The Really Discouraging Part

[fearsomefour]

....is checking in with the Colts game....a rookie starting at C and LG and the number one rated overall offense. The Cardinals with a suspect line and multiple, big losses on their D is playing very well and is 6-1. The Browns with less talent (in my opinion) playing hard and competitively nearly every week and is winning some games.
Why is it other teams/coaches have been able to make turn arounds and the Rams are stuck in the mud? Maybe the Rams are old at a couple of very bad spots to get old (LT and C) and too young every where else. Maybe there is something just embedded with this team, something intrinsically wrong with them. I am not a person who believes in curses or voodoo. I believe you put good, competent people in position and let them do their thing. If the team was competitive and losing that would be acceptable (although not great). This was first in what is probably a series of embarrassing losses. The coaches dont seem to be able to lean on a strength of the team because it appears to be a team without a strength. The one strength that was a "sure thing" has been removed from the D.
It is probably a mix of things. Injuries (bad depth), inability to bounce back from set backs (mindset, coaching) and just idiocy (have GZ pound the ball out of the back of the endzone instead of adhering to some philosophy regarding kick coverage).
200 yards on offense. A kick return given up for a touchdown. A missed field goal. Alex Smith 24 for 28.
This is bad football.
Many, including myself, saw the hiring of Fisher as the possible thing that could lead this team back to the light of meaningful football. With the way things are going that is getting harder to believe. The really sad thing is there are not many other options. What established coach would be interested in coming to the Rams? Especially if there is a hole at QB (perceived or real). The best bet is to stay the course I guess....it just seems there is no clear idea where that course is going.

 

[ChrisW]

Jeff Fisher runs a coaching staff full of guys from the "good 'ole boys club".

If Schotty and Williams aren't gone after this year, then you'll have the penultimate picture for the definition of Nepotism.

 

[Sleepy1711]

..is checking in with the Colts game....a rookie starting at C and LG and the number one rated overall offense. The Cardinals with a suspect line and multiple, big losses on their D is playing very well and is 6-1. The Browns with less talent (in my opinion) playing hard and competitively nearly every week and is winning some games.

I'm pretty sure Andrew Luck has to do something with the Colts being number one. Also Cardinals have a lot of experience on D, we had like 4 rookies on starting on our D today along with a whole bunch of 2nd year players. And we've been competitive in most of our games this year.

People tend to put blinders on after a loss.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

if you saw the colts game today you would have seen luck under the pump for most of it. only difference is either

a - the guy makes plays and is able to find the open receiver

or

b - his receivers get open almost every play which allows him to get rid of the ball under pressure far more efficiently than qbs who look for an open receiver but can't find one.

now i'm gonna go with both a and b. because if (b) doesn't happen than (a) can't happen either. that's the nature of the business.

.

 

[Jumava1968]

We're really young with a 4th string Qb leading us,and although he has performed admirably it doesn't change the fact that he is a 4th stringer.Now if we had a great OL I think we win a lot games we have lost.So whether it's Bradford or a quarterback drafted next year the OL needs to get fixed,so they can have a chance to succeed.

 

[mr.stlouis]

We don't have a QB, pretty important.

 

[PRIndio03]

This team is so close. This current team feels like the 49ers prior to the pickup of John Harbaugh. Rife with talent but unguided and without structure. I honestly want Fisher to be the one to guide us to the playoffs, but each year it feels like more of the same.

 

[MerlinJones]

Well, we do have a QB, but of course he has his flaws.

I think Davis' biggest flaw is that he can't play QB while at the same time playing both guard spots and center to block for himself and the running game, then hopping over to defense and single handedly preventing the opposing team from scoring 30+ points.

Once we get that guy I think it's smooth sailing ahead for the Rams.

 

[Fatbot]

It is probably a mix of things. Injuries (bad depth), inability to bounce back from set backs (mindset, coaching) and just idiocy.

What all these things you mention add up to is a lack of leadership and character. Coaches are only part of it, a team has to have players that are leaders and the other guys must have that special football character. Sadly the Rams don't seem to draft for these qualities, too often it seems they are getting that guy that is "amazingly talented but fell because of other issues". So what they have is a lot of athletes, not true football players. They have guys with zero football IQ that look like they've never even played the game before, guys that are in there to do what they are supposed to do not what they love. A team has to look around the huddle and know every guy in there has sacrificed and suffered and is willing to put everything on the line to make one stop, one play, one inch to make the difference. There has to be guys in that huddle that exude the confidence of being there before, that have made that play and know how to win. The culture needs to reach a point where if someone fails to make a play it becomes a shocking exception, not the "here we go again" rule. But you can't get that culture if you keep getting guys that don't have those values. Everyone has talent in the NFL, you have to have the other to win.

 

[ProGen]

This team is so close. This current team feels like the 49ers prior to the pickup of John Harbaugh. Rife with talent but unguided and without structure. I honestly want Fisher to be the one to guide us to the playoffs, but each year it feels like more of the same.

Are we really THAT close though? I am not taking the piss either. I am genuinely interested to know if people think we are close.

I see the pockets of talent you see and there are certain players to get excited about, but every team has talent in this league. As it stands I feel our negatives outweigh our positives:

Questions at QB, OL, LB, DB's..
Injuries galore
Tight up against the cap
Questionable play calling/game planning by OC &DC
Expensive, ageing, under performing, injury plagued FA's brought in by the current regime (both past and present)
Not capitalising on the bounty of draft picks we have had recently. Got to question the talent evaluation at all levels on this one
Even all the way up at the top, we have Kroenke who is not exactly helping matters.


I don't have the answers and I could not tell you if we were close or not, but the product on the field in comparison to the rest of the league does not resemble a team that is close to me. As is always the case with the Rams; I hope I am wrong...but it has been a long time since they proved any of our lingering doubts wrong.

 

[Ramrasta]

We may just have to accept that injuries have torched this team yet another year. It's extremely difficult to piece together wins from a young, practice squad QB, a secondary now dominated by rookies, an OL in shambles, the loss of our rising star WR, and of course the veteran talent in Chris Long.

 

[SierraRam]

....is checking in with the Colts game....a rookie starting at C and LG and the number one rated overall offense. The Cardinals with a suspect line and multiple, big losses on their D is playing very well and is 6-1. The Browns with less talent (in my opinion) playing hard and competitively nearly every week and is winning some games.
Why is it other teams/coaches have been able to make turn arounds and the Rams are stuck in the mud? Maybe the Rams are old at a couple of very bad spots to get old (LT and C) and too young every where else. Maybe there is something just embedded with this team, something intrinsically wrong with them. I am not a person who believes in curses or voodoo. I believe you put good, competent people in position and let them do their thing. If the team was competitive and losing that would be acceptable (although not great). This was first in what is probably a series of embarrassing losses. The coaches dont seem to be able to lean on a strength of the team because it appears to be a team without a strength. The one strength that was a "sure thing" has been removed from the D.
It is probably a mix of things. Injuries (bad depth), inability to bounce back from set backs (mindset, coaching) and just idiocy (have GZ pound the ball out of the back of the endzone instead of adhering to some philosophy regarding kick coverage).
200 yards on offense. A kick return given up for a touchdown. A missed field goal. Alex Smith 24 for 28.
This is bad football.
Many, including myself, saw the hiring of Fisher as the possible thing that could lead this team back to the light of meaningful football. With the way things are going that is getting harder to believe. The really sad thing is there are not many other options. What established coach would be interested in coming to the Rams? Especially if there is a hole at QB (perceived or real). The best bet is to stay the course I guess....it just seems there is no clear idea where that course is going.

I don't "like" hearing this fearsome because it's all true. We want to be patient and believe if we stay on Fisher's course we'll succeed. Will we?

We need to add an "Agree" button for the posts that are painful to read but I agree with all of it...

 

[rams2050]

I do believe that the Rams are 'close.' You can see it, even though it sometimes comes with an unearned penalty or even an earned one. Some of the tackles that they are making are things of beauty, but they don't carry it over to one play after another. They are ragged, uneven; they are, for the most part, finding their way. I DO believe that they are far better than the crapola that we are seeing each week take the field. I DO believe that it was a HUGE mistake to get Gregg Williams when we really DID have Sack City last year. Fisher should have DEMANDED that Williams leave alone any defensive schemes that were actually working, and just tinker with those that were not. I mean, even our blitzes last season were more efficient and, therefore, probably better designed than the ones that are being called this season. WTAF?

Maybe we will see the return of Sack City when Chris Long returns. God forbid that he tears HIS ACL!

And Schotty? I am at a loss for words. Did he draw up just ONE damned drive for this week's game? Or were his schemes so dependent on having Brian Quick available that they just went to crap?

Speaking of crap, RB by committee is a colossal fail. I was unable to watch yesterday, but I heard Zac Stacy's name and it seemed like he got some good yardage on a couple of plays and then I lost my signal for a while and when it returned I never heard Stacy's name again. WHAT HAPPENED??? Did HE GET HURT, too??? Or did they revert to someone else or simply abandon the run?

 

[AZRamsFan93]

I'm pretty sure Andrew Luck has to do something with the Colts being number one. Also Cardinals have a lot of experience on D, we had like 4 rookies on starting on our D today along with a whole bunch of 2nd year players. And we've been competitive in most of our games this year.

People tend to put blinders on after a loss.

Yes, but doesn't it get tiresome constantly making excuses for this team? The Rams are regressing without a doubt. Is that what you thought would happen in year 3 of the Fisher/Snead regime? I certainly don't have all the answers. It appears the current leadership don't either.

 

[fearsomefour]

.

if you saw the colts game today you would have seen luck under the pump for most of it. only difference is either

a - the guy makes plays and is able to find the open receiver

or

b - his receivers get open almost every play which allows him to get rid of the ball under pressure far more efficiently than qbs who look for an open receiver but can't find one.

now i'm gonna go with both a and b. because if (b) doesn't happen than (a) can't happen either. that's the nature of the business.

.

I agree with you here.
Ty Hilton brings an interesting comparison to Austin. I have seen him listed at 5'8", 5' 9" and 5' 10". Lets split the difference and say he is 5' 9" 180 lbs and a speed guy. He was drafted in the 3rd round. He has comparable size, speed and skill to Austin. This is the most frustrating thing to me. The Rams have been unable to develop or find a role for Austin. You dont draft a guy that high to be an after thought in your offense. A lot of the time the ball gets to him it seems forced to me...."time to call a play for Austin"....other wise he would be totally forgotten in the offense.
Maybe the route scheme has been simplified for (mostly) young and green players at WR and QB. The Rams seem to see a lot of man (maybe I am imagining that)....if they are this tells you that teams dont fear the WRs or the QB and believe they can get pressure....which sadly had been true too often. Quick was developing well and I am sure that will continue when he returns from injury. Bailey has shown flashes. Austin has had a big game or two and then mostly blah.

 

[fearsomefour]

I'm pretty sure Andrew Luck has to do something with the Colts being number one. Also Cardinals have a lot of experience on D, we had like 4 rookies on starting on our D today along with a whole bunch of 2nd year players. And we've been competitive in most of our games this year.

People tend to put blinders on after a loss.

Not putting blinders on, at least not trying to. To watch this team play how it plays and say we are going to beat SF and AZ, that is blinders to me.
The Cardinals lost Dansby, Washington, Dockett and Campbell....that is 4 of the most important players in their front 7. Granted they knew they let Dansby walk and they do have veterans like Foote to fill the spot.
The D which was supposed to be our strength cannot play a whole game well. Whether it is execution or not adjusting the game plan this team is giving up a bunch of points for the talent on the field.

 

[fearsomefour]

This team is so close. This current team feels like the 49ers prior to the pickup of John Harbaugh. Rife with talent but unguided and without structure. I honestly want Fisher to be the one to guide us to the playoffs, but each year it feels like more of the same.

Not a bad comparison.
Harbaby is due to not be resigned after this year by SF. That front office is as disfunctional as it gets. Harbaby to the Rams?....not really.
Something has got to change for the Rams. The problem now of course is injuries. SF, Arizona, Denver ect. Im sure will be looking at the left side of Robinson/Person/Jones and salivating. Have to figure out a way to make teams pay for blitzing. Season is over, so, I say let Person and Jones play even if Wells is fine. I would keep Saffold at RG if he is fine. Time to move on from this season, see if these guys can play or not.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

I agree with you here.
Ty Hilton brings an interesting comparison to Austin. I have seen him listed at 5'8", 5' 9" and 5' 10". Lets split the difference and say he is 5' 9" 180 lbs and a speed guy. He was drafted in the 3rd round. He has comparable size, speed and skill to Austin. This is the most frustrating thing to me. The Rams have been unable to develop or find a role for Austin. You dont draft a guy that high to be an after thought in your offense. A lot of the time the ball gets to him it seems forced to me...."time to call a play for Austin"....other wise he would be totally forgotten in the offense.
Maybe the route scheme has been simplified for (mostly) young and green players at WR and QB. The Rams seem to see a lot of man (maybe I am imagining that)....if they are this tells you that teams dont fear the WRs or the QB and believe they can get pressure....which sadly had been true too often. Quick was developing well and I am sure that will continue when he returns from injury. Bailey has shown flashes. Austin has had a big game or two and then mostly blah.

A great way to beat man to man coverage is the threat of a running QB. Did you see Rodgers last night versus the Saints man to man late? He practically walked in for a TD after all the DBs turned their backs.

 

[fearsomefour]

A great way to beat man to man coverage is the threat of a running QB. Did you see Rodgers last night versus the Saints man to man late? He practically walked in for a TD after all the DBs turned their backs.

Davis can run well enough. Schotty better come up with something because the next two weeks will really test a broken up line.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

I do believe that the Rams are 'close.' You can see it, even though it sometimes comes with an unearned penalty or even an earned one.

I saw nothing in that game yesterday that made me feel that they are "close". I would say that the Rams are one of the 5 worst teams in the NFL right now. That, IMHO, is not close.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

Davis can run well enough. Schotty better come up with something because the next two weeks will really test a broken up line.

His rushing totals are 11 carries for 27 yards this year. If he can run he had better start showing it.