Fishers M.O. and why I'm not freaking out

[badnews]

Gentlemen, lets lay down the pitchforks and snuff the torches.
It's way too early for that.

Fisher uses these preseason games as practice and evaluation. He knows he can't win the division in august. He shows nothing, plans nothing and ideally loses no one to injury.
Even under the new CBA, the season is a long one. Like in every other sport, winning in the post season is about peaking at the right time and the NFL season is a war of attrition.
We blitz on every play, why you ask? So our players on defense get plenty of reps at rushing the passer. We're not attacking weaknesses, not using decoys, not playing at full speed.

If we can finish just south of .500 with Clemens, Hill and Davis as our starting QBs, we could have finished with winning seasons with a starting caliber QB.
I'm fairly certain that what we see against the Colts will be drastically different from what we have seen so far.... because it's always this way with Fisher. Think about all the games where we've said "where has this team been?!?"
Let's stop ignoring our own recent history.
Fisher has his flaws... but running him out of town for bad preseason games is the height of impatience.

As for players, please everyone, for the love of God, please stick to being armchair GMs and couch QBs and leave the psych evaluations and body language interpretations alone.

This team is not better than last year's team yet, but it's certainly not worse yet either. We haven't seen them yet. You have not watched a Rams game yet. I know it's tough to see the uniforms, the horns on the helmets, the players and not think it's a game.... but it isnt, not to our HC anyways.

I recognize that for many, getting mad or just over-reacting is simply how you like your football. In that case, by all means, carry on. It's not my prerogative to tell you all how to get your Rams on....
...except the body language stuff. Stop that, it's silly.

Happy good morning time everyone!

 

[Sleepy1711]

Awesome post.

Much better than most posts calling out certain players and putting coach in the hot seat after two preseason games.

Relax ppl, let's wait two more weeks before we can officially panic, if need be.

 

[JUMAVA68]

The preseason games I could less about if we win,lose or draw.Its the notoriously slow starts year after year that has to change.We don't really get going until the 5th or 6th game which tells me that the preseason was not effective in getting the players ready.So something has to change because as meaningless as those preseason games are in the win-loss column, they are essential to getting the players are ready which is not happening.

 

[Faceplant]

A lot of people on their high and mighty horses around these here parts recently. Apparently, there is not one area of this team that can be criticized or questioned in any way without the condescending committee coming out in force. The scary thing is...go look at the posts from this time last year. Concern about the running game and lack of offensive execution. Concern about the poor tackling......and TONS of "please people, you are stupid if you think preseason means anything" posts. Well, its a year later and we are at it again, haha.....

 

[badnews]

A lot of people on their high and mighty horses around these here parts recently. Apparently, there is not one area of this team that can be criticized or questioned in any way without the condescending committee coming out in force. The scary thing is...go look at the posts from this time last year. Concern about the running game and lack of offensive execution. Concern about the poor tackling......and TONS of "please people, you are stupid if you think preseason means anything" posts. Well, its a year later and we are at it again, haha.....

So you and many others can post all the negative shit you want, but my posts about why I disagree are somehow less valid?

I'm not telling anyone that everything is going to be fine. I'm simply saying that all is not lost yet either.

Sorry about my opinion and how it's different from the one you have. My bad.
I guess we should just scrap this season since you've seen it all before...

 

[Faceplant]

Yeah, dude take it easy. That is not my MO at all. How is having concerns about what you see (and have seen for years) on the field interpreted as attacking the team??? Some peeps may go on the attack, but I certainly don't feel that I have. And please do not go quoting me from the "Gameday Thread". Good luck finding anything positive from anyone in there....

 

[snackdaddy]

All I know is Fisher's MO is 1-3 in the preseason and 1-3 to start the regular season. Not exactly inspiring.

 

[badnews]

Yeah, dude take it easy. Go find all the "negative crap" that I have posted. I will wait here. That is not my MO at all. How is having concerns about what you see (and have seen for years) on the field interpreted as attacking the team??? Some peeps may go on the attack, but I certainly don't feel that I have.

Fair enough. All I've seen since Oakland is that the sky is falling. My apologies. However...You're the one that said I'm on my high horse,(and mighty too) so I naturally assumed....

 

[Big Game]

Badnews I totally agree with you. I even posted before that Fisher has never shown anything in preseason. You made a good point about the up coming Colts preseason game (which i will be attending) we will probably see a different team. That has been his M.O.

I think the frustration for many comes from the fact the Rams keep preaching "we must get off to a fast start" then you see the first two preseason games and its exactly what we have seen in years past that contributed to slow starts.

Although i'm not one who is quick to just cast off the season I can see how some feel a certain kind of way.

I do feel the team will be ready to play Seattle come September 13 and that Fisher will have some tricks up his sleeve and the Rams will come off victorious. And i can't wait to party and go on the field with all my "RamsOnDemand" brothers to celebrate!!! :rockon::cheers:

As of right now we just have to wait and see.

 

[PFaulk]

This may be fairly naive thinking, but I really do believe that Todd Gurley is going to entirely change the way this team plays offense when he gets up to speed and knocks the rust off.

I think he's that kind of player.

I know that this defense can play. It's basically the same unit that shut down the Raiders and the Redskins and the Broncos over the second half of last year. The way I see it, they have two and a half more weeks to regain the form they've already displayed...whether they do that in an exhibition or not is not as of much consequence as that they are ready to do so against Seattle.

I don't know how we can possibly get around the notion of the offense being a work in progress. New OC, new QB, three new linemen including at least two players who haven't played an NFL snap, Quick healing...it's going to be a process. No amount of points scored in exhibitions would have me thinking it's not when we're playing with live ammo.

But I believe in this defense, and I believe in Gurley, when the rubber meets the road.

So whatever happens in these exhibitions happens. I'm not taking them as an indictment for how the team will perform against Seattle. I just hope they are ready, whatever it takes.

 

[Fatbot]

Everyone lies somewhere on this spectrum right now. Almost all are in the middle. Some are venting.
Preseason is meaningless so all people want to see is the vets look solid and the rookies look promising, real or not, and no injuries.
No need to call out anyone personally for their current place on the panic spectrum. I'd rather stick to the issues people are raising and discuss rationally, this board is known for positive discourse especially when things look bleakest for some.

 

[Alan]

badnews not sure we should light the torches until we get closer to Frankenstein's castle:
lets lay down the pitchforks and snuff the torches.

Fisher uses these preseason games as practice and evaluation. He knows he can't win the division in august. He shows nothing, plans nothing and ideally loses no one to injury.
Even under the new CBA, the season is a long one. Like in every other sport, winning in the post season is about peaking at the right time and the NFL season is a war of attrition.

Let's stop ignoring our own recent history.

Happy good morning time everyone!

A couple of observations here in reverse order.

Good morning to you too!

It's never a good idea to ignore our recent history. Unfortunately, that recent history is a picture of a team not ready for the regular season.

You say that like it's a good thing. Whatever he's doing in the preseason has not been working out well for the Rams so far has it?

As you said though, it's not the time to panic. If we look this bad after the next preseaon then THAT"S the time to panic. Or not. I'm ready for both eventualities.
or

 

[Frogbelly]

Ok, I'll drink this Kool Aid. Matter of fact, it put a little sugar back in it.

 

[Ram Quixote]

When I watch the preseason, and see how the Rams aren't doing well, my first thought is, "Oh hell. Here come to doom and gloomers."

 

[Faceplant]

Fair enough. All I've seen since Oakland is that the sky is falling. My apologies. However...You're the one that said I'm on my high horse,(and mighty too) so I naturally assumed....

I did not mean to call you or anyone else out, so I apologize as well if it sounded that way. We are all looking for things to give us any indication of what this team will eventually look like this season. This may be a fools task in the preseason, but I believe there are indicators if you look closely. Last year, I was concerned with many of the same things as I am this year. Unfortunately, the 2014 regular season did not do much to change that perception.

So I guess that is one reason why I get irritated with those that say there is nothing to be gleaned from these games. In the case of this team, over the last few years, there absolutely has been. At least to me. Of course I realize that we have not yet seen the team with full participation or scheme, and I know that we should continue to improve. I just hope to see it early in the season rather than after they have been eliminated from the playoff race.

 

[PA Ram]

Not to be Debby Downer but Fisher's M.O. is also to have 6 winning seasons in 20 years.

Compare that to Andy Reid who has 10 winning seasons in 16 years.

Don't get me wrong---I'm a HUGE Rams fan and I will always have hope and optimism until it's no longer possible to have hope and optimism. Until they are eliminated mathematically, I will maintain hope. I do that every year.

On the other hand I never see anything wrong with fans getting angry, frustrated, or venting about things they see and do not like. It doesn't make them any less of a fan. Being a fan is an emotional thing. We do crazy things, act crazy ways and often have unrealistic expectations. I can remember watching a Rams game a few years back and the Rams were winning. I had a fan on in the living room and my wife came in and turned it off. The Rams suddenly played like crap and lost. I blamed her for shutting the fan off.

Nuts, I know.

But fans don't have to be reasonable or calm or even sane about this sport we love. I have no problem with being honest about how you feel at any given moment in regards to the team. And both sides can make excellent points. But as individuals we all have to approach and process all of this in our own way. For some that's a calm analytical approach and that's fine. For others it's throwing shoes at the television set.

I don't care how people react or respond because in the end--if the team IS successful these passionate fans will be there right next to the calm, golf clapping, tea sippers(just kidding)because this is the way it has always been.

For me, I go back and forth(calm to anger to calm)--try to have a sense of humor and to remember that no matter what happens, it is not the most important thing in my life. It's important to me--but not THE most important thing.

But as far as the Rams go--when they play horribly they deserve the blowback they get from the fans--plain and simple. They have earned it--just as they earn applause and cheers when they perform well. And make no mistake--it isn't even always about winning--it's how they look, how they play. Sometimes you can lay it all on the line and still lose. But when it looks like sloppy mistakes are being made, poor effort, mental errors or an attitude is displayed that says you just don't care or you just aren't prepared....well, put your helmets on because there will be fallout.

I guess I'm saying that everyone will approach their reactions to a game in their own way and that's okay.

And don't get me wrong--I love optimism.

 

[PFaulk]

A lot of people on their high and mighty horses around these here parts recently. Apparently, there is not one area of this team that can be criticized or questioned in any way without the condescending committee coming out in force. The scary thing is...go look at the posts from this time last year. Concern about the running game and lack of offensive execution. Concern about the poor tackling......and TONS of "please people, you are stupid if you think preseason means anything" posts. Well, its a year later and we are at it again, haha.....

I am not sure if the eventual momentum they gained by starting Mason and playing defense with better fundamentals could have been something they could have ironed out earlier on in the season if they had approached exhibitions in the preseason differently.

It's possible. But I don't think we've proven that.

Concurrently, I don't know if the current preseason results are a harbinger for another slow regular season start on defense, or just a result of them working on some things that will not effect how they look against Seattle.

The guys in the locker room probably know, and we'll know in two and a half weeks. But I don't know right now.

 

[fearsomefour]

A lot of people on their high and mighty horses around these here parts recently. Apparently, there is not one area of this team that can be criticized or questioned in any way without the condescending committee coming out in force. The scary thing is...go look at the posts from this time last year. Concern about the running game and lack of offensive execution. Concern about the poor tackling......and TONS of "please people, you are stupid if you think preseason means anything" posts. Well, its a year later and we are at it again, haha.....

I think the smart way to use the preseason is to evaluate players. So putting guys in situations to see how they perform. So, scoring or not scoring should not be the determining thing, you are right. Playing an O lineman and wanting to run behind him to see how does with those plays and ending up in a 3rd and 8 and then punting....good evaluation, bad for the final score.
Although, last years concerns did bleed right over into the Viking game week 1.

 

[Fatbot]

I don't know how we can possibly get around the notion of the offense being a work in progress ...
But I believe in this defense, and I believe in Gurley...

I think this plan is what is scaring a lot of people if it's the best case scenario that Fisher has in mind. The translation is "let's hope the offense is just good enough and the defense dominant enough to barely win games 13-10 until Gurley breaks out". The problems:

- Planning to barely win is probably the hardest thing to do in the NFL. There's a huge amount of luck involved in games decided by less than a TD. Huge turnover luck is part of it. One bad ref call or a Fail Mary can be a win or loss. We Rams fans know what kind of luck the Rams have with all these factors, mostly only the one kind.

- The defense must hold up their end of the bargain and not just be as good as last year, but better. So far they've shown every inconsistency of last season and even worse in the run game. Fears of Sack City 2.0 are understandable.

- While this strategy doesn't need a great, good, or even average offense, the offense must at least move the chains and not turn it over. The Foles pick-6 is pretty much the worst possible thing to see for this scenario. And it was caused because the OL can't block for more than 2 milliseconds before Foles is running for his life.

- The strategy relies on Gurley. I think the easiest part for fans is to have faith in a guy who's never played in the NFL, but the hard part is the rational calculation of his healthy return date. If it's not until after the bye week that Gurley becomes the player most think he will, it's probably too late. The Rams play 4 playoff teams in the first 5 games. I don't think even Gurley can save the team if it's in a 1-4 hole. So that provides huge incentive to rush him in there, then you get the worries about injuring a guy coming back too soon, or shattering his confidence if he's rusty.

Fisher is conservative but they must have more planned for this offense than just trying not to lose on that side of the ball until Gurley arrives. The big question is where's the urgency in getting the "real" plan together before Seattle comes calling? Hopefully it's hidden behind the scenes, since like others have said we just don't know right now.

 

[blackbart]

While I think what we are seeing in preseason might look the same to fans it has nothing to do with the reasons we have seen slow starts the last couple of years.

Fishers first year the team was garbage from the office personnel to the practice squad with very few exceptions. No one could have expected a worst to first turn around and if they did, well their much more optimistic than me.

Next year new D co-ordinator who was in his first gig with that job, the offense still full of holes and no help in sight. They were progressing and then Bradford goes down. Season in the toilet.

Last year didn't even get out of the preseason and Bradford is down Williams is trying to learn the personnel and how to use them in his schemes, if you didn't expect a slow start out of that mess you don't know much about football.

This team is better right now. Will they get a quicker start? Who knows. Are they aware of it? Yes and they have been talking about it for months.

Can't wait to see them dismantle the hags.