Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › how do you see 2015? optimistic, pessimistic, neutral, wait-n-see?
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December 31, 2014 at 8:52 pm #15195znModerator
From off the net
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PaRamFan48
Another losing season
6-10? Lousy!! When will it all end? We started out 1-4 and finished with 3 straight losses. That’s a terrible 1-7 surrounding a decent 5-3. But two 5-3’s will get you a 10 win season. Doh!!! Not exactly rocket science right? Our offense was abysmal all year. Our defense played pretty good from game 6 on. So what do we have and what are our prospects for a winning season anytime soon?
I’m throwing out the 6-10
I know you can highlight the positives but that doesn’t overshadow the negatives. They’re there. They’re real. But I can’t help feeling this is the best 6-10 I’ve seen from a Rams team in quite some time. And we’ve had more than a few of those sub-.500 seasons. In fact, I honestly believe this team has more talent than the last Rams team to go .500. Sure Bulger was at his peak, throwing 24 TD’s to just 8 picks and SJ piled up 2300+ yards from scrimmage. But that defense was horrible. Almost 22 points per game allowed. And that team started out 4-1!!!
Where’s the offense?
We scored 18 points per game. 18!! Our offense scored 31 TD’s, or less than 2 per game and kicked 24 field goals. You are not going to win many games in the NFL with that kind of output unless you have an 85 Bears-type defense. And our defense is good, really good but they’re not the 85 Bears. Sure we started the season with our #2 QB, went to the #3 for 5 games and came back to the #2. But both we’re under-armed and unprotected. We couldn’t run well with consistency and defenses put pressure on our already anemic passing game.
A new system and new OC?
Shottenheimer has been labeled as unimaginative, unresourceful, uninspiring among other things. His offense..or his offense’s numbers leave a lot to be desired. Yet Jeff Fisher claims he’s an excellent play caller and doesn’t anticipate any changes on the staff. He said the same thing last year before Williams was available. But I had found it interesting throughout the season, when the offense did show signs of being more than a dead pillow, many commentators would compliment Shottenheimer on his creativity and imagination. It’s not like it happened just once. If I heard that once, I heard it a half dozen times this year. And I can’t help but believe a coach can have limitations based on the available personnel he has at his disposal. I believe this offense might look considerably different with a legit #1 QB, an offensive lineman or two AND the running backs and wide receivers we have. Now if Fisher decided to take a run at Martz…or somebody comparable (is there anybody out there?), then all bets are off, but short of that scenario, I don’t think we’re as anemic as we appear with replacements for those players we lack.
Prospects for 2015
I think we just need to take a breath, sit back and see what the guys who built this team so far, do with free agency and the draft. This team is NOT that far away. In fact I believe they’re closer than many of us imagine. The need to fix what ails us, start out strong and develop further is paramount. But it’s not like it’s asking the 2009 Rams to score 30 points. Through the first three years of the Fisher era, I wasn’t expecting miracles. I wasn’t expecting a 14-2 season or a bunch of pro bowl players. I was expecting toughness. Well, we’ve got the toughness. We’ve even got a few pro bowl players. Maybe even a DROY and if not for that guy, the play of EJ Gaines and Joyner would be an even bigger story. I wasn’t expecting 6-10 either. But like I said, I’m throwing that one out and next year I’m expecting something much, much better.
December 31, 2014 at 10:53 pm #15198znhaterBlockedThey have lost me. Can’t be optimistic after 11 years of losing. I bought it in 2006,2008,2011 and this season. I’ll believe it when i see it.
Until the penalties and turnovers cease, this team will not improve.
January 1, 2015 at 1:59 am #15203OahuRamParticipantI tend to be optimistic, so I look forward to next season. But I am concerned about the o-line. I think with a solid o-line they are a playoff team because we have good RBs and WRs that can get open. But who will they have next season? Long and Wells are probably gone, maybe Joseph too? Robinson had some tough moments this season. Will he improve enough to be a good LT? How well will Saffold recover from shoulder surgery? Barksdale played all 16 games but wasn’t great. Will he be back? Should he be back? We don’t know much about Person, Barnes, Jones.
The Rams quite possibly could have only Robinson and Saffold back for the starters. And neither one of them are reliable linemen. One because he is still learning and the other because he is often injured.
January 1, 2015 at 9:35 am #15206sdramParticipantMy optimism will grow as the next season gets closer and after they attempt to plug their holes. So, at this particular instance in time I’m looking forward to their offseason, draft, etc…
January 1, 2015 at 10:00 am #15208wvParticipantI’m optimistic, because i think they
can make the playoffs if they add
a couple of solid, HEALTHY Offensive Linemen.
And they have cap space so they ought to be
able to fill the Oline holes through free agency
and the draft. Sign a couple, draft a couple
and two of em oughta work out.A better OLine will lead to better running
and less pressure on the QB which means
fewer INTs and Forced fumbles, and more
big plays.IF they get a HEALTHY Bradford back they
can do more than just ‘make the playoffs’.
But thats a big If, obviously.So, if they do nothing more than fix
the Oline, i see ten wins.
If they fix the QB AND the Oline,
i could see them getting 11 or more.w
vJanuary 1, 2015 at 10:16 am #15210PA RamParticipantIf they fix the offense–playoffs.
IF.
I have no doubt the defense and special teams are in place to make a run.
The offense is the anchor around their neck.
So…do I trust they will fix the offense?
No.
The quarterback situation is up in the air–it’s a foggy situation and when it clears I’m not exactly sure what it will look like but there is no doubt by now that Fisher knows they HAVE to address it. But they have to find a steady, healthy quarterback.
The offensive line needs obvious work. Again–I think they get that.
While I’m not a Shotty fan, the last thing I want to do right now is change systems. If they settle the QB situation and fix the O-line they can win.
But one more thing–the slow start. They can’t have that again. The defense has to be ready from DAY 1 and since Williams has had them a year they should be–they have to be.
In short—I am not pessimistic or optimistic—I’m neutral. I’ll believe it when I see it. For now–I’m trying to be optimistic about the draft and free agency.
We’ll see how that looks.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
January 3, 2015 at 12:20 am #15397znModeratorI wanta bump this, see if it can get more action.
January 3, 2015 at 9:06 am #15412ZooeyModeratorBash on, regardless.
I’m a skeptic of “injury prone.” Bradford will be ready for the start of the season, and he is as likely to play all season as any other QB. I will be more nervous about him than a Packers fan is about Rodgers because of his history, but that’s just emotional history clouding my perception, imo. I am not convinced that logically there is reason to fear he won’t make it.
So… Bradford + Reinforced OL = Playoffs.
I also think that – with a good off-season and another year of training camp – Aaron Donald might justify his draft position next year, and finally prove he belongs in the NFL. Call me crazy, but that’s a gut feeling I do trust.
January 3, 2015 at 9:38 am #15414wvParticipantBash on, regardless.
I’m a skeptic of “injury prone.” Bradford will be ready for the start of the season, and he is as likely to play all season as any other QB. I will be more nervous about him than a Packers fan is about Rodgers because of his history, but that’s just emotional history clouding my perception, imo. I am not convinced that logically there is reason to fear he won’t make it.
So… Bradford + Reinforced OL = Playoffs.
I also think that – with a good off-season and another year of training camp – Aaron Donald might justify his draft position next year, and finally prove he belongs in the NFL. Call me crazy, but that’s a gut feeling I do trust.
I dont know how you can be skeptical about
Bradford’s “injury-proneness”.
He gets injured just by planting his foot
in the turf. He gets injured by running
to the sideline. He missed an entire season
at Oklahoma. He’s had ankle issues.He is no Cal Ripkin.
w
vJanuary 3, 2015 at 9:59 am #15416DakParticipantI don’t know. Last year, at this time, I just knew they’d turn it around in 2014. So, here I am, thinking, yes, again, they can turn it around in 2015.
But. I have no idea.
I will sit back and watch what the Rams do in the offseason, and then make a judgment. I remember when they signed Jake Long and feeling uneasy about having another O-line anchor with injuries in his recent history. After a while, I figure, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Well, here we are, trying to replace Jake Long. And, the No. 2 overall draft pick still has question marks. Let’s be honest, G-Rob is at least another year from being a polished product … and that’s the optimistic viewpoint.
What they have to do is re-sign Barksdale, sign a starting-caliber center, sign a starting-caliber guard, and then get another lineman early in the draft, for me to feel more optimistic, and even then I’ll be worried about LT.
The QB position, to me, will not change much. There are no good options out on the free agent market, certainly nothing better than Bradford. And, this draft is not the draft to address that position for 2015, or maybe even 2016. Yes, you can take a developmental QB in the mid- to later rounds, but that’s as good as I can hope for.
As for defense, I still think it’s a cornerback and another LB away from having the chance to reach an elite level. I think that could be doable this offseason, and could be addressed through the draft alone.
So, I think with a really good defense, potentially elite defense, you have a chance to win games in 2015. It just depends on the offense and the coaching.
January 3, 2015 at 12:01 pm #15436ZooeyModeratorI dont know how you can be skeptical about
Bradford’s “injury-proneness”.
He gets injured just by planting his foot
in the turf. He gets injured by running
to the sideline. He missed an entire season
at Oklahoma. He’s had ankle issues.He is no Cal Ripkin.
w
vWhy don’t you just openly declare your allegiance to the Seahawks, then, since you hate the Rams so much?
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