September 9, 2018 10:05 PM EDT
Continuity paid off for the Los Angeles Rams' offense last season [url=http://www.brownscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ricardo-louis-jersey]Ricardo Louis Jersey[/url] , starting with the same offensive line combination that played together in all but one game.
It certainly did for running back Todd Gurley, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension in July after running for 1,305 yards and scoring 19 total touchdowns last season behind that familiar front five.
"Whoever said money don't make you happy lied," Gurley said with a smile Wednesday.
The Rams expect even greater stability on offense to translate into continued success in head coach Sean McVay's second season, a belief that has been reinforced during the start of training camp.
At this same stage last year, the Rams were working in new additions at left tackle, center and wide receiver while learning the basics of a new offense, and were still weeks away from trading for wide receiver Sammy Watkins. They return 10 of 11 starters for this year's workouts at UC Irvine, with new acquisition Brandin Cooks replacing Watkins as the big play threat in the passing game.
Quarterback Jared Goff said the familiarity is paying dividends, especially during the transition from teaching the offense in the first few days to refining each element of a system that produced an NFL-leading 29.9 points per game.
"We feel like we're in a good spot [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-malik-jefferson-jersey]Malik Jefferson Jersey[/url] ," Goff said. "Offensively, we've been starting to click. I think today was the first day you really felt that consistency starting to gel. We're not so much installing anymore, we're running the same plays over and over again and starting to get a good feel with it."
"It makes everyone so much more comfortable just to come out here and just play our game. You don't have to think about too much, and that's what it is all about," Gurley said.
For Goff, his increased comfort level entering his second season as the starter manifests in a better understanding of what opposing defenses are trying to do.
"It just continues to slow down," Goff said. "Your pre-snap process is a lot smoother, and you're more under control of everything and are seeing things better."
While Goff is playing faster, there has been no deceleration by Gurley after signing a contract featuring the most guaranteed money for a running back in NFL history. Goff and McVay both praised his relentlessness in practice, with a prime example coming when Gurley kept running towards the end zone as McVay was setting up the next play in the sequence.
"I got what I want, now let's keep going [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-jake-fisher-jersey]Jake Fisher Jersey[/url] ," Gurley said. "Nothing doesn't stop. The grind continues. It's going to be even harder now, obviously, to be able to do what I did last year, and teams are going to game plan for it. It's my job to go out there, put myself in a great position and try to work as hard as I can. As long as I do that, I feel comfortable with the players around me and the coaches around me to put me in a great position."
With so much familiarity returning, Gurley is ready to build on his best season to date. But he understands his individual production is the result of what the offense does together, declaring that every running back is the beneficiary of the blocking he gets before Gurley backtracked.
"Obviously, Barry Sanders is going to do what he do, but it doesn't matter what other running back you have back there. If you don't have all 11 doing one thing, then it's not going to work [url=http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-michael-roberts-jersey]Michael Roberts Jersey[/url] ," he said.
NOTES: Outside linebacker Matt Longacre left practice early because of an undisclosed injury. . Kicker Greg Zuerlein made a 63-yard field goal during a simulated two-minute drill.
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After losing a 20-point lead to the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks were determined not to lose another playoff game.
Leave it to All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to come up with a big play in the final seconds on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, including tipping in the go-ahead basket with 5 seconds left, and the Bucks held on for a 104-102 win to tie their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
Boston’s Marcus Morris missed a 14-footer at the buzzer with Khris Middleton’s hand in his face to seal a nail-biting win for the Bucks.
Seconds earlier, the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo jumped and reached up with his left arm around Boston’s Jayson Tatum to put back Malcolm Brogdon’s missed layup for the game-winner.
”It’s a heck of play,” coach Joe Prunty said.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston.
Antetokounmpo added seven rebounds and five assists, while Middleton scored 23 points. The Bucks’ two best players were clutch in the closing seconds of a tense victory, another sign of maturity for the one of the league’s up-and-coming teams.
”One of the most important things that we can carry from this game moving forward is that we stayed disciplined and we trusted one another,” Antetokounmpo said.
It could just as easily have fallen apart for Milwaukee after losing a 20-point lead with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown had 34 points for the Celtics, while Tatum added 21. Tatum’s 18-footer with 52 seconds left gave the Celtics a brief 100-99 lead.
He just couldn’t hold off Antetokounmpo on the other end for the decisive tip-in.
The disappointing end for the Celtics overshadowed their spirited rally from a 65-45 deficit. Play got chippy and the Celtics limited the Bucks’ transition game.
They came up one basket short at the end.
Antetokounmpo ”made a great tip-in and he was battling for the ball. That’s what great players do,” coach Brad Stevens said.
Both teams traded clutch buckets down the stretch.
After Tatum’s long jumper [url=http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-luke-willson-jersey]Luke Willson Jersey[/url] , Brogdon hit a transition 3 from the corner for a 102-100 lead with 33 seconds left. Al Horford followed with two foul shots to tie the game at 102 with 29 seconds remaining.
They couldn’t send the game into overtime. Morris bent over in frustration near the Boston bench after his fadeaway hit the rim.
”We got the look we wanted … It’s a shot that (Morris) can make 10 out of 10 times,” Brown said. ”It didn’t go in tonight. So Game 5, keep moving forward.”
TIP INS
Celtics: Stevens kept his starting five intact after the team never recovered from a disastrous first quarter in Game 3. Stevens said he would likely only make a switch for matchup purposes. … Boston ended with a 43-36 edge on the boards. … Morris finished with 13 points and shot 4 of 14.
Bucks: Starting C John Henson missed a second straight game with a sore back. … The Bucks went with the same starting five as Game 3, with Zeller replacing Henson and Brogdon starting for Tony Snell. … Jabari Parker led a vigorous effort off the bench with 16 points and seven rebounds. Backup C Thon Maker blocked five shots and played most of the fourth quarter.
OFF THE BENCH
The Bucks’ reinvigorated bench outscored the Celtics’ reserves 31-15. Parker, in particular, gave the team a lift in the first half with perhaps his best defensive play of the year after forcing turnovers on two straight Boston possessions at one point.
QUOTABLE
”We played great in the second half. We played great in the first six minutes of the game. The 18 minutes that ended the first half were not good. They had a lot to do with that.” – Stevens.
BLOCK PARTY
The Bucks set a franchise playoff high with 14 blocks, eclipsing the previous high of 13 set in Game 3. The 7-foot-1 Maker has turned into disruptive presence after playing sparingly in the first two games. He’s getting extended minutes because Henson’s injury.
”Thon is playing extremely assertive. The blocked shots are going to stand out because that’s something somebody can see on the stat sheet,” Prunty said.
STAT LINES
Brown picked up the second 30-point game of the postseason after scoring just one 30-point game in the regular season. He was 13 of 24 from the field but 2 of 10 from the 3-point arc. … The Bucks shot at least 52 percent from the field for the third straight game.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is Tuesday at the TD Garden in Boston.
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October 14, 2019 5:21 AM EDT