Rams and Eagles Have Problems Beyond Failed Quarterback Swap

[RamBill]

Rams and Eagles Have Problems Beyond Failed Quarterback Swap

Posted by: Anthony Stalter


http://www.101sports.com/2015/12/02/rams-eagles-problems-beyond-failed-quarterback-swap/

You can almost appreciate the irony if you weren’t caught up in the frustrations of the season.

The Rams and Eagles are doomed by a similar offseason misstep, though probably not the one that comes to mind at first.
nick foles-9

Foles has 175 completions in 302 pass attempts in 2015, with a QB rating of 32.9.

It’s true, neither team has benefited from the Sam Bradford-for-Nick Foles swap. Rams fans now realize why Chip Kelly was so eager to part with a quarterback that helped lead his team to the playoffs in 2013, while Eagles fans know what it’s like to be in backup quarterback hell because Bradford can’t stay healthy.

But beyond the issues at quarterback, the Rams and Eagles find themselves linked by the notion that simple, quick fixes along the offensive line would eventually net positive results.

Both teams are now suffering for their miscalculations.

Kelly clearly believed that he could plug anyone into his system and it would still fire on all cylinders.

That’s why he was so quick to drop veterans Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans this offseason and replace them with inexperienced guards Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner.

After all, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, right?

In St. Louis, the plan was to invest in youth along the offensive line and allow those players to grow together as one. Sure, there would be growing pains early on, but under the guidance of offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, the group would develop enough chemistry and cohesion to form a formidable unit by midseason.

Both plans have backfired.

Neither team can run the ball because opposing defenses are dominating the interior of their offensive lines. Defensive tackles are penetrating through the A-gaps on inside zone plays, which has wrecked the timing and rhythm of the teams’ running games (see what Linval Joseph did to the Rams in Minnesota and what Geno Atkins just did in Cincinnati).

Without being able to get an initial push or execute a successful double team, the interior linemen for the Rams and Eagles are allowing linebackers to run free to their assigned gaps. The zone-blocking scheme works great when you execute it. But just like anything in football, missed assignments lead to negative plays, which leads to offenses getting behind schedule, which means more punts and fewer points.
sam bradford-2

Bradford has 214 completions in 335 pass attempts in 2015, with a QB rating of 37.4.

On outside zone plays, defensive linemen are flowing down the line instead of penetrating up field. If the running back tries to cut back, defenders can meet them head on if they stay in the cut-back lane. If the running back tries to stay up field, he eventually runs out of real estate because defenders are flowing with him down the line, linebackers are effectively holding the edge, and safeties are flowing over the top in case of missed tackles.

Todd Gurley and DeMarco Murray aren’t the problem.

They can only do so much when forced to make defenders miss in the backfield or break tackles at the line of scrimmage. It’s not as if both players have lost the ability to produce special runs: They just don’t stand a chance right now because of the failures up front.

Injuries ruined the Rams’ plan for the offensive line but this is why people questioned whether or not the team was aggressive enough in free agency. Allowing Joe Barksdale to leave because they didn’t want to overpay him was sensible. But signing only one veteran offensive lineman (Garrett Reynolds) turned out to be imprudent.

Injuries inevitably happen. Do you have enough experienced, quality depth to compensate for those injuries?

Granted, the failures up front aren’t the only reasons why these two teams have struggled offensively. Quarterback play has been a huge issue for both teams. Even when protection is fine for Foles, he’s struggled with timing, anticipation, and feel within the pocket. When Bradford was healthy, he showed the same penchant for making the safe play instead of taking the shot downfield to pick up yards in chunks.

It all starts up front. The statement is cliche, but true.

There’s a chain reaction that’s stemmed from both teams failing to run the ball. If Kelly still has his job in Philadelphia following the season, perhaps investing in a pair of quality guards and adjusting his run-blocking schemes to adapt to the pro game will offer a quick fix.

In St. Louis, however, the problems run deeper.

As my partner Chris Duncan recently pointed out, losing Rodger Saffold hurt the Rams more than we’ve discussed. But Greg Robinson is a much bigger project than the Rams estimated, the center position is once again a major concern, and the jury is still out on Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown, who have understandably had their ups and downs in their rookie season.

There are no quick fixes for the Rams. If they don’t get their problems along the offensive line ironed out, the results will be the same as this season.

 

[LumberTubs]

There's a lot of nonsense in the last two paragraphs of that article.

Firstly, the loss of Saffold has not hurt the team. He was playing poorly before he got injured and Reynolds was arguably better at right guard.

I agree on the GRob comments but Barnes is doing ok at centre in my view.

The jury (well, this one man jury at least) is not still out on Havenstein. He was playing very well for a rookie and he's been missed.

I also think Brown will be a very good guard and was showing signs of that before he was being moved around.

I'd quite happily have Barnes, Brown and Havenstein starting game one next season. Saffold can take his dodgy shoulders elsewhere but maybe give GRob a slap on the way out to try and wake him up a bit.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Nobody can stop freak injuries and Brown and Donnal had just that.

Saffold is a good Guard but he is better on the right. Yes he is always injured but he was the best and most experienced OLineman on the team. (Sad) How did he suddenly get bad? My guess is playing next to GRob an focusing too mch on what he is doing has hurt his game. Or he was already injured and compensating. Saffold was a great Guard before. He didn't get awful in one year.

But this brings me to the main problem with this team. We all have said it. Fisher should have sprinkled in OLineman throughout his drafts instead of trying to fix it strictly with veterans, uDFA's and cast-offs. One a year would have prevented most of our problems on the line. Glenn, Osemele, Warford, etc., guys like these in varying stages would give the team the veteran presence it lacks. We would be watching experienced, younger guys that have played together for a few years.

Passing on a young Wisniewski is a total head scratcher too. He is playing well in Jacksonville. Ignoring the future of a vital unit for three years predictably has blown up in Fishers face, Passing on young QBs has as well. They could already have their QB in Bortles, Garapolo, Carr, or to a lesser extent Bridgewater. They could have even sat them for a year or two and be reaping the benefits now.

I know the old school mantra for coaches taking over a team is fix the defense first and Special teams and prepare the team to battle in close games. That no longer works with more sophisticated offenses, that score more than 20 points a game. Ignoring the OLine and QB positions in the draft has really come back to bite this team and is keeping it in the cellar. Four years later there is still a hole to be dug out of.

 

[…..]

I think I'm in the minority.

Losing Saffold has hurt tremendously. They moved him around so much that he never got settled. Then he was injured. You cant replace the experience, and he is a good lineman no matter how you cut the stats or read into the "grades"

We like to lynch mob players and coaches around here. Once the anti Saffold movement started here, off it went and he was suddenly labeled. I'm pretty sure anyone who really knows football would read some of our crap and chuckle.

 

[VegasRam]

Chuckles.

 

[BonifayRam]

I do not believe that the lost of Rodger Saffold to injury hurt this OL game day performance as bad as many think. This OL has endured numerous changes to its make up and RS part (lost to IR ) into this dismal 2015 performance is not that large. RS's first replacement was Garrett Reynolds who IMO was a much better OLG than RS. I would suggest that next season I would let Reynolds & Jamon Brown fight it out as to which of them will start @ OLG post. Should end up with JB being the starter by a good amount. JB is a legitimate starting NFL OLG! Then let Reynolds & Cody Wichmann fight it out @ starting ORG.

RS's 2015 overall game performance before destroying his second shoulder was not close to the last quarter performance of 2013 season, when RS started @ right OG. RS injury in 2014 in the first series of the first pre season game to his shoulder greatly reduced his overall 2014 season performance. The first 2015 shoulder reconstruction put RS's on field play fully into decline mode this season. What these back to back shoulder reconstructions do to RS's future play?? I would hate to see him as one of our starters @ OG in 2016. I would bet on a continuing of decline mode in 2016. He might retain some good strength back in 2017 season. Whats really missed with RS out of the line up is his leadership & smarts.

The first issue that lead to RS's being moved from his ORG post to OLG post was the on going issues with Greg Robinson. Up till that time Jamon Brown was killing it @ starting OLG! The Boudreau move of JB to ORG weaken the overall OL more than most realize. JB should never be moved back to ORG again. The loss of starting ORT Rob Havenstein in the line up was bigger hit than RS loss. Its also easy to trash Tim Barnes when he has a 7th & 6th rd draft picks first yr OL'ers playing on each side of him. Barnes wagon is fully loaded they need to ease up on trashing him so quick.

If you want to point a finger at what started all these changes & moves ....is look no further than the early issues @ the starting OLT post....Greg Robinson. The 2016 HC & new OL coach will need to have a much better plan in 2016 to deal with GRob than the plan they put in motion this season. This GR plan needs to be serious & thought out fully along with GR fully realizing GR must become a far better technician, learn to prepare & use his brain over just his brawn.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Fisher should have sprinkled in OLineman throughout his drafts instead of trying to fix it strictly with veterans, uDFA's and cast-offs. One a year would have prevented most of our problems on the line. Glenn, Osemele, Warford, etc., guys like these in varying stages would give the team the veteran presence it lacks. We would be watching experienced, younger guys that have played together for a few years.

+1.

 

[Orchid]

Saffold is a good Guard but he is better on the right. Yes he is always injured but he was the best and most experienced OLineman on the team. (Sad) How did he suddenly get bad? My guess is playing next to GRob an focusing too mch on what he is doing has hurt his game. Or he was already injured and compensating. Saffold was a great Guard before. He didn't get awful in one year.

I concur with you that Scaffolds good guard and with the possibility that he and others have been playing hurt before being injured.

I ran across this article on the The Cauldron/Sports Illustrated site website. It was written by Ebon Britton and is titled "What does it take to Stay in the NFL..... You don't want to know. The link is https://thecauldron.si.com/what-doe...ou-don-t-want-to-know-21c6665cab00#.6xjxtvk9b. Quite a read on just how hurt/injured players are and they still try to play.

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Eben Britton

Eben Britton1 day ago12 min read

(AP)
What Does It Take To Stay In The NFL? You Don’t Want To Know
The National Football League is a grotesque, profit-driven circus, but don’t be fooled — as players, our eyes are wide open.


The red pill or the blue pill.

The choice seemed innocuous enough. I’d been taking Adderall under the NFL’s therapeutic use exemption (“TUE”) during the entirety of my career — yeah, we’ll get to that — so it didn’t really occur to me that another, similar drug prescribed to treat ADD/ADHD, Ritalin, might put me in any danger with the powers that be.

Guess I should’ve been paying more attention. Not that it would’ve mattered much, though. I’d be lying if I said I was thinking clearly at the time. When it came to football, my goal was singular: To be out there on that field. By any means necessary. No matter the cost.

On that particular day, I remember rummaging through my things, frantically trying to find that bottle. Just because my Adderall had been prescribed by a doctor, of course, didn’t make it any less of a crutch or a necessity. I was anxious. I knew I wouldn’t be able to perform to the best of my ability without it. At least, that’s what I believed.

And then it hit me. Not to worry, I thought to myself, I can get by with one of [unnamed teammate]’s pills.

“But these are Ritalin,” he told me after I tried bumming some of his stash like they were cigarettes; like we were huddled up together in the back alley of a bar.

“They treat the same thing; it will be fine,” I responded, with many thanks.

Later that day (as luck would have it), I was summoned to submit to a random urine test for PEDs by league officials. About three months later, I was notified by mail that I had tested positive for methylphenidate (the active ingredient in Ritalin).

My agent was sympathetic when I relayed to him what had happened. So was Heather McPhee, lead attorney for the NFLPA, who I solicited assistance from. She thought we had a good story: I came back from the bye week, lost my prescription, I took one from a friend not knowing it was any different because it treats the same disorder, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, suspension rescinded, case closed.

Only, that’s not what happened.

My appeal was denied. My four-game suspension was upheld and labeled final. End of story. End of tenure as an NFL offensive lineman. End of life as I knew it. Maybe it was for the best. After all, if the league knew what else I had done to prolong my playing career, I would have been run out of there years ago.

And I wouldn’t have been alone.

(AP)
Tom Brady and I were hit with the same four-game suspension in the same offseason. Me for taking Ritalin instead of Adderall; Brady for allegedly okaying the fractional inflation of footballs.

Even now, I still can’t figure out which was worse: My not knowing the difference between two, very different medications, or the Deflategate scandal. Both Tom and I, it seems, made mistakes. Maybe he had a better case than I did. Maybe his name carried more weight than mine did. None of that bothers me; it’s part of the business. Really, the problem goes much deeper than the individual infractions, and gets to the heart of how the NFL — and Roger Goodell, in particular — determines what punishments best fit the crimes.

I began taking Adderall regularly back in 2010, my second year in the league, as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Towards the end of OTAs and mini-camp, I suffered a herniated disc during a workout — a mini-explosion just above my tailbone. My right leg tightened as if someone had just stuck a knife in it. There was burning, then cold. My leg felt twisted, even mangled. It had been the best spring of my young football career, and I was about to head to training camp a crippled mess.

Camp was a grind. I spent what felt like every waking moment “managing” the pain coursing down my leg. The resulting sciatica was causing complete numbness in my right foot. My pain maintenance program included a core regiment of daily exercises — to be done religiously — and a whole lot of stretching.

For anyone who’s never experienced sciatica, imagine someone sticking a piece of glass in the electrical circuit board of your nervous system.

I wore braces and plasters (think of them as extreme heating pads) to every practice, and, needless to say, my play suffered tremendously. Coaches couldn’t understand what had happened to the player they’d seen less than a month earlier. I’d gone from gridiron golden child to roster also-ran. Sure, those same coaches and the team’s trainers knew what was going on —they’d seen the MRIs showing the herniated disc — but nobody cared.

“You don’t need surgery. We can manage this,” the trainers would insist.“Eb, we don’t know what’s going on with you,” the coaches would counter. “But you need to fix it.”
Sure, I needed to fix it. I literally couldn’t feel my right foot on the ground. The muscles in my leg felt like they were beginning to atrophy. Still, circumstances being what they were, I doubled down, determined to prove that I was a player. If they wanted me to do one core circuit workout a day, I’d do two. If they wanted 30 minutes on the StairMaster, I did an hour.

Fuck it, I told myself myself. Whatever it takes.

(AP)
Flash forward to Week Six. Monday Night Football. We were playing the Tennessee Titans, our divisional rival. Though the pain remained constant, I had managed to keep it somewhat at bay. By then I was taking a double dose of Vicodin as part of my pregame ritual. (Pro tip: It’s never a good sign when painkillers become a vital part of the routine that early in the season.) It was a warm fall night in Jacksonville, and my girlfriend was in town for the game. I was exhausted — mentally, physically, and emotionally.

But I was a football player, and that’s just the way it is in the game.

Playing professional football is hard enough when you’re completely healthy. Add a nagging injury to the mix — meaning roughly 98 percent of all NFL players — and the season can quickly turn into a nightmare of pain and doubt. You’re up earlier than everyone else to get treatment, and up later than everyone else to get some more. A little ice, a little pill, and voila: You’re temporarily healed.

In my pregame haze of nerves and jacked excitement, I wandered over to a fellow offensive lineman.

“I need something,” I said, quiet and mellow, though it’s nothing anyone hasn’t heard before.

“Like what?” my teammate says, his bottom lip hugging a gigantic heap of chew.

“I don’t know, something to get me through this game.”

“I got Adderall.”

“I’ll take it,” I say without hesitation.

“If you get tested tomorrow, you’ll get hit with a positive, you know.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

Riding lightning.

That’s the best way I can describe taking Adderall. I took two that Monday night before kickoff.

I was explosive. I played one of the best games of my life against a good pass rusher having a great year. Though we got our asses handed to us — in a game where we lost both our quarterbacks — I felt dominant.

The following week in Kansas City, I dislocated my shoulder. Twice. My season was over before it ever really began. Looking back, maybe it was all a blessing in disguise — the universe giving my body the break it so desperately needed. It was hard to see all that at the time, though, as I dove deep into the secluded anonymity that is injured reserve. I popped pills and chewed tobacco like a fiend. I’d go to the facility in the morning for treatment and have the rest of the day to spend losing my mind.

After that Monday night game, I had taken steps to ensure that my Adderall use was “legitimate.” The team doctor ran me through a battery of tests to identify whether or not I had reason to be prescribed the drug. Sure enough — conveniently enough — it was determined that I likely suffered from ADHD. Not that the diagnosis was completely without merit: there were times during childhood when I struggled with reading, pouring through entire chapters and not being able to recall any of what I’d read.

(Looking back, I sometimes wonder if maybe football had something to do with my ADHD. But I suppose that’s a discussion for another time.)

I started taking Adderall regularly — chasing the dragon, as they say, always after the high you had the first time. I didn’t consider myself a drug addict. This was something that was prescribed to me. By a doctor. And given that there was a noticeable difference in my productivity whenever I took it, my usage was easy to justify.

The only downside, as I saw it, was the afternoon crash. It would start off slow, with only slight changes in my energy and mood. Soon, the waves of emotions got stronger. By mid-afternoon, I’d be plummeting hard. Before long, I needed to smoke copious amounts of marijuana just to ease the comedown.

In hindsight, that wasn’t a good sign, but I couldn’t see clearly. I was trying spare my body the pain, and that meant taking my mind as far away from that pain as possible. By then, the league had already grown wary of prescribing painkillers to active players, but in my case (and in many, many other players’), Adderrall wasn’t categorized by the same broad-brush approach.

Simply put, the drug helped me play through the pain. It was legal, and that was good enough for me.

I repeated that cycle over the next four(!) years. Adderall by day, weed by night. Each and every day riding the maelstrom of emotions and hormones. Ups and downs; cliffs and valleys; back and forth. For me, it was the only way of dealing with the physical and psychological grind of the game.

I felt liberation through medication.

(AP)
2014 was the beginning of the end. It was both a miserable year both for me personally, and for my team that season, the Chicago Bears. I was cut after training camp — my first time ever being released from a team. On the first day of the second week of camp, I had suffered a serious hamstring injury, and even though I made it back for the final preseason game, it wasn’t enough. I was cut the next day.

I knew it was coming, but I was heartbroken nonetheless. Gone was any belief that I was just as important to the fabric of the team whether I was able to play or not. Gone was the idea that I was something more than a depth chart number on a whiteboard.

As fate would have it, two of the Bears’ starting linemen — both good friends of mine — went down in Week 1. I was on the phone with Chicago management before the final whistle of that game blew. I was back.

Only, I wasn’t. The game just didn’t feel the same anymore. And while we were expected to be one of the best offenses in the league that year, football has a way of exposing the phonies; of separating the sharp from the shambolic. Too much was taken for granted. By all of us on that squad.

After we got smoked in New England heading into our bye week, the coaches got that nervous look in their eyes, and the trickle-down process — of doubt beating out determination — was in full effect. Still, I tried to look on the bright side: an off week and a chance to hang out with my family back in our native California. It was Halloween weekend, and my high school coach had decided it was time to retire my uniform. Needless to say, it was a beacon of light in what had become the darkest point of my professional career.

After feeling mildly ill most of the day on Friday, I left the game doubled over in pain and throwing up in the street. By Sunday I’d checked myself into the hospital. They told me my appendix had ruptured and, following a battery of tests, I was put into surgery. I was in a Burbank hospital for five days, bloody goop dripping out of my stomach and into an inflatable plastic grenade, with morphine and Percocet the only things keeping me from agony.

By the third day, I’d begun to get antsy, like I needed something else. Something to beat back the boredom. So I had a friend bring me a pot brownie. Of course, because of my depleted system, I ate way too much, and soon found myself inching towards a psychotic abyss. I tried laughing it all off, but the panic began sinking deeper and deeper until I felt like I was holding on for dear life. Waves of anxiety and despair crashed around me. The disconnect was so real, I felt at times as if I was floating away from myself. Having sufficiently scared the nurses, they removed the IV from my arm and ran a series of tests to rule out something more serious. After multiple doses of Ativan and some food, I finally began easing back into reality.

By the time I was discharged and flown back to Chicago, I’d lost 20 pounds. Slowly, I started getting back into a routine. But they wouldn’t let me practice until my white blood cell count had bounced back. And so I found myself weathering team meetings astride a raft strewn together with Adderall and dip, drawn hazily toward the horizon, completely gonzo.

One morning as I headed out of the cafeteria to a meeting, my blind hand came up empty from my bag as images of a little orange plastic cylinder danced torturously in my head. I had left my scrips at home. Then, a sudden wave of relaxation came. A teammate — a rookie — had mentioned having some of his own. So I went to “barter” for some pills. All he had was Ritalin.

I knew methylphenidate was on the list of banned substances. I knew it was a foolish risk. But I’d convinced myself I was at a kind of crossroads with football, where even short-term satisfaction somehow seemed a worthwhile gamble — like bumming a pinner in the alley behind a police station.

I decided to let fate sort it out. Fate had no problem obliging.

I should’ve known better, but age and injuries — the surgically-repaired shoulder, the bad back — had taken their toll. I was getting old. Too old not to have someone, or something, in my corner.

When you first come into the league, people care about you. You’re “their guy.” But once those people are gone, or you’re forced to sign with another team, the future no longer seems so assured. Maybe that’s why I felt the need to erase the present: It sometimes seemed like the only way to hold onto the past.

I was in my sixth year in the league, and I’d become a mercenary for hire. As the NFL began taking a closer look at the long-term side effects of anti-inflammatories and other painkillers, Adderall and marijuana became the relatively safe — if not entirely legal — alternatives.

Adderall had brought me back to life. I was energized. Vibrant. Engaged. Enthused. It erased the pain and allowed me to play. For that, I loved it. And if I needed to take a Ritalin to make it through a day of doing what I loved, that’s what I was going to do.

I take full responsibility for my actions, and the punishment meted as a result. I’m not angry with the NFL. To Roger Goodell, I’m barely a blip on the radar. The process of determining suspensions may lack nuance or consistency, but I knew the risk I was taking. I was doing what I had to do to ready myself for another day in the meat grinder. I leave with no regrets.
​

 

[Merlin]

I think I'm in the minority.

Losing Saffold has hurt tremendously. They moved him around so much that he never got settled. Then he was injured. You cant replace the experience, and he is a good lineman no matter how you cut the stats or read into the "grades"

We like to lynch mob players and coaches around here. Once the anti Saffold movement started here, off it went and he was suddenly labeled. I'm pretty sure anyone who really knows football would read some of our crap and chuckle.

Disagree with you on just about everything Dog.

Saffold played at a Pro Bowl level during his contract season. Before that he demonstrated an impressive ability to play most positions on the line, but his level of play was not nearly as good as that contract season and he also had displayed the injury tendencies. After that he played well in 2014 however was nicked up for much of it and his level of play was more consistent with pre-contract season production. This season his play slipped, and I'm not sure why tbh. This isn't a lynch mob attack, either, it's just the truth as I see it... the very game he came out the line immediately played better and the real struggles started after Brown then Havenstein went down.

If I had to grade this line I would put Brown and Havenstein into the C range where I consider them to be solid starters, which is pretty impressive given that they're both rookies. Brown had a more rough start early in the season but was playing better when he suffered his injury and this line felt his loss. Havenstein was really holding it down from day one, he wasn't always playing with great form but he won just enough and was very effective.

As pointed out above by others, GRob is the issue with this line and has been all season really. Since Brown went down it seems like he's doing even worse too, almost as if he's trying to do too much and his pass pro in particular is bad with all the holds particularly when his hands are outside.

Way I see it this line needs Havenstein back in the worst way. If they can get him back then this line might be able to play at a more acceptable level with Reynolds/Wichmann as the two OGs. GRob will still be an issue but no real option with him other than to hope he gets better. If not, then it would not surprise me to see Battle at LT at some point over the last few games.

 

[…..]

Disagree with you on just about everything....

All good, I respect that and I follow your take. I still stand by my opinion and think if Roger wouldn't have gotten injured he, and the whole line, would have performed better together.

I see a lot of opinions that have Safford not in horns next year. However, I hope we retain him.

 

[RamzFanz]

Neither team can run the ball

Uhhh, what? Gurley has had one bad game since starting and that was a result of non-use because of being behind.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Once the anti Saffold movement started here, off it went and he was suddenly labeled.

Not sure why we re-signed him after the Raiders failed him during physicals....
The line has been under-represented in the 2012, 2013 & 2014 drafts. That was a huge mistake. But keeping Saffold healthy...meh....Probably impossible at this point. I too, hope he comes back to 2011 form...but I have my doubts. More worried about Brown, and the growth (or lack thereof) of G-Rob. Need the left side fixed....

And definitely need a new center.

 

[DaveFan'51]

People always say " Games are Won and Lost in the Trenches!" Because it's True!!!!!
I know we have good Coaches, So I'm Blaming it on the Execution of the Players!! Peroid!!

 

[MountainRam]

People always say " Games are Won and Lost in the Trenches!" Because it's True!!!!!
I know we have good Coaches, So I'm Blaming it on the Execution of the Players!! Peroid!!

To me it is trither players, coaches nor execution.

 

[DaveFan'51]

To me it is trither players, coaches nor execution.

! What do you mean!!? " Trither"?

 

[BonifayRam]

Not sure why we re-signed him after the Raiders failed him during physicals....
...... But keeping Saffold healthy...meh....Probably impossible at this point. I too, hope he comes back to 2011 form...but I have my doubts....... .

The ongoing Saga of Rodger Saffold's injuries

2011- On Oct 16, 2011, Saffold was forced from game against the Packers with an ankle left fibula injury. On Nov 13, 2011, Saffold was was forced from game against the Browns with a head injury (concussion), & did not return. On Nov 18, 2011, Saffold suffered a "significant" pectoral tear injury & placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral, ending his season. Saffold was only able to finish 6 games as a starter in 2011.

2012- Spent all of the the first 7 months of 2012 on physically unable & could not be cleared to resume football activities. This was due to 2012 torn pectoral surgery. First regular season game Saffold was carted off the field in Sunday's game with a neck injury.Spent the night in the hospital. Exited Sunday's Week 2 contest with a first-quarter ACL knee injury. It was wk 11 before Saffold finished his first game as a starter. He missed 6 games & missed most of three others. His last injury in 2012 was on Dec 10th 2012 Saffold injured his back & was unable to finish the game.

2013- Saffold dislocated his left shoulder in 2013 preseason opener, he will go on to miss the entire 2013 preseason games.Saffold was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday's Week 2 Sept 15th game against the Falcons with a knee injury. Saffold knee remained unhealthy & was unable to start again until the first of November missing 7 starts.

2014- Raiders sign RS to $42.5 million ($15.75 million guaranteed) contract then VOID due to damaged shoulder. Signs with damaged body to Rams contract for $31.7 million deal that includes $19.5 million guaranteed. Over 10 mil less due to health concerns. First Pre season game injured shoulder "stinger." missed the rest of the games & 2 other pre season games. Last pre season game injured right ankle forced from game. Regular season left Sunday's Week 1 opener against the Vikings with a neck injury did not return. Exited Week 8 against the Chiefs with a shoulder injury, shoulder injury is to the same shoulder that caused his failed physical with the Raiders. Saffold had left-shoulder surgery to repair a torn left labrum @ conclusion of 2014 season.

2015- limited to practice all of OTA's & early TC due to being unhealthy. Injured shoulder in 1st pre season first series out for remaining pre season. Finished 4 games as starter. injured shoulder had surgery to repair a torn Right labrum & placed on Injured Reserve .

Summary
In his last five seasons he has suffered 15 injuries. He has only been able to finish 42 games as a starter out of 80 games. Had 3 major surgeries...( both shoulders & pectoral tear). He has been on he IR twice. After all the above & now the accumulative back to back torn & surgically repaired labrum's on both shoulders within 10 months all in one year (2015) ...Would you plan to have the above OL'er as your starter in 2016? What can you expect from a OG who has been hurt & damaged like this?

 

[LACHAMP46]

What can you expect from a OG who has been hurt & damaged like this?

SHIT! Maybe ONE season....what were we thinking? It looks terrible when you line it up like that....

I still think the way his contract is structured, he probably lasts 2016....But his replacement (Wichman?) will play... A LOT....

I still say he was retained more for his attitude & leadership....Sorta like CLong & JL55.... Than his actual play.

 

[Rmfnlt]

The ongoing Saga of Rodger Saffold's injuries

2011- On Oct 16, 2011, Saffold was forced from game against the Packers with an ankle left fibula injury. On Nov 13, 2011, Saffold was was forced from game against the Browns with a head injury (concussion), & did not return. On Nov 18, 2011, Saffold suffered a "significant" pectoral tear injury & placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral, ending his season. Saffold was only able to finish 6 games as a starter in 2011.

2012- Spent all of the the first 7 months of 2012 on physically unable & could not be cleared to resume football activities. This was due to 2012 torn pectoral surgery. First regular season game Saffold was carted off the field in Sunday's game with a neck injury.Spent the night in the hospital. Exited Sunday's Week 2 contest with a first-quarter ACL knee injury. It was wk 11 before Saffold finished his first game as a starter. He missed 6 games & missed most of three others. His last injury in 2012 was on Dec 10th 2012 Saffold injured his back & was unable to finish the game.

2013- Saffold dislocated his left shoulder in 2013 preseason opener, he will go on to miss the entire 2013 preseason games.Saffold was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday's Week 2 Sept 15th game against the Falcons with a knee injury. Saffold knee remained unhealthy & was unable to start again until the first of November missing 7 starts.

2014- Raiders sign RS to $42.5 million ($15.75 million guaranteed) contract then VOID due to damaged shoulder. Signs with damaged body to Rams contract for $31.7 million deal that includes $19.5 million guaranteed. Over 10 mil less due to health concerns. First Pre season game injured shoulder "stinger." missed the rest of the games & 2 other pre season games. Last pre season game injured right ankle forced from game. Regular season left Sunday's Week 1 opener against the Vikings with a neck injury did not return. Exited Week 8 against the Chiefs with a shoulder injury, shoulder injury is to the same shoulder that caused his failed physical with the Raiders. Saffold had left-shoulder surgery to repair a torn left labrum @ conclusion of 2014 season.

2015- limited to practice all of OTA's & early TC due to being unhealthy. Injured shoulder in 1st pre season first series out for remaining pre season. Finished 4 games as starter. injured shoulder had surgery to repair a torn Right labrum & placed on Injured Reserve .

Summary
In his last five seasons he has suffered 15 injuries. He has only been able to finish 42 games as a starter out of 80 games. Had 3 major surgeries...( both shoulders & pectoral tear). He has been on he IR twice. After all the above & now the accumulative back to back torn & surgically repaired labrum's on both shoulders within 10 months all in one year (2015) ...Would you plan to have the above OL'er as your starter in 2016? What can you expect from a OG who has been hurt & damaged like this?

Best summary I've seen... thanks!

Like the guy... think he's talented... but this summary just about tells it all.

Sometimes, this is how it goes... unfortunate.

 

[dieterbrock]

Yeah, in hindsight it appears we'd have been better off keeping Barksdale and letting Saffold go

 

[Rmfnlt]

Yeah, in hindsight it appears we'd have been better off keeping Barksdale and letting Saffold go

When he failed the Raiders physical, I seem to recall most fans were saying how stupid the Raiders were and how they must have gotten it wrong.