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znModeratorRobinson can still live up to potential with Rams
Ben Frederickson
Dennis Lorio’s Louisiana drawl doesn’t sugarcoat.
He knows the highest-drafted offensive lineman from his home state is taking his lumps in the league.
But the former Thibodaux High football coach makes a reasonable plea for patience in the case of Greg Robinson.
Lorio is one of the people the Rams called when they were vetting the All-SEC left tackle out of Auburn, whom they drafted No. 2 in 2014.
He’s the guy who moved Robinson from defensive end to the other side of the ball before Robinson started his junior season of high school, a switch that resulted in the emergence of a top-10 recruit among O-linemen in the 2011 class.
He’s hoping you don’t make up your mind on his former player after 24 NFL starts.
“Of course I’m biased,” Lorio admitted over the phone. “I just think Greg has a great potential, great future. Is he going to be where he and the Rams need him to be? It doesn’t sound like it’s there yet. But, I think he’s capable of doing it.”
Team owner Stan Kroenke is trying to move the franchise. Coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead have posted a 24-35 record since they took over in 2012. The Rams (4-8) have lost five straight. So much to get mad about, but some fans are focused on a second-year lineman.
I get it. So far Robinson has been a microcosm of the Rams. So much hope. Such little production. The delayed angst of draft disappointment is one this fan base knows too well. Especially when it comes to offensive tackles.
On Monday, former NFL linemen LeCharles Bentley and Max Starks published a detailed breakdown of Robinson’s breakdowns on their Block Report website. The bad news: Sometimes Robinson’s stance is too wide. Sometimes it’s too narrow. His footwork is consistently inconsistent. And his leverage is lacking. The good news: His raw power is undeniable. These are mechanical flaws that should be fixable. Together, everyone screams: “Then fix it!”
According to the analysts at ProFootballFocus.com, Robinson and Kansas City’s Jah Reid rank 72nd among the NFL’s offensive tackles. Robinson’s pass blocking ranks 71st. His run blocking ranks 69th. The PFF grading system sets three categories: 0-59 (replaceable), 60-69 (backup), 70-84 (starter), 85-89 (Pro Bowler), 90-100 (elite). Robinson checks in at 29.2. Ouch.
Even a casual fan who overlooks line play knows of Robinson’s struggles. He has surrendered 3.5 sacks this season after allowing 6.5 as a rookie. When there is a penalty against the Rams’ offense, he is often the reason. After six holding penalties last season, he’s had eight this year. That doesn’t include the two that were declined. No other tackle in the league has more than five. Robinson also has three false starts. Sigh.
I expressed fans’ frustration to Lorio, the football coach who knew Robinson way back when. He didn’t make excuses. He did offer some theories.
He wondered if Robinson’s weight — he’s now listed at 332 pounds — might be affecting his speed. He explained how the offenses Robinson ran in high school and at Auburn rarely asked him to set the edge for a true drop-back passer. He said these two seasons have probably been the first time in Robinson’s life when football is truly hard. And Robinson is figuring everything out while in the spotlight only left tackles know.
“It’s just going to take some time,” Lorio said. “But look, in the NFL, now is the time. Nobody wants to say, in a year or two, this guy is going to be ready. They want you to be ready now. That’s why they drafted you. That’s why they paid you. Maybe he got put in a position that he was really not quite ready for. But hey, you do what is best for the team. He does have the ability.”
There’s another aspect in play here. The elephant in the offensive line room. Since Orlando Pace, the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, anchored the Greatest Show on Turf, the Rams tend to strike out every time they swing big on a tackle in the draft.
There was penalty-prone Alex Barron (No. 19 in 2005), sack-facilitator Jason Smith (No. 2 in 2009), and oft-injured Rodger Saffold (No. 33 in 2010).
Of course, none of these picks had anything to do with Snead, Fisher or Robinson. But Robinson’s selection has extended an unpleasant narrative. And here’s another twist of the knife: Two highly touted tackles the Rams passed over in that 2014 draft — Jake Matthews (No. 6, Falcons) and Taylor Lewan (No. 11, Titans) — have settled in just fine. Snead and Fisher tend to draft potential, not polish. And now they’re here.
“The top draft choices are projections of how good they can be,” Lorio said “The question is, ‘When will Greg be as good as he can be?’”
Let’s hope it’s soon, for the sake of Robinson and the Rams. Otherwise, he is on track to go down as yet another post-Pace tackle disaster. Potentially the biggest.
znModeratorNew England.
Started 3 rookies first game of the season. They have been shuffling since.
You know, I have been following the New England example, and it’s misleading. That all reduces to Brady getting the ball out quick. That’s Brady. When he holds the ball longer the offense falls apart because the blocking isn’t there.
I have a whole thread on that. http://theramshuddle.com/topic/pff-on-how-patz-beat-miami-with-injured-ol/
For example, according to PFF Brady throws quick a higher percentage of the time than any other qb.
He is sacked 1.7% of the time on quick throws, and completes 70% of his quick passes.
In contrast, when they take longer to throw, he is sacked 14.9% of the time…which is just freaking bad…and completes 50% of his passes
And New England isn’t “other teams” plural. All the Patz example (singular) shows us is that if your line becomes a problem, it’s better to have Brady. Other than that, we already know from Rams history alone that when an OL gets damaged past a certain point, it falls off in effectiveness. (See Bulger, 2007-9, which is basically 3 successive years of extensive OL injuries).
New, young, inexperienced lines struggle.
Lines with multiple simultaneous injuries struggle. That’s all over the league, going back as far as you want.
Right now the Rams are dealing with both things.
And no it’s not true that other teams regularly start rookies (plural) AND plug in multiple injury replacements and do not struggle.
That’s a formula FOR struggling, and it’s invariable.
Unless, as I said, you have Brady.
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znModeratorBut you have to ask questions–strange or not.
That’s how you gain understanding. And the world needs more of that.
That’s true in general. But think about it…we know so little about islam in the USA that we can actually ask things like “are there any redeeming qualities” to this religion of millions and millions.
How can there not be. It’s a religion of millions and millions. All very different people and peoples.
I cen see asking “what ARE the redeeming qualities.”
But to ask if there are ANY just means we’ve absorbed the mainstream anti-islamic view. I mean, in advance, the answer is simple, without even looking: how could there not be, it’s a religion of millions and millions.
“What ARE they” is a different question, which begins with the premise that we personally just don’t know.
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10 Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Islam
http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/09/26/10-things-i-wish-everyone-knew-about-islam/34271Islam is always in the news, and we get it wrong much too often. This is part of a broader problem about understanding religion, but I think it has particular resonance in the case of the most familiar yet most misunderstood religion.
While I’m still not sold on the listicle form of an essay, I thought I should give it another crack, this time for the tradition with which I’m most professionally familiar. Thus, in short order, here are 10 things I wish everyone knew about Islam.
1. The Qur’an is to Jesus as Muhammad is to the Bible.
Too often, people make this error of analogy: the Qur’an is to the Christian Bible as Muhammad is to Jesus. In fact, something like the opposite is the case. For Muslims, the Qur’an, especially in its recited form, is an incarnation of God on earth, and is thus not just a book, nor even a holy text deserving of respect. Instead, it is God’s words in the proverbial flesh.
And much like the Bible is for Christians, Muhammad is the vehicle by which the Muslim conception of the divine was made known.
While this doesn’t (I don’t think) fully explain the occasional riot or protest that erupts when news of some desecration of the Qur’an comes out, those of the Christian persuasion might well wonder how they’d react to seeing Jesus (again) trampled upon and abused.
2. Muslims LOVE Jesus.
Like, a lot. While Muslims do not hold that Jesus was divine in and of himself, he is considered a prophet of high standing, born to a virgin named Mary, who delivered a revelation to the Jewish people.
For many Muslims, especially those of the mystical, Sufi variety, Jesus is a close second only to Muhammad in terms of honor, and Jesus is believed to be the al-Masih (the Messiah) who will come again to usher in the end of times. He is popularly referred to as ruh allah, the Spirit of God.
There’s a reason Muslims protested The Last Temptation of Christ when it was released and have protested revivals since — they really dig him.
3. Most Muslims aren’t Arab.
While you might know that Indonesia is, by population count, the largest Muslim nation, the next three are Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Egypt rounds out the top five, but to consider Egyptians “Arab” is somewhat debated. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has only the sixteenth largest Muslim population, behind countries such as Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Iran.
For what it’s worth, Saudi Arabia’s Muslim population is roughly equivalent to China’s. All of this should make us reconsider how we perceive not only Islam, but also the locus of its power and influence. While the Saudi government routinely casts itself as the protector and defender of the faith, they represent only a small fraction of the world’s Muslims.
4. (I’m gonna catch some hell for this, but . . .) Islam is NOT a “religion of peace.”
But wait! Neither is it a “religion of violence” or the heinous acts ISIS gins up hoping to generate YouTube views and goad the United States into war. While I laud former president George W. Bush for his helpful PR announcement following 9/11, it’s a conceptual error to think of a — indeed, any — religion as inherently peaceful or inherently barbaric. Instead, as is the case with any religious tradition, a vast majority of Muslim people are peace-loving, and there are a few really bad apples.
Whenever someone makes an argument that a tradition is or is not a particular way, what you are really hearing is his or her own interpretation of the tradition. Clearly, there are other ways to think about the same faith, as human history too well illustrates.
5. Analogously, “Islam” does not think, believe, teach, or command anything.
This is another conceptual problem: there is no embodied “Islam” out there giving orders — just as there is no Buddhism or Daoism or Jainism giving conflicting advice. Religions are “things” only in an abstract academic or theological sense (what the great Wilfred Cantwell Smith calls the “reified” concept of religion).
Rather, Muslims (and Buddhists, Daoists, and Jains) preach and cajole and recommend a great many things, and many of these things can be found — and debated — in the texts and traditions of “Islam,” but to speak of Islam as if it were an institutional voice echoing across the land is a fiction. There isn’t even a Pope of Islam who can claim to speak on behalf of a significant population. Furthermore, to treat Islam (et. al.) as such is to presume a kind of unified, homogeneous, and unchanging tradition, which is also simply untrue.
6. Allah is NOT the name of the Muslim God.
Let me break this down. Technically, Arabic has no capital letters, so the word is allah. Second al- is a prefix definite article meaning “the.” The root word lah just means “god.” Thus, al-lah translates simply to The God.
“Allah” is the same word Arabic speaking Christians use to speak about God. From a Muslim point of view, the God of Jews, Christians, and Muslims is all the same figure, just as the Christians like to believe their God is the same God of Judaism. It’s not as if “allah” is some other, competing divinity. Christians may not like Muslims laying claim to their divinity, but the Jews are (sigh, again) the truly aggrieved party here.
7. “Islam” as a word means “to submit or surrender.”
Stick with me through a bit of philology: Arabic works on a consonant system, usually in sets of three. Thus, the root word of Islam is “salaam” — meaning “peace” — with the root consonants of s, l, and m. The addition of the i changes the noun into a verb. The prefix mu means, essentially, “one who has,” so a muslim — noting the same consonant base — becomes “one who has surrendered.”
The surrender or submission, in the context of this word, implies surrender to God’s will and word. Hopefully, this brings the adherent peace — both for herself and her neighbors — although what one does with that submission is always a matter of interpretation.
8. Sharia ought not be a scary word.
After all, it just means “legal reasoning” or “canonical law.” There are, at least, five classical schools of sharia (including the Shiite), and they differ radically in in their relationship to both sources of authority and interpretive methods.
For example, the Qur’an enjoins one not to be drunk when you pray, not to get drunk, and not to drink fermented date wine. So, what of a cold beer? It likely won’t get you drunk, nor is it made from dates. Is it allowable? Sharia is the means by which this question gets answered, and those answers vary from no alcohol whatsoever to, quite literally, no date wine that leads to drunkenness. Across the Muslim world, you’ll find the whole spectrum of positions.
And, just as with Catholics and birth control, you’ll find many Muslims who ignore the prescription regardless. Muslims are people, too.
9. The Sunni/Shiite division is very old, and often overblown.
It’s important to know that there are doctrinal divisions within the tradition, and that Sunnis (roughly meaning “consensus of the people”) and Shiites (the “party of Ali”) are the two main groups. There are numerous others, however, and even within one group there are further — perhaps innumerable — divisions. A Sunni Muslim in Detroit might approach his or her faith very differently from a Sunni in Morocco, who differs again from Sunnis in Beirut or Karachi, Paris or Capetown.
The Sunni/Shia split revolves around a very basic question: Was the authority of Muhammad transferable by blood? For Sunnis, the answer is no, whereas for Shiites the answer is yes. Groups adhering to one position or another tended to segregate themselves geographically, but also along ethnic and cultural lines. Thus, Sunni Islam predominates in, for example, Egypt, while Shiites found safe haven in classical Persia. Countries like modern-day Iraq are borderlands in this division, while also including other sectarian distinctions (like the Alawites in Syria).
So, yes, Saudi Arabia and Iran are mutually antagonistic, and perhaps religious difference plays a role. In some ways this is no different than long-standing tensions between Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians.
But these tensions are not solely theological: Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are often at an impasse not because of the status of the prophet, but because each one is jockeying for geopolitical power.
10. Muslims invented modern physics, mathematics, and medicine.
Granted, I have a pretty expansive view of “modern” — I’m willing to go back to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. But consider that the great Ibn Sina (popularly known as Avicenna, 980–1037CE) produced a medical text called The Canon of Medicine that was used as a standard reference work in Europe well into the seventeenth century. Or that the painting that adorns the top of the central reading room in the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress associates Islam with physics, likely a nod to the contributions of al-Kindi, ibn al-Haytham, or al-Farabi, all important contributors to modern thinking about optics, physics, mechanics, and astronomy.
Or, consider the numbers attending this list — written in Arabic Numerals — the invention of mathematical notation far superior to Latin numerals (though the idea for zero was likely stolen from India). By and large, if you’re counting, you have Muslims to thank for it.
Plus, medieval Europe has the Muslim empire in Spain to thank for the transmission of Greek philosophy. Without that, Socrates and Aristotle might have been lost forever.
This list could go on and on, but I might end with one last consideration: if we are willing to accept diversity within Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, we need to do the same for Islam. Religion is intensely important to both group and individual identity, but the diversity of the human race reflects back on religious identity, changing and transforming how we understand our traditions. One might say that there are as many Islams as there are Muslims under the sun.
December 9, 2015 at 12:40 am in reply to: Wagoner etc. …reporters on Boras/Cignetti & the change #35352znModeratorFisher Firing Cignetti Won’t Solve All of Rams’ Offensive Problems
Anthony Stalter
http://www.101sports.com/2015/12/08/fisher-firing-cignetti-wont-solve-rams-offensive-problems/
In firing offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, the Rams have just scratched the surface of their issues.
On Monday the team fired Cignetti after generating just three points in an embarrassing 27-3 defeat at the hands of division rival Arizona over the weekend.
It was the fifth straight week in which the Rams scored 18 or fewer points, and it was the second consecutive game that the team scored fewer than 10 points.
In firing Cignetti, the Rams also promoted tight ends coach Rob Boras to offensive coordinator. Boras was in the mix to be the team’s play-caller this offseason when Brian Schottenheimer left to become offensive coordinator at the University of Georgia.
Boras last coordinated an offense for the 2003 UNLV Rebels and has been a tight ends coach in the NFL ever since.
Maybe Boras will jumpstart the offense in the final four games. Maybe he won’t fail to get the ball into the hands of Tavon Austin (one of only two playmakers the Rams have on offense, with Todd Gurley being the other) like Cignetti failed to do against Arizona and Baltimore. Maybe Boras won’t be as vanilla with his schemes as Cignetti was over the past five weeks.
Or maybe Boras will find play-calling for this team just as challenging as Cignetti did because the Rams simply don’t have the personnel to match up with defenses on a consistent basis.
Not finding more ways to get Austin involved last Sunday was inexcusable.
For Austin to only be targeted three times in the passing game and to be limited to two carries is unexplainable, especially juxtaposed with the fact that Jared Cook saw nine targets in the passing game. If you only have two reliable weapons at your disposal, discarding one doesn’t make sense when you’re trying to win games.
But the reality is Cignetti was also limited as a play-caller because of his personnel.
Outside of two games this year, the quarterback play has stunk, the offensive line has been unproductive because of injuries and inexperience, and there are no reliable targets in the passing game outside of Austin, a player for whom offensive coordinators need to manufacture targets.
Tavon Austin runs for a 68-yard punt return in the second half of Sunday’s game. Officials called Chase Reynolds (34, Background) for holding on the play, bringing the ball back to the Rams’ 49 yard-line.
Imagine trying to build a house with only a hammer, a few nails, and a saw. Could you do it? Maybe. But why even start? You don’t have a realistic shot. You need more help.
Jeff Fisher and Les Snead needed to give Cignetti more help. They rolled the dice believing that young draft picks Greg Robinson, Jamon Brown and Rob Havenstein would grow on the job and mesh with Rodger Saffold and Tim Barnes.
But the reality is that, just like quarterbacks, many college offensive linemen are taking longer to develop because of the systems run at the lower level. Plenty of offensive tackles aren’t taught proper technique in pass protection and it’s taking them years to learn the NFL game.
Robinson is a perfect example of this. The system he learned under Gus Malzahn at Auburn turned him into a road-grader at the college level, but he’s completely lost when it comes to pass protection. That’s not a good thing, given the investment the Rams made in him in the 2014 NFL Draft.
So what you have is a left tackle that needs years to develop, a veteran guard in Saffold that can’t stay healthy, a starting center in Barnes that’s struggled for more than a month in run-blocking, another injured guard in Brown, and a rookie right tackle in Havenstein who also just returned from his own injury.
No experience. No depth. No running game. No play-action.
Nick Foles didn’t help Cignetti either.
Not only did the 2014 version of Foles make his way to St. Louis, but it was an even worse version at that. From consistently throwing off his back foot, to holding onto the ball too long, to not having a good feel inside the pocket, Foles is a fundamental mess.
Foles could have greatly benefited from a consistent rushing attack (which was supposed to be the plan all along), but the offensive line took care of that and he doesn’t have any weapons in the passing game.
Austin is a home run threat with the ball in his hands, but offensive coordinators have to manufacture his touches (i.e. actually design ways to get him the ball as opposed to him beating defenses with his size, speed and route-running ability).
Ultimately, results are the only factor that matters.
Cignetti was in charge of an offense that ranks 31st in total yards per game (296.3), dead last in passing yards (178.0) and 31st in points scored (15.8). Fisher admitted on Sunday after the game that he was about out of answers when it came to his offense, so why not replace the guy that was calling plays?
But Cignetti didn’t stand much of a chance.
The failures of the Rams’ offense can be traced back to previous drafts and the decisions by Fisher and Snead this past offseason to not be more aggressive when it came to acquiring veteran depth along the offensive line.
Firing Cignetti might spark the offense for the time being, but unless the Rams fix the myriad of personnel issues they have, the long-term problems will remain.
znModeratorThat is a lot of stuff posted.
Ich bin ein re-poster.
December 9, 2015 at 12:23 am in reply to: Wagoner etc. …reporters on Boras/Cignetti & the change #35348znModeratorThis is Jeff Fisher’s Offense, His Failure, His Fault
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/12/08/jeff-fishers-offense-failure-fault/
First of all, good luck to Rob Boras. And no, I’m not being a wise guy here. Boras is getting a chance to coordinate an NFL offense, and though the circumstances are far from ideal, it still has to be an exciting opportunity for him. Boras will see if he can make a positive difference over the final four games by jolting the Rams’ offense from their sustained coma. It’s a difficult assignment, and I sincerely wish Boras well.
Boras was placed in charge of the care of this sickly offense on Monday when Rams head coach Jeff Fisher fired the overwhelmed (and underwhelming) Frank Cignetti as the team’s offensive coordinator. This was Fisher’s response to increasingly intense criticism, the questions about his job security, and an embarrassing set of numbers.
The Rams are 31st among 32 teams in offensive points per game (14.4), 31st in touchdowns from scrimmage, and are last in the NFL in passer rating (69.8), yards per passing attempt (6.0), completion percentage (56.0), net passing yards per game (178), total net yards from scrimmage per game (305), and third-down conversion rate (24.5 percent.)
Since STATS LLC began tracking third-down success rates as an official league statistic in 1972, the Rams’ current percentage rate ranks No. 1,294 on a list of 1,297 teams. Only 1976 Tampa Bay (24.4), 2002 Dallas (24.0) and 2005 San Francisco (24.0) were worse.
But it’s close, and the Rams have a chance to be the NFL’s most futile third-down team since ’72.
During the five-game losing streak the Rams have averaged 10.4 points per game and scored five offensive touchdowns. This continues a trend, with a bad offense being a central factor in Fisher’s 4-11 record in his last 15 games. The heat is on the head coach. He isn’t used to that. He doesn’t like it. Fisher — who has had such a comically easy ride here — flashed his arrogance by recently telling critics to kiss his rear end.
Which, come to think of it, was the same as telling the critics to kiss his offense.
And now this: a classic “we’ve got to do something to get everyone off my back ” maneuver, with the coach attempting to show that he cares. That he’s not going to take it anymore. That he’s tired of watching his own offense.
Fisher wasn’t going to fire himself, you see.
And Cignetti was a convenient, ridiculously easy patsy.
See ya, Frank.
Fisher surely doesn’t think the public — or his own players — are this stupid, does he?
Maybe he does.
In explaining the firing, Fisher said: “Players contributed, coaches contributed, everybody contributed, but we have to move in a different direction. The lack of production is obvious.”
When asked if Rams players were shocked by Fisher’s decision to tell Cignetti to clear out of Rams Park, the coach said: “Yes, they were. They were and I hope they all took it personally because they need to. You’ve got a good man and a good football coach that’s busting his butt every single day. Now, for whatever reasons, he’s no longer here. They have to take some responsibility for that.”
You may have noticed a few things that Fisher didn’t say there.
Things like …
“I should have never hired Frank Cignetti in the first place, so this is on me. One hundred percent of it.”
Or …
“After Brian Schottenheimer left for another job, I had an opportunity to really shake up this offense and take it in a fresh, creative and forward-thinking direction. But instead of hiring the most innovative offensive mind I could have brought in here in an effort to stimulate this offense, I walked down the hall at Rams Park and hired Frank. I did the easiest thing possible. I didn’t strive for a higher standard. I let this organization down.”
Or …
“We traded for a new quarterback in Nick Foles, and we drafted an exciting franchise-caliber running back in Todd Gurley, and we have a young playmaker in Tavon Austin who can do some magical things with the football in is hands. It was the perfect time to recruit an offensive coordinator that could put it all together and give this offense a new look. But I didn’t do that, so once again, all of the blame goes on me.”
Or …
“You know, I have to take a hard look at myself. And that’s overdue. Why are my offenses so pedestrian, and ineffective? Why have I been so slow in adjusting to the modern NFL style of offense? Why am I still stuck in the past? I really have to evolve.”
Or …
“You may not remember this, but before I hired Schottenheimer in 2012, I interviewed Hue Jackson for the offensive coordinator’s job. I hired Schotty. But looking back, I went with the wrong guy. Look at the great job Hue is doing in Cincinnati. He’s really thrived in that role, and has turned the Bengals into one of the best offenses in this league.”
Or …
“We neglected this offensive line for years, and then drafted a bunch of rookies in 2014 and 2015. And we threw them all out there, expecting to get positive results. That was naive on my part. As a proponent of the running game I should know that you can only get the train rolling if you have a strong offensive line. You can’t consistently move the ball with a young, inexperienced and vulnerable offensive line.”
Or:
“While I believe that we have players who are capable of performing better on offense, let’s be honest here: these are players that I wanted. If they aren’t as good as I believed they’d be, then that’s on me.”
No, we didn’t hear any of that from Coach Fisher on Monday when he shoveled the blame for a dull and dysfunctional offense into every corner except his own second-floor corner office. This came as no surprise.
Later in the day, on his Monday-night show on 101 ESPN, Fisher did say “We’re all the blame. I’m to blame.”
(That may be a first.)
It’s an appropriate time to remind everyone what this is all about — other than the coach attempting to cover the backside that he invited everyone to kiss a couple of weeks ago:
This offense at Rams Park is a Jeff Fisher production.
In the Fisher football operation, the offensive coordinator exists for two reasons: (1) run the bruising Fisher offense but remember that Coach doesn’t appreciate the value of having an evolved or even above-average passing game; and (2) take the hit as the official scapegoat when Coach Fisher decides it’s time to make a change.
Fisher made the change Monday.
Even though he, Fisher, won’t change.
Here are the basics of the Fisher profile:
— This is his 20th full season as a head coach. His teams have made the playoffs six times.
— In four of the six playoff seasons, Fisher’s Tennessee Titans had an above-average offense in points scored. This should have reinforced the importance of having a capable offense that can do its fair share in getting the team to a playoff level.
— Fisher has had an above-average offense (points scored) in nine of his 20 full seasons.
— Fisher has an above-average offense (in points) in only two of his last 10 seasons as head coach, including 2015.
— Fisher’s offense has been below-average (in points) eight times in his last 10 seasons.
— Let’s cite the advanced metrics at Football Outsiders: Fisher’s offense has ranked 20th or worse in DVOA (adjusted efficiency) eight times in his last 11 seasons — and hasn’t been rated better than No. 15 in the league since 2003.
— STATS LLC keeps track of the points-scored average of the teams that make the playoffs each season. In Fisher’s first 19 seasons, his teams reached the playoff-caliber average for points scored only three times in 19 years — 1996, 1999, and 2003.
— This is Fisher’s fourth year as head coach in St. Louis. Here are the Rams’ annual ranking (in order) for offensive points scored beginning in the 2012 season: 28th … 22nd … 23rd … 31st. They’ve never topped more than 19 offensive points per game in a season.
— In Fisher’s 60 games as Rams coach, his offense has scored fewer than 21 points per game (the league average) only 33 times. And they’ve been held to 14 points or fewer in 24 of 60 games.
— A bullish rushing attack is always a plus, but you can’t live exclusively on the ground. Even for teams that thrive at running the ball — and Seattle is a great example — an effective passing game is a must-have component. In NFL history, the six-highest passing yards totals have occurred over the last six seasons with teams averaging 233 net passing yards per game since 2010. The escalation has reached a net average of 246 yards passing per game this season, but Fisher’s Rams can’t get into the jet stream. The Rams are averaging a league-low 178 net passing yards per game this season — or 27.6 percent below league average. In Fisher’s four seasons the Rams’ average of 203 net passing yards is 15 percent below league average .
— During these four Fisher-offense seasons the Rams rank 28th in net passing yards, 24th in completion percentage, 28th in yards per passing attempt, 26th in passer rating, 27th in touchdown-pass percentage, and were 25th in average yards per catch (11.2.)
— The Rams have thrown 72 touchdown passes in Fisher’s 60 games (only eight this season.) The NFL-team average over the last 60 games is 94 touchdown passes … meaning that the Rams are 23.4% below average at producing TD passes.
OK.
That should give you a good handle on Fisher’s history on offense.
Here’s what I don’t understand: during Fisher’s most successful five-year stretch as a head coach, from 1999 through 2003, his Tennessee team was tied with the Rams for the league’s best regular-season winning percentage (.700) during time. And not only did the Titans advance the ball through the air, they were very good at it. One of the best passing teams in the NFL between 1999 and 2003 — ranking fifth in yards per attempt, fifth in passer rating, eighth in touchdown passes, and ninth in net passing hards.
Fisher reached his apex as a coach with Steve McNair at quarterback. The Titans’ formidable balance of run/pass was difficult to stop. Clearly the coach discovered something over those five seasons: a physical rushing game is a solid foundation for an offense — but if you want to be special you have to be able to throw it, too.
You can say that the quarterback isn’t good enough, and it isn’t fair to compare this offense to the Fisher offense led by McNair. To that, I say this: are we supposed to believe it’s impossible to find a quarterback who can approximate the value that McNair had at Tennessee? Who chooses the quarterback in St. Louis? Who has the authority to make the QB position a priority instead of an accessory?
You can say that the overall offensive talent is lacking on offense, so what’s a coach supposed to do? To that, I say: Fisher has enormous power in choosing the players and stocking the Rams roster. These are not only the players that Fisher wanted, but Fisher and his assistance are also responsible for coaching this talent and making it better.
You can say that Fisher drafted RB Todd Gurley, a gamble that looks like a winner. So doesn’t Fisher deserve credit for Gurley? To that I say: the Gurley pick was brilliant, and applause for Fisher is warranted. OK, now let’s talk about the coaching. Once defenses reacted to Gurley’s first four (and sensational) NFL starts by scheming him into a wall of tacklers — where were the adjustments? Gurley has averaged 52 yards rushing over the last five games, all losses. Over the past three games he’s carried 43 times for 126 yards, an average of 2.9 yards per run, and has one gain of 10+ yards. Cignetti wasn’t the only coach at Rams Park that had a hand and a say in the offense.
You can say that it’s hard to have a good offense with a young and overmatched offensive line. To that, I say: why did Fisher and GM Les Snead wait so long to draft and develop O-linemen? In their first two drafts, Fisher and Snead had 17 selections to work with and used only two on offensive linemen. And both players were interior linemen (guard or center) drafted in the fourth round or later. In their first three drafts Fisher-Snead had 28 draft choices in hand and selected five offensive lineman overall.
And while the Rams drafted offensive tackle Greg Robinson with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014, they drafted the other four offensive linemen with picks at No. 113 … No. 150 … No. 226 … No. 250.
Why wait until your fourth draft to address this critically important area and then suddenly pick five offensive linemen in the 2015 draft — including one taken in the supplemental draft? Why suddenly cram the roster with so many rookie or linemen? By the fourth season of a coach’s program, the offensive line should be settled in, functioning smoothly, and peaking. It should be an asset — not a disorganized liability. By the fourth season of a rebuild, the offensive line should be an established strength instead of a mishmash of young players and journeymen thrown together.
Even if we’re inclined to give Fisher an attaboy for at least trying to do something to perk up this offense by switching coordinators, it doesn’t mean much. Fisher waited too long to make this move. Fisher said he’d been thinking about replacing Cignetti for a while. “I’ve looked hard it, yeah, over the last couple of weeks,” Fisher said. “Just haven’t gotten the production. We’re getting what we want out of them on the practice field. It’s not carrying over to the game. I didn’t wake up this morning and make this decision.”
Well, Fisher had just cause for making the call sooner than this.
After all, the Rams scored 10 points or fewer in three of their first five games so the warning signs were there early. And the current five-game losing streak that sank their season presented numerous opportunities to shake up the staff; the Rams scored 18 points or fewer in all five games. Why wait until after the 12th game, with only four contests remaining? It’s too late. The Rams (are 4-8) have a 1.8 percent chance of making the NFC playoffs as a wild-card team.
Any way you look at it, that big foam finger of blame points to Fisher
Cignetti was Fisher’s personal choice to take over at OC.
This is Fisher’s coaching staff. These are his draft choices, his free-agent signings, his roster.
This is Fisher’s offense.
His responsibility. And his failure.
znModeratorAs a non-religious person, I’d like someone to explain to me what redeeming qualities Islam DOES have.
It;s a testimony to what things in the USA are like now that someone would actually ask that question regarding an entire religion followed by millions, all because of actions by a militant splinter group off of wahhabi islam, which in turn is a splinter group off of Sunni islam.
It would be as if the actions of a militant splinter group off of pentacostals, which in turn is a splinter group off of general protestantism, caused someone to ask “is there ANYTHING redeeming about christianity?”
That’s not a stretched analogy. It is precisely like that.
It means there is no mainstream news, no mainstream discourse, no mainstream talk out there to make it apparent that THAT is a very strange question.
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znModeratori’m just worried he’s another cook/britt jeff fisher special. loads of talent but just mentally not into it.
But then the writer in the original post says
It’s obvious he possesses a true love for the game by the style in which he plays. In an era where many offensive linemen aren’t being heralded for their toughness or mean streaks, Greg Robinson approaches the game like a true throwback trench warrior.
I think people sometimes mistake being awkward and undeveloped at the level of technique for a lot of other things.
But I will say this again. MOST 1st round OL in the last few years struggle at first.
We just haven’t seen it with the Rams so we think it’s abnormal. It’s the norm, actually.
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znModeratorBut I just don’t understand how other teams play two or three rookies, fight through various OL injuries–shuffle guys in and it isn’t this big of a deal
I’m
it’S simple PA,.,.other teams DON’T. Deal with those things…..unless you can name eexamples,….it is always a big deal when that much happens to ANY team’s OL
znModeratorMy bet? He doesn’t get fired.
znModeratorIt’s been two years. He should be a lot better by now.
No not necessarily.
First, he had off-season surgery. That means there’s a big patch of time there when he couldn’t practice technique.
Besides, as the article says it’s college line play. Guys are coming to the NFL greener.
You want some evidence of that? Look at the linemen taken in the first round from say 2012 on and see how many do well in their first year, and then how many do well in their 2nd year.
According to PFF, right now only TWO of the tackles taken in the 1st round from 2012 to 2015 is ranked higher than Havenstein is right now. (Hav had a lot of playing experience in a pro style college offense. That’s one reason they drafted him.)
Combine that with the new CBA, which limits practice time and the amount of contact coaches can have with players before training camp, and the challenge of coaching up linemen is just greater.
It’s not just Robinson.
…
znModeratorIt’s hard to say what the change will be because they went from one first-time coordinator to another first-time coordinator. Plus of course in terms of the offensive system they couldn’t possibly tweak THAT during the season.
However, one change ought to be in individual play, because one point of firing a coordinator during the season is to send a shock through the team.
znModeratorNote…this article just essentially summarizes the press conference so it goes here.
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Monday Wrap-Up: Fisher Makes Coordinator Change
Myles Simmons
The Rams’ struggles on offense have been well documented, and they have induced head coach Jeff Fisher to make a change at coordinator. The club has parted ways with Frank Cignetti and assistant head coach/offense Rob Boras will assume the duties of coordinator.
“Today, I made a very difficult decision but one that we’re going to stand behind and that’s relieving Frank Cignetti of his offensive coordinator duties,” Fisher said.
“All of the blame is not to fall on his shoulders, but it’s the way this business works. Players contributed, coaches contributed, everybody contributed — but we have to move in a different direction,” Fisher continued. “The lack of production is obvious. We’ve been talking about it for weeks and we need more production. Our rankings are there for you. You see where we are. You know, 18 touchdowns in 12 weeks just doesn’t give you a chance to win a lot of games. In seven of our 12 games, we’ve scored 13 points or less. We’re going to move in a different direction under the guidance of Rob.”
Though Fisher said in his Monday press conference he had been contemplating the move for some time, that did not make the decision to go through with it any easier.
“I’ve become a very good friend of Frank’s over the years and I’m very fond of Frank. He’s a great man,” Fisher said. “It was, in my estimation, time to move in a different direction. Our focus is on the future of this offense, the future of this football team.”
Boras will take over a unit that needs a significant lift in production. Boras has been with the team since Fisher’s arrival in 2012, serving as the tight ends coach before this past offseason when he was promoted to assistant head coach/offense. Part of the reason for that change came from the way Boras impressed Fisher with his ideas for the unit.
“There’s some different thoughts — stimulate the staff, a little more creativity,” Fisher said. “But, it’s [the] run game. We’re lacking the run game efficiency right now and it all starts right there. Rob, wherever he’s been, he’s been very successful with respect to the run. So, that’s where it’s going to start.”
Fisher said Boras’ enthusiasm and attention to detail also make him suited for the position.
“Rob’s a hands-on, very enthusiastic, detailed guy. He gets the big picture,” Fisher said.
According to the head coach, one of the reasons why Boras was not chosen as coordinator in February was his lack of experience with play calling. But Fisher is convinced that will not be a problem come Sunday.
“He’s not done a lot of play calling before and that was really the difference and the reason I went with Frank, but we can take care of that. I have no concern about that,” Fisher said. “He’ll be more than prepared to call this game by the time Sunday comes along.”
Given Boras’ experience, Fisher said he’s expecting Boras to bring a renewed commitment to the run game that should increase production as a whole.
“What I’m anticipating is it’s play selection, it’s calls, it’s adjustments and things like that. It’s commitment to [the run] as far as the play calling is concerned,” Fisher said. “Expanding on some things that we need to do and then hopefully pushing things down the field as a result of it, because that’s what we haven’t been able to do.”
Fisher also said he’s looking for Boras to bring a different sense of accountability to the offensive unit.
“He’s a perfectionist and that’s what we need. We’re not in a position to have a wide receiver false start or a tight end false start on first-and-10 and go into first-and-15 because we can’t overcome that right now. So, those things are unacceptable,” Fisher said. “He’s going to bring and demand accountability to the offensive players with an expectation of them going above and beyond what they’ve already done.”
With Boras moving up, Fisher said offensive assistant Kenan Smith will take over coaching the tight ends.
“Kenan’s been working really close with Rob,” Fisher said. “We made that move during the OTAs. So, he’s got a good feel. He’ll handle that. Tight ends, it’s a smart group, sharp group. They’ve been well-coached. They know how to prepare, so Kenan will do a good job there.”
Any time a coaching change is made midseason, there is only so much that can be done. But Fisher said the Rams need a shift to get what they are seeing in practice over to the game.
“This is what’s in my estimation, which is in the best interest of this football team moving forward for the future,” Fisher said. “We’ve got good players. We’ve got to use them. We’ve got players that are hurt. We’ve got to get them back. We need direction moving forward offensively. And we’ve got to get better quarterback play. We’ve got to get better play out of all of the position groups.”
INJURY UPDATES
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins and tight end Lance Kendricks are both in the concussion protocol after sustaining a concussion during Sunday’s game. Fisher had good news on both, saying that they are each doing well and may be ahead of schedule.
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson has missed the last two games with a thigh injury, but Fisher said the club is hopeful he will be back this week.
Safety T.J. McDonald’s shoulder was also banged up on Sunday, and Fisher said the Rams are doing more tests with him.
With the myriad injuries to the unit, Fisher left the door open to the possibility of St. Louis adding some secondary depth with a few roster moves.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Fisher said defensive end Robert Quinn is making progress. Kicker Zach Hocker has an MRI scheduled for the injury he suffered pregame on Sunday. And Fisher is optimistic kicker Greg Zuerlein may be able to take some kicks this week with the possibility that he’s active against the Lions.
znModeratorThey were and I hope they all took it personally because they need to. You’ve got a good man and a good football coach that’s busting his butt every single day. Now, for whatever reasons, he’s no longer here. They have to take some responsibility for that.”
THAT is one good reason why you fire a coordinator during the season.
December 7, 2015 at 7:55 pm in reply to: reporters can't help but look at the ARIZONA game as they drive by #35286znModeratorLack of takeaways, Nick Foles’ struggles doomed Rams vs. Arizona
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Looking back at the three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams’ 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday:
1. Getting the bounces: The cliche about turnovers making the difference in a game is cliche for a reason: Because it’s true. In the Rams’ win against Arizona back in week 4, they were plus-three in turnover margin, getting three takeaways and not giving up any of their own. It was just enough to steal a two-point victory.
St. Louis figured to need a similar margin in order to have a chance against Arizona on Sunday. Opportunities presented themselves for takeaways as linebacker Mark Barron had an interception thrown directly to him that he dropped and defensive tackle Michael Brockers was unable to recover a fumble in bounds. But ultimately, the game’s only turnover came on an interception by Rams quarterback Nick Foles. Because of this, the Rams never really had a chance.
2. Red zone denials: In the first meeting, the Rams defense kept them in the game by forcing Arizona to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns when the Cardinals traveled inside the Rams’ 20-yard line. The Cardinals had just one touchdown on five such trips in that meeting, allowing the Rams to keep it close enough to finish the job.
Sunday’s game had all the makings of a repeat early before being on the field for most of the game finally caught up to the Rams. Arizona finished with two touchdowns on four red zone trips but with the state of the Rams’ offense, two touchdowns was more than enough for the game to be over.
3. A Foles repeat: If there was some silver lining to be found in Foles returning to the starting quarterback job this week with Case Keenum still in the concussion protocol, it was to be found in the fact that Foles had played one of his two best games earlier this season against Arizona. In that game, Foles managed things well with zero turnovers and three touchdown passes.
To get another win against the Cardinals, the Rams needed Foles to offer another strong performance. It didn’t happen — not even close. Foles was 15-of-35 for 146 yards with no touchdowns and an interception on Sunday for a passer rating of 43.3. It wasn’t his worst start of the season, but it wasn’t far behind his struggles in the loss to Green Bay.
znModeratorI personally don’t blame the OC. What the hell does he have to work with?
Rightly or wrongly, Fisher DID though. Blame the coordinator. You can see it in his remarks from yesterday:
(On how to increase offensive production)
“Coach is almost out of answers. My responsibility is to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to get this thing fixed.’ I mean we’re not efficient on offense. We have too many good players. We’ve got guys that can produce. We have an outstanding running back and we have a dynamic receiver. We’re starting to get a little bit better on the offensive line and so we’ll keep working. But it has to get better. It’s not good.”znModeratorIt sounded to me like he pulled up short on saying he thinks he needs a different coordinator.
We have a different one now.
Wow.
I thought it meant, end of the season.
I know a lot of people misunderstood Fisher’s remarks as some kind of self-confession, but I read it as an ominous indictment of Cignetti.
But I had no idea it would move that fast.
.
znModeratorI just zoom the page.
It depends which browser you’re using on how you do that.
znModeratorI have Mannion, so I am OK no matter what.
You know what’s kind of interesting about Mannion? He has that odd throwing motion yet he gets the ball out quick.
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znModeratorI am not a big fan of Fisher or Williams or Bernie. But most of the reasons for firing Fisher remind me of of Bogus Burn the Witch stuff.
I kinda share that view.
I think people get there’s different views on this one.
I doubt anyone would find that offensive, IMO.
znModeratorI look at Shottenheimer leaving and the difficulty getting a replacement and I wonder how much of that are OCs feeling boxed in with Fisher’s offensive philosophy
It’s not like Fisher’s “philosophy” (which I think is frequently misunderstood anyway) is rare, uncommon, or strange.
According to the logic you’re using there, no coordinator would want the Seattle job. Or the 49ers job in the Harbaugh years. And so on.
Fact is, the league consists of different offensive approaches, and they all manage to find coordinators.
I don’t buy this idea that what Fisher wants on offense (a balanced attack with play-action and which takes shots and aims at big plays) is all that unique, strange, different, dated, uncommon, or “wrong.”
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December 7, 2015 at 11:30 am in reply to: judging Fisher (Peter King, Wagoner, Miklasz, etc.) #35226znModeratorStay or Go, the Rams Can’t Afford to Keep Jeff Fisher
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/12/06/stay-go-rams-cant-afford-keep-jeff-fisher/
Question for the gallery: is there a reason — whatsoever — to bring Jeff Fisher back as the Rams’ head coach in 2016?
jeff fisher-5With a $7 million salary, Fisher is the NFL’s fourth highest-paid coach.
If the decision is solely based on results, the answer is a clear-cut “no.”
Hold on.
Make that …
“Hell, no.”
There’s no legitimate reason for staying the course with Fisher beyond the end of this season. If you can give me a reason to reassess that opinion, then please enlighten me. I try to be fair. Really, I do.
I supported Fisher’s hiring in 2012, and I offer no backdated apologies for that endorsement.
I believed Fisher was a good fit at the time. The Rams needed to bring in an experienced head coach that had led his previous team (Tennessee) to a commendable if incomplete level of success.
In 2012 the Rams couldn’t afford to gamble on another inexperienced and overwhelmed rookie HC. Previous Rams regimes tried to go young and fresh with Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo, only to fail miserably.
I was well aware of Fisher’s tendency to win and then gravitate back to .500 or lower.
But let’s have some context, shall we?
Fisher inherited a Rams’ dumpster fire of a roster, taking control of a team that had careened to the worst five-season record (15-65) in NFL history. And when the NFL team in your town has lost 65 out of 80 games, an upturn to .500 didn’t seem so bad. And Fisher had supervised two solid rebuilding projects at Tennessee.
Between 1999 and 2003, five seasons, Fisher’s Titans were tied with the Rams for the most wins (56) and best winning percentage (.700) in the NFL. In addition to capturing an AFC Championship, the Titans were tied for second in the NFL with five postseason wins during those five seasons.
After going through a necessary roster purge due to a salary-cap detonation, Fisher pulled Tennessee back into the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, 2007 and 2008. Only New England (27) and Indianapolis (25) had more wins than the Titans (23) during the two years.
Fisher’s overall record before 2012 wasn’t shiny overall — but it had merit.
During his first 14 full seasons as an NFL head coach Fisher basically had one of the best teams in the league in seven of the 14 years, and his 14-season winning percentage between 1995 and 2008 was .567, tied for No. 6 in the NFL.
No, Fisher never won a Super Bowl, but only five teams had a better winning percentage than the Titans over those 14 seasons. Fisher had more success in his background than he was generally given credit for.
Put it this way: with all of the hideous football we’ve endured over the last 12 seasons here in St. Louis, I don’t think we’d object to having the league’s sixth-best record over the last dozen campaigns or so.
Instead, since their last winning season in 2003, the Rams are 61-126-1, ranking 30th among 32 teams with a .327 win percentage.
And if Fisher could pull off two good rebuilds while working for a wacky owner at Tennessee, there was a legitimate reason to believe he could do the same here.
Nearly four full seasons into Fisher’s term in Earth City, it isn’t working out.
The measured optimism of Fisher’s first two seasons in St. Louis has given way to full-blown pessimism.
I’ve lost confidence in Fisher.
Given the Rams’ pathetic 15-65 mark between 2007 and 2011, I felt pretty good about Fisher’s 14-17-1 record in his first two STL seasons. But then the Rams took a step back in 2014, sliding to 6-10. My patience was thin, and I declined to accept Fisher’s attempt to put a positive spin on 6-10.
Still the Rams were seemingly trending in a positive direction earlier this season, battling to a 4-3 record through the first seven games. That was no small gain in these parts; the Rams hadn’t been 4-3 after seven games since 2006.
Like many of you, I’m just tired of Fisher’s teases. The Rams put together some wins, raise hopes, and then go into another absurd free fall that worsens the understandable fan apathy. I’m tired of buying into a sequence of on-the-verge breakthroughs that become anger-causing breakdowns. Enough of this. Really. Enough.
Sixty games into their regime at Rams Park, Fisher and GM Les Snead are 24-35-1. The Rams were at the depressing, desolate bottom of the NFL when Fisher arrived. And while they’re no longer the league’s worst team, Fisher’s winning percentage as Rams coach (.408) ranks 26th in the league. For a coach that’s deep into his fourth season on the job, that’s simply unacceptable.
This is a league of quick turnarounds.
In 2011, the year before Fisher’s appointment in St. Louis, 18 NFL teams (excluding the Rams) were .500 or worse.
Of those 18 teams, 12 have made the playoffs at least once.
We’ve seen some terrific, rapid-fix coaching performances in recent NFL seasons including three inside the Rams’ division, the NFC West.
Here are a few examples:
Seattle went 9-23 in the two seasons before Pete Carroll was hired as coach in 2010. Carroll has led the Seahawks to a record of 57-35 with two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl title.
The boisterous Bruce Arians was hired by Arizona in 2013 — a year after Fisher set up at Rams Park. Between 2010 and 2012, the Cardinals went 18-30. Under Arians, they’re 31-13 (.705) and just clinched their third consecutive season of double-digit win totals. Arizona is tied for the NFL’s fourth-best record under Arians. And again: Fisher had a one-year head start on Arians. And Snead had a one-year jump on Arizona GM Steve Keim. To put it bluntly: Arians and Keim really make Fisher and Snead look inadequate.
Though he ultimately fell victim to stupid front-office politics, let’s remember the exceptional work done by Jim Harbaugh did at San Francisco. Between 2003 and 2010, the 49ers were an abysmal 46-82. Harbaugh was hired in 2011, and over the next four seasons he transformed the ‘Niners into an NFC powerhouse. Harbaugh had a .698 winning percentage, made the playoffs three times, and won the NFC Championship in 2012.
Ron Rivera was brought in as the coach of the rebuilding Carolina Panthers in 2011. Rivera’s teams won 13 and lost 22 in his first two seasons; since then they’re 31-12. Sunday the Panthers rallied for a comeback win at New Orleans for their 16th consecutive regular-season victory.
The Kansas City Chiefs were 9-23 in two seasons before Andy Reid moved over from Philadelphia in 2013. The Chiefs have been inconsistent, but Reid is 27-17 as their coach.
The controversial Chip Kelly catches a lot of static in Philadelphia. But the Eagles went 12-20 in the two seasons preceding Kelly’s hiring in 2013, and he opened his stay in Philly with consecutive 10-win seasons and is 25-19 overall. Kelly is only 5-7 this year but has a chance to win the weak NFC East.
The Minnesota Vikings are 15-13 under second-year head coach Mike Zimmer. That seems rather ordinary — but looks a lot better when you realize that the Vikes were 24-39 in their previous four seasons.
Former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith was given custody of a horrendous Tampa Bay franchise in 2014, and opened with a 2-14 record. But in his second season the Buccaneers have heated up, currently sitting at 6-6 after winning five of their last eight.In St. Louis, Fisher hasn’t stopped the bleeding that began last season.
— After putting up a hopeful 14-17-1 record (.435) in his first two seasons, Fisher is 10-18 since the start of last year.
— With Sunday’s humiliating 27-3 loss to Arians and the Cardinals, the Rams have only four wins in their last 15 regular-season games. (On a side note: what the heck was Arians up to with his physical, bear-hugging grip on Fisher after the game? We appreciated the comic relief, Bruce.)
— Since Dec. 11 of last season, only Cleveland (two) and Tennessee (three) have fewer wins than the Rams’ four over this 15-game period. The Rams have been outscored by 98 points during this 4-11 regression.
— The Rams’ current five-game losing streak is the longest by the franchise since that 2011 wreck of a team closed the season with seven consecutive losses.
— During the skid that wiped out the Rams’ 4-3 start, they’ve suffered three 24-point blowout losses and have been outscored 132 to 54.
— Since taking a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter at Baltimore on Nov. 22, the Rams have been outscored 71-10.
— In their five straight defeats, the Rams have scored 10.4 points per game.
— The St. Louis defense is in a state of collapse, having been plundered for an average of 25 points during the five-game sinking. This tired defense gave up an average of only 15.4 offensive points through the first seven games.
In other words: the Rams have ceased being competitive.
Fisher and Snead can’t put the blame on anyone else.
This is their team.
They’ve had four drafts and just as many free-agent shopping windows to build a winner. Instead of improving, the Rams have fallen apart. That isn’t supposed to happen in a league where coaches frequently pull off a team turnaround in short time.
Dick Vermeil took over a drifting, directionless Rams franchise in 1997 and spent two hard seasons changing the Rams’ diseased culture and working with Charley Armey and John Shaw to upgrade the Rams roster. Between 1990 and 1998, nine seasons, the Rams had the league’s next-to-worst winning percentage at .313. And it Vermeil struggled in his first two seasons, 1997 and ’98, losing 23 of 32 games. But in this third season Vermeil led the Rams to a 13-3 record and a victory in Super Bowl 34.
In the modern NFL it should take only three years — tops — to refurbish a loser and make it a winner.
Fisher and Snead have drafted 38 players in four years — a crop that should have gotten a major boost from the 2012 pre-draft trade with Washington, which coveted the No. 2 overall pick to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
That deal gave the Rams a bundle of premium draft picks, but the Fisher and Snead didn’t come close to maximizing the potential windfall.
Because of that the Rams are experiencing the severe repercussions of taking so many underwhelming or failed draft picks.
That’s especially true with their impotent offense, which is tied with San Francisco for the fewest points in the league this season — with a putrid average of 14.4 offensive points per game.
The Rams used 12 of the 37 picks on so-called “skill position” players: quarterbacks (two), running backs (five) and wide receivers (five.) Only five of the 12 players are still on the roster. And only two — running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Tavon Austin — can be categorized as impact talent. But that’s even a stretch considering Austin’s inconsistency and Gurley’s dramatic drop in production.
Not that Gurley is at fault; the Rams are wasting him. After a dramatic first four starts to his NFL career, Gurley has averaged only 52 yards rushing during this five-game wrong turn into another dead end.
Remarkably, the coaches have given Gurley only 18 carries (combined) over the last two games.
How can that be? That’s inexcusable.
Gurley is their best player.
So even when the Rams draft a gem such as Gurley, they can’t take full advantage of his talent. It’s sad.
The foundation for Fisher’s coaching rep as formed by defense and a power-running offense. Four years into the program the Rams’ defense has been solid and often outstanding, ranking (in order) 16th, 13th, 5th and 9th in offensive points allowed. But the bullying rushing attack hasn’t surfaced regularly enough; over Fisher’s 60 games the Rams rank 17th in ground yards per game.
Snead and Fisher have also chosen 10 offensive linemen, including eight during the last two drafts. Left tackle Greg Robinson, selected No. 2 overall in 2014, is rated among the NFL’s worst offensive tackles this season by Pro Football Focus. Going into the Arizona game Robinson had given up more QB hits than any NFL offensive tackle in 2015 according to PFF. And Robinson has committed the most holding penalties in the league this year. While it’s too soon to judge the Rams’ 2015 O-line rookies as a group, only one, right tackle Rob Havenstein, is rated as high as “average” according to the Pro Football Focus player grades.
Fisher and Snead also traded for their hand-picked quarterback, Nick Foles, last offseason. Not only that, Fisher-Snead gave Foles a contract extension (with $14 million guaranteed) before he took a snap in a regular-season game. Foles is having a brutal season, ranking 30th among 31 qualifying NFL quarterbacks with a passer rating of 69.0. That 69 passer rating would be the second worst in a season by a Rams’ starting quarterback since the team moved here in 1995. (In case you’re wondering, Tony Banks had a 68.6 passer rating in 1998.) Foles will be benched, again, for Case Keenum when the Rams host the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Plenty of good seats remain.
With all of the swings and misses on draft picks and other personnel decisions — all of that money to tight end Jared Cook to name one — should we really be surprised to see the Fisher-Snead offense degenerate into the league’s sorriest unit in 2015?
“It’s kind of a broken record thing here with the offense,” Fisher said after Sunday’s smackdown by Arizona. “We have to get the offense fixed.”
Coach: you’ve been saying that for four seasons.
The Rams have yet to field an average offense — in terms of points scored– since you took over in 2012.
In Fisher’s four seasons the Rams’ offense has scored 108 touchdowns from scrimmage. That ranks 30th, above only Cleveland (107) and Jacksonville.
How many years does Fisher need to fix the offense? Six? Eight? Ten?
It’s quite possible that he’ll never fix it.
Fisher hasn’t had an offense ranked better better than 12th in the NFL in offensive points scored since 2003.
Fisher’s offense (Titans, then Rams) has scored at the average level for playoff teams only three times in his 19 seasons … and only once during the last 15 seasons.
Coach, you can’t find a winning quarterback, can’t build a powerful offensive line, can’t draft or cultivate a true No. 1 receiver, can’t even take advantage of Gurley.
And when you had the chance to remix the offense in a meaningful way by bringing in an experienced and creative offensive coordinator, your search was contained within the walls of Rams Park. You simply elevated quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti.
That move was just another indication of the stubbornness and staleness that’s left this team with such a sickly offense.
Fisher’s arrow is definitely pointing down.
This is Fisher’s 20th full season as an NFL head coach, and he’s had only six winning records.
That includes only two winning records in his last 11 seasons — and none since 2008.
Remember how I told you about Fisher’s .567 winning percentage in his first 14 seasons?
Well, since the beginning of the 2009 season — and remember, he sat out the 2011 season — Fisher has coached 92 games with the Titans and Rams and has a six-season winning percentage of .418.
My friend and colleague Randy Karraker recently came up with this factoid: Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, only one new coaching hire has been brought back for a fifth year after having four consecutive losing seasons. That was Cincinnati’s David Shula who somehow survived a four-season 18-46 record between 1992 and 1995. The Bengals finally gave Shula the boot after he went 1-6 at the start of his fifth season, in 1996.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner added this piece of historical perspective: According to Elias Sports Bureau, there have been only three coaches that had at least five consecutive full losing seasons with one team: Philadelphia’s Bert Bell (1936-41), Dallas’ Tom Landry (1960-64) and Washington’s Bill McPeak (1961-65).
Will Fisher receive a fifth year?
The Rams’ extreme deterioration — especially on offense — should eliminate that possibility.
There’s no case to be made for keeping Fisher.
I can think of only two reasons why he’d stick:
One, Rams owner Stan Kroenke will be cheap. Fisher is due $7 million to coach in 2015, and Kroenke may not want to pay the coach $7 million to spend 2016 fishing in Montana. But that’s no excuse; according to the “up to the minute” Forbes 400 rankings of the wealthiest Americans, Kroenke is worth $7.7 billion. Money should be no object in the pursuit of turning the Rams into a winner.
Second, Kroenke may want to keep Fisher in place just in case the Rams get the NFL’s permission to move to Los Angeles for 2016. These franchise relocations are chaotic and disruptive, and it can only help to have a coach that’s been through it before. Fisher was coaching the Houston Oilers when they moved to Tennessee. But that would be a bogus reason. As we sit here today (things could change) I don’t believe the Rams will be moving.
And if the Rams stay, Kroenke must begin to repair the considerable damage that’s been done to the franchise. How can Kroenke relaunch the product for a happier, more successful existence in 2016 by bringing Fisher back? That alone would put a drag on ticket sales. And Rams fans deserve Kroenke’s best effort in pulling the team out its 12-season malaise. Even if Kroenke is allowed to take the Rams to Southern California, the football fans of Los Angeles should have a new start that comes with a new coach.
Kroenke tried to do the right thing when he spent a lot of money in hiring Fisher in 2012. It was a sensible move at the time, and Kroenke can’t be accused of skimping on the coach’s salary. But surely by now the NFL’s second-richest owner — an one of the smartest businessmen in the world — recognizes the futility of staying too long with a losing investment.
According to a 2007 account in the Denver Post, one of Kroenke first decisions as owner of the prestigious Screaming Eagle vineyard was to dump $3.3 million of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon because it wasn’t up to standard.
Kroenke appears to have lower standards with his NFL team.
If Kroenke has developed an acquired taste for losing football, then Fisher will stay.
znModeratorThis Rams team has quit on Jeff Fisher.
Regardless of any other point you make…I don’t see that at all.
We have seen what it looks like when a team quits on a coach (Linehan) and that’s not what we are seeing here.
.
December 7, 2015 at 9:36 am in reply to: the way Foles is right now they have a better chance with Keenum #35220znModeratorHe doesn’t even look like the same guy ,he looks like he has significant brain damage and I am serious. I fear for his health.
Interesting.
znModeratorbump
my greedy self wants to hear more
somehow good posts make up for bad games
December 7, 2015 at 1:19 am in reply to: the way Foles is right now they have a better chance with Keenum #35216znModeratorJeff Fisher says QB Case Keenum will start next Sunday
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14306548/st-louis-rams-qb-case-keenum-starter-detroit-lions
ST. LOUIS — Rams coach Jeff Fisher left no doubt about whom his starting quarterback will be next Sunday when the Rams play the Detroit Lions.
Immediately after Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Fisher declared that Case Keenum will return to the starting role he had before suffering a concussion late in the team’s loss to Baltimore on Nov. 22. Nick Foles started the past two weeks as Keenum worked through the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“We’ll go ahead this coming week, and Case will be our starter,” Fisher said. “I’m not blaming this on Nick, but I don’t have the philosophy where a player is going to lose his job because of injury. Case did not get reps on Wednesday and Thursday, so that’s the reason he did not start [Sunday]. So he’ll be our starter next week.”
Fisher had maintained that stance all along but wasn’t able to go back to Keenum this week or last against Cincinnati because Keenum had been unable to clear the final tests to play. Keenum was limited in practice each of the past two weeks and worked with the scout team last week. According to Fisher, Keenum felt good enough Saturday to clear the concussion protocol and serve as Foles’ backup against the Cardinals.
“He was good enough to be the 2; he just didn’t have the reps,” Fisher said. “So we had Case at the 2 because of the understanding and experience.
“So Case will go back, and he’ll be the starter.”
Foles struggled against Arizona on Sunday, going 15-of-35 for 146 yards with no touchdowns and an interception for a passer rating of 43.3. Asked after the game if he was OK with returning to the bench, Foles said he’d prefer to play but understands the decision.
“I respect Coach Fisher and I love Case Keenum,” Foles said. “I want to be out there. But at the same time, I respect Coach Fisher and I’m going to do everything I can to help Case along and help him succeed out there and help this team succeed.
“So whatever I can do to help Case with, I’m going to do, just like he’s always done for me because I think he’s a heck of a player and I know he’s a heck of a person and a great leader.”
Rookie Sean Mannion returned to his role at the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback on Sunday after working mop-up duty for Foles against the Bengals last week. Fisher indicated that Mannion might get a chance before the season is over but he preferred to have Keenum as Foles’ backup against Arizona.
“That’s doesn’t mean necessarily that Sean isn’t going to get an opportunity to play here down the stretch but I’d rather have Case as the two,” Fisher said.
December 7, 2015 at 1:18 am in reply to: reporters can't help but look at the ARIZONA game as they drive by #35215znModeratorFamiliar woes bring familiar result for overmatched Rams
Jim Thomas
It’s now official. The Rams have reached the broken-record stage of the 2015 season. The offense can’t score. The team can’t win. Repeat this cycle once per week.
And this just in: The coach has run out of answers.
Last week, the answer was: “Kiss my (bleep).” To anyone questioning the team’s effort, that is.
This week? After Sunday’s 27-3 loss to Arizona, Jeff Fisher was almost at a loss for words. For weeks, reporters have asked him about what’s gone wrong — to the point where there’s almost no way left to ask the same old questions about the same old Rams.
The feeling is mutual, apparently.
“Coach is almost out of answers,” Fisher said with an air of exasperation. “My responsibility is to say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna get this thing fixed.’ I mean, we’re not efficient on offense.”
The way Fisher sees it, the Rams have too many good players on offense for that to be the case.
“We’ve got guys that can produce,” Fisher said. “We have an outstanding running back and we have a dynamic receiver. We’re starting to get a little bit better on the offensive line, and so we’ll keep working. But it has to get better. It’s not good.”
Actually, it’s much worse than “not good.” It’s awful. As awful as anything the Rams put on the field offensively under Fisher predecessors Steve Spagnuolo and Scott Linehan.
The Rams lost their fifth in a row Sunday, scoring a season-low three points and gaining a season-low 212 yards. They have been outscored 58-10 over the last two Sundays and have lost by margins of 24 points in three of the past four games.
For those scoring at home, the latest loss puts the Rams at 4-8 for the season, and guaranteed to have their 12th consecutive non-winning season. The 2004 and 2006 teams both finished 8-8 — everything else has been below .500 since the 2003 squad won the NFC West title.
The official mood of the Rams’ postgame locker room Sunday? Numb, bordering on shell-shocked.
“We’ve just gotta pick our heads up,” defensive back Lamarcus Joyner said. “We’re grown men. It’s a job for us. We get paid to do what we’re doing. … We gotta go out there and win the next game next Sunday.”
No matter how you measured it, the Cardinals (10-2) ran roughshod over the Rams with 524 yards total offense, 29 first downs and 175 yards rushing against a once-formidable St. Louis defense.
The Rams were also non-competitive on the other side of the ball. They have failed to score more than 18 points in any of their eight losses.
“It’s not good,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “It’s not good.”
Foles had another poor day at the office, completing a mere 42.9 percent of his passes (15 for 35) for 146 yards and a 43.3 passer rating. He threw his fourth interception in two games in the opening quarter on an overthrown pass intended for Kenny Britt.
Fisher announced after the game that Case Keenum would be his starter next week against Detroit. Keenum cleared the concussion protocol Saturday and dressed as the team’s No. 2 quarterback against the Cardinals.
“I want to be out there,” Foles said. “But at the same time, I respect Coach Fisher and I’m going to do everything I can to help Case along and help him succeed out there, and help this team succeed.”
Foles isn’t playing with much confidence these days. Then again, he got next to no help from his receivers against the Big Red. Several catchable balls eluded tight end Jared Cook, as well as Britt and Brian Quick.
Running back Todd Gurley managed a 34-yard run in the third quarter, his first gain of more than 9 yards in a month. But he otherwise found the going tough, finishing with nine carries for 41 yards.
“We have to stay positive,” Gurley said. “At the end of the day, things could be a lot worse. We’ve still got a job, and it’s the game we love. At the end of the day, whether we’re in the playoffs or not, we do this for living. We love this game, so we’re gonna keep going.”
The Rams certainly aren’t going to the playoffs this year. And if this nose-dive continues, there may be more than a couple of players out of a job at the end of the season, not to mention Fisher and his staff.
“Coach Fisher has had our back,” defensive end Chris Long said. “We’ve got Coach Fisher’s back. He’s a heck of a football coach. At the end of the day, we have to make plays on the field.
“We’re far too often in position to make plays and we don’t make plays. We don’t do the little things. Just do your job. It’s not necessarily about Coach, it’s about doing your job. And it takes 11 guys to do that. We’re playing way too often where one or two guys aren’t doing that.”
Even though it was giving up lots of yardage to Arizona’s top-ranked offense, the Rams’ defense found a way to keep the game close for more than 3½ quarters. After a Zach Hocker field goal 3½ minutes into the second half, the Rams trailed by only 10-3.
(Hocker once again was replacing an injured Greg Zuerlein.)
When Kerwynn Williams fumbled out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals took over on their 2. For just a moment, it looked like the Rams had a flicker of a chance to make this a wire-to-wire game.
But on third-and-3 from the Arizona 9, Big Red wide receiver Michael Floyd outleaped Janoris Jenkins on a 50-50 ball for a 31-yard gain down the right sideline. It was the kind of aggressive, contested catch that Rams receivers rarely make. At least not this year.
What became a 98-yard drive culminated in a 10-yard pass from Carson Palmer to rookie running back David Johnson. That was the back-breaker, giving Arizona a 17-3 lead with 5:53 to play in third. The way the Rams were malfunctioning on offense, it might as well have been 170-3.
“We have to get the offense fixed,” Fisher said for the umpteenth time. “Three first downs at halftime, I think we had six to start the fourth quarter. It doesn’t give yourself the chance to be productive or win games.”
No it doesn’t. But we’ve heard that over and over again
December 7, 2015 at 12:57 am in reply to: reporters can't help but look at the ARIZONA game as they drive by #35214znModeratorBig Red run roughshod over Rams
Jim Thomas
For those scoring at home, Sunday’s 27-3 loss to Arizona was a “clincher” for the St. Louis Rams.
After their fifth consecutive loss, the Rams sit at 4-8 and are now guaranteed their 12th consecutive non-winning season. Yes, as the late great announcer Jack Buck would say, that’s a dozen cousin.
Even if they sweep their final four contests — and who in their right minds expects that to take place? — the best they can do is 8-8 this season.
The Rams finished the regular season 8-8 in both 2004 and 2006 — and that’s the high-water mark since the 2003 squad won the NFC West title with the remnants of the Greatest Show on Turf.
No matter which way you measured it Sunday, the Cardinals (10-2) ran roughshod over the Rams with 524 yards total offense, 29 first downs, and 175 yards rushing against the once-formidable St. Louis defense.
The Rams were also non-competitive on the other side of the ball. They finished with only 212 yards of total offense; Arizona had more than that by halftime. The Rams had only three first downs at halftime, and have failed to score more than 18 points in any of their eight losses. Sunday’s offensive harvest was a measly three points, on a Zach Hocker field goal in place of the injured Greg Zuerlein.
“It’s not good,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “It’s not good.”
Foles had another poor day at the office, completing a mere 42.9 percent of his passes (15 of 35) for 146 yards and a passer rating of 43.3. He threw his fourth interception in five quarters in the opening quarter at the Edward Jones Dome on an overthrown pass intended for Kenny Britt.
Coach Jeff Fisher announced after the game that Case Keenum would be his starter next week against Detroit. Keenum cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday and dressed as the team’s No. 2 quarterback against the Cardinals.
“I want to be out there,” Foles said. “But at the same time, I respect Coach Fisher and I’m going to do everything I can to help Case along and help him succeed out there and help this team succeed.”
Foles doesn’t appear to be playing with much confidence these days. In fairness, he got next to no help from his receivers against the Big Red. Several catchable passes somehow eluded tight end Jared Cook, as well as Britt and Brian Quick.
Running back Todd Gurley managed a 34-yard run in the third quarter, his first gain of more than nine yards in a month. But he otherwise found the going tough, finishing with nine carries for 41 yards.
“We have to stay positive,” Gurley said. “At the end of the day, things could be a lot worse. We’ve still got a job, and it’s the game we love. At the end of the day, whether we’re in the playoffs or not, we do this for living. We love this game, so we’re gonna keep going.”
The Rams certainly aren’t going to the playoffs this year. And if this nosedive continues, there may be more than a couple of players out of a job at the end of the year, not to mention Fisher and his staff.
“We have to get the offense fixed,” Fisher said for the umpteenth time. “Three first downs at halftime, I think we had six to start the fourth quarter. It doesn’t give yourself the chance to be productive or win games.
“Defensively, we’re on the field way too much. Way too much. Again, that kind of offense, they’re going to score points.”
Even though it was giving up lots of yardage to Arizona’s top-ranked offense, the Rams’ defense found a way to keep the game close for more than 3½ quarters.
Arizona marched 80 yards for a touchdown on its opening drive, capped by a 22-yard pass from Carson Palmer to J.J. Nelson. The Big Red then tacked on a Chandler Catanzaro field goal just before the half to take a 10-0 lead into intermission.
A long punt return by Tavon Austin, albeit one that was more than cut in half by a holding penalty, followed by Gurley’s 34-yard run. That led to the Hocker field goal with 11 1/2 minutes to play in the third.
As the third quarter wound down, the Rams were still in the contest, trailing 10-3. After Kerwynn Williams fumbled out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals took over on their 2. For just a moment, it looked like the Rams had a flicker of a chance to make this a wire-to-wire game.
But on third-and-3 from the Arizona 9, Big Red wide receiver Michael Floyd outleaped Janoris Jenkins on a 50-50 ball for a 31-yard gain down the right sideline. It was the kind of aggressive, contested catch that has been few and far between for Rams receivers this year.
On the next play, rookie David Johnson gained 23 yards, and just like that the Cardinals were in St. Louis territory at the 37. Johnson, making his first NFL start, scored a few plays later on a 10-yard reception from Palmer. On the play, Jenkins went for the interception, and missed, allowing Johnson to reach the end zone.
Williams, who was on the Arizona practice squad a week ago, scored late in the third quarter on a 35-yard run. Catanzaro added a fourth-quarter field goal, and that was that.
The Rams have been outscored 58-10 their last two Sundays, and simply do not look like a competitive football team.
“It hurts the same for everybody,” said defensive end Chris Long, who is in the midst of his eighth consecutive losing season as a Ram. “That’s losing in embarrassing fashion five games in a row. The guys in here are not happy, I can guarantee that. That doesn’t make it OK. That doesn’t make it OK at all.”
December 7, 2015 at 12:57 am in reply to: reporters can't help but look at the ARIZONA game as they drive by #35213znModeratorRams’ upset recipe nowhere to be found in latest loss to Cardinals
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — In better days, the St. Louis Rams upset the Arizona Cardinals behind rookie running back Todd Gurley’s breakthrough performance, a stingy defense that almost exclusively yielded field goals and a dominant performance in the turnover battle.
In Sunday’s rematch at the Edward Jones Dome, none of those things were present, so the result was unsurprising: a 27-3 loss. For the Rams, it’s their fifth consecutive defeat and their first loss to an NFC West opponent this season.
Yes, Sunday’s game played out as so many have this season, with the Rams’ offense flailing around with no signs of improvement to be found and the defense doing what it can to keep them in the game before capitulating. But the Rams pinned their hopes on the idea that returning to NFC West play would help right the ship.
The only way that would happen, though, would be to follow the same blueprint that led to their 24-22 win against Arizona on Oct. 4. In that game, Gurley ran for 146 yards, the Rams were plus-3 in turnover margin, and they held Arizona to one touchdown. This time, Gurley finished with 41 yards on nine carries, the Rams were minus-1 in turnover margin and the Cardinals tripled their trips to the end zone.
Perhaps lost in the Gurley-mania that followed the game was the fact that the Rams had some fortuitous bounces and calls that went their way. Absent those things, the Rams are the same team they’ve been for more than a month, which isn’t a good thing.
What it means: At 4-8, the Rams have now guaranteed themselves a 12th consecutive season without a winning record, lost five in a row and made their incredibly slim playoff chances even slimmer. For coach Jeff Fisher, it’s four successive non-winning years as coach of the Rams and his sixth straight overall.
Where Fisher stands: Sunday’s loss also means that as Fisher completes his 20th full season as a head coach, he’s guaranteed a 14th year without a record above .500. For frame of reference, the last coach to go four straight years without a winning record and get a fifth year was Fisher with the Titans from 1995-1998. Of coaches with a losing record (meaning no seasons even at .500) in their first four seasons, Cincinnati’s David Shula was the last to get a fifth year in the early-mid-1990s. According to Elias Sports Bureau, there have been three coaches who had at least five straight full losing seasons with one team: Philadelphia’s Bert Bell (1936-41), Dallas’ Tom Landry (1960-64) and Washington’s Bill McPeak (1961-65). Fisher also drew within one loss of Dolphins coach Don Shula for the third most losses by a head coach in NFL history at 155. Fisher has been a head coach for a little more than 20 ½ seasons. Shula coached 33 years.
Fantasy watch: There’s not much in the way of fantasy value to be found for the Rams right now as Gurley was mostly bottled up, save for a 34-yard run in the third quarter. The passing game has reached such lows that it’s not worth starting anyone aside from Gurley or perhaps Tavon Austin and hoping they reach the end zone.
Ouch: On the opening drive, Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins left the game to be tested for a concussion after safety T.J. McDonald whiffed on receiver Michael Floyd and hit Jenkins square. Jenkins was able to return to the game but not until after his replacements allowed a touchdown pass to receiver J.J. Nelson. In the third quarter, Jenkins ran into linebacker Mark Barron and again had to be evaluated for a concussion. This time, he did not return. Tight end Lance Kendricks also left to be evaluated for a concussion and did not return.
What’s next: The Rams host the second game of a three-game homestand next Sunday as the Detroit Lions come to town after their devastating loss on Thursday night.
December 7, 2015 at 12:56 am in reply to: reporters can't help but look at the ARIZONA game as they drive by #35212znModeratorJohnny Hekker up, Nick Foles, run defense down in Rams’ loss
Nick Wagoner
ST. LOUIS — A look at St. Louis Rams players who were “up” and those who were “down” in Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
UP
P Johnny Hekker — Hekker should probably get more credit than he does for his consistent excellence working behind an abysmal Rams offense. But Hekker was in the spotlight even more Sunday because he had to handle kickoff duties with Greg Zuerlein out with a groin injury and Zach Hocker apparently tweaking his leg in pre-game warmups. Hekker punted eight times with an average of 54.5 yards and dropped five of those punts inside the 20. Not many Rams are deserving, but Hekker absolutely belongs back in the Pro Bowl.
DT Aaron Donald — Donald gets a spot here in perpetuity, especially now with so many of his teammates failing to offer much help. But Donald was his usual, disruptive self again in this one. He had seven tackles, a sack and three quarterback hits.
DOWN
QB Nick Foles — Foles started again because Case Keenum hadn’t cleared the concussion protocol earlier in the week, and he was atrocious again, going 15-of-35 for 146 yards with no touchdowns and an interception for a passer rating of 43.3. Not that we should be surprised. Both statistically and from the eye test, the Rams are getting the worst quarterback play in the NFL.
The run defense — It’s hard to put much blame on the defense when the offense is so bad, but the Rams have had issues stopping the run in recent weeks and the Cardinals took advantage even without the services of veteran Chris Johnson. Arizona rookie David Johnson and running mate Kerwynn Williams pounded away to the tune of a combined 158 yards on 28 carries with a 35-yard touchdown from Williams to boot.
The offense — While many of the offensive woes fall at the feet of Foles, everyone should share in the blame, including the coaching staff. The game plan remains dull and the production continues to match it. Before garbage time (the final five minutes), the Rams had just nine first downs, 207 yards and had the ball for more than 17 fewer minutes than the Cardinals
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