Category: Latest Rams news

Rams injury report: Troy Hill ruled out, Gerald Everett set to return

The Rams will be without

Sean McVay shared some good news and some bad news during his press conference on Thursday. He opened the media session by saying Troy Hill has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the 49ers, but Gerald Everett is set to return after missing three straight games with a knee injury.

Hill underwent surgery on his broken thumb this week but the Rams were cautiously optimistic he’d be able to play with a cast on his hand. They’re opting to play it safe and will keep him off the field this weekend.

“Surgery went well, he’s feeling good. But we felt like the best thing for him and as we move forward was gonna be to keep him out this week,” McVay said.

Darious Williams filled in for Hill last week against Dallas, playing all but the two snaps Hill missed. He stepped up in a big way and limited the production of the Cowboys’ receivers, so the Rams have plenty of confidence in him for this game.

As for Greg Zuerlein, who has a quad strain, his status remains uncertain. Listed as questionable, he’s going to kick for the first time on Friday in an attempt to determine whether he can play.

“Greg is making good progress,” McVay said. “We’ll kick him tomorrow, see how he’s feeling. Have some guys coming in for a workout – really have one guy coming in for a workout. We keep those things in-house, so we’ll keep consistent with our normal standard operating procedures with that.”

McVay made it clear that Zuerlein is feeling good and he doesn’t anticipate him not being able to play, but the Rams are exercising caution with their kicker. They worked out Brett Maher on Thursday as a backup plan if Zuerlein can’t play.

One player not on the injury report is Rob Havenstein, who hasn’t played since Week 10 due to a knee injury. He was a full participant in practice for the second week in a row, and he doesn’t carry any status designation this week unlike last week when he was doubtful.

Report: Rams worked out former Cowboys kicker Brett Maher

The Rams worked out Brett Maher with Greg Zuerlein battling a quad injury.

Greg Zuerlein suffered a quad strain in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys and was unable to kick after the Rams’ final two touchdowns of the afternoon. The Rams are optimistic he’ll be able to play, but they’re exercising levels of caution in case he can’t.

According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Rams worked out former Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who Dallas cut last week.

Maher struggled mightily with the Cowboys this season, making just 20 of 30 field goal attempts, including just 5-for-13 from 40-plus yards. From the all-important range of 40-49 yards, Maher only made 1 of 5 attempts.

He does have a big leg and made field goals from 62 and 63 yards in his career, but it’s when the kicks get closer that he struggles more than most players. Even from 30-39 yards, Maher is only 12-for-16 in the NFL.

Hopefully for the Rams’ chances of staying alive in the NFC playoff race, Zuerlein’s injury doesn’t keep him sidelined on Saturday against the 49ers. Sean McVay said earlier this week that the Rams would work out kickers just in case, and it seems Maher is one of their top choices.

Stopping the 49ers on third down begins with covering George Kittle

The Rams must stop George Kittle, especially on third down.

With Kyle Shanahan at the helm, the 49ers offense has been very good this season. The defense gets most of the credit as one of the best units in the league – and deservingly so – but the Jimmy Garoppolo-led offense is no slouch, by any means.

Part of what makes San Francisco so good offensively is its ability to convert on third down. The 49ers rank sixth in the NFL on third down, converting 45.1% of the time. The Rams are much further down the list at No. 16 with a conversion rate of 37.9.

It’s no coincidence that many of the best offenses (Dallas, Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, San Francisco) in the NFL all rank toward the top in third-down percentage, as it’s often an indicator of a team’s success on that side of the ball.

In order for the Rams to stop the 49ers on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium, they must keep San Francisco in check on third down. That starts with blanketing George Kittle, one of the toughest matchups in football.

Kittle has been especially good on third down this season. According to Inside Edge, he has 24 receptions on third down – more than any other tight end. He makes plays on third-and-short or long, often picking up enough yardage to get past the sticks.

On third-and-long, he has 12 receptions for 116 yards, which are both second-most among all tight ends. On third-and-short, he’s been targeted the fifth-most of any tight end (six times), showing that Garoppolo frequently looks his way.

Kittle is dangerous on the other three downs, too – he has 888 yards on 73 receptions in only 12 games this year – but his ability to shake loose and get open on third down is better than just about any other tight end in the league.

In Week 6 against the Rams, Kittle caught eight passes for 103 yards. He was targeted three times on third down, catching all of them for 32 yards and two first downs; the other picked up 11 yards on third-and-12.

Shanahan will find creative ways to get Kittle open, too. On this play, he lined up as a fullback. The play-action fake drew Troy Reeder up and Kittle ran right by him. He gained big yardage after the catch, picking up 45 yards on the play.

 

On third down, Kittle has excellent awareness. Against man coverage here, he runs an excellent route with Troy Hill lining up across from him. It looks like a two-way option route, but Kittle spins off the contact and comes open by breaking to the outside.

Garoppolo makes a throw that was a bit inside, but Kittle makes the contested catch and picks up the first.

The Rams had John Johnson in this game, but he won’t be out there on Saturday night. Taylor Rapp will be in his place at safety, and the rookie should get plenty of chances to cover the dynamic tight end.

If Kittle gets open for Garoppolo on third down and the 49ers keep drives moving, the Rams could be in for a night similar to the one they had against Dallas.

Ex-Rams coach Dick Vermeil named Centennial Slate Hall of Fame finalist

The Rams have another candidate up for the Hall of Fame with Vermeil joining Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

The Rams have two former players – Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce – who could be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year, but an ex-coach could be on his way to Canton, too. The Hall of Fame announced finalists for the special Centennial Slate in 2020, and Dick Vermeil was among the coaches nominated.

The Centennial Slate is a new addition to the induction process, specifically to commemorate the NFL’s 100th season – which has been celebrated all year in 2019.

Vermeil is one of eight coaches nominated, but only two will make it to Canton after the Blue-Ribbon Panel votes on the candidates. The panel is made up of Hall of Famers, members of the selection committee, coaches, executives and football historians.

Two coaches, 10 senior players and three contributors will be inducted into the Hall of Fame from the finalists.

Here’s the full list of Centennial Slate finalists, which also features Winston Hill, who played one season with the Rams in 1977 (3 games).

Vermeil led the Rams to their only Super Bowl title in St. Louis, beating Jeff Fisher and the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Vermeil only spent three years with the Rams from 1997-99, helping kick off the Greatest Show on Turf era of the franchise.

His other 12 years as a head coach were spent with the Eagles and Chiefs. His teams made the playoffs six times, finishing with a career record of 120-109.

Todd Gurley doesn’t really care about being a Pro Bowl alternate

Todd Gurley is an alternate for the Pro Bowl, but he doesn’t seem overly interested in playing in the game.

No one can confidently say Todd Gurley is having a strong 2019 season. He’s averaging just 3.9 yards per carry, has 927 yards from scrimmage and has caught just 29 passes – the fewest he’s had since his rookie year.

Yet, despite his declining numbers, Gurley still earned a selection as a Pro Bowl alternate at running back. He wasn’t selected along the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott in the NFC, but in the event that those players can’t participate, Gurley would have the opportunity to suit up in Orlando in January.

As great as it is to make the Pro Bowl, Gurley doesn’t exactly care about being named an alternate. He was asked Wednesday if he’s hoping to play in the game and whether he would accept an invite as an alternate.

“I don’t know. Usually when I made it, I just made it. I don’t know how that works. I don’t really care either,” Gurley said.

A reporter followed up by asking if he hopes to play in the Pro Bowl, if one of the other selections can’t participate.

“No, I hope those guys that made it go play in the game – Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, ‘Zeke,’ Nick Chubb, Mark (Ingram), and Derrick Henry. All of those guys had a hell of a year, always been great players and been great running backs,” Gurley said. “I think a couple of those guys, it’s their first time. Definitely I would want those guys to go and experience that with their families and their friends and enjoy it.”

Part of making the Pro Bowl comes down to popularity. Gurley has established himself as one of the best backs in the league the last two years, and while his numbers aren’t great in 2019, he clearly has earned the respect of his peers.

“Yeah, that’s just more of the respect that I get from other players around the league – you know, that they have for me,” Gurley said. “That definitely means a lot, just coming from your peers and coaches. It just shows the amount of respect that I have for other guys around the league and the amount of respect they have for me as well.”

Sean McVay unlikely to ever give up play calling, but would ‘never say never’

Sean McVay on whether he would ever give up play calling: “It’s hard to say.”

Sean McVay was viewed as one of the best coaches in the NFL after his first season with the Rams. He helped turn around a struggling franchise, taking them to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 in his inaugural season at the helm.

He followed it up in 2018 by leading the Rams all the way to the Super Bowl, coming up just short against the Patriots. His play calling is a big reason for Los Angeles’ success, bringing a new level of creativity to the team.

His play selection has been called into question some this season, whether fairly or not. He’s always called the offensive plays for the Rams and did so with the Redskins previously, so while he’s still young, he’s gained plenty of experience in that department.

He finds it hard to imagine not calling the plays, but he’d never say never if it helped improve the football team.

“It’s hard to say,” McVay said Wednesday of whether he’d ever give up play-calling duties. “I think you’re early on in the stages of it. Certainly, I’m continuing to try and figure out what’s the best rhythm to operate with on a day-to-day basis for our football team, because ultimately that is your job, is to make sure that you have a good feel for everything that is going on and then putting your players in a position on all three phases to try to have success week in and week out. If I felt like there was a set-up where we would be a better football team, if that wasn’t the case and it enables you to do some other things, I would never say never, but those are always things that you evaluate. Right now, our focus is on the 49ers, doing a great job. When the offseason hits, whenever that is, there will be some time for us to be able to really look inward and figure out what’s going to be the best thing for the Rams moving forward.”

In the preseason, McVay let Shane Waldron call the offensive plays for the Rams. He saw it as a good opportunity to get the young coach some experience in meaningless games, which Waldron really appreciated.

Waldron is a guy who could get some looks as a head coach or offensive coordinator this offseason, but if not, perhaps he’d be someone McVay is comfortable handing the play-calling keys to in 2020.

Again, it’s unlikely, but maybe McVay wants to delegate more than he has in his first three seasons.

Rams at 49ers: 5 key matchups to watch in Week 16

Andrew Whitworth will have his hands full with Nick Bosa.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams’ playoff chances are on life support after getting blown out by the Cowboys, needing to win out and get help in the final two weeks of the season. Up next is San Francisco, which beat the Rams 20-7 in Week 6, limiting Jared Goff to only 78 yards passing.

Sean McVay has never lost to the same team twice in a season, and he’ll try to avoid that happening this weekend. The Rams have the talent to beat the 49ers, who were just upset by the Falcons, but they need to put it together and play well for 60 minutes.

Here are five key matchups to watch in this one.

Robert Woods vs. Richard Sherman

(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Sherman is expected to return after missing Sunday’s game against the Falcons, and that’s a big boost to the 49ers defense. He’s been excellent this season, playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Woods has been the Rams’ top receiver in recent weeks and should get the bulk of the targets on Saturday night, but picking on Sherman is never a great idea.

Cooper Kupp hasn’t been much of an option recently and Brandin Cooks has done next to nothing since returning from his concussion, which leaves Woods as the primary weapon on offense.

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Rams still unsure if Rob Havenstein will play despite being off injury report

Rob Havenstein isn’t on the injury report, but he still isn’t certain to play on Saturday night.

Rob Havenstein looked like a Pro Bowl-caliber right tackle last season after signing a lucrative extension with the Rams. He surprisingly regressed in a big way this year, struggling mightily in pass protection in the first half of the season.

He’s been absent for just about the entire second half of the year after injuring his knee in Week 10 against the Steelers, but he appears to be nearing a return. Last week, he was a full participant in practice all three days, yet he was still listed as doubtful.

To open this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, Havenstein wasn’t even listed on the injury report. Still, he’s not certain to play against the 49ers, according to Sean McVay.

“I don’t know yet. It was good to get him back out on the field,” McVay said Wednesday. “Again, I know I’m kind of answering the same questions, but until we really physically go, it’s hard for me to truly give you guys a real answer to some of these questions, and I’ll have a much better feel based on how today’s practice – where we will get some good physical work in – goes for those players.”

McVay said Havenstein is “making good progress,” but the fact that he won’t commit to him playing is shocking. It likely has more to do with his performance than his health.

Bobby Evans has slid in at right tackle and played extremely well, which has elevated the play of the offensive line and Jared Goff. Havenstein wasn’t performing at a very high level before his injury, which could make the Rams reluctant to insert him back into the lineup.

What complicates things is the fact that Havenstein is making $8.1 million per year and is only in the second year of his contract, which runs through 2022. Giving up on a player making that much money this soon wouldn’t be a great look for the Rams, but they also need to put their best players on the field.

Right now, it looks like Evans is that player and the Rams seem to be milking Havenstein’s injury to avoid any sort of controversy. If he’s off the injury report and still doesn’t play Saturday, consider him a healthy scratch.

Jalen Ramsey reacts to Tom Coughlin being fired with two emojis

Here’s how Jalen Ramsey reacted to Tom Coughin being fired by the Jaguars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the decision Wednesday to fire Tom Coughlin as executive vice president of football operations. He only spent two-plus years in the position with Jacksonville, which did not go well, to say the least.

Jalen Ramsey caught wind of the news and shared a cryptic tweet in response to Coughlin’s firing. He only needed two emojis to make his point.

Ramsey made his opinion of Coughlin and the Jaguars organization very clear after he was traded to the Rams. The front office wasn’t happy about Ramsey working out on his own away from the team during the offseason, which the All-Pro corner didn’t appreciate.

The Jaguars have regressed significantly since reaching the AFC championship in 2017, making several changes to the roster in the process. They traded Ramsey, moved on from Blake Bortles, signed Nick Foles to a huge contract and dealt Dante Fowler Jr. to the Rams.

Ramsey doesn’t seem upset about Coughlin’s firing, saying everything he needed to with that one tweet.

Gerald Everett nearing return after being full participant in practice

Gerald Everett is making progress, returning as a full participant Wednesday.

The Rams have been without Gerald Everett for nearly a month now after he injured his knee in Week 12 against the Ravens. Tyler Higbee has had at least seven catches and 100 yards in each game Everett has missed, so the Rams haven’t been lacking production at tight end.

It appears Everett is poised to return relatively soon, though. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, which is the first time he’s been listed as such since before suffering the injury.

That doesn’t mean he’s on track to play Saturday against the 49ers, but it is a good sign for the progress he’s made. Sean McVay said the Rams are still “kind of feeling it out,” indicating Everett still needs to get healthier before he returns.

“We will see how today goes, and then, I will be able to have a better idea once we actually get a physical practice in and see what that looks like,” he said. “Part of that too, is as we complete the game plan and kind of figure out exactly what that looks like and what his involvement would be, if he is feeling good enough.”

As for the rest of the injury report, Troy Hill and Greg Zuerlein were non-participants in practice Wednesday. Their availability for Saturday’s game remains up in the air after both were injured against the Cowboys in Week 15.

Jared Goff was a full participant and appears to be fine. He has a contusion that left his thumb “a little stiff,” but there doesn’t seem to be much concern about his health.