reactions to the 1st SF game

If ya get 4 turnovers, and a blocked punt, your just going to win.

Looking forward to the next few weeks. Green Bay is going to be interesting. The Saints are the best of the bunch, and the only team in the NFC now that looks like it can compete for the conference at this point (all caveats implied). Then KC in Mexico City. Going to be an interesting stretch.

BTW…second-largest point differential in the league after the Rams’ 107?

Kansas City at 43.

Wow the Rams just beat them down and finally broke them and that was with the ultra conservative play calling and pulling starters. I can’t argue with the results. I hope Kupp recovers quickly and completely as this season is going into the toughest part now. The Rams players aren’t reading their own press, staying focussed on their one game at a time philosophy. Littleton just keeps on getting better and the team as a whole doesn’t seem like it has played it’s best football yet, the just keep improving game after game.

zn wrote:

The Rams running game didn’t really pick up until the 4th quarter. So it looks to me like they just chose to bang this one out.

and they didn’t have to wear gurley out either.

gurley only had 15 of the 35 carries. brown had 13.

the number one rushing attack.

interesting to compare this one to the martz rams with faulk and warner.

not as explosive as that rams offense was. but that was probably unrealistic to expect. i mean the current rams’ receivers pale in comparison to bruce, holt, hakim, and proehl. and faulk’s receiving abilities – maybe the only current back who can compare is bell? maybe gurley can get there but as of now i think he’s just more limited in terms of the routes he can run. maybe i’m wrong on that.

but it’s the running game where the current rams might rival that of those rams. this offense can grind out wins. and it’s not just gurley. but brown too. i really hope that he sees the ball more going forward as he could take a load off gurley’s legs. and it’s not just the running backs. mcvay keeps defenses off balance with the sweeps that the receivers run. just a very dynamic rushing attack. i like it. i like the balance. and i’m hoping it serves them well as it can stretch defenses in ways that the gsot rams could not.

but also. this offense is not the finished product yet. it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years. goff is currently 4 years younger than when warner took the helm in 1999. gurley is currently 2 years younger than when faulk was traded to the rams in 1999. running backs typically peak in their 6th year in the league. so i can only imagine what this offense will look like in 2 years – health permitting of course.

but also. how does mcvay evolve as a coach and playcaller? he’s still only 32 year old – 16 years younger than when martz took over as playcaller for the rams in 1999. my impression at this point is that mcvay has a better overall picture of how an offense should be run. and he’s very self-critical which should benefit him as teams find ways to slow the offense down. i’m not sure martz ever had that in him.

and also. hopefully, egos don’t get in the way like it did with martz, armey, and zygmunt. i don’t think it will. martz’s personality was divisive. mcvay seems to be a harmonizing force. more in line with vermeil.

i try not to get too ahead of myself. just try to enjoy the moment. but it’s hard. exciting times.

zn wrote:

I think there are good reasons for that–they had no fear of the SF offense plus were on the road for a third game in a row, and so just chose to play a tough simple game (relatively speaking). It worked really well because the D kept getting turnovers and sacks against an overmatched SF offense.

…

And perhaps McVay was trying to be mindful of the score due to his friendship and respect for Shanahan. I think he would have unleashed the dogs if at any point the 9’ers showed signs of life.