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Gordon: Rams' offense needs to put pieces together
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5b3c4993-6948-5bec-9d11-b916f4db3892.html
The Rams’ offense didn’t need to get busy until the second half Sunday. The Jeff Fisher-Gregg Williams defense had things covered until then.
Safety Rodney McLeod gave the Rams a quick 7-0 lead with his fumble recovery return. Soon thereafter, defensive end William Hayes clubbed another fumble loose, setting up a a field goal.
At that point the Rams had a 10-0 lead despite traveling just 3 yards on six offensive plays. Their struggle continued through the first half as they netted just 108 yards and went 0 for five on third downs against an ordinary Browns defense.
They reached the red zone once in the first half — and tight end Jared Cook immediately coughed up the ball at the Cleveland 17 after catching a pass from quarterback Nick Foles.
The Rams finally sustained some offensive possessions in the second half en route to their 24-6 victory. But still ...
“We’ve got to start getting better,” Fisher said during his postgame media briefing. “We’ve got to hang on to balls and protect the football. The same thing that plagued us in recent weeks — and most of the year — is we have to get going earlier and get those first downs under our belt during the first half.”
That is atop the team’s to-do list as the Rams prepare to face the reeling San Francisco 49ers Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. At 3-3, the Rams have an opportunity to push over .500 and gain traction in the playoff race.
Fisher’s defense is ready for that challenge. So is running back Todd Gurley, who is as dangerous as any ball-carrier in the NFL these days.
But to bid for the NFC West title or emerge from the pack of wild card hopefuls, the Rams must build a better-balanced and more efficient offense.
That must start with offensive line improvement. Garrett Reynolds isn’t a terrible replacement for injured guard Rodger Saffold, but the other four linemen are still developing on the fly.
Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson remains as a work in process, as does rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein. Rookie guard Jamon Brown is coming along nicely and center Tim Barnes is surviving his first full tour as a starter.
Foles offered his typically polite assessment of the unit after Sunday’s game.
“They’ve been playing hard,” he said. “They have been working hard. They opened up some seams on the run game. We got some stuff going on the pass game, we were able to get some completions when we needed them.”
All that is technically true, but the line still struggled to deliver a consistent push in the run game. It held up better than it did at Green Bay, but it still suffered some untimely breakdowns in pass protection.
A prime example came in the third quarter. The Rams came flying at the Browns with an up-tempo, no-huddle attack, highlighted by Gurley’s 48-yard sprint. They rolled down to the Cleveland 8 before Browns defensive end Randy Starks sacked Foles for a 9-yard loss.
That created a third-and-goal situation back at the 17. The Rams didn’t convert, then Greg Zuerlein missed a 35-yard field goal try to leave them clinging to a 10-6 lead about midway through the quarter.
Against a better team, that offensive failure could have turned the game.
But at least the Rams found something with that shift to a no-huddle attack. “It’s just a way to try to show them something different,” Foles said. “Just try to go fast and put some pressure on the defense and get some rhythm going.”
They stayed up-tempo on their next drive and Foles hit Kenny Britt on a 41-yard bomb to the Cleveland 1. Finally the offense scored a touchdown, on Gurley’s subsequent conversion. Finally the offense had something to build on.
Foles endorses the further use of this no-huddle attack during the rest of the games.
“I love it, I love it. I have a big history of it,” Foles said. “It’s what I did in college, high school, even in Philly. So I love the offense we’re playing. I think it’s great to be able to do that. I think it really helps open things up and create some rhythm. So it’s fun to go out there and do that.”
Of course, the Rams will need more than a brisk tempo to finally arrive offensively. They need much more production from their tight ends, who should benefit greatly from Gurley’s emergence.
A serious run threat makes the play-action passing game more dangerous. It creates the potential of freezing linebackers and safeties for a tick or two, creating room for Cook and (when healthy) Lance Kendricks to operate.
Of course, these guys have to actually CATCH THE BALL and HANG ON TO THE BALL when it comes their way.
The Rams got Tavon Austin more involved in the second half against the Browns, but Foles still needs to make more downfield plays to him. The same goes for Stedman Bailey, a fine runner of routes.
Then there is the still untapped potential of rangy receivers Britt and Brian Quick. Britt won the battle for a deep ball along the right sideline Sunday. Quick, still coming back from a nasty shoulder injury, tried to use his size to do the same.
Couldn’t we see that every weekend? Is it possible, in our lifetime, to see Foles get in sync with all four receivers at the same game?
Rams fans are dreaming of that day. We’re guessing Foles is as well.
This team has lots of pieces, but the offense is a half-finished puzzle. Maybe, just maybe, this favorable shift in the schedule will give the Rams a chance to finally put it all together.
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5b3c4993-6948-5bec-9d11-b916f4db3892.html
The Rams’ offense didn’t need to get busy until the second half Sunday. The Jeff Fisher-Gregg Williams defense had things covered until then.
Safety Rodney McLeod gave the Rams a quick 7-0 lead with his fumble recovery return. Soon thereafter, defensive end William Hayes clubbed another fumble loose, setting up a a field goal.
At that point the Rams had a 10-0 lead despite traveling just 3 yards on six offensive plays. Their struggle continued through the first half as they netted just 108 yards and went 0 for five on third downs against an ordinary Browns defense.
They reached the red zone once in the first half — and tight end Jared Cook immediately coughed up the ball at the Cleveland 17 after catching a pass from quarterback Nick Foles.
The Rams finally sustained some offensive possessions in the second half en route to their 24-6 victory. But still ...
“We’ve got to start getting better,” Fisher said during his postgame media briefing. “We’ve got to hang on to balls and protect the football. The same thing that plagued us in recent weeks — and most of the year — is we have to get going earlier and get those first downs under our belt during the first half.”
That is atop the team’s to-do list as the Rams prepare to face the reeling San Francisco 49ers Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. At 3-3, the Rams have an opportunity to push over .500 and gain traction in the playoff race.
Fisher’s defense is ready for that challenge. So is running back Todd Gurley, who is as dangerous as any ball-carrier in the NFL these days.
But to bid for the NFC West title or emerge from the pack of wild card hopefuls, the Rams must build a better-balanced and more efficient offense.
That must start with offensive line improvement. Garrett Reynolds isn’t a terrible replacement for injured guard Rodger Saffold, but the other four linemen are still developing on the fly.
Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson remains as a work in process, as does rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein. Rookie guard Jamon Brown is coming along nicely and center Tim Barnes is surviving his first full tour as a starter.
Foles offered his typically polite assessment of the unit after Sunday’s game.
“They’ve been playing hard,” he said. “They have been working hard. They opened up some seams on the run game. We got some stuff going on the pass game, we were able to get some completions when we needed them.”
All that is technically true, but the line still struggled to deliver a consistent push in the run game. It held up better than it did at Green Bay, but it still suffered some untimely breakdowns in pass protection.
A prime example came in the third quarter. The Rams came flying at the Browns with an up-tempo, no-huddle attack, highlighted by Gurley’s 48-yard sprint. They rolled down to the Cleveland 8 before Browns defensive end Randy Starks sacked Foles for a 9-yard loss.
That created a third-and-goal situation back at the 17. The Rams didn’t convert, then Greg Zuerlein missed a 35-yard field goal try to leave them clinging to a 10-6 lead about midway through the quarter.
Against a better team, that offensive failure could have turned the game.
But at least the Rams found something with that shift to a no-huddle attack. “It’s just a way to try to show them something different,” Foles said. “Just try to go fast and put some pressure on the defense and get some rhythm going.”
They stayed up-tempo on their next drive and Foles hit Kenny Britt on a 41-yard bomb to the Cleveland 1. Finally the offense scored a touchdown, on Gurley’s subsequent conversion. Finally the offense had something to build on.
Foles endorses the further use of this no-huddle attack during the rest of the games.
“I love it, I love it. I have a big history of it,” Foles said. “It’s what I did in college, high school, even in Philly. So I love the offense we’re playing. I think it’s great to be able to do that. I think it really helps open things up and create some rhythm. So it’s fun to go out there and do that.”
Of course, the Rams will need more than a brisk tempo to finally arrive offensively. They need much more production from their tight ends, who should benefit greatly from Gurley’s emergence.
A serious run threat makes the play-action passing game more dangerous. It creates the potential of freezing linebackers and safeties for a tick or two, creating room for Cook and (when healthy) Lance Kendricks to operate.
Of course, these guys have to actually CATCH THE BALL and HANG ON TO THE BALL when it comes their way.
The Rams got Tavon Austin more involved in the second half against the Browns, but Foles still needs to make more downfield plays to him. The same goes for Stedman Bailey, a fine runner of routes.
Then there is the still untapped potential of rangy receivers Britt and Brian Quick. Britt won the battle for a deep ball along the right sideline Sunday. Quick, still coming back from a nasty shoulder injury, tried to use his size to do the same.
Couldn’t we see that every weekend? Is it possible, in our lifetime, to see Foles get in sync with all four receivers at the same game?
Rams fans are dreaming of that day. We’re guessing Foles is as well.
This team has lots of pieces, but the offense is a half-finished puzzle. Maybe, just maybe, this favorable shift in the schedule will give the Rams a chance to finally put it all together.