Random Ramsdom: What did you think of Stetson Bennett’s preseason performance?

Happy Monday! Thank you for checking out some links with us today!

The focus is going to be on Stetson Bennett. What were your takeaways or how did you think Bennett did in his first NFL action? Please comment on anything you’d like and let us know if you had takeaways beyond what Stetson showed us.

It’s only the preseason and I am not taking anything to seriously. It’s nice to see some NFL games on TV again though! We’re getting closer and closer to regular season NFL action,

Have a great day, please do leave us some comments and let us know your thoughts!

Stetson Bennett exciting as ever in NFL debut with Los Angeles Rams (dawgnation)

“I thought it was alright,” Bennett said after the game. “I thought there some bone-headed plays that I made, I thought there were some good plays that I made.

“I felt we bounced back a few times from some lost yardage plays. I thought we did pretty good on third downs, didn’t turn the ball over even though I tried to a few times, so gotta clean that up a little bit.”

Bennett was 17-of-29 passing for 191 yards and a touchdown, suffering three sacks, and leading two more drives that resulted in scores while playing in eight of Los Angeles’ 11 offensive series.

Bennett came off the bench in the second quarter and directed a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by an 11-yard TD pass.

“I thought there was a lot of good opportunities for him to be able to learn from,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, “and you could see some of the things that excite us about him.”

Bennett said things got better as the game progressed.

“It’s the first NFL game you’re playing in, and you’re going to be a little nervous and try to make a play when sometimes plays aren’t there,” Bennett said. “But then as it started to groove, we started calling plays and started to settle in.”

McVay said he saw Bennett settle into more of a rhythm in the second half.

“There were some tough situations you could see the athleticism where he escaped; the one scoring drive when Royce (Freeman) ended up punching it in, I thought he was able to get into a rhythm.

“He did a good job being able to exhaust some of his progressions. It was a step in the right direction.”

Former Georgia star quarterback and NFL Super Bowl champ Matthew Stafford did not dress for the game, and veteran Brett Rypien got the start and played the first three series.

Rypien, listed as the co-No. 2 quarterback with Bennett by the Rams, was just 3-for-6 passing for 11 yards after starting and playing the first three series of the game.”

Stetson Bennett gets his first NFL action for the Rams in a 34-17 preseason loss to the Chargers (apnews.com)

“The former Georgia star’s first pro game still gave him a new kind of thrill, and his solid outing should boost the Los Angeles Rams’ confidence in his ability to thrive at the next level.

Bennett passed for 191 yards and a touchdown for the Rams in the stadium where he led the Bulldogs to his second national championship seven months ago, getting his first NFL action in a 34-17 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night.

“It was fun to finally get out there and honestly get hit,” Bennett said. “I’m not going to win many of those, but it’s good to feel like a football player again. It’s fun to get out there and compete.”

Bennett entered the game early in the second quarter and immediately led a 16-play, 75-yard drive that included three near-interceptions and a sharp 11-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Puka Nacua.

Bennett led two more scoring drives after halftime, finishing 17 for 29 with no interceptions. He made mistakes, but he also showed coach Sean McVay how he’ll attempt to overcome them if he’s ever needed to play in place of Matthew Stafford in games that count.

“It’s the first NFL game you’re playing in, and you’re going to be a little nervous and try to make a play when sometimes plays aren’t there,” Bennett said. “But then as it started to groove, we started calling plays and started to settle in.”

Former TCU quarterback Max Duggan passed for 19 yards and rushed for 20 yards in his own debut for the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, where Bennett’s Bulldogs routed Duggan’s Horned Frogs 65-7 in the College Football Playoff title game.

Both quarterbacks are vying for backup jobs with Los Angeles’ two NFL teams, but Bennett’s debut was much busier.

Bennett took over after new veteran backup Brett Rypien ran the Rams’ first three offensive series and completed only three passes. Bennett’s first three throws were shaky — two near-interceptions dropped by Chargers defenders and an incompletion erased by a penalty — before he found Nacua for a 17-yard slant.

Bennett’s pass was nearly picked again at the goal line, but after the drive was extended by a Chargers penalty, he expertly hit Nacua in traffic for his first score.

Bennett then led a 74-yard TD drive in the third quarter, making three straight impressive completions before veteran running back Royce Freeman carried it in.

“I thought he did a nice job,” McVay said. “There were some tough situations. You could see the athleticism where he escaped.”

Jaguars sign former Rams, Vikings OT Bobby Evans (sports.yahoo)

“Evans, 26, was a third round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft and played in 35 games with the team before getting released late in the 2022 season.

As a rookie, Evans took over as the Rams’ starting right tackle in the latter half of the year. However, he played just one offensive snap in his second season and bounced around as a reserve lineman in his last two seasons, earning time at both guard and tackle.

After getting cut by the Rams, Evans briefly joined the Minnesota Vikings practice squad and spent the first week of training camp with the team before getting released earlier this month.

Reyes, 27, signed with the Jaguars in May and was out of action for a preseason game Saturday night while in the concussion protocol. No further information about his decision to retire is known at this point.

Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire”

5 sleepless-night narratives emerging out of LA Rams’ first preseason game (ramblinfan)

“Hey, it’s preseason. The uglies show up early and often in this one. As far as coachable events, the Rams coaches had to be happy with the team’s performance. There were plenty of teachable moments in this one. Not just for the players on the field, but for the entire team.

The LA Rams starting offense may need to put up a lot of points because the Rams’ defense looks a bit raw and unsettled. When the team needed to make a stop, they didn’t

V: Rams run defense is going to have serious growing pains

The LA Chargers averaged 6.8 yards per carry on 20 carries in this one. Despite that success at grinding out the yards on the ground, the Rams’ defense held the Chargers’ offense to just 20 points late into the fourth quarter.

But this was preseason. The Rams defense struggled to make stops against the run. It’s early, but on several plays with a ‘pile,’ far too many Rams defenders stood back and watched while Chargers offensive linemen moved the pile forward before the whistle blew.

IV: Backup QB Brett Rypien looks rusty and Stetson Bennett looked reckless

While had completed his first three passes, backup QB Brett Rypien ended the first half with three out of six passes for 11 yards and a quarterback sack. The problem was not just the Rams allowing pressure, but the incompletions, Rypien failed to connect with open receivers.

QB Stetson Bennett entered the game and the Rams’ offense came alive. But on multiple plays, Bennett threw the ball into the hands of a defensive back. The only reason that the offensive drive did not end on any of the three such plays is that the defensive back dropped the ball.

That allowed the Rams to put up a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, the offensive output was just too little too late. , In so many ways, this game was all LA Chargers.

III: Rams OL Logan Bruss and QB Brett Rypien were not quite ready to start in preseason Game 1

Well, not so much for RT Logan Bruss, who gave up a quarterback sack in the Rams’ first series. But like many players in this one, he settled down and the offense seemed to settle in for a long drive in the second quarter.

But some of that falls on the quarterback as well. Whether it was his pace or what he was seeing or not seeing in coverage, Rypien was very ineffective. While he is a veteran NFL quarterback, he does not look like a quarterback who is fighting for a roster spot on this team.

There is always a bit of rust in any preseason opener. But you have to hope that is the only reason for these early struggles. I’m not convinced that the Rams starting offensive line is truly ‘set,’ and I will be quite curious to see how the Rams address the group for the other two preseason games.

II: Rams punt coverage already surrendered a touchdown

For the Rams, the moment of truth had finally arrived. The LA Rams fans were about to witness the full Rams special teams roster. The Rams debuted the preseason with placekicker Tanner Brown, punter Ethan Evans, and return specialist Ronnie Rivers.

If you wanted to see exactly what all of the fuss over rookie punter Ethan Evans was about, you had your chance. In the first half, Evans delivered three punts for 148 yards, including one that downed inside the Chargers’ 20-yard line, and one that was boomed for 61 yards. It was heartbreaking to witness Ethan Evans’ 61-yard punt be converted into an 81-yard punt return touchdown.

But if you need to end this one on a positive note, Ethan Evans punted one 63 yards into the end zone as the second half started. And if you were not aware, Ethan Evans kicked off in this one too.

I: LA Rams penalties really hurt team

While the Rams’ defense only surrendered 13 points in the first half, the team shot itself in the foot far too often. In fact, penalties seemed to hurt the Rams on both sides of the football. With 100 yards of offense in the first half, the Rams’ penalties took away 58 yards of field position in that first half.

That’s not exactly the way the Rams hoped Game 1 would turn out. But it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. With 10 minutes remaining in this game, the Rams were penalized nine times for 111 yards.

The Rams young team is a bit of a mixed bag. There were clearly some outstanding players. But keep in mind that the Rams rotated a lot of players into the game, so continuity in this game resembled the lack of continuity that plagued the entire Rams roster one year ago.

A fourth down and one yard to go resulted in a fase start by Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson, pushing the Rams back. The subsequent field goal attempt was no good.

And in the fourth quarter, Timarcus Davis ran through a wide receiver on an overthrown pass, giving the Charges a new set of downs and a chance to score again.

8:48 minutes remaining Q4

Chargers 27

Rams 17

The LA Rams have some positive takeaways for this one, and clearly some things to work on. But, in theory, this was a learning experience, and as bad as it should get for the Rams team

The LA Rams are not a polished team just yet, and may need to put a couple of games in the rear view mirror. There are some promising developments in this game. Clearly the Rams punt coverage needs some work. The Rams run defense will need to stiffen up as well. But overall, the Rams did not fall apart. And it’s clear that backup rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett has some fight in him, and he brings that out in the Rams offense as well.”