Puka Nacua’s Year 3 Growth, Strengthening Kicking Game Before Rams-Ravens & More | Between The Horns

Puka Nacua’s Year 3 Growth, Strengthening Kicking Game Before Rams-Ravens & More | Between The Horns

[Music] All right, it’s week six, Rams and Ravens in Baltimore. Welcome back to Between the Horns, presented by your Southern California Toyota dealers. I’m JB Long with Super Bowl champion DeMarco Farre and making his first appearance, I think, in the regular season on this show. Sounds right. Steu Jackson, what’s up? Welcome back, buddy. Number two. Good to have you on the program. Maybe it is. All right, cuz I noticed the shoes before. This is his second. See? Come on now. All right, I messed up. There you go. Should we start over or just keep going? No. Audible. Let’s go. How was your mini buy, guys? How was your uh weekend away? Good. I mean, hard because you lost the last time out. Um can’t wait for Sunday so you can, you know, go back and get this bad taste out of your mouth. But, you know, not bad watching the tape. Um going back through it again. There’s a lot of good stuff on there. I know you didn’t get the result you wanted and I know you lost to your most hated rival, but you know, when you’re breaking stuff down, there’s a lot of positive. this team is getting better in certain areas. I definitely had a hard time adhering to the 24-hour rule, I’ll say, but uh it made it easier having a friend in town visiting and uh doing some some stuff with that group over the weekend. So, it’s good. I think uh what’s it a salve maybe to have Seattle and Arizona implode late at home and kind of give you a couple back. Uh it’s interesting that the whole division goes on the road this week. The Rams are the only NFC West favorite away from home. So, here’s hoping that uh a victory Monday, if it’s in store for the Rams, can turn things around pretty soon. Uh be petty. If I lose, I want everyone else to lose, too. It makes me feel better. What’s that what’s that saying about misery loving company? Yeah. Okay. Well, there you go. All right. Rams got some. Yeah. Uh in terms of own it, fix it. Where should we start? Is it ball security? Is it kicking lows? You pick your lane and tell us how the Rams are finally going to get right in these areas that, you know, are no our fans have been all over them as as real sore spots and they’ve cost LA some games. I I would go kicking game. Um that’s the easiest thing to fix, I think. Um you know, Kiran and Blake Cororm putting the ball on the ground. Um you’re going to have to give them carries. We’re all going to hold their breath. You’re going to have to dig yourself out of that hole. That’s one thing. Uh you can’t replace those two guys. Kairen will take carries and so will Blake Horm. The kicking game, that’s something that should be fixed. That shouldn’t be an issue at this point. Um like you said, week six, and we’re still talking about this. This is stuff you deal with in preeason going into week one. It should not be an issue now. So yeah, that to me um is is number one. You have to fix what’s going on there first because it doesn’t matter if you’re good on defense. It doesn’t matter if you have an allp pro quarterback. If you’re not good there in the third phase, you’re going to lose football games or put your win in jeopardy week in and week out. Yeah. Three of the last four games have featured failures in that dimension. They got out of Tennessee with the win. But it’s not unrealistic to say, and there’s plenty of other things that have gone wrong for the Rams in their two losses, but it’s not unrealistic to say that if either one of two kicking operations in Philadelphia or home at Sofi Stadium go the other direction, go between the pipes, this team is the last undefeated team in the NFL. Yeah, I agree completely with DeMarco. I mean, when Shawn McVey says that it’s not just one thing with the kicking game, that’s the the problem or the sore spot, that to me is the priority or the or the greater cause for concern. I mean, ball security issues, protect the ball better, concentrate better. But with, you know, the operation having mult the kicking operation having multiple issues, I think that’s where I think I prioritize and put more of my attention. I don’t know if this makes it better or worse, but like you guys probably did, I revisited the 23 trip to Baltimore and um it helped me at least. I think the punting operation and punt cover is in a much better spot, right, with Ethan Evans having lost that game in overtime against a backup punt returner, even though there was a block in the back, but that’s okay. It’s between us. Um, and then the other thing is you remember Lucas Havverick was the kicker that day in Baltimore and he actually made one to force overtime, but uh I I don’t want to revisit those times in terms of the kicking churn and the search for your your next specialist. I think Cardi is the guy. He’s done a lot of good, especially off the tea. I’ll be curious to see how much squib kicking he does or if the Rams make a change there because it seems like there’s some truth to the fact that maybe um his kickoffs are impacting his place kicking. Wonder if that’s true. Yeah. I wonder if that’s true. Yeah. I was say it was interesting because, you know, I think it was you asking coach about on the coach McVey show. Yeah. On behalf of McAfee who was speculating that maybe the, you know, the squid kicks and the mechanics with that are potentially causing some issues with with Cardi and his kicks on field goals. And, you know, he said, you know, that’s a fair, you know, fair fair observation to make. So, um, do wonder about that too because Chase Blackburn, the last time he spoke to the media, he he said that, you know, mechanically they were trying to make it so that there was, you know, little difference or or to not have as much of an impact. But, um, you know, maybe that hasn’t necessarily been the case or or it’s gone in a direction that maybe they didn’t expect in terms of how those mechanics have um, you know, impacted that motion. Yeah. Yeah. with the exception of one uh the one that didn’t make it to the the the green zone, drop zone, whatever it is where you have to kick it. Uh those knuckle balls have been wildly effective, uh you just cannot hit those, catch those cleanly, and get on a dead run. So, they’ve helped you. So, I I hope one doesn’t affect the other because that would stink if you have to get rid of one. Two personnel questions, one on offense, one on defense. Maybe Stu knows the answer. That’s kind of his role around here. Um left guard. I think we’ve all kind of been waiting for Steve A to come back and take his job back. I will say Dich has put together his two best performances the last two times out. Do you know where the Rams are heading going to Baltimore tomorrow at left guard? Yeah, what Shawn McVey has said is that, you know, if Steve practices and plays the way he expects throughout this week, then he will earn his starting job back. I I do give McVey credit for saying that or going with continuity I should say in terms of you know if you practice what you preach with competition and you know you’re doing what you think is best for the team then with the way DH has been playing then that that’s that’s what you’re sticking with but um you know at least from what I’ve seen in just you know the the one viewing period of practice that we’ve had to this point as of uh recording this like it seemed it seems to be you know trending in that direction, but again, there’s still uh a couple more practices to go and and like McVey said, it it’s on, you know, Steve to ultimately show that. I I’ve labeled uh Dedage the bouncer. He he looks like a bouncer, D. And that’s how he plays. He just runs people up out of there. It’s so funny. Uh I told people this before, he when I played, I hated guards that look like him, the short, stocky guys, because low man wins and he’s already down here. It’s kind of like Puna Ford playing guard. It’s the same thing. It drives you nuts. It drives everybody nuts. But Steve has girth. Steve is a big dude. You don’t want Steve leaning on you for four quarters. That’s why he’s here. So, I’m with you. Um, I’m glad Dedish played his butt off. Go with continuity, but it is Steve’s job. Give him a chance to win it back. Let’s go to defense next. And if I had told you leaving SoFi Stadium last Thursday night that Omar Spates had a high ankle and and might be missing some time, would you believe that? Did you see any sign of that? He played through it. Watched every single snap when I heard I it was you. I was reading you. Oh my god, Omar Spates is hurt. Wait a minute. Let me go back and check the tape. Went through all I think he had like 37 to play 38 whatever it was. Every single snap, even his last one, it looks like Omar Spates. When did he hurt himself? Did he slip getting off the bus getting in a car? I don’t know. But yeah, uh the dude is he’s getting better and he’s playing tough. You’re not going to be 100% in the NFL. Uh but what you have to do is suck it up and give your best to your teammates and that’s exactly what he So, if we were to crowdsource this one, uh, Shawn Dolac would make his Rams defensive debut in Baltimore next to Nate Landman. Is that the direction you think the Rams go or how do they manage this? Okay. I don’t think you’re avoid I don’t think the Rams the the coaching staff, the brain trust, I don’t think they’re avoiding Troy Reer. That’s not what they’re that’s they could care less what people think. But if you base it on preseason and how he played, if you’re just going for a straight replacement, Nate Landman is the mic. He calls the plays. Omar Spates is the weak sidebacker. He is the free hitter, the the weak the whip, so to speak. Then your direct backup would be 56. And that’s exactly how he played. So if he played anything like he played in the preseason, then there won’t be much drop off. He will be just as active as Omar Spates getting to the football. There’s also the option of promoting someone from the practice squad. We’ll see what the rest of this week holds. Shawn McVey has left that door open a couple of times. Stu. Yeah, absolutely. He expressed confidence in Troy Reer and Shawn Dolac as options there and like you mentioned, he said they’ve also got some candidates on the practice squad. But um it was interesting. I did go back and read uh Chris’s comments from August when I asked him like, you know, how how did essentially like what did Dolac do to make this team or how did he earn it? And he said, you know, contributions on special teams, but also like they would have no hesitation to put him out there on defense if if they really needed to. to this point they haven’t. But that speaks to his readiness and preparedness and his strength as a possible candidate to go out there if Space can’t go. Look, the personnel for the Ravens and their schematic probably plays heavily into the Rams thinking. Uh again, as of this moment, I think we all agree Lamar is trending towards not playing week six, right? Yes. The by-week beyond for Baltimore, so you could almost get them two weeks for the price of one. Um Cooper Rush experience not great last week. Maybe they go back to Snoop Huntley. We’ll see. But that’s kind of what the Rams are unknowingly preparing for this week. They do know they’ll get Derrick Henry, and he’s slumping a little bit in terms of his production, and I can’t help but believe that has a lot to do with Lamar’s hamstring and the fact that the best rushing quarterback the league’s ever seen has not been his running mate lately. Oh, yeah. Think of how much easier it is to defend Derrick Henry when you don’t have to worry about Lamar Jackson getting out the back door. Uh, all four guys up front, plus the linebackers, can just float to the ball and go to Derrick Henry. uh with Lamar Jackson, you have to dedicate someone or even if it’s not your job and he pulls that ball out or you think he is, you have to honor that because he’s as fast as anyone out there. So without him, different back, different scheme, different offense. Same approach like they did last week. Just make Derrick Henry choke it down in the back field. Don’t let him get ahead of steam because if he does, he’s the juggernaut. But if you make him choke it down, that’s a big target. Even for a guy as I I wouldn’t say as small as Doolak. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but Dererick Henry’s bigger than most. So if you make him choke it down, you have a bigger target to hit. When Lamar’s out there, it changes the math, especially in the box. And that’s what and that his threat as a runner is in a lot of ways what kind of what you’re talking about impacts the ability for defenses to decide whether they have to commit to one or the other. And so I think probably you would probably agree with this based on what you’ve seen on tape, but I would imagine that they’ve been able to commit more defenders to the box without the threat of Lamar there when he hasn’t been out there. And that’s made it a little bit more difficult for Derrick Henry to get going. Not just run, arm, too. Lamar is accurate. So if you’re that backside safety, you may leave that guy one-on-one with the corner and go attack Derrick Henry. That’s what’s been happening. That I wouldn’t expect that to change this week. You know, going back to last year, between the two Saquon games, the Rams defense was already improving at shutting down opponent’s running attack, but I think year-over-year growth. I mean, it’s been a dream storyline. You look at the gauntlet that they’re running between Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor and Christian McAffrey. Can they keep it up against the Ravens? I think so. Especially when you I just like the depth you have in the middle at defensive tackle. And I sound like a broken record, but Kobe Turner, you can pair him with Puna, you can pair him with Tyler Davis, you can pair him with Braden Fisk. There’s so many different fronts you can throw out and keep guys fresh. Plus, your edge guys are playing like gang busters. Uh Byron Young is playing at a Pro Bowl. Jared Ver picked up right where he left off. And there’s a new guy in town in Josiah Stewart who looks like he’s been here 10 years. So, you have a lot of depth. You have a lot of wheels. You’re very young. And they’re playing great. They’re playing technically sound up front. They’re going through blockers. They’re defeating people. They’re not not just running around jumping up field. That carries, that travels. There’s a reason they have slowed down and basically stopped three of the best backs in the league in a row. And now it’s Derrick Henry’s turn. So, I think that will travel to Baltimore. Absolutely. And I think too, it speaks to the interchange interchangeability of that group as well. That was something that Kobe Turner talked a lot about terms of just that top four on the along the defensive line in training camp just with all the things it would allow them to do. um especially Tyler Davis and the role he was gonna have and uh that’s something that’s shown up to me as well, especially against the run. Oh, and by the way, I see you, Kobe, when you’re trying to politic for a sack. You know that was Byron. Go ahead. Get out there first. Get your name in the paper. Yeah. Uh don’t know. Did you guys check the forecast yet? Always always a fool’s errand to predict weather or to talk about it on a Thursday before a Sunday game, but it looks like the conditions will be reminiscent of our 2023 trip to the Inner Harbor, if not identical to Marco. If you’re going on the road to the AFC’s North, expect bad weather, right? So, like I said, one of you guys is taking my rain shoes. Yes. Thank you. Puka gonna wear gloves. We’re gonna tape up the fingers. Dude, he is Look, it’s too late. He is a superstar. Puka Nakua is a bonafide superstar in the National Football League. Um, you know him, uh, you cheer for him and he gives it to you on game day. He’s a physical receiver. Uh, he is your number one right now. When Matthew Stafford drops back, his first read is him. And then based off that, I’ll go other places, but Puka is the guy you jam the ball to. And I think he’s more than earned that. I think he’s also the most improved Ram, maybe the most improved player in the league, which is hard to say because he set such a high bar as a rookie and then despite missing some time last year, should have been an allp pro again in year two because he was that much dramatically better. But you can measure in all sorts of ways. catch rate, lack of drops, catch transition, yards after catch, getting in the end zone these last couple of games. Like because he was so good so early, I think we rob him of his respect with the work he’s done, the lonely, quiet off-field work to get better in year three and really to join that upper echelon. As complete of a receiver as there is in the NFL right now, I maybe the most complete I would argue just in terms of run blocking when they put the ball in his hands on some of those sweeps. Um, you know what he’s asked to do. obviously in the pass game and just all the different routes he can run. Like to me, he’s making a strong case early on for our offensive player of the year. I mean, there are obviously many other players who are in that conversation, too. And that’s not to discredit them, but just from from what I’ve seen, you know, these these first five weeks, like it’s it’s hard it’s hard to put anyone above him right now in my opinion. And related, I think part of what’s been so infuriating about the Rams two losses so far is not just their self-inflicted nature, but coloring our thinking with the fact that we know the Rams have the best quarterback in the NFC right now. The five games he’s played so far have been MVP worthy. Um, and so it’s it’s so aggravating to not be 5-0 when he’s putting these types of games together. This is crazy for me. Okay, so Stafford is on a heater, right? Stafford is at the top. He’s top three in yards and all this stuff, but I actually think he could play better. I do say more. I I think there’s there’s there’s more there for him. You we still haven’t they haven’t really figured out this Devonte Adams thing. Uh when that starts to click, there’s a whole another level there. Uh there’s still moments in games where the offense just kind of goes stagnant for a while and he’ll miss. Then he’ll make it up and finish like gang busters, like I said. So there’s he’s playing great and he’s the best quarterback in the NFC. No doubt. I’m right there with you. But I think he can actually play better than what he’s playing. I I really do. And when that starts to happen, that’s when things start to roll. You’re right. Devonte Adams, despite all the good he’s done through five games, is enduring the lowest catch rate of his career. So you think that’s going to progress to the mean over time and with more time on task? Um if Stafford’s running backs hang on to the football a little bit better, his numbers are certainly better. um if and when they get more out of their tight end room, including Terrence Ferguson, who caught his first pass as a pro. What’s that mean? That means bingo. Bingo. Yeah. You know, more isn’t always better, right? Like having more options is not always going to translate to bigger stats, but I think it will continue to mean good things for Matthew Stafford, like you’re saying. Yes. Uh I think he’s all the way back. No pun intended. Okay. Try the veil. I’ll laugh. Way to pay that off. Um, I don’t think, tell me if you disagree, I don’t think the Rams overlooked the Niners last week. Do you? No. I think the Niners played great ball. They were, they were slow stars on defense. They were not ready for prime time on defense. Those first couple of possessions, they were able to tighten the screws from there. But I don’t think it was for lack of respect. If for some reason it was, message received, they won’t do it again this week against a depleted Baltimore group. Right. I hope not. I I’m with you. I I thought San Francisco played better than most people thought. M. Jones played better than most people thought. And we said this leading into the week when we were talking about their injury report. Christian McAffrey is good enough to beat you by himself. Um, so you have to respect that. As long as he’s out there, they’re still a legit threat. But yeah, I’ll give you that. The Rams defense kind of uh they woke up late, but once they did, they they were great. They were punishing. They were absolutely punishing and they gave you a shot to win the game. So if you start the game the way you finished it, absolutely. If you hold on to the rock, it’s a W. So, let’s hope that all that stuff you left it here in SoFi. Am I misremembering or was Baltimore like the favorite to win not just the division but maybe a ring this summer? Right. They had built maybe the best roster in football. And I know it’s depleted what was it six guys with all pro honors and defense tens of millions of dollars in active last week. Crazy amount of Pro Bowls and cap space absent. But if any opponent should recognize and respect what a one and four team with a championship roster and aspirations is capable of in any given moment, it’s the Los Angeles Rams. They were just in these cleats a year ago and look what the Rams were able to do. So let this not be the week for Baltimore’s comeback, I guess, is what I’m saying. I don’t think Harbaugh is giving up, do you? No. I I don’t think Baltimore is going to give up. I think they’re going to keep fighting. Mark Andrews isn’t going to forget how to play football and Derrick Henry isn’t going to shrink just because they’re one and four. Um if anything, they’re going to be better. So yeah, uh it doesn’t matter who’s out there, you have to play your best game. It’s like Shawn McVey said, that’s a prideful team led by a prideful head coach. Like there there’s no way they let that pass. But what’s the feeling when you see a team like Houston who you beat and you know the state that the Texans offense started the year in if if not is incurrently put up like a record number of points at Mnt Bank Stadium. You know the state of this defense. Baltimore used to be the best defense in the league for multiple years. Now they’re the consensus worst. You walk in there feeling like you should score 40, but that’s a dangerous place to be. That’s tough to sleep on. It is. I feel good about my chances. Don’t you? I mean, if you beat a team that just, you know, kicked the, you know what, out of them, you feel good about your chances. But that’s not how this game works, though. You have to boil it down. We have to play our best game and we have to bring it to Baltimore first and then if they do, sure. Yeah, I I agree with you. Um, if you beat them, then you should beat them as bad, but it doesn’t work that way in the NFL. And then the Rams are going to stay in Baltimore, practice at Camden Yards, I read, and get their work in for London and Jacksonville beyond. Uh we mentioned this earlier, but it might be worth visiting a little bit more closely here. All four NFC West teams on the road. San Francisco at Tampa Bay, Seattle at Jacksonville, Arizona at Indie. The Rams competition, road dogs this week. I I’m I’m a big Baker fan. I’m I’m even more a Baker fan right now. Take it to him. Uh who Seattle have again? Jacksonville. Jacksonville, man. Look, Jacksonville is no joke. Jacksonville might be for real. Way to go, Liam Cohen. Yes, sir. So, yeah, I I hope uh that the rest of the West gets beat up and we come out of Baltimore with the only win in the division this weekend. That’d be nice. Other closing thoughts, keys to victory, anything that we didn’t get to that you want to make sure that you get out? Uh just remember, man, I mean, like Kairen Williams is one of your best players, period. End of story. And if we could fix it, if he could fix it, if they could fix it, they would. Um, but there’s no way he’s not going to take another like you can’t bench the guy. He’s one he’s your starting tailback. You’re going to have to give him carries. He’s going to have to be better. I think he knows that. Uh, but this just the one thing is you’ve got to fix what’s ailing you in the third phase in the kicking game. That should been the first thing that was fixed. So, um, maybe that’s gone on a little bit too long. So, we’ll see. Um, hopefully that gets fixed in Baltimore. It’s always tricky down there, especially on special teams. So, we’ll see. It’s a great test. You remember how uh Shawn McFay called the first drive of the last trip to Baltimore? Pow. Right down the middle. Yes. Gut punch. Gut punch. Gut punch. Yes. I wonder if they don’t run it back this week. I’d like to see a replay. Why not? Interesting. I think too that would go a long way with avoiding some of the self-inflicted mistakes that cost them last week and being able to control the time of possession better. That’s something that, you know, I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out this week. I think the way the 49ers controlled the time possession last week had a lot to do with making the margins so thin in terms of again some of those um you know instances uh where there were those self-inflicted mistakes and so you you avoid those and and you do a better job of controlling time of possession. I think you can you know reach the potential of like you were talking about a game like the Texans had last week against Baltimore. You know, it’s interesting that you called back to that that time of possession, which I’m of the mind that typically it’s an overrated football stat, but when you’re playing San Francisco, we’ve seen that before. We know how consequential that is. And I almost take consolation from that. And I’m optimistic that the Rams could have and should have won that game even though it started the way it did because there were previous iterations of this team and of that rivalry where you start a game like that against Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco, it’s over. You’re on to the next week. Three-score loss. Yeah. That That’s not how Thursday Night Football went. It didn’t finish the way we would have liked, but that’s an interesting call back by used to. I’m going to feel better about that because you Yeah. See, where to leave on a high notes, dude. There you go. Uh for senior staff writer Stu Jackson, who may or may not have made his first appearance this season. We’ll have to check it. We We’ll check pro football reference, but either way, come back soon and come back often. And Demarco Farar, who’s here every week. I’m JB Long, wishing you a good rest of your week. Looking forward to uh back-to-back road trips. First to Baltimore, then to London. We’ll talk to you next time of Between the Horns, presented by your Southern California Toyota dealers. [Music]

In this week’s episode of Between The Horns, J.B. Long and D’Marco Farr sit down with staff writer Stu Jackson to discuss Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s impressive first five weeks of the season, keys to victory against the Baltimore Ravens, and more.

0:00 Intro
0:32 Mini-bye recap
1:40 Own it, fix it – Special teams
5:24 Left guard position future
7:02 Omar Speights’ injury
9:18 Ravens offense
11:20 Run defense
13:16 Puka Nacua’s year 3 improvements
15:18 Matthew Stafford’s performance
16:03 Rams offense breakdown
16:50 Recapping Rams-49ers
17:50 Ravens’ capabilities
19:33 Travel to London & more road games
20:17 Keys to victory

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