one thing i liked about today’s game was that the running backs got more involved in the passing game. i want to see more of that.

just thinking out loud. but what if the rams sent tavon one way on a jet sweep. fake the sweep and have gurley run a pattern out onto the flat on the other side. get the defenses stretched out and watch gurley take off. don’t know if that would even work. just thinking out loud.

i also like the comments about not using the middle of the field enough. maybe they’re not utilizing enough of the field and making it too easy to defend the receivers. or maybe foles is just too limited.

i felt like he had a clean pocket today. not a lot of pressure, and he still struggled. so either the receivers aren’t getting open. or foles isn’t making the right decisions. i don’t have a clue which one it is. my best guess is it’s a combination of both. connor cook in 2016?

The other thing I’ll say. And this is on Cignetti and the scheme. Where are the slants to Britt and Quick? These big body receivers should be automatic whenever they want it maybe a first down slant on occasion? Being asked to run deep sideline routes and not much more. Britt is targeted at least 3 times a game but yet isn’t asked to run a slant utilizing his size and strength. Say what you want about either Quick or Britt. You use them the same way Palmer uses Fitzgerald and Floyd and I think you might be shocked at the results.

maybe there’s something to this too.

their defense is ranked ahead of the rams in terms of total yardage, but i find it curious that football outsiders has their defense ranked 24th while the rams is ranked 5th.

i haven’t seen much of the vikings defense, but i’ve seen enough of the rams to believe they are better than the 13 ranked defense according to traditional stats.

but also. the vikings offense could give this defense some problems. the rams strengths on defense are in the secondary and the pass rush. so i could see them struggling against adrian peterson. the niners were absolutely depleted at running back, and that made a huge difference in holding them to 6 points.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by zn.

well. i take that back. deandre hopkins would have been the best pick. but still. not bad.

i wonder what that peterson harvin combo was like for the vikings.

well. football outsiders rankings for the vikings and rams.

vikings
offense – 28th
defense – 24th
overall – 28th

rams
offense – 30th
defense – 5th
overall – 16th

if they make mistakes like they did today, they lose. so they better step it up. but i think it’s possible.

call me crazy, but i think the rams gotta chance next week. but they gotta slow ap down.

he reminds me of a lot of different running backs. in fact. i’d say there are bits of faulk, dickerson, and jackson in him.

and what’s really fun to think about is i don’t think he’s fully back yet. i think he’s lost some speed from college. but with time i’m thinking he gets that back. probably not until next year.

mostly i just feel priveleged that i get to root for him on this rams team. it’s the perfect marriage really.

but also i want to take some time and give a shout out to tavon austin. not just the yards and the touchdowns. but the down and dirty hustle plays he made this game and in previous games.

think about that. 2 of the most explosive players in all the nfl. they’re also taking a leadership role on this offense. it’s going to take some time. looks like it might not even happen this year. but i think the offense will ultimately be in good shape. just need to help those two guys out.

a couple articles (zn: loaded with vids and gifs)

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/spirit-of-st-louis-todd-gurley-is-giving-the-rams-a-chance-to-take-flight/

http://nflbreakdowns.com/todd-gurley-outside-zone-trap-cardinals-wk42015/

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by zn.

if i’m the rams, i actually think i try and pass the ball more this game. catch the 9ers off guard. get gurley involved more in the passing game. get some play action going.

this niners defense ranks last in pass defense. and i’m thinking this niners defense is going to go after todd in the running game. teams have three full games of tape to study this gurley led offense. i’m thinking the rams can catch them being overly aggressive defending todd. give foles and the receivers some confidence.

and hopefully kendricks is back.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by InvaderRam.

yeah. but for foles to get hot, the oline has to gel.

he puts a forearm shiver on a defensive end. just shruggs him off on that 48 yard run. crazy. tremendous lower body strength to break tackles.

another thing. on that 48 yard run. i think most guys barrel forward and try to get whatever they can. and it would have been a good run. gurley has not only the vision but the speed to cut across the field and get maybe another 35 yards. though obviously he gets some big help from tavon on a terrific block as well.

i could be wrong, but i think cleveland is better than people think and the niners are worse than people might think.

but it’s divisional game so will be tough.

Zooey wrote:

Sure, it seems reasonable to expect incremental improvement from the passing game.

Except that I haven’t seen any.

I don’t swim in a stats-filled pool, so I can’t back up my impressions with data, but I would say that I think the most impressive Foles performance was the first game against Seattle.

As I recall, the Rams put together 3 80-yard drives in that game. And, iirc, we haven’t seen anything to match that since.

In fact, the Rams flat out suck.

I don’t know what else to conclude from the fact that the Rams are #1, or near the top, in first down yardage, and at, or near, the bottom in 3rd down conversion, and that they just don’t accomplish sustained drives. I mean, remove the Seattle game, and where are the Rams statistically on offense?

They SUCK, people. The offense SUCKS. You give the Rams a middle-of-the-pack defense, and they are 0-6 right now. Maybe 1-5.

So, yeah, Foles sometimes makes some great downfield throws. But for every one of those, he throws the ball over the head or behind a receiver 10 – 15 yards away from him 3 times.

Yeah, and maybe Quick gets better, and maybe Foles gets better, but I’m not seeing the OL as being the big problem here, and it sure as hell isn’t Gurley.

The Rams can’t pass. They can’t. They can’t make first downs, they can’t control the clock, and they scare nobody in the passing game.

They can contend. Jared Cook will make a big play now and then between his pulled-short routes, and phantom blocks, and Foles will hit a guy once in a while. But they aren’t going to win when it matters because they can’t.

Having said that, I am enjoying the season, and I look forward to December, and I hope they get a playoff game.

But this team needs a QB and a WR.

if it’s the same story by game 16, i’d say yeah. try and find a quarterback in the 2017 draft. see what les’ qb scouting skills are like.