I finally rewatched the Brown game...

[Rams43]

Just a few comments that I haven't seen posted elsewhere.

I paid particular attention to our OL while rewatching. I mean, I replayed the snaps for each of the 5 guys on every play. Whew!

I don't pretend to be an NFL OL coach, but here are the impressions I came away with...

It was as if there was a 1st half OL and then a 2nd half OL. Seriously...

IMO, they weren't sustaining their blocks quite long enough in the 1st half. Then they saw their man break free and get involved in the tackle or clogging up the hole. I know that sounds simplistic, but check it out for yourselves if you have the game recorded.

I thought Barnes and Reynolds had VERY solid games, including the 1st half.

I thought Hav played pretty danged well for a rookie. I saw no glaring mistakes, anyway.

GRob is a mixed bag. He'll make 8 nice blocks then have a whiff. Or a false start. Or a holding penalty. Then turn around and make a devastating block on a screen downfield to spring Austin or Gurley for a 10-15 yard first down. He can play in this league, maybe at a very high level someday. But he's still a work in progress at this point. They put Reynolds at LG for a reason. It was to "look after" GRob. For example, I saw one play that GRob whiffed on his block but Reynolds immediately picked up his man which enabled Foles to get his pass off.

Jamon Brown was the weak link in our OL vs the Browns by far. Especially in the 1st half. Not so much in run blocking, but in pass pro. He was repeatedly abused by Starks. Hope this game didn't harm his self confidence.

We haven't yet scratched the surface in our screen game potential. Once it's perfected, Austin and Gurley will be nightmares in that role.

Cook is a liability in our O at this point. We've all seen it. Don't know why Foles would even be looking at him on pass plays anymore.

Austin is a genuine multifaceted playmaker. And to see him making key blocks tells me all I need to know about his heart and desire. I had formerly really underestimated him.

Trading for Barron is now looking like a genius move, huh? Wow!

Is there a more physical secondary in the entire league? Double wow! The whirlpool in Cleveland might have been the busiest in the NFL today. Lol.

Would you trade our D for any in the league? Me neither. It's kinda reminding me of those great D's of yesteryear. Late sixties, seventies, and early eighties. Sigh...

No real need to mention Gurley, is there? Except to say that he has vision, instincts, speed, and power like few others I've ever seen. He sees openings before they ARE openings, then cuts and bursts. His 16 yard TD is a classic example.

I'm pretty optimistic about our playoff chances. In fact, if we can get our OL and passing O merely up to league averages, we might be able to make a deeeep playoff run.

All for now. Comments welcome.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

Cook really needs to have someone tell him "sure you have your money but you'll be cleaning the dishes from now on. . . "

It's so sad to see how much talent he possesses but he does not deserve to be on the field at this point in time.

 

[jrry32]

Trading for Barron is now looking like a genius move, huh? Wow!

You want to talk about what a great coordinator can do...Gregg Williams is a great coordinator. The guy builds his scheme around his players and that's very rare in today's NFL. Barron looked great in Tampa when they played him in the box. In comes Lovie and they tried to use the guy as a C-2 safety. Terrible move. And Lovie is ruining Lavonte David right now too.

But yea, Williams is just incredible at putting guys in a position to succeed. I will be really sad if we lose him. Only way I see that happening is if Fisher can't get the job done and gets fired.(because I don't see Williams getting a HC job after all the bounty hoopla)

I'm hoping that as our young guys get used to Cignetti's scheme, we'll find out that Cignetti is the same type of coordinator.

 

[Merlin]

Yeah Williams is the real deal. Like I said before if I were an owner he would be on the top of a very short list. I love the way he coaches and schemes, and most importantly holds his players accountable.

As to Cigs, I like very much what he's done with misdirection and creativity starting from the backfield. But he needs to fix that passing game and for the love of god stop throwing out of shotgun. Stick with play action, you have Gurley now and Foles has a great fake. And hold your poor players accountable. Tell Fish if he loves Cook so much he can use him as a personal waterboy while he's on the bench.

Lastly Fish seemed to think Brown's issues were more about matchup than him flipping over. I think there is some truth and some BS to that, but whatever. Just hoping the OL has a big game this upcoming weekend and enables this offense to get us to 4-3. Sure would be cool to be over .500 seven games in, particularly given how tough the early sched was.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Austin is a genuine multifaceted playmaker. And to see him making key blocks tells me all I need to know about his heart and desire. I had formerly really underestimated him.

Me too. While he is not the dominant receiving threat that I hoped for he brings a lot to the table as a slot receiver type that is not in the slot player.

And Lovie is ruining Lavonte David right now too.

Please can we trade a 3rd and 5th for David too?

 

[Ramhusker]

Just a few comments that I haven't seen posted elsewhere.

I paid particular attention to our OL while rewatching. I mean, I replayed the snaps for each of the 5 guys on every play. Whew!

I don't pretend to be an NFL OL coach, but here are the impressions I came away with...

It was as if there was a 1st half OL and then a 2nd half OL. Seriously...

IMO, they weren't sustaining their blocks quite long enough in the 1st half. Then they saw their man break free and get involved in the tackle or clogging up the hole. I know that sounds simplistic, but check it out for yourselves if you have the game recorded.

I thought Barnes and Reynolds had VERY solid games, including the 1st half.

I thought Hav played pretty danged well for a rookie. I saw no glaring mistakes, anyway.

GRob is a mixed bag. He'll make 8 nice blocks then have a whiff. Or a false start. Or a holding penalty. Then turn around and make a devastating block on a screen downfield to spring Austin or Gurley for a 10-15 yard first down. He can play in this league, maybe at a very high level someday. But he's still a work in progress at this point. They put Reynolds at LG for a reason. It was to "look after" GRob. For example, I saw one play that GRob whiffed on his block but Reynolds immediately picked up his man which enabled Foles to get his pass off.

Jamon Brown was the weak link in our OL vs the Browns by far. Especially in the 1st half. Not so much in run blocking, but in pass pro. He was repeatedly abused by Starks. Hope this game didn't harm his self confidence.

We haven't yet scratched the surface in our screen game potential. Once it's perfected, Austin and Gurley will be nightmares in that role.

Cook is a liability in our O at this point. We've all seen it. Don't know why Foles would even be looking at him on pass plays anymore.

Austin is a genuine multifaceted playmaker. And to see him making key blocks tells me all I need to know about his heart and desire. I had formerly really underestimated him.

Trading for Barron is now looking like a genius move, huh? Wow!

Is there a more physical secondary in the entire league? Double wow! The whirlpool in Cleveland might have been the busiest in the NFL today. Lol.

Would you trade our D for any in the league? Me neither. It's kinda reminding me of those great D's of yesteryear. Late sixties, seventies, and early eighties. Sigh...

No real need to mention Gurley, is there? Except to say that he has vision, instincts, speed, and power like few others I've ever seen. He sees openings before they ARE openings, then cuts and bursts. His 16 yard TD is a classic example.

I'm pretty optimistic about our playoff chances. In fact, if we can get our OL and passing O merely up to league averages, we might be able to make a deeeep playoff run.

All for now. Comments welcome.

I think you nailed it. Most of these things, I noticed watching the game except for the OL analysis. I never seem to pick up much watching OL play during the game. I appreciate those that do take the time to re-watch a game for that purpose.

I think Jamon Brown will be fine. I think it's a lot to ask of a rookie to switch sides in the NFL. The kid started camp on the right, then is moved to the left, and now back to the right. I'm sure his head is spinning a little. I have confidence he'll look much better this week.

I must admit I short-changed Tavon Austin in that I thought he was flashy, gimmick player that was going to give us mediocre production most of the time with the occasional big play and the occasional special teams gem. But the past couple of weeks, I've realized this kid is a football player. I'm impressed with his leadership qualities and his tenacious blocking. Both very impressive from a guy of slight statue in NFL standards. Very happy he is a RAM.

I'm kinda surprised that so many people are shocked at how good Gurley is at the game of football. I suppose since I live in Georgia that I have had a little more exposure to him but I thought that secret was well out of the bag. The amazingly good thing about him is we have just plucked the cherry off the top of that 10 gallon milkshake. Wait until he finishes adjusting to the speed of the NFL and our coaches figure out how to design some screen plays especially for him. He is truly going to take the top off of this party. I know those that went to the Seattle game probably got tired of me telling them what we had in this beast but I get the feeling they are sipping the Gurley cool-aid by now.

The Barron and Reynolds pick-ups look like genius moves at the moment.

Our Secondary is playing lights out. Pro bowl caliber at the moment if you ask me.

The entire D is doing exactly what we said they needed to do to start the season and just think they are doing it without CL, AO, and EJG.

I just won't comment on Cook here. I promised myself that I would try and refrain from doing so because I just don't have anything positive to say.

I too am very optimistic about our playoff chances and excited at the possibility of a deep post season run. With that said, beating SF this week is still crucial if we want to see that happen. Stacking Ws is what playoff teams do and we have to see it from our Rams sooner than later. I just want to be over .500 again first. When was the last time that happened with our Rams? I can't even remember.

 

[DCH]

And Lovie is ruining Lavonte David right now too.

Get on the phone, Les!

 

[fearsomefour]

You want to talk about what a great coordinator can do...Gregg Williams is a great coordinator. The guy builds his scheme around his players and that's very rare in today's NFL. Barron looked great in Tampa when they played him in the box. In comes Lovie and they tried to use the guy as a C-2 safety. Terrible move. And Lovie is ruining Lavonte David right now too.

But yea, Williams is just incredible at putting guys in a position to succeed. I will be really sad if we lose him. Only way I see that happening is if Fisher can't get the job done and gets fired.(because I don't see Williams getting a HC job after all the bounty hoopla)

I'm hoping that as our young guys get used to Cignetti's scheme, we'll find out that Cignetti is the same type of coordinator.

This kind of touches on what I was saying about most coaches not being great football minds....they coach schemes and thats it. They have their scheme they run and thats it. If a player doesn't fit, not matter how talented, they are out of luck.
Barron is a resign this offseason.

 

[bskrilla]

When was the last time that happened with our Rams? I can't even remember

Week 1 2015.

 

[LesBaker]

You want to talk about what a great coordinator can do...Gregg Williams is a great coordinator. The guy builds his scheme around his players and that's very rare in today's NFL. Barron looked great in Tampa when they played him in the box. In comes Lovie and they tried to use the guy as a C-2 safety. Terrible move. And Lovie is ruining Lavonte David right now too.

But yea, Williams is just incredible at putting guys in a position to succeed. I will be really sad if we lose him. Only way I see that happening is if Fisher can't get the job done and gets fired.(because I don't see Williams getting a HC job after all the bounty hoopla)

I'm hoping that as our young guys get used to Cignetti's scheme, we'll find out that Cignetti is the same type of coordinator.

We've seen some of that from Cignetti already, he's been, at times, pretty effing ballsy. I suspect as the season goes on, the OL gels a bit and Gurley is in full swing we are going to see some fireworks.

If that happens nobody is going to want to see the Rams come the playoffs (playoffs???) even if they have home field and the Rams have to travel. I bet if you asked the Packers if they would like to play that game over with a Rams O that was fully deploying weapons they have the answer would be a big "HELL NO!!!".

We are seeing this team on the cusp.........and we will know if Cignetti is the same type as Williams but I already think he is similar. Maybe not quite as aggressive but he's got stones.

 

[LesBaker]

Just a few comments that I haven't seen posted elsewhere.

I paid particular attention to our OL while rewatching. I mean, I replayed the snaps for each of the 5 guys on every play. Whew!

I don't pretend to be an NFL OL coach, but here are the impressions I came away with...

It was as if there was a 1st half OL and then a 2nd half OL. Seriously...

IMO, they weren't sustaining their blocks quite long enough in the 1st half. Then they saw their man break free and get involved in the tackle or clogging up the hole. I know that sounds simplistic, but check it out for yourselves if you have the game recorded.

I thought Barnes and Reynolds had VERY solid games, including the 1st half.

I thought Hav played pretty danged well for a rookie. I saw no glaring mistakes, anyway.

GRob is a mixed bag. He'll make 8 nice blocks then have a whiff. Or a false start. Or a holding penalty. Then turn around and make a devastating block on a screen downfield to spring Austin or Gurley for a 10-15 yard first down. He can play in this league, maybe at a very high level someday. But he's still a work in progress at this point. They put Reynolds at LG for a reason. It was to "look after" GRob. For example, I saw one play that GRob whiffed on his block but Reynolds immediately picked up his man which enabled Foles to get his pass off.

Jamon Brown was the weak link in our OL vs the Browns by far. Especially in the 1st half. Not so much in run blocking, but in pass pro. He was repeatedly abused by Starks. Hope this game didn't harm his self confidence.

We haven't yet scratched the surface in our screen game potential. Once it's perfected, Austin and Gurley will be nightmares in that role.

Cook is a liability in our O at this point. We've all seen it. Don't know why Foles would even be looking at him on pass plays anymore.

Austin is a genuine multifaceted playmaker. And to see him making key blocks tells me all I need to know about his heart and desire. I had formerly really underestimated him.

Trading for Barron is now looking like a genius move, huh? Wow!

Is there a more physical secondary in the entire league? Double wow! The whirlpool in Cleveland might have been the busiest in the NFL today. Lol.

Would you trade our D for any in the league? Me neither. It's kinda reminding me of those great D's of yesteryear. Late sixties, seventies, and early eighties. Sigh...

No real need to mention Gurley, is there? Except to say that he has vision, instincts, speed, and power like few others I've ever seen. He sees openings before they ARE openings, then cuts and bursts. His 16 yard TD is a classic example.

I'm pretty optimistic about our playoff chances. In fact, if we can get our OL and passing O merely up to league averages, we might be able to make a deeeep playoff run.

All for now. Comments welcome.

As usual well done 43.

Cook needs to sit down until he has been in front of the JUGGS machine for at least 100 hours.

I've noticed a lot of posters talking about how the secondary is really playing great ball and hitting and I agree with that. I do wish they would wrap up rather than looking to lay the wood. I'm always afraid a big play will happen when one of them misses or glances off the WR or RB.

Snead got Barron for a 4 and a 6. LOL..........if I was a GM in the NFL and the receptionist said "Les Snead is calling on line one for you" I wouldn't pick up the phone..........I wouldn't even want him to leave a message!!!. That dude is a fleecing waiting to happen LOL.

 

[bwdenverram]

Couldn't agree more on the 1st half vs. 2nd half comparison. Not really sure why that is. One thing is clear though, if or when this team really comes together on offense we will be downright scary.
We have two of the most dynamic play makers in Austin and Gurley. As Fish said on his show we have to start using them off of each other. It is a nightmare for defenses to decide who to focus on.
The formations, jet sweep, etc. are perfect plays with these two. When the OL executes the plays it's almost an automatic positive play.

One thing I'd really like Cignetti to do though is come out of the gate like he did in the 2nd half. "Some" shotgun, hurry up, keeping the D off balance. Using the fear of either Austin or Gurley (or not knowing who is going to get the ball).

And using Quick and Bailey more on play action. Our offense is not for a lack of talent, it's pure lack of execution.
If these guys can find a way to gel for 4 quarters this is easily a playoff team.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Hey....I know you saw that Cook didn't drop a pass....does a fumble count as a dropped pass?

Foles was....the same as he was vs. Green Bay....

 

[rams2050]

Couldn't agree more on the 1st half vs. 2nd half comparison. Not really sure why that is.

I think it's called 'coaching up during the halftime break.' And, for whatever reason, it seems like our coaches are finally using that time to their advantages.

Also, I know it's early in the overall scheme of things, but I could NOT be happier with Cignetti at this point in time. Came from the college ranks not that long ago, was tutored by Schottenheimer, and still the guy is looking like he really, truly belongs in this league on his very own merits. Because I cannot believe that he learned anything that much from Schottenheimer, who, admittedly, was our favorite 'whipping boy' during the time he was here. Still, I am waiting with 'bated breath to see what other rabbits our boy Cignetti will be pulling out of his hat as he gains more confidence in his players AND his schemes.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I'm wondering if we're passing out of the shotgun so much because Foles footwork is atrocious dropping back and it's causing him accuracy problems. It's a hunch I haven't quite checked against the tape.

 

[bwdenverram]

I think it's called 'coaching up during the halftime break.' And, for whatever reason, it seems like our coaches are finally using that time to their advantages.

Also, I know it's early in the overall scheme of things, but I could NOT be happier with Cignetti at this point in time. Came from the college ranks not that long ago, was tutored by Schottenheimer, and still the guy is looking like he really, truly belongs in this league on his very own merits. Because I cannot believe that he learned anything that much from Schottenheimer, who, admittedly, was our favorite 'whipping boy' during the time he was here. Still, I am waiting with 'bated breath to see what other rabbits our boy Cignetti will be pulling out of his hat as he gains more confidence in his players AND his schemes.

Agree on Cignetti. Although there's been some questionable calls here and there he's done a good job. Really, as it has been regardless of OC, lack of execution is still the main issue. But we are getting there, slowly, but surely.

 

[Ramhusker]

Week 1 2015.

LOL, right. I guess I was meaning taking into consideration multiple games?

 

[bskrilla]

LOL, right. I guess I was meaning taking into consideration multiple games?

Maybe not the last time we've been over .500 after multiple games, but "The last time the Rams got to 4-3 was 2006, Scott Linehan’s first year as head coach." (Per Randy Karraker)

 

[SuperMan28]

All I heard was CHAMPIONSHIP!! That's all I needed to hear. And I agree.

Seriously though, good write up.

 

[LesBaker]

I think it's called 'coaching up during the halftime break.' And, for whatever reason, it seems like our coaches are finally using that time to their advantages.

Also, I know it's early in the overall scheme of things, but I could NOT be happier with Cignetti at this point in time. Came from the college ranks not that long ago, was tutored by Schottenheimer, and still the guy is looking like he really, truly belongs in this league on his very own merits. Because I cannot believe that he learned anything that much from Schottenheimer, who, admittedly, was our favorite 'whipping boy' during the time he was here. Still, I am waiting with 'bated breath to see what other rabbits our boy Cignetti will be pulling out of his hat as he gains more confidence in his players AND his schemes.

Now that he has TG on the field and he is looking like he is totally back I think he is going to work him into the passing game and I hope he gets some deeper routes like Faulk used to. There is NO WAY a LB can stay with him if he moves out of the backfield to the LOS like Faulk used to to sometimes.