i underestimated his value to this team. i thought this defense would miss mcleod more, but i think they’ve done better replacing him than jenkins.

zn wrote:

InvaderRam wrote:

just to play devil’s advocate houston is without jj watt who is arguably the best player period in the nfl. and he wasn’t even healthy the three games he did play.

the defense is ranked 6th overall in total yards allowed.

of course you could go off different metrics. on football outsiders houston is ranked 11th overall in dvoa. rams are ranked 14th.

i don’t know what other injuries the texans have suffered compared to the rams.

Who else would they have to be without for it to be equivalent to Quinn, Brockers, and Johnson?

Cause the Rams aren’t missing just one player.

well. watt is a pretty good defensive player. he and donald are right up there.

they lost a starting cornerback and their starting strong safety.

on top of that they lost another starting cornerback (although that happened just this sunday).

now obviously the rams’ defensive line is the strength of this defense so it’s a little bit different when your injuries are directly affecting the strength of your team. especially when your missing a premier edge rusher.

and despite that the rams defense still ranks in the upper half of the league according to some metrics.

if i really had to criticize them i’d criticize more the personnel moves rather than “coaching”.

i wasn’t in favor of trading up. but again. this could end up being a good move. just not the move i would have made. in the short term it looks bad. in the long run they could have a franchise qb in the making.

i gotta say i’m shocked at how gurley’s season has gone. just absolutely shocked.

Zooey wrote:

Well, I’m getting fed up, too. Apart from 99-03, this team has pretty much sucked for 25 years. It has given us a few entertaining games, and memorable performances, but there is no denying that this has been largely a bottom-feeding franchise for over two decades. And it’s just old.

I don’t feel disgusted anymore, or disappointed, or anything.

I believed that they were at a flimsy 3-1. But their 3-3 is just…I dunno. 9ers, Bills, and Lions. That is just 7-9 bullshit.

Had they kept Jenkins, I think they would be 4-2, maybe 5-1. It might be a flimsy 4-2, or 5-1. But I wish they had kept Jenkins.

Basically, I want a see a team that deserves to be in the playoffs. I am just tired of this.

It’s the erratic play. It’s the feeling they just don’t excel at anything except punting. It’s being 2nd or 3rd in penalties every year. It’s the appearance that the other team makes halftime adjustments and the Rams often don’t. It’s being Up for the Seahawks, and Flat for the 49ers. C’mon. It’s just time for a different storyline here.

this.

also. now while i am a supportive of goff. and i don’t want this to come off as me bashing goff cuz i like him as a player.

but i was in favor of staying put. i liked prescott and to a lesser extent lynch. i was also in favor of getting a guy like hunter henry later in the draft.

i dunno. i woulda been much more comfortable with this scenario and letting prescott learn behind keenum and having more picks and talent.

this could all still work out but our defense looks vulnerable. i really worry about quinn’s long term health.

i’m not depressed. just resigned i think to another decade of mediocrity.

they should have won. end of. three fourth down conversions. the lions won on two attempts. the rams lost on theirs. that turned out to be three tds. dumb penalties continually bit them in the ass throughout the game. no. no excuses this time.

they finally got some receivers and a solid qb. but this team is dumb and undisciplined. they should be ashamed.

noooooooooooooo!

zn wrote:

InvaderRam wrote:

it doesn’t account for the fact that this slide goes back to last year. the running game has been stuttering since last year.

Well that’s a good point, but to be absolutely precise, in his last 4 starts, Gurley had different outcomes game by game. He wasn’t sputtering in every game.

Stats = Attempts Yards Y/A TDs

Either way, IMO these guys are simply not going to put in schemes that do not conform to the players’s strengths. They’re not going to make a mistake like that. That’s the kind of mistake you expect from an entirely new staff.

It’s just more likely that the entire offense—not just the OL, not just Gurley, not just the qb—started the season out sputtering and misfiring.

In fact before last Sunday Keenum and Austin were misfiring on passes, where it wasn’t even clear who was doing the wrong thing. Then, last Sunday, bang, it clicked. That just sounds to me like guys who are half a page off in relation to one another.

i don’t deny that part of it is due to being out of sync. and i do notice that they are using austin more as a traditional wr than last year.

so i acknowledge that part of it is being out of sync especially with offseason rules being so strict in how much times players can see the field.

however. case in point. why use austin more as a traditional wr? is this trying to force something that isn’t there? i don’t know. maybe injuries have played a part. spruce and coop being sidelined haven’t helped things.

but my bigger concern is the run game. they gotta scheme gurley to be more productive.

i remember watching faulk in the preseason. he’d have no room running. rams used basic schemes and we all heard that once the regular season got going and they game planned opponents he’d be more productive. sure enough he looked like a different player.

are the coaching staff doing a good job of identifying the opponents’ weaknesses and attacking them? are they identifying their players’ strengths and accentuating them. i guess we’ll find out.

sanbagger wrote:

Well….the rushes per yard should improve this week. Detroit is already bad in that category and add they are banged up and it leads to TG getting over the 100 hump this week.

That would be a good thing because controlling the clock will be key against Stafford and Co.

TG also has to protect the football. 2 fumbles last week was something he has to shake off. I don’t remember him having fumbleitis so it was just the way the game went, IMO.

All in all….I expect to see the TG from last year this week.

it could also be a case of gurley getting frustrated and trying to do too much.

hmmmm…

Dickerson watched the Rams’ Week 4 game against Arizona alongside fellow Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, and they each saw one legitimate hole for Gurley to attack. During the Week 2 game against Seattle, Dickerson got a text from another Hall of Fame running back, Thurman Thomas, who wrote: “Man, that line is going to get Todd Gurley killed.”

love all these reports. i think i’m gonna try and make it to the miami game and san francisco game.

i love the coliseum. it’s a classic. just a shame they’re going to leave it in a couple years.

i have my doubts about boras too.

it seems to me an oc should be able to scheme their best guys into more productive situations.

i dunno. maybe i’m wrong. but gurley should be more productive than he is despite the oline’s shortcomings. i’m wondering if there is something wrong with the scheme or the playcalling.

nittany ram wrote:

zn wrote:

nittany ram wrote:

I agree. If Quinn and Brockers play, the Rams win.

If not…is it a loss? Or just iffy?

I think it’s still a winnable game even if they don’t play. The Rams’ running game may get on track against Detroit. Their defense is giving up 4.9 yards per rush.

TruJo’s loss is gonna hurt and will really be amplified if Quinn can’t play.

yeah. they still could win. but my confidence would go way down. i also think they’d then need a +1 turnover advantage at least.

i still think they can win with him, and i don’t think he was the main problem.

my bigger concern right now is the oline. they do not look good.

turnovers given up and turnovers forced. that was a huge difference. probably the difference.

wv wrote:

——————————-
“… Fisher said, adding that run-game problems have “nothing to do with Todd, whatsoever. It’s just a matter of getting him some opportunities.”

Offensive coordinator Rob Boras said it was “an ongoing process” to figure out ways to get Gurley going. “We’re taking a look at everything,” he said. “Schematically, play calls, our technique at the point of attack, our decisions.”
———————-

Interesting.

w
v

yeah i don’t think it’s just a matter of the oline not executing. there’s gotta be multiple factors contributing. and not just defenses loading up against the run. methinks there’s something going on with the actual scheme and playcalling.