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October 11, 2015 at 10:36 pm in reply to: reporters on the Packers game ("forget it Nick it's Lambeau town") #32177
znModeratorRams’ offense fails to capitalize on another strong defensive effort
Nick Wagoner
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The St. Louis Rams’ defense did what had never been done to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field, forcing him to commit three turnovers.
But the offense couldn’t do what it did just a week ago: turn those takeaways into points. Making matters worse, the offense matched the Packers turnover for turnover (plus one) as quarterback Nick Foles threw four interceptions, including one in the end zone after a late drive had them in position to make it a one-score game.
The inability to convert, along with the giveaways, left the Rams with a 24-10 loss to the Packers.
In the Rams’ 24-22 upset win against Arizona in Week 4, they had three takeaways — which they converted into 17 points — and no turnovers of their own. It was the right formula against a high-powered offense.
Facing a similarly high-octane offense, the Rams’ defense again came up with several big plays to give the offense a chance. For the first time in his career, Rodgers committed three turnovers at home, throwing two interceptions and coughing up a fumble.
The Rams’ offense again simply couldn’t find any consistency, squandering Todd Gurley’s 30-carry, 159-yard day. Another rough outing from the offensive line, especially in pass protection, led to some poor decisions and throws by Foles. Even when Foles was on target, he didn’t get much help from his receivers, who yet again struggled with drops. Things were so bad in the passing game that safety Cody Davis was third on the team in receiving yards (20) after making a grab on a fake punt.
Until the offense can regularly put together drives, strong defensive efforts will continue to go by the wayside.
What it means: The Rams enter the bye week at 2-3 or worse for the third consecutive year. If you believe in historical trends, that’s an ominous sign. The last time the Rams went to the postseason after a 2-3 or worse start was 1952. The schedule lightens a bit after the bye, but the Rams have yet to prove that anything will come easily.
What were they thinking? After all their talk about preparing to handle the small details this week with the music and the air horns, the Rams had an excess of silly pre-snap penalties. They finished with a combined eight penalties for delay of game, false start and offside. The Rams also burned two timeouts just before another pair of delay penalties.
One reason to get excited: The Rams slowly worked Gurley into the mix in his first game against Pittsburgh and ramped it up last week against Arizona. Any remaining caution about his workload vanished Sunday. The rookie running back clearly was the centerpiece of the offense.
One reason to panic: Five games into the season, the offensive line continues to struggle mightily for large chunks of time. The pass protection for most of the game was nowhere to be found and the run blocking was inconsistent.
Fantasy watch: Wide receiver Tavon Austin scored just three touchdowns in 2014 — none of them on receptions (two rushing, one punt return). But he scored the Rams’ lone touchdown against the Packers and now has three in the past two weeks and five in five games. The yards weren’t nearly as abundant as last week, but Austin is starting to find the end zone on a regular basis.
Ouch: It was a rough first half for the Rams on the injury front as they lost right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), end Chris Long (right knee) and receiver Kenny Britt (shoulder) in the span of about a quarter. Britt returned to the game; Long and Saffold did not. The Rams have a bye week next week, which buys the trio some time to get healthy.
October 11, 2015 at 8:14 pm in reply to: Proud of the defense. Offense? Not so much… (game reaction thread) #32167znModeratorSo many strengths on this team,
but the OLine is dragging everything down. So far.At any rate, losing to GB in GB is to be expected.
w
vWell I am flowing the same direction you are. Last off-season if someone said “the Rams will start an inexperienced OL this season and in game 5 they will play GB in Lambeau plus the Packers D will be better than it has been for years, and I bet the Rams OL does well under those conditions,” would you bet against whoever said that?
if foles takes care of the ball better. if cooks is not on this team. if the oline was more sound. rams win this game.
and just for good measure try to upgrade the receiver corps. i don’t like britt. i don’t like quick. maybe i change my mind. probably not.
I don’t even think it’s that extreme. I think it’s just if Foles doesn’t throw the endzone TD and Zuerelein hits the FGs.
I look at it this way. They had all sorts of opportunities to win that game, and they beat themselves.
I don’t think anyone expected even that much out of them in this game.
Granted the line has to gel but we knew that much last May.
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October 11, 2015 at 8:05 pm in reply to: Proud of the defense. Offense? Not so much… (game reaction thread) #32165znModeratorOn that last sack of Foles, Reynolds didn’t put a finger on Matthews who lined up on his left shoulder. I hope Saffold is back after the bye, and I hope Wichmann or someone gets it together soon because Reynolds is awful.
IMO that’s just ordinary miscommunication. A play like that does not mean the lineman in question is forever doomed to awfulness. It’s a big mistake but it’s the kind that can be straightened out.
October 11, 2015 at 11:00 am in reply to: hey ag or anyone, is there anyway to copy these gifs to here? #32139znModeratorx
znModeratorIt could lead to some errant snaps.
I just wanted to say that Erran Snaps was my favorite bass player from the 70s funk era.
znModerator
znModeratorOctober 11, 2015 at 10:20 am in reply to: hey ag or anyone, is there anyway to copy these gifs to here? #32128znModeratorThank you!
October 11, 2015 at 10:17 am in reply to: week 5 stats, including "Rams have played 3 top 5 defenses" #32124znModeratorGB’s opponent OLs are ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd(tie), and 13th(tie) for most sacks allowed.
Sometimes it’s not clear if that kind of number is good or bad. So, does 1st for the most sacked allowed mean they allowed the most sacks, make them 1st in a bad category, or does it mean they allowed the least?
So I looked it up.
It means worst. GB played Seattle, KC, and SF which allowed a lot of sacks each (they are in fact 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the bad category of getting sacked a lot. They are 3 of the 4 most sacked teams.
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znModeratorctually I see your point. Can they now stay focused coming off a big victory? Based on the Washington game I’d say NO. But maybe they’ve begun to mature.
I think what happened in Washington was a unique event. IMO Washington ambushed them with summer-long game-planning, exactly the way the Rams pre-gameplanned Seattle. Washington was motivated by last year, including the coin flip stunt and being shut out at home. Plus I doubt the Rams fail to take Green Bay seriously.
znModeratorI have a feeling blitzing could be limited this week due to Rodgers quick release and mastery of the field.
A guess: we will see a combination of blitzes, fake blitzes, and disguised coverages. Plus an exotic front or 2.
The issue will be run defense. If the Rams can limit Lacy the way they limited Bell, then all those combined head games will have a better chance.
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znModeratorI say we OSK all day long.
Hear me out.
If we get the ball, great … that’s the idea. But, if the Packers get the ball, that means they’ll have less time with the ball since they’ll have a shorter field. And, the Rams’ D, which will bend all day until the Packers get in FG range anyway, will have much less time on the field.
And, without irony …. ———>
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znModeratorfrom off the net
==
Youngblood_HOF
My brother and I decided to make a bucket list trip to Lambeau! (as if the Harley Davidson purchase two weeks ago wasn’t evidence enough of my mid-life crisis)
…
Interesting note: being identified as Rams fans all weekend because of our apparel, we’ve had lots of football talk with Packer fans, who are really nice and hospitable…and pretty knowledgeable football fans. Almost all of them have said the Rams are a solid, up and coming team with a defense to be respected. They say Fisher has them primed for contention. Having said that, they don’t expect to lose.
For the golfers out there, Whistling Straits is more extraordinary and spectacular than advertised.
znModeratorGreen Bay provides another tough test for Rams
Jim Thomas
Two weeks ago, the Rams limited what was the league’s most explosive offense at the time to 12 points and knocked its star quarterback — Ben Roethlisberger — out of the game.
Last week, the Rams knocked a sizzling Arizona Cardinals team that had been averaging 40-plus points a game from the ranks of the unbeaten. In their house.
And now, a grueling three-game gantlet against the league’s elite comes to an end at Lambeau Field — a magical place where the home team never loses and the quarterback never throws an interception.
Or so it seems. The Green Bay Packers (4-0) have won 11 straight at home, the longest current home winning streak in the NFL. Their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has not thrown an interception in his last 580 passes, a period encompassing 19 regular-season and postseason games.
No one expected the Rams to beat Pittsburgh, and they came within a play of doing just that in a hard-fought 12-6 defeat at the Edward Jones Dome.
No one expected the Rams to beat Arizona, but they did with three touchdown passes by Nick Foles, 146 yards rushing by rookie Todd Gurley, and a defense that forced the high-powered Arizona offense to kick one field goal after another.
“We’ve taken a lot of criticism and deservedly so — our lumps the last couple weeks,” defensive end Chris Long said after the Arizona triumph. “A lot of people said a lot of things about us.”
Losing to a mediocre at best Washington team, and then failing to capitalize on a chance at an upset against Pittsburgh will do that. After those games, most observers believed the team would be staring at 1-4 two weeks later, after the trips to Arizona and Green Bay.
But then came last weekend’s big upset, and for a week at least, all things seem possible.
“We just keep believing and keep trying to get better,” Long said.
So at 2-2, the Rams have avoided the 1-3 curse that helped doom their last two seasons. Should they pull off another upset in Sunday’s noon kickoff, they’d be 3-2 for the first time since 2012 — coach Jeff Fisher’s first season with the team.
Even with a loss Sunday, the Rams at 2-3 entering their bye week still could compete for a playoff berth. But at 3-2 with victories over Seattle, Arizona, and Green Bay on their résumé? Well, things could get exciting — a word not used much at Rams Park over the past decade-plus.
Of the Rams’ 11 remaining opponents following Green Bay, only two currently have winning records. The combined record of the five Rams foes immediately following Green Bay is 6-14.
The Rams had more bounce in their step this week in practice. Momentum and confidence seemed to be the words of the week. But the Fisher Rams have been down this road before and crashed. Just ask wide receiver Tavon Austin.
Defeating Arizona, Austin said, “will definitely boost our confidence up.”
But he cautioned: “We beat Seattle and our confidence was pretty high, then we lost two straight. So it’s all about focusing in, playing Rams football.”
For two decades, ever since the ascendancy of quarterback Brett Favre and the Mike Holmgren-coached Packers, Lambeau Field has been a place where confidence goes to die and momentum hits a wall.
“It’s hard to win in the NFL,” Foles said. “Every game is going to be tough. Every game we’ve played this year has been really close and really tough. We’re going into an environment where they play really well at home. It’s a great challenge for us.”
Or as offensive guard Rodger Saffold put it: “This is not gonna be any type of picnic.”
It has been Dec. 2, 2012 (against Minnesota) since Rodgers last threw a home interception. If anything, the law of averages should kick in any time now. But Fisher isn’t dreaming that big — not right now.
“You now what?” Fisher asked. “If the ball hits the ground, I’ll be happy. So that’s the starting point. Get the ball to hit the ground. If it happens to fall in one of our arms, however that happens, then we’ll try to make the most of it.”
Not unlike the Arizona game last week, it’ll probably take a couple of turnovers — however they come — for the Rams to hang with the Packers. Or a return touchdown.
Although the outcome never appeared to be in jeopardy, the Packers weren’t overwhelming in last week’s 17-3 victory at San Francisco. Rodgers was harassed more than he liked by the 49ers’ pass rush.
Green Bay’s skill position group is beat up. The Packers, at the moment, don’t appear as explosive offensively as the Cardinals or the Steelers were when they played the Rams.
Then again, this has the makings of one of the most balanced Packers teams since Mike McCarthy took over as their coach in 2006. The Packers are ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in both total offense and total defense for the first time since the 2010 season.
On offense, associate head coach Tom Clements has taken over the play-calling duties from McCarthy this season. The Packers have been more methodical, but that’s by necessity minus injured wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams, and with Randall Cobb, James Jones, and Eddie Lacy all nicked.
Not that anyone’s feeling sorry for the Packers; they’re still finding ways to keep scoreboard operators busy. Only five teams have scored more points.
“As a defense, we love these challenges,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We love going up against great offenses. I feel like we’ve stood up to the challenge every week we’ve had an offense like this, or someone that’s highly-touted at quarterback.
“We were just talking about how great Arizona’s offense was last week. Before that, how great Pittsburgh’s offense was. And both of those games we held our own and gave up one touchdown.”
The question is: Can the Rams do it again?
znModeratorRams at Packers: 7 things to watch
Jim Thomas
MR. RODGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD
By his lofty standards anyway, Aaron Rodgers was just a little off last week at San Francisco, narrowly missing connections on some throws we’re used to seeing him make. The 49ers’ cornerbacks played pretty tight at the line of scrimmage, and their secondary as a whole didn’t allow much separation. But Rodgers is back at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field this week where he never — and we mean never — throws an interception. It’s 580 passes and counting without an INT by Rodgers at home.
BETTER BE READY
It’s tough to play catch-up against Green Bay, and the Packers have been getting out of the gates quickly this year. They have outscored the opposition 38-6 in the opening quarter in four games this season, and scored on their first possession last week although it took a penalty against the 49ers to keep the drive alive and prevent Green Bay from punting. That score came on a TD pass to tight end Richard Rodgers on a play in which Aaron Rodgers roamed in and out of the pocket waiting for someone to get open.
LEAK ON THE LINE?
Pinch-hitting for the injured Bryan Bulaga at right tackle, fourth-year pro Don Barclay had a brutal game against San Francisco, allowing three sacks and seven pressures. Rodgers avoided a fourth Barclay sack only by throwing a very short pass lefthanded as he was going down. Bulaga returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a knee injury Sept. 17 in practice, but he’s questionable for Sunday. If it’s Barclay, this is a matchup advantage Chris Long must exploit.
BACKFIELD BUSINESS
Green Bay is getting more help out of its running game than usual, rushing for 120 yards-plus in each of the first four games. That hasn’t happened since 1971 and the days of coach Dan Devine. Eddie Lacy, the 2013 NFL offensive rookie of the year out of Alabama, is seeking his third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. He’s been slowed by an ankle injury, and looks overweight, but has still been successful running more like a power back. Veteran James Starks is a capable backup.
BANGED UP RECEIVERS
The Packers miss the downfield ability of Jordy Nelson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during exhibition play. Davante Adams has missed all but three plays the past two games because of a high ankle sprain and isn’t expected to play this week. Randall Cobb has a team-high 25 catches but is playing through a painful shoulder injury. Veteran James Jones, who returned to Green Bay after ill-fated stints with Oakland and the New York Giants, has been a godsend but has a hamstring issue.
GURLEY’S TASK
After his breakout 146-yard rushing performance against Arizona, Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley will be challenged by an improving Green Bay run defense. After allowing 189 yards rushing against the Matt Forte-led Chicago Bears, the Packers yielded fewer than 50 yards rushing in successive weeks to Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (41), Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles (49), and San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde (20). A rejuvenated B.J. Raji has anchored the run defense up front.
IN A RUSH
The Packers’ pass rush has gotten to the passer 17 times this season, tied for second in the league with the Rams. Thirteen of those sacks have come in the past two contests, marking the first time since 1978 that the Packers have gotten six or more sacks in back-to-back games. Ageless Julius Peppers and five-time Pro Bowler Clay Matthews key the pass-rush, but the Packers have five players with two or more sacks already this season — four of whom are linebackers in the team’s 3-4 scheme.
znModeratorYou’ve been eliminated from the game, and you’re lucky I don’t ban you from the board.
You have to play the game according to MY rules, or it’s going to get ugly for you.
Oh. Okay. Quinn gets the most sacks of Aaron Rodgers.
Will you un-ban me now? Otherwise it will be even harder for me to keep up with the birthdays.
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znModeratorMaybe we could annually celebrate your awareness of that?
Unless I forget.
I’m at the stage now where not only do I forget why I am there when I leave the computer for the kitchen, but when I come back I forget what I was doing on the computer.
You of all people should understand that, Nittany.
,
znModeratorYou missed X’s birthday, too, btw.
#$$##@@%%%^%.
I need to get better at the birthday part of my job.
..
znModeratorAaron Donald gets the first sack.
But that’s just on the FIRST series.
It gets interesting after that.
From Miller’s Crossing:
Leo O’Bannion: So you wanna kill him…
Eddie Dane: For starters.
znModeratorIs it the same net guy? Because…well…you know. Cuz you posted them. I mean, the irony holds either way, but more interesting if it’s the same guy.
Those are paraphrases, right? Not actual quotes? (I’m not doubting your ability to paraphrase. I think I maybe have just read too many essays).
Yeah, it’s a fiction of mine. For the purposes of the joke, “net guy” in this instance is the same guy both times. Both remarks are generic paraphrases of things that actually got said (by more than one person). The joke is of course that as I said my fictional “net guy” makes both remarks.
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znModeratorWhy do you think I sleep with a squirt gun filled with seawater under my pillow?!
Well to be honest I thought you got that from The Larry Marmie Guide to Preventing Home Burglaries.
But triffids? Yeah that makes more sense.
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znModeratorObviously you haven’t seen Day of the Triffids.
znModeratorIt was a Father’s day gift from the family.
Will probably join Sign Man 124’s pre game bash in the parking lot.
Hope to meet some of you there.NewMexicoRam
That’s a great gift, NMR. This board has a high proportion of from-all-over nomads like yourself, and some St. Louis guys. Thanks for the heads-up. I don’t know how many will make the game, I wish I could go.
Give us a report.
October 10, 2015 at 4:04 pm in reply to: week 5 stats, including "Rams have played 3 top 5 defenses" #32073znModeratorfrom off the net
==
Stel
A comparison of the two 17 sack defenses who meet tomorrow
GB opponents have attempted 131 passes and been sacked 17 times.
STL opponents have attempted 144 passes and been sacked 17 times.GB’s opponent OLs are ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd(tie), and 13th(tie) for most sacks allowed.
STL’s opponent OLs are ranked 2nd, 6th(tie), 27th(tie) and 27th(tie) for most sacks allowed.
GB has 17 sacks out of a total of 60 their opponents have allowed, or 28.3%. GB gets 4.25 sacks per game against opponents who allow 3.75 sacks per game.
STL has 17 sacks out of a total of 40 their opponents have allowed, or 42.5%. STL gets 4.25 sacks per game against opponets who allow 2.5 sacks per game.
Only common opponent is Seattle. GB sacked Wilson 2 times and he attempted 30 passes. STL sacked Wilson 6 times and he attempted 41 passes.
One final note – both STL and GB OLs have allowed 6 sacks so far this season, tied for 7th best.
I draw no conclusions, but it is obvious that GB has played against OLs that have more trouble protecting their QB.
znModeratorFor Rams, best defense against Packers is a good offense
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams (2-2) and Green Bay Packers (4-0) kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field. Here are three things to watch:
1. The best defense … : The Rams finally found some offensive success in the second half last week against Arizona, especially in the running game. Back Todd Gurley went for 106 yards in the fourth quarter alone and has practiced all week without a knee brace. He looks poised to build on that outing. And the Rams could really use it against the Packers.
It’s cliche but it’s cliche for a reason: Sometimes the best defense against a star quarterback like Aaron Rodgers is a good offense. You know, the kind of offense that consistently puts together long drives that eat up big chunks of the clock. That’s been a major weakness for the Rams so far this year. They are 31st in the NFL in time of possession margin with opponents having the ball for nearly nine minutes more per game in the first four weeks. The Rams are last in the league in first downs with just 55, that’s 14 less than Cleveland, the next closest team on the list. Taking it a step further, the Rams’ longest drive this season is 4:47, and they are averaging just 4.57 plays per drive, last in the league.
By way of comparison, Green Bay averages 6.02 players per drive and has an average time of possession margin of almost six minutes in its favor. Last week was a step in the right direction for the Rams’ offense, but the next step is for them to put drives together in which they regularly move the chains and keep the clock moving.
2. Staying disciplined: Earlier this week, I took a deeper look at the steps the Rams are taking to try to keep Rodgers from drawing them offsides and stealing big plays without any repercussions. It bears repeating here.
Through the first four games, Rodgers has drawn a league-high eight offside flags. Rodgers is taking those flags and rendering them pointless with what he does after they’re thrown. On those eight plays, Rodgers is 5-for-5 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, good for a perfect 158.3 passer rating and 100.0 QBR.
The Rams, meanwhile, have jumped offside an NFL-high 36 times (with 20 accepted) since coach Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012. This week, it was air horns, music and quarterback Case Keenum attempting to force the Rams to stay disciplined. But the Rams aren’t the first team to discuss the need to hold their water only to have Rodgers make them pay on Sunday. If they want to have a chance in this one, they must translate the lessons learned during the week to Sunday’s game.
3. Takeaway time: It’s no secret that Rodgers has an absolutely ridiculous streak going when it comes to avoiding interceptions at Lambeau Field. Dating to 2012, Rodgers has thrown 580 passes and 48 touchdowns without an interception at home (including playoffs). And while Rodgers is excellent at avoiding turnovers, so is everyone else on the offense. Green Bay has just one giveaway in the first four weeks, a James Starks fumble in Week 2 against Seattle.
The Rams have six takeaways this season, which puts them in the middle of the pack, but they were plus-three against Arizona last week, which ultimately made the different in a two-point game. It’s a tall order, but they’ll need a similar margin this week if they want to knock off an undefeated team on the road for the second consecutive week.
znModeratorRams pull off third big upset of the year
Rams vs. Packers preview
Gregg Rosenthal
St. Louis executed its gameplan to near-perfection last week in Arizona, yet no one seems to take them seriously yet. Sure, they are 2-0 in the NFC West with wins against the defending NFC champions and previously unbeaten Cardinals. But the Rams always play tough in their division. Sunday’s game in Green Bay is far more challenging, but they are catching the Packers at the right time. Right tackle Don Barclay is struggling in pass protection, and the Packersfigure to be without wide receiver Davante Adams and safety Morgan Burnett again. The Rams front four can be disruptive enough to slow down Aaron Rodgers, andRams rookie Todd Gurley can do the rest.
znModeratorThomas: Rams Have ‘Good Mindset’ Entering Packers Game
Brendan Marks posted on October 08, 2015 13:21
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Rams beat writer Jim Thomas made his regular Thursday appearance on The Hollywood Casino Press Box to discuss the several topics surrounding the team, including the NFL owners meetings and its upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers.
We typed up some notable excerpts. You can listen to the full interview below.
What do you think about the St. Louis stadium’s naming rights deal with Enterprise?
“No doubt about it (it’s a good thing). Why would the NFL be involved in the naming rights in St. Louis? It’s not their team. In an ideal world, Dave Peacock would be working with the owner of the team…but we know why that’s not happening. (Stan Kroenke) and the Rams have been intimating to the league is they don’t think the corporate support is what it should be in St. Louis. Well here’s $158 million worth of corporate support. I think there’s optimism among the St. Louis Task Force that will lead to more in terms of suite steals, maybe game day advertisements. Traditionally, at least some of that money goes to the owner. So in essence, Dave Peacock is helping Kroenke make more money. What’s wrong with that?”
What do you make of what happened at the NFL owners meetings?
“I’d say the headline would be, ‘It’s time.’ In other words, it’s time to get this financing done. I think (Texans owner Bob McNair’s) saying turning in the term sheet is overdue. It’s very telling. It’s time to ramp up the financing. Dot all the I’s, cross all the T’s. It’s time to wrap this up.”
“I really think it’s down to Carson or Inglewood, or St. Louis. I think they’d like to get it done now. I think for the task force, they’d rather have it decided now.”
Switching to this week’s game, elaborate on your stat about Packers QB Aaron Roders at Lambeau Field:
“It’s amazing. I wrote about it today. His last 19 home games, regular season and playoffs…The man has thrown 580 passes without an interception. It’s just incredible. He’s got 48 touchdowns, zero interceptions. The guy’s like RoboQB. He’s so efficient, it’s almost inhuman.”
“They’re not quite as much downfield without Jordy Nelson. So he’s thrown underneath a little more. But he takes plenty of chances downfield.”
On if the Rams can run the ball and keep Rodgers off the field:
“The Rams have to take a similar approach they did in Arizona. Have them kick field goals. Just keep them out of the endzone and you’ll have a chance. What Gurley did in the second half has engendered a lot of confidence in the offensive line. They’re certainly not overconfident. But there’s a good mindset on the team that they can go in there and make it a game. If they could somehow get out of their with a win and be 3-2 entering the bye week, we all know how their schedule softens up after Green Bay.”
On the schedule softening up after Green Bay:
“After Green Bay, nine out of the 11 teams they have on their schedule are either .500 or worse. The five teams they play right after Green Bay right now are a combined 6-14. So things could change. There’d be genuine reason to get excited if they could walk out of there with a win. Even if they lose, at 2-3 I don’t think it’s over.”
Which of the Rams’ offensive linemen is really grading out well?
“I think they’re really happy with Rob Havenstein. They’re happy with Jamon Brown too, but he’s had some hiccups with a couple blitz pick-ups. Havensteain has just been solid. We’ve seen some nice run blocking by him. You just don’t seem to notice him during games. For an offensive lineman, that’s a good thing.”
znModeratorJust looks like an elite team playing
a young-improving-not-gelled-yet-team.Yes.
In other words… —>
an upset in the making.
znModeratorRams hope running game continues to flourish
Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot…cle_3fe78322-4e8f-505a-9ea9-402909960de2.html
A week ago before playing the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti told the media in separate sessions on separate days how close they felt the running game was to a breakthrough.
Yeah, right, was the collective response.
The Rams, after all, were ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing offense through three games. Rookie running back Todd Gurley’s much-anticipated debut had generated a scant 9 yards on six carries against Pittsburgh.
But then it happened in the second half against Arizona. After a first half in which the Rams managed just 9 yards on nine carries, the floodgates opened. With Gurley doing most of the work, the Rams rushed 17 times for 155 yards en route to a 24-22 upset victory. How did that happen?
“I tell you what, I just think it’s perseverance like we’ve talked about every time here,” Cignetti said this week. “You know, every day we’re getting a little bit better.
“My hat goes off to the coaches emphasizing the run game, the offensive line doing a great job. Obviously, the running backs made good, decisive reads, and I think you saw the progress.”
A running game that had produced only one carry longer than 16 yards in three games, had four runs of 20 yards-plus in the second half at Arizona — all by Gurley.
“Gurley’s a real good player,” left tackle Greg Robinson said. “He’s explosive, and he’s hard to take down. But just going throughout the week, we had talked about it in the (meeting) room that there was a chance that the running game would pop.
“And the running backs just needed to trust us to get the holes open and run hard. So Gurley stepped in at a critical moment and he made some big plays obviously. It’s a highlight of a night just to see the numbers that we put up in the second half.”
Turns out the same “we’re close” message the coaches were feeding the media was also delivered in the meeting rooms at Rams Park, albeit in more detail. Hold on to this block a little longer … a little better technique here … better footwork there … and good things would happen.
“It was preached throughout each week,” Robinson said. “Every game they just kept making the big emphasis on ‘we’re close.’ I really feel like we fought through it and just trusted that if we kept using the proper technique, the proper steps, and playing our hearts out, that we would eventually get something going. And we did.”
On what easily is the NFL’s most inexperienced offensive line, that second half in Arizona could be a confidence-builder and generate momentum going forward.
“I think we’re kinda starting to figure out what our identity is, and what we need to do in order to have big explosive plays,” right guard Rodger Saffold said.
“It’s something that the line can build off of,” quarterback Nick Foles added. “As an offense we can continue to improve our run game, improve our screen game, our dropback, and all of that. But it all stems from the run.”
No one expects Gurley to gain 146 yards every week — a total that was more than double what the Rams had been averaging as a team against Seattle, Washington and Pittsburgh. But now that they know they can do it, perhaps better days will continue in the run game.
“It think it gives everyone confidence,” Cignetti said. “There’s nothing like success. … The victory was big. We want to move on and get another one.”
Run game success won’t come easy this Sunday at Lambeau Field in a noon kickoff against unbeaten Green Bay (4-0). After getting gashed for 189 yards rushing by Chicago in the season opener, including 141 by Matt Forte, the Packers have tightened up considerably.
They have yielded an average of 90 rushing yards a game over their next three contests, and feature backs Marshawn Lynch of Seattle, Jamaal Charles of Kansas City and Carlos Hyde of San Francisco combined for only 110 yards on 34 carries in those three games.
“You can’t run it against ’em,” Fisher said Friday. “You go back and you watch these games — you watch Seattle and you watch San Francisco — they had a hard time running the ball against ’em. So we’re gonna have to find a way to get that done.”
A trimmed down B.J. Raji is tough to budge at 337 pounds in the middle of the Green Bay defensive front. Mike Daniels is quicker playmaker at 310. At linebacker, veterans Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews are more than just pass rushers.
“They’ve got a good defense,” Saffold said. “A bunch of guys that are really good running to the ball. You already know their offense, and the only way to beat their offense is one way: keeping ’em off the field. That’s the only way to do it. So five and six 3-and-outs to start off the game is not gonna help.”
The Rams are getting only 50 plays per game on offense, a league low and a dozen plays less per game than the league average. Their average time of possession, 25 minutes 40 seconds, is the second-lowest in the league ahead of only Philadelphia (22:28).
Those aren’t numbers conducive to keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense on the sideline. If ever there was a time for more from the running game, this is it.
October 9, 2015 at 11:19 pm in reply to: week 5 stats, including "Rams have played 3 top 5 defenses" #32044znModeratorHere’s another stat. Ranking for qb rating inside opponent’s 20:
Foles is second (with 124)
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