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Earlier this week in one of my “Breakfast with Bernie” videos on STLtoday.com, I suggested that Rams coach Jeff Fisher needs to join the 21st century of modern NFL offense.
Fisher’s background is full of bull runs. His Houston and Tennessee teams were bruisers, averaging 30 rushing attempts a game over 16 seasons, more than all but two NFL teams. Fisher’s teams reluctantly put the ball in the air; his offenses ranked 31st in passing attempts per game, averaging 31.
Not exactly the Greatest Show on Turf. The Fisher offenses more closely resembled the Canton Bulldogs or Duluth Eskimoes from the early NFL pioneer days. I’m exaggerating, but in the past Fisher was a Bronko Nagurski kind of coach.
And then there’s Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The New York Jets led the league in rushing attempts over his six seasons of coordinating the team’s offense.
So, yes, I wonder if Fisher and Schottenheimer are capable of flying high in this era of passing-obsessed NFL football. Are they willing to join the revolution?
At least through two games, I think I’ve been unfair to Fisher and his offensive coaches.
It’s early, but the Rams are flinging the football with considerable enthusiasm, averaging 46.5 passing attempts in their first two Sundays. Only one team (Baltimore) has thrown the ball more frequently.
To put that in perspective, no Rams team in franchise history has averaged more than 39.7 passing attempts a game in a season. That happened in 2002.
And what about the “Greatest Show” Rams? Well, they averaged just under 35 passing attempts a game between 1999 and 2001.
Yes, Sam Bradford is firing more passes than the peak-level Kurt Warner.
For the love of Mike Martz, what’s going on out at Rams Park?
It’s a simple matter of adapting. NFL teams are running the ball less than at any point in modern league history. Through two weeks NFL teams have combined to run the ball an average of 51 times a game.
In the 1970s, that average was nearly 70 rushing attempts a game. That has steadily decreased through the years: 62 rushes a game in the 1980s, down to 56 rushes a game in the 1990s and again during the aughts, and a decrease to 54 rushes a game between 2010 and 2012. The Rams are going with the sea change in style.
I asked Fisher why there’s been such a dramatic change in league-wide offensive philosophy.
“Well, I think you’re putting all the emphasis on the quarterback, number one,” he said. “Secondly, there’s not enough time. I think our offseason programs are limited. Training camp is limited. So, early in the season the offense is going to have an advantage.
“It’s hard to find safeties. It’s hard to find linebackers. Teams are loading up the skill players on offense, and as a result, scoring is up.”
Fisher’s right. Teams combined to average 38.3 points a game in the 1970s, and by last season that average had jumped to 45 points a contest.
And quarterbacks are going wild. In the 1980s, 300-yard passing games totaled 586; during the aughts the number of 300-yard games escalated to 747.
In recent seasons the Rams have been anemic offensively, averaging a league-low 14.4 points a game between 2007 and 2011. In Fisher’s first season here (2012) that average perked a bit, to 18.7 points a game. Through the first two games the 2013 Rams have put up an average of 25.5 points against the good defenses from Arizona and Atlanta.
Fisher made his intentions clear when the Rams brought in a new group of skill-position players including wide receiver Tavon Austin and flex tight end Jared Cook. The Rams have more speed, more threats.
The Rams have passed the ball on 69 percent of their offensive snaps this season; by contrast the 1999 Super Bowl champion Rams passed it 57 percent of the time.
When we see a coach like Fisher — who has loved the run — converting to an air-raid mentality, it’s time to ask the question: Is the running game as important as it used to be?
For four consecutive seasons, we’ve seen a new single-season NFL record established for the most gross passing yards a game, topped by 492 yards a game in 2012.
Early in 2013 the league’s teams are combining for an astounding average of 544 yards a game passing So they’re on course for yet another passing record.
Is the run dying off?
Not exactly. Last season the three teams that had the highest percentage of running plays — Seattle, Washington and San Francisco — each made the playoffs.
And in Fisher’s view, teams that build leads still prefer putting opponents away with a strong, clock-draining, morale-crushing rushing attack.
“Everything tends to level out over a course of time,” Fisher said. “You look around the league and look at a team that had leads that tried to protect leads and play keep-away and keep the ball away from an opponent in the (passing) 4-minute offense – it didn’t happen. Defense got the stops. Teams are throwing the football, stopping the clock. I think at some point, obviously, you’ve got to have a run game to finish games off.”
In my online-only columns, I’ve expressed dissatisfaction with a couple of aspects of the Fisher-Schottenheimer passing game.
There are too many checkdowns and short passes.
Of Bradford’s 93 passing attempts, 78 have traveled 10 yards or fewer through the air. That includes 28 passes thrown to targets behind the line of scrimmage. I’d like to see the Rams be more aggressive and stretch the field.
I also believe the Rams need to use more no-huddle offense.
They don’t have to go with the no-huddle from start to finish, but it can be an effective and potent change of pace. Bradford and the receivers enjoy it, and they’re good at it.
The spread formation suits Bradford. Through two games Bradford has the NFL’s third-highest passer rating (109.2) when the Rams use three or more wide receivers and set up in the shotgun formation. Only Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have done better in that setup.
That said, I was wrong to suggest that Fisher and Schottenheimer are stuck in the past. They remain stubborn about some things, but they have opened up the offense.
I don’t know if the Rams will continue to air it out. But for now, let’s put that order for the leather helmets on hold.
Fisher’s background is full of bull runs. His Houston and Tennessee teams were bruisers, averaging 30 rushing attempts a game over 16 seasons, more than all but two NFL teams. Fisher’s teams reluctantly put the ball in the air; his offenses ranked 31st in passing attempts per game, averaging 31.
Not exactly the Greatest Show on Turf. The Fisher offenses more closely resembled the Canton Bulldogs or Duluth Eskimoes from the early NFL pioneer days. I’m exaggerating, but in the past Fisher was a Bronko Nagurski kind of coach.
And then there’s Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The New York Jets led the league in rushing attempts over his six seasons of coordinating the team’s offense.
So, yes, I wonder if Fisher and Schottenheimer are capable of flying high in this era of passing-obsessed NFL football. Are they willing to join the revolution?
At least through two games, I think I’ve been unfair to Fisher and his offensive coaches.
It’s early, but the Rams are flinging the football with considerable enthusiasm, averaging 46.5 passing attempts in their first two Sundays. Only one team (Baltimore) has thrown the ball more frequently.
To put that in perspective, no Rams team in franchise history has averaged more than 39.7 passing attempts a game in a season. That happened in 2002.
And what about the “Greatest Show” Rams? Well, they averaged just under 35 passing attempts a game between 1999 and 2001.
Yes, Sam Bradford is firing more passes than the peak-level Kurt Warner.
For the love of Mike Martz, what’s going on out at Rams Park?
It’s a simple matter of adapting. NFL teams are running the ball less than at any point in modern league history. Through two weeks NFL teams have combined to run the ball an average of 51 times a game.
In the 1970s, that average was nearly 70 rushing attempts a game. That has steadily decreased through the years: 62 rushes a game in the 1980s, down to 56 rushes a game in the 1990s and again during the aughts, and a decrease to 54 rushes a game between 2010 and 2012. The Rams are going with the sea change in style.
I asked Fisher why there’s been such a dramatic change in league-wide offensive philosophy.
“Well, I think you’re putting all the emphasis on the quarterback, number one,” he said. “Secondly, there’s not enough time. I think our offseason programs are limited. Training camp is limited. So, early in the season the offense is going to have an advantage.
“It’s hard to find safeties. It’s hard to find linebackers. Teams are loading up the skill players on offense, and as a result, scoring is up.”
Fisher’s right. Teams combined to average 38.3 points a game in the 1970s, and by last season that average had jumped to 45 points a contest.
And quarterbacks are going wild. In the 1980s, 300-yard passing games totaled 586; during the aughts the number of 300-yard games escalated to 747.
In recent seasons the Rams have been anemic offensively, averaging a league-low 14.4 points a game between 2007 and 2011. In Fisher’s first season here (2012) that average perked a bit, to 18.7 points a game. Through the first two games the 2013 Rams have put up an average of 25.5 points against the good defenses from Arizona and Atlanta.
Fisher made his intentions clear when the Rams brought in a new group of skill-position players including wide receiver Tavon Austin and flex tight end Jared Cook. The Rams have more speed, more threats.
The Rams have passed the ball on 69 percent of their offensive snaps this season; by contrast the 1999 Super Bowl champion Rams passed it 57 percent of the time.
When we see a coach like Fisher — who has loved the run — converting to an air-raid mentality, it’s time to ask the question: Is the running game as important as it used to be?
For four consecutive seasons, we’ve seen a new single-season NFL record established for the most gross passing yards a game, topped by 492 yards a game in 2012.
Early in 2013 the league’s teams are combining for an astounding average of 544 yards a game passing So they’re on course for yet another passing record.
Is the run dying off?
Not exactly. Last season the three teams that had the highest percentage of running plays — Seattle, Washington and San Francisco — each made the playoffs.
And in Fisher’s view, teams that build leads still prefer putting opponents away with a strong, clock-draining, morale-crushing rushing attack.
“Everything tends to level out over a course of time,” Fisher said. “You look around the league and look at a team that had leads that tried to protect leads and play keep-away and keep the ball away from an opponent in the (passing) 4-minute offense – it didn’t happen. Defense got the stops. Teams are throwing the football, stopping the clock. I think at some point, obviously, you’ve got to have a run game to finish games off.”
In my online-only columns, I’ve expressed dissatisfaction with a couple of aspects of the Fisher-Schottenheimer passing game.
There are too many checkdowns and short passes.
Of Bradford’s 93 passing attempts, 78 have traveled 10 yards or fewer through the air. That includes 28 passes thrown to targets behind the line of scrimmage. I’d like to see the Rams be more aggressive and stretch the field.
I also believe the Rams need to use more no-huddle offense.
They don’t have to go with the no-huddle from start to finish, but it can be an effective and potent change of pace. Bradford and the receivers enjoy it, and they’re good at it.
The spread formation suits Bradford. Through two games Bradford has the NFL’s third-highest passer rating (109.2) when the Rams use three or more wide receivers and set up in the shotgun formation. Only Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have done better in that setup.
That said, I was wrong to suggest that Fisher and Schottenheimer are stuck in the past. They remain stubborn about some things, but they have opened up the offense.
I don’t know if the Rams will continue to air it out. But for now, let’s put that order for the leather helmets on hold.
