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Rams aiming for two more wins
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_77d9293d-b7dd-5885-a20f-39559ba0bdce.html
On the Rams’ checklist of things to do in 2014 were:
1. Make the playoffs.
Scratch that. The Rams were eliminated from playoff contention with their 12-6 loss to Arizona on Dec. 11. It’s now 10 consecutive seasons since the club made the postseason, when the 2004 squad squeaked into a wild-card berth with an 8-8 record.
Only Oakland (2002), Buffalo (1999) and Cleveland (1994) have had longer playoff droughts.
2. Finish with a winning record.
Another X-out. That loss to Bill Bidwill’s Big Red dropped the Rams to 6-8, making it 11 seasons in a row without a winning record. Not since the 2003 NFC West championship squad finished 12-4 have the Rams been above sea level.
Only Oakland (2002) has gone longer without a winning season.
The Rams still have two games remaining to close the season, starting with Sunday’s home finale against the New York Giants (5-9). Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome for “Fan Appreciation Day,” which features half-price merchandise, hot dogs and some soft drinks. There will be other special perks for some season-ticket holders.
So like a confused actor might ask his director, the question for Rams players becomes something along the lines of: “What’s my motivation?”
“Just playing for pride,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “Nobody wants to go out there and just say, ‘Oh man, we’re not going to the playoffs. Forget these last few games.’ That’s not us. That’s never been our mentality. We’re going out here playing for pride and trying to win these last two games.”
And from quarterback Shaun Hill: “It’s important for us to end the season on a high note. ... Yeah, that’s our main focus, is to win. I’ve seen it transpire into streaks going into the next year. Finishing can carry through an offseason.”
One of the best things coach Jeff Fisher has done in his three seasons with the Rams is bring the team back from a tough loss. But that seems like a tougher task than usual given the fact that there is no pot of gold waiting at the end of this season.
“We’re preparing no different than any other week to go win this next game,” said Fisher, stubbornly declining to remove those coaching blinders. “That’s our focus and that’s (the players’) intention. As long as you create an environment where they can have fun, look forward to coming to work, they’ll work hard. And that’s what we’ve done.”
So Fisher isn’t changing anything this week in terms of motivation?
“No,” he said. “All you have to do is watch the Giants. That’s all you’ve got to do. Throw a little tape on and watch the Giants. That will get you ready.”
And that’s good enough for most Rams who believe this is a team on the rise. Or those playing simply for love of the game. (Or failing that, a new contract.)
But for some of the veterans who date back to the Steve Spagnuolo coaching regime — and there aren’t many — there’s another seemingly minor goal in reach. Namely, avoiding another losing season.
With a victory Sunday and an upset in the Dec. 28 season finale at surging Seattle, the Rams would finish 8-8. They haven’t been 8-8 since 2006, or a year and a half before the longest-tenured Ram — defensive end Chris Long — was the second player drafted in 2008.
Linebacker James Laurinaitis came along a year later. By the numbers, that’s a 32-77-1 won-lost record since Long joined the Rams. And a 30-63-1 ledger since Laurinaitis arrived. So yeah, 8-8 wouldn’t be bad.
“Definitely it’d be nice to be 8-8 just because it’s something that we haven’t accomplished,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s nothing to parade around about, but it is a difference. Just the fact that we could have the momentum of having two in a row going into the offseason.”
But Laurinaitis is the first to realize that you can’t get to eight until you get to seven. That brings us to the Giants. The Rams are favored for the fourth game in a row, but the Giants are playing better lately albeit against a soft portion of their schedule.
They’ve won two in a row: against 2-13 Tennessee and then 3-11 Washington. Before that was a 25-24 loss to 3-12 Jacksonville. But even against tougher competition recently — 10-4 Dallas and 7-7 San Francisco — the Giants lost by less than a touchdown in both games.
On offense the Giants have a two-time Super Bowl champion at quarterback in Eli Manning.
“He can still make all the throws,” Long said. “He’s Eli Manning for a reason. He’s a calm, confident guy. They’ve got weapons.”
Such as one of the game’s most dynamic young wide receivers in rookie sensation Odell Beckam Jr.
“They’re trying to get him a ton of touches a game because he’s that kind of player,” Laurinaitis said. “I have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s a heckuva football player and he can only get better.”
On defense, New York has yielded only 13 points in the past two games. (Tennessee scored its only points on an interception.) The Giants have a seasoned secondary that includes cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and safety Antrel Rolle. Add a pass rush that has been formidable lately.
So if enough Rams have mentally checked out, they can lose this game and finish the home season with an unsightly 3-5 record. There are no outward signs of that; there hasn’t been a player seen in the locker room yet working on his golf swing — as was the case in the middle of the last decade at Rams Park.
There is an eager offense still trying to find itself, and a confident defense that hasn’t yielded a touchdown in 12 quarters, tying a franchise record. Members of that unit would like to keep that streak going at least a little while longer.
“It’s great to be a part of it,” Long said. “I haven’t been a part of that before. But with the talent we have in this room, and the coaching we have, we really believe anything’s possible. We need to sustain that success and continue to build on it.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_77d9293d-b7dd-5885-a20f-39559ba0bdce.html
On the Rams’ checklist of things to do in 2014 were:
1. Make the playoffs.
Scratch that. The Rams were eliminated from playoff contention with their 12-6 loss to Arizona on Dec. 11. It’s now 10 consecutive seasons since the club made the postseason, when the 2004 squad squeaked into a wild-card berth with an 8-8 record.
Only Oakland (2002), Buffalo (1999) and Cleveland (1994) have had longer playoff droughts.
2. Finish with a winning record.
Another X-out. That loss to Bill Bidwill’s Big Red dropped the Rams to 6-8, making it 11 seasons in a row without a winning record. Not since the 2003 NFC West championship squad finished 12-4 have the Rams been above sea level.
Only Oakland (2002) has gone longer without a winning season.
The Rams still have two games remaining to close the season, starting with Sunday’s home finale against the New York Giants (5-9). Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome for “Fan Appreciation Day,” which features half-price merchandise, hot dogs and some soft drinks. There will be other special perks for some season-ticket holders.
So like a confused actor might ask his director, the question for Rams players becomes something along the lines of: “What’s my motivation?”
“Just playing for pride,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “Nobody wants to go out there and just say, ‘Oh man, we’re not going to the playoffs. Forget these last few games.’ That’s not us. That’s never been our mentality. We’re going out here playing for pride and trying to win these last two games.”
And from quarterback Shaun Hill: “It’s important for us to end the season on a high note. ... Yeah, that’s our main focus, is to win. I’ve seen it transpire into streaks going into the next year. Finishing can carry through an offseason.”
One of the best things coach Jeff Fisher has done in his three seasons with the Rams is bring the team back from a tough loss. But that seems like a tougher task than usual given the fact that there is no pot of gold waiting at the end of this season.
“We’re preparing no different than any other week to go win this next game,” said Fisher, stubbornly declining to remove those coaching blinders. “That’s our focus and that’s (the players’) intention. As long as you create an environment where they can have fun, look forward to coming to work, they’ll work hard. And that’s what we’ve done.”
So Fisher isn’t changing anything this week in terms of motivation?
“No,” he said. “All you have to do is watch the Giants. That’s all you’ve got to do. Throw a little tape on and watch the Giants. That will get you ready.”
And that’s good enough for most Rams who believe this is a team on the rise. Or those playing simply for love of the game. (Or failing that, a new contract.)
But for some of the veterans who date back to the Steve Spagnuolo coaching regime — and there aren’t many — there’s another seemingly minor goal in reach. Namely, avoiding another losing season.
With a victory Sunday and an upset in the Dec. 28 season finale at surging Seattle, the Rams would finish 8-8. They haven’t been 8-8 since 2006, or a year and a half before the longest-tenured Ram — defensive end Chris Long — was the second player drafted in 2008.
Linebacker James Laurinaitis came along a year later. By the numbers, that’s a 32-77-1 won-lost record since Long joined the Rams. And a 30-63-1 ledger since Laurinaitis arrived. So yeah, 8-8 wouldn’t be bad.
“Definitely it’d be nice to be 8-8 just because it’s something that we haven’t accomplished,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s nothing to parade around about, but it is a difference. Just the fact that we could have the momentum of having two in a row going into the offseason.”
But Laurinaitis is the first to realize that you can’t get to eight until you get to seven. That brings us to the Giants. The Rams are favored for the fourth game in a row, but the Giants are playing better lately albeit against a soft portion of their schedule.
They’ve won two in a row: against 2-13 Tennessee and then 3-11 Washington. Before that was a 25-24 loss to 3-12 Jacksonville. But even against tougher competition recently — 10-4 Dallas and 7-7 San Francisco — the Giants lost by less than a touchdown in both games.
On offense the Giants have a two-time Super Bowl champion at quarterback in Eli Manning.
“He can still make all the throws,” Long said. “He’s Eli Manning for a reason. He’s a calm, confident guy. They’ve got weapons.”
Such as one of the game’s most dynamic young wide receivers in rookie sensation Odell Beckam Jr.
“They’re trying to get him a ton of touches a game because he’s that kind of player,” Laurinaitis said. “I have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s a heckuva football player and he can only get better.”
On defense, New York has yielded only 13 points in the past two games. (Tennessee scored its only points on an interception.) The Giants have a seasoned secondary that includes cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and safety Antrel Rolle. Add a pass rush that has been formidable lately.
So if enough Rams have mentally checked out, they can lose this game and finish the home season with an unsightly 3-5 record. There are no outward signs of that; there hasn’t been a player seen in the locker room yet working on his golf swing — as was the case in the middle of the last decade at Rams Park.
There is an eager offense still trying to find itself, and a confident defense that hasn’t yielded a touchdown in 12 quarters, tying a franchise record. Members of that unit would like to keep that streak going at least a little while longer.
“It’s great to be a part of it,” Long said. “I haven’t been a part of that before. But with the talent we have in this room, and the coaching we have, we really believe anything’s possible. We need to sustain that success and continue to build on it.”