Peter King: 11/26/18

[Prime Time]

Not much on the Rams as expected. To read the article click the link below.
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https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...s-russell-wilson-nfl-week-12-fmia-peter-king/

By Peter King

On Defensive Football

I’m not going to get into a screed about the death of football as we know it—particularly defensive football—as we sit here after 12 weeks … even though the three marquee games of the season have seen 80 points (Saints 45, Rams 35), 83 points (Patriots 43, Chiefs 40) and 105 points (Rams 54, Chiefs 51) scored.

By the way, for those saying the huge defensive plays last Monday in Kansas City’s loss to the Rams make all this a moot point, I say: There were three defensive touchdowns scored in the game, so would you say that a game with 84 points scored and 1,001 yards produced was big on D?

A couple points about the week in football.

• Think of a rule that has been made with the defense in mind in the last few years—I mean, a major rule. There isn’t one.

But let’s look at the effect of the defenseless-player rule. Which, in principle, everyone should support because of safety factors. There was a play on the first series of Rams-Chiefs that showed how truly preposterous the defenseless-play rule has become. Jared Goff threw a short pass over the middle to Robert Woods, who appeared to catch the ball at about the 7-yard line, with Kansas City cornerback Kendall Fuller in pursuit.

Poised to tackle Woods at about the 3-yard line is safety Eric Murray. Murray pauses for a moment, lowers his head, and appears to hit Woods somewhere in the chest region—there is not a clear view of the play on TV, or on the replay—and the ball is dislodged. In the old days, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, the safety would have blown up the receiver. Today, Murray made a perfect play, hitting Woods with his shoulder in what appeared to be his chest, and not at all violently. The ball bounded away. And a flag fluttered in.

Fifteen yards, ref Clete Blakeman ruled. “Unnecessary roughness. Hit against a defenseless receiver,” he announced in the stadium.

This is not an indictment of Blakeman, or the back judge who appeared to call it, Tony Steratore. They are enforcing the rules on the books. Even in a day when the safety of players rightfully is paramount, this call simply has to be revisited after the season. What Murray did is precisely what a defensive player should do in this case. He should lower the strike zone. He shouldn’t use excessive force. He should use his head.

Kendall Fuller, left, and Robert Woods. (Getty Images)

Quite literally, the legal NFL alternative to what Murray did is to allow Woods to catch the ball, wait till he turns upfield, and then attempt to tackle him. At that point, on this play, there’s a good chance Woods would either be in the end zone by then or close to it.

I called Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, in the radio booth Westwood One that night, and asked him about the call. He was borderline apoplectic. “It was picture-perfect football by Murray, exactly what you’re trained to do,” Warner said. “And you can’t do it. I mean it just it’s absurd to me, the way they call this whole defenseless receiver penalty.

As much as I love offense … the defenseless receiver play I can’t get behind it. It’s just hard for me to watch football and see a great defensive play and he gets 15 yards for it. How do you play pass defense now? A guy throws it across the middle to your zone, you knock the ball out however you have to knock it out, and if you do that, you’re creating a penalty on yourself.”

“There was beauty in the game the other night. Back and forth, and I love offensive football. But to me the greatest part of any team sport is the competition. It’s knowing I get to go up against the best in the world and they have every opportunity to win as I do. You just don’t feel like that’s football.”

• The league’s fine system is crazy. For that hit, Eric Murray, a third-year safety who makes $630,000 a year, was fined $26,739 by the league. His weekly game check is $37,058. So it turns out for making a conscientious hit, Murray got 72 percent of his weekly earnings taken by the league. Fines should be for egregious hits or penalties, not for borderline, run-of-the-mill calls.

It’s truly unconscionable. When the league’s Competition Committee meets to massage the rules beginning in February, something has to be done about the defenseless receiver call. I say make it interpretive, and make it reviewable. And while league fathers are at it, they should give Murray his money back.
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At some point, Christian McCaffrey is going to take his place with the best all-around backs in the game. Soon.

Todd Gurley, scrimmage yards per game entering December: 134.9.
McCaffrey, scrimmage yards per game entering December: 133.2.
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MVP Watch

3. Jared Goff, QB, L.A. Rams. Goff and Gurley could eat up support, leaving neither close to winning. And that doesn’t include the best defensive player of the season, Aaron Donald.
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I think the best game in the last five weeks of the season, for many reasons artistic and strategic, is Rams-Bears at Soldier Field in 13 days. Can’t wait for that one.

 

[Prime Time]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/26/b...rs-vikings-packers-bills-jaguars-mmqb-week-12

MMQB
By Albert Breer

SECRET TO THE RAMS’ SUCCESS: THE 2017 DRAFT
How can the Rams afford all these guys?

It’s a question you heard in the spring as L.A. signed or traded for a number of big-name, high-price veterans, and one that seemed relevant again last Monday as the Rams came at the Chiefs in waves over the course of a 54-51 thriller of a win. Because that game resonated so much, I figured a week later it was worth explaining how an NFL team can make such a top-heavy salary structure work.

The answer is pretty simple, too. You have to be efficient with the cap space you have left over, and the best (only?) way to do that is to draft well, which is where the story of Los Angeles’s 2017 rookie class comes into play. The Rams were without a first-round pick (traded as part of deal to move up and get Jared Goff in 2016), and coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead were just getting to know each other.

The Rams’ first pick was 44th overall. Their second pick was the 69th selection. And they knew how they could mitigate the disadvantage—with McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips being very specific with what they wanted in each position. That way, the Rams wouldn’t be looking in all the same places as other teams, and might find players who were of greater value to them than others later on.

“Our job is to draft players who have the potential to fulfill a specific role,” Snead explained, via text, on Sunday. “When our players get an opportunity to actually fulfill that role, it’s up to them to apply what our coaches teach, and that [equals] production.”

It has so far …

TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama (44th pick): The Rams liked his athleticism to generate to create mismatches, his ball skills and his run-after-the-catch ability, in seeing him as a Jordan Reed-type in McVay’s offense. He’s only got 18 catches this year but scored the game-winning 40-yard touchdown against K.C. and is considered to have a very bright future.

WR Cooper Kupp (69th): The Rams saw Kupp as a legit slot with the flexibility to play outside, which is important given how much McVay moves his receivers around. Kupp has more than delivered—he had 40 catches for 566 yards and six touchdowns through eight games this season before blowing out his ACL a couple weeks back.

S John Johnson (91st): Safety wasn’t a pressing need, but Johnson’s grade was excellent, and he projected right into the back end of Wade Philips’ defense. From a cultural standpoint, the Rams saw Johnson as a fit thanks to his tough, hard-nosed style of play. He’s since started 22 games, including all 11 this year, and has three picks, 74 tackles and eight pass breakups.

WR Josh Reynolds (117th): Coming out of the second day of the 2017 draft, the Rams saw a receiver marked as starter-caliber sitting there, and their determination to fix the position pushed them to double up behind Kupp. Like Johnson, the grade was too good for the team to pass. Reynolds has 13 catches for 178 yards and three touchdowns this year, and is moving into a larger role with Kupp’s injury.

OLB Samson Ebukam (125th): Was going to be the pick at 117 if Reynolds wasn’t there, so L.A. traded up to get a guy they saw with potential to be an explosive, urgent edge rusher. He wasn’t invited to the combine, so the Rams brought him in for a top-30 visit. Ebukam has validated all the work the Rams did on him by becoming a starter and scoring twice on defense in the K.C. showdown.

Alright, so that’s five draft picks, all outside the top 40. Want to guess the price tag for those guys?

It’s $4.482 million on the cap, 2.5 percent of the 2018 limit for teams. If you can swing such a success—and it’s not easy to hit on picks that far down in the draft—that’s how you can handle having 10 guys making more the $7 million on your cap, without the bottom of your roster being a problem.

 

[OldSchool]

While I agree that hit on Woods by definition was a penalty I agree the leagues fine rates are completely nonsensical. He shouldn’t have lost 70% of his game check.

 

[Merlin]

• The league’s fine system is crazy. For that hit, Eric Murray, a third-year safety who makes $630,000 a year, was fined $26,739 by the league. His weekly game check is $37,058. So it turns out for making a conscientious hit, Murray got 72 percent of his weekly earnings taken by the league. Fines should be for egregious hits or penalties, not for borderline, run-of-the-mill calls.

It’s truly unconscionable. When the league’s Competition Committee meets to massage the rules beginning in February, something has to be done about the defenseless receiver call. I say make it interpretive, and make it reviewable. And while league fathers are at it, they should give Murray his money back.

This is the type of thing the media can make a difference in. And I am glad to see it brought to light.

Also I have to think these rules are going to have an impact on the plus athletes at the high school and collegiate level. I would assume that a percentage of players who might otherwise choose defense will instead choose to play offense, making it tougher down the road for the NFL to find top-flight cover guys.

I know most are happy with the unlimited scoring and teams going back and forth to the last possession, and it might even sell better and create more interest. But as a fan of defensive football it rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Mackeyser]

While I agree that hit on Woods by definition was a penalty I agree the leagues fine rates are completely nonsensical. He shouldn’t have lost 70% of his game check.

Yes, it's crazy.

That being said, he can petition to have the fine reduced to 25% of his game check and that's usually a formality.

He won't be paying the full amount of that fine.

I also agree that it was a textbook play by the defender and shouldn't be called that way even though that's how the league wants it to be called.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

did he really hit him in the chest? i thought he grazed his facemask.

.

 

[I like Rams]

I dont think the hit on Woods should have been a penalty. Good defensive play by Murray and I'd hate to see any of our safeties get penalized for the same play.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I know most are happy with the unlimited scoring and teams going back and forth to the last possession, and it might even sell better and create more interest. But as a fan of defensive football it rubs me the wrong way.

+1
I love a knock down drag out 13-7 defensive game. I also preferred the NBA in the 90's which is not a popular opinion.

The biggest reason it rubs me the wrong way is because the NFL manipulated the game with dramatic rule changes in order to give us this product. A product that the NFL wanted to sell to the average Joe and Jane fan. The NFL "product" was IMO at it's best about 10 years ago before the changes began.

 

[Mackeyser]

Scoring is only up about a point or so on average per team.

The issue with the rules which totally set up in our favor is that high powered offenses can better take advantage of the rules.

It’s the rich getting richer.

That said, teams will experience more volatility as coaches change teams...see Philly losing Frank Reich and Atlanta losing Shanahan.

So teams are more likely to see bigger swings in output from year to year when they have coaching changes.

For all the extra points scored by K.C. this year, it’s more like Philly and Atlanta are donating them.

 

[OldSchool]

I know most are happy with the unlimited scoring and teams going back and forth to the last possession, and it might even sell better and create more interest. But as a fan of defensive football it rubs me the wrong way.

Or some of us can enjoy good play on either side of the ball. Just because a game is all offense or all defense doesn't mean it's not good or bad football to some of us.

 

[Ram65]

It’s $4.482 million on the cap, 2.5 percent of the 2018 limit for teams. If you can swing such a success—and it’s not easy to hit on picks that far down in the draft—that’s how you can handle having 10 guys making more the $7 million on your cap, without the bottom of your roster being a problem.

Nice production for low cost. If Everett can keep getting opportunities he can make a great impact down the stretch. Rams need to keep it going so far the 2018 class looks promising.

 

[Prime Time]

TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama (44th pick): The Rams liked his athleticism to generate to create mismatches, his ball skills and his run-after-the-catch ability, in seeing him as a Jordan Reed-type in McVay’s offense. He’s only got 18 catches this year but scored the game-winning 40-yard touchdown against K.C. and is considered to have a very bright future.

"Playing in this offense is a dream come true." - Gerald Everett

https://www.therams.com/video/playing-in-this-offense-is-a-dream-come-true-gerald-everett


View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1067275583103610880

 

[snackdaddy]

Or some of us can enjoy good play on either side of the ball. Just because a game is all offense or all defense doesn't mean it's not good or bad football to some of us.

I'm on the fence with this. On one hand I do like traditional hard nosed, smash mouth defense. But living through the Fisher years it has turned me off somewhat. I prefer the 10-1 record over the 4-7 we usually had at this point. And that 10-1 is solely because of our offense. We've seen what that defensive philosophy results in the previous years before McVay.

 

[OldSchool]

I'm on the fence with this. On one hand I do like traditional hard nosed, smash mouth defense. But living through the Fisher years it has turned me off somewhat. I prefer the 10-1 record over the 4-7 we usually had at this point. And that 10-1 is solely because of our offense. We've seen what that defensive philosophy results in the previous years before McVay.

My point was there is enjoyment in both facets of the game. Seeing excellence in offense and a lack of it in defense, or vice versa, doesn’t make it a lesser product. Enjoy excellence when you see or hear it. I just don’t understand this notion that people only enjoy one part of the game.

 

[Merlin]

My point was there is enjoyment in both facets of the game. Seeing excellence in offense and a lack of it in defense, or vice versa, doesn’t make it a lesser product. Enjoy excellence when you see or hear it. I just don’t understand this notion that people only enjoy one part of the game.

Well people are different my man. I can still enjoy a shootout, and I did in that game vs KC. What bothers me is the game purposely moving to a place where defensive football is set up to fail. That balance being lost is a bad thing IMO and I think the owners need to be cognizant of that.

I like both facets of the game too. Just don't want to see only one facet.

 

[Rams43]

I’ll say this. I can’t recall a Ram season with so many games that made me squirm so strongly and so often.

Sometimes it was the O that had me squirming, sometimes it was the D. And a sprinkling of ST plays folded in there, as well.

Exhausting, for sure. But loads of fun, too. Lol.