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Rams hope to keep offensive momentum going
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b536fb5a-94e0-518a-8351-039694a87b5e.html
In some ways the NFL is the ultimate week-to-week business. Oftentimes, what a team does one Sunday has absolutely no bearing on what happens the next week.
The Rams are hoping that’s not the case Monday night against the mighty San Francisco 49ers. They’d like nothing better than to pick up where they left off against Philadelphia.
“As I told them, we carry that momentum — from that 2 minutes and 15 seconds or whatever was left in the third quarter — through the fourth quarter,” coach Jeff Fisher said after the team’s 34-28 loss to Philadelphia. “We’ll carry that momentum into this week in preparation for the 49ers.”
The Rams trailed the Eagles 34-7 late in the third quarter, but then scored three touchdowns and reached the Philly 48 on their final possession before the drive stalled and the clock ran out.
“This team likes to play,” Fisher said. “I always think they’ve got a chance regardless of how much time is left. You know, things started to build for us. We got some quick scores, which you need to do. Which is hard to do.
“We battled. Austin (Davis) was really good with the football. He knew where to go and the guys made some tough catches for him.”
One of the few things the Rams can hang their hats on is the play of quarterback Davis in particular, and the offense in general over the past three contests. That’s especially true in the last two games. In the three-point loss to Dallas and the six-point loss at Philadelphia, the Rams averaged 26 points a game and 447 yards.
In terms of total offense, which measures yards per game, they enter Monday night’s contest at the Edward Jones Dome ranked eighth in the National Football League.
Make no mistake, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh has taken notice watching game film of the Rams this week, particularly when it comes to the play of Davis.
“He’s an exciting player, an ascending player,” Harbaugh said Thursday on a conference call with St. Louis reporters. “He’s shown that through the first part of the season here he’s getting better and better.
“I’m sure he’s coming into this ballgame with a very high level of confidence. It was quite a thing battling back from 34-7 and making throws that were there. They could’ve won that football game. It was exciting to watch, I’ve got to be honest.”
But it’s one thing to do it against the league’s No. 21-ranked defense (Dallas) and No. 28 defense (Philadelphia). Over a period of six days starting Monday, the Rams will enter the high-rent district of NFL defenses.
Despite missing two of their top defensive performers in linebackers Aldon Smith (reserve/suspended list) and NaVorro Bowman (physically unable to perform), the 49ers still have their mojo working on that side of the ball.
“Their system’s outstanding,” Fisher said. “They plug people in. They’ve always had great depth. They don’t give up a lot of big plays. They keep things in front of them and they’re very good against the run. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us to find a way to run the football, because we’re going to need to do that to keep their offense off the field.”
The 49ers rank second in the NFL in total defense. Seattle, which comes to town Oct. 19, is fifth in the league in total defense.
It has been fun for all to watch Davis progress so far this season. But if he finds a way to move the ball successfully and put points on the board against the 49ers and Seahawks — well, the Rams may really have something at quarterback if that’s the case.
“We don’t look ahead,” Fisher said. “But four of our next five are in the division, and so we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves. That’s not only Austin, but everybody on both sides of the ball.”
But there are tangible signs of improvement on offense. Although the receivers came down with a case of the dropsies against Philadelphia, for the most part they’ve made plays, caught the football, and made the tough catches this season.
“The guys are getting into position, and Austin’s trusting them.’’ Fisher said. “He’s trusting the deep ball. He’s putting the ball down the field.”
Trust is a two-way street, and the receiver corps has confidence that Davis can get the job done and get the ball to them. It’s confidence that seems to be growing every time out.
“ ‘A.D.’ is a great quarterback,” tight end Jared Cook said. “He’s filling some big shoes that he’s never filled before. And he’s doing a heck of a job. So we can only go up from here.
“He’s just got that swag. He’s carries himself with a different kind of manner that we’ve never seen before. And he leads us. He gets us going and he leads us.
“For him to be able to make plays with his feet, and escape the pocket and throw downfield with his arm, it speaks volumes for the amount of talent and potential that he does have.”
The ‘Niners, obviously, would like nothing better than to kill that momentum Monday night in the Dome. They embarrassed the Rams on prime time last season in a Sept. 26 Thursday night game in St. Louis yielding only 188 yards in a 35-11 San Francisco win. Quarterback Sam Bradford was sacked five times, and the Rams didn’t even manage a yard per carry on the ground with 19 rushes for 18 yards.
“They’re probably the best all-around defense we’ve seen so far,” Davis said. “The secondary’s really good. They’ve got probably the best linebacker in the game in Patrick Willis. Everyone knows what he can do. They’re really good up front. Huge, huge challenge for us, and I think we’re ready for it.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b536fb5a-94e0-518a-8351-039694a87b5e.html
In some ways the NFL is the ultimate week-to-week business. Oftentimes, what a team does one Sunday has absolutely no bearing on what happens the next week.
The Rams are hoping that’s not the case Monday night against the mighty San Francisco 49ers. They’d like nothing better than to pick up where they left off against Philadelphia.
“As I told them, we carry that momentum — from that 2 minutes and 15 seconds or whatever was left in the third quarter — through the fourth quarter,” coach Jeff Fisher said after the team’s 34-28 loss to Philadelphia. “We’ll carry that momentum into this week in preparation for the 49ers.”
The Rams trailed the Eagles 34-7 late in the third quarter, but then scored three touchdowns and reached the Philly 48 on their final possession before the drive stalled and the clock ran out.
“This team likes to play,” Fisher said. “I always think they’ve got a chance regardless of how much time is left. You know, things started to build for us. We got some quick scores, which you need to do. Which is hard to do.
“We battled. Austin (Davis) was really good with the football. He knew where to go and the guys made some tough catches for him.”
One of the few things the Rams can hang their hats on is the play of quarterback Davis in particular, and the offense in general over the past three contests. That’s especially true in the last two games. In the three-point loss to Dallas and the six-point loss at Philadelphia, the Rams averaged 26 points a game and 447 yards.
In terms of total offense, which measures yards per game, they enter Monday night’s contest at the Edward Jones Dome ranked eighth in the National Football League.
Make no mistake, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh has taken notice watching game film of the Rams this week, particularly when it comes to the play of Davis.
“He’s an exciting player, an ascending player,” Harbaugh said Thursday on a conference call with St. Louis reporters. “He’s shown that through the first part of the season here he’s getting better and better.
“I’m sure he’s coming into this ballgame with a very high level of confidence. It was quite a thing battling back from 34-7 and making throws that were there. They could’ve won that football game. It was exciting to watch, I’ve got to be honest.”
But it’s one thing to do it against the league’s No. 21-ranked defense (Dallas) and No. 28 defense (Philadelphia). Over a period of six days starting Monday, the Rams will enter the high-rent district of NFL defenses.
Despite missing two of their top defensive performers in linebackers Aldon Smith (reserve/suspended list) and NaVorro Bowman (physically unable to perform), the 49ers still have their mojo working on that side of the ball.
“Their system’s outstanding,” Fisher said. “They plug people in. They’ve always had great depth. They don’t give up a lot of big plays. They keep things in front of them and they’re very good against the run. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us to find a way to run the football, because we’re going to need to do that to keep their offense off the field.”
The 49ers rank second in the NFL in total defense. Seattle, which comes to town Oct. 19, is fifth in the league in total defense.
It has been fun for all to watch Davis progress so far this season. But if he finds a way to move the ball successfully and put points on the board against the 49ers and Seahawks — well, the Rams may really have something at quarterback if that’s the case.
“We don’t look ahead,” Fisher said. “But four of our next five are in the division, and so we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves. That’s not only Austin, but everybody on both sides of the ball.”
But there are tangible signs of improvement on offense. Although the receivers came down with a case of the dropsies against Philadelphia, for the most part they’ve made plays, caught the football, and made the tough catches this season.
“The guys are getting into position, and Austin’s trusting them.’’ Fisher said. “He’s trusting the deep ball. He’s putting the ball down the field.”
Trust is a two-way street, and the receiver corps has confidence that Davis can get the job done and get the ball to them. It’s confidence that seems to be growing every time out.
“ ‘A.D.’ is a great quarterback,” tight end Jared Cook said. “He’s filling some big shoes that he’s never filled before. And he’s doing a heck of a job. So we can only go up from here.
“He’s just got that swag. He’s carries himself with a different kind of manner that we’ve never seen before. And he leads us. He gets us going and he leads us.
“For him to be able to make plays with his feet, and escape the pocket and throw downfield with his arm, it speaks volumes for the amount of talent and potential that he does have.”
The ‘Niners, obviously, would like nothing better than to kill that momentum Monday night in the Dome. They embarrassed the Rams on prime time last season in a Sept. 26 Thursday night game in St. Louis yielding only 188 yards in a 35-11 San Francisco win. Quarterback Sam Bradford was sacked five times, and the Rams didn’t even manage a yard per carry on the ground with 19 rushes for 18 yards.
“They’re probably the best all-around defense we’ve seen so far,” Davis said. “The secondary’s really good. They’ve got probably the best linebacker in the game in Patrick Willis. Everyone knows what he can do. They’re really good up front. Huge, huge challenge for us, and I think we’re ready for it.”