Mike LaFleur spoke on the benefit of being able to watch replays of each rep during Rams training camp
It was the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who once stated “he who moves not forward, goes backward” and that adage could not more true when it comes to coaching.
The Rams since hiring Sean McVay have been at the forefront of football evolution. From training methods to schemes to everything in between, it’s always about constant improvement and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur spoke about this on Wednesday.
LaFleur was asked about the benefit of watching replays of reps on the video boards during practice and the benefits of it. This is what he had to say.
“You take pride and to be able to obviously see it in real time so that you can go coach these guys, but whatever you miss, there’s 22 guys out there,” he said. “I’m not going to act like I can see everything at all times. Sometimes I’m focusing on one or two things. To be able to get that and really get that video, that picture, that play in your head so you can go coach whoever you got to coach. It’s one thing to go into a meeting room, but even coaches after 10, 15 minutes sitting there, if you’re in the back of the room, not the one coaching, those can be long days. Those players, you don’t know exactly what they’re always hearing at that moment, but if you can do it on the sideline in real time, I think that’s big.”
When asked if LaFleur had used or employed video boards during his other coaching stops, he stated that this was the first time he has used such a tool.
Former Rams RB Cam Akers is getting another shot, this time with the Texans
The Houston Texans have announced that they have signed former Rams running back Cam Akers. Akers, a second-round pick out of Florida State in 2020, spent a little over three years with the team before being traded to the Vikings in 2023.
During his time with the Rams, Akers helped filled the void left by Todd Gurley and was part of the franchise’s Super Bowl run in 2021, returning to the team for the playoffs after tearing his Achilles tendon in training camp.
Akers is attempting to come back from another Achilles injury that he suffered with Minnesota last season, which limited him to only six games with the Vikings before going on the shelf.
The Rams signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal this offseason but their backup situation behind Matthew Stafford is still worrisome
It’s never a good sign when a franchise has to turn to their backup quarterback but in the same breath, backup quarterbacks have helped write the history of the NFL.
Whether it’s Doug Williams in Super Bowl XXII, Jeff Hostetler in Super Bowl XXV, or Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII, backup QBs have come in and led their teams to championship glory.
However, the Rams do not have the caliber of gunslinger needed at the backup position to win if Matthew Stafford goes down. As of right now, the Rams’ QB room consists of Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo, who is suspended for the first two games of the regular season, Stetson Bennett, who spent 2023 away from the team, and Dresser Winn, who spent 2023 with the Rams on the practice squad and the Edmonton Elks.
Garoppolo has been getting flamed on Netflix’s “Receiver” series, seemingly becoming enemy No. 1 for former teammate Davante Adams due to his carelessness on ball placement and his propensity to throw hospital balls. That’s not exactly promising when one considers the fact that Cooper Kupp spent the beginning of the season on the sidelines due to injury.
In 2023, Garoppolo had six starts with the Raiders before his benching. He averaged 200 yards per game and was leading the league in interceptions. He’s perfect for the locker room and to spill secrets on the Shanahan offense but as QB2, he’s very worrisome.
Bennett has potential but the lack of practice time has severely hindered his growth process. A perfect passer if the Rams wanted to dink and dunk the ball but with McVay’s love of medium crossing routes, Bennett has yet to show the ability to hit those receivers in stride.
Winn has had a rough start to his pro career. A preseason cut in 2023 by the Rams, he would sign with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL before being released. Winn never played a snap. Now, he’s back and from all accounts, he’s far away from being NFL-ready. He just doesn’t have the tools, tape or experience to claim the QB2 spot.
So with all this negativity surrounding Garoppolo, and with Carson Wentz – the Rams’ 2023 backup – now playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, where could the Rams go from here?
There’s one name that sticks out and it’s Ryan Tannehill. The athletic QB revived his career in Tennessee and despite being 35, he’s displayed the mobile ability that made him so dangerous throughout portions of his career.
Tannehill is perfect because he plays within the structure of the offense but is able to make throws off-schedule. He’s athletic enough that the Rams could design packages around him if they so desire and he’s cheap. He’s been in the backup position before and he contributes.
Even if Tannehill isn’t a needle-mover, outside of Stafford, he’d be the best QB on the roster. Regardless, moves have to be made and they need to be made now.
One of the greatest players in Rams history, here’s why Torry Holt deserves his place in Canton and football eternity.
When Torry Holt ended his collegiate career, there was no doubt that he was the best wide receiver in the 1999 NFL Draft class. A consensus All-American, Holt was named ACC Player of the Year for the 1998 season, held multiple NC State school records upon graduation and he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons to finish out his Wolfpack career, something that would become the norm through his pro career.
St. Louis selected Holt with the sixth overall pick and less than a year later after his selection, the Rams would win Super Bowl XXXIV. A pivotal part of the Greatest Show on Turf, Holt played Robin to Batman, Isaac Bruce, as the duo became the most prolific pass-catching tandem in the league.
In Super Bowl XXXIV, Holt caught a team-high seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Holt and Bruce would both have over 100 receiving yards in the game and both men scored a touchdown.
By Holt’s second year in the NFL, it was clear that the Rams had two Batmans on the outside as Holt put up a league-leading 1,635 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The 2000 season would be the first of eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Holt would have a career year in 2003. He would lead the league in receptions and receiving yards with career highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns. Holt would receive a first-team All-Pro selection as a result. What made Holt’s 2003 season even more impressive is it was the first year Kurt Warner wasn’t on the roster. Marc Bulger became the full-time starter after a promising 2002 and Holt’s play helped send Bulger to the Pro Bowl.
Holt and the Rams would part ways after the 2008 season and he would sign with the Jaguars. After a year in Jacksonville and a brief offseason stint with the Patriots, Holt retired after an 11-year NFL career.
As of writing, Holt ranks 23rd on the all-time reception list. Holt also ranks 17th on the all-time touchdown list.
In Holt’s 10 years with the Rams, he had eight 1,000-yard seasons. He also helped the team qualify for the playoffs in five of those seasons including two trips to the Super Bowl and the team’s first-ever championship. Holt is also one of five players to record multiple 1,600-plus-yard seasons in NFL history.
Holt’s career is undoubtedly one of the most prolific of all time. Holt is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and has his number retired by NC State.
However, despite his legendary career, two accolades elude him in retirement. The Rams’ ring of honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s abundantly clear that one could not tell the story of the Rams or the NFL without Torry Holt. Without Holt, there’s no Greatest Show on Turf and without the Greatest Show on Turf, NFL offenses may not be as pass-happy as they are today.
Holt is a seven-time Pro Bowler, a member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team and his numbers speak for themselves. Whether the Rams were one of the league’s best as they were in the early 2000s or one of the worst teams in pro football as they were in the later half of the decade, Holt’s production never wavered.
He deserves his moment in the spotlight and it should be granted while he’s still able to enjoy it.
In retirement, Holt has teamed up with his brother and fellow NFL veteran Terrence Holt with their company Holt Brothers Construction. Based in their home state of North Carolina, Holt Brothers has been involved in some of the biggest projects within the Raleigh area.
The brothers remain active in football, helping out youth players in the North Carolina area. They also have a foundation built in memory of their late mother, Ojetta Holt-Shoffner. They help assist families whose parents are afflicted by cancer.
Torry Holt. A Hall of Famer both on and off the field. It’s time to give him his jacket.
After three seasons, Tutu Atwell has yet to make a major impact for the Rams. Perhaps a new role could unlock Atwell’s potential.
Chargers wide receiver Darius Davis is not an intimidating figure at first glance. He stands at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds and while his frame may seem small, his impact was huge in 2023.
Despite a down year for the team, Davis was a second-team All-Pro selection behind his game-changing speed and wizard-like abilities with the football in his hands.
Impacting the game as a pass catcher, ball carrier, and returner, Davis was utilized in a variety of ways within the Chargers’ offense. Like Tutu Atwell, Davis struggles to be an effective threat as a straight-up receiver so the Chargers found creative ways to get the ball in his hands and he made defenders look silly in open space.
The “Derius Davis role” isn’t a new concept. We’ve seen it be used at various levels with players like Tavon Austin, Eric Metcalf and to an extent, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from time to time.
A modified “H-back,” the Derius Davis role allows offenses to get the ball into the hands of a player quickly and typically with an advantageous matchup against a linebacker instead of a defensive back, while still giving the player the ability to flex out into the slot if the offense so chooses.
You'll need multiple watches on this Derius Davis run because there are so many players who execute their roles to perfection in order to make this such an explosive play, including Davis of course. Jamaree Salyer and Will Clapp in particular do a fantastic job creating alleys. pic.twitter.com/rblvulBlEQ
For Atwell, his development has been stunted by his health but also his inability to break through in the current offensive structure. It’s clear he’s the odd man out in the Rams’ receiver room so perhaps it’s time to play to his strength.
Atwell is eerily similar to Davis from a measurables perspective. Both men are virtually the same height and weight, both ran their 40-yard dash in under 4 seconds and both suffer from a lack of in-game opportunities.
Atwell’s increased presence would spread the field horizontally and vertically, opening up more pockets of space to throw the ball downfield. It adds a new element to an already potent offense and when you consider the injuries suffered to the Rams’ running back room last season, having another option is never a bad thing.
It’s time for the team to get innovative with their special talent before Atwell’s rookie contract goes to waste.
The Rams shared a first look at Jared Verse in full uniform for the first time and he looks great in No. 8
The excitement behind Rams’ first-round pick Jared Verse grew this week as the pass rusher’s pictures from media day were released to the public.
A first look shows how the Rams’ new No. 8 will look this season in both the royal and white uniform sets. Verse is going to be a huge part of the Rams defense in 2024 and his number is going to be called often, which has fans anxiously awaiting the start of the regular season.
The Rams selected Verse in the first round at No. 19 overall out of Florida State, adding him to their pass rush alongside Byron Young and Kobie Turner
As the schedule surrounding Rams’ training camp starts to form, another piece of the puzzle is added with the announcement of the start date
As the Rams prepare for what is sure to be another grueling and yet rewarding training camp, the team announced July 23 as the day that both rookies and veterans will report to camp.
The Rams’ 2024 training camp will be held at Loyola Marymount University, located in Westchester, Los Angeles.
Rams players (rookies and vets) will report to training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 23
An offseason of peace so far, there are zero expected player holdouts. The 2024 rookie class will have an opportunity to shine as the team has scheduled four joint practices this summer with the three teams they’ll play against in the preseason: the Chargers, Cowboys and Texans.
The Rams spice up their training camp schedule with four joint practices against the NFL’s best.
Joint practices provide teams a valuable opportunity to evaluate the current condition of their roster as they battle against hungry, NFL-caliber talent. It’s quite difficult to constantly simulate live, beneficial repetitions within the team structure so the Rams have scheduled four joint practices, giving players a chance to hit players besides their teammates.
The team will host three practices in California, two with the Chargers and one with the Dallas Cowboys. The team will also travel to Houston to hold a joint practice with the Texans.
Sean McVay says the Rams will have 4 joint practices in training camp.
2 with the Chargers 1 with the Cowboys 1 in Houston with the Texans
Considering all three teams host some of the best coaching staffs and rosters in the NFL, this is an opportunity for the Rams to accurately judge their championship potential along with the weak points inside the team.
Here’s why Matthew Stafford could be poised to win NFL MVP in 2024 with a loaded offense and a talented offensive line protecting him
The NFL’s Most Valuable Player award has become a quarterback-centric accolade, typically given to the gunslinger on the top team in the NFL. The MVP has been awarded to a QB on 11 straight occasions since 2013, and Adrian Peterson’s 2012 win remains the only MVP not given to a QB since 2007.
Matthew Stafford, a player toying with retirement just 12 months ago, is a reinvigorated leader who has found a new life behind a revamped offensive line and a host of young playmakers.
Stafford went on a tear during the back half of 2023, throwing 15 touchdown passes in his last six games. Despite the loss, Stafford looked even better in the Rams’ lone playoff game against the Lions when he threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns with no picks. No doubt, Stafford is back.
So let’s take us back to Stafford’s first year in L.A. Cooper Kupp won the triple crown, the Rams won the Super Bowl but it was Aaron Rodgers (and his No. 1-seeded Green Bay Packers) that held the MVP. But did Rodgers truly outplay Stafford? Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?
Rodgers in 2021 put up 4,115 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and threw four interceptions in 16 games. He had a 68.9 completion percentage and a passer rating of 119.9.
Stafford in 2021 threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 17 games. He had a 67.2 completion percentage and a passer rating of 102.9.
Rodgers was in Year 2 of the Matt LaFleur offense, an offense derived from Sean McVay.
Stafford was in Year 1 of the McVay offense.
Were their numbers that different? I don’t think so. Matthew Stafford enters 2024 with three years of the McVay offense under his belt and 15 years of NFL experience. He has a triple-crown quality receiver in Puka Nacua, the last triple-crown winner in Cooper Kupp and Pro Bowl running back Kyren Williams. This feels very much like the “Greatest Show on Turf” with a QB who can do a lot with that type of firepower.
However, the last thing is team success. As mentioned earlier, the winner typically comes from the best team in the league. In fact, the last seven winners came from a team with the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
What is an offense’s best friend? A stout defense. The Rams invested heavily in their defense this year. Acquisitions like Tre’Davious White, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kamren Kinchens prove how strongly the team feels about defense. With a Raheem Morris mindset and a historic football lineage, Chris Shula will have this defense playing at a high level.
Should the defense click, the Rams will be hard to beat. Stafford will have his numbers and perhaps finally, a well-deserved MVP.
Placing the spotlight on another former Ram, Ricky Proehl and his big catches are on display this week on Highlighting Rams legends.
If NFL teams could make a midgame call for a clutch catch, Ricky Proehl’s phone would be ringing off the hook. A third-round pick in the 1990 NFL draft, Proehl entered the league with his name littered in the Wake Forrest record book.
However, success in the NFL didn’t come easy for the pass catcher from the Bronx. Drafted by the Cardinals, Proehl put up solid numbers for the team. The Cardinals, however, were awful and during Proehl’s five years with the franchise, they never had a winning season. Proehl spent the next three seasons with the Seahawks and Bears, combining for only 17 starts during that time.
At the end of the 1997 season, Proehl had eight credited seasons. Considering the average career lasts around 3.5 years, Proehl had a good run, and perhaps his NFL journey was winding to an end.
That was until a call came through from the Rams and off to St. Louis he went. In 1999, Proehl’s career took a massive turn. The struggling Rams rehired former assistant Mike Martz to be their new offensive coordinator and The Greatest Show on Turf was born.
Proehl would have to wait his turn to shine. Considering there’s only one football and Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Az-Zahir Hakim’s targets all taking priority over Proehl’s, he finished the 1999 season with 33 catches for 349 yards.
However, Proehl was a factor in the Rams’ Super Bowl XXXIV run. Despite his lack of stats in the regular season, Proehl proved that his production came in producing iconic moments. In the 1999 NFC championship game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers marched up to St. Louis with a clear agenda: Defense, defense, defense.
Sporting their iconic Tampa 2 defense, head coach Tony Dungy and DC Monte Kiffin stifled the Rams’ explosive offensive attack. Future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber held Faulk to 17 carries for 44 yards. They also held Faulk, Holt, Bruce and Hakim to a combined 15 catches for 122 yards and no scores. Warner threw three picks on the day.
But as they say, it’s the unsung heroes that make the critical play and that’s what Ricky Proehl did. With the Bucs leading the Rams 6-5 with five minutes left in the game, Proehl made the defining play of the game. A 30-yard strike by Warner was hauled in by an even more impressive endzone catch by Proehl for the game-winning touchdown – Proehl’s only score of the season.
Proehl finished the game with six catches for 100 yards and the game’s lone touchdown. On a roster full of superstars, No. 87 shined bright. Proehl punched the Rams’ ticket to the Super Bowl. Seven days later, Proehl was a world champion.
Proehl’s iconic moments didn’t end there. In Super Bowl XXXVI, Proehl caught a game-tying touchdown with 1:30 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, that ended in a Rams defeat to the Patriots, 20-17. In Super Bowl XXXVIII as a member of the Carolina Panthers, Proehl caught a game-tying touchdown pass with 1:08 remaining. Again, Proehl would fall victim to the Patriots on another last-second field goal.
Proehl played 16 years in the league, five of which he spent with the Rams. An unselfish player, Proehl’s play directly resulted in a championship and an unprecedented era of success for the Rams. Without Proehl, there is no Greatest Show on Turf. Without Proehl, there is no title. Without Proehl, the narrative on those great Rams teams is completely different.
Proehl would play once again in the Super Bowl and would end his playing career as a champion. Despite being retired, he was called into service by the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. As a member of Colts, Proehl’s and Tony Dungy’s paths would cross once again. Now on the same side, they would win Super Bowl XLI together.
In retirement, Proehl got into coaching and player development. He spent six years with the Panthers as an offensive assistant and then as wide receivers coach. He helped the Panthers reach Super Bowl 50.
Proehl has since returned to St. Louis as the wide receivers coach for the XFL’s Battlehawks. His son Austin was a wide receiver on the team and both were in action when the Battlehawks broke the record for home attendance in a spring football game.
Proehl also owns his own sports performance center titled Proehlific Park.
He’s always been a man on a mission to make it happen. Whether he was operating as a teammate, coach, trainer or playmaker, football is in blood and it showed by what he did on the field.
