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Gordo: Rams' giant step backward difficult to explain
By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_906e7d16-312c-5856-a5ad-b3b35cb0023b.html
For the first 2 minutes 59 seconds of clock time Sunday, the Rams looked playoff-ready.
They seemed prepared to beat the Chicago Bears, set aside last Sunday’s painful overtime loss at Minnesota, move back over .500 and climb into the NFC postseason picture.
“Everybody had an agreement that this was the start of the season, this was our chance to put our stamp on the season,” tight end Jared Cook said. “We’re at the halfway mark and it’s time to become a new team, it’s time to become a better team.”
They appeared energized by the large Edward Jones Dome turnout (58,653 tickets distributed, many to visiting Sons of Ditka). The stage seemed set for a huge victory, especially after the Rams raced to a quick 7-0 lead with a crisp first drive.
Instead, they reverted back to the same old Rams during a crushing 37-13 loss.
“We got outplayed, got outcoached,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We didn’t play well.”
That summed it up nicely in 10 words or less. This loss offered nightmarish flashbacks to Fisher’s previous seasons here. Errant passes, dropped passes, drive-killing offensive penalties and massive defensive breakdowns led the Rams down a familiar trail.
“It hurt,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “Nobody likes to lose, especially this way and at home. It hurts.”
The game started with such promise. Quarterback Nick Foles opened the first series by rolling out on a misdirection passing play and hitting Cook, who rambled 29 yards.
One play later, running back Todd Gurley caught a pass from Foles and hurdled a defender on a spectacular 31-yard play. Then Gurley plowed through the Bears for 14 yards on two runs to advance the ball to the Chicago 6.
One player later, Gurley crashed into the end zone and the Rams led. Finally their offensive play script produced early results in a game.
“We came out, first drive, went down the field,” Cook said. “After that, it was just downhill, man. I don’t know. We’ve got to figure it out.”
Yes, they do. Gurley is a great running back, but defenses are sitting on him. He gained just 45 yards on 12 carries Sunday. And once the Rams fell behind the Bears by multiple scores, they had to abandon the run.
Foles was just awful, sailing many of this throws beyond his targets as if the footballs were filled with helium. He short-armed some other throws while restless Rams fans booed. He finished 17 for 36 for 200 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
“I feel good,” Foles insisted after the game. “I feel good dropping back, throwing, reading defenses — I feel good about it.”
That makes one person who feels good about it. What happened to the Nick Foles who posted a 115.8 passer rating against Seattle and a 126.9 rating at Arizona?
Can somebody get THAT guy out to Rams Park on Monday?
“He’s a confident, competitive person,” Fisher said. “He thought, with seven minutes to go in the game, we were going to put two drives together and score.”
Again, that makes one person who believed. Foles seemed totally out of sorts, often throwing late and without much conviction. Fisher waved off questions about a quarterback change during his postgame media sessions, but those questions won’t go away.
Off course, Foles wasn’t the only offensive problem. Running back Tre Mason fumbled the ball away on his first carry. Receiver Tavon Austin dropped a potential third-down conversion pass over the middle. The mistakes just kept coming.
Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson earned three costly holding penalties, including one that erased an Austin touchdown run. Robinson is well into the second year of his NFL career and remains mistake-prone.
If he were a sixth-round pick, that might be understandable. But Robinson went second overall in the 2014 draft and he hasn’t come close to living up to that standard.
The offensive line took another big injury hit when rookie right guard Jamon Brown suffered a broken lower leg while trying to thwart an interception return. Also, rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein suffered a calf muscle strain in the game.
With veteran guard Rodger Saffold done for the season after shoulder surgery, the front wall will have a makeshift look going forward. That could make a sputtering offense even more inconsistent.
Like many, Cook is baffled by that offensive failure.
“When we have a good defense like we’ve got, man, there should be no reason why we shouldn’t be able to put up at least 20 to 24 points per game to keep us in the game,” Cook said. “Most of the time we haven’t been able to do that.”
Until this week the Rams defense has held up pretty well despite that lack of offensive support. But Sunday it suffered the sort of major mishaps that doomed previous Fisher teams.
This game turned when Bears quarterback Jay Cutler countered a Rams blitz with a quick pass to tight end Zach Miller, who cut back and raced 87 yards for the game-tying touchdown play.
Later, a simple screen pass sucked in the Rams and led to an 83-yard TD bolt for running back Jeremy Langford.
“We’re a good tackling defense but for whatever reason today, that didn’t show up,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said.
So much for the notion of starting a new and better season.
“Everybody still believes that,” Cook said. “I’m not going to say it’s panic time, but it’s time to come and get this train rolling.”
By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_906e7d16-312c-5856-a5ad-b3b35cb0023b.html
For the first 2 minutes 59 seconds of clock time Sunday, the Rams looked playoff-ready.
They seemed prepared to beat the Chicago Bears, set aside last Sunday’s painful overtime loss at Minnesota, move back over .500 and climb into the NFC postseason picture.
“Everybody had an agreement that this was the start of the season, this was our chance to put our stamp on the season,” tight end Jared Cook said. “We’re at the halfway mark and it’s time to become a new team, it’s time to become a better team.”
They appeared energized by the large Edward Jones Dome turnout (58,653 tickets distributed, many to visiting Sons of Ditka). The stage seemed set for a huge victory, especially after the Rams raced to a quick 7-0 lead with a crisp first drive.
Instead, they reverted back to the same old Rams during a crushing 37-13 loss.
“We got outplayed, got outcoached,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We didn’t play well.”
That summed it up nicely in 10 words or less. This loss offered nightmarish flashbacks to Fisher’s previous seasons here. Errant passes, dropped passes, drive-killing offensive penalties and massive defensive breakdowns led the Rams down a familiar trail.
“It hurt,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “Nobody likes to lose, especially this way and at home. It hurts.”
The game started with such promise. Quarterback Nick Foles opened the first series by rolling out on a misdirection passing play and hitting Cook, who rambled 29 yards.
One play later, running back Todd Gurley caught a pass from Foles and hurdled a defender on a spectacular 31-yard play. Then Gurley plowed through the Bears for 14 yards on two runs to advance the ball to the Chicago 6.
One player later, Gurley crashed into the end zone and the Rams led. Finally their offensive play script produced early results in a game.
“We came out, first drive, went down the field,” Cook said. “After that, it was just downhill, man. I don’t know. We’ve got to figure it out.”
Yes, they do. Gurley is a great running back, but defenses are sitting on him. He gained just 45 yards on 12 carries Sunday. And once the Rams fell behind the Bears by multiple scores, they had to abandon the run.
Foles was just awful, sailing many of this throws beyond his targets as if the footballs were filled with helium. He short-armed some other throws while restless Rams fans booed. He finished 17 for 36 for 200 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
“I feel good,” Foles insisted after the game. “I feel good dropping back, throwing, reading defenses — I feel good about it.”
That makes one person who feels good about it. What happened to the Nick Foles who posted a 115.8 passer rating against Seattle and a 126.9 rating at Arizona?
Can somebody get THAT guy out to Rams Park on Monday?
“He’s a confident, competitive person,” Fisher said. “He thought, with seven minutes to go in the game, we were going to put two drives together and score.”
Again, that makes one person who believed. Foles seemed totally out of sorts, often throwing late and without much conviction. Fisher waved off questions about a quarterback change during his postgame media sessions, but those questions won’t go away.
Off course, Foles wasn’t the only offensive problem. Running back Tre Mason fumbled the ball away on his first carry. Receiver Tavon Austin dropped a potential third-down conversion pass over the middle. The mistakes just kept coming.
Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson earned three costly holding penalties, including one that erased an Austin touchdown run. Robinson is well into the second year of his NFL career and remains mistake-prone.
If he were a sixth-round pick, that might be understandable. But Robinson went second overall in the 2014 draft and he hasn’t come close to living up to that standard.
The offensive line took another big injury hit when rookie right guard Jamon Brown suffered a broken lower leg while trying to thwart an interception return. Also, rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein suffered a calf muscle strain in the game.
With veteran guard Rodger Saffold done for the season after shoulder surgery, the front wall will have a makeshift look going forward. That could make a sputtering offense even more inconsistent.
Like many, Cook is baffled by that offensive failure.
“When we have a good defense like we’ve got, man, there should be no reason why we shouldn’t be able to put up at least 20 to 24 points per game to keep us in the game,” Cook said. “Most of the time we haven’t been able to do that.”
Until this week the Rams defense has held up pretty well despite that lack of offensive support. But Sunday it suffered the sort of major mishaps that doomed previous Fisher teams.
This game turned when Bears quarterback Jay Cutler countered a Rams blitz with a quick pass to tight end Zach Miller, who cut back and raced 87 yards for the game-tying touchdown play.
Later, a simple screen pass sucked in the Rams and led to an 83-yard TD bolt for running back Jeremy Langford.
“We’re a good tackling defense but for whatever reason today, that didn’t show up,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said.
So much for the notion of starting a new and better season.
“Everybody still believes that,” Cook said. “I’m not going to say it’s panic time, but it’s time to come and get this train rolling.”
