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November 9, 2014 at 8:12 pm #11503
znModeratorFourth-quarter meltdown dooms Rams
by JIM THOMAS
GLENDALE, Ariz. • The Rams were teetering on the edge of another upset victory, leading Arizona 14-10 in the fourth quarter, and having knocked quarterback Carson Palmer out of the game with a knee injury.
But just when it looked like the team was on to something big — namely a sweep of the NFC West over a four-game stretch — the bottom fell out for the Rams in a big way. First came a 48-yard lightning bolt to speedy John Brown on just the fourth play of the game by replacement QB Drew Stanton.
That gave Arizona a 17-14 lead, but there was still plenty of time for the Rams to come back — 7 minutes, 40 seconds.
But the Cardinals don’t lose many games in the fourth quarter, and they didn’t this Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium as the Rams melted away right before our eyes. First came a Pick 6 by Arizona’s Patrick Peterson on a second-and-9 from the St. Louis 26. The high but catchable throw went off the hands of Kenny Britt and into the arms of Peterson. It was the fourth interception return for a touchdown thrown by Davis this season.
That made it 24-14 Arizona with just over 5 minutes to play. On the Rams’ next possession, Davis lost a sack fumble on first-and-10 from the St. Louis 22. The loose ball was picked up Antonio Cromartie, who returned it for another TD. That made it 31-17 Arizona, and that was that.
While the Rams lost their poise down the stretch, the Cardinals closed out yet another game. It was the fourth game won by the Big Red this season, when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Cardinals (8-1) have now outscored the opposition 91-34 in the fourth quarter.
For three quarters, things went well for the Rams. Tight end Jared Cook couldn’t have picked a better time for his first touchdown of the season. Running a seam route on the last play before the 2-minute warning of the first half, Cook got behind an Arizona linebacker and hauled in a 59-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 14-10 halftime lead.
The Rams had only 41 yards passing before that play, with quarterback Austin Davis bugged just enough by the blitzing Big Red to make things sticky in the pocket.
The Rams scored first Sunday, driving 62 yards for a touchdown on their third offensive series of the game. Tavon Austin, who has struggled getting going this season, was featured on that drive. He picked up 17 yards on a quick screen, eluding a couple of tacklers near the line of scrimmage, to get the Rams into Arizona territory for the first time.
Three runs by Tre Mason, who started again on Sunday, advanced the ball into the red zone. After a neutral zone infraction by Arizona, Austin gained 10 yards on an end around, giving the Rams a first down at the Arizona 3. On the next play, Benny Cunningham ran up the middle for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:35 to play in the opening quarter.
It was Cunningham’s four TD of the season, tying for the team lead.
But most of the rest of the half belonged to the Big Red, who scored the game’s next 10 points for a 10-7 lead. It didn’t help that Rams nickel back Lamarcus Joyner suffered a groin injury early in the second quarter _ and was done for the day.
That left the Rams with only three healthy corners: E.J. Gaines, Trumaine Johnson, and Janoris Jenkins. And for Jenkins it was his first game back since suffering a knee injury Oct. 19 against Seattle.
Palmer carved up the Rams’ defense with intermediate passes on the drive, going five-for-five, including four for first downs. Andre Ellington’s 3-yard TD tied the game at 7-7, 3½ minutes into the second quarter.
After a 3-and-out by the Rams, the Cardinals drove 36 yards for a Chandler Catanzaro field goal giving the Big Red a 10-7 lead. It was the 17th consecutive successful field goal by Catanzaro, a rookie from Clemson.
But before the half ended, Davis’ strike to Cook gave the Rams a 14-10 lead at the intermission. If regular-season games end at halftime, the Rams would be 5-3-1. But they don’t, and after a fourth-quarter meltdown, the Rams now stand 3-6.
November 9, 2014 at 8:55 pm #11514znModeratorRams frustrated by illegal block call on Lance Kendricks
By Nick Wagoner
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Observed and heard in the locker room after the St. Louis Rams’ 31-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals:
Game-changer: Rams tight end Lance Kendricks’ 15-yard penalty for an illegal blindside block in the third quarter drew plenty of postgame comments from all over the Rams’ locker room. According to coach Jeff Fisher, the rule on the play is that a defender has the right to be protected if the blocker has his back to his own end line. In other words, if the defender is turning up the field to pursue the ball, he can be protected.
While Fisher said he was unsure of where Kendricks was on the play, Kendricks said he was certain that he had his back to the Rams’ sideline when he hit safety Tony Jefferson. The call led to a sequence of events wherein Arizona was able to seize momentum and score the game’s final 21 points.
A big slip: The first seven of those points came on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Drew Stanton to receiver John Brown. Brown came open on the play and Stanton made an impressive throw under pressure but Brown was more open than he should have been. Rams safety Rodney McLeod put the blame on himself for the touchdown, acknowledging that he slipped on the play which allowed Brown the space needed to make the play.
Kroenke in the house: Much has been made of the whereabouts or potential whereabouts of Rams owner Stan Kroenke over the past week but he spent Sunday afternoon watching the Rams take on the Cardinals. Kroenke was seen leaving the Rams locker room after the game.
November 9, 2014 at 9:48 pm #11532znModeratorRapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13472/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-21
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 31-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.
What it means: Although the final score wouldn’t indicate as much, this was a game that was winnable for the Rams. They actually had the lead entering the fourth quarter and missed some opportunities to put it away. But, as has been custom all year, the Rams were unable to finish against the best fourth-quarter team in the league in terms of scoring and turnover margin. The Rams are now 3-6 on the season and any realistic hopes of mounting a second-half charge probably faded away with their latest fourth-quarter meltdown.
Stock watch: Down — Rams quarterback Austin Davis. At halftime, Davis had a passer rating of 145.8, a number that mostly reflected a 59-yard touchdown catch by tight end Jared Cook. Though the offensive line didn’t provide much cover and the receivers rarely got open, Davis struggled to recognize blitzes and sufficiently get the ball out in short order. He threw two inaccurate fourth-quarter passes that ended up as interceptions for Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson. Peterson returned one 30 yards for a touchdown to put the Rams away. It was Davis’ fourth pick-six of the season. He also coughed up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. While Davis has done some admirable work this season, it’s become clear that pinning any future hopes on him as a starter would be foolish.
Costly call: With 4:13 to go in the third quarter, Davis hit Cook for a big gain down the right seam, a 41-yard gain that looked to set the Rams up with a prime chance to take a two-score lead inside Arizona’s 10. But after Cook broke a tackle and headed for the right sideline, tight end Lance Kendricks delivered a crushing block to Arizona safety Tony Jefferson as he turned to pursue Cook at the 20. The block sprang Cook loose for more yards but the officials flagged Kendricks for an illegal blindside block. Instead of first-and-goal, the Rams had a first-and-10 at Arizona’s 35 and ended up punting. It was a big miss that dearly cost the Rams.
Game ball: Safety T.J. McDonald. The second-year safety has had his ups and downs in his first season and a half but he was all over the field Sunday. In what was probably the best performance of his young career, McDonald finished with nine tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and a quarterback hit.
What’s next: Their three-game road swing finally over, the Rams get to head home to take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos before another trip to the West Coast to play San Diego the following week.
November 10, 2014 at 12:05 am #11536znModeratorAustin Davis not the answer for Rams at QB
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13498/austin-davis-not-the-answer-for-rams-at-qb
GLENDALE, Ariz. –The harsh reality of playing quarterback in the NFL might not have been apparent to the St. Louis Rams’ Austin Davis after his first start or his second or even his fifth.
But the past two weeks have served as a reminder that Davis has one of the toughest jobs in sports, a job that he simply isn’t capable of doing at a level that will lead his team to wins on a consistent basis. Whether that’s a permanent condition or not remains to be seen but the evidence seemed to be piling up against him in Sunday’s 31-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
After managing the game and coming up with a big play or two along the way for the first three quarters of a game the Rams led into the fourth quarter, Davis was once again unable to avoid the type of costly mistakes that have dotted his first eight NFL starts.
Austin Davis had a rough day against the Cardinals defense, accounting for three turnovers (two of which were returned for touchdowns).
A lead that sat at 14-10 in the fourth quarter quickly turned into 21 unanswered points for the Cardinals, 14 of which fell out of the hands of Davis. He threw two interceptions to Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, one of which Peterson returned 30 yards for a game-sealing touchdown, and coughed up a fumble that Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie picked up and returned 14 yards for the final margin.“I didn’t play well enough to win today,” Davis said. “I think the thing I’m learning really quick is you can play well for three and a half quarters but you’ve got to play four. You can’t have a single letdown and right now I’m having those and it’s costing our football team. I’ve got to stay the course, stay strong and keep getting better and eliminate these mistakes, mainly turnovers, that are costing our football team.”
To be sure, Davis’ struggles in Sunday’s game weren’t limited to the fourth quarter. He struggled to identify the many exotic blitz packages the Cardinals threw at him and he got little help from his offensive line and wide receivers along the way. Despite those issues, Davis and the Rams were poised to pull off the upset until the costly fourth-quarter turnovers.
On the first, Davis had receiver Chris Givens running a deep route against Peterson. Givens actually had created some space and a strong, accurate throw might have even gone for a touchdown to get the Rams the lead back after the defense surrendered a long touchdown pass to give Arizona a 17-14 lead.
As Davis stepped up, he was unable to get enough on the throw and Peterson settled under it for an easy interception. It was the second week in a row in which Davis badly underthrew a pass that was intercepted.
“I just underthrew the ball,” Davis said. “I don’t really have an answer for it. I don’t understand it. We got the look we were looking for, I thought Chris ran a good route and won, the ball didn’t go where I wanted it to.”
The Rams survived that interception as the defense got the ball back with a quick three-and-out but Davis’ next mistake was far more costly. Looking for receiver Kenny Britt on a short crossing route, Davis fired it a little too high and though Britt should have caught it, the pass would qualify as catchable but not accurate.
Peterson was again there to secure the mistake and return it for the score that made it 24-14 and, for all intents and purposes, end the game.
“The second one, I just threw it high and it gets tipped around,” Davis said. “Two critical plays, you can’t turn the football over. We knew coming in that was kind of their thing. They kind of live off the turnover and you saw it there at the end.”
For Davis, the fourth-string-quarterback-turned-starter, costly turnovers have been all too familiar this season. He has nine interceptions on the season with four of those turning into immediate points via a return for touchdown. He also has a pair of fumbles that have been returned for touchdowns. Making those numbers hurt worse is the fact that six of Davis’ nine interceptions have come in the fourth quarter, including all four of the pick-sixes.
In nine games, Davis’ fourth-quarter passer rating is 68.1 with a QBR of 23.8, which includes a 12.0 and 0.1 on Sunday.
“It can’t happen,” Davis said. “It’s killing our defense. They’re playing their tails off. For me to have those letdowns, it’s really tough. I’ve got to get a lot better and I can’t do that.”
In terms of intangibles, Davis checks every box for what a starting NFL quarterback should be. But intangibles don’t score points or win games. While he’s done enough to earn a backup job moving forward, it’s probably best to put away any hopes that he can be the Rams’ long-term answer at the game’s most important position.
November 10, 2014 at 1:06 am #11537znModeratorJim Thomas
PALMER INJURED
Arizona coach Bruce Arians said he didn’t know the severity of Palmer’s left knee injury, but the Cardinals fear he has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, which would obviously end Palmer’s season. The veteran quarterback was playing some of the best football of his career and signed a three-year, $50 million contract extension on Friday.
“He will be evaluated, and get an MRI and everything,” Arians said.
ROBERSON SCRATCHED
One reason the Rams were thin at cornerback Sunday was an ankle injury suffered last week against San Francisco by undrafted rookie Marcus Roberson.
After not practicing all week, he was on the Rams’ pregame inactive list. Others Rams inactives were: S Maurice Alexander, RB Trey Watts, LB Daren Bates (groin), OG Brandon Washington, TE Alex Bayer and DE Ethan Westbrooks.
RAM-BLINGS
• Robert Quinn had the first of the Rams’ three sacks Sunday, giving him seven for the season and at least one sack in four consecutive games.
• Arizona managed only 28 yards rushing on 22 carries, or just 1.3 yards per carry.
• Alec Ogletree’s third-quarter interception was his first of the season. He returned it 44 yards, but the Rams got no points out of the takeaway.
• Jared Cook’s 59-yard TD catch was the Rams’ longest pass play of the season.
November 10, 2014 at 1:11 am #11539znModeratorRams just can’t handle adversity
Joe Strauss jstrauss@post-dispatch.com
GLENDALE, Ariz. • It’s safe to say after Sunday’s meltdown in the desert that the Rams still need to grow up.
Supporting evidence exists suggesting the Rams got robbed on a third-quarter drive that could have allowed them to take a two-possession lead over the Arizona Cardinals. Instead, a questionable illegal block call against tight end Lance Kendricks on Jared Cook’s reception to the 4-yard-line cost the Rams 31 yards in field position. A third-down sack cost another 11 yards. Instead of scoring, the Rams punted with a 14-10 lead. From that point, nothing good happened to a team that is now 3-6.
Everybody knows the Rams play with little margin for error. They play in a big-boy division with a backup quarterback. Turnovers and penalties hurt every team. They crush the Rams.
What ended as Sunday’s 31-14 loss demonstrated the Rams’ playbook doesn’t include a page for desperation. Merely playing from behind represents its own Kilimanjaro.
“There’s always a momentum shift on a dramatic play,” said Cook, who scored the Rams’ second touchdown on a 59-yard pass just before the 2-minute warning. “That’s where we can learn to play better. That’s where we can learn to overcome mistakes no matter what happened, because it’s always going to be a roller-coaster game. It’s the NFL.”
In position to take down their third division rival in four games, the Rams got a whiff of adversity and folded. In player-speak, they again failed to “finish.” To be blunt, they folded.
Whether they lack talent, composure or maturity, these Rams are susceptible to collapse after calamitous plays, penalties or bad breaks. A team that has led or been tied at halftime in six of its nine games has been outscored by 73 points in the second half of their last five. The Rams have one second-half touchdown total in those five games.
Even if the official’s call against Kendricks on Austin Davis’ 41-yard pitch-and-catch to Cook was incorrect — and at the very least it was borderline — the Rams can’t collapse (again) as they did.
At various times during his postgame new conference, coach Jeff Fisher conceded and challenged the belief that his team has yet to learn how to close.
Fisher reminded questioners, “I believe in these guys, and I’m not buying into all that business about us not being able to complete a game. The record reflects it, and statistics reflect it, but we’re going to keep doing the things we’re doing because I believe in them.”
Brave talk costs less than calling out zebras. No question the Rams fell into a funk after Kendricks’ “illegal blindside block.” The Cardinals outgained the visitors 211-88 in the second half.
The NFL now legislates against its essence. Kendricks’ offense against Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson was laying a punishing hit on a smaller man. Closing on Cook, Jefferson never saw Kendricks coming and detonated on impact. A league that gets the shakes merely by mentioning “concussion” now asks its officials to play both judge and neurosurgeon.
The rule against an offensive player blocking back toward the line of scrimmage bears the name of former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver and headhunter Hines Ward. Kendricks got flagged for laying out a defensive back four inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter. It was a brutal block but did not appear to violate the rule cited.
“If it was a side block — if it was a parallel block — then the call was in question,” explained Fisher, a member of the NFL competition committee.
Fisher said he’d not viewed a replay but termed the flag “disappointing because it was a great block.”
Kendricks was more confused than regretful about the play. He merely took out a man trying to tackle Cook. It seemed like a football play, nothing more, nothing worse.
“I can’t control the call. If I had to do it again I’d try to make the same block,” he said. “I’m just playing there. Not to make an excuse, the guy is a short guy so I tried to get low. Stuff happened. All I can do is keep playing.”
The Rams would do well to follow Kendricks’ words. The NFL often appears as the Not Fair League. Replay hardly eliminates officiating as a huge variable. Teams unable to overcome iffy calls are doomed.
“I feel like that was a play that changed the momentum of the game,” said running back Benny Cunningham. “We had a tough one right there. But we have to fight through it on offense. I just don’t feel like we did that.”
Noted Fisher: “I think the game slipped.”
At the very worst the Rams should have come away with a 17-10 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter. They instead followed with the most calamitous quarter of their season.
The Cardinals, a league-best 8-1 after missing last season’s playoffs at 10-6, surged after losing starting quarterback Carson Palmer to a fourth-quarter left knee injury.
The Cardinals trailed as Palmer left the sidelines on a cart, then turned a four-point deficit into a 17-point rout.
One would think the Cardinals crippled. Instead, they sped 89 yards in four plays for a go-ahead score on backup Drew Stanton’s first series. The touchdown came on a 48-yard strike to a diving John Brown. After all, this is how mature teams answer.
So how did the Rams respond?
In their first four possessions following Stanton’s strike the Rams ran 14 plays — three runs worth 9 yards and 11 pass plays that generated two completions, a holding penalty, two interceptions and a strip sack. Davis’ second interception — a pass tipped by intended receiver Kenny Britt — became a touchdown return by Patrick Peterson. The ruinous sack led to safety Antonio Cromartie returning Davis’ fumble 14 yards for another score. Oh, the humanity.
As for the meltdown tendency, “I don’t think it’s necessarily a talent thing,” Cook said. “I think if you want to look at it, it’s an individual thing.”
Davis’ recent performance invites scrutiny, perhaps a change. The rookie’s best work came early in the season. Wins over Seattle and San Francisco were inspired by defense. Davis has committed six turnovers returned for scores. Four of them are fourth-quarter interceptions. A team ill-suited for quick-strike offense becomes doubled over by such gaffes. Davis emerges from a three-game road stretch with 481 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. They also qualify as the worst three of his eight starts based on ESPN’s total quarterback rating.
“I think the thing I’m learning real quickly is you can play well for 3 1/2 quarters but you’ve got to play four,” said Davis. “You can’t have a single letdown, and right now I’m having those and it’s costing our football team. I’ve got to stay strong, get better and eliminate those mistakes — mostly turnovers — that are costing our football team.”
November 10, 2014 at 9:36 am #11544znModeratorRAMS REPORT CARD – WEEK 10: Rams put the f’s in offense
Jeff Gordon hands out the grades after the Rams lose 31-14 in ArizonaQuarterback: F
Austin Davis led TE Jared Cook perfectly for a 59-yard TD pass late in the first half to put the Rams in great shape. But then the Davis Express hit a concrete abutment. He became visibly flustered in the face of constant pressure. His deep heave to Chris Givens came up short for a costly interception. He sailed a shorter pass toward Kenny Britt, leading to a deflection “pick six” that essentially ended the game. For good measure he coughed up a fumble the Cardinals returned for a TD, too. Those mistakes offset the Cook pass and doomed the Rams.Running Back: B
The Cardinals demonstrated why they are stout against the run, standing up the Rams’ offensive line time and again. Tre Mason had a 16-yard run, but otherwise he gained just 32 yards on 13 carries into the jammed up line. Benny Cunningham scored on a nice little cutback run. Both Cunningham (two catches, 16 yards) and Mason (four catches, 33 yards) did some damage in the passing game. Zac Stacy once again had no role in the offense.Wide Receivers: C
Tavon Austin flashed his old 2013 form by taking a lateral pass and zig-zagging through various Cardinals for 17 yards. He also turned on the jets during an early 10-yard run. But he was quiet for the rest of the game, as were his fellow receivers. Chris Givens and Stedman Bailey were targeted six times between them and produced just two catches for 2 yards. Alas, most of that failure fell on the overmatched Davis.Tight Ends: B
Jared Cook had a monstrous TD catch. He had another big gainer, too, but fellow TE Lance Kendricks erased it with an ill-timed penalty. That personal for delivering a crunching block along the sidelines likely took Rams points off the board. This could have been a huge game for the TEs…but it wasn’t. The Cory Harkey Package did little to budge Arizona’s firm run defense or help the passing game.Offensive Line: F
Once again the line failed to deliver a consistent run push, admittedly against one of the top NFL rush defenses. That forced the Rams into tough down-and-distance scenarios in a tough environment. Their pass protection collapsed in the second half, leaving Davis to die. And die Davis did, suffering six sacks (for 42 yards in losses) and turning the ball over three times. By the final minutes eager Gridbirds were racing past hapless Rams blockers to see who could reach the quarterback first.Defensive Line: B
The Rams brought a ton of early pressure with the help of blitz packages. DE Robert Quinn earned a sack, a QB and a tackle for loss. DT Aaron Donald and DE William Hayes were also busy as the Rams held the Cardinals to just 28 yards on 22 carries. Alas, when the game turned against the Rams, the defensive front was unable to disrupt Arizona’s passing game.Linebackers: B
OLB Alec Ogletree made big plays instead of big mistakes for a change. His red zone interception could have proved crucial, but he couldn’t outrun Palmer for the TD. Ogletree broke up passes back in coverage and on the rush by swatting the ball down. As the game turned against the Rams, though, the Cardinals burned this unit again with tight end passes. What could have been a great defensive performance became more ordinary.Secondary: C
S T.J. McDonald made big hits all over the field. CB E.J. Gaines had two spectacular pass defenses in the end zone and S Mark Barron assumed a big role after nickel back Lamarcus Joyner suffered a groin injury, earning a blitz sack and two tackles for losses. But the unit gave up 307 passing yards and the game-changing play—the 48-yard TD pass from QB Drew Stanton to WR John Brown over the top of S Rodney McLeod.Special Teams: C
Once again penalties proved costly. CB Trumaine Johnson earned a holding penalty on a fair catch and CB Janoris Jenkins was flagged for a ticky-tack blocking in the back penalty on another punt return. P Johnny Hekker pinned two punts inside the 20, but he also came up short on two of his directional punts to the sideline. Austin did nothing with the two punts he tried to return, but Cunningham brought two kickoffs out of the end zone and out past the 20-yard line.Coaching: D
For three quarters, life was good. The Rams seemed ready to earn another ugly victory over a tough NFC West foe. But once again they failed to close out a potential triumph. Once the game turned against the Rams, they had no answers. Their defense quit applying pressure on defense and their offense imploded. Coach Jeff Fisher bravely stuck with Davis at QB, but now had plenty of food for thought on the chartered flight back home.November 10, 2014 at 12:53 pm #11561
wvParticipantI am not a fan of statements like “I need to learn the game is four quarters long.”
That is a meaningless statement, to me, whether coaches say it or players.
w
vhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13498/austin-davis-not-the-answer-for-rams-at-qb
Wagoner“I didn’t play well enough to win today,” Davis said. “I think the thing I’m learning really quick is you can play well for three and a half quarters but you’ve got to play four. You can’t have a single letdown and right now I’m having those and it’s costing our football team. I’ve got to stay the course, stay strong and keep getting better and eliminate these mistakes, mainly turnovers, that are costing our football team.”
(On the Peterson INTI just underthrew the ball,” Davis said. “I don’t really have an answer for it. I don’t understand it. We got the look we were looking for, I thought Chris ran a good route and won, the ball didn’t go where I wanted it to.”
(On Peterson INT number two)”The second one, I just threw it high and it gets tipped around,” Davis said. “Two critical plays, you can’t turn the football over. We knew coming in that was kind of their thing. They kind of live off the turnover and you saw it there at the end.”
In nine games, Davis’ fourth-quarter passer rating is 68.1 with a QBR of 23.8, which includes a 12.0 and 0.1 on Sunday.
“It can’t happen,” Davis said. “It’s killing our defense. They’re playing their tails off. For me to have those letdowns, it’s really tough. I’ve got to get a lot better and I can’t do that.”November 10, 2014 at 8:36 pm #11572znModeratorBernie: Rams’ problem isn’t pressure, it’s points
Bernie Miklasz
Understandably, there’s been a lot of talk about how the Rams can’t handle second-half pressure and are melting down with games on the line.
Well, a couple of things about that.
1. When you turn the ball over too often, it makes your team look jumpy, and rattled, and unable to cope with adversity. Giving the ball away doesn’t make you look calm and poised. So what would we expect?
2. This is more about the shaky play of young quarterback Austin Davis, a shortage of impact talent on offense, the lack of a reliable running game and the continuation of the below-average offenses we’ve seen under head coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
If others want to say this is about pressure, I would agree to an extent — especially as it applies to Davis.
But I say it’s more about points.
You have to score more of them to win in this league.
(And yes, the two theories are connected. If you don’t do a good job of coping with sudden negativity in games, then you probably aren’t going to score as many points.)
Not counting the touchdowns scored by the Rams’ defense and the special-teams returners, the Rams offense ranks 30th in the NFL with 149 points from scrimmage, averaging 16.5 per game.
This is the third season of a Fisher-Schottenheimer offense, and the Rams have done no better than rank 22nd in the league in points from scrimmage.
And their highest scoring average from scrimmage is 19 points per game, which occurred last season.
The 2012 Rams averaged 16.3 points from scrimmage, so this year’s offense has regressed to the level of Fisher’s first team.
With this offense, there’s nothing to hang your helmet on.
• What about the running game? That’s supposed to be the Fisher-Schotteneimer foundation. This season the Rams are averaging under 4 yards per rushing attempt for the first time in this regime’s three seasons. The Rams’ average of 3.9 yards per carry ranks 28th in the league. They rank 14th in percentage of runs (43.5) that produce 4+ yards. They have only 23 runs of 10+ yards and only three of 20+ yards.
• The Rams have cranked out a decent total of 10-play (or more) drives, but they don’t finish them off as well as you’d like. They’ve scored 54 points on 10-play drives, which ranks 24th in the NFL.
• What about big plays? Not much. The Rams rank 27th in the NFL in all plays that gain 10+ yards. They’re 28th with 26 plays of 20+ yards. And they’ve had only one quick-strike TD drive (fewer than four plays) this season.
• Overall the Rams are averaging 5.07 yards per play (28th), 310.2 yards per game (30th) and are 29th in offensive efficiency — having come away with points on only 29 percent of their 104 possessions.
The problem is, the Rams don’t really do anything particularly well on offense, especially with Davis unable to perform as consistently vibrant as he did earlier in the year.
Defenses have adjusted, the pass protection has been shaky, and the first-time starting QB has regressed. I don’t have to give you the numbers; you’ve seen it.
And the Rams are giving the ball away with alarming consequences. Their 16 turnovers are the 10th-most in the NFL.
What really stings is the magnitude of those turnovers.
According to STATS, LLC the opponents have scored 73 points on Rams’ giveaways; that’s only two points less than the worst team (Chicago) n the category.
More harmful … 42 of those 73 points have come on touchdowns directly scored by Rams’ opponents on interception or fumble returns.
That’s a huge number. Over the past nine seasons, the highest number defensive points surrendered by an offense is 49 … so the Rams are only one pick-six, or fumble return for a TD from matching that.
The 42 points against the Rams on INT and fumble returns is the highest in the league. You just can’t survive so many jailbreak plays.
It’s the double whammy. The Rams offense doesn’t score enough points for the Rams — and sets up too many scores for the other team. The worst possible combination, really.
The Rams defense has done an OK job of putting the fire out after giveaways by their offense, so it’s not as if the STL defense has collapsed after a non-scoring takeaway against the Rams offense.
This giveaway-related self-destruction is new for the Fisher-coached Rams. The 2012 Rams were hit for only 54 points on giveaways (21 on INT or fumble returns for touchdowns.) The 54 points were the sixth-fewest in the league.
Last year the Rams were burned for 83 giveaway points (ranking 16th in the league.) And 35 of the 83 were on INT or fumble returns for TD.
I don’t think the Rams are devoid of poise; after all they are 3-1 this season in games decided by 3 points or fewer. And the STL offense has been decent in converting third-down plays. Those are pressure plays.
The problem is the offense that blows itself up with devastating giveaways, and I don’t think any team would remain calm and cool after seeing opponents run back interceptions and scooped fumbles for touchdowns.
Seriously: how many teams really have it in them to overcome an extreme number of shock-and-awe giveaways? Good luck trying to locate one.
The Rams (42) and Jacksonville (35) are the only two NFL offenses that have allowed more than 14 points’ worth of defensive scores so far.
Of the 10 teams that have given up more than 13 points in direct defensive scores this season, only three have a winning record.
That’s what I meant when I said that any team that gives up more than a couple of defensive scores is in big trouble.
It isn’t the reaction to adversity; it’s the bad offensive plays that put points on the board for the other team. As we just pointed out, teams that do that more than a couple of times per season have a hard time winning. It isn’t a character issue. It’s the reality of the math.
Davis has turned the ball over 12 times this season, which is tied for the fourth-highest giveaway count by an NFL player so far … and six of the 12 giveaways have resulted in a defensive touchdowns. It happened again (twice) at Arizona.
A team can’t be reasonably expected to overcome so many INT-fumble touchdown returns.
So now what?
Benching Davis in favor of veteran Shaun Hill is an option.
Or, Fisher can try to take the pressure off Davis by running the ball more, and with increased effectiveness. But as we’ve explained, the Rams aren’t a strong team on the ground.
And despite that, the Rams are passing the ball at a higher frequency than Fisher’s first two teams here.
The 2012 Rams passed it on 59 percent of the plays, the 2013 Rams passed it 56 percent of the time, and this year’s team is throwing the ball on 59.5 percent of its snaps.
That doesn’t seem to make sense. But then again, the Fisher-Schottenheimer offense has never been able to generate and sustain the kind of success that wins a lot of football games.
All you have to do is look at the numbers, with the Rams dragging near the league bottom (in all three seasons) in points from scrimmage.
Except for guard Rodger Saffold, who was drafted by Billy Devaney, the Fisher and GM Les Snead regime is responsible for drafting or signing (as a free agent) every member of the current Rams offense.
In Saffold’s case the Rams’ current regime re-signed him to a lucrative contract extension.
And Schottenheimer was picked by Fisher to run the Rams offense.
Bottom line: the present Rams’ football leadership hasn’t been able to put together a good — or even average — offense. And that’s the No. 1 reason why they continue to lose so many winnable games. This offense conks out too often, with most of the stalling happening in the second half.
So I’m not sure why we would expect that to suddenly change now.
Thanks for reading…
November 10, 2014 at 8:41 pm #11574znModerator
Ten Takeaways from Sunday’s 31-14 Loss in ArizonaBy Randy Karraker
http://www.101sports.com/2014/11/10/ten-takeaways-sundays-31-14-loss-arizona/
The Rams were unable to put together a complete game again on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and were thumped by the league-leading Cardinals 31-14. The defense did enough good things to win, but the offense was held to 203 yards before its last, meaningless drive and turned the ball over three times in the pivotal fourth quarter. These are the 2014 Rams. And, with that, 10 takeaways:
1. After a half season of starting for Austin Davis, it has become apparent that he isn’t a guy to be a franchise, difference-making quarterback in the NFL.
At times, he shows moxie. But he doesn’t have an exceptionally strong arm, and doesn’t show innate aggressiveness when he needs to lead a team to a comeback.
For most great quarterbacks, their aggressiveness needs to be reigned in. For Davis, as Derek Stanley said on the 101ESPN postgame show, he looks “timid, scared and uncomfortable” in clutch fourth-quarter situations. So far, when the chips are down and there’s a chance in the fourth quarter, he crumbles. Against Dallas, the Rams trailed 27-24 in the fourth when Bruce Carter returned a Davis interception to make it 34-24 and put the game away. Down 20-7 in Philadelphia, he lost a sack-fumble-touchdown early in the third quarter that gave the Eagles a 20-point lead. Down by a touchdown against San Francisco at the Edward Jones Dome, he threw a pick-six to Dontae Johnson that gave the 49ers a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
Then in this game, he threw two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and had a fumble that was returned for a score to increase Arizona’s lead from 17-14 to 31-14.
Since passing for 300-plus yards in Weeks 3 and 4, Davis has passed for 236, 155, 160, 105 and 216 yards. His passer rating in those five games is 73.3, with six touchdowns and six interceptions – plus a pair of pick-sixes. That’s no way to win.
2. The Rams had three more sacks to give them 17 this season and 16 in their last four games. It makes you wonder why it took so long to get the pass rush going. They harassed Carson Palmer until he left the game with a knee injury, and got their hands on both Palmer and Drew Stanton with pressures several times. The defense actually played well enough to win, holding Arizona to 17 points and just 335 yards.
3. With a scoreless second half, the Rams have scored 59 second-half points in nine games, and 21 of those came in Philadelphia after they had fallen behind 34-7. In eight games, they’ve scored 38 points (4.75 per game) in second halves (Green Bay scored 42 in one half on Sunday night vs. Chicago). Even with a backup quarterback, that’s inexcusable. The ability of offensive coordinator/playcaller Brian Schottenheimer to improve production after halftime seems non-existent. Granted, Davis’ turnovers have undermined the Rams. But but no team can win scoring at that rate in second halves.
4. I understand the illegal blindside block call against Lance Kendricks that cost the Rams a first down at the Arizona four-yard line late in the third quarter, but how can it be a “blind side block” if the defender is facing the tackler? It was an awful call. It’s another example of the NFL legislating hitting out of their sport. Six years ago, that play would have set up a St. Louis touchdown. Now, it devastates a team’s chances to win.
5. For the third time this season, the Rams had a chance to win back-to-back games. Last year, they won back-to-back games three times, but never won three in a row.
In 41 games as their head coach, Jeff Fisher has led them to one three-game winning streak (in 2012). The Cardinals are in the midst of their second three-or-more-game winning streak of the season. Under first-year coach Mike Pettine, the Browns have won three in a row. The Detroit Lions have won four in a row under first-year coach Jim Caldwell. It would seem a franchise in the third year of a regime would be able to put together a level of consistency beyond what the Rams have.
6. In a rather amazing stat, the opposition has scored 34 points against the Rams in four games, and 31 in their other two losses. That’s consistency. Obviously, not all of those points can be placed on the defense.
But the Rams know how many points it’ll take to win most weeks: They need to get 35 to be sure.
7. The Rams punted seven times, with five of those coming after three-and-outs by the offense. In those five drives, the Rams had 15 plays for 12 yards. When you have 12 meaningful possessions (not at the end of a half), and five of them garner 12 yards, you generally aren’t going to win.
8. In a game of explosive plays, the Rams had exactly one – their touchdown pass to Jared Cook – that went for more than 20 yards. Four of the Rams’ 10 longest plays were Davis passes in garbage time in the fourth quarter. Brian Quick is missing, but the Rams have a significant investment in Tavon Austin, Cook and Kendricks, and have talented players in Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt and Chris Givens. Yet they can’t come up with explosive plays. Perhaps this goes back to Davis or Schottenheimer, but Fisher has to solve the problem if the Rams ever hope to compete at the highest level. By comparison, the Packers had a 21-yard play, a 73-yard touchdown, a 40-yard touchdown, a 29-yard pass and a 56-yard touchdown in the first half against Chicago. They also drew a 53-yard pass interference penalty. The Rams aren’t in the same universe as the most explosive teams in the league, and haven’t been even with Sam Bradford at quarterback.
9. I love the fact that Fisher has assembled a “rock star” coaching staff that has received many accolades over the years. Several members of the staff have Super Bowl rings or multiple playoff appearances, and they’ve coached Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame players. So the pedigree is there. With that being the case, it’s disturbing to me that so many highly drafted players have failed to ascend or have even regressed.
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers, who had four and then 5.5 sacks in his first two years, has one through nine games. On draft day 2012, when the Rams took Brockers, defensive line coach Mike Waufle told Michael Silver, then of Yahoo!, “They say he’s not much of a pass rusher, but we’ll teach him to pass rush. Tommy Kelly wasn’t either, at one time, and we taught him how to power rush. The last two years he’s had more sacks (14 ½) than any defensive tackle in the league, and this kid will do the same.”
That hasn’t happened. While the first of three second-rounders that year, Quick, appeared to break out this year, Janoris Jenkins has regressed. Isaiah Pead never did anything. Givens regressed after a good rookie year, too. 2013 first pick Austin hasn’t been an impact player yet, and Alec Ogletree hasn’t advanced this year.
Last year’s third-rounder, T.J. McDonald, has been solid, but fourth-rounders Bailey and Barrett Jones have yet to get on the field enough to make an impact. It’s too early to say they’re not going to make significant impact, but it’d be nice to see this staff develop some stars from among all of those picks.
10. Although Ogletree has been an overall disappointment this year, he did turn in a huge impact interception in the fourth quarter that set up what should have been a touchdown, if not for the Kendricks penalty. He was second on the team in tackles with seven, had three pass breakups and forced a fumble. The SEC group of defenders in the back seven – Ogletree, Jenkins and Mark Barron – made some plays. Perhaps the Rams significantly added to their talent base with the addition of Barron. All the defenders will need to be great to hold Peyton Manning under 30 points next week.
November 11, 2014 at 3:19 am #11585znModeratorRams notebook: Upon further review, Fisher agrees with officials’ call
By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot…cle_8e30d4f4-39e8-5d7e-8aac-956a7f1f1b2d.html
After watching the game tape, Rams coach Jeff Fisher says the officials got it right.
Fisher, who’s disagreed with a number of calls against the Rams this season, did not agree when tight end Lance Kendricks was flagged for a illegal blindside block in the third quarter of Sunday’s 31-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
But upon further review, Fisher supported the call during his Monday news conference at Rams Park.
“It’s’ within the rules. It was just unfortunate timing for us,’’ the coach said.
One play after Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree intercepted a pass and returned it to the Arizona 45 Sunday, Austin Davis hooked up with tight end Jared Cook on a 41-yard pass play that took the ball to the Arizona 4. On the play, Kendricks came from a position along the sideline to put a big hit on Arizona’s Tony Jefferson to spring Cook.
The illegal blindside block brought the ball back to the Cardinals’ 35-yard line.
“It was a great hit, great block,’’ Fisher said. “The blocker has the responsibility, it’s all in his hands, to avoid hitting (Jefferson) in the head and neck area. The defender was ducking, Lance was ducking. It just happened.’’
Fisher continued: “The defensive player gets defenseless player protection with respect to the blindside block if the blocker is coming from his own end line and/or parallel. The parallel part went in a couple years ago, so I’d say it’s the correct call, (even if) you don’t like it.
“His other option in that case was to go low … and you surely don’t want to see guys going low in those instances because of the potential for injury.’’
The Rams, who led 14-10 at the time of the penalty, followed up by failing to take advantage of the turnover and positive field position. After an unproductive run, an incomplete pass and a sack, they punted.
The Big Red rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points and improved to 8-1.
DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
Ogletree played one of his better games of the season against the Cardinals, sharing the team lead in tackles with 12. including six solos, to go along the interception and 44-yard return. He also had two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit.
“We’ve made a concerted effort to get him behind the ball,’’ Fisher said. “That’s where he’s best, just running and slipping blocks and taking on blocks. He’s been much more productive. Good pressure. … When he caught the (interception), he anticipated, read the formation, recognized the route that was coming and put himself in a position to make another play.
“He’s playing much better in the last two weeks.’’
Safety T.J. McDonald, another second-year pro, also had 12 tackles, including seven solos. He finished with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Other tackling leaders for the Rams Sunday were linebacker James Laurinaitis and safety Rodney McLeod with eight each and rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines with seven. Gaines also had a team-best three pass defenses.
Robert Quinn paced the defensive linemen with five tackles and a sack.
As a unit, the defense had three sacks, 17 quarterback pressures and 12 hits on Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, who left in the fourth quarter after suffering a season-ending knee injury. On that play, safety Mark Barron, seeing his first action from scrimmage, had the Rams’ third sack.
“He (made an impact with) the sack, the pressure, the contact,’’ Fisher said. Barron was acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Tampa Bay. “I think you get a sense of his physical stature out there. There was a screen pass and the guard was out in space, and he took the guard on. Most DBs would be tumbling or go low. He took the guard on high, bounced off and got an assist.
“I thought he was very productive.’’
Chase Reynolds once again led the special teams with two tackles. Also making special-teams stops were McDonald, Benny Cunningham, Cody Davis, Marshall McFadden and Korey Toomer.
INJURY UPDATE
On a blitz early in the second quarter, rookie Lamarcus Joyner bounced off Palmer and ended up with a groin injury.
“Lamarcus will clearly be questionable this week,’’ Fisher said,
The Rams are already down a man in the defensive backfield with rookie Marcus Roberson nursing an ankle injury.
With Joyner out, Gaines shifted from cornerback to the nickel as the projected starters at cornerback, Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, played together for the first time since the preseason.
“Tells you a lot” about Gaines, Fisher said. “He was fine. Got his hands on the ball. Didn’t have any problems; we didn’t have to scale down the third-down package (because) he prepares mentally for it and (I) thought he plugged in nicely.’’
Fisher said that defensive end Chris Long, who’s been on the injured reserve/designated to return list following ankle surgery, could return to practice this week.
“There’s a chance he’ll get on the field. We’re going to discuss it tomorrow with him,’’ the coach said. “He has a 21-day window to practice once he steps on the field (before he counts against the 53-man roster).’’
Fisher said both tackle Jake Long (knee) and wide receiver Brian Quick (shoulder) have undergone surgery. Both players were hurt in the Rams’ Oct. 26 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City.
“Jake is rehabbing, doing well,’’ the coach said. “I encouraged Brian to come out to practice (but) it’s going to be probably another week or two before he comes out. There was significant damage to his shoulder. He will recover 100 percent, but it’s going to be a slow process. It’s going to be a training camp thing.’’
The fluke injury to the Rams’ top deep threat resulted in more damage than anticipated.
“He did just about everything you possibly can to the shoulder,’’ Fisher said. “You talk about rotator cuff, labrum, bicep tendon, just everything. It was a successful surgery, a successful procedure, but he’s going to be immobilized for quite some time.’’
November 11, 2014 at 6:27 am #11588wvParticipant“…fluke injury to the Rams’ top deep threat resulted in more damage than anticipated.
“He did just about everything you possibly can to the shoulder,’’ Fisher said. “You talk about rotator cuff, labrum, bicep tendon, just everything. It was a successful surgery, a successful procedure, but he’s going to be immobilized for quite some time.’’
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vNovember 11, 2014 at 3:15 pm #11615znModeratorThe Film Don’t Lie: Rams
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/p … lie-rams-6
A weekly look at what the St. Louis Rams must fix:
Nine games into the season, the power-rushing attack the Rams hoped to forge before the season has yet to materialize. It’s going to be difficult for that to change against this week’s opponent, the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos will roll into St. Louis with the NFL’s best rushing defense, allowing 67 yards per game and tied for first in the league in yards allowed per carry at 3.19.
Meanwhile, the Rams are still desperately seeking the running attack that was promised before the season. The Rams are averaging 97.44 yards per game on the ground, 22nd in the NFL. Their 3.93 yards per carry is 23rd.
The Rams’ run-game difficulties are partly the result of a confusing committee approach at running back. But the Rams have settled on rookie Tre Mason over the past couple of weeks. Mason needs to recognize openings better but it would also greatly benefit him to have more holes to hit and more opportunities to carry the ball.
Against Arizona on Sunday, the Rams averaged just 3.2 yards on 22 rushing attempts. And the film and the numbers show that teams have little fear of the Rams’ run game. The Cardinals had an extra defender in the box for just two of the Rams’ offensive plays, only one of which was a running play. When seven defenders were near the line of scrimmage, the Rams rushed 13 times for 56 yards, a solid average of 4.3 yards.
After running six times for 40 yards on their first scoring drive against the Cardinals, the Rams attempted three consecutive passes on their ensuing possession which went three-and-out. There’s no easy solution for the Rams to get the ground game going, but one way would be to commit to it on a more consistent basis.
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