Tag: Mike LaFleur

Sean McVay may hand over play-calling duties Sunday vs. Seahawks

As he does in the preseason, Sean McVay may let his offensive coordinator handle play-calling duties on Sunday against the Seahawks

It’s by no means a preseason game, but the Los Angeles Rams aren’t going full-throttle in Sunday’s season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. Not only are they resting Matthew Stafford and potentially others, but the in-game coaching will look very different, too.

As he does in the preseason, Sean McVay might hand over play-calling duties on offense. The Rams coach told reporters on Wednesday that it’s possible offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur will call the offensive plays against the Seahawks.

LaFleur called the plays in the preseason and also handled that responsibility in the season finale last year when Carson Wentz and the Rams beat the 49ers in Week 18 when Stafford and other starters were resting.

“We’ll work through that. Last year, Mike did a great job for Carson. That might be the approach that we’ll take this week,” he said.

LaFleur has experience calling offensive plays, doing so with the Jets when he was their offensive coordinator, so it’s nothing new to him. And as McVay said, he did a nice job last year against San Francisco, calling a run-heavy script.

Sunday’s game isn’t completely meaningless for the Rams because if they win, they clinch the No. 3 seed and a game against either the Commanders or Packers. If they lose and the Bucs win, they’ll have to host the Vikings or Lions in Round 1.

The Rams won’t completely mail it in and still want to win on Sunday, but it’ll be a challenge with a new quarterback and playcaller.

Best photos from Ravens joint practice with Packers at Lambeau Field

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens joint practice with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field

On Thursday, the Ravens and the Packers completed an intense but scuffle-free joint practice at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay had one joint practice with the Broncos in Denver, and the Packers welcomed the Ravens to Lambeau Field before the preseason game between the two teams on Saturday, August 24.

The Ravens began practice on Clarke Hinkle Field, on one side of the Don Hutson Center, before joining the Packers on Ray Nitschke Field, on the other side of the Don Hutson Center, for the joint portion of the practice.

Thursday marked Monday’s final open practice at the 2024 Packers Training Camp.

With the matchup complete, here are the top photos from the day’s activities.

***

Ravens players to experience an amazing training camp tradition during trip to Green Bay

Ravens to take part in training camp tradition of riding bikes to Lambeau Field with young Packers fans before joint practice on Thursday

Baltimore will travel to Green Bay this week to play their final preseason game, and there will be added competition.

Green Bay had one joint practice with the Broncos in Denver, and the Packers will welcome the Ravens to Lambeau Field this week for a joint practice on Thursday, Aug. 22, before the preseason game between the two teams on Saturday, August 24.

The Ravens will begin practice on Clarke Hinkle Field, on one side of the Don Hutson Center, before joining the Packers on Ray Nitschke Field, on the other side of the Don Hutson Center, for the joint portion of the practice.

Thursday will also mark the final open practice at the 2024 Packers Training Camp. On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh discussed his approach to the sessions.

Joint practice sessions are usually two-day affairs, but LaFleur said it becomes an “MMA fight” on the second day of joint practices, using last year with New England as an example.

The practice will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The Packers’ official website reports that to ensure the Ravens players experience one of the most storied training camp traditions in the NFL, kids of all fan affiliations in Green Bay will be encouraged to bring their bikes to Lambeau Field to offer rides to the Ravens before practice. If there are enough bikes available, every Ravens player will be riding a bike to practice, so fans and community members are asked to welcome the team in true Green Bay fashion.

During practice, kids can line their bikes up against the Hinkle Field fence to wait for the end of practice, when they can offer their bikes for the Ravens players exiting through the gate to ride back to the locker room.

For Baltimore, it’ll give Lamar Jackson one intense tune-up session against elite competition before the team kicks off the regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

John Harbaugh discusses his approach to joint practices ahead of session with Packers

Baltimore will travel to Green Bay this summer to play their final preseason game and participate in one likely to be an intense joint practice session.

Baltimore will travel to Green Bay this week to play their final preseason game, and there will be added competition.

Green Bay had one joint practice with the Broncos in Denver, and the Packers will welcome the Ravens to Lambeau Field this week for a joint practice on Thursday, Aug. 22, prior to the preseason game between the two teams on Saturday, August 24.

Thursday will also mark the final open practice at the 2024 Packers Training Camp. On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh discussed his approach to the sessions.

Joint practice sessions are usually two-day affairs, but LaFleur said it becomes an “MMA fight” on the second day of joint practices, using last year with New England as an example.

For Baltimore, it’ll give Lamar Jackson one intense tune-up session against elite competition before the team kicks off the regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Mike LaFleur impressed by Jordan Whittington’s quick learning ability

Jordan Whittington is picking up things quickly at Rams OTAs, which has impressed OC Mike LaFleur

Being a rookie in the NFL can be overwhelming. Being a rookie receiver in Sean McVay’s offense is even more challenging.

Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are among the Rams receivers to have an immediate impact as rookies, and Jordan Whittington will try to be the next. Lauded for his intelligence and work ethic, Whittington is unsurprisingly making a good first impression in OTAs this spring.

Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur discussed how quickly Whittington is picking things up, which isn’t necessarily easy with all of the nuances to McVay’s offense.

“First of all, all those rookies, we’re throwing them in a lot of different spots in a lot of different situations,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “Maybe some a little bit more than others, but he’s doing a great job. You can tell he’s really taking what he’s learning in the classroom to the field. I said it last year about Puka, but how beneficial for a young receiver to be in that room with a guy like (WRs coach Eric Yarber) ‘Yarbs’ and then obviously guys like Cooper Kupp and now Puka going into Year 2. What a blessing it is for those guys to be around people like them.”

Whittington told Stu Jackson of TheRams.com that he appreciates the help Kupp has provided in the first couple of weeks of OTAs, guiding the rookie receiver on how to learn McVay’s complex offense.

“It’s a lot of information in a short amount of time, so just trying to figure out how to be a professional, and I have like one of the best ones in my room,” Whittington said. “He’s a really good guy, and he’s not selfish with how he learns things. So him just teaching me how to learn and me just watching, I’ve been able to like learn different ways to learn throughout this process.”

Whittington was a sixth-round pick by the Rams this year and while there isn’t exactly a clear path to playing time, he’s expected to contribute early on as a special teams player. He could also get reps as a return specialist and with Ben Skowronek now out of the picture, Whittington may be a valuable receiver to have when the Rams run the ball thanks to his blocking ability.

Nacua, Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are projected to be the top four wideouts on the depth chart right now but if Whittington stands out in training camp and the preseason, he could get opportunities to play early in the season.

Packers to host a joint practice with Ravens in Green Bay during training camp

The Green Bay Packers will host the Baltimore Ravens for a joint practice this summer in Green Bay Mike LaFleur announced

Packers head coach Mike LaFleur announced on Tuesday that Baltimore will travel to Green Bay this summer to play their final preseason game and participate in one likely to be an intense joint practice session.

Green Bay will have one single joint practice with the Broncos in Denver before hosting Baltimore for one day of intense sessions.

Joint practice sessions are usually two-day affairs, but LaFleur said it becomes an “MMA fight” on the second day of joint practices, using last year with New England as an example.

For Baltimore, it’ll give Lamar Jackson one intense tune-up session against elite competition before the team kicks off the regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

If Rams want to take a shot on Zach Wilson, they have 2 coaches who know him well

If the Rams want to try a reclamation project with Zach Wilson, two of their coaches worked closely with him in New York

Unless the Los Angeles Rams can be certain that Stetson Bennett will play in 2024 and be available all year, they’ll need to make a move at quarterback. Whether it’s re-signing Carson Wentz, bringing in a veteran or drafting someone to be Matthew Stafford’s backup, the Rams have to find more stability behind No. 9.

One potential option is taking a shot on Zach Wilson. After he was benched twice last season and had yet another abysmal season in New York, the Jets could be looking to move on frothanm the former No. 2 overall pick. They’ll look to trade him before releasing him, though it’s unclear if any team would be willing to take on his $5.45 million cap charge for 2024.

If the Rams are even considering this possibility, they’ll surely ask two of the coaches on their own staff. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was the Jets’ offensive coordinator for the first two years of Wilson’s career in New York. Rob Calabrese, who the Rams just hired as an offensive assistant on Tuesday, was the Jets’ quarterbacks coach for the last three years.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Those two coaches worked as closely with Wilson as anyone in the NFL. Therefore, if anyone knows whether Wilson has what it takes to turn things around, it’s LaFleur and Calabrese. The Rams never leave any stone unturned so it’s likely that Sean McVay and Les Snead will talk to both coaches about Wilson to find out whether he’s worth giving a chance.

A reclamation project has never scared the Rams away, giving Blake Bortles, Baker Mayfield and Wentz all a shot under McVay’s tenure. Wilson could be next in line to learn McVay’s scheme in hopes of righting the ship.

Given his poor play in New York, it’s hard to fathom Wilson fetching anything more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick. The Rams have four sixth-rounders and probably won’t find a quarterback with the talent that Wilson has at that point in the draft. Obviously, a sixth-rounder also won’t cost Los Angeles more than $5 million for one season, but there’s always a chance the Rams could get the Jets to eat some of his contract as a way to facilitate a trade.

The safer option would be to re-sign Wentz and keep him as Stafford’s backup, but if McVay, LaFleur and Calabrese see something in Wilson, he could be a player to watch.

Rams OC Mike LaFleur, not Sean McVay, called the offense on Sunday

Sean McVay handed over play-calling duties to Mike LaFleur and he loved the job his OC did on Sunday

Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers wasn’t a preseason matchup, but neither team treated it like a must-win regular-season contest. They each rested starters and had one eye looking ahead to the playoffs.

For the Rams, it was an opportunity to hand over the play sheet to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur for a day. And that’s exactly what Sean McVay did.

After Sunday’s 21-20 win over the 49ers, McVay revealed that it was LaFleur who called the offensive plays with Carson Wentz at quarterback.

“What we did today, because we went off a wristband, Mike LaFleur did a great job calling it today,” he said. “Mike has been instrumental. There were some operational things relative to using the wristband, the comfort, the familiarity there. I have so much confidence in Mike, he could do that, but we felt like that was what was the best approach. We’ll go back to our standard, normal operating procedures next week. I can’t say enough good things about what Carson did with the overall operation. Mike LaFluer is such a stud. He has been so instrumental in all of the good things that have occurred offensively, the way that he’s helped me and led our operation.”

It may not seem like much but it was a great chance for LaFleur to call the plays for the Rams, something he hasn’t done all season. He was the offensive play caller for the Jets during his two years in New York, but he gave up that responsibility to join the Rams this season.

As McVay said, he called a great game, too. The Rams went 9-for-15 on third down, rushed for 109 yards and outscored the 49ers in the second half, 14-0. They only had 258 total yards of offense, but that was with backups all over the place on offense.

LaFleur could be a head coaching candidate as early as this year but if not now, don’t be surprised if he draws some interest in the near future.

Mike LaFleur sees better days ahead for Rams’ Cooper Kupp amid recent struggles

Mike LaFleur spoke on Cooper Kupp’s lack of production in recent games and he believes the All-Pro WR will bounce back moving forward.

After a blazing start to the season upon his return from injured reserve in Week 5, Cooper Kupp has had forgettable performances for the Los Angeles Rams in recent games. Despite the recent struggles from Kupp, Mike LaFleur believes the elite receiver will bounce back sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, I think last week was rough on everybody, I mean coaches, players, organization,” LaFleur said. “It wasn’t fun for anybody. He’s had two games this year when he was back-to-back a hundred yards. I know we all want Cooper to have 2,000 yards every year because that’s his last standard of when he played a lot of football and even last year before he got hurt statistically. His time will come. He’s Cooper Kupp, you know? Truly believe our offense has a lot of good things in store for us, not just him, but everyone for these next few weeks.”

In his first two games back from injured reserve, Kupp combined for 15 receptions, 266 yards, and a touchdown on 21 targets. But in the last three games, Kupp has totaled only eight receptions, 98 yards, and zero touchdowns on 24 targets.

The positive news for Kupp is that Matthew Stafford is expected to start for the Rams in Week 11 after missing Week 9 due to a thumb injury. At the same time, even Stafford and Kupp seemingly weren’t on the same page on certain plays before the bye week.

The emergence of rookie Puka Nacua and the speed that Tutu Atwell brings to the offense have given the Rams other options outside of Kupp in the aerial attack. That being said, defenses are still keying in on doing their best to slow down Kupp.

Even with his recent outings, Kupp is still one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he hasn’t shown any signs of being limited by the hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve to begin the season. After not getting to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, Kupp will look to get back to recording his typical production against the Seahawks in Week 11.

Mike LaFleur: ‘It’s been a smooth transition’ for Kevin Dotson so far

Mike LaFleur has liked what he’s seen from Kevin Dotson so far since he joined the starting offensive line of the Rams.

Kevin Dotson joined the Los Angeles Rams’ starting offensive line earlier this season, and he’s performed extremely well so far. With Dotson set to make his fifth start for the Rams, Mike LaFleur spoke about how well the former fourth-round pick has performed.

“Yeah, he’s a pro’s pro too. He came from a really good organization with how they do things in Pittsburgh, obviously,” LaFleur said. “He’s a son of a coach. It’s been a smooth transition. Unlike Myles (Gaskin) where he came from a similar system, Pittsburgh runs a very different system than us from every aspect: protection, run game, and all that. So that was a learning curve for him hearing our terminology for the first time but every week just getting a little bit more comfortable with that and with comfort comes better execution.”

At the end of training camp, the Rams acquired Dotson from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round pick swaps in 2024, along with fifth and sixth-round pick swaps in 2025. Dotson would begin the season behind Joe Noteboom at right guard, but Noteboom has been dealing with a variety of injuries.

Even with Noteboom active again in Week 7, the Rams elected to keep Dotson in the starting offense. Dotson has responded by producing an overall PFF grade of 87.4 (a career-best mark). He’s also allowed a total of four pressures and two sacks in his first four starts.

As mentioned by LaFleur, Dotson has needed time to get comfortable with an entirely different system since joining the Rams. That being said, Dotson has shown enough to warrant starting him over Noteboom for the rest of the season.