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November 30, 2015 at 12:09 pm in reply to: Peter King on the Bengals game and other Rams stuff #34930
znModeratordon’t think Fisher is being entirely honest when he says: “Mannion isn’t ready.”
That’s a perfectly valid type of assessment on Fisher’s part, especially given the fact that Mannion never had the reps (Foles and Keenum always got more). And I doubt he would say that if it weren’t also the assessment of his qb coach and coordinator, who ought to know.
Really, just because we’re mad at a coach, doesn’t mean he actually IS being things like dishonest. Especially when the real odds favor him being right about something like that.
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znModeratorWhat difference does a ranking mean if he can’t stay on the field?
He missed (I think) two games. That doesn;t make him a Saffold.
In terms of injuries, this is just the Rams curse. In the last 2 years they added 8 young linemen. So far 7 of them have been injured. The only one who hasn’t been is Battle and that’s because he hasn’t played. It’s just a bizarre Rams thing.
Either way, I don’t fault RH for missing a couple of games.
znModeratorThis team is another decade away if they can’t field a decent O line and a decent QB since the defense will be changing personnel or it’s star performers declining. This season was this teams best shot.
Well do you think Fisher should
get another Decade?w
vPersonally I think they aren’t far off with the OL.
Right now for example Havenstein is PFF’s highest ranked rookie OL and their 4th ranked right tackle.
BUT a young and inexperienced OL is going to struggle at first, and then they had an injury bout.
The issues on offense IMO are execution, due to a lot of things, including a qb meltdown.
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znModeratorI prefer to think it is because of bandages covering his eyes from the surgery.
Me too. That is like you I prefer to think it’s that.
znModeratorTen Takeaways from the Rams’ 31-7 Loss to the Bengals
Randy Karraker
http://www.101sports.com/2015/11/29/ten-takeaways-from-the-rams-31-7-loss-to-the-bengals/
The Rams 31-7 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday sent them spiraling to 4-7 and gave them their first four game losing streak under Coach Jeff Fisher, and their longest slide since losing the last seven games of the Steve Spagnuolo era in 2011. Since last December, the Rams have gone 4-10 over two seasons.
jeff fisher-5Fisher’s record with the Rams fell to 24-33-1 with Sunday’s loss to the Bengals.
In three years under Fisher, the club has gone 7-8-1, 7-9 and 6-10. With the way the Rams are playing and the schedule coming up, continuing the trend to 5-11 doesn’t seem out of the question. But that’s a discussion about the future. Here are ten takeaways from Sunday…
1) In his postgame press conference, Fisher said that anyone that questions the Rams effort can “kiss my (derriere).” Thank goodness I am not going to question the Rams effort, because that sounds kind of gross.
I wish I COULD question the Rams effort though, because that would give me a good reason for their losing streak. But when Fisher says it’s all about execution, and he chose these players…that doesn’t leave much to the imagination as to what’s wrong.
If it’s not effort, and you picked the players, Coach, where am I to turn to assess blame for this lack of execution?
2) I learned a long time ago that the best teams generally have an offensive line that has guys that play together and develop continuity. The Rams have had the opposite of that this season. Unbeaten Carolina has had center Ryan Kalil miss one game, and just got Andrew Norwell back from an injury as his backup, Amini Silatolu, was placed on injured reserve. Left tackle Michael Oher, right guard Trai Turner and right tackle Mike Remmers have all started all eleven games.
The Rams hoped to have a line of Greg Robinson, Jamon Brown, Tim Barnes, Rodger Saffold and Rob Havenstein. Saffold suffered a shoulder injury in game five at Green Bay and was placed on injured reserve. Fellow guard Brown joined Saffold on IR after a broken ankle suffered against Chicago. Havenstein was injured late in that game and hasn’t played since. His replacement, Andrew Donnal, suffered a knee injury in his first game replacing Havenstein. So the Rams have had chaos up front with rookies Havenstein, Brown, Donnal and Cody Wichmann all starting games and Demetrious Rhaney making his first NFL start on Sunday. It’s impossible to have a great offense under these circumstances.
They should be better, but there are extenuating circumstances.
3) Back in the day, the Greatest Show on Turf had a quite durable offensive line. While this edition of the Rams has scored four touchdowns in the last four games…a quarter of a season…the 1999 team scored four touchdowns in four QUARTERS OF GAMES on eleven occasions, and the 2001 squad scored four touchdowns in a game ten times. That’s right; those teams scored as many or more touchdowns in many games than this one has scored in a month of games.
4) It’s frustrating to see the Rams, who should be piling up wins right now, fall apart as other teams that started slowly ascend. After starting 2-4, the Redskins now lead the NFC East at 5-6, with their only two losses in the last five games coming to the two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL. The Bears were 0-3 and 2-5, but are now 5-6. The Lions were 0-5 and then 1-7, but have won their last three. Tampa Bay started 1-3, but has gone 4-3 since. The Chiefs started 1-5 but have now won five in a row. Even with the Rams injuries (Heck, the ‘Skins haven’t had Desean Jackson, the Bears were without Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery after trading Jared Allen, the Lions turned over their coaching staff, Tampa has been without Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins and the Chiefs lost Jamaal Charles for the season), you would hope there would be signs of improvement for the Rams offense, and there aren’t.
5) The Rams have already lost to Chicago, and with Detroit and Tampa Bay coming to town after Arizona, and then a trip to Seattle before the finale in San Francisco, it’s hard to find a win before that last game. Sure, the Rams are capable, but with a four game losing streak and an anemic offense, it sure doesn’t feel like a win is on the horizon.
6) We can see the once dominant defense taking on water. Robert Quinn was out again, along with Trumaine Johnson. Alec Ogletree will miss the rest of the season and Chris Long is trying to bounce back from a knee injury. With those players out or compromised and the lack of offense applying even more pressure, it stands to reason that at some point the defense is going to break.
7) On a positive note, Tavon Austin continues to be a playmaker with electrifying moves. It’s too bad for him that the team has only two really productive skill position guys in he and Todd Gurley. But Austin would be best utilized as a luxury item that gets matchups because of other playmakers on offense. When there’s only one other guy, there’s too much focus on Austin. And as we feared, the lack of a passing game allows teams to stack the box against Gurley and render him ineffective.
nick foles-9Foles was 30 for 46 with three interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals.
8) With the Rams down 17-7 in the final minute of the first half, quarterback Nick Foles ran a play from the Bengal 23 yard line. He had a wide open Austin to his right at the twenty, and a wide open Benny Cunningham to his left at the 28. Foles threw down the middle to Jared Cook, who was surrounded by three Bengals defenders. Cook deflected the ball, and it was intercepted by Reggie Nelson. With Cincinnati getting the ball to start the second half, and the Rams offense struggling to the level it is, that was pretty much the ballgame. It was a bad decision by Foles, who would have gotten a first down had he surveyed the field and thrown to either Austin or Cunningham. Even though he completed 30-of-46 passes for 228 yards, going over 200 for the first time since the opener, three interceptions made it a bad day for Foles.
9) If they don’t win the rest of their games, it’ll be twelve consecutive non-winning seasons and four winning years out of 21 since the franchise relocated to St. Louis. In that same period, the Arizona Cardinals have had six winning seasons, the 49ers have had nine, and the Seahawks have had ten.
And of course since 2008, all of the Rams division mates have been to at least one Super Bowl, while the Rams haven’t even had a winning season.
10) If you want more bad news, if the draft were to be held today the Rams could choose as low as twelfth in the first round. There are six teams with worse records and five more at 4-7, but with the Rams difficult schedule, they could be the last 4-7 team to choose. We got through October without talking draft, but just couldn’t make it through November.
This should be a big week on the relocation front. Owners will meet in Dallas on Wednesday, and may set a date in January to vote on which team or teams will move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season…or may decide to push the relocation vote back even further.
November 30, 2015 at 9:30 am in reply to: at least Tavon is stepping up (including all 22 analysis of the long run) #34912znModeratorI think most of the ‘doubters’ dont really question
his talent, they just question his ‘durability.’
How long can the little guy last and keep
his speed, before injuries slow him down.w
vWhat I saw from most of the doubters around different places was them questioning his value. Picked so high, he’s just a limited gimmick player, and so on. I actually rarely see people question his durability. Not that they couldn’t, it’s a fair question…but they don’t, as a rule. Other things came up before that did. Many of the doubters measure him as a pure receiver (I don’t…I think you measure him in terms of combined yards.) Part of it was a debate about “was it Schott or was it Tavon.” That is, was Schott just not using him, cause he didn;t know how. MY take was that they used him to the extent they COULD use him, and he just needed to work on his game. Which he did, and it shows.
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znModeratorThey are a year away. They need better luck with injuries.
I agree with that.
They also need better DE depth.
Along with other stuff they need.
znModeratorHe said no criticism for STs since they always play hard. Well what about playing smart? Running into the kicker in his end zone? Keeps a bone tired Rams defense on the field even longer? No criticism from Fisher with that?
I dont think he said that. I think he said that he won’t abide people criticizing their EFFORT. I don’t think he said anything about not criticizing a UNIT per se.
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November 30, 2015 at 2:13 am in reply to: at least Tavon is stepping up (including all 22 analysis of the long run) #34894znModeratorOn one play I saw something I haven’t seen before.
Don’t quite remember the play it happened on. Was it a punt return? Or the offensive run where he reversed field to make something happen? Either way Tavon didn’t have much room and was doing a lot of lateral running trying to set up a crease…defenders everywhere…and he gets out of bounds finally on the Bengals sideline.
And this Bengals player came up to him and just pats him on the shoulder him on the shoulder, the old “way to go!” style gesture, full of admiration and respect. It really was “way to go!”
Like I said I have never seen that before.
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znModeratorHochman: Rams go from bad to worse to awful
Benjamin Hochman
CINCINNATI • As I sit postgame in the press box, overlooking the 100-yard chalk outline of the Rams’ season, I can’t help but think of Wes Welker and wonder — just what did this guy get himself into?
The dude is a possible Hall of Famer, who thrived with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and yet, one concussion from retirement, he came back to join Nick Foles and the dang St. Louis Rams.
Someone actually chose to be a part of this.
Yes, yes, at the time, Welker signed with a 4-4 Rams team on a one-game losing skid. Well, the Rams have now lost four consecutive games, and they’re an embarrassment to our proud city, to themselves as proud players and, really, to the game of football, which the Rams play with seemingly inebriated ineptness. Oh, and they haven’t had a winning season since 2003.
“Anyone that implies it’s an effort issue — they can kiss my ass,” Fisher said. “There is no effort problem with this team. That’s what happens when you lose four in a row, people say it’s effort.
“Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach, it’s not an effort issue. It’s execution. It’s 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense.”
And that is, thus, 100 percent on Fisher.
His team is so bad at execution, it would forget to plug in the electric chair.
Yes, it’s very difficult to win in this league without a quarterback. Foles and Fisher are nice humans, and they work hard and all that stuff. But this season, both men are in over their heads. One of them has to be gone by next season.
After this latest debacle, Fisher was asked if he was doing a good enough job as coach.
“I’ve lost four in a row, so no, that’s not acceptable,” Fisher said. “But we’re going to keep working out at it, we’ve got to get more production out of our offense.”
More production? How about just, simply, production?
I love watching the Rams huddle up, leaning in all intently, as if something different will occur during the next play.
Now, it was nice to see the Rams mix in the wildcat, but the problem is, they’re stuck for now with The Wildcat. Former Arizona quarterback Foles finished with a passer rating so low (49.9) that is was close to his number of passing attempts (46). He threw three interceptions, nary a touchdown. Yes, Fisher said when Case Keenum passes concussion protocol, Keenum will be the one making the passes. But Foles was the big-money signee. Keenum is not a long-term solution. Sadly, Foles isn’t either.
Did Fisher and his staff ruin the guy? Or was Foles just in the ideal system at Philadelphia?
I asked Foles: you’ve accomplished a lot — when you look in the mirror, are you like, “What has happened to me as a player?”
“I still feel like the same player, it’s just one of those things that’s a bump in the road, and you learn — it’s a lot of character building, a lot of adversity,” Foles said. “Every week you want to turn it around, and it’s one of those things where it’s longer than you think. You just have to keep working on the fine details, going to the weight room, watching film. You just have to keep working at it because you can’t give up. There is no choice. I know I’m not going to give up, and I’m going to keep working. …
“Each play is designed for a specific coverage and blocking scheme, and we just didn’t do our job well enough to get the ball in the end zone. We have to execute, it’s the fine details in football. We have to be more precise.”
Now, let’s not forget, the Bengals are pretty good. They’ve defeated teams better than the Rams. But this game wasn’t even a game here.
So next up for the Rams is the Arizona Cardinals, and one has to ask — how in the world did the Rams actually beat the Arizona Cardinals? And in Arizona!
That was a different Rams team, one invigorated by the rookie Todd Gurley, one infused with defense.
I’m fascinated by the enigma that is Jeff Fisher. They say his players adore playing for him. And he’s steadfast that their effort is high-energy. But they lose and lose and lose. I joked to beat writer Jim Thomas that our editors should just run last week’s column, which had the headline: “What a horrible display by the Rams” — which is probably a similar headline from last year … and the year before … and every year since Gurley was in elementary school.
The thoughtful Lance Kendricks agreed with Fisher — it wasn’t necessarily about effort.
“That’s one thing we pride ourselves on, but maybe it’s a lack of communication,” the veteran tight end said. “I know there were a couple times we’re out there trying to figure out what to do.
“We definitely shot ourselves in the foot a few times with penalties and mistakes. … And the mistakes we made were costly ones. Really costly. It goes from third-and-short to third-and-long. Then we throw an interception in the red zone. … I just think — I’m not going to say we weren’t ready to play — we weren’t on point.”
Is it too late in the season for the Rams to get on point?
Is there any sign of hope that this franchise will ever get on point?
znModeratorRams’ free-fall continues
Jim Thomas
CINCINNATI • The Rams keep falling and they can’t get up.
For the second time in three Sundays, the Rams were drubbed by 24 points. This time the spanking came compliments of the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-7, at Paul Brown Stadium.
That makes four consecutive losses, a 4-7 record for the season, and the 9-2 Arizona Cardinals streaking into St. Louis this week.
And suddenly, it all seems to be out in the open regarding the big picture. For one, even the most optimistic Rams realize any realistic chance at a playoff berth has slipped away. Again.
“Yeah, it hurts,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It definitely hurts. We all play to hold the trophy, and just get in the tournament and have a chance. And to be in a season where that’s likely not possible, it definitely hurts.”
And the other overriding reality emerging from Sunday’s outcome is can coach Jeff Fisher survive what almost certainly looks like a fourth consecutive losing season?
“We’ve all contributed to this,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s not just one man. I still have belief in the vision, the dream, and everything. But collectively, there’s 53 guys out there that need to perform better. And I don’t think it’s fair to point it all at Jeff.”
Nonetheless, the strain is beginning to show on Fisher. When asked postgame if he was OK with the effort displayed by his team, the normally even-keeled coach snapped ever-so-briefly.
“Anyone that implies it’s an effort issue — they can kiss my ass,” Fisher said. “There is no effort problem with this team. That’s what happens when you lose four in a row, people say it’s effort.
“Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach, it’s not an effort issue. It’s execution. It’s 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense. I’ll leave (special) teams out of it, because our teams always play hard.”
Which may be exactly the point. Nearly four seasons into the tenure of Fisher and general manager Les Snead, should the execution still be such a problem? Should the penalties still pile up, the dropped passes occur with such regularity, an offense struggle so mightily to mount drives and score points?
“It’s frustrating to see,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “You work every day, you work hard every day to come out and try to get a victory. And it doesn’t happen. Yeah, it’s frustrating. Right now, it’s a bad time to be a Ram.”
There was never a time in Sunday’s contest where you felt the Rams had a legitimate shot to take down the AFC North-leading Bengals (9-2).
True, the Rams did shave Cincy’s lead to 10-7 after a five-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep by Tavon Austin with 8½ minutes to go in the second quarter. It was Austin’s team-high and career-high eighth TD of the season, and it was set up by a 60-yard jet sweep with Austin taking the handoff from “quarterback” Todd Gurley — who was lined up in the Wildcat formation.
But all things considered, the Rams once again had too little offense on a day when Gurley was limited to 19 yards on nine carries and quarterback Nick Foles threw three interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown. In all seven losses this season, the Rams have scored 18 points or less.
“It’s frustrating,” Gurley said. “I’m not used to really losing. Just trying to deal with this stuff. But at the end of the day, things could be a lot worse. I’ve just gotta stay positive and just keep fighting strong.
“We might not be a playoff team, but hey, we’re still undefeated in the division. So we definitely look towards those games.”
Three of the Rams’ final five games are against division foes Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco. The Rams are 10-10-1 against the NFC West under Fisher, but 14-24 against everybody else.
Cincinnati’s offense had too much balance and too much firepower against a suddenly wilting Rams defense. The Bengals rushed for 140 yards and 4.5 yards per carry, with Jeremy Hill (16 for 86) doing most of the work.
With rare exception, quarterback Andy Dalton was right on target, completing 20 of 27 passes including three TDs. And the Bengals’ marquee receivers showed up: A.J. Green had two TD catches and tight end Tyler Eifert caught his league-leading 12th TD pass.
With Case Keenum unable to pass the concussion protocol, Foles returned to the starting lineup and did nothing to show that Fisher made the wrong move benching him a week ago.
Foles completed 30 of 46 passes, but for only 228 yards and with a passer rating of 49.9. Since the start of the Green Bay game Oct. 11, he has thrown as many touchdowns to the opposing team on “pick 6s” as touchdown passes (two).
“I still feel like the same player,” Foles said. “It’s one of those things where it’s just a bump in the road and you learn. … Every week you want to turn it around and it’s one of those things where it’s longer than you think.”
The slide, both for Foles and the team, has progressed far beyond “bump” proportions. Try a thick brick wall blocking that road to progress.
“It’s always a tough day at the office when you lose, but we still gotta lot to fight for,” nickel back Lamarcus Joyner said. “We’ve got pride. We’re men. We love this game.
“Look at what happened to our teammate. At least we’re still fortunate enough to go out there these next five weeks and play on Sunday.”
That was a reference to teammate Stedman Bailey, recovering from gunshot wounds from a drive-by shooting in South Florida.
In what has been an emotional week for the team, Bailey was very much in the players’ thoughts Sunday.
“He’s definitely in my prayers,” said Austin, one of Bailey’s best friends. “You know, he’s still with me at all times. … For me, I’m playing for two now, so I’ll take his load and keep on pushing.”
The Rams wanted to win for Bailey, and the fact that they fell so short of that goal made the defeat doubly tough to digest. If nothing else, perhaps that sole TD drive put a smile on Bailey’s face.
“I know his girlfriend is telling him right now,” Austin said. “I know that she’s right by his side and she’s telling play-by-play how I was doing. I know that for a fact.”
znModeratorBengals 31, Rams 7: Quick Hits on the Latest Embarrassment
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/11/29/bengals-31-rams-7-quick-hits-on-the-latest-debacle/
In a result that was predictable, ugly and all that we’ve come to expect from the 2015 St. Louis Rams, the visiting team wandered into Cincinnati on Sunday to formally accept a 31-7 bashing that brought the sad-sack franchise closer to a 12th consecutive non-winning season.
The Rams were 4-3 a few weeks ago.
Now they are 4-7.
Going the wrong way … again.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher had this post-game reaction after his team got buried by a 24-point loss for the second time in the last three weeks.
“Anyone implies that it’s an effort issue, they can kiss my (butt),” Fisher told reporters in Cincinnati. “There’s no effort problems on this team. That’s what happens when teams lose four in a row is people say it’s effort. Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach. It’s not an effort issue right now. It’s execution. It’s 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense. I’ll leave (special)teams out of it. Our teams always play hard.”
Kiss his arse?
I guess that would be better than having to kiss Fisher’s record. He hasn’t had a winning season since 2008, or won a playoff game since 2003.
Fisher can’t tell anyone to kiss his Super Bowl ring; as a head coach he doesn’t have one.
In another example of the complete absence of humility that we’ve come to know and loathe, Fisher declined to specifically mention coaching as he parceled the 70% offense, 30% defense blame for the Rams’ wrong-way season.
When asked if his coaching was good enough, Fisher sort of held himself accountable.
“I’ve lost four in a row, so no,” Fisher said. “That’s not acceptable, but we’re going to keep working at it. We’ve got to get more production on offense.”
That’s nothing new. It’s rather old, actually. Fisher’s offense is near the bottom of the NFL in scoring during his four seasons in St. Louis. He’s had four years to put together an above-average offense, to find a good quarterback, to assemble a tough offensive line, to cultivate one elite receiver, and to hire an innovative offensive coordinator.
Fisher has done none of that. But unless he wants out, Fisher is in no apparent danger of losing his job.
And you wonder why he has an arrogant attitude?
My sincere admiration to Rams fans who faithfully stick by this team. You deserve better.
By loving this team you’ve become characters in the George Strait song, “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together.”
We saw the usual over there in Ohio: overall ineptitude on offense, an overrun offensive line, idiotic penalties, substandard quarterback play and an ineffectual coaching staff that had no solutions. The only somewhat new trend: a poor performance by the St. Louis defense for the second time in three games. After holding up all of the dead weight on offense and special teams, a terrific Rams defense is succumbing to the strain. And with injuries continuing to shred the Rams’ eroding roster/lineup stability, the team entered the full collapse mode at Paul Brown Stadium.
Here are some quick-hit observations, swipes, and updated factoids:
Four years into his program, Fisher and GM Les Snead still don’t have a starting-caliber quarterback. The Rams lack many essential pieces, but 59 regular-season games into game they’re still trying to function with below-replacement level talent at the NFL’s most important position. Nick Foles — back in as the starter in place of the groggy Case Keenum — was awful again, getting intercepted three times while flubbing his way to a 49.9 passer rating. Not that it was reasonable to expect much from Foles, who confronted one of the NFL’s best defenses behind an offense line that was put together from a thrift-store rag bin. But Foles is lost, having thrown two touchdown passes and eight interceptions with a 55.7 passer rating in his last six starts. Foles has gone 115 passing attempts without connecting for a TD. In Sunday’s loss, Foles lapsed into quarterback blindness, not seeing Bengals defensive back Leon Hall on a pick-six INT that stretched the home team’s lead to 31-7. Foles would add some meaningless yards after that, but through the Hall pickoff Foles had managed only 111 yards on 24 passing attempts with a rating of 42.2.
Rookie QB Sean Mannion looked good during the sweeping-up, turn-out-the-lights phase of the game when the victorious Bengals’ only real objective was safely getting to the locker room without suffering an injury that could impact the rest of their season. But by completing six of seven passes for 31 yards against a disinterested defense, Mannion undoubtedly will become the instant hero-nominee of a frustrated fan base that’s desperate for any form of hope. So we can expect ear-shattering caterwauling in the coming days, with the masses demanding that Mannion be plugged in as the starter for the rest of the campaign. This is a fantastic idea — well, that’s true if your goal is to see Mannion absorb a horrendous beating and have his confidence ripped from his long-term potential while operating the league’s most hopeless, impotent, talent-deprived, and poorly coached offense. If you want to throw the kid to the jackals and have defenses ravage him for some easy Sunday dinners, well I suppose you’re among the folks that (A) screamed for Drew Lock to start at quarterback for Mizzou, and (B) enjoyed watching those National Geographic videos of lions eating a hyena in the wild. I don’t think this is a smart idea … but honestly I don’t blame you for being ticked off and wanting a change that would at least introduce something fresh to the proceedings.
By the way … can someone at Rams Park remind me why Austin Davis was run out of the place as if he carried a potentially hazardous and life-threatening contagion? The dude started eight games for the 2014 Rams, completing 64 percent of his passes and throwing 12 touchdown passes. And even with too many careless turnovers Davis finished the season with an 85.1 passer rating. Davis is no star, and he won’t be a regular NFL starter. But I didn’t realize the Rams were so overloaded with talent at the QB position. Davis couldn’t have been a backup here? Really?
The Rams have a precious commodity in running back Todd Gurley, but it didn’t take long for this staff and this offense and this O-line to turn the rookie running back into a non-factor. Gurley averaged 141.5 yards rushing and 6.4 yards per carry in his first four NFL starts and rolled to 15 runs that gained 10+ yards. Here are Gurley’s rushing totals, in order, over the last four games: 89, 45, 66, 19 … over the last four games Gurley has averaged 54.7 yards rushing and 3.1 yards per carry. He hasn’t had a run longer than 9 yards in each of his last three starts. Not his fault. Maybe Steven Jackson can quietly talk to Gurley and provide some tips about how a good player can cope with being stuck on a chronic loser.
At least the Rams’ coaches remembered it makes sense to get the football to Tavon Austin, who had 96 yards (and a touchdown) from scrimmage on 10 touches in Cincinnati. This, after handling the ball only twice in last week’s loss at Baltimore. That 60-yard spree by Austin was sweet. There you go; that’s one positive to pull from Sunday’s wreckage.
We wrote about Greg Robinson’s struggles late last week here on the site, so I’ll put a tight limit on my redundancy. After watching Sunday’s game, I’ll add just one thing: the guy is everything your team DOESN’T want in a left tackle. It’s sad to watch the No. 2 overall draft choice (2014) just fall apart a little bit more with each passing week.
With Sunday’s defeat, the Rams’ fourth in a row, the team has lost 10 of its last 14 games under Fisher going back to the final three contests of the 2014 season.
Fisher and the Rams are 1-7 in games played outside of the NFC West this season — with an average loss of 13.4 points in the seven slap downs. Nothing new, as you know. Since taking over in 2012, Fisher is 10-10-1 vs. fellow NFC West members and 14-24 (.365 winning percentage) in non-division games.
Let’s update the Fisher Trend Line: in his first two seasons in St. Louis, a .435 winning percentage (14-17-1.) In his last two seasons a .370 winning percentage (10-17.) I’ll still receive some text messages during Monday morning’s radio show (7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and thank you for listening) insisting that Fisher is a damn good coach and St. Louis is fortunate to have him.
The Rams have only six touchdown receptions from the wide receiver position this season; Austin has four of the six. The Rams haven’t gotten a touchdown catch from a wide receiver other than Austin since Stedman Bailey snatched one in the fourth game of the season, in the Oct. 4 at Arizona. Kenny Britt has the other TD reception, and that came in Rams’ second game of the season at Washington on Sept. 20.
If anything I’m surprised Cincinnati defensive tackle Geno Atkins didn’t do more damage Sunday. Atkins was credited with three solo tackles, a sack and three QB hits. That’s a good day, but I kind of expected a wrecking-ball job considering the Rams had no one that could block Atkins. By the way before anyone starts weeping for Fisher because of the injuries that have messed up the team’s offensive line, I pass along this note from friend and colleague Randy Karraker: A Carolina, where the Panthers are 11-0, Mike Remmers has started all 11 games at right offensive tackle. Yep. The same Remmers who was on the Rams’ practice squad for part of 2014. But no one at Rams Park had the sense to put Remmers on the active roster. And by the way: According to the grading done by Pro Football Focus, former Ram Joe Barksdale is a Top 20 NFL offensive tackle this season based on his performance in San Diego.
During the four-game losing streak the Rams have averaged 12.7 points scored. NFL teams are scoring an average of 21 points per game this season. The Rams have been held to 18 points or fewer in seven of their 11 games.
The four-game losing streak is the Rams’ longest since Fisher became their coach. It could get worse of course. As he was winding down in Tennessee, Fisher had a six-game losing streak in 2009 and again in 2010, his final season as HC there.
Since Fisher last made the playoffs in 2008, his record as a head coach is 38-52-1. That’s a .423 winning percentage. This is Fisher’s 20th full season as an NFL head coach, and there are six winning records next to his name. So given that extensive history and the recent trend — 10 losses in the last 14 games — I’m still trying to see the upside in keeping Fisher in place. Under normal circumstances Fisher would be an automatic firing. But these are not normal circumstances, and I’m not Stan Kroenke, so I can continue to yelp about all of this, but it simply doesn’t matter. If shouting FIRE FISHER! provides good therapy, then keep yelling. But I doubt that Kroenke is listening to any of us.
According ESPN Stats & Information Foles completed only 1 of 7 passes — with 3 interceptions — on passes thrown 15+ yards downfield Sunday. ESPN adds this: in his last two games Foles has connected on only one of 13 passes thrown 15+ yards downfield.
Heck, y’all may be able to win me over to your side in this Mannion debate, after all.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
znModeratorBengals Post 31-7 Win Over Rams
Myles Simmons
CINCINNATI — The Bengals got up early and never relented Sunday afternoon, soundly beating the Rams 31-7 at Paul Brown Stadium.
“Obviously, a disappointing loss,” head coach Jeff Fisher said after the game. “They’re a good football team. If things happen differently early in the game, maybe it’s a closer game.”
With quarterback Case Keenum still going through the concussion protocol, Nick Foles started Sunday’s matchup for St. Louis. And the signal-caller had another rough go, finishing with a 49.9 quarterback rating after throwing for 228 yards and three interceptions on the day.
“As far as our decision to go with Nick, Case has still not passed the protocol. That’s why he was third and was inactive,” Fisher said. “When Case does pass it, and we’re hopeful that it is this week, then he’ll go back to being under center as the starter.”
Generally, the offense continued to stall. Though the Rams ended the contest with 345 yards of offense, they’d gained only 214 through three quarters. And when the final whistle sounded in the third period, the Rams were already down 31-7.
“We’re not getting much production out of the offense,” Fisher said. “We understood the matchups this week, and we tried to get the ball out sideways. We made some plays, but not nearly enough. Credit them, they’re a well-coached and outstanding defense.”
“It comes down to execution — every single person doing their job. That’s including me,” Foles said. “We’ve just got to keep working. We have to be more precise. The NFL, everybody’s pretty good and that’s a really good team right now. You have to be extremely precise and execute for things to work.”
The defense had its share of issues slowing down quarterback Andy Dalton and Cincinnati’s high-powered offense. Dalton was efficient, completing 20 of his 27 passes for 233 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Six of those passes went to wide receiver A.J. Green for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and tight end Tyler Eifert had three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.
“They just made plays, really. It’s just on us,” linebacker Akeem Ayers said. “The team with the least mistakes is the team that’s usually going to win. So we’ve just got to limit mistakes and just play smart football.”
Cincinnati got on the board first with a methodical possession after the Rams went three-and-out to open the contest. The Bengals have done well to score early in games and were able to do so Sunday with a seven-play, 63-yard drive ending with Green’s first touchdown reception. The wideout was left open in the end zone and Dalton found him easily with a 10-yard strike to put the Bengals up, 7-0.
The home team increased its lead with the help of a special teams flag. St. Louis’ defense had forced a three-and-out deep in Cincinnati territory, and it looked as if the Rams could get the ball back with decent field position. But Chase Reynolds was called for running into the kicker, and the five-yard penalty resulted in a Bengals first down.
With their offense back on the field, the Bengals picked up 30 yards on a Marvin Jones reverse. The play put Cincinnati inside the Rams’ 10-yard line, but the defense was able to clamp down and hold the Bengals to a field goal.
The 21-yard kick from Mike Nugent made the home team’s lead 10-0.
After that, the Rams put together one of their best scoring drives in weeks with a big play from Austin. Fisher had hinted the Rams would make some changes in the run game, and one of those came in the form of employing the wildcat.
On 2nd-and-3 from the St. Louis 27, running back Todd Gurley lined up about five yards behind center Tim Barnes to take a direct snap. Austin came in motion from left to right and took a handoff from Gurley for a jet sweep. Austin then put the burners on, darting down the field for a 60-yard gain. The wideout also got some great downfield blocks from his teammates en route to Cincinnati’s 13-yard line.
“It was pretty cool, especially the first time we ran it, Tavon running for 60 yards,” Gurley said. “It’s just something new we tried to put in.”
From there, Gurley took a traditional handoff to gain eight yards, and Austin finished the drive off with a 5-yard jet sweep for a touchdown. At the time, the score cut Cincinnati’s lead to 10-7.
But that was about all Austin, Gurley, and the Rams could get on this Sunday afternoon. The running back finished with just nine carries for 19 yards and a catch for 11 yards. And because of negative plays, Austin ended with 63 yards rushing and 33 yards receiving.
Following Austin’s score, the defense surrendered a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in response. Cincinnati did not face a third down during the possession, which finished with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Eifert.
The Rams did have a chance to score prior to halftime on a two-minute drive. Quarterback Nick Foles brought the offense deep into Cincinnati territory with under a minute left in the half. But his first-down pass from the Cincinnati 23 to Jared Cook got tipped by a defender and landed in the hands of safety Reggie Nelson. The turnover kept the home team up 17-7 at halftime.
“I’m disappointed in the turnovers,” Fisher said. “Had a chance to go into the locker room down 17-10, and didn’t. Credit to them for making the play. They made the play and stalled that drive. And then, of course, our defense gave up some plays in the second half.”
The visitors did get a takeaways of their own to start the second half when Janoris Jenkins picked off his third pass of the season. Dalton underthrew his receiver down the left sideline, and Jenkins was there to intercept it. The offense, however, could not take advantage of the extra possession, punting after a six plays.
Then Cincinnati increased its lead once again, buoyed by a long screen pass to Giovani Bernard. Though the running back fumbled as he got deeper into St. Louis territory, Eifert was there to pick it up at the visitors’ 20. A play later, Dalton hit Green with an 18-yard pass over the middle in the end zone for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Bengals went up 24-7.
It wouldn’t take long for the home team to score more points. On 3rd-and-13 of the Rams’ first set of downs, Foles threw a pick six. Cornerback Leon Hall stepped in front of a ball Foles tried to force to wide receiver Bradley Marquez, returning the interception 19 yards for the score.
“I was scrambling and I was trying to step up, just trying to make a play,” Foles said. “I saw him, I was trying to get the ball over him, and it’s just one of those things where it’s me forcing it, trying to make a play in that situation.”
The 31-7 score would hold for the rest of the game, though not without another turnover. Cincinnati intercepted Foles for a third time when the quarterback tried to hit Kenny Britt with a deep pass to the left. But safety George Iloka was there to pick off the early fourth-quarter pass, giving the home team an extra possession.
The Rams did advance deep into Bengals territory twice late in the contest, but came away empty, turning the ball over on downs each time.
At the end of the game, rookie quarterback Sean Mannion came in to gain some experience. The signal-caller completed six of his seven passes for 31 yards in the contest’s final drive. Fisher called a couple timeouts to help ease Mannion in. And though the question came up about Mannion starting at quarterback, Fisher said the rookie isn’t quite ready for that step.
“He hasn’t had enough time,” Fisher said. “And that’s why I slowed the game down at the end, just to give him an opportunity to get in the game. He was excited to play.”
With the loss, the Rams have dropped four straight to fall to 4-7 on the season. Their next matchup will be at home next week against the Cardinals.
“Just have to stay positive and just keep fighting strong,” Gurley said. “We might not be a playoff team, but, hey, we still are undefeated in the division. So we definitely look towards those games.”
“We haven’t stopped fighting yet,” Austin said. “We have five left and we’re going to keep on pushing.”
znModeratorFisher takes blame for slump, says critics of team effort ‘can kiss my ass’
Nick Wagoner
ESPN Staff WriterCINCINNATI — After the St. Louis Rams dropped their fourth consecutive game in 31-7 blowout fashion to the Cincinnati Bengals, coach Jeff Fisher made it clear their effort should not be in question.
“Anyone implies that it’s an effort issue, they can kiss my ass,” Fisher said. “There’s no effort problems on this team. That’s what happens when teams lose four in a row is people say it’s effort. Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach. It’s not an effort issue right now.
“It’s execution. It’s 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense. I’ll leave [special] teams out of it. Our teams always play hard.”
The Rams fell to 4-7 with the loss, and a once-promising 4-3 start has turned into a monthlong spiral that has the Rams on the outside looking in on the postseason for the 11th straight year.
After the latest loss, Fisher answered just a handful of questions and left when two reporters were beginning to ask a question. Fisher’s final response came when he was asked if he was doing a good enough job coaching the team.
“I’ve lost four in a row, so no,” Fisher said. “That’s not acceptable, but we’re going to keep working at it. We’ve got to get more production on offense.”
Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner also believes the players are making an effort.
“We’re definitely still playing tough and coaching hard,” he said. “We’re still going hard as an organization. Sometimes in life, things just don’t go your way. It doesn’t mean the effort is not there or the pride or the love.”
Since Fisher arrived in 2012, the Rams are 24-34-1, and their record has gotten worse in each year since a 7-8-1 mark in Fisher’s first season.
“That losing just brings out extra motivation,” running back Todd Gurley said. “Even though you’re losing you have still got to play hard, still got to prepare the same. Just because everything doesn’t look good down the road doesn’t mean you can just give up.”
znModeratorRegressing Rams stumble to fourth loss in a row
Jim Thomas
CINCINNATI • It has reached this point for the stumbling Rams. Their fourth loss in a row came 31-7 Sunday to Cincinnati. At no point throughout the proceedings did you get the feeling they would make a legitimate run at the AFC North division leaders.
At 4-7, and with Arizona up next on the schedule, you wonder if the offense will ever score more than 20 points again, or if the Rams will even win another game in 2015.
As for anyone questioning the effort of the team Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium — pucker up.
“Anyone that implies it’s an effort issue — they can kiss my (bleep),” coach Jeff Fisher said during his postgame news conference. “There is no effort problem on this team. That’s what happens when you lose four in a row. People say it’s effort. Come to practice, watch this team play, and ask any other opponent or opposing coach.
“It’s not an effort issue right now. It’s execution. It’s 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense. I’ll leave (special) teams out of it, because our teams always play hard.”
There was a follow-up question regarding whether Fisher feels he has done a good enough job with the Rams.
“I’ve lost four in a row, so no,” Fisher said. “That’s not acceptable. But we’re going to keep working at it. We’ve gotta get more production on offense.”
The briefest of pauses followed, then as two reporters began to ask questions, Fisher abruptly ended his press conference. To summarize: Opening statement. Four questions, and then exit, stage right. One of the shortest, if not the shortest post-game media session for Fisher since coming to St. Louis in 2012.
After Sunday’s lopsided defeat, it’s fair to say that St. Louis Rams fans are waiting on the answers to two questions regarding owner Stan Kroenke:
1. Will Kroenke move the Rams to Los Angeles before the 2016 season?
2. Will Kroenke fire Fisher after the ’15 season?
As the fourth year of the Fisher-general manager Les Snead regime winds down, the Rams are showing signs of regression, not progression. That 4-3 early November record and playoff chatter seems like it took place a couple of years ago.
To a man, the Rams said they were trying to win one for teammate Stedman Bailey, recovering from gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting in South Florida. But after an emotional week, the result was one of the team’s worst performances under Fisher, albeit against one of the AFC’s top teams and a Super Bowl contender in Cincinnati.
“It’s been an emotional week thinking about Stedman Bailey, and everything he’s going through,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “We’re praying for him and we wanted to go out there and play for him. That’s what hurts.”
With Case Keenum unable to pass the concussion protocol in time for Sunday’s game, Foles returned to the starting lineup. He did nothing to show that Fisher made the wrong move benching him a week ago.
Foles completed 30 of 46 passes, but for only 228 yards. He threw three interceptions and finished with a passer rating of 49.9.
With Foles at quarterback, the St. Louis offense was slow out of the gate once again. The Bengals ganged up on Todd Gurley, limiting him to 19 yards on nine carries.
With Gurley lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, the Rams got a little spark in the second quarter. Gurley handed off to Tavon Austin on a jet sweep, and Austin raced 60 yards around right end to the Cincinnati 13. It was the Rams’ second-longest run from scrimmage this season, eclipsed only by Gurley’s 71-yard TD run four weeks ago against San Francisco. You know, back in the good old days.
After an 8-yard run by Gurley — his longest of the day — Austin scored on another jet sweep around right end, this time taking the handoff from Foles on a five-yard run. It was Austin’s team-high and career-high eighth TD of the season, and it narrowed the Cincinnati lead to 10-7 with 8:29 left in the first half.
But that was it for Rams offensive highlights.
Cincinnati wasted little time getting that score back, with quarterback Andy Dalton throwing a 22-yard TD pass to tight end Tyler Eifert, capping a 10-play drive. It was a perfectly-thrown ball by Dalton _ behind strong safety T.J. McDonald, who began the play close to the line of scrimmage; and in front of free safety Rodney McLeod.
The Rams threatened to make it a one score game just before the half, but a Foles pass over the middle was tipped by safety George Iloka and intercepted by Reggie Nelson at the Bengals’ 10 with 31 seconds left in the second quarter, preserving a 17-7 Cincy lead.
In the third quarter, the Bengals used a 45-yard screen pass to Giovani Bernard to set up a quick TD drive, getting the seven points on wide receiver A.J. Green’s second touchdown catch of the day. He beat zone coverage on the play, an 18-yard pass over the middle with 7:01 left in the third.
On the ensuing Rams possession, a scrambling Foles threw his second interception of the day, with this one returned 19 yards by Bengals cornerback Leon Hall for a touchdown and a 31-7 Cincinnati lead.
“I was scrambling and trying to step up, make a play, and try to convert,” Foles said. “I saw (Hall) and tried to get the ball over him. It was one of those things where I was trying to make too big of a play in that situation.”
Things got so out of hand, Fisher let rookie Sean Mannion finish out the game by playing the last series. The closing minutes had the feel of a fourth-quarter preseason game.
With the Bengals’ defense interested only in preventing the big play, Mannion completed six of seven passses, but for a mere 31 yards in his NFL debut. Fisher, before his hasty press conference exit, told reporters that Mannion isn’t ready for starter’s duty.
“When Case does pass (the concussion protocol) — and we’re hopeful it’s this week — then he’ll go back under center as the starter,” Fisher said.
znModeratorTavon Austin up, Rams defense down in loss to Bengals
Nick Wagoner
CINCINNATI — A look at St. Louis Rams players who were “up” and those who were “down” in Sunday’s 31-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
UP
WR Tavon Austin: Perhaps inspired by the shooting of his close friend Stedman Bailey earlier this week, Austin gave everything he had in a losing cause Sunday. He was the only consistent source of production for the offense and scored the team’s lone touchdown as he finished with 96 yards from scrimmage. There wasn’t much else of positive impact from the Rams’ side in this one.
DOWN
The defense: It’s been a long year for a defense that’s been on the field as much as this one. The combination of that wear and tear with a talented Cincinnati offense led to the group’s second poor performance in the past three weeks as the Rams’ defense continued its tumble toward mediocrity once again.
QB Nick Foles: Yes, we know the quarterback isn’t solely to blame for the offense’s struggles and we’ll get to that in a minute. But in case it wasn’t already clear, the Rams don’t have a starting-caliber NFL quarterback on the roster. Foles was 30-of-46 for 228 yard with no touchdowns and three interceptions, including a ghastly decision and throw that led to a pick-6 in the third quarter.
The offensive line: This unit could have been a staple in this spot all season, but the most disappointing aspect of the group — other than the injuries — is that there just hasn’t been any noticeable improvement as the season has progressed. Foles was under pressure most of the day and running room was nonexistent for running back Todd Gurley in yet another anemic offensive performance.
znModeratorI had no idea Foles was this awful.
Well, he is now. He was better last year. For that matter he was better in the first few games than he is now. That was never stellar but it wasn’t as bad as now.
That suggests he can return to form, or that it’s at least possible.
Which is not an argument against drafting another qb.
.
znModeratorI don’t know Jenks was vocal last week about needing help from the O and they got less this week. I am not convinced Fisher hasn’t lost em” already.
What he did not complain about is Fisher.
We saw a coach lose a team—Linehan. And before that, Vermeil…briefly. This does not look like that, IMO.
znModeratorPressure starting to get to Fisher.
Now everyone can “kiss his ass”.
I don’t question the effort. I question the coaching, the execution, the talent–but not the effort.
I wonder if that means I can “kiss his ass” too.
He’s not going to let anyone question his team’s effort.
I understand that. Completely.
But that’s all he said.
He took the coaching hit. So that’s not the issue.
JT: When asked if he’s doing a good enough job coaching the team: “I’ve lost four in a row, so no.”
znModeratorI salute those who could withstand 4 full quarters of that torture.
Well, i think a TRUE DieHard Ram fan
would become a Raider fan at this point.
Just on principle.w
vWe call ourselves The Dead Mole Society.
.
znModeratorEnh. Fair enough, but I think we already knew he was a faster-processor than Foles.
I’m all for playing Mannion more as the season goes along. I would actually watch
the offense if Mannion was playing during a non-garbage time.He needs the experience. Lets see if he can survive.
Well first, me personally…I’m not calling for him to start.
But either way it’s not just that he’s faster than Foles, which would not be saying much. He’s just pretty fast in his own right. Not Bulger/Bradford level with a quick release (he actually has a kind of quirky release) but mentally sharp. He just processes fairly fast. In fact with Mannion in there you actually get a better idea of what the passing offense is SUPPOSED to look like. Mannion was executing that offense, Foles isn’t yet (and whether he ever will is an open question).
BUT none of what he did tells us how he throws under pressure, in the face of a rush or in clutch time etc. Which are big in my own qb eval criteria.
So, I am not waving the Mannion flag just yet. I will say though that what praise he is earning so far, even granting the circumstances, is warranted.
.
znModeratorManion looked fantastic!
Umm…was he playing at garbage time…when the bengals
were in prevent ?w
vYes but even under those conditions you can see how fast a guy processes and executes and whether he is clicking.
It’s a baby step but he had all those things.
.
znModerator…I mean thread.
My own personal subjective reaction is,
I cant even watch this team.
Thats how bad the offense is.
For wv-ram — its unwatchable.
I am not sure, but I think I have only
reached this point two or three times since 1968w
vWell, we diehards who did watch it just say, we who watched the game, salute you.
There were some silver linings.
.
znModeratorThis is all hypothetical of course as Foles is not likely to kick ass in any way shape or form, unless he stumbles and his foot flies up to kick Barnes in the ass. In which case Barnes will probably fall in such a way to snap his ankle because…the Rams
You have no idea how much that kind of pie in the sky blithering over-optimism just grates on me.
Yeah yeah yeah, and rainbow bunnies will sing to us during the game.
znModeratorNick Wagoner ✔ @nwagoner
Cody Wichmann will start at right guard in place of Andrew Donnal. That should allow Rams to keep Garrett Reynolds at LG w/ Havenstein at RT
IF that holds—with Reynolds at LG and Havenstein at RT, that’s about the best you can expect. It *ought* to be a far more settled down OL than we saw last week.
znModeratorNoteworthy inactives:
Battle. Havenstein is not reported as inactive. Doesn’t mean he’s playing. It also means the depth on the OL is Reynolds (who is also presumably playing but would have to switch to cover an injury at LOT) plus the 2 new guys they just added a couple of weeks ago.
Johnson. Roberson starts. I am not sure about that one.
Means the Rams D is missing Johnson, Ogletree, and Quinn. Plus Long is not 100%.
…
znModeratorReeling Rams hope the slide stops now
Jim Thomas
Somewhere along the road from Minnesota to Cincinnati, the wheels have fallen off this Rams season. The shimmer of 4-3 and the team’s first winning record in November in nearly a decade is gone.
Absolutely crushing losses to Minnesota, Chicago, and Baltimore have the Rams staggering at 4-6 and suddenly bearing the all-too-familiar look of a team headed toward another losing season.
Most Rams fans know the milestone years by heart — all together now — no playoff berths since 2004 and no winning records since 2003.
“Big picture-wise, we have zero room for error now,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “The way the record is, we’ve made it extremely difficult on ourselves for big picture. But there’s no quit over here.”
But now with a supposedly “softer” portion of the schedule behind them, the Rams head into the teeth of two of the NFL’s elite. On Sunday, it’s the 8-2 Cincinnati Bengals in a noon kickoff (St. Louis time) at Paul Brown Stadium.
“It is definitely frustrating,” said tight end Lance Kendricks. “This team has been in this position a lot in the last few years — since I’ve been here. It’s more frustrating when you have the talent and you have the good players, and you have everything in place.
“But injuries to the offensive line and things like that, it hinders teams that are good. There’s nobody to blame, but I think we just need to find a way to win. That’s kind of where we’re lacking. We’re always in the game, but we just have to find ways to finish.”
Getting to the finish line will be tougher than ever these next two Sundays. Smarting from narrow losses back-to-back against Houston and Arizona, Cincy wants nothing more than to get well against the reeling Rams.
Then comes 8-2 Arizona, looking very much the part of Super Bowl contender these days. One of those two losses came to the Rams way back on Oct. 4, and if you don’t think Big Red coach Bruce Arians wants to avenge that 24-22 loss, well, you don’t know Bruce Arians.
Fleshing out the remaining schedule for 2015, supposed cupcakes Detroit and Tampa Bay are playing much better lately. That leaves road games at Seattle (Dec. 27) and at San Francisco (Jan. 3). The Seahawks, always tough to beat in the Pacific Northwest, look like they’re primed for a wild-card run.
So how many victories does that leave for Jeff Fisher’s Rams? Six? Seven? Can they find a way to eight?
As the Rams prepare for the stretch run, they are missing defensive end Robert Quinn with hip and back ailments. He’s the best player on the team not named Aaron Donald or Todd Gurley.
On the other side of the ball, the Rams’ offseason decision to go largely all-rookie on the offensive line appears to be backfiring in a big way. As the injuries mount, different collections of young and inexperienced blockers are assembled to pass protect and open holes in the running game.
This week, Cody Wichmann makes his second NFL start and Demetrius Rhaney makes his first. Cincinnati’s all-world defensive tackle, Gene Atkins, will try to make it an afternoon to remember for Wichmann and Rhaney, who will be manning the guard positions.
Whether it’s Nick Foles or the recently-concussed Case Keenum behind center, it doesn’t look like the team’s quarterback plan for 2015 will get a passing grade either when all is said and done. In a league where quarterbacks such as Cincy’s Andy Dalton can seemingly complete passes with their eyes closed, the Rams huff and puff to connect on the most basic of passes.
The league’s 32nd-ranked passing offense struggles to move the chains — it’s as if they’re 20 yards apart instead of 10. The Rams are averaging 173.9 yards per game in the air through 10 games this season. That’s on pace to be the lowest per-game average since the 1-15 Rams of Steve Spagnuolo averaged 167.9 yards per game in 2009.
And as dire as all that sounds, it almost pales in comparison to a myriad of off-field issues.
First and foremost, wide receiver Stedman Bailey remains in intensive care over the weekend after surgery for gunshot wounds in a drive-by shooting Tuesday in the Miami area.
The team wants to dedicate the season to Bailey. Teammate and longtime friend Tavon Austin wants to wear Bailey’s jersey No. 12 in his honor in games. Austin and wide receiver Kenny Britt wore No. 12 jerseys in practice Friday.
“That’s cool,” Fisher said. “They love Sted. If we had enough jerseys to go around, everybody would’ve had a 12 jersey on, including me.”
But it remains to be seen if the emotion of a tough week at Rams Park lifts the team to new heights or leaves the players overwrought and mentally drained against the Bengals.
This season already has seen two players — Bailey and reserve running back Trey Watts — suspended for violating NFL policy on substance abuse.
The day before the wrenching 16-13 loss at Baltimore, Fisher benched running back Tre Mason and rookie offensive tackle Isaiah Battle for missing the team bus to Lambert Airport.
Throw in the controversy over concussion protocol and the fact that Keenum stayed in the Baltimore game after banging his head and getting up groggy, and it’s difficult to imagine how anything else could go wrong.
“We’ve gotta stay together as a team,” Britt said after the Baltimore game. “If we don’t stay together, everything’s gonna fall apart. We’ve got a great coach. We’ve got great teammates. And I know we’re gonna pull through this.”
In the past under Fisher, the Rams have managed to follow tough losses to lesser foes with surprising upsets over elite teams. Maybe that happens Sunday against the Bengals or the following week against Arizona. Or maybe the Rams continue to tumble through the trap door in a season once full of playoff expectations.
If the Rams are to pull themselves back up, it must start with offense. With first downs, with third-down conversions, with red zone success — and yes, with completions.
“We just have to utilize us better,” Kendricks said. “I don’t know how to say that without it sounding bad, but we gotta utilize everybody. That’s part of a good offense. Good offenses, everyone gets used. You spread the ball out.
“Hopefully we can figure that out. I know we have issues up front. Once we figure that out, I think we’ll be all right. We just gotta keep hanging on.”
RAMS ADD A KICKER
Greg Zuerlein made the trip to Cincinnati but is questionable due to a groin injury, so the Rams added kicker Zach Hocker to the roster Saturday. Hocker began this season with New Orleans. The Rams cut tight end Justice Cunningham to make room for Hocker.
znModerator7 things to watch: Rams vs. Bengals
Jim ThomasSt. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) celebrates his touchdown with his teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
RED RIFLE IS HAVING A CAREER YEAR
Bengals QB Andy Dalton started against St. Louis as a rookie in 2011, but for the vast majority of Rams, this will be their first time facing the two-time Pro Bowler. The former TCU star is in the midst of a career year with a passer rating of 104.0, 20 TDs, and just five INTs. His passer rating trails only Carson Palmer (108.6) and Tom Brady (107.4) in the NFL. With 262 yards against the Rams, he’ll join Peyton Manning as the only QBs in league history to throw for 3,000 yards-plus in each of their first five NFL seasons.
GREEN MEANS GO
When it comes to elite receivers, A.J. Green has been one of the league’s standard-bearers since taken fourth overall in 2011. He has made the Pro Bowl every year since entering the NFL, and is well on his way to a fifth Pro Bowl berth and a fifth 1,000-yard receiving season. His combination of size (6-4, 207), speed, and athleticism make him a matchup problem for all in the NFL. And it looks like the Rams will be minus one of their starting cornerbacks, Trumaine Johnson, with a thigh injury Sunday.
REST OF THE BUNCH
What makes the Bengals extra tough to defend is the multiple options in the passing game. Yes, Green remains the go-to guy, but the return to health of Marvin Jones has made it tougher for opposing defenses to gang up on Green. After missing the entire 2014 season with ankle and foot injuries, Jones has become a productive No. 2 receiver (39 for 515). Former Rutgers star Mohamed Sanu (6-2, 210) provides another big target. Don’t be surprised if the Bengals try to pick on Marcus Roberson, Johnson’s replacement.
THE EIFERT TOWER
Sorry Gronk, the best tight end in the NFL may be Tyler Eifert, an imposing target at 6-6, 250 who leads the league with 11 TD catches — already a single-season record for a Bengals TE. In case you haven’t noticed, the Rams have had trouble covering tight ends lately. Lesser lights Crockett Gillmore (five for 101) and Zach Miller (five for 107) have topped 100 yards receiving the past two weeks against them. Part of the problem could be that SS T.J. McDonald doesn’t appear to be moving as well after missing the Minnesota game with a foot injury.
MISSING QUINN
Although he’s listed as questionable with a hip/back injury, Rams defensive end Robert Quinn didn’t practice all week and it will be very surprising if he plays against the Bengals. The biggest issue among a series of injuries for Quinn is a back injury; in fact, it’s reaching the point where the Rams may consider shutting him down for the season. Although far from non-existent without him, the Rams’ pass rush simply doesn’t pack as much punch. Quinn hasn’t been the same since the Green Bay game Oct. 11.
GROUND TO A HALT
With defenses ganging up on Todd Gurley and injuries taking their toll on the offensive line, the running game hasn’t been nearly as effective lately. After averaging 141.5 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry in his first four NFL starts, Gurley has averaged only 66.7 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in his last three outings. So basically, his production has been cut in half. The Rams have been working on some new wrinkles in their run game this week; we’ll see if they bear fruit against Cincinnati.
BATTLE OF THE “THREE-TECHS”
The Rams’ Aaron Donald and the Bengals’ Geno Atkins are arguably the game’s top “three-techniques,” the defensive tackle position that showcases quickness and penetration. With seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 24 QB pressures, Donald is on pace to have a better year statistically than in 2014, when he was NFL defensive rookie of the year. Atkins, a three-time Pro Bowler, has seven sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. He’s a matchup challenge for sure against a Rams interior that starts Demetrius Rhaney and Cody Wichmann at guard.
znModeratorA battle of defensive tackles and red zone production keys to Rams-Bengals
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams and Cincinnati Bengals kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Paul Brown Stadium. Here are three things to watch in that matchup:
1. Dueling D-tackles: In a normal week, we don’t put individual players on this list, especially ones that don’t actually face each other on a down-to-down basis but in this case we’ll make an exception for two of the elite 4-3 defensive tackles in the NFL in Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins and the Rams’ Aaron Donald. Both players were considered undersized coming out of college but have offered outsized production.
Donald leads the Rams with seven sacks and is aiming for his seventh game in a row against an AFC opponent with a sack. He’s been on a tear lately, too, even without end Robert Quinn there to help out.
Atkins also has seven sacks and a forced fumble to his name as he leads a defense that is tied for ninth in the NFL in sacks. And Atkins could really benefit from the Rams’ inexperience on the interior where guards Cody Wichmann and Demetrius Rhaney are making their second and first career NFL starts, respectively.
Whichever defensive tackle fares better won’t necessarily determine an outcome but it’ll be fun to watch regardless.
2. Strength vs. strength in the red zone: The Rams have made a habit this year of keeping teams out of the end zone when they manage to get deep in their territory. The Rams are second in the NFL in red zone defense, allowing a touchdown only 35.7 percent of the 28 opponent drives that have gone inside their 20-yard line.
Of course, the Rams haven’t faced an offense as productive as the Bengals when it comes to cashing in such opportunities. Cincinnati is second in the NFL in red zone efficiency, scoring a touchdown on 70 percent of their 40 trips inside the 20 this season. The Rams offense is probably going to have trouble scoring again this week (the Bengals defense is good in the red zone, too, tied for third in the league) so the St. Louis defense is going to have to be especially stingy when it comes to touchdowns if the Rams are going to keep this one close.
3. Rushing woes: Rams coach Jeff Fisher talked all week about getting the running game rolling again and how the offense will try different things to make that happen. It can start by simply blocking better but don’t be surprised to see a few new wrinkles, either.
The Bengals don’t have many weaknesses but if there’s one to be found, it could be in defending the run which might mean an uptick in production for Todd Gurley & Co. Cincinnati is 27th in the league in yards per carry allowed at 4.54 and it has struggled in allowing yards before contact as well, yielding 2.9 yards before contact per attempt. That could be dangerous against Gurley, who has the ability to break tackles after getting past the first line.
We know the Rams offense doesn’t have much firepower and we know opposing defenses are selling out to stop Gurley. But the reality is, the Rams passing game is nowhere near good enough to win a game when it’s been dared to do so. Which means Gurley and the Rams must find a way to get it going in a fairly favorable matchup.
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