else, incredibly bummed out by the horrible first game. Some things I can take in stride but some things I can't. I've been a Fisher supporter throughout but that game convinced me that perhaps his time is up. I can't see him being let go however.

I don't worry about Todd Gurley's mediocre night. His numbers would be better if the passing game was remotely working and if they could have kept the score close. In a close game he can just keep pounding the ball and eventually dominate a tired defense. In theory anyway.

The one specific TD play that I mention though is the 49'ers 3rd TD. The ball was caught right at the goal line. It seemed quite clear that the receiver's knee was down before he rotated his body to put the ball over the goal line. I was screaming for Fisher to challenge. Is there something obvious here I am missing as to why they wouldn't? At 14-0 the game was still viable. At 21-0 it was over.

The lack of vertical passing is very disturbing. Did they even take one shot down the field in any of the four exhibition games? I hope Pharoh Cooper can contribute here at some point.

On the bright side, GRob had no false starts and there were no injuries. Let's hope we can keep up our magic against Seattle.

Thank you.

Keenum is basically the starter because he has a better grasp of the offense from a mental stand point. But does that out weigh the physical limitations he has as far as throwing the ball? Both Mannion and Goff have far superior arms than Keenum. I mean how far behind can they be at grasping that amateur offense the Rams trotted out Monday night? Are you telling me the 49er defense learned the Rams offense more thoroughly and in less time than the Rams 2 backup QB's have been able too? I find that hard to believe.

The only upside to starting Keenum over the other two is that Mannion or Goff won't get injured. Honestly I'd rather have one of the other guys make some mental mistakes but offset that by making some good throws.
Throws Keenum will never be able to make no mater how well he knows the offense. I see zero advantage starting Keenum if the O the rams plan on running is like what we saw on Monday.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2016/9...-coach-jeff-fisher-forced-to-draft-jared-goff

On the Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM Radio yesterday, former NFL and USC star WR Keyshawn Johnson said that according to his “outside and inside people”, Los Angles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher was “forced” to draft 2016 NFL Draft #1 overall pick Jared Goff (key quote starts at 38:57 mark):

Johnson: Well, I think [Jared Goff’s benching] is about everybody. I think it’s the people that have to get Jared Goff prepared. I think it’s about the individuals that made the decision to draft him, whether it was Kevin Demoff or whether it was Les Snead with a little bit of help from Jeff Fisher.

From my outside people and the inside people that I know with the Rams, that wasn’t the choice that Jeff Fisher really wanted. I think he was basically forced to draft Jared Goff.

Smith: Who did he want?

Johnson: I think he wanted more players. I think he wanted more players because he felt that he could be more competitive with more players, but they felt they needed to make a splash moving into Los Angeles and drafting a quarterback.

Look. I don’t care what anybody say, and I say this all the time. I’ve seen Jared Goff for three years. Three years out here in the Pac-12. I like him. He’s a nice kid, but he wouldn’t have been my #1 overall pick. He just wouldn’t have been. He doesn’t give me...

This isn’t Andrew Luck or Cam Newton we’re talking about. You don’t move up to take this type of guy.


The evaluation of Goff? That’s secondary.

Consider the charge Johnson is making here. That the Rams forced their head coach, who has been reportedly in charge of personnel decisions since being hired in 2012, to trade up to the #1 overall spot to draft a quarterback not on the merits of his football capability, but to “make a splash” following the relocation of the franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

That’s a damning accusation. It suggests that the Rams aren’t sincerely trying to field the best football team possible. It reinforces the suggestion I’ve made that the Rams don’t prioritize winning, but does so in much more deleterious fashion.

What Johnson is suggesting is that not only do the Rams not prioritize winning, but they’re actively subverting their chances at winning to “make a splash,” to sell fans on style over substance.

Keep in mind, this is a franchise that posted the worst offense in the NFL by several metrics and kept that offense in tact, save for former leading receiver TE Jared Cook and ex-starting QB Nick Foles. Their entire starting offense for Week 1 of 2016 was comprised of members of the NFL’s worst offense in 2015. Why? Because the Rams didn’t have the draft capital to address the offense in any meaningful way after trading up to get Jared Goff. They’ve tossed in their first-round and third-round picks from the 2017 NFL Draft as well meaning this year’s offense, which started the season by putting up a shutout in San Francisco on Monday, is unlikely to get much substantial capital support through next year’s draft.


It’s one hell of an accusation that I’m eager to see media follow up on.

Johnson is part of a new morning show for ESPNLA 710AM, Los Angeles’ ESPN Radio affiliate, with Jorge Sedano and columnist LZ Granderson debuting a week from today.

http://www.footballzebras.com/2016/09/13/week-2-referee-assignments-2016/

Week 2 referee assignments
by Ben Austro

Sunday, Sept. 18

Seahawks at Rams — Jerome Boger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Boger

Boger served as referee for a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans during the 2006 season. In the third quarter of the game, Titans' defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth was ejected for stomping on the head of Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode.

Boger also served as referee in 2006 in a Monday Night game where the Chicago Bears defeated the Arizona Cardinals in one of the greatest comebacks in league history.

During a 2011 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Rams, Boger was announcing a holding penalty against Rams' offensive tackle Harvey Dahl, when his open microphone picked up Dahl proclaiming "That's not fucking holding!" The obscenity was not only broadcast to the crowd at the Edward Jones Dome, but to the television audience watching on CBS as well. Dahl was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for his profane rant.

Boger was chosen to be the referee of Super Bowl XLVII, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on February 3, 2013, only the second African-American to do so behind Mike Carey five years earlier. His selection sparked some controversy: several other NFL officials questioned the leagues' officiating department's grading process, claiming that all of Boger's downgrades during the season were reversed. He was also the alternate referee of Super Bowl XLV, which was held on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas.

Boger's crew was involved in two controversial calls during a St. Louis Rams–San Francisco 49ers game at Levi's Stadium on November 2, 2014. Just before halftime, Rams' return specialist Tavon Austin attempted to run back a missed 55-yard field goal attempt by 49ers' kicker Phil Dawson from out of the end zone, and after crossing the goal line, he was tackled at the 1-yard line by the 49ers' Derek Carrier, and into the end zone for what was nearly a safety.

However, Boger explained: "The ruling on the field was that the ball carrier (Austin) brought the ball out onto the field of play, and that there was contact by the defender (Carrier) that forced him back into the end zone." Near the end of the game, with the 49ers trailing 13–10 and out of timeouts, quarterback Colin Kaepernick attempted a quarterback sneak at the Rams' 1-yard line for a potential game-winning touchdown.

However, Kaepernick fumbled the snap before the football broke the plane of the goal line under a pile of players. Boger ruled that there was nothing on the replay that could change the original ruling on the field, in which the Rams recovered the fumble.

Boger's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Rich Hall, head linesman Ed Camp, line judge Dana McKenzie, field judge Eugene Hall, side judge Walt Coleman IV (son of active NFL referee Walt Coleman), and back judge Tony Steratore.