Tag: Brandin Cooks

How WR absences vs. Bears paved way for Rams’ offensive resurgence

The Rams were forced to adapt when Woods and Cooks were out in Week 11, and it has made the offense better as a whole.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster when 90 minutes before the Rams kicked off against the Bears in Week 11, it was announced that Robert Woods wouldn’t be available. He was never listed on the injury report, so him being inactive was a complete and utter surprise to fans.

We now know he was handling a personal matter, which he returned from the following week. But for that one night with Brandin Cooks already out with a concussion, it seemed like the Rams might be in big trouble as a shorthanded offense.

Not only did the Rams overcome those two WR absences, but it may have actually helped them in the long run.

In that game against the Bears, the Rams hardly ran their usual 11 personnel with three receivers and one tight end. Instead, there was a heavy dosage of 12 personnel, where two tight ends were on the field a time – a mild rarity in Sean McVay’s offense.

The result: A 17-7 win with 110 yards rushing, the Rams’ most in a game since Week 2. It wasn’t the prettiest game or the Rams’ best victory, but it came one week after the Rams were beaten by the Steelers 17-12, a game in which Todd Gurley didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter.

McVay’s ability to adapt was put in the spotlight and he responded by shifting his game plan after he was told a few hours before the game that one of his best offensive players wouldn’t be able to play.

He discussed how that game changed the Rams’ philosophy and forced them to adapt during Wednesday’s press conference.

“Against Chicago, you had some late changes where guys weren’t able to go,” McVay said. “That kind of just forced us to adjust and adapt. You end up seeing some of the success and the good things that both Tyler (Higbee) and Johnny (Mundt) did in there and you say, ‘All right, well let’s build off of this.’ What it does is it serves as a natural chance for some of our receivers to stay fresher throughout the whole game. … Like we’ve talked about before, for me, I’m learning that each year is a totally different deal. Maybe, what helped us be successful the first couple years, you’ve got to be able to adjust and adapt and most importantly, like always talk about, utilize your players. I think Johnny Mundt has done some good things that have earned the right to get on the grass.”

In the last two games, the Rams have rushed for 294 yards, only turned it over twice and won each game by at least two touchdowns. The offense has looked more balanced and Tyler Higbee is being featured as a receiver.

He has 14 catches for 223 yards and a touchdown in his last two games, catching seven passes and eclipsing 100 yards in each one. It’s no coincidence that his emergence has partly been the result of the Rams giving their wide receivers playing less, with Brandin Cooks (27) and Cooper Kupp (20) playing fewer snaps than Johnny Mundt (50) did on Sunday against the Seahawks.

McVay is forcing teams to prepare for other personnel groupings besides his three-receiver sets. It makes things more difficult for opponents, because now they have to account for Higbee and the ground game more.

As bad as it was for them to lose Cooks and Woods in Week 11 against the Bears, it may have opened McVay’s eyes in a way that has helped the offense in recent weeks.

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Sean McVay explains lack of snaps for Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp

Here’s why Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp played fewer than 30 snaps each against the Seahawks.

Since Sean McVay was hired as head coach of the Rams in 2017, the offense has had three receivers, one running back and one tight end on the field the majority of the time. With players such as Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks and Sammy Watkins, it’s easy to understand why McVay loves to use 11 personnel.

In the last few weeks, though, the Rams have changed things up a bit. Against the Bears with Woods and Cooks out, the Rams used more two-tight end sets and pounded the football with Todd Gurley. They did that again on Sunday night against the Seahawks, and it resulted in Kupp and Cooks playing very little.

Kupp played 20 snaps and Cooks played 27, which is surprising considering Johnny Mundt was on the field for 50 of the Rams’ 70 plays. It was an interesting approach that clearly worked as the Rams rolled to a 28-12 victory over Seattle.

On Monday, McVay explained what went into Kupp and Cooks’ limited playing time. There are a couple of aspects to that decision, beginning with the Rams trying to diversify the scheme and balance out the offense.

“I think a lot of it is, ‘What do we think is the best way to have a little bit of a balance on some of the early downs? What do we think is the best way in some instances to run the football?’” McVay said. “It is also predicated on, ‘All right, what does this defense do and what does that mean in terms of some of the matchups that you want to create?’

“Then, you get a chance to evaluate and see a player like Johnny Mundt step up and say, ‘Maybe these are some things that we can have the defenses have to prepare for some different personnel groupings if we think it’s the best thing for us to do.’”

Another reason for the Rams limiting Kupp and Cooks’ playing time is an attempt to keep them fresh not only throughout the season, but over the course of a game. McVay points out that all of the Rams’ receivers are asked to block often and they’re almost treated like fullbacks.

McVay believes that by reducing the number of times they’re asked to block by utilizing tight ends instead, the wideouts are sharper in passing situations with their route running and receiving situations.

“We joke around about it, but I mean some of the blocks that we’ve asked Robert Woods to take part in or Josh Reynolds and Kupp, those guys are basically like fullbacks based on some of the concepts that we do run,” he said. “While you appreciate their willingness to do all those things, over the course of a 16-game season and if you’re fortunate to play afterwards, you do want to be mindful of the toll that that takes on them to try to keep them as fresh, as healthy as possible.”

He continued: “It is partly by the game plan, but then it’s also – I thought it was good because you can see we’re a little bit fresher in some of those known passing situations where our receivers are so important to us. If they’re not having the pressure of playing every single snap, I think it does make you a little bit more sharp and crisp in some of those situations where you might be a little bit more inclined to throw the football. We’re kind of working through it, we’re figuring it out. It was something that helped us out last night and as we start to dive into Dallas, we’ll figure out if that’s part of the plan for this week.”

The Cowboys defense has been good against the pass, ranking seventh in yards and ninth in touchdowns allowed, but their run defense is really struggling. They’ve allowed at least 100 yards rushing in each of the last seven games and are third in the league in missed tackles with 104 – 25 more than the Rams have missed, for reference.

Don’t be surprised if the Rams once again go with a run-heavy attack and utilize their tight ends more than their wide receivers, especially if Gerald Everett returns from injury. It may cost the receivers some snaps, but it does balance out the offense and give defenses another wrinkle to prepare for.

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4 takeaways from the Rams’ 45-6 loss to Baltimore

The Rams were embarrassed by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on primetime. Here are four takeaways from the depressing outing.

The Los Angeles Rams were embarrassed on Monday Night Football by the Baltimore Ravens. It was complete opposite of last year’s barnburner on Monday Night Football against Kansas City. Here’s a few takeaways from the primetime debacle.

Rams’ defense nonexistent

It appears that something must have happened to the Rams over the past week that didn’t allow their defense to practice or come up with a game-plan to stop Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense. Maybe Wade Phillips just gave the team the week off. Any excuse as to why the Rams forgot to come up with a game-plan would be less embarrassing than if this was actually their game plan. 

The Ravens scored a touchdown every single time they touched the ball in the first half and Lamar Jackson completed all nine of his passes. The Rams were hopeless every time the defense touched the field.

Something also must have happened at halftime that caused the Rams to make any adjustments, because if they actually attempted to make any adjustments, they were meaningless. Baltimore scored a touchdown on their first two possessions of the second half before Lamar Jackson called it a night.

These games happen to everyone. Good teams get blown out. Bad teams get blown out. Mediocre teams get blown out. The Rams were decimated by Baltimore’s elite offense. It happens. But it certainly stings a little more when it’s on primetime and it drops your record to 6-5.

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Brandin Cooks says retirement ‘never went through my mind’ after concussion

Brandin Cooks never considered retirement after suffering his second concussion of the season.

Brandin Cooks is back with the Rams after missing the last two games due to a concussion. It was his second concussion of the season and his fourth in the last two years, raising some concern about his health.

Cooks went to see concussion specialists in Pittsburgh during the Rams’ bye week, trying to get to the root of his frequent head injuries. The Rams understandably wanted to play it safe with their wide receiver, as evidenced by Sean McVay saying Cooks has been “ready to roll for a couple weeks now,” but he’s fully healthy and will play against the Ravens on Monday night.

On Friday, Cooks spoke to the media for the first time since suffering the concussion in Week 8. During his press conference, he was asked whether he ever considered retirement or stepping away from the game. His answer was pretty definitive.

“Absolutely not. No doubt about it,” Cooks said. “When it happened that never went through my mind. Even now it’s not going through my mind. I’m just thankful for a great team around me for me to be able to comfortable coming out here to play.”

Cooks got a new helmet that he’ll wear against Baltimore, which will hopefully help prevent some of the head injuries he’s suffered throughout his career. “Other than that, everything else is the same,” he said.

Given how often he’s suffered concussions in his career, it’s easy to be concerned about the possibility of him getting another one. Cooks isn’t worried about it, though, and he doesn’t think anyone else should be, either.

“To be very honest with you, not really concerning at all. I understand that it’s one of the things that’s part of the game. At the end of the day, what’s going through my mind is like, ‘OK, let’s get some answers.’ Then figuring out what’s going on,” he said. “It’s a blessing that I don’t have ever have symptoms after. But at the end of the day, once again, I think it’s one of those things that’s a case-by-case thing. Mine was very unique and just thankful once again to be able to go and get answers and the team helping me out with that.”

Going to the specialists helped, Cooks said, gaining some information about concussions that he found “extremely helpful.” Finding answers for why he’s had four concussions in two years is difficult, but he doesn’t seem to think there’s any rhyme or reason behind it.

“You think about it from a standpoint that there’s so many systems that’s going on throughout the body,” he explained. “Some of those, the better that you can train and stay on top of. It’s just like any muscle the more that you train it the stronger that it can become. Other than that, I just think it’s an anomaly. It’s part of the game and you just never know, right?”

Cooks seems to be in a good place and ready to roll for Week 12, but there’s no doubt fans and likely the coaches will be watching closely when he takes his first big hit on the field. Just don’t be surprised when he bounces back up as he often does.

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Why Brandin Cooks’ return is huge for Rams with Robert Woods still away

The Rams will have Brandin Cooks back, which is huge for the offense with Robert Woods still away.

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The Los Angeles Rams offense looked very different on Sunday night against the Bears than it did in Week 1. There were two new starters at wide receiver and three new faces on the offensive line, as well as Johnny Mundt replacing Gerald Everett as one of the two starting tight ends.

They had to thrust Josh Reynolds and Mike Thomas into larger roles with Brandin Cooks still recovering from a concussion and Robert Woods tending to a family matter. Being without both players was a big hit to the offense, given the importance of both players’ roles.

It’s unclear when Woods will return to the team and there’s a chance he could miss Monday’s game, but Sean McVay shared some good news on Cooks’ recovery Wednesday. He confirmed the wideout will be back on the field Monday night against the Ravens after missing two games.

“Brandin Cooks is back, he’s excited to be able to play,” McVay said. “He’s felt good for a couple weeks, so when he’s feeling good and we’ve gotten the thumbs up from everybody else, that makes us all feel good. He’s going to play and we’re excited about that.”

This is huge news for the Rams, to say the least.

Cooks has been the least impactful of the Rams’ top three wide receivers this season, but that doesn’t make him unimportant. He simply hasn’t gotten as many opportunities as Woods and Cooper Kupp.

His return to the field changes things dramatically for the Rams offense. With Cooks and Woods both out in Week 11, the Rams went with a completely different approach offensively. They utilized two-tight end sets on 34 plays, which is the highest total of the season. They ran the ball 34 times and Jared Goff only attempted 18 passes, the fewest in his career.

The Rams set out to run the ball straight at the Bears, and it worked to the tune of a 17-7 win. But as we’ve seen all season, McVay prefers to throw the ball over run it. It’s just that putting the ball in the air 40 times with Reynolds and Thomas as two of the top three receivers wasn’t a recipe for success.

We all know how reliant McVay is on 11 personnel, having three receivers on the field more than 90% of the time. The Rams can get back to that on Monday night against the Ravens with Cooks, Kupp and Reynolds, leaving Thomas and his unreliable hands in the No. 4 spot.

Cooks’ speed will also be very valuable. He can stretch a defense like few receivers can, and against the Ravens’ cornerbacks, that’s critical. While Marlon Humphrey has good speed, Marcus Peters and Brandon Carr are somewhat lacking in that area.

If the Rams can get Cooks matched up on Peters or Carr, they can take advantage against single-high safety looks when it’s essentially one-on-one outside. Thomas and Reynolds simply don’t possess that same level of speed as Cooks.

The biggest benefit of Cooks’ return is having three receivers Goff is comfortable with. The Rams clearly shied away from using too many three-receiver sets against the Bears because of his and Woods’ absences, but that should change on Monday night.

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Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to bench in Week 12

Five sleepers to start and five starters to bench in fantasy football Week 12.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 12:

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Starts

QB Matt Ryan

After two decent games on the road from him the past two weeks, Matt Ryan and the Falcons return home. There he’s going to meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There’s a few reasons to go with Ryan in Week 12. First, his team is on an unforeseen two-game winning streak. That could continue because of him. The Falcons’ backfield is banged up, but the Bucs also sport the second-best run defense in the NFL. In addition, they have the second-worst pass defense. Do the math.

RB Phillip Lindsay

Phillip Lindsay has been steady as she goes over the past few weeks. He’s had outings of 59, 92, and 67 yards in his past three games, respectively, with a touchdown coming in the 92-yard outing. But having said that, the Bills defense is a formidable one, but not against the run. The third-best defense overall in Buffalo is actually 18th against the run and only slowed down their opponent last week because the Dolphins are the Dolphins.

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Sean McVay shares injury updates on Brandin Cooks, Rob Havenstein

Sean McVay said Cooks is likely to return on Monday night, while Havenstein is doubtful.

The Rams were without several key players on Sunday night against the Bears, most notably Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Rob Havenstein. Cooks has missed two games with a concussion, while Havenstein is dealing with a knee injury that he suffered against the Steelers.

The Rams were still able to beat the Bears 17-7, holding their offense in check behind a great defensive effort. On Monday, McVay shared updates on Cooks and Havenstein, but said there’s nothing new on Woods, who is still “handling that personal matter.”

“We’ll probably have a little bit more of an update on that later on in the week,” McVay said.

Regarding Cooks, the Rams expect to have him back on Monday night against the Ravens as he’s made good progress in the concussion protocol.

“We do [expect him to play]. He’s been in great spirits, he’s been in good shape. The anticipation is that he will be able to play this week,” McVay said.

Havenstein’s outlook isn’t as positive, though. It was originally considered a multi-week injury, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be on the field against the Ravens. McVay wouldn’t rule him out just yet, though, which does leave the door slightly open for him to play.

“I would say he’s probably going to be doubtful for this week,” the coach said. “He is making good progress. To have a finite answer on exactly when he’ll play a week from today is difficult. I think the anticipation – just originally with that injury – was that it’s probably going to be a couple weeks. That’s why he’ll most likely be doubtful, but you don’t want to rule him out quite yet.”

Bobby Evans did a great job in Havenstein’s place, all but neutralizing Khalil Mack and any other pass rushers that lined up across from him. He got a lot of help from the tight ends chipping at the line, but it was a solid performance by the rookie.

In other injury news, Michael Brockers went down briefly with an elbow injury, but he was able to return to the game. McVay didn’t express any concern on that front.

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Brandin Cooks is selling his L.A. home for $5.8M: Nothing or something?

Brandin Cooks has listed his home for $5.8 million. Does it mean anything?

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks is listing his recently purchased Hidden Hills house on the market, according to an article from the Los Angeles Times.

Cooks’ 2.3-acre estate rests at the top of a cul-de-sac. He bought the modern style home a few months after being traded from the Patriots to the Rams, but the official listing on RedFin shows he is selling the home for $5.8 million.

PHOTOS: Brandin Cooks lists home for $5.8 million

But as the sixth-year wideout begins listening to offers for his house, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that the Rams are preparing to listen to offers for Brandin Cooks himself.

According to Spotrac, the Rams will enter the 2020 season with 41 players under contract and roughly $26 million in cap space. Cooks’ salary alone amounts to 8.1 percent of the team’s salary cap, with $21.8 million in dead cap.

Looking ahead to next season, Cooks could be a cap casualty for a team that is in win-now mode with very little draft capital and is heavily-invested in franchise quarterback Jared Goff, who has struggled behind a porous offensive line decimated by injuries.

Les Snead has become increasingly aggressive during his tenure as general manager of the Rams since the team moved to Los Angeles. With Cooks, the Rams have a dependable deep threat who has finished above 1,000 yards receiving with 16 starts in four of his six seasons in the league, with the only other two seasons being this year and a rookie season cut short by a fractured thumb.

But an unfortunate slew of recent head injuries has kept Cooks from maximizing his full potential and could also diminish his trade value. The former Oregon State All-American suffered his fourth concussion in less than two years in the Rams’ 24-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in London and is officially listed as out for the team’s Sunday night tilt against the Bears.

And as Cooks’ contract stipulates, he has $50 million guaranteed for injury. It also wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that he could walk away from the game with well-deserved wealth for the sake of his own health.

This is not to speculate that Cooks has considered retirement, but there’s a growing trend across the NFL where star players retire during the prime of their careers. Andrew Luck is the most recent example, following the footsteps of perennial All-Pro players like Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Rob Gronkowski.

But the trade deadline has since passed, and Cooks is seeking to get back on the field as soon as possible. Rams head coach Sean McVay is optimistic that his deep threat wideout will return for the team’s Monday night date with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 12.

“He’s out there. He’s got great energy like he always does. He’s moving around,” McVay said. “I think it’s one of those things sitting down with Brandin, really getting a chance to talk to our doctors and then making that decision that we feel like is right. I think he’s feeling good and I think he’s excited about the opportunity to come back and play.”

Cooks’ decision to sell his Los Angeles home doesn’t necessarily mean his days as a Ram are numbered. One only needs to look at NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard, who in June reportedly bought property in Toronto ahead of his decision to spurn the Toronto Raptors for the Los Angeles Clippers in early July.

But all things considered, Cooks’ status with the team is certainly something worth monitoring as the Rams continue to play the game of salary cap gymnastics that they started, which won’t end anytime soon.

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Rams rule out WR Brandin Cooks, RT Rob Havenstein vs. Bears

The Rams have already ruled out two offensive starters for a Week 11 game against the Bears in WR Brandin Cooks and RT Rob Havenstein.

The Los Angeles Rams are banged up heading into a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

After losing center Brian Allen for the season with an MCL injury, the Rams will also be without receiver Brandin Cooks (concussion) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (meniscus) come Sunday’s primetime game against the Bears.

The Rams’ offensive line is a mess due to an influx of injuries, which doesn’t bode well for quarterback Jared Goff, who will face a Bears defense that mauled him last season.

Cooks’ absence will heighten the pressure on receiver Cooper Kupp, who failed to catch a pass for the first time in his NFL career last Sunday in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with Cooks out.

The Bears defense might be catching the Rams offense at the right time. Although the Bears offense will have to face a dominant Rams defense led by All-Pro Aaron Donald.

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Rob Havenstein, Brandin Cooks ruled out for Week 11

Sean McVay said both players will be out this week against the Bears.

The injury bug has bitten the Los Angeles Rams hard the last few weeks and it’s really taking a toll on the offense. Not only is center Brian Allen out for the year with an MCL injury, but Rob Havenstein has a knee injury of his own.

Sean McVay announced Monday that Havenstein and Brandin Cooks have both already been ruled out for Week 11 against the Chicago Bears.

Havenstein could be out multiple weeks with the meniscus injury, and Cooks is still recovering from his second concussion of the season.

David Edwards slid over to right tackle after Havenstein went down. That pushed Coleman Shelton into the lineup with the starters.

Austin Blythe replaced Allen at center with Austin Corbett filling in at left guard. Put simply, the offensive line is a mess right now.

It doesn’t help that the Rams will face the Bears’ dominant defensive front on Sunday night, led by Khalil Mack on the outside.