CAMP REPORT Rams vs Cowboys Scrimmage

[MachS]

Here's the Stafford to DJax deep throw today. Play action roll out to the left, stopped and bombed it back across the grain:


View: https://twitter.com/SupermanDH39SZN/status/1424152505777156098?s=19

 

[CGI_Ram]

I think Kareem Orr should consider not pulling up his jersey, so that people can see his number and know who to appreciate. He made a few nice plays and is now starting to stand out as a potential member of this 53.

The cornerback who got the most positive attention on the day was Donte Deayon. The fourth year corner out of Boise State/Hard Knocks star doesn’t have the size of Long and that is apparent on every play, but he was around the ball and he wasn’t getting into bad situations. Can he be a starter? That’s really the only question worth asking because the Rams only really need a starting cornerback right now. The questions around Long won’t go away until we see some preseason games, as this was only a practice.

This sounds like footsteps, David Long.

CeeDee is a beast, I think he's the best WR on their roster now and will outperform Amari this year.

I think CeeDee has a monster year. Becomes one of the top guys in the league. He’s that good.

That being said, I think Pollard is a future starting running back and the Rams could really use a player like him this season.

This tells me there are whispers behind Henderson that we need some RB help.

 

[CGI_Ram]

10 Observations from Rams' joint practice with Cowboys

Here are 10 things that stood out from the Los Angeles Rams' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday in Oxnard, Calif.

www.therams.com

10 Observations from Rams' joint practice with Cowboys​

OXNARD, Calif. – Saturday marked the first time since 2019 the Rams were able to get competitive reps and snaps in the preseason against someone other than themselves thanks to a scripted joint practice with the Cowboys.

As Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Rams head coach Sean McVay indicated on Friday, the majority of the practice featured team drills and mostly each team's first-team offense and defense going against their respective counterparts.

Staff writer Stu Jackson shares 10 Observations from the session.

1) Special teams, then team work: As mentioned above, most of the segments were team drills. Things kicked off with special teams drills, which allowed each team to get punt and punt return reps in – Rams punters Johnny Hekker, Corey Bojorquez and Brandon Wright punted to the Cowboys' punt return team, while the Rams' punt return team – which included rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell in its rotation at returner – fielded punts from the Cowboys' punters. A variety of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work followed.

2) Quality reps for the defense: While Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott (shoulder) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (Active/Physically Unable to Perform list, offseason ankle surgery) did not participate in team drills, the Rams still got good work in with second-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, tight end Blake Jarwin, wide receiver Michael Gallup and running back Ezekiel Elliott all available and in the mix.

3) Jordan Fuller active: The second-year safety had a couple of nice pass breakups during 11-on-11 work, including one on a short pass by Cowboys quarterback Garrett Gilbert intended for Lamb, as well as a deep pass by Gilbert over the middle targeting Lamb.

4) Swim move: Defensive lineman Aaron Donald received his fair share of double-teams from the Cowboys offensive line, as one might expect, but he also made an impressive play agains the run where he beat his defender with a swim move to reach the running back as the ball was being handed off to him.

5) PBs for the DBs: Aside from Fuller, Darious Williams and Davig Long Jr. each had a nice pass breakup in the corner of the endzone during redzone team drills. In regular team drills, Kareem Orr had a pass breakup and nearly made a diving interception. Dont'e Deayon also made an impressive pass breakup where he ripped the ball from Cowboys wide receiver Osirus Mitchell's hands after Mitchell came down with a pass from quarterback Ben DiNucci.

6) Stafford to Jackson (again): In what has become a regular occurrence, quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with wide receiver DeSean Jackson for another long touchdown. On Saturday, it went for 60 yards, with Jackson using his speed to finish the rest of the play after having a couple steps on two defenders.

7) More explosiveness from Darrell Henderson Jr.: The third-year running back had a a couple of explosive plays in 11-on-11 drills, including a long run up the right sideline. While Rams head coach McVay said the running back position is most difficult to evaluate in terms of what constitutes a broken tackle when the emphasis is on "thud" tackling – as in, making solid contact but players still staying on their feet – he did praise the awareness Henderson showed on Saturday.

8) Second team offense led by Bryce Perkins and Devlin Hodges: As expected with backup John Wolford (appendectomy) sidelined, the second-team offense reps were handled by Perkins and Hodges.

9) Kenny Young with the thud: The fourth-year linebacker delivered a hit on a Cowboys running back audible enough to garner a reaction from the crowd.

10) Lively atmosphere: A full house of Rams and Cowboys fans were on hand at the the Cowboys' practice field in Oxnard, as well as its perimeter, with fans also perching themselves atop the gates and fences surrounding the field and watching from porches attached to nearby apartments.

 

[Classic Rams]

I'm not skeptical of any player doing a first scrimmage so I won't moan over a missed play or two. What I did notice very obvious were that the Cowboys defense at times tagged the RBs pretty hard while the Rams defense was mostly just hugging for the stop. I get it you're not supposed to tackle to the ground but it didn't seem to stop the Cowboy defenders from laying a few licks on Hendo. When the Ram backs got grabbed they didn't run through, while the Cowboy backs all kept moving their legs and trying to bust tackles and extend runs even after they were hugged for a "stop". So aggressiveness went to the Cowboys, which is just different practice styles.

 

[So Ram]

On that sack it was Corbett turning the wrong way. He made the wrong blocking call. That also was Blythe's problem. This is why I can't understand why they are going away from the only experienced center on the roster in Allen. When you must depend upon your center to make the correct call, and that center is really an OG you are going to get blown calls. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of Allen from here on in.

I don’t think Allen plays in the preseason?

 

[So Ram]

This sounds like footsteps, David Long.




I think CeeDee has a monster year. Becomes one of the top guys in the league. He’s that good.




This tells me there are whispers behind Henderson that we need some RB help.

A lot of the issues you can see in camp. David long needs to get his work in. My take is The Rams coaches like Deonta Double D is what they are calling him. He is small though.

The RB group will see Saturday & go from there.Funk is a 7th rd rookie who might be the 2nd RB ? That is scary. Malcom Brown was a leader & at times The Rams best RB with Akers & Hendo. Big difference this season.T.Brown is a good RB’s coach.

Did anyone see coach Pete ?

 

[dieterbrock]

It's here too.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfl7n8M7neY

Thank you!!!!!

 

[TexasRam]

Last stop for Long jr.

Burgess and the Roach are gonna have to hold it down.

The staff Jack connection might be a big one this year as the chemistry just seems there from the hop.

Corbett has lots of time to sort out the assignment issue. What you can’t teach is his ability to physically handle great players which Allen does not and never will have.

 

[PARAM]

Getting amped over scrimmages and preseason is like getting amped for 9-7.

 

[den-the-coach]

Very impressed McVay made Long cover Lamb, who, IMHO, will be the top WR for Dallas. Kept Ramsey away from him to get Long the work. Now, this should serve Long very well, keep in mind that Robert Rochell splashed early & Kareem Orr splashed in this scrimmage, so quite a bit to like along with @So Ram favorite dunkin munchkin Dont'e Deayon.

 

[BonifayRam]

Just got done watching the 20min highlight video that was posted above from today. The offense looked pretty good, Hendo looked great. Defensively though, man David Long got shit on by CeeDee Lamb. I mean absolutely destroyed. 3 TDs at least all which looked easy for Lamb. Undisciplined in the redzone too with his coverage. With Ramsey and Williams both showing as a top tier duo last year, teams are going to attack our 3rd corner all day long. I think Robert Rochelle as a rookie might have even been pushing Long for playing time because he does not look good at all. Year 3 for him so it's definitely concerning. Hopefully Rochelle comes back sooner rather than later. Stafford looked very sharp in the Redzone for us though. That part of our offense will improve this year 100%.

Been saying for long long long long time.....CB David Long still does not have it.

Morris will need Safety Burgess to play the CB Nickle & Ramsey will need to play his outside corner post & less Star position which will not be positive to the overall scheme.

Pressure will fall on rookie injured CB Robert Rochell, Dont'e Deayon & then Kareem Orr.

Morris better keep corners Williams & Ramsey healthy.

 

[CGI_Ram]

It's here too.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfl7n8M7neY

It’s recorded for playback. Looks like the scrimmage starts around 36min mark.

Watching now. Thank you for posting it.

 

[Merlin]

Hadn't watched this, he gave a real good interview there.


View: https://youtu.be/L6rQ-P8yAQw

 

[FaulkSF]

Getting amped over scrimmages and preseason is like getting amped for 9-7.

That sounds like some 7-9 BS

 

[So Ram]

This sounds like footsteps, David Long.




I think CeeDee has a monster year. Becomes one of the top guys in the league. He’s that good.




This tells me there are whispers behind Henderson that we need some RB help.

A lot of the issues you can see in camp. David long needs to get his work in. My take is The Rams coaches like Deonta Double D is what they are calling him. He is small though.

The RB group will see Saturday & go from there.Funk is a 7th rd rookie who might be the 2nd RB ? That is scary. Malcom Brown was a leader & at times The Rams best RB with Akers & Hendo. Big difference this season.T.Brown is a good RB’s coach.

 

[…..]

We talkin bout practice?

 

[MadGoat]

So, I'm pretty jealous. My friend's son came away from the scrimmage with Donald's gloves.

 

[oldnotdead]

Before everyone gets their undies twisted you have to put this all into context. This is a new defensive scheme and the first time they have faced someone other than their own team. Long looked this way in 2019 as he was thinking his way through plays. In 2020 he played much better. That said there has always been no doubt in my mind since OTA's that Rochell was on his way to being #3CB this year. I still think he will be Darious William's replacement next year. We saw Darious' handicap vs outside reecivers, i.e. his being physically outmatched. But again it's really hard to tell in a practice like this.

You must remember that in a practice like this the players are holding back. Those completions over Williams would have been contested but he was simply shadowing the WR. These practices are more about assignment installation in a new scheme for a new DC. We need to see more before we pass judgments.

Right now it looks like Morris is considering playing a modified nickel as his base scheme, by using Rapp in the role as a coverage LB. I love that idea. I think Morris will use Reeder and Jones alongside each other in that base with Young fighting for a job. From what I've heard since OTAs it would seem that Reeder & Jones look like the starting ILBs with Kiser and Young or Howard in rotation. I really don't see things as true starters and backups right now. I think Morris is looking at combinations he can use in rotation to keep his players fresh.

I also think Morris is favoring a cover 3 or 2 as his base scheme. Using 3 of his safeties is a good use of the deep talent he has at the position. Rapp has always played his position more along the lines of a Bobby Wagner when in coverage, i.e. as a coverage LB. His quick play recognition skills make him perfect in that role. I think behind him will be Fuller and a combination of Burgess and Scott depending upon the opposition.

With the advent of more teams using an 11 personnel look, this makes complete sense. Remember the legion of boom was a cover 3 scheme played aggressively. Cover 3 is becoming the predominant base scheme in the NFL for the team's base.

Also, it would seem that Hollins is clearly the choice to play the DE position opposite Floyd in rotation with Jonah Williams who will be used in a Brockers type role moving around the DL as a DE or second 3T. Once Morris has some film to look at is when he can really begin to install his defense. The first pre-season game vs the Chargers will be next Saturday and IMO that is when we will see who is playing where and what his base scheme is. In pre-season teams generally play their base most of the game to keep their defensive gameday calls under wraps.

Playing with 3 safeties with Rapp as a coverage LB allows Morris to hide his scheme more effectively. With Rapp, he can slide between cover 2 thru 6 without personnel changes. With two ILBs who can play zone and the run well, I think we will see improvement in the Ram defense in that area. As Morris said, it's not about numbers it's about results.

Saturday will test how good the Ram depth is on both sides of the ball. I'm still confident that Funk will begin to separate himself from Jones as the #2 RB simply because he's a better fit in McVay's scheme due to his speed. Tutu will be that #4 WR playing generally out of the slot in rotation with Jackson. Saturday I expect Triston Jackson and Benny Sko to be lining up at all 3 WR positions. I think Benny has the inside track as the #6WR on the roster with Woods, Kupp, Jefferson, D. Jack, and Tutu ahead of him. Jackson IMO makes the active roster next year and is stashed on the PS as a protected player.

I see Calais and Anderson carrying the bulk of the RB snaps during preseason. At least one if not both will make the roster. The other could be stashed on the PS. Right now Calais looks to be the #4 RB as he can also return kicks. If we see Xavier Jones getting extensive snaps in preseason it would seem to indicate he must win his spot but considering their depth at RB I see them as protecting their RBs as much as possible.

Yeah, next Saturday will tell us a lot about this roster on both sides of the ball. But the rotation in practices this week also will reveal a lot about the roster. Something tells me we might see Allen return as the starting center and Corbett at OG as the primary backup at center. Also, it wouldn't surprise me to see Corbett playing center in pre-season to give him as much experience at the position they can before the season.

The key in the preseason more than anything else is to stay healthy. Their practices have given McVay and his staff all they really need to see to build their roster. I think their roster is 90%+ built already. The preseason is all about that bottom 10% so STs will be important to these guys.

 

[PhillyRam]

Before everyone gets their undies twisted you have to put this all into context. This is a new defensive scheme and the first time they have faced someone other than their own team. Long looked this way in 2019 as he was thinking his way through plays. In 2020 he played much better. That said there has always been no doubt in my mind since OTA's that Rochell was on his way to being #CB this year. I still think he will be Darious William's replacement next year. We saw Darious' handicap vs outside reecivers, i.e. his being physically outmatched. But again it's really hard to tell in a practice like this.

You must remember that in a practice like this the players are holding back. Those completions over Williams would have been contested but he was simply shadowing the WR. These practices are more about assignment installation in a new scheme for a new DC. We need to see more before we pass judgments.

Right now it looks like Morris is considering playing a modified nickel as his base scheme, by using Rapp in the role as a coverage LB. I love that idea. I think Morris will use Reeder and Jones alongside each other in that base with Young fighting for a job. From what I've heard since OTAs it would seem that Reeder & Jones look like the starting ILBs with Kiser and Young or Howard in rotation. I really don't see things as true starters and backups right now. I think Morris is looking at combinations he can use in rotation to keep his players fresh.

I also think Morris is favoring a cover 3 or 2 as his base scheme. Using 3 of his safeties is a good use of the deep talent he has at the position. Rapp has always played his position more along the lines of a Bobby Wagner when in coverage, i.e. as a coverage LB. His quick play recognition skills make him perfect in that role. I think behind him will be Fuller and a combination of Burgess and Scott depending upon the opposition.

With the advent of more teams using an 11 personnel look, this makes complete sense. Remember the legion of boom was a cover 3 scheme played aggressively. Cover 3 is becoming the predominant base scheme in the NFL for the team's base.

Also, it would seem that Hollins is clearly the choice to play the DE position opposite Floyd in rotation with Jonah Williams who will be used in a Brockers type role moving around the DL as a DE or second 3T. Once Morris has some film to look at is when he can really begin to install his defense. The first pre-season game vs the Chargers will be next Saturday and IMO that is when we will see who is playing where and what his base scheme is. In pre-season teams generally play their base most of the game to keep their defensive gameday calls under wraps.

Playing with 3 safeties with Rapp as a coverage LB allows Morris to hide his scheme more effectively. With Rapp, he can slide between cover 2 thru 6 without personnel changes. With two ILBs who can play zone and the run well, I think we will see improvement in the Ram defense in that area. As Morris said, it's not about numbers it's about results.

Saturday will test how good the Ram depth is on both sides of the ball. I'm still confident that Funk will begin to separate himself from Jones as the #2 RB simply because he's a better fit in McVay's scheme due to his speed. Tutu will be that #4 WR playing generally out of the slot in rotation with Jackson. Saturday I expect Triston Jackson and Benny Sko to be lining up at all 3 WR positions. I think Benny has the inside track as the #6WR on the roster with Woods, Kupp, Jefferson, D. Jack, and Tutu ahead of him. Jackson IMO makes the active roster next year and is stashed on the PS as a protected player.

I see Calais and Anderson carrying the bulk of the RB snaps during preseason. At least one if not both will make the roster. The other could be stashed on the PS. Right now Calais looks to be the #4 RB as he can also return kicks. If we see Xavier Jones getting extensive snaps in preseason it would seem to indicate he must win his spot but considering their depth at RB I see them as protecting their RBs as much as possible.

Yeah, next Saturday will tell us a lot about this roster on both sides of the ball. But the rotation in practices this week also will reveal a lot about the roster. Something tells me we might see Allen return as the starting center and Corbett at OG as the primary backup at center. Also, it wouldn't surprise me to see Corbett playing center in pre-season to give him as much experience at the position they can before the season.

The key in the preseason more than anything else is to stay healthy. Their practices have given McVay and his staff all they really need to see to build their roster. I think their roster is 90%+ built already. The preseason is all about that bottom 10% so STs will be important to these guys.

For a second I thought you were talking about Dallas in terms of a team with completely new defensive scheme & staff, playing their first time against another team. Yet they seemed to hold their own. Weird.

Oh, and they weren't playing against Ben Naducci. They were playing against one of the top gunslingers of our time.

 

[oldnotdead]

Staley played a similar look when he was with the Rams. He would then slide into different coverages post snap. Staley probably used cover 6 more than any other team. But what I see Morris taking away from last year's Ram D is the ability to slide seamlessly from a base look into different coverages. That is why playing Rapp as a quasi-LB makes complete sense. But it also means he needs two ILB who can play both run and pass equally well. Having 4 ILB to play in pairs rotating in and out to keep them fresh would seem to be the way Morris is leaning.

Giving a base cover 3 look gives Morris the ability to slide into any scheme from Cover 2 - cover 6 with no personnel changes. QBs won't know what to expect until after the snap. But with the Rams rush he won't have a lot of time to beat whatever the Rams D slides into.