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Rams, Raiders have plenty in common
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a7c1942e-105e-54ef-a9cc-241fe23d953e.html
As the youth are prone to say, “it’s been a minute” since the Oakland Raiders last stepped foot into the Edward Jones Dome.
Actually, 12 years to be precise. In the midst of a severe Super Bowl hangover following their shocking loss to New England in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Rams were 0-5 in 2002 when Bill Callahan’s Raiders came to town.
With an injured Kurt Warner out of the lineup, Marc Bulger made his first NFL start at quarterback, leading the Rams to a 28-13 victory over previously-unbeaten Oakland. It was a Raiders team that went on to win the AFC championship.
The Rams had no fullbacks available for the game because of injury, so long snapper Chris Massey assumed the role of lead blocker. One of the game’s most memorable plays saw Massey flatten Oakland linebacker Bill Romanski — one of the league’s bad boys — blocking on a running play.
But enough of Memory Lane. This time around, the Raiders are as far removed from unbeaten status, or AFC title contention, as possible. At 1-10, they have the worst record in the NFL this season. Prior to their 24-20 victory over Kansas City on Nov. 20, they had a 16-game losing streak dating back to the 2013 season.
But perhaps like no other professional sport in North America, there’s a thin line between the penthouse and the outhouse in the National Football League. And you don’t even need to study game film to see that’s the case.
“I can give you five (Raiders) losses where these losses were by seven points or less,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “That would include New England, Seattle, San Diego twice. Then, of course, they come back and they beat Kansas City. So they’re in every game.”
Well, almost every game, which is not all that different from the Rams this season. Fisher’s squad has had six of its 11 games this season decided by six points or less. They are 3-3 in those games.
“We’ve just gotta find a way to finish games,” defensive end William Hayes said. “This team could easily be 9-2 right now. The Kansas City game and the Minnesota game, I can say those are the only two games where we didn’t play that solid. But any other game you could possibly say a play or two here, the game is completely turned around.”
In that sense, Hayes says the Raiders “are kinda similar to us. They just have found a way to get over the hump yet. You can’t look past them.”
Even though they’re the rare favored on Sunday, the 4-7 Rams can’t take the Raiders lightly. Let’s face it: Victories haven’t exactly been falling like autumn leaves in the Rams’ direction.
The Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003, and this game pits the NFL’s two worst teams in the nearly 11 seasons since then. The Rams are 56-116-1 since the start off the 2004 season, for a .327 winning percentage. In that same time period, the Raiders are 50-121, for a .292 winning percentage. Neither team has had a winning season since the start of ‘04, and they’re the only NFL teams without a winning season since then.
Counting interim coaches, Fisher represents the Rams’ sixth head coach since the start of ‘04. But Oakland’s got that beaten with current interim Tony Sparano being the seventh Raiders head coach since then.
And both have owners who currently are flirting with relocating their franchises. (Funny how that works. You never hear of many teams with strong, winning programs looking for new homes, do you?)
The losing records in 2013 (and previously) for these teams are just one reason why the attendance figure for this game will be interesting to watch in the 66,000-seat Dome. The Thanksgiving weekend traditionally isn’t a great draw for attendance here. There also is the threat of Ferguson protesters inside or outside the building Sunday, with plans for extra security.
But there’s not much Fisher and the current Rams can do about global issues such as attendance, possible relocation, and even most of that decade-long string of bad football. The only thing they can have an impact on Sunday is getting a victory and trying once again to establish momentum for a team that just can’t seem to get over the hump.
Fisher himself said last week’s 27-24 loss at San Diego was a shock because of the way it ended. The Rams had the ball on the Chargers’ 4-yard line in the final minute with a chance to win, only to lose on an interception thrown by quarterback Shaun Hill.
Despite his team’s 4-7 record, Fisher said: “This is a good football team. It’s competitive. For the most part it’s been in every game. We’re making plays. I think we’ve improved. I think we’re significantly better.”
“Again, I can’t expect any more out of ‘em. They’re working hard, they’re practicing hard. They love coming to work. Every week’s a different challenge for us but they respond every week.”
Fisher and basically everyone else at Rams Park expected 2014 to be a breakout season for the team. But now, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“Looking at the big picture, yeah, it’s frustrating,” Fisher said in a rare moment of introspection. “But we’ve been there; we’ve been competitive. And we’re gonna keep playing.”
Against a 1-10 team, the matchups aren’t necessarily as important for the Rams as simply playing solid, disciplined football. That means minimizing penalties and turnovers as much as possible. Keeping the chains moving and sustaining drives on offense, and playing suffocating shut-down defense against an Oakland team that is last in the league in total offense and next-to-last in scoring (16 points per game).
This is no time for the Rams to give in to self-pity, or look upon themselves as being snakebit.
“You just have to keep going,” left guard Rodger Saffold said. “Each season is different. But yeah, of course, we’ve felt like we’ve had some things that happened to us over and over again.
“But at the same time, it’s like what can you do (about) it? I mean, there’s nothing that says that we can’t have a successful season. There’s still more games to be played and I won’t make my final judgment until the end of the season.”
LONG ACTIVATED
As expected, defensive end Chris Long was placed on the Rams’ active roster Saturday, so he will play Sunday. Long has missed the team’s past 10 games because of a foot injury which required surgery to repair tendons. To make room for Long on the 53-man roster, the Rams released linebacker Marshall McFadden.
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a7c1942e-105e-54ef-a9cc-241fe23d953e.html
As the youth are prone to say, “it’s been a minute” since the Oakland Raiders last stepped foot into the Edward Jones Dome.
Actually, 12 years to be precise. In the midst of a severe Super Bowl hangover following their shocking loss to New England in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Rams were 0-5 in 2002 when Bill Callahan’s Raiders came to town.
With an injured Kurt Warner out of the lineup, Marc Bulger made his first NFL start at quarterback, leading the Rams to a 28-13 victory over previously-unbeaten Oakland. It was a Raiders team that went on to win the AFC championship.
The Rams had no fullbacks available for the game because of injury, so long snapper Chris Massey assumed the role of lead blocker. One of the game’s most memorable plays saw Massey flatten Oakland linebacker Bill Romanski — one of the league’s bad boys — blocking on a running play.
But enough of Memory Lane. This time around, the Raiders are as far removed from unbeaten status, or AFC title contention, as possible. At 1-10, they have the worst record in the NFL this season. Prior to their 24-20 victory over Kansas City on Nov. 20, they had a 16-game losing streak dating back to the 2013 season.
But perhaps like no other professional sport in North America, there’s a thin line between the penthouse and the outhouse in the National Football League. And you don’t even need to study game film to see that’s the case.
“I can give you five (Raiders) losses where these losses were by seven points or less,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “That would include New England, Seattle, San Diego twice. Then, of course, they come back and they beat Kansas City. So they’re in every game.”
Well, almost every game, which is not all that different from the Rams this season. Fisher’s squad has had six of its 11 games this season decided by six points or less. They are 3-3 in those games.
“We’ve just gotta find a way to finish games,” defensive end William Hayes said. “This team could easily be 9-2 right now. The Kansas City game and the Minnesota game, I can say those are the only two games where we didn’t play that solid. But any other game you could possibly say a play or two here, the game is completely turned around.”
In that sense, Hayes says the Raiders “are kinda similar to us. They just have found a way to get over the hump yet. You can’t look past them.”
Even though they’re the rare favored on Sunday, the 4-7 Rams can’t take the Raiders lightly. Let’s face it: Victories haven’t exactly been falling like autumn leaves in the Rams’ direction.
The Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003, and this game pits the NFL’s two worst teams in the nearly 11 seasons since then. The Rams are 56-116-1 since the start off the 2004 season, for a .327 winning percentage. In that same time period, the Raiders are 50-121, for a .292 winning percentage. Neither team has had a winning season since the start of ‘04, and they’re the only NFL teams without a winning season since then.
Counting interim coaches, Fisher represents the Rams’ sixth head coach since the start of ‘04. But Oakland’s got that beaten with current interim Tony Sparano being the seventh Raiders head coach since then.
And both have owners who currently are flirting with relocating their franchises. (Funny how that works. You never hear of many teams with strong, winning programs looking for new homes, do you?)
The losing records in 2013 (and previously) for these teams are just one reason why the attendance figure for this game will be interesting to watch in the 66,000-seat Dome. The Thanksgiving weekend traditionally isn’t a great draw for attendance here. There also is the threat of Ferguson protesters inside or outside the building Sunday, with plans for extra security.
But there’s not much Fisher and the current Rams can do about global issues such as attendance, possible relocation, and even most of that decade-long string of bad football. The only thing they can have an impact on Sunday is getting a victory and trying once again to establish momentum for a team that just can’t seem to get over the hump.
Fisher himself said last week’s 27-24 loss at San Diego was a shock because of the way it ended. The Rams had the ball on the Chargers’ 4-yard line in the final minute with a chance to win, only to lose on an interception thrown by quarterback Shaun Hill.
Despite his team’s 4-7 record, Fisher said: “This is a good football team. It’s competitive. For the most part it’s been in every game. We’re making plays. I think we’ve improved. I think we’re significantly better.”
“Again, I can’t expect any more out of ‘em. They’re working hard, they’re practicing hard. They love coming to work. Every week’s a different challenge for us but they respond every week.”
Fisher and basically everyone else at Rams Park expected 2014 to be a breakout season for the team. But now, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
“Looking at the big picture, yeah, it’s frustrating,” Fisher said in a rare moment of introspection. “But we’ve been there; we’ve been competitive. And we’re gonna keep playing.”
Against a 1-10 team, the matchups aren’t necessarily as important for the Rams as simply playing solid, disciplined football. That means minimizing penalties and turnovers as much as possible. Keeping the chains moving and sustaining drives on offense, and playing suffocating shut-down defense against an Oakland team that is last in the league in total offense and next-to-last in scoring (16 points per game).
This is no time for the Rams to give in to self-pity, or look upon themselves as being snakebit.
“You just have to keep going,” left guard Rodger Saffold said. “Each season is different. But yeah, of course, we’ve felt like we’ve had some things that happened to us over and over again.
“But at the same time, it’s like what can you do (about) it? I mean, there’s nothing that says that we can’t have a successful season. There’s still more games to be played and I won’t make my final judgment until the end of the season.”
LONG ACTIVATED
As expected, defensive end Chris Long was placed on the Rams’ active roster Saturday, so he will play Sunday. Long has missed the team’s past 10 games because of a foot injury which required surgery to repair tendons. To make room for Long on the 53-man roster, the Rams released linebacker Marshall McFadden.
