Dein erstes Forum » Gerald Everett isn’t the first name mentioned when fans

THOUSAND OAKS Jack Youngblood Jersey , Calif. (AP) — discuss the Los Angeles Rams‘ offensive skill players.The backup tight end probably wasn’t the eighth or ninth name mentioned, either — at least not before last week.Everett realizes plenty of people will know his name going forward after the second-year pro with the unique collegiate past emerged as the unlikely hero of the NFL’s most eye-catching game of the year.Everett caught two touchdown passes during the Rams’ epic 54-51 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, including an athletic grab on a 40-yard throw from Jared Goff for the game’s final points with 1:49 to play.Although he had just 31 career catches entering that showcase victory, Everett appears to be surging into a significant role as the Rams (10-1) ramp up for the playoff push. While he doesn’t yet have the bulk and blocking power of a classic tight end, his speed and hands are already being exploited with increasing frequency by coach Sean McVay.“Playing in this offense is a dream come true,” Everett said after returning to work from the Rams’ bye week. “It’s one of the most highly-fueled offenses in the league, and I’m glad to be here. I mean, however many snaps I get, I’m going to make the most of them, just be there for my team.”Everett isn’t getting a tremendous amount of opportunities to make plays in the Rams’ fluent, talent-packed offense. He has been on the field for only about 25 percent of their offensive snaps, and he has been targeted only 27 times by Goff.Everett has turned it into 18 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Everett and fellow tight end Tyler Higbee aren’t often primary targets for the Rams’ sophisticated offense, but Everett’s ability to beat defensive backs from a standup position makes him useful in mismatches — such as the one he exploited to score his big TD.“No doubt Torry Holt Jersey , he’s really come along,” Goff said. “Just seeing his progression from even the beginning of this season until now, and just how much more he’s taking command of everything he’s doing and really just dialing in on the details, has been great to see. Just proud of his progression and excited to see how far he can go.”Everett hit a new height when he made the play of his career to date.With Everett lined up outside as a receiver, Goff looked at the Chiefs’ defensive scheme and figured Everett probably would be open. Everett did his part by getting loose from safety Daniel Sorensen at the line of scrimmage, and after Goff delivered the exceptional throw down the sideline, Everett caught it and somehow stayed inbounds, tiptoeing his way to a score.“It was kind of crazy to actually watch it after the game,” Everett said. “That’s probably one of my best plays. It was pretty surreal to see it in the air in a moment like that, but I was glad I could be there.”Everett’s entire career has been fairly unlikely. He was a second-round pick by the Rams in 2017 out of South Alabama, which had never before produced a drafted NFL player. He only ended up with the Jaguars after starting his career at two junior colleges and then going to UAB, which subsequently dropped football.Everett made just 16 catches as a rookie, and he had a shoulder injury during his second training camp. He has played his way into a larger role Orlando Pace Jersey , making nine catches and scoring all three of his touchdowns over the past four games.Everett’s friends on other teams tell him they know the Rams have called a passing play when he’s on the field, so he realizes he needs to work on his blocking. Until then, he hopes to continue to grow as a target for Goff and McVay.“It’s been exciting, (but) I wouldn’t say surprising, just because of the confidence he has,” McVay said about Everett. “I just think it’s great to be able to see him be healthy and maximize the opportunities.”NOTES: CB Aqib Talib participated in practice Wednesday in the next step of his comeback from ankle surgery. Talib has missed the Rams’ past eight games, but he returned to the active roster from injured reserve Monday. … DT Ethan Westbrooks didn’t participate in practice due to an illness. The Rams are otherwise largely healthy. Tennessee Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard knows that the Los Angeles Chargers are going to get the ball in the hands of running back Melvin Gordon on as many plays as possible on Sunday.That means it will be up to his unit to keep Gordon out of the end zone."In the red zone, he's one of their top targets, and we know what type of runner he is," Woodyard said Friday. "He's a guy that's good on the edge and fine to beat you with his speed. Most importantly, (we need to) just understand the runs that he's going to give us in different backfield sets."Gordon, the Chargers' do-everything running back, enters the game at Wembley Stadium third in the league with 466 rushing yards and six touchdowns Deacon Jones Jersey , and his nine total touchdowns rank second only to the Los Angeles Rams' Todd Gurley.And while the Titans (3-3) have allowed 14.5 points per game, the third-fewest in the league, they have also surrendered an average of 123.2 rushing yards, the sixth-most of any team."The biggest challenge is all 11 of us just getting to the ball, point of attack, wrap up and make sure we make the tackle," defensive end DaQuan Jones said. "(If) we just swarm, do our job up front, we horde the point of attack, set the edge ... we'll be fine. We have to be consistent. We can't do it a couple plays here, a couple plays there. It's got to be all 60 minutes of the game."Quarterback Philip Rivers, in his 15th season, is off to one of the finest starts of his career Eric Dickerson Jersey , having thrown 15 touchdown passes and averaged 8.8 yards per pass attempt for the Chargers (4-2) — marks that are both good for third in the league.His success, though, has relied heavily upon Gordon, who is also the Chargers' second-leading receiver with 30 catches for 279 yards and three touchdowns."Philip Rivers obviously is Philip Rivers," outside linebacker Brian Orakpo said. "He's a top, elite quarterback in this league, but everything goes through Gordon. Whenever the receivers are not open, the checkdown to Gordon is always there and he's always getting positive yards."The running game is wide open and guys want to rush the passer, (so) they do a lot of draw plays, things of that nature to get Gordon free. So we have to contain and stop Gordon and then we'll worry about all the other (explosive) plays."Woodyard, who is expected to make his return on Sunday after missing two games with a shoulder injury, should help with that.Hurt in the overtime victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 30, Woodyard had a career- and team-high 172 tackles last season and had played in every game since joining the team in 2014."It was really tough Marshall Faulk Jersey , especially seeing my guys not being able to get a victory," said Woodyard, who was with the Denver Broncos in 2010 but was inactive for their game at Wembley. "I felt like that was my fault for not being able to get out there, but I'm excited to be back out there making calls and making plays."The Chargers, who rolled to a 38-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, remained in Ohio for practice before departing Thursday evening to cross the Atlantic.Tennessee also arrived on Friday, and free safety Kevin Byard said he hopes players can acclimate to the time difference quickly in order to avoid the Titans' third consecutive loss."That's the most important thing," Byard said. "Nobody wants to lose three straight games. We have to get back on track. Nobody's panicking. Nobody's living like the sky is falling or anything like that, but we have to play with more consistency."AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.