There is a lot of talent on defense, I agree. And, I also agree that this unit is not playing to its full potential. I think they’ll get better. So far, there have been no successful blitz packages. Williams hasn’t made a big difference. I wonder if that’s because offenses are scheming against the pass rush with quick throws and attacking with the run between the tackles. Until the D can slow down the run, they’re just not going to take advantage of this great pass rush.

Austin Pettis still has plenty of value … especially with Tavon hurt.

Money well spent.

I kept watching guys go down with injuries during this early season, and I thought to myself if I were Quinn, I would worry about injury without a long-term contract. It’s so rare to feel great for both sides when your team inks a huge deal like this, but that’s exactly how I feel. This guy is a superstar who deserves to be paid.

Wells is a big disappointment. He’s got to get better, or someone has to replace him and do better.

Donald looks exactly like the guy the Rams expected him to be.

Gordo needs a proof reader.

Until Hill is healthy, I may be picking against the Rams, as well.

wv wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mackeyser wrote:</div>
As for Ray Rice…IF he actually gets to the point of contrition, I’ll be open to hearing it. If you listen to that press conference where he tells Janay Palmer Rice to apologize for “her role in the incident” by saying, “don’t you have something to say?” as if, “look, you. This is part YOUR fault.”

That to me SCREAMS that Ray Rice is still a full on abuser and is having ZERO part of any rehabilitation.

Now that he’s suspended, I’m QUITE sure he blames her…whether it’s because she couldn’t take a punch or “fell wrong” so she “got herself knocked out on the railing” or… well, you name it.

Let’s be clear. I’m all for second chances…for the contrite.

So, until and unless Ray Rice truly comes to grips with what he did, takes responsibility for it IN AT LEAST AS PUBLIC A WAY AS HE ASKED JANAY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER BEATING, then I hope he’s NOT let off the hook, that people do NOT let him move on and that he’s constantly reminded that he IS a batterer.

Why? Because…he’s not going to change until he’s going to change. And at this time, he’s shown exactly zero signs that he cares to change.

I mean, really. Putting his wife out front to apologize to the world for putting her face too quickly in front of his fist and not being able to retain consciousness when her head slammed into the rail?

Nope. Too often in this fast food nation we want everything quick, even if it isn’t done which lets people off the hook if they’ll only just stand still long enough to let everyone’s attention drift to something else (which only takes a few minutes usually these days). Well, Ray Rice can turn to stone and I’ll still see him as a batterer until HE changes. I don’t need his victims to apologize. I don’t need other shit to happen in the universe to distract me.

Where’s his pain? Where’s his angst? Where’s his difficult journey? Anyone see Ray Rice walking that road? I sure as hell don’t.

The day he’s contrite and actually gives a shit about change, then and only then, will *I* give a shit about Ray Rice getting a chance to move on.

Oh, and since domestic violence is epidemic in this country and desperately needs TONS more discussion… I’m perfectly content to let Ray Rice continue to be the poster boy for it as long as he…well, I was going to say faking his contrition, but he’s not even trying to do that. So, as long as he’s a proud batterer, he can be plenty out front afaic.

Why is ANYONE concerned about Ray Rice getting the chance to move on so quickly, anyway?

Yeah, i agree with all that.

w
v

Yeah, me, too.

I didn’t listen to all of it. I’m surprised that Fisher isn’t more upset with the play of the offensive line. But, maybe he’s just downplaying their poor performance for some reason.

You know, I didn’t get to post on here with my initial thoughts after the game. I thought that the Rams basically killed themselves with penalties and other mistakes. Just sloppy. That sucks. Shouldn’t happen in the first game. But, it’s something they can improve on.

E.J. Gaines may be a steal.

Quick looks for real. Britt will get his deep balls (that’s what she said), if we don’t have to rely on 3rd string QBs.

Tavon Austin didn’t get loose because of the circumstances. I wasn’t crazy about running him off tackle, but I’m not going to kill Schotty for it. He tried something different, and it didn’t work. It would have been different if the Rams were going along swimmingly and the Tavon off-tackle play derailed them.

Aaron Donald popped into the backfield a few times, just like his college highlight reel. He’s going to be special.

The Rams’ pass rush was great. But, the Vikings expertly countered it. Teams will have to game plan against this D-line’s pass rush, especially in the Ed. If the secondary can learn to take advantage of that, this D will be dominant at times.

And, the same old story, until the Rams can prove they can throw the ball downfield consistently, teams will concentrate on shutting down the running game. I thought that Hill did an OK job (without penalties, he would have been fine). But, if we have to rely on Austin Davis, this team’s going to lose without a lot of help from the defense.

Totally agree. I’m not even certain that the actions of the NFL or the Ravens this week were the right things to do, especially if the goal is to help avoid a repeat of that awful attack in the elevator. But, the NFL has painted itself into this corner by reacting to avoid public criticism.

Yes, I was surprised when I watched it, especially with the weakness of the offensive line.

I am disappointed in the team’s lack of preparation. And, I overestimated how well the team could play without Bradford.

I do think it’s going to be a long slog of a season to 7-9, now. That won’t be bad enough to draft an elite QB. And, it won’t be good enough for fans to really enjoy this team, especially without having Bradford at QB.

I can’t argue with Britt and Quick.

On defense, for me, it’s Ogletree, McDonald and Jenkins. They could be impact players … or, they could be somewhere in the area of mediocre. Is Ogletree going to be effective in the run D? Will Jenkins improve his cover skills? Will McDonald be that all-around safety who can make plays all over the field? Or, do they make too many mistakes to be consistent forces on defense?

As much as I’m disappointed that Robinson isn’t deemed ready to start yet, I’m glad that the coaches aren’t throwing him out there for the sole reason that he was a high draft choice. I’m also happy that Joseph is ready to go.

But, I do worry about Jake Long and the LT position in general. If Robinson is the backup, I’m afraid that we have a guy who looks old at LT backed up by a guy who is too green for prime time.

Zac Stacy is listed as the starting running back, which is to be expected. But Benny Cunningham is No. 2 and outperformed Stacy in the preseason.

Did Cunningham really outperform Stacy, or are we just looking at stats that meant little to nothing? Stacy is better, of course he’s getting the bulk of the carries. I think the more important questions is whether Tre Mason sees the field. I liked Watts better than both Cunningham and Mason.

If the Rams can keep Peterson from taking over, I think they win.

24-20 Rams