Rams midseason report card

[Prime Time]

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/11/02/nfl-rams-report-card-grades-positions-midseason/

Rams midseason report card: Grading every position after 8 games
By: Cameron DaSilva

Even though Sean McVay will say things haven’t been perfect, changes need to be made and improvements are a must, the Los Angeles Rams couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. They’re 8-0 midway through the 2018 campaign, ranking third in points scored and sixth in points allowed.

It’s been a complete team effort from top to bottom as all position groups have contributed to their perfect record in some way. You don’t win eight straight games by accident.

With eight weeks in the books, we’ve graded every position for the Rams thus far. It’s our midseason report card:

Quarterback
So much for that fluke season in 2017, huh? After putting up big numbers last year and earning his first Pro Bowl bid, Jared Goff came back in 2018 and has played even better. He’s thrown 17 touchdown passes and just five interceptions, totaling 2,425 yards passing with a rating of 112.5.

He ranks in the top 10 in just about every statistical category, performing at the highest level of his career. He’s a huge reason for the Rams’ success, not only taking care of the football, but also making eye-popping throws on a weekly basis.

Grade: A

Running back
It’s a quarterback-driven league, but for the second straight season, Todd Gurley has put himself at the forefront of the MVP conversation. He leads the NFL in touches, rushing yards, total yards and total touchdowns, putting himself on pace for 2,302 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns. If he’s not the MVP right now, there aren’t many players ahead of him.

Malcolm Brown has contributed some, too, averaging a stellar 5.1 yards per carry (189 yards). He’s trusted by the coaching staff to protect Jared Goff in passing situations, which has kept John Kelly and Justin Davis on the sideline.

Grade: A+

Wide receiver
Even after the Sammy Watkins experiment failed in 2017, the Rams remained aggressive and added Brandin Cooks to an already strong receiving corps. Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods all have at least 438 yards and 30 catches this season, and that’s with Kupp missing nearly three full games due to injury. The wide receivers have been outstanding for Goff and can be relied upon at any moment to make a big play.

Josh Reynolds has added seven catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, filling in nicely while Cooper Kupp was injured. The Rams don’t go very far beyond their top three receivers, but Reynolds gives some valuable depth.

Grade: A

Tight end
If there’s a position on offense that has been lacking, it’s tight end. Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee have combined to catch just 16 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown in eight games, or an average of two catches and 21 yards per game.

It’s not as though McVay is keeping them on the bench, either. No team uses 11 personnel (one tight end, three receivers, one running back) more than the Rams, so one of the two is almost always on the field. Higbee’s blocking has been good enough, but that’s an area Everett must improve.

Grade: C-

Offensive line
While there have been some issues in recent weeks with Goff being sacked five times in two of the last three games (11 total sacks), the offensive line has been outstanding. It’s one of the best units in the league right now, opening up gaping holes for Gurley and protecting Goff from some of the top pass rushers. John Sullivan has been the weak link, but Austin Blythe’s emergence at right guard has been a pleasant surprise.

Grade: A

Defensive line
If you just took the sacks by Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers and Ethan Westbrooks, the Rams would have more sacks than five teams. That may not seem like much, but their 15 sacks have accounted for 68 percent of the team’s 22 on the year. Donald has 10 by himself, which is why the group earns an A on this report card.

He’s being double-teamed 70 percent of the time, too, which means everyone else on the defensive line is getting one-on-one matchups frequently. The run defense has been suspect at times, which is why this isn’t an A+.

Grade: A

Inside linebacker
Cory Littleton has been an X-factor for the Rams this season, both on defense and special teams with two blocked punts. He leads the team with 66 tackles, is second with three sacks and five tackles for loss, while also picking off a pass. He may not get Pro Bowl recognition, but Littleton has been a stud.

Ramik Wilson played fairly well in the first four games, but Mark Barron quickly supplanted him as a starter. Since then, Barron has been working his way back to 100 percent but still isn’t playing at a high level. Hopefully he’ll continue improving, but it’s been a tough go of it through four games.

Grade: B+

Outside linebacker
The outside linebacker position was bad enough in the first eight games that the coaching staff and front office felt it necessary to acquire Dante Fowler Jr. for two draft picks. It wasn’t a huge risk, but parting ways with a third- and fifth-round pick for a potential rental player carries some weight. Samson Ebukam has just one sack but showed flashes of potential, Matt Longacre has been nowhere to be found and the rest of the group has either been injured or ineffective. If Fowler can become a starter and impact player quickly, the tide will turn for L.A.’s defense.

Grade: C

Cornerback
After adding Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Sam Shields, you’d probably expect a higher grade from the cornerbacks. However, Talib’s injury has caused major problems in the secondary, Peters has been one of the worst corners in football and neither Shields nor Troy Hill has done much to warrant a starting job. Nickell Robey-Coleman has been the best of the bunch, but he’s limited to the slot.

Grade: C+

Safety
The Rams had two elite-level safeties last season in John Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner, but only one of them has continued to get better. Johnson has been outstanding through eight games despite struggling in Week 1, while Joyner is just now finding his groove. Joyner still needs to get much better as the season goes on, especially with free agency pending, but Johnson’s play has lifted this tandem in a big way. His three interceptions rank second in the NFL.

Grade: B

Special teams
It’s been a wild ride for John Fassel’s group thus far. They’ve used three kickers (excluding Johnny Hekker), have been decimated in the return game with injuries to Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas, Cooper Kupp and JoJo Natson and still have one of the best units in the league.

Greg Zuerlein hasn’t missed a beat, Hekker is effective when called upon and their 495 kick return yards are third in the NFL. The Rams also rank second in punt return yards, so there’s been almost no drop-off since Cooper went down.

Grade: A

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/11/01/3-rams-players-who-must-improve-in-the-second-half/

3 Rams players who must improve in the second half
By: Andrew Ortenberg

The Los Angeles Rams have reached the halfway point of the season, and have little to complain about. They’re the last remaining team in the NFL who hasn’t lost a game, and almost everyone on the team is playing pretty well.

That being said, there’s certainly room for improvement and there have been several players who aren’t playing up to their potential. Here are three Rams who must improve their play in the second half if the Rams want to finish just as strong as they’ve started:

1. CB Marcus Peters
Peters is the most important name on this list. One of the Rams’ prized offseason acquisitions, Peters hasn’t played up to his reputation. Peters has long been known as the ultimate boom/bust player, someone who gives up a lot of big plays who also makes a lot of big plays. So far this year, it’s been way more of the former.

Peters has given up long completion after long completion while making very few plays on the ball. Peters had 8, 6, and 5 interceptions during his three seasons in Kansas City, but has only one at the halfway point this year. That interception was a pick-six in the opener, and Peters has really struggled since Aqib Talib went down.

The Rams’ secondary has been picked on for weeks now, and it needs to get better. If the Rams are going to avoid dropping any games before Talib comes back, Peters will need to improve greatly.

2. OLB Matt Longacre
Longacre came out of nowhere last year, and at several points last season was the team’s sack leader. The 2015 UDFA from Northwest Missouri State finally got consistent playing time on defense in 2017 and made the most of it. He racked up 5.5 sacks in 14 games before his season was cut short by a back injury.

Longacre’s back has been bothering him again this year, and he hasn’t put up any numbers despite playing pretty significant snaps. He’s been on the field for 203 defensive snaps this year but has just nine tackles and zero sacks. The Rams went out and traded for Dante Fowler at the deadline to boost their outside pass-rush, but will still need their current group of guys to contribute.

If Longacre could get back into the groove he was in last season, it would go a long way toward curing the Rams’ outside rushing woes. It’ll be interesting to see if he can step up in the second half and keep his snaps even with Fowler present.

3. C John Sullivan
By no means has Sullivan been terrible this year, but he’s been the weak link on an otherwise elite offensive line. Sullivan has been mediocre while every other member of the line has been playing at a very high level. Pro Football Focus has given Sullivan a 54.0 grade for the season, 28th among centers.

While PFF isn’t the end-all be-all by any means, it’s been pretty clear that Sullivan has been playing at a far lower level than his fellow linemen. Sullivan had a particularly bad game last week against the Packers, routinely allowing pressure up the middle.

Andrew Whitworth, Rodger Saffold, Austin Blythe, and Rob Havenstein have all been playing great, and Sullivan has shown he’s capable of playing very well in the past. If Sullivan can improve in the second half and elevate his game, it would cement the Rams’ offensive line as the best in the league.

 

[Merlin]

CB grade is probably closer to D+ than it is C+ over the full 8 games, but it's really hard to criticize when we're undefeated.

Overall the grades seem pretty fair though. And I think Sully, as solid a vet as he is, might be replaced next year. Of course if Saffold walks in FA which is likely, they will play Boom or maybe Allen at LG which could extend Sully's tenure at Center.

But if I had to guess now I suspect our line for next year is:

LT Whitworth (he's still very good out there)
LG Noteboom (ready to slide over if necessary to LT)
C Allen
RG Blythe
RT Havenstein

In the event Big Whit can't go, I suppose Sully comes in at Center and both Allen & Boom slide to the left. But it does look like adding another young OG in the draft would be wise.

 

[LesBaker]

2. OLB Matt Longacre
Longacre came out of nowhere last year, and at several points last season was the team’s sack leader. The 2015 UDFA from Northwest Missouri State finally got consistent playing time on defense in 2017 and made the most of it. He racked up 5.5 sacks in 14 games before his season was cut short by a back injury.

Longacre’s back has been bothering him again this year, and he hasn’t put up any numbers despite playing pretty significant snaps. He’s been on the field for 203 defensive snaps this year but has just nine tackles and zero sacks. The Rams went out and traded for Dante Fowler at the deadline to boost their outside pass-rush, but will still need their current group of guys to contribute.

If Longacre could get back into the groove he was in last season, it would go a long way toward curing the Rams’ outside rushing woes. It’ll be interesting to see if he can step up in the second half and keep his snaps even with Fowler present.

He will be back to himself when he is healthy.

 

[Mackeyser]

CB grade is probably closer to D+ than it is C+ over the full 8 games, but it's really hard to criticize when we're undefeated.

Overall the grades seem pretty fair though. And I think Sully, as solid a vet as he is, might be replaced next year. Of course if Saffold walks in FA which is likely, they will play Boom or maybe Allen at LG which could extend Sully's tenure at Center.

But if I had to guess now I suspect our line for next year is:

LT Whitworth (he's still very good out there)
LG Noteboom (ready to slide over if necessary to LT)
C Allen
RG Blythe
RT Havenstein

In the event Big Whit can't go, I suppose Sully comes in at Center and both Allen & Boom slide to the left. But it does look like adding another young OG in the draft would be wise.

I think it's

LT Whitworth (he's still very good out there with Noteboom ready to go if not)
LG Saffold
C Allen
RG Blythe
RT Havenstein

This FO and coaching staff loves Saffold and he's already made it clear that he really, really doesn't want to go anywhere else. I mean, they discovered Saffold had congenitally weak shoulders and so KNEW his other shoulder would go...and it did...and since then, he's been playing at an ALL PRO level. But they had to go through a lot to get to this place and a lot of other teams wouldn't have stuck it out with them.

Cutting Saffold would be like grafting a grape vine, surviving a soil issue and then selling the vineyard right as the grapes are the best in the region.

Saffold wants to stay for a home town discount and the Rams are going to oblige him. Other than guys who are already extended, I think Saffold is the surest to stay.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

after 7 frustrating years of losing do you really think saffold is gonna leave after tasting winning the last 2 seasons? he will take a discount to stay with a winning, potential superbowl winning team.

.

 

[TexasRam]

i think Longacre has played way better than Ebukam. i’ve seen lots of pressures and solid run play by longacre.

I think Sullivan has been a lot better than people think. a few of the sacks he’s given up were related to Blythe failing to slow down a rusher or help on the double team.

Peters has been bad at times but at times he has had solid coverage forcing sacks or ending drives.

 

[HX76]

HX76’s mid season report......8-0

Oi Oi Rams lets get pissed up!!

 

[Merlin]

LT Whitworth (he's still very good out there with Noteboom ready to go if not)
LG Saffold
C Allen
RG Blythe
RT Havenstein

I certainly hope you are correct, because I do love Saff. I mean hard not to, when he's one of those dudes who endured so much of the losing alongside us.

 

[Prime Time]

Cutting Saffold would be like grafting a grape vine, surviving a soil issue and then selling the vineyard right as the grapes are the best in the region.

 

[yrba1]

.

after 7 frustrating years of losing do you really think saffold is gonna leave after tasting winning the last 2 seasons? he will take a discount to stay with a winning, potential superbowl winning team.

.

Plus we were willing to re-sign him to a new deal that's was friendly for both sides after he failed a physical for the Raiders. Quite confident he'll be more than happy to sign his second team-friendly contract with us.

 

[snackdaddy]

Of all the players that need to step up, it has to be Peters. If he can play at the level we envisioned when we traded for him, I think that would solve a lot of defensive issues. Stop giving up those big plays! He's too talented to play at the level he's been playing. Just play solid cover corner and quit trying to lull QB's into making a mistake.

I have a feeling tight end is not going to be the position to be making a big jump. If it was going to happen I think we would be seeing signs of it by now. Fortunately we have probably the best trio of receivers and the best all around back, so it isn't crucial as long as Higbee continues to block well.

I think we're in pretty good shape. We have an offense that can score with the best of them. We have a lot of talent on defense. The most talented players make the big plays when it counts. That will come in handy when the playoffs are here.

 

[James Otto]

This article became worthless when the TE's got graded C- simply because of ... what?

Especially when TG3 just mentioned in an interview how Higbee was a beast and make it all go ....

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

This article became worthless when the TE's got graded C- simply because of ... what?

Especially when TG3 just mentioned in an interview how Higbee was a beast and make it all go ....

Exactly. Higbee is killin it this year if you ask me, in terms of his function in our O. Gurley is McVay’s Jordan Reed.

 

[dang]

Regarding OL - Saffold finally has help on the left side and (knock on wood) has been injury free for the last 2 years. In the last 2 years I think he has been the Rams best OL start to finish. I want to see him anchor LG for a couple more years. I am going to mix it up and say for next year:

LT - Whitworth (with some Noteboom to prepare for full take-over in 2020)
LG - Saffold (backup with 2019 Round 3 Draft Pick)
C - Blythe (with some Allen to prepare for full take-over in 2020)
RG - Noteboom
RT - Havenstein

Regarding TEs - Higs has apparently been very effective blocking. Everett has shown very rare flashes as a receiver. I sure hope he continues to improve b/c of his R2 selection and need for a TE red zone target.

 

[Merlin]

Of all the players that need to step up, it has to be Peters. If he can play at the level we envisioned when we traded for him, I think that would solve a lot of defensive issues. Stop giving up those big plays! He's too talented to play at the level he's been playing. Just play solid cover corner and quit trying to lull QB's into making a mistake.

I have a feeling tight end is not going to be the position to be making a big jump. If it was going to happen I think we would be seeing signs of it by now. Fortunately we have probably the best trio of receivers and the best all around back, so it isn't crucial as long as Higbee continues to block well.

I think we're in pretty good shape. We have an offense that can score with the best of them. We have a lot of talent on defense. The most talented players make the big plays when it counts. That will come in handy when the playoffs are here.

I just don't see Peters "stepping up" until Talib returns. His improvement also will probably be moreso about us not fully depending on him to eliminate the top threat, and much will be made of it but I don't mind provided we get the improvement overall in the secondary. And as usual I'd love to be wrong with him, nothing would be nicer than seeing him shut down Thomas on Sunday.

As to TE, they have started to look pretty good of late and I have to admit I am still harboring hope that one of these guys starts to really click in the passing game. Guess I'm getting suckered in again with all that, but we'll see got my fingers crossed.

 

[Ramrasta]

Very happy we didn’t decide to pay Peters. He has been absolutely horrible this year while he guys we did pay (Gurley, Donald, Cooks, etc) have all been great.

 

[JackStraw]

Goff; A-, he was an A/+ up until Seattle, still helluva job avoiding gimmie INTs/keeping composure in 4th quarter within single possession games.
I change my grade to an A, I just recalled the TNF career/perfect game vs a premier defense on a national stage with those jerseys on! Kupp corner EZ TD and Woods on sideline were two of best passes thrown by anyone this year. Also, how can an 8-0 QB not have an A.

Gurley/Brown - A+, if anything happens to TG30 I honestly believe we can still win with Brown. Kid has never appeared overwhelmed in this league.

WR - Woods A-, Kupp A, Cooks B -, Reynolds A-(based 100% vs GB)

TE; B-, ineffective in pass game but not sure if team averages 33 PPG if Higbee was incompetent. I'm fine with not having pass catching production. Goff is doing just fine with a 4 man arsenal. I'm patient with Everett considering the lengthy learning curve for NFL TEs. He's clearly a YAC bear if he can just get up to speed.

OL - Pass protection A; really impressed with interior in the pass, the unit will earn a final score of A+ as long as Goff is healthy for playoffs, because this team will not rally around Sean Mannion,
Run blocking; B- ,no weak spots but still waiting for a massive hole to open up just once on a high percentage running play. Gurley can't be averaging more than 3YPC on 1st and 10s and 2nd and short
Down field blocking: A

DL - B+, sliding into 'A' territory but under achieving start/stuffing the run can use improvements makes an A unrealistic. Depth would help.

LB B-, Littleton is playing better than JL55 in his prime and better than AO53 has ever played, Barron appears to be getting angry again, Ebukam hasn't shown the progress l expected and Longacre isn't even coming close at maintaining his previous season 's momentum. Let's see what this Fowler kid is made of!

DB B+, top 50% in almost every defensive passing stat; speaks volumes considering their dominance of league's point differential this far having faced Rivers, Rodgers, Cousins, and Wilson in half of games, keeping them in check despite absence of our top 5 talented league CB. Say what you want about Troy Hill but he's shown both Gregg Williams and Wade Phillips enough to be the 3rd man at CB. NRC is one of best nickles in game and can wrap up ball carriers like a motha! Joyner is slightly under archiving but still a value and JJ3 has prove proven me wrong - he's 100% an NFL safety.

ST - A+ GZ(I'm 95% confident every attempt within 53 yards, even more confident he doesn't allow kick returner a fair chance) Hekker(completing fake, leading to eventual safety last week vs GB is 1 of 100 examples of why Rams should never let him go) , and McQuiade(has he ever let us down?) are continuously proving they're major players at their positions. Thanks Jeff Fisher!

Holding calls on punt returns still happen but now not really any more than any other team, Natson accelerates quicker than any Ram PR in my memory (Az as far back as I recall) and Ram's punt coverage(Littleton!) has been responsible for I believe more than half of entire NFL punt blocks dating back to last year. Countess hasn't turned ball over yet and with our offense that's all ya can ask for. Bones appears to have more pride in his job than many of his contemporaries.

Coaching A+, McVay sneaks in 1-3 sneaky play actions a game that you just don't see other teams attempt to execute, master of deception, has shown zero signs of being a fluke, his trust in the 3WR, 1TE and 1RB(>95% of snaps) set is borderline taunting. I continually tell people he has 'set the table' to be a historic icon/HoFer, but it keeps getting misinterpreted as me guaranteeing excellence.....
-Wade Phillips has proven he can adapt to the modern game for past two decades. Longevity with a single team has never been his thing but that's okay.
-Kromer is a miracle worker. The OL is extremely relevant to this 8-0 start! Whitworth/Saffold and likely Sullivan are starters on any team - how much of Blythe and Havenstein's success go towards Kromer?

GM; A, Who needs draft picks when you're able to recognize the shine in other team's duds? If I recall correctly we haven't wasted cash on an acquisition since Jared Cook. Has notably been part of drafting Michel Brokers, Aaron Donald, TG30, Goff, Havenstein, Joyner, Johnson, GZ, Hekker, and Kupp and is responsible for additions of Littleton, Peters, Talib, Whitworth, Sullivan, Blythe, NR-C, Cooks, Suh, Barron, modern day hero Ramik Wilson,

 

[fanotodd]

Way too hard (and obvious) on the TEs. When your WRs are an A and your RB is an A+, just how many targets are you expecting for TEs? Our receivers are killing it and Gurley is probably the first half MVP. I like Higbee and Everett is coming along after missing so much time due to injury.

OTOH, the article is kinda generous regarding the DL. They have played well in streaks and made the necessary game ending stops, but they still get gauged in the run game and took several games to start generating consistent pressure. You take Donald out of the equation and it's scary bad. Today vs the saints will be a huge test.

 

[Merlin]

Way too hard (and obvious) on the TEs. When your WRs are an A and your RB is an A+, just how many targets are you expecting for TEs? Our receivers are killing it and Gurley is probably the first half MVP. I like Higbee and Everett is coming along after missing so much time due to injury.

I think the C- is fair FoT. Both Higs and Everett have significant talent as well as world class coaching and preparation under this staff. McVay has not only demonstrated an ability to feature and utilize TEs with high end production, but he also runs a system that has always featured them.

The fact that we run so much 11 personnel has just as much to do with those two not stepping up enough in the passing game as it does with the quality of our wideouts. We could use those two in the redzone, on critical downs, third and short, etc., etc., etc. They need to step it up.