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Rams offense lost without the run
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11403/rams-offense-lost-without-the-run
ST. LOUIS -- Even after losing starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the season, the St. Louis Rams maintained an air of optimism about what their offense could accomplish.
The theory went that the Rams are a run-first offense which should be able to control the line of scrimmage and open up opportunities to get big yards via the play-action pass. It didn't matter if it was Bradford, Shaun Hill or Austin Davis at quarterback, that was the plan.
But what happens when the first part of the plan doesn't come to fruition? The Rams found out the hard way Sunday in a 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which an anemic offense piled up 109 of its 318 total yards long after the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter.
The first offensive play of the game saw Hill connect with receiver Brian Quick -- the one offensive bright spot -- for 23 yards. It was all downhill from there as Hill left at halftime with a quad injury and Davis handled the second half. Both threw bad interceptions that resulted in Minnesota touchdowns, but the most jarring fact for the Rams is that Hill and Davis are far from the only issue.
Yes, the offense misses Bradford but what the Rams did against the Vikings represented a total failure from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on down. And while Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer knows his way around a defense, it's not like the Vikings were deploying Alan Page and Carl Eller.
For a run-first offense to work, it stands to reason you must first run the ball. The problem against Minnesota wasn't so much the approach as the players executing it.
"It's the catalyst for the offense and when you can't light a powder keg, it's just a powder keg," right tackle Joe Barksdale said. "That's definitely an area of focus that we're going to look at along with everything else today. But we definitely need to get that picked up."
Running back Zac Stacy finished with 43 yards on 11 carries. Benny Cunningham showed a little more with 21 yards on five carries. The Tavon Austin as running back experiment garnered no success as he carried three times for 5 yards, mostly between the tackles. As a team, the Rams averaged 3.3 yards on 22 carries.
The problem finding holes came from an offensive line that struggled mightily. When they weren't getting beat by Minnesota's four-man pass rush, they offered no daylight for the backs to run. And rookie offensive lineman Greg Robinson can't play for this unit? He can't move some bodies in the run game?
The trickle down effect from a run game stuck in the mud was felt across the board. The passing game, such as it was, couldn't keep the Vikings guessing and the lack of first downs -- the Rams had six in the first half -- meant short possessions and a defense that eventually wore down.
If it all starts with the run and the run never starts, well, you see the outcome.
"It has a lot to do with it," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It opens everything up. Our plays down the field are run action passes. You have to make those plays down the field."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11403/rams-offense-lost-without-the-run
ST. LOUIS -- Even after losing starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the season, the St. Louis Rams maintained an air of optimism about what their offense could accomplish.
The theory went that the Rams are a run-first offense which should be able to control the line of scrimmage and open up opportunities to get big yards via the play-action pass. It didn't matter if it was Bradford, Shaun Hill or Austin Davis at quarterback, that was the plan.
But what happens when the first part of the plan doesn't come to fruition? The Rams found out the hard way Sunday in a 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which an anemic offense piled up 109 of its 318 total yards long after the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter.
The first offensive play of the game saw Hill connect with receiver Brian Quick -- the one offensive bright spot -- for 23 yards. It was all downhill from there as Hill left at halftime with a quad injury and Davis handled the second half. Both threw bad interceptions that resulted in Minnesota touchdowns, but the most jarring fact for the Rams is that Hill and Davis are far from the only issue.
Yes, the offense misses Bradford but what the Rams did against the Vikings represented a total failure from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on down. And while Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer knows his way around a defense, it's not like the Vikings were deploying Alan Page and Carl Eller.
For a run-first offense to work, it stands to reason you must first run the ball. The problem against Minnesota wasn't so much the approach as the players executing it.
"It's the catalyst for the offense and when you can't light a powder keg, it's just a powder keg," right tackle Joe Barksdale said. "That's definitely an area of focus that we're going to look at along with everything else today. But we definitely need to get that picked up."
Running back Zac Stacy finished with 43 yards on 11 carries. Benny Cunningham showed a little more with 21 yards on five carries. The Tavon Austin as running back experiment garnered no success as he carried three times for 5 yards, mostly between the tackles. As a team, the Rams averaged 3.3 yards on 22 carries.
The problem finding holes came from an offensive line that struggled mightily. When they weren't getting beat by Minnesota's four-man pass rush, they offered no daylight for the backs to run. And rookie offensive lineman Greg Robinson can't play for this unit? He can't move some bodies in the run game?
The trickle down effect from a run game stuck in the mud was felt across the board. The passing game, such as it was, couldn't keep the Vikings guessing and the lack of first downs -- the Rams had six in the first half -- meant short possessions and a defense that eventually wore down.
If it all starts with the run and the run never starts, well, you see the outcome.
"It has a lot to do with it," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It opens everything up. Our plays down the field are run action passes. You have to make those plays down the field."