Our reactions to the Rams at 9ers game

Against the Titans, Henderson and Michel combined for 18 rushing attempts and I thought that was low. The Rams had 9 called rushing plays, nine. That’s 4.5 runs per half, that’s 2.25 runs per quarter or 1.125 runs per half quarter. I don’t really care why that happens, or how that happens. I don’t really care about the flow of the game stuff that McVay often cites. It seems foolhardy to expect to win in the NFL with so few rushing attempts.

The remaining schedule includes the Niners, Cardinals, Ravens and Packers. Does anyone expect the Rams to win one of those games? Currently, I don’t see them beating the Vikings on Boxing Day.

the only thing saving Shannan from getting canned is Sean McVay. Shanahan is 6-3 against McVay

The last time the 49ers won a home game prior to yesterday was Oct 2020 vs the Rams.

BTW are you guys still enamored with Stafford? He fucking stinks.

Can’t roll out, can’t scramble, can’t lead receivers to optimize YAC, and he can’t will a team to victory…

No 1st round picks for 7 years will come to haunt them soon

Fuck the Rams

Jeezus. Saw that tweet-quote by JG

Jimmy G on 49ers’ opening scoring drive of 18 plays, 93 yards and 11 minutes, 3 seconds of game clock: “I don’t want to say it took their soul away, but it definitely did something.”

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I was at the game. Here’s my report.

Atmosphere. Like every Rams-Niner game I’ve been to, save 07, when both teams stunk, it was really good. For a rivalry game, the two fan bases get on real well. I saw no problems, no fights or taunting. I was surprised at the number of empty seats between the 20’s. Way fewer Ram fans than previous years.

Now my take. I was sitting just off the 20 yard line, Rams side. On offense, the Niners came in with very simple, obvious goals- run at Donald and Floyd to protect their weak right (right tackle is OFS) and take quick shots over the middle. Keep the Rams offense off the field. Mission accomplished. Time of Possession 40-20, Niners. And the Rams were quite accommodating by lining their corners two miles off the LOS. I’ve been bitching about this all year. And where the fuck was Ramsey? A shut-down corner should be blanketing the opponents best WR. Really, I can see why Raheem Morris got run of of Atlanta and everywhere else he’s been. He really needs to go and McVay has to stop making excuses for his DC. It was really frustrating to watch this D struggle against a team with a mediocre QB and just two weapons- Kittle (who absolutely destroyed Von Miller) and Samuels.

On offense, the Rams struggled, as you all saw, against a Niners D that basically played a vanilla scheme with one safety playing back in Montana. They dropped the backers and took away the horizontal game (which is what everyone is doing to Patrick Mahomes) and absolutely did not fear the run game. Stafford had plenty of time to throw, mostly. On the first INT, I had a straight line of sight. Stafford threw the ball where OB had inside position and could have made a jump on but flat out gave up on the play. Flat. Out. Gave. Up. Hopkins, Adams and any other “elite” WR would have at least TRIED to make that play. He was a non-factor, 2-18 yards. On the second pick Higbee gave his best “hands of stone” imitation. Hit a guy in the hands, he has to make the catch. The rest of the night, the Rams were out of sync offensively, which I can understand since they weren’t on the field to get any semblance of rhythm. When they were on the field, it was mostly 11 personnel. Remember fucking Chicago in 18? C’mon, change it up once in a while. Clearly, this offense needs a workhorse back to make the 11 go and keep what is more and more a suspect D off the field. Henderson and Michel do not fit the bill. Kupp was Kupp but OB needs to get his best Robert Woods imitation going or a season with high expectations is going to be a disaster.

So McVay has his work cut out and he’s got two weeks to fix it.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Ozoneranger.

Some general general manager thoughts on teambuilding, postgame:

Obviously, there’s gonna be exceptions, and “hidden gems” out there late or after the draft, but for the most part, the best athletes/players go first. The guys who check all the boxes go early in the first. It’s beyond rare that teams will find trifecta players late: great athlete, great production, great motor. And you’re almost never gonna find players with all the marbles late: great athletes, production, motor, plus “intangibles” like leadership, etc. The longer the draft goes on, the fewer boxes each player can check, with rare exceptions.

So the more years that go by with the Rams out of contention for the best players, the thinner the roster becomes. Yes, they’ve done an amazing job with pickups here and there — like Woods, and strong late picks like SJD — but, the rest of the league gets a better shot at getting the better players, year after year. That gives them an obvious competitive advantage over the Rams.

The best way to overcome this disadvantage, paradoxically, is to win championships, cuz then free agents will want to play for the Rams. But the roster may be too thin for that now, after all of their recent injuries. Hope I’m wrong. Hope McVay and company shock the NFL and bring home all the bacon. Not trying to be coy about that, either.

All good. And you, too Billy.

I am just disgusted.

This is the most disgusted I’ve been since – I don’t know when.

That beat down should have been the other way around, and I just don’t think there is an excuse for that. That game was over when the Rams botched the fake field goal. The Rams were done by HALFTIME in a game they HAD to have, against an opponent they should not have taken lightly, and which entered the game on its heels. And the Rams just got their asses kicked for the second week in a row.

Just no excuse.

alyoshamucci

Game 10 … 9ers … putrid.

I’d rather spit my teeth out than write this one, especially since I’m going to be a bit easy on a team I simply expect more out of from numerous angles.

Our offense was inept. Losing Woods is a psychological blow and the team simply did not prepare to adjust for that. We may have prepared the right packages, but I can’t know that. I knew the 9ers were going to run on us. I did not expect us to not be able to score.

There was nothing great. Obviously.

The Good

1) Run blocking was working fine. I thought both Sony and Hendo have been playing at a high level.

2) While they ran on us, then ran for less than 4ypc.

3) Von Miller showed some burst.

4) Gut checks this early in the season by the bye week. We can sort our crap out now.

5) The extra week to get OBJ as a functional member of the rotation.

6) Benny Sko getting open.

The Bad

7) Misses by Stafford. Until he fixes it. Balls behind, low, high … gotta figure his thumb is an issue even though it’s not being said.

8) Having to sit through 2 90 yard ten minutes drives.

9) The fake FG … that’s our 4th string TE … and it was a long get. It wasn’t 4th and 6.

10) Higbee … two drops, one for pick 6.

11) Kupp? Dropped first down?

12) How hard our players were getting popped on those short throws.

13) Dissention among the ranks with Ramsey and Morris.

14) EVERY KITTLE AND SAMUEL PLAY.

15 ) the article on NFL.com … I hope McVay puts it up in his office and the locker room.

16) The disappearance of Fuller and Darious Williams.

The Unacceptable

17) QB Body Language. You’e the leader. I DEMAND 60 football minutes of unbridled unjustifiable optimism.

18) the team not being able to pull themselves together after a brutal first half. Looked like giving up to me. That’s unacceptable.

19) Having two gamers in a row where I don’t watch past the 3rd quarter.

20) Watching Phil Mickelson on with the Mannings saying “Well considering the 9ers are last in rush defense we should expect Mcvay to use it a little more.” He’s a golfer. We ran 9 times. And they were decent chunks I thought.

21) So, my fear here … Shanahan says early in the week “We’re going to impose our will” .. this means we will run and run and run. this sounds like a manhood challenge, it’s not. It’s inspiration to a team he believes in against a team he has had his way with for years. Sean McVay coming in to this should have heard “we’re going to run on you” and been like “K, they’re going to just run at us. All game. Bring a safety down in the box. Make them throw, make Garrapolo hold the ball. But it seems that instead of that, he said “We’re going to impose OUR will … we’re going to stop the run and throw all over you.” Instead of saying “Hey, these guys can’t stop the run … why don’t we just run on them?” I remember a while back when the Vikings were run stopping juggernauts. “How were the Patriots going to run on them?” Anyone remember that game? the Patriots didn’t run the ball the entire first half. Tom Brady just threw it like 30 times. then they were up by 4 TDs and the D line was gassed. So I hope McVay is humbled. I hope someone in his close circle is giving him good info. Because that game plan was deeply flawed and it was not too late to start running in the 3rd. Did no one have the balls to challenge his approach?