Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Out of the bye/to the Eagles game: journalists sound off (Miklasz, Wagoner, etc)
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September 29, 2014 at 9:41 am #8670
RamBillParticipant
Ram Bytes: Has Fisher come to his senses?
• Bernie MiklaszGood morning from the Atlanta airport. I’m waiting for my connecting flight to St. Louis, and writing time is short.
I know the emphasis is on the Cardinals’ postseason right now, but the Rams return to action Sunday in Philadelphia after catching a brief break during their bye weekend.
The NFL is crazy these days, with teams swerving all over the place, refusing to identify themselves as consistently good or reliably bad. Tampa Bay beats Pittsburgh … how does that happen? And why do the Dallas Cowboys suddenly look unbeatable?
I’m still trying to figure out where the Rams fit in all of this. They’re somewhere below the top 16, but not nearly the worst of the 32 teams.
And their comeback win at Tampa Bay and strong start to the Dallas game (before blowing a 21-point lead) indicates there’s some talent and potential in the house.
Here are five things I hope the Rams worked on, and solved, during their bye-bye time:
1. Hopefully Jeff Fisher came to his senses and will announce that Austin Davis will remain as the starting quarterback for Sunday’s appointment in Philly. There is no need to change up. Davis has been productive, entertaining and really good. Shaun Hill doesn’t have the arm or mobility possessed by Davis.
And what has Hill done to lay permanent claim to the starting gig? What’s his legacy here in St. Louis — the accomplishments that accrued the kind of equity that automatically converts into playing time? That’s right, it doesn’t exist. He’s been in town for 49 minutes.
Quarterback play has been a mess in our town for the longest time. I had a dream that Kyle Boller started games for the Rams … wait, he really did, didn’t he? Goodness. But Davis is fresh, he’s lively, he makes plays. Why shut the kid down now? The purpose is to score points and win the game, right? Who gives the Rams the better chance, to do so?
Davis should start this game. And then go from there. If he mentally snaps in Philadelphia and starts turning the ball over or making blockhead throws, then pull him and call Hill from the bullpen. But there isn’t one logical reason to bench Davis when he’s done nothing to warrant it.
2. I’ll be succinct on this one: play some damned defense. Get out of three-man fronts on obvious passing downs. Crank up a dormant pass rush. Show us what you got, Gregg Williams.
3. On a similar note … It’s about time for Robert Quinn to grab himself a quarterback, notch his first sack of the season and reaffirm that he’s an unstoppable force. He’s been a stoppable force in the first three games.
4. Hopefully there was a classroom session with the working title of “Penalties are Bad, and Dumb Penalties are Worse.” It’s way past time for Fisher and his coaches to take charge and reduce the number of flags and the problem of costly penalty yards.
5. Has anyone seen Jason Smith? Umm, sorry, I meant to type Greg Robinson. My bad. I guess I am already starting to confuse the two. You know … No. 2 overall pick. Offensive tackle chosen by a mediocre team that needs help on the offensive line. And … nothing. How does 330 pounds of supposedly elite talent simply vanish from the face of Earth City?
That’s all I got. I feel better now.
Thanks for reading.
— Bernie
September 29, 2014 at 9:46 am #8671RamBillParticipantMorning Ram-blings: Monday game balls
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12142/morning-ram-blings-monday-game-balls-4
EARTH CITY, Mo. — It’s a Monday morning, which means it’s time for our weekly look around the NFL with our NFL Nation reporters handing out game balls for this week’s action.
Since the St. Louis Rams had their bye this week, there’s obviously no game ball for a Rams game but that also allowed me an opportunity to watch some other games.
Some players who earned game balls Sunday who happened to catch my eye included Baltimore receiver Steve Smith, who can clearly still do his share of damage, and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who backed up his request for Packers fans to relax with a superlative performance in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the Rams’ next two opponents squared off in San Francisco with the Niners coming away with a hard fought win. It was a close game and the Niners obviously have some special-teams woes, but their defense looks to be rounding into form.
Now, the Rams get to face an angry Eagles team on the road this week.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of the weekend’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … On Friday, we delved into a variety of topics, including a look at end Eugene Sims’ struggles with penalties and how the Rams feel about having an early bye. … We also examined the Rams’ early pass-rush woes. … Over the weekend, we examined the tough schedule awaiting the Rams in the next eight weeks and how the Rams have fared coming out of recent byes. … Finally, we offered a statistical look at where the Rams stand in the first three weeks.
Elsewhere:
Not Rams related but because I think it’s the best story in sports right now, here’s the latest from Bengals reporter Coley Harvey on Devon Still jersey sales.
Some injuries of note for the Niners from their win against Philadelphia, courtesy of 49ers reporter Paul Gutierrez.
At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas wonders where the Rams’ pass rush has gone.
Joe Lyons offers an update on rookie running back Tre Mason, who has yet to be active for a regular-season game.
At 101sports.com, Mike Martz reminisced with The Fast Lane.
September 29, 2014 at 11:01 am #8674
GreatRamNTheSkyParticipantI have to agree. Fisher is going to look like a retard if he starts Hill and Hill totally flops.
Grits
September 29, 2014 at 4:47 pm #8693RamBillParticipantTaking an early look at the Eagles
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12155/taking-an-early-look-at-the-eagles
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams return to the field this week with a trip to Philadelphia. With a little extra time before the Rams return from the bye Tuesday morning, let’s take a look at what the Eagles bring to the table heading into the week 5 matchup.
Bouncing back: The Eagles suffered their first loss Sunday at San Francisco as the 49ers shut down Philadelphia’s vaunted offense. In fact, the Eagles failed to score an offensive touchdown, and their 213 yards of total offense is their second-lowest output under coach Chip Kelly in his two seasons. Despite posting scores by way of punt return, interception return and a blocked punt, the Eagles fell 26-21, so there are a few lingering issues of concern to keep an eye on this week.
Running in place: Much of Kelly’s offense is based on establishing the run, something the Eagles did particularly well with running back LeSean McCoy in 2013. But right now, the run game is stuck in the mud. McCoy has 29 carries for 39 yards over the past two weeks. That includes a 10-carry, 17-yard performance against San Francisco, the lowest rushing output of his career as a starter. The lack of production left McCoy calling Philadelphia’s run game “embarrassing.”
Line dancing: If you’re looking for reasons for Philadelphia’s recent offensive struggles, look no further than a banged up offensive line. The Eagles have been without star guard Evan Mathis and top-notch center Jason Kelce, both of whom have been lost to serious injuries. Neither will be available Sunday against the Rams, but Philadelphia will be getting some help up front this week. Tackle Lane Johnson, who was suspended the first four weeks, is eligible to return this week and should be able to hop back in the mix at right tackle. That will help at two positions, because Todd Herremans can move back inside to right guard with Johnson back. A big part of the Niners’ success came from getting after quarterback Nick Foles without much help from the blitz, something the Rams haven’t done much of this season but should be a major part of their arsenal.
Second-half surges: Despite some of the issues listed above, the Eagles deserve a lot of credit for winning their first three games. The reason for those victories? An impressive knack for dominating in the second half of games. In wins against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, Philadelphia overcame double-digit deficits to win. That is a strange trend, but it shouldn’t be considered too much of a fluke given how the Eagles are built. Kelly prefers to run a fast-paced offense with an emphasis on conditioning that makes it tough on teams in the second half. That trend stopped in San Francisco as the 49ers were able to keep their offense on the field, but it is something to monitor as the Rams head to Philadelphia this week in search of their second win.
September 30, 2014 at 3:05 pm #8730RamBillParticipantRams encouraged by offensive progress
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12182/rams-encouraged-by-early-offensive-progress
EARTH CITY, Mo. — While the St. Louis Rams defense was the group expected to take a big step forward in 2014, it so far has been a disappointment. But for as much of a letdown as the early defensive returns have been, the Rams have been equally encouraged by the start of the offense.
Although there remains plenty of work to do for the Rams to improve offensively, there have been steady signs of progress in the first three weeks. As of Tuesday morning, the Rams are ninth in the league in yards per game (368.3), ninth in passing yards per game (264.3) and sixth in time of possession (32:12).
“I think the best way for us to look at it is the offense did move the ball well, we looked a lot better week by week,” tight end Lance Kendricks said. “We have kind of got to take that in stride and use that as motivation going forward.”
Perhaps most surprising about the offense’s start has been the production through the air while the running game has been middling. The emergence of quarterback Austin Davis in the team’s past two games has been an impetus for the improvement, but there is more at play than just Davis’ league-leading accuracy.
With opposing defenses loading up to stop the run, the Rams have found favorable matchups for their receivers on the outside. That’s not new for the Rams but it is a step forward that the Rams are now actually winning some of those one-on-one battles. Receiver Brian Quick leads the way in that regard with his 16 catches for 235 yards and a touchdown.
But beyond Quick, Davis and the passing game have found success by spreading the ball around. After three weeks, the Rams have 10 players with at least three catches.
“Moving the ball around to different people is always a good thing,” Kendricks said. “It makes them have to play it true and play everyone and play it fair. This week, I think the focus is just building on what we did already and improving on last week’s performance. Even though we did perform well, we can always get better as an offensive unit.”
One way to do that is to get the running game going on a more consistent basis. The offense was supposed to center on the rushing attack but the first three weeks have offered a series of stops and starts. The Rams are 22nd in the league in rushing offense at 104 yards per game and 20th in yards per attempt at 3.85.
The offensive line has shown improvement in each week of the season and that should continue as it plays together more. Defenses playing with extra defenders in the box is probably going to continue, and it didn’t stop the Rams from having success running the ball last year. They can start by finding bigger chunk runs than what they have.
The Rams’ longest rush this season was an 18-yard gain on an end-around to Tavon Austin.
“We know we’ll get heavy boxes and people trying to stop the run,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “We need to create some explosive runs. We get guys in the secondary creating seams, they’ve got to be able to take advantage of that. But it’s a process. That certainly takes pressure off of us by getting in second down and manageable, third down and manageable. But we go well when we’re balanced and we run the football. When teams take that away from us we tend to struggle a little bit, so hopefully we’ll like always try to get the running game going and generate a few more explosive plays. ”
If the Rams can do that, they should be able to continue building on a surprising start as they head into games with much better defenses.
September 30, 2014 at 5:16 pm #8737RamBillParticipantRams drop to No. 30 in Power Rankings
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12184/rams-drop-to-no-30-in-power-rankings
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams didn’t play this week, enjoying an early bye along with five other NFL teams. That means they didn’t lose any games but it didn’t prevent them from losing ground in this week’s ESPN NFL Power Rankings.
After holding steady at No. 28 last week despite a close loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Rams actually dropped two spots this week to No. 30 despite not playing a game. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders checked in behind the Rams this week after voters elevated Tampa Bay and Minnesota above them.
Minnesota, I can understand, especially after the Vikings beat the Rams convincingly in Week 1 and went on to beat Atlanta this week. The Vikings are up to No. 24 and deservedly so.
But I believe the Rams deserve a little better than their 30th spot on this list. They should remain ahead of Tampa Bay even after the Bucs beat Pittsburgh on the road. The Rams beat the Bucs on the road just two weeks ago, and the teams have the same record. And though the Rams have a blowout loss on their résumé, they played Dallas, which has risen to No. 10 on the list, extremely close and probably should have won that game in their other defeat.
In my eyes, the Rams should be ahead of Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Washington and be sitting in the No. 27 range. If nothing else, they probably should have stayed where they were after not having a game this week.
They’ll have a chance to prove they aren’t the third-worst team in the league this week when they travel to play No. 6 Philadelphia.
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