Rams Practice Report 10/9: Gearing up for Rodgers

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RamBill

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Practice Report 10/9: Gearing up for Rodgers
By Myles Simmons


View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-109-Gearing-up-for-Rodgers/77feae98-decf-45bb-8bb2-636e4893135a


The Rams will have a tough challenge on their hands going up against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the vaunted Green Bay offense. And they will have to do it without linebacker Alec Ogletree.

With the Georgia product slated to miss extended time with a lower-leg fracture, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said the Rams have gone to the mantra of ‘next man up.’

“One of the things that we have here is a next man up philosophy,” Williams said. “We’re going to miss him because he’s so dominant. But, he’s been around here and his spirit has been good.”

One of those men to replace him will be Akeem Ayers. While the linebacker has been playing on the strong side for St. Louis, Ayers has played at ‘Will’ before in the same defensive scheme.

“That’s good and there’s not any hesitation in them with terminology,” Williams said. “He’s got a familiarity base and that’s good.”


Also, the Rams have safety Mark Barron, who can do a lot to fill in given his versatility. Williams said Barron has done well in different packages playing inside the box as a safety.

“Nobody should count him out on anything,” Williams said. “There’s other multiple of guys that we have going in at that position. We’ve just got to get the right one out on the field at the right time.”

Of course, going against Rodgers is no easy task at any point. But the quarterback has been particularly impressive in 2015, according to Williams.


He’s playing very confidently,” Williams said. “One of the things I think I heard a couple of weeks ago from whatever that sports science show is, it’s kind of a cool show anyway, but the speed of his release is amazing.”

Williams said a significant part of the strategy will be to just disrupt the timing between Rodgers an his receivers. But the team knows Green Bay will likely use quick passes to attempt to negate the effects of the Rams’ pass rush.

“We go into the game and you’re going to have to adapt and improvise on whatever the skill set is needed for that week and game,” Williams said. “Even from a statistical standpoint, there’s things that go on in a game, every game takes on the life of its own.”

Plus, there’s the matter of Rodgers’ 486 regular-season passing attempts at Lambeau Field without throwing a pick. Williams said he wasn’t necessarily aware of it early in the week, but the players have brought it up as part of the team’s overall philosophy.

“Really, it’s our mantra every week. We’ve got to take the ball away,” Williams said. “We’ve got to do a good job of creating shorter fields, creating the situations for our offense. Someone told me a stat the other day that we had six takeaways as a team and all six takeaways as a team has resulted in points for our offense, which is outstanding.”

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Williams added, “but our guys are up for it and they’ve studied very hard.”

INJURY REPORT

It looks like the Rams should get two key contributors back this week, as Chase Reynolds (knee) is listed as probable and Eugene Sims (knee) is listed as questionable.


Both players were injured in the Rams’ first contest of the season against the Seahawks. Reynolds, a key special teams contributor, and Sims, a key rotation player on the defensive line both fully participated in practice throughout the week.

Also on the report, wide receiver Kenny Britt sat out Friday’s practice with a knee injury, but is listed as probable. Safety Maurice Alexander did not participate in practice all week and is listed as doubtful. Finally, linebacker Alec Ogletree is out.

Though he’s listed on the injury report because he did not practice, defensive end Robert Quinn missed Friday’s session because his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

“I told him that was more important than what we were doing,” head coach Jeff Fisher said.

GIVE A LOOK

Linebacker Daren Bates is one of the Rams’ special teams captains, and he’s also often on the scout team, helping the offense prepare for what it will see from the opposition on Sunday. Today, Bates it to another level, sporting a long blonde wig under his helmet as he played the role of linebacker Clay Matthews.

“He’s a little shorter than Clay,” Fisher said of Bates. “He’s watched Clay. I’m sure he grew up watching Clay and has a great deal of respect for Clay. Obviously, we need to know where he is every snap. So, that’s why we dressed him up a little bit.”

The wig didn’t change anything about the way the players practiced, though it did add some brevity to Friday’s session.

“It shocked me, too. I didn’t know that was coming,” Williams said. “You can see those guys doing all of that kind of fun stuff. The hard part of the business is the preparation, your body feeling tough at times. But, all of the sudden you can laugh and joke and have some good times and promote some spirit. That was kind of cool.”

That said, Williams had some choice words for just how it affects the linebacker’s appearance on the field.

“It really didn’t look really good on him. His look right there -- he battles looks anyways,” Williams joked. “He doesn’t need any more things to hurt him, that’s for sure.”
 

RamBill

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Gregg Williams: We’re Going to Have to Play Our Best Game

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams discusses the loss of Alec Ogletree and preparing for Green Bay’s offense on Sunday.

Watch Williams' Presser
 

DaveFan'51

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Practice Report 10/9: Gearing up for Rodgers
By Myles Simmons


View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-109-Gearing-up-for-Rodgers/77feae98-decf-45bb-8bb2-636e4893135a


The Rams will have a tough challenge on their hands going up against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the vaunted Green Bay offense. And they will have to do it without linebacker Alec Ogletree.

With the Georgia product slated to miss extended time with a lower-leg fracture, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said the Rams have gone to the mantra of ‘next man up.’

“One of the things that we have here is a next man up philosophy,” Williams said. “We’re going to miss him because he’s so dominant. But, he’s been around here and his spirit has been good.”

One of those men to replace him will be Akeem Ayers. While the linebacker has been playing on the strong side for St. Louis, Ayers has played at ‘Will’ before in the same defensive scheme.

“That’s good and there’s not any hesitation in them with terminology,” Williams said. “He’s got a familiarity base and that’s good.”


Also, the Rams have safety Mark Barron, who can do a lot to fill in given his versatility. Williams said Barron has done well in different packages playing inside the box as a safety.

“Nobody should count him out on anything,” Williams said. “There’s other multiple of guys that we have going in at that position. We’ve just got to get the right one out on the field at the right time.”

Of course, going against Rodgers is no easy task at any point. But the quarterback has been particularly impressive in 2015, according to Williams.


He’s playing very confidently,” Williams said. “One of the things I think I heard a couple of weeks ago from whatever that sports science show is, it’s kind of a cool show anyway, but the speed of his release is amazing.”

Williams said a significant part of the strategy will be to just disrupt the timing between Rodgers an his receivers. But the team knows Green Bay will likely use quick passes to attempt to negate the effects of the Rams’ pass rush.

“We go into the game and you’re going to have to adapt and improvise on whatever the skill set is needed for that week and game,” Williams said. “Even from a statistical standpoint, there’s things that go on in a game, every game takes on the life of its own.”

Plus, there’s the matter of Rodgers’ 486 regular-season passing attempts at Lambeau Field without throwing a pick. Williams said he wasn’t necessarily aware of it early in the week, but the players have brought it up as part of the team’s overall philosophy.

“Really, it’s our mantra every week. We’ve got to take the ball away,” Williams said. “We’ve got to do a good job of creating shorter fields, creating the situations for our offense. Someone told me a stat the other day that we had six takeaways as a team and all six takeaways as a team has resulted in points for our offense, which is outstanding.”

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Williams added, “but our guys are up for it and they’ve studied very hard.”

INJURY REPORT

It looks like the Rams should get two key contributors back this week, as Chase Reynolds (knee) is listed as probable and Eugene Sims (knee) is listed as questionable.


Both players were injured in the Rams’ first contest of the season against the Seahawks. Reynolds, a key special teams contributor, and Sims, a key rotation player on the defensive line both fully participated in practice throughout the week.

Also on the report, wide receiver Kenny Britt sat out Friday’s practice with a knee injury, but is listed as probable. Safety Maurice Alexander did not participate in practice all week and is listed as doubtful. Finally, linebacker Alec Ogletree is out.

Though he’s listed on the injury report because he did not practice, defensive end Robert Quinn missed Friday’s session because his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

“I told him that was more important than what we were doing,” head coach Jeff Fisher said.

GIVE A LOOK

Linebacker Daren Bates is one of the Rams’ special teams captains, and he’s also often on the scout team, helping the offense prepare for what it will see from the opposition on Sunday. Today, Bates it to another level, sporting a long blonde wig under his helmet as he played the role of linebacker Clay Matthews.

“He’s a little shorter than Clay,” Fisher said of Bates. “He’s watched Clay. I’m sure he grew up watching Clay and has a great deal of respect for Clay. Obviously, we need to know where he is every snap. So, that’s why we dressed him up a little bit.”

The wig didn’t change anything about the way the players practiced, though it did add some brevity to Friday’s session.

“It shocked me, too. I didn’t know that was coming,” Williams said. “You can see those guys doing all of that kind of fun stuff. The hard part of the business is the preparation, your body feeling tough at times. But, all of the sudden you can laugh and joke and have some good times and promote some spirit. That was kind of cool.”

That said, Williams had some choice words for just how it affects the linebacker’s appearance on the field.

“It really didn’t look really good on him. His look right there -- he battles looks anyways,” Williams joked. “He doesn’t need any more things to hurt him, that’s for sure.”
The big question is " What did Quinn name his New Baby Girl!":D
 

RamBill

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Rams' Robert Quinn misses practice for birth of baby girl
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-quinn-misses-practice-for-birth-of-baby-girl

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn was nowhere to be found during Friday's practice.

But after the workout, coach Jeff Fisher revealed that Quinn's absence came courtesy of the best reason possible.

"Mr. and Mrs. Robert Quinn gave birth to a baby girl this morning," Fisher said. "So I told him that was more important than what we were doing. Everybody is great."

Quinn had to be added to the injury report because of his absence, but is listed as probable and will play Sunday against Green Bay. The Rams also added receiver Kenny Britt to the injury report after he also sat out Friday's practice. Britt, who has had some knee soreness, is also listed as probable.

Here's the Rams' full Friday injury report:

Probable: DE Robert Quinn (not injury related), RB Chase Reynolds (knee), WR Kenny Britt (knee)

Questionable: DE Eugene Sims (knee)

Doubtful: S Maurice Alexander (groin)

Out: LB Alec Ogletree (ankle)
 

RamBill

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Rams' Daren Bates dons wig, No. 52 jersey to impersonate Clay Matthews
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ey-to-do-his-best-clay-matthews-impersonation

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In case it wasn't already clear that the St. Louis Rams will do whatever it takes to prepare for the Green Bay Packers, linebacker Daren Bates added more evidence to the case Friday afternoon.

Attempting to give the Rams offense an opportunity to identify Packers linebacker Clay Matthews before plays, Bates went full-on method acting for his job on the scout team. Donning a blonde wig and a No. 52 jersey, Bates embraced his role.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher thought Bates did well in the Matthews role.

"He's a little shorter than Clay," Fisher said. "He moves around; he's watched Clay. I'm sure he grew up watching Clay and has a great deal of respect for Clay. Obviously we need to know where he is every snap so that's why we dressed him up a little bit."

From a pure aesthetics standpoint, however, Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams wasn't so fond of the look.

"It didn't really look good on him," Williams said, laughing. "He battles looks anyway. He doesn't need any more things to hurt him, for sure."

This isn't the first time the Rams have broken out the blonde wig to have a scout-team player impersonate Matthews. In 2012, linebacker Sammy Brown played the role.

That begged the question: Was it the same wig?

"No, that's not the same one," Fisher said. "I think Sammy took it with him."
 

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Rams notebook: Kendricks excited about Wisconsin homecoming
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_2bca7ebb-51b0-5540-a748-8d89dccc6b01.html

Tight end Lance Kendricks, a Milwaukee native, will have a group of 20 or so family and friends in the stands Sunday when the Rams take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

And they will be in Rams gear. Lance and his father Leon are making sure of that.

“Milwaukee’s about two hours from Green Bay, so all my friends are die-hard Packers fans,’’ explained Lance, who starred at Rufus King High and at the University of Wisconsin. “I told them if I get them tickets, they had to wear Rams’ stuff. And my dad, he’s going to make sure that nobody in our group gets into the stadium unless they’re wearing what they’re supposed to be wearing.’’

It’ll be the second such homecoming for Kendricks, a fifth-year pro. As a rookie in 2011, he enjoyed his best game of the season at Lambeau, hauling in four passes for 71 yards.

“We lost (24-3), but it was a great experience,’’ said Kendricks, 27. “A lot of those fans, they’re the same people who used to root for us back at Camp Randall (Stadium at Wisconsin). It’s that same kind of environment, which is great.’’

Kendricks has started three of four games this season and is sixth on the squad with five catches for 69 yards, including a key 37-yard touchdown in the season-opening overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

INJURIES

With the exception of linebacker Alec Ogletree, who figures to be out more than eight weeks after having surgery earlier this week, the Rams will enter Sunday’s game relatively healthy.

Safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High) has been out since the Pittsburgh game with a groin injury and was listed doubtful on Friday’s injury report. Defensive end Eugene Sims and running back Chase Reynolds, both working their way back after suffering knee injuries in the team’s win over Seattle, practiced throughout the week. Reynolds is probable, with Sims questionable.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt sat out Friday’s workout with knee swelling; he’s probable for Sunday. Two-time All-Pro defensive end Robert Quinn also missed practice Friday. Quinn and his wife celebrated the arrival of a baby girl earlier in the day.

“I told him that was more important than what we were doing,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “Everybody’s good.’’

For Green Bay, safety Sean Richardson (neck) is out and linebacker Jake Ryan (hamstring) is doubtful after both sat out Friday’s practice. Also sitting out Friday were wide receiver Davante Adams (ankle) and safety Morgan Burnett (calf). Both are listed as questionable after sitting out last week and not practicing all week.

Also listed questionable are tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) and cornerback Demetri Goodson (hamstring), who were both limited Friday. Bulaga, the team’s starting right tackle, is hoping to return just 24 days after suffering a sprained MCL and torn meniscus in his left knee.

The Packers’ top wide receiver, Randall Cobb, has been limited all week with a shoulder injury but is listed probable for Sunday. Also probable after going through full workouts Friday are linebackers Clay Matthews and Jayrone Elliott. Both have been nursing quad injuries.

GURLEY HONORED

Running back Todd Gurley has been voted the Pepsi NFL rookie of the week following his breakout performance in the team’s 24-22 road win over the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.

After rushing six times for 9 yards in his NFL debut, Gurley rushed 19 times for 146 yards, including 106 on nine fourth-quarter carries, to help the Rams hand the Cardinals their first loss of 2015.

Selected by the Rams with the 10th pick in the spring’s draft, Gurley, 21, was brought along slowly by the club as he rehabbed following surgery in November for a torn ACL in his left knee. The injury ended Gurley’s record-setting three-year career at the University of Georgia.

COACH CONNECTIONS

Rams offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy are old friends. They coached together at the University of Pittsburgh and in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Excellent coach, good friend,’’ McCarthy said.Cignetti added: “Mike and I go back to 1989. Mike and I are very much like brothers. Love each other. Respect each other. ... My father and Mike are the two guys who really showed me how to become coordinator.’’

Asked about the Sunday matchup with such a good friend, Cignetti said, “Whatever it takes. No style points.’’

In 2009, when Fisher was head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he interviewed McCarthy as a potential assistant coach.

“We had a really good visit,’’ Fisher recalled. “Mike was just really, really good as a quarterbacks coach.... We’ve been good friends since.”

RAM-BLINGS

Playing the role of the Packers’ Matthews on the scout team Friday at Rams Park, third-year linebacker Daren Bates went all out, sporting a crazy blonde wig.

When asked about it, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams joked: “I didn’t know that was coming. ... It didn’t really look good on him (but) he battles looks anyway.’’

• The NFL confirmed that Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey was fined $8,681 for his illegal touchdown celebration Sunday in Arizona. The third-year receiver used the football as a pillow while simulating a quick nap.
 

DaveFan'51

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Asked about the Sunday matchup with such a good friend, Cignetti said, “Whatever it takes. No style points.’’
Nice "Pull Quote". I take it to mean, this Win could be Ugly, But a WIN!:LOL::D
 

LACHAMP46

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Looking for Kendricks to have a big game...Maybe Cook too....Hell, I'm looking for Tavon, Quick, and Gurley to have huge games....
 

Mackeyser

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This is Harley Quinn for anyone who doesn't know. She's part of the Batman universe and will be featured in the upcoming movie Suicide Squad. She's a badass.

harley_quinn_with_a_big_mallet_by_elias_chatzoudis-d7n3msd.jpg