TC 8/3 Scrimmage With Chargers

[OldSchool]

View: https://twitter.com/vcsjoecurley/status/1157778284735713280

 

[OldSchool]

View: https://twitter.com/LindseyThiry/status/1157804415358832640

 

[bubbaramfan]

Just got home from todays TC scrimmage with Chargers. Huge turnout, almost as many as last weekend. 10,000 plus so it was hard to get around. I found a place in the north stands and got lucky with the Rams offense vs Charger defense.

Reading through this thread, Vinny B has covered a lot of what I was going to post. Much went the same as Thursday's scrimmage with the 1st teams and 2nd teams getting all the work. Seeing guys like Brandon Allen and John Wolford at QB and Nsima Webster, Kha Darrell Hodge, and John Lloyd at WR, and some of the other UDFA's will have to wait til pre-season games. None of those got scrimmage snaps.

Todd Gurley was fully involved in all aspects of the scrimmage. He was targeted A LOT. Made some good runs and made several catches. He lined up as wideout several times and pass blocked for Goff. My take is he's 100%.


Malcolm Brown has turned it up a notch and is the clear #2RB IMHO mainly due to his pass blocking ability. Whenever Henderson is in, he's not pass blocking.

Goff was threading the needle and completed several long pass plays. one to Woods for a TD, and another to Everrett for a long TD. Bortles made some good passes to Higbee and Reynolds who were with the 2nd team O. Bortles looked much better today than Thursday. He moved the ball down the field in the 2 minute drill and got a score with a pass over the middle to Higbee. Goff also made a long TD drive in the 2 minute drill with a dunk to Gurley.

I made and effort to watch the OL play. Whitworth is still the Rams best O lineman. Guy makes it look easy and effortless when clearly its not. Great technician. Noteboom looks like a veteran. After today I'm quit worrying about him. Allen held his own today for the most part, he got beat once and Goff got sacked, but he's tough and gets to the next level.

I feel better about the backup OL. Edwards LT, Demby LG, Neary C, Kolone RG, Evans RT. Demby also took snaps at C and Matt Kasky and Chandler Brewer got snaps at G. 2nd team OL pass blocked well for Bortles.

I didn't get to the other field to watch the Charger offense vs the Rams defense. I heard a lot of cheering though so I guess Rams D did good. I did see Talib get a pick.

Zurlien was nailing FG's from 55+ with 20 to spare. Greg at some point should be breaking the standing
FG record. He makes 70 yarders in practice with room to spare.

I got a short chat in with D'Marco Farr, I asked him if his radio station , 710 ESPN, were going to Napa to cover Rams TC and scrimmage. Still up in the air he says. He will be there for the game on Saturday.

All I have for today unless something else comes to mind and I'll post later.. I'll be looking in. I want to hear how the D did today.

Tomorrow is a walk through in shorts and tees, so I'm not going.

It was a pleasure doing camp reports. I enjoy doing them and enjoy the interaction here at ROD.

 

[Ram65]

View: https://twitter.com/VinnyBonsignore/status/1157796775190646784

Didn't see Hager competing for a start spot. I guess someone has to push Kiser. Thought Hager covered well but, not the answer against the run. Let's see what happens. Not sure if there is a rush to call the winner. Let them play in preseaon games first.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

Wasn't he that for the Ravens last year?

Yes I believe he was I guess I just kind of fed into the narrative that he and Matthews would be more rested.

IDK. I'm all for Weddle being out there a ton.

 

[OldSchool]

Didn't see Hager competing for a start spot. I guess someone has to push Kiser. Thought Hager covered well but, not the answer against the run. Let's see what happens. Not sure if there is a rush to call the winner. Let them play in preseaon games first.

I think people will analyze this and come down on two sides. The pro Kiser people will look at is as a positive and think it's Wade/McVay pushing him to greater heights and working harder to earn the job. The less than pro Kiser people will look at this negatively and say he's not good enough if he can't even beat out Hager.

 

[8to12]

LOL


View: https://twitter.com/gregbeacham/status/1157783330856640512

I'm not sure if he is talking special teams or not, or what part of the scrimmage he was watching, but in the scrimmage, Jojo got knocked to the ground 3 times that I saw

 

[OldSchool]

I'm not sure if he is talking special teams or not, or what part of the scrimmage he was watching, but in the scrimmage, Jojo got knocked to the ground 3 times that I saw

There's his twitter go ask him

 

[Ram65]

Malcolm Brown has turned it up a notch and is the clear #2RB IMHO mainly due to his pass blocking ability. Whenever Henderson is in, he's not pass blocking.

Thanks for the report (s)

So Henderson isn't being asked to pass block?

If not it's still early. Imagine he wasn't expected him to pass block out the gate. Brown is #2 RB until Henderson learns protection. McVay will find ways to get him the ball. Can't wait to see him play.

 

[FarNorth]

Thanks for the report (s)

So Henderson isn't being asked to pass block?

If not it's still early. Imagine he wasn't expected him to pass block out the gate. Brown is #2 RB until Henderson learns protection. McVay will find ways to get him the ball. Can't wait to see him play.

Don't see how he can get many snaps until he proves up as a pass blocker. That's a fundamental skill for a RB in McVay's system. I assume the Rams have a plan for getting him to work on this, and we just haven't seen it yet.

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

I think people will analyze this and come down on two sides. The pro Kiser people will look at is as a positive and think it's Wade/McVay pushing him to greater heights and working harder to earn the job. The less than pro Kiser people will look at this negatively and say he's not good enough if he can't even beat out Hager.

I think it's reasonable that things are working out this way in camp..considering that Micah didn't have any defensive snaps last year..no reason to just throw him out there. Hager has been there, and he's played decent in limited chances...

Kiser is taking on a huge responsibility here, and there's no reason to rush things.... I'm sure he'll get his chances in the preseason games to show if he's ready.

 

[Ram65]

Don't see how he can get many snaps until he proves up as a pass blocker. That's a fundamental skill for a RB in McVay's system. I assume the Rams have a plan for getting him to work on this, and we just haven't seen it yet.

Never thought he would get a lot of snaps at RB but, McVay will get him the ball. Jet sweeps, smoke screens, pass plays, special teams and some at RB.

 

[So Ram]

And Jared is letting you all know to be very disappointed in the Rams starters not playing in preseason games. But get over it there's a very logical reason and it makes more sense than any thing you can come up with for them playing.


View: https://twitter.com/Rich_Hammond/status/1157804687677988864


Sean McVay wins.

I guess you missed the message??

He likes scrimmages. They face Oakland this coming up week & Dalllas next week. The offensive line gets more reps in a controlled atmosphere.
—Preseason is not the same & first team gets one series. I still remember Trent Green going 8 for 8 & Rodney Harrison getting frustrated & cheap shooting with a late low hit.
The rest is history, but I still believe The Rams would have got done

 

[OldSchool]

I guess you missed the message??

He likes scrimmages. They face Oakland this coming up week & Dalllas next week. The offensive line gets more reps in a controlled atmosphere.
—Preseason is not the same & first team gets one series. I still remember Trent Green going 8 for 8 & Rodney Harrison getting frustrated & cheap shooting with a late low hit.
The rest is history, but I still believe The Rams would have got done

I guess you missed what I said. Moving on.

 

[Akrasian]

I think people will analyze this and come down on two sides. The pro Kiser people will look at is as a positive and think it's Wade/McVay pushing him to greater heights and working harder to earn the job. The less than pro Kiser people will look at this negatively and say he's not good enough if he can't even beat out Hager.

He'll easily beat out Hager. Hager is a useful ST player, probably shouldn't be the main backup behind some starter at a key position like ILB. The Rams should have brought in real competition at ILB - injuries happen, and a guy who did not get even one snap at the position last season despite there being significant issues at it given the last in the league rushing average allowed is NOT a sure thing. Some of us have been repeatedly saying - the Rams should have brought in real competition. If Kiser is productive AND stays healthy it won't matter. This is the NFL, though.

 

[LARams_1963]

Gotta admit... I'm not a draft guru and appreciate the love for Obo... But... at this point, I'm thinking Obo is not going to make the cut.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I think people will analyze this and come down on two sides. The pro Kiser people will look at is as a positive and think it's Wade/McVay pushing him to greater heights and working harder to earn the job. The less than pro Kiser people will look at this negatively and say he's not good enough if he can't even beat out Hager.

Or maybe it's just that Kiser is looking average - not great, not horrible. And with just average play, you might as well give some reps to a guy who's been around for a bit in Hager and see if he can show you a bit more than what you've given him a chance to in the past.

 

[Riverumbbq]

By: Cameron DaSilva | 8 hours ago

The penultimate practice of Rams training camp concluded on Saturday afternoon, wrapping up their second session against the Los Angeles Chargers. There were no skirmishes or fights, keeping practice clean once again.

Here are three takeaways from everything that happened on Saturday at UC Irvine.


Bryce Hager is making a statement at MLB
All offseason, it’s seemed like Micah Kiser would replace Mark Barron at inside linebacker next to Cory Littleton. Not so fast. Hager might have something to say about that. For the second day in a row, Hager has taken first-team reps at linebacker in the Rams’ base defense. That’s a strong indication that he might be pulling ahead of Kiser as the starter.

The position battle hasn’t been determined yet, as it sounds like they’re just alternating days, but Hager is definitely a candidate to start in Week 1. He has more experience than Kiser and is a consistent special teams contributor, so the Rams might prefer him as the safer option.

This is definitely a competition worth keeping an eye on throughout the preseason.


JoJo Natson stood out vs. Chargers
Natson could be considered on the roster bubble because most of his contributions come on special teams, but it sounds like he’s on his way to earning a spot on the 53-man roster. According to Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, Natson was almost untouchable in practice on Saturday, which is a good sign for his chances of making the team.
He dealt with fumbling issues on punt returns last season and didn’t do much as a receiver, but this sort of elusiveness could be an asset on offense in certain situations. Natson could very well remain the primary punt returner if he continues to show this level of shiftiness.



Greg Beacham
If the NFL went to flag football rules because of the concussions and whatnot, the Rams’ JoJo Natson would be an All-Pro receiver. The Bolts defense can barely get a hand on him in these non-tackle scrimmages.


Offense struggled as a whole
Jared Goff made a few nice throws to Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp but altogether, the offense was not up to par. Goff was intercepted and had a great throw called back due to holding.

Understandably, McVay was unhappy with the way the offense performed against the Chargers, who boast a championship-caliber defense.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s also not very encouraging when the offense struggles against another team’s defense – especially after the way the Rams’ 2018 season ended.


https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/08/03/nfl-rams-chargers-practice-camp-takeaways/

 

[CGI_Ram]

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-the-second-rams-joint-practice-with-the-chargers

10 Observations from the second Rams joint practice with the Chargers

After each training camp practice, senior writer/team insider Myles Simmons will share 10 observations from the session. Here are the notes from the second of two joint practices with the Chargers from Aug. 3. With action on two separate fields, these observations focus solely on defense.

1) The Rams’ defensive backs consistently got their hands on the football all practice long, starting with 7-on-7 drills. Safety Jake Gervase was the first to have a near interception with the reserves, as a floating pass from Chargers backup QB Tyrod Taylor went in and out of his hands on the defense’s right. Gervase did a few pushups for missing the opportunity.

2) Cornerback Marcus Peters then had a near leaping interception off of Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers — who Peters knows well from their shared time in the AFC West. Peters leapt up and got a hand on the ball from the intermediate route, but couldn’t bring it down. He also did some pushups. Those would become fairly commonplace over the course of practice.

3) On the first play of 11-on-11 drills, birthday boy Dante Fowler beat the tight end off the edge to hit running back Austin Ekeler in the backfield to the defense’s right. Then a few plays later, Fowler used his speed to blow up a run by coming in from the backside of the play and wrapping up the ball carrier in the backfield. The outside linebacker has put together a nice training camp so far.

4) Still in 11-on-11, cornerback Darious Williams picked off a pass and returned it to the house against the Chargers’ reserves. The Rams may have gotten a sack on the play in real life, but with no one hitting the quarterbacks, Taylor rolled to his left and fired a pass that Williams stepped in front of, caught, and ran down the defense’s right sideline. The Rams players and coaches celebrated, running down the sideline with him.

5) A few minutes later in the same period, defensive back Dont’e Deayon dove and caught a tipped pass for an interception. Deayon was in the middle of the field for the intermediate route, which was well defended. Rookie safety Taylor Rapp also got in a legal hit on the would-be receiver after the ball got batted up in the air.

6) For a special teams period, the Rams were on punt return with coordinator John Fassel on the field. Two pairs of Rams blockers stood out in defending the Chargers’ gunner: Deayon and fellow DB Ramon Richards, along with wide receivers Alex Bachman and Nsimba Webster. Both pairs were able to stay in front of the gunner, preventing him from effectively moving down the field to get in position to hit the return man.

7) During an 11-on-11 third-down period, Rivers looked deep down his left side of the field but Peters had strong coverage, forcing the quarterback to try to fit the pass in a small window along the sideline. But the coverage was too good and the ball was incomplete out of bounds.

8) For an 11-on-11 "move the ball" drill, the Chargers were able to move the chains on the first try but on the net set of downs, cornerback Aqib Talib batted a ball down, Rivers had to throw away a second-down pass, and then a check-down swing pass went nowhere on third down. Talib continued his big day by nearly making a diving interception on an intermediate route in the middle of the field. And in a later period, he had strong coverage on Keenan Allen on a deep pass to the the end zone, forcing another incompletion.

9) Safety Marqui Christian has gotten a lot of time in practice as the Rams’ dime safety, but was working as the free safety with the second defense when a potential interception went in and out of his hands deep down the defense’s right. He did pushups, too.

10) To end practice on the defense’s field, Dominique Hatfield picked off an intermediate Taylor passin the middle of the field before taking it to the house down the defense’s right sideline. It was a fitting close to a strong defensive day from the Rams.

 

[CGI_Ram]

https://www.therams.com/news/quotes...up-and-down-day-for-offense-in-practice-with-

Quotes & Notes 8/3: McVay, Goff review up-and-down day for offense in practice with Chargers

After each media session, Quotes and Notes will bring you what was said, who said it, and what it means for your Los Angeles Rams. Here’s what you should know from Saturday, Aug. 3.

“We were sluggish. I thought it seemed like the defense had good energy, offensively not even close to good enough. I thought they finished the day strong which is what’s important and our guys kept it together.”
— HC Sean McVay

• Head coach Sean McVay was about as critical as he’ll ever be publicly after Saturday’s joint practice with the Chargers.
• McVay — who as the offensive play caller was solely on that field throughout the session — noted that he was not pleased with the way the offense came out and performed in the early portions of practice.
• McVay included himself in the criticism, saying the start to practice was a reflection of the entire unit.
• The Rams’ offense did improve over the course of practice, finishing strong.
• “Just the overall energy that I expect, specifically from our offense, we got to start better than that and I trust that we will. We’ll use it as a good learning opportunity,” McVay added.

“Today was OK. It was a rocky start. I think the Chargers did a good job bringing some different stuff to us and showing some different looks. I was happy the way we finished[.]”
— QB Jared Goff

• Quarterback Jared Goff shared McVay’s sentiments about the offensive performance on Saturday.
• Goff noted that the Rams did improve as practice went on, particularly by scoring two touchdowns late in practice.
• Goff and the rest of the offense will have a chance to display an increase in energy next week when the club travels to Napa, Calif. to practice with the Raiders.

“For him to be able to get out here in these types of settings, I think it’s only going to continue to make him more and more comfortable so that hopefully he’s peaking by the time we play Carolina because he’s not a guy you’re going to see during the preseason.”
— HC Sean McVay

• McVay made those comments about wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
• Kupp has been a full participant in practice, but the Rams held him out from the first session with the Chargers on Thursday out of an abundance of caution.
• Both McVay and Goff said Kupp looked like himself on Saturday, with Goff noting that he’s used to Kupp playing at full speed at this point in the wideout’s recovery process.

“You see he’s made some plays over the last couple days. He’s got great explosiveness, he’s catching the ball really well.”
— HC Sean McVay

• Wide receiver Mike Thomas has impressed over the course of the last couple practices.
• A 2016 sixth-round pick out of Mississippi State, Thomas spent most of last year on injured reserve.
• But now he’s back and seems to have developed a strong chemistry with backup quarterback Blake Bortles.
• Because of that, it stands to reason that Thomas will be a featured part of the offense during the preseason games.
• Thomas also subbed in for wide receiver Brandin Cooks during the first practice with the Chargers on Thursday when Cooks was experiencing hamstring tightness.

“In a preseason game you may or may not get the exact red-zone look that you’re looking to get or you may or may not get that third-and-whatever distance you’re looking to accomplish or improve on.”
— Passing game coordinator Shane Waldron

• Passing game coordinator Shane Waldron explained to the media why he likes joint practices over preseason games.
• Being able to practice a certain scenario for an extended period of time makes them particularly valuable, especially because those might not come up in a game.
• Waldron also mentioned two-minute drills as a game situation that Los Angeles needs to practice, but wouldn’t necessarily happen during one of the four exhibitions.
• Goff cited the offensive line’s ability to get potentially 40-50 snaps against the Chargers’ first-team defense that includes famed defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa as one of the reasons why joint practices are so valuable. As Goff put it, in a preseason game, that might be reduced to five to 10.