Tag: ben skowronek

Liam Coen likes Ben Skowronek’s progress, Tutu Atwell’s versatility

Liam Coen discussed what roles Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell could have with the Rams in 2022.

The Los Angeles Rams certainly have extensive plans for Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson in 2022, but what about the other wide receivers? With the Rams needing other wideouts to step up this season, Liam Coen spoke about the roles Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell could have this season.

Van Jefferson underwent a knee procedure near the beginning of training camp and his status for Thursday’s season opener versus the Buffalo Bills is uncertain. So with the third-year wideout potentially missing time, or being limited to begin the season, the Rams will need more contributions from their other pass catchers.

Both Skowronek and Atwell will be entering their second seasons in the NFL after experiencing struggles as rookies in 2021. Skowronek struggled with drops while Atwell failed to log a single snap on offense due to a season-ending injury.

Asking Skowronek to fill the role that Robert Woods (who the Rams traded this offseason) had is a lot to ask from a young wide receiver. While the Notre Dame product isn’t the caliber of wide receiver that Woods is, he can be a solid contributor in the run game.

Meanwhile, Atwell could be involved in multiple facets of the game each week. With Kupp, Robinson, Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, Cam Akers, and Darrell Henderson Jr. getting touches, the second-year wide receiver out of Louisville could get special packages on offense and be a returner on special teams.

The reigning Super Bowl champions will boast one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2022 as long as they remain healthy. And if Skowronek and Atwell can make strides in their game, the Rams could very well have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league.

Every Notre Dame player currently on an NFL training camp roster

Lots of former Irish talent in the NFL

Part of being an alumnus of a supremely successful collegiate football is seeing them getting an opportunity at the next level. For Notre Dame, the list of former players getting their shot in the NFL is large, very large. Find out below every former Irish star (in alphabetical order) and which NFL team they are with in training camp.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

See it: Bryant Young’s photos from Hall of Fame enshrinement

Congratulations to a Hall of Fame person on his Hall of Fame induction!

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman and San Francisco 49ers great [autotag]Bryant Young[/autotag] was officially enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.  Young gave an emotional enshrinement speech that meant for many tears in the audience upon his induction.

Watch:  Bryant Young’s full Hall of Fame enshrinement speech

Young played at Notre Dame from 1990-1993 before being drafted seventh overall in the 1994 NFL draft by the 49ers.  He played his entire 14 year career in San Francisco and is one of just two former Notre Dame players to win a Super Bowl in his first NFL season ([autotag]Ben Skowronek[/autotag], 2021 Rams).

See the best photos from Young’s memorable weekend in Canton below.

6 training camp battles to watch for the Rams

The Rams will begin training camp soon and there are plenty of position battles to keep an eye on.

Training camps are right around the corner in the NFL, which means we’ll soon have football on our television screens again. It seems like forever ago that the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, but the reigning champions have their sights set on defending their title in 2022.

Throughout the offseason, the Rams made a flurry of moves, most notably adding Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner. While those two guys aren’t at risk of having limited playing time in the upcoming season, there will be a handful of position battles taking place at training camp for Los Angeles.

With mere days until training camp begins for the Rams, let’s take a look at six training camp battles that fans should keep close tabs on.

Watch: Notre Dame alumnus J.B. Long makes calls for Rams radio

There was an Irish connection in the Rams’ broadcast booth for the Super Bowl.

Ben Skowronek isn’t the only Notre Dame connection celebrating the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Another Notre Dame alumnus who had a good evening was Rams radio play-by-play announcer J.B. Long. With the Rams on the cusp of taking the lead for good late in the game, Long was ready to make the call of a lifetime. Here’s how he called Matthew Stafford’s touchdown pass to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp:

Of course, no one knew yet that there wouldn’t be another lead change. The Bengals had a chance to complete their own miracle, but once Aaron Donald got to Joe Burrow, it was all over. Here’s how Long called that moment:

Retired Irish men’s basketball announcer Jack Nolan made sure to congratulate Long, whom he once knew as an intern:

Congratulations to Long for having an opportunity most broadcasters only can dream of.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

 

Sean McVay explains why Van Jefferson saw fewer snaps in Week 17

Van Jefferson finished with a season-low 31 snaps in Week 17, splitting time with Ben Skowronek as WR3. Sean McVay explained why.

After every game Rams game, it’s always interesting to take a look at the snap counts. One of the more interesting developments in Week 17 was the lack of snaps that Van Jefferson saw as he split time with Ben Skowronek at wide receiver.

With some people wondering whether Jefferson was injured, Sean McVay attempted to provide some clarity on Jefferson’s status against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.

“No, he’s feeling good. It was just kind of the flow of the game, but he’s still a really important part,” McVay said. “Nothing changed and you can expect to see a lot of Van this week.”

In a pivotal road game versus the Ravens, Jefferson was on the field for only 31 offensive snaps, or 53% (both are season-lows). Just by taking a look at the snap counts, it appears that Skowronek saw a boost in his workload, garnering 47% (27) of the offensive snaps for Los Angeles (the second-most he’s seen all season).

Jefferson didn’t play at all during the final drive of the game, being replaced by Skowronek on that possession. McVay was impressed with how Skowronek performed, especially in the latter part of the game.

“He did a great job. Did some really good things without the ball. I thought he made a key clutch catch on the drive that ended up being the go-ahead TD. They were in a man coverage. He was kind of running a little stick nod route and (made a) big-time catch. He did a good job without the ball, and you could see the game’s not too big for Ben Skowronek,” McVay said. “He’s an added element, gives us some depth. Because we played in a lot of situations where we’re playing with three receivers at a time, he ends up adding a fourth receiver that can really supplement all three spots as a way of kind of giving those three starters a blow.”

Skowronek is a bigger-bodied wide receiver, so maybe McVay gave him more snaps to provide the Rams with someone who could contribute more in the run game as a blocker. Regardless of what the reasoning was for Jefferson’s decreased snap count, it may not mean much if he sees his usual role as the clear No. 3 wideout in Sunday’s vital showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

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Rams rule out Ben Skowronek vs. Packers, promote Landen Akers from practice squad

The Rams have ruled out Ben Skowronek with a back injury and promoted Landen Akers to replace him.

The Rams will be somewhat shorthanded again at wide receiver this week. Ben Skowronek popped up on the injury report Friday with a back injury, causing the team to list him as questionable.

On Saturday, the Rams updated his status and ruled him out, leaving them without their fourth receiver. To help take his place, the Rams promoted Landen Akers from the practice squad.

So at wideout, they’ll have Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., J.J. Koski and Akers. As a result, expect to see much more of Beckham than we saw against the 49ers in Week 10.

Against the 49ers, Skowronek played 42 snaps and caught one pass for 8 yards.

How Odell Beckham Jr. signing impacts Rams’ depth chart at WR

The signing of Odell Beckham Jr. is definitely going to alter the depth chart at wide receiver for the Rams.

Leave it to the Los Angeles Rams to come out of seemingly nowhere to sign Odell Beckham Jr. following his release from the Cleveland Browns. Beckham’s stint with the Browns didn’t pan out, leading him to mull over his options, with the idea of joining a contender in the latter part of the season.

From the outside looking in, Beckham doesn’t address a massive need for the Rams. Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson were already one of the best trios at wide receiver in the NFL.

However, whenever you can add a player as talented as Beckham, sometimes it’s too good to pass up, even if he’s been less productive in recent years. So with Beckham arriving in Los Angeles, how will the depth chart of the Rams look moving forward?

For starters, Jefferson will likely be relegated to No. 4 on the depth chart once Beckham is ready to make his debut. It remains to be seen if Beckham can suit up for Los Angeles on Monday night versus the San Francisco 49ers.

It will be interesting to see how Beckham meshes with Matthew Stafford at quarterback for the rest of the season. As the Rams prepare for a strong push in the second half of the season, the addition of Beckham unquestionably alters the roles in the offense for certain guys, mainly Jefferson.

Maybe the Rams elect to run more empty sets with four wide receivers on the field to ensure Jefferson is still getting reps. On the other hand, Jefferson will now join Ben Skowronek and J.J. Koski as young wideouts on the back half of the depth chart.

Rams are considering ‘different avenues’ at WR with depth thinning

Sean McVay spoke about the Rams making a move at wide receiver given the team’s recent lack of depth at the position.

We all know that Cooper Kupp is having a historic season for the Los Angeles Rams, Robert Woods is still a do-it-all guy, and Van Jefferson continues to show he has a bright future ahead of him. But what about the depth behind Kupp, Woods, and Jefferson?

With Tutu Atwell being placed on injured reserve and DeSean Jackson either getting traded or released, Sean McVay discussed what the Rams could do at the wide receiver position moving forward.

“We’re working through that right now. There’s some different avenues, whether it’s guys out there or practice squad. And that’s kind of something that Les and I, we’re kind of working through. This is kind of consistent standard operating procedures based on injuries every single week, and so it is something that you want to be mindful of,” McVay said.

Atwell suffered a shoulder injury in Week 8, ending his rookie season prematurely before he caught his first pass in the NFL. As for Jackson, the veteran wideout seems to want a larger role in an offense, which is something that the Rams can’t oblige with their current personnel.

Behind the main contributors at wide receiver, Los Angeles currently has Ben Skowronek as the only other wideout on the roster, who caught three passes for 30 yards against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Jacob Harris, a hybrid wide receiver/tight end could see playing time out wide in certain offensive sets.

“I’ll tell you what, I was really pleased with some of the younger guys coming in and doing a nice job,” McVay continued. “I thought Ben Skowronek really came in and handled a couple targets really well. You could see he’s got a good understanding of what’s going on. It was good to get Jacob Harris involved. Really pleased with Van’s production and continued maturation, and we obviously know from that position that Cooper and Robert have been doing it at a really high level for a long time for the Rams.”

At the same time, McVay realizes the Rams need to make moves at wide receiver to improve their depth. I don’t expect Los Angeles to trade for a wideout, but I wouldn’t rule out anything when it comes to Les Snead.

Signing someone off of their practice squad or through free agency seems like the most realistic outcome with the trade deadline nearing a conclusion.

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Sean McVay breaks down Tutu Atwell’s reduced role and Rams’ struggles in return game

Sean McVay shares why Tutu Atwell is playing less and iterates that the Rams aren’t content with where they’re at in the return game.

For the first time this season, we saw Ben Skowronek return kicks for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions. I’m likely not the only one who believes that Skowronek isn’t the answer at kick returner moving forward.

While Tutu Atwell was expected to handle kick and punt return duties this season, Sean McVay iterated why the rookie wideout is seeing his role reduced and how the Rams are still searching for a successful combination on special teams.

“We didn’t really get many opportunities in the punt return phase. I think the kick return – I don’t care who is returning yesterday, we didn’t block well at all. Whether it was Ben Skowronek or anybody else, we didn’t get a hat on a hat. We didn’t execute the fundamentals and the techniques that we work,” McVay said Monday. “Guys have to play better, in that phase in particular. Really, TuTu hadn’t had a whole lot of experience doing it in general. He’s a young player. That’s kind of where we’re at with it, but certainly the return game is not something that we feel great about where we’re at. We’re going to continue to work it.”

When asked specifically what caused the Rams to pull Atwell from his return role, McVay said, “We just felt like those guys were better candidates given the circumstances,” referring to Skowronek and Buddy Howell.

Atwell has totaled 12 returns this season (seven on punt, five on kickoff) for 139 yards. Coming into the NFL, Atwell didn’t have much experience as a returner, returning just four punts for 84 yards and zero kick returns in college. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Atwell still isn’t adjusted to returning punts or kicks in the NFL.

However, it does warrant the question of why Atwell was picked in the first place. The rookie second-round pick out of Louisville has only played 10 snaps on offense and he’s now absent from the return game. It doesn’t help that guys like Creed Humphrey and Terrace Marshall were still on the board when Atwell was selected.

With injuries to Jake Funk, Raymond Calais and Xavier Jones, the Rams are still seeking answers in the return game entering Week 8. And to make matters worse, their explosive rookie Atwell seems to be losing returning duties to other members of the roster right now.

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