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Rapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12759/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-18
ST. LOUIS -- A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams' 28-26 win against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome:
What it means: Despite doing all they could to not finish off another game, the Rams reached deep in their bag of tricks to find a way to finally pull off a game in which they jumped to an early lead. Whether via trickery on special teams, a clutch drive from quarterback Austin Davis or winning a mad scramble for a fumble in the closing moments, the Rams found a way to beat the defending champions and move to 2-4. There's a lot of season left but this is the kind of win that could at least make things interesting for the Rams moving forward. If they can find a way to build on it.
Stock watch: The Rams' special teams. Entering Sunday's game, the Rams ranked 17th in the league in kick return average (23.42 yards per attempt) and 29th in punt return average (3.91 yards per attempt). In search of a spark, Rams special teams coach John Fassel pulled out all the stops to get his return units rolling. The Rams took a page from the Chicago Bears circa 2011 and misdirected Seattle and an entire stadium into thinking a first-half punt traveled down the right sideline. Instead, the punt was retrieved by Stedman Bailey on the opposite side of the field where he was essentially all alone as he returned it 88 yards for a stunning touchdown and a 21-3 second-quarter lead. Even with Chris Givens available on the game-day roster, running back Benny Cunningham continued to handle kick return duties and chipped in a 75-yard return of his own to set up the Rams' first touchdown. The Rams finished with 201 return yards. And, of course, Fassel and Fisher pressed the button on the fake punt in their own territory to help ice the game.
Mason's time: When asked about the deployment of the Rams' many running backs earlier this week, Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said they'd continue to split carries then go with the hot hand late in the game. Apparently, Schottenheimer & Co. didn't want to wait. After a solid outing last week, rookie Tre Mason continues to emerge as the Rams' best option in the backfield. He handled the bulk of the work, finishing with 85 yards on 18 carries to go with his first career touchdown. The Rams turned over the run game to Zac Stacy in Game 5 last year. One year and one game later, it appears another changing of the guard is in the offing.
Game ball: Defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams' defensive line has earned plenty of criticism for its lack of production in the first five games but Donald had quietly been one of the few performing consistently. On Sunday, he turned in a dominant performance against the banged-up interior of Seattle's offensive line. He finished with five tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hits.
What's next: The Rams now begin a difficult three-game road swing in which they head across Missouri to face the Kansas City Chiefs next week.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12759/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-18
ST. LOUIS -- A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams' 28-26 win against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome:
What it means: Despite doing all they could to not finish off another game, the Rams reached deep in their bag of tricks to find a way to finally pull off a game in which they jumped to an early lead. Whether via trickery on special teams, a clutch drive from quarterback Austin Davis or winning a mad scramble for a fumble in the closing moments, the Rams found a way to beat the defending champions and move to 2-4. There's a lot of season left but this is the kind of win that could at least make things interesting for the Rams moving forward. If they can find a way to build on it.
Stock watch: The Rams' special teams. Entering Sunday's game, the Rams ranked 17th in the league in kick return average (23.42 yards per attempt) and 29th in punt return average (3.91 yards per attempt). In search of a spark, Rams special teams coach John Fassel pulled out all the stops to get his return units rolling. The Rams took a page from the Chicago Bears circa 2011 and misdirected Seattle and an entire stadium into thinking a first-half punt traveled down the right sideline. Instead, the punt was retrieved by Stedman Bailey on the opposite side of the field where he was essentially all alone as he returned it 88 yards for a stunning touchdown and a 21-3 second-quarter lead. Even with Chris Givens available on the game-day roster, running back Benny Cunningham continued to handle kick return duties and chipped in a 75-yard return of his own to set up the Rams' first touchdown. The Rams finished with 201 return yards. And, of course, Fassel and Fisher pressed the button on the fake punt in their own territory to help ice the game.
Mason's time: When asked about the deployment of the Rams' many running backs earlier this week, Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said they'd continue to split carries then go with the hot hand late in the game. Apparently, Schottenheimer & Co. didn't want to wait. After a solid outing last week, rookie Tre Mason continues to emerge as the Rams' best option in the backfield. He handled the bulk of the work, finishing with 85 yards on 18 carries to go with his first career touchdown. The Rams turned over the run game to Zac Stacy in Game 5 last year. One year and one game later, it appears another changing of the guard is in the offing.
Game ball: Defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams' defensive line has earned plenty of criticism for its lack of production in the first five games but Donald had quietly been one of the few performing consistently. On Sunday, he turned in a dominant performance against the banged-up interior of Seattle's offensive line. He finished with five tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hits.
What's next: The Rams now begin a difficult three-game road swing in which they head across Missouri to face the Kansas City Chiefs next week.