Rams spreading the ball around, and Sammy Watkins is fine with that

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rdw

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http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ll-around-and-sammy-watkins-is-fine-with-that


Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- There was a time, Sammy Watkins admits, that this all would have played out a lot differently.

Watkins, the Los Angeles Rams' No. 1 receiver, was targeted only twice in Sunday's 35-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, with neither coming within the game's first 50 minutes. And he was totally fine with it, which is, well, unusual.

"Two years ago, it would've probably been different," Watkins said. "I would've probably gone to the media and been saying whatever, trying to get the coach's attention. That's how I used to do it back then. Like, 'I need more targets.' Then that comes to the coach, and me and him have to talk."

Watkins did it quite famously while with the Bills in October 2015, when he said the team was making him "look bad," then told The Buffalo News, "I need 10 targets." Now in his fourth NFL season, Watkins recalled that moment Thursday, four days after making only one catch in his fourth game with his new team. He laughed about how his method actually seemed to work -- Watkins averaged more than eight targets per game for the remainder of Buffalo's 2015 season -- but lamented how it played out in the locker room.

"It definitely helped me and my coach learn each other," Watkins said. "At the same time, I feel like it affected my teammates because they looked at it as selfish."

A foot injury, which forced Watkins to miss half of the 2016 season, triggered a change in perspective.

"I felt like I was consumed, and I was angry," Watkins said. "It was affecting my relationships with the coaches and with the players. I wanted to be great so bad, but I was also selfish, too. Because there were some games that we won and I didn’t get the ball, and I was upset. I looked at both sides of it, like, yeah, it is a point where you want to be great, but you also have to understand what we have on this team."

Acquired in exchange for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round pick near the middle of August, Watkins joined the Rams as their primary deep threat. But as time went on, he began to understand that his targets would become infrequent because the Rams wanted to spread the ball around and because they actually had the personnel to do it. That certainly has been the case so far. Watkins' targets through the first four weeks: 5, 2, 7, 2.

One hundred and forty NFL receivers have been targeted more frequently this season.
i

Surrounded by target-worthy teammates, Rams receiver Sammy Watkins looks to be shedding the "selfish" label he acquired with tantrums during his Buffalo days. Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire
"I have to just be honest with myself: There’s a lot of guys who are really good in this wide-receiver room," Watkins said. "Not just wide receivers, but you have the tight ends, you have a running back who needs his touches, and there’s a lot of guys who can do just about the same that I can do. When you have as much potential in one room, I have to be honest and say I’m not going to get 20 targets like an Odell Beckham or a Julio Jones or these other guys. But I’ll take winning games over making myself feel good."

Rams running back Todd Gurley has been absorbing an inordinate amount of the touches, but the receivers and tight ends basically have alternated in making an impact. In Week 1, the targets were pretty evenly distributed, with Watkins, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp combining for 16. In Week 2, Kupp drew a team-leading six targets. In Week 3, Watkins and Woods combined for 12 receptions on 14 targets for 214 yards. In Week 4, it was Kupp, Woods and second-year tight end Tyler Higbee drawing a combined 19 targets.

"When you do have the variety of skill players that we have, you don't want to just force-feed a guy," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "I think that enables us to spread the field, use everybody."

Watkins, a potential free agent at season's end, went from making six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers to making one catch for 17 yards against the Cowboys: a big one, near his shoestrings, to put the Rams in field-goal range with five minutes left. Watkins spent that entire game repeating one phrase to himself: "Stay in it."

Remaining engaged despite minimal action, Watkins said, "is the biggest challenge for any wide receiver that's used to having 20-target or 15-target games."

"But I know those plays are coming my way, and I've got to make those plays," Watkins said. "Neither of us is going to get 15 targets a game. We have too many great guys that need their touches. So for me, it's really just focus on blocking, focus on getting open, focus on showing Coach that I can play without the ball, that I'm not selfish."
 

SteezyEndo

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Well now everyone could chill. Sammy lurks on this board it seems like. Most were worried he is one of those Me not We guys when it comes to ball distribution. This answers all those worries.
 

Ramstien

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That shows some real maturity on his part and he has bought in to the we not me way of thinking.
 

DaveFan'51

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Best case scenario, No team can key on just one Receiver/TE/RB or they will get Burned by us!! I LIKE!!!(y);):D:yess::mrburnsevil:
 

jap

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This is just team ball---much as it was when we partied back in 1999. Sammy will get his touches in due time. What tends to happen is the hero of the previous week gets extra coverage the following week, allowing another of Jared's fly guys to shine. If the DCs try to shut down Todd, then multiple fly guys will light up the secondary. If the DCs go to the other extreme and litter the field with many DBs to slow down Jared & his receivers, those DBs will probably get the opportunity to face the Gurley Express! 1-on-1 eventually. Keep the defensive jokers guessing all game long while our 'skill' players pad their respective stats.

Have the 'Hawks lost yet? I'm already getting bored with all the smack talk from their extreme fans.
 
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Ramrasta

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The great thing about this week is if we don't want Sammy matched up against Sherman, simply line up on the other side of the field. The only person Sherman follows are the refs.
 

jap

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The great thing about this week is if we don't want Sammy matched up against Sherman, simply line up on the other side of the field. The only person Sherman follows are the refs.

Who cares about Sherman? The Horns were used to lighting him up, even with our poverty-stricken receiver corps of yesteryear. This precocious fly guy unit might very well retire Dickie's mouth for good! :ROFLMAO:

Besides, Jared owes him payback for that punk hit our signal caller received last season. We may have to light up Dickie boy several times!
 

Ram_Rally

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Love this guy. And he'll get to around 1000 by seasons end
 

fanotodd

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This is just team ball---much as it was when we partied back in 1999. Sammy will get his touches in due time. What tends to happen is the hero of the previous week gets extra coverage the following week, allowing another of Jared's fly guys to shine. If the DCs try to shut down Todd, then multiple fly guys will light up the secondary. If the DCs go to the other extreme and litter the field with many DBs to slow down Jared & his receivers, those DBs will probably get the opportunity to face the Gurley Express! 1-on-1 eventually. Keep the defensive jokers guessing all game long while our 'skill' players pad their respective stats.

Have the 'Hawks lost yet? I'm already getting bored with all the smack talk from their extreme fans.

Agree completely, you beat me to it.
The idea of a different guy shining each week is already happening. Because we're winning, I think that helps keep everybody's head in the game, waiting their turn.

Between the air attack and the new and improved OL, Gurley won't see as many stacked boxes--also good news.

I don't know if anybody is gonna get 100 catches or 1000 yds receiving this season, but I'll bet there's gonna be several players w/ more than 50 catches each. I'm guessing at least 4:
Watkins, Kupp, Woods, and Gurley.
 

RamFan503

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Yep Sammy. Your games will come where you are the spotlight receiver and if the Rams are winning, every catch will be seen and talked about. Great comments by him. You can tell he is getting the team concept McVay is pushing.
 

RamFan503

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Sounds good

But

He still needs 5-8 targets a game....Same as Tavon
I'd agree that we need more production out of him but I noticed in the last game, Kupp was still motioning to him to get him to line up correctly on a couple plays. Hate to think he is still learning the play book but he came in late and that is still a possibility. I'm McVay will use people in ways to keep defenses guessing. Hopefully that will feature Sammy and Tavon in games and maybe they average those numbers overall. If not and we're winning without having a high profile #1, I'm good with that too. As long as the cat gets skinned - y'know?
 

Merlin

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Sammy will get better and better in this offense as Goff improves. He's still not going to get the huge target amounts he'd get in another offense, but he's a crucial part of this thing and I am very thankful that we have him in horns. I hope these guys get to taste a deep playoff run this year, as there are a lot of great players and people on this roster that deserve it IMO.
 

Buffaloed

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"One hundred and five NFL receivers have been targeted more frequently this season."

Come on coach! He needs more!
 

Buffaloed

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Here's the backstory on that 2015 season. That was first year with Tyrod Taylor. He spoke out because he wasn't getting targets. His first year, Sammy got 8 targets a game. When Tyrod took the starting job, he got half that.

It's also because Tyrod is VERY CAREFUL with the ball, and won't throw a ball unless the guy's wide open. Sammy said, I got a HUGE catch radius, toss me the balls, and I'll fight the corner to get them. After that outburst from Sammy, Tyrod started tossing Sammy the 50-50 balls and sure enough, Sammy was grabbing anything close enough to him.

That's when their relationship got better and way more productive.

Sammy's Targets and YPC before the so called outburst: 4, 14
Targets and YPC after, 8, 18.
 

Merlin

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That's when their relationship got better and way more productive.

Sammy's Targets and YPC before the so called outburst: 4, 14
Targets and YPC after, 8, 18.

Goff is being coached up to execute the play design, and he's doing that. If he sees Watkins with help over the top he's on to the next read. That is not going to change.

Now that said I did notice that Dallas tried to give pre-snap looks to discourage Sammy, with the safety rolling back at the snap, stuff like that. And those types of games are going to work with a young QB at times. This is why I keep saying that as Goff improves Sammy is going to be more and more dangerous to defenses.

Sammy looks pretty damn happy, though. He's part of the highest scoring offense in the league. They're doing some things right.
 

Buffaloed

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Goff is being coached up to execute the play design, and he's doing that. If he sees Watkins with help over the top he's on to the next read. That is not going to change.

Now that said I did notice that Dallas tried to give pre-snap looks to discourage Sammy, with the safety rolling back at the snap, stuff like that. And those types of games are going to work with a young QB at times. This is why I keep saying that as Goff improves Sammy is going to be more and more dangerous to defenses.

Sammy looks pretty damn happy, though. He's part of the highest scoring offense in the league. They're doing some things right.

Yeah I agree. When the defense is keying on him, you gotta go to the next read. If he's left 1 on 1, get him the ball, even if Revis/Sherman/Peterson/whoever is on him.

I still haven't seen Sammy in his top form yet in a Rams uniform. Maybe he doesn't have the confidence because he's so new to the offense and to the QB, I don't know. You can see it in his body language, the way he runs the routes etc. But wait for him to get comfortable. He's a joy to watch.
 

CVita

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http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ll-around-and-sammy-watkins-is-fine-with-that


Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- There was a time, Sammy Watkins admits, that this all would have played out a lot differently.

Watkins, the Los Angeles Rams' No. 1 receiver, was targeted only twice in Sunday's 35-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, with neither coming within the game's first 50 minutes. And he was totally fine with it, which is, well, unusual.

"Two years ago, it would've probably been different," Watkins said. "I would've probably gone to the media and been saying whatever, trying to get the coach's attention. That's how I used to do it back then. Like, 'I need more targets.' Then that comes to the coach, and me and him have to talk."

Watkins did it quite famously while with the Bills in October 2015, when he said the team was making him "look bad," then told The Buffalo News, "I need 10 targets." Now in his fourth NFL season, Watkins recalled that moment Thursday, four days after making only one catch in his fourth game with his new team. He laughed about how his method actually seemed to work -- Watkins averaged more than eight targets per game for the remainder of Buffalo's 2015 season -- but lamented how it played out in the locker room.

"It definitely helped me and my coach learn each other," Watkins said. "At the same time, I feel like it affected my teammates because they looked at it as selfish."

A foot injury, which forced Watkins to miss half of the 2016 season, triggered a change in perspective.

"I felt like I was consumed, and I was angry," Watkins said. "It was affecting my relationships with the coaches and with the players. I wanted to be great so bad, but I was also selfish, too. Because there were some games that we won and I didn’t get the ball, and I was upset. I looked at both sides of it, like, yeah, it is a point where you want to be great, but you also have to understand what we have on this team."

Acquired in exchange for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round pick near the middle of August, Watkins joined the Rams as their primary deep threat. But as time went on, he began to understand that his targets would become infrequent because the Rams wanted to spread the ball around and because they actually had the personnel to do it. That certainly has been the case so far. Watkins' targets through the first four weeks: 5, 2, 7, 2.

One hundred and forty NFL receivers have been targeted more frequently this season.
i

Surrounded by target-worthy teammates, Rams receiver Sammy Watkins looks to be shedding the "selfish" label he acquired with tantrums during his Buffalo days. Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire
"I have to just be honest with myself: There’s a lot of guys who are really good in this wide-receiver room," Watkins said. "Not just wide receivers, but you have the tight ends, you have a running back who needs his touches, and there’s a lot of guys who can do just about the same that I can do. When you have as much potential in one room, I have to be honest and say I’m not going to get 20 targets like an Odell Beckham or a Julio Jones or these other guys. But I’ll take winning games over making myself feel good."

Rams running back Todd Gurley has been absorbing an inordinate amount of the touches, but the receivers and tight ends basically have alternated in making an impact. In Week 1, the targets were pretty evenly distributed, with Watkins, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp combining for 16. In Week 2, Kupp drew a team-leading six targets. In Week 3, Watkins and Woods combined for 12 receptions on 14 targets for 214 yards. In Week 4, it was Kupp, Woods and second-year tight end Tyler Higbee drawing a combined 19 targets.

"When you do have the variety of skill players that we have, you don't want to just force-feed a guy," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "I think that enables us to spread the field, use everybody."

Watkins, a potential free agent at season's end, went from making six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers to making one catch for 17 yards against the Cowboys: a big one, near his shoestrings, to put the Rams in field-goal range with five minutes left. Watkins spent that entire game repeating one phrase to himself: "Stay in it."

Remaining engaged despite minimal action, Watkins said, "is the biggest challenge for any wide receiver that's used to having 20-target or 15-target games."

"But I know those plays are coming my way, and I've got to make those plays," Watkins said. "Neither of us is going to get 15 targets a game. We have too many great guys that need their touches. So for me, it's really just focus on blocking, focus on getting open, focus on showing Coach that I can play without the ball, that I'm not selfish."
As a Rams fan living in Bills country, I had mixed feelings about Sammy Watkins, before we signed him. His ability is off the charts, but availability due to injury and attitude have always concerned me. I was one of his biggest critics to my Bills loving friends. Of course, now that he’s a Ram, I love the guy, however I was concerned early on about his lack of involvement. Figured he was going to start whining and becoming a cancer. It’s a huge relief to hear how much he seems to get the team concept now and is really becoming a professional. Time will tell and winning seems to cure all, but I’m loving what I’m seeing so far.
 

Rmfnlt

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Mr. Watkins... perhaps you could become the new Issac Bruce.

You remember... the guy that made the winning catch and TD in the only Rams Super Bowl win?

Glad you are coming around to the team concept... it worked out pretty well for Mr. Bruce and that 1999 Rams team ;)

(oh, by the way, he only averaged 7.5 targets per game that year)
 
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