Schottenheimer under pressure to ignite Rams offense/NFL.com

[RamBill]

Schottenheimer under pressure to ignite Rams offense

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...nheimer-under-pressure-to-ignite-rams-offense

While the St. Louis Rams house the pieces on defense to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, it's their own starting signal-caller who led Chris Wesseling to opine that, unless Sam Bradford emerges, St. Louis is "doomed to mediocrity in the NFL's most competitive division."

After passing on both Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel in the 2012 and 2014 drafts, respectively, general manager Les Snead believes that a post-surgery Bradford will, at last, flip the switch under play-caller Brian Schottenheimer in 2014.

Color us suspicious.

In an NFC West teeming with some of the league's most creative offensive minds, Schottenheimer stands out as an anomaly: A rigid disciple of the West Coast attack stuck in an era when coaches such as Philladelphia's Chip Kelly and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh are pushing the envelope weekly.

"I do wonder if Brian Schottenheimer is creative enough to maximize what they have on offense," NFL Media's Brooks told the Around The League Podcast on Thursday. "I know there was a lot of conversation about (the Rams) need a receiver, they need to go and get a Sammy Watkins or somebody to juice it up, but -- the eighth pick in the draft! You're expecting Tavon Austin to be a difference-maker, so now the onus really falls on Brian Schottenheimer to show that he has the ability to craft game plans to maximize the talent."

Beyond Austin, the Rams attacked the drafts in recent years to surround Bradford with weapons in the form of 2012 second-round pick Brian Quick, third-round choices Stedman Bailey and Austin Pettis (respectively taken in the 2013 and 2011 drafts), and 2012 fourth-round draftee Chris Givens. St. Louis also spent a hill of cash in free agency to land pass-catching tight end Jared Cook in 2013.

Despite the talent influx, Rams pass-catchers were held to just 41 receptions of 20-plus yards last season after squeezing out just 43 with a healthy Bradford in 2012. By comparison, Kelly's Eagles ripped off 80 of those plays in 2013 alone.

After cutting his teeth on West Coast disciple Paul Hackett and sitting down to dinner nightly with his dad, Marty Schottenheimer, it's little surprise that Brian remains, per Brooks, "very tied and rigid to the West Coast system."

Packed with talent, the Rams remain a tough sell in their own division largely because of Bradford's sluggish development in a scheme that has yet to unlock his gifts.

Said Brooks: "There's an art to play-calling, and we always talk about how the best play-callers kind of have a stone-cold mentality. ... Brian Schottenheimer has to understand how to set the table so that he can create those counter plays (within the) game plan."

Until that happens, we'll struggle to side with St. Louis in the rough-and-tumble NFC West.

There's plenty more from Brooks on the latest "Around The League Podcast," so give it a listen, won't you?

 

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The Rams' average Yards Per Offensive Play last year was 5.0. The Patriots were 5.4. That's 16 inches more per play.
McDaniels isn't churning out a huge offense either, but maybe it's because he didn't have much to work with for a good chunk of it.

 

[dieterbrock]

The Rams' average Yards Per Offensive Play last year was 5.0. The Patriots were 5.4. That's 16 inches more per play.
McDaniels isn't churning out a huge offense either, but maybe it's because he didn't have much to work with for a good chunk of it.

Well, they did still muster almost 28 points per game, so they werent exactly stuck in the mud either
In any event, the Rams cracked 20 ppg last year with a variety of rookies and backups. No reason to think they cant improve on that by attrition alone.
I try not to guzzle to kool aid, but I just cant see this team scoring less than 24 a game next year. AT WORST

 

[Ramfreak]

If everyone is healthy on the Oline, we should be real good in the running game. The fact that our WR core has more games under their belts and are becoming more familiar with the offense, I expect we're going to see a significant increase in production. Our nasty defense should help as well.
Take another look at our WR's and TE's and I think we're loaded. We have size with Cook, Britt and Quick. We have elite speed with Givens and Tavon. We have possession type WR's with Pettis, Bailey and Kendricks.
This is the first time in many years we can say that we have plenty of talent and experience.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

The Rams' average Yards Per Offensive Play last year was 5.0. The Patriots were 5.4. That's 16 inches more per play.
McDaniels isn't churning out a huge offense either, but maybe it's because he didn't have much to work with for a good chunk of it.

Also that's with KC at the helm for majority of it.

 

[RamzFanz]

This is where the old me would trash Schotty...

...but you all know how I feel.

 

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Well, they did still muster almost 28 points per game, so they werent exactly stuck in the mud either
In any event, the Rams cracked 20 ppg last year with a variety of rookies and backups. No reason to think they cant improve on that by attrition alone.
I try not to guzzle to kool aid, but I just cant see this team scoring less than 24 a game next year. AT WORST

That's true about their PPG, but did you know in their first 7 games it was 17 PPG? And then they got Gronkowski back.

 

[dieterbrock]

That's true about their PPG, but did you know in their first 7 games it was 17 PPG? And then they got Gronkowski back.

I came up with a hair under 22 for the first 7 and that was with a crooked 6 spot against Cincy. 5 of first 7 games 23-30 points, 2 games with a total of 19.
No doubt missing key performers made that team (or would any other) less effective. No doubt that's been a major issue for the Rams
I'm not being pro-Pats, eff them. Rams should improve ppg by 10% by attritiion alone, putting them in the 24 ppg range. And a full year of Sam and Zac wouldnt surprise me to see them do much, much better than that