First Three Drives of the Game

[LACHAMP46]

What else you got?

Now, highlight the row to show the completion %%%. curious to see where he stands there....

But it still appears we settle for a large % of FG's when we get within scoring range...

 

[LACHAMP46]

Sorry that's a twist on words, yes every football player sacrifices his body in some capacity every game, that's why its even more essential not to take avoidable punishment.
There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism, in fact I enjoy reading many of the posters views and opinions
imo, yours just dont seem so constructive for some reason... case in point you dont seem as vocal after winning

Meh....you don't like when a guy tries to make a play and gets injured...I say, sometimes you gotta lay it on the line and you don't think about injuries.

I like victories....against top competition...and I'm pretty much the same.

I will agree, I hate to lose more than I enjoy winning.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Goff plays like a trailer? Than how come no comments about Ogletree playing like a tricycle? Did you even watch the game? If he makes that tackle and holds them to a 3 and out I think that’s a different game. Costed us a score, momentum and 8 more minutes our defense was on the field minus Brockers.

They did hold them to a FG....which made the score 16-10.....what did the offense do then?

Ogletree didn't play well...rather his best..(defense played ok most of the day) .Tree's been nursing some elbow thingy....Momentum...funny thing about momentum...a huge play can swing momentum. Tell me...how many momentum swinging plays did the QB make? He threw the ball 45 times.

Considering it was the kids first playoff game and STs put us in a 13-0 hole he stepped up and got us right back in the game with 2 awesome drives before the half. Wish I could say our defensive captain did the same.

It was most the teams 1st playoff game...ST's put us in a hole because the offense couldn't move the ball the first 2 drives...

One drive was awesome...it ended in a TD....every other drive...in the entire game...was a letdown.

 

[CGI_Ram]

yeah this is true but if you take away 2 turn overs and a missed ogeltree tackle time of possession would have been pretty even . i guess this just goes to show when you get in the play offs you seldom get away with mistakes

I was REALLY worried we be talking about missed opportunities with our kicker today.

Glad that’s not on our list of disappointments today.

 

[Merlin]

I'm not even mad the Rams lost, but that was some seriously poor play calling on those first three drives. You can play devil's advocate all you want, but you can't seriously tell me those would have been the plays you would have called if you were in charge.

I didn't say the play calling was perfect. Just pointing out that fans are always all over the play calls with no regard that had the players executed the play call correctly we'd all be applauding it. Response was to the OP and my goal in that conversation was to point out trying to wrap it all up as "McVay forgot to run the ball" is an oversimplification.

I'm sure there should have been some more runs for balance purposes. But man. Our problems in that game, as I pointed out above in another post, were significant. Players gotta play better brother, that's all I'm saying. From Goff to Gurley to the OL to the receivers on offense, and same deal on defense.

 

[Merlin]

Defend all you want...he played terrible last night...Pharoh Cooper and Goff were the major reasons for the defeat.

I do agree with this. Cooper obviously. Jared too though, he did not play well enough for us to win that game, and obviously McVay tried to put the game in his hands so clearly the coach saw some things he felt the kid would be able to get done.

And it's not Jared hate either, still think the kid is a great young QB. IMO that's where you're veering off the road man, in linking this early playoff game in his career with what you think his ceiling is.

Go back and watch the Patriots playoffs in 2001. Their defense made stop after stop when needed, in true Belichick fashion, while Brady did a good job of not turning the ball over/hurting his team. Brady was no tractor in that playoff series, but look deeper. That team gave up 13 to the Raiders, 17 to the Steelers, and 17 to our Rams en route to a Super Bowl win. And now everyone looks back at the magic of Tom Brady and how he won that Super Bowl with that last drive to allow for a game winning FG, when in truth had the Patriots defense not been able to keep us down as much as they did he would have looked positively Goff-like with his 20 ugly points (Goff threw 2 shoulda-been TDs at the end) in a losing affair.

It's about defense man. Repeat after me: the Rams are good at QB. All they need to do is improve the defense and add some depth here and there.

 

[Corbin]

McVay has a nasty habit of abandoning the run when he gets nervous. He's gotta shake that. When we stuck with the run, Gurley was looking great. When we abandoned it, our offense stalled. The Falcons' DBs were covering well all night. Goff was having to make a lot of tough throws. McVay could have really helped Goff out by riding Gurley like he knew he should have. I don't know what he was thinking.

My friend, you know I respect you, but we're not judging this in hindsight. Almost every single Rams fan went into this game saying that McVay cannot abandon the run. He did exactly that. We should have come out in the first half and ran it down their throats until they stopped it. That should have been the plan.

Excellent posts man. Just coming to the board from the loss. Was afraid that people were overblowing things ( as they are) and over looking the simpliest fact. We did'nt run the ball, utilize our MVP candidate, and became predictable as far as what defense to run.

This predicates our defense getting gassed, putting the D in bad positions, and not keeping the other offense off the field from scoring and burning the clock.

We could of overcame Pharohs turnovers if we just took what they gave us and the run was working. I was a firm believer that McVay stating in media interviews he knows in the playoffs hes got to establish the run and then build Goffs conifidence/rhythm up.

He did the opposite of that.

IMO he should of game planned this the same way he set up Todd and Jared in the first game of the year. This sucks.

 

[LesBaker]

View attachment 23645

That play must have escaped me..........what was the result I wonder.

IMO the jet sweep should show up on every drive that isn't obviously a three and out.

It works.

Well, if it's all the same to you, I'm gonna disagree with that assessment and do what I want anyway. Because for every example you can give of Goff being average, I can provide an equal amount of examples of how he's not. That, and I've seen average QBs before, and this ain't one of them.

You could easily find 5 to 1 examples..........and I've seen average guys too and no way in hell this is an average QB.

I didn't say the play calling was perfect. Just pointing out that fans are always all over the play calls with no regard that had the players executed the play call correctly we'd all be applauding it. Response was to the OP and my goal in that conversation was to point out trying to wrap it all up as "McVay forgot to run the ball" is an oversimplification.

I'm sure there should have been some more runs for balance purposes. But man. Our problems in that game, as I pointed out above in another post, were significant. Players gotta play better brother, that's all I'm saying. From Goff to Gurley to the OL to the receivers on offense, and same deal on defense.

Gurley is the best weapon on O in the NFL right now, and a BIG part of that is his ability to gash defenses with big gains on running plays. McVay panicked a bit and showed his "age" so to speak. He'll learn from it and I'd bet money if you asked him he would admit that he should have let Gurley get several more running plays.

I'll bet he doesn't make this mistake again..........it's one thing to do it during the regular season (which he has) it's another to do it while the whole wide world is looking and you got sent out of the playoffs because of it. It probably hurts and he'll lick the wounds and hopefully avoid the trap of trying to get the game to bend to him.

 

[Angry Ram]

Opening play Gurley gets 4 on the ground. Two incomplete passes followed. Punt.

Next drive, Gurley gets 8 on first down on the ground. Two incomplete passes followed. Punt.

Third drive, Gurley caught a pass on first for 3 yards. Two incomplete passes followed. Punt.

McVay is a HELLUVA coach, and we are lucky to have him. But he’s gotta learn. His inability to either establish the run or stick with the run cost us most of the games we lost this year.

Actually 2nd and 2, 3rd and 2 are great opps for big plays through the air. Really had no problems with that. I think on one of these drives (maybe the 1st drive) it was a screen to Todd that looked exactly liked the one against the Titans. Todd dropped it.

Just execute.

 

[jrry32]

Well, if it's all the same to you, I'm gonna disagree with that assessment and do what I want anyway. Because for every example you can give of Goff being average, I can provide an equal amount of examples of how he's not. That, and I've seen average QBs before, and this ain't one of them.

You're pissing into the wind. There are still a couple posters on this board who are out to prove that Wentz should have been our QB. It's like the Suh/Bradford debates. It doesn't matter what Goff does. They're going to short him when it comes to credit.

Thinking back to the game, I swear that Goff converted three 3rd and 10+ passing plays as well as a 2nd and 19 passing play. That throw 3rd down throw to Woods is one of the best I've ever seen. It was the perfect throw to a blanketed WR after Goff was forced to maneuver the pocket. Goff's deep throw to Woods down the seam was also absolutely gorgeous. Goff's TD pass to Kupp was gorgeous. Goff's dropped TD to Higbee was gorgeous. Goff's deep ball that went through Watkins's hands was perfectly thrown.

Goff was not perfect, but he made a number of incredible throws in his first playoff start. The Falcons had great coverage all day long. I was worried about that because they have three quality CBs. I really wish McVay would have made it a bit easier on the kid by committing more to the run early, but the fact is that this was still a winnable game. If the defense had gotten a stop when it was 19-13 or Higbee had caught the TD when it was 26-13, we would have had a fair shot at winning it. We simply didn't make the plays that needed to be made.

 

[-X-]

Goff was not perfect

And we shouldn't expect him to be either.
Not yet at least.

 

[JIMERAMS]

What else you got?

Champ scouring the internet for QBR stats that matter. haha

 

[Rod De Kruyf]

I wonder how good the Rams security is at their practice facility. Falcons seem to read our pass patterns very quickly. Just sayin.

 

[majrleaged]

McVay has a nasty habit of abandoning the run when he gets nervous. He's gotta shake that. When we stuck with the run, Gurley was looking great. When we abandoned it, our offense stalled. The Falcons' DBs were covering well all night. Goff was having to make a lot of tough throws. McVay could have really helped Goff out by riding Gurley like he knew he should have. I don't know what he was thinking.

I do believe we have to run and make it on 3rd and 4th and short. It has to be a given. I also believe play calling can make it easier to execute and I don't have much of a problem with last nights play calling other than the 3rd and 2. What really hurt us last night and in our previous losses is the turn overs and not getting 2 chances to get in rhythm early in the game. That also put us in catch up and dictated some of the play calling.

 

[RamDino]

Goff is a trailer because our team pulls him....as far as his throws downfield...or in the clutch...non-existent...esp. in big games...big moments. If we don't play outstanding around him, we don't win tough games.

He threw no interceptions. He threw a potential TD pass to Sammy Watkins.. Higbee dropped a potential TD in the end zone... I realize he could have done more, but to place all the blame at Goff's feet is just not true or fair.

 

[jrry32]

He threw no interceptions. He threw a potential TD pass to Sammy Watkins.. Higbee dropped a potential TD in the end zone... I realize he could have done more, but to place all the blame at Goff's feet is just not true or fair.

You're wasting your breath. He has an agenda, and he'll continue to push it no matter how much evidence exists to the contrary.

 

[Mackeyser]

Pharoh Cooper mistakes did make winning more difficult...probably directly contributed to the loss....but again, when a player is struggling, who's gonna make a play and pick him up? Who's gonna do it?

If the coach is calling plays for the QB to make throws, he must believe it will work, correct? Too many passes were off target...too many in such a big game...a huge game....and again, our QB came up small.


Thrilled...pleasure...saddened...suffered...self serving...

Dude...take the emotion out of it...game is over....this is just analyzing...from a bunch of fans....it's not that serious...and I take no joy in my comments...

You hate the word trailer...a bunch of you do...don't know why.

Some wondered why Marcus Marriota had a higher QBR than Goff...and his was in a loss....I wondered too....but just because I don't like/understand or know what the criteria is, I just don't discount a stat...because...like some genius once said, I realize that those dudes at ESPN may know more than me...I was watching a lil of the Titans game...last night as well...and ....and...that dudes a Tractor too...ahahahaahahahahahah! I can't explain it....but that dude is pulling his team....not as accurate...so what...running QB, only the silly care about that. Dude woke his team up with a block...do something to win the game...lift guys up.

Goff is a trailer because our team pulls him....as far as his throws downfield...or in the clutch...non-existent...esp. in big games...big moments. If we don't play outstanding around him, we don't win tough games.

Well, yeah.

The trailer take is complete BS and factually as easy to disprove as the merits of Trickle Down Economics. And yet, some people still believe in that. Doesn't give it any more merit.

As for emotion, HELL YES. I spent more than a year trying to communicate that just because I have this "pattern" thing that it doesn't mean I don't desperately want our team to win. Emotion isn't a bad thing. Passion for the game and our team is the whole point. Sport is the crucible of human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice.

I have no problem saying I'm THRILLED when we win or execute an amazing play, that the team brings me great joy and PLEASURE, that I'm SADDENED by losses and that collectively as Rams fans, we've SUFFERED under poor coaching, drafting and player execution.

As for QBR, it was specifically a metric to account for the running contribution of QBs, but it so overvalues running that it's a worthless metric. Actually, it's beyond worthless because a QB can run for 50 yards, throw for 100 yards, 1TD, 1 INT and have a MUCH higher rating than a QB that throws for 200 yards with 2TDs and 1 INT. And the QB who only threw for 100 can be substantially less accurate. So...less yards, lower TD:INT ratio, and less overall production, but a lot higher rated? That's the textbook definition of a worthless stat.

As for Mariotta throwing that block, let's break that down. He didn't so much act like a fullback as simply put a shoulder on a guy and get in his way. He's lucky the blocker didn't drill him into dust. And if the guy had taken Mariotta to the ground and they lost him for the rest of the playoffs? Then what? There's a reason Mike Martz isn't in the league anymore and it's not because he doesn't still know offensive football. It's because he exposed his QB too much. QBs are too valuable to lose on a block which is why they aren't supposed to do it. Mariotta got away with one, but it's not like you would want that to happen on a regular basis. That's how QBs end up with career ending injuries.

And as we say in gaming, dead men do no damage. Which means Wentz is the same as... you or me and will be just as productive in the playoffs. So Wentz will have a choice to go the RG3 route and not develop his passing while he "makes plays" only to be out of the league in a few years or he can remember that his job is to make plays by throwing the ball.

But seriously, when Goff has a great game? Silence. And that's BS. If you're going to offer analysis, you simply can't only jump in when you think he's messed up and then shout, "SEE! He's a trailer!" That's not analysis. That's simply not liking a player and finding any justification to crap on him.

If you want to carry on this issue you have with Goff which is NOT based on any analysis where facts are employed, there's not going to be a lot to talk about.

You're enamored with the "playmaking" running QBs. I hate them, but you really like them. And that part is fine. To each their own. Thing is, we don't have one and the QB for the Rams for hopefully the next decade and a half... is Goff.

 

[JoeBo21]

bottom line is we're undefeated when Gurley gets 20 carries... last night. 16 carries.

I love McVay but he's seriously the dumbest smart person I've ever seen. blows my fucking mind. feed Gurley = we win. period. proven. "Na, hold my beer" - McVay

plus we lost the turnover battle. doesn't help. especially in the playoffs

 

[LACHAMP46]

As for QBR, it was specifically a metric to account for the running contribution of QBs, but it so overvalues running that it's a worthless metric.

Running QB's won this weekend...

There are very few pure pocket passers that can just win a game with their arms...

If QBR was as invaluable as you claim, they wouldn't still be using it...I think the QBR is a weird stat too...I kinda don't like PFF...but I do understand there is value in many....metrics...that are in fact measured by "others"...just cause our guy doesn't project well using it...doesn't mean it's valueless.
I think this weekend showed what the hell QBR measures....Marriota was ballin....Our guy stunk...

As for Mariotta throwing that block, let's break that down. He didn't so much act like a fullback as simply put a shoulder on a guy and get in his way. He's lucky the blocker didn't drill him into dust. And if the guy had taken Mariotta to the ground and they lost him for the rest of the playoffs? Then what?

It was a game changing play...A winning play. A play great athletes make and do in the heat of the moment. Matt Ryan was doing something similar...against our aggressive defense...stepping up...throwing off his back foot...making plays....you must hate playmakers? Silly....look at the number of QB's that advanced this week...Marriota, Brees, Ryan, and Bortles.....only one of those guys is a statue....and he was moving his ass off in the Coliseum.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts....they didn't...neither did Bortles...getting hurt is a crap shoot. It's football.

There's a reason Mike Martz isn't in the league anymore and it's not because he doesn't still know offensive football.

It's because he lost. Simple....meritocracy at it's best and purest form.

But seriously, when Goff has a great game? Silence. And that's BS.

That's a lie Mack....I've often said he played well...I don't think great games versus inferior opponents count for much...so I'm never gonna hype a great game versus a terrible defense. Proof is in the pudding. Playing well versus sorry teams means your just a decent guy...Play well against a good team...play well when some teammates aren't.

You're enamored with the "playmaking" running QBs. I hate them, but you really like them.

I am enamored with WINNING QB's...it's that simple...

bottom line is we're undefeated when Gurley gets 20 carries... last night. 16 carries.

I love McVay but he's seriously the dumbest smart person I've ever seen. blows my freaking mind. feed Gurley = we win. period. proven.

Question....is the #1 overall pick allowed to audible? I mean, does he EVER call a fuckin play? Does he know this stat? Or is he still wondering where the sun rises?

3 drives....makeable 3rd downs on 2 off them....and he choose to pass...which I'm cool with...it was the throws I'm a lil disheartened with...the "accuracy"....lol..."he's so accurate....he's so smart...."

 

[LACHAMP46]

He threw no interceptions. He threw a potential TD pass to Sammy Watkins.. Higbee dropped a potential TD in the end zone... I realize he could have done more, but to place all the blame at Goff's feet is just not true or fair.

His job is to get the offense in the endzone...
I think I counted 1 pass to Watkins with 5 mins left in the game....Sammy Watkins...leads our team in TD receptions...in 39 passes caught.
Potential td pass...he threw 45 passes...there was a defender in his hip pocket....on that "potential" td pass to Watkins...there was an earlier "potential" td pass that was batted away...when he was MORE open...but lets not waste time with potential...lets stay with facts.

Higbee did drop a tough catch....he lost it on the way down...tough play...closely defended too...Higbee has been dropping tough catches his entire career. At some point...Goff has got to find a way to get it to the real playmakers...guys that come through...that get it done....guys that LEAD THE TEAM IN TD RECEPTIONS...woods, gurley, and watkins. hell, throw it to kupp before higbee...oh yeah, he already had thrown him about 18 passes:sadwalk:

You're wasting your breath. He has an agenda, and he'll continue to push it no matter how much evidence exists to the contrary.

he ha& s a right to be heard counselor...just like me....
USC, UCLA, STANFORD, OREGON, & probably UTAH
never won a big game...never....never was MORE pro ready...never had this deep ball accuracy....deep ball wobbles...never had superior accuracy or arm strength....not cool under pressure...in fact, seems to lack emotion at all...

decent player...nice arm...probably a lil less talent than Matt Ryan....more like the red riffle in Cinnc...Andy Dalton...won't win big without major talent around him.

Seems to have developed good chemistry with a very average receiver....Woods....and seems to like throwing to an even slower receiver, Kupp, who has problems with yards after the catch...and Higbee who has some terrible hands for a big guy.

Yeah, I got an agenda...to tell it like I see it...you show me your evidence...hell, show the board...

I gotta real agenda, to educate some guys about football...you don't win playoff games with trailers at QB. Coddled guys...you need winners...guys that if one thing isn't working, will go to something else....immediately....not 4th quarter, oh shit, down by 2 scores, lets see if Sammy W. can bail us out. 14 carries for Gurley? Ah shit, I'ma audible and give Todd G some touches....smart guy...sun sets in west....:baghead: