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Rams Road To A Second Straight NFC West Title Won’t Be An Easy One

July 15th, 2018

Matt Loede

Posted in News, Opinions

Not many people saw the run the Rams went on in 2017 coming, and the season was one filled with excitement as the team won the NFC West, and then used the offseason to build for the 2018 season and beyond.

There’s plenty of excitement around the team, and if you look at American Football Betting you will see that the Rams this season are projected to be one of the top teams in the NFC with many thinking that this is the team that will represent the team in the Super Bowl come February of 2019.

The Rams this season will look to build on their successful 2017 by taking on the AFC West, meaning they will play games against the Raiders, Chargers, Broncos and Chiefs, as well as some huge NFC matchups against the likes of the Vikings, Packers and Saints.

If you take a look at the teams schedule, the road to winning the NFC West as well as getting deep into the postseason won’t be an easy one, as the Rams have a number of huge games on their schedule.

The opener will be an interesting affair against the Oakland Raiders in a game played at on Monday night football on the road. Oakland is looking to make a big splash with new head coach Jon Gruden, and this is going to be a huge opener for the Rams to try and build momentum.

The next big game is week four, as the Rams will be back at home to host the Minnesota Vikings, as team that last season got to the NFC Title Game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles.

This will be a Thursday night game played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and it will be a chance to have the national spotlight on the Rams for this early season matchup with one of the contenders in the NFC.

One final huge game on the Rams slate is a matchup against the very team that won the Super Bowl last season, the Eagles, which will come up on Sunday Night Football on December 16th at home.

The Rams road to get that NFC West crown for a second straight season won’t be easy, but winning these games is a great start, as they will have some other huge games on the schedule like matchups with the Bears, Chiefs and Chargers in a game that will feature two teams from Los Angeles going up against each other.

The team won’t have an easy November, as they will face Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, two quarterbacks that will push and test the new look Rams defense.

Wade Phillips will have to have his players well prepared for that month, as well as those early tough games on a schedule that will test this team all season.

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Can the Rams Offense Get Even Better? Robert Woods Thinks So

July 2nd, 2018

Jeff

Posted in News

The Rams’ offense ranked first in the league in scoring last season.

Wide receiver Robert Woods thinks is can get even better under second year coach Sean McVay, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

“It’s how can we improve in other ways just to be ready for the season,” Woods said. “We’ve got it. We’re loaded up and just fine-tuning.”

Woods is expected to once again be the dean of a receiver corps that lost Sammy Watkins to free agency but gained Brandin Cooks in a trade.

Woods, Cooks and second-year pro Cooper Kupp will begin training camp as starters, with Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas and Josh Reynolds competing for playing time.

Cooks, 24, was acquired in a deal with the New England Patriots. The four-year veteran had more than 1,000 yards receiving twice in three seasons with the New Orleans Saints and also last season with the Patriots. He has 280 receptions, 27 for touchdowns, in his career.

Cooks embraced the opportunity to join a team that averaged a league-best 29.9 points last season. He is expected to add deep-threat capability that Watkins flashed but did not consistently provide in his only season with the Rams.

“Coming here from a distance, you knew this offense was special,” Cooks said. “You always wonder why. And now, you get here and you’re finding out all the reasons why that’s the case. It’s great to be able to come in here and have some freshness to it.

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Rams Announce Dates for 2018 Training Camp

June 29th, 2018

Jeff

Posted in News

The Rams are set for their 2018 training camp, as the team has announced their dates for not only camp but also their open practices for the public.

Here’s the entire slate for training camp as the Rams look to repeat as the NFC West Champs and take another step forward to the Super Bowl.

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Could RB Adrian Peterson Come to the Rams This Summer?

May 27th, 2018

Ross Miles

Posted in Video

One running back that still does not have a home with training camp less than two months away is that of Adrian Peterson. He recently stated that one team that might have his eye is that of the Rams, a team that could use a quality running back behind possible MVP Todd Gurley.

Adrian Peterson was on ESPN recently, and was asked about teams he could see playing for in 2018. One of the teams he mentioned was the St. Louis Rams…. a team that relocated to Los Angeles in 2016. pic.twitter.com/Tjmq0h4wva

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) May 27, 2018

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Former Rams Coach Chuck Knox Passes Away at Age 86

May 13th, 2018

Jim Adkins

Posted in News

Former Rams, Seahawks and Bills head coach Chuck Knox has died at 86. The Seahawks confirmed Knox’s passing on Sunday.

Knox coached the Seattle Seahawks from 1983-1991, leading them to winning records in six of nine seasons. Knox’s Seahawks got off to a hot start, winning nine games and reaching the AFC Championship Game in the coach’s first season at the helm, and won 12 games the following season before a Divisional round exit.

Seattle posted a 3-4 playoff mark during his tenure. The coach who finished with an 80-69 record in Seattle was inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor in 2005.

The coach also led the Los Angeles Rams in two different stints, from 1973-1977 and 1992-1994, compiling a 69-48 record combined between those two spans. Knox posted five straight seasons with double-digit wins in his first stint before leaving for Buffalo in 1978, where he coached the Bills through 1982. Knox returned to a much different Rams franchise in 1992, failing to win more than six games in a season before he was fired in January 1995.

Knox cut his NFL teeth as an offensive line coach with the New York Jets from 1963-1966 and Detroit Lions from 1967-1972. He finished his 22-year head-coaching career with a 186-147 regular-season record and a 7-11 mark in the postseason.

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Rams Denied Request from NFL to Wear More Throwbacks in 2018

May 13th, 2018

Russ Loede

Posted in News

The Rams have asked the NFL if they could wear their throwback uniforms more in 2018, and the NFL has stated they will not let them, a major letdown to many old school Los Angeles Rams fans everywhere.

The @NFL denied the @RamsNFL the request to wear their throwback uniforms more this season.#uniswag pic.twitter.com/s2wjgB2lck

— UNISWAG (@UNISWAG) May 13, 2018

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Reloaded Rams Announce Joint Preseason Practices with the Baltimore Ravens

May 8th, 2018

Ross Miles

Posted in News

The Los Angeles Rams are a team that many eyes are going to be on as they get ready for the 2018 season and ready for training camp in about 90 days.

If you check out NetBet Sport the Rams are the favorites to repeat as the NFC West Divisional Champions in 2018, and many think after a wild card loss to the Atlanta Falcons in January this upcoming season will be the one where they take the next step forward.

The Rams had a successful offseason with adding some solid players in free agency and trades, including in the mix are defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, safety Marcus Peters and cornerback Aqib Talib.

In the draft a few weeks back, the team added TCU offensive tackle Joe Noteboom with their first pick in the third round, and in the fourth round grabbed two players, center Brian Allen from Michigan State and defensive end John Franklin-Myers from Stephen F. Austin.

All these players should give this team a great shot to be a top contender in the NFC this upcoming season.

They will have an early chance to see how good they are in camp, as today the Rams announced they are going to have joint training camp practices with the AFC North’s Baltimore Ravens, a team that barley missed the playoffs last season with a week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at home.

The practices will be hosted by the Ravens and will take place on Monday, August 6th and on Tuesday, the 7th of August.

This will lead up to the teams playing each other in Week 1 of the preseason, a game that will take place on Thursday, August 9th at M&T Bank Stadium.

“The schedule worked out in our favor where we could schedule these two practices with the Ravens,” Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said on Tuesday.

“Opportunities like this are always beneficial and it helps us evaluate our players going into the preseason.”

Times, dates, and specific location of the practices will be released to media at a later date.

It is always good to get a look at live competition early in camp, and with going up against the Ravens, it will be fun to see how the Rams match up with one of the teams in the AFC that always seem to play a very physical brand of football.

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Rams Earn an ‘B-‘ for Their Draft According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

April 30th, 2018

Matt Loede

Posted in NFL Draft

The draft grades from ‘Draft Guru’ Mel Kiper Jr. are out, and one team that got a good grade is that of the Rams, who according to Kiper got an ‘B-‘ for their collection of players over the two days.

Here’s what he had to say:

It’s tough to grade this Rams draft because they only had one pick on the first two days. Their first-round pick (No. 23) is essentially wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who is already a productive NFL player but will be looking at a massive contract next offseason. If Rams GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay gave up a first-rounder for Cooks, they better be prepared to pay up to keep him, or else that’s a bad trade. Still, consider that Cooks is just 24 years old, and no wide receivers were taken ahead of that No. 23 slot. It’s certainly possible that they got the best wide receiver available. They gave up this year’s second-round pick (No. 56) in the trade for Sammy Watkins, who they lost in free agency. That trade looks worse than the Cooks addition. The Rams spent heavily to try to upgrade their receiving corps, but there’s better value in Round 2 of the draft. Receivers James Washington and D.J. Chark were still on the board at that pick.

We also have to factor in the additions of cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, who cost late picks in this draft. They’re good players — for 2018, at least.

Joe Noteboom (pick 89), who started 40 games at TCU, at both left and right tackle, is a good developmental player for a team with an aging offensive line — left tackle Andrew Whitworth turns 37 during the season. Brian Allen (111) gives them center depth, where John Sullivan turns 33 before Week 1. I like Obo Okoronkwo (160), and Wade Phillips is going to set him loose off the edge in his 3-4. Micah Kiser (147) and Justin Lawler (244) were two more that stood out on a busy Day 3.

Snead has clearly placed an emphasis on finding underrated talent in Rounds 4-7, and he could have some finds here. I just don’t know how many of them will be able to contribute as rookies.

Round/Pick Name Pos College
3/89 Joe Noteboom OT TCU
4/111 Brian Allen C MICHIGAN STATE
4/135 John Franklin-Myers DE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
5/147 Micah Kiser ILB VIRGINIA
5/160 Obo Okoronkwo OLB OKLAHOMA
6/176 John Kelly RB TENNESSEE
6/192 Jamil Demby OT MAINE
6/195 Sebastian Joseph DT RUTGERS
6/205 Trevon Young DE LOUISVILLE
7/231 Travin Howard OLB TCU
7/244 Justin Lawler DE SMU

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