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December 22, 2015 at 1:18 pm #35952
znModeratorAfter discarding butterflies, Rob Boras gives Rams’ offense needed boost
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Just before his first game as an NFL offensive coordinator two weeks ago, the St. Louis Rams’ Rob Boras found himself overwhelmed by nerves.
In fact, Boras was so nervous that he had to excuse himself multiple times, including once from the coaching booth, so he could vomit.
“Other than maybe the birth of our first child, that might have been the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Boras said. “We all take a lot of pride. We all have a lot of pride in what you want to do. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. You want to do what’s right for everybody. You get nervous.”
By one unofficial count, Boras ejected his pregame butterflies four times before finally settling in to call plays in the NFL for the first time. Boras’ unsettled stomach earned him a postgame bucket from head coach Jeff Fisher after the team’s 21-14 win against the Detroit Lions. But that wasn’t the most important memento Boras took away from his first game as a coordinator in the big leagues.
Before his first game as Rams offensive coordinator, Rob Boras had a bad case of butterflies. But once his nerves settled down he gave St. Louis the boost it needed.
To complement his bucket, Boras also received a game ball, a sign that once Boras had shed his nerves, he was able to settle into his new role just fine. That progress continued in last week’s win against Tampa Bay as an offense that’s been mostly dreadful all season has shown some much-needed signs of life with Boras calling the shots.“I think Coach Boras has kind of implemented a new mindset for everybody to come out and take advantage of and I think guys have been doing it,” tight end Jared Cook said. “It’s about preparation. It’s a lot of pressure and a lot to deal with on such short notice but I think he’s done a great job in terms of scheme, I think it has kind of given us a new identity and helped our line out a lot.”
To be sure, Boras hasn’t turned the Rams into the second coming of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Far from it. But through the first 12 games, the Rams’ offense languished under the guidance of coordinator Frank Cignetti. The consistent lack of production ultimately got Cignetti fired and put Boras in the unenviable position of trying to fix a broken offense in a short period of time.
The results through two games have been promising, though they should come with the caveat that the Rams’ uptick in offensive performance has come against lowly Detroit and Tampa Bay.
Under Cignetti, the Rams averaged 296.3 yards per game and 14.4 offensive points per game to go with a league-worst 24.5 percent third-down conversion rate. In the two games under Boras, the Rams have posted 318 yards per game, 22.5 offensive points per game and a 28.6 percent third-down conversion rate. Again, not a massive improvement but a noticeable uptick that’s been good enough to get the Rams two victories.
And the numbers could be even better had the Rams been able to finish a drive that started at Tampa Bay’s 3-yard line but came up short after Boras dialed up three straight runs.
“He was much better, much better,” Fisher said. “He’s still agonizing over the first-and-goal on the 2, second-and-goal on the 2, third-and-goal on the 2. We didn’t get it in, but I told him, ‘That’s football sometimes.’ I was not going to give him the fourth-down shot. We needed the points. Beyond that, he was much more at ease. He was in rhythm. There were no issues from a play-calling standpoint.”
What becomes of Boras and the Rams’ offense after the season remains to be seen. A number of Fisher’s assistants have expiring contracts and if the Rams are to make some changes, the offensive coaching staff would seem most likely to have some turnover. Until then, Boras will at least have two more opportunities to bolster his resume and make the case that he can handle the job and that a full offseason in charge would make a significant difference.
This week should offer a much better tell on whether Boras is making a difference or the Rams have simply taken advantage of better matchups. Seattle’s defense is ranked No. 2 in yards allowed per game and scoring defense. Playing in the Pacific Northwest has also been unkind to the Rams under Fisher, as they’ve mustered just 28 total points in three trips to CenturyLink Field.
In the meantime, Boras has already made inroads with his players, who seem to have bought into whatever he’s selling.
“He’s very, very detailed and does a great job presenting whatever new play or whatever new concept that we have, so it’s been great,” quarterback Case Keenum said. “He does a great job.”
December 22, 2015 at 1:40 pm #35953
wvParticipantI dunno. Boras has had Keenum.
Maybe Cignetti just needed Keenum.w
vDecember 22, 2015 at 2:45 pm #35959znModeratorBoras brings spark to Rams offense
Jim Thomas
Turns out Jeff Fisher wasn’t joking last week when he said Rob Boras vomited before his first game as the Rams’ offensive coordinator.
Boras said he threw up “a number of times” before the Rams’ 21-14 victory last Sunday over Detroit — his first game after replacing Frank Cignetti as coordinator.
“Yes, I excused myself one time in the press box,” Boras confessed. “We all have a lot of pride in what you want to do. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. You want to do what’s right for everybody. You get nervous.”
How nervous?
“Other than maybe the birth of our first child, that might have been the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Boras said.
Boras isn’t the first coach, Rams or otherwise, to get a little, uh, queasy before a ballgame. Rich “Big Daddy” Brooks, the first head coach for the Rams in St. Louis, was known to have an unsettled stomach on game day. Same for Dick Vermeil.
Fisher jokingly offered Boras a bucket after the Detroit game. But also gave him a game ball for his role in ending the team’s five-game losing streak.
“I like living in anonymity,” Boras said. “You guys have been around — I try to get keep my head down. … To me, that was for all of us. The whole offensive staff was unbelievable. Obviously, personally there’s a lot of pride with that, but that’s just a compliment to everybody and how everybody stepped up.”
Five days later came another game, and by all accounts, things went a lot smoother for Boras on Thursday night against Tampa Bay, a 31-23 Rams’ victory.
“He was much better. Much better,” Fisher said, smiling. “He’s still agonizing over the first-and-goal at the 2; second-and-goal on the 2; third-and-goal on the 2. That we didn’t get it in. But I told him that’s football sometimes.”
That was the sequence early in the fourth quarter against the Buccaneers after Benny Cunningham’s 102-yard kickoff return to the Tampa Bay 3. Three carries between the tackles by Todd Gurley advanced the ball only two yards. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Fisher opted for a Greg Zuerlein field goal — taking a 31-13 lead — instead of trying for a touchdown.
“I was not gonna give (Boras) the fourth-down shot,” Fisher said. “We needed the points. Beyond that, he was much more at ease. He was in rhythm. There were no issues from a play-calling standpoint.”
It’s just two games in, but things certainly have clicked with Boras at offensive coordinator and Case Keenum at quarterback.
“I made the change for that reason — because I anticipated that,” Fisher said. “They work well together. Coach (Chris) Weinke had a lot to do with this, too.”
Weinke is the Rams’ quarterback coach.
“Chris is doing a good job with Case, and Case is enthusiastic in the way he practices and prepares,” Fisher said. “He’s relaxed and he was making throws on time (against Tampa Bay).”
During the Rams’ five-game losing streak, the team averaged 10 points and 275 yards a game. In the victories over Detroit and Tampa Bay under Boras, the Rams have averaged 26 points and 318 yards per game.
“It’s the scheme that Rob has implemented and the mindset that Rob has implemented,” tight end Jared Cook said.
Simple as that?
“Yeah,” Cook said.
Seven of those points came via the defense, on Trumaine Johnson’s interception return for a touchdown against the Lions. But Boras wasn’t complaining.
“When I saw Trumaine get that interception, I would’ve been happy if we won 7-0 — if we got shut out (on offense),” Boras said. “All we needed was to win. The whole building needed to win.”
After going 41 days without a victory, the Rams have now picked up back-to-back wins in just five days. But gaining 318 yards per game in those two victories, isn’t great — the league average is 353 yards per game this season.
The team needs to do better in the so-called 4-minute offense — when the Rams are trying to run down the clock with the lead. And the Rams’ third-down conversion efficiency still needs work. Going 4-for-11 on third down against Detroit was OK. Going 2-for-10 against Tampa Bay was not.
The quality of the competition also must be taken into account before getting too wild and crazy about the offensive revival during the past two games. Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Arizona — who accounted for three losses during the five-game losing streak — have a combined 29-10 record. The Bengals and Cardinals both have top-10 defenses.
Meanwhile, the Lions and Bucs are a combined 10-17. Tampa Bay is ranked 11th in the league in total defense, but was beat up physically entering Thursday’s game.
The Rams have put together some efficient drives under Boras, and more often than not, taken advantage of opportunities. The league average for points per game is 22.8 through 13 games, so at 26 points against Detroit and Tampa Bay, the Rams are in pretty good territory.
Scoring in the 20s, particularly the mid-20s, usually gives a team a good chance to win.
Beyond the numbers, it’s clear that switching to Boras has provided a spark to an offense, and to an entire team.
“Right now he’s got the juice, man,” defensive end William Hayes said. “I’m out there and I’m looking at the product and the plays he’s calling. He’s got the guys believing. And they’re playing. He’s calling a solid game right now.’
The degree of difficulty increases this weekend, with the Rams traveling to the Pacific Northwest to face Seattle’s No. 2-ranked defense. Yards and points have been difficult to come by for the Rams and everybody else in recent years in CenturyLink Field.
If Boras and Keenum can get something going against that outfit, well, then the Rams might be on to something
December 22, 2015 at 3:41 pm #35960wvParticipantReporters sure are fascinated with
this Vomit angle.w
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