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znModeratorYeah they almost had that SD game.
This was a bloodbath.
Or more like a blood tsunami.
The Raiders were starting to get it together, and it’s hard to score 50+ points and it’s hard to get shut-outs.
In fact when was the last Rams shut-out?
Actually it was against the Raiders in 2006.
znModeratorOnce again just 3 corners: Jenkins, Johnson, Gaines.
Active DL = Quinn, Long, Sims, Hayes, Langford, Brockers, Donald.
Going to pour in on at DE looks like.
znModeratorThats the formula, Pa — the Offense
has to hold them to field goals,
and the defense needs to score TDs.w
vPlus Ray Ray needs to get some special teams penalties.
November 30, 2014 at 2:48 am in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12693znModerator7 things to watch: Rams vs. Raiders
By Jim Thomas
For eight consecutive games, the Rams have faced a quarterback who had either been named to a Pro Bowl, or played in the Super Bowl — or both — over the past two seasons. On Sunday, that streak ends when they play rookie QB Derek Carr. A second-round pick out of Fresno State, Carr has been the starter since opening day and has played more than any other rookie QB in the league, completing 59.1 percent of his 406 passes for 2,249 yards, 14 TDs, nine interceptions and a passer rating of 76.7. “They’ve found their quarterback,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s got legs to escape, a quick release and he’s very accurate.” Only seven QBs in the NFL have thrown more passes than Carr, yet he has been sacked a modest 12 times. But after facing Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning the past two weeks, this is a QB the Rams need to handle.
ALONG CAME JONES
Who knows where the Raiders’ passing game would be without veteran WR James Jones, the former Packer who signed last offseason as a free agent. As it is they’re near the bottom of the pile, ranking 26th in passing offense. Jones leads the team in catches (54) and yards (545). “He’s been a settling influence in that rather young group of guys that he’s with,” Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “He’s a big body. Extremely talented receiver.”
THE OTHER GUYS
Last year’s receiving leader, Rod Streater, remains out with a foot fracture suffered in Week 3. That leaves the Raiders with largely a bunch of no-names at WR, although third-year man Andre Holmes has decent numbers with 32 catches for 474 yards and four TDs to go with good size (6-4, 210). Second-year TE Mychal Rivera has been productive, ranking second to Jones in receptions (38). The only other Raider with more than 19 catches is RB Darren McFadden.
TIGHTEN IT UP
The Rams played it conservatively against San Diego, using a lot of off-coverage. With Rams corners consistently playing 7-8 yards off the line of scrimmage, Rivers carved them up with underneath stuff and bubble screens. Rivers had been in the midst of one of the worst four-game slumps of his career; the Rams’ approach helped him get in rhythm. Hopefully that’s not the strategy against Carr, who ranks 32nd in yards per attempt (5.54).
BACKFIELD WOES
Despite the presence of veterans McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, the Raiders rank last in the NFL in rushing offense. Latavius Murray provided an unanticipated spark last week against KC with 112 yards and two TDs on just four carries, but he’s been ruled out Sunday with a concussion. As Fisher points out, the rushing numbers are misleading because the Raiders have a league-low 19.5 carries per game — seven carries a game lower than the league average.
HOLD THAT LINE
The Raiders are near the bottom of the league in running defense (25th), but again the numbers are a bit misleading. Yes, the Raiders are yielding 126.7 rushing yards a game, but they’re allowing only 3.8 yards per carry, which is pretty decent. The high overall total in rushing yards allowed is due in part to the fact that teams have rushed 363 times against Oakland’s defense; only Tennessee (365) has faced more running plays on defense this season.
SPECIAL CHANCES
The Raiders gave up 169 yards in returns in their 24-20 victory over Kansas City on Nov. 20, including a 28-yard punt return and kickoff returns of 46 and 58 yards for the Chiefs. Benny Cunningham is hanging in among NFL kickoff return leaders, ranking fifth with a 28.9-yard average. And Tavon Austin has been cranking it up on punt returns lately, nearly returning one for a touchdown last week. So there could be some opportunities here for the Rams.
znModeratorJim Thomas @jthom1
Rams release WR Damian Williams, who had been slowed recently by hamstring injury. Move leaves Rams with only 4 WRs on 53-man roster.
Team replaces Williams on roster by promoting TE Justice Cunningham from practice squad.
So there’s still a practice squad spot available with the promotion of Cunningham.
Another team was interested in signing Cunningham to its active roster. Rams like him enough that they promoted him to 53-man.
November 29, 2014 at 11:10 pm in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12685znModerator
Rams-Raiders: Matchup breakdownBy Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14098/rams-raiders-matchup-breakdown
EARTH CITY, Mo. — A look at three individual matchups to keep an eye on when the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders meet at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald versus Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski
No matter who has been put in front of Donald this season, he has won his one-on-one matchups more often than not. Teams have begun throwing additional blockers at Donald more than they were earlier in the season which means he’s seeing more double teams from the guards and center. Wisniewski is one of the more underrated centers in the league, a solid if unspectacular type who is better in the run game than in pass protection.
That might be a bad sign for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr this week because of Donald’s ability to quickly penetrate the backfield. According to Pro Football Focus, Wisniewski has allowed one sack, three quarterback hits and eight quarterback hurries. He’s also picked up four penalties along the way. The Rams coaches’ evaluations have Donald down for five sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback pressures and nine quarterback hits this season.
Oakland has allowed the fewest sacks in the league but sacks aren’t everything and if the Raiders can’t contain Donald, it’s going to be a long day for Carr and the offense.
Rams right tackle Joe Barksdale versus Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck
It’s easy to look at the Raiders’ record and dismiss them as a bad team but they’ve actually been pretty solid defensively this season. Amidst the many older veterans the Raiders brought in last offseason, Tuck has played better than most. He has a pair of sacks, seven quarterback hits and 10 quarterback hits to go with his 20 tackles. No, he’s not the same Tuck that he was when he was a dominant player for the Giants but he can still create some chaos.
Of course, Barksdale is the player opposite Tuck who will be asked to slow him down. After a solid 2013, Barksdale has been a bit more up and down this time around. He’s struggled against elite pass-rushers like Kansas City’s Justin Houston but also been solid in games earlier in the season like Dallas and Tampa Bay. After a down cycle, Barksdale has been better the past two weeks but will have another tough challenge in Tuck this week.
The Rams need to get the running game going and it’s on Barksdale and his line mates to make it happen.
Rams punt returner Tavon Austin versus Raiders punter Marquette King
Oakland’s special teams have had their share of ups and downs but King has been one of the consistent bright spots. He’s punted more than anyone in the league but his 41.66 net average ranks eighth in the league. The Raiders, though, haven’t been the best at covering those punts despite the solid net average. They’re allowing an average punt return of 10.27 this season, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.
The Rams, meanwhile, have been on the verge of getting Austin a touchdown in recent weeks as only a pair of questionable penalties have brought long returns back. Austin has looked more comfortable and decisive over the past few weeks and if he gets an opportunity, he could make the type of play that could change the game and leave former teammate Ray Ray Armstrong disappointed on the other side in the process.
znModeratorI’m gonna go with:
5. Rams 16 – Niners 13 in 2012. That was a really good Niners team and they kicked the Rams offense’s ass. But the Rams defense was awfully good, too. It was a lotta fun rooting for SJ back in 2012.
4. Rams and Broncos from this year. Great seeing the defense step up against Manning and the Broncos offense.
3. Rams 38 – Colts 8 in 2013. Just a dominating performance and complete surprise. I was (and am) a big fan of Tavon, so it was nice seeing him play so well.
2. Rams 15 – Bills 12 in 2012. The offense had a hard time in Buffalo, but they somehow managed to get the W. This put the Rams at .500 and set up what seemed like a meaningful December game at home against Minny.
And1. Rams 17 – Cards 3 in 2012. Loved seeing the Rams dominate with the pass rush and they had 9 sacks that day. I think that was also the last time the Rams were over .500 after a couple of weeks in the season.
I would have to agree with that list, for the most part, but I would sub Rams/Seattle at home this year for the 2012 Cards game. It’s just that it was Seattle and no one gave the Rams a chance.
November 29, 2014 at 9:43 pm in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12682znModeratorW2W4: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams%5B/quote%5D
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers kick off Week 13 on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS regional coverage.
Here are three things to watch from the Rams’ perspective:
1. Pressuring Carr: The Raiders have actually protected rookie quarterback Derek Carr pretty well in his first season, at least when it comes to sacks allowed. Oakland has given up just 12 sacks this season which is the fewest in the league entering Sunday’s game. Much of that has to do with Carr’s ability to get the ball out quickly. But that doesn’t mean he’s done it efficiently. In fact, Carr’s QBR against the blitz is a paltry 16.6 with a 50.8 completion percentage. Four of his nine interceptions have come when blitzed. Not that anyone has to tell Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to dial up the pressure. Nobody in the league is blitzing more than the Rams, who have brought extra pass-rushers on 46.3 percent of their opponent’s drop backs. Getting after Carr might not yield many sacks but it can lead to plenty of other good things for the Rams defense.
2. Turnover turnaround: It’s true of every team and every game in the league but the correlation between winning the turnover battle and winning games has been unmistakable for the Rams this season. In their seven losses, the Rams have either broken even or lost the turnover battle, which is no coincidence considering that they’ve had seven giveaways turn into immediate touchdowns for the defense. In their four victories, the Rams have not had a negative turnover differential. That’s good news as they prepare to meet the Raiders, who are a league-worst minus-13 in turnover margin with 21 giveaways and only eight takeaways. Rams quarterback Shaun Hill had three costly giveaways in San Diego last week but if he resolves that issue this week, the Rams will be well positioned to win.
3. Happy returns: One common denominator when the Rams win this season has been strong special teams play. Whether it was the trickery of the Seattle game or the solid coverage work in the Denver game, that’s an area that’s been worth watching in the many close games the Rams have played. This week, they could find themselves with a chance to take advantage of some of Oakland’s struggles covering kicks and punts. The Raiders are 31st in the league in kickoff coverage, allowing an average of 32 yards per return. They are slightly better on punt returns where they have the 10th worst average allowed at 10.27 yards per attempt. That could mean some prime opportunities for the Rams to get a game-changing play (so long as they don’t get a penalty).
November 29, 2014 at 7:36 pm in reply to: Laram – horrible run d, or great execution by chargers? #12675znModeratorLooks to me like they had the right play against the defense called.
Wonder if it was an audible by Rivers.
November 29, 2014 at 7:26 pm in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12672znModeratorKeys to Victory: Raiders
Join D’Marco Farr and Will Witherspoon for the keys to victory against the Oakland Raiders.
November 29, 2014 at 7:23 pm in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12671znModeratorRams want to win for Ferguson
By Jim Thomas
With long days of meetings, practice and treatment for aches and injuries — not to mention travel and the games themselves — football is all-consuming for Rams players this time of year.
Even so, how do you ignore the events in Ferguson? Well, the players say you don’t.
“You keep a close eye on it,” defensive end Chris Long said. “I’d keep a close eye on that situation no matter where it was in America. But it happens to be in our backyard.
“We care a great deal about our community. Care a great deal about this country. You hope something good comes of it because it was a tragedy no matter how you slice it.
“You hope that they’re able to heal in Ferguson. You just pray for them and pray that everybody can protest peacefully and safely, and that everybody comes out of it all right.”
Ferguson isn’t far from the team’s practice facility at Rams Park, maybe 15 minutes. And the team feels a bit of a kinship after playing host to three high school football teams from that area during training camp last summer.
McCluer, McCluer North and McCluer South-Berkeley all needed a place to practice for a week last summer when the schools were shut down, and Rams Park opened its doors for them.
“That was awesome,” defensive end William Hayes said. “I wasn’t able to practice at the time, but that might have been the most energy I’ve ever seen at one practice. To see how excited the kids were to be around us, and just to take their minds off a situation that’d be hard for anybody.”
Hayes wasn’t practicing because he was still rehabbing from multiple offseason surgeries at the time. But the visit from the young high schoolers had a big impact on him.
“It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in the NFL,” Hayes said.
Long said seeing those high school football players from Ferguson and the surrounding area at Rams Park during training camp, and experiencing their enthusiasm, helped keep things in perspective for him.
“Sometimes during camp, you just kind of get caught up in going to work every day and honing your craft,” Long said. “You forget what you’re doing playing this game.
“I followed along with them a little in their (2014) season on Instagram and Twitter. Hey, if we can have half the enthusiasm and energy every time we take the field, it’d be pretty good.”
So as the Rams watched Ferguson burning Monday night on television, they undoubtedly had flashbacks to that August visit.
The arson and looting came after the announcement that no criminal charges would be filed against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown.
No Rams players offered opinions on the merit — or lack thereof — of that decision, but simply expressed their sadness about the overall situation.
“It’s hard, man,” right tackle Joe Barksdale said.
After a lengthy pause, he added, “It’s hard. Especially being from the city, from Detroit. We have riot history. And you hate to see a community tear itself apart.”
“Our hearts go out to basically everyone that’s been affected by it,” left guard Rodger Saffold added. “It’s Thanksgiving. It’s a really big time of the year for family and friends and those types of things.”
The Rams have been active in the community since moving to St. Louis in 1995, but there’s little or nothing the players can do in terms of reaching out to Ferguson this time of year. (Although several players did hand out Thanksgiving turkey and fixings to needy families in nearby Jennings on Tuesday, which is an annual event held in conjunction with the Urban League.)
About the best they can do now is provide a diversion for a few hours Sunday when they play Oakland in a noon kickoff at the Edward Jones Dome.
“Yeah, that’s the game plan,” Hayes said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to put together a good win and give the city something to be proud about for a little bit. Just kind of help people take their minds away from the reality of the situation for a little while.”
“The issues in play (in Ferguson) are a hundred times bigger than sports,” Long added. “And we’re just athletes. If sports can provide a little release and allow people to kind of come together as a community and watch a game and forget about the tough things that are going on, then I hope that can help.”
Coach Jeff Fisher said the Ferguson situation was discussed with the squad on Wednesday morning.
He said the team would like to get involved once again with the Ferguson area once the season is over.
“Hopefully, as soon as things settle down, then we’ll get back involved,” Fisher said. “As we talked (about) as a group, it’s our community.
“They’re neighbors. Everybody cares deeply about what’s going on and hopes things can get settled as soon as possible.”
Every player interviewed Wednesday was all for trying to help Ferguson whenever and however they can.
“One thing I want to say about the (Rams) organization, it’s really big in the community service,” Barksdale said. “Yeah, it’s always great to be able to help people out when you can. In any way you can.”
“Absolutely,” Hayes said. “I feel like it’s our duty to try to (help). … But right now, it’s just not the right time.
“Eventually everything will calm down and everything will go back to normal. You’ve just got to pray on the situation and wish the city the best.”
Although plans have not been finalized, the Rams will have beefed-up security at the dome for Sunday’s game.
November 29, 2014 at 12:21 pm in reply to: reporters & analysts preview the Raiders game (articles, vids) #12655znModeratorChris Long set to return against Oakland
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14145/chris-long-set-to-return-against-oakland
EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long believes he has turned the corner in his recovery from the ankle surgery that landed him on the injured reserve list with the designation to return.
In fact, Long believes he is past the point where he should have to wait any longer to get back on the field, noting that had it been up to him he would have played last week against the San Diego Chargers.
C. Long
“I’m at the corner,” Long said. “I wanted to play Sunday. The head man (Jeff Fisher), he knows what he’s doing and he cares about his players. He wants to make sure you are able to help the team and you’re 100 percent. That’s important. We all appreciate his perspective, and I trust him a great deal, so if he thinks I’m ready to roll, I’m ready to roll. If he doesn’t think so, then I’m not.”On Saturday afternoon, the Rams expected to officially activate Long from the injured reserve list, clearing the path for him to play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. The Rams will have to make a corresponding roster move by 4 p.m. ET to add Long to the active roster.
Long has been out since suffering the injury in the season opener against Minnesota on Sept. 7. The injury was a unique one without much precedent around the league, so Long’s return was predicated on his ability to feel better rather than an arbitrary timetable set forth by others who have had the injury.
The first step in getting back on the field was making sure the ankle was sound structurally. That part has been taken care of. Since then, Long said he has had his ups and downs, but recently has felt good moving around. He began his 21-day practice window a couple of weeks ago and has been getting more involved each day.
This week, Long had been more involved in practice than ever, and it was pretty clear that he was going to get his chance to come back based on his practice workload. Fisher hinted at it on Thursday and again Friday.
Long’s return should bolster a defense that played well over the past month before some struggles against the Chargers last week.
“We’ve missed him,” Fisher said. “We’ve missed his production. We’ve missed the consistent year after year sack production, and his ability to play the run. When he comes back it should help us improve in those areas.”
That Long is returning against the Raiders is only a coincidence, but a welcome one for a family that has longstanding ties to the Oakland organization. Long’s father Howie, of course, was a Hall of Fame defensive lineman for the Raiders. And Long’s brother Howie Jr. now works in the Oakland front office.
“To me, I’m proud of what my dad was able to accomplish there,” Long said. “He speaks highly of that experience. They have got great fans. They’ve got a great history. I enjoyed when I went there and played a couple of years back. They showed me love, their fans, so I’m very respectful of their tradition and what they do.
“It’s exciting because my brother Howie is in football operations there actually. That’s actually more exciting to me than playing my brother (Chicago offensive lineman) Kyle, because I actually have to play my brother Kyle and that’s not very fun. But to be able to see my brother (Howie) and catch up with him is nice, too.”
znModeratorHey. This is from memory. I am in the airport so not as nimble on the board…which means I have not double-checked what I say here….but, so far, the way we have done this board, the washington team name issue has counted as football discussion. Just apply all the rules (eg. when you borrow the board car, return it with the tank full).
In the past there were different takes on what to do with this topic, but so far we have been having that discussion on this board, with the assumption that this community can handle it and knows how to be civil in the middle of controversy.
znModeratorI don’t have the data right now, but I have posted about this before. If you look at the qbs drafted from 2011-2013, the 2nd/3rd rounders actually have a better hit rate than the 1st rounders.
Part of that IMO is that 2nd/3rd rounders were going to built teams with defenses who could limit what they asked of a qb, while the 1st rounders were mostly going to weaker teams that were trying to build around a new qb.
znModeratorSee, even the players can feel it.
I’ll make a prediction right here and now. I think this team runs the table on the last five games, I really do.
Sitting there in person on Sunday and watching that team play, it was apparent to me that this was not a fluke at all.
This team is ready to make their move. I think we can all legitimately go into the off season and into the 2015 season expecting really good things from the Rams on the playing field.Grits
I will reserve judgement on the 5th game–Seattle on Seattle–but I am with Grits on this. I think that there is something taking shape there with that team.
I of course know all of the qualifications…qb, etc.
But I think that even in spite of that stuff, they are putting it together.
November 27, 2014 at 10:46 am in reply to: Would you trade a 3rd or 4th round pick for RGIII? #12600znModeratorMe? I would trade a 2nd round pick to guarantee he ends up on a different team, not the Rams.
I don’t want nothin to do with Mr. RG3.
November 27, 2014 at 10:43 am in reply to: I will be gone for 4 days with limited access starting tomorrow #12599znModeratorThanks for all the good vibes.
My sister is doing well given the circumstances.
Everyone have a good thanksgiving.
znModeratorWe just differ. To me, Davis feel apart.
And IMO he doesn’t measure up in terms of talent to this year’s rookies.
I only wish they had benched him sooner.
znModeratorHe’s a bullpen pitcher and a good one.
When asked to go nine innings, he’ll come up a little short at times.
Not sure why some see him as anything other than that.
Who sees him as other than that? I don;t think it’s anyone.
In terms of his career. I don’t do that with a guy like Hill. He has reached the point where what you do is judge him in “this” situation, whatever it is. How does he play in THIS offense. For example, McCown had a long fairly mediocre career. Then in Chicago in 2013, they maximize his strengths and play effectively with him. He goes to Tampa and sinks there. All that tells me is he shoulda stayed in Chicago.
I looked closely at what he did in Detroit in 2010. They had no running game (ranked 23rd) and no defense (ranked 21st). So predictably, Shaun Hill does not carry them under those conditions.
In this offense he has a running game, and, sometimes
…a defense. Will he do better than he did with the Lions under those conditions? Denver game says yes. SD game says mostly yes, but, he fails the golden 4th quarter comeback test. What does that tell us about the future?
Well that’s a matter of opinion. I assume he will play well in all the remaining games, except he won’t be enough to make THE difference if he needs to against a top 10 defense on the road, like SD or Seattle in game 17.
I have seen a couple of people claim that the “overhyping” of Hill was wrong, when, in fact, I have not seen anyone overhyping him.
I do say they can win with him for now. But there has to be a running threat and a viable defense.
The future? I am not even discussing that, personally. That’s for the off-season. Others can discuss it all they want of course, but the most I have done is just say what I think the possible options are (keep Bradford, bring back HIll, bring back Davis, draft a guy…my guess is they do all 4 things or at least 3 of them).
As for Austin Davis’s numbers? To me Austin Davis’s numbers are proof positive that just doing averages from all games played is deceptive. He started out fine, though he did have some bad tendencies even then, and then collapsed. So compare the 1st 4 games to the 2nd set of games statistically. This too is a judgement call, but I think the 2nd set of games just flat demonstrate how badly he collapsed. He has too many limitations to play well consistently (if at all) against NFC west defenses, and those defenses have already figured him out. Since he can’t drive the ball, there are too many passes he just can’t make (he has the lowest percentage of attempts outside the hashmarks of any NFL qb who played this year, and THAT is telling–does anyone remember Davis even a attempting a single deep out, for example?). Hill meanwhile played 2 whole games against top 10 defenses, and to me, proved he can be solid under those conditions.
Davis, to me, is done. He did not have any counters after they exposed him. I think that IS who he is. Once again, you can’t just average out numbers and get a clear picture. The fact that he declined then melted down says a lot and just averaging all his games together doesn’t, for me, mitigate that perception.
I see Davis’s limitations as innate. I don’t see him as ever improving enough to be considered a starting caliber qb. To me there’s too many “you have them or you don’t” qb qualities he simply DOESN’T have.
znModeratorRamBill
101espn @101espn
“We’ve had some difficult losses and people have questioned our ability to come back, we have.”-Fisher on winning two in a row #FisherShow
“Retractable roof.” – Fisher on what he would change on the Edward Jones Dome. #FisherShow
“He was just ramming safeties. It was good. He just goes. He’s strong.” – Fisher on RB Mason #FisherShow
“It’s really been fun to watch him. He’s been able to step up and make plays. I’m really proud of him.” – Fisher on Gaines #FisherShow
“That was like winning a playoff game for them against the Chiefs. We’re treating the Raiders like any other opponent.” – Fisher #FisherShow
“It’s frustrating. We need to learn how to win and win back to back. We have to overcome these things and we nearly did.”-Fisher #FisherShow
“Unfortunately for Tavon this was his 4th great return he’s had called back. They made the call, I really don’t like it.”-Fisher #FisherShow
Sted and Kenny were playing pretty good. This group of 3 (Britt, Bailey, and Austin) has to keep that going.”-Fisher on his WRs. #FisherShow
“I thought our defense played well enough to win. Phillip is a smart QB, it’s the same system as Peyton.” – Fisher #FisherShow
“We felt our best opportunity was to throw the ball. Shaun was making some good throws. This one just got away from him.”-Fisher #FisherShow
“I wanted to win and make Rivers drive the field. Unfortunately for Shaun, he just didn’t see the safety sitting there.” -Fisher #FisherShow
“I felt bad for the players. They overcame so many things. Really disappointed. We’ll get back and get after it.” – Fisher #FisherShow
znModeratorbut they did get Austin out there, and figured out some plays (FINALLY) to get him into space, all successful.
IMO what they figured is that Hill can make throws to Austin and Davis couldn;t. Again, to me, that’s players/execution.
znModeratorThere was a lot of good things in this game and you can see that Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin are finally looking comfortable and becoming a big part of this offense. Still, this was the Rams game to win and that decision to throw that pass without any real pressure on him makes Hill look like an idiot.
This could have been a huge win for the Rams and next week they could have been playing for 500 with 4 games left after that.
Inexcusable is what that interception was and is. Hate to put all the blame on one player for that loss but in this case it is deserved and the goat horns belong to Hill.The more I think about what could have been and it makes me feel sick.
Grits
Except there’s a reason Tavon and Bailey are back in the game–Davis couldn’t make those throws. The re-emergence of the Rams receivers is directly related to Hill. Someone posted a stat–the qb in the entire NFL with the fewest percentage of throws outside the hash marks was Davis. He can’t drive the ball so a lot of the throws Hill made to Bailey would never happen.
And Hill alone did not lose that game.
Here are 3 things that lost the game:
* defense fell back on poor tackling, as opposed to the Denver game.
* Mistakes. Rams mistakes led to a blocked punt, a basically unblocked qb sack and strip, 2 TDs called back cause of penalties.
* Hill was solidly effective overall but misread that redzone play. He gets graded down for that because if you’re trailing late in the 4th with a chance to win the qb has to come through. But that doesn’t make him the sole cause of the loss.
Those three things are off the top of my head and without re-watching the game.
Subtract any one of those things and they win even if the other things still happen. For example, subtract #2 and it never gets down to 1 redzone play in the final minute.
That’s my view anyway. So we see this one very differently.
znModerator[espn.go.com]
WV…that thing from the herd? it’s not a live, real link when copied to this board. I fixed it though.
znModerator
Ten Takeaways from Sunday’s 27-24 Loss to ChargersBy Randy Karraker
http://www.101sports.com/2014/11/24/ten-takeaways-sundays-27-24-loss-chargers/
There is a term that people in sports use for coming close in a game and almost winning. That term is “losing.” As the Rams fell to 4-7 Sunday in San Diego, they fell to 3-3 in one-possession games, and 3-5 in games that were within reach in the fourth quarter.
Jeff Fisher often talks about how his team is “growing up.” But he has one more season with his original draft class under control before the turnover starts again. It’s reaching the point where this edition of the Rams needs to grow up and win their close games, or the same cycle of futility that’s lasted for ten years will be extended.
1) While I would have probably called something different, I had no problem with the play call on the game-clinching interception thrown by Shaun Hill. It was second and goal at the four, and as Fisher said, they were going for the win. The problem was in the execution. I said to myself as Hill dropped back, “just don’t throw a pick.” There is no excuse for a 13-year veteran quarterback to make that throw in that situation.
Throw to the perimeter or throw the ball away, but don’t throw a pass that can be intercepted. By the way, I personally would have preferred the Rams run the ball. With over a minute to go, force San Diego to use their time outs. And if you don’t punch it in on second or third down, you take your chances in overtime with a field goal. I want the team to be aggressive overall, but sticking with what you do best and want to be would have served them best in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
2) Turnovers were killers-again. One of the problems the Rams have had this year is the sack-fumble. Sunday’s hit by Cory Liuget on Hill and Andrew Gachkar’s ensuing 13 yard fumble return are added to devastating sack-fumble touchdowns against in Philadelphia and Arizona. With all of the investment in their offensive line, the Rams still get quarterbacks battered into giving up points. Only the Jaguars have allowed more sacks than the Rams 34 this season. With all due respect, there is only one rookie playing up there. Hill was only brought down once on Sunday, but that sack led to the points that provided the difference in the game.
3) The run defense was bad. Ryan Mathews’ best game of the season so far had been sixteen carries for 70 yards last week against the Raiders. He ran 12 times for 105 yards. The Rams knew he’d be running between the tackles, and knew San Diego’s favorite play was the draw. Yet he continually picked up large chucks of yardage on that very play. As the esteemed Stats Doctor Rick Winer wrote last week, the Rams had “allowed 51 yards rushing on 26 carries in the last two weeks, or just under two yards per carry. If my research is accurate, this marks the lowest two-game total for rushing by Rams opponents in franchise history.” To go from that level of excellence to allowing 19 carries-129 yards to Charger running backs defines the Rams inconsistency. Once again, at some point, youth doesn’t work as an excuse any more. There are two rookies on the Rams starting defense…Aaron Donald and E.J. Gaines…and they are arguably among the top four players on the unit.
4) The Rams HAVE to overcome bad calls. The Rams were victimized again by the officials, and that’s too bad. They had two touchdowns called back, plus a Tavon Austin punt return that would have started the final drive at the Charger five yard line rather than the 40. But great teams generally are able to overcome adversity. When Kenny Britt’s 51 yard score was nullified by a facemask penalty with 1:51 left in the first half, the Rams ran two more plays, punted, and allowed a ten play, 54 yard drive that resulted in a field goal at the end of the half. Remember, the game ended 27-24. After the penalty on the Austin play, the Rams committed the decisive turnover. Those were untimely penalties, but it’s important for everyone to think “one snap and clear” and move on to the next play.
5) The special teams were a mixed bag. A team like the Rams, that plans to play such close games, can’t get field goals blocked. That’s what happened with 4:38 left in the first half.
Blocked field goals and blocked punts (which gave Philadelphia a touchdown in their six point win over the Rams), can’t happen EVER for a team that plays the way the Rams do. The margin for error is too thin. On the plus side, Johnny Hekker completed ANOTHER pass on a fake punt. He’s now 5-6 for 79 yards and a touchdown in his career, and he has a PERFECT passer rating of 158.3. Hekker is a real weapon…and apparently there is no way to stop him.
6) It was good to see the Mountaineers step up. Stedman Bailey was…and might be…unstoppable. He looks like a number one receiver. When he had a touchdown to the left side called back in the fourth quarter, he simply went to the right and caught a TD there. He became Hill’s primary target late, and caught seven balls for 89 yards. He should be the Rams go-to wideout. And Austin, in addition to his punt return, was used as a runner on the perimeter and scored his first touchdown of the year. He had six touches for 38 yards. If they get his touches up to about twelve per game and don’t run him up the middle, the Rams might have something.
Tre Mason had 16 carries for 62 yards Sunday.
7) Tre Mason showed he’s durable. I had concerns about the 5-8, 207 pounder after a 29 carry performance against Denver. But he had seventeen touches for 88 yards and looked fresh. Not only that, but on the sack-fumble play, Mason was fending off Gachkar before Liuget’s sack. If he holds up, Mason has all the attributes to be a three down back.
Cool The Rams are a lower third team. Bill Parcells said it and I subscribe to his belief 100 percent that “you are what your record says you are.” The Rams are tied for the 22nd best record in the league. If the draft were held today, they’d have the ninth pick. They went through the gauntlet half of their schedule at 3-5. But they haven’t put back-to-back wins together this year.
At 4-7, two of their wins came on special teams tricks (Seattle) and an uncommon goal line fumble by Colin Kaepernick at San Francisco. They dominated Denver, and were dominated by Minnesota. Consistency isn’t exactly a strong point, here.
There’s no reason to believe this group could put a streak together or win consistently enough on the road to be great.
9) The Rams have said that they plan to draft a quarterback early in the 2015 draft. And they need to. Hopefully that player will be ready to take the reins and win immediately. The guy who has the ability to do that is Jamies Winston of Florida State. He is SO good as a quarterback that if I squint real hard, I can see that he hasn’t been charged in a he-said/she-said sexual assault, has had his crab leg-gate situation adjudicated, stupidly jumped up and yelled something profane in a school cafeteria, and hasn’t had any evidence of being paid come forth about his autograph signing situation. Could he be a victim of circumstances? If he keeps leading Florida State back to wins, I’ll buy it.
10) Fisher falls to 0-8 against San Diego in his career. The only other team he hasn’t beaten is the team he coached for eighteen years, the Titans, whom he’s only faced once. If Fisher ever DOES get a team back to the Super Bowl, hopefully for his sake it’s not against San Diego.
The Raiders are next for the Rams at the Dome. Definitely a winnable game. And as we saw Sunday, they’re all losable.
znModeratorLMU93
Benny Cunningham quietly having a nice year…Kid is going to end up with 80 carries and 40+ catches and has scored 4 TDs so far. Plus his 5th in the NFL in kickoff returns (28.9 avg.). One of their best UDFAs since Snead arrived
znModerator==================================
Rampage2K – The Play had a fatal flawI was right there in that endzone, front row…( you might have saw me, good looking guy with the Faulk throwback on wink2 smiley) I recorded it on my phone as I was sure I was about to record an epic finish and win for the Rams…nope, I captured a horrible end to what was a very exciting game…
The play was doomed from the jump because there were no WR, TE or RB on the right side to threaten the OLB on that side, he simply sat back and watched the QB’s eyes and it was an easy pick as soon as he threw it…if they had simply ran an RB out in the flat to take the OLB out of the play,it would have captured an epic win , instead of an epic fail….
Don’t mind them going for the win right there, but there has to be a better play then that….don’t know why we didn’t run it there anyway and spin more clock… The Rams fought thru adversity( refs) and came back to win that game!!! Too bad it ended like that….they deserved that win.All the Charger fans in the building know they lucked out with that win….
Amazing how many Rams fans were there…it was crazy!!!
I met Jim Thomas in the parking lot tailgate and took a picture with him, cool dude..I had awesome seats in front row of the endzone that had most of the action including the end…the place was rocking!!!! I am going to watch in on dvr today to see how different it is on TV..
========================I am really, really, really skeptical of “net fan play call analysis.”
Hill should never have thrown to Britt. That’s execution.
And knowing that trumps the superior play design skills of on the net analysts.
znModeratorPass INT was called.
I think its a mistake not to trust Tavon
on medium and deep routes.Oh I think they trust him plenty on those routes.
I think they weren’t throwing them before because Clemens and Davis couldn’t make those throws.
znModeratorRams ain’t gonna end up with the 11th pick.
I will bet you a boatload of cheetos on it.
Heck they have 3 upcoming games against teams with (so far) HIGHER projected picks.
When was the last time the Rams played 7 top defenses in a row? Without their starting qb?
And now that’s over for a spell.
znModeratorBernie: Fisher, Rams are stuck in a cycle of mediocrity
Bernie Miklasz
SAN DIEGO • The elevator opened, and Rams owner Stan Kroenke entered for the ride down to his team’s locker room. He was accompanied by Rams GM Les Snead, chief operating officer Kevin Demoff and a couple of suit-wearing security guys.
I’m surprised that the bodyguards exposed Silent Stan by leaving him so close to the unwashed media devils that were along for the quick trip to the floor of Qualcomm Stadium.
Alas, there was no cause for alarm; the largest media-credential-wearing Beelzebub did not lunge at Kroenke or even shriek filthy questions at the reclusive multi-billionaire.
The crisis was averted. Silent Stan remained silent.
After quarterback Shaun Hill threw the game away with his stunning end zone interception, leaving everyone in the place in a state of disbelief, the Rams had lost again, 27-24. Even with the Rams’ preposterous history of finding ways to get swallowed up near the end of games to sink into the unavoidable pit that traps chronic losing teams, this one was painful.
“A stab in the back,” running back Tre Mason said.
And as the Rams’ owner, GM and COO took the elevator down, the radio was on inside, loudly blaring instant-reaction comments being made by Chargers broadcasters. They were hollering about Hill’s ghastly interception, and how he’s a 34-year-old veteran who knows better, and so there’s no excuse for making a bad throw like that.
And the voices were right; that was about as awful an interception as we could imagine. But it was also predictable, because the truth has been obvious for quite some time.
The Rams need a quarterback, and they must start over at the position in 2015.
This cycle of mediocrity and madness cannot continue. Kroenke, Snead and Demoff didn’t need a broadcaster screaming the truth, and they don’t need me or anyone to state what everyone sees and knows.
Not that anyone with the Rams was thinking about naming Hill as the Starter for Life. He’s a career backup, and he’s capable of playing well at times. Hill was terrific in last week’s 22-7 demo of Denver. And Hill was certainly not the only reason why the Rams blew this game and a chance to muster their first two-game winning streak of the season.
Hill is what he is: a good and proud man, a dedicated professional and a serviceable QB. Hill isn’t the future, and Austin Davis isn’t the future, and Sam Bradford’s crumpled left knee isn’t the future.
Sunday’s horrible loss — and the way it all came tumbling down — just reaffirmed what smart people already knew: the Rams have to prioritize the quarterback position and can’t be content with their current collection.
They can deny this until Snead’s celebrated hair turns stringy and gray. They can deny it for a time that lasts longer than coach Jeff Fisher’s endless debates with officials. They can deny it until Silent Stan communicates to the loyal football fans of St. Louis — which should happen any decade now.
We’re not trying to be mean here — OK, maybe a little.
But come on, now.
The Snead-Fisher rebuilding program still doesn’t have a quarterback. That means it doesn’t have a foundation. What’s the point of developing all of this young talent if the most important part of the team is missing?
Davis was benched because he got jumpy and jangled and careless and started handing out interceptions and fumbles as if they were grocery-store coupons before Thanksgiving. Fisher made the right decision to switch to Hill, who responded just as the team hoped in the smooth win over Denver.
Then, against the Chargers, Hill made the kind of OH-NO errors that got Davis banished. There were two costly interceptions. The first set up an early San Diego field goal, and the second snuffed the Rams’ hopes of a comeback win. In between was a Hill fumble returned for the touchdown that put the Rams in the hole by 10 points.
Remember, Hill is supposed to be the level-headed, steady game manager. So what was he doing throwing a haphazard interception with the Rams down by three and parked beautifully at the Chargers’ 4-yard line?
“This is not Shaun’s fault,” Fisher said. “He got us there. And did a helluva job in that drive getting us down there. You just hope the ball is thrown away, it’s not, and then they made the play.”
Fisher reacted to an excruciating loss with defiance. He suggested that his team be pardoned from the blame-game aspect of this latest, bitter defeat.
“I feel bad for the guys,” Fisher said. “You can’t blame those players in there. There’s no blame to be placed any place. Put it where you want, but this was a tough one. We’ve got a great locker room and a great group of guys. We’re disappointed and they’ll come back.”
Fisher stressed how hard his team was working and playing. But this isn’t the Junior Football League. These are paid professionals. These men are supposed to work hard. In the NFL they keep score, and the object is winning.
And unless the Rams (4-7) win their last five games of the season, they’ll add to the franchise streak of nonwinning seasons, and stretch it to 11. Fisher wasn’t here for the worst of it, but he is 18-24-1. The Rams have gotten better and more talented under Fisher. But 43 games into the program-building, is it unreasonable to ask that the progress be quantified by actual victories and winning streaks?
When I asked Fisher why his team can’t seem to get over the hump, he began his response by praising the Chargers and their quarterback Philip Rivers.
As for his Rams …
“We’ve got to learn,” Fisher said. “Until we put a couple in a row together, it’s going to always be hard for us. But these guys … I’m not going to change anything. I’m not going to ask them to change anything. We were pretty close to pulling this one off.”
Close? That isn’t good enough.
Does this bother you? It bugs me. Fisher doesn’t want any blame put on his team. Instead he wants to dish praise for them working hard and being good guys. He isn’t going to change anything. He isn’t going to ask the players to change anything. That’s all there is to it.
Fisher has to be really careful here, unless he wants to give the wrong impression about accountability, responsibility and setting high standards for his team. I don’t think Fisher is settling for mediocrity. But what’s up with the message he’s sending? I’d hate to come to the conclusion that Fisher not only finds the mediocrity acceptable — but he’s also defending it.
That won’t do.
The Rams lost another winnable game.
The elevator — still — is going down.
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