Great job by Peter King.

rfl wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dak wrote:</div>
I look at the rest of the season this way: The Rams have to keep winning so they can go into Seattle and play in Week 16 for what will be their Super Bowl. I want that to be a game that matters, and if the Rams are 8-7, playing for a winning record will matter a lot, even if there are no playoff hopes. And, it will matter to the Seahawks, I’m sure, because every win means a better chance of playing at home in the playoffs.

Exactly. Going 9-7 would matter, as the 10 wins mattered last year for AZ.

However, Fisher will have a real challenge keeping the team focused enough to run the table. With the playoffs OFF the table, it’ll be hard to keep the momentum going game after game. Suppose we beat AZ on Thurs. night … but are officially eliminated from the playoffs? Can we really keep it going for another TWO games? AZ was playing their last game for the division last year, if I recall.

Realistically, I see us going 8-8, losing to either AZ or SEA. That would be a bit of an improvement, but pretty disappointing.

This team is so frustrating. It really, honestly should be in the Super Bowl conversation.

OL and QB for next year!

If they lose again, I just hope it isn’t until Seattle. I think that’s definitely possible. And, no, I think this team will remain focused. There are some vets who have been waiting to play for a winner, and they’re going to want this very badly.

rfl wrote:

Maddy wrote:
Fisher had the six players from the RGIII trade as coin toss captains. That’s pretty good.

LOL.

But you know, honestly, I was watching that last quarter and was feeling tension. The game was in the bag. No question. But I really wanted that 2nd goose egg.

Yeah, me, too. I think the D did, too. They were still playing pretty hard, even if they were giving up the underneath passes.

Yeah, Eli’s on his way down. I wouldn’t say he couldn’t do well with the Rams. This team is set up to play well around any decent QB. But, I wouldn’t give up much for him, and I’d rather just see what comes of the draft next year. My hope is that Bradford returns healthy, Hill is there to back him up, and a young QB is on the roster who can learn the offense and take over when needed.

Yeah. Plus, other teams’ punters don’t even throw the ball. Who gets a punter who can’t pass?

Another thing about the ramifications of the trade. I don’t believe the Rams move up to get Tavon Austin if they don’t have two 1st round draft choices that year, which means they keep their 2nd-rounder. They still might trade down to get ‘Tree, or they may just pick ‘Tree at 16. But, they likely don’t have Austin and ‘Tree. Who knows? Anything’s possible in the draft if certain players come off the board, or if you swap around picks. I guess I could play this game all day.

In talking to a cousin who is an attorney, it’s obvious to me that the prosecuting attorney didn’t do his job. His job, if he takes the case to a grand jury, is to do whatever he can to get an indictment. In this case, because Wilson’s a police officer, McCulloch did not do his job … his office basically acted as Wilson’s defense. I have no problem with the grand jury’s decision based on the evidence presented, but in any other type of case (that doesn’t involve a police officer as defendant) his office wouldn’t have presented evidence that helped the defendant. McCulloch went this route to avoid his responsibility and avoid public backlash. If he didn’t think there was enough evidence to charge Wilson, he should have never presented the case to the grand jury. But, that would have meant he would have had to take the heat.

You have to give Cook a lot of credit for standing up and addressing the media. I don’t think he realized how much local police (apparently, just white police) hate that “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture. They take it very personally. And, he’s right that guys like Roorda aren’t trying to have a discussion.

Wow, how terrible.

I met Burwell once. It was brief. I was handing out media passes for a U.S. diving event. He was the only media member that week to stand out to me, because he smiled and joked with me like I was someone important — not the lackey handing out passes. I could tell in 20 seconds that he was a nice guy. From what he wrote, I can also say that he seemed to give the story his all, even though it wasn’t the biggest event in the world, or the STL area, for that matter. Anyway, Bernie’s account of Burwell seems to ring true, from what I observed.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Dak.

wv wrote:

Ram Bytes: The Gregg Williams defense is rolling

Bernie Miklasz

…The Rams defense still has some problems in pass coverage. The most glaring example of that was San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who made it look easy in picking apart the Rams soft coverage from late in the second quarter through the rest of the game…

Yeah, I cant say I’m totally sold on the D,
based on what i saw Rivers do to it. He
carved it up, rather easily.

So how do we plug ‘that’ fact
into the stats and evaluation ?

I know the D is now “good” but it
aint hardly “great” thats for sure.

Maybe it will be, we’ll see.
The trajectory is certainly
encouraging.

w
v

I agree that was a bad game, and I wonder if that was a scheme issue or just an example of not being able to beat the Chargers’ offensive line consistently. I think this D will have trouble with any team that has a quality, healthy, stable offensive line. Add a veteran QB to that mix, and it’s even bigger trouble.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Dak.

wv wrote:

Dak wrote:
It’s big like every NFL game is big. And, no road game is a gimme.

I don’t expect a rout, but I do expect the Rams to show that they can win on the road against an inferior opponent. It’s time.

At Wash
Arizona
NYGiants

That road game and those
two home games are about as
“winnable” as games come in the NFL.

So, we’ll see.

w
v

I think so, too. Which probably means they’ll lose 2 of 3.

RIP, Jeff. So sad to hear.

I also wonder often about Billy T. Anybody hear anything lately about Billy and his battle with cancer.

wv wrote:

“Retired NFL players talk about struggling to find what comes next. After his last coaching gig, Martz got an immediate answer: television. He worked as an analyst for Fox for a year, but found the work impersonal and the workplace fractured by politics…”

Imagine that — Martz not wanting
to deal with a workplace “fractured by politics”

w
v

LOL.

Like I said, it’s very personal to them, so their beliefs trump their sports allegiance.

Fun to read, thanks!