- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Strauss: Rams are taking a chance on receivers
• Joe Strauss
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_8f1f00fd-39b4-57eb-abfc-94c29e695d31.html
Jeff Fisher insists the Rams don’t have a gambling problem, but I wonder.
This isn’t the sort of issue that leads to a family intervention, a frantic call to 1-888-GAMBLER or self-exclusion from local casinos. The Rams aren’t risking their rent money. Then again, given the lack of progress regarding a new playing facility, maybe they are. A franchise frequently criticized about its paucity of playmakers on offense has opted to double down on virtually the same group of receivers. What’s next, splitting sixes against an ace?
The Rams last month abstained from selecting Clemson wideout Sammy Watkins with the draft’s No. 2 overall pick.
Actually, the Rams abstained from drafting any receivers with their 12 selections.
This seems a bit odd five months after the Rams ranked 29th in the league in receiving yards, 26th in yards per catch and tied for 20th in receiving touchdowns. Tight end Jared Cook led the roster with 671 receiving yards. The number ranked 59th in the league. Chris Givens failed to catch a touchdown pass.
The Rams, however, insist it isn’t odd in the least.
“I don’t see it as a gamble at all,” Fisher said.
The Rams used a first- and a third-round pick on West Virginia teammates Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in 2013. They spent second- and fourth-round selections on Brian Quick and Givens in 2012. Including Austin Pettis and tight end Lance Kendricks, the Rams have dedicated six top-100 picks to receivers the last three drafts. (Since Fisher and general manager Les Snead weren’t in Earth City for the crime, we can’t hold them responsible for Mardy Gilyard in 2010.)
The upcoming season will bring one of two verdicts: The Rams are rightly waiting on a gifted young receiving corps to develop, or they’re guilty of compounding reaches in the draft with a stubborn refusal to concede a misstep or two.
The Rams prefer not to describe Givens and Quick as regressing last season. Quarterback Sam Bradford’s shredded left knee sidelined him for the season’s final nine games and resulted in a more pedestrian, ground-and-pound attack. A possession receiver, Pettis seemed to mesh with Bradford late in the 2012 season but caught only 13 balls after Bradford went down in Carolina last October.
The first receiver selected in the ’13 draft, Austin fought the ball early last year.
Bailey will miss the season’s first four games because of a league PED-related suspension.
Signed as a free agent for $35 million ($19 million guaranteed) before last season, Cook amassed 21 percent of his receiving yards in Week 1, then averaged 35.9 yards in eight road games.
Fisher remembers well Austin’s 305-yard November breakout in Indianapolis and weighs the return of Givens and Quick for their third seasons. Bradford’s return is huge. “They’ve obviously shown they can make plays on the field,” Fisher said. “As they get experience, they improve. We still like that position. We don’t necessarily see that as a need position.”
The game slowed for Austin toward the end of last season — a good thing. “It’s all about getting comfortable,” said Austin, taken No. 8 overall in the 2013 draft. “It was a pretty big adjustment for me at first. The playbook was different. The speed of the game was different. I eventually caught on and the game settled down.”
Still, calling it a proven position may be a stretch.
The Rams are still betting on the come. They believe qualities that moved the club to draft each receiver translate at this level. However, there is nuance. Austin, for example, had some trouble adjusting to the football. (The college ball is striped, the NFL ball is not. The difference can make reading depth and rotation more difficult.) Quick remains a practice phenom who has 29 receptions in 31 regular-season games. Givens says he has cleansed his personal life of distractions that weighed on him last season.
“I feel much more comfortable with everything on and off the field,” Givens said late Tuesday afternoon. “I have a different feel and vibe about myself.”
A secondary argument for drafting Watkins or signing a signature pass-catcher was to create greater freedom for the remaining receivers. Fisher believes a robust running game can do much the same.
“A run game is going to make a receiver better,” Fisher said. “You create match-ups and one-on-ones. The defense has to commit to stopping the run. It’s why we have to establish the run game from the beginning of the year.”
Listen to Fisher and you believe the Rams will run the ball as often as they throw it this season. (NFC West rivals Seattle and San Francisco were the only teams to do so in 2013.) The Rams drafted that way, importing earth-mover tackle Greg Robinson and Heisman finalist Tre Mason. The signing of low-cost receiver Kenny Britt represents the only nod to the offensive perimeter. Describing what he will emphasize to his receivers this summer, Fisher noted, “They need to block in the run game. They understand that if we have 12 pass attempts with nine completions and 35 to 40 rushes and we win 13-10 they had a big part of it.”
Regarding Britt, a gifted, physical player involved in numerous off-field scrapes during a five-year career, Fisher said, “We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving him an opportunity. He just wants a new opportunity, a new start.”
The Rams managed four of seven wins last season without Bradford. They did so by embracing a no-nonsense offense that nearly made rookie running back Zac Stacy into a 1,000-yard rusher. They were 4-1 without Bradford when allowing 20 points or fewer, 0-4 when surrendering more than 20 points.
Fisher is a defensive-minded coach. He prefers to suffocate an opponent on the ground rather than bedazzle it through the air. He all but ruled out embracing a hurry-up style attack last season even after Bradford looked comfortable working it against Arizona and Atlanta.
Fisher likes his odds better when shortening a game rather than extending it. Not surprisingly, the Rams have devoted significant resources to a dominant defensive front and upgrades on the offensive line.
Apparently, the gamble resides in asking receivers to determine games rather than to help manage them. I wonder.
• Joe Strauss
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_8f1f00fd-39b4-57eb-abfc-94c29e695d31.html
Jeff Fisher insists the Rams don’t have a gambling problem, but I wonder.
This isn’t the sort of issue that leads to a family intervention, a frantic call to 1-888-GAMBLER or self-exclusion from local casinos. The Rams aren’t risking their rent money. Then again, given the lack of progress regarding a new playing facility, maybe they are. A franchise frequently criticized about its paucity of playmakers on offense has opted to double down on virtually the same group of receivers. What’s next, splitting sixes against an ace?
The Rams last month abstained from selecting Clemson wideout Sammy Watkins with the draft’s No. 2 overall pick.
Actually, the Rams abstained from drafting any receivers with their 12 selections.
This seems a bit odd five months after the Rams ranked 29th in the league in receiving yards, 26th in yards per catch and tied for 20th in receiving touchdowns. Tight end Jared Cook led the roster with 671 receiving yards. The number ranked 59th in the league. Chris Givens failed to catch a touchdown pass.
The Rams, however, insist it isn’t odd in the least.
“I don’t see it as a gamble at all,” Fisher said.
The Rams used a first- and a third-round pick on West Virginia teammates Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in 2013. They spent second- and fourth-round selections on Brian Quick and Givens in 2012. Including Austin Pettis and tight end Lance Kendricks, the Rams have dedicated six top-100 picks to receivers the last three drafts. (Since Fisher and general manager Les Snead weren’t in Earth City for the crime, we can’t hold them responsible for Mardy Gilyard in 2010.)
The upcoming season will bring one of two verdicts: The Rams are rightly waiting on a gifted young receiving corps to develop, or they’re guilty of compounding reaches in the draft with a stubborn refusal to concede a misstep or two.
The Rams prefer not to describe Givens and Quick as regressing last season. Quarterback Sam Bradford’s shredded left knee sidelined him for the season’s final nine games and resulted in a more pedestrian, ground-and-pound attack. A possession receiver, Pettis seemed to mesh with Bradford late in the 2012 season but caught only 13 balls after Bradford went down in Carolina last October.
The first receiver selected in the ’13 draft, Austin fought the ball early last year.
Bailey will miss the season’s first four games because of a league PED-related suspension.
Signed as a free agent for $35 million ($19 million guaranteed) before last season, Cook amassed 21 percent of his receiving yards in Week 1, then averaged 35.9 yards in eight road games.
Fisher remembers well Austin’s 305-yard November breakout in Indianapolis and weighs the return of Givens and Quick for their third seasons. Bradford’s return is huge. “They’ve obviously shown they can make plays on the field,” Fisher said. “As they get experience, they improve. We still like that position. We don’t necessarily see that as a need position.”
The game slowed for Austin toward the end of last season — a good thing. “It’s all about getting comfortable,” said Austin, taken No. 8 overall in the 2013 draft. “It was a pretty big adjustment for me at first. The playbook was different. The speed of the game was different. I eventually caught on and the game settled down.”
Still, calling it a proven position may be a stretch.
The Rams are still betting on the come. They believe qualities that moved the club to draft each receiver translate at this level. However, there is nuance. Austin, for example, had some trouble adjusting to the football. (The college ball is striped, the NFL ball is not. The difference can make reading depth and rotation more difficult.) Quick remains a practice phenom who has 29 receptions in 31 regular-season games. Givens says he has cleansed his personal life of distractions that weighed on him last season.
“I feel much more comfortable with everything on and off the field,” Givens said late Tuesday afternoon. “I have a different feel and vibe about myself.”
A secondary argument for drafting Watkins or signing a signature pass-catcher was to create greater freedom for the remaining receivers. Fisher believes a robust running game can do much the same.
“A run game is going to make a receiver better,” Fisher said. “You create match-ups and one-on-ones. The defense has to commit to stopping the run. It’s why we have to establish the run game from the beginning of the year.”
Listen to Fisher and you believe the Rams will run the ball as often as they throw it this season. (NFC West rivals Seattle and San Francisco were the only teams to do so in 2013.) The Rams drafted that way, importing earth-mover tackle Greg Robinson and Heisman finalist Tre Mason. The signing of low-cost receiver Kenny Britt represents the only nod to the offensive perimeter. Describing what he will emphasize to his receivers this summer, Fisher noted, “They need to block in the run game. They understand that if we have 12 pass attempts with nine completions and 35 to 40 rushes and we win 13-10 they had a big part of it.”
Regarding Britt, a gifted, physical player involved in numerous off-field scrapes during a five-year career, Fisher said, “We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving him an opportunity. He just wants a new opportunity, a new start.”
The Rams managed four of seven wins last season without Bradford. They did so by embracing a no-nonsense offense that nearly made rookie running back Zac Stacy into a 1,000-yard rusher. They were 4-1 without Bradford when allowing 20 points or fewer, 0-4 when surrendering more than 20 points.
Fisher is a defensive-minded coach. He prefers to suffocate an opponent on the ground rather than bedazzle it through the air. He all but ruled out embracing a hurry-up style attack last season even after Bradford looked comfortable working it against Arizona and Atlanta.
Fisher likes his odds better when shortening a game rather than extending it. Not surprisingly, the Rams have devoted significant resources to a dominant defensive front and upgrades on the offensive line.
Apparently, the gamble resides in asking receivers to determine games rather than to help manage them. I wonder.
