Rams look for sunny side of .500 against rival 49ers

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-look-for-sunny-side-of-against-rival-ers/article_db6a49e2-d96f-579c-9b31-14eaa6aa0f05.html

There will be no parade down Market Street next week if the Rams beat San Francisco. No rally at Kiener Plaza with speakers and confetti.

But usually at this time of year, you hand out the Halloween candy, November rolls around, and it’s time to think about where the Rams might be picking and who they might take in the upcoming draft.

This year, things feel and look a little different. The Rams are 3-3 and favored against their old West Coast rivals in Sunday’s noon kickoff at the Edward Jones Dome. Such a set of circumstances might be sneered at in other places around the NFL — Green Bay, New England, Denver, and even San Francisco not that long ago.

But in these parts, the local 11 hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. The scars of the worst five-year stretch in NFL history — 15-65 from 2007 through 2011 — remain fresh.

If the Rams defeat the 49ers, they will be 4-3 and above .500 in November for the first time since … 2006. That’s nine long years ago. That’s three head coaches ago — four if you count interim Jim Haslett.

That year, rookie NFL head coach Scott Linehan steered the Rams to a 4-1 start, and entered November with a 4-3 mark. Trouble was, they were early into a 1-7 nosedive that dropped their record to 5-8 before rallying to close the season with three straight wins and finish 8-8.

And that was that, the only post-Halloween “taste of the glory” over the past decade for long-suffering Rams fans. Pretty pitiful, eh?

But now come the 49ers, reeling at 2-5, coping with all kinds of anti-Colin Kaepernick talk, stripped of most of their marquee players from recent seasons. And, as of Friday, they’re minus feature back Carlos Hyde, ruled out for Sunday with what’s believed to be a stress fracture in his left foot.

They rank 32nd in total offense, 31st in total defense and had more punts (nine) than first downs (eight) their last time out — a 20-3 loss to Seattle on Oct. 22.

“Last week was a big win for us, and for us to have a chance to get in the win column again this week, it’s huge,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “But again, it’s a week-to-week thing. So you all can make whatever you want out of that, and what we’ve done here.

“But we’ve let a few go that we should’ve won. We probably won a couple that people didn’t expect us to win. This is our next game. So it would be great to find a way to win it.”

OK, so Fisher didn’t really want to go big picture. Not the first time that’s happened. But leave it to veteran linebacker James Laurinaitis — who was part of a 1-15 squad as a Rams rookie in 2009 and a 2-14 outfit in 2011 — to frame the moment.

“If you want to be different than what we’ve been in the past, you’ve gotta put two (wins) together,” Laurinaitis said. “And if you want to be different than what we’ve been since ’06, you’ve gotta find a way to be above .500 in November.

“So it’s not like it’s the Super Bowl that we’re playing Sunday, but heck yeah, it’s important.”

Making the moment all the more entertaining is the fact that it’s against not just a division rival, but the division rival for the Rams. Sunday marks the 132nd meeting between teams that have met twice a year every year since 1950.

(The teams played three times during the 1989 season because of a playoff game.)

There have been wild fluctuations in the series, with the 49ers taking 17 in a row in a streak that lasted nearly the entire decade of the ’90s. The Rams then won 10 of 12 from 1999 through 2004. But since then it’s been mainly ’Niners, with San Francisco going 14-5-1 against the Rams since the start of the ’05 season.

Even with the massive changes to the 49ers’ roster and coaching staff this past offseason, Laurinaitis says: “They know us well. We know them well. It’s gonna be a physical football game. These division games, a lot off times you wake up on Monday and you’re a little more sore than the other ones.”

There have been some memorable moments in the series since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995:

• Linebacker Ken Norton Jr. celebrating a touchdown by punching the Busch Stadium goal posts in ’95. And then Dana Stubblefield coining the immortal phrase “same old sorry-(bleep) Rams” after a 44-10 49ers victory.

• The Tony Banks “era” beginning with a safety on his first series as a pro at Candlestick Park in 1996.

• The great Isaac Bruce scoring four TDs in 1999 as the Rams ended their 17-game losing streak to the 49ers with a 42-20 win at the Dome. Bill Walsh making a cameo in Dick Vermeil’s press conference, telling his longtime friend, “You’re going all the way.” (Turns out Walsh was right.)

• “Mad” Mike Martz breaking out a broom in the cramped visitors locker room at Candlestick, gleefully commemorating a 34-24 Rams victory and a series sweep in 2000.

• Martz pulling starting quarterback Scott Covington early in the 2002 season finale, a Monday Night affair, because the inexperienced Covington was calling the plays backwards in the huddle.

• Bruce catching what would be the final TD pass of his career — wait a minute, as a 49er! — starting a fourth-quarter San Francisco comeback in a 17-16 Rams defeat in 2008.

• It took 10 quarters to play the series in 2012. A 24-24 overtime tie Nov. 11 at Candlestick, followed by a 16-13 Rams victory 21 days later in St. Louis on a Greg Zuerlein field goal with 26 seconds left in OT.

• And just last season, almost a year ago to the day, the 49ers were poised for a last-second victory with a third-and-goal from the St. Louis 1 with 9 seconds remaining at new Levi’s Stadium. But Kaepernick fumbled on a quarterback sneak before crossing the goal line, and Laurinaitis recovered in the end zone to preserve a 13-10 Rams victory last Nov. 2.

It may be hard to top some of that history. But a winning record in November — for the first time since 2006 — might not be a bad way to go in what could be the final Rams-49ers game in St. Louis.

Starting fast at top of Rams’ list against Niners

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/23043/starting-fast-at-top-of-rams-list-against-niners

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Edward Jones Dome. Here are three things to watch from a Rams’ perspective in that matchup:

1. Starting fast: The Rams’ defense is good enough to keep them in the game for all four quarters against the Niners, but it sure wouldn’t hurt if the Rams’ offense actually woke up before the second half this week to help take some of the pressure off the defense. Simply put, the Rams’ offense has been atrocious in the first quarter of games.

The Rams have scored just once on their opening possession (a 17-yard drive after a fumble recovery on the kickoff against Arizona) and the offense has mustered just 10 points in the first quarter. Worse, the Rams aren’t even moving the ball in the opening quarter, averaging a league-low 2.85 yards per play and 30.8 yards. Perhaps most damning, the Rams have mustered only 11 first downs in the first quarter, which lags far behind everyone else in the league. Miami is 31st with 21.

San Francisco is yielding 89.7 yards per game and 5.92 yards per play in the first quarter, both of which ranks in the 20 range in the NFL, meaning there could be an opportunity for the Rams to get on track early in this one.

The Rams found an offensive spark last week when they went to the no huddle in the third quarter. Perhaps it could be used to get them off to a faster start this time around.

Carlos Hyde
Carlos Hyde’s status for this week is uncertain, but if he does play, the Rams must focus on slowing him down.
2. Slowing the run: In San Francisco’s seven games, they’ve lost by two or more touchdowns in four of them. In the Niners’ three other games, they’ve won two and lost the other by a field goal. While there are plenty of reasons for those varied outcomes, there’s one common denominator present in the wins and close game that isn’t in the blowout losses: running back Carlos Hyde has been prominently involved.

Hyde was at his best in the season opener against Minnesota, a 20-3 victory in which he had 182 yards of offense and two touchdowns. He had 97 yards and a touchdown in a three-point loss to the New York Giants and 60 yards in a win against Baltimore. In all three games, Hyde had at least 21 carries, so even when he didn’t produce much against the Ravens, he was at least a heavy part of the game plan.

Hyde has been dealing with a foot injury and has been ruled out for this week. Reggie Bush is the primary backup who will be asked to get the running game going. The Niners are 31st in the NFL in passing yards per game (ranked only better than the Rams), so slowing Bush and the run game should provide plenty of chances to get after quarterback Colin Kaepernick and force turnovers.

3. Airing it out: It’s no secret that running back Todd Gurley has already emerged as the focal point of the Rams’ offense and that will continue this week. But the Rams also need to start finding some traction in the passing game. Quarterback Nick Foles and Co. are last in the league in passing yards per game (though they’re middle of the road in yards per attempt). That’s not a big deal if the running game is rolling, but if it’s not, the Rams are in trouble.

Long passing plays would help loosen things up for Gurley and allow the Rams to put together long drives without having to piecemeal them together. The Niners’ defense offers a prime opportunity to do just that. San Francisco is 31st in the league in pass defense, allowing 292.7 yards per game, and 31st in net passing yards allowed per attempt at 8.07. They’ve also given up a whopping 28 pass plays of 20 yards or more (tied for 28th in the NFL) and seven pass plays of 40 yards or more (tied for third-from-last in the league).

If the Rams Are Maturing, They Won’t Lose to the 49ers

Bernie Miklasz

http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/30/if-the-rams-are-maturing-they-wont-lose-to-the-49ers/

As of Friday morning the Rams were an 8.5-point favorite over the visiting San Francisco 49ers for Sunday’s noon game at the Edward Jones Dome. This is a rarity; the Rams haven’t been listed as more than touchdown favorite against an NFC West rival since 2005.
jeff fisher

Fisher’s Rams are an 8.5 point favorite to win Sunday, representing the largest spread against a division rival since 2005.

And since Jeff Fisher moved in as coach in 2012, the only time the Rams have been a heavier favorite in a home game came in 2013. Jacksonville entered as an 11-point underdog, and the Rams won 24-10.

The pressure is on for the Rams. The 49ers have drifted to the bottom of the NFC West with a 2-5 record. They’ve been wiped out by 17 points or more in four of their losses. (Average margin of defeat: a league-worst 19.8 points.) Turmoil surrounds quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has been the target of a whispering campaign, with anonymous criticism of his leadership, personality and unwillingness to engage teammates. The slurs obviously originated from inside team headquarters, probably from the same sources that tried to poison the rep of deposed head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The 49ers’ disarray includes massive roster subtractions, with a long list of impact players and team leaders that played major roles in the team’s 36-11-1 record (and the 2012 NFC Championship) between 2011 and 2013. But with Harbaugh and the team distracted by the nasty media leaks and the coach-management dissension, the 49ers’ collapse actually began late last season, when they finished 8-8 after losing four of their final five.

The franchise that comes into The Ed has lost nine of the last 12 games, with a glaring point differential of minus 114.

Through seven games the scoring-challenged 49ers are last in the 32-team NFL with an average of 14.7 points ,and no league offense has produced fewer net yards per game (295.) Kaepernick is having an identity crisis, seemingly reluctant to turn it loose as a runner and scrambler because of the team’s project to turn him into a pocket quarterback.

Dealing with pass-rush heat on 40 percent of his dropbacks, and pressured 83 times, Kaepernick already has been dropped for 25 sacks. Those breakdowns continue to ruin drives. And the 49ers aren’t finishing the drives that put them within range of the end zone, ranking 30th in red-zone offense with a TD rate of 35 percent. Defensively, the 49ers have done a good job against the run, but no NFL defense has given up more yards per game (421), and they’ve been torched for 28 pass completions that stretched 20+ yards. San Francisco opponents are averaging just under 26 points per game.

So yes, what I’m trying to say here is that the 49ers are bad. (Terrific insight, eh?) And this is a team that’s drifted into drama and dysfunction, which adds toxicity to that 2-5 record.

The 49ers shouldn’t be much of a threat, at least not to anyone except themselves. It’s true that upsets are always possible. And the Rams have yet to demonstrate consistency, trustworthiness or much of a passing-game offense. Other than the break-out rushing of rookie running back Todd Gurley, the Rams are mostly stuck on neutral on offense.

The 3-3 Rams have no basis for taking any opponent for granted, and it’s preposterous to even consider the possibility of complacency as they reengage their old rival. That said: the Rams have a new star and catalyst on offense, they’re as tough as anyone on defense, and they have a chance to be standing 4-3 after seven games for the first time since 2006.

The Rams can’t lose this game.

And they won’t lose this game unless we see the reappearance of a younger-and-dumb Rams’ team that crashes by being careless or undisciplined. You know, the stuff we’ve seen too often during Fisher’s 54-game term in office. The knucklehead penalties, the airhead pass defense, and the habit of losing close games because of unforced errors and a general loss of composure.

The Rams still commit too many pre-snap penalties, but they’ve cleaned up other spots left messy because of lapses in discipline. For example, the Rams have had only two roughing-the-passer penalties this season — and one was a horrible and completely unwarranted call. The Rams have been tagged for only three personal-foul penalties overall — or fewer than all but three NFL teams. To this point, the defense has cut down on the silly stuff that does nothing but keep the other team’s offense on the field.

Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis was talking about this other day, offering his opinion that the Rams are maturing. But JL made it clear that this is still an ongoing challenge, and he framed Sunday’s game as another test of the team’s legitimate growth. If the Rams truly are maturing, Laurinaitis said, then they’ll handle the assignment of winning Sunday’s game. And he’s right. If these Rams are a more poised and football-smart team, then they won’t overlook the ‘Niners, make frivolous and unavoidable mistakes, and repeatedly give the 49ers opportunities to steal Sunday from them. For whatever it’s worth, I believe the Rams are getting there — evolving into more cool-headed team. A team that will find ways to beat inferior opponents rather than find ways to beat themselves. We’ll see.

Carlos Hyde ruled out for Sunday

Josh Alper

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/30/carlos-hyde-ruled-out-for-sunday/

SANTA CLARA, CA – Earlier on Friday, we noted that 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin would miss Friday’s practice after having his hamstring tighten up on him during Thursday’s session.

The prospect of playing without Boldin isn’t a pretty one for the 49ers offense, so it’s good news for them that Boldin said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, there was “no doubt” in his mind that he’d play on Sunday against the Rams. The team’s offense won’t be whole, however.

Running back Carlos Hyde has been ruled out of the contest. Hyde said recently that he has a stress fracture in his foot, but has been listed as questionable on the team’s injury reports and in the lineup for the last few weeks. The 49ers have a bye in Week 10, which may mean a lot of Reggie Bush, Jarryd Hayne and Mike Davis out of the backfield for the next two weeks.

Boldin officially drew a questionable tag for the game in St. Louis.

joemad wrote:

zn wrote:

I don’t count the Pittsburgh game. No one gave the Rams a chance in that game.

Rams were favored vs Pittsburgh

URL = http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_lines_week_3.shtml

Yeah, that’s what I meant.

nittany ram wrote:

Well, this season the Rams have lost to two teams they should have beaten. They lost to Washington on the road and Pittsburgh at home.

I’m using a different approach than you. I am saying, in advance, could the Rams reasonably be favored.

Some say the Washington game fits that. I dunno yet. There’s a possibility that Washington is better than we assumed.

I don’t count the Pittsburgh game. No one gave the Rams a chance in that game.

Why did they lose either game? IMO because the offense is going to take time.

So to me, you’re saying that’s a game they COULD HAVE won. (GB too for that matter.) But to me, even that’s a nice glass half-full surprise. It was not a thing anyone thought in advance, BR going out or not. In the end Pitts. will be a team with a winning record and looking back, will not count as a team anyone would reasonably expect the Rams SHOULD HAVE won, though it was a nice revelation that they COULD HAVE won it.

…

Which side of Kaepernick will Rams see?

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/which-side-of-kaepernick-will-rams-see/article_54f4f9bb-0116-5ad8-9ce8-f19d172d83b9.html

From pass rushers, to pundits, and apparently even teammates, is there anyone who isn’t piling on Colin Kaepernick these days?

Once considered in the vanguard of a new generation of NFL quarterbacks, a struggling Kaepernick is getting the business from seemingly every direction these days.

The San Francisco QB has heard boos from the home fans at Levi’s Stadium, and gotten mocked by Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews.

In recent weeks, reports surfaced claiming he’s aloof and “on an island” in the 49ers’ locker room. Another report said teammate Vernon Davis called him out during a heated team meeting.

Apparently, when Kaepernick comes home after a tough day on the field, his dog kicks him.

OK, that’s not really the case. But Matthews did celebrate a sack of Kaepernick in an Oct. 4 game by kissing his biceps. (That’s Kaepernick’s signature move after scoring a touchdown.)

Matthews was also captured on the FOX television broadcast of that contest shouting: “You ain’t Russell Wilson, bro!” at Kaepernick, a reference to the NFC West’s other young, dashing dual-purpose quarterback.

Kaepernick is still young — he turns 28 on Tuesday. But he’s no longer dashing — at least he wasn’t last week against Seattle. Kaepernick didn’t have a single carry, the first time that’s happened in his 46 regular-season starts as a 49er.

But the Rams, striving to remain relevant this season at 3-3, can’t afford to take Kaepernick lightly in Sunday’s noon kickoff against San Francisco at the Edward Jones Dome.

“I know Kap’s getting some criticism for this or that, but his numbers are really no different than they’ve been the last three years,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We went back and checked. He’s rushing the football. He’s throwing the football.”

All the Rams need do is put on the tape of Kaepernick’s last two starts in St. Louis, when his combined numbers were 37 completions in 58 attempts (63.8%) for 510 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. His overall passing rating in those two contests: 120.6.

“Two years ago we had to go in there on a short week, Thursday night game, back against the wall because we had lost two games going into that, and we came away with a hard-fought win,” 49ers defensive coordinator Geep Chryst told San Francisco reporters Thursday.

The 49ers won that contest 35-11.

“Last year’s game, remember we had a big, long pass just before the two-minute (mark), and that was like it broke some ice,” Chryst said.

And broke the Rams’ backs. The Rams were up 14-3 in the closing seconds of the first half when cornerback Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by 49ers wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The result was an 80-yard touchdown reception on a Kaepernick pass. The 49ers went on to win 31-17.

In the 3½ seasons since he has been a starting QB, Kaepernick has rushed for more than 1,800 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.

The Rams have done a pretty good job vs. Kaepernick the runner over the past two seasons, limiting him to 83 yards (and no rushing TDs) over four contests. But they still respect his legs as well as his arm.

“He’s a long strider, but he’s got great speed,” Fisher said. “In the open field, he can make you miss. The frustrating part about defending him is he’ll push up the field, he’ll make a move, he’ll head to the sideline, and before you blink he’s picked up 20 yards and a big first down.

“So he can shift field position very, very quickly. He knows what he’s doing in the zone read and the read-option stuff. You go back and look at a couple games, he’s been very productive in it.”

Kaepernick rushed for between 41 and 57 yards in each of the 49ers’ first four games this season. But he has carried only six times — total — over their last three contests.

“I think people look to kind of take it away a little bit now,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “He picks and chooses. He tries to (run) a lot on third-and-short … take off and get the first down. He can still run with the best of ’em.”

On passing plays, Laurinaitis said he has noticed that Kaepernick is less effective scrambling when teams pressure him up the middle.

“It’s always easier when quarterbacks try to escape out the edge, because you have angles and you can kind of rally (to the ball),” Laurinaitis said. “It’s when they escape up the middle that it puts you under a lot of pressure in the open field.”

So this is a game where a player such as defensive tackle Aaron Donald could do some damage, particularly since San Francisco’s interior blocking has frequently left much to be desired. For example, right guard Jordan Devey gave up 3½ sacks in the 49ers’ 20-3 loss to Seattle in a Thursday night game Oct. 22.

As a passer, Kaepernick ranks 24th in both completion percentage (61.4) and passer rating (82.8) this season for 2-5 San Francisco. When Fisher talks about the numbers being about the same, that completion percentage is a little higher than Kaepernick’s career number (60.1 percent) entering this season. But the passer rating is below his career number (90.6).

To a large degree, Kaepernick looks less sure of himself in the pocket these days. He is missing, and missing badly, too often on routine throws. Occasionally, the body language from 49ers receivers after one of those errant throws is telling. They’re frustrated.

Normally careful with the football, Kaepernick only has five interceptions this season. But four of them came in his first 10 throws Sept. 27 at Arizona, with two of them returned for touchdowns in a 47-7 rout.

But Kaepernick also has had three outings this season where he’s had better than a 100 passer rating, and two games where he has thrown for more than 300 yards. Even so, he realizes there’s room for improvement, especially after a summer in which he worked diligently with former Rams great Kurt Warner on his game.

“I would say that I have to take it to another level,” Kaepernick said. “I have to be able to make plays for this team, and I have to be a difference-maker when I step on the field.”

Which Kaepernick shows up Sunday against the Rams? Hard to tell. But it’ll probably be one who tries to throw against Jenkins on a double move by the receiver.

Todd Gurley named October’s top offensive rookie

Josh Alper

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/29/todd-gurley-named-octobers-top-offensive-rookie/

When the Rams took Todd Gurley in the first round of the draft this year, he became the first player at the position to go in the first round since 2012.

Gurley has snapped another drought for running backs. The NFL named Gurley the league’s top offensive rookie for October, marking the first time that a running back has taken monthly honors since Eddie Lacy in 2013.

Gurley sat out the first two games of the season to make sure all was well after rehabbing a torn ACL and made his debut with nine yards on six carries in the third week of the season. That was not a sign of things to come as Gurley took off when the calendar flipped to October. He had 68 carries, 433 yards and two touchdowns in three games for the Rams this month, which leaves him 12th in the league in rushing and tied with Lamar Miller for second in yards per attempt.

The Rams won two of their three games in October, leaving them with a 3-3 record as they prepare to kick off November with a home game against the 49ers. It’s safe to assume that Gurley will get plenty of work in that game and in the nine to follow for a Rams team that already counts him as their primary offensive weapon.

Credit the Rams’ O-Line for Gelling in Gurley’s Big Game

Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/06/credit-the-rams-o-line-for-gelling-in-gurleys-big-game/

The Rams’ offensive line has been a lighting rod for criticism since the start of the preseason. Last week in the team’s loss to Pittsburgh, the O-line did its part to suffocate the offense by failing to open up holes in the running game and taking pressure off quarterback Nick Foles.

Some argued that the line held up fine in pass protection, but when defenses shut down a running game they can sit back in coverage in third-and-long and force quarterbacks to make difficult throws in clogged passing windows. Unless we’re talking about the truly elite, QBs can only do so much with no running game and no passing game playmakers.

But something clicked in the desert last Sunday. Suddenly a much maligned offensive line started executing and when you have a back like Gurley, who is capable of breaking tackles and gaining yards after contact, a 5-yard run turns into a 10-yard run.

Or a 52-yard run.

Take that play early in the fourth quarter as example. Out of an Off-set I, the Rams ran a stretch play to their left. At the snap, the offensive line stepped to their left in unison, which is a staple of the new zone-blocking scheme put in place by offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti this spring.

Left guard Jamon Brown and center Tim Barnes executed a perfect double team on Calais Campbell, who winds up being pancaked by Brown. Barnes then slipped off the double team and worked to the second level (another staple of the zone-blocking scheme), where he walled off safety Tony Jefferson (who had lined up in the box for run support).

Also play-side was left tackle Greg Robinson, who put Josh Mauro on skates and wiped him out of the play. Backside, Rodger Saffold blocked down and tossed Ed Stinson like a rag doll, which, along with the work that Barnes, Brown and Robinson put in, created a massive running lane for Gurley.

Gurley did the rest, bursting up field while slipping a tackle and out-running Rashad Johnson before Tyrann Mathieu finally pushed him out of bounds 52 yards later.

Some fans were enraged when the Rams selected Gurley with the 10th overall pick back in April. They asked why, after Zac Stacy showed promise as a rookie, would the Rams draft Gurley when, “they already had running backs on the roster?”

That’s why. That same run may have only netted 12 yards instead of 52 had it been Stacy. Gurley’s combination of size and speed make him special – a playmaker. A difference maker.

But the Rams didn’t receive that type of blocking in the first three games. Even in the win over Seattle, the initial double-team that Brown and Barnes executed was non-existent. Running backs were being met in gaps because the Rams’ O-line wasn’t getting to the second level of the defense. And even when linemen did, they were whiffing on blocks.

That wasn’t Gurley’s only explosive run and that wasn’t the only time the Rams’ offensive linemen executed in the second half. You don’t gain 7.7 yards per carry as a back if you don’t have multiple explosive runs created by your own talents and the ability of your offensive line to create running lanes.

The Arizona game is how teams draw it up. It’s how the Rams envisioned their running game would look back in April.

Now, as with anything else as it pertains to the Rams, we need to see consistency out of the O-line moving forward. It’s time for that group to build off it’s performance in the second half so that the Rams can stay in contention all season.

As of right now, PFF ranks 6 Rams DL in the top echelons.

4/3 DEs: out of 46

Quinn, 6th
Hayes, 13th
Long, 15th

DTs/NTs: out of 71

Donald, 2nd
Fairley, 10th
Brockers, 16th

They rank the Rams defense overall 2nd, with run defense 1st, pass defense 10th, and pass rush 5th.

QB? Foles ranks 28th out of 36.

They rank the Rams offense 28th, with passing game ranked 26th and the run game ranked 8th.

Relive It: Browns at Rams

Relive the best highlights from Sunday’s 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Relive_It_Browns_at_Rams/c7b9622a-a48e-49a5-bd5a-456dbb16f2c3

from off the net

==

LMU93

FootBallOutsiders: Rams up to 16th overall, defense 5th

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2015/week-7-dvoa-ratings

Notes:

– Offense 30th, defense 5th, special teams 12th

– Rams have only three games remaining against teams rated higher (@CIN, ARZ, @SEA- all in the top 6); 6 of their other 7 remaining opponents rank 27th or
lower (including Minnesota, who they talk about in the intro above the rankings).

– They rank the Rams’ offensive line 27th in run blocking efficiency, 17th in pass blocking

– Defensive line is rated 3rd in run defense, 2nd in pass rushing

– Current playoff odds are 39.7%

This week’s opponent, San Francisco, is rated 32nd overall… (31st on offense, 32nd on defense, and 23rd on special teams)

zn wrote:

zn wrote:

from Oct 27

YAHOO

11. St. Louis Rams (3-3, LW: 15)

Are there 10 players in the NFL who are more exciting to watch right now than Gurley? He’s becoming like a young Adrian Peterson, where everything should stop whenever he gets handed the ball.

The AP Pro32

http://pro32.ap.org/poll

After falling one spot during their bye week, the St. Louis Rams moved up to 13th in this week’s Associated Press Pro32 poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon.

PFF

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/27/pff-nfl-power-rankings-for-week-8/

19. St. Louis Rams

Of the six rookie offensive tackles with at least 100 pass blocks, Rob Havenstein is the only one to not allow a sack this season.