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Thursday, October 1, 2015
Nick Foles says the Rams’ offensive struggles start with him
By Nick WagonerSt. Louis’ Nick Foles
“Oh, absolutely, I’m at the front of it,” Nick Foles said, referring the Rams’ line of problems this season.EARTH CITY, Mo. — Three weeks into the NFL season, the St. Louis Rams have the league’s lowest-ranked offense, mustering an average of 274.3 yards per game. While coach Jeff Fisher and his group insist they’re on the verge of a breakthrough, it’s hard to see that level of progress from the outside.
But just like you’d expect Fisher to do what most coaches would and try to accentuate the positive, quarterback Nick Foles also remains confident in the offense while shouldering his share of the blame for the slow start.
“Oh, absolutely, I’m at the front of it,” Foles said. “I’ve got to play a lot better. That’s me, big time. I’m the one who touches the ball every single play. My job is to make sure the guys are in great position. Make sure as an offense we’re in position. I have to execute better and I have to spread it around and keep pushing the guys. They push me each and every day.”
While Foles’ stance is admirable from a leadership standpoint, and such comments will continue to play well in an offensive meeting room in which he is the lone captain, he’s far from the biggest culprit for the team’s offensive woes. That mostly starts up front, especially in the running game—or lack thereof.
But that doesn’t mean that Foles is without his warts, particularly when it comes to handling the pressure that’s come his way over the past couple of weeks. Against Seattle in Week 1, Foles surprised some (present company included) with his resilience and ability to hang in the pocket and deliver under duress. He did it again and again, taking big hits, getting up and going to do it again.
In the win against the Seahawks, Foles was 4 of 7 for 77 yards with a 95.5 passer rating when pressured. Those situational numbers dipped to 2 of 9 for 2 yards and a 39.6 rating against Washington in Week 2, and then climbed back up last week against the Steelers when Foles was 3 of 4 for 22 yards and an 87.5 rating.
For the season, Foles has been under pressure on 27.4 percent of his drop backs (20th amongst quarterbacks) and has a 60.6 passer rating, 45 percent completion rate and 5.05 yards per attempt, all of which rank somewhere between 15th and 18th in the league. That’s middle-of-the-road production, but the Rams probably wouldn’t mind a bit more consistency in that regard.
“Nick’s done a very nice job,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. “Once again, each week just like the other guys, he’s getting more comfortable with the system. He’s getting more repetitions within the system. He’s starting to see things better. He’s starting to play more decisive. Hey, you know, football’s like golf – it’s not perfect. There’s going to always be corrections. There’s always going to be things that you’d like to do over. The key is minimizing those mistakes.”
Foles has showed a willingness to stay in the pocket even as it collapses, avoiding the happy feet that plague other quarterbacks. His average time in the pocket of 2.29 seconds is 13th-highest among quarterbacks, and his average time before throwing a pass of 2.57 seconds is tied for eighth.
Overall, Foles’ 87.5 passer rating is about what was expected when he came over from Philadelphia, ranking 14th in the NFL. And while Foles might make some mistakes by his own admission, he also hasn’t been helped by a group of receivers, backs and tight ends that has combined for six drops, tied for third-most in the league.
“The three drops [against Pittsburgh] were significant,” Fisher said. “That’s what we talked about last week. We had several last week. We had none in Week 1. We have to catch the ball when given the opportunity. [Tight end] Lance [Kendricks] makes that catch, it’s who knows what happens.”
Agamemnon
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