On to Miami - Up next, Dolphins

[1maGoh]

If we have a lead going into the end of the 3rd I hope like hell mcvay dosnt do what he did in that bears game and going into major conservated mode.I was starting to lose my shit on what I was seeing.He needs to put teams away until there's 5 mins left in the 4th and then kick back and munch the clock.

It worked.

 

[Classic Rams]

Sage advice for young Tua:

"Life comes at you fast.... when Aaron Donald breaks a double team."

 

[dieterbrock]

If you follow Fitz career, he was due for one of his patented disaster games. The cat could throw for 400 1 week with 3,4 TD and then blow up the next with multiple INT.
That said, he's had a wild career and puts a big twist on the "journeyman" concept. Normally the journeyman is a Steve Deberg type, wont kill you, wont amaze you. Will just get enough done to keep the team's head above water.
Fitz though....
Has to be an NFL record, has had a 300 yard game with 7 different teams, Only Cincinnati stop (261 yards hi-game) prevented him from being a perfect 8 for 8. He also has hit 400 with 3 different teams, (Just missing with Jets 390, and Buffalo 382)
Talk about feast or famine

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams-Dolphins: 3 things we could be wrong about headed into Week 8

Protecting Jared Goff, stopping DeVante Parker and expecting things from Tua

www.turfshowtimes.com

The Los Angeles Rams would be elated to enter their midseason bye week with a 6-2 record. Few people predicted that the Rams would be able to rebound as quickly and resoundingly as they have to open 2020 but Sean McVay’s team has been one of the most efficient in the NFL at passing, rushing and stopping the pass.

The team standing in between 6-2 and 5-3 is the Miami Dolphins, a franchise that not many are taking lightly anymore following a 43-17 win over the 49ers and a 24-0 shutout against the Jets in their last two games. Despite their own low expectations from the national media headed into the season and the fact that they benched their starting quarterback this week, the Dolphins could be a popular pick to make a run in the AFC, especially if they knock off Los Angeles.

The Dolphins are 3-3 and starting rookie Tua Tagovailoa with the hope that if they’re this good now, maybe they could actually be a contender to win the AFC East and at least a little bit more.

We think we know a lot about these teams but we were wrong about plenty of our pre-season predictions already. Here are some thoughts headed into this Sunday’s game that we could also be wrong about.

Tua Tagovailoa could defy your expectations
The Dolphins are starting Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, for the first time this Sunday. There may not be a consensus on how he is expected to perform but however you feel, positively or negatively, you could be wrong.

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey says that he thinks Tagovailoa will “play great” and that the expectations are for him to make good throws and good decisions in the run game. Teammate Shaq Lawson says that after watching him in practice for a while, Tagovailoa is “incredible” and that his debut is going to be “incredible.”

One Madden simulation went with 24 of 38, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and 1 Fumble.

The Rams also feature one of the top pass defenses in the NFL thanks to Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, so a reasonable expectation could be that Tagovailoa is not going to be one of the best rated passers this week, to put it mildly. Quarterbacks often struggle in their debuts and the early parts of their careers and Tagovailoa hasn’t played in a game since injuring his hip on November 16 of last year.

If you think Tagovailoa will have an exciting and productive debut like Justin Herbert or Marcus Mariota or Cam Newton, you might be surprised with a poor performance. The entire spectrum of possibilities exists for Tagovailoa because he has yet to truly play in an NFL game.

If you think Tagovailoa will struggle because of those reasons and/or others, you might be surprised with a dominant performance against a top-ranked defense.

Jalen Ramsey could get beat by DeVante Parker or others
Parker has been limited in practice this week with a groin injury, but if he suits up and starts he could potentially give Ramsey some issues on Sunday. Parker caught 72 of 128 targets for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns last season despite playing for Miami and the former first rounder now gets to pair with his most talented quarterback partner to date.

Three weeks ago against the Seahawks, Parker caught 10 of 12 targets for 110 yards. Two weeks ago against the 49ers, he made two catches of over 20 yards. He’s been a solid deep threat with Ryan Fitzpatrick, so what he’s going to look like with Tagovailoa?

Ramsey may be the best corner in the NFL but even this week against the Bears we saw him get beat against a quarterback who isn’t able to complete his deep opportunities.

Teammate Preston Williams has just as many 20+ yard receptions as Parker, but his 47 and 32-yard catches this season are longer than any by Parker. Tight end Mike Gesicki has hauled in deep passes to go for 70 yards, 27 yards and 23 yards. Watch out for Miami’s deep threats this week.

Jared Goff could get sacked more than twice
The Rams quarterback has only been sacked eight times all season and never more than twice in any game. He was only sacked 22 times in 2019 and his career-high in sacks is 33 back in 2018. Goff has a number of skills but avoiding costly sacks and getting rid of the ball quickly might be up there as his most valuable.

One the other side of the field, the Dolphins defense features Emmanuel Ogbah as their leading pass rusher with five sacks and 10 QB hits. Ogbah has never had six sacks in a season but was slowed by injuries and could be a premier pass rusher in this league right now. Outside of him though, Miami doesn’t have a clear second-best option.

Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerome Baker and Kyle Van Noy are the other players on the Dolphins with at least two sacks.

In the last seven games where Jared Goff was sacked multiple times, the Rams are 1-6 with Week 4’s win against the Giants as the only victory. They are 10-3 in the other contests over that

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams at Dolphins - Week 8 - Keys to Victory

www.miamidolphins.com

Tua Tagovailoa presents unique new challenges for Rams defense

Tua Tagovailoa is making his first NFL start and presents some different challenges for the Rams defense.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[oldnotdead]

Tua is who he is. Take away his early reads and get pressure and he will try to break contain to get a dropped coverage. The secondary must maintain discipline and understand he's not a big run threat. He can't outrun AD, and the LBs. Tua loves the dink and dunk game passing screens, and within the first 15 yds from the LOS. Digs, slants, ins, outs, hitches, etc. that's his game. Set a hard edge to stop their perimeter run game and this team can be beaten.

Also, their D isn't anywhere near what the Rams faced in Chicago. Tua doesn't look like a shootout type of QB. He's the definition of a system QB. He can be a disciplined pocket passer and given a good o-line he can be successful. In many ways he's similar to Philip Rivers in his younger days. I say that to illustrate that type of QB can be very good. But IMO he simply doesn't have the experience and most importantly the team around him on both sides of the ball.

Miami is much like Chicago who's record was built upon struggling teams. The fact they are starting their rookie QB, one most evaluators felt needed a redshirt year to begin his career is IMO a sign of quiet desperation. I like Tua but feel he's simply being thrown to the wolves at this point much the same way as Rosen was in AZ. A rookie pocket passer behind a suspect o-line, with marginal run support and WRs, does not portend a good outcome for his success this season.

Devante Parker is Miami's #1 WR, who is a vet in his 6th year with good speed (4.4) and TE length. That said, even as a WR he's put up TE type of numbers most of his career. That is to say a solid possession type of WR with enough speed to break one if given the opportunity. Put Ramsey on him taking away Tua's best receiving option and the Fins will struggle. Parker and Gaskin are the Fins offensive weapons. Take them out of the game and there isn't much left.

 

[FarNorth]

Tua runs a 4.9? He looked way faster then that in college.

It's not a bad time for an interior lineman...

 

[Legatron4]

It's not a bad time for an interior lineman...

It’s just hard to believe Goff is faster then Tua. What does he do well? His college highlights showed me he’s a scrambler like Wilson but if he tries to do some of the stuff he did in college, against this defense? Yikes.

 

[Mikey Ram]

I'm looking forward to seeing A'Shawn Robinson next to Donald and Brockers..At 6-4 and 330 pounds, this is a really big man...Hope it won't be much longer...

 

[TK42-RAM]

View: https://twitter.com/RamsOnFilm/status/1321921485678792706?s=20


BRUUUUUCCCCEEE

 

[majrleaged]

I am very much looking forward to Lewis being the full time starter opposite Floyd. And you're right, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ebukam released if/when Obo comes back from IR later this season. Ebukam is in the last year of his contract and, if my math is right, because almost all of his salary is base salary we'd actually gain back about $133k in cap space for each game he isn't on our roster this season? If we released him after this week we'd have $1mil that we could use this season or push and use next year.

I'm really hoping by the end of the season Lewis has cemented his place as a good edge rusher with Obo, Polite, and Hollins in promising rotational duty. All of those guys are signed next season and most importantly cheap. I think all but Polite are signed for the next 2-3 years beyond. Resign Floyd hopefully and we're set at OLB for a while.

If a player is on the roster opening day he is guaranteed the full season salary.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Game Theory: How Tua affects Dolphins' chance to make playoffs

Good video.

It sounds like the Rams should expect a heavy dose of short, quick passing from The with an occasional downfield shot. The Dolphins Oline is not good, so they will copy the Niners game plan and having a more mobile QB likely helps them.

Unlike when they crushed the Niners, the Dolphins won't have a PS corner to pick on all game long.

 

[Neil039]

Personally, I think success can be had with solid to great Secondary play. The longer Tua holds the ball the better off the Defense will be. Miami may want this game to set him up for success, deep down they know that’s a tall order against this Defense.

A few turnovers and Rams fly out of Miami with a V

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

It worked.

Sure, it worked but a first down here or there would have made it work a bit better.

 

[jrry32]

The Dolphins are scrappy, and Flores is a good HC. Tua is talented too. What I think we have going for us are two things:
1. Staley's scheme is very tough on rookie QBs. It disguises coverages well.

2. The Dolphins have a bad run defense. We have a great running game.

McVay needs to ride the HBs here. If the Dolphins can't stop it, keep pounding it.

 

[jrry32]

Some of the throws Goff made at the end of the first half may have influenced his decision to go conservative so early

I think it had more to do with our inability to consistently block the Chicago pass rush.

 

[jrry32]

It’s just hard to believe Goff is faster then Tua. What does he do well? His college highlights showed me he’s a scrambler like Wilson but if he tries to do some of the stuff he did in college, against this defense? Yikes.

I don't recall Tua running the 40 due to his hip injury. He can scramble. He's very accurate in the short to intermediate ranges. And he has a good arm. However, he's short and can be rattled by pressure (will start bailing out of the pocket too quickly). We need to take away the short, quick passes to the first read and hit Tua.

 

[dieterbrock]

View: https://twitter.com/RamsOnFilm/status/1321921485678792706?s=20


BRUUUUUCCCCEEE

He was the MAN.
Funny, Mark Rypien could still sling it back then, but the team was just awful
He started the last 3 games, in those he threw for over 1,000 yards with 5 TD, only 2 INT and they lost all 3 by an average of 16 ppg. lol

 

[Legatron4]

I don't recall Tua running the 40 due to his hip injury. He can scramble. He's very accurate in the short to intermediate ranges. And he has a good arm. However, he's short and can be rattled by pressure (will start bailing out of the pocket too quickly). We need to take away the short, quick passes to the first read and hit Tua.

I hope Staley has some exotic blitzes dialed up for the rookie. I really don’t want to watch us sit back in zone and wait for Tua to make mistakes. FORCE him to make mistakes.

Rams are 5-0 vs rookie QBs since 2014. Couple that with the fact that QBs in their first start have only won 34% of the time and there should be no reason we don’t win this game.

 

[majrleaged]

Yes the d needs to come out aggressive and set the tempo. We shouldn't alow him to feel comfortable for even 1 play.
Also it is a way to wake up the team. We don't need a flat start.