- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Gordon: Hapless Rams set ominous tone for season
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_8380951e-bf4f-585b-845f-96b0ebc40ad9.html
The Rams had to beat the Minnesota Vikings to have any chance of meaningful success this season.
And they failed horribly. The Rams made one mind-boggling mental and physical mistake after another, earning 121 yards in penalties while stumbling to a stunning 34-6 loss.
"It seemed throughout the game that different players took turns making drive-killing mistakes or allowing drives to continue," Rams coach Jeff Fisher lamented afterward.
The Vikings -- a team clearly not destined for greatness this season -- wore them down in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Why couldn't the Rams run?
"They're pretty stout up front," Fisher said of the Vikings. "You have to get in a rhythm and we didn't get in a rhythm. Penalties took us out of the run game. We just never got started."
Why couldn't the Rams stop the run?
"There are things that just should not happen," Fisher said. "Losing the edge on defense . . . now the physical things, the matchups and some of the missed tackles with Adrian (Peterson), I can see that, but some of the other things make no sense."
And . . .
"We felt like we were in pretty good position, we just didn't execute."
The Shaun Hill Era lasted just one half, thanks to what Fisher termed a quadriceps muscle strain. Former camp arm Austin Davis replaced him at quarterback with predictably disastrous results.
Not until garbage time did Davis find any rhythm. Only when the Vikings fell back into prevent coverage did he start playing pitch and catch with his targets.
"Obviously he was disappointed with the interception returned for a touchdown," Fisher said. "There were a few other opportunities where he needed to throw the ball away and have a shot for a field goal, and he took a sack."
Offensive lineman Greg Robinson spent much of the game on the bench. Running back Tre Mason watched the game in street clothes as an inactive player.
So much for this vaunted 2014 NFL Draft class.
We could go on and on about all the terrible stuff that happened in this game, but you get the idea. The only way Sunday could have been worse is if more key players suffered serious injuries.
So what happens now? How can the Rams come back from something this horrendous?
"I told the team this is not going to define our season," Fisher said.
Yeah, well, don't be so sure about that. This full-scale collapse in the season opener -- at home, against a middling opponent -- sets an negative tone that will be hard to break against a daunting schedule.
The NFC West is as brutal as ever, as the Seahawks and 49ers demonstrated while flexing muscle in Week 1. Meanwhile in their opener, the Rams looked as pitiful as they ever have since moving to St. Louis.
That is a really low bar to meet, but against all odds the Rams got there.
"It's just the opener," Fisher said bravely. "It's unfortunate that it ended the way it did here at home with the enthusiasm that our fans brought to the game."
Unfortunate is one word that describes it. We can think of more graphic terminology, but decorum prevents us from sharing it here.
"I think we did some great things today, but we've definitely got a little ways to go," linebacker Alec Ogletree.
Yeah, the distance between Rams and Seahawks could be measured in light years.
"We have a long season ahead of us and a good football team," Davis said. "We didn't show that tonight but we have a good football team."
Well, actually you don't have a good football team. Good football teams don't play like that. Terrible teams play like that.
Perhaps the Rams can become somewhat respectable by season's end, but even that is going to take some work.
