Divisional playoff game @TB | What went wrong? ; How do we correct those issues?

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Steve808

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Did I hear wrong or did our kicker have some kind of injury in pregame warm ups?
 

ArkyRamsFan

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I thought McVay called a solid game, there were a couple times when I thought maybe play action on first since they were keying on the run.
2 things to me
1 Akers was starting to pick up yards and that came from the commitment to the run
2 you really need to let your O linemen lean on someone instead of back peddle. running the ball is more than feeding the RB it is feeding the O.L too
Yeah my only complaint was that Coach Mac kept calling for runs up the gut. He kept sending Akers into a front seven that led the league in run defense. I would have much preferred if he had sent Cam wide on some sweeps to mix it up and keep Tampa guessing.
Also your idea about using play action is solid.
I like the commitment to the run but it can't be as basic as it was today. Heck on the one jet sweep he called Van got 15 yards.
Hopefully Coach Mac mixes it up when we play the Plague from SF next week.

~ArkyRamsFan~
 

SWAdude

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About the run........

This is a chess game with gladiators.

A run for no gain does not mean it was not productive.

It sets up other plays.

From my seat that did very well.

Cam does very well and had a game where his rust showed holding onto the ball.......I hope.

This team is more set up to win the Lombardy more than any other team in our history.

Big statement but for real. 1999 was a cinderella story.

This is not.
 

Steve808

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I think Sony Michel needs to play a bigger role in our run game. Against the cardinals, he started the game with a 35 yard run and was hardly seen again. Akers has more pop but those fumbles need to stop.

No way we beat the whiners if we lose 4 fumbles.
 

Merlin

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I agree with Sony getting more carries. Need to give him those first down predictable carries, let him soften things up over time.

I'd ensure final balance favors Akers but they should be somewhat close.
 

HE WITH HORNS

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I think Sony Michel needs to play a bigger role in our run game. Against the cardinals, he started the game with a 35 yard run and was hardly seen again. Akers has more pop but those fumbles need to stop.

No way we beat the whiners if we lose 4 fumbles.

Michel has literally won a SB before. He helped beat us in a SB. You feed him the rock the next two weeks.
 

Merlin

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Michel has literally won a SB before. He helped beat us in a SB. You feed him the rock the next two weeks.
I think if you give him a good low to mid teens carry total we would feel him. And he's the most physical runner so he should be the guy you send into the breach on first down and they're sitting on it.
 

payote75

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What I don't get is this front 7 (being tampa)is way better than the whiners now we were not able to run great but we passed blocked very well. Why is it so much more difficult against the whiners? They have a very good front 7 but to me it does not compare to Tampa and yet on the road we were able to control them for the most part yet that the whiners look like the iron curtain against us.
 

Merlin

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What I don't get is this front 7 (being tampa)is way better than the whiners now we were not able to run great but we passed blocked very well. Why is it so much more difficult against the whiners? They have a very good front 7 but to me it does not compare to Tampa and yet on the road we were able to control them for the most part yet that the whiners look like the iron curtain against us.
I think the 9ers released the hounds. When you rush with no regard for stopping the run you're unrestricted by the run fit and it's easier. You can also run instinctive type stunts and not worry about holes you can drive a golf cart through as you're just chasing the QB. Rams OL will lose pressure somewhere on most rushes to that DL if they're pinning their ears back.

Ray Lewis suggested Tampa do that this week with their DL btw on one of those pregame vids. But the Rams did a good job with those periodic runs that kept Tampa honest, like the ones everyone bitched about in the GDT on first down.

If you go back to that 9er game we lost... In the first half the Rams OL was getting enough run calls to keep them in it. The moment McVay conceded the run game shit went south. That game was part of the reason he was so disciplined today IMO.
 

Kupped

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What I don't get is this front 7 (being tampa)is way better than the whiners now we were not able to run great but we passed blocked very well. Why is it so much more difficult against the whiners? They have a very good front 7 but to me it does not compare to Tampa and yet on the road we were able to control them for the most part yet that the whiners look like the iron curtain against us.
Who says that front is better than the 9ers?
 

Braindead

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I don't think the team got real issues. It's not like we had a lot of fumbles this season. It was a game where almost everything that could go wrong went wrong - and yet we won.
It shows we can win against good opponents even if we make a lot of mistakes and our kicker is reliable when the game is at stake. I just hope we packed all our playoff mistakes in that game. ;) I'm confident that after the last embarrassing defeat against SF, the team will play angy, will reach the SB and win the trophy.

Maybe I'm biased as a fan, but I don't care. Go Rams!!!
 

payote75

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Who says that front is better than the 9ers?

Suh and vita are pretty damn good then JPP and Barrett then add on two amazing linebackers..
I know there can be an argument made but I feel that front is better all around and they can cover well when needed. But it's like @Merlin said game plan and how you choose to use them.

General point is even if they are equal we handled them on better than ok in Tampa so just think while might be similar might be more in our heads and coach mcvays head because we should be able to beat these guys.
 

AvengerRam

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Before yesterday, Cam Akers had 244 touches as a pro and only one fumble. Hopefully, yesterday was just a fluke.
 

Psycho_X

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If fumbles don't happen nothing is wrong with anything. McVay called a great game that should have easily won. But bad snap, Akers and Kupp both fumble and gives Bucs short fields that left our defense running back out way too quickly over and over again. If one or two of the four turnovers don't happen the game isn't even close. You have to call the game trusting your players to be fundamentally sound.

The only thing I think McVay did wrong was pushing Akers to play as much as he did. I'd rather the run carries be split between Akers and Michel going forward (maybe 60/40 respectively) with a Akers being used more in the passing game. The Whiners are a great team to get Akers involved in a quick passing attack to negate that front 7 teeing off on Stafford which is what I thought they should have done in second half of last game.