Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
znModeratorDoubts are forming re: Wisniewski. I thought he is supposed to be pretty good, and there are a few teams in need of a center.
Injured. Or rather, recovering.
http://www.joebucsfan.com/2015/03/stefen-wisniewski-and-the-bucs/
Wisniewski is recovering from shoulder surgery after last season when he played with a torn labrum. No team has been willing to meet his request of $4 million per season
znModeratorLook at all the No.1 picks
on the DLine. The Oline is put together
differently. I guess you have to choose,
if you are a coach. Cant have no.1’s everywhereBut if you look at good OLs throughout the league, they can be put together different ways. There’s the Dallas “lots of 1st round picks” approach, and then there are other teams which may spend the first rounder on a left OT, but beyond that, rely on free agents or lower round picks or both.
The Eagles 2013 was great. (PFF ranked them 1st fwiw). Here’s how they built that line:
LOT Peters: free agent
LOG Mathis: free agent
C Kelce: 6th round
ROG Herremans: 4th round
ROT Johnson: 1st roundznModeratorDarren Woodson, Dallas’s veteran strong safety, shaking his head vigorously for emphasis. “I look at them and I see us a few years ago. You lose a couple of key people, the offensive line breaks down, and all of a sudden … blam. It can happen so fast, before you even realize it.”
Every lineman, including All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace, who missed Sunday’s game with a torn left calf muscle, has been a liability at times.2002.
OL that year: Pace missed 6 games, Nutten missed 5, and the ROT was St. Clair. The subs included Grant Williams and a washed-up Heath Irwin.
When Bulger played, he had Pace and Nutten back, and they went 6-0 with that line up.
If I’m not mistaken, during the super bowl run,
wasnt there, like, Zero, injuries on the OLine?w
vIn 99 Nutten missed 2 games. That was it. Out of 80 possible 1st string starts, they had 78.
In 2001…exact same thing. Nutten missed 2. 78 out of 80 possible 1st string starts.
Compare that to the great annus horribilis, 2007. Pace, Timmerman, and McCollum all miss significant time. The LOT is Barron. I won’t even count the missed starts–it would be too much work. If you add up the people who played the most time, the line looked like this:
LT Alex Barron 16 games
LG Milford Brown 15 games
C Brett Romberg 9 games
RG Todd Steussie 6 games
RT Brandon Gorin 8 gamesIn 2008, Steussie and Gorin were both out of football. Romberg never started again. Brown lasted one more year as a sub in Jacksonville.
.
znModeratorThat was a long time ago. Maybe in a different Galaxy.
I know. What I am saying is, these coaches have done it before. Because they have done it before, I trust them to do it again. The key is health. Not even 100% health. Just relative health.
Heck there was even a short period last year, after they started slow (cause of summer injuries) where they were starting to click. So for example, in spite of having Davis at qb, they played Seattle tough at home–no sacks, 102 yards rushing. That was a line of Long Robinson Wells Saffold Barksdale. The following week, Long, Saffold, and Wells all go out. From that point on Robinson is at LOT and both Wells and Saffold are playing hurt.
znModeratorDarren Woodson, Dallas’s veteran strong safety, shaking his head vigorously for emphasis. “I look at them and I see us a few years ago. You lose a couple of key people, the offensive line breaks down, and all of a sudden … blam. It can happen so fast, before you even realize it.”
Every lineman, including All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace, who missed Sunday’s game with a torn left calf muscle, has been a liability at times.
2002.
OL that year: Pace missed 6 games, Nutten missed 5, and the ROT was St. Clair. The subs included Grant Williams and a washed-up Heath Irwin.
When Bulger played, he had Pace and Nutten back, and they went 6-0 with that line up.
znModeratorDE Alex Carrington, QB Austin Davis, TE Cory Harkey, G Davin Joseph, DE Eugene Sims, LT Jake Long, OT Joe Barksdale, OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, DT Kendall Langford, G Mike Person, S Rodney McLeod, C Scott Wells, QB Shaun Hill, C Tim Barnes, OLB Will Herring, QB Sam Bradford
Hmm. That’s 5 clear mistakes. Plus, Barksdale can’t be counted as a “loss” yet.
znModeratorWhen the Rams were healthy it depended on the level of competition. If they played below average defensive lines they looked good. If they played above average defensive lines they looked bad.
I dunno Ag. Remember them playing SF tough twice in 2012? And playing Houston and then Seattle (at home) tough in 2013?
March 27, 2015 at 1:41 am in reply to: Kroenke ready to show detailed stadium plans … plus other relocation things #21603znModeratorStrauss: St. Louis is a tale of two cities
By Joe Strauss
Talk about a split personality.
In a single news cycle St. Louis’ sporting pride and its shame were laid bare on Wednesday when Forbes magazine celebrated Cardinals fans as the best in baseball while the National Football League delivered a stick to the eye of remaining Rams loyalists.
Agree or disagree with Forbes’ methodology — it famously claims 75 percent of the region’s population attended, listened to or viewed at least one Cardinals game last season — the assertion jibes with a widespread belief that St. Louis is Major League Baseball’s most loyal berg. San Francisco Giants fans may fill more intimate AT&T Park to 99 percent capacity and help pump team revenues to an estimated $387 million, but the Cardinals successfully market Busch Stadium as Baseball Heaven.
If the Cardinals are the civic religion, the Rams have become a sporting stigma.
While Vegas sets the Redbirds’ regular-season over-under at 88.5 wins, a local media parlor game wonders whether the local NFL team will average 45,000 attendance come autumn.
It’s a fascinating dichotomy when the same region boasts of one sport’s most committed fan base and another that would prefer to see its team owner committed.
MLB commissioner emeritus and longtime Gateway City advocate Bud Selig uttered the ultimate applause line two months ago when he reminded a downtown banquet hall that, yes, St. Louis is without question the nation’s best baseball town. His NFL counterpart, Roger Goodell, appears comfortable playing semantics regarding the city’s fitness to retain a franchise.
Those wanting Goodell to publicly reprimand Stan Kroenke for his coarse Inglewood gambit would do well to recall Goodell works for Kroenke and his 31 monied colleagues. It ain’t gonna happen. Listen carefully enough and one may even discern encouragement.
Forbes asserts the Cardinals are MLB’s sixth-most valuable franchise while the Rams rank last within the NFL. The Cardinals’ estimated $1.4 billion valuation is roughly $500 million more than the Rams’, through-the-looking-glass stuff in an era when the NFL has usurped MLB as the national pastime. Kroenke’s Boomer Sooner-style land grab represents a tacit raising of a white flag.
Clearly Forbes ascribes much of the Cardinals’ financial success to a red-wearing, bobblehead-scarfing, fundamentals-loving fan base responsible for last season’s 3.54 million attendance. So if Cardinals fans are co-conspirators in their team’s fiscal success, how culpable should Rams fans be held for their team’s plight?
Market size, eroding corporate support and a lacking pedigree gang up on the local 11. It barely registers that the Rams have won twice as much (20-27-1) during the current regime’s three seasons than during Steve Spagnuolo’s failed three-year run. The Rams last tasted the playoffs in 2004 and a winning record in 2003. (The Cardinals have reached four World Series since ‘04. The Blues have morphed from a stripped-down laughingstock to Presidents’ Trophy contenders.) The Rams averaged 57,018 at The Ed last season, bettering only the Minnesota Vikings’ attendance. They last ranked better than 30th in attendance (29th) in 2009, last better than 25th in 2007. Despite enjoying just two winning seasons since regaining a franchise in 1999 and counting the same number of wins (30) as the Rams the last six campaigns, the Cleveland Browns haven’t fallen below 20th in attendance during their current incarnation.
The above paragraph may not score well locally as populist rhetoric. But it does represent a problem to a money-driven league.
Goodell called franchise stability a “shared responsibility” during Super Bowl week. During this week’s meeting of NFL owners in Phoenix, Goodell confirmed that the process for potential franchise relocation may quicken. It would be a bad look for Kroenke to make his stadium presentation in May while Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz still seek financing for a proposed stadium north of Lumiere Casino. The league meanwhile is mailing surveys to season ticket-holders to gauge local fans’ pulse. A vote regarding relocation could occur as soon as October.
This is sports’ ultimate chicken-or-egg debate: Does a team owe more of its success to overwhelming support or is overwhelming support a derivative of consistent winning? The Cardinals have bathed in 3 million attendance 16 of the last 17 seasons. The exception occurred during a maddening 85-win 2003 campaign that prevented the franchise from reaching the postseason seven consecutive years. Purchased along with a downtown hotel and a parking garage for $160 million in 1995, the Cardinals have endured just two losing seasons (1999, 2007) during their extended renaissance. A meandering and mostly neglected franchise conversely drew 3 million just once from 1988-97, managing just 1.78 million in ’95, the summer after Selig canceled the World Series.
Face it: It’s cool to be a Cardinals fan. It must be, because the region supports what last year ranked as the sixth-most expensive game day experience, according to Team Marketing Report. The Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets — big markets all — were down-page from the Cardinals in average cost.
How to start a summer stampede downtown?
Announce a Jason Simontacchi bobblehead giveaway to the first 20,000 fans on a Thursday night.
A popular drinking game — even at $9.50 a pop — involves how many times a Cardinals player will cite “baseball’s best fans” during a pregame interview. In contrast, the Rams’ receiving corps put the club on defense with a “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture during pregame introductions Nov. 30.
It’s fascinating how alternate universes can be perceived within the same city limits.
Say Kroenke gets his wish and takes the Rams back “home.” Say the NFL wishes to keep the nation’s No. 21 media market, St. Louis. Say the league assuages the city by allowing a jilted franchise to relocate here. Say it’s the Oakland Raiders, the one operation that has a recent history of out-bungling the Rams. How long before “new” becomes old again?
March 27, 2015 at 12:58 am in reply to: Grayson, Hundley, Petty, Carden etc. … the qbs this year #21601znModeratorFisher still looking to draft a QB
By Jim Thomas
PHOENIX • Even with the arrival of Nick Foles via trade, the Rams’ game plan at quarterback remains unchanged according to coach Jeff Fisher.
“It’s our intention to draft one,” Fisher said. “The Nick (Foles) trade has no bearing over what we do in the draft.”
OK, but it’s probably not going to be Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the top two QB prospects in the 2015 draft.
Winston is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to Tampa Bay. And Mariota could very well go second overall to Tennessee.
“They’re unique; they’re rare,” Fisher said of the pair. “They’ve clearly proven they can win games. Marcus obviously is a little bit more mobile than Winston is. But Winston makes all of the throws. They’re both very impressive to watch.”
Winston operated in more of a pro-style offense with the Seminoles, but Mariota will have to make the adjustment from a college spread system unless he’s drafted by his former college coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia.
“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult,” Fisher said. “He’s been working under those circumstances now in training situations. I think it just added to the intrigue. He tested out so well as an athlete.”
If for some reason Tennessee doesn’t take Mariota at No. 2 overall, things might get interesting. The next interested team might be the New York Jets at No. 6. They have veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and youngster Geno Smith, but Jets owner Woody Johnson likes to make a splash, and having Mariota in the Big Apple would do just that.
But what if they pass on Mariota? Do the Rams at No. 10 overall get on the phone and try to move up?
“Well, you know how I am with respect to hypotheticals,” Fisher said, grinning broadly.
Fisher doesn’t like to comment on hypotheticals. But we also know how the Rams are when it comes to draft trades. From the Robert Griffith III trade and several spinoff moves in 2012, to trading up for Tavon Austin in 2013, the Rams haven’t been shy about moving around in the draft under Fisher and general manager Les Snead.
“We’ll see,” Fisher said. “I think it’s highly unlikely that either one of them gets to us. They’re both very talented players.”
If that’s the case, that leaves the Rams looking at the second-tier of quarterbacks.
“There’s some outstanding players once you get beyond (Winston and Mariota),” Fisher said. “We’re just starting the process. My understanding based on our first-wave draft meetings is that there’s some young quarterbacks that can play.”
That’s debatable, and if anything it’s not a very deep quarterback pool. Barring Winston or Mariota, the Rams would be looking at the likes of Baylor’s Bryce Petty, UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Oregon’s Sean Mannion, and Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson.
Petty could be the best of the rest, and he indicated on Sirius XM radio earlier this month that he has a “top 30” visit planned to St. Louis.
“Good combine,” Fisher said. “Got a very strong arm. Good athlete. You don’t see him do things that we’re gonna ask him to do, so I think you have to see him actually work out, private workout, things like that.”
That’s because Petty also played in a spread offense in college, never lining up under center. If the Rams were going to draft a QB among the second tier, they almost have to do so in the second round because the supply might be largely depleted if they wait until Round 3.
With Foles as the Rams’ starter in 2015, a drafted quarterback in theory could watch and learn as a rookie.
Rounding out the quarterback depth chart are Austin Davis and Case Keenum, which appears to be an either/or proposition.
“We’re gonna let Austin and Case compete for that No. 2 spot,” Fisher said. “That’s our plan.”
Which means the loser probably is out on the street if the Rams indeed draft a QB.
Davis started out in surprising fashion last season, putting up big numbers against the likes of Dallas and Philadelphia but stumbling through turnover-plagued games as the season progressed before getting benched at midseason in favor of Shaun Hill.
The Rams have made a qualifying offer to Davis as a restricted free agent, which means he could get an outside offer from another team.
“Austin’s still in our plans,” Fisher said. “He’s still gonna come in and compete.”
Fisher says it’s possible Davis can cut down on mistakes and revert to his early-season form of 2014, particularly under the revamped offense of new coordinator Frank Cignetti.
“We’re gonna be doing different things,” Fisher said. “We’re gonna throw it quicker. I think Austin has a chance. You can see he’s got a quick release. He’s got mobility.”
As for Keenum, the Rams had to trade a 2016 seventh-rounder for him 2 ½ weeks ago to get him back after Houston plucked him off the Rams’ practice squad last season.
“We really like Case,” Fisher said. “He was making progress, but didn’t get the opportunity I think he would’ve liked from a practice standpoint because he was our third (QB). And usually the third doesn’t get (much work) but he would stay out after every practice and work.”
znModeratorYou cannot have a power running game that only very rarely overpowers anyone.
I return to this cause it’s an interesting topic.
My rejoinder is, the Rams have OFTEN run on people. And that’s with 3 different backs—Jackson, Stacy, Mason.
I just don’t think they are as far off as you seem to think they are.
But then it’s a contrast in 2 different ways of thinking.
I tend to see what they do well already and imagine they can become more consistent at it.
I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but to me anyway, you tend to look at the problems and imagine they are not easy to eliminate.
Is that fair?
.
March 27, 2015 at 12:32 am in reply to: How do people feel about Foles right now, before anything else happens? #21599znModeratorFoles is somewhere between just below average at QB to the “tough, smart gamer” that wv mentions above. I think that’s his ceiling, and it’s quite a bit below Bradford’s ceiling.
Foles is kinda like the Rams Kaepernick. But, better.
And. Not as fast.
znModeratorIt is like Fisher foresees that we will not have the offensive line to protect the QB this year. We had better get rid of it quick. And/or Foles is better when he doesn’t have to think too much or both. That is just conjecture. We will have to see how it works out.
I promise you they will have a decent OL. Since Fisher came to St.Louis, any time these OLs have been relatively healthy, they have played well. And that includes lines with guys like Turner and Smith, who never did anything since.
znModeratorThey talk about Bradford’s cap savings and what it did. I will say that it let them pay Quinn’s roster bonus this year and not have to restructure it. If they had kept Bradford, they could do virtually the same stuff as they will end up doing this year, except Quinn’s money would be pushed in the future. imo
People are a little confused IMO about this whole Bradford, qbs, cap thing stuff.
First off I think you’re dead right.
2nd, people forget…assuming health, if you have a 6 year qb at 13 M, it’s a bargain. It’s a bargain for the Eagles, anyway.
The new CBA may pay rookie qbs less, but, they come up sooner too.
And as I keep saying, the market for starting qbs in their 2nd contract is around 19 M. (It orbits that. It can go down to 17 M or up to 20 something M.)
So if Foles works out, that’s the kind of money we’re talking about here.
So if both Foles and Bradford can play, they will both be getting around 19 M next year.
The one year reprieve for the Rams, as you said, allowed them to leave the Quinn roster bonus alone. That means they have more money for the future…but they will either be using that on Foles, or they don’t have a qb.
..
znModeratorMaybe I will be that way in April too.
wv-ram will be simplified
but appear to be much more complex.Cignetti is saying he has ways to simplify the terminology.
That’s all he talked about. Terminology.
No one said anything about “simplifying” the actual OFFENSE.
.
Anyway a lot of this is all confusion-ville.
They may not be simplifying the offense, but they ARE changing it—tweaking it, more like.
From another article (from today):
===
Fisher Talks Offensive Roster Moves
Myles Simmons
Fisher didn’t divulge much about those offensive changes, other than saying that the team would like to get rid of the ball quicker.
…
“One factor to consider is the offensive change,” Fisher said. “We’re going to be doing different things.”
znModeratorMaybe I will be that way in April too.
wv-ram will be simplified
but appear to be much more complex.Cignetti is saying he has ways to simplify the terminology.
That’s all he talked about. Terminology.
No one said anything about “simplifying” the actual OFFENSE.
.
znModeratordoes it simplify the protection schemes?
They didn’t say anything about changing schemes.
It was all about terminology and volume. I assume that means volume of terms you need to know to know a given play?
znModeratorTodd Gurley’s NFL fits include Chargers, Ravens, Cowboys
By Bucky Brooks
At a time when running backs are seemingly being devalued on draft boards around the NFL, Todd Gurley has an opportunity to change the perception about the position.
Yes, I’m sure scouts are wrestling with concerns over his recovery from a torn ACL suffered last November, despite the former Georgia standout being widely viewed as the most talented runner in his class. Though he’s been tabbed as a legitimate top-10 prospect based on his potential, production and impact as a feature runner, spending an early pick on a running back when help at the position is routinely found in the later stages of the draft certainly seems like a risk. And I understand the worries over Gurley’s durability and viability. But I firmly believe he’s a transcendent talent, an impact playmaker with all of the blue-chip characteristics typically found in perennial Pro Bowlers.
Measuring 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds with exceptional speed and quickness, Gurley projects as a prototypical power back in the NFL. He is a violent inside runner with the physicality, toughness and grit to excel between the tackles. In addition to exhibiting the strength and power to run through contact in the hole, he displays impressive vision, balance and body control with the ball in his hands. Gurley is a rare big back capable of executing multiple jump cuts in the hole — and he also aggressively attacks seams between the tackles. As an outside runner, Gurley shows explosive speed, quickness and burst turning the corner. He runs away from defenders on the perimeter and has the potential to score from anywhere on the field.
Although questions will persist about Gurley’s top-end speed following his ACL tear, the fact that he ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.12 seconds during his time at Georgia — the seventh-fastest mark in school history — suggests that he is a world-class athlete unlikely to completely lose his burst and acceleration after an injury.
As a pass catcher, Gurley exhibits strong hands and natural receiving skills, effortlessly catching the ball out of the backfield on screens and swing routes. Most importantly, he is an underrated route runner capable of executing every route in the playbook. Given the impact that a big-bodied back with receiving skills can make in the backfield, the ability to land a pure “three-down” running back should have scouts and coaches salivating over Gurley and his long-term potential.
Looking ahead to how Gurley’s game could shape up at the next level, I believe he is a Marshawn Lynch clone capable of carrying an offense on his back with his versatile skills. He is a rare find at the position, a bell-cow RB adept at running from one- and two-back sets. With Gurley also displaying exceptional hands and receiving skills, he is the prototypical feature back that every decision maker covets as the centerpiece of a balanced offense.
Here are five potential fits for Gurley:
San Diego Chargers (No. 17 overall pick)
The loss of Ryan Mathews via free agency robbed the Chargers of a fine talent in the backfield. Injuries limited the former first-round pick’s output, but there was no denying his impact and production when healthy: He posted a pair of 1,000-yard seasons for the Chargers and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2011, when he finished with 1,091 rushing yards and 50 receptions as a second-year starter. With Mathews now in Philly, the Bolts need to find a dynamic feature back who can deliver spectacular production as a runner and receiver. Gurley certainly fits the bill as a thumper with soft hands and exceptional receiving skills. He would give San Diego coach Mike McCoy a true three-down back with the potential to anchor a power running game and make key contributions as a receiver on early downs. Most importantly, Gurley would command the attention of opposing defensive coordinators, allowing quarterback Philip Rivers to throw against eight-man fronts with one-on-one coverage on the outside. This would enhance the Chargers’ attack, making one of the most efficient offensive units even more productive.
Baltimore Ravens (No. 26)
The Ravens stumbled onto a 1,000-yard runner in Justin Forsett last season, but counting on the veteran journeyman to be a long-term solution is risky, based on his age and résumé. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and his staff would be wise to take a long, hard look at Gurley as their workhorse back of the future. Given how he shined as a feature back in the Bulldogs’ power-based ground attack, I’d expect Gurley to find similar success as the lead runner in Baltimore’s scheme. Most importantly, Gurley would serve as the rugged runner the Ravens need to thrive against the hard-hitting defenses of the AFC North. This team is looking for a young, physical running back to build around, thus Gurley landing in Baltimore is a realistic possibility.
Dallas Cowboys (No. 27)
With the Cowboys having allowed the NFL’s leading rusher in 2014 to depart as a free agent, the pressure is on owner Jerry Jones to find a Pro Bowl-caliber performer in the backfield to anchor his potent ground attack. And Gurley is a prime candidate to replace DeMarco Murray as the marquee ball-carrier in Dallas. He is a downhill runner with exceptional vision, balance and body control, and he could surely terrorize opponents behind the powerful offensive line in Big D. In the passing game, Gurley’s soft hands, superb ball skills and underrated route-running ability would make him the perfect replacement for Murray, who snagged 57 passes last season, playing a vital role as Tony Romo’s trusted safety valve. Gurley could capably fill Murray’s shoes in the aerial attack and give the Cowboys the thump they need to run roughshod over opponents in the NFC.
Indianapolis Colts (No. 29)
The Andrew Luck-led Colts have been labeled a finesse team, due to the pass-happy nature of the offense in recent years, but coach Chuck Pagano and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton would prefer to run an offense that smashes opponents behind a physical running game. Accordingly, Indy added five-time Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore this offseason. And while Gore could spark the unit with his rugged running style, the 10-year veteran is nearing the end of his career, and the Colts should have a replacement at the ready. Gurley is a perfect candidate to fill the role. He does the majority of his damage between the tackles, yet he also possesses the speed and quickness to turn the corner on outside runs. With Gurley additionally exhibiting outstanding skills as a receiver out of the backfield, adding him to an offense directed by one of the best young passers in the game would strike fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators around the AFC.
Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll is seemingly one of the few coaches remaining in the league who believes the running game is the backbone of a championship offense. The wily head man has watched Marshawn Lynch rush for at least 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in each of the past four seasons, including 1,306 rushing yards and a career-best 13 touchdowns in 2014. Of course, with the 28-year-old running back also contemplating retirement after each of the past two seasons, it’s time for the Seahawks to find his successor. Gurley is a “Beast Mode” clone with the size, vision and body control to wreak havoc on opponents on inside runs. He also displays the physicality, grit and toughness to fill Lynch’s role in Seattle as the offensive tone-setter. Seattle doesn’t currently have a first-round pick, having shipped the 31st overall selection to the Saints as part of a trade for Jimmy Graham, but should the team find itself in the position to pick Gurley, he could be just the back to help maintain the continuity of Seattle’s championship-caliber offense. And while the Seahawks’ first pick doesn’t come until No. 63, they have the most selections in the draft (11), which could allow for some wheeling and dealing.
znModerator..
Here is some more (earlier) stuff on this whole “simplifying” thing.
Just to see what they’ve been saying about it.Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher, Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti (2-13-15)
http://theramshuddle.com/topic/fisher-cignetti-transcript-212/
FISHER: I personally had plenty of time to go back and reflect and look at the offense and identify some areas that need to be improved on. Like what you’re talking about with the third quarter stuff and the third-down efficiency and tying the run game to the play-action game and simplifying the offense and reducing things and establishing an identity and all those kind of things. So, those are the kind of things that we talked about and those are the things that were very attractive to me from a standpoint of not only his background, his experience just understanding offensive concepts, but also different ways of doing things. So, we are going to change, but change is good. This change is going to be very, very good for us.”
On if the overall offensive philosophy will remain the same)
JF: “We’re saying the same thing that I think everybody else is saying. We need to do it better. We need to execute. We need to minimize mistakes. We need to reduce the amount of information that we’re giving to the players and go out and execute. Having the opportunity to go back and look at the individual games, individual situations and deficiencies over the last couple years, those are the areas that are going to change, that are going to improve.”(On if there was too much volume in the offense in years past)
JF: “I think we agreed there was at times.”(On if the volume of the offense hindered some of the skill players)
JF: “I’m confident that our system will be such in April when the players come back for the offseason program, we’ll be simplified, but appear to be much more complex.”St. Louis Rams look to simplify offense with Frank Cignetti
By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/
Frank Cignetti looks to have an offense that will be simpler but “appear to be much more complex.””I personally had plenty of time to go back and reflect and look at the offense and identify some areas that need to be improved on,” Fisher said. “Like what you’re talking about with the third quarter stuff and the third-down efficiency and tying the run game to the play-action game and simplifying the offense and reducing things and establishing an identity and all those kind of things.”
Out of that laundry list of items, the word “simplifying” jumps out the most. I know what you’re thinking: How can an offense based in the principles of “ground and pound” be too complicated? Well, Fisher believes that at times the Rams’ offense was too voluminous, asking the players to remember a lot of things in a given week
Former coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s offense (under Fisher’s guidance) may be fairly fundamental philosophically but it also came with plenty of shifts, movements and details that gave the players an abundance of things to do and remember on every snap.
“The foundation of the playbook is the same,” Cignetti said. “Coach Schottenheimer’s put a terrific system in place here, the same system I was a part of when I was with the San Francisco 49ers. The foundation is going to be the same. Whether Coach Schottenheimer was still here or whether it was myself leading, every year you look at ways of doing things better.
“So, things that we talked about was how could we minimize terminology? So there’s certain things that we did in my past that we’ll be able to minimize terminology. So, as an offensive staff, we’re going to evaluate everything. If there’s a better way to learn, if there’s a better way to teach, then we’ll make changes. We’re not going to change just to make changes, but if it’s something that’s going to help us win football games, then we’ll make the necessary changes.”
.
znModeratorJeff Fisher talks on NFL Network
St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher tells NFL Media’s Steve Wyche that there will be changes to the extra point for the 2015 season, and talks about the Rams offseason.
znModeratorEnh. Relocation stuff. Nothin we haven’t heard.
znModeratorYou have personnel who somehow need simplicity to thrive.
zn wrote:
Which btw you took as reducing to simplicITY. He isn’t doing that,
from what I saw. SimplifyING isn’t the same as reducing to simpliCITYI dont know what you mean.
w
vI was referring to the first remark quoted here. Just a small vocab issue. I was going all semantics.
znModeratorhich would then be on the coordinator, right?
Well to me it’s the one legit complaint that followed Schott from NY to the Rams.
But at the same time, I think of it as being on the head coach’s taste and patience in relation to the coordinator.
Cause there ARE advantages to having mulitiple situational variations built in. It’s a matter of the head coach weighing the advantages longterm v. the gains short term.
For example, the same thing goes on with McD’s offense. It is notoriously full of built-in sight variations. It didn’t work with the Patz in 2013 when their receivers were reduced to a lot of young guys. Brady even threw fits on the field because the WRs kept screwing up. But, Bellichick went with it and they just waited for the players to catch up.
Fisher wants to simplify.
Which btw you took as reducing to simplicITY. He isn’t doing that, from what I saw. SimplifyING isn’t the same as reducing to simpliCITY.
znModerator> It’s a transitional thing or …
> You have personnel who somehow need simplicity to thrive.Or.
It’s too complicated.
.
znModeratorAm i reading that right? Does that
mean SF, Arz and Seattle all
had more significant injuries
the last two years than the Rams?w
vYes.
BUT.
The Rams tended to have injuries concentrated in units.
Think back–there have been just a few injuries on defense.
And then huge numbers on the OL.
Rams injuries have tended to cripple UNITS. Mostly WR and OL, as I said, and also qb.
.
znModeratorWell does it also mean the Rams players
are not the brightest bulbs in the box?No. Schott was famous for his offenses being complicated–he built in a lot of sight adjustments and variations into each play. IMO this was the one complaint that Jets players made about him that had any reality to it.
Williams is famous for going mad scientist and multiplying the fronts and packages he fields.
I suppose that the Rams players being predominantly young factors in too.
This is Fisher trimming excess, IMO.
Here’s an article about Schott JT wrote right after he was hired.
===============
Schottenheimer defends his system
January 25, 2012
BY JIM THOMAS
MOBILE, ALA. • Brian Schottenheimer had been out of New York for little more than a week when his former head coach, Rex Ryan, delivered a parting gift. Or parting shot.
In the wake of a late-season collapse that left the Jets at 8-8 and out of the playoffs, Ryan told a New York radio station that Schottenheimer’s verbiage — the language of calling plays and discussing the offense — was too complicated.
On Tuesday, during his introductory conference call as the Rams’ new offensive coordinator, Schottenheimer returned volley.
Asked if his verbiage was too complicated, Schottenheimer replied: “I don’t. I really don’t. I think it’s one of those situations where as you go through the thing, we’re going to do things that our players know and understand well.
“I do not think that the verbiage is a problem. And if it ever became that, I would hope that somebody spoke up and came to me and said, ‘Hey the verbiage is too much.’ But that’s never happened in my career.”
A ‘somebody” like, say Ryan.
Schottenheimer’s verbiage no longer is the Jets’ problem. He and the Jets had a parting of the ways following the 2011 regular season. Some have interpreted that as Schottenheimer being pushed out the door — fired, because he had time left on his contract. But he said Tuesday he was ready for a change.
Would he still be with the Jets had they not lost their last three games?
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I believe that change is positive. Having been there for six years, I can look back on all those great games and comeback victories. … But I was excited about the possibility of a change and I quite honestly couldn’t be more pleased with how it ended up — that I’m here in St. Louis working for a guy that is just a terrific head coach.”
The verbiage issue is one of interest in St. Louis now that Schottenheimer is on coach Jeff Fisher’s staff, particularly with quarterback Sam Bradford about to learn his third offense in three seasons.
Schottenheimer grew up in coaching with the “digit” system of play-calling, a staple of the “Air Coryell” offense of former coaching great Don Coryell. In that system, for example, pass routes are called by numbers. Hence the game-winning touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce in Super Bowl XXXIV, against Fisher’s Tennessee Titans, was “9-9-9 H balloon.” (Mike Martz, Rams offensive coordinator at the time, was a Coryell disciple.)
At the Senior Bowl on Tuesday, one coach familiar with the Jets’ offense said Schottenheimer actually altered the way plays were called — using more concepts and fewer digits in the system — to help quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Schottenheimer, who met Bradford on Monday, said Bradford should have no trouble getting the verbiage down.
“Sam and I, as we work through the process and get things going here in a few months, it will not be a problem,” Schottenheimer said. “I understand how smart he is and how much he wants to work and is excited about the opportunity.”
In reality, Schottenheimer said there are only so many kinds of routes you can run and so many kinds of running plays.
“We all have the same plays,” he said.
Over the years, he has been exposed to enough systems that he’ll be able to quickly “translate” any differences in terminology while Bradford is learning the playbook.
“I know some of the things that Josh (McDaniels) was doing,” Schottenheimer said of the man he is replacing. “I know some of the things that Sam did his first year under (former offensive coordinator) Pat Shurmur, so I can kind of translate a lot of those languages. But it will be certainly different.”
Schottenheimer is working his way through tape of Bradford’s Rams games; he’s about 12 to 14 games through 2010, Bradoford’s rookie year. He had yet to delve into 2011.
“Obviously, he’s extremely gifted, extremely talented,” Schottenheimer siad. “I’m watching the film, getting a sense of how accurate he is with the football and how well he actually moves around and has made plays.
“That was one of the things that jumped off the film at me. But it’ll be a fun process going through and looking at all the games and just getting a sense of where he’s at. I’ve been around a lot of young quarterbacks, but I think this guy’s got a chance to be real special.”
As he studies Bradford, Schottenheimer also is going through the process of finding a quarterbacks coach, something the Rams didn’t have last season.
“That was one of the first things Jeff and I talked about,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s something that I really, truly believe in as well. The quarterback needs to be taught no different than everybody else. There’s fundamentals, there’s techniques that need to be taught and stressed. … We will obviously look at a lot of different people and it will be a very, very important hire just like all the staff hirings will be for us.”
znModeratorand i wonder why they would do it,
Execution. Less to think about.
And it;s different for the offense and defense.
On offense, they are cutting back how playcalls work. Less terminology, and I would imagine, less built-in variations per play.
On defense, it’s just the sheer number of defenses Wms fields. Less to learn. Again, execution. He already did it once–Fisher asked Wms to scale back the defense during the season, and it automatically improved as a result. For example we stopped seeing those 3-man DL zone blitz schemes.
What Fisher is noticing of course is that one of the HUGE problems with the Rams is precisely execution. This is one reason I never bought into coordinator blaming–if you watch Rams plays that go wrong, far more often than not it’s an execution issue.
One way to fix execution issues is to have the players thinking about less and so doing things with more confidence.
znModeratorOn Lance Kendricks
when we sat down, we made the offensive change, the offense sat down there and started reviewing our run game and our passing game, it became apparent to them that Lance was very important to us moving the football. And so, as an organization, we recognized that and so i was important to get him back.
Tellin ya.
March 26, 2015 at 8:17 am in reply to: Kroenke ready to show detailed stadium plans … plus other relocation things #21537znModeratorNFL will do what it wants
By Bernie Miklasz
The National Football League is conducting a market study of St. Louis in an attempt to assess our level of fandom and corporate support.
This is all part of the feverish chariot race to Los Angeles pitting the Rams, Chargers and Raiders. St. Louis isn’t the only market being scrutinized by the NFL; Oakland, San Diego and LA are also going through an official league inspection.
There have been a few problems; some longtime St. Louis-based fans complained that they never received the survey, which was supposedly distributed to season-ticket holders here. It was the first sign of a potentially flawed process.
So what will the St. Louis market study show?
Easy answer: whatever the NFL wants it to show.
These NFL operatives have more moves than Marshall Faulk; you can’t hem them in. They always find wiggle room.
There’s NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who on Wednesday praised the STL effort to get a new stadium off the ground here. But Goodell added that the NFL is considering speeding up the timetable to allow owners, including the Rams’ Stan Kroenke, to apply for relocation sooner than the league’s original Jan. 1 window.
So while Goodell says he likes what’s going on in St. Louis, he also pivots and offers that Kroenke (and others) may be allowed to apply for a move in the fall. Which, of course, would give St. Louis less time to finalize the stadium plan. If that happens, advantage Kroenke. You have to admit it: This was a nice cutback move by Goodell.
NFL executive VP Eric Grubman has also praised the progress being made toward a new St. Louis stadium. And if task-force leaders Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz can complete the land acquisition and stadium funding, then St. Louis should be in a great shape, right?
Uh, well … not necessarily.
“Your supposition is that it’s just public money that turns the key in the lock that opens the door that makes the market viable,” said Grubman, as quoted by the Orange County Register. “That’s not all there is. Let’s put the pieces together. You have to have a stadium and a financing plan … You have to have a market assessment that suggests that the market can and will be healthy for the long term so that stadium plan is supported.
“And if you do that then you’ve demonstrated viability against relocation guidelines, but it still goes to a vote. But the reason I make that distinction is that I could see a scenario where a financing plan is assembled and land is assembled and an entitlement is assembled but the market assessment is dim. And in that scenario, I don’t know that the owners would necessarily feel compelled to keep the team there.
“I could see a scenario where the market assessment is terrific and the land is assembled and the financing plan is not quite done and the owners may say, too late. let ’em go. Or they may say, let’s give them a little bit more time. That’s up to the owners.”
After absorbing all of that, please allow me to repeat what I said earlier in this piece: In the matter of franchise relocation, the league will do as it pleases. Do not even try to box these people in. It’s impossible.
This is a helpful reminder from the men who run the league. Seriously, it’s better to know what we’re up against instead of being naive and making false assumptions. I made that mistake — a big one — at the beginning of this escapade. Well, never again.
This is their league, they have full control of the process, and the relocation guidelines are essentially relocation suggestions. If this comes down to a relocation vote, the owners can disregard the rules and vote as they please.
If the NFL and its owners decide it’s smart to have the Rams head to SoCal and play in Kroenke’s spectacular new stadium, then this is exactly how things will go down.
I’m not saying situation is hopeless. It’s possible that the NFL will conduct an honorable process. And we were the first to discuss alternatives, including the NFL redirecting the Raiders to St. Louis, or Kroenke selling the Rams to buy the Raiders and set them up in Los Angeles.
A lot of this sounds goofy, but you just can’t rule anything out. This competition for the LA market already has featured surprise developments and frequent revisions to the narrative.
One thing has not changed: St. Louis must have a new stadium to stay in the game, and stay in the NFL. Peacock and Blitz have to finalize the land purchase and stadium funding as soon as possible. Without the stadium, it’s over for the NFL here. That’s the one absolute.
As for the NFL’s market study of St. Louis, I’ll try to offer some assistance.
This is a good football town that’s been stuck with bad teams and worse owners. There have been 48 NFL seasons here, with only 16 ending with a winning record, and only eight resulting in a trip to the postseason.
The Cardinals were here 28 seasons, ranked 18th in winning percentage and went 0-3 in the postseason. The Rams have been here 20 seasons, and while the “Greatest Show” era was tremendous (but brief), the franchise ranks 27th in the league in wins since moving here. Only the Raiders have won fewer games since 2004.
Despite already having endured decades of sad-sack football and having a 6-10 team and an owner plotting to move the franchise, St. Louis fans still averaged 57,000 in attendance per home game in 2014. These fans have had every reason to be demoralized but still filled the sterile Edward Jones Dome to 88 percent capacity.
I’d say this is strong but undernourished football market. One that hasn’t had the chance to enjoy many winning seasons or benefit from quality, or truly local, ownership. One that has watched home games in a cookie-cutter baseball stadium (Busch II) or in the current convention-center warehouse.
I doubt that any of this will make it to the NFL’s market-study report. The best we can hope for is that this town will receive fair treatment from the NFL. But this is the NFL’s game, and the league makes the rules. That’s the reality.
March 26, 2015 at 7:51 am in reply to: Kroenke ready to show detailed stadium plans … plus other relocation things #21536znModeratorhttp://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/03/25/kurt-warner-rams-have-built-in-fan-base-in-l-a/
PHOENIX—The best quarterback in the short history of the Rams in St. Louis prefers that the team remain in the Gateway to the West rather than migrate West. But Kurt Warner concedes to Breitbart Sports that a reboot in Los Angeles makes sense for the franchise.
“To me, when I hear Rams, it’s synonymous with St. Louis, I’m a part of that history, I’m part of that franchise,” Warner told Breitbart Sports at the NFL owner’s meeting in Phoenix on Tuesday. “When I think back to the memory of the St. Louis Rams, they are all going to be around the St. Louis community.”
But Warner also realizes the Rams have a rich history in Los Angeles, playing in that city from 1946 through 1994, and would be a natural fit from whence they came.
“I’m also realistic and understand how that fits for the NFL, how it fits for the Rams to move back to L.A.,” Warner said. “When I was with the St. Louis Rams, and every time I would go out to L.A., you would be amazed at the number of people who would come up and say, ‘Thanks for the great season. I’ve been a Rams fans my entire life.’ There is a built-in fan base in L.A.”
The Rams have been playing in St. Louis since 1995, following a move from Los Angeles. The team originally played in Cleveland. One of the greatest players of their 20-year history in St. Louis is quarterback Kurt Warner.
After graduating from Northern Iowa in 1993, he bagged groceries and bounced around the Arena League and NFL Europe before finally landing a third-string quarterback job with the Rams in 1998.
In 1999, he moved up to second-string, and when starting quarterback Trent Green suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, Warner took over and led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in his first season as a starter. In the Rams’s Super Bowl win over the Tennessee Titans, Warner threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards.
Two years later, he led the Rams to another Super Bowl appearance, but they lost to the New England Patriots on a last second field goal. Warner’s road to St. Louis, and his magical career with the Rams, played like a Hollywood script. Near Tinseltown, Rams owner Stan Kroenke wants to build a $1.86 million stadium on a tract of land he owns, and eventually host two NFL teams, with the Rams likely being one of them.
Warner has mixed feelings.
“So when people think about Los Angeles, the Rams are the first thing that comes to mind because it’s synonymous with that team,” Warner maintained. “It makes sense to me that would be a good move and smart move to have built-in fan base for a team that moves there.
“But for more personally, I’d like for them to stay in St. Louis because I love the community there, and my history would stay with that team. But I definitely see both sides of it.”
He would make a good politician they way he worked the middle on this issue. But he is clearly not categorically opposed to a Rams move to Los Angeles.
March 25, 2015 at 9:34 pm in reply to: OL in free agency … Barksdale, Blalock, Wisniewski, etc. #21515znModeratorWisniewski is recovering from shoulder surgery after last season when he played with a torn labrum. No team has been willing to meet his request of $4 million per season
This explains a lot.
-
AuthorPosts
