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good write up and excellent grading of Rams play
train
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-report-st-louis-rams-205339358--nfl.html
Did the St. Louis Rams grow as a team in Sunday's 42-21 win over the Chicago Bears? It surely appears that way, although we won't really know until the final five games plays itself out.
But there was ample evidence:
--Three starters were lost to possible concussions, but, as coach Jeff Fisher simply said, "They just kept playing."
Running back Zac Stacy wasn't able to play in the second half, but Benny Cunningham made it so no one noticed. Cunningham was especially productive in the drive to the clinching touchdown when he had 61 yards on six attempts, including a 9-yard touchdown run, his first in the NFL.
Also lost was left guard Chris Williams, who was replaced by Shelley Smith, and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, whose replacement was essentially safety Rodney McLeod.
Although Bears quarterback Josh McCown completed 36 of 47 passes for 352 yards, 10 of the completions were to running backs and his average per completion was only 9.8.
The Rams rushed for 258 yards, which, of course, includes wide receiver Tavon Austin's 65-yard run that provided an early 7-0 lead. Most significant is that Cunningham (13-109-8.4) and Stacy (12-87-7.3) combined for 196 yards on 25 carries, an average of 7.8. There were nine runs of 10 yards or more.
--The critical possession occurred after the Bears scored a touchdown to cut the Rams lead to 27-21 with 7:24 left in the game. The score was aided by a highly questionable roughing the passer penalty by defensive tackle Michael Brockers on third down that gave the Bears a first down inside the 1-yard line.
Had there been no penalty, the Bears would have likely kicked a field goal, and the Rams would have still led by 10 points.
Taking over at their own 20-yard line, the signature moment came after Cunningham rushed for four and 27 yards to give the Rams a first down at the Chicago 49-yard line.
Quarterback Kellen Clemens completed a strike to wide receiver Chris Givens at the Bears' 30-yard line. However, center Scott Wells was flagged for a hands-to-the-face penalty, making it first-and-20 at their own 41.
Without hesitation, Clemens found tight end Jared Cook for 29 yards right back to the 30-yard line and four Cunningham runs later, he was in the end zone. Or, at least the ball was, as he dived for the goal line and the ball broke the plane.
A two-point conversion pass to rarely used Isaiah Pead, and the lead was 35-21. Exactly 60 seconds later, defensive end Robert Quinn finally got his first sack of the game after supplying relentless pressure all afternoon. He stripped McCown clean, picked up the ball and easily ran 31 yards for the final touchdown.
For Quinn, it was his 13th sack of the season, and he is 1.5 behind league leader Robert Mathis of Indianapolis. The takeaway was the third of the game for the Rams, and they had no turnovers. That pushes their turnover ratio to plus-8, tied for sixth in the league with New England and pending the Monday night game between San Francisco and Washington. The 49ers enter that game at plus-6.
Describing the touchdown drive, Fisher said, "Well the offense was, I think, a little visibly upset at the penalty and they decided to take things into their own hands, which was great."
Said Clemens, "I think that we're starting to believe, which is what you need. As a whole, we're starting to believe. We're coming off a big win at Indianapolis. I was proud of the guys. There's no letdown. We didn't come out flat coming off a bye week. A lot of times that happens. I think, again, that goes back to the veterans on this team, the offensive line, a lot of guys on the defense leading this group and making sure we're heading in the right direction."
NOTES, QUOTES
--Combined with the 38-8 win over Indianapolis prior to the team's off week, the Rams have won the last two games by a combined score of 80-29.
--Bears guard Kyle Long, brother of Rams defensive end Chris Long was almost ejected for kicking at Rams defensive end William Hayes during a second-quarter scrum that occurred because the officials failed to blow a play dead on an incomplete pass.
Kyle Long received a penalty for unnecessary roughness when he reacted to being blocked by Hayes. Chris Long, who wasn't on the field for the play, came running onto the field and tried to pull his brother away from the melee.
Said Chris Long, "It's tough. One of your best friends and your brother. Like I said, during the game, yeah you think about it, but it's not the first time I've restrained him. I think both of those big strong guys probably needed to be restrained there. They're two of the strongest people I know. I'm just glad everybody got out of there OK, it's just a heated game."
--Another critical point in the game was the start of the third quarter with the Rams leading 24-14. Chicago drove from their own 20 to the Rams' 4-yard line. After two incomplete passes, quarterback Josh McCown scrambled to the 1-yard line and coach Marc Trestman elected to go for the touchdown on fourth down. Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar dropped running back Michael Bush for a 4-yard loss and the Rams then drove for a field goal.
Said Long, "The goal-line stands were great, including the one at the end where it should have been a goal-line stand. That was a tremendous goal-line stand. We stopped them like four times. We all know what that call looked like."
Long was referring to the roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Michael Brockers. The Bears had first-and-goal from the Rams' 1 -yard line with 10:06 to play in the final quarter. It took Chicago eight snaps, including three penalties, and almost three minutes to score. Six of the snaps came from the 1-yard line.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
--S T.J. McDonald was activated Saturday from reserve/injured, designated for return and started at strong safety.
--CB Quinton Pointer was signed to the roster from the practice squad Saturday, but was inactive for the game against the Bears.
INJURY IMPACT
--CB Cortland Finnegan was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of an orbital fracture in his eye. Finnegan suffered the injury in Week 4 against San Francisco, and after missing some time, tried to come back and play. During the bye week, he got a second opinion and it was recommended he not play for the rest of the season. He is expected to have surgery in early December.
--QB Brady Quinn was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of a back problem.
--RB Zac Stacy suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
--G Chris Williams suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
--CB Trumaine Johnson suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
REPORT CARD VS. BEARS
PASSING OFFENSE: B - QB Kellen Clemens made plays when he had to and didn't thrown an interception for the third consecutive game. He was under 50 percent in completion percentage (10-for-22) and passed for just 167 yards, but he extended plays and hit TE Jared Cook on a 6-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rams a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. Cook had four receptions for 80 yards, and Clemens had a respectable passer rating of 86.7.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A - RBs Benny Cunningham and Zac Stacy each had their way with the Bears' defense. Stacy rushed for 87 yards in the first half, but didn't play again because of a head injury. Cunningham, who had 15 yards on three attempts at halftime, added 94 yards on 10 carries in the second half. Each had a touchdown, as did WR Tavon Austin, who scored on a 65-yard designed run where he took a flip running from right to left, then quickly reversed field. He got excellent blocks from TE Lance Kendricks and WR Austin Pettis on the way to the end zone.
PASS DEFENSE: B - The yardage doesn't look good, but very little did damage. QB Josh McCown did an excellent job avoiding the Rams' rush, but he threw a lot of screen passes and there wasn't much done down the field. WR Earl Bennett had eight receptions, but for just 58 yards. McCown fumbled on a sack and threw one interception.
RUSH DEFENSE: B - RB Matt Forte had a 26-yard run on a corner blitz, but had just 51 yards on his other 15 attempts. The Rams stuffed RB Michael Bush, who did score a touchdown on a 1-yard run, but "totaled" minus-5 yards on seven runs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B - Johnny Hekker punted just twice, but averaged 48.5 yards, which was also his net. Bears KR Devin Hester had no punt-return yards, but the Rams were fortunate when a low and short Hekker punt was returned 62 yards for a touchdown, but Chicago was caught holding on the play. Hester averaged just 22.5 yards on four kickoff returns.
COACHING: A - The Rams are now 2-2 since QB Sam Bradford was lost for the season because of a knee injury. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is mixing things up well, but it's possible because of the success running the ball. After four games, the Rams were at the bottom of the league in rushing offense with 189 yards (47.3 per game) on 73 attempts (2.6 average). In the ensuing seven games, they have run 217 times (31 per game) for 1,063 yards (4.9 per rush and 151.9 per game
train
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-report-st-louis-rams-205339358--nfl.html
Did the St. Louis Rams grow as a team in Sunday's 42-21 win over the Chicago Bears? It surely appears that way, although we won't really know until the final five games plays itself out.
But there was ample evidence:
--Three starters were lost to possible concussions, but, as coach Jeff Fisher simply said, "They just kept playing."
Running back Zac Stacy wasn't able to play in the second half, but Benny Cunningham made it so no one noticed. Cunningham was especially productive in the drive to the clinching touchdown when he had 61 yards on six attempts, including a 9-yard touchdown run, his first in the NFL.
Also lost was left guard Chris Williams, who was replaced by Shelley Smith, and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, whose replacement was essentially safety Rodney McLeod.
Although Bears quarterback Josh McCown completed 36 of 47 passes for 352 yards, 10 of the completions were to running backs and his average per completion was only 9.8.
The Rams rushed for 258 yards, which, of course, includes wide receiver Tavon Austin's 65-yard run that provided an early 7-0 lead. Most significant is that Cunningham (13-109-8.4) and Stacy (12-87-7.3) combined for 196 yards on 25 carries, an average of 7.8. There were nine runs of 10 yards or more.
--The critical possession occurred after the Bears scored a touchdown to cut the Rams lead to 27-21 with 7:24 left in the game. The score was aided by a highly questionable roughing the passer penalty by defensive tackle Michael Brockers on third down that gave the Bears a first down inside the 1-yard line.
Had there been no penalty, the Bears would have likely kicked a field goal, and the Rams would have still led by 10 points.
Taking over at their own 20-yard line, the signature moment came after Cunningham rushed for four and 27 yards to give the Rams a first down at the Chicago 49-yard line.
Quarterback Kellen Clemens completed a strike to wide receiver Chris Givens at the Bears' 30-yard line. However, center Scott Wells was flagged for a hands-to-the-face penalty, making it first-and-20 at their own 41.
Without hesitation, Clemens found tight end Jared Cook for 29 yards right back to the 30-yard line and four Cunningham runs later, he was in the end zone. Or, at least the ball was, as he dived for the goal line and the ball broke the plane.
A two-point conversion pass to rarely used Isaiah Pead, and the lead was 35-21. Exactly 60 seconds later, defensive end Robert Quinn finally got his first sack of the game after supplying relentless pressure all afternoon. He stripped McCown clean, picked up the ball and easily ran 31 yards for the final touchdown.
For Quinn, it was his 13th sack of the season, and he is 1.5 behind league leader Robert Mathis of Indianapolis. The takeaway was the third of the game for the Rams, and they had no turnovers. That pushes their turnover ratio to plus-8, tied for sixth in the league with New England and pending the Monday night game between San Francisco and Washington. The 49ers enter that game at plus-6.
Describing the touchdown drive, Fisher said, "Well the offense was, I think, a little visibly upset at the penalty and they decided to take things into their own hands, which was great."
Said Clemens, "I think that we're starting to believe, which is what you need. As a whole, we're starting to believe. We're coming off a big win at Indianapolis. I was proud of the guys. There's no letdown. We didn't come out flat coming off a bye week. A lot of times that happens. I think, again, that goes back to the veterans on this team, the offensive line, a lot of guys on the defense leading this group and making sure we're heading in the right direction."
NOTES, QUOTES
--Combined with the 38-8 win over Indianapolis prior to the team's off week, the Rams have won the last two games by a combined score of 80-29.
--Bears guard Kyle Long, brother of Rams defensive end Chris Long was almost ejected for kicking at Rams defensive end William Hayes during a second-quarter scrum that occurred because the officials failed to blow a play dead on an incomplete pass.
Kyle Long received a penalty for unnecessary roughness when he reacted to being blocked by Hayes. Chris Long, who wasn't on the field for the play, came running onto the field and tried to pull his brother away from the melee.
Said Chris Long, "It's tough. One of your best friends and your brother. Like I said, during the game, yeah you think about it, but it's not the first time I've restrained him. I think both of those big strong guys probably needed to be restrained there. They're two of the strongest people I know. I'm just glad everybody got out of there OK, it's just a heated game."
--Another critical point in the game was the start of the third quarter with the Rams leading 24-14. Chicago drove from their own 20 to the Rams' 4-yard line. After two incomplete passes, quarterback Josh McCown scrambled to the 1-yard line and coach Marc Trestman elected to go for the touchdown on fourth down. Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar dropped running back Michael Bush for a 4-yard loss and the Rams then drove for a field goal.
Said Long, "The goal-line stands were great, including the one at the end where it should have been a goal-line stand. That was a tremendous goal-line stand. We stopped them like four times. We all know what that call looked like."
Long was referring to the roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Michael Brockers. The Bears had first-and-goal from the Rams' 1 -yard line with 10:06 to play in the final quarter. It took Chicago eight snaps, including three penalties, and almost three minutes to score. Six of the snaps came from the 1-yard line.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
--S T.J. McDonald was activated Saturday from reserve/injured, designated for return and started at strong safety.
--CB Quinton Pointer was signed to the roster from the practice squad Saturday, but was inactive for the game against the Bears.
INJURY IMPACT
--CB Cortland Finnegan was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of an orbital fracture in his eye. Finnegan suffered the injury in Week 4 against San Francisco, and after missing some time, tried to come back and play. During the bye week, he got a second opinion and it was recommended he not play for the rest of the season. He is expected to have surgery in early December.
--QB Brady Quinn was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of a back problem.
--RB Zac Stacy suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
--G Chris Williams suffered a concussion in the first half of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
--CB Trumaine Johnson suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Bears and did not return to the game. He will go through the concussion protocol this week.
REPORT CARD VS. BEARS
PASSING OFFENSE: B - QB Kellen Clemens made plays when he had to and didn't thrown an interception for the third consecutive game. He was under 50 percent in completion percentage (10-for-22) and passed for just 167 yards, but he extended plays and hit TE Jared Cook on a 6-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rams a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. Cook had four receptions for 80 yards, and Clemens had a respectable passer rating of 86.7.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A - RBs Benny Cunningham and Zac Stacy each had their way with the Bears' defense. Stacy rushed for 87 yards in the first half, but didn't play again because of a head injury. Cunningham, who had 15 yards on three attempts at halftime, added 94 yards on 10 carries in the second half. Each had a touchdown, as did WR Tavon Austin, who scored on a 65-yard designed run where he took a flip running from right to left, then quickly reversed field. He got excellent blocks from TE Lance Kendricks and WR Austin Pettis on the way to the end zone.
PASS DEFENSE: B - The yardage doesn't look good, but very little did damage. QB Josh McCown did an excellent job avoiding the Rams' rush, but he threw a lot of screen passes and there wasn't much done down the field. WR Earl Bennett had eight receptions, but for just 58 yards. McCown fumbled on a sack and threw one interception.
RUSH DEFENSE: B - RB Matt Forte had a 26-yard run on a corner blitz, but had just 51 yards on his other 15 attempts. The Rams stuffed RB Michael Bush, who did score a touchdown on a 1-yard run, but "totaled" minus-5 yards on seven runs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B - Johnny Hekker punted just twice, but averaged 48.5 yards, which was also his net. Bears KR Devin Hester had no punt-return yards, but the Rams were fortunate when a low and short Hekker punt was returned 62 yards for a touchdown, but Chicago was caught holding on the play. Hester averaged just 22.5 yards on four kickoff returns.
COACHING: A - The Rams are now 2-2 since QB Sam Bradford was lost for the season because of a knee injury. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is mixing things up well, but it's possible because of the success running the ball. After four games, the Rams were at the bottom of the league in rushing offense with 189 yards (47.3 per game) on 73 attempts (2.6 average). In the ensuing seven games, they have run 217 times (31 per game) for 1,063 yards (4.9 per rush and 151.9 per game
