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January 3, 2016 at 8:54 pm #36610
znModeratorBig Offseason Question: How to Fix the Rams Offense?
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2016/01/04/biggest-offseason-question-how-to-fix-the-rams-offense/
After Sunday’s 19-16 overtime loss to San Francisco, Rams coach Jeff Fisher cited the need to fix his team’s clunker offense as the top offseason priority. He’s right, of course. But assuming that Fisher and GM Les Snead return for 2016, I’m not sure how they’ll get it done. Or if they know what it takes to get it done. And even if Fisher and Sneak know what’s required to repair this offense, I don’t know if they’ll be able to find the right tools for a successful project.
The Rams finished 31st in the NFL this season with 250 points on offense, an average of 15.6 points per game. Among the other NFL offenses, only San Francisco (232 points) was less competent in 2015.
The Rams were 32nd — as in last — in the NFL in the following offensive categories:
3rd down conversion rate, 26%
First downs, 241
Average yards from scrimmage per game, 305.4
Average yards per touch from scrimmage, 7.0.
Offensive scoring efficiency, producing points on 48 of 196 possessions, or 24.5%
Fewest number of red-zone drives, 36
Net passing yards per game, 175.3
Touchdown passes, 11
Passer Rating, 74.1
Yards per passing attempt, 6.2
Passing first downs, 126
Fewest 10-play possessions, 11The Rams ranked next to last — that would be 31st — in these offensive categories:
Completion percentage, 57.7
Passing plays of 25+ yards, 23
Touchdown efficiency, with 27 in 196 possessions, of 12.6%And the Rams ranked 29th in the league in these offensive categories:
Time of possession per game, 27 minutes and 31 seconds
Number of five-minute drives, 10 in 196 possessions
Touchdowns (offense) from scrimmage, 27
Number of possessions inside the opponents’ 30-yard line, with 54.The Rams were 23rd in red zone TD percentage, 52.8
I could throw many other stats in there, but you get the idea …
OK, so what should Fisher do?
For Starters, Fisher Isn’t Going To Fire Himself
The problem with the offense starts at the top. I’ve reviewed this so many times I’ve managed to bore myself, so I apologize for also boring you. But just as a refresher, and I’ll keep it brief:
Fisher’s teams have had an above-average offense (based on offensive points scored) in nine of his 20 full seasons … Fisher’s teams have put an above-average offense (points scored) on the field in only two of his last 10 seasons as head coach … citing the advanced metrics at Football Outsiders, Fisher’s offense has ranked 20th or worse in DVOA (adjusted efficiency) eight times in his last 11 seasons …. and hasn’t been rated better than No. 15 in the league in offensive DVOA the league since 2003.
STATS LLC track of the points-scored average of the 12 NFL teams that make the postseason each season. In Fisher’s 20 full seasons, his teams reached or exceeded the playoff-caliber average for points scored only three times: 1996, 1999, and 2003.
What we witnessed on offense in 2015 was nothing new. In four seasons under Fisher the Rams have ranked no better than 22nd in the league in points scored on offense during a season. They were 28th in 2012 … 22nd in 2013 … 23rd in 2014 … and 31st in ’15. The Fisher-guided Rams haven’t topped more than 19 offensive points per game in a season.
And if we combine the four seasons, the Rams rank 26th or worse in the league in passer rating, yards per passing attempt, touchdown passes, passes that go for 25+ yards, third-down success, net passing yards per game. Over the four seasons they’re 30th in touchdowns from scrimmage, and 32nd (last) in scrimmage yards.
One Obvious Solution: Hire a Jazzy Offensive Coordinator
Fisher can bring in a bold, innovative, creative offensive coordinator that can take modernize the Rams’ playbook, remove Fisher’s leather helmet, and lead the old coach by the hand and show him a brave new world — a world dominated by forward-thinking passing attacks.
That sounds great in theory until we consider a few things including (1) hiring an enlightened offensive coordinator would force Fisher to break from his football beliefs, and I doubt that he’s willing to do that, even if he says he’s willing to do it; (2) if you’re a talented, rising-star offensive coordinator, then why would you want to go to work for the historically stubborn Fisher; (3) Fisher has one season left on his contract, and that uncertainty beyond 2016 doesn’t exactly promote the idea of job security for an OC that may have better job opportunities; and (4) as of now, the Rams do not have a quarterback on the roster that remotely qualifies as a franchise QB. That’s a problem. This is a quarterback’s league. And (5) why would you agree to become the OC here when you aren’t sure if team owner Stan Kroenke will still be plotting a way to move the team even if he’s rejected in his bid for LA this time around? Sorry, but this isn’t an attractive job right now.
This leads to the first question: does Fisher stay with Rod Boras as OC, or will he venture into the wild to hire an outside coordinator — even if the “new” OC is a lot like Fisher’s former coordinators? (I have a headache.)
So Go Find That Franchise Quarterback
The truth: the position hasn’t been much of a priority for a Fisher offense. And even when Fisher makes it a priority — such as last offseason’s trade for QB Nick Foles — it hasn’t worked out. The Steve McNair years were terrific for Fisher’s Tennessee Titans, who tied the STL Rams for the most regular-season wins in the NFL (56) between 1999 and 2003. Believe it or not (and it’s true), the Titans ranked 8th in the NFL in points scored during those five seasons. But McNair’s final season in Tennessee came in 2004.
During Fisher’s final six seasons at Tennessee and his first four seasons in St. Louis, here’s a list of the quarterbacks that started games for his teams:
Vince Young, 47 starts
Kerry Collins, 32 starts
Sam Bradford, 23 starts
Nick Foles, 11 starts
Kellen Clemens, 9 starts
Shaun Hill, 8 starts
Austin Davis, 8 starts
Case Keenum, 5 starts
Rusty Smith, 1 start
In Fisher’s defense, he got a Pro Bowl season out of the aging Collins. Fisher didn’t want the Titans to draft the immature and unreliable Vince Young but the decision was made above his pay grade. And Bradford’s two lost seasons (2013, 2014) to knee injuries wasn’t Fisher’s fault. But in a league where quarterbacks are kings, Fisher’s teams have suffered from QB instability over his last 10 seasons as a head coach.
Sometimes you get lucky. Kurt Warner and Jim Hart — the best and most successful quarterbacks in St. Louis NFL history — weren’t even drafted. Both were NFL walk-ons; Hart from Southern Illinois and Warner from Northern Iowa. The New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round. The iconic John Unitas was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a rookie and signed by the Baltimore Colts, who found him in a primitive semipro league. The NFL has a rich history of quarterback folklore — largely overlooked quarterbacks that seemingly appear in the mist, and turn losing teams into winners — but Fisher hasn’t enjoyed much luck with QBs.
But part of that is Fisher’s responsibility. You can’t get lucky unless you try your luck.
During Fisher’s four drafts in St. Louis, NFL teams have chosen 43 quarterbacks including 13 in the first or second round.
Despite having 37 draft choices to utilize in his four drafts, Fisher has used only two on quarterbacks. He took Garrett Gilbert in the 6th round (No. 214 overall) in 2014, and went for Sean Mannion in the third round (No. 89 overall) in 2015. Fisher-Snead have had five first-round picks and five second-round selections in four drafts but used none on QBs.
I’ll leave the scouting reports to the experts and draftniks … but if you watched much college football in 2015, you’ll know that the crop of draft-bound quarterbacks is on the dull side. If Paxton Lynch (Memphis) is the top-rated QB prospect for the 2016 draft — an opinion shared by many — that’s a bleak indication.
Should we view Mannion as a building-block quarterback? I have no idea. He’s mystery Mannion for now.
If Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick or Johnny Manziel become available this offseason, would Fisher-Snead have serious interest in recycling a high-profile cast-off? If an NFL team let’s go of an aging star — as a hypothetical, think Drew Brees — do the Rams have enough appeal to entice him to sign a free-agent contract here? I’d be skeptical.
And what about Keenum? He played decently in his five starts for the Rams. Does Fisher believe that Keenum deserves to be starter going forward? Is this enough to bank on?
No, it isn’t. Not in my view, anyway.
Four games into the 2015 season, Foles was had a 96.5 passer rating with 5 touchdown passes and 1 interception.
On third-down throws, Foles in his first four games had a passer rating of 114.3 with 4 TDs and no pick-offs.
The trade with Philadelphia was looking sweet, eh?
Slow down …
Over his next seven games, Foles spiraled with a 55.5 passer rating with 2 TDs and 9 INTs.
And on third-down passes over his final seven games Foles completed 38.6 percent of his throws, had 1 TD and 5 INTs, and put up a sickly passer rating 32.3.
No disrespect to Keenum, but it’s smart to beware of the small sample size.
What About Getting Better Receivers? Won’t That Help?
Quick facts: Fisher hasn’t had a receiver post a 1,000-yard pass-catching season since 2004. In St. Louis, Fisher hasn’t had a wideout accumulate more than 748 yards in a season. Again, Fisher isn’t an innocent bystander here. I’m confused by the folks who think Fisher is some sort of innocent bystander who has no say in personnel, no authority to choose quarterbacks and receivers. Fisher has as much power as any head coach in this league. If Fisher’s teams have an established history of lacking difference-making talent at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end — well, it’s no coincidence. Jeff Fisher has defense in his genes. And that’s why his STL defenses have been much better than his STL offenses. Sure, Snead has played a role in this roster shaping. But it’s really silly to pretend that Fisher had nothing or little to do with assembling the Rams’ current offensive cast. So to all of you Fisher Deniers: stop it.
So What Are the Positives? It Isn’t All Bad, Right?
Of course not. Having phenomenal RB Todd Gurley as the centerpiece of the offense is a fine place to start. He’s formidable. Keeping Gurley healthy will be the key to everything. With just a little creativity from the offensive coaching staff, Tavon Austin displayed the ability to make breakaway plays. He can become even more of a weapon if utilized properly. I really like the way rookie Rob Havenstein played at right offensive tackle this season. (Pro Football Focus graded Havenstein’s play at No. 34 in the NFL among 82 qualifying offensive tackles.) I thought rookie guard Cody Wichmann did some things well late in the season, and has a chance to be a good player. Another rookie guard, Jamon Brown, showed strength and potential before going out with a season-ending injury in Week Nine. But the Rams need to upgrade at center. Left tackle Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2014, has been a huge disappointment. In their season-ending grades, the staff at Pro Football Focus rated Robinson 77th among 82 NFL offensive tackles. I would like to think there’s still hope for Robinson, and he can always be moved to guard.
Fisher is counting on this young like to develop quickly. If it does, the Rams should score more points in 2016, especially with Gurley being fully restored following his 2014 knee surgery and lengthy rehab. But if the line continues to struggle, then the Rams will stall again.
The point is, there are no quick and easy fixes for the Rams offense. I wish I could identify a miracle cure. Fisher is unlikely to change his ways in a dramatic sense. And as I mentioned earlier, sometimes you just have to catch a break that occurs only partially by design. In the 2012 draft, the Washington Redskins found a franchise QB but it wasn’t RG III who was drafted No. 2 overall after the Redskins sent a bundle of draft picks to St. Louis to move into the two slot. No, the Redskins (apparently) found their franchise QB, Kirk Cousins, with the 107th pick overall choice.
Let’s hope that Fisher can evolve at least to some meaningful extent with his offensive philosophy. And hope that the O-line comes of age quickly. And that Gurley stays healthy and drives the offense in a way that sets up his quarterback to exploit run-stacked defenses. And hope that if Boras is retained as the OC, he’ll grow into the role and make a difference. And yeah, hope that Fisher recognizes the need to add a legit No. 1 receiver. And hope that the Rams can luck their way into discovering a quarterback worth building around. I don’t have a lot of snappy answers here. This Rams’ offensive issues are deeply imbedded, and simple solutions are elusive.
But if you ask me the Rams’ No. 1 area of need, I don’t hesitate: QUARTERBACK.
A good quarterback can cover for weaknesses and help compensate for thin talent. A good quarterback can maximize Gurley’s presence. A good quarterback can take Jeff Fisher Football — built on a physical and effective rushing attack — and elevate it into a well-rounded and more dangerous offense… just as the late McNair did for Fisher and Titans running back Eddie George.
Final Thoughts Which Solve Nothing
As I’ve mentioned before: when you look back at the 1998 Rams and their horrible and hopeless offense, it’s shocking to realize that we were on the eve of the “Greatest Show” run. All it took — I’m not sure if if I’m being sarcastic or not — was a chance to jump on an opportunistic trade (Marshall Faulk), signing an important free-agent guard (Adam Timmerman), have the no-name Kurt Warner shatter and break through the most optimistic expectations, benefit from a return to football health of wide receiver Isaac Bruce, draft a brilliant young wideout named Torry Holt, and hire a transformative mad-man offensive coordinator in Mike Martz. But that’s a long and imposing list of major changes, and head coach Dick Vermeil was enthusiastic about going in a dramatically different direction in 1999 after two losing seasons.
I just don’t know if Jeff Fisher has it in him to make such sweeping, redefining changes.
But start by getting an impact quarterback — easier said than done — and we’ll find out.
January 3, 2016 at 8:54 pm #36584znModeratorFive questions facing the St. Louis Rams this offseason
Nick Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams finished the 2015 season Sunday with a record of 7-9 after a 19-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Here are five questions facing the Rams this offseason.
Where will the Rams play their home games in 2016? Before we get to the many offseason machinations involving free agency and the draft, we will likely (though not certainly) know which teams are relocating to Los Angeles. The Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are all in the running. Teams can begin filing relocation papers Monday and key committees are expected to meet next week to discuss the home market proposals again. After that, there’s another round of owners meetings set for Houston on Jan. 12-13. There’s a real possibility that we’ll know after that meeting where the Rams’ future lies, at least for 2016. But until that’s decided, this is the cloud that looms over the rest of the team’s offseason business.
Will Jeff Fisher be retained as head coach? There are only a few coaches who have not had a winning season in their first four years with a team and were then brought back for a fifth. It has been exceedingly rare in today’s NFL, in which instant results are required. Fisher’s inability to put a consistently productive offense on the field has kept the Rams from taking the next step to a winning record or a postseason berth. But it looks unlikely that Fisher will be anything but the Rams coach again in 2015, unless he’s the one choosing otherwise. Owner Stan Kroenke seems more concerned with the move to Los Angeles than the product on the field and he doesn’t seem likely to pay Fisher nearly $7 million to not coach next season. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Fisher will get a short contract extension so that he doesn’t enter 2016 on the last year of his deal.
Should Rob Boras become the full-time offensive coordinator? Considering that Boras was put in a difficult position by taking over play-calling duties with just four weeks to go, he did a commendable job. The Rams’ offense didn’t take off or turn into a dominant force; in fact, most of the numbers were about the same. But with Boras at the helm, turnovers were down and scoring was up a little. Boras and Fisher have said they weren’t thinking big picture as they prepared for those four games, but one would think Boras put himself in position to keep the job moving forward. If nothing else, it would be difficult for Fisher to hire a proven upgrade for the position considering that there are other NFL jobs with better quarterbacks and more job security available. If Fisher stays, don’t be surprised if Boras keeps the job while the Rams make other changes to the coaching staff.
How can the Rams fix their offense? To be sure, the Rams have a lot of needs and just improving at quarterback probably won’t be enough to get them back into the postseason. But it still starts at the game’s most important position. There’s no obvious solution for them at quarterback so they’ll likely bring restricted free agent Case Keenum back, but they should still look for, at minimum, someone who can push him for the job. They still have a serious need for a legitimate No. 1 receiver who can consistently create separation and open up the field. More help on the offensive line, especially at center, would also be welcome.
Can the Rams keep their defense intact? There is no shortage of roster questions heading into the offseason, but some of the biggest ones come on the side of the ball where the Rams are best: the defense. Starters such as end William Hayes, cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins, linebacker Mark Barron and safety Rodney McLeod are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Key backups like end Eugene Sims and defensive tackle Nick Fairley are also set to hit the open market and the Rams have to make a decision on end Chris Long’s future as he holds a 2016 cap number in excess of $14 million. If they want to improve the offense and keep the defense together, they’re going to have to make tough decisions, many of which will probably result in defensive subtractions.
January 3, 2016 at 9:07 pm #36587
AgamemnonParticipantRams hold the No. 15 pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) January 4, 2016
AgamemnonJanuary 4, 2016 at 3:54 pm #36615znModeratorLack of passing attack again dooms Rams against 49ers
Nick WagonerEARTH CITY, Mo. — Looking back at how the St. Louis Rams fared in three key areas of Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers:
1. Who runs it? As expected, the Rams played this game without the services of injured rookie running back Todd Gurley. Gurley sat out with a “mild turf toe,” coach Jeff Fisher said. That left the Rams leaning on backs Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Tavon Austin and even recently promoted Malcolm Brown.
As it turned out, the final numbers weren’t bad as the Rams rushed for 133 yards on 33 carries. The problem was consistency. The Rams gained 77 of those yards on four carries, which meant they had just 56 yards on their other 29 attempts, an average of 1.93 yards. That wasn’t enough to keep the chains moving consistently or get the Rams in the end zone other than the only time they did it following a takeaway and great field position from the defense.
2. Getting after Gabbert: The Rams were in San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s face for most of the day, hitting him seven times. But they weren’t able to get enough pressure on him to keep him from lighting them up. Gabbert threw for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception and repeatedly moved the pocket with his legs and made big plays down the field. When he wasn’t doing that, Gabbert was able to find checkdowns for easy yards.
The defense mostly did its job keeping the 49ers out of the end zone, but the big plays allowed Gabbert and Co. the chance to put the game away in overtime. They did.
Case Keenum aired it out frequently against the 49ers, but it wasn’t enough to boost the Rams. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
3. Adding to the aerial attack: With Gurley out, there was no doubt the Rams needed more from the passing game in this one, as evidenced by quarterback Case Keenum’s 37 attempts. Keenum had a couple of good moments, including an early strike on a deep ball to receiver Kenny Britt. Ultimately, Keenum’s 22-of-37 for 231 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions wasn’t enough to make up for Gurley’s absence and get the Rams in the end zone with any sort of frequency.To be fair, Keenum got little in the way of help from his receivers. A number of drops cost the Rams big plays but Keenum also misfired on third-down attempts that should have been pitch-and-catch for first downs.
January 4, 2016 at 3:55 pm #36616znModeratorTen Takeaways From the Rams’ 19-16 Loss to the 49ers
Randy Karraker
http://www.101sports.com/2016/01/04/ten-takeaways-rams-19-16-loss-49ers/
Next up for the Rams is filing for relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles, after the franchise wrapped up their ninth straight losing season with a 19-16 overtime loss to a bad 49ers team Sunday in Santa Clara.
Most teams with four straight losing seasons under the same coach would be ready to announce a change at that position, but obviously this organization has more pressing issues on its mind.
At the end of the football Cardinals’ stay here in St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch ran a series of articles entitled “A Futile Franchise.” I’m here to tell you, the St. Louis Football Cardinals couldn’t compete with the St. Louis Rams in terms of futility. It’s not even close.
And with that, ten takeaways from Sunday’s loss to San Francisco, where they fired coach Jim Tomsula after they BEAT the Rams…
1) The gold standard for St. Louis football was the Greatest Show on Turf, so it’s always fun to compare the exploits of current Rams teams to them. My fun fact for the day is that the 2015 Rams offense had nine games in which they scored zero or one touchdown, giving them seven games with more than one touchdown. In 2000, Marshall Faulk’s MVP season, he played fourteen games, and had seven games HIMSELF in which he scored more than one touchdown.
The 2015 offense did have more overall TD’s than Faulk did in 2000…27 to 26.
2) The 7-9 season is Jeff Fisher’s fourth losing campaign in four seasons as Rams coach. In the Super Bowl era…and this season will bring us Super Bowl 50…only one coach has started his career with a team with four losing seasons and then received a fifth. That was David Shula with the Bengals, who had years of 5-11, 3-13, 3-13 and 7-9 from 1992-1995. After a 1-6 start in 1996, Shula was fired. As an amazing aside, the Minnesota Vikings started play in 1961, and that franchise has NEVER had four straight losing seasons. The Steelers last run of four straight losing years was an eight year run from 1964-1971. Since then, they’ve had seven losing seasons in 45 years. The Rams have had nine losing seasons in their last nine years.
3) Sunday marked the fourth time this season that the Rams went over 200 yards passing in a game. The 49ers finished the season with 2,966 yards passing and were 31st in the league in that department. The Rams had 2,574 yards through the air, 32nd in the league and nearly 400 yards shy of second-to-last. Their passer rating of 73.9 was dead last. All season long, the passing game was the Rams nemesis, and until they fix that with a different philosophy, some receivers and a quarterback, they’ll continue to have losing seasons.
4) Remarkably, with all of the turnover on the offensive line, they allowed a league-low eighteen sacks. While Nick Foles had some games early in which he was under duress despite not going down, the offensive line improved immensely over the last five games. According to Pro Football Focus, rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein was the only starting tackle in the NFL not to allow a sack all season, and guard Cody Wichmann came on strong. With Jamon Brown returning from his broken leg, the Rams should have a good nucleus up front. Rodger Saffold’s salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster as of March 11, so expect him to be released with a $3 million cap savings by then.
chris long-3A week five knee injury sidelined DE Chris Long for a portion of the 2015 season.
5) You may have seen former Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley’s piece on Greg Robinson during the season. Bentley has a training facility in Scottsdale that’s utilized by many NFL offensive linemen during the off-season. I think Robinson would be well served to get in touch with him and head to Arizona for some training.
6) When considering what the defensive staff was able to accomplish despite the absence of Robert Quinn for the last half of the season, Alec Ogletree for the last three quarters of the season, and Tim McDonald, E.J. Gaines and Chris Long for varying amounts of time, they deserve kudos. The defense was terrific even with all of the injuries they incurred.
7) We often hear about too many voices being a distraction for players. Is it possible that the Rams have too many coaches? Fisher has 24 assistants, with three of those being strength coaches. Chris Weinke is the quarterbacks coach, and former NFL QB Jeff Garcia is an offensive assistant.
There are two offensive line coaches, two special teams guys, two, and perhaps three defensive backs coaches, two linebackers coaches, two defensive line coaches. I know in college we like to have a small student-to-teacher ratio. If a coaching staff is going to have to have that, they better be on exactly on the same page.
8) Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins are both headed toward free agency, and as D’Marco Farr has mentioned in The Fast Lane, both should be retained. It would make sense for the Rams to try to sign both, and if they can’t, at least sign one and franchise the other. Even with Gaines coming back, you can never have too many cornerbacks. It would be smart to keep your talent in house.
9) As it turned out, the Rams played eight games against playoff teams, winning three; two against Seattle and one at Arizona. They lost to Arizona at the Dome, and to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Green Bay. They were 5-3 at home and 2-6 on the road. Few of the peripherals that fit the profile of a playoff team were achieved by the Rams. There were some positives, like finishing 11th in turnover ratio and fifth in yards per rush. But being last in passing, 29th in scoring, last in 3rd down conversions, last in yards per game and 26th in yards per play don’t translate to making the playoffs these days.
10) If indeed this game was the last one played by the Rams representing St. Louis, the team will have had four winning seasons in 21 years here. St. Louis has stepped up with, relative to other NFL situations, a workable stadium plan, and under the circumstances fans have supported the franchise as well as could be expected. Back in 2011, Rams COO Kevin Demoff told us in The Fast Lane that “We (the Rams) want a global solution. Not just what the Rams need, but what is needed to move St. Louis forward as a region and as a city. If we’re going to have a 65,000-seat stadium downtown, let’s make sure it works for all parties involved. If it works for everybody, it should work for us.”
Well, the Stadium Task Force’s plan seems to work for the St. Louis and Missouri Governments. Demoff said in the same interview that “I think the criteria need to be what makes St. Louis a better place for our citizens, and a better place for everybody long term. As long as we use that as our guiding principle, how we can work together, how we can build something meaningful for everybody involved, then it shouldn’t really matter where it ultimately ranks (against other NFL stadiums).” Those are the words of the Rams’ representative, laying out their own principles (a personal or specific basis of conduct or management, according to Dictonary.com).
As the team approaches filing for relocation, especially if reports that they have no interest in St. Louis’ stadium plan are true, it’ll be interesting to see if they are people of their words (to hold to one’s promises). Nobody knows how it’ll turn out, but the Rams actions sure are contradictory to their words, aren’t they?
January 5, 2016 at 12:17 am #36637znModeratorLack of passing attack again dooms Rams against 49ers
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Looking back at how the St. Louis Rams fared in three key areas of Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers:
1. Who runs it? As expected, the Rams played this game without the services of injured rookie running back Todd Gurley. Gurley sat out with a “mild turf toe,” coach Jeff Fisher said. That left the Rams leaning on backs Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Tavon Austin and even recently promoted Malcolm Brown.
As it turned out, the final numbers weren’t bad as the Rams rushed for 133 yards on 33 carries. The problem was consistency. The Rams gained 77 of those yards on four carries, which meant they had just 56 yards on their other 29 attempts, an average of 1.93 yards. That wasn’t enough to keep the chains moving consistently or get the Rams in the end zone other than the only time they did it following a takeaway and great field position from the defense.
2. Getting after Gabbert: The Rams were in San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s face for most of the day, hitting him seven times. But they weren’t able to get enough pressure on him to keep him from lighting them up. Gabbert threw for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception and repeatedly moved the pocket with his legs and made big plays down the field. When he wasn’t doing that, Gabbert was able to find checkdowns for easy yards.
The defense mostly did its job keeping the 49ers out of the end zone, but the big plays allowed Gabbert and Co. the chance to put the game away in overtime. They did.
3. Adding to the aerial attack: With Gurley out, there was no doubt the Rams needed more from the passing game in this one, as evidenced by quarterback Case Keenum’s 37 attempts. Keenum had a couple of good moments, including an early strike on a deep ball to receiver Kenny Britt. Ultimately, Keenum’s 22-of-37 for 231 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions wasn’t enough to make up for Gurley’s absence and get the Rams in the end zone with any sort of frequency.
To be fair, Keenum got little in the way of help from his receivers. A number of drops cost the Rams big plays but Keenum also misfired on third-down attempts that should have been pitch-and-catch for first downs
January 5, 2016 at 12:25 am #36638znModeratorAfter disappointing 2015, Fisher’s Rams looking ahead
Jim Thomas
On a day traditionally known as Black Monday in the NFL, a day when many coaches and front offices execs get shown the door, Jeff Fisher is going nowhere.
Fisher seemed to be in a particularly good mood Monday at his season-ending news conference. You’d never know his Rams had just suffered a brutal season-ending loss to an inferior San Francisco team the day before.
“We were a field goal away from winning this football game,” Fisher said.
Or that he had just finished a 7-9 season, his fourth consecutive losing season since taking over in St. Louis in 2012. Instead, Fisher spoke like someone who knew he had the full backing of ownership, which apparently is the case.
“Looking back, two or three games, a couple missed field goals, a couple overtime games and things are different,” Fisher said. “But I believe in this team. I believe in the direction we’re going. I believe we’re building it right.”
Even so, Fisher expressed frustration that he hasn’t been able to get this team over the hump. He sincerely thought that 2015 would be the year.
“Yeah, I’m certainly disappointed,” Fisher said. “We had high expectations this year coming into this thing. We felt like we were built and equipped to compete in the division and make a run.
“Again, as every coach will tell you, injuries are not excuses. But we played most of the year without Rob Quinn (back), and Alec Ogletree (leg), and T.J. McDonald (shoulder). And then lost corners and had some issues up front with the offensive line, and then we had to make a change at the quarterback position.
“I think we’re in position to go now. I know no one looks forward to playing us. I know that.”
It’s well-documented that Fisher took over a franchise that was in terrible shape in 2012 — an NFL-record worst 15-65 in the five years preceding his arrival. But after an impressive 7-8-1 bounce-back to respectability in 2012, Fisher’s Rams have been stuck in neutral, going 7-9 in 2013, 6-10 in 2014 and 7-9 again this season.
“It’s taken time,” Fisher said. “It was not a good situation when we got here. We’ve had inconsistent quarterback play. We’ve started a number of quarterbacks.
“Our focus has been in the division, and to compete with the division. We’ve shown that we can do that — we just have to be more consistent outside the division.”
As for the potential relocation of the franchise, Fisher said he addressed the topic with the team Monday.
“I’ve been through this experience before,” Fisher said. “We have to take the approach, and with the assumption, that everything’s taking place here in St. Louis until we’re told otherwise.
“I don’t have any more information than you (reporters) do. I’ve chosen not to ask questions, so I can tell the truth when I’m asked questions.”
For now, Fisher and his staff are occupied with the normal season-ending chores: Wrap-up meetings, exit physicals for the players. Fisher hinted strongly Monday that there will be some coaching staff changes, changes that will be announced sooner rather than later — probably before the week’s out.
Moving forward, Fisher said that as things stand right now, Case Keenum is the team’s starting quarterback for 2016.
“I have confidence in Case,” Fisher said. “Case is an incomplete pass and a field goal away from potentially being 5-0 as a starter. Manages things well. He worked really well with Rob (Boras) and (Chris) Weinke over the last few weeks, and I feel good about his development. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good quarterback.”
Weinke is the team’s quarterbacks coach; Boras was offensive coordinator for the final four games.
Fisher said he has spoken with Nick Foles on the topic and assured him that he will be given a chance to compete for the job.
“There’ll be competition when we come back, and I think we have a promising young talent in Sean (Mannion) that will be in the mix as well,” Fisher said. “But Case is gonna come back as the starter.”
And Fisher said quarterback is a position the Rams will look at bolstering in the offseason, be it through the draft, free agency, or a trade.
“Of course it is,” Fisher said. “We’ll look at all of the positions, but we’ll look at that position as well.”
And if the Rams add a quarterback at some point in the offseason, that could be it for Foles in St. Louis.
Improving the offense will be a major point of emphasis this offseason after a year in which the Rams finished 32nd in total offense and scored fewer than 20 points in all nine losses.
In particular, Fisher said the team plans to add to its talent base outside at wide receiver.
Overall, Fisher said he was very pleased with the work of Boras as offensive coordinator, although he has yet to decide if that promotion will be permanent.
“Again, a blocked field goal away from winning four straight,” Fisher said. “Rob jumped in and took advantage of a very, very difficult situation. And I thought he handled it really well. I’ve had a number of players come by my office today saying, ‘We like Coach Rob.’
“I have not made a decision with respect to Rob. But Rob certainly is deserving of an opportunity to take this over because I thought he did a really good job.”
Defensively, the No. 1 area Fisher said he wants to improve is the run defense. In terms of free agency, there’s a lot of work to be done on that side of the ball, particularly in the secondary where Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Rodney McLeod and linebacker-safety hybrid Mark Barron are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency.
“We’ll start the evaluation process,” Fisher said. “Go back and we’ll discuss our restricted free agents, our unrestricted free agents, and prioritize things from a coaching perspective.”
On special teams, the biggest issue is what to do at place-kicker, where Greg Zuerlein struggled through a tough year.
“Greg’s been asked to do a lot of things, kick a lot of long field goals,” Fisher said. “Obviously, his numbers aren’t what we hoped they would be. We have confidence in him, but in all likelihood there’ll probably be some competition in camp next year, which will make him better.”
And that’s assuming Zuerlein, who’s scheduled for unrestricted free agency, is back with the team next season.
January 5, 2016 at 12:48 am #36640
PA RamParticipantI really do believe that unless some weird , out-of-the-blue situation presents itself, the Rams will bring back the same QB trio next year. I really can’t see the point of taking a Cook, or Lynch when we have Mannion. Are those guys really THAT much better than him? And what about free agent QBs?
Kaepernik? Does anyone remember the photo of the Rams lined up and him completely missing the open, uncovered receiver? Yes–he’s an athlete–has an arm. But his head?
Manziel? Uh–just no.
There just isn’t any great option.
I expect the same trio to be back with HOPEFULLY a great receiver added to the mix.
I would rather they use that first rounder on a receiver than a Lynch.
As for Foles “competing”–I just don’t think Fisher had a choice. He’s not writing off that money. If not for that–he’d be gone. Maybe then they’d draft another young guy. But Foles kind of screws that up. Simply put–they’re stuck with him.
I know a lot of fans are hoping for the Rams to pull a rabbit out of the hat with the QB position. I just don’t see any rabbits.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
January 5, 2016 at 1:02 am #36641
ZooeyModeratorChip Kelley has expressed interest in the 9ers, and that makes sense. Kaepernick would probably be the kind of QB Kelley would want, and the 9ers would see Kelley as a chance to resurrect CK because Gabbert isn’t the answer. That’s what I think is going to happen in SF.
January 5, 2016 at 1:20 am #36642AgamemnonParticipantMaybe we can trade Foles for something. The other team would only be on the hook for his salary, $1,750,000.
All it takes is coach who thinks he can fix Foles.
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