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December 2, 2016 at 1:03 pm in reply to: Scouting QB Jared Goff After 2 Games; LA Rams vs NE Patriots #60007
znModeratorBasically this is just all his good throws from the 1st half of the Saints game. Not that that’s a complaint.
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Jared Goff’s Breakout Performance with 3 TDs! (Week 12 Highlights) | Rams vs. Saints | NFLznModeratorI generally agree, but I am disappointed in Tavon’ lack of production on punt returns this year. I was hoping for a better year on special teams.
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vIt’s true that he doesn’t have the production, but on the other hand, whenever he takes the field as a PR, he’s a threat. So in the meanwhile, that’s fine with me.
December 1, 2016 at 11:44 pm in reply to: Scouting QB Jared Goff After 2 Games; LA Rams vs NE Patriots #59964znModeratorThere were times when his play so far would be taken as the best you could expect from a Rams qb.
And…he’s just starting out and can only get better.
Sometimes, on a play here or there, his combination of arm strength and quick release and fast decision making are just startling.
I assume of course that the high passes thing will diminish.
He has the potential to be talked about, sooner or later, in the same terms people used to talk about Rodgers, before this year.
December 1, 2016 at 11:15 pm in reply to: reporters set up the PATZ game (including, Belichick impressed by Goff & Donald) #59962znModeratorThis week’s Rams opponent: Patriots
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161130/this-weeks-rams-opponent-patriots
Either Bill Belichick has not watched the Rams very closely this season, or he doesn’t mean exactly what he says.
During a Wednesday teleconference, the Patriots coach spoke glowingly about his upcoming opponent. To the point of near absurdity.
“Very explosive, very talented team,” Belichick said. “They can score in a hurry from pretty much anywhere on the field with their skill players and receivers.”
The Rams (4-7) have scored only 170 points this season, which is not only the worst mark in the NFL, but one that puts them at least three touchdowns behind every other team except the Chicago Bears. More than half the league has scored at least 250 and six have topped 300. The Falcons, who play the Rams in less than two weeks, have more than doubled their scoring output.
Belichick was not likely speaking out of ignorance, given that he has only missed the playoffs twice in the last 15 years. So what was it? Perhaps a bit of gamesmanship.
NFL’S WINNINGEST COACH
Belichick has won six Super Bowls, including four as a head coach, and is the league’s winningest active coach — his 232 career regular-season victories trails only Don Shula (328), George Halas (318) and Tom Landry (250), all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.
Maintaining that level of success requires extreme dedication. The 64-year-old’s career can’t be discussed without mention of “Spygate” — the videotaping controversy in 2007 that resulted in a fine and a lost first-round pick — but his “win by any means” mentality also manifests in other ways. More than a decade ago, Belichick offered an entry-level job to Matt Patricia, who said he needed to consult his wife. According to The MMQB, that Patricia didn’t immediately accept caused Belichick to retract the offer.
Patricia eventually got the job after a friend lobbied for him and worked his way up to linebackers coach, safeties coach, and — since 2012 — defensive coordinator.
BY THE NUMBERS
4: Games quarterback Tom Brady missed because of his “Deflategate” suspension
27: Interceptions Brady threw in his past four seasons
1: Interceptions Brady has thrown in seven games this year
7: Number of Patriots who have multiple TD catches
12: TD runs by LeGarrette Blount, more than anyone else in the NFL
11: Takeaways by Pats defense this season, 23rd in the NFL
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brady is the obvious pick here. Even at 39-years old, he looks as dangerous as ever, throwing 18 touchdown passes against just a single interception. He has already tied Peyton Manning’s record with 200 career wins and will eventually retire as one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
For those looking for someone more under the radar, consider rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell. Drafted in the fourth round — two spots after Rams tight end Tyler Higbee — the rookie has 140 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games. If the Rams’ defense is more focused on stopping, say, four-time Pro Bowler Rob Gronkowski, Mitchell could have room to work.
WHAT DID HE SAY?
“I don’t know. We’ll find out on Sunday.”
— Belichick, when asked if the Patriots (9-2) are where he wants them to be
znModeratorZN, you are the only person in the Rams world that justifies Fisher….
No there are others. Not that it matters either way.
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znModeratorI don’t get it.
znModeratorIf the head coach runs the whole show, than isn’t he accountable? If his decisions led to the circumstances that we are talking about….isn’t he responsible? Maybe not.
I honestly don’t see the “agony of debate” in this one. You don’t win with back-up qbs, particularly when extensive injuries disrupt your line. The coach didn’t cause any of that. I have been in endless discussions where people try to pin some of that on Fisher and it just doesn’t fly. It doesn’t hold up.
But then Linehan went through similar things, and my reaction then was, I don’t care, I don’t like him anyway.
So people don’t have to win the “so isn’t he responsible for X Y or Z” thing.
But at the same time, people keep telling me yes you can with with those conditions, and then can’t name anyone who has.
znModeratorMy bet? They do not regard GR as a bust, they will not draft high to replace him, and will instead use picks on the deepest position in the draft and what (I think) they will regard as their priority need–DE.
In fact I think they take 2, one for each side.
They will be able to get 2 this draft even without a 1st rounder because the position is THAT deep.
December 1, 2016 at 9:49 am in reply to: informal poll: should the Patz even bother to show up? #59929znModeratoroff the net from brownsugar
I think the Rams can win, and will win. Yep, crazy. THE D didn’t get bad in one week….that thinking is for 13 year old girls.
Also, history says when team gives up 40+ they come back and play great.
They shut down Carolina, the Giants and the Dolphins (mostly). Those offenses scare me more than Brady.
Upset players is important for focus and motivation. Tru Jo and a few others missed tackles….they slacked off….that simpleBill Belly dominates rookie QBs, that is my only fear in this game. They will bliltz in ways that Goff can’t concieve.
Who have the Pats beaten?
November 30, 2016 at 11:13 pm in reply to: informal poll: should the Patz even bother to show up? #59917znModeratorI think Goff has a decent game against a suspect Pats D but it won’t be enough.
Pats – 27
Rams – 19Okay, well, if you hate the Rams so much, why don’t you just move to Seattle?
Or North Korea.
znModeratorI think we should delete the entire thread. There is nothing here that helps anyone enjoy the atmosphere of this board. imo
I agree. My apology to the board.
2 requests are hard to ignore.
I will instead, for the time being, close it, and move it to the Public House Forum.
If anyone wants us to re-open it, start a new thread on the Public House Forum, and make your case.
znModeratorI just want the conversation STARTED. Somehow, someway. If all i can have is THAT kind of purist bullshit article — I’ll take it. As a start. Its a process.
My bet is, if you keep casting your net, it’s out there.
BUT it is true that this is a complicated issue and some folks instinctively want it simplified.
znModeratorYou leave out the Pragmatics who argue that it doesn’t make any difference what the Recordites and the Contextistas think.
Well I did address the Pragmateors. It was implied. And I did a good job of implying it, too. So if you read me right, you can sense my feelings on that.
So it’s all there.
What I DIDN’T do was say anything concerning the BringBackVermeilions. But then I am tired of placating them.
znModerator=====================
Rampage2k
Polian…Was very impressed with Goff though, words like “outstanding” “deadly accurate” “confident” “unflappable” “gonna be a good one” we’re used by him describing what he saw.
=============Wouldn’t you agree with all that? IE the description of Goff.
I agree with all that….
znModeratorAnyway this may just all get down to individual poster votes.
The Recordites and the Contextistas can probably argue until they are blue in the face, and then disagree on what shade of blue it is.
But still.
Board wars are healthy things.
November 30, 2016 at 7:21 pm in reply to: Need a new header. Chris Long is no longer on the team. #59887znModeratorWe’ll see, I will say something to RM.
znModeratorCoach Fisher calls Dickerson on the phone, and tells him as long as he is Head Coach, I don’t want you here.
No, Jack. That is not what happened. That’s a truncated spin-version of what happened and leaves way too much out and tailors it a certain way. Read Mike Silver on this, it;s here on the board.
given what Mike Silver posted it sounds like Dickerson over-reacted.
Agreed.
znModeratorMod Voice: I have this lingering feeling that a conversation about “locations” like this can easily degenerate.
If the conversation continues please prove me wrong about that. Thanks.
znModeratorMeanwhile—there are no examples anyone can name of any coach winning when they had YEARS worth of no qb plus bigtime OL issues. That is because, I think, no coach CAN win under those circumstances.
That hasn’t been the circumstance in the past 2 years.
The man himself said that in August, he has the talent for “11-5”
Fisher’s quote did not end at “7-9 bullshit”, he said HIS team is better than “10-6″… maybe it is, but Fisher isn’t getting the most out of his team.
ZN, this is not 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014….. this is 2015 and 2016. The time for 11-5 is now. HE HAS LOST 6 OF HIS LAST 7 GAMES. FUCK THIS GUY!!!!!
You can vote against the guy.
But yes he had those circumstances last 2 years. Foles melts down–same as Bradford getting hurt, no qb. Or worse than a #2, bad qb because of melting down. Replacement is Keenum, not a starting caliber qb. He’s a placeholder for Goff, who is a rookie qb.
If Goff works out (which I think he will), then, when he is settled in they have a qb and can win. If Goff doesn’t work out and can’t play, then it won’t matter who the coach is.
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znModeratorI don’t think a city is fair game for debate. That could go the wrong direction too easily.
znModeratorFoles failed and nobody expected it. If you want to count him as a starter, fine, but I only give him the games he was fine in before he crashed. To me that’s the same as Bradford being injured–unforseen, and it leaves you without a qb.
No. Teams have NOT won when they have whole seasons of back-ups and broken OLs–and if you doubt me, name the examples. You can get by in a few games like that (the example I named was Jamie Martin) but it has an expiration date. This is why I am asking for coaches who did well with ENTIRE SEASONS of that…because I know it just is so rare as to be non-existent (no one ever thinks of an example).
And if no one can name examples of that then it is telling.
Keenum’s not a starting level qb, he was a placeholder for a rookie. If he were a starting caliber QB (remember I said starting CALIBER) then the Rams sure underpaid him at the risk of losing him.
I got that he was a placeholder before the season…and he’s a placeholder because he’s NOT starting caliber.
And as long as we are going to engage in personal value judgments, yes Fisher does have what it takes to create a culture for winning. He has done it before and my bet is if he stays he does it again. So that’s just opinion against opinion. ‘
Meanwhile—there are no examples anyone can name of any coach winning when they had YEARS worth of no qb plus bigtime OL issues. That is because, I think, no coach CAN win under those circumstances.
znModeratorThe abstract measurement of records is usually what brings down a coach.
What you really said, though was—for all we know. Because unless we understand more than the record than we don’t understand the real reasons for keeping or firing someone. If that’s true, then, it just LOOKS like that’s the sole reason.
Think of the coaches who were kept in spite of being the coach of a developing team that was losing, who then went on to do well.
Someone must have been thinking about the team and its circumstances in those cases, and not just the record.
Meanwhile I still can’t think of anyone who did well without a qb that percentage of the time while also having to start over on the OL cause of injuries.
znModeratorThe Rams had a back up QB, but so did some of these opponents.
So those opponents were starting back-up caliber qbs in 50 of 73 games? And in the last 4 years, including this, that’s 50 of 57.
On top of having to repair an entire OL cause of injuries?
What coach do we know of who did well under THOSE conditions. Not starting a back-up for a few games. But saddled with a back-up caliber qb plus either a broken or inexperienced OL the majority of the time?
Can we think of anyone at all in the entire history of the NFL?
Heck Martz did fine with Jamie Martin in 2002 but that was just a few games. What if the OL had deep issues AND they started Martin in more than 3/4ths of those games back then, going for a few years?
znModeratorBut the MSM is never right about anything. So nothing new there. The issue for me then is not whether the MSM “says the right things” (it never does) but whether leftists are divisive or forge alliances.
To me, that doesn’t justify sentences like this from Mr. Goose: Socialists reject racialist politics in whatever form it appears. In the context of the 2016 elections, this means repudiating the racialist and nationalist filth promulgated by both the Democrats and Republicans and all those who orbit around bourgeois politics.
That’s not what bell hooks is saying in your quotation there. She’s saying the opposite:
I think that we need to strategically go for that framework of understanding which is missing, rather than to assume that one framework should always be centered on.
He IS saying one framework should be centered on.
November 30, 2016 at 11:04 am in reply to: Class, race, inequality within the black community #59842znModeratorHooks and I see this the same way. You have to look at all The Things. Which why I said it’s alliance politics.
Your goose-stepping world socialist guy was dismissing race and gender (on the basis of a very bad argument on top of it). That’s not what me n bell hooks do.
znModeratorThe obsession with race and gender involves the striving for privileges by a layer of black and female professionals, determined to carve out careers and incomes—under conditions of an intensely competitive “marketplace”—at the expense of their white or male counterparts.
This is such bullshit.
Who wrote this?
This is not the time to be divisive that way.
With people striving for doctrinaire ideological purity and the divisions that entails.
A real left is a collection of affiliations. Different interests and viewpoints, acting in alliance.
This guy sounds like a goose-stepping “let’s be uniform about this” type.
There will never be an successful american left that approaches it that way. That just means in-fighting.
znModeratorjrry32
I’d give Goff a B-. I think Goff would tell you it’s nowhere near his best. He left some plays on the field. It was a good performance. But Goff can and will do better. He made some mistakes today. But he’ll learn from them. That’s what this year is supposed to be…a learning experience.
The interception was on Goff. It was a difficult play for Kendricks because Vaccaro had momentum carrying him away with the ball while Kendricks was trying to reach back for it. A guy like Larry Fitzgerald might have wrestled it away, but that’s because Fitz’s hand strength is unreal. Not a lot of guys in the game who could have taken that ball away.
But the biggest reason why I put it on Goff is because he misread the play. The strength of the Saints defense was on that side of the field. Goff should have read the defense pre-snap and started left with his progressions. If he had, he would have noticed that the CB was caught between Mike Thomas and Tavon Austin IIRC. He would have been able to choose between zipping it into Austin or trying to loft it over the CB to Thomas. It’s a much easier play. Instead, he forced it into traffic.
It’s a rookie mistake, though. He’ll learn. This is why you can’t simulate live game reps against real defenses.
znModeratorLMU93
Game view from Section 517, Row 1….
Back from New Orleans and what was a really great weekend. Yes, including the game. I guess it says a lot about where I am as a fan because we had a great time throughout…
I didn’t take notes or anything and didn’t see everything going on but just my own game day observations.
The Game
Pre-game we went to ‘Champions Square’ outside the Dome which was a lot of fun. Live music of course. Saw I don’t know maybe 60-70 Rams fans in jerseys and shirts during the course of the day. A couple locals commented that they expected to see more. Very welcoming and polite- apparently Saints fans only dislike Falcons fans. All others welcome… Superdome looks in good shape to me for being 45 years old. Our seats were first row at the railing of the 2nd level, 50 yard line on the Rams side. So great views. Sat next to a nice couple from western Canada who said they were Seahawks fans visiting but had on Saints shirts and cheered for them. Their first NFL game.
Goff was among the 2-4 players leading the Rams onto the field. He sprinted all 100 yards up the sideline, turned and started his warm up throws.
My general impressions of Goff: He’s extremely composed. Noise/crowd didn’t bother him. Didn’t seem confused at any point at all. Was directing traffic with the WRs pre-snap, pointing out the defense, etc. Keeps his eyes downfield. Good feet. Saints made a point to pressure him from his right side. Kid can move around pretty well. Great arm. For his 2nd career start and first road game I thought he was impressive. Typical rookie QB that holds onto the ball too long. But zero red flags.
He was looking for Higbee downfield several times when he checked down. His one bad decision was the INT into double coverage- not sure if there was a better option elsewhere. A few overthrows on out patterns otherwise but I also think part of that was making sure it was away from the defender(s).
Spends all his time on the sidelines with Weinke and Keenum. All of it.
You know who’s locked in during the game? Keenum. He was encouraging each of the OL before they go on the field for the 1st drive. He’ll periodically stand to the side and just works on his drop backs. Stretches and stays loose. Goes right over to Goff and Weinke after every series. Good teammate.
Quick seemed to line up wrong a few times which led to the directing traffic by Goff mentioned above. Maybe others but I didn’t notice specifically.
The Goff fumble in the 2nd was a killer. As was the 60-yard run on the first play after halftime. The other turning point to me was mid-3rd when it was 35-21 and the Saints had 3rd and long from their own 10 and got a 30+ yard pass to Thomas. If the Rams hold there they get the ball back in good field position. The door just seemed to close on them there.
The offensive line was much better with Saffold at LT and Brown at LG. And in fact I watched Donnal and he didn’t do badly when he had to go in. Hate to say it but if Saffold can’t play this week I think I’d go with Donnal at LT vs. Robinson. Tried to find Robinson in street clothes on the sidelines but couldn’t find him.
Defensively, well, I’ll say this. I think it really actually could have been worse. I don’t know who blew assignments but the open screens/swing passes were just totally wide open. To me I think a big part of the defense’s issue is when they get pressure it’s from the DTs (Donald, Brockers and Easley). Aside from Quinn’s sack they just don’t get pressure from DE. Virtually none.
My general impression defensively was they were selling out early to stop the WRs and big plays and it opened up the Saints’ running game. The Saints have a pretty big OL and the Rams, with Barron and Joyner, are really basically playing a 4-1-6 base defense. Plus the Saints went to a tackle eligible/six man OL probably 7-9 times. So if the DL doesn’t get penetration they have trouble. TEs also were given those 8-12 yard comeback routes all day. Saints fans wanted PI on Joyner on the deep ball but he had turned his head and I thought a good non-call.
Fairley was talking quite a bit to the Rams sideline as the game progressed. Didn’t really get a sense of the Saints/Williams thing or Saints having any extra motivation to running up the score seeing it live.
Leader of the defense is clearly Ogletree. He is talking to guys on the sideline a lot. Defense stays pretty spaced out with the DL, LBs and DBs all sitting in groups. For a couple minutes before the game started I thought Quinn was inactive. He had a hat and sweatpants on during the national anthem. Puts them back on frequently.
My general impression was Gaines and Alexander had bad days. Not torched but a step or two late all day. Brees is just an elite QB and sees the field so well, very accurate and calm.
Special teams- Hekker is something to see. My first time at a game in person since he’s been a Ram (my last game was 2011 @DAL). His accuracy with placement almost looks easy. If there’s an NFL record for all-time punts downed inside the 20 by the end of his career he’ll probably have it. Rams coverage units are also very good. And Cunningham is an excellent KOR. He gets good blocking by Harkey, Rhaney, etc.
That’s about it for the game… By the way, wore my #11 Everett jersey and got a lot of comments from Saints fans. As in they remember Everett pretty fondly from his three seasons there.
The City
I just need to say New Orleans is easily one of my favorite US cities. Repeat after me- Bourbon Street is not New Orleans. If your impression of New Orleans is filth and stumbling drunks on Bourbon Street you’re wrong. There is some dark and seedy stuff you’ll see for sure. But there is SO MUCH more to it. The culture and history of that city is amazing. The city gets nicer literally by the block the further you get away from Bourbon. It has the most amazing food in the country in my opinion. The people are about as welcoming as can be. We were stopped probably 6 times by Saints fans before/at the game who asked if we were enjoying the city, if we were being treated well, and thanking us sincerely for visiting. How often does that happen at other NFL games?…So if you make a trip to New Orleans don’t waste time walking up and down Bourbon Street. Go to the jazz clubs lining Frenchman Street and you’ll hear amazing music and be with more locals than tourists. Stroll down Magazine Street in the Garden District and see the historic homes. Get a drink at the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone and hear great live music in that lounge at night. Have barbecued shrimp at Mr. B’s Bistro. Go see Louis Armstrong Park at the edge of the Treme (pronounced “tre-May” ). Walk along the Mississippi. Go to one of Emeril’s three restaurants. We did a fantastic 2.5-hour walking tour of Treme (and by the way that is a great HBO show…) that taught us so much about the 300-year history of the city, the origin of jazz- and rock and roll by the way- in New Orleans, the complex history of slavery, free people of color, French and Spanish influence, what really went on after Katrina, and more. After dinner one night we met the owner of the cajun restaurant on our way out who asked where we were from and thanked us for coming and then insisted we take free beers in our cab for the ride back. Only in New Orleans… We went to a bar in Treme Sunday night at the advice of our tour guide and were the only two white people there out of 150 people and were extremely welcome.
There is a quote by Tennessee Williams that says ““America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” He makes a good point…
That is all. On to Foxboro this weekend where I doubt the fans will be as cordial… But I’ll report from there next Monday too.
November 30, 2016 at 3:16 am in reply to: reporters set up the PATZ game (including, Belichick impressed by Goff & Donald) #59818znModeratorPractice Report 11/29: Defense Looking for Bounce-Back Performance
Myles Simmons
The Rams got back on the field Tuesday afternoon to begin preparing for another significant challenge in the 9-2 Patriots, who L.A. will face on the road this Sunday. The session was the latest step for the Rams in moving past their poor performance in Week 12 against New Orleans, a 49-21 loss.
It was a particularly disappointing showing for Los Angeles’ defense, as the unit surrendered 49 points, 555 total yards, 27 first downs, and nine plays of at least 20 yards.
“We just didn’t play gap-sound football. We didn’t really play disciplined, and they did a pretty good job scheming us up to where we couldn’t really get a good rush and get pressure,” defensive end William Hayes said. “They got the best of us. And my goal is to go out there and get ready to compete this week. They did a hell of a job.”
“We just [got] outplayed,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “You’ve got to [take] your hats off to them, they did a good job against us. But for us, we weren’t on all of our details. Everyone wasn’t doing their job. Our eyes were bad. And so, we’ve got to chalk that up, learn from it, and move on.”
Moving on — it’s sometimes easier said than done. Even though the Rams have started implementing their game plan for New England, there’s still a bit of leftover motivation from what happened in the Bayou.
“We definitely [used] the 24-hour rule — we’ve got to put it behind us,” McDonald said. “But we definitely don’t have a good taste in our mouths right now. And we want to come this week with a sense of urgency, working hard, and get back on the right path.”
In fact, the defense apparently addressed how anxious it is as a unit to compete once again.
“I know defensively, that’s something we talked about today and if I could get on the field today, I’d be more than ecstatic to,” Hayes said.
“We were ready to go play yesterday after feeling how we felt on Sunday,” McDonald said.
And there’s a balance of taking what you need from one game but not letting it affect too much of what you’re doing going forward.
“You can’t just forget about it,” McDonald said. “There’s definitely things that we need to fix. So we went through it.”
But essentially, both McDonald and Hayes expressed that the defense’s performance was unacceptable against New Orleans.
“I just think week in and week out, you just want to be able to put your best performance on the field. And that’s what we didn’t do,” Hayes said. “Like I said, I was embarrassed. Giving up seven touchdowns and just letting them have their way with us — that’s now how our defense is. We really take a lot of pride in our craft and what we put on tape.”
“I know this year hasn’t been going where we want it to go as an overall team,” Hayes continued, “but defensively, I know when we step out there on the field, we can never accept that.”
The slate does not get any easier for Los Angeles’ defense, as the unit will face a New England offense led by Tom Brady — who has been spectacular since returning from his four-game suspension to open the season. He’s completing 68.4 percent of his passes and has thrown 18 touchdowns to just one interception in seven games.
“He’s a great quarterback. Everything speaks for itself — he’s done some great things in this league,” McDonald said. “Their team in general, they do everything right. They stick to what they do and they do it well. So we’ve definitely got a great challenge ahead of us. And it’s a good challenge for us to get back on the right track and feel a lot better of ourselves.”
That’s part of how the Rams have continued to stay positive and focused in the midst of a 1-6 stretch over their last seven games.
“It’s the opportunity each day, as you prepare, to go out and have a chance to win another football game. That’s what it’s about, that’s how our league is,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “Obviously, we had to put it behind us real quickly and recognize what happened in the game [against New Orleans] and understood why. Now let’s accept this great challenge.”
“Now we’re ready to go back out there and getting back to playing defense like we know how to play — getting back to playing football how we know how to play,” McDonald said. “Our offense did a lot better job this week, and we’ve got to be able to hold our end. We’re anxious to just put it all together.”
November 30, 2016 at 3:03 am in reply to: reporters set up the PATZ game (including, Belichick impressed by Goff & Donald) #59817znModeratorEmbarrassed Rams defense eager to redeem itself against Tom Brady and the Patriots
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-736918-brady-play.html
RICH HAMMOND
THOUSAND OAKS – How poorly did the Rams play on defense last week? They’re openly talking about their eagerness to get back on the field and face New England and quarterback Tom Brady.
For most teams, anxious would be a better word than eager. The sight of Brady and the Patriots, dominant NFL forces for almost two full decades, rarely is a welcoming one for NFL defenses, but the Rams seem nearly blind with anger after their devastatingly poor effort against New Orleans last Sunday.
“That was embarrassing,” defensive end William Hayes said after Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “We should have played for free, the way we got our (butts) kicked out there.”
The direct deposits from owner Stan Kroenke will continue as scheduled, but Rams defenders didn’t mince words Tuesday. They’re expected to be the strength of the team, and they’re coming off a game in which they allowed 555 yards, third-most in any game in the Rams’ 80-year history.
Now, with the Rams (4-7) holding on to the potential of a winning season by their fingernails, they must fly to New England, likely play in frigid weather and attempt to stop the ageless Brady.
“We’re ready,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We were ready to go play (Monday), after how we felt on Sunday. We put it behind us, and now we’re ready to go back out there and get back to playing defense how we know how to play. We want to put it all together.”
That’s what it will take against the Patriots and Brady, who rarely has been slowed since he returned from a season-opening, four-game suspension related to the “Deflategate” controversy.
Brady has an NFL-best quarterback rating (116.7) and is second in the league in yards per pass attempt (8.6) among quarterback who have attempted at least 100 passes. Brady has thrown for 314.4 yards per game, fourth-best in the NFL, and has totaled 18 touchdowns and one interception in 256 attempts.
Brady, who turned 39 in August, is on pace for one of the best statistical seasons of his storied career.
“He’s a great quarterback,” McDonald said. “Everything speaks for itself. He has done some great things in this league, and continues to. They have a great offense, and the team, they do everything right. They stick to what they do, and they do it well. We’ve definitely got a great challenge ahead of us, and it’s a great challenge for us to get back on the right track and feel a lot better about ourselves.”
The Rams’ defensive breakdown against the Saints was staggering, apparently even to them. The Rams had allowed a total of 50 points in their previous four games, then allowed 49 against the Saints.
The concern for the Rams is that while Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns, has a different style than Brady, both are elite quarterbacks who can throw to a balanced group of receivers. If Brees can carve up the Rams, couldn’t Brady do the exact same?
“When a guy is smart, like him and Tom are, you can’t make any mistakes,” McDonald said. “The littlest mistakes are going to hurt you. It’s not something where you can just get back and play the next play. A lot of those (mistakes) are touchdowns. You definitely have to be on everything.”
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Rams. Perhaps they can take some hints from the New York Jets, who played Brady and the Patriots tough last Sunday until a fourth-quarter collapse and a 22-17 loss.
Brady attempted a season-high 50 passes but completed only 30, for 286 yards. Brady registered season-lows in completion percentage (60.0), yards per attempt (5.7) and quarterback rating (89.2).
Also, until Brees, the Rams had some success this season against elite quarterbacks. They were shredded by Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, but held Arizona’s Carson Palmer, the New York Giants’ Eli Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton to efforts that, for them, were considered subpar.
But this is a bounce-back challenge unlike any the Rams have faced in many years.
“Giving up seven touchdowns and letting them have their way with us, that’s not how our defense is,” Hayes said. “We really take a lot of pride in our craft and what we put on tape. I know this year hasn’t been going the way we wanted it to go, as an overall team.
“Defensively, I know when we step out there on the field, we can never accept that. That’s the thing that’s bothering me right now. I just haven’t been able to be happy. I won’t be happy until Sunday comes around. It was just embarrassing all the way around.”
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