Rams at Raiders
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fearsomefour
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12intheBox
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6:52 AM here and it's X-mas in September! Santa filled our division rivals stockings with losses and our first road game is in the same time zone instead of 3 hours away. I'll be at a Rams game watching party in Westlake Village tonight with my Rams bros & sisters (and my Daughter is driving up from L.A. to be there with me). Thanks everyone for sticking with our Rams during the dark ages. It's surreal to look at this loaded roster, ownership spending spree, front office, coaching staff and attached core values all committed 100% to win a SB and know they really have a legit shot.
Psycho_X
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I have been so pumped all weekend that by the time this god awful 9:20 in the freaking evening kickoff arrives I'm going to be fighting exhaustion. All I know is they better not lose or no one will want to even look at me Tuesday morning after my 4 hours of sleep and a loss.
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Hey Man
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I'm still going to watch.
I start at 6am est , fuck em, that's what coffee is for !
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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/09/nfl-rams-raiders-concern-week-1-jon-gruden/
Rams' 3 biggest causes for concern vs. Oakland on Monday night
By: Cameron DaSilva
Knocking off the rust
The Rams rested their offensive starters all preseason, only giving suspended guard Jamon Brown any work in the meaningless games. The starting defense only played seven snaps in the third game against the Texans, but that was barely two series of action. After seeing the Falcons and Eagles come out flat on Thursday night, will the Rams have the same issues?
Jared Goff and Todd Gurley haven’t been fully tackled since January, so how will they respond when getting hit for the first time? That’s a minor concern, but the biggest question is whether the offense will take a little while to get into a rhythm on Monday night. Fortunately, the Raiders don’t have a stout defense, but there could be an element of rust early in the game.
Mystery of Jon Gruden
Gruden didn’t show anything when the Rams faced the Raiders in the preseason, nor did he reveal much in Oakland’s other three preseason games. He hasn’t coached a game since 2008, and while he certainly had his tendencies a decade ago, it’s unclear how he’ll handle things this week.
Will he trot out a run-heavy offense with Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Jalen Richard? Which running back will even see the bulk of the carries? Those are the unknowns that the Rams are going to be dealing with in Week 1, considering how little film there is on a Gruden-coached team.
Sean McVay even admitted it’s difficult to prepare for the Raiders because of the lack of information he has on Gruden. That could be a factor on Monday night.
Linebacker questions
With Mark Barron doubtful, Matt Longacre coming off a biceps injury and no stud pass rusher, the Rams have a lot of questions to answer at linebacker. There’s no position on the roster with more uncertainty than linebacker for the Rams, which could be a problem.
The Raiders have the offensive line and power running back in Lynch to simply pound the ball 30 times against the Rams, and with holes at both inside and outside linebacker, that could be the approach Gruden takes. We watched Los Angeles get gashed on the ground repeatedly last season, and although Ndamukong Suh’s presence will help, the Raiders’ offensive line is a powerful unit.
Keeping the ball on the ground and attacking Los Angeles’ linebackers might be the Raiders’ best approach and the Rams’ biggest weakness.
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/10/nfl-rams-raiders-week-1-preview-gruden-carr-research/
Rams opposition research: Breaking down the Raiders
By: Andrew Ortenberg
After a long wait for Los Angeles Rams fans, the team’s regular season will finally kick off on Monday night against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are hoping to pull of their own reinvention similar to what the Rams did last year behind new head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden, who gave Rams coach Sean McVay his first job in the NFL, returns from the broadcast booth to coach the Raiders and transition the team into a new era as they prepare to move to Las Vegas.
There’s been a significant amount of turnover from last year’s Raiders team, and the roster is in many ways unrecognizable. Here’s what the Rams can expect on both sides of the ball.
Offense
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Raiders offense continuing to be led by Derek Carr. Despite Carr’s reputation as a franchise quarterback, and his hefty contract, he’s never really played like one. Through four years, he has a career yards per attempt of 6.54 – well below what you’d hope for from a starter. The Raiders are hoping that Gruden can revitalize Carr’s career and boost an offense that slumped in 2017.
The team cut Michael Crabtree earlier this offseason, leaving Amari Cooper as the undisputed top dog in their receiving corps. Cooper will likely see a lot of Marcus Peters tonight, a relationship with some history. As a member of the Chiefs, Peters played twice a year against the Raiders and has a great deal of familiarity with Carr and Cooper.
To replace Crabtree, the team signed Jordy Nelson in free agency. It’s unclear how much Nelson has left in the tank, but he should still be treated as a threat until proven otherwise. Rams linebackers will have to be careful not to get beat by tight end Jared Cook, who became a favorite target of Carr last year.
Keeping with Gruden’s pattern of signing aging veterans, the team brought in Doug Martin to share the backfield with Marshawn Lynch. Martin is 29 and was dreadful the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, but rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2015. Lynch is 32, but was still effective last season. He’s been dealing with a groin injury that’s limited him in practice this week, something definitely worth keeping an eye on during the game. The more Martin has to play, the better it is for the Rams.
The offensive line has the potential to be solid but is no longer one of the league’s top units like it was a couple of seasons ago. The team drafted Kolton Miller with the 15th overall pick in April and will be starting him at left tackle. Making his first career start, he should provide some pass-rushing opportunities for the Rams’ young edge rushers.
In all, the Raiders offense is a hard group to predict. Gruden, once hailed as an offensive guru, hasn’t coached in so long that it’s nearly impossible to say how his schemes and philosophy will work in 2018. It should be fascinating to watch and will be a great first test for the new-look Rams defense.
Defense:
The changes to the Raiders’ defense were even more drastic. Paul Guenther was brought in from Cincinnati to be defensive coordinator, but the biggest move was of course the trading of All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack. The departure of Mack, who the Rams tried to trade for, is a huge boost for the Rams offense in Week 1, making life much easier for right tackle Rob Havenstein.
Perhaps no unit in football has seen as much turnover as the Raiders’ defense. All three starting linebackers, two of the top three cornerbacks, and the starting free safety are all new additions. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was signed just recently at age 32. Starting middle linebacker Derrick Johnson, added back in May, is 35. The starting lineup is full of veteran players on one-year flier deals seemingly picked up off the scrap heap.
The team is counting on last year’s first-round pick, Gareon Conley, to make a big impact in 2018 after playing in just two games last year due to injury. He has the most upside of any player on the defense, and would ideally be their No. 1 cornerback for years to come.
The other intriguing young player is rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst. Hurst was thought by many to be a first-round talent, but fell to the fifth round of this year’s draft due to a heart condition that was discovered at the combine. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a steal.
Guenther runs a 4-3 defense and has a reputation for being an expert at dialing up different blitzes. Jared Goff and the entire offensive line will have to be on their toes as Guenther will surely have some tricks cooked up with so much time to prepare.
Overall, it projects as a weak unit. The addition of Guenther is a massive upgrade, but there just isn’t a ton of talent. Most of the players the Raiders will be starting on defense are either young and unproven or well past their primes. While it’s possible the Rams’ first-string offense is a little rusty due to not seeing much preseason action, they should be able to get on track pretty quickly against this Raiders defense.
The bottom line:
The Raiders are one of the biggest question marks in the entire league. They’re so radically different than they were at this time last year, that comparing them to the 2017 Raiders wouldn’t make much sense. The Rams will have the opportunity to shape the Jon Gruden era in Oakland, for better or worse. Happening under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, it should make for a great game either way.
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/07/nfl-rams-raiders-matchups-week-1-players-to-watch/
Rams vs. Raiders: 5 key matchups to watch in Week 1
By: Cameron DaSilva
Football is a game of matchups. Win the most important ones each week and you have a good chance to come away victorious. There will be no shortage of intriguing battles on Monday night when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Oakland Raiders and we’re here to highlight the best ones.
These five matchups could go a long way toward deciding the outcome of this Week 1 showdown in Oakland.
Marcus Peters vs. Amari Cooper
It’s still not exactly known how Wade Phillips will deploy his star corners, but in limited preseason action, Peters lined up on the right side of the defense with Aqib Talib on the left. If that continues in Week 1, Peters will see a lot of Cooper in his area on Monday night. Cooper primarily plays X receiver, lining up on the left side of the formation.
Peters isn’t quite as fast as Cooper is on the outside, but he is familiar with his game, having played in the AFC West for the past three years. Talib should be able to handle Jordy Nelson on the other side, so much of this game comes down to Peters locking down Cooper.
Rams D-line vs. Raiders O-line
The Raiders may be weak at a lot of spots, particularly on defense, but their offensive line is truly one of the best in the NFL. The interior combo of Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson is one of the best trios the Rams will face all season. Will it be enough to win the battle in the trenches with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers? Well, that remains to be seen.
The Rams are lacking talent at outside linebacker, so Oakland’s tackles shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one. But whoever wins this matchup in the middle could come away victorious in the game.
Andrew Whitworth vs. Arden Key
This one pits former LSU Tigers against each other, albeit playing in Death Valley 12 years apart. Khalil Mack is gone and Bruce Irvin is hardly a player who strikes fear in opposing offensive linemen, which makes Key the player to watch on Oakland’s defense. Although it’s not perfectly clear how the Raiders will deploy him, he did seem to primarily play right defensive end in the preseason.
That will match him up with savvy veteran Andrew Whitworth, who’s one of the better pass-blocking left tackles in the game today. Key is somewhat of an unknown in the NFL as a third-round rookie, but his skill set is intriguing and dangerous.
Cooper Kupp vs. Leon Hall
Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods have interesting matchups on the outside with Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin in coverage, both possessing good enough speed to hang with L.A.’s wideouts. Kupp, on the other hand, has a favorable battle coming in the slot. Hall won the Raiders’ nickel cornerback job after T.J. Carrie moved on this offseason, but he shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Kupp.
Expect Goff to look his way often on Monday night, as he did last season. Kupp will be an important red zone target with Sammy Watkins gone, and while he may not be the most explosive receiver, he’s a reliable one.
Sean McVay vs. Jon Gruden
No one truly knows what to expect from Gruden in his first game since 2008, but if anyone should have a decent idea of the coach’s plans, it’s McVay. A former understudy of Gruden’s, McVay will be facing his former mentor for the first time in the NFL. Neither wanted to reveal his game plan in the third week of the preseason, both resting their primary starters and deploying very vanilla schemes.
On Monday, we’ll get a much better idea of what Gruden’s plan will be in his return to the sidelines, while McVay will pull back the curtain on his revamped offense – one that supposedly has a lot of new looks in the playbook. The chess match between these two should be a fun one.
Rams' 3 biggest causes for concern vs. Oakland on Monday night
By: Cameron DaSilva
Knocking off the rust
The Rams rested their offensive starters all preseason, only giving suspended guard Jamon Brown any work in the meaningless games. The starting defense only played seven snaps in the third game against the Texans, but that was barely two series of action. After seeing the Falcons and Eagles come out flat on Thursday night, will the Rams have the same issues?
Jared Goff and Todd Gurley haven’t been fully tackled since January, so how will they respond when getting hit for the first time? That’s a minor concern, but the biggest question is whether the offense will take a little while to get into a rhythm on Monday night. Fortunately, the Raiders don’t have a stout defense, but there could be an element of rust early in the game.
Mystery of Jon Gruden
Gruden didn’t show anything when the Rams faced the Raiders in the preseason, nor did he reveal much in Oakland’s other three preseason games. He hasn’t coached a game since 2008, and while he certainly had his tendencies a decade ago, it’s unclear how he’ll handle things this week.
Will he trot out a run-heavy offense with Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Jalen Richard? Which running back will even see the bulk of the carries? Those are the unknowns that the Rams are going to be dealing with in Week 1, considering how little film there is on a Gruden-coached team.
Sean McVay even admitted it’s difficult to prepare for the Raiders because of the lack of information he has on Gruden. That could be a factor on Monday night.
Linebacker questions
With Mark Barron doubtful, Matt Longacre coming off a biceps injury and no stud pass rusher, the Rams have a lot of questions to answer at linebacker. There’s no position on the roster with more uncertainty than linebacker for the Rams, which could be a problem.
The Raiders have the offensive line and power running back in Lynch to simply pound the ball 30 times against the Rams, and with holes at both inside and outside linebacker, that could be the approach Gruden takes. We watched Los Angeles get gashed on the ground repeatedly last season, and although Ndamukong Suh’s presence will help, the Raiders’ offensive line is a powerful unit.
Keeping the ball on the ground and attacking Los Angeles’ linebackers might be the Raiders’ best approach and the Rams’ biggest weakness.
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/10/nfl-rams-raiders-week-1-preview-gruden-carr-research/
Rams opposition research: Breaking down the Raiders
By: Andrew Ortenberg
After a long wait for Los Angeles Rams fans, the team’s regular season will finally kick off on Monday night against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are hoping to pull of their own reinvention similar to what the Rams did last year behind new head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden, who gave Rams coach Sean McVay his first job in the NFL, returns from the broadcast booth to coach the Raiders and transition the team into a new era as they prepare to move to Las Vegas.
There’s been a significant amount of turnover from last year’s Raiders team, and the roster is in many ways unrecognizable. Here’s what the Rams can expect on both sides of the ball.
Offense
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Raiders offense continuing to be led by Derek Carr. Despite Carr’s reputation as a franchise quarterback, and his hefty contract, he’s never really played like one. Through four years, he has a career yards per attempt of 6.54 – well below what you’d hope for from a starter. The Raiders are hoping that Gruden can revitalize Carr’s career and boost an offense that slumped in 2017.
The team cut Michael Crabtree earlier this offseason, leaving Amari Cooper as the undisputed top dog in their receiving corps. Cooper will likely see a lot of Marcus Peters tonight, a relationship with some history. As a member of the Chiefs, Peters played twice a year against the Raiders and has a great deal of familiarity with Carr and Cooper.
To replace Crabtree, the team signed Jordy Nelson in free agency. It’s unclear how much Nelson has left in the tank, but he should still be treated as a threat until proven otherwise. Rams linebackers will have to be careful not to get beat by tight end Jared Cook, who became a favorite target of Carr last year.
Keeping with Gruden’s pattern of signing aging veterans, the team brought in Doug Martin to share the backfield with Marshawn Lynch. Martin is 29 and was dreadful the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, but rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2015. Lynch is 32, but was still effective last season. He’s been dealing with a groin injury that’s limited him in practice this week, something definitely worth keeping an eye on during the game. The more Martin has to play, the better it is for the Rams.
The offensive line has the potential to be solid but is no longer one of the league’s top units like it was a couple of seasons ago. The team drafted Kolton Miller with the 15th overall pick in April and will be starting him at left tackle. Making his first career start, he should provide some pass-rushing opportunities for the Rams’ young edge rushers.
In all, the Raiders offense is a hard group to predict. Gruden, once hailed as an offensive guru, hasn’t coached in so long that it’s nearly impossible to say how his schemes and philosophy will work in 2018. It should be fascinating to watch and will be a great first test for the new-look Rams defense.
Defense:
The changes to the Raiders’ defense were even more drastic. Paul Guenther was brought in from Cincinnati to be defensive coordinator, but the biggest move was of course the trading of All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack. The departure of Mack, who the Rams tried to trade for, is a huge boost for the Rams offense in Week 1, making life much easier for right tackle Rob Havenstein.
Perhaps no unit in football has seen as much turnover as the Raiders’ defense. All three starting linebackers, two of the top three cornerbacks, and the starting free safety are all new additions. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was signed just recently at age 32. Starting middle linebacker Derrick Johnson, added back in May, is 35. The starting lineup is full of veteran players on one-year flier deals seemingly picked up off the scrap heap.
The team is counting on last year’s first-round pick, Gareon Conley, to make a big impact in 2018 after playing in just two games last year due to injury. He has the most upside of any player on the defense, and would ideally be their No. 1 cornerback for years to come.
The other intriguing young player is rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst. Hurst was thought by many to be a first-round talent, but fell to the fifth round of this year’s draft due to a heart condition that was discovered at the combine. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a steal.
Guenther runs a 4-3 defense and has a reputation for being an expert at dialing up different blitzes. Jared Goff and the entire offensive line will have to be on their toes as Guenther will surely have some tricks cooked up with so much time to prepare.
Overall, it projects as a weak unit. The addition of Guenther is a massive upgrade, but there just isn’t a ton of talent. Most of the players the Raiders will be starting on defense are either young and unproven or well past their primes. While it’s possible the Rams’ first-string offense is a little rusty due to not seeing much preseason action, they should be able to get on track pretty quickly against this Raiders defense.
The bottom line:
The Raiders are one of the biggest question marks in the entire league. They’re so radically different than they were at this time last year, that comparing them to the 2017 Raiders wouldn’t make much sense. The Rams will have the opportunity to shape the Jon Gruden era in Oakland, for better or worse. Happening under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, it should make for a great game either way.
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/07/nfl-rams-raiders-matchups-week-1-players-to-watch/
Rams vs. Raiders: 5 key matchups to watch in Week 1
By: Cameron DaSilva
Football is a game of matchups. Win the most important ones each week and you have a good chance to come away victorious. There will be no shortage of intriguing battles on Monday night when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Oakland Raiders and we’re here to highlight the best ones.
These five matchups could go a long way toward deciding the outcome of this Week 1 showdown in Oakland.
Marcus Peters vs. Amari Cooper
It’s still not exactly known how Wade Phillips will deploy his star corners, but in limited preseason action, Peters lined up on the right side of the defense with Aqib Talib on the left. If that continues in Week 1, Peters will see a lot of Cooper in his area on Monday night. Cooper primarily plays X receiver, lining up on the left side of the formation.
Peters isn’t quite as fast as Cooper is on the outside, but he is familiar with his game, having played in the AFC West for the past three years. Talib should be able to handle Jordy Nelson on the other side, so much of this game comes down to Peters locking down Cooper.
Rams D-line vs. Raiders O-line
The Raiders may be weak at a lot of spots, particularly on defense, but their offensive line is truly one of the best in the NFL. The interior combo of Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson is one of the best trios the Rams will face all season. Will it be enough to win the battle in the trenches with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers? Well, that remains to be seen.
The Rams are lacking talent at outside linebacker, so Oakland’s tackles shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one. But whoever wins this matchup in the middle could come away victorious in the game.
Andrew Whitworth vs. Arden Key
This one pits former LSU Tigers against each other, albeit playing in Death Valley 12 years apart. Khalil Mack is gone and Bruce Irvin is hardly a player who strikes fear in opposing offensive linemen, which makes Key the player to watch on Oakland’s defense. Although it’s not perfectly clear how the Raiders will deploy him, he did seem to primarily play right defensive end in the preseason.
That will match him up with savvy veteran Andrew Whitworth, who’s one of the better pass-blocking left tackles in the game today. Key is somewhat of an unknown in the NFL as a third-round rookie, but his skill set is intriguing and dangerous.
Cooper Kupp vs. Leon Hall
Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods have interesting matchups on the outside with Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin in coverage, both possessing good enough speed to hang with L.A.’s wideouts. Kupp, on the other hand, has a favorable battle coming in the slot. Hall won the Raiders’ nickel cornerback job after T.J. Carrie moved on this offseason, but he shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Kupp.
Expect Goff to look his way often on Monday night, as he did last season. Kupp will be an important red zone target with Sammy Watkins gone, and while he may not be the most explosive receiver, he’s a reliable one.
Sean McVay vs. Jon Gruden
No one truly knows what to expect from Gruden in his first game since 2008, but if anyone should have a decent idea of the coach’s plans, it’s McVay. A former understudy of Gruden’s, McVay will be facing his former mentor for the first time in the NFL. Neither wanted to reveal his game plan in the third week of the preseason, both resting their primary starters and deploying very vanilla schemes.
On Monday, we’ll get a much better idea of what Gruden’s plan will be in his return to the sidelines, while McVay will pull back the curtain on his revamped offense – one that supposedly has a lot of new looks in the playbook. The chess match between these two should be a fun one.
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are we ready boys for some "TUESDAY MORNING FOOTBALL!!!!!" (i know not the same ring but what ya gonna do "
be sad ill miss the GDT a lot this year due to all our prime time games ... lets kick this season off right ,, with a DUB
be sad ill miss the GDT a lot this year due to all our prime time games ... lets kick this season off right ,, with a DUB
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I would try to get Donald matched up with rookie LT Kolton Miller on obvious passing downs. Miller is long, but he was weak in college. He didn't have the powerful base to slow down good power rushers. With Donald's power, explosion, and leverage advantage, I think he could push Miller around with ease.
OC_Ram
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Confessions from the OC
With all the offseason acquisitions I expect nothing less than total domination. If I don’t see a thrashing of the Raiders, similar to the smack down we dealt the Hawks last year, I “might” be disappointed. I “might” even question the decision to rest our starters during preseason. I enjoyed watching the rest of our division put up “L” and I know we’ll be posting a “W” so here’s to hoping it’s in a DOMINANT fashion! Go RAMS Go!
With all the offseason acquisitions I expect nothing less than total domination. If I don’t see a thrashing of the Raiders, similar to the smack down we dealt the Hawks last year, I “might” be disappointed. I “might” even question the decision to rest our starters during preseason. I enjoyed watching the rest of our division put up “L” and I know we’ll be posting a “W” so here’s to hoping it’s in a DOMINANT fashion! Go RAMS Go!
Karate61
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With all the complimentary talk about the Raiders oline, if the combo of Donald, Suh & Brockers goes off tonight, the rest of the nfl will be put on notice!
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I'm pretty sure I've never been more nervous about an opening day game. One big reason is we have not actually witnessed the starting offense play yet. I'm very nervous that they will start slowly, perhaps not knocking the rust off until the latter parts of the game. I hope I'm wrong, but I was also thinking it was a bad idea to rest the starters in the last week of the season last year, fearing they'd be rusty for their playoff game. IMO, they were and it cost them the game. In sincerely think Goff should have gotten at minimum 2 series in the preseason to just get him dialed in. I hope I'm wrong but very nervous about the start tonight. GO RAMS!
