Post game thread.

[TK42-RAM]

I feel a little better about the SF game. They're a really tough defense, but their QB can be had. I expect Fisher to get this defense back in line because his name is all over this mess, and he's not gonna want to have his name associated with a soft defense. Not by a long shot.

Having 2 weeks is obviously a blessing too. We'll get some guys back, we'll rep the same game plan over and over and over, and hopefully execution will improve 10 fold. If only for one game. We really miss Amendola out there, and it shows. BOY does it show. A bit more focus on him will make things easier for everyone else. From Bradford to every other receiver.

We can do this. I know we can.

It is apparent our young team needs a break - I think we will beat the 49ers !!

I am extremely disappointed with the result v Patriots but the bye week has come at a good time.

Come on Rams !!

 

[Young Ram]

Horrible.

On D:
Our DT's were non existent. Quinn and Long did Nothing. WHY U NO COVER GRONK?! Playing off receivers too much. Fletcher's costly penalties. Where is James Laurinaitis? DAHL.

On O:
Shooting ourselves in the foot by getting penalties on almost every drive. O-Line :nono:. A Rookie is our best receiver.

We have a lot of work to do. Sam is getting killed out there. I hope the O-line gets better before it's too late. Some reinforcements should be on the way (Amendola, Saffold, Wells).

 

[-X-]

Horrible.

On D:
Our DT's were non existent. Quinn and Long did Nothing. WHY U NO COVER GRONK?! Playing off receivers too much. Fletcher's costly penalties. Where is James Laurinaitis? DAHL.

On O:
Shooting ourselves in the foot by getting penalties on almost every drive. O-Line :nono:. A Rookie is our best receiver.

We have a lot of work to do. Sam is getting killed out there. I hope the O-line gets better before it's too late. Some reinforcements should be on the way (Amendola, Saffold, Wells).

That's fair.

I kept seeing Quinn and Long being directed 10 yards past Brady and saw almost zero push up the middle, and I was like, "duh -- that's why he has 10 minutes to throw the ball." You can't give Brady that kinda time and expect Gronk, Welker or Lloyd to be blanketed. I really wanna break this one down once the Game Rewind makes it available. Lots to learn from this. Quinn -- hit the bench, mah brothuh. You need a bull rush and spin move to go along with that speed rush.

Oh O: I have no idea what happened there. All I know is Amendola was sorely missed.

 

[Selassie I]

All I wanted was at least 1 solid hit on brady... but apparently that was asking too much.

They played like they were 3 days into the bye-week.



FUCK

 

[Thordaddy]

All I wanted was at least 1 solid hit on brady... but apparently that was asking too much.

They played like they were 3 days into the bye-week.



FUCK

If I was a d lineman and my team didn't sack the Qb for a full half ,I'd hit him late if I had to do it while he was walking back to the huddle,penalty or no, he'd get his uni dirty.

 

[-X-]

All I wanted was at least 1 solid hit on brady... but apparently that was asking too much.

They played like they were 3 days into the bye-week.



FUCK

If I was a d lineman and my team didn't sack the Qb for a full half ,I'd hit him late if I had to do it while he was walking back to the huddle,penalty or no, he'd get his uni dirty.

I was saying that in the chat room too.

Take a roughing the QB penalty and give them 15. Who cares. Jack that douche bag up for the hell of it.

That was the worst part of it. I could take losing 65 to 7 if we could have just knocked his head off once.

 

[Username]

Hahahaha I was saying the same shit.

"Well, the only way this turns into a good game is if brady gets injured... For life."

 

[bluecoconuts]

For enough money I can make sure Brady never scores another point on the Rams... Just sayin..

 

[Barrison]

For enough money I can make sure Brady never scores another point on the Rams... Just sayin..

That awkward silence when everyone is wondering if you're serious. :twisted:

 

[shaunpinney]

even a bad team can limit it's penalties - we gave up 102 yards - and like others have said - not even a roughing or late hit on Brady! it seemed like we were constantly going 3 yards forward then ohh hang on there's a flag - lets go back 15!

but being honest we weren't expecting a W next to this or last weeks game were we? GB and NE have been together for a while now, and Rodgers and Brady are 2 of the best, whith a lot of weapons at their disposal - although - why did we seemingly leave Gronk wide open for most of the game? Especially with Hernandez out?

And our running game was non-existent until late in the game, what was all of that about?

Were we just outplayed in every aspect of the game? I think on this occasion, we were well beaten, buy a far better team.

ahh well a bad day at the office - another game where Sam was on form though - he just needs his Wr's to get free once in a while.

But i repeat first things first - limit the stupid penalties, we're giving our opposition 1st downs without them having to do anything and asking our Offence to to start from 5 yards back all the time, which must be adding pressure on the plays, making SB look for the big yards - I for one would much rather see three 4 yard passes in a row than 3 failed 12 yard passes then a punt :s

 

[Ram Quixote]

We could "start" by winning a coin flip, three time in a row we've lost and didn't get the ball first in the second half.

Seriously though we've faced two of the top five QB's in the league this past week, Brady is a master of the presnap read and KNOWING who is going top be WIDE open.

JMO go back to work theis was an L

Quit acting like it's an L
I also posted this elsewhere, McD has probably put some time into this game plan every week all year long. I'd bet on it

I agree. We got beat by a team that had been beaten by 2 similar teams and it wasn't going to happen again.

I'm not sure that we were "exposed," though Dahl sure was.

This is a young team; young teams are prone to inconsistency. Exposed? Every media outlet knows this.

Our Defense had no answer to the NE Offense. Of course, there could be something to Thor's McDaniels thought. Last year was a blot on his resume, and maybe he wanted to show that what happened was more about the Rams than him (one might even speculate that some of the Patriots' difficulty in putting teams away was because McD was spending too much time obsessing about us :what: ). But exposed? Buffalo's defense was exposed. The Rams had done well early, but did we really believe we were more than a middle-of-the-pack defense?

How we lost pissed me off, too. But it hasn't changed my expectations for the last half of the season. Perhaps the bye week will be used to add some things to the O & D. Big changes? I think the return of Amendola, Saffold and Wells will be enough.

 

[Stranger]

[hil]DR RAM said:
The defensive effort, or lack of, what the heck? Are there any answers? Don't tell me an answer is playing a weaker team. What would your changes be in the bye week?[/hil]

When you're ready to post Doc, I'm all ears. I'd love to hear about any tangible realistic postive changes.

 

[Speeps]

I'm usually the guy who tries to defend the Rams even in the worse situations. I can't defend what I saw from this team yesterday. The defense looked really bad. And the offense fizzled after the opening possession. To me, it seemed like the team was in awe of the Patriots, instead of competing against the Patriots.

I will say, I did like Sam Bradford's poise, and ability to be accurate. The most troubling thing from the offense was when the Patriots abandoned their zone defense, and played lots of tight man-to-man, our WR's were not able to win their matchups. That is very concerning.

Also, Fisher v. Belichick rarely ever ends well for Fisher. Last time Fisher coached against Belichick, he lost 59-0.

I'm not giving up on this Rams team. I still have my 8-8 prediction. The team is headed in the right direction despite the loss yesterday. This bye week will be a very long one.

 

[DR RAM]

X:

Stewart over Dahl.
JL to OLB and Hull at MLB
Move Chris Long to DT every once in a while.
SHOW blitz more often and then back out of it (amoeba defense)
Be way more physical in press coverage. Don't even give a half yard cushion on the LOS and WIN those battles.

Memento:

Why the fuck is Craig Dahl still playing on this team, much less starting? Does he have incriminating pictures of the whole fucking coaching staff? You have a potential star safety in Darian Stewart sitting on the fucking bench, not even getting so much as a special teams snap, let alone plays on the defense. Fucking start him. It's not like he could be worse than Dahl or Mikell. I am so goddamned sick of seeing Dahl look utterly clueless in coverage and not filling in the box for run support. He's quite possibly one of the worst safeties in the NFL, and he doesn't have any more room to grow. Why waste your fucking time on someone who wouldn't even have a job on most teams?

bluecoconuts:

we need an upgrade at the safety spot, and that's the only thing I can think about doing.

young ram:

On D:
Our DT's were non existent. Quinn and Long did Nothing. WHY U NO COVER GRONK?! Playing off receivers too much. Fletcher's costly penalties. Where is James Laurinaitis? DAHL.

more X:

I kept seeing Quinn and Long being directed 10 yards past Brady and saw almost zero push up the middle, and I was like, "duh -- that's why he has 10 minutes to throw the ball."

Selassie I:

All I wanted was at least 1 solid hit on brady... but apparently that was asking too much.

They played like they were 3 days into the bye-week.

shaunpinney:

But i repeat first things first - limit the stupid penalties, we're giving our opposition 1st downs without them having to do anything and asking our Offence to to start from 5 yards back all the time, which must be adding pressure on the plays, making SB look for the big yards - I for one would much rather see three 4 yard passes in a row than 3 failed 12 yard passes then a punt :s

Rams Quixote:

I'm not sure that we were "exposed," though Dahl sure was.

Defensive problems, potential fixes.

OK, I cherry picked from the limited responses, thank you to everyone who played:

Problem: There seems to be one overwhelming weakness that we all see, which is safety play, and particularly, Craig Dahl. Can we replace him? I don't know, but it's quite obvious that he is a problem. What is not so obvious is the reason why he plays over Stewart or McLeod. Potential fix - Shouldn't one of these guys at least get an opportunity to outperform the woeful Dahl in a game? I would even go as far as replacing Mikell and Dahl, how could they be worse? I guess it's possible, but doesn't seem likely. Future fix - This area clearly needs to be addressed high in the draft.

Problem: Janoris Jenkins playing like a rookie. We all know his past, we all know how he started the season, but he has regressed greatly in the past 4 games. All you have to do is cross receivers or show any little bit of play action his way and he is totally lost. On top of that, Jenkins doesn't appear to be running that well. He should be one of the fasted players on our team, but he is having trouble running stride for stride with opposing receivers. Bad Fletcher Potential fix - Temporarily bench this player, to see if that will get through to him. He needs to be motivated. He is making the SAME mistakes. Coach him up while he's on the bench, but still have him come in as the 4th db. Play T. Johnson in his spot, which will give him experience and let the coaches see what he can do. Pointer is another option here. Fletch, get better at using your hands and not getting caught. Keep your off hand around waist level. Future fix - I think Jenkins will be the guy, but if he keeps making the same mistakes he will lose his mojo completely. Always look to improve this position on your team through the draft.

Problem: Defensive line play. A couple of you guys said it, and I can't say it better. It seems as if we line up in the wide 9 and just take ourselves on a 10 yd arc around the QB without ever bothering him. GB and New England both comfortably dropped back and then stepped up into a lush pocket. There is no inside push from our interior defensive line. Potential fix - For gosh sakes, grow a move, an inside spin move, or an occasional bull rush would be dandy, but they have to mix it up. If our interior guys can't muster pass moves of their own, then stunt, loop, twist, and, or blitz once in a while. Move Langford to the outside once in a while where he may be more comfortable. Future fix - Continue to address the DL and DE positions in the draft. We need depth at both of these positions. Teach Brockers and Langford some inside pass rush moves, please.

Problem: Linebacker play. Laurinaitis is playing too soft. Dunbar is horrible in coverage. Rocky/Hull are almost non-existent. Except for Dunbar on running plays, our backers are playing too slow. A perfect example would be 4th and goal in the last game where JL makes contact, but he's 2 yards deep in the end zone. He needs to read and react faster and thump the RB coming through the hole. The bad Dunbar is the Dunbar in any kind of coverage responsibility. He's like Jenkins, he peeks in the backfield and loses his guy. He has to be more disciplined. Opposing teams know this, and use it against us. Potential fix - I don't know if I have one. Josh Hull looks equally lost in coverage, and there is really nobody else, but is there? Remember what we did last year on obvious passing downs? We put Darian Stewart in as an extra linebacker. I'd consider this if I was coaching. As far as JL goes, coach him to attack and play without over-thinking it, Trust your reads and your teammates. Future fix - It's pretty obvious that we need a lot of help at this position. Draft to improve this unit, and consider free agency.

Problem: Who is the DC? Who is making these calls, decisions? Our defense has lost it's mojo from the opening of the season. Our defense is completely boring and predictable. By playing our corners so far off the line, this not only allows all day long underneath routes, but also completely takes away our pass rush. Without press coverage, even a bad QB can pick us apart without any pressure from our DE's, or any chance of throwing an INT. Too many penalties, this reflects on the coaches. The defense has to play more disciplined. I have never seen so many receivers, tight ends, and running backs running completely free through our secondary, and it's almost always on the same 3 guys. We are playing passive, non inspired defense. We have to be able to touch the QB and make him uncomfortable, whatever it takes. Potential fix - Take that responsibility away from whoever has it and go with someone else. The defensive play calling has been very vanilla and easy to read. Stunt, blitz, disguise coverages better. Use your personnel better. Fire these young guys up. They are all hanging their heads on the field. Everyone on defense, be accountable for your guy, and stop letting your teammates down. Future fix - Hire a big time DC.

Now, I used the word exposed, and it seemed to rub a couple people the wrong way, or they didn't agree with it. That's OK. When I say exposed, it's because I saw it 3 weeks ago, and I said it here. All you have to do is go at Jenkins and Dahl all game long when you need to make a big play. The target to completion % is very high when teams do that. Another thing that we have been doing that every team knows is that we are playing soft coverage and giving up huge cushions. This doesn't just hurt our passing D, but our running D as well. We have to mix this up without giving it away. Every team also know by now that both Mikell and Dunbar are absolutely horrible in coverage responsibilities, and actual coverage if they do find their man. Every team knows this. We will only ever be as good as our worst players on defense. You can hide certain things on offense, but there is nowhere to hide on defense, so you have to change it up, you have to fool people, and we are not fooling anyone. That needs to change, and it needs to change starting with this bye week.

Those are my thoughts, and some of yours as well. Feel free to discuss, dispute, add....this is OUR forum.

 

[-X-]

Pretty sure Blake is making those calls. Though, I could be wrong.

I agree though. Give it to someone else. Cecil would be my choice if it's not him already. If it IS him already, then fuck that. Give it to McGinnis. Unless it's already McGinnis. Then give it to Blake. I wonder if GWilliams would even make a difference here, but then I look at how OMGAWFUL New Orleans is right now, and then I don't wonder so much. I think he's gonna be back next year.

If we're gonna have our DE's railroaded up the field, then PUT them in a wide-9. Screw it. Take Dahl out and put Stewart in the box. Of course none of that is gonna happen because really... honestly.... none of us know what's going on inbetween games right now, and this actually may be the best case scenario after evaluating practice for a week. *shudder*.

 

[DR RAM]

Pretty sure Blake is making those calls. Though, I could be wrong.

I agree though. Give it to someone else. Cecil would be my choice if it's not him already. If it IS him already, then fuck that. Give it to McGinnis. Unless it's already McGinnis. Then give it to Blake. I wonder if GWilliams would even make a difference here, but then I look at how OMGAWFUL New Orleans is right now, and then I don't wonder so much. I think he's gonna be back next year.

If we're gonna have our DE's railroaded up the field, then PUT them in a wide-9. Screw it. Take Dahl out and put Stewart in the box. Of course none of that is gonna happen because really... honestly.... none of us know what's going on inbetween games right now, and this actually may be the best case scenario after evaluating practice for a week. *shudder*.

I'm just frustrated with the same players making the same mistakes, and how the defense being called is making it easy to game plan against us. How can you not touch Tom Brady once in this game, how? It's bull patooty.

We have a couple bad eggs, but a lot of our problems are related by the style of defense that we are playing, or lack of style.

 

[Stranger]

I'm just frustrated with the same players making the same mistakes, and how the defense being called is making it easy to game plan against us. How can you not touch Tom Brady once in this game, how? It's bull patooty.

We have a couple bad eggs, but a lot of our problems are related by the style of defense that we are playing, or lack of style.

I just don't get it, how can we be having this kind of discussion about a Jeff Fisher coached team? It makes absolutely no sense to me. What possibility could be going-on internally to cause these sorts of mis-steps?

 

[-X-]

I'm just frustrated with the same players making the same mistakes, and how the defense being called is making it easy to game plan against us. How can you not touch Tom Brady once in this game, how? It's bull patooty.

We have a couple bad eggs, but a lot of our problems are related by the style of defense that we are playing, or lack of style.

I just don't get it, how can we be having this kind of discussion about a Jeff Fisher coached team? It makes absolutely no sense to me. What possibility could be going-on internally to cause these sorts of mis-steps?

He got out-the-fuck-coached. That's all that happened.

Same thing happened to him when Bellyfat beat him 59-0.

I love Fisher, I love the staff he's assembled, I love his vision, I love his his demeanor, but let's call it like it is.

 

[DR RAM]

I'm just frustrated with the same players making the same mistakes, and how the defense being called is making it easy to game plan against us. How can you not touch Tom Brady once in this game, how? It's bull patooty.

We have a couple bad eggs, but a lot of our problems are related by the style of defense that we are playing, or lack of style.

I just don't get it, how can we be having this kind of discussion about a Jeff Fisher coached team? It makes absolutely no sense to me. What possibility could be going-on internally to cause these sorts of mis-steps?

He got out-the-fuck-coached. That's all that happened.

Same thing happened to him when Bellyfat beat him 59-0.

I love Fisher, I love the staff he's assembled, I love his vision, I love his his demeanor, but let's call it like it is.

Yeah, I'd go with that. It could be that our players talent level is not allowing the coaches to game plan like they want to. On paper, it seems to me like we have some pretty good talent on the defensive side, certainly more than the offensive side. I just hope that we make some adjustments during the bye week. We need to re-find our defensive identity that we appeared to be building over the first few weeks, and lost over the last few.

 

[Stranger]

I'm just frustrated with the same players making the same mistakes, and how the defense being called is making it easy to game plan against us. How can you not touch Tom Brady once in this game, how? It's bull patooty.

We have a couple bad eggs, but a lot of our problems are related by the style of defense that we are playing, or lack of style.

I just don't get it, how can we be having this kind of discussion about a Jeff Fisher coached team? It makes absolutely no sense to me. What possibility could be going-on internally to cause these sorts of mis-steps?

He got out-the-fuck-coached. That's all that happened.

Same thing happened to him when Bellyfat beat him 59-0.

I love Fisher, I love the staff he's assembled, I love his vision, I love his his demeanor, but let's call it like it is.

Well, why did he get out-coached? Didn't we just hire a top-tier HC and pay him like one? Hence, the question is, is the weakness that has been exposed our Head Coach's strategic sophistication, or is it player limitation?