Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Vikes game: assessments, blame, analysis…Wagoner, Thomas, & others
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September 9, 2014 at 11:19 am #6763
RamBillParticipantFailure to Flex Creative Muscle Dooms Rams
By Anthony Stalterhttp://www.101sports.com/2014/09/09/failure-flex-creative-muscle-dooms-rams-vikes/
Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome was a perfect example of how a team fails to execute a game plan that was doomed from the start.
The Rams didn’t just lose 34-6 to the Vikings on Sunday, they lost on Monday, too. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. And every other day earmarked for preparation against Minnesota.
I thought Jeff Fisher did the prudent thing a year ago following an embarrassing 35-11 loss to the 49ers when he ditched the Rams’ spread attack and went back to his roots of “smashmouth” football. Even though the team invested time and resources devoting itself to spreading opponents out, Fisher realized quickly that the philosophy wasn’t working. The team needed an identity and since that point, the Rams have strived to be a power-based team, cut from the same mold as the Seahawks and Niners.
But power football doesn’t work if your opponent is more physical than you are. The Vikings didn’t use complex concepts in order to hold the Rams to only 3.3 yards per carry on Sunday. They didn’t dig out Dick LeBeau’s fire zone blitz or use some form of witch magic to keep the Rams in check. They flat-out beat the Rams straight up, with four down linemen, gap control football and near flawless execution.
The Rams couldn’t establish their running game from the start, and the results were rather predictable.
You can talk about Shaun Hill’s rough first half, but I don’t remember anyone talking before the game about how Hill was going to be the key to victory. The focus, and for good reason, was on the team’s rushing attack, which was neutralized by Minnesota from the opening snap.
It also didn’t help that the entire Rams’ game plan offensively lacked creativity and imagination.
Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner had to know that Gregg Williams was going to be aggressive, which is why the Rams’ defense saw plenty of draws, traps and screens in efforts to counter the speed of St. Louis’ defensive line. If Robert Quinn or Chris Long were too quick to rush up the field, they could only flail at Adrian Peterson as he ran past them through sizable running lanes. T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod made a couple of nice tackles in the first half to keep Peterson from breaking off long runs, but when your safeties are making the majority of the tackles, then you’re losing the battle up front.
Granted, the Rams held Peterson to 75 yards on 21 carries, which is a victory in itself. But when you go beyond the stat sheet, you’ll realize that Peterson was controlling the action and setting the table for Turner’s more creative play calls. The Vikings aren’t the first team to run an end-around or a jet sweep with a receiver. But it kills a defense when they have to hesitate for a split second because their opponent is using their own aggressiveness against them. The end result may have only been 75 yards for Peterson, but that’s fine by Minnesota when Cordarrelle Patterson adds 102 yards on just three carries.
Speaking of Patterson, I’m sure throughout the game many fans were clamoring for him to be a Ram right now instead of Tavon Austin. But while Patterson certainly offers the same explosive skill set in a much bigger, stronger frame, I’m not convinced the Rams would know how to use him. As you noticed, the Vikings didn’t line Patterson up in the backfield and run him off-tackle.
While Austin continues to struggle creating separation, breaking tackles and making decisive decisions, he’s also hamstrung by a complete lack of creativity from Brian Schottenheimer.
What’s frustrating is that we saw how Schottenheimer used some imagination in victories against the Bears and Colts a year ago. But then there are games on Sundays when you’re left scratching your head as to how 5-foot-8, 176-pound Austin is expected to break a Sharrif Floyd tackle and beat the last two lines of defense.
All of this ties into my original statement: The Rams lost this game well before kickoff on Sunday. While the players are to blame for failing to execute, even if they didn’t miss tackles, commit penalties or throw back-breaking interceptions, I’m not sure the overall game plan was good enough to win anyway.
We’ll see how the Rams respond as they get ready to travel to Tampa on Sunday. I’m willing to bet that we’ll see a more focused and determined team than the one that took the field at the Edward Jones Dome a few days ago.
But if the Rams can’t win Monday through Friday, then they’ll once again put themselves in position to fail on Sunday.
September 9, 2014 at 11:19 am #6761RamBillParticipantTurning point play: Shaun Hill’s interception
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11463/turning-point-play-shaun-hills-interception
EARTH CITY, Mo. — With a new season upon us, it’s a good time to try some new things for this corner of cyberspace. Some will work, some won’t, so feel free to offer feedback on whether you want to see this continue or not. But I want to introduce a new Monday feature in which we’ll look back at a play in the game that was instrumental in leading to its result.
Most weeks there will be more than one play to choose from but we’ll try to pick the one that stands out most.
With the procedural stuff out of the way, here’s a look back at the turning point play from the Rams’ 34-6 Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:
Hill
The situation: With 1:13 to go in the first half, the Rams trailed 6-0 and had the ball on second-and-16 at their 19. On the previous play, Minnesota defensive tackle Tom Johnson sacked Rams quarterback Shaun Hill, forcing a fumble that Hill fell on for a loss of 6. At the time, Minnesota had two timeouts remaining.The play: With two receivers split to each side, Hill takes the snap out of the shotgun formation. In a common scene from the day, the Vikings rushed only four and created immediate pressure on Hill, particularly from both edges, forcing Hill to roll to his right. With tight end Jared Cook running a deep out from the slot, Hill forces a pass intended for Cook from his back foot into double coverage down the right sideline. Cook never had a chance to make a play on it, though, as cornerback Josh Robinson elevated for it and got his feet down in an athletic play for the interception at the Rams’ 35.
The fallout: In a game in which field goals looked like the path to victory, Minnesota took advantage of the prime field position and scored the game’s first touchdown four plays later to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room. It was also the last pass Hill threw on the day as the Rams announced he was dealing with a thigh/quad injury. Minnesota dominated from there.
After the game, coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams had hoped to go into the locker room at 6-0 and the interception was when things started to slip away.
“Our hope there was that right before we threw the interception, we would go in at halftime down six, regroup, take possession of the ball in the third quarter and go and make some plays,” Fisher said. “This game was taking on the appearance of a 13-10 type of game prior to us going into the locker room down 13, and then obviously things just slipped away there.”
Considering the Rams were going to get the ball first in the second half, that would be a perfectly logical approach were it not for the illogical execution of the idea. If indeed the Rams were content to go into the locker room down 6-0 after the sack and fumble nearly resulted in disaster, why then did they continue to throw the ball like a team looking to put a drive together?
Hill’s decision to throw that pass was undoubtedly awful and the Rams paid for it but a strong argument can be made that he never should have been put dropping back to pass in the first place.
September 9, 2014 at 11:39 am #6762RamBillParticipantOn today’s Breakfast With Bernie, the Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz rattles off all the reasons to give up on the Rams and asks how they can possibly respond this week against the Buccaneers. “The Rams have an owner that is probably going to move the team.” (2:28)
http://www.rams-news.com/bernie-a-salute-to-rams-fans-video/
September 9, 2014 at 12:25 pm #6764
PA RamParticipantHe REALLY hates the Rams.
Why does he bother watching at all?
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
September 9, 2014 at 4:11 pm #6776RamBillParticipantRams can learn from Vikings’ sweeps
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11480/the-rams-and-the-jet-sweep
EARTH CITY, Mo. — If someone had promised the St. Louis Rams that they would hold Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to 75 yards on 21 carries in the season opener, they probably would have taken it without a second thought.
With that type of performance against Peterson, it would have stood to reason the Rams had shut down the Vikings’ run game, forced them into third-and-long situations and turned up the heat with their pass rush. But while the Rams were able to slow Peterson, his running between the tackles was good enough to open up things on the outside for multi-purpose weapon Cordarrelle Patterson.
When the day was done, Patterson had three carries, all off the right edge, for 102 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown. In the process, he became the first Vikings receiver to rush for more than 100 yards in a game and became the first receiver since the AFL-NFL merger to score rushing touchdowns of 35-plus yards in three consecutive games.
So how did he get there? Well, his first two carries came on the ever-popular jet sweep, a play Seattle used regularly with Percy Harvin in this past Thursday’s regular-season opener. Those two carries went for a total of 35 yards as the Rams struggled to set the edge.
As Peterson continued to hammer away at the middle of the Rams’ defense, Patterson really made them pay when Minnesota called for a more basic toss sweep in the third quarter. Patterson broke multiple tackles and weaved his way through the defense for the electrifying touchdown.
“We have to do a better job up front setting the edges,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We had people running behind blocks, not crossing over. On a couple plays we had poor angles out of the secondary. We also had an alignment error on the long touchdown run. We’re going to have to continue to work at that and we’ll get that fixed. (Defensive Coordinator) Gregg [Williams] is very much aware of it and not happy right now, so we’ll get it fixed.”
The Rams had better get it fixed because they’ll see plenty of other teams running jet sweeps and similar plays throughout the season. They have two meetings against Harvin and the Seahawks and will also see players suchas Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders along the way.
On the flip side, the Rams could also take a page from the Vikings and get the ball to speedy receivers Tavon Austin and Chris Givens in similar ways. They did run a fake to Austin with a handoff to Givens around the right edge that went for four yards, but Austin’s three carries were almost exclusively between the tackles.
Moving forward, the Rams can learn a lot from how Minnesota utilized Patterson to improve themselves on both sides of the ball.
September 10, 2014 at 1:24 am #6790RamBillParticipantThings we noticed: Game 1
• By Jim ThomasDOWNFIELD PASSES
There were about a billion reasons why the Rams were embarrassed by the Vikings, but the lack of a deep passing game wasn’t one of them. The Rams completed five passes of 20 yards or more in the game, a total which exceeded any game over the entire 2013 season. And it was twice the Rams’ season average of 2.5 pass completions of 20 yards-plus in 2013.
There were at least two other deep throws in the game. One came on the botched no-call _ the play in which a penalty flag was picked up when Brian Quick was shoved off his route. The other was a deep ball to Kenny Britt late in the game. Britt has a step or two on the defender but Austin Davis’ pass was underthrown and the result was a pass breakup.
OFFICIATING
One of the most maddening things about NFL officiating is the inconsistency in deciding what’s a penalty and what’s not. There is way too much subjectivity.
When it comes to over-interpretation of the law, Ed Hochuli’s crew takes the prize. (Maybe it’s because Hochuli’s day job is as an attorney.) Anyway, on the second-quarter play when Quick was shoved off his route by Xavier Rhodes, a flag was thrown.
According to Jeff Fisher, the explanation he got was that the flag was thrown for illegal contact. But since the ball was in the air when the throw was made the call had to be pass interference.
Again according to Fisher, he was told that officials thought the shove wasn’t severe enough to be pass interference. So the flag was picked up. So according to Hochuli, it’s illegal to gain an advantage by having contact with a wide receiver more than five yards down field; but it’s OK to do so if the ball’s in the air. Huh?
GREGG WILLIAMS’ PLAYBOOK
We saw a three-man front on a few occasions. Some blitzes. But overall, this wasn’t a game where the Rams’ new defensive coordinator could dig deeply into his bag of tricks. After all, when you miss more than a dozen tackles and have trouble consistently shedding blocks, there’s only so much you can do scheme-wise.
But give a game ball to Williams’ counterpart on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner for devising a game plan that neutralized the Rams’ pass rush.
The Vikings didn’t throw downfield often. They didn’t have to because of their success with the running game, the short-passing game, and plays designed to test the Rams’ perimeter.
What about those big cushions of days gone by at cornerback? Janoris Jenkins played close the line of scrimmage a lot. At the other corner, E.J. Gaines, a rookie making his first NFL start, was in off coverage more often. And on a couple of occasions, the Vikings took advantage by making quick throws in front of him.
JAKE LONG
On a disastrous day largely devoid of silver linings, left tackle Jake Long and his surgically repaired right knee made it through the opener unscathed.
“I felt fine,” Long said afterwards. “I felt strong, quick out there. Everything was good _ just going out and going through a whole game physically. Being around piles, getting rolled up and all that stuff, it’s definitely a confidence builder. But the loss overshadows that a lot.”
Long played only 27 snaps in the entire preseason, all in Game No. 3 in Cleveland. He played all 67 Rams offensive plays against the Vikings.
“I talked to Jake after the ballgame,” Fisher said. “He said he felt good; he was happy to be back. The number of plays wasn’t an issue. You look at his production and the game itself, he did a nice job. So I think that’s behind him.”
September 10, 2014 at 1:28 am #6791RamBillParticipantFailure to hold the edge cost Rams defense big-time
• By Jim ThomasWhether it was running plays, or to a lesser extent the passing game, defensively the Rams lost Sunday’s game to Minnesota on the perimeter. The inability to hold the edge cost the Rams time and time again in a 34-6 loss, especially while the game was close.
“We’ve gotta do a better job up front setting the edges,” coach Jeff Fisher said during his Monday media session. “We had people running behind blocks, not crossing over (in front of them). On a couple of plays we had poor angles out of the secondary.
“We also had an alignment error on the long touchdown run (by Cordarrelle Patterson). So we’re going to have to continue to work at that, and we’ll get that fixed. Gregg (Williams) is very much aware of it, and not happy right now, so we’ll get it fixed.”
In this copycat league, you can rest assured every opponent on the Rams’ schedule will test them on the edge until the Rams show they have indeed gotten it fixed — starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday in Raymond James Stadium.
Patterson, the second-year wide receiver, got the Rams twice on the perimeter on “jet” sweeps — once on each of the Minnesota field goal drives in the opening 16 minutes of play. On the jet sweep, the wide receiver goes in motion towards the quarterback, and gets the handoff as he’s passing the QB. In essence it gives him a running start towards the edge.
On the first field goal drive, a 12-yard run around right end by Patterson got Minnesota out of a game-opening field-position hole, taking the Vikings from their 17 to the 29.
On the play, the Rams had both safeties playing at least 12 yards off the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Chris Long and cornerback E.J. Gaines, who was playing next to Long just off the line of scrimmage, both got taken out on blocks by Minnesota tight ends.
Patterson cut upfield between Long and Gaines through a hole created by the blockers. Linebacker Alec Olgletree, who had lined up on that side, was late to get to the ball.
On the second field goal drive, Patterson got the Vikings within field goal range on a 23-yard jet sweep, again around right end. It was the first play after the missed Greg Zuerlein 50-yard field goal, with Minnesota starting at its 40.
Both Rams safeties were deep again, this time at least 14 yards off the line of scrimmage. Gaines came off his receiver, who was flanked wide right, to force the play inside.
William Hayes, in at defensive end at the time, was unblocked but got caught inside. That left it up to the linebacker on that side — this time it was Jo-Lonn Dunbar. But Dunbar missed a tackle that would’ve stopped Patterson for a one-yard gain.
The backbreaker of course, was Patterson’s long touchdown run late in the third quarter, which stretched a 13-3 Minnesota lead to 20-3.
“I don’t care whether it’s a running back or a wide receiver, you don’t permit ‘em to run 80 yards on a crack toss for a touchdown,” Fisher said. “He’s an outstanding athlete, but we were not — to say the least — very efficient on that particular play.”
Actually, it was “only” 67 yards, but you get the point. Patterson lined up wide right on the play, but then shifted to the backfield behind fullback Matt Asiata in an I-formation. After what had transpired earlier on the two jet screens by Patterson, the Rams must have at least suspected he might get the ball here.
Didn’t matter. The Vikings blocked the play just like it was drawn up on the greaseboard. There were two tight ends on that side, and end Hayes was taken out by one of them after the toss to Patterson.
Pulling guard Brandon Fusco took care of T.J. McDonald, who was stationed wide on the line of scrimmage almost as if he were a cornerback. Fullback Asiata got Gaines, who was stationed a few yards behind the line of scrimmage like a safety. And linebacker Alec Ogletree, who had lined up on that side, couldn’t get off his block.
So once again, the Rams were outflanked on the edge in textbook fashion. It was almost like that old clip of Vince Lombardi at the chalkboard from NFL Films: A seal here, a block there. …
Patterson was 15 yards down field before a Rams defender got a hand on him — Dunbar and safety Rodney McLeod missed tackles, and it was off to the races for Patterson who cut back towards the middle for the score.
Obviously, if you can’t get off blocks, it’s hard to play winning football on defense. Plain and simple.
Those three Patterson plays alone accounted for 102 yards — or 30 percent of the Vikings’ offensive output on 56 plays. The Vikings also outflanked the Rams on three screen passes to either a running back, wide receiver, or tight end that amounted to 46 additional yards.
There was a sharp contrast between those plays by the Vikings, who were able to get their blockers on the perimeter. And similar offensive plays by the Rams, who weren’t able to get their blockers out, or when they were, were unable to execute a block. The only exception was a screen pass to Zac Stacy in which the Rams had blockers in place, but Stacy dropped the pass.
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