What does yesterday's victory mean (re: the big picture)?

Yeah, good point, Nitt.

The Foreskins will be a good test just because it’s on the road. I expect a close game. I hope the young O-line can handle crowd noise … they will have to come up big if Foles is going to have enough time to ding Washington like he did Seattle.

I think long-term here’s what the Seahawks game means to me: Foles can come up big in a close game. The Rams can run the ball on a good defense at home. Tavon Austin, when healthy, is a dangerous weapon. So, this offense SHOULD be better.

The other thing this game shows, well, reinforces, is that Aaron Donald is a monster. And, the Rams have finally built some depth in the secondary. Roberson came up really big.

I still worry about Greg Robinson at LT, though. He’s just so inconsistent. Please don’t get our QB killed. I do not want to return to the days of backups. I liked watching a starter-caliber guy make some big plays. Loved that Foles has a nice touch on his pass. He was inaccurate at times. But, he also dropped some beautiful balls in some tight spots.

Nittany raises a superb question. My thoughts.

You guys know I’ve been mightily pissed at this team for just over a year. Why? Because I thought they were playing non-competitive football well below their potential ceiling. And that the coaching staff was failing to address it. NEVER because I didn’t think they had talent, or even the “right players.”

So what does one win like this mean?

A great deal … and perhaps less than it might seem.

The good news is that the team broke through a decade-old barrier. It stepped up to and won a big game WHEN IT MATTERED! BEFORE settling into the comfort zone of irrelevance. That’s what makes this game different from all the others in the Fisher era. Including the wins over the Hawks and Whiners. We didn’t steal this game after already falling into a deep hole with minimal chances of becoming relevant. We won this game to get ON TOP of the season for once.

I take all that very, very seriously. It changes a great deal, most importantly within the players and in the eyes of opponents. The margin between winning and losing in the NFL is tissue-thin, but also steel-hard. A team that breaks through that margin can take a large step very quickly. That’s why there is so much volatility from year to year in the league standings. A couple of key wins and a team nobody believed in can become a contender. That’s why pre-season assessments of what games are “winnable” are so foolish.

This team has the talent to be a serious playoff contender. A relatively small shift in competitiveness could result in a major rise in achievement.

But. The volatility I mentioned goes the other way as well. Within a season, a key loss can send a team plummeting down the slope. Which leads to Nittany’s question. How real is this?

I’d put the question somewhat differently: was it the players or the coaches? They are talented players, and talent made some plays. But players can rarely carry a team consistently. Consider this week’s test.

Fischer’s teams have taken a few scalps over the last 3 years. The pattern has been to do so AFTER falling into a big hole for the season. But there is another pattern that Nittany mentions. AFTER taking a surprise scalp, the team has always collapsed. Perfect example last year: NYG. We cratered that day when threatening a winning record and against a sorry team with nothing to play for.

And that’s where the coaches come in. And the leaders among the players. Can they sustain a level of competitiveness in this talented team? Or will they let the team slide into volatility? WASH will give us a great read on that. Someone on the board used an unfortunate phrase last night. Something about beating WASH “with little effort.” And of course “little effort” will doom us.

To me, it’s crucial to remember that we didn’t win anything more yesterday than 1 game. We DID break through to a new set of possibilities. But they are only possibilities unless we compete play after play, quarter after quarter, game after game. That’s IMO the best answer to Nittany’s question:

We broke through to a new level of competitiveness and achievement, but this will mean nothing until we learn to keep competing at that level. Are we ready to take that step?

Well, there are reasons to hope so. Foles. Cignetti. AD and RQ. The D asserting itself, especially on the last drive. Etc.And most important, simply GETTING that big win and gaining confidence from it.

But, we aren’t a lock as a good playoff team. Not yet. Because while we broke important negative patterns yesterday, we didn’t break others. We still played sloppy, erratic football. Our offense gave up a TD. From what I read, our LOT is still struggling mightily. Our superb defense did give up a lead … yes, with help from the O, but still, it did not show that it could step up and shut down a so-so offense trying to come back. From everything I can tell, it played very well, brilliantly at times, but NOT with the consistent toughness of a truly elite defense.

So, we penetrated a crucial barrier yesterday. That matters. But, can we keep it going? Can we eliminate the devastating blunders on offense that yield points? Can Williams resist the urge to destroy his front 7’s effectiveness by blitzing in unsound ways and playing off the receivers? Can our leaders among the players list the team’s competitive edge on a consistent basis? Can we win numbers of games to remain on top of the season rather than falling into another hole?

I dunno. But, I continue to maintain that our issue is not about talent. It’s about competitiveness. We have needed leadership among coaches and players to lift us into competitive toughness. They did that yesterday. Can they keep it going?

I listened to Quinn’s post game interview and what stuck with me is he said the team expected to win. I think that is huge.

I watched the Washington game 1st half and they are no joke. They can run it , good OL decent D. They were shutting out Miami 10-0 till right before half time. This isn’t last year’s Washington team.

I watched the Replay, and the thing that stood out to me
was simply this — the Rams have as much or more talent than the Seahawks.

I mean, if you look at each unit on defense, offense, special teams, secondary —
the Rams were not outmanned. Not anymore.

So, from here on in, its all about execution, motivation, poise, coaching.

I’ll also echo what posters all over the net are saying — it makes
a big difference when you are starting an actual, No.1 QB.
Foles made some elite throws out there. And he improvised.
And he ran. And he was clutch. And he was tough. What a difference.

Think about the difference a tough, clutch, starting QB makes
in ROAD games. Think about it.

Pead is a liability, imho. I’d cut him. He’s always been a fumbler
and he still is. I’d replace him with a non-fumbler. This team
will win a lot of games if they dont lose the turnover battle.

Picture this down the road — Gurley and Tre added to the mix.
Brian Quick added to the mix. The OLine getting more and more experience.

I liked the way Cignetti/Foles attacked the middle of the field
with Medium passes. If i remember right, all three of those 80 yard
drives had a zinger up the middle. Man, i loved that.

I cant recall any dropped passes by a TE or WR — were there any
drops other than B.Cunningham’s one dropped pass?
The receivers all played well, i thought and looked well-coached.

Its awfully tough to overcome a strip-sack-score in the 4th quarter.
This is not the same ole sorry ass Rams. Too much talent now, for that.
So, again, to me, what stood out most was just the sheer amount of raw talent
i saw on this Team. The execution still leaves a lot to be desired.

w
v

it means the team is 1-0.

we’ve seen this team slug it out with seattle before and won. can’t get complacent. need to really give it washington next week.

but i am encouraged that they did it without a great running game. i think it’s important that the qb and receivers gain some confidence and chemistry. then when the reinforcements come in, the offense can really take off. i think that’s extremely important in the big picture. having a dominant running game is important, but they’re going to need the passing game to make some clutch plays at times. games like this should only help that. knowing that foles can make passes when necessary will give this team that much more confidence. it will also make the running game that much more dangerous. but they gotta take care of the ball.

on a side note, i think for the big picture we got to see tavon’s role in this offense. i think he may have a bigger role than any of us anticipated. he looked good. and with more confidence. hopefully, he keeps getting better and better.

i’m also encouraged that the defense came out fast. hopefully, they can maintain this for the entire season. the rams defense is finally enjoying continuity it didn’t have until this season. this should allow them to play fast and not have to think so much. if you take away the st touchdown and sack fumble return for a touchdown. and if you take away the fumble which led to a field goal, the rams d held the seahawks to just 14 points. i think for the bigger picture we got to see the emergence of donald building on a great rookie season. i look for him to take on a bigger leadership role. i really think, along with foles on offense, he inspired this team to keep digging and clawing. even when it looked hopeless.

ultimately, this season, i think we see the emergence of the future leaders of this team. and i think this game was representative of that. on offense, it was foles. and i think ultimately gurley as well. on defense, you had donald. and hopefully guys like quinn as well.

going forward to the immediate future, it’s important that tre come back against washington and play well. it’s important that the offensive line continue to gel. it’s also important that they don’t get complacent against mediocre teams. washington is a team they should beat handily. and when gurley is cleared to return. watch out. rams could really have something going here.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by InvaderRam.

Tavon did look more confident, but success will do that 🙂
You know what i liked best about his game — the short pass he caught
to keep a critical drive going. It wasnt anything spectacular — just a short
route that he’s run a million times under Brian Shot. — but this time he caught it, secured it and got the first down. There were a lot of clutch catches in this game
but that was one of them. It was a ‘routine’ looking clutch play.

Tavon HAS to hold on to the passes. So far so good.

You get the sense that Foles trusts ALL of his receivers.

w
v

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by wv.

Of course the sample size is too small to really tell, but I’m thinking Cignetti has a better ability to identify what the defense is doing and adjust the offense accordingly. Nothing overly complicated, just tweak it. I felt like Seattle was playing the run and Cignetti ran plays that took advantage of that. I like that he’s up in the booth.