Rams have plenty of work to do

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When coach Jeff Fisher met with the Rams at the start of the week one of the points made was that this is a fresh start, a new season in effect, starting with Sunday’s game against Jacksonville at the Edward Jones Dome. There’s some merit to that because nothing can be done about the 1-3 record posted in the first quarter of 2013.

But there’s a lot that can be done over the final three quarters — the final 12 games — starting with the winless Jaguars (0-4). With that in mind, in no particular order, here are some things that need to get better. Some are obvious; some not so obvious.

CATCH FIRST, THEN RUN

Young receiver corps or not, the Rams have had an inordinate number of dropped passes in the early going this season. Against Dallas and San Francisco, wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs combined for eight dropped passes. Two other catchable balls — maybe not flat-out drops but still catchable — ended up on the ground.

If even half of those 10 passes are caught, who knows what happens on drives or even in the game? And it’s not just a player or two who has had trouble hanging on. Against the Cowboys and 49ers, tight end Jared Cook, wide receivers Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, and Austin Pettis, and running back Daryl Richardson all had at least one drop.

Maybe more time on the JUGs machine is needed before or after practice.

HANDLING “GAMES”

Defensive linemen don’t always go after offensive linemen head on. They often engage in what’s generally called “games” — the stunts, loops, and twists designed to test the co-op blocking efficiency of tackles and guards. The Rams weren’t very good at handling this against Dallas, and San Francisco took note. Undoubtedly, Jacksonville has as well.

Two of Dallas’ sacks came when defensive ends looped to the inside, catching Rams guards, well, off guard. On one such sack, right guard Harvey Dahl and right tackle Joe Barksdale were both occupied blocking Dallas defensive tackle Jason Hatcher. That left DeMarcus Ware — one of the game’s elite pass-rushers — unblocked when he looped around to the inside and then sacked Sam Bradford.

Against San Francisco, outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks shared a sack with Justin Smith when he looped around Rams left guard Chris Williams late in the second quarter to drop Bradford.

It takes chemistry and teamwork on the offensive line to know in a split-second when to stay on a defender and when to pass him off to a teammate. The Rams have a lot of work to do in this area.

BACKFIELD PASS PRO

One of the most underrated things about Steven Jackson’s time in St. Louis was how accomplished he was in terms of blitz pickup and overall pass protection in the backfield. One of the biggest question marks about the 2013 Rams’ running back corps entering the season was could they pass block? The results so far aren’t very good. Against San Francisco it was downright terrible, and may be one of the reasons why Richardson may not play much against Jacksonville.

Richardson whiffed three times trying to block 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman in pass protection. One of the three resulted in a sack. Benny Cunningham also missed a block on Bowman. When linebackers are in the backfield on pass plays, it’s not a good thing.

“Obviously that was an issue,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “I blame myself. I should have made an adjustment quicker than I did. ... That’s a hard matchup for any back.”

Bowman is very good; then again, running backs should be able to at least slow down a linebacker.

NOTHING EASY

If you’re going to give up a touchdown or a big play, at least make the other team work for it. The Rams have given up way too many easy touchdowns this season. Against Dallas, linebacker Will Witherspoon was late getting on the field after a helmet problem caused fellow linebacker Alec Ogletree to leave. The result was an uncontested TD pass from Tony Romo to Gavin Escobar. Why didn’t somebody call timeout?

Against San Francisco, safety Matt Giordano gave tight end Vernon Davis a free release in the red zone. Keep in mind, it may not have been Giordano’s fault; it may have been the way the defense was called. Davis, who clearly was at less than 100 percent because of a hamstring injury, lumbered unimpeded into the end zone catching a 12-yard TD pass from Colin Kaepernick.

It was as if the Rams gave Davis one of those “Easy Pass” devices on a toll road; no need to slow down, just keep going. Now compare that to how New England defended Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez in the red zone in the late going Sunday night. The Patriots refused to let Gonzalez get off the line of scrimmage.

CONCEDE NOTHING

That has been Jeff Fisher’s m.o. since being hired by the Rams in 2012. So it was both curious and disappointing against San Francisco to see the Rams take kneel-downs not once, not twice, but three times to end the game. The Rams took over with 1:43 to play. If nothing else, hand the ball off three times to one of those young running backs to get them some experience.

CRISPER SPECIAL TEAMS

Granted, special teams units contain mostly younger players. And in theory, younger players are more prone to making mistakes. But the penalties week-in and week-out have been crippling the Rams when it comes to field position. You simply can’t give up 10 to 20 yards at the start of drives on a consistent bases. And sometimes, it’s more than lost field position. Against Dallas, an 84-yard punt return by Austin was called back by penalty. Actually, penalties, because the Rams were flagged for two on the play.

Austin has work to do as a returner as well despite his big-play potential. He has let short punts drop in front of him, roll down field and cost field position. And there’s a time to zig and zag, and a time to just head up field and try to get a “first down.” The elite returners know the difference.