Rams special teams are backsliding --PD

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RamBill

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Rams special teams are backsliding
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_d2c18915-c0ec-5964-9f5f-b12e5c58243d.html

The Rams ranked sixth in the NFL last season in the highly respected special teams rankings compiled by Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News.

In the 19 seasons the Rams have been in St. Louis, it was easily their highest finish. (Their previous highest rank was 13th in 1996, and usually they’ve finished somewhere in the 20s.)

So with almost all of the core players back in 2014 — another year older, wiser, and more experienced — it looked like this season could shape up as a banner year for Rams special teams.

Just four games in, it still might turn out that way. And make no mistake, there have been bright spots, such as the blocked punt and blocked field goal by T.J. McDonald in the team’s 19-17 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 2.

But overall, the Rams are off to a very slow start on special teams. They rank in the middle of the pack or worse in basically all of the major special teams categories a quarter of the way through the season:

• Punt return average: 30th (3.4 yards).

• Kickoff return average: 19th (22.7 yards).

• Punt coverage average: 23rd (9.7 yards).

• Kickoff coverage average: 24th (25.3 yards).

In addition, 2013 Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker ranks 27th in gross punting (43.6 yards) and 20th in net punting (38.4 yards).

“The things that happened in the (Philadelphia) ballgame on the offensive side of the ball were difficult to overcome,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Some of the things that happened on the defensive side of the ball were difficult to overcome. You can overcome them if you get production and plays, and break even on special teams.

The Rams didn’t break even on special teams Sunday — not even close.

“We’re disappointed in the special teams’ production,” Fisher said. “I think this is the first time that I’ve ever stood up here and said that.”

Fisher was talking specifically about the unit’s performance in Sunday’s 34-28 loss to Philadelphia, a day in which the Rams’ special teams yielded a blocked punt for a touchdown, didn’t block well in the return game and committed two costly penalties.

“We’re gonna get it fixed and corrected and move on,” Fisher said. “We’ve got too talented of a group. They’re taking responsibility for it. It’s not blame — it’s just take responsibility for it, and learn, and move on.

“It started with the punt, and there’s a number of other things that happened. But the fourth play of the game, you give up a touchdown on the road, those things are hard to overcome.”

Hekker’s first blocked punt in 173 NFL kicks basically gave the Eagles a free seven points. There were unblocked players on both sides of long snapper Jake McQuaide, leaving huge open space up the middle for Eagles rushers Trey Burton and James Casey. Burton was picked up by up-back Chase Reynolds; Casey got through for the block.

“Generally, we’ve done a real good job communicating,” Fisher said. “And it was communication breakdown.”

That it was. The Eagles sent an eight-man rush at the Rams — four on each side of center. They shifted two players from the outside in to the line. But the Rams still had plenty of time to adjust between the time the shift and McQuaide’s snap to Hekker.

As it was, the Rams had eight players stationed either on the line, or just behind the line — one for every Eagles rusher. But somehow McQuaide and Eugene Sims both ended up blocking the same player, which meant eight Rams blocked seven Eagles. Casey came in clean.

Reynolds said there was a miscount on the number of Eagles who were on each side of McQuaide, perhaps caused by the late shift of those two Eagles.

“The guys count from outside in — 1, 2, 3, 4,” Reynolds said. “Even when they’re switching stuff that (determines) who you pick up. A lot of the times when you get a pressure look with twists and stuff, it happens so fast. ... I think somebody just miscounted, and instead of going out, they went in.”

Fisher also was not pleased with the blocking by the Rams’ punt return and kickoff return units against the Eagles.

“We played a good special teams unit; we did not block well,” Fisher said.

With Chris Givens a designated pregame inactive, running back Benny Cunningham handled kickoff return chores for the first time this season. He averaged 25.2 yards on five returns, or 5 more yards per return than Givens’ average so far this season. Even so, Fisher thought it could’ve been better.

“Benny didn’t get much help from his teammates on kickoff return, but he did a nice job of fielding the ball and hitting it up in there,” Fisher said.

The two penalties proved costly as well. Ray Ray Armstrong’s penalty for unnecessary roughness after a Darren Sproles punt return gave the Eagles 15 more yards of field position on what became a first-quarter field goal drive.

Reynolds’ 10-yard penalty for an illegal block above the waist on a Philadelphia punt backed the Rams up to the 11 on their first possession of the third quarter. On the next play, a sack and fumble by quarterback Austin Davis near the goal line resulted in a Philadelphia touchdown.

Had that possession started at the 27, which is where it would’ve started minus the Reynolds penalty, it’s almost certainly not a TD if there’s a sack and fumble on the next play.

RAM-BLINGS

Released by the Rams on Monday, Armstrong was claimed off waivers Tuesday by the Oakland Raiders.

• The Rams released wide receiver Justin Veltung from their practice squad, so it looks like the team may add a linebacker to both the active roster and practice squad.

• Several players were at Rams Park for tryouts Tuesday, but the NFL transactions wire for the day showed no signings by St. Louis.

• Punter Brock Miller, a Southern Utah product, was in for a tryout Saturday. He’s a left-footed punter, and the Rams probably brought him in just to give Tavon Austin some practice catching punts off a lefty because Philly punter Donnie Jones is also left-footed.