Rams News: Stafford, Jackson Back at Practice, Winners & Losers from Preseason Game vs. LA Chargers

[Music] what's up everybody welcome back to another episode of rams Brothers I'm your host Dean and I'm joined as always by my brother and the other great host of this show Nick and Nick the Rams are two and 0 so far this preseason the first time Shawn mcy has ever had a winning record in the preseason since becoming the rams's head coach at 2017 but first and most importantly how are you my good brother I'm good you know was a whenever it's a preseason game against the Chargers I usually just chalk it up as an L but I guess that was Staley's Chargers and not our balls because it seemed like we got we walked away it was a fun one right I mean it's not fun to be the visitor in your home stadium but to see everything that Aubrey Pleasant was able to do as the rams's head coach with Sean mcy and the coaching Booth I thought was was fascinating so we're going to get into Aubrey Pleasant we're going to get into players that are trending up players that are trending down so far this preseason the Matthew Stafford injury news the Jonah Jackson injury news which are both positive but before we jump into all of that I want to make sure that we're talking about autograph autograph is our partner this episode is brought to you guys by autograph where real fans get unreal rewards all you got to do download the app consume Rams content you could look across locked on Rams across downtown Rams any of the top Rams podcasts you guys can listen to but there's also Rams YouTube on there there's Rams articles shout out cam I think some of Cam's articles are on there um from Rams wired so make sure all you got to do is just download the app punch in our referral code which is b1b 3 f930 I'm going to show it here again on the screen so scan that QR code download the autograph app punch in the referral code and all you got to do is consume Rams content and you guys will be a part of the autograph team alongside with us I mentioned we were 80% to our goal last episode we are now 83% to our goal so we're we're trickling we're getting a little bit closer um so we appreciate your guys' support in every way that we can get it so we usually mentioned that this company is founded by Tom Brady among others because that makes it more legitimate and verified but a couple people in the comments have been saying I don't want to support Tom Brady in any way possible so I'm gonna I shouldn't have said anything at all totally get it though yeah he's the villain took away two Super Bowl RS but he is the greatest quarterback really good what he does and respect the app you know it's it's a fun app I was on there today I was I was listening back to to our episode last week it's doing it's doing well so yeah check it out guys it would be a huge help for for good stuff appreciate you guys and also we want to make sure to everybody [Music] to like subscribe join the movement got a ton of content coming your guys's way pre-season join practices regular season is what 16 days away for the Rams and Nick's favorite number number 16 gentle Josh Joshua cardi his number it's a it's a special moment I think for Rams Fans because the preseason once it wraps up get to the regular season you play the Lions for a Revenge game in from the Wild Card round as of last year I think the juices are going to be flown again and Rams Fans are going to be back in full force getting ready for a really fun season and I think some of the reasons why Rams Fans are going to be excited is because matth Stafford is back at practice right I think uh back back in practice he's he's back in practice it really wasn't that long of a break already heard it in the joint practice U Wednesday and now he's back on Monday and Sean McVey was talking about how Stafford was really mad at him for not letting him participate in the team drills he participated in all of the individual drills so he wasn't allowed to do the 11on 11 drills which McVey held him out of but he was able to do all of the individual drills by himself so um he's he's working his way back he was in full pads he looked like he was ready to go he's obviously a great competitor so he wants to be on the field and all all capacities and also Jonah Jackson Jonah Jackson's also back in individuals he's another guy uh who obviously we need paid a ton of money to in this off season and guys like Rob havenstein aler Jackson Darius Williams they all had week- toe designations I actually thought Jonah Jackson's was the worst injury because it was a scapula injury um but any lower body body injuries to offensive linemen are obviously a little bit worrisome plus you got the hamstring with Darius Williams so you it's it's it's nice to see them back on the field um and you know you got to get these guys healthy with as we mentioned a 16-day period to get ready for the Sunday Night Football game against the Lions yeah and then also just keeping our eyes on Haven Stein longest tenure um and then Darius Williams you know as well so all of which are uh week to week so we hoping that by the time those 16 days get up that everybody is just good to go which is not where we thought we would be you know once you go into Camp so I mean how much of a bless that be if we actually have a fully healthy team which we didn't even get last year to start the season exactly yeah that was the worry it's like are all these guys going to be ready to go it seems like they will be they're all trending in the right direction Stafford and Jonah Jackson specifically which is great news I also wanted to highlight Aubrey Pleasant right because the Rams came away with another win against the Chargers second preseason game of the year and we mentioned they were the visitors in their own stadium which everybody hates but Pleasant was calling the shots and McVey was end up in the coaching Booth it's officially Shawn mcvey's first preseason with a winning record which it's hard to believe when you going back to 2017 but Aubrey Pleasant I think did a really nice job like Shawn McVey facilitated the whole thing from start to finish he believed that Aubrey Pleasant was supposed to get the Reps as the head coach the entire week leading up to the game versus the Chargers this past Saturday and he did which is typically only something you would see if a head coach was fired and there's an interim head coach in place so they really ramped him up you know felt he was he was treated poorly coming out of the situation in Detroit in 2022 where he got fired was an offensive assistant in Green Bay Shawn mcy brought him back to his staff in 2023 and pleasant has been on this trajectory of becoming a potential head coach in the very near future if not this year potentially next year and the best was the the game ball situation after game Aubrey B was like Hey you know let's uh let's talk about some things I want you guys to really just kind of you know sit on this moment and really enjoyed it and MC was like f that game ball Aubrey Pleasant and just thre to so I there's nothing not to like about the camaraderie that they're building in that in that facility right now yeah and I think if you were to go down potential um coachings for next year in the coaching staff I would say brother laflor would probably be number one even though he's not calling the offense and then let's see how schula does because if schula has like an outstanding year then maybe he bumps up a little bit but then I would put Pleasant and schul kind of like right there probably Pleasant just a little higher just because I mean this is essentially like an audition it's a little bit of an audition like hey let's you know let's show the world what you can do essentially like with a with our full roster with full control with sense and Bennett and it it actually you know they they played to their strengths and they found away to win this ball game and I thought they did it yeah I think he did a really nice job I'm sure McVey was calling some of the shots from up in the coach's Booth but Aubrey Pleasant does have experience calling offenses in the past you go all the way back to college he has experience on both sides of the ball which I think makes him a better well-rounded candidate versus somebody like Chris schula but you're right it's an audition it's an interview and you know these executives are looking to see who they can find in the next sha McBay and a lot of these coaches a lot of these big names have come from the Ram's building so auy pleasant could be the next guy on that list which you anyone that is associated with Shanahan McVey or Le is like is like right now those are the big I mean those three and then McDaniel right who like went out and had an amazing first two years as a head coach so I mean they're looking for that next guy and is it could be pleasant honestly it could be schula but we'll see it could be and you know what's what's so fascinating about the preseason it's like you get to evaluate all these players rookies seconde guys Third Year guys guys that you just kind of brought from you know the Cowboys of the Texans guys like Carlos Watkins guys that are just just getting into the building and really kind of getting a feel for the way that the Rams do business so we wanted to look at players that are trending up versus players that we feel like are trending down and the good news is there's more players that are trending up versus trending down so far two games in the preseason Jordan Whittington obviously is the first one 11 receptions on 18 targets for 126 yards in four quarters with Stenson Bennett throwing him the football so this kid's going to get snaps this year in rotation with PUK Anda and Cooper cup and I wanted to just show this this is from the article from from Jordan rodrig her most recent article and I just want to read this to you guys just the second part the rams's receiving hierarchy remains Cooper cup and pukan niua they're the number ones and number two on paper Cooper cup plays the multifaceted F position which is the slot while pukan niua is the Rams version of a z in the mold of former veteran Robert Woods so this is a really good way you guys can look it up I have uh some good graphics to if you want me to share them on X just to kind of get a better explanation of how these guys line up on the line of scrimmage and how they you know put naming conventions behind them but those two receivers are going to get a significant portion of targets for Matthew Stafford and then veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson is the X thought in this offense though in this offense is the X receiver does not mean the number one receiver Robinson and Stafford have great chemistry and he is one of Stafford's preferred targets if the play breaks down these three receivers have been the first team for all of spring and summer when the Rams are in 11 personnel so I think that's really important to note the reason why we wanted an X receiver so badly this off season was because Demarcus Robinson's on a one-year contract and Tut two atwell's on the last year of his rookie deal so after this year you're going to have to look at it you know a in a bigger picture but that's the way it looks right now and Jordan Whittington is going to be the guy that plays right behind Cooper cup and pukan NOOA in terms of Versatility between the F and the Z so you got some it's a really really good draft pick and not somebody that I think you should compare to a Nelson Spruce or a lance McCutchen because it's a total different skill set yeah I it's also I mean you can have hopes for him like finding the end zone at some point this season but it's just the lack of offensive opportunities that you're gonna have when you have those three eyes if everybody stays healthy you know I mean that that was the big thing about uh puka last year because cup went down I mean he was getting those Targets in those first couple games but then when he went down puka got like you know his his progress just completely skyrocketed after that so hopefully that doesn't happen and we just get to see those main three but even if we do just see those main three Winnington will receive reps here and there and it would be nice for him to see The End Zone yeah it definitely would be and I think you know even when Cooper cup is going to be what 30 no he'll still be 31 this season old you are as long as I know that I know how old Cooper cup is um and pukan N is going a little bit through that btis in his knee so if any of those guys need a breather Whittington has the versatility to be able to play any one of those spots so I think he will see some touches but like you mentioned Nick for from a fantasy football perspective he's only going to get a ton of targets and see the end zone potentially if one of those guys have to come off the field so and then the next guy which we we definitely don't want yes I totally agree with you there but again it would be it would be nice to see and it's good to have the depth uh and Eric coach uh wide receivers coach Eric yber does an incredible job the other guy Tyler Davis this versatility is crazy with Tyler Davis because how many true not tackles do you know that can play defensive end alongside of nose tackle like these guys they're built one way to play nose tackle to be able to go up against the center you're not also built to be able to go up against an offensive tackle especially a guy like Joe Al I've seen him line up in the on T which is the gap between the center and the guard 3T which is the gap between the guard and the tackle where Aaron Donald made all of his money and then the four eye which is directly in front of the tackle which is where he's circled in this picture um so I mean when you're looking at like PFF grades you can't necessarily just look at the grades in totality because the Rams move him around so much that they're just trying to see what they can get out of him see what kind of Versatility they have upfront in general so if he's graded in one spot like really low say for example at the 4T where he's playing defensive end it's likely going to drag down that cumulative grade but I think for the most part A guy that is drafted as a nose tackle that could play three different positions up front I think it's insanely valuable for a young defensive front and it's I mean he's earned snaps it's why he got limited snaps in the last preseason game yeah and it's just why you cannot always judge somebody by their by their grades or their BFFs you know it's it's very easy just to pull out numbers when you're having an argument and just being like hey well you know numbers don't show it's like yeah well the numbers they don't lie but they're not showing the full picture of exactly what's going on because everything we saw from uh Davis I thought was was was lights out I totally agree contextless numbers is what bugs me about that because it's like he's a good player if if you see that he's a good player you see that he's versatile enough to play on the defensive front at this level he's going to make the roster he's going to play for this team and he's going to be a really good RAM for years to come the next guy I I mean I just want to show this flashback Nick because we did this 53 man dep chart projection and there was some controversy inside linebacker and I want to go back in time about a month and a half when we were talking about undrafted free agent Omar Spates so I had Jake hmel and Troy reer both on the cusp but then I went Ernest Jones Christian roseboom and Omar Spates because Omar Spates like Oregon State LSU really really good bodyw work more talented Than Jake hmel and more talented than Troy reer like he's the kind of guy that I feel like can play opposite of Ernest Jones in rotation with Christian Rose boom gotten a lot of good inside Scoops from some of the guys that covered the draft and have identified a lot of undrafted free agents that they feel like will make rosters Omar spites is that guy for us so I think he's going to be a lot of fun to kind of keep your eyes on throughout training camp because I feel like he's going to be one that makes the roster so I had Jake hmel and short what do you have to say about that brother Nick you were write all the money I would love to know what my followup my I probably just said yeah no I agree just because I'm not you know I wasn't fully you know versed in that topic but yeah I mean you were totally had it because uh it it does look like it is trending that way I hope so I mean and you're seeing it now from Ram's Twitter too shout out Sosa uh Omar Spates might be that guy pairing him with Ernest Jones would be fun as hell uh there's a lot of good things to like about him I think that just in in terms of the way that he approaches the game his special teams contributions he had two tackles for loss in one single Series in like a span of four plays he made that special teams play as soon as the game started where he knocked one of the uh Chargers uh kick returners right on their back with a right shoulder it's just a really impressive play and that's the kind of guy that you're you know you're hoping can earn time later on in the season and make the roster just to kind of get things going but I think it was a hip injury he was supposed to be like a second or third round pick and a hip injury at LSU or maybe it was at Oregon state is the reason why he fell so far down the draft boards and then he ended up being undrafted Rams picked him up another incredible job by The Scouting Department to identify this kid yeah 100% you would think that just like injuries can like end people's careers but like he's out like he's out there he's playing like he seems to have been to have picked up almost exactly where he left off maybe slight downgrade but still I mean it's he's only going to continue to rise from from what we have seen from him so I I love it as well I mean for them to even think of like to bring him in when he's completely undrafted is just yeah kudos to the entire organization yeah it's it's smart it reminds me of the Cory Littleton days you know the undrafted guys that make a name for themselves and Ernest Jones you know who knows I don't want to make any assumptions but he's also on the last year of his deal and he's been dealing with some offseason knee problems I was hoping they would give him a contract but they haven't yet and I'm trying to see if it if it correlates with his knee injury him becoming healthy and see how much he could play this season the other guy or a couple honorable mentions rather because those were the top three uh some honorable mentions Xavier Smith stud on special teams I compared him to Brandon Powell initially I think they were the same number was Powell 18 or was po 19 do you remember I think he was 19 I think you're right yeah I think and I do think I think he's a better overall receiver than Brandon pal and I think the comparison came after I saw the Rams give him a Jet Sweep but it certainly brings to light tutu's value and if he's not going to be a starting receiver on this team you know Xavier Smith the way that he's progressing as a return man you see how he gets the sideline hyped up he's a really solid punt returner he's a really solid kick returner so I'm just kind of nervous for 22 Atwell status um because even McVey came out today and said he's uncertain in terms of how they're going to be able to utilize him this year and it's next man up in this league it's it's no ill will towards 2u it's just we're looking to get wins out of the squad and play mistake free football on all three phases I would say keep an eye out for Minnesota uh with with h as far as 2 two goes because I know that they're talking about potentially um you know trading him either during the season or maybe right before it starts and I know that uh I'm blanking on his name the Vikings headis no no no Vikings head coach oh Kevin oconnell yeah oconnell likes to kind of pick from from uh from the remains of the Rams like you did with Cam acres and I think that's is that not where p is I think it is yeah I think he is in Minnesota I mean there's also trying to think of the backup tight end there was a a tight end that played behind if you guys drop it in the comments I'm forgetting his name um but I'm also thinking in correl and also West Phillips but in correlation with the Jordan Addison news if you need another field stretching X receiver another burner type player you can get two two out for a pick Swap and that kind of could happen too so yeah Jordan Addison fight on who knows what's going on with him he was one that fell in our fantasy draft as of yesterday so uh those are some honorable mentions I also want to mention um Jaden McCulla I thought Mulla was really really impressive the safety room I think is is going to be really difficult to crack where you guys like you got guys like Jason Taylor on the cusp um obviously Russ yeast you got cam curl you got Quinton Lake um so there's some legitimate Talent there um so I I feel like jayen McCulla though is a player that other players really love like I saw Byron young tweeted a picture of him during the game and captioned it him like I thought he had another really nice game and he looks like he's he's big strong fast flying around the football willing to stick his nose in the ball and make a tackle um so I really liked him what I've seen from him over the first couple of pre-season games and then also Nick Hampton Jake hmel Carlos Watkins dejan Johnson those are all honorable mentions that we feel like are trending up so even mention the the whole second tier offensive line too in that category just like a as a I maybe not trending up from last year but just like like a grand I want to give a shout out to the defense they're forcing turnovers they're doing the right things uh and it's just it's it's shocking when you lose I mean it is preseason so I'm trying I'm you know I'm considering that maybe they're just playing against really bad players but at the same time I'm really liking what I'm seeing just from the schemes and just from the turnovers and the defense is like making like big uh impressive plays and it's just been that has been my highlight of the preseason so far has been watching what the defense has been able to do I agree with you because you don't get a lot of that sometimes in the preseason you don't get a lot of sound tackling you don't get a lot of Versatility in the back end you don't get a lot of talent in the front being able to you know generate pressure in different ways with different kind of stunts players moving around um so I'm pretty impressed with that as well I totally agree with you now let's move to trending down can we just skip this one dick because you gotta do it it's the first one you gotta say it and then I'll add my two cents and then we'll stop talking about it oh God I mean a pick in the Red Zone which I don't know if that was a 100% his fault because the Rams are on like the two yard line and they just went pass pass pass it's like you don't have Matthew Stafford under Center you got third string quarterback that's to Bennett he's got six turnovers in the first two games he also had a fumble um I think it was some at some point in the third quarter had a nice touchdown pass to undrafted free agent JJ Lop um and you know you do see some good things at times but it's not consistent enough I just don't think that he's anything more than a third string quarterback in this league and I don't really want to talk about him any more than that I you absolutely can add your two cents but I would be so much more aable watching Jimmy garoo take some snaps in the first two weeks if Matthew Stafford isn't good to go or at some point in this season yeah hopeful you never see the backup but this is one I I hope I really don't see outside of the preseason everything that they're doing on offense feels like it's a little in spite of his efforts um and I do just I feel like watching him is like watching uh the Rocks Football League XFL usfl I feel like he's just right on par with those quarterbacks which is usually like a third string in the league and they can have some explosive and nice plays every you know every now and then but yeah I Jimmy G or tanah Hill if Stafford I just you know I just hope that Stafford can stay stay upright at least until the third game this season is really because I I just don't want to start ow to and I really don't want to I don't want to see him out there during during the season I tried really hard to say something positive today no you didn't do a bad job um it's it's hard though because like you see a guy like Luis Perez and in the broadcast they were like Luis Perez didn't play football until after high school or whatever they said he started playing football at like the age of 19 and is playing professional football as the third string for the Chargers right now and then you see a guy like Bryce Perkins Luis Perez and Bryce Perkins both undrafted they both play in the UFL but they both seem like they are a little bit more competent and less lik yeah it's it just feel like you know you're not worried every time he throws the ball or when he escapes the pocket and tries to make a play with his legs now because he didn't secure the football when he tried to take off and run on that third down play yeah no very few things like he does some like he knows how to play the position obviously One National Championships of Georgia but there's a very small amount of things that he knows that to do correct and one of the biggest things is just take care of the football I really think if you're like a third Stringer in this league you have to be able to make moves with your legs just because it's like you have to be able to kind of dice them it's like because you're not going to be able to have like this crazy arm Talent it's were at that point in the league and yeah he doesn't even have that so it's yeah let's just move on you know I do feel guilty that I tried to claim that he was going to be a poor man's Baker Mayfield when he was originally drafted I I am upset with myself but I you know you hope he continues to progress and they're gonna have him for you know the foreseeable future so you may as well just stay hopeful that he's going to play some sound football in the third preseason game probably gonna get a majority of the snaps again if not all of them so it's you know maybe a tougher watch but you just are hoping for Progress for the kid um and then another guy who I feel like is trending down is Trey Tomlinson uh he kept the rams' defense on the field with a killer illegal contact penalty um I think it was a third and 19 situation so he's now to show the colors of a Darion Kendrick somebody who gets too handsy somebody that's overly aggressive at the worst of times and he committed a really similar penalty last week that was detrimental for the defense I unfortunately think that he is a cut candidate and I know that that it is uh leanian Tomlinson's nephew and we all had high hopes for him coming out at TCU but there's too much talent in the defensive act room and if you're on the field and you're committing penalties on Third and 19 and you're giving the offense another opportunity to keep moving the football while the whole defense thinks that they're going to go take a rest on the sideline everybody doesn't you know nobody's happy with that so no I mean so tough it did happen last year a lot it reminds me of uh like you said Kendrick where it's you know it's the it's it's the end the half for the Eagles game and there's a you know there's there's something in the back right corner of the end zone because he's getting all handsy and it happened again I think um in the Falcons game and like two two points that just absolutely killed us and like to have a to have anybody you know that is consistently doing that it's one thing if it happens you know randomly and it watch the replay back but you watch it back and you're like yeah those are just things you just can't do you know so you have you have to be able to kind of stop doing that once you get called on it once and once it happens again yeah it does especially in preseason it feels like you know you are on a strike based system here so we we will see if you can uh you know if you have what it takes to be on the practice squad yeah I mean that that could be it he could be a practice squad candidate um and then he may get picked up by another team but I think he's definitely a practice squad candidate considering you got some tough decisions to make a running back at receiver now with Xavier Smith and um Tyler Johnson inside linebacker we talked about with Omar Spates and Jake hmel and Troy reader um you got some tough decisions to make in terms of safeties so I think it's it's just you know might be a position that they feel like they're going to go a little bit lighter on because they have so much talent in other spots um and then the last one is Zack Evans it was him and Boston Scott in this one Boston Scott ended up winning the game for the Rams he was the one that I think took like a 35 yard uh handoff and and ended the game and slid in and the Rams won um but Boston Scott I feel like he's clearly the better player plus he brings special teams value like these young running backs don't understand like you have to be able to at least be valuable on special teams as a kick returner if you're lacking things like Vision you're lacking things like big playability and it just it seems off the vision seems off his big play ability was showcased a ton in college and it just seems like it's it's lacking a ton so far the Visions off as I mentioned and I just like Boston Scott better as a veteran if he does need to get some snaps and I think I think you do too so yeah seems like they gotta go they gotta go light there too ice the game hun I mean I I was I was actually wanted to to to put Boston Scott on the trending up but it's like this is just kind of who he is so it's like he's very being who he is uh but it is like ice is the game had some had some really great rips and it did it like to me it feels like you shouldn't put the pressure of having somebody that's on like like like they did this last year where like cup or puka would like be receiving punts for like Kickbacks and it's just like I would rather have somebody that is more focused on just doing that to play that role so to me I would just want it to be Boston Scott because I I I feel like he he has what it takes I would have loved it if he scored that touchdown at the end but he kind of did get caught up to which kind of is the running back that he always has been but still I he was able to get that chunk short and just burst through the hole like pretty well and Zack Evans just it compared to Boston Scott was did not look good and it's like when you're next to Boston Scott you have to either at least be on his level or like slightly better I think yeah I totally agree I mean Boston Scott Xavier Smith 22 out well like I would feel better from a special teams perspective with any of those three guys but like Boston Scott specifically because he's done it at such a high level with the Eagles in the past so he's got some veteran talent and then the last thing I wanted to note Joshua cardi yeah he was two of three he made another extra point but was two of three missed a 52 yard field goal by a mile all I want to is see him make a 50 plus yard in the next game like I think he's fine I think he'll he'll be the kicker of the future but I just need to see him make a 50 yard or 55 Yard or whatever it is 50 plus in the next preseason game let's be honest right now de you're not gonna get a better kicking situation than soofi Stadium you're you're just not you're maybe there will be ones on the same level but it's only going to get harder when you go to other locations yep and I agree I need to see you make a 50 yard I the Rams are actually a team at least last year that will be conservative on like that fourth and three fourth and six uh situation where they are like just close enough where they're like 50 53 I think mcy is just used to having either Greg BG or Matt gay so he just feels like points in that situation is better but if Josh is not going to be able to provide points in that situation at least go into the season knowing that and go for it at that you know you know at that Midfield a little past yeah I agree yeah it's tough and like Ethan Evans was struggling a little bit as a punter so like that might not be a consistent option they're both young guys but hoping that these are the guys of the future and then you got stretch toos in the building who's going to at least give you some insight in terms of like the analytics behind why you should go for it in certain downs and distances on terms of fourth down um but I just I want to see the kicker make field goals 50 plus is makeable field goal distances for these kickers and cardi is supposed to be that guy he was hitting 60 yarders before the game started so you know you just got to see that consistently but that's that's where you really work where it's like yeah uh oh is it like a mental thing for you it's like what once you get P like if you can just rip them all the time in the the warm-ups then yeah I mean it could have been the snap too it could have been the hold laces is out they like to say pron two you know yeah pre season yeah getting some of the Jitters out but as we mentioned make sure you guys like And subscribe make sure you guys download autograph and punching our referral code I'm gonna pull it up one more time before we go um and we love you guys we appreciate you guys listening and as always G Rams we will talk to you guys again soon yes G Rams thank you all for listening we love you download the app horns up baby peace