Rams Current News & Events!

[Smed55]

On paper maybe the Rams have traded themselves into a mediocre team and a poor bet for the Super Bowl anytime soon. On paper.

They will pick up talent and be competitive next season regardless of their draft position. They have a good base of players to work with.

The Rams had a tough schedule. A lot tougher than the Pats for example and with some key injuries and a new O-line to start the season and a new one to finish the season, well its a lot to over come.
I don't count them out for an NFC championship appearance next season. They have a better chance than half the league.

I agree!! Before the season I predicted 9 wins, maybe 10 and they are on pace to do that! Biggest issue is oline and figuring out if Gurley is still capable or if we need to move on from him!!

 

[Smed55]

Have always been a huge Zuerlein fan. Yes his 40-50 % is concerning 4-9, yet he"s 4-5 from over 50?????? Perfect at extra points. Overall Kickers in the league have sucked this year, lot of BAD ones, and a lot of extra points missed.
While some kicks might be a bad snap, bad hold or whatever, Zuerlein has been off for some reason or another, still one of the better kickers in the league, but yea it may be time to move on!

He makes the kick in Seattle, we are still in this thing, conditions werent great, but we've come to expect him making those!!

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Have always been a huge Zuerlein fan. Yes his 40-50 % is concerning 4-9, yet he"s 4-5 from over 50?????? Perfect at extra points. Overall Kickers in the league have sucked this year, lot of BAD ones, and a lot of extra points missed.
While some kicks might be a bad snap, bad hold or whatever, Zuerlein has been off for some reason or another, still one of the better kickers in the league, but yea it may be time to move on!

He makes the kick in Seattle, we are still in this thing, conditions werent great, but we've come to expect him making those!!

Three of our losses that we could’ve won were varying causes. The Tampa game, if our defense showed up, we would’ve won no problem. Greg arcs the kick just slightly more to the left, we beat Seattle. If our offense showed up in Pittsburgh, we could’ve won that one. And if we split these final two games, 12-4 should definitely get us in the playoffs.

 

[Jermaine133]

I agree!! Before the season I predicted 9 wins, maybe 10 and they are on pace to do that! Biggest issue is oline and figuring out if Gurley is still capable or if we need to move on from him!!

I agree with this Smed, but tbh the only way we'll know if Gurley is still capable is if we commit and stick to the run. Boy genius hasn't figured out how to adjust his game and make better play selections when teams are stacking the box. You can't just run single back and hope your rb can blast 5 yrds out of that. It's beyond stupid that we haven't ran out of an i- formation or consistently used jumbo runs.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Los Angeles Rams (8-7)

1. The offensive line collapsed. When I wrote about the reasons the Rams were likely to decline in 2019, I mentioned the offensive line as my biggest concern with the roster. They were replacing veterans Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan with untested second-year linemen Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen.

For a team whose offensive line had been both extremely effective and remarkably healthy in Sean McVay's first two seasons, it was an obvious point of weakness. And the line has been a mess, although not necessarily in the ways we might have expected. Noteboom tore his ACL in Week 6. Allen looked like he belonged as a starter before suffering a season-ending MCL injury in Week 10.

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More disconcertingly, the expected strength of the line -- the tackles -- has been a disaster. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, who committed only two penalties last season, committed eight in nine games before suffering his own knee injury. Andrew Whitworth hit the wall at age 38, as the superstar left tackle has clearly lost a step. Whitworth has committed a career-high eight holding penalties, tied for second most in the league behind Denver's Garett Bolles. The Rams will likely need to replace Whitworth in their lineup next season without the benefit of their first-round pick, which went to the Jags in the Jalen Ramsey deal.

Should the Rams have seen this coming? They should have expected their offensive line to decline in 2019. Counting on Whitworth to stay at a Pro Bowl level this late in his career was always a big ask, given that just four tackles in league history have started anything close to a full age-38 season. I don't think they could have expected Havenstein to decline.

How to avoid making the same mistake: L.A. isn't likely to have much cap space in 2020, so it needs to use the remaining draft capital it has to supplement the line.

Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee and Todd Gurley have all missed time with injuries. On defense, the Rams lost safety John Johnson to injured reserve with a shoulder injury and Aqib Talib (before he was traded) with a rib ailment, while Clay Matthews was out for three games after breaking his jaw against the Seahawks. Rookie Taylor Rapp, who took over in the starting lineup for Johnson, appeared to blow the coverage on the third-and-16 conversion that set up San Francisco's winning field goal on Saturday.

Should the Rams have seen this coming? They might have wanted to believe they were immune to injuries after two extremely healthy seasons under McVay, but decades of evidence suggests that no team can avoid the injury bug. The Rams have built a top-heavy team by trading for stars and sending away draft picks, and it came back to bite them in 2019.

How to avoid making the same mistake: At this point, they have established their team-building philosophy. They're not about to suddenly trade their stars away. They aren't going to have great depth, and if their stars aren't healthy, we're going to see uneven seasons like 2019 in the years to come.

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3. The offense lost its identity. I figured McVay would have an antidote to the 6-1 fronts that the Lions showed and the Bears and Patriots emulated last season in limiting what had been a wildly productive Rams offense. For most of the year, McVay hasn't. Just about every team the Rams have faced has used those six-man fronts at least part of the time, and it has slowed down the outside zone and killed Jared Goff's effectiveness on play-action. Goff ranks 31st in the league in passer rating on play-action in 2019.

What has been strange is just how McVay has handled the whole thing. The Rams eventually moved to a heavier dose of toss plays and duo runs to try to defeat teams that were cheating toward the edge, but those haven't been quite as effective. Early in the year, the Rams were conservative with Gurley and framed that as a coach's decision. In recent weeks, they've focused the passing game around Higbee and begun to keep Gurley on the field for virtually every play, even late into blowouts, with McVay saying he had been an "idiot" to keep Gurley on the sideline earlier in the year.

I would put a larger portion of the blame on Goff, because McVay's offense is still creating makeable passes. Goff's expected completion percentage is 66.5%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He is instead completing 62.8% of his throws. The only quarterbacks with 200 attempts or more who have a larger negative gap between their completion percentage and expected completion percentage than Goff are rookies Gardner Minshew and Dwayne Haskins.

four-year, $134 million extension in the offseason, expectations rose for the fourth-year passer. Saturday night's loss to the 49ers, in which Goff mixed drives where he looked unstoppable with a pick-six and a dropped interception on the tying drive late in the fourth quarter, was a reminder of how flawed the former first overall pick still is after four seasons.

Should the Rams have seen this coming? The Lions, Bears and Patriots all used this tactic with varying levels of success at the end of 2018. It would have been naive to imagine opposing defenses wouldn't emulate them in 2019, although I was also expecting McVay to have more answers early in the season.

How to avoid making the same mistake:McVay needs to come up with new solutions this offseason. The Rams are locked into their offensive core for the foreseeable future, so this won't be solved by adding weapons around Goff.

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4. The unsustainable stuff wasn't sustainable.In my preseason column, I noted that the Rams had gone 6-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer, which has historically been almost impossible to keep up. The Rams are 2-3 in those same games this season, including a loss to the Seahawks where reliable kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds to go in a 30-29 defeat.

Likewise, the Rams' defense was incredible at recovering fumbles last season. Wade Phillips' unit picked up 12 of the 14 fumbles it forced, while the Rams as a whole nabbed a league-best 71% of the fumbles in their games in 2018. There's no track record of a Phillips defense or a defense managed by anybody recovering fumbles at that sort of rate over multiple seasons. This season, the Rams have recovered 48.6% of the fumbles in their games, with the defense down to an even 40%.

Should the Rams have seen this coming? I know the Rams are readers, so yes.

How to avoid making the same mistake:There's not much they can do here. With a 16-game schedule, variance is going to swamp fumble recovery rates.

 

[Retroram52]

Ex-Rams Janoris Jenkins who the Giants released last week has been signed by NO for one last run at a ring as a back-up DB going into the post-season. Jenkins' career is coming to a close at 31 years of age.

 

[Retroram52]

Maybe Ogletree, who is rumored to be released after the last game by the Geeants, will make his way back to the Rams.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope that everyone’s day is better than the Rams 2019 season!

 

[Jermaine133]

Maybe Ogletree, who is rumored to be released after the last game by the Geeants, will make his way back to the Rams.

hell no.... keep his non tackling ass away. We already have Ebukam for that

 

[Retroram52]

Hood boy finally got his payday in Baltimore: 3-year extension for 42 mil. Supposedly he helped the Baltimore secondary to a better level. Now watch him disappear and then the Ravens will discover that they got suckered.

 

[Battlelyon]

 

[UVA_Guy81]

I’d definitely be open to that, even if it’s a 2nd or 3rd day pick.

 

[Jermaine133]

I’d definitely be open to that, even if it’s a 2nd or 3rd day pick.

Are we sure Gurley is done though?? What evidence do we have to say that he's officially done, yeah the numbers are down but i'd like to see how he performs the start of next season before we cut ties with him. Hell you can't run behind a shitty line, and a 6-1 front when Defenses know your QB is a lame duck who can't beat you with his arm. IF Zeke had our line and inept play calling I'm wondering what his numbers would look like.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Are we sure Gurley is done though?? What evidence do we have to say that he's officially done, yeah the numbers are down but i'd like to see how he performs the start of next season before we cut ties with him. Hell you can't run behind a shitty line, and a 6-1 front when Defenses know your QB is a lame duck who can't beat you with his arm. IF Zeke had our line and inept play calling I'm wondering what his numbers would look like.

Because I believe if he were fully healthy, we would’ve used him a lot more than we did this year. The front office refuses to say he’s hurt which I believe is just a typical tactic to manipulate other teams. Plus, this all started when our offensive line was still decent last year. Trade him while he’s still got value and save some cap space to improve other areas. Good running backs can still be had late in the draft.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Rams GM: No regrets on huge Goff, Gurley deals

 

[DJ]

Happy New years guys....

 

[Battlelyon]

Happy New Year, hopefully 2020 is better than 2019.

 

[Rambunctious]

Dear Fans,

Walking through tailgates Sunday morning and standing on the field postgame, I was inspired by how many fans commented on the joy the Rams return to Los Angeles has brought you and your families. In many ways, the four years since we returned back to Southern California have flown by.

From the moment the Red Hot Chili Peppers kicked off our return to the Coliseum in front of 90,000 fans to the postgame fireworks Sunday night, we’ve shared some incredible memories together. The first playoff game in LA in more than 30 years against the Falcons, beating the Cowboys last January to advance to the NFC Championship en route to Super Bowl LIII, and of course that historic Monday Night Football game where LA came together during a time of immense tragedy. And many memories have been made off the field as well – building playgrounds at elementary schools in Inglewood, Watts, South Central and East LA, working with United Way to raise more than one million dollars to help address homelessness through their annual Homewalk, and most recently with our 2nd Annual Community Blitz when we made the holidays a little brighter for thousands of Angelenos at six different community projects on one day.

Whether cheering for us at the Coliseum or on the road, Playing 60 with us at your school, or joining us in inspiring Angelenos to shine bright and our fans everywhere to climb to new heights, you have been with us every step of the way. Thank you.

Although it is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Coliseum, the future is bright for the Los Angeles Rams as we prepare to move into our new home at SoFi Stadium. On the field, we are continuing our work to deliver a championship to Los Angeles and our fans. The core of our team is young and will continue to grow in years to come and our football group is energized by the prospect of a full offseason to improve our nucleus.

We are proud of what Coach McVay, his staff and our players have accomplished over the past three years with three winning seasons, two division titles, and a Super Bowl appearance. While this year did not live up to our expectations, the team reached significant milestones including Todd Gurley tying the franchise record for rushing touchdowns, Jared Goff becoming the first Rams quarterback to pass for 4,000-plus yards in consecutive seasons, and Tyler Higbee setting franchise records for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end. Defensively, two-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and Dante Fowler became the first Rams duo to generate double-digit sack totals in a single season since 2012 while the team recorded 24 takeaways that spurred 78 points scored during the 2019 season, adding to the league-leading points off takeaways under Coach McVay.

Now as we turn the page to prepare for the Combine, free agency and the Draft, I can assure you that Sean, Les and their staffs are actively working to improve our team to ensure a return to the playoffs and chance at the Lombardi Trophy.

Stan Kroenke’s vision to transform both the fan experience and our region will come to life this fall, reimagining gamedays for Angelenos and the entire NFL. SoFi Stadium will be a destination that will welcome Rams fans from around the world and is more than 85% complete, with the roof panel and seat installations underway. The Oculus, a first-of-its-kind 70,000 square foot double-sided display board with 4k video, is being assembled within the stadium. Our culinary experience, which will be uniquely Los Angeles and feature food made to order in front of your eyes, is being finalized. Additionally, we continue to focus on making this the best fan experience in the world with the latest technology, amazing partnerships, operational ease and our diehard fans. Last Friday, I toured 17 of our Season Ticket Members who make up our Rams Fan Council around the building and it was powerful to see first-hand their reaction to the stadium and invaluable to hear their ideas for what gamedays at the Rams House should be.

In addition, this exciting time includes our new brand identity – from logos and colors to uniforms and helmets. These elements will tie to our deep roots in Los Angeles while also providing a sleek, modern look that fits with our new, world-class home. We are excited to share all of this with you over the coming months and see our players run out of the SoFi Stadium tunnel for the first time in our new uniforms as we kick off this next era of Los Angeles Rams football.

Thank you for your passion and continued support. Happy New Year and Go Rams!

Kevin Demoff
Chief Operating Officer
Los Angeles Rams

 

[Smed55]

Was surprised to read that the Rams oline gave up the fewest sacks this year??? Kind of hard to believe? Obviously they arent very good at run blocking, our run game sucked this year, Gurley consistently got a couple yards per carry or zero, occasionally "Busted" out for 7 or 8 yards. The holes were just not there! Was disappointed that Cooks didnt have a big year, he is our deep threat, but then again he got hammered a few times?

Higbee obviously has sub planted Everett as our TE, maybe we can get some, any draft picks for Everett, I still think Everett would start for a lot of teams?

Overall I dont understand how our offense just totally disappeared, With the WR's and TE's that we have its unacceptable!

Would have liked to see Henderson get more looks????

While the defense looked better, my God this team gives up a lot of big
plays!!!!!!
A lot of people are becoming tired of McVay already, but Im still good with him, I still remember the Fisher days and I would take what we have now all day over that goof.

could have EASILY won 4 more games, but we didnt, completely disappeared against TB, Balt, and Pitts, and should have beaten Sea and SF. Like almost any team we were a few plays away from winning 3 or 4 more games. In the Fisher days we were 4 or 5 plays away from winning games and getting back to a .500 record!!!

Hopefully this new oline continues to get better and we add a few pieces and we are back where we should be. and I think its time to cut ties with Phillips!!!

 

[Battlelyon]