So, what did you observe last night?

[iced]

I agree with what you said @iced except this^. Mack was 3rd in DROY voting last year and first according to ESPN. He was a very tough test for us and overall, GRob did OK imo...

One observation: We converted two 3rd and short yardage plays by running the ball! Hallelujah

right but he's not a quinn, a JPP (before hand explosion), Mathis, etc.

And Robinson struggled with Seattle's pass rushers last year.

And he will be facing some guys that were 10+ sackers last year (kerrigan, dumervil, clay matthews, suggs for example ). He also struggled last year vs speed rushers, and particularly Seattle at the end of the year.

Just sayin' he'll be facing some tougher competition, and some veteran sackers

 

[HometownBoy]

right but he's not a quinn, a JPP (before hand explosion), Mathis, etc.

So? He's not a bum by any means, this guy is already a beast in the short time he's been in the NFL, unless Donald doesn't mean anything because he's not a bunch of big names. Underselling him isn't going to make him any less of a great player.

Being beaten by Mack is going to happen. It'll happen, and he'll move past it. He's not going to block people 100% of the time.

 

[jjab360]

So? He's not a bum by any means, this guy is already a beast in the short time he's been in the NFL, unless Donald doesn't mean anything because he's not a bunch of big names. Underselling him isn't going to make him any less of a great player.

Being beaten by Mack is going to happen. It'll happen, and he'll move past it. He's not going to block people 100% of the time.

It's not just getting beaten, it was the way he was beaten. Just looked incredibly sloppy and got flat out embarrassed by Mack about 4 times in a row.

Robinson was one of my favorite players heading into the draft. Just a freak of nature and I expect him to get it eventually, I just thought I would see some progression by now.

 

[RamzFanz]

Ah, yes, he did look slow and cumbersome.

 

[LACHAMP46]

We didn't see much of the first team offense to draw any conclusions.

I wanna word this real well....So I haven't read the rest of YOUR comment....or any of this thread, so forgive me if I repeat something that has already been discussed....
You can tell a lot from a team on it's first drive of a preseason game, especially if their starters are all in the game...An offense SHOULD go down and score...they should REALLY score a TD, if they wanna be considered a threat, something another team should fear...Check the first drive stats of teams that are expected to make the playoffs...So, I was really looking at GB this week..they used to kill on those first drives....not this time..new OC? Well of course, our O looked good...but we bogged down...I saw a silly sack..yes reminded me of camp reports...but great line play & execution...no penalties...so the only thing I thought was a mistake was I nthought Fish would go for it on fourth instead of a FG (he did it in the 4th quarter a bunch, yes?). I thought the pass with Cook to the back of the end zone was ok....but I wanted to see a real 3rd down play, make the 1st, keep the drive alive play...It was only 5 yards...It was only pre-season,,,go for it....
Defense...him some good and bad..but it's not the same as offense because of the vanilla like talk...so D's play base, and O should score...if they don't, maybe we have a good D.
If you have so many months of practice, and then, you fail to move the ball with you actual starters for week 1, you're probably gonna have trouble in the future scoring......One drive...it's almost like a big test...

 

[LACHAMP46]

Barnes started at center ( every post I read thinks Jones did...did they watch game?) Raiders won LOS play at every level, Foles held ball forever. I hate to be negative already, but overall talent level just disappoints. Carr has that team confident, Hudson a stud.

Had I not watched it twice, the TV said "Jones"...but the snap which played beneath had Barnes...it was crazy, it made me have to really check when Jones did get in...But I was able to see that Barnes is better...Need to see Rhaney with the ones now...

 

[RamzFanz]

My thoughts are this:

No one wants to watch a loss or a team that can't get in the endzone, but what we watched wasn't really the Rams we will see in season.

I thought Foles played great. He was in for 11 minutes and hit 3/5 for 69 yards. Cook was interfered with and should have caught that ball anyways. That extrapolates out to a 60% completion percentage and 376 yards with 16 completions. Not bad.

I liked the play calling and design for the most part but not too much exciting. I didn't agree with the fade to Cook on 3rd down. Hit him in the seam and go for the first down.

For a supposedly run first team, Mason was only run twice. Not a sample size that will tell us what he or the line are capable of or how the defense would act if he is successful and have to play the run more.

Out of the skill positions that started, I was expecting to be impressed with Britt, TA, Bailey, and Cook. Another small sample size, but if they do that all season, we're going to be moving balls. Cook didn't show anything but his camp performance has been outstanding.

Givens and Kendricks surprised me in a good way. I'm a Kendricks fan and he was having a rough TC.

Pead didn't surprise me. He played as well as in camp. Nice one handed catch too!

Keenum played pretty good too. Better than I expected. A lot of dropped passes and unflagged muggings.

Bam Bam did what Bam Bam needs to do, 3 yards and a cloud of dust.

The starting line was pretty good. Washington was terrible. Robinson did get pushed around too, like Hammer predicted, but he bent and didn't break. He needs something to get him over the hump.

Mannion has future starter written all over him.

LOTS of penalties but, ZERO turnovers! That's great!

I think the Rams proved again what we mostly already expect. Protect Foles and he'll get the job done. Don't protect him and it's going to stay ugly.

I don't care if the players they are cutting are better than the players we are cutting, I saw a lot to like from our starters and the right side of the o-line, my biggest worry, was a brick wall.

 

[LACHAMP46]

....continued......last thought didn't make it ......

I will be disappointed if Givens makes the team over a player like UDFA Marquez, who I think is more dynamic.

Are you serious? Dude was ballin...yeah it was 3rd teamers..dude was trying to get in the endzone...who you keeping over him?

Underselling him isn't going to make him any less of a great player.

Meh...Mack is alright...He does seem strong as hell...But he doesn't have a position if he can't play LB...Can't believe Ken uses him there...wish I could talk to him...

Just looked incredibly sloppy and got flat out embarrassed by Mack about 4 times in a row.

I though he looked bad, but what did Mack really do? Sacks? Batted passes? Tackles??? Or the mythical stat called "pressures" by PFF?

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

after the first two plays for huge yardage my brain said - relax, it's only preseason.

so when things didn't go well i should have the same mindset. only concerns at this stage is injuries.

.

 

[jjab360]

Went back and watched the game, Barnes took his opportunity and ran with it, would be shocked if he didn't get the nod at C. Solid in pass protection even got a lot of 1 on 1s which is rare for a center and completely held his own. Moved bodies in the run game too, I was surprised, looks to have gotten a lot stronger.

Brown and Havenstein were as solid as you could expect any rookie OL to be in their debut performance. I'm seeing average at worst for those guys, we potentially solidified the right side of our OL for years to come with those two picks. Already touched on GRob, I'm hopeful there but it wasn't pretty..

Foles looked in control, needs to get rid of the ball faster though.

Not much to note on defense, except DL got a little overagressive and LBers didn't fill their gaps well enough. Tru looks ready to take that next step from solid to impact player.

Overall, I'm optimistic but there's not going to be a ton of takeaway from a preseason game where your starters only see two possessions.

 

[jjab360]

I though he looked bad, but what did Mack really do? Sacks? Batted passes? Tackles??? Or the mythical stat called "pressures" by PFF?

Pressures aren't a myth lol, and PFF didn't invent them.

 

[RamzFanz]

Are you serious? Dude was ballin...yeah it was 3rd teamers..dude was trying to get in the endzone...who you keeping over him?

Actually, he was rolling with the first team too.

 

[ChrisW]

I didn't agree with the fade to Cook on 3rd down.

Should have thrown it to Britt. He makes that catch.

I think if it was regular season, it's going to Quick anyway. So I'm not too worried about that play call yet.

 

[iced]

after watching the bucs offense, i don't feel quite as bad anymore

 

[CGI_Ram]

after watching the bucs offense, i don't feel quite as bad anymore

True. Preseason is ugly football, mostly.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Actually, he was rolling with the first team too.

yeah, but he didn't really get a chance to touch the rock...so you don't know what he woulda done...Something good I'd imagine...When he did....looked damn good

after watching the bucs offense, i don't feel quite as bad anymore

Did you watch the Titan's?

 

[LACHAMP46]

@jjab360

There is pressure anytime a guy is near you...then and if pressure bothers you, you're probably garbage anyway...Making a play under pressure is doing what you're supposed to do....It's like the contested catch...The broken tackle...yeah it was more difficult, but it's what you try to do anyway...Sacks are a stat...pressures shouldn't be..

 

[iced]

yeah, but he didn't really get a chance to touch the rock...so you don't know what he woulda done...Something good I'd imagine...When he did....looked damn good

Did you watch the Titan's?

some of it - i don't think mariota was all that bad... but this bucs offense - wooobooy... 2 or 3 bad snaps and another mishandled snap

 

[jjab360]

@jjab360

There is pressure anytime a guy is near you...then and if pressure bothers you, you're probably garbage anyway...Making a play under pressure is doing what you're supposed to do....It's like the contested catch...The broken tackle...yeah it was more difficult, but it's what you try to do anyway...Sacks are a stat...pressures shouldn't be..

Pressure disrupts plays. Allowing pressure means you didn't your job that play.

If sacks were all that mattered do you really think pass rushers would go so high in the draft and paid so much just to make 10-15 plays a year at best? No, the plays where they don't get the sack but force the interception or the incomplete pass on 3rd down matter just as much. That's why some people use it as a statistic.

 

[Alan]

LACHAMP46 not living in the past:
Defense...him some good and bad..but it's not the same as offense because of the vanilla like talk...so D's play base, and O should score...if they don't, maybe we have a good D.

Sounds eerily like the same excuses we gave last year when our D didn't look great in preseason doesn't it?

I liked the rest of your post.