El Ramster Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Just now, jrry32 said: You make a fair point, Ramster. I shouldn't assume. Speaking of Matts, has he returned since the Cowboys game? He learned his lesson. Now he has to wait till Dallas wins a regular season game. We dem boys. Saints we coming for you baby. STAND THE HELL UP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riftty Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Man if this keeps up the saints will have to field FO people. I wanted the saints at 100% too...cause the Rams are gonna beat that A** like a Cherokee drum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructo Spin Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Kirkwood is out too now. Really the only WR after Thomas and Ginn that has any business being on the field. Definitely hurts the Saints ability to go 3 wide, but missing the starting TE means we can't play two TE sets either. Really limits what we can do on offense schematically, and talent-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky_rams Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 53 minutes ago, jrry32 said: You make a fair point, Ramster. I shouldn't assume. Speaking of Matts, has he returned since the Cowboys game? he’s been busy preparing for his interview for the OC position after they fired Linehan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky_rams Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 17 minutes ago, Destructo Spin said: Kirkwood is out too now. Really the only WR after Thomas and Ginn that has any business being on the field. Definitely hurts the Saints ability to go 3 wide, but missing the starting TE means we can't play two TE sets either. Really limits what we can do on offense schematically, and talent-wise. That’s crazy. How did all the injuries start piling up out of no where for you guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riftty Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 3 minutes ago, rocky_rams said: That’s crazy. How did all the injuries start piling up out of no where for you guys? An absolute dog fight of a divisional round probably didn't help. It took the saints everything they had to hold off the eagles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btfd16 Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 29 minutes ago, Destructo Spin said: Kirkwood is out too now. Really the only WR after Thomas and Ginn that has any business being on the field. Definitely hurts the Saints ability to go 3 wide, but missing the starting TE means we can't play two TE sets either. Really limits what we can do on offense schematically, and talent-wise. Tre'Quan Smith hasn't had a bad season, no? But yeah that still hurts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Andy Benoit's take on how Rams can upset the Saints part I. This one is about the defense. https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/16/rams-saints-nfc-championship-game-michael-thomas-aqib-talib-marcus-peters Quote Saints vs. Rams: Michael Thomas Is the Key Andy Benoit 10-13 minutes Yes, the Saints last week rushed for 137 yards, while their No. 2-ranked run defense held Philly’s ground game to just 49 yards. And the Rams amassed an unfathomable 273 yards rushing against Dallas, surrendering only an almost equally unfathomable 50 to league rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott. But let’s be honest: Even with outstanding ground games, the Saints and Rams are playing for the NFC championship because of their aerial assaults. Both are afforded unique dimension from running backs—backfield screen master Todd Gurley for L.A. and super flex piece Alvin Kamara for New Orleans—but the backbone of these passing attacks is formed by stud wide receivers. The Rams have maybe the league’s best all-around duo in the highly refined Robert Woods and turbo-driven Brandin Cooks, though L.A.’s aerial success derives predominantly from its detailed, deceptive play-action, which makes this passing game about the scheme as much as the personnel. New Orleans’s aerial scheme is also great, though it would look a lot less “great” without Michael Thomas. Which is why the third-year wideout is the key difference-maker entering Sunday’s contest. Recall that when the Rams and Saints met back in Week 9, Thomas had 12 catches for 211 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown that, like many of his other catches, came after burning Marcus Peters. The Rams cornerback was only traveling with Thomas because Aqib Talib was out with his 10-week ankle injury. It’s been a different Rams pass D since Talib’s return in Week 13, and on Sunday Thomas can expect to see a lot of the well-traveled 12th-year star corner. The Rams don’t typically travel their corners with specific receivers when Peters and Talib are both in, but Talib’s lanky frame is too nice a fit against Thomas’s physicality. BENOIT: Mahomes vs. Belichick, Round 2—What the Patriots should do differently in the AFC title game Still, the Saints will not have to tweak their approach if Talib follows Thomas. Talib is an off-coverage corner who has a keen sense for simultaneously reading the QB and multiple routes. Thomas is a borderline genius route runner, deft at disguising his patterns and setting up breaks. And Drew Brees, who is better with deceptive body language and eye manipulation than any other passer of this era, is a difficult QB to read. Putting Talib on Thomas would be more of a survival tactic for the Rams. Thomas, when you factor in his ability on contested catches, is a player who—to dig up the old cliché than Dan Patrick buried with sarcasm years ago on SportsCenter—you cannot stop, you can only hope to contain. This is especially true when you consider how the Saints use Thomas. At times he’ll align in the slot (where Talib is less comfortable—as is Peters, for that matter). Often, Thomas is one of just two wideouts on the field, as the Saints are more base personnel-driven (two tight ends or two backs) than people realize. Some offensive coaches over the years have privately said that Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips becomes predictable when you play base personnel (though you don’t hear this as much now as you did before to Phillips won a Super Bowl with the 2015 Broncos). Predictability against Brees is poisonous, and it would surely mean single zone coverage against Thomas, which the Saints feast on. PIERCE: Patriots’ discovery of a ground game makes them dangerous Part of New Orleans’s success against zone, particularly in obvious passing situations, comes from shrewdly leveraging Kamara and Thomas together. In empty formations, they often align together on the weak side, where it’s all but impossible to double both. In traditional formations, Kamara’s route will often work near or underneath Thomas’s route, attacking the same group of zone defenders. If it’s man-to-man, those routes will intersect, creating natural rubs on defenders. (The Rams were bested here a few times in that Week 9 meeting.) L.A.’s saving grace is that Brees no longer has the arm strength to push the ball vertically unless his pocket is clean. New Orleans’s stalwart O-line matches up well to L.A.’s pass rush, except inside, where no one matches up well to Aaron Donald. Compromise the 6-foot Brees’s interior pocket and you condense New Orleans’s passing game to throws of 20 yards and shorter. That’s what happened during the stretch in December in which the Saints, in games against the Cowboys, Panthers and Bucs, uncharacteristically struggled to score. Thomas, one of the NFL’s best intermediate receivers, can still hurt a defense in a constricted passing game, but not having to defend over the top, a defense has a much better chance at competing. That’s what this game comes down to. If the Rams keep Thomas in check, they’ll win. If they don’t, they’ll lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Part II on the Ram's offense. https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/17/saints-rams-nfc-conference-championships-nfl-playoffs Quote How the Rams can upset the Saints in NFC championship Andy Benoit 3-4 minutes On Wednesday we discussed how the Rams combatting a high-powered Saints offense begins and ends with defending All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas. Expect Los Angeles to break tendency and travel Aqib Talib with Thomas, and expect a lot of the Rams’ usual zone coverage, where speedy linebackers Mark Barron and Cory Littleton can play run and chase. John Johnson is usually the safety who plays down near the linebackers, but this week you could see free safety Lamarcus Joyner, a former cornerback, drop down to provide additional speed for covering Alvin Kamara. The tricky part is that the Saints will often put Kamara and Thomas near one another on the field, forcing some of these Rams pass defenders to win one-on-one. It’s crucial that defensive tackle Aaron Donald show why he’s worth that $87 million guaranteed—Donald must collapse Drew Brees’s pocket. Even if the Rams can do ALL of these things (and that’s a big IF), the offense still must post at least 30 points to have a chance. Sean McVay early on will go heavy on his staple play-action game. Behind a well-schooled offensive line, and with QB Jared Goff’s anticipation throwing and WRs Robert Woods’s and Brandin Cooks’s attention to route-running detail, Los Angeles has the most proficient play-action game in football. It stems almost entirely from zone run looks, with either three receivers flooding one area of the field as Goff rolls out (the Rams killed Dallas with this last week), or, as you’ll see more in this game, Woods and Cooks running in-breaking routes and crossing patterns 15-plus yards downfield. The run fakes are a great way to exploit Saints linebackers Demario Davis and Alex Anzalone, two fast-hitting attackers who will be extra amped early in the game with the Superdome crowd noise egging them on. Beat Davis and Anzalone on a few play-action throws and you soften that No. 2-ranked Saints run defense, which the Rams MUST do. Running backs Todd Gurley, who has dominant build-up speed, and C.J. Anderson, who offers more lateral agility and short-area burst, headline Los Angeles’s offense right now. The Rams this season are 11–0 when they rush for at least 135 yards and 3–3 when they don’t. In this game, running is extra important as it can deflate that Superdome crowd and keep Brees & Co. on the sideline. Chance of Los Angeles upsetting New Orleans: 49%. The Superdome crowd noise could complicate the no-huddle approach the Rams rely on for checking in and out of different plays and controlling the snap-to-snap tempo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 I guess I'm rooting for the Rams since I'm a Sean McVay and Jared Goff fan. My biggest concern with McVay is his past tendencies to go away from the run when falling behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlowe22 Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Kirkwood is out. This keeps getting better and better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N4L Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 2 hours ago, jrry32 said: You make a fair point, Ramster. I shouldn't assume. Speaking of Matts, has he returned since the Cowboys game? someone in the news forum said he is down for a '30 day nap' webby has been in a banning mood recently, for good reason anyways, the closer this game gets the more ive resigned myself to the fact the rams will be playing in a superbowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Iowa Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 2 hours ago, jrry32 said: He wants attention. Just ignore him. A great "cut & paste" by jrry. He's usually the trash talker, but now? Hittin' home, bruh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Iowa Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 2 hours ago, El ramster said: Could be a she with how sensitive it is. And women never drop arguments. Saints by 39 at the half. Shame me there isn’t a foe like Matts or Calvert here. Rammy Out. I’m scared of this game. But Goff has owned that dome and has zero fear in there. And the saints D is just so bad in my eyes. I can’t remove the game Fitzy had against them. They should just quit for that alone. I just see Brees neutralizing our pass rush with quick passes! And I can’t see us stopping Kamara. He’s a ram killer. Haha, well, I assume you guys are cute with as tough as you talk. You'll be embarrassed with this "she" slapping ya'll upside the face with 7" of limp d**k when the Saints smoke ya' Sunday. Saints up -4 in the 3rd quarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Iowa Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Destructo Spin said: Kirkwood is out too now. Really the only WR after Thomas and Ginn that has any business being on the field. Definitely hurts the Saints ability to go 3 wide, but missing the starting TE means we can't play two TE sets either. Really limits what we can do on offense schematically, and talent-wise. What game did Brees toss 4 TD's to 4 different undrafted Free Agents? He'll do what he does. Talib can only cover so many targets, and Brees is at his best when the team's back is against the wall. Remember, we finally have a defense. We're no used to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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