Your scouting notes from first preseason game?

[XXXIVwin]

Here's mine:

Tomlinson looks great out there, real comfortable. For a smaller guy he had a huge presence.

Ethan Evans will be a stud. Loved his ability to boom the long ones and also pin the short ones.

Puka NAcua does not look like a rookie. Liked how he was always next to Kupp on the sidelines.

Tyler Johnson making it really hard to cut him.

Anchrum played all through third quarter. To my mind, that means he is unlikely to be the starter.
I'd imagine Boom will start at RG.

Bruss, ouch. Glad he's found a better position but he still has a long way to go.

Byron Young didn't show me a lot. Glad he had that one pressure, but frankly he looked a bit lost out there.

Tanner Brown a bit scary out there. I'll try to give him one mulligan for the rookie yips. But the miss to the left was really bad. He recovered a bit, his second XP was dead center.

Z Evans looks buried on the depth chart for now. So does McCutcheon. Is Lance McCutcheoin the next Nelson Spruce? Fan favorite who doesn't get much playing time.

Keir Thomas looks like he deserves a spot for sure.

Hardy with some speed.

Did anyone notice Mathis or Hampton?

Bennett already looks better than Wolford and Perkins.

Overall, my two biggest standouts were Tomlinson and Ethan Evans.

 

[Londoner]

Good summary, but you omitted McClendon. He looked good in general- definite promise there.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Demby, Evans & Bruss, ... the tradition continues.

Too early ?

 

[Riverumbbq]

I hope we get to see a snap count ...

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Here's mine:

Tomlinson looks great out there, real comfortable. For a smaller guy he had a huge presence.

Ethan Evans will be a stud. Loved his ability to boom the long ones and also pin the short ones.

Puka NAcua does not look like a rookie. Liked how he was always next to Kupp on the sidelines.

Tyler Johnson making it really hard to cut him.

Anchrum played all through third quarter. To my mind, that means he is unlikely to be the starter.
I'd imagine Boom will start at RG.

Bruss, ouch. Glad he's found a better position but he still has a long way to go.

Byron Young didn't show me a lot. Glad he had that one pressure, but frankly he looked a bit lost out there.

Tanner Brown a bit scary out there. I'll try to give him one mulligan for the rookie yips. But the miss to the left was really bad. He recovered a bit, his second XP was dead center.

Z Evans looks buried on the depth chart for now. So does McCutcheon. Is Lance McCutcheoin the next Nelson Spruce? Fan favorite who doesn't get much playing time.

Keir Thomas looks like he deserves a spot for sure.

Hardy with some speed.

Did anyone notice Mathis or Hampton?

Bennett already looks better than Wolford and Perkins.

Overall, my two biggest standouts were Tomlinson and Ethan Evans.

I take every preseason game with a grain of salt. For instance, did Keim Thomas play against the first unit? Anchrum playing three quarters could mean they wanted to get him more reps after missing the entire year. The most reliable info to be garnered from preseason is from the first quarter when the opponents usually have more first string players in the game.

 

[ReekofRams]

Here's mine:

Tomlinson looks great out there, real comfortable. For a smaller guy he had a huge presence.

Ethan Evans will be a stud. Loved his ability to boom the long ones and also pin the short ones.

Puka NAcua does not look like a rookie. Liked how he was always next to Kupp on the sidelines.

Tyler Johnson making it really hard to cut him.

Anchrum played all through third quarter. To my mind, that means he is unlikely to be the starter.
I'd imagine Boom will start at RG.

Bruss, ouch. Glad he's found a better position but he still has a long way to go.

Byron Young didn't show me a lot. Glad he had that one pressure, but frankly he looked a bit lost out there.

Tanner Brown a bit scary out there. I'll try to give him one mulligan for the rookie yips. But the miss to the left was really bad. He recovered a bit, his second XP was dead center.

Z Evans looks buried on the depth chart for now. So does McCutcheon. Is Lance McCutcheoin the next Nelson Spruce? Fan favorite who doesn't get much playing time.

Keir Thomas looks like he deserves a spot for sure.

Hardy with some speed.

Did anyone notice Mathis or Hampton?

Bennett already looks better than Wolford and Perkins.

Overall, my two biggest standouts were Tomlinson and Ethan Evans.

Anchrum has only played 1 play during a regular season game, so I’m sure McVay is helping him to get comfortable in his assignment. Anchrum has taken the majority of snaps with the 1st team in practice at RG, so I have no doubt he will start. We’ve all seen Noteboom at Guard and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

 

[dpjax]

Keir Thomas looks like he deserves a spot for sure.

Agree with most of your thoughts, loving what Tre Tomlinsons showing, think we really hit something there.

Yeah, Thomas has a knack for getting to the QB but he’s gotta watch that edge!

I thought Zach Evans looked good tonight, hit the holes with confidence.

Wasn’t happy with Hummel, bad angles, thought Rozeboom looked better.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Anchrum has only played 1 play during a regular season game, so I’m sure McVay is helping him to get comfortable in his assignment. Anchrum has taken the majority of snaps with the 1st team in practice at RG, so I have no doubt he will start. We’ve all seen Noteboom at Guard and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Hey, I'm a big fan of Anchrum (and his charitable work in the community) so I'd be glad for him if he starts. Just seems weird to me that McVay would keep in Anchrum for so long and zero other starters. For example, why pull Avila after the 1st quarter if Avila needs the reps too?

I bet we will hear more about the RG situation in the next day or two. But the way Whit was praising Noteboom's strength and ability, I'd think Whit knows that Boom has the nod.

We'll find out soon, I'd be happy with either one

 

[El Chapo Jr]

I take every preseason game with a grain of salt. For instance, did Keim Thomas play against the first unit? Anchrum playing three quarters could mean they wanted to get him more reps after missing the entire year. The most reliable info to be garnered from preseason is from the first quarter when the opponents usually have more first string players in the game.

I definitely agree with you on how players that do good doesn't necessarily mean they are good because they are playing against the others teams bench players/players that may be cut as well. I think it's definitely better to judge how they do against starters. Problem with that is that all the young players will need more reps than the few they may get vs other teams' starters. Our defense, most of the starting front for us, got gashed today. Definitely a concern and hopefully they can clean it up. Regardless, there will be bumps in the road and even McVay as well as Morris alluded to that during the Rams broadcast. Its obvious they know the rookies will be learning by trial by fire. I even laughed when D'Marco Farr was like I keep saying young guys.

 

[OldSchool]

Tackling and pass blocking needs some work but that comes with reps.

A few guys just do not take good angles as a few of us pointed out last night.

It was a practice that at times didn't look good but there were enough positives to not worry much.

Also I'd like to point out that McVay and Morris do not call the game on their sides of the ball in preseason they give it to top assistants. LaFleur and Henderson called the game last night.

 

[FrantikRam]

The two long runs were just losing the edge....that's just a mistake that can be corrected. Those two and the punt return ended up being most of the points for the Chargers. I thought the defense played a little better than the scoreboard showed

 

[snackdaddy]

I didn't get to watch much of the second half. Watched the whole first half which is what I wanted to see with guys who are expected to make the roster. I thought the secondary guys were fine. Some guys looked like sticky type corners. Open field tackling was fine.

The front seven on the other hand. Pass rush was not really there. Run defense was not as bad as the second half. But still not that good overall. They gotta find a way to get more pressure from these guys. I wonder if Raheem's just not showing his hand and staying vanilla with the plays? I hope thats the case.

I thought after a couple passes that shoulda been picked Bennett settled down nicely. He seemed to be able to move around and make plays. Didn't result in enough TD's but he showed he can be a viable backup with more time. Good thing that DB couldn't make the catch on his first throw. A pick six to start your career coulda been damaging to his psyche.

Puka looks legit. With Kupp out there he should get some one on one opportunities. I'm guessing Tutu will be held out during the preseason. Which indicates he'll be WR3 or WR4. Robinson looks like a keeper too.

Rivers might be moving up the depth chart to RB2. He's a guy who can get the tough yards. I like the way he fought hard to get into the endzone. It got called back but it shows his toughness.

The offensive line last night should not be the starting line this season. So its hard to say what we will have. The pass blocking was subpar overall. Bruss should not be among the top 8. He'll get dominated by the better edge rushers if he plays right tackle. I hope it doesn't come to that. I can't imagine what would happen to Stafford if Bruss was the one protecting him from Nick Bosa.

 

[den-the-coach]

Some of my notes:

I liked Zach Thomas at LG, in fact, Raheem Morris spoke about him during his interview and how after they claimed him from Chicago's practice squad that he showed good stuff.

Concur with @XXXIVwin Ethan Evans is a stud and his kickoffs were outstanding too.

Warren McClendon played LT and played solid so glad that he can play there in a pinch.

i have been tough on Ronnie Rivers because of his size and he even looks smaller in pads, if that is possible, but he ran well considering he didn't has much room, the run on the TD that was called back was impressive.

There is no way they can cut Tyler Johnson if he continues to ball out like this so many yards after contact.

Grant Miller son of Fred Miller, making me feel even older I thought held up well albeit against 3rd teams and he played center in the 4th quarter and his snaps were good, but seem to have some communication issues.

Zach Evans might have some upside, but his pass blocking is non existent.

Tanner Brown rallied, but I'm pissed we didn't keep Cameron Dicker as a punter last year as he could be our kicker this year.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Studs and duds from Rams’ preseason opener vs. Chargers

There were plenty of encouraging performances from the Rams on Saturday night, as well as some poor ones

www.yahoo.com

 

[Faceplant]

Agree with most takes posted already. I will add that the Rams look small to me....on both sides. Both 1st team lines got bullied out there. Second OL looked much better to me. Corners are tiny too. Just a small looking team to me for some reason.

 

[Tano]

Good summary, but you omitted McClendon. He looked good in general- definite promise there.

Also Zack Thomas in the run game

 

[snackdaddy]

I have to remember not to get caught up with what I see in the preseason. Whether its good or bad. After watching last nights game there are some projected starters I feel are going to need more time. But what will they look like playing next to legit starters who aren't playing in the preseason? Will the extra attention on AD help the other guys? Maybe. So it is hard to judge their performance this early.

 

[Merlin]

Well first off we are gonna get run on this season. This is one thing I am certain of. There simply is no way you can let two quality NT, a stout strong side edge, and a future HoF ILB walk out the door and then have guys like Brown or the edges who were supposed to replace them still fighting for rotation spots and then be able to look at the upcoming season with high expectations for them in that phase.

Still believe the Rams decided to build a one-dimensional defense this year. A defense that is prioritizing stopping the pass under the hope that the offense can control games with long runs of possession and high scoring. If they can remove the run game that way for let's say half their opponents they'll win a reasonable amount of games. It's not a bad approach given what they are working with here, which was a need to purge and reload their roster.

Offensively the team is improved. Nacua feels like a home run selection, so I hope he can stay healthy. Bennett was excellent last night in spite of his early yips and makes our backup situation far better. I am very happy with Bennett right now. The OL remains the key for that side of the ball, where I can say confidently if they play at just an average level this offense is going to put up a lot of points.

Our depth will be shaky, particularly on defense. We don't want to be dipping too much into them or it's season over for us. But once again there is room for this strategy to work, i.e. if the offense can produce then I think we have the makings of a decent pass rush in front of a young secondary who can disguise those couple slots where they'll be weak. Which means we can steal some games vs good opponents, beat some bad opponents, and dream a little about a wildcard.

 

[8to12]

I went to the game with a view from about the 10 yard line in the first row of the upper deck (section 400).
First, overall impression was that I wasn't concerned about the lopsided score. After seeing how many Rookies there were in Camp and how many of them played at the same time, especially defense, I was not worried.
Defense.... OLB's first unit held the Edge pretty well on the first couple of drives. B. Young never got sealed off to allow an outsiode run, but then again he never defeated any block to make a play on the ball. The second unit is where and when the outside runs for long yardage happened. Q. Lake played Dime LB on the first 3 or 4 series when the situation was either 2nd or 3rd and long. He made a good read on the first outside run over Right Tackle and brought down the runner before he gained 10 yards. Russ Yeast seemed to only play the 1st or 2ns series. After that, LaCounte filled in. The 2 players I was most impressed with was Jordan Jones, the DB from Rhode Island. I think he lead the team in Tackles. He was always in a position to make a play. He gave up 2 pass completions. But it was against a larger TE in both cases. In the second half, Tanner Ingle made 2 plays in limited snaps. He had a tackle for loss and then a blitz sack. Tre' Tomlinson played outside CB. However, I did not get any feel for how the outside CB's played, so I have no comment. Last, I did not see much of Kobie Turner on the D-line. I saw enter game on field goals and x-tra points but that was all.

Offense, First unit O-line looked inconsistent as it probably did on TV. The units that played in the 2nd Qtr and 3rd QTr were much more effective. First player to note is McAllister at Center. I think he played the whole game and was impressive. TE Sims couldn't hold a block in the Running game. I'm afraid he is going to be one of the first cuts. McDonald was a little better as a blocker but didn't get hardly any opportunities to catch the ball. i thought the O-line of McClendon (LT), Thomas (LG), McAllister, Miller (RG), Bruss (RT) was the most consistent. McClendon looked like a veteran playing in his first game.
Note: I don't think Logan Bruss has quick enough feet to play RT.
QB - I am impressed with Stetson Bennet. He started his first series a bit Shaky, but came back and was effective moving the offense. He didn't let the previous mistakes bother him. There was a noticeable difference in the delivery of the Ball between Bennet and Rypien. For example, on a pass to the flat for TE Sims, Rypien threw a pass with much velocity on it, above Sims head with no defenders around. It went through his hands. Even if he was able to catch it, the movement required to bring the ball down would've slowed his ability to get upfield after the catch.
It has already been mentioned I think.... but there are going to be more inside Run plays using the Trap block. Zach Evans and RIvers both had a couple of productive runs with the Tackle pulling inside.
WR - I can't add anything to what most already saw on the TV feed. Most of the receivers were productive. The only one I have doubts about is Xavier Smith. He still looks a little shaky judging punts in the air, and I didn't see him get any snaps on offense.
To end.... even the SoFi announcer needs practice.... after a completion from Bennet to Tyler Johnson(14 ), he said "completion made to Cobie Durant" .....

 

[Loyal]

Den loves him some Stetson Bennett!

@den-the-coach