well. yes. i have to agree that they’ve improved. i guess the question should be have they improved enough?

i think his work has warranted another year. the only thing we can do is see how they play next year.

but if for whatever reason fisher is gone after next year. whoever is next in line? this will be a very hot position for coaches. i can see a lot of head coaching candidates salivating at the chance to coach this team.

something i don’t think could have been said when fisher took over.

put off watching highlights of this game cuz it just hurt too much. but i just saw a clip on nfl network.

depending on the angle it actually looks like odell starts pulling ogletree’s mask BEFORE they go out of bounds dragging him out of bounds.

of course i could be biased.

starting at 1:25
http://www.nfl.com/videos/st-louis-rams/0ap3000000447410/Giants-Rams-scrum-spills-over-onto-sideline

wv wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>zn wrote:</div>

RFL and I just don’t see him ever being healthy enough to have a snowball’s chance of playing without getting hurt again. He cannot run, he cannot evade rushers, he is a one-legged athlete.

Well but that’s not really relevant. For one thing, so-called running or highly mobile qbs get sacked and hit more often on avg. than pocket passers, not less often. Bradford has a low sack percentage under Fisher compared to all 3 of the other qbs who have started in the same period. The way to beat the rush is (with the blitz) to read the D pre-snap and fire off to hot reads or audible, and otherwise drop and throw in rhythm. Bradford has a quick release so it’s a strength.

For another thing, Bradford’s 2 knees do not come from “being hit.” We saw him take huge hits in the pre-season and just shake them off. And that’s pretty much his career. As someone who has hyper-extended a knee several times, and who knows exactly what that is like, what I saw was the typical freak hyper-extension issue–plant the foot wrong with the body weight pushing the leg at an awkward angle, and you can get hurt. I’ve done it (though mercifully never to the point where I tore an ACL). And I did it doing nothing…the stories are even funny. It never had anything to do with contact.

In terms of what YOU GUYS TRUST, that’s one thing. In terms of making an objective management decision, to me, it seems obvious that you keep Bradford in the mix. If he comes through, good. If he can’t play, then, you move on. But you don’t throw away the possibility of having a good experienced pro qb if there’s a chance he can play. What you DO do, IMO, is set it up so your bases are covered. To me that’s the win/win scenario. I don’t even ask myself if I personally “trust” his odds or luck or chances…that would have more to do with how I personally relate emotionally to possible dangers than it would have to do with how I think you’re supposed to manage this kind of situation.

I personally think you manage this situation be covering your bases. That means doing everything. Give Bradford a win-win contract, have a veteran #2 around, draft a guy. IMO it doesn’t hurt you to do that and if the odds go your way you benefit.

The whole “running QBs get sacked more” is irrelevant. Cause the knee
could affect Bradford’s ability to move around and be ‘nimble’ in
the pocket. Like Marino. As you know Marino wasn’t a running QB
BUT he was awesom in the pocket — he was nimble — he could MOVE.
We dont know if Sam will be slower, or clunkier in the pocket
because of the second kneee operation.

I also dont know why its relevant that his injuries come
from planting his foot as opposed to ‘getting hit’. What
difference does it make? If his knee is weak and he gets
hurt by planting his foot, then that would be a real problem,
yes?

w
v

yup. quite frankly the way he snapped his ligament worries me more. and now with a second tear i am positive the outcomes go down. not by much but they do go down.

i think he’s done personally. although i understand the reasons for keeping him.

with the defense i think the key is that there are a bunch of young core players who have yet to reach their full potential and probably will get there within two years.

i think we’ve yet to see the best from quinn, donald, brockers, ogletree, mcdonald, gaines, joyner…

although the downside is that none of these players continue to progress. so far they’ve just been inconsistent.

but if this was a defense full of older veteran types, i’d be less optimistic.

if they do pick one high, i hope they pick one who can play more than one position.

i’m leaning more and more toward cameron erving who i think can legitimately play all 5 positions on the line. and i know this because i read it on the interweb…

did someone say long arms?

i think it’ll be another year or two before the defense really takes off. meaning 2015 or 2016.

their average age is 25.1 years old.

chris long – 29
michael brockers – 24 (he’s still 23 but i include this season as his age 24 season. he turns 24 on dec 21st.)
aaron donald – 23
robert quinn – 24
jo-lonn dunbar – 29
james laurinaitis – 28
alec ogletree – 23
ej gaines – 22
tj mcdonald – 24
rodney mcleod – 24
janoris jenkins – 26

still a lot of football to be played. but wow. that’s young. if they can build cohesion. confidence. and some stability in terms of playing in the same system. it could get kinda scary fun.

his 10 yard split was 1.59.

that’s ridiculous. elite EDGE rushers waver around 1.60 seconds.

ndamukong suh recorded a 1.69 10 yard split.

defensive tackles i looked at hovered around 1.65-1.70.

watch this video to see how much of a difference 0.10 seconds can make.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/0ap2000000328716/Donald-vs-Suh-in-the-40-yard-dash

this quote really caught my eye.

Opponents have a Total QBR of 44 against the Rams in 388 dropbacks with Donald on the field. That would rank fourth in the NFL. The Rams have allowed a Total QBR of 74 in 147 dropbacks with Donald off the field, which would rank 31st.

just crazy. and he should get even better.

pairing him with quinn… just wow. and i think brockers gets better too. he’s less polished than donald and a pup himself. crazy.

it’s funny that the defense is the unit that’s gone through so much flux during the fisher era while the offense has enjoyed continuity under schottenheimer.

but yeah. the defense will be out of excuses if williams stays. and there’s no reason to think that there will be another coordinator change there. another slow start will make my doubt grow bigger.

one thought. i wonder what the rams do if shaq thompson is available in the first round.

i could totally see them going for a guy like him – a hybrid lb/safety type – and then going offensive line in the later rounds.

i have a friend who watches the bruins weekly. and i trust his opinion. he likes hundley. not in the first round. but thinks he’s a legit second round talent.

and that’s better than any option the rams have right now. even if it means he has to sit out for awhile.

rams do need to draft a qb this year. i think that’s obvious. not to play next year but to develop.

bradford is about close to done as could be. i can understand why fisher and snead would want to extend him but would be astonished if they did not draft one for the future.

i mean he not only snapped his acl twice. he did twice in less than a year. it sucks. a healthy bradford would have made a huge difference this year and for the future. but it’s time the rams prepare for a future without him.

absolutely love this year’s draft. i wouldn’t trade robinson or donald for anybody else in this year’s draft. and this was one heckuva draft!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.

actually one defensive player i got my eye on is shaq thompson. versatile and athletic. williams would find tons of ways to use a guy like that.

plus he could play some running back. lots of options for them.

i feel like the rams have a big need at three positions. qb. ol. and lb.

i don’t think they go ol in first round. my bet is fisher reverts back to usual form and selects his olinemen in the mid rounds. that leaves linebacker and quarterback. i don’t think they go linebacker.

so my best guess as to the first pick in next year’s draft for the rams is quarterback. OR the wild card is that they go best defensive back available. cuz ya know fisher loves him some defensive backs. and a great free safety or corner might send this defense over the top.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.