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Gordo: Keenum doesn't look like answer at QB
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_d362a5d8-d2e6-5041-9d4c-f8b163ae6479.html
When Rams coach Jeff Fisher promoted Case Keenum to starting quarterback, he promised to give him a long leash.
Keenum abused that freedom. To extend the dog walking analogy, he knocked over some trash cans, gacked up chicken bones on the neighbor’s porch and then stepped in front of a speeding delivery truck.
He ended up merely concussed, not mushed, but this quarterback change still had a bad ending.
Keenum completed just 12 of 26 passes for 136 yards, often missing short passes by stunning margins. It’s one thing to hang a deep ball, as he did to Kenny Britt. That pass that would have drawn a pass interference penalty had it not fallen so short.
But when quick sideline passes also fall well in front of the target, this sputtering offense has no chance to succeed.
Keenum had a stumble fumble on a botched handoff to Todd Gurley — after tripping on Rams offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds — and he suffered a last-minute strip sack that doomed the Rams to defeat.
Of course, that last fumble came shortly after he suffered an obvious concussion while smacking the back of his head against the turf. He immediately put his hands to his head.
Even with Reynolds’ help, he struggled to get back on his feet after the hard landing. Clearly, he was not right.
The NFL’s concussion spotter should have contacted the game officials and ordered Keenum off the field and into an examination by the independent specialist.
The league promised to police concussions in response to the sport’s head trauma epidemic. It must take the issue out of the hands of players (who want to keep playing), coaches (who are focused on winning) and team medical personnel (who work to keep players on the field, not get them off of it).
The NFL takes great pains to police player uniforms, making sure everybody’s socks and face markers are up to code. The league issues stiff fines for excessive post-touchdown animation, such as a quarterback’s celebratory pelvic thrust.
But when Keenum got knocked goofy in broad daylight in the middle of the field, he was allowed to play on. This lapse in player protection got national media attention, prompting the league and the NFL Players Association to get to the bottom of it.
Fisher took a stab at explaining what happened. Here is the Cliff Notes version:
Yes, Fisher was aware Keenum went down. But from his vantage point on the sideline he didn’t see any concussion indications. Also, Fisher was immersed in game management at the time, preparing to weigh in on the next offensive call.
“Personally, had I seen it, Case would have been standing next to me,” Fisher insisted.
Foles’ job as the back-up is to watch the starting quarterback’s every move to stay ready to step in. So when he saw Keenum showing signs of distress, he prepared to play.
Trainer Reggie Scott went to check on Keenum, who told Scott he was OK. But Scott didn’t have much time to make an assessment. He didn’t want to burn an injury timeout, so he left the field when the officials started the play clock.
Fisher said the injury spotter didn’t contact the game officials immediately because the trainer visited Keenum. Of course, the whole idea is to take concussion judgments away from the team.
So it took the Rams Park press room denizens about 5 minutes solve the problem. The NFL should empower the spotter to act on any sign of trouble — regardless of whether or not a trainer checks on the player.
Problem solved!
“Fortunately, Case feels really good this morning,” Fisher said. “He’s in the (concussion) protocol. He feels good. He’s got a chance to practice this week and obviously play this weekend. That’s the good news.”
Now the bad news: Keenum was awful Sunday, so the offense has plenty to work on before the Bengals game. Teams are sitting on Gurley, packing in their defenses and overwhelming the Rams’ makeshift front.
Somehow, some way, the Rams need to get more from the quarterback position. Foles imploded at Green Bay and never full recovered, so Fisher gave Keenum his chance.
The coaching staff had reason to believe he could operate a run-centric offense here. After all, Keenum played 10 games over two years as a fill-in for the Houston Texans and performed solidly in most of them.
Keenum also showed well here last season during his brief tenure as emergency depth. He proved to be a quick study of the offense.
His mobility is also plus, given the offensive line depletion. He used his feet to evade trouble and make a long heave to Jared Cook that drew a pass interference penalty.
But his passing limitations against the Ravens were alarming.
“He made some plays,” Fisher said. “There were a few plays that he missed, a couple of opportunities. He’s really disappointed. It’s windy and cold and he couldn’t get the ball to Kenny, where they picked up the pass interference call. He was hoping he could have gotten that done.
“But, he made some plays, scrambled around, showed what he is capable of doing.”
Well, yes he did. So Fisher needs to tighten that leash moving forward. If this is all Keenum can do, then rehab Foles ASAP and send him back out there.
And please, please, PLEASE put the back-up quarterback in the next time the starter is wobbled by a head blow.
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_d362a5d8-d2e6-5041-9d4c-f8b163ae6479.html
When Rams coach Jeff Fisher promoted Case Keenum to starting quarterback, he promised to give him a long leash.
Keenum abused that freedom. To extend the dog walking analogy, he knocked over some trash cans, gacked up chicken bones on the neighbor’s porch and then stepped in front of a speeding delivery truck.
He ended up merely concussed, not mushed, but this quarterback change still had a bad ending.
Keenum completed just 12 of 26 passes for 136 yards, often missing short passes by stunning margins. It’s one thing to hang a deep ball, as he did to Kenny Britt. That pass that would have drawn a pass interference penalty had it not fallen so short.
But when quick sideline passes also fall well in front of the target, this sputtering offense has no chance to succeed.
Keenum had a stumble fumble on a botched handoff to Todd Gurley — after tripping on Rams offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds — and he suffered a last-minute strip sack that doomed the Rams to defeat.
Of course, that last fumble came shortly after he suffered an obvious concussion while smacking the back of his head against the turf. He immediately put his hands to his head.
Even with Reynolds’ help, he struggled to get back on his feet after the hard landing. Clearly, he was not right.
The NFL’s concussion spotter should have contacted the game officials and ordered Keenum off the field and into an examination by the independent specialist.
The league promised to police concussions in response to the sport’s head trauma epidemic. It must take the issue out of the hands of players (who want to keep playing), coaches (who are focused on winning) and team medical personnel (who work to keep players on the field, not get them off of it).
The NFL takes great pains to police player uniforms, making sure everybody’s socks and face markers are up to code. The league issues stiff fines for excessive post-touchdown animation, such as a quarterback’s celebratory pelvic thrust.
But when Keenum got knocked goofy in broad daylight in the middle of the field, he was allowed to play on. This lapse in player protection got national media attention, prompting the league and the NFL Players Association to get to the bottom of it.
Fisher took a stab at explaining what happened. Here is the Cliff Notes version:
Yes, Fisher was aware Keenum went down. But from his vantage point on the sideline he didn’t see any concussion indications. Also, Fisher was immersed in game management at the time, preparing to weigh in on the next offensive call.
“Personally, had I seen it, Case would have been standing next to me,” Fisher insisted.
Foles’ job as the back-up is to watch the starting quarterback’s every move to stay ready to step in. So when he saw Keenum showing signs of distress, he prepared to play.
Trainer Reggie Scott went to check on Keenum, who told Scott he was OK. But Scott didn’t have much time to make an assessment. He didn’t want to burn an injury timeout, so he left the field when the officials started the play clock.
Fisher said the injury spotter didn’t contact the game officials immediately because the trainer visited Keenum. Of course, the whole idea is to take concussion judgments away from the team.
So it took the Rams Park press room denizens about 5 minutes solve the problem. The NFL should empower the spotter to act on any sign of trouble — regardless of whether or not a trainer checks on the player.
Problem solved!
“Fortunately, Case feels really good this morning,” Fisher said. “He’s in the (concussion) protocol. He feels good. He’s got a chance to practice this week and obviously play this weekend. That’s the good news.”
Now the bad news: Keenum was awful Sunday, so the offense has plenty to work on before the Bengals game. Teams are sitting on Gurley, packing in their defenses and overwhelming the Rams’ makeshift front.
Somehow, some way, the Rams need to get more from the quarterback position. Foles imploded at Green Bay and never full recovered, so Fisher gave Keenum his chance.
The coaching staff had reason to believe he could operate a run-centric offense here. After all, Keenum played 10 games over two years as a fill-in for the Houston Texans and performed solidly in most of them.
Keenum also showed well here last season during his brief tenure as emergency depth. He proved to be a quick study of the offense.
His mobility is also plus, given the offensive line depletion. He used his feet to evade trouble and make a long heave to Jared Cook that drew a pass interference penalty.
But his passing limitations against the Ravens were alarming.
“He made some plays,” Fisher said. “There were a few plays that he missed, a couple of opportunities. He’s really disappointed. It’s windy and cold and he couldn’t get the ball to Kenny, where they picked up the pass interference call. He was hoping he could have gotten that done.
“But, he made some plays, scrambled around, showed what he is capable of doing.”
Well, yes he did. So Fisher needs to tighten that leash moving forward. If this is all Keenum can do, then rehab Foles ASAP and send him back out there.
And please, please, PLEASE put the back-up quarterback in the next time the starter is wobbled by a head blow.
