Preseason Game #1 Observations

[fearsomefour]

Marshall made a good point about the defense being very consistent. Consistent play, understanding of the D and tackling overall.
It's a good point. Pretty basic D I'm sure vs a pretty basic O, but, you can see guys get the D.
Pass blocking looked good, but again, not a lot of stunts or disguising stuff. Time and health will tell.
Can see the potential with Everett.
David can easily take Dunbars role if he can learn to pass block, catch the ball and not fumble.
Over all not worried about all the fumbles. First game, nerves, Dallas with one game under their belt ext. Now if it happens again next week....
Mannion has improved. Mostly he slid in the pocket a couple of times and avoided a rush. Release still looks slow.
Murphy looked better after they switched him to RT and put Williams at LT. Don't know if that was because of second half competition or not.
Some of the youngsters on D impressed. Will have to keep an eye on them. This could turn out to be a productive draft despite not having a first round pick.
Not much depth on the O line at all.
Again, will have to see if anyone steps up.
Put in the situation again of hoping against hope Williams can put it together to be a solid swing T type of guy.
Longacre appears to be a nice fit for the D.
Being able to use him in rotation will be nice.
Keep them fresh off the edge.
Special teams look good.
Barely any FB play from either the youngster or Harkey. Not sure Harkey makes the team but it would be nice to have one TE that is a proven blocker. He was a favorite of the last coach, don't know if he fits what McVay (spelled correctly!!) wants.

 

[TexasRam]

Oh man, I forgot about Justin Davis somehow.

Sure it has been said a lot before, but while his running ability is impressive, everything else seems like it needs work.

He absolutely can not block at this point in time and that ball security was just stupid bad.

That said, he could be a strong contender for a PS spot.

He had some fumble issues at USC. His quick moves combined with great vision at both levels are pretty awesome though. And he can really catch the ball out of the backfield too. If he could learn to pass block and cure the fumbilitis I can see him being a star. Reminds me of Marcus Allen.

 

[RAMpage28]

Well, here are your PFF takes.

Interesting tweet about Kupp's ability to line up everywhere.


View: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/896565923917725697


And they quickly put up their "Re-Focused" article, where they list their top 5 players from each team. Biggest shock is Austin Blythe, who was praised for his run blocking in this game. Perhaps a player to watch for those who re-watch this game.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-los-angeles-rams-13-dallas-cowboys-10

 

[RAMpage28]

He had some fumble issues at USC. His quick moves combined with great vision at both levels are pretty awesome though. And he can really catch the ball out of the backfield too. If he could learn to pass block and cure the fumbilitis I can see him being a star. Reminds me of Marcus Allen.

That's some lofty praise my man.

Didn't get to show case his pass catching too much this game unfortunately.

The running talent is there though. His speed, quickness, and decision making were on point today. Well, outside of the decision to carry the ball like a loaf of bread.

I think he's a practice squad guy this year and then develops from there. Interested to see what he can do in the next few weeks.

 

[bomebadeeda]

Just got back from the game. Can someone please explain to me how Woods fumbles on the 3 yd line into the end zone and Kupp falls on it for a TD. Isn't that the Stabler rule??????

I think that only applies inside the last 2 minutes. But I could be wrong.

 

[RAMpage28]

I think that only applies inside the last 2 minutes. But I could be wrong.

According to a wikipedia article, you are right.

"In response to the Holy Roller, the league passed new rules in the off-season, restricting fumble recoveries by the offense. If a player fumbles after the two-minute warning in a half, or on fourth down at any time during the game, only the fumbling player can recover and advance the ball. If that player's teammate recovers the ball during those situations, it is placed back at the spot of the fumble, unless it was a recovery for a loss, in which case the ball is dead and placed at the point of recovery"

 

[Merlin]

Jamon Brown is a dumpsterfire in the run game.

Yeah I was disappointed by his play. McVay is going to watch the film, it's going to p!$$ him off, and we'll see an immediate reaction not only to Brown but to the depth in general.

I think we'll see them "experiment" with the OL some more, specifically RG. I also think we're going to see one, maybe two cuts of depth OL who just aren't going to be short or long term answers. Not sure which older vets are out there, but at this point that market is being analyzed and I am certain the scouts are scouring other teams' rosters to ensure they're ready for cuts and/or making pre-cut moves.

McVay isn't like the previous regime, there will be some impact on the poor play.

 

[So Ram]

I'll add one observation and that's our defensive rookies, those on the front 7, Price, Smart and Bryant all showed very well.

Carlos Thomas really flashed.
Ejuan Price reminds me of a poor mans
Khali Mack !!

Joyner coming up from his Free Safety spot to stop Dallas on there first series was a good sign.

 

[Mackeyser]

Hemingway and Higbee demonstrated why we need to keep Harkey as Harkey is as solid as they come as a blocking TE and he can flex to FB.

 

[So Ram]

I hate to not be totally logical, but this Ram's team is different, even with all of the mistakes. I am almost blown away about how poised Cooper Kupp was in his first NFL experience. Although he fumbled once and missed one pass, he is every bit of the route runner he was billed as. He played better than Robert Wood today (small sample size). Everett is a playmaker and may be the best TE on the team right now.

Jamon Brown is a dumpsterfire in the run game. Kromer may have made a mistake not urging McVay to pick an Olineman in this last Draft. It's hard to judge Havenstein as easily, because it seemed like Brown was getting owned at all times. Goff was accurate, but there were drops and he wasn't given an opportunity to get into any sort of rhythm.....

I hope they switch back ? Will see ??
Wondering if McVay was telling the truth
About the switch in the first place ?

I just find that interesting right now.

Pace Murray played the whole game basically, & got his butt kicked .

 

[Riverumbbq]

"Re-Focused" article, where they list their top 5 players from each team. Biggest shock is Austin Blythe, who was praised for his run blocking in this game. Perhaps a player to watch for those who re-watch this game.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-los-angeles-rams-13-dallas-cowboys-10

Perhaps Blythe should get a shot from the RG position ? Depth may not be the real problem if just finding the right position or combination of positions can be made to work for some of these guys. Today is just one day in camp, but if Darrell Williams is better at LT and Pace Murphy better at RT, maybe a battle is brewing between Murphy & Brown for reserve RT. Havenstein appears to have beaten Brown as the starting RT, although with little feedback from coaches, it's difficult to tell if Havenstein also held the upper hand at RG, and whether Brown has any other real competition for the starting role. While Wichmann may be better known for his pass pro, Brown was thought to be the better run blocker, although today's performance didn't help him much as far as getting that point across. Donnal is likely to have something to say at some point if he ever suits up, but i'm still curious if Murphy, Blythe or Eldrencamp can also play successfully at an OG position, and whether they have received any camp snaps at RG ? McVay seems to want his players capable at multiple positions, will Brown find a dominating position/s on this OL ? Do the Rams have an alternative in mind for RG, other than Havenstein, who can compete, ... or are we keeping options open for another trade or free agent/waiver pick-up once the CAP cutting begins ?
One bad game early in a new season doesn't make a career, Oakland should offer new opportunities for improvement, but 2016 wasn't exactly the showcase standard Brown wants to rely on for further employment. I probably have to classify him as an on the bubble player until proven different, he was clearly a weak link today. jmo.

 

[Legatron4]

I thought Gurley looked a little quicker and faster. But like most of you said, he lacks power right now. Which is hard to believe since he's such a big dude.

 

[dieterbrock]

Not sure what to think of Gurley other than the right side of the line had caved in prior to him getting the ball.
Was just great to see them playing football.
I think it's hard to take too much from the game as it was sloppy on both sides. Kupp just looks the part.

 

[OldSchool]

That's some lofty praise my man.

Didn't get to show case his pass catching too much this game unfortunately.

The running talent is there though. His speed, quickness, and decision making were on point today. Well, outside of the decision to carry the ball like a loaf of bread.

I think he's a practice squad guy this year and then develops from there. Interested to see what he can do in the next few weeks.

Marcus Allen also had major fumble problems when he came into the league and was able to correct it. High praise for Davis but pretty fair when you consider Allens early issues.

 

[den-the-coach]

One more thing on Jamon Brown, who, showcased in OTA's that he was doing what he was told to do, which led them to put him at RT. Then IMO, he did not play well in the scrimmage against the Chargers and they quickly moved him back to RG, with Havenstein moving back to RT. How bad is Andrew Donnal's injury because maybe they can give him a shot at RG or RT (with Havenstein at RG), which I always felt was his best position and is the position he played at Iowa.

Brown was a major disappointment tonight and I hope showcases improvement week over week. He was okay in pass protection, but very slow off the ball and could not run block at all, which was his forte coming out of Louisville.

 

[…..]

6 points in 3+ quarter. He was slow and couldn't get out of the way on a sack. I guess our qb play has been so poor for the last decade that we've lowered the bar.

You seem pretty critical. I did not see the game, but checked in and at one point he was 11/13 which to me is pretty impressive regardless of the mitigating factors. Are you determined to be unhappy with Mannion or are you judging him in this game accurately and fairly?

 

[JackDRams]

Well, here are your PFF takes.

Interesting tweet about Kupp's ability to line up everywhere.


View: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/896565923917725697


And they quickly put up their "Re-Focused" article, where they list their top 5 players from each team. Biggest shock is Austin Blythe, who was praised for his run blocking in this game. Perhaps a player to watch for those who re-watch this game.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-los-angeles-rams-13-dallas-cowboys-10

Once they switched him to guard, I think he played better.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Forgot, the #1 thing to come out of the game is no injuries.

This seemed to be McVays #1 priority.
He really didn't seem too driven to win during the game.
Very conservative day for a team with a new coaching staff and a young offense.
He also seemed content on leaving the timeouts on the field so the players could get off it.
It worked.

 

[pmil66]

Did not see the game, sounds like the only starter that struggled was Jamon Brown at RG. Donnal is still hurt, but how did Wichmann look? OL depth sounds like a problem.

 

[Dodgersrf]

According to a wikipedia article, you are right.

"In response to the Holy Roller, the league passed new rules in the off-season, restricting fumble recoveries by the offense. If a player fumbles after the two-minute warning in a half, or on fourth down at any time during the game, only the fumbling player can recover and advance the ball. If that player's teammate recovers the ball during those situations, it is placed back at the spot of the fumble, unless it was a recovery for a loss, in which case the ball is dead and placed at the point of recovery"

Thanks for clearing that up. I was a bit confused myself