- Joined
- May 9, 2018
- Messages
- 5,375
1. That one was brutal.
2. I'll start by saying this clearly and succinctly... no way in Hell we should have lost that game.
3. A lot of blame to go around, so I'll start with the receivers not named Puka Nacua. Cooper Kupp had the worst game I can recall him having. Two drops helped kill the opening drive, then, apart from one long reception and a 2 point conversion, he was invisible. Tutu Atwell made one great play (on a pass not even intended for him) but was similarly invisible otherwise. Finally, there is Tyler Higbee, who dropped a key pass (hearing footsteps) and otherwise had only one catch.
4. Matthew Stafford wasn't as bad as numbers suggest (see 3 drops above), but that interception was inexcusable for a QB of his experience. That's the kind of play you'd expect from a young QB (not taking away from a great play by T.J. Watt, but Stafford should know better than to be baited into that throw).
5. The defense's overall numbers (300 yards allowed) may seem okay, but situationally, they did a pretty poor job. Again, the pressure was just not consistent enough to get to the QB with any frequency or to force turnovers.
6. The parade of horrible performances next brings us to Brett Maher. He clearly has a problem with missing kicks in bunches. The missed XP didn't hurt us due to the two point conversion, but two missed FGs changed the game not only due to points not being scored, but also due to the field position it left the Steelers with (leading to 10 of their points). He may soon be out of a job.
7. Sean McVay also had a bad day. The Steelers seemed to have the right defense for his play calls far too often, and his cavalier wasting of time outs finally caught up with him as it prevented a challenge that would have given the Rams one last chance to tie the game. He'll take responsibility but, who cares? Don't apologize... just manage the clock better!
8. It's easy to blame the refs for a really bad call (or two, if you count the phantom PI called against Ankhello Witherspoon a couple of plays before the bad spot), but the Rams never should have been in that position.
9. The Rams inability to string two consecutive wins together is getting really frustrating.
10. The running game, as I predicted, was able to thrive without Kyren Williams. Nice effort by Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman. Still, while the production was good, the impact wasn't there, as the Rams were unable to sustain drives due to penalties and sacks.
11. Despite the bad team effort, I'll give out player of the week recognitions. On offense, Puka Nacua is the obvious choice. He is truly a find.
12. On defense, the much maligned Michael Hoecht gets the nod after leading the Rams in tackles and registering two sacks.
13. The Football Gods continue to frown on the Rams. Fumble by Harris - recovered by Steelers. Ball tipped by at least two Ram defenders - falls harmlessly to the ground. Bobble by punt returner - secures the ball. We still have not started a single drive in an opponent's territory this year. The failure to force turnovers is part of that equation but, damn... could we get a bounce for once!
14. Derion Kendrick capped off a week of legal troubles with some really bad coverage. He may be sharing an Uber from Rams Park with Maher before long.
15. While I'm criticizing the team, I'll throw a bit my way as well. I tend to compartmentalize the stress of real life and funnel that energy into being a sports fan. For some reason, today, rather being a healthy outlet, I found myself expressing my frustration in such a severe manner that it disturbed my wife and even freaked out my dogs a bit. That's not right. I need to be better than that as a fan and as a human being. Mea culpa.
16. Earlier this year I declared myself "Mr. Brightside," so here's what I've got... There is a lot of good here overall. You can see the potential of many of our young players... Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila and others. I truly believe that these players, coupled with our key vets and some additions, will make real noise next year. If they want to do so this year, though, they simply can't let games like today's (and the Bengals game, for the matter) slip away.
17. Of course, it would be just like this team to go out and beat Dallas next week.
18. Speaking of next week... PROGRAMMING NOTE: I will be off the grid next Sunday and Monday, so I'd like to find someone to fill in as a guest writer of my 20RT series. Any takers? (PM me!)
19. I don't know what to say about visiting teams taking over the stands. Frustrating, but I don't see any solution right now.
20. I'm not giving up on this season, by the way. Just frustrated by a really bad week.
2. I'll start by saying this clearly and succinctly... no way in Hell we should have lost that game.
3. A lot of blame to go around, so I'll start with the receivers not named Puka Nacua. Cooper Kupp had the worst game I can recall him having. Two drops helped kill the opening drive, then, apart from one long reception and a 2 point conversion, he was invisible. Tutu Atwell made one great play (on a pass not even intended for him) but was similarly invisible otherwise. Finally, there is Tyler Higbee, who dropped a key pass (hearing footsteps) and otherwise had only one catch.
4. Matthew Stafford wasn't as bad as numbers suggest (see 3 drops above), but that interception was inexcusable for a QB of his experience. That's the kind of play you'd expect from a young QB (not taking away from a great play by T.J. Watt, but Stafford should know better than to be baited into that throw).
5. The defense's overall numbers (300 yards allowed) may seem okay, but situationally, they did a pretty poor job. Again, the pressure was just not consistent enough to get to the QB with any frequency or to force turnovers.
6. The parade of horrible performances next brings us to Brett Maher. He clearly has a problem with missing kicks in bunches. The missed XP didn't hurt us due to the two point conversion, but two missed FGs changed the game not only due to points not being scored, but also due to the field position it left the Steelers with (leading to 10 of their points). He may soon be out of a job.
7. Sean McVay also had a bad day. The Steelers seemed to have the right defense for his play calls far too often, and his cavalier wasting of time outs finally caught up with him as it prevented a challenge that would have given the Rams one last chance to tie the game. He'll take responsibility but, who cares? Don't apologize... just manage the clock better!
8. It's easy to blame the refs for a really bad call (or two, if you count the phantom PI called against Ankhello Witherspoon a couple of plays before the bad spot), but the Rams never should have been in that position.
9. The Rams inability to string two consecutive wins together is getting really frustrating.
10. The running game, as I predicted, was able to thrive without Kyren Williams. Nice effort by Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman. Still, while the production was good, the impact wasn't there, as the Rams were unable to sustain drives due to penalties and sacks.
11. Despite the bad team effort, I'll give out player of the week recognitions. On offense, Puka Nacua is the obvious choice. He is truly a find.
12. On defense, the much maligned Michael Hoecht gets the nod after leading the Rams in tackles and registering two sacks.
13. The Football Gods continue to frown on the Rams. Fumble by Harris - recovered by Steelers. Ball tipped by at least two Ram defenders - falls harmlessly to the ground. Bobble by punt returner - secures the ball. We still have not started a single drive in an opponent's territory this year. The failure to force turnovers is part of that equation but, damn... could we get a bounce for once!
14. Derion Kendrick capped off a week of legal troubles with some really bad coverage. He may be sharing an Uber from Rams Park with Maher before long.
15. While I'm criticizing the team, I'll throw a bit my way as well. I tend to compartmentalize the stress of real life and funnel that energy into being a sports fan. For some reason, today, rather being a healthy outlet, I found myself expressing my frustration in such a severe manner that it disturbed my wife and even freaked out my dogs a bit. That's not right. I need to be better than that as a fan and as a human being. Mea culpa.
16. Earlier this year I declared myself "Mr. Brightside," so here's what I've got... There is a lot of good here overall. You can see the potential of many of our young players... Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila and others. I truly believe that these players, coupled with our key vets and some additions, will make real noise next year. If they want to do so this year, though, they simply can't let games like today's (and the Bengals game, for the matter) slip away.
17. Of course, it would be just like this team to go out and beat Dallas next week.
18. Speaking of next week... PROGRAMMING NOTE: I will be off the grid next Sunday and Monday, so I'd like to find someone to fill in as a guest writer of my 20RT series. Any takers? (PM me!)
19. I don't know what to say about visiting teams taking over the stands. Frustrating, but I don't see any solution right now.
20. I'm not giving up on this season, by the way. Just frustrated by a really bad week.
