zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

zn wrote:
Fisher peaks and valleys. It’s not really the case that he is a career 8-8 coach–that’s just averaging it out and erasing distinctions. Rather, he’s a career “3 consecutive winning seasons, 3 lesser seasons” coach. To me the difference is personnel.

Right now? Quarterback.

But the QB isn’t to blame for lousy run defense or all the sloppy penalties.

No but time down in the pre-season is responsible for a lot of it, I think…another pattern.

Last year too, the run D started shakey, and the diagnosis was the same as now–gap discipline, basically.

Okay, well if the run defense comes together, I will raise his grade. Right now, 6.66. That’s final.

zn wrote:

Fisher peaks and valleys. It’s not really the case that he is a career 8-8 coach–that’s just averaging it out and erasing distinctions. Rather, he’s a career “3 consecutive winning seasons, 3 lesser seasons” coach. To me the difference is personnel.

Right now? Quarterback.

But the QB isn’t to blame for lousy run defense or all the sloppy penalties.

Charlie Krueger came to our town to sign autographs when I was a kid. He asked me my name, and I said “Les Josephson.” He laughed, and asked if my name was Les. At which point I felt like an ass.

I drew an arrow through his head on the photo when I got home.

Kids.

I have wondered the same thing over the years.

I’m not sure the herd is a representative sample, though. They ran off all political dissidents, and a good chunk of liberals a while ago. I mean, the same question is discussed here, and we are all football fans, and the overall attitude is different here. So if you just read this board, you would think football fans tend to be part of the liberal conspiracy.

It is something, though, that domestic violence is seen as a part of the liberal agenda. What does that even mean? My guess is that righties are more comfortable, generally speaking, with violent “solutions” than liberals are. I think that’s true.

But as for the demographics of sports fans…I dunno. I bet somebody has done a study on that, though.

Hill is the starter this year unless he performs poorly multiple times. Davis, if he continues to play well, may be playing to replace Hill as the #2 next year. And they aren’t going to keep both Keenum and Gilbert on the roster next year. There’s really all kinds of ways this can play out before next year since there are so many QBs, and possibly another rookie added in the draft. The current 4 QBs are playing for no more than 2 spots next year. One spot if the Rams draft a QB.

snowman wrote:

They are both backups, so I assume that Fisher goes with whoever has the hot hand. Davis should be the one.

One TD in six quarters isn’t what I think of when I think “hot hand.”

zn wrote:

Speed Kills

the Rams could and should get Tavon going vertical more often and on the outside. No one can run with him… so get him down the field. Though I don’t have an issue the Rams running Tavon up the middle … they just need to execute it better (and obviously won’t make a living at doing that)

I DO have an issue with them running Tavon up the middle. I don’t know how they could think that would work. That would be a call I would make in Week 13 on a 3rd and 4 after doing nothing but using Tavon on pitch-outs and screen passes for the first 12 weeks.

Well, Tavon did not have a good day, did he.

Here are the penalties. Several at really bad times. All of them on veterans.

They aren’t good enough to overcome self-inflicted adversity.

2-7-STL49
(11:25) M.Cassel pass short right to A.Peterson to STL 40 for 9 yards (R.McLeod). PENALTY on STL-R.Quinn, Roughing the Passer, 15 yards, enforced at STL 40. Penalty on STL-A.Ogletree, Defensive Holding, declined.

1-10-MIN9
(6:56) PENALTY on STL-C.Long, Neutral Zone Infraction, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 9 – No Play.
3-10-STL39
(12:39) (Shotgun) PENALTY on STL-R.Saffold, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at STL 39 – No Play.
1-10-STL48
(7:04) S.Hill pass short right to B.Quick pushed ob at MIN 31 for 21 yards (C.Munnerlyn). PENALTY on STL-B.Quick, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced at MIN 31.

2-10-MIN41
(5:51) S.Hill pass short right to C.Givens to MIN 41 for no gain (C.Munnerlyn). PENALTY on STL-C.Givens, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at MIN 41 – No Play.
1-10-MIN8
(4:39) A.Peterson right tackle to MIN 8 for no gain. PENALTY on STL-R.Quinn, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 8 – No Play.
1-10-MIN31
(12:03) PENALTY on STL-D.Joseph, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 31 – No Play.
G.Zuerlein kicks 72 yards from STL 35 to MIN -7. C.Patterson to MIN 12 for 19 yards (C.Reynolds). PENALTY on STL-D.Bates, Taunting, 15 yards, enforced at MIN 12.
3-6-STL24
(:46) (Shotgun) PENALTY on STL-J.Barksdale, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at STL 24 – No Play.
2-9-STL24
(13:44) (Shotgun) A.Davis scrambles right end ran ob at STL 25 for 1 yard (A.Barr). PENALTY on STL-S.Wells, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at STL 24 – No Play.
2-19-STL14
(13:29) (Shotgun) A.Davis pass short middle to J.Cook to STL 25 for 11 yards (C.Greenway). PENALTY on STL-J.Cook, Offensive Pass Interference, 7 yards, enforced at STL 14 – No Play.
4-4-STL42
(7:44) J.Locke punts 37 yards to STL 5, Center-C.Loeffler, downed by MIN-J.Robinson. PENALTY on STL-C.Reynolds, Roughing the Kicker, 14 yards, enforced at STL 42 – No Play.
1-10-STL28 (7:33) M.Cassel pass short right to R.Ellison to STL 6 for 22 yards (T.McDonald). Penalty on STL-J.Jenkins, Defensive Holding, declined.
1-10-MIN16
(2:14) (Shotgun) B.Cunningham up the middle to MIN 8 for 8 yards (A.Exum). MIN-S.Floyd was injured during the play. PENALTY on STL-C.Harkey, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at MIN 16 – No Play.

Enh.

There may be issues, but the contract extension would be management/Harbaugh issues, not player/Harbaugh issues. And I think players know to tune out the contract stuff. That matters only if there is a holdout that hurts the team, and even then, serious division isn’t necessarily a consequence.

And practicing in Baltimore for a preseason game? A handful of people may be “irked,” but it ends there unless stuff keeps piling up.

The serious question is how does Harbaugh relate to the players and manage the team. There have to be serious issues there before there is a problem worth writing about…unless you have nothing better to write about prior to a deadline.

So…if there ARE deeper issues, then write about those. Otherwise there is nothing but smokey column inches.

We will rally around Adrian Peterson, and crush him into the ground.

zn wrote:

Now Schott’s system is the 3rd is he going to learn. First WCO, like Shurmur. Then…O’Brien, who has the same system McD does. Schott makes 3.

Kind of spooky, hunh, if you think about it….

So you’re saying he is about to tear an ACL?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Zooey.

Mackeyser wrote:

I wonder who is out when Bailey comes back. Is it as linear as Pettis?

I think Givens beat him in the pre-season. If you take last season into consideration, there is a case to be made that Pettis is more reliable. Depends on whether the Rams think they need a potential playmaker more, or a solid hands guy. I don’t think, really, that they need either one. But I think I’d keep Givens. Pettis isn’t going to improve, and Givens might.

Given the level of optimism about him, it has to be “Napoleon” Hill.

Meanwhile…

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/28/must_see_morning_clip_the_daily_show_mocks_espns_offensive_coverage_of_michael_sam/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Zooey.

Well. Hope is the thing with feathers.

Just remember that.