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Rams Training Camp Preview: QBs
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1566969-rams-training-camp-preview-qb
We are just days away from the beginning of St. Louis Rams’ training camp and we’ll be taking a closer at the team’s position groups. We start with the position that had the most turnover during the offseason and offers the most intrigue — quarterback.
The Rams went into their 2014 training camp with Sam Bradford, Shaun Hill, Austin Davis and Garrett Gilbert as their quarterbacks. They will open camp this week with only one of those players.
Nick Foles is now the expected starter after the Rams traded Bradford to Philadelphia for him in a deal that also included several draft picks. St. Louis also traded a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans to re-acquire Case Keenum, who will compete with Davis for the backup spot. Then the Rams used a third-round pick to select Sean Mannion.
Foles, 26, will go into the final year of his rookie contract looking to prove himself after struggling at times during his injury-shortened 2014 season.
In 2013, Foles completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,891 yards, with 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 119.2 in 13 games and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
In 2014, in eight games, he completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and a QB rating of 81.4.
Rams fans will be eager to see how Foles performs in St. Louis with an unproven group of receivers and an inexperienced offensive line, but if the quarterback is able to limit mistakes and stay healthy for 16 games he will be an improvement over the team’s quarterback play the past two seasons.
The battle between Keenum and Davis for the backup spot will be one of the most interesting aspects of this training camp and the preseason.
Davis, 26, saw his first NFL regular-season action last season and showed some encouraging signs. He played in 10 games, starting eight, and completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 2,001 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and a QB rating of 85.1. He also fumbled five times.
Keenum, 27, has seen action with the Texans the past two seasons.
He went 0-8 as a starter in 2013 after pressed into the lineup because of injuries. He completed 54.2 percent of his passes for 1,760 yards, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions, and a QB rating of 78.2.
Keenum was released by Houston a year ago after the Texans acquired Ryan Mallett and claimed by the Rams. He spent some time on the Rams’ active roster but did not appear in a game with them. He was a member of the Rams’ practice squad when the Texans signed him and he led them to two wins in late December. He completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 435 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and a QB rating of 72.2.
In his 10-game NFL career, Keenum has completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,195 yards, with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and a QB rating of 76.8. He has also fumbled seven times.
Mannion, 23, was the 89th overall pick of the 2015 Draft out of Oregon State.
The 6-foot-6, 233-pounder appeared in 47 games during his career with the Beavers and set 18 school passing records. He completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 13,600 yards, with 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.
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Rams Training Camp Preview: RBs
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story...s?hootPostID=c108fe345c8c2ebd91f501e75d049106
We continue our St. Louis Rams training camp preview looking at the running backs, where the team could finish the 2015 campaign with a different rushing leader for the fourth time in four seasons.
The Rams surprised many when they used their first-round pick, No. 10 overall, in the 2015 Draft to select running back Todd Gurley from the University of Georgia.
Though they needed help along the offensive line, and already had a decent stable of running backs on the roster, coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead considered Gurley too good of a talent to pass up with their first-round draft pick.
The 20-year-old Gurley represents the Rams’ future at the running back position, but when that future begins is up in the air as the 6-foot-1, 227-pounder rehabilitates from the knee injury that shortened his final season with the Bulldogs.
Gurley played in 30 games at UGA and racked up 3,285 yards rushing, a robust 6.4-yards-per-carry average, 3,900 total yards from scrimmage and 44 total touchdowns, including two on kick returns.
“What he was able to do at the University of Georgia was very impressive,” Fisher said after the Rams picked Gurley. “Clearly, he was set back because of the injury, but the athletic ability, the strength, the explosion, the acceleration, the instincts that he has as a runner, and he’s also got great hands out of the backfield. He’s that complete back.”
Until Gurley is ready to take over — and he is expected to begin training camp on the non-football injury list as he continues to rehab — second-year back Tre Mason should get the bulk of the carries in the backfield.
Mason, 21, was a third-round pick in 2014 out of Auburn and emerged as the starter after Zac Stacy struggled in his second season. Mason played in 12 games as a rookie and gained 913 total yards (765 rushing, 148 receiving) and scored five touchdowns.
Mason averaged 4.3 yards per carry as a rookie and his offseason training focused on improving his speed to break longer runs. He also said he shed some weight after reporting to training camp as a rookie heavier than he should have.
He was as surprised as anyone that the Rams selected Gurley in the draft.
“I was in shock, really, because I thought I did a good job last year," Mason said. "And at that time, I’m thinking a pick like that, that’s a replacement. At the end of the day we’ve got to win a championship.”
Benny Cunningham is back for his third season with the Rams, but the 25-year-old will be a player to watch this season because he may have a revised role with the team.
Cunningham established himself as a capable kick returner in 2014 and finished the campaign as the No. 2 back behind Mason and ahead of Stacy on the depth chart. He rushed for 246 yards, on 3.7 yards per carry, and three touchdowns, but he also caught 45 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown.
It will be interesting to see how the Rams utilize Cunningham. Will he continue to get snaps as a third-down back or will those go to Mason and/or Gurley at some point?
Chase Reynolds is entering his third season with the Rams as a valuable special teams contributor who is also listed as a running back, but has yet to carry the ball in a regular season game.
Trey Watts was one of the surprises in training camp a year ago as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa. He carried the ball seven times for 30 yards, an average of 4.3 yards per carry, and also caught three passes for 18 yards. He will be suspended for the first four games for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy and that will hurt his chances of making the active roster.
Another player with plenty to prove will be Isaiah Pead, the Rams’ second-round draft pick in 2012 who had his 2014 season erased by a knee injury. Pead has just 169 total yards (75 rushing, 94 receiving) in 25 career games and has been unable to carve out a meaningful role for a team that has experienced turnover at the running back spot.
The Rams have three undrafted rookie running backs on the roster in Malcolm Brown, Terrence Franks and Zach Laskey.
Each player had successful college careers but will have to emerge as contributors on special teams to try to grab a roster spot. Still, they can look at players like Cunningham, Reynolds and Watts as undrafted guys who have made the Rams in the past few years to see that it is possible.
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Rams Training Camp Preview: WRs
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1567013-rams-training-camp-preview-wrs
The Rams will go into training camp with essentially the same cast of characters at wide receiver that they finished the 2014 season with. Will they be able to make a bigger impact with a new quarterback?
St. Louis hasn’t had a wide receiver reach the 1,000-yard mark since Torry Holt way back in 2007 when Scott Linehan was still coaching the Rams. But will that streak be broken this season? Don’t bet on it.
The Rams’ leading pass catcher last season was tight end Jared Cook, who caught 52 passes for 634 yards and three touchdowns. Their receiving yardage leader was wideout Kenny Britt, who caught 48 passes for 748 yards and three touchdowns. The player who caught the most touchdown passes was another tight end, Lance Kendricks, who had 27 receptions for 259 yards and five scores.
This certainly isn’t a team with a dominant and established No. 1 receiving target. There’s no Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Julio Jones or Jordy Nelson to be found on this roster, but there are a couple players who could be ready to break out and produce more.
The Rams have made no secret that they want to be a team that relies on a stingy defense and strong rushing attack to win games, but the passing attack should be improved if they can keep new quarterback Nick Foles healthy enough to play a full season.
Britt re-signed with St. Louis this offseason after proving to be a productive player when he was reunited with his old coach, Jeff Fisher. Britt averaged a team-high 15.6 yards per catch and led the Rams with 13 receptions over 20 yards.
Brian Quick, a second-round pick in 2012, was on his way to a breakout campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the seventh game. Still, he managed to produce career highs in receptions (25), receiving yards (375) and touchdowns (three).
Britt and Quick are both big-bodied wide receivers who can also help the team’s rushing attack with their blocking ability.
Stedman Bailey finished third on the Rams in receiving yards in his second season. The former third-round pick out of West Virginia had 22 of his 30 receptions in the final six games and finished with 435 yards, a 14.5 yards-per-catch average and one touchdown.
Bailey’s late-season performance could indicate he is primed for a breakout in 2015, but it is more likely that his former college teammate, Tavon Austin, is the top candidate to emerge this fall.
A first-round pick in 2013, No. 8 overall, Austin has shown flashes of his potential during his first two seasons and has shown to be a dangerous weapon as a punt returner but hasn’t consistently produced within the confines of the offense. The Rams have said on several occasions they need to do a better job of getting the diminutive speedster the ball and this could finally be the season that happens.
Austin has scored nine touchdowns (four receiving, three rushing, two punt returns) in his first two seasons but only has 71 catches for 660 receiving yards. He’s certainly capable of more, but will he ever fulfill his potential with the Rams?
Chris Givens showed plenty of potential in his rookie campaign in 2012 but he hasn’t shown much since then.
As a rookie the speedy Givens caught 42 passes for 698 yards and three touchdowns, but his numbers have decreased since. He had 34 catches for 569 yards and no touchdowns in 2013 and then just 11 receptions for 159 yards and one score a year ago.
Britt, Quick, Austin, Bailey and Givens are the top five candidates to make the roster out of training camp, but there will be several more wide receivers in camp trying to earn a job.
Damian Williams has the strongest resume of that group of players. A third-round pick in 2010 by the Tennessee Titans, he has 107 receptions for 1,327 yards and five touchdowns throughout his first five seasons.
Devon Wylie was a fourth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 out of Fresno State but has just six catches for 53 yards in his NFL career — in six games with the Chiefs in 2012. He appeared in two games for the Tennessee Titans in 2013 as a kick and punt returner.
Emory Blake joins undrafted rookies Isiah Ferguson, Bradley Marquez, Tyler Slavin and Daniel Rodriguez as players looking to show something in training camp.
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1566969-rams-training-camp-preview-qb
We are just days away from the beginning of St. Louis Rams’ training camp and we’ll be taking a closer at the team’s position groups. We start with the position that had the most turnover during the offseason and offers the most intrigue — quarterback.
The Rams went into their 2014 training camp with Sam Bradford, Shaun Hill, Austin Davis and Garrett Gilbert as their quarterbacks. They will open camp this week with only one of those players.
Nick Foles is now the expected starter after the Rams traded Bradford to Philadelphia for him in a deal that also included several draft picks. St. Louis also traded a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans to re-acquire Case Keenum, who will compete with Davis for the backup spot. Then the Rams used a third-round pick to select Sean Mannion.
Foles, 26, will go into the final year of his rookie contract looking to prove himself after struggling at times during his injury-shortened 2014 season.
In 2013, Foles completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,891 yards, with 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 119.2 in 13 games and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
In 2014, in eight games, he completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and a QB rating of 81.4.
Rams fans will be eager to see how Foles performs in St. Louis with an unproven group of receivers and an inexperienced offensive line, but if the quarterback is able to limit mistakes and stay healthy for 16 games he will be an improvement over the team’s quarterback play the past two seasons.
The battle between Keenum and Davis for the backup spot will be one of the most interesting aspects of this training camp and the preseason.
Davis, 26, saw his first NFL regular-season action last season and showed some encouraging signs. He played in 10 games, starting eight, and completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 2,001 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and a QB rating of 85.1. He also fumbled five times.
Keenum, 27, has seen action with the Texans the past two seasons.
He went 0-8 as a starter in 2013 after pressed into the lineup because of injuries. He completed 54.2 percent of his passes for 1,760 yards, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions, and a QB rating of 78.2.
Keenum was released by Houston a year ago after the Texans acquired Ryan Mallett and claimed by the Rams. He spent some time on the Rams’ active roster but did not appear in a game with them. He was a member of the Rams’ practice squad when the Texans signed him and he led them to two wins in late December. He completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 435 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and a QB rating of 72.2.
In his 10-game NFL career, Keenum has completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,195 yards, with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and a QB rating of 76.8. He has also fumbled seven times.
Mannion, 23, was the 89th overall pick of the 2015 Draft out of Oregon State.
The 6-foot-6, 233-pounder appeared in 47 games during his career with the Beavers and set 18 school passing records. He completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 13,600 yards, with 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.
==============
Rams Training Camp Preview: RBs
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story...s?hootPostID=c108fe345c8c2ebd91f501e75d049106
We continue our St. Louis Rams training camp preview looking at the running backs, where the team could finish the 2015 campaign with a different rushing leader for the fourth time in four seasons.
The Rams surprised many when they used their first-round pick, No. 10 overall, in the 2015 Draft to select running back Todd Gurley from the University of Georgia.
Though they needed help along the offensive line, and already had a decent stable of running backs on the roster, coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead considered Gurley too good of a talent to pass up with their first-round draft pick.
The 20-year-old Gurley represents the Rams’ future at the running back position, but when that future begins is up in the air as the 6-foot-1, 227-pounder rehabilitates from the knee injury that shortened his final season with the Bulldogs.
Gurley played in 30 games at UGA and racked up 3,285 yards rushing, a robust 6.4-yards-per-carry average, 3,900 total yards from scrimmage and 44 total touchdowns, including two on kick returns.
“What he was able to do at the University of Georgia was very impressive,” Fisher said after the Rams picked Gurley. “Clearly, he was set back because of the injury, but the athletic ability, the strength, the explosion, the acceleration, the instincts that he has as a runner, and he’s also got great hands out of the backfield. He’s that complete back.”
Until Gurley is ready to take over — and he is expected to begin training camp on the non-football injury list as he continues to rehab — second-year back Tre Mason should get the bulk of the carries in the backfield.
Mason, 21, was a third-round pick in 2014 out of Auburn and emerged as the starter after Zac Stacy struggled in his second season. Mason played in 12 games as a rookie and gained 913 total yards (765 rushing, 148 receiving) and scored five touchdowns.
Mason averaged 4.3 yards per carry as a rookie and his offseason training focused on improving his speed to break longer runs. He also said he shed some weight after reporting to training camp as a rookie heavier than he should have.
He was as surprised as anyone that the Rams selected Gurley in the draft.
“I was in shock, really, because I thought I did a good job last year," Mason said. "And at that time, I’m thinking a pick like that, that’s a replacement. At the end of the day we’ve got to win a championship.”
Benny Cunningham is back for his third season with the Rams, but the 25-year-old will be a player to watch this season because he may have a revised role with the team.
Cunningham established himself as a capable kick returner in 2014 and finished the campaign as the No. 2 back behind Mason and ahead of Stacy on the depth chart. He rushed for 246 yards, on 3.7 yards per carry, and three touchdowns, but he also caught 45 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown.
It will be interesting to see how the Rams utilize Cunningham. Will he continue to get snaps as a third-down back or will those go to Mason and/or Gurley at some point?
Chase Reynolds is entering his third season with the Rams as a valuable special teams contributor who is also listed as a running back, but has yet to carry the ball in a regular season game.
Trey Watts was one of the surprises in training camp a year ago as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa. He carried the ball seven times for 30 yards, an average of 4.3 yards per carry, and also caught three passes for 18 yards. He will be suspended for the first four games for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy and that will hurt his chances of making the active roster.
Another player with plenty to prove will be Isaiah Pead, the Rams’ second-round draft pick in 2012 who had his 2014 season erased by a knee injury. Pead has just 169 total yards (75 rushing, 94 receiving) in 25 career games and has been unable to carve out a meaningful role for a team that has experienced turnover at the running back spot.
The Rams have three undrafted rookie running backs on the roster in Malcolm Brown, Terrence Franks and Zach Laskey.
Each player had successful college careers but will have to emerge as contributors on special teams to try to grab a roster spot. Still, they can look at players like Cunningham, Reynolds and Watts as undrafted guys who have made the Rams in the past few years to see that it is possible.
========
Rams Training Camp Preview: WRs
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1567013-rams-training-camp-preview-wrs
The Rams will go into training camp with essentially the same cast of characters at wide receiver that they finished the 2014 season with. Will they be able to make a bigger impact with a new quarterback?
St. Louis hasn’t had a wide receiver reach the 1,000-yard mark since Torry Holt way back in 2007 when Scott Linehan was still coaching the Rams. But will that streak be broken this season? Don’t bet on it.
The Rams’ leading pass catcher last season was tight end Jared Cook, who caught 52 passes for 634 yards and three touchdowns. Their receiving yardage leader was wideout Kenny Britt, who caught 48 passes for 748 yards and three touchdowns. The player who caught the most touchdown passes was another tight end, Lance Kendricks, who had 27 receptions for 259 yards and five scores.
This certainly isn’t a team with a dominant and established No. 1 receiving target. There’s no Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Julio Jones or Jordy Nelson to be found on this roster, but there are a couple players who could be ready to break out and produce more.
The Rams have made no secret that they want to be a team that relies on a stingy defense and strong rushing attack to win games, but the passing attack should be improved if they can keep new quarterback Nick Foles healthy enough to play a full season.
Britt re-signed with St. Louis this offseason after proving to be a productive player when he was reunited with his old coach, Jeff Fisher. Britt averaged a team-high 15.6 yards per catch and led the Rams with 13 receptions over 20 yards.
Brian Quick, a second-round pick in 2012, was on his way to a breakout campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the seventh game. Still, he managed to produce career highs in receptions (25), receiving yards (375) and touchdowns (three).
Britt and Quick are both big-bodied wide receivers who can also help the team’s rushing attack with their blocking ability.
Stedman Bailey finished third on the Rams in receiving yards in his second season. The former third-round pick out of West Virginia had 22 of his 30 receptions in the final six games and finished with 435 yards, a 14.5 yards-per-catch average and one touchdown.
Bailey’s late-season performance could indicate he is primed for a breakout in 2015, but it is more likely that his former college teammate, Tavon Austin, is the top candidate to emerge this fall.
A first-round pick in 2013, No. 8 overall, Austin has shown flashes of his potential during his first two seasons and has shown to be a dangerous weapon as a punt returner but hasn’t consistently produced within the confines of the offense. The Rams have said on several occasions they need to do a better job of getting the diminutive speedster the ball and this could finally be the season that happens.
Austin has scored nine touchdowns (four receiving, three rushing, two punt returns) in his first two seasons but only has 71 catches for 660 receiving yards. He’s certainly capable of more, but will he ever fulfill his potential with the Rams?
Chris Givens showed plenty of potential in his rookie campaign in 2012 but he hasn’t shown much since then.
As a rookie the speedy Givens caught 42 passes for 698 yards and three touchdowns, but his numbers have decreased since. He had 34 catches for 569 yards and no touchdowns in 2013 and then just 11 receptions for 159 yards and one score a year ago.
Britt, Quick, Austin, Bailey and Givens are the top five candidates to make the roster out of training camp, but there will be several more wide receivers in camp trying to earn a job.
Damian Williams has the strongest resume of that group of players. A third-round pick in 2010 by the Tennessee Titans, he has 107 receptions for 1,327 yards and five touchdowns throughout his first five seasons.
Devon Wylie was a fourth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 out of Fresno State but has just six catches for 53 yards in his NFL career — in six games with the Chiefs in 2012. He appeared in two games for the Tennessee Titans in 2013 as a kick and punt returner.
Emory Blake joins undrafted rookies Isiah Ferguson, Bradley Marquez, Tyler Slavin and Daniel Rodriguez as players looking to show something in training camp.
