A few impressions from that Giant game…

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Rams43

Hall of Fame
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
4,233
I haven’t rewatched it yet and didn’t do replays during the broadcast, either. So these are just general impressions after waiting 24 hours to post.

Once again the Rams have started the 1st quarter very slowly and on both sides of the ball, tbh. Hard to understand why that keeps happening. But once they get rolling, Hoo Boy!

We must temper our enthusiasm about beating these injury wracked Giants. It was never a fair fight in the first place.

That 28 point 2nd quarter was one for the books. Been a while since we’ve seen such domination.

Loved Shlereth’s description of Rams running the ball down Giants throats in the 4th quarter as ‘soul sucking’. Priceless.

We all miss Akers, of course, but Hendo and Michel are proving to be much more than adequate for a potential SB run given this QB and this OL.

WTH is up with Wolford? That was NOT confidence inspiring, was it? Too early to think that McVay is starting to have second thoughts about his backup QB pecking order? Wolford vs Perkins? Hmmmmm…

Don’t look now, but Morris seems to be finally making some personnel and scheme adjustments. Emphasis on ‘Finally’. Ramsey played more outside, Rochell has replaced Long, Rapp played more down in the box (to his strengths), Burgess got some snaps at Safety replacing Rapp back there, Deayon got lots of snaps, and most of all it seemed like Morris called a more Staley-like aggressive D after that 1st quarter. Results speak for themselves, don’t you think?

Rochell is learning on the job and sometimes the hard way. And yet he is mentally strong and makes big plays here and there. I love the kid and think his future is bright. If he’s got the football smarts I think he does then this season is gonna prep him to be DW’s ‘22 replacement, as planned.

Deayon is kinda small but boy is he ever sticky. Saw him lots on my TV screen. Nice instincts, too.

Okay, Lewis is winning me over. Not only with his play but mostly because he is showing that he can stay healthy enough to be a consistent contributor. His health was always the only concern from his fanbase. Kudos to Lewis and Reggie and his stellar crew.

Nice to see some backups getting game snaps. Boom and Jones in particular since I suspect that both are in long range Ram plans for ‘22 and beyond. Wouldn’t mind seeing Bobby Brown get in there for a few snaps, too.

Heck, it was great to see Rams empty their bench in that 4th quarter. Good experience for many players and great injury insurance for the Rams.

I continue to be very impressed with this ‘new’ Rams OL. Both running and pass pro are very high quality and make all other Rams O players so much more effective. That old axiom is so true that says it all starts up front.

Well, Mundt is hurt and they say it might be serious. What will McVay do? Hopkins or Harris? Or both in a platoon format?

Rams found a way to get the football in Skowronek’s hands, didn’t they? Too bad about that BS ref call. Skowronek is a football player which is about the highest compliment one can give him. We’re gonna be seeing a lot more from that young man beyond ST over the years, I suspect.

Did anybody notice whether Fuller was played back in his ‘20 role while someone else played the JJ role? I’ve seen that suggested by some but I couldn’t tell whether Morris actually did it.

About Morris. I’ve been quite critical of him through the first 4 games but I will now give him credit for (finally) making needed adjustments. Rochell, Rapp, Burgess, Ramsey (less star), and Deayon were all smart personnel/scheme moves. Seemed more aggressive after that passive 1st quarter, too. Better late than never, but still. The important thing is that those decisions were made. BTW, do you suppose that McVay ‘helped’ Morris to come to those decisions? Hmmmmm…

Couple more games against weaker competition and it would be a perfect opportunity for tweaking and continuing to give snaps to development players in blowouts. Been a LONG time since such an idea could even be seriously suggested.

I continue to believe that the Rams are a top 5 team and a serious contender for a SB run. By game 10-12 I expect the Rams to be firing on all cylinders both on O and on D.

Hot Damn!
 

Kupped

Legend
Joined
Aug 5, 2021
Messages
8,881
Name
Kupped
Good stuff.
I would certainly hope McVay helped Morris out and there wouldn't be a "Hmmmm" attached.. I mean, he brought Morris in to run someone else's defense that he hadn't run before. He BETTER be helping him with it.
 

JonRam99

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
2,445
Name
Jonathan
I continue to believe that the Rams are a top 5 team and a serious contender for a SB run. By game 10-12 I expect the Rams to be firing on all cylinders both on O and on D.

Hot Damn!

Ya getting the D firing on all cylinders is crucial. Morris working the bugs out. Rapp needs to be a box safety & nothing else. He better be careful keeping his eyes in the backfield tho. Might burn us sometime.
TL.... keep getting stronger bro. We need a monster at the other OLB spot. 99 & 52 playing on the same side is an overload.
 

Loyal

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
31,127
I think it's insane that we not only scored 28 points in the 2nd quarter....even more impressive. the 28 points came with 10 or so minutes left in the 2nd quarter when the beat down commenced.....
 

Rambitious1

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Feb 4, 2013
Messages
4,629
Name
Tom
Good stuff.
I would certainly hope McVay helped Morris out and there wouldn't be a "Hmmmm" attached.. I mean, he brought Morris in to run someone else's defense that he hadn't run before. He BETTER be helping him with it.

And….I hope Morris stays with those changes.
 

Riverumbbq

Angry Progressive
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
11,962
Name
River
Once again the Rams have started the 1st quarter very slowly and on both sides of the ball, tbh. Hard to understand why that keeps happening. But once they get rolling, Hoo Boy!

WTH is up with Wolford? That was NOT confidence inspiring, was it? Too early to think that McVay is starting to have second thoughts about his backup QB pecking order? Wolford vs Perkins? Hmmmmm…

Unlike the previous games, I attribute the poor 1'st quarter against the Giants as mostly on the terrible officiating. It actually appeared blatant as if they were trying to swing the games direction. I'm still waiting on details of the 'poor-sportsmanship' penalty.

With Wolford, it may just be rust, he didn't play at all during the pre-season games as he was out due to Covid. His last NFL game was in the play-offs last year against Green Bay.
jmo.
 

Q729

Legend
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
13,404
Unlike the previous games, I attribute the poor 1'st quarter against the Giants as mostly on the terrible officiating. It actually appeared blatant as if they were trying to swing the games direction. I'm still waiting on details of the 'poor-sportsmanship' penalty.

With Wolford, it may just be rust, he didn't play at all during the pre-season games as he was out due to Covid. His last NFL game was in the play-offs last year against Green Bay.
jmo.
Yeah, I jokingly said in the GDT that the refs were just trying their best to keep the game entertaining for as long as possible. It was a dominating performance to watch, but I'm not putting too much stock in any kind of measuring sticks with this game. The Giants are just in shambles at this point. That's not even me being cautiously optimistic either. Just stating something. lol. But also if you really were a shit show of a team you probably would lose or barely squeak by a team in shambles, so there's that...
 

Merlin

Damn the torpedoes
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2023 TOP Member
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
41,120
Loved Shlereth’s description of Rams running the ball down Giants throats in the 4th quarter as ‘soul sucking’. Priceless.
That was actually the third quarter if memory serves, during the first drive of the second half, when the Rams destroyed 9:45 of clock time on a drive that ended with a field goal. Honestly you could see the fight drain out of the Giants defense during that drive and he was on point with that comment.

Way back in high school I recall vividly a loss where the other team ran the ball on us all day long. It was bad. The OL was in fact telling us what was coming, they'd say "this one's up the middle bitches." And we couldn't stop it. We were beaten by the end of the first quarter.

This is why I have always loved and respected the power run game. It has impact that doesn't always get recognized by the high flying focused offenses you see in the league, but by God if you have it in the playoffs it's something that can get you a long way. The caveat is that you need a complementary defense to do it because you have to be able to endure some stalled drives early on while you're wearing them down.
 

AvengerRam

Benevolent Troublemaker
Joined
May 9, 2018
Messages
5,390
Weak opponents:

Before: “Don’t take them lightly! This could be a trap game! Remember the Jets!”

After: “We’ll, yeah…we won by 27, but it was against a bad team!”

Sigh.
 

Elmgrovegnome

Legend
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
23,233
The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Ravens ran all over them. I recall that being a problem for the Rams last year. I’m wondering if that’s why Morris had made some of the changes he did early on. The Rams faced some good offenses.

Now may be the time to experiment. Maybe this is more of the defense we see when the Rams are leading and forcing a team to be one dimensional.

Which leads me to the slow starts. Slow starts do not help the defense at all. I understand McVay’s frustration. It needs to be fixed ASAP.
 

Ram Ts

Hall of Fame
Joined
Mar 23, 2020
Messages
2,402
The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Ravens ran all over them. I recall that being a problem for the Rams last year. I’m wondering if that’s why Morris had made some of the changes he did early on. The Rams faced some good offenses.

Now may be the time to experiment. Maybe this is more of the defense we see when the Rams are leading and forcing a team to be one dimensional.
I have no idea if this is the case or not. But it sure as heck makes me feel better thinking that it is. So I’m just gonna assume you are onto something here Elm - and feel like we’re better for it with Morris. At worst, ignorance is bliss lol.
 

Riverumbbq

Angry Progressive
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
11,962
Name
River
Weak opponents:

Before: “Don’t take them lightly! This could be a trap game! Remember the Jets!”

After: “We’ll, yeah…we won by 27, but it was against a bad team!”

Sigh.

Aren't 'trap' games usually against perceived weaker teams ? I posted about the Cards as being a potential trap game, yet didn't/don't see the Giants, Lions or Texans as trap games. I worry some about the Titans game as we should be coming off 4 big wins against lesser teams, and while Tennessee has underperformed, they still remain formidable, especially if being taken for granted. They could also catch us looking forward towards the 49'er game the following week.
jmo.
 

gogoat1

Pro Bowler
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
1,334
Name
Troy
Does McVay hate the Giants coach ? Did anyone notice right before halftime with what 17 seconds left, up BIG TIME and the Rams are throwing it deep trying for more points in a blowout.
We have all seen McVay run it up the middle in close games right before the half when we needed points.
If that was Belicheat, someone McVay respects he would not have slung it around right before halftime.
Did you notice McVay getting all pissed at Stafford when he threw the Int as time ran out ??
 

Riverumbbq

Angry Progressive
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
11,962
Name
River
Does McVay hate the Giants coach ? Did anyone notice right before halftime with what 17 seconds left, up BIG TIME and the Rams are throwing it deep trying for more points in a blowout.
We have all seen McVay run it up the middle in close games right before the half when we needed points.
If that was Belicheat, someone McVay respects he would not have slung it around right before halftime.
Did you notice McVay getting all pissed at Stafford when he threw the Int as time ran out ??

That Stafford interception was on Kupp, not our QB. I hate the way stats measure this.
 

Merlin

Damn the torpedoes
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2023 TOP Member
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
41,120
I'm sincerely proud of ROD for not having a John Wolford vent thread this week.
Well since you mentioned it... The job of the backup when he enters a game with a big lead is to not fuck it up. So basically don't fumble it or make risky throws. So his outing was pretty bad.

McVay responded by running the ball thereafter. IMO Wolford took a hit there with that INT, that's the kind of shit that makes your coach lose confidence in you.
 

Merlin

Damn the torpedoes
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2023 TOP Member
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
41,120
Does McVay hate the Giants coach ? Did anyone notice right before halftime with what 17 seconds left, up BIG TIME and the Rams are throwing it deep trying for more points in a blowout.
We have all seen McVay run it up the middle in close games right before the half when we needed points.
If that was Belicheat, someone McVay respects he would not have slung it around right before halftime.
Did you notice McVay getting all pissed at Stafford when he threw the Int as time ran out ??
McVay is an ultra-competitive MFer. Before halftime he was pissed that they didn't get another score because he has those high expectations. I cracked up when they cut to the sideline and McVay was going over the play with Stafford because you know he was drilling the corrections into his QB about what went wrong.

What he's trying to do is tune this offense up and turn it into a championship unit. It has nothing to do with the Giants or their coach and everything to do with him wanting to get the most from an immensely talented QB in Stafford so he'll be ready to run the table in the playoffs.

This is why we're gonna see people talking Stafford up here soon wrt MVP. But none of that shit really matters, what matters is Stafford taking the hard coaching (which I think he is), as well as having that run game and defensive balance both operating at peak performance when the playoffs start. This season is only about one type of hardware.
 

iamme33

Pro Bowler
Joined
Dec 24, 2013
Messages
1,210
Name
dan
Deayon is kinda small but boy is he ever sticky. Saw him lots on my TV screen. Nice instincts, too.

yeah i have about given up on small corners but me being from idaho and deayou being from boise st has made deayon grow 3 inches and add 15 lbs. i have to say go raminbroncks. also i think it is not to early to think about perkins over wolford especially after the preseason that perkins had