Tag: Rams

Drew Brees on keeping playmakers like Michael Thomas engaged in games

Drew Brees joined ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown set and shared his experience in engaging hungry playmakers — like Michael Thomas:

Legendary former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined ESPN’s pregame set for Monday Night Countdown before kickoff between the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams, and a key point of discussion was the trouble offenses loaded with weapons like Miami experienced in spreading the ball around.

Tyreek Hill. Jaylen Waddle. De’Von Achane. Raheem  Mostert and Jaylen Wright. Those are just some of the playmakers clamoring for touches. And Brees knows a thing or two about keeping his superstars happy. He and Michael Thomas made a lot of history together with the Saints, and he shared some insight into managing that relationship with a player who has drawn so much attention — both from opposing defenses and spectators on social media.

“Look you’re always thinking matchups. And you’re always thinking we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, how are we going to get all these guys opportunities, especially early in the game,” Brees said on the pregame show. He pointed to how opening scripts would set up the defense to tip their hand  and show who they’re focused on taking away, at which point he and the offense could counter.

It’s just an approach that took a lot of patience. Brees continued: “And a lot of times I’d come to the sideline after Drive 1, Drive 2, and I’d look at Mike Thomas and be like ‘Hey Mike T, stay patient. Alright? They’re going to be doubling you here for a while. Alright? Young bucks, alright, you guys are going to get the ball, you’re going to get the opportunities when we’re start to make them pay here, Mike T you’re going to get your opportunities.'”

Managing that relationship was something Derek Carr struggled with after taking the reins from Brees, which led to a messy divorce between Thomas and the Saints that has repeatedly spilled out onto social media. Thomas has joined dissatisfied fans in calling for Carr’s job, and when one of Brees’ co-hosts brought that up, he gamely laughed it off.

It’s a shame things have taken such a turn for Thomas and the Saints. But if teams like the Dolphins are going to get where Brees and New Orleans have gone (Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since before Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers way back in 2001), they’ll need to do more to follow in his footsteps. That’s true for Carr and the modern-day Saints, too.

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Dolphins player of the game, Week 10: LB Jordyn Brooks

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks led the way for the Dolphins defense, which had season-best performance Monday night.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks recorded 11 combined tackles, six solo, and a massive tackle for loss on Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in a stellar performance Monday night.

The Miami defense kept a tough Rams offense out of the end zone all game. The unit collectively recorded four sacks and two turnovers on Sean McVay’s offense. It was arguably the most impressive performance by the Miami defense since Anthony Weaver took over as defensive coordinator in the offseason.

Brooks’ biggest play of the game occurred on the opening drive of the second half with the Rams in Miami territory and threatening to cut into or erase the Dolphins’ 10-6 lead. After a fumbled handoff attempt from Matthew Stafford to Kyren Williams, Brooks jetted into the backfield to take down Stafford for a 13-yard loss.

While the play wasn’t counted as a sack for Brooks, it certainly had the impact of one.

The big loss eventually led to a 57-yard field goal attempt by Rams’ kicker Josh Karty that was missed. That proved a significant moment in the remainder of the game, as it allowed the Dolphins to remain out of striking distance — especially after they scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Brooks came into this game with a team-high 62 tackles on the season. He added 11 more to his total tonight — his second double digit tackle game of the season. He has turned out to be one of the better off-season signings by general manager Chris Grier, who found an upgrade from Jerome Baker.

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Drew Brees to join ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown

Drew Brees will be a part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown for the upcoming matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams:

Drew Brees will be a part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown for the upcoming matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams, as was originally reported by Andrew Marchand via SubStack.

“ESPN wanted Brees before he ended up on NBC,” Marchand wrote. “Right now, Brees to ESPN full-time is not a thing, but, if he does well, I could see maybe developing into something.”

This could — or could not — indicate a return to broadcasting for Brees. It has been a long time since we have seen him in this capacity with his last major appearance occurring when he called the Wild Card game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.

He did that game for NBC with Mike Tirico up in the booth. The former Saints quarterback didn’t exactly perform up to standard and was met with plenty of public criticism for his performance, which hardly compared to what he was able to do on the football field.

That’s not exactly an anomaly, though, considering other highly noted players turned broadcasters like the legendary Tom Brady initially struggled when making the transition.

Whether or not Brees gets a handle here and pursues this career in full capacity will be something to watch.

The Dolphins and the Rams are set to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday evening in SoFi Stadium.

Tyreek Hill active, Alec Ingold among Dolphins’ 7 inactives vs. Rams

Tyreek Hill is good to go Monday night, but the Dolphins will be without a different Pro Bowler.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill will play Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

Also ready to go are safety Jevón Holland and wide receiver River Cracraft, who were both questionable as well.

With kickoff 90 minutes away, the Dolphins announced seven players as inactive for the Week 10 contest. Pro Bowl fullback Alec Ingold and six others were ruled out:

Dolphins inactives

  • RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
  • CB Ethan Bonner
  • FB Alec Ingold
  • CB Storm Duck
  • LB Mohamed Kamara
  • OL Andrew Meyer
  • WR Dee Eskridge

Rams inactives

  • QB Stetson Bennett
  • RB Cody Schrader
  • OL Dylan McMahon
  • OL Rob Havenstein
  • DL Neville Gallimore
  • DL Desjuan Johnson

The Dolphins will also be without right tackle Austin Jackson, who was ruled out by the team Saturday, but isn’t on the list of inactives because he was moved to the injured reserve earlier in the day Monday.

Veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm is expected to start in Jackson’s place.

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Rams expect to have Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson vs. Dolphins on Monday

Sean McVay shared the latest updates on Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, who are expected to be activated off IR

Rookie sensation Steve Avila’s sophomore campaign got off to an awful start after suffering a knee injury in the season opener against Detroit. Having been placed on injured reserve, Avila has spent the majority of this season in rehab.

The same goes for Jonah Jackson, who injured his shoulder in Week 2 and has been on injured reserve ever since.

The Rams opened Avila and Jackson’s 21-day practice window this week as both players returned to the field, and “there’s a good chance” they’ll be in the starting lineup on Monday night, Sean McVay said Saturday.

With Avila and Jackson’s return, it poses a strategic good problem for Sean McVay and his staff for the rest of the season. Avila’s injury, alongside the injury suffered by Jackson, paved the way for Beaux Limmer to become the Rams’ starting center.

Limmer has been another rookie sensation but at the risk of hurting Avila’s development and/or Jackson’s play time, are the Rams going to bench their current, consistent starting center?

Another point of intrigue is where the two starters fit into the lineup. Kevin Dotson has his guard position locked down so it looks likely that Avila and Jackson would take the other guard and center spot over Limmer.

If that is the case, who plays center? Avila was reported to have been taking the first-team center snaps throughout training camp but at the last minute, Jackson was named the starting center. If the Rams had trust in either man, wouldn’t they have practiced with the intended Week 1 starter throughout camp? If Avila was intended to be the starter, isn’t that an indication that he couldn’t do the job?

It remains to be seen where each player will line up.

“You’ll see on Monday,” McVay said when asked where Avila and Jackson will play. “Honestly, we’re working through it. There are a lot of different moving parts, especially as it relates to the offensive line but it is good to be able to have those guys back in the mix.”

It will be interesting to see how this folds out but unless something happens within the next 24 hours, Avila and Jackson should be on the field for the Rams.

Puka Nacua was fined $5,424 for punching Seahawks defender in Week 9

Puka Nacua was hit with a fine for punching a Seahawks linebacker last week, which got him ejected from the game

Puka Nacua headed to the locker room early last Sunday after he punched Seahawks linebacker Tyrell Dodson during the second quarter. Nacua’s ejection came with less than a minute remaining in the first half, displaying some uncharacteristic behavior that Sean McVay called a “learning opportunity.”

On a pass headed toward Nacua, Matthew Stafford was intercepted by Tariq Woolen. While Woolen was attempting to return the ball, Dodson pushed Nacua despite both men no longer being involved in the play and Nacua responded with a right jab to Dodson’s helmet.

In addition to being ejected, the NFL handed down another punishment punishment as Nacua’s paycheck took a slight deduction. He was fined $5,424 for the incident.

Nacua avoided a suspension and as a first-time offender, he faces a lighter fine compared to what the NFL has handed out in recent cases.

Tyreek Hill, 4 other Dolphins questionable for Week 10 vs. Rams

The Dolphins listed five players, including Tyreek Hill, as questionable to play Monday night against the Rams.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is questionable for a Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Rams, the team announced Saturday.

Early in the day on Saturday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said the receiver had a wrist injury flare up and he’ll play Monday night against the Rams “if his body lets him.”

The only player ruled out by the Dolphins is right tackle Austin Jackson, although McDaniel also told reporters that wide receiver Dee Eskridge won’t make the trip to Los Angeles due to personal reasons.

Injury report status

Out

  • OT Austin Jackson (knee)

Questionable

  • WR River Cracraft (shoulder)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist)
  • S Jevón Holland (hand/knee)
  • FB Alec Ingold (calf)
  • S Patrick McMorris (calf)

Two of the four players other than Hill who are listed as questionable, Cracraft and McMorris, are still on the injured reserve and would need to be moved to the active roster Sunday to be available to play Monday. On Saturday, the Dolphins cleared a spot on the 53-man roster by waiving defensive tackle Brandon Pili.

The Rams ruled out right tackle Rob Havenstein and listed three players, including right guard Kevin Dotson, as questionable.

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Dolphins rule out OT Austin Jackson vs. Rams in Week 10

The Dolphins will be without Austin Jackson due to a knee injury and surgery isn’t out of the question.

The Miami Dolphins will be without right tackle Austin Jackson against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, head coach Mike McDaniel announced Saturday, and the team will start Kendall Lamm in his place.

“We’re still evaluating [if he’ll need surgery], it’s nothing concrete,” McDaniel said of Jackson. “It’s not out of the question, but we feel good about how he’s attacking it.”

McDaniel said that even if Jackson did have surgery, he wouldn’t anticipate being a season-ending procedure for the offensive lineman.

Jackson, 25, was a first-round pick in 2020 and received a three-year extension from the Dolphins late in 2023 season. However, he’s been a weak link on the Miami offensive line for much of 2024. He’s allowed a team-high 15 quarterback pressures and three sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lamm, 32, is no stranger to the starting lineup after making eight starts in the place of Terron Armstead during the 2023 season. He’s played 52 pass blocking snaps in 2024 and allowed two pressures.

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Sean McVay’s use of the screen pass has opened up the Rams offense

Sean McVay deployed a screen attack to great success in the last two weeks. Here’s why it was so effective.

Brian Flores left the field at SoFi Stadium floored as his once-feared Minnesota Vikings defense was put on its back foot by Sean McVay’s quick-paced offense.

McVay recognized several tendencies of a Flores-coached defense and schemed ways to beat it. Flores’ defenses like to stack the line of scrimmage with defenders, play aggressively and he likes to run two-high safety looks.

This strategy forces offenses to play in shotgun, which limits the north-south run. Offenses must get the ball out quickly due to the pressure and the two high safeties take away a one-on-one matchup deep downfield.

By stacking the line of scrimmage, Flores disguises his coverages and who will drop back, confusing QBs. Convention says to run against two high safeties but a stacked line of scrimmage prevents that.

It’s a beautifully designed defense that has been largely used around the league, just not at the same aggression level of Flores. Mike Macdonald runs a similar defense with some of the same philosophies so Sean McVay’s use of the screen pass helped beat both defenses in back-to-back weeks.

The one weakness to a Flores defense is that the outside corner cannot play press coverage as there would be a seam between where the corner sits and where the safety is – unless it’s man coverage. However, it is rare to see man coverage run in this scenario as the receiver going inside would take the DB with him, leaving that flank exposed, especially if said flank was without a nickelback.

So the corner must play off the ball, opening up a lane for the WR screen. Being forced into shotgun means Stafford got the ball in his hands quicker and since he didn’t have to do a standard drop-back pass, he could flick it to Puka Nacua with relative ease.

Since the line of scrimmage was stacked with defenders, the leaking left tackle could seal the cornerback, opening a lane for Nacua, who had a one-on-one opportunity with the deep safety.

Recognizing that McVay planted an opportunity to get a one-on-one matchup where if the defender fails to secure the tackle, the play will go for six, Flores brought his linebackers off of the line of scrimmage into a standard nickel shell.

With only four down linemen on Minnesota’s defense, the Rams could return to putting Stafford under center and running the ball up the middle, establishing the north-south rushing attack.

It will be interesting to see how McVay uses the screen in the future, especially on third down as defenses tend to get aggressive. But it’s something to note as it broke Flores’ defensive structure, exposing Macdonald’s structure just one week later.

Tyreek Hill, 2 other Dolphins sit out Friday practice

Tyreek Hill missed practice Friday with a wrist injury after participating fully Thursday.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was added to the team’s injury report Friday with a wrist injury.

Hill, 30, has dealt with various ailments this season, but hasn’t missed a game. The severity of his wrist injury isn’t yet known, but the star receiver didn’t appear on the injury report Thursday.

The other concern for the Dolphins is the knee injury that has kept right tackle Austin Jackson out of back-to-back practices. If he’s unable to play Monday, veteran backup Kendall Lamm will presumably be the replacement for Jackosn in the starting lineup.

Friday participation

DNP

  • WR Dee Eskridge (personal)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist)
  • OT Austin Jackson (knee)

Limited

  • OT Terron Armstead (rest/knee)
  • CB Storm Duck (ankle)
  • TE Julian Hill (shoulder)
  • S Jevón Holland (hand/knee)
  • FB Alec Ingold (calf)
  • G Robert Jones (knee)
  • CB Kader Kohou (neck)
  • S Patrick McMorris (calf)
  • OLB Emmanuel Ogbah (bicep)
  • DL Zach Sieler (eye)
  • CB Cam Smith (limited)

Full

  • OLB Tyus Bowser (knee)
  • WR River Cracraft (shoulder)

Along with Hill, wide receiver Dee Eskridge and cornerback Cam Smith are the new additions to the report who didn’t appear Thursday. Smith was reportedly carted off the field at practice, but told reporters after the session that he’s fine.

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