Tag: Kenny Young

Rams LB Kenny Young ejected following heated exchange with official

Kenny Young was ejected from Sunday’s game for making contact with an official during a heated moment on the field.

Rams linebacker Kenny Young was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Colts for making contact with an official. The ejection occurred late in the third quarter following a run for no gain by Jonathan Taylor in the red zone.

After the play, Young got into a heated exchange with an official, yelling in his face. He made contact with the brim of the official’s hat, which warrants automatic disqualification.

The Colts then taunted Young for getting penalized, which led to the official throwing a flag on Indianapolis, too. Aaron Donald attempted to calm Young down but his mistake had already been made.

After things settled down, the Colts scored a touchdown and converted the two-point try to make it 17-14 late in the third quarter.

Rams vs. Colts: 4 players to watch in Week 2

There are a few players on the Rams that should garner the attention of fans in Week 2 versus the Colts.

The Los Angeles Rams came out swinging in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. It didn’t take long for the Rams to unveil their new shiny toy in Matthew Stafford as he connected with Van Jefferson on a 67-yard touchdown pass on the team’s first offensive drive of the game. Stafford would knock his debut in Los Angeles out of the park, finishing with an efficient 321 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.

Most importantly, the Rams came away with a win over the Bears in Week 1, playing mistake-free football on both sides of the ball. Following the team’s 20-point victory versus Chicago, Los Angeles will travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

The Colts also had a new quarterback operating their offense in Week 1, but unlike Stafford, Carson Wentz was unable to deliver a win. Indianapolis came out flat against the Seattle Seahawks and would lose the game 28-16 at home.

It will be important for the Rams to remain focused on the task at hand because as Cameron DaSilva highlighted, the Colts have a slew of talented players on both sides of the ball, as well. Ahead of what should be an interesting test for Los Angeles, let’s take a look at four players you should keep an eye on against Indianapolis in Week 2.

Marcus Peters revisits trade to Ravens, rips Rams for replacing him with Jalen Ramsey

The Baltimore Ravens traded for Marcus Peters in October of 2019. The Rams replaced him with Jalen Ramsey, something he’s not happy about.

The Baltimore Ravens made one of the best trades in this history of the franchise in October of 2019, acquiring cornerback Marcus Peters from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round selection.

While cornerback wasn’t a huge need for the team at the time, Baltimore didn’t pass up the opportunity to add to a strong secondary unit with a player like Peters while not giving up many assets of their own.

Peters has been a phenominal addition for the Ravens, making a huge impact for Baltimore in multiple different ways. However, when asked about his departure from Los Angeles and how it all went down on “The Volume” podcast with Aqib Talib, Peters shared that he was a bit miffed, not because the Rams moved on from him, but because they decide to replace him not long after he left with cornerback Jalen Ramsey (NSFW).

“I felt disrespected in a sense of yeah, y’all can trade me. That’s a part of the business, but two minutes after that, you bring in another guy who do the same [expletive] I do. Maybe a little bit different, but if we play this compare game, I do a little bit more because I make a little bit more plays.”

Feeling disrespected after getting traded and seeing a replacement come in so soon is completely understandable. It was a bit of a shock that Peters was on the trade block at all, but Los Angeles clearly wanted to make a play for Ramsey, and thus deemed Peters expendable.

Ramsey ended up getting traded to the Rams for a package including two first-round picks. Based off of that, Baltimore got the better deal in terms of what they had to give up and the player that they got for their defensive scheme. Peters fits in better in the Ravens’ defense as opposed to what Los Angeles runs, so everything seemed to work out for all parties involved. However, Peters still feels a bit disrespected not by Los Angeles’ decision to trade him, but with how they decided to replace him.

What is the Rams’ plan at inside linebacker for 2021?

The Rams haven’t added any linebackers yet. Are they waiting for the draft? Or will they roll with the same group from 2020?

Although the first wave of free agency is already in the books, the Los Angeles Rams still have plenty of opportunities to bolster their roster before the regular season begins in September. There are free agents to sign, prospects to draft and players to acquire via trade, but the Rams have yet to make a single move at inside linebacker.

They haven’t been linked to any free agents at that position, nor have they been reported to have met with any linebacker prospects. That doesn’t mean they haven’t looked into adding help to the linebacker corps, but it doesn’t seem to be a high priority for the front office.

This has made some wonder what the Rams’ plan is heading into the 2021 season. Are they going to roll with the same group as last season? Is Travin Howard going to become a starter after he was slated to be one in 2020? Will the draft bring notable reinforcements?

All of these are very possible for Los Angeles, given the way its defense is built. Despite getting subpar play from Micah Kiser, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder a year ago, the Rams still had the NFL’s No. 1 defense. That has to count for something, and it’s probably why the front office didn’t go out and sign Kyle Van Noy, Denzel Perryman or Christian Kirksey.

As unimpressive as the Rams’ linebackers were at times, all had their flashes of potential. Reeder had a three-sack game, Kiser won Defensive Player of the Week and Young had a pick-six. That doesn’t mean they should be locks to play significant snaps next season, but the Rams obviously see something in them to deprioritize the position in free agency.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

There are still players out there who could fit with the Rams, such as K.J. Wright, Kwon Alexander and Avery Williamson. All should come relatively cheap, even by the Rams’ standards.

But in all likelihood, Les Snead and the front office are waiting for the draft. It’s a somewhat deep class at linebacker, with plenty of athletic and rangy prospects available on Day 2. Jabril Cox, Jamin Davis, Monty Rice, Chazz Surratt and Justin Hilliard could all be options for the Rams in the second or third rounds, and all of them would be potential Day 1 starters.

If they add one of those rookies, it’s not unreasonable to think they could pair him with a player such as Reeder, Young, Kiser or Howard. Reeder and Kiser are better run defenders than they are in coverage, so ideally, the Rams would add a rangy coverage linebacker as a complement. Or, they could bring in a thumper to pair with Howard, who’s a former safety and has promising pass-defense skills. They have options available, it’s just a matter of which path the front office wants to take – or which way their draft board falls.

Regardless, it’s hard to imagine the Rams going into Week 1 without drafting at least one linebacker or signing one in free agency. They need talent in the middle of their defense and shouldn’t rely on the holdovers from 2020 to improve next season.

Watch: Kenny Young with the 79-yard pick-6 for the Rams

Kenny Young of the Rams with the 79-yard pick-6 of Cam Newton

[jwplayer ECX3NwvL]Cam Newton and the New England Patriots were as off against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday in the first 15-plus minutes as they were on Sunday in blasting the Los Angeles Chargers in the same Sofi Stadium.

Trailing 10-0, Newton threw a pass that was picked off by the Rams’ Kenny Young and 79 yards later it was 16-0. The PAT made it 17-0.

The team names were the same but the rosters weren’t as when they met in Super Bowl LIII when the Patriots won, 13-3.

Watch: Kenny Young picks off Cam Newton, returns it 79 yards for TD

Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey were there to lead the way for Young en route to the end zone.

As they have so often this season, the Rams defense picked up Jared Goff after a turnover. This time, they put points on the board themselves, too.

To open the second quarter, Kenny Young picked off Cam Newton and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown, the second week in a row the Rams have had a pick-six.

He was helped by Leonard Floyd, who pressured Newton into a bad throw, while Aaron Donald also held up Damien Harris briefly to prevent him from making the catch.

Take a look at the play, which put the Rams up 17-0 less than 16 minutes into the game.

Along with the rest of the defense, Sean McVay was hustling down the field along the sideline, cheering his guys on.

Rams front office deserves blame for glaring issues at inside linebacker

The Rams chose to bet on themselves rather than replace Cory Littleton this offseason. The bet hasn’t paid off.

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On March 25, Rams inside linebacker Cory Littleton signed a three-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Littleton was the Rams’ primary inside linebacker in 2019, leading the team in tackles and was often used as the only inside linebacker on the field. He was arguably the most important player on the Rams’ defense in 2018 and 2019 besides Aaron Donald.

To fill the major void Littleton was leaving behind, the Rams brought in – *checks notes* – nobody?

The current group of inside linebackers is literally last year’s group without Littleton and Bryce Hager, who also saw a few starts last year. The trio of Micah Kiser, Kenny Young, and Troy Reeder was tasked with filling the void left by Littleton. On paper, things may not seem that bad. Kiser is stuffing the stat sheet with tackles and even picked up an NFC Defensive Player of the Week award, while Reeder recorded three sacks against the Washington Football Team.

But anyone really paying attention could see the cracks in this defense, the majority of the cracks revolved around the inside linebackers. They’ve struggled to contain running backs – bad running backs – at times this season. They allowed the New York Giants to rush for a season-high 135 yards despite having the worst rushing attack in the league, and they allowed J.D. McKissic to plod his way to 46 receiving yards on six catches.

In Week 6, against an actual backfield led by Raheem Mostert, the Rams were torched in the first half, giving up a quick 21 points they were never able to come back from. Many of the big plays came from Mostert and tight end George Kittle, two positions that a guy like Littleton would have been asked to handle in the past.

Kiser and Reeder have shown the occasional flash of greatness. But both players have their flaws, and those flaws have been exploited heavily by opposing teams. It says a lot that Reeder barely saw the field a week after recording three sacks against Washington. Meanwhile, it’s hard to really have anything positive to say about Young’s performance this season, and he’s the guy that Reeder can’t beat out on the depth chart.

The lack of production at the inside linebacker position shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. Littleton was one of the best players on the defense last season and was extremely valuable during the 2018 Super Bowl run. The trio of linebackers had collectively proved nothing in the NFL before this season. They still haven’t proved much of anything.

Some of the blame should fall on the current group of linebackers, as they have been disappointing through six games. But what was really expected of this group? Kiser has been a solid tackler who has struggled in pass coverage. Essentially, he’s been exactly what many would have expected him to be. Young has been even less productive in pass coverage than Kiser, Reeder is completely useless in that aspect of the defense.

Les Snead, Sean McVay and the brain trust of decision-makers in the front office should take far more of the blame for this situation. They chose to spend money on the defensive line instead of at linebacker in free agency. They chose to make luxury draft picks such as Cam Akers and Van Jefferson instead of addressing the position on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

They basically ignored the position on Day 3 of the draft, as well. They drafted a tight end in the fourth round, so they can add a fourth-stringer to literally the deepest position on the roster. They finally grabbed an inside linebacker with the 234th pick in the draft, selecting Baylor product Clay Johnston. He didn’t make the team. The Rams drafted as many kickers in the 2020 NFL Draft as they did inside linebackers.

One saving grace about the situation going into the season was that many just expected the Rams to simply not use inside linebackers much. While Littleton played almost every snap in Wade Phillips’ defense, they often used an extra safety in a hybrid linebacker role nex t to Littleton, so the secondary inside linebacker only saw the field when a run was expected. But that has not been the case under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Kiser and Young spend a ton of time on the field together, even on passing downs.

The 2020 Rams are using inside linebackers more than the 2019 Rams did, yet they have far less talent at the position. Snead had to have known that Staley planned to implement two inside linebackers quite often. But rather than address the position in free agency or the draft, they chose to roll with what they had. What they have is not cutting it, and they deserve more of the blame for these results than the players do. They needed help, and they didn’t get it.

Not filling this void is one of the biggest blunders of the Les Snead era. It was an obvious hole, and it was never addressed. We’ll see if the Rams choose to make a move before the trade deadline to improve the group.

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Les Snead evaluates Rams’ ‘very experienced group’ at linebacker

Les Snead knows the Rams lack experience at linebacker, but he has high hopes for the group.

Only one inside linebacker on the Rams played more than a third of the defensive snaps last season. Of course, that player was Cory Littleton, who’s now a member of the Oakland Raiders.

His departure has left the Rams extremely thin at linebacker and lacking notable experience at the position. Troy Reeder played 298 snaps last season, which was second-most among the team’s linebackers. Travin Howard, Micah Kiser and Kenny Young are the other three players who could contribute next season, but only Howard played a single snap on defense for the Rams last year.

Los Angeles doesn’t have the cap space to add a surefire starter in free agency and the draft has players with even less NFL experience than the Rams’ current group of linebackers.

General manager Les Snead isn’t pretending linebacker is a strength in L.A., calling it a “very inexperienced group.”

“You always look internally first, right? Micah Kiser got an injury so you haven’t seen him play yet. Troy Reeder, a surprise starter has a lot of playtime. And then Travin Howard down the stretch last year was getting on the field. So it’s a very inexperienced group – even Kenny Young has experience, but with another team,” he said this week. “So with us, a very inexperienced group internally. We have solid to good to high hopes for this group and we’ve got to do our best to develop them and also look in the draft to see, hey, can you add a complementary piece to go with the group. And even if you do that, that human being will probably be inexperienced, as well. Could be talented but inexperienced. But it is going to be an inexperienced group for us, but we did like the fact that a lot of those players plus draftees have the chance to become solid to good to very good players while they get experience.”

It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement from Snead, but the group does have potential. Young is a former starter for the Ravens, and Kiser was projected to be the No. 2 linebacker next to Littleton last season before he suffered a pectoral injury. Reeder may have gotten playing time, but he really struggled in coverage and looked out of place as a starter.

Howard is the wild card in this group because of his athleticism and potential in the Rams’ scheme. He was adept in coverage late in the 2019 season, even tipping a pass to cause an interception against the Cardinals. He’s not a lock to start by any means, but he has a great deal of upside entering 2020.

Snead didn’t mention adding a veteran linebacker, probably because the Rams don’t have the money to. Instead, they’ll look to the draft where players such as Akeem Davis-Gaither, Troy Dye, Malik Harrison, Joe Bachie and a handful of others could be targets at some point.

But as Snead said, a rookie will be just as experienced, even if he is talented. This group will need to mature quickly if the Rams want to avoid being gashed in the middle of the field.

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What can Rams expect from Austin Corbett and Kenny Young in 2020?

The Rams added Austin Corbett and Kenny Young last season, but what do they bring to the table in 2020?

The Los Angeles Rams were busy at the trade deadline last year, striking several key deals involving Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Jalen Ramsey. But while those trades got most of the attention – specifically Ramsey’s acquisition – the Rams quietly added two players in the process: Austin Corbett and Kenny Young.

We saw some of Corbett in 2019 when he filled in at left guard after Brian Allen and Joseph Noteboom went down, starting seven games for the Rams after being traded by the Browns. Young wasn’t quite as prevalent, though, in the sense that he didn’t play a single defensive snap in 2019.

Young wasn’t brought in to be a solution at linebacker last season, but there was some outside belief that he could help contribute next to Cory Littleton with Micah Kiser on IR and Bryce Hager hurt (and struggling).

Expectations were low for both players in 2019, but what might their roles be next season? It’s complicated for both of them.

For Corbett, he can play both guard and center. Andrew Whitworth is expected to return for another year in Los Angeles, which means Joseph Noteboom won’t slide over to left tackle just yet.

As a result, Corbett will need to battle him for a starting job – a competition that will be fairly evenly matched. Corbett only allowed one sack last season, while Noteboom didn’t allow any (on 166 fewer snaps). Neither was a standout guard, but Corbett was more consistent and reliable as a blocker.

At center, Allen hardly looked like a starting-caliber player for the Rams. He was outmuscled regularly and didn’t carry the punch and power that many expected him to on the interior; he’s a bit undersized but still possesses good strength. Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer likes to cross-train his linemen, so expect Corbett to get some time at center this offseason, too.

As for Young, his path to playing time will depend greatly on Littleton’s future. If Littleton leaves in free agency, the Rams will be looking for a new starter at inside linebacker. They didn’t have a quality No. 2 linebacker next to him last season, either, so that’s a position of need, too. Young isn’t exactly reliable in coverage, though, allowing four receptions on four targets with one touchdown last season. In 2018, he allowed 15 catches on 23 targets, giving up only 93 yards on those plays. Littleton is just the opposite, proving to be one of the best coverage linebackers in football.

Expecting Young to replace Littleton is unreasonable, simply because he isn’t the same type of player. But if the Rams can retain Littleton and Young has a strong spring and training camp, he could get a look as the second inside linebacker.

Troy Reeder, Travin Howard and Kiser will all be in the mix, too, but Young is more experienced and is a former starter in the NFL. He just needs to improve against the pass and make better reads against the run.

There could be openings for both Young and Corbett to carve out roles next season, but they’ll likely need to win camp battles in order to earn significant playing time.