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Rams' winning streak a reminder of what could have been
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ing-streak-a-reminder-of-what-could-have-been
The St. Louis Rams surprised most of the football-watching world by ending their 10-game road losing streak against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
"It's nice," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I made some difficult changes with respect to the quarterback and coordinator change and some of those things are paying off for us right now. It's nice to win three straight against three good teams and now have a chance to go 5-1 in the division and finish on a winning note. That's where our focus is going."
Indeed, all of those things are nice, and Sunday's victory undoubtedly brought a lot of cheers from the Rams and their followers. Rightfully so. But when the celebration was over, it would be easy to understand if it also left all of the happy parties with one question: Why did the 23-17 victory and the three-game winning streak that accompanies it feel a little bit hollow?
The answer: Because no matter how the Rams finish the season, it means nothing in the big picture. The Rams were eliminated from postseason contention last week, a position that was a direct result of the five-game November losing streak that left the Rams barreling toward a top-10 draft pick.
Now, the Rams are again facing the reality that they've been too good to be in position to draft a top quarterback who could potentially get them over the hump, but not good enough to land in the postseason. If you want to buy into the idea that finishing one season well can create momentum toward the next year, feel free. But also remember that this offseason could bring about a lot of change to the Rams' roster, if not their hometown.
In this, the fourth year under Fisher, the Rams were expected to take a major step forward, the type of step that ends in a postseason berth. For most teams riding a three-game winning streak this late in December, the playoff picture is normally crystal clear. For these Rams, it doesn't exist.
Instead, they sit 7-8 with one game to play. Their idea of progress is limited to the chance to win an eighth game for the first time under Fisher and the first time since they finished the 2006 season at 8-8. They could also win four straight games for the first time under Fisher if they can beat San Francisco on the road next week.
That's a baby step, not the big leap that the Rams themselves had set forth before the season. It's also the type of small improvement that leaves a lot of people playing a rousing game of what-if.
What if Fisher had hired Rob Boras instead of Frank Cignetti as his offensive coordinator in the first place? What if Fisher had made the switch to Boras before it was too late? What if Fisher had been quicker to insert Case Keenum as his starting quarterback in place of Nick Foles? What if the offense had been functional enough for the entire season that dominant defensive performances like Sunday's had been converted into victories? Why can't the Rams seem to play consistently well against teams not in the NFC West?
Those are questions to which we'll never have the answers. In the grand scheme of things, the Rams are not a bad team. They've just played like one too frequently to balance out the times when they play like a good one. That balancing act often ends in the mediocrity that has been a hallmark of Fisher's coaching career.
Games like Sunday's offer glimpses into the window of what the Rams could be when things are going well. St. Louis punished quarterback Russell Wilson to the tune of four sacks, 13 quarterback hits and six passes defended and managed just enough timely offense, including Keenum's 28-yard touchdown strike to receiver Kenny Britt and Todd Gurley's 2-yard touchdown run, to come away with a win.
After the game, Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett, never one to bite his tongue, offered his perspective on the Rams.
"The Rams, they play good football against us," Bennett said. "They just don’t play good football against everybody else."
That "good football" has actually been common against the entire NFC West this season, as the Rams are 4-1 and have wins at Seattle and Arizona in two of the toughest places to win in the NFL. Even with that success, it's hard not to look back at narrow losses to Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Baltimore and think about where the Rams would be if they had just made one more big play.
Sunday's victory was an impressive and much-needed win that the Rams can and should celebrate. But it also provided a resounding reminder of what could have been in what is ultimately another lost season.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ing-streak-a-reminder-of-what-could-have-been
The St. Louis Rams surprised most of the football-watching world by ending their 10-game road losing streak against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
"It's nice," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I made some difficult changes with respect to the quarterback and coordinator change and some of those things are paying off for us right now. It's nice to win three straight against three good teams and now have a chance to go 5-1 in the division and finish on a winning note. That's where our focus is going."
Indeed, all of those things are nice, and Sunday's victory undoubtedly brought a lot of cheers from the Rams and their followers. Rightfully so. But when the celebration was over, it would be easy to understand if it also left all of the happy parties with one question: Why did the 23-17 victory and the three-game winning streak that accompanies it feel a little bit hollow?
The answer: Because no matter how the Rams finish the season, it means nothing in the big picture. The Rams were eliminated from postseason contention last week, a position that was a direct result of the five-game November losing streak that left the Rams barreling toward a top-10 draft pick.
Now, the Rams are again facing the reality that they've been too good to be in position to draft a top quarterback who could potentially get them over the hump, but not good enough to land in the postseason. If you want to buy into the idea that finishing one season well can create momentum toward the next year, feel free. But also remember that this offseason could bring about a lot of change to the Rams' roster, if not their hometown.
In this, the fourth year under Fisher, the Rams were expected to take a major step forward, the type of step that ends in a postseason berth. For most teams riding a three-game winning streak this late in December, the playoff picture is normally crystal clear. For these Rams, it doesn't exist.
Instead, they sit 7-8 with one game to play. Their idea of progress is limited to the chance to win an eighth game for the first time under Fisher and the first time since they finished the 2006 season at 8-8. They could also win four straight games for the first time under Fisher if they can beat San Francisco on the road next week.
That's a baby step, not the big leap that the Rams themselves had set forth before the season. It's also the type of small improvement that leaves a lot of people playing a rousing game of what-if.
What if Fisher had hired Rob Boras instead of Frank Cignetti as his offensive coordinator in the first place? What if Fisher had made the switch to Boras before it was too late? What if Fisher had been quicker to insert Case Keenum as his starting quarterback in place of Nick Foles? What if the offense had been functional enough for the entire season that dominant defensive performances like Sunday's had been converted into victories? Why can't the Rams seem to play consistently well against teams not in the NFC West?
Those are questions to which we'll never have the answers. In the grand scheme of things, the Rams are not a bad team. They've just played like one too frequently to balance out the times when they play like a good one. That balancing act often ends in the mediocrity that has been a hallmark of Fisher's coaching career.
Games like Sunday's offer glimpses into the window of what the Rams could be when things are going well. St. Louis punished quarterback Russell Wilson to the tune of four sacks, 13 quarterback hits and six passes defended and managed just enough timely offense, including Keenum's 28-yard touchdown strike to receiver Kenny Britt and Todd Gurley's 2-yard touchdown run, to come away with a win.
After the game, Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett, never one to bite his tongue, offered his perspective on the Rams.
"The Rams, they play good football against us," Bennett said. "They just don’t play good football against everybody else."
That "good football" has actually been common against the entire NFC West this season, as the Rams are 4-1 and have wins at Seattle and Arizona in two of the toughest places to win in the NFL. Even with that success, it's hard not to look back at narrow losses to Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Baltimore and think about where the Rams would be if they had just made one more big play.
Sunday's victory was an impressive and much-needed win that the Rams can and should celebrate. But it also provided a resounding reminder of what could have been in what is ultimately another lost season.