setting up the Seattle game–articles, vids, on Fisher etc.

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  • #9731
    RamBill
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    Fisher stays even-keel in face of 1-4 start

    • By Jim Thomas

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fisher-stays-even-keel-in-face-of—start/article_a002145d-f3ce-55bc-9188-aa1070d8cfaf.html

    The last thing Jeff Fisher expected in mid-October was a 1-4 record in what was supposed to be a breakout year. But that’s what it is for his Rams, and worse yet, next up on the schedule are the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

    “The big thing about it is you don’t change what you’re doing,” Fisher said Tuesday. “What we’re doing here is right. The players are coming to work, they’re having fun, they’re working hard.

    “We know we don’t have the production that we like. We’ve played three good opponents, and we haven’t done well enough to win the game. But we’ve been in the games. So things will turn.

    “We’ve got a tough stretch ahead. But this is why we say: ‘Hey, we focus on this week. We’ll get ’em back.’”

    That approach characterizes one of the things Fisher does best. He’s even-keeled. He doesn’t panic. He stays the course.

    In that sense, it wasn’t really surprising when Fisher went into the “I’m OK, your OK” mode when quizzed about the team’s latest disheartening loss, 31-17 to San Francisco on Monday night.

    He didn’t lavish praise on anyone (with the exception of rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald). But he didn’t throw anyone under the bus (with the possible exception of cornerback Janoris Jenkins).

    A couple of examples:

    Offensive line play • “I thought there were some real good efforts (Monday). We did some good things against a good defensive front. Our pass protection needs to improve. We let the pocket collapse at times. They do that to everybody. We can improve overall.”

    Yeah, when you give up five sacks, you probably need to do better.

    Quarterback Austin Davis • “He was OK. I don’t think he played as well as he did the first couple weeks. But again, the position’s hard to play. He got off to a fast start, made some good throws. … He’s improving.”

    Davis missed eight consecutive throws in a three-possession span stretching from late in the third quarter to the 4-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

    “Austin had a good feel for what we were doing,” Fisher said. “We got away from the run a little bit. I would’ve liked to have seen us hand the ball off a little bit more — it’s easy to second-guess.”

    In their first five possessions of the second half, the Rams gained only 20 yards. The Rams had only three running plays in the fourth quarter, but they also trailed by double-digits at that time and needed two scores in a relatively short period of time.

    The 49ers’ defense “made some adjustments,” Fisher said. “They made some halftime adjustments, and pressured us a little bit and took a few things away. We had some people open. Again, sometimes they’re hard to find. But we had two or three plays in those … possessions, where we had some opportunities.”

    Fisher did not think Davis got antsy in the pocket.

    “No, I think he felt pressure and he escaped, tried to extend the plays,” Fisher said. “But no, I don’t think he was ‘flushing,’ or getting spooked or anything like that. He has a good feel for that.”

    Even with the losses mounting, and the criticism mounting outside Rams Park, Fisher chose to accentuate the positive Tuesday.

    “Overall, there are a lot of good things in this game,” Fisher said. “Lot of good things. Great effort. We played very physical. Some really, really outstanding individual efforts on some individual plays. So we have to take those positives and move forward. Disappointed for the players. We had a lead. We just couldn’t make things happen second half.”

    Not exactly music to the ears of Rams fans expecting public executions Tuesday morning on the parking lot at Rams Park.

    Fisher did provide some brief illumination on the Jenkins miscue on the 80-yard touchdown catch-and-run by veteran wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.

    “We were in a 3-deep concept, so Janoris is supposed to be on top,” Fisher said succinctly.

    So not only did Jenkins get burned on the play, he was in the wrong coverage, playing tight against Lloyd at the line of scrimmage.

    Which makes what linebacker James Laurinaitis said in the locker room afterward, when quizzed about the play, all the more understandable.

    “We have to play the defenses that are called,” Laurinaitis said. “We’re just in zone coverage. I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus. We had this coverage in specifically for this team, and we just have to execute it.”

    That touchdown by Lloyd seemed to take the life out of the Rams, even though they still had a 14-10 lead at the half. The Rams’ reaction to that play, based on what transpired in the second half, seems to be symptomatic of a larger issue facing the team.

    It doesn’t look like this team can take a punch — in other words, display the resiliency to bounce back after a bad play or two, regroup, and find a way to scratch out a victory. It’s a fourth-quarter league, and the Rams lost by three points to Dallas, six points to Philadelphia, and with 2½ minutes left against San Francisco trailed by only seven points.

    The 49ers, on the other hand, are a case study in resiliency. They found a way to hang in — and win — when tons of things were going bad a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia. Came from behind against Kansas City a week ago, and took plenty of body blows by the Rams in the early going Monday.

    “We were talking about this last week,” Fisher said. “We were down 34-7 and we recovered. So we made a good run in Philadelphia. So (the players) didn’t get down.

    “All you need to do is look at the last extra point after we threw the interception for a touchdown (against San Francisco). Just look at that. We almost blocked it.

    “So I don’t think there was a matter or issue relating to the (Lloyd) touchdown pass. We still went in at halftime with the lead. And that was the chatter, that was the talk, it was very positive when we were in there.”

    But there’s a difference between hanging in, playing with effort, and finding a way to win. The Rams still haven’t discovered that difference.

    #9726
    RamBill
    Participant

    Is it Time for the St. Louis Rams to Play Greg Robinson at Left Tackle?

    by Patrick Karraker

    http://archauthority.com/2014/10/14/time-st-louis-rams-play-greg-robinson-left-tackle/

    Make no mistake: there were plenty of negative observations to take away from the St. Louis Rams’ 31-17 Monday night loss to the San Francisco 49ers. If there was one thing that stood out above all others, especially in the first half, it was that left tackle Jake Long is no longer the player that earned the number one overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, made four straight Pro Bowls from 2008-2011, and earned a four-year, $36 million-dollar contract from the Rams prior to last season.

    It looks like Long is still suffering from the aftermath of the torn ACL and MCL that he suffered near the end of last season. The 29-year-old obviously struggles to get into a three-point stance, and even from his two-point pass-blocking stance it looks like he’s struggling to get optimum knee bend.

    It was actually sad to watch Long, who once was such a physically dominant blocker, perform on Monday. The 6-foot-7, 322-pound mammoth of a man, who was extremely powerful during his prime, put a minimal amount of power into the majority of his blocks against San Francisco. Sure, he still completed his assignments and got to his men, but we saw the drop-off once he got there, as where we would once see him drive a defender back on a run block or lock out a pass rusher, he instead just got a brief push on his run blocks and frequently got driven back as a pass blocker.

    For the first time as a Ram, we really saw Long become a liability to his quarterback (and his team as a whole, for that matter). 49ers outside linebacker Dan Skuta dominated Long for a sack which forced a fumble and could have caused a turnover had Rams center Scott Wells not recovered it.

    Though it’s customary for some players to take a while to return to form following an injury like Long suffered, the Rams have a bit of a unique situation on their hands. They selected Auburn’s Greg Robinson with the number two overall pick in this year’s draft with the idea that he would be the left tackle of the future. The plan was for the rookie to step in immediately at left guard and then move to tackle after he had gotten his feet wet as an NFL lineman. Every tortured Rams fan knows how that’s worked out so far, though: Robinson spent the first four games of the season on the bench while veteran Davin Joseph started ahead of him, until the coaching staff finally bit the bullet and started him at left guard against San Francisco.

    Robinson had some rookie hiccups in his debut as a starter, but was pretty solid overall, and a decent argument could actually be made that he was the most consistent lineman on Monday. With that in mind, the question almost certainly has to come up about whether Robinson may be better served to start working at his long-term position of left tackle.

    Just to be clear, no one should be expecting Robinson to step in and be a dominant left tackle right away. It should have been apparent to those who watched the 6-foot-5, 332-pounder play in college that he has a lot of work to do on his technique. For starters, he needs to polish his pass blocking skills and do better work with getting set and extending his arms. In addition to that, though, there’s still some visible timidness to his approach; he tends to go to the ground more than he probably needs to.

    With that said, the Rams have to be realistic about the situation they’re in. They have a 1-4 record, and they still have two games against the defending Super Bowl champions, another game against the team they beat to win that Super Bowl, plus another two against the Arizona Cardinals, who are somehow 4-1 and leading the NFC West. The chances of this team winning at least eight of their final 11 games and turning into a contender this year are very slim, so why not let loose their left tackle of the future and try to get him up to speed for next year?

    Obviously, any team that invests a top-five pick in a player wants to start getting a solid return on their investment as soon as possible, so if that’s the strategy it would probably be better for Robinson to get his growing pains out of the way this year instead of during the early part of next year, when he would presumably be scheduled to kick outside. One could counter and say that the Rams need to try to get a return on their significant investment in Long. At this point, though, that contract is pretty much a sunk cost; all his guaranteed money was paid out over the first two seasons of the deal.

    Long may be the better left tackle than Robinson right now, but giving the rookie the final 11 games of the season could do wonders for his confidence at the position going into next year. And if the Rams can create a tackle tandem of Robinson on the left side and Joe Barksdale, who is a free agent after this year, at right tackle heading into next season, they could position themselves to have a much stronger offensive line in 2015.

    #9732
    RamBill
    Participant

    Rams notes: Team may go with running back by committee
    • By Joe Lyons

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notes-team-may-go-with-running-back-by-committee/article_cab56fd7-f62b-55ca-aa6a-05655a05b7da.html

    Thanks to a strong showing from rookie Tre Mason in his NFL debut, the Rams’ backfield seems to be getting a little crowded.

    And coach Jeff Fisher is fine with that.

    “I have no problem with that. Nope,’’ the coach said when asked about a running back by committee situation. “We were rolling all three of them.’’

    Mason, the team’s third-round draft choice in May, was inactive until Monday night, when he made the most of his NFL debut by accounting for 52 yards on just nine plays from scrimmage in the 31-17 loss to the visiting 49ers.

    Mason ran five times for 40 yards, including a 24-yarder on a burst up the middle. It was the Rams’ first run of 20 or more yards this season and helped set up a 22-yard touchdown pass from Austin Davis to Lance Kendricks in the first quarter.

    Earlier in the quarter, the 5-foot-8, 207-pound Mason caught a Davis swing pass in the right flat, lowered his head and took on two 49ers defenders for a 12-yard gain to the San Francisco 5. Five plays later, Benny Cunningham took a handoff to the left for a 1-yard touchdown.

    “I liked the way (Mason) handled his first opportunity and made some explosive plays,’’ Fisher said, noting that Mason got his chance after running back and special teams standout Chase Reynolds was hurt in practice. Mason’s “doing a really good job on the practice field. … There was some question whether Chase would be available, so we planned ahead … and got Tre into the offense. We got him involved in a couple of things. He’s earned the opportunity. He did a nice job. As you can see, he was very explosive.’’

    At Auburn last year, Mason was a Heisman Trophy contender after breaking the Tigers’ single-season rushing record set by Bo Jackson.

    “It was good to be out there and get my feet wet,’’ Mason said. “I’m just going to keep working hard and try to do whatever the coaches ask of me.’’

    Cunningham, who took more snaps (38) than starter Zac Stacy (25), picked up his second touchdown of the season, finishing with 21 yards on seven carries to go along with two catches for 12 yards. Stacy finished with 17 rushing yards on eight carries and two pass receptions for 17 yards.

    A week earlier, Stacy left the loss in Philadelphia with a strained calf.

    “There was no physical issue,’’ Fisher said. “He had a full week of practice.’’

    BARNES IS HURTING

    The Rams came out of a physical battle with the 49ers in relative good health. The exception: reserve center Tim Barnes (Missouri) hurt his shoulder and rib cage.

    On the plus side, Barrett Jones, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013, has been making steady progress after undergoing back surgery early in training camp.

    “We may be fortunate — it may time up — if (Barnes) does miss time … Barrett Jones could potentially be back this week,’’ Fisher said.

    LOOKING AHEAD

    Next up for the Rams is a noon showdown Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

    Seattle is 3-2 and coming off a 30-23 loss at home to the Dallas Cowboys. Since drafting and installing Russell Wilson at quarterback in 2012, the Seahawks have won 19 of 21 home games.

    “We were not right, really, in any phase of our game,’’ Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said in a brief post-game interview session. “We didn’t run the ball the way we want to, we didn’t protect as well as we like, we didn’t throw the ball very well and our defense didn’t stop the run.’’

    In addition, the Seahawks came out out of the Dallas game with some injury concerns. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner suffered a turf toe injury in the second quarter and played through it. But Carroll said Monday that it’s an injury that could linger.

    Cornerback Byron Maxwell left Sunday’s game with a calf injury. Center Max Unger (foot) is day to day while tight end Zach Miller (ankle) is not expected to play Sunday.

    The Seahawks hold a 20-12 edge in the series. Seattle swept last year’s games, winning 14-9 here in a Monday Night thriller and 27-9 in the regular-season finale there. The Seahawks have won three in a row, six of seven and 16 of the teams’ last 18 meetings.

    RAM-BLINGS

    Quarterback Davis was joined by tackles Jake Long and Joe Barksdale, guard Greg Robinson and center Scott Wells in taking part in all 74 offensive plays for the Rams. On defense, safety T.J. McDonald and linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree were on the field for all 66 snaps.

    • Brian Quick, who entered Monday as the Rams’ leader in catches (21) and receiving yards (322), was targeted four times and had one 10-yard reception.

    The 49ers “didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes that happens,’’ Fisher explained. “They do a lot of rotation to the weak side; it’s a staple in their defense. So, they force you to go other places with it. It wasn’t something that they game-planned to take him away.’’

    Tight end Jared Cook paced the Rams with four catches for 74 yards as Davis completed passes to nine receivers.

    • Two players with local ties were cut from practice squads Tuesday. Linebacker Jonathan Brown (Illinois) was released by Arizona. Wide receiver Marvin McNutt (Hazelwood Central) had his contract with Washington terminated.

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