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Imagine watching a dress rehearsal where half the cast is
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literally auditioning for their livelihoods.
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Oh yeah, high stakes, right, It's.
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This incredibly high pressure mix of just you know, basic
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practice and pure survival. Welcome to the reality of an
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NFL preseason game.
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It's a completely different vibe.
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It really is. Today we're taking a deep dive into
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the Los Angeles rams incredibly dominant thirty four zero preseason
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Week two victory over the New Orleans Saints. This is
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from August twenty two to twenty twenty.
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Six, a massive shutout.
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Yeah, thirty four to zero. We're grounding our whole discussion
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today in a stack of official articles from the Rams
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dot com, and our mission here is to look past
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that massive scoreboard and extract the human stories and the
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strategic takeaways that just usually get buried in a blowout like.
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This, because there's always more going on than just the
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final score.
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Exactly. Okay, let's unpack this because watching preseason football, I mean,
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it often feels like a completely different sport than the
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regular season.
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It does. It requires a completely different analytical lens. Honestly,
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when the lights go on for these August games, the
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established stars you know the household names. They're just on
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the sideline wearing.
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Baseball caps, right, They're not risking injury.
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Exactly, the game script is intentionally vanilla. Coordinators aren't trying
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to trick anyone with complex blitz packages or exotic motions.
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They save that for September.
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Yeah, exactly what you're getting is just an unfiltered look
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at a team's baseline coaching culture. They're raw scheme execution
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and just unadulterated effort. You aren't watching to see if
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the Rams are going to win the Super Bowl based
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on this single game.
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That would be a stretch, right.
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You're watching to see how an undrafted guard handles getting
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beat on a block, or you know, how a backup
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quarterback manages the geometry of the field when a play
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breaks down.
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I love that phrase, managing the geometry of the field. Yeah,
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so before we look at the guys fighting tooth and
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nail for a roster spot on defense, we first need
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to look at how the Rams built such a massive
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lead in the first place.
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Yeah, the offensive engine, right.
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The offense. Hey, coach Sean McVay very clearly segmented this game.
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He gave Stetson Bennett the entire first half, and then
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ty Simpson took the second half.
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And Bennett's first half production, I mean, it certainly jumps
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off the stat sheet. He led four scoring drives on
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the five series he played.
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That's a great ratio, it is.
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He even rushed for two touchdowns. One of them was
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this really gritty one yard dive for the pylon.
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Oh right, the one where he was originally ruled short
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on the field.
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Yes, but McVeigh threw the challenge flag and the call
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was actually successfully overturned, which is always nice to see
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in a preseason game.
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Definitely, and then ty Simpson takes over midway through the
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third quarter. He's handed a twenty seven U lead, which
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it entirely shifts the context of the game.
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The urgency is completely gone at that point, exactly.
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But he still went eight for twelve passing for seventy
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three yards, and he orchestrated a drive that was capped
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off by a twelve yard touchdown run from Sharquez Hunter.
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Which brings them to thirty four points on the board.
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Right, But I have to push back a little here.
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Okay, let's hear it.
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Does score thirty four points in the preseason. Actually mean
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the offense is a well oiled machine, or were they
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just capitalizing on a disorganized Saints defense, Because when you
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look at the
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play by play, Bennett's drives faced some
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very specific, really frustrating adversity up front.
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That's a fair point. The offensive line definitely had some
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self inflicted wounds. Yeah, the penalties, right, Blake Hans committed
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a false start penalty that stalled Bennett's very first drive oouch.
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And then on the second series, Bill Murray had another.
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False start and that one was in the red zone. Way.
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Yeah, that one was particularly damaging because it happened right
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down at the Saints eight yard line. It ultimately forced
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the Rams to settle for a twenty six yard field
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goal from Harrison MeVis.
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Settling for three when you're that close is tough.
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It is. And Bennett also had a moment where he
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nearly connected on a deep touchdown to Tyler Scott, but
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he slightly overthrew him. Scott had to stretch out his
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right arm and you know he could only get a
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hand on it.
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A false start in the red zone during the regular
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and can just be devastating, which makes me wonder what
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McVeigh is actually looking at on the film right, Like
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if an offensive explosion is nice but it includes these
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sloppy drive killing penalties. What is the coaching staff's real
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takeaway there?
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If we connect this to the bigger picture, McVeigh isn't
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walking away thinking his offense is flawless. He is evaluating
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the response.
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To the flaws ah the bounce back.
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Exactly when alignment jumps early and turns a first and
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ten into a first and fifteen, the entire geometry of
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the drive changes, the playbook shrinks.
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Is a defense knows you're backed.
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Up, right, they can just pin their ears back and
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play incredibly aggressively. So seeing a quarterback like Bennett overcome
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those specific line penalties, reset the huddle, process the setback,
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and still produce points.
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Like he did later when he hit Tyler Scott for
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that really impressive fourth down conversion.
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Yes, exactly, Yeah, that is the real evaluation metric. The
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coaching staff wants to see if a mistake just cascades
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into a turnover or if the quarterback can run the ship.
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So it's essentially a stress test. A perfectly blocked play
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where the primary receiver is just wide open, tells you
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very little about a quarterback's.
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Mental resilience almost nothing.
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You want the messy drive to see if the guy
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panics when the check engine light comes on.
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Navigating a messy pocket after your lineman jumps early provides
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incredibly valuable tape. It proves the quarterback can actually manage
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the operational mechanics of the offense under duress.
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That makes a lot of sense. But you know that
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offense didn't build a twenty seven point halftime lead in
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a vacuum, not at all. They were heavily aided by
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a defense that just absolutely suffocated the Saints at the
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line of scrimmage.
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You completely shut them down.
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Yeah, which provides an interesting contrast. While the offensive line
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was struggling with overthinking and false starts, the defensive front
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was doing the exact opposite. They were playing so fast
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and aggressive. And that brings us to outside linebacker Wesley Bailey.
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Bailey is a great story. He's an undrafted rookie out
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of the University of Louisville and his stat line for
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a rotational preseason player is phenomenal.
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What were his numbers again?
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He finished with five total tackles, one tackle for loss,
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three quarterback hits, a forced humble, and a sack on
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Zack Wilson in the first quarter. Wow yeah, he practically
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lived in the Saints backfield.
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Here's where it gets really interesting though. The physical play
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is obviously impressive, but the emotional core of his game
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just gives it so much weight.
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The sack celebration.
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Yes, after Bailey sacked Zack Wilson, He's
celebrated by making
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a heart with his hands and pointing up to the sky.
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He revealed in his postgame interview that he has finished
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every single sack with that exact celebration since twenty twenty one. Wow. Yeah.
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He does it to honor his late mother, who passed
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away when he was only five years old, and to
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honor his three sisters.
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Doing that on an NFL field, I mean it adds
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a profoundly human element to the game.
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It really does.
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When these athletes are just crashing into each other at
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high speeds, it's so easy to reduce them to jersey numbers.
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That sack celebration is a grounding reminder of the lifetimes
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of motivation, grief, and family history that these edge of
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the roster players carry on to the turf.
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It fuels the intensity you see on the field absolutely
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and you could really see that intensity. Later in the game,
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the Saints are marching down the field. They're getting right
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down to the Rams four.
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Yard line, a critical moment right and.
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Bailey runs up behind the ball carrier and just punches
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the ball out for a force fumble. It was recovered
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by Rams defensive lineman Peyton z Droike. I look at
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a play like that as a well, like a defensive.
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Hole on one defensive hole online.
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I like that, yeah, because erasing a guaranteed three points
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in the absolute toughest, most congested part of the field
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that changes the entire momentum of the game.
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The mechanics of that forced fumble speak volumes about his
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motor and his spatial awareness.
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Right to find the ball in that mess.
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Chasing a play down from behind and having the presence
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of mind to target the football in traffic requires relentless effort.
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He was so focused on creating chaos that he didn't
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even realize Zdroik had recovered the fumble until like ten
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minutes before his locker room interview.
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That's hilarious. He was just in the.
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Zone totally, and that ability to constantly disrupt the pocket
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is exactly why Sean McVay said after the game that
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you quote felt Bailey's presence all day.
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The timing of Bailey's emergence is also incredibly critical for
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the Rams right now given their current roster situation.
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Yeah, they are dealing with significant attrition on the edge.
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Outside linebacker Kre Thomas, the second who brings experience and
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played well in the preseason opener, he was ruled out
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with a groin injury. Right, And Daniel Rickert, a free
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agent they signed on August seventh, was also ruled out
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with a knee injury. Suddenly, the depth chart was looking very.
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Thin, which creates a perfect next man up scenario for
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an undrafted rookie.
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Like Bailey exactly. And Bailey had a relatively quiet game
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against the Chiefs last week.
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Yeah, just two tackles and a couple of pressures. Right.
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So, making the leap from that performance to dominating the
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Saints in a single week shows tremendous rapid adaptation to
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NFL game speed.
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Did he talk about what changed for him?
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He did. He credited the defensive line coach, the outside
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linebacker coach, and the defensive coordinator for that rapid adaptation.
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He specifically noted that they allowed him to play free.
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Playing free seems like the ultimate goal for a defense.
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I mean, if a player is out there overthinking his
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gap assignment or worrying about the playbook, his feet are
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just going to slow down.
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When a coaching staff can simplify the reads and tell
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an athletic rookie to just trust his eyes, the hesitation vanishes.
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It's all instincts at that point exactly. That is how
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you get a player to successfully use his leverage rip
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under a right tackles pads and flatten the arc to
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get to Zach Wilson.
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And that kind of front seven pressure. When you're disrupting
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the quarterback, it has a direct ripple effect on the
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rest of the defense.
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Oh completely.
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When the defensive line forces the issue, the secondary doesn't
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have to cover receivers for five or six seconds. Defensive
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back can take risks and jump routes, which sets up
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the most electrifying moment of.
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This deep dive safety Alex Cook's one hundred yard interception return.
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Yes late in the third quarter, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler
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is operating out of the shotgun at the Rams six
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yard line. He tries to thread the needle to his
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tight end Traton Welch, but Alex Cook picks it off
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Wee's pass rattler and just takes it one hundred yards
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the other way for a pick six. Incredible point it was.
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And it wasn't just Cook shining back there either. Cornerback
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Alzillian Azy Hamilton grabbed an interception at the start of
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the second quarter, and Cam Lampkin had a great fourth
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down pass break up.
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Ohll secondary was eating Yeah.
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But Cook's journey to this moment is something out of
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a movie script.
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He has definitely taken the scenic route to the NFL.
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He's a California native from Sheldon High in Elk Grove,
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and he went undrafted in twenty twenty three. He spent
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time bouncing around the practice squads of the Giants, Panthers,
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and Bears.
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Just trying to stick somewhere exactly.
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And just two months ago he was playing in the
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UFL for the Birmingham Stallions, where he ended his season
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with a thirty yard pick six. He came to the
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Rams hoping to get one more pick six in the NFL,
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and then he goes out and runs one back one
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hundred yards.
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You can't write it any better, You really can't.
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So what does this all mean. It's one thing to
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get a lucky tipball that just kind of falls into
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your lap, but to read a play from the snap,
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secure the interception in the end zone, and run it
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back one hundred yards? I mean, is this a sign
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of superior football IQ? Or was Cook just in the
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right place at the right time because of a bad
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read by Spencer Ratler.
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What's fascinating here is Cook's post game breakdown of the play. Yeah,
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it completely answers that question, and it highlights immense processor speed.
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Really, what did he say?
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He literally walked reporters through the exact mechanics of what
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he saw. Because the rams were in cover, for Cook
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had responsibility for his deep quarter of the field at
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the snap, he felt the running back push out to
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the flat. Okay, instantly he died diagnosed the route combination.
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He felt the tight end pushing a vertical and breaking
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toward the sideline on a corner route which is often
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called a seven route right.
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And a lesser safety might panic and chase that deep
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corner route, which would then just open up the middle of.
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The field precisely, but Cook knew the overarching route concept.
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The Saints were running. He knew that the tight end's
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corner route was designed as bait ah to clear him
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out yeah, and that there would be a spot route
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coming underneath it to sit right at the goal line.
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So instead of taking the bait, Cook held his inside leverage.
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He stayed slightly inside the receiver, keeping his eyes firmly
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locked on Stencer Rattler's helmet, just reading the quarterback exactly.
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He waited for Rattler's eyes to progress from his first
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read to that underneath spot route. The split second Rattler's
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eyes shifted, Cook drove on the ball, jumped the route,
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caught it in stride, and took off.
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That is just wild. Processing the running back's flat route,
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identifying the tight end's corner route as bait, anticipating the
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underneath spot route, and reading the quarterback's helmet progression, all
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happening in the condensed space of the red zone in
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about what two and a half seconds barely even that.
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That is incredible processing speed.
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Doing all of that successfully requires a deep understanding of
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the offensive coordinator's intent. But what is even more remarkable
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is how seamlessly Cook transitioned into this defense, considering he
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only arrived on August seventh.
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That fast integration has to be aided by the familiar
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faces in.
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The building, though, Oh without a doubt, the.
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Rams' pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach is Jimmy Lake,
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who coached Cook at the University of Washington, and he's
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also reunited with his former college teammates, wide receiver Pukainakua
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and cornerback Trent McDuffie.
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Having your former college head coach running your current NFL
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meeting room flattens the learning curve tremendously. They already share
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a football vocabulary.
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You don't have to translate everything right.
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The defensive concepts aren't entirely foreign, which allows a journeyman
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off a UFL roster to bypass the overwhelming fase of
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learning a new playbook and immediately transition to playing fast
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and instinctual football.
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Cook actually mentioned that from his very first day he
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felt like he was part of the family. The way
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the entire defense swarmed him in the end zone after
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that one hundred yard return is a clear testament to that.
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It synthesizes the core message hidden within these sources. Really,
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we all know preseason games don't count in the official
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NFL standings, and years from now, nobody is going to
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recall the box score of this specific Rams Saints matchup.
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Probably not, but these.
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Games are incredibly meaningful for the players on the field
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and for evaluating the broader organizational philosophy.
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The culture Sean McVay has established in Los Angeles empowers
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players who might be overlooked elsewhere. A UFL practice squad,
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journeyman or an undrafted rookie can step into that facility
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and immediately feel trusted.
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They don't feel like outsiders exactly.
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They are put in a defensive system that encourages them
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to play free, which directly to the game changing, highly
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intellectual football plays we saw in this blowout.
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It's all connected.
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It really is. So to you listening right now. The
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next time you turn on a preseason game in August,
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don't just look at the final score or you know,
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focus on the starting quarterback wearing a headset on the sideline.
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Look deeper, yeah, Look for the undrafted rookie making a
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heart with his hands after a sack, fighting for a
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roster spot to honor his late mother. Look for the
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UFL call up diagnosing a complex red zone passing concept
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in two seconds to make the play of his life,
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because that is where the real raw football story lives.
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It really leaves you with a fascinating thought to ponder
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long after the final whistle blows.
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What's that?
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Well, if an undrafted UFL safety and an undrafted rookie
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linebacker can completely dismantle an NFL offense when they are
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finally put in a system that trusts them and allows
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them to play fast and free. Yeah, how much untapped
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game wrecking talent is currently sitting outside the league right now,
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driving ubers or playing in spring leagues, just waiting for
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the right coaching staff and the right defensive scheme to
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unlock them.