NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Rams-49ers MNF Recap with J.B. Long

Episode Date: October 4, 2022

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long to recap the Monday Night Football match between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. On first down, here is a toss. Right up the gut. Wilson, goodbye. Touchdown, 49ers. Third down and three, quick throw. What a catch. Samuel stays upright.

Terrific catch and run. One-on-one with Ramsey. Can't bring him down. Samuel. Highlight reel. Touchdown. This one is Juggle Pidge. There goes Hifonga.

Hufunga. Touchdown. San Francisco. Pick six. Talanoa Fonga, wrapping up the scoring for the 49ers on an ugly night for the Rams, 24 to 9, but a glorious night in the Bay Area into the weather in terms of uniform, in terms of smash-mouth, NFC, West football. And that's kind of what this division is.

is about J.B. Long now. I am joined, as you just learned, from the radio voice, the play-by-playman, one of the most talented guys in the business, J.B. Long of the Rams. And I'm going to put you in an awkward spot here, J.B. You just announced the game on the radio here in Los Angeles. I'm going to make you talk nicely about the 49ers for like 15 minutes. Is that okay? Oh, Greg. I was so looking forward to this conversation. I had a goal in the back of my mind to go deeper into the night than your Gino Smith opening Seahawks podcast on the Monday night recap show. And I just don't know that I have it in me. But it does lift my spirits to see you and to hear from you. And while I may be down in the dumps, I'm sure that you coming back from

across the pond are feeling even more threadbare than I. So I, yeah, a little bit. We got delayed. So to be perfectly honest, we landed sometime in the first quarter. And so I was racing, watching it on my phone and then racing to get back to the to in position here to catch up to the game and and it went quickly I missed the highlight I did I did see the 14 play drive eventually caught up you know that's the beauty of game pass you can try to cram through it but man there wasn't a lot of highlights like this Rams team right now we'll get to them in a second but they were a little overwhelmed by what's to me one of the best fronts in the NFL with the 49ers. Do you think the Rams were taken aback a little bit by all the blitzes when

maybe the 49ers didn't even need to blitz to get all those sex? Well, Greg, let me start with this. You won't get any sympathy from San Francisco. They were without Trent Williams and lost other pieces of their offensive line along the way. But I will point out that the Rams were playing with Bobby Evans at left guard in place of David Edwards. They started Coleman Shelton. He left with an injury. And so you had undrafted Jeremiah Colone at center. And then Alarick Jackson at right guard. So I would venture a guess that those three individuals have never stood side by side at practice with Matthew Stafford behind them, much less against this ferocious pass rush of the San Francisco 49ers. It was very much a worst case scenario and perhaps no surprise. It

turned into the second seven sack night of the season for the Rams. The first was against the Bills. This one against the Niners. Same result, their loss. Right. Two games where they've kind of been overwhelmed offensively, seven sacks quarterback, 11 quarterback hits. nine tackles for loss you heard the pick six which really ended it there was still a game at that point amazingly uh these two teams like the the offenses aren't there right now it feels like it's sort of like a trend in the NFL that the offense is behind the defense uh in a lot of places but especially these two teams seem like they're just trying to like piece it together what can they get to do offensively.

Like, why do you think everything is so hard right now for L.A.? I don't know if you can hear that plane overhead, Greg, but it might be mine. So I'll leave it there and leave you hanging only four minutes into the Monday night football recap. No, I'm just kidding. That will clear. You got me there. My voice will hopefully return.

Yeah, right now it does look like the Rams are a bit weapon deficient. When you look at the targets, 19 to Cooper Cup, 14 to Tyler Higby, wide, wide gap. And it's still Ben Scoronic ahead of Alan Robinson next in terms of catches and yards. And we're now a month in, four games in, and that's becoming a predicament without much of an explanation. He and Matthew Stafford just aren't on the same page, which, as you know, having been at training camp this summer, is just very difficult to fathom, given how hot a commodity they were at UC Irvine just a few short weeks ago. So, yes, there's a lot of issues, there are a lot of deficiencies. But I think you also have to give Demika Ryan's and the 49ers a ton of credit.

Like, they came in one of if not the best defenses in the National Football League. They came in, you know, allowing fewer than four yards per play. But I think there were some doubters saying, okay, you played the Chicago Bears in a monsoon. You played the Seattle Seahawks with Greg's boy, Gino. And you played the Broncos who are disjointed as well right now offensively. Let's see it against McVey and Stafford and the Rams. I mean, don't start, J.B. I mean, shutting out Gino, which is what they did,

they didn't give up any offensive points. That might be the most impressive thing you can do. They're the number one offense in EPA. If you shut down Gino, I mean, no wonder the Rams can't do anything. Yeah, and the Rams only got three and a half per play tonight. And I think the statistic I saw from Monday Night Football was it was the first time the Rams did not have a single explosive play of at least 20 yards going back to 2007. So right now they are without answers

And they are running out of places to turn in search of those answers But redemption is only a week away in the league And they got the Cowboys next Right, it's 20 They're still just two and two But they play one of the best defenses in the league next We'll talk about that during the week I'm curious as like a Rams follower

And maybe what the Rams What's inside the building there When Jimmy Garapolo you know End up taking over this job Again And I wonder what the reaction is. Because my reaction watching this is this, if nothing else, this offense is, they have answers. They have Debo Samuel still.

They have Brandon Ayuk. And they at least know who Jimmy Garapolo is. And it just doesn't seem like it's the worst thing for them right now to have him back under center. I think you've got the pulse. Like, are they a complete offensive team right now? No. But identity-wise, they know what. their playbook look like, it looks like, and what they have to do, given their current circumstances.

And that includes being without Trent Williams. That includes being without Trey Lance. Like Debo Samuel goes for 57 yards and Gropolo's stats look pretty good, but I think more than 70% of Gropolo's yards came after the catch tonight. You know, he can drag his time to throw down into the low twos. He can spread it around to Kittle and to Iyuk and to Samuel and they can make plays through tackles after the catch. Right now, aside from Cooper Cup, I'm not sure the Rams have enough of those players to similarly survive and play a defensive oriented game. Right. Like they're working so hard. Like Cup beating double teams is half the offense. And he does it week after week, which is completely amazing to me. Like the third down that Stafford hit the

cup last week, I thought changed the game and it was just a miraculous play. But they're needing miraculous plays sometimes to move the ball. Whereas Jimmy Garoppolo, on the other hand, like that play was a perfect example, who the 49ers are. I think Garapolo threw it high. I don't know if that was on purpose. Darian Kendrick might have picked that ball off if not for a high pass by Garapola, but then it's a bad tackle by Taylor Rap. And then Debo gets in the open field. And Jalen Ramsey's had a great season so far. But trying to tackle Debo Samuel in the open field. That to me was a difference today was like the playmakers of the 49ers had a chance to come out and kind of be themselves. Jeff Wilson got a chance to just run up the middle. Devo Samuel

had his two big gains, especially that one where he runs over Jalen Ramsey. And Nick Bosa, I went into the game thinking it's either a Nick Bosa game or an Aaron Donald game. And it was absolutely a Nick Bosa game. And oh, by the way, it was a Samson-Ebacom game. He's kind of been great for them too, your old Ram. Former Ram. I have to ask you, Greg, how you you knew because I was on my weekly Thursday run and I'm listening to the preview show and I just had this bad feeling when Rosenthal's going against his home Rams and and your other two co-hosts are picking Los Angeles. I couldn't believe it. When Dan and Mark are on the Rams band lag and I'm uneasy. I always I almost always picked the Rams because my daughter's a fan. Well, I don't need to

tell you about the regular, you know, the matchup that this has been difficult. Obviously, they won in the NFC championship game. But this, I keep in mind, it's a really long season, but this seems like a part of the season that the Rams are really going to have to try to manage and get through and find solutions as they go. Whereas I feel like San Francisco is not as far away, even though they're one and two.

Because I think on paper they have a top two or three defense, and that's like a great place to start. Yeah, I mean, it was almost a tease to see Odell Beckham Jr. tweet about this rivalry before the game and let everyone know whose side of it he's on. It's almost like either he has to walk through that door or the Rams have to come to grips with the fact that he's not walking through that door and move me on.

What do you think? You're the insider. I mean, I heard Troy Aikman and Joe Buck throw out like a week where he would be ready and potentially on the Rams. And I'm like, okay, are they just, do they know this already? They said week 10, by the way. I don't know if you heard that, but that's what you know. I was listening to my self-talk instead of Troy and Joe.

No, I know. I didn't know if you had heard week 10 in your dealings, you know, you do have a Super Bowl ring that comes with prized information. Yeah, well, you guys are the top 10 global NFL insiders, so I'll take my cue from you in terms of the insight skew. But look, you're right. I mean, two and two, the entire division is flat, but it felt like I was watching a rerun of my least favorite movie for like the third or fourth year in a row like jimmy

tableau on third and long not in a savior season type of situation but trying to dig out of a losing record and get out of an offensive malaise and whether it's third and five third and eleven third and 13 that's where he's at his most comfortable and it's where the 49ers are at their most dynamic and they won this one convincingly that they looked very much the part of a contender in an open nfc yeah i mean they're going to have their ups and downs too uh hufanga by the is really turning into a story. And at first I thought I was just being lazy comparing him to Troy Palomalo.

But that play tonight was a Troy Palomalo play. And then I learned, oh, no way, actually he trains under Troy Balamalo and it's like as mentored by him every offseason. It makes total sense. Dan pointed him out as early as possible in this season, and even in the preseason, he was great. And I think he is really changing their team. Before I let you go, I know you need to go.

So you do a quick little interview with Sean McVeigh right after he speaks to the team. Yeah. What was kind of his frustration level? Where do you think he's at right now? Because I've actually been impressed with the way he's found answers the last couple of weeks. Sure. Getting so creative offensively. But I got to imagine tonight was a tough one.

Yeah, I've said pregame that I think Sean McVeigh has often been at his best when he's kind of been painted into a corner and has some options taken away from him. has to fight his way out. Like I think moving Scoronic to fullback is one of those most recent examples. But this was not his offense's finest performance. And clearly disappointed and frustrated and sick of the same old refrain here at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, he pointed to a few things. Blitz pickup being one of them, right? Like the inexperience of the candidates in front of Matthew Stafford to buy him one more

block to let a throw go. Clearly tackling was an issue on the other side of the football, even though I think you would say that holding the 49ers to 24, including the defensive touchdown, should be plenty to win on most nights in the National Football League. Yeah, great goal line stand. I mean, they didn't get any sacks, but they ultimately did a good job against the running game. Yep. And then ultimately kind of pointing the finger back at himself, ultimately saying that he needs

to provide, and his coaching staff has to provide better clarity to the players, apparently, because the execution tonight was sorely lacking. It's got a little bit. It is different, though, than last year's dip in some of the dips they've had over the years. It hasn't been, I think, a prolonged sort of set of injuries like they've had. They've just generally been a healthy team. And this, like, long of a funk where you're not getting any big plays is a little different. It's maybe that really down Jared Gough here is probably at points of the closest thing, but it is a little different.

So I also think where it falls on the calendar, Greg, right? Like we're used to Sean McVeigh's team and often storming out of the gates with whatever iteration they are bringing to the new year, getting off to a positive start, playing from in front, playing from like a three and one or better type position. And then, you know, the fastest evolving species on our defensive coordinators come up with something or they get a mismatch that knocks them off course. And their year is determined by what counter adjustments they can make and whether or not they're healthy and talented enough to make a postseason run. As recently as last year, it was a resounding yes after a winless November game, an undefeated December. But now it's kind of on the front end of the schedule. And I guess the good news is there's time for a course correction. There's time for additional pieces to be found internally and externally.

But I think tonight was pivotal in this way. One, you had a chance to get clearance on the division and head-to-head road wins over Arizona and San Francisco, who figure to be your top two competitors in back-to-back weeks. Instead, everyone's back to a level playing field. you've put yourself in a position now where it looks like you're going to have to scratch and claw every single week to be in the division or get in as a wild card. And it's way too early for any of those conversations. But it doesn't look like anyone is falling off the pace in the West.

Oh, this is a scratch and claw type of season for the Rams. That's the thing about the NFL. You can be as high as it can and you can have all sorts of new challenges, no matter how good a coach you are like Sean McVay. And I think he can coach his way out of it. And it's not just OBJ who could come back. It could be Van Jefferson. They do potentially have some answers in getting healthier on the offensive line.

All those things will help. Before I let you go, I know you got to, you're literally going to the plane. You were Chris Wesleying and Lakeisha's Wesleyan's neighbor for a few years. Just give me, and this is, I hope this isn't too tough off the top of your head. Just give me a Wes and Keisha neighborhood memory from over the years. Or just what it was like to be the neighbor? You know, this is too much. darkness in this Rams recap. Let's have...

Yeah. Well, first of all, I'm thankful that through them, I met you. And I'll never forget the day, as a fan of your show, that kind of moving into our home and for the first time seeing two people walking down the street who may have matched the profile, but we're too far away to really get facial recognition on. But I did see like an NFL media string bag on the back of Chris walking to our neighborhood grocery store. So I just took a shot in the dark and yelled, Chris, Lakeisha, and sure enough, they turn around. Oh, that's amazing. That's how you first said hi. I was able to call on them as friends and neighbors, and we dearly missed them in the neighborhood, and we miss them in our lives

in lots of different ways. But I think, obviously, the greatest part for me was getting to be there for Link's arrival and to live through his first few weeks and months and years and having Lakeisha's wonderful mother, Rhoda, become a part of our family and become a grandmother to our two boys as well. If we wanted to go down this pathway, we could double up the Gino Smith episode in length because these are the stories that put me in a much, much better mood and leave me with fonder feelings on a disappointing Monday night. Yeah, yeah, me too, although I love that image of him just walking down the street. I mean, we don't get many celebrity sightings, J.B. Certainly not in L.A. You know, if we're at an NFL game in London,

that's not a celebrity site, but we will get people call it in our name. But to have J.B. call it as I heard enough about the, what do you call it, the paramour or whatever you guys used to say. Paramour, yeah. Yeah. And to kind of know enough to put two and two together and the fact that she was a Rams fan, you know, she was kind of in our orbit as the Rams came back to Los Angeles. And so to stay to say that the stars aligned would be the understatement of my lifetime, to think that, you know, what I think of as the Lakeisha and Chris Super Bowl coming to SoFi Stadium, they'll never be a clearer sign, I don't think, in my lifetime. No, I'm with you.

There'll never be anything like that. And, yeah, this is more of a down night for the Rams. But I have a feeling we're going to have you back, J.B. I mean, we're going to either way, but we're going to have you back at a higher point in the ram season. I just have a feeling, and it might take a while. We might be talking about the four and five Rams struggling to get through it, but I think at some point that they'll be figuring things out and they'll be much better offensively. I'm not worried about the defense. I am worried about you getting your plane. So go. I'm going to say bye to you. I'm going to finish up with a couple little

thoughts on the 49ers, and then I'm going to try to sleep off this jet lag. Go get that plane. I hope the Tuesday show is a banger and that it knocks this one off the top of the plate. sooner rather than later, even though I was all prepared with some lines about my initials, not diluting the number of Gs in our shared character count. And much like the Rams offensively, they're all going to fall flat. I mean, you do have one G. You're like 25% G. Doesn't really get it done in the same way.

You're an OG and I'm a new G. All right, J.B. I'll see you. Good night. All right. Off goes J.B. Long into. The California, I mean, he gets that quick plane. He's on the private plane. I mean, we've gotten a little spoiled on the plane.

Justin Graver, can you jump in for me here? Not as spoiled, but you did get a visit from Mark in coach class on the ride home today, right? That was nice. He walked back just to check on us to ask if he could bring us a drink that was free up where you guys were sitting. and we said, I don't think you're allowed to do that. And he said, no, they don't even want me to walk back here. And we said, okay, go back to your seat. But thanks for saying hi.

Yeah, well, it's the thought that counts. Even if you know the thought can deliver anything. My thought was, I'm not leaving my seat. Yeah, and just, I'm just going to sit next to the quasi-ce celebrities. Maybe Dan and Mark will talk. Dan, I know we'll talk about one of them. So I'll leave it as a tease. But also, you know, cast member of Scrubs.

It's also up there. That was in addition to one I think he'll get into. Really was a great night for the 49ers, just very quickly, because I think we were so Rams focused there. I think they're dangerous. I know people are just going to point out, like, the shortcomings of Jimmy G. But, like, every one of these NFC teams has shortcomings. And if you hadn't noticed, like, this is not an offensive league right now,

and it is not a good NFC West. I don't think either. The 49ers could go ahead and lose six games and potentially win this division. They can figure things out. And they always figure out their running game. And so the fact that the running game is not there now and that their offensive line is kind of just getting it going together.

They're without Trent Williams. They're starting three new guys. Like, I have a feeling their offensive line and their running game is going to be a lot better by November. Jimmy Garapolo will be good. You have a great starting wide out crew, and I think you have a top two or three defense. To me, they are the NFC West favorites. I thought they'd win this game.

I think the Rams will be heard from, but I think the 49ers, to me, are one of those three teams in the NFC that I just think will be there at the end with some home games in the playoffs, but it's very early. Teams are just building. I just think they've got enough where they're going to be able to keep building. building, Hufanga. Watch out for Hufonga. He's great. Garapolo has taken this team to NFC championships and a Super Bowl.

So if he's your shortcoming, like, you can have most shortcomings. Even tonight, I get it. But last year, he stunk at the end of that last year. All I was thinking watching the 49ers last year was like, if Mack Jones was quarterback in his team, I think they'd be in the Super Bowl. I mean, they were getting the worst five weeks of Jimmy Garoppola. Granted, he was playing with a terrible shoulder. But, like, tonight was a perfect example.

Like, he's playing pretty well, keeping short passes. And then there was that one drive where he just totally misfires two wide open receivers, including one that would have been a big play. And you're just like, oh, yeah, that's the Jimmy Grap. That's a classic Jimmy G thing to do. But Kyle Sheenhan trusts him, and he dials up the plays. And I just think he has a lot less to overcome right now than McVeigh, where everything is hard.

And I think they're going to be scratching and clawing. I do not like that Cowboys matchup. We can talk about that during the week. We can get into the rest of our week five look-aheads and news. We're going to look back at our predictions that we made. Some predictions we made in the off-season on our Tuesday show. I won't be part of it, actually, Justin. So I'm taking that one off.

And maybe I'll jump in for a quick cameo on that segment because I nailed mine. Nice. But in the studio, I think it's going to be Colleen, Dan, and Mark. Until then, we need to get some sleep. I feel bad making you edit one more thing fresh off the plane. But after that, we can sleep off that jet lag Graver. And then on we go. The wheel doesn't stop turning.

First full season as the producer, Graver. This is it. This is a challenging week coming back from London. Until tomorrow for Graver, for J.B. Long. I'm heading now. Go ahead and eat at all. This is an IHeart podcast.