I don’t remember ever anticipating a blowout of the Rams before. But I do this week. The Rams’ OL just went down the toilet (in terms of continuity and experience, if not talent), and the 9ers are coming off a bye at home. And no Quick. I’m not sure I can watch.

Dallas will lose to Arizona.

mfranke wrote:

It’s kind of like Napoleon’s march back from Russia. It’s a difficult trip back and the troops are in awful shape. And there’s a long, hard winter ahead.

— Mike
Game stats from espn.com

I think I am finished posting words. Only pictures from now on.

Hi. I’m late to this conversation, but saw the invite.

If it were me, I would write an email to the teacher. I would do that for two reasons. Number one, I could be completely in control of my tone. I would be able to communicate the entire picture without interruption, and without forgetting anything. That’s important to me, but isn’t important to everybody. Some people just like to let loose. That isn’t my style; I want a measured communication. I don’t want to fight with the teacher. I want to make him understand a point of view.

The second reason I would write an email is that I would have a written response from the teacher. If he didn’t give me satisfaction, or continued in the same vein, I would have concrete material to present to the administration, and a parent with written documentation will have the administration bending over backwards to satisfy them, believe me. If ANYTHING happens after the email communication, you forward the emails to the principal with an explanation of the recent event, and ask for his/her help. Your issue will be handled that morning.

I don’t know the guy, obviously. He may think he is being cool and funny, and may be embarrassed to learn he is offending your son. But no teacher with any brains would have made your son the target of class irritation over the number of countries on the quiz. I can’t believe it. That is an incredibly ignorant thing to do. Still, I would give him one chance. Handle it “out of court,” so to speak.

nittany ram wrote:

wv wrote:
Can you imagine the feelings on the team
and among the fans, if the Rams had punted
and the Seahawks had marched down the field
and kicked the FG: 29-28

Rams blow a 21-3 lead.

Imagine the mood on the message boards

O dear.

The Chief game looks inter esting.
Alex Smith is good but he aint mobile.
Maybe Ogletree wont wiff on him.

w
v

Yeah, to me, Fisher going for the fake punt was the smallest gamble he could make.

If the fake punt isn’t successful, the Seahawks have the ball deep in Rams territory. They would score rather quickly, leaving the Rams enough time to at least have a shot at scoring themselves. The Rams led by two points so no matter if Seattle scored a FG or TD, the Rams would still only be one score down with timeouts remaining.

If he punts the ball, the Seahawks would be have more field to cover so they would be able to run the clock down before their inevitable score to go ahead. And let’s not kid ourselves – them scoring would have been inevitable.

So to me the fake punt was an easy call by Fisher. He really had no other choice.

Yeah. If the Rams punt there, they lose.

Well, it figured to be either Givens or Pettis eventually. What Givens has to contribute (deep speed) is more unique to the WR collection than what Pettis contributes. Britt and Quick can do what Pettis does. And more. So….

Nope. My niece is getting married at a winery in the Napa Valley.

Boy, that was weird for a second. Glad we got that cleared up.

I will never forget that play. Jenkins could never get burned again even once in the next 12 years of a certain Hall of Fame bound career, and I – when I think of Jenkins – will remember that play.

I am 53 years old. And if I was put out on that field for that one play, I would never have let that happen.

There is NO WAY you let Lloyd get upfield of you in that situation no matter WHAT you give up underneath.

PA Ram wrote:

I had to work tonight–listened on the radio and caught the last 6 minutes of the game at home. I have it on DVR. Doubt that I’ll watch it.

But just listening I could hear a tackle for loss and then on a second and long—first down.

3rd and long–first down.

I didn’t get to see the bad calls tonight(I know they were there)but it isn’t JUST the bad calls. This team is a letdown waiting to happen.

I will say on the Lloyd touchdown–it looked like Quinn was being held again–but Ray Lewis and others were talking about it after the game and called it, “high school football”. They were saying that it was odd the Rams were even set up like they were for that situation. I’m no coach–I don’t know.

But the Rams do what they do best–disappoint.

I don’t understand it.

Who didn’t see that play coming?

It’s 3rd and 6 (or thereabouts), and with under a minute left, and the 9ers still deep in their own territory, they show no urgency. They are letting the clock run. They obviously are eating some clock in case they don’t get the first down, but in doing so, they aren’t leaving themselves much time, either. So what are they going to do?

They are going to take a shot deep. It’s so obvious.

I’m still shaking my head.

Mackeyser wrote:

I totally called it.

Rams lose by 14…

Refs directly responsible for sending 14 pts to the 9ers… as well as squelching a Rams scoring drive that would have put the Rams up at least 17-3 if not 21-3 at the half…

Does that last 9er TD even happen if the game is closer? I dunno. They sure can’t sit back in that soft zone, that’s for sure.

But I totally called it. Rams got up and the calls kept coming until the game was out of reach.

I wanted to put this on the record BEFORE the game so that I was clear. This isn’t an accident.

Also, even Denver wouldn’t have overcome the Refs help if the Jets had made even some basic plays. Problem for the Jets is that they suck that bad that the Refs just couldn’t help them enough. But it weren’t for lack of trying…

And really, I like the QB Carr in Oakland, but who believes that those calls were legit and Oakland was playing San Diego straight up? I watched lots of that game and I was getting dizzy shaking my head.

I swear, this just LOOKS like a set up to move the “losing team” back to LA where St. Louis will have bid them adieu with waning fan support due to lack of wins and then all of a sudden, they’ll bust out and be a winning team in their new setting… That’s pure speculation, but man alive it sure seems like that’s the cheesy script.

Be nice if the game were just that, called on its merits and played for the win.

I don’t know, man. So hard to keep a conspiracy quiet. At least long term. Eventually refs aren’t refs any longer, and what’s to stop them from talking? Or any of countless people in that grapevine.

But that call on Cook was a turning point, for sure.

It’s just that it is impossible for me to call that a gamebreaker because it wasn’t. The Rams were incompetent, especially on defense. So although the refs botched a few calls, that loss was on the Rams themselves, I thought.

I did note, I thought, on the replays showing the job Staley was doing on Quinn, two holds and a hands to the face on the four plays they showed.

TrenchRam wrote:

This really brings back my reservations about the Robinson pick. The people who loved the pick said we’d have a great starting LOT for years who’d make an immediate impact at guard. If he can’t beat out a guy grading as poorly as Joseph, why should we think he’s ever going to be a probowl LOT? Any research gurus know how often top 10 OL picks spend their rookie year on the bench?

Yeah, WTH is going on there? It is high time somebody got some off the record report.

Where’s Jimi?

It is not a good sign. And it isn’t good that Mason isn’t even active.

Well, Fisher had to make a decision, and either QB was a defensible choice at this point. And I don’t fault him for the way it went down.

Coaches are like politicians, and presidents, and theatre directors. When you are the guy in charge of an entire program, you simply aren’t at liberty to say whatever you think, or even tell it like it is.

Fisher was adamant the whole time that Hill was the starter, all the while considering his options with an open mind. That’s what a coach has to do. Now, he names Davis the starter from this point forward…”Don’t look over your shoulder; you’re the man”…and he knows that Davis’ hold on the position DOES depend upon his performance, and that he might have to go to Hill.

Fisher knows that. He can’t say that.

If he said that, you know what would happen in the locker room and during every single interview.

Right now, Davis is the starter against the Eagles, and it’s his job to lose going forward. But I don’t think Davis gets more than two consecutive games in which his performance is part of the storyline of a loss.

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:
Austin Davis is an extremely lucky man.

If Bradford had not been hurt, he would not be employed in the NFL right now at all. They would have kept Hill as the #2, and the draft pick for future development, and Davis would have been gone.

I don’t know about that. I think if Bradford had stayed, Davis was the third, just based on how he started getting it together in the pre-season.

If you say so. I don’t remember reading anything positive about Davis during pre-season. I remember thinking the guy was a goner, for sure. There was no point in keeping him with a healthy Bradford, Hill, and Gilbert (either on the team or PS).

snowman wrote:

I just don’t see a development firm like AEG building a stadium and leasing it to a NFL team. I think this window closes and we see the city take over negotiations. If a team moves and a stadium gets built in LA, it will be done the old fashioned way – with shitloads of public money and promises of economic benefits to the taxpayers.

AEG is a bit of a mystery to me. Purportedly, they want to build a stadium AND own the occupying team.

But they made no move on the Bills.

There are no other teams for sale. And in my thinking, only Buffalo, Jacksonville, Oakland, and the Rams ever made sense as teams to relocate to LA. I never believed Minnesota, San Francisco, or Seattle were seriously in the conversation.

Well…the Bills were for sale. And AEG did nothing. So – since none of the other teams are for sale – I conclude that AEG is either positioning themselves for an expansion team (balanced by one presumably in London), or they have given up the idea of owning a team. Expansion does not seem imminent, and Kroenke isn’t interested in parting with ownership, and he prefers to own his facilities.

I frankly can’t make sense of AEG at all. Unless they have an understanding with the NFL office.

I guess this storyline is going to heat up over the next six months.