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znModeratorBucs pass defense struggles in first two games
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/bucs-pass-defense-struggles-in-first-two-games/2294439
TAMPA — Be it missed tackles or miscommunication, the Bucs’ pass defense struggled badly in Sunday’s 40-7 loss at Arizona, giving up six pass plays of at least 20 yards, more than in any game last season.
“Our defense gave up six explosive plays — six plays by the Cardinals accounted for 209 yards,” coach Dirk Koetter said Monday. “(They) made some big plays. One of them was a result of missed tackles, the little checkdown to the back, made a nice run up our sideline. We missed a couple of tackles right there. Then of course in our two-minute defense, we let them throw it over our head.”
What’s more, in two games this season, the Bucs have allowed three pass plays of 50-plus yards. Jaron Brown had a 51-yard touchdown and David Johnson a 58-yard catch Sunday, and Atlanta’s Mohamed Sanu had a 59-yard catch in the season opener. That’s as many 50-yard pass plays as Tampa Bay allowed all of 2015, and one more than in 2014.
That’s a bad sign for the Bucs secondary, but also reflects a general lack of pressure at the line of scrimmage, giving quarterbacks time to find receivers open downfield.
“No matter how good your coverage is, the rush is the coverage’s best friend,” Koetter said. “Especially after Robert Ayers went out, when we were just in four-man rush, we just didn’t have a great pass rush (Sunday). We’ve seen two really good quarterbacks, Matt Ryan and Carson Palmer. Arizona’s got good receivers as well. Especially with (Larry) Fitzgerald and a quarterback like that who has that kind of time, it’s going to be tough.”
The Bucs gave up 10 pass plays of 20-plus yards in the first two games last year, then settled down to allow just one each in their third and fourth games. The Bucs can only hope for as much at home against the Rams and Broncos in the next two weeks.
ROOM FOR GROWTH: Sunday’s game has two quarterbacks — the Bucs’ Jameis Winston and the Rams’ Case Keenum — who rank 35th and 36th in the NFL in passer rating after two games.
The only quarterback with at least five passes and a lower rating is Cleveland’s Robert Griffin III, who is out with a shoulder injury.
The good news for both quarterbacks? Neither defense in Sunday’s game has an interception yet this season. The Bucs are still seeking their first takeaway of 2016, while the Rams have recovered two fumbles from opponents. The Bucs are allowing a 113.2 passer rating in two games, 10.9 points higher than last year’s defense allowed.
Possible pickup: The Bucs are expected to sign DE Ryan Russell, a Cowboys draft pick last year, to their practice squad today, adding depth as they continue to battle injuries to their pass rush.
Russell, 24, worked out for the Bucs on Tuesday, after being waived among Dallas’ final cuts three weeks ago and then released from its practice squad last week.
Russell, 6 feet 5, 275 pounds, was a fifth-round draft pick out of Purdue in 2015 but only played one game as a rookie; he was inactive for 10 games then missed the final five after being placed on injured reserve with an abdominal injury.
THIS AND THAT: LB Kwon Alexander, who had 15 solo tackles in the opener against Atlanta, still has the NFL lead with 21 solo tackles through two games. … LB Josh Keyes, waived on Monday, cleared waivers and is eligible to sign back with Tampa Bay’s practice squad. The Bucs did not announce a corresponding move for their 53-man roster Tuesday.
znModeratorFisher will not be pressured into change on offense
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Jeff Fisher was laid-back, typically California cool, during a brief visit at the Los Angeles Rams’ new headquarters this week. No worries. No sweat. At least as it appears.
“I’ve never looked over my shoulder,” Fisher told USA TODAY Sports.
Meet the Felix the Cat of NFL coaches. Fisher hasn’t coached a team to a winning record since 2008. Hasn’t won a playoff game since 2003. Ranks third on the all-time list for NFL career losses with 157.
Yet he’s not flinching, even while working on the last year of his contract. Talk about nine lives. Most coaches – especially in places like Cleveland or Washington – would have been long gone by now.
In the case of Fisher, and general manager Les Snead, it has been widely reported that the Rams are expected to complete extensions that keep them in place.
This makes Fisher a very fortunate man, apparently in the right place at the right time, too, because Rams owner Stan Kroenke wants stability with his football operations amid the franchise’s relocation from St. Louis. And, well, Fisher’s been in that position before, having moved with the Tennessee Titans from Houston in 1997 as coach.
“No additional pressure,” Fisher added. “This has been a great opportunity. Stan and I have a great relationship. Everything’s fine.”
Fine is surely a subjective term here. The Rams (1-1) came through with a monster defensive showing against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday to make a splash in their grand opening event – the first NFL regular-season game in Los Angeles in 22 years – but after the 9-3 win will head into Sunday’s game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only team in the league yet to score a touchdown.
Whatever buzz was created with the selection of Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft in April – the Rams traded a bundle, including next year’s first-round pick and two second-rounders this year, to move up from the 15th slot – has been doused by the quarterback’s inability to get on the playing field.
It’s not like Goff is trying to take Tom Brady’s job. Case Keenum, the Rams starter, matches up with the team’s zero TDs as statistically the worst quarterback in the NFL with a 57.8 pass efficiency rating.
Even worse, the quarterback the Rams didn’t choose with the top pick, Carson Wentz, is on fire for the Philadelphia Eagles as the first rookie since at least the merger in 1970 to win his first two starts without throwing an interception. And Wentz is rolling with a certain swagger that would play well in Tinsel Town.
Sure, it’s early.
Early enough for this to be a bad look for a team with the 32nd-ranked offense.
The Rams drafted NFL rookies of the year the past two years in D-tackle Aaron Donald and running back Todd Gurley, chosen in the 13th and 10th slots, respectively, which reflects well on the personnel efforts headed by Snead. Yet after moving up to No. 1, it’s a safe bet the rookie-of-the-year streak will be snapped.
Fisher reiterated on Monday that he won’t rush Goff into the lineup. Patience is the plan.
With Fisher – whose well-respected agent, Marvin Demoff, is the father of Rams president Kevin Demoff, by the way – patience seems to be the ticket, too.
Yet clearly, regardless of a Fisher extension, Goff is the make-or-break player whose success or failure could be the most significant barometer of all for the franchise’s direction.
In a huge market where winning matters, the Rams – and their marketing efforts – need a hit in the worst way.
Makes me wonder: With Fisher expected to stay, does his offensive brain trust remain, too?
Maybe that’s what has to ultimately give, with Fisher, who comes from a defensive background, struggling to get coaching impact on offense. After ranking last in the NFL in offense last season, the Rams are in that spot again after two games. That reflects the heat that is on offensive coordinator Scott Boras, yet to succeed in that role on the NFL level. Chris Weinke is the quarterbacks coach entrusted as a hands-on developer of Goff. So much is riding on this working.
In today’s NFL, offense sells tickets – and wins games in a quarterback-driven game.
Kroenke could not be reached for comment this week, but during the draft in April he told me that Fisher’s calm demeanor in handling adversity is one of the qualities that convinces him that he has the right coach.
“His teams are tough,” Kroenke told USA TODAY Sports last spring. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. We’re close (to winning). We’ve been the youngest team (in the NFL) for several years running. Typically in pro sports, when you have young teams you do not win.”
Kroenke lauded Fisher’s reputation for getting his teams to play hard, and acknowledged the franchise’s setback when Sam Bradford, chosen No. 1 overall in 2010, suffered torn ACLs to wipe out back-to-back seasons.
But at some point, though, winning is the defining measure for coaches. Fisher knows it.
During training camp, Fisher was captured on the HBO reality show, Hard Knocks, declaring in a team meeting – using an expletive for emphasis – that he would not go 7-9 again … or 8-8 … or 9-7.
Time will tell. In the meantime, Donald, who quickly established himself as a leader, insists that the status of Fisher and Snead hasn’t reached the point where it is a locker room issue.
“I’m with those guys, 100%,” Donald told USA TODAY Sports. “I know they’ve brought in some good pieces for this puzzle. At the same time, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
Fisher doesn’t see himself as a lame duck coach, which is surely a good space in the NFL world.
“The players are expecting me to be here,” he said. “I know I’m going to be here. It’s not an issue.”
Maybe not now. But at some point, the Rams big investments must pay off – or else.
znModeratorMyles Simmons
INJURY REPORT
The Rams listed six players on their first injury report for this week. The good news is all six players were at least able to participate in some way.
Safety Maurice Alexander (thigh), wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (shoulder), running back Benny Cunningham (knee), cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh), cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (toe), and wide receiver Nelson Spruce (knee) all practiced on a limited basis.
“It was really good that we got some players back,” Fisher said. “So it was good to see Nelson run around a little bit, same with ‘Coop.’ And we had some guys banged up a little bit from the game who were able to practice.”
Joyner’s injury, a broken toe, may be causing him pain, but he’s not going to let that keep him off the field. You can read more about that in our feature on him here.
znModeratorznModerator, North American Waters had 42% of all confirmed unprovoked attacks worldwide
What is a provoked shark attack? (?)
When the person inadvertently does something to provoke the shark. Grab its fins, try to touch it, etc.
Maybe the better term then is “undeserved shark attack.”
znModerator, North American Waters had 42% of all confirmed unprovoked attacks worldwide
What is a provoked shark attack? (?)
September 21, 2016 at 5:03 pm in reply to: Wentz looks pretty good & other gameday observations #53521znModeratorI keep hearing the word: Wentzylvania.
I’m serious.
He’s a hit.
Hopefully we’ll hear Goffafornia one day. Or even Goff Angeles.
Okay–maybe not–but hopefully he plays well when he gets the job.
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Well for this month, i would settle for Keenumania.Keenumania will break out all over the internetz
should Case Keenum throw ONE f’ing TD pass. One.w
vWell last year, Seattle allowed only 8 TD passes at home all year. Keenum threw one of them.
I think people are being hard on Keenum without thinking it through.
He is what he is, a good #2 starting until the starter is ready. He won’t get you back from behind, like in the SF game.
But apparently he will keep you in it even if Gurley is not running and even if Richard Sherman blatantly interferes to stop a TD pass.
znModeratorRams looking to beat Bucs for a fifth straight year
Alden Gonzalez
The Los Angeles Rams are going from one opponent they’ve thrived against to another.
Their 9-3 win in a highly anticipated regular-season debut at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday gave the Rams three consecutive victories over division rival Seattle, and now they’ll look to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the fifth year in a row. Jeff Fisher is 4-0 against the Bucs since joining the Rams, beating them 28-13 on the road in 2012, 23-13 at home in 2013, 19-17 on the road in 2014 and 31-23 at home in 2015.The Rams enter Raymond James Stadium on Sunday as the only NFL team yet to score a touchdown, and will try to avoid becoming the first team since the expansion Bucs in 1976 to do so in the first three weeks of a season. They’ll face a team coming off a demoralizing 40-7 loss to Arizona, but one that could be energized by its home opener. Here are six opposing players to watch, courtesy of ESPN Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine …
OFFENSE
Jameis Winston: Winston had a disaster of a game against the Cardinals in Week 2, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble. All the momentum built up from four touchdowns he threw in Week 1? It may not be gone, but it came to a screeching halt. How will he fare against the Rams’ front seven?
WR Mike Evans: A big reason Winston can rebound is Evans, who had nine catches for 157 yards last year against the Rams. The Bucs still lost that one, but No. 13 did some damage. He and Winston also have improved quite a bit on the deep ball, although it wasn’t accurate enough when Patrick Peterson picked one off last week. Through two weeks, Evans has 11 catches for 169 yards.
RB Charles Sims: If Doug Martin can’t go because of an ankle injury, Sims is the next man up. Unlike Martin, a tough inside runner, Sims is more elusive on the outside and contributes significantly in the screen game. He’s also an asset downfield in the passing game. He’ll get a lot more touches this week, and so will Jacquizz Rodgers, whom the team signed last week.
DEFENSE
DE Noah Spence: Robert Ayers, one of the most valuable and versatile pieces on the Bucs’ defensive line, had to leave Sunday’s game against the Cardinals with an ankle injury, and he may not play against the Rams. That means a lot more attention on Spence, a rookie second-round pick who got the first sack of his NFL career last week. The sack came from rushing out of the left side, the first time he’s done that in his career.
DT Gerald McCoy: Rams fans can appreciate what an outstanding three-technique can do because they have Aaron Donald. McCoy, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, makes the Bucs’ defensive line go. In the three seasons before this one he had 26 1/2 sacks, and he’s the focal point of every opposing offense’s game plan. In fact, defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who used to be the coach of the Falcons, has joked that they had many “sleepless nights trying to keep him out of our backfield.” A Rams offensive line that’s still a work in progress may have its hands full.
CB Brent Grimes: The Bucs are one of just three teams not to have a takeaway on defense, and they gave up six explosive plays for 209 yards last week. A lot of focus shifts to the secondary, with high expectations for Grimes and rookie Vernon Hargreaves III and also their third cornerback, Alterraun Verner. Now is the time they need to show some return on that investment and get their hands on the ball.
znModeratorRams look to get Todd Gurley going, punish with front seven vs. Bucs
TAMPA, Fla. — After a humiliating 40-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) look to get back on track against the Los Angeles Rams (1-1) in their home opener at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday. The Rams rebounded from a 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 to defeat the Seattle Seahawks at home on Sunday, 9-3. They have yet to score an offensive touchdown this season, but bring a punishing front seven.
Todd Gurley and the Rams have failed to score a touchdown in the season’s first two weeks. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
ESPN NFL Nation Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez gives us a sneak peek at six players to watch for.OFFENSE
RB Todd Gurley: The Rams badly need to get Gurley going. Their star running back has rushed for only 98 yards on 36 carries through the first two weeks, largely because opposing defenses are stacking eight or nine men in the box. Gurley is averaging 0.89 yards before first contact, third-lowest in the NFL. It’s hard to be productive when you don’t have the space to run free.
WR Tavon Austin: This is the third straight week we’re selecting Austin as a player to watch. He’s that critical to the offense. Austin has been targeted a team-leading 22 times, but has only pulled in nine catches for 63 yards. The Rams like to get Austin the ball near the line of scrimmage to give him space to run, but they have yet to maximize his ability.
RT Rodger Saffold: The offensive line has yet to grade out very well. In Week 2, Saffold was the only lineman to not allow a pressure, according to Pro Football Focus. The other four starting linemen — Greg Robinson, Tim Barnes, Cody Wichmann, and Rob Havenstein — allowed two quarterback pressures each. They need to do a better job of protecting QB Case Keenum.
DEFENSE
DT Aaron Donald: Donald has yet to record a sack, but he has graded out as Pro Football Focus’ best defensive tackle in each of the first two weeks. Against the Seahawks, Donald recorded four hits, three hurries, and four defensive stops. The Rams won Week 2 largely because of the pressure created by their defensive line, and Donald will look to lead that effort again.
LB/S Mark Barron: Barron plays a critical role on the Rams as someone who can drop back into coverage or plug the hole on rushing attempts, especially on a defense that often goes with only two linebackers. Barron, second on the team with 13 tackles, will be critical against Jameis Winston, who has already attempted 84 passes.
CB Troy Hill: If a lingering thigh injury keeps E.J. Gaines out in Week 3, look for Hill to start on the outside opposite Trumaine Johnson. Hill replaced Coty Sensabaugh as the No. 2 cornerback early in Week 2 and was targeted deep four times by Russell Wilson. One ended in a 53-yard catch with less than a minute remaining that almost won Seattle the game.
znModeratoroff the net from LMU93
Martin is out with a hamstring injury. Charles Sims (who had 7 carries for 50 yards- one being a 35 yard run) vs Rams last year starts.
Rams need to shut down WR Jackson outside and get pressure on Winston. He had 125 yards passing through 3 quarters last year before Rams laid back with a big lead and he racked up 238 yards in the 4th quarter
September 21, 2016 at 11:18 am in reply to: Wentz looks pretty good & other gameday observations #53495znModeratorhttp://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/9/20/12986828/carson-wentz-eagles-rookie-record
Wentz is the first rookie QB since 1970 to start and win his team’s first two games … without throwing an interception.
znModeratorGoodell was responsible for 9/11. And the faking of the moon-landing.
Deny it all you want.He hates the Rams. He’s always hated the Rams, and…..wait….he loves the Rams now, doesn’t he. Goodell LOVES the LA Rams. He’s always loved the Rams, and thats why he made the refs cheat in the 49er game and….wait. Damn him. Why didnt he do a better job fixing the 49er game?! What the hell is wrong with him. Rams should be 2-0.
w
vYou’re so strange.
9/11 is responsible for Goodell. That’s how the causation works in that situation.
Everyone knows that.
Denying it serves no humanly reasonable purpose.
The only thing I hold against Goodell is that he told the Rams to sit Goff. But then the real reason for THAT is the 2008 market crash.
…
znModeratorKeenum doesnt do anything stupid all day.
w
vWell, Keenum has stated 7 games now since last season.
Is there a long list of stupid things he has done as a starter?
See if you said that about Kyle Boller, or Austin Davis, or Sean Hill, or Keith Null, or Nick Foles for that matter, I would have no complaint.
But Keenum is not even in the same universe as them in terms of doing stupid things starting.
Now, invariably, around on the net anyway, people say, Keenum is not starting caliber he doesn’t have the tools why do you pump him up.
Well, we know. He’s a #2 caliber qb. He’s starting as a placeholder until Goff is ready.
But he’s a good #2 qb and has only really looked bad the one time the defense let the opposition put a big lead up on him. He’s not equipped to bring a team back from that.
Which doesn’t mean we have to worry about him doing stupid things. It just means that if the Rams play defense, he can give you enough to win games.
znModeratorThis got me thinking. I wonder if these two could help us. I mean through the compensatory picks. Both of them have played pretty well. I know Janoris Jenkins does have a fumble recovery against the Saints week 1, for a TD. Both signed big deals if correct. It would be nice to get two 3rd round comp picks for them. Just saying. We know third round is the best any team can do when it comes to comp picks.
You are absolutely right. Word is, they probably will get a 3rd for JJ and a 4th for McL
If Goodell would like to help the Rams, and to make sure LA is a success, somehow, the Rams will get two 3rd round comp picks. Just saying.
Goodell has no power to change it. It’s done according to a rigorous formula. He can’t violate that just to show favoritism toward one team.
…
znModeratorLamarcus Joyner breaks toe, plays anyway, shines
Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — It was early in the second quarter last Monday, in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, when Lamarcus Joyner’s left foot suddenly fell asleep. The third-year cornerback finished the Los Angeles Rams’ stand on defense, then walked gingerly toward the sideline and noticed that his second toe would not move.
He knew then that it was broken, but he also knew that no one else would.
“I didn’t really want to say anything to anyone because I knew the defense was depending on me,” Joyner said. “We didn’t have anyone else that ran nickel throughout the week, so I knew I just had to be accountable for the defense. I just kept my mouth closed and kept playing.”
Joyner finished that game, then played in the next one six days later, a 9-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks that was driven almost entirely by a supreme defensive effort. With a broken toe, the 5-foot-8, 184-pound Joyner matched up against the great Russell Wilson and was ultimately rated the best slot corner of Week 2 by Pro Football Focus. He spent 35 snaps in the slot, third-most in the NFL, and allowed only three catches for 18 yards on six targets.
Joyner didn’t even bother with a splint.
“I just strapped on my cleats and I played, man,” he said. “I knew that was an important game for us.”
Joyner thought back to 2014, when the Rams moved up in the draft to select him 41st overall out of Florida State.
“All that kind of stuff just ran through my mind,” Joyner said. “This organization made a lot of sacrifices for me so that I could fight through something like this if I’m able to still go.”
Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Joyner’s toughness was “why we drafted him.” The pain, Joyner said, was “bad” throughout Sunday’s game. But secondary coach Dennard Wilson talked him through it.
‘Every time he said, ‘We need you,’ it just gave me the strength,” Joyner said. “It gave me the strength to fight through the pain.”
Joyner plans to play again against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. He’ll be returning to his home state, 280 miles north of his hometown of Miami and 160 miles east of his college campus. Family will be there, but he doesn’t anticipate spending much time with them.
“This is a business trip,” he said.
Joyner has “no doubt” he will continue to play through his broken toe.
“It’s getting better,” he said. “We have the best training staff, I think, out of all 32 teams. [Head athletic trainer Reggie Scott] and all those guys all do a good job of rehabbing it. I trust their words. Rehabbing has been going really good this last week and a half. I’m going to just do what I can until it’s all the way healed.”
znModeratorThis got me thinking. I wonder if these two could help us. I mean through the compensatory picks. Both of them have played pretty well. I know Janoris Jenkins does have a fumble recovery against the Saints week 1, for a TD. Both signed big deals if correct. It would be nice to get two 3rd round comp picks for them. Just saying. We know third round is the best any team can do when it comes to comp picks.
You are absolutely right. Word is, they probably will get a 3rd for JJ and a 4th for McL
znModeratorI was going to add more, but I got blocked out.
Not sure what you mean there? Blocked from where?
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Well the site blocked ‘me’ after I looked at three cartoons.(i only copied and pasted one) Not this site. The site at the link.w
vAh.
.
znModeratorI was going to add more, but I got blocked out.
Not sure what you mean there? Blocked from where?
September 20, 2016 at 7:49 pm in reply to: "if Fisher had his way Goff wouldn't play in 2016"… & other Fisher/Goff rumors #53452znModeratorYeah, if the hi-lites are meant to show he can throw long, I dunno.
Only two of those passes were what “I” would call long bombs.
The rest were short passes and medium-long passes.I count as long anything 31 yards or over.
If you look at the numbers on passes 41 yards and over, they are so rare as to be in low double digits for the entire league.
I find that when you look at the numbers, you get a very different view of what a long pass is. We have it in our heads that they are fairly common. They really aren’t.
So for example, name any 6 or 7 qbs who played all last year–guys you think would throw long effectively. I will look up the total number of 41 yarders for all 6-7 qbs combined.
.
znModeratorSo I call that the QB/OL syndrome, in honor of The China Syndrome, and see that as the primary cause. I routinely ask if anyone can think of teams that played well under that combined set of conditions and I have never gotten an answer, in any of the 24 corners of rams-online-nation.
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Well, I’d say 90 percent of average football fans dont follow other teams enough to know anything about their OLines. So, it has never meant much to me that no answers are forthcoming to that question.
Having said that, i dont disagree with the thrust of your post.
Still, I’m open the notion there may be more to it, than the injuries. I dunno. I’m just wondering if Fisher will do anything different to motivate them this week.
Naw yer talking across the last couple of years about a few hundred guys when you add up all the boards and the times this has come up.
Everyone has a nearby 2nd team they can know about and comment on. Like Zooey being near the Bay area and able to chime in about the 9ers.
Then there are the superguru fantasy football types who really do know the league as a whole.
No one ever came up with anything and that is most likely because there are no examples. And that’s with me often putting the challenge in such a provoking way that someone out there would chime in if they knew anything just to put me in my place.
Which just stands to reason. There’s very good football logic reasons why that syndrome would hamper a team.
So for example would you bet a 1000 dollars on Seattle if their subpar OL suffered a couple of more injuries plus Wilson went out.
Well why wouldn;t you bet on that.
For the obvious reason. You mess a line up to that extent and put in a #2 caliber qb on top of it and the offense struggles.
There may be Fisher reasons why they would not take the division and the conference IF they had a qb and a relatively healthy OL. But once you have the qb/OL syndrome, then, that’s an unaskable question because it is simply not going to reach the point where that’s even realistically askable.
It would be like asking if a car could win a race when the wheels are off and the engine damaged.
….
znModeratorIsn’t it true, that for four years, we have watched Fisher teams lose
this kind of game? Yes? No?The Tampa Bucs seem to be a .500 level team. Not awful, but not great. A beatable team. A non-division beatable team.
Aint this the kind of team a playoff team is supposed to beat?
Are the fisher-rams ready to win a game like this and then consistently
keep winning games like this ? I have no idea. More 7-9 bullshit coming up? Or can they turn the corner and give us some 9-7 bullshit.And if you are Fisher do you Say anything about the 7-9 bullshit of the past? Do you do anything different? Do you try something different to motivate this team?
w
vI think there’s one reason and one reason alone the Rams went 7-9 and 6-10 the last 2 years and it has nothing to do with Fisher trends or any of that.
The reason is a double reason. First they had issues on the OL in 2014 and then an inexperienced OL in 2015 that got injured on top of it. Then they also lost Bradford and started successively Hill, Davis, Foles (who was okay until he collapsed), and then Keenum…the best of the lot being Keenum but not because he’s starting-caliber dynamo. Having issues both at qb and on the OL is a lot to overcome. So I call that the QB/OL syndrome, in honor of The China Syndrome, and see that as the primary cause. I routinely ask if anyone can think of teams that played well under that combined set of conditions and I have never gotten an answer, in any of the 24 corners of rams-online-nation.
If they just had a qb and decent ordinary OL stability they would not be 13-19 in the last 2 years and would have already been winning.
Therefore to me, searching for negative trends and so on is largely beside the point. I stress, to me…I get that I am just howling in the wilderness here.
As for what kind of game this is—I dont’ assume that Tampa is an easy win and that this is the kind of game a good team just wins. I don’t think anyone really knows where Tampa stands, and it’s possible that one bad game does not define them. The Rams bounced back after SF and beat a team with a very good defense. Maybe Tampa has its own little resurrection. For me, it’s too soon to say.
znModeratorMerlin
Offense
This offense is not going to be able to spread out a defense and run against a favorable box until they get better QB play. So this offense is in “wait for our QB mode” right now. They are not going to take steps forward that they can count on, i.e. being able to score points week to week, until they get better play at the position.
But who knows, maybe Case will keep getting better too up until the point that Goff gets his first start. The Shehawks are a tough defense on a QB, so this game vs Tampa is a nice opportunity for the offense to put up some points.
Real happy for Britt, nice to see him playing so well. Dude made some clutch plays and would have had a truly great game if we had a QB who could put that ball ON him and ON time, would have been over 100 yards with a TD.
Kendricks is really emerging as a weapon. Case tends to be late to him for some reason, if they can get that fixed he’s going to be a weekly productive player because he just looks like he’s got it figured out. This year there is a significant difference in his pass catching. He is smoother and his hands are way better, the guy has made a big stride in terms of how good he is, and now he looks like the guy they paid him to be.
I think Lilly’s impact as TE coach is partly to thank for that. Boras is wrapped in the OC duties, and meanwhile our TEs as a group have really progressed. Even to the point where the rookie Higbee might be able to add a little to the mix. With Higbee just stick him in the slot and run him on slants and sluggos. Looking at last game they had him inside too much, trying to make the guy an inline blocker. Use the dude for what he’s good at: catching the ball in the pattern.
On Quick. Not gonna bag on him and go on about how awkward the dude looks. Still. He’s just not good enough, and we have some guys coming back. And good luck to whatever team decides the Rams are stupid on offense, and signs him in the hopes to catch lightning in a bottle. That’s gonna work about as good as the Cook signing by GB. Sayonara soon my 6’4″ ridiculously talented friend.
Defense
AO is settling in very nicely in the middle, and he was layin it the F down during the game too. Noted him barking at the other players. But it shouldn’t be a surprise; Greg Williams knows what he’s doing. We’re in good hands on the defensive side.
Joyner really impressed with how well he played. If they can get Gaines back and healthy this year’s secondary will be the best we have had in a long time. With the secondary I tend to assume the Rams will be right in their decision making, so them wanting Joyner so bad in that draft I have felt all along he would be the guy we’re seeing now. Not gonna lie, though, I had my doubts in preseason this year.
They’re gonna get tested this weekend by Winston and Evans. Looking forward to seeing if they can shut ‘er down and serve notice that this year’s Rams defense is gonna be different.
znModerator69RamFan
After Reviewing the tape On GRob in slow motion, play by play on the offense.
1st qtr, GRob got called for holding, it was a bogus call, it looked like it, but Hags DE 55, got forehanded by Gurley and knock him off balance so it looked like GRob took him down.
3rd qtr, GRob gave up a hit on Keenum, but he got the ball out in time on a pass play.
The play of the game for GRob:
In the 4th qtr 12:26 mark, GRob knocks Bennett to the inside to the center, then goes out to the outside takes on a LB 54 Wagner and pushes him back then goes to the side for another DE 56 Avril and knocks him out so Gurley gets free for 11 yds.
That was something special by our LT,
4th qtr GRob got beat by Bennett to the inside, first Virgil got a hit on Keenum, but Keenum was running outside and stopped, he should of kept running to the outside and thrown the ball away or down field, but he stopped then Virgil hit, Bennett finished it off with a sack.
4th qtr GRob got beat again by OLB 91 and sacked Keenum, but he was called for a face mask, so the sack was taken away.
GRob got called for a Hold and it was declined, but he gave his defender a pancake, it was a bogus call.
So after reviewing the tape, in my eyes, GRob gave up only one hit and one sack that was declined. And no holds as far as I’m concerned, that’s how I see it.
So in my opinion, he played a very good game
September 20, 2016 at 12:21 am in reply to: "if Fisher had his way Goff wouldn't play in 2016"… & other Fisher/Goff rumors #53387znModeratorwhat that tells me is defenses are willing to give that up if it means they can contain the running game. cuz they figure keenum can’t hurt them.
IF that’s happening, so far he HAS hurt them, including Seattle twice. That sounds more like something an article would say (by a sportswriter not an analyst) and not something a coach would say to his team. I figure the coach would know better than that.
September 19, 2016 at 11:19 pm in reply to: "if Fisher had his way Goff wouldn't play in 2016"… & other Fisher/Goff rumors #53383znModeratorI just saw this, basically. Good response and thank you for the compliment.
I just saw your post at ROD where you compare the long passes by Keenum in 2013 to Rodgers.
Where does this Keenum can’t/doesn’t throw long stuff come from?
He does it right in front of every Rams fan who watches games, but then 6 seconds later some forget it happened.
yeah but i suspect those passes are only possible because defenses do not respect him at all.
the rams ultimately need a qb who defenses actually have to respect.
of course i could be completely wrong and have not enough knowledge of football to back this up with actual evidence… haha!
No, IR…they have film on him doing it by now. Any defense that doesn’t expect it is just not doing their work.
And if you watch the plays he does a good job.
I don’t know why you say the Rams need a better qb…we all know that. Keenum is a placeholder. My thing is, he’s a good one (a good placeholder.) Obviously he’s not the future.
Have you ever watched the 2015 Keenum highlights vid? Watch it. This has nothing to do with defenses not respecting him.
Watch the vid, that and the links to the big plays he made Monday.
znModeratorRams have mystical power over superior team
Peter King
http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/peter-king-mmqb-9-19-16-sam-bradford-edition.46444/
The first NFL game in Los Angeles in 21 years was a pretty big deal—enough to get the Red Hot Chili Peppers to play a concert on the field before the game and introduce the starting defense to 91,000 people inside the L.A. Coliseum, and enough for the glitterati to show up en masse.
But the cool part of this was that the famous and not-so-famous sat together on the old wooden bleachers, because of the very limited seating in places that would qualify as luxury accommodations. Magic Johnson, for instance, sat on the end of one row, with his long legs stuck out in the aisle for relief.
Then, of course, there was the matter of actually playing football against a better team. But Seattle hasn’t been able to show that. The Rams’ 9-3 win over the Seahawks continued a trend you never would have figured on after Los Angeles was skunked 28-0 by San Francisco last Monday night.
The Rams have won four of the past five meetings over Seattle, playing the same sort of formidable defense the Seahawks have trouble handling. Seattle just doesn’t block the Rams well, whether they’re based in St. Louis or Los Angeles. “We know these guys so well, and we match up against them well,” coach Jeff Fisher said Sunday night from his office.
It would be nice if we had some dramatic story here, but Aaron Donald and William Hayes have simply been too much for the Seahawks’ undermanned offensive line to block the past couple of years—and again Sunday. Add Russell Wilson’s high ankle sprain, limiting his mobility, and it was a bad time for Seattle to play the Rams. Just like almost every recent meeting.
Still, Los Angeles looked so lousy in the Monday night opener, and played without poise. Can a loud crowd really do that much for a team?
Fisher said: “I just told the team after that game in San Francisco, ‘Fifteen other teams lost this weekend. Good teams lose, and I think we’re a good team. This loss will not define us.’” There are struggles ahead. The Rams are 1-1 but haven’t scored a touchdown yet, and the number one overall pick, Jared Goff, isn’t ready to play, and now they go on the road to Tampa Bay and Arizona, with only one game in the Coliseum between now and Halloween. But give the Rams the 24-hour rule. Let them have this glorious moment.
znModeratorPeter King
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/09/18/sam-bradford-vikings-nfl-week-2-peter-king
Sam Bradford, quarterback, and Stefon Diggs, wide receiver, Minnesota. This defines “right combination:” Bradford, who has been a Viking for two weeks, just got to know Diggs, a second-year player from Klemko U. (i.e. Maryland), and on Sunday night, Bradford threw nine passes to Diggs. All nine connected, for 182 yards, one touchdown and a dominant performance. Cris Collinsworth said it best at the end of the Sunday night game—what Bradford did was one of the most impressive things he’s seen on a football field, seeming so confident and relaxed with a totally new system and new mates. Give Diggs credit too. This great combination couldn’t have happened without his athleticism and sure-handed ability.
September 19, 2016 at 10:06 pm in reply to: from around the net…Rams fans on the SEATTLE game #53376znModerator2) Coaching adjustments … Wichmann at ORG and Hill at CB. At some point you have to say “yeah, this isn’t working regardless of what we see in practice.” Im glad they did it.
It was a satisfying defensive effort and and punishment of a rival … and there was just enough offense to give me some hope. Curious to see how we show this coming week.
So Brown didn’t start? I thought he was playing pretty well at the time of his injury last season. And does this mean Sensabaugh didn’t start, and that’s why my hatred of him did not get any nourishment this week?
On the last point…if the Rams had lost 27 – 9, I doubt anyone would be saying that the offense’s performance gives “some hope.” It’s relative, innit?
I think Sensabaugh got yanked from the game and replaced by Hill. It wasn’t before, it was during.
September 19, 2016 at 10:02 pm in reply to: "if Fisher had his way Goff wouldn't play in 2016"… & other Fisher/Goff rumors #53375znModeratorI just saw this, basically. Good response and thank you for the compliment.
I just saw your post at ROD where you compare the long passes by Keenum in 2013 to Rodgers.
Where does this Keenum can’t/doesn’t throw long stuff come from?
He does it right in front of every Rams fan who watches games, but then 6 seconds later some forget it happened.
znModeratoralyoshamucci
For a TD-less game it was pretty exciting … there were some good drives that we sustained but given the long field we started with it was too much to ask. Obviously we had a better idea of the gameplan and Case looked like he was settled in a bit. Thank goodness.
Also, this defense is going to make people pay. It’s gonna hurt to play us.
The Great
1) The return of Robert Quinn. The guy has been battling back (pun intended) for 3 years now. It was great to see him bending the edge at full speed.
2) Coaching adjustments … Wichmann at ORG and Hill at CB. At some point you have to say “yeah, this isn’t working regardless of what we see in practice.” Im glad they did it.
3) Case threw a deep ball!!! He actually threw about 5 really good passes, passes I didn’t expect of him.
4) This may be the first time I have seen sheer violence create a game winning turnover …. I don’t know if Michael remembers the hit, but it had to feel like being in an accident as a pedestrian when a car doing 90 T-bones a car doing 70, and you’re in the middle Lord.
The Good
5) Troy Hill’s first game … against some excellent route runners, played a solid game. I expect his upside is still breaking through., but he was smooth and got his head turned around. On the deep ball, he played the inside shoulder, but somehow Lockett grabbed it blind over his outside shoulder, just an unreal catch … either way he stayed with it and brought him down.
6) Ogletree and most of the defense playing behind the LOS.
7) Barron is quickly becoming my favorite player on the defense, maybe Im not confused about whose jersey to get … he moves like a giant safety but is always in the action from the LB spot.
8) I saw Forrest in on the goalline drive.
9) Joyner played without penalties and didn’t drop any balls, but was also a ruthless killer.
10) Kenny Britt … playing like a trusted vet … now we just need Spruce across from him.
11) The intermediate routes were open and the balls were well thrown.
12) Kendricks made a great catch, I don’t care that he was out of bounds.
13) Greg didn’t miss.
14) Cam Thomas had a couple nice rushes and stops.
The Bad
15) DROPS. Lord.
16) Keenum flat out missing badly like 4 times. Ugh.
17) Robinson’s penalties.
18) Who is supposed to block Michael Bennett?
19) Mo is LATE on all the deep throws … if I’m not mistaken he was caught by an eye fake when there was no other WR on the field.
The Ugly
20) Keenum taking the sack when we were in field goal range.
21) How furious Carroll got when the calls were a little rough on his squad … I don’t know what to tell him … as a WR you do not extend your arm at the top of a route, and as a Defender you NEVER touch a QBs head. Makes me proud of our coach for all the garbage he endured in St. Louis, where we just got penalized for fun.
22) Quick being really uncomfortable in his body on the field, tightening up like Eddie Kennison when the ball came his way. I feel sorry for him. It’s gonna be nice when Coop and Spruce are back.
It was a satisfying defensive effort and and punishment of a rival … and there was just enough offense to give me some hope. Curious to see how we show this coming week.
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