Bux game recaps…articles, interviews, vids, Wagoner, Thomas, Karraker, etc.

Rams win by a whisker 19-17
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-win-by-a-whisker/article_191b5b2e-9562-5818-af1d-d4705982d2af.html

Quarterback Austin Davis, making his first NFL start in place of the injured Shaun Hill (thigh), played efficient, turnover-free football. But it took an injured Tampa wide receiver Mike Evans to allow the Rams to escape with their first victory of the season. A 27-yard completion from Josh McCown to Evans gave the Bucs a first down at the St. Louis 32 within range of a field goal attempt by Tampa to win the game.

But because Evans was injured and Tampa had no timeouts left, there was a 10-second runoff _ by rule. (It’s designed to keep trailing teams from faking injury to stop the clock.)

There were only 8 seconds left on the clock at the time. So the game ended right there.

Zuerlein’s game winner came from 38 yards with 38 seconds left.

For the second time in as many games, the Rams won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, which meant their defense took the field first.

Maybe the Rams should re-think that next week. Because for the second week in a row, the opposing team scored off the opening kickoff. Last week, it was Minnesota with a field goal on its first drive.

This week, Tampa Bay scored a touchdown off the opening kickoff, on a five-yard scramble by Josh McCown with 8:56 to go in the first quarter. The Rams were gracious on defense, getting called offsides on two of the game’s first four plays.

The first penalty (against William Hayes) was declined because running back Bobby Rainey, starting in place of the injured Doug Martin, ran for 24 yards around right end.

And then, on second-and-6 from the Rams 40, Michael Brockers was called for offsides. This proved very costly because it looked like James Laurinaitis recovered a fumble by McCown and returned it 66 yards for a Rams touchdown.

Instead of a Rams TD, it was second-and-1, Bucs, from the St. Louis 35. Rainey was stopped by Eugene Sims for no gain on third-and-1 from the 35. But Sims brought Rainey down with a horse-collar tackle drawing the flag.

So instead of a fourth-down choice from the 35 between kicking a field goal and going it for it, the Bucs had a first down at the St. Louis 20 after the 15-yard penalty.

The Bucs were in the end zone six plays later.

The Rams came right back on their first possession, marching 80 yards on 10 plays for a game-tying touchdown. Back-to-back receptions by Brian Quick accounted for 30 of those 80 yards, and Tavon Austin tacked on 18 with an end-around that advanced the ball to the Tampa 18.

The next three plays were carries by Zac Stacy, with the third going for two yards and a game-tying touchdown behind a heavy formation that included backup center Tim Barnes as an eligible extra blocker.

Tampa Bay was in scoring position on its next series, advancing all the way to the St. Louis 9. But McCown, under pressure from Laurinaitis, made a horrible decision in throwing towards the end zone instead of throwing it away.

Rams free safety Rodney McLeod scooped up the low throw for an interception _ the third of his NFL career _ and the Rams took over at their 2 with 11:14 to go in the second quarter.

Five minutes later, the lightning came and the game was delayed. On the last play before the delay, Austin suffered a knee injury trying to make a catch on an Austin Davis pass that fell incomplete.

Austin warmed up with the team after the weather delay, but when play resumed he was watching with his right knee wrapped and his helmet off on the sideline.

A blocked punt by safety T.J. McDonald gave the Rams possession at the Tampa Bay 28 with 3:19 left to go in the half. By the drive stalled when Davis couldn’t handle a shotgun snap from center Scott Wells on third-and-5 from the Bucs’ 12. After the six-yard loss Greg Zuerlein kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Rams a 10-7 lead _ their first lead of the season.

That lead disappeared in the third quarter after a Zac Stacy fumble in Tampa territory on the opening drive of the second half. Safety Dahon Goldson recovered on the Bucs 40 and in the end zone seven plays later on a one-yard run by QB McCown. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson had catches of 20 and 18 yards on the play.

But the Rams added a pair of Zuerlein field goals to take a 16-14 lead 6 minutes into the fourth quarter. But as was frequently the case Sunday, the Rams couldn’t stand prosperity. A roughing the passer penalty against Jo-Lonn Dunbar on Tampa’s next drive prevented the Bucs’ from punting.

A 31-yard run by Rainey put the Bucs in position for a 36-yard field goal by rookie Patrick Murray, giving Tampa a 17-16 lead with just over 5 minutes to play. It was Murray’s first NFL field goal.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher recaps comeback win over Bucs with D’Marco Farr and Steve Savard. Fisher: “The good part is that we can get better.”

http://www.rams-news.com/jeff-fisher-recaps-the-rams-comeback-win-over-the-bucs-radio-interview/

Special teams give Rams a boost
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11673/special-teams-provide-needed-boost-for-rams

TAMPA, Fla. — Any wins the current version of the St. Louis Rams can come up with likely won’t qualify them for many beauty pageants. The way the team is constructed, they’re going to have to find ways to win, even if it’s ugly.

That means low-scoring games in which everyone contributes and not just on offense and defense but special teams, too. It’s something the Rams freely acknowledge and was readily apparent in Sunday’s 19-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Whether it was kicker Greg Zuerlein making four field goals on the rain-soaked field of Raymond James Stadium, safety T.J. McDonald coming up with a blocked punt and field goal to set up two of those kicks or punter Johnny Hekker providing his usual yeoman’s work, the third phase was all that it needed to be for the Rams on Sunday.

“We’re kind of in that mode right now as they talked about, we are scratching and clawing and everybody has got to contribute,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “All three phases have to contribute and make plays.”

And make plays they did against Tampa Bay, with nobody coming up bigger than McDonald. The second-year safety is an emerging piece on the defense but proved to have even deeper value on Sunday.

In the second quarter, McDonald knifed around the edge and blocked Michael Koenen’s punt to give the Rams a first down at Tampa Bay’s 28. At the beginning of the fourth, McDonald again found a way into the backfield along with cornerback E.J. Gaines and deflected kicker Patrick Murray’s 24-yard field goal try to keep the Bucs’ lead at one rather than expanding to four.

The Rams turned both blocks into field goals for six points that the Rams could not have won without.

“It’s like a stop so it’s a good feeling and it gives the offense a little more confidence, a little more juice going back out there on the field knowing we didn’t give up any points so it’s good for the whole team,” McDonald said.

Zuerlein also provided a strong response in sloppy conditions after a shaky preseason and missing a 50-yard kick against Minnesota last week. But even with the field offering little solid footing, something clearly evident on Zuerlein’s kickoffs, he managed to convert from 36, 35, 46 and 38 yards. The last of those coming with 38 seconds to go and providing the Rams with the winning points.

“Anytime you can help your team win the ball game, it’s huge as a kicker,” Zuerlein said. “The guys are out there depending on you to do your job. They’ve been battling it out for the whole game and you’ve just got to pull through for them.”

It’s probably a bit much to expect similar performances from the special teams every week, but any close approximations will be more than welcome for a team that needs all it can get from everyone on the roster.

Rams are runoff winners
By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-are-runoff-winners/article_b0f1587b-cf80-537f-8610-64c8acfb3df4.html

TAMPA, Fla. • Linebacker James Laurinaitis was eavesdropping on the officials, as usual, when he heard referee Jeff Triplette whisper to a member of his crew: “It’s gonna be a 10-second runoff.”

“I always try to listen to what they’re talking about,” Laurinaitis said. “You gotta try to get on their good side.”

There were only 8 seconds left in the game at the time, so Laurinaitis knew that with the runoff the game was over and the Rams had somehow escaped with a 19-17 victory Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I was wanting to run off the field. I wanted to get out of here,” Laurinaitis said. “I didn’t want them to debate anything any longer.”

There was no debate. Thanks to a crunching hit and tackle by strong safety T.J. McDonald, rookie wide receiver Mike Evans couldn’t get up after a 29-yard reception to the Rams’ 32.

Evans lay on the ground for a while as the clock ran down. Finally, some teammates tried to rush him off the field. But it was too late; there were fewer than 10 seconds left.

By league rule, a team that is out of timeouts and then has one of its players go down with an injury is subject to the run-off. It’s designed to prevent teams that are trailing from faking injuries to stop the clock.

In his long coaching career, Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never seen a game end that way — on a clock run-off. Then again, there were a lot of unusual things that took place on this day at Raymond James Stadium.

Included in that category was a 50-minute delay with 6 minutes, 3 seconds to play in the first half because of lightning in the area. (Fisher said he’s been a part of such a delay only once, during a preseason game many years ago.)

The Rams blocked not one, but two kicks — one a punt, and another a field goal attempt — with McDonald getting a paw on both kicks.

The game went back-and-forth, with the lead changing five times, before the fourth of Greg Zuerlein’s four field goals — a 38-yarder with 38 seconds to play — gave the Rams their 19-17 lead.

“I don’t know if I ever had a game like this,” McDonald said. “The delay, the up-and-down throughout the game. We took the lead, they took the lead. There was a lot of stuff going on. But I think with this team, the biggest thing is we stayed focused. We kept grinding.”

Actually, no one has seen a game like this.

As left guard Rodger Saffold aptly put it: “We’ve had some close ones before, but I might’ve (aged) a couple years with this one.”

It took a clutch throw by quarterback Austin Davis and an equally clutch catch by wide receiver Austin Pettis to make this one possible.

On third and 9 from the St. Louis 48 and under 2 minutes to play, Davis found Pettis running deep down the middle for a 27-yard completion — the biggest pass play of the day for the Rams.

Pettis stands 6-3 and has long arms. If his arms were a couple of inches shorter, he may not have come down with the high throw.

“That play AP made down the seam — that’s huge,” Davis said. “I can’t commend him enough. Game’s on the line and he goes and makes a play.”

On the play, Davis said the Rams sent four receivers on deep routes straight down the field — or “verticals” — and went on a quick cadence to try to catch Tampa defenders close to the line of scrimmage.

The Buccaneers’ coverage rotated over to Kenny Britt, who was lined up outside, and that made Davis’ next read Pettis on the seam route.

“So I stepped and fired as hard as I could,” said Davis, whose parents made the trip from Mississippi for the game.

And there was Pettis. Remember him? Seemingly lost on the depth chart since about midseason last year, Pettis got his chance to play slot receiver Sunday when Tavon Austin suffered a right knee injury on the last play before the lightning delay and could not return.

Pettis finished with three catches for 46 yards. He had a third-down catch for a first down with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, setting up Zuerlein’s second field goal of the day to trim Tampa’s lead to 14-13.

Later in that drive, he dropped what look like a first-down catch in the red zone on third down, forcing the field goal. But he more than made up for that with the 27-yarder.

“Pettis is a team player,” Fisher said. “He helps the young guys. He knows exactly what to do. Every time you give him a chance to make a play he makes one.”

Truth be told, Pettis has become a survivor, a cockroach, if you will. You just can’t kill him off.

“I guess not,” Pettis said. “Hopefully, I’ll live a little longer.”

Davis, who received the game ball from Fisher, completed 22 of 29 passes for 235 yards and a passer rating of 99.1. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he didn’t throw an interception either, and generally played efficient, mistake-free football.

“He has a good feel for the offense,” Fisher said. “He made good decisions, handled the run checks very well, and the play-action. He gave receivers opportunities to make plays.”

But mistakes kept the Rams from taking control of the game. The Rams cut their penalties by more than half as compared to the season opener, with only five for 65 yards. Even so, they seemed to come at the most inopportune times.

For openers, two offsides penalties (one of which was declined by Tampa) and a horse-collar flag got the Bucs going on their first drive, which ended in the first of two touchdown runs by quarterback Josh McCown.

A roughing the passer flag against linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar — on third down, no less — kept a Tampa drive alive that resulted in rookie Patrick Murray’s first NFL field goal and a 17-16 Bucs lead with 5:15 to play.

Fisher said Dunbar hit McCown in the shoulder on the play, so it wasn’t a helmet-to-helmet hit and shouldn’t have been roughing the passer.

“It could’ve cost us the game,” Dunbar said.

But it didn’t. That made it, as the baseball Cardinals used to say, a happy flight home. Delayed as it was.

Zac Choate talks it over with Rams head coach Jeff Fisher after the Rams 19-17 win over the Bucs. The victory evens the Rams season record at 1-1. They host the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday at Noon at the Edward Jones Dome. (1:41)

http://www.rams-news.com/fox-2s-zac-choate-talks-with-jeff-fisher-after-the-game-video/

Ten Takeaways from Sunday’s 19-17 Win in Tampa Bay
By Randy Karraker

http://www.101sports.com/2014/09/15/ten-takeaways-sundays-19-17-win-tampa-bay/

1. Austin Davis isn’t known to have stocked grocery store shelves, but at this time last season, he was the quarterbacks coach at Westminster Christian Academy in Chesterfield. On Sunday, Davis turned in a representative performance in his first NFL start.

He showed the ability to elude the rush, get the ball out, and didn’t throw an interception. That being said, the Rams were just 1-for-3 in the red zone and scored just one touchdown. With the likes of Brian Quick, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks, the Rams should be more efficient inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. In eight red-zone snaps, the Rams ran the ball four times, Davis was 2-of-3 for seven yards, and Scott Wells had a bad snap that forced the Rams into a field-goal try. As he gets more experience, Davis will earn the confidence of Rams coaches to take more shots into the end zone from the red zone.

2. T.J. McDonald all of a sudden became a marked man on special teams with one game. John Fassel’s special teams are aggressive, and McDonald’s exploits that set up field goals were the difference in this game. His punt block in the second quarter led to a field goal that gave the Rams a halftime lead.

His second block, on the first play of the fourth quarter, was of a field goal that would have made it 17-13 Bucs. The Rams then drove to a 46-yard field goal of their own that made it 16-14 STL. If McDonald doesn’t block the second one, Tampa wins the game.

3. Running backs Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham turned in a workmanlike 25 carries for 86 yards. Once again, the power running game failed to set the tone for the offense. Tavon Austin and Britt each had end-around carries that gained good yardage, Austin for 18 and Britt for 12. It’s great to trick teams for gains now and then, but that’s not going to work against defenses like the Seahawks and 49ers have. This effort was better than the opener, but the Rams have a ways to go if they’re going to be able to rely on their running game as the foundation of their offense.

4. With only five accepted penalties for 65 yards, the Rams were disciplined enough to allow them to win. Two of the penalties were in the first Tampa Bay drive and one nullified a Rams touchdown, while the other gave the Bucs a first down after they had been stopped on third down. Against a Lovie Smith-coached team, the turnover battle was even. Overall, a clean enough performance to win most weeks.

5. With Rams killer DeMarco Murray coming to town next week, the Rams better buckle down their defense against the run. Tampa ran 30 times for 157 yards, 5.2 per carry. Among Bobby Rainey’s 22 carries for 144 yards were gains of 31, 24 and 19 yards. In Murray’s last two games against the Rams, he’s run for 175 yards on 26 carries last season, and a Cowboys-record 253 yards on 25 carries with a TD in 2011. So, he’s had 428 yards and has averaged 8.4 per carry against St. Louis. They need to be waaayyy better than they were against Rainey if they hope to knock off Dallas.

6. Seeing Greg Zuerlein go 4-for-4 in the field-goal department, in bad conditions in Tampa, was important. A preseason in which he missed three 50-plus-yard tries and then a miss of a 56-yarder last week had some questioning the Rams’ kicker. With six field goals and an extra point in their first two games, the Rams’ kicking specialists of Zuerlein, holder Johnny Hekker and long snapper Jake McQuaide are off to a good start in their Kick Cancer initiative, which you can join at SSMKickCancer.org.

7. E.J. Gaines looks like the real deal. He led the Rams in tackles and shared the defense’s sack with Eugene Sims. Tall Buccaneer receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans were each held to four catches.

The worries about Trumaine Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner being injured have been eased with the ascent of Gaines to being a legitimate NFL cornerback.

8. Gaines remains the only starter among the rookies. A team that went 7-9 last season can’t find room for first-rounders Greg Robinson or Aaron Donald to start. Joyner was injured. Third-round pick Tre Mason was inactive for his second game, and fourth-rounder Mo Alexander dressed because of the Joyner injury, but participated strictly on special teams. Perhaps after the bye, Robinson and Mason can begin to replicate the power-running playing style they displayed at Auburn last year.

9. If the Rams say those players need more seasoning, they should get at least some benefit of the doubt. For the second straight game, third-year wide receiver Quick led the team with seven catches, this time for 74 yards. In two games, Quick has caught 14 passes for 173 yards. He has eclipsed his rookie numbers, and is four catches and 129 yards away from his second-year totals.

10. For as much grief as Jeff Fisher and his staff rightfully took for being unprepared in their opener, the team was charged up and ready to go, and came from behind on the road. That’s not an easy thing for a young team to do, but Fisher had them mentally ready.