- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
- Messages
- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
These are selected questions and answers. To read the whole chat click the link below.
Before we get into this chat, and because there were some questions about it, I thought I'd kick things off with a tweet from Rob Lowe. This most likely wouldn't happen if the Rams were still in St. Louis.
View: https://twitter.com/RobLowe/status/790273995924836352
**************************************************************************
http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_33?Page=0
Jim Thomas NFL Chat
Wow, that didn't take long. When you lose Rob Lowe, surely the rest of Hollywood will follow. There goes "Malibu Stan" and "Tinsletown Demoff"
My question to Rob Lowe would be, what exactly did you think you were getting?
-----------
odds that stubborn Fisher will survive the year?
Yeah, he's sure being stubborn about the quarterback situation. I don't see how the Rams can keep him if the team fails to finish above .500. Then again, I would have said the same thing last year.
---------
Bleacher Report is reporting Goff is "a long way from playing"
Which makes you wonder what has he been doing since the draft, and what have the coaches been doing with him? In the last several weeks, from people I know around the league, I've heard these 2 things: 1.) Goff doesn't appear to have much in the way of leadership skills. 2.) Behind closed doors in Thousand Oaks, the Rams aren't as high on Goff as they are proclaiming publicly.
---------
Did you ever see a mind-numbing end to a game like we witnessed last Sunday night?
I was listening on the radio driving back from Kansas City, where I had covered Chiefs-Saints earlier that day. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And listening to Kurt Warner, who was doing the analyst work on the radio broadcast, was highly entertaining. Kurt couldn't believe what he was seeing. A part of me likes low-scoring defensive struggles.
They're kind of like football's version of a pitcher's duel. And they are not all that unusual in the NFC West _ where it's just the nature of the beast. Of course, had I actually been watching the Cardinals-Seahawks instead of just listening to it, maybe I would have felt otherwise.
----------
Or possibly Goff is not as smart the Rams thought? Even my 5 year old niece knows the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Wow. That one's going to stick with Goff for a while, isn't it? He did apparently score very high on the Wonderlic test.
----------
As I sat in my seat at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday, surrounded by thousands of Giants fans (from NY, London and Germany) who completely outnumbered and drowned out the “home” support; a UK Rams fan of 34 years; I reflected on what has become a pretty futile pursuit - supporting this team and this franchise.
I spent the entire half time and all of the third quarter waiting to get some food from the criminally understaffed concession stands and didn’t miss a thing. So I withheld my ire regarding the £95 ticket, having missed over ¼ of my “entertainment”, as it would have been pretty miserable to witness it anyway.
And then it came down to the 4th quarter and as I munched on my indigestible burger and saw our offense splutter its way down the field. At no point, even when we got to the 15 yard line, did I think we would score (not even when we converted on 4th down).
There was no confidence or swagger and so it came to pass. The conclusion drawn as I stayed seated amongst hundreds of high fiving obnoxious Giants fans was, we just aren’t a very good football team. We are not terrible, but we are definitely not great.
There is no diagnosing a couple of quick fixes to make us suddenly play off worthy – Goff won’t make the difference and I am not sure if getting Gurley going is necessarily going to make us “Good” So 7-9 or 8-8 (if we are lucky) will be our lot.
My question, after this long diatribe (I did the same after the previous Pats/Rams debacle in 2012, so apologies), is what would three things would you do in the off season to elevate this team in to the playoffs?
1.) Hire a new head coach, an offensive mind who would put some excitement into the team. 2.) Hire a new general manager, someone who lived and breathed personnel _ this will take a lot of homework to find the right guy. 3.) Find some WRs, offensive linemen, and a quarterback.
-----------
Just saw the comment from the UK fan being surrounded by obnoxious fans for the other team. Just want to say to him welcome to our world when the Rams were in St Louis. I had to suffer through it eight games a year! Actually it is common in other stadiums I have been to with a high profile visiting team.
Yeah, in these days of the secondary ticket market (StubHub, etc.) it's pretty easy to get into other stadiums, particularly if the home team isn't that good. For the most part you see it all over the league.
---------
Well heck, if all we need is wide receivers, a QB and some offensive lineman, we should be able to pick all of those up in the draft next year!
And you could probably use another cornerback and linebacker.
http://data:image/jpeg;base64,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
-----------
So have you already decided that Goff is useless? A complete bust? Even Jamarcus Russell played before it was known he was a bust. Tim Couch. Just wondering what you know here.
No, I haven't decided that at all. I'd just like to see the guy play.
----------
Why does Fisher keep stressing how far Goff is from playing, yet dresses him, making him 1 injury away from playing?
You noticed that too, eh?
---------
I feel all the protests at the beginning of game is a factor in the ratings decline. The decline is being blamed on a number things, but no one wants to state the obvious.
I'm sure this has been a factor for some, even though NFL headquarters isn't willing to concede that's the case. But I don't think it's the only factor.
---------
Is Russell Wilson hurt? He is incapable of scrambling and that hurts Seattle big time
Yeah, from what I've heard, he wasn't moving that well Sunday night, eh? Remember, he had the knee injury in one leg, and the high ankle sprain on the other. And apparently the bye week wasn't enough to get him back closer to full health. His mobility certainly is a big factor in what he does.
----------
Does the NFL make available to the media/public any reports showing how officials are evaluated for their game performances?
No they don't
---------
If I asked for your opinion on 'The Walking Dead', would you tell me about Negan and Rick.....or Case and Fisher?
I've heard of the show, but I have no idea what it's about. Except, I guess, dead people walking around. So I guess there's a sarcastic joke in there that I'm sure plenty of our chatters think is funny. I do appreciate the effort. (I'm making fun of myself, not you.)
---------
Is Fisher going to have new wr's in the next game?
From where? It's not like he has many options at this point. And who are you sitting?
The alternatives at WR to Austin, Quick, and Britt are Marquez, Thomas, Spruce, and Cooper. And I don't see any of them equipped at this point to provide a meaningful alternative.
----------
If Orlando Pace is a 10 and Jason Smith is a 1, how do you rate Greg Robinson? I get that you like to give players some time to develop before you write them off, but by the third year, it's getting time to start making some conclusions, yes?
No doubt. Usually, but not always, if you're not seeing it by the third year in the NFL you're simply not going to see it. Now I have to preface this by saying I've watched hardly any coaches' film this season of the Rams (which gives you a much better indication of the quality of line play); I've been watching TV copy.
But on your ranking scale, I'd give Robinson maybe a 4 or 5, which obviously isn't good enough for a No. 2 overall pick. The penalties as much as anything continue to astound me. Shouldn't he have been coached out of those bad techniques by now? Or is this simply one of those cases where no amount of coaching can fix it.
--------
How many more pathetic losses till I can buy a Rams ticket on the street for $10, and sit alone in my own section displaying my STL>LA sign?
Well, you should be pretty close already. I heard tickets for the LA home opener this year were going for $19 on stubhub.
---------
Head scratching ? why you gamble the future for Goff and then go with Keenam, when you could have used the draft picks on real needs and maybe have gotten over the hump. Kinda puzzling
Yeah, real puzzling.
--------
I think a main reason the nfl has lost viewers is that there's no continuity with coaches anymore. Coaches give a team an identity (Lambeau, Ditka, and more recently Cowher, Gruden) a fan can relate to. If you like ground and pound, you'd watch a Bears game, if you liked an air game, you'd follow the Dolphins. Now, with very little exception, it's the flavor-of-the-month league where everyone copies everyone else and very few coach past their third season with the same team.
There's some merit to what you're saying. But hasn't that always been the case in terms of coaches coming and going? I will agree that there seems to be less overall personality in today's head coaches. Most head coaches these days say very little and avoid letting you know what they're really like, who they really are. There are very few colorful types like Ditka, or Vermeil, or Mike Martz for that matter.
--------
The rams have had only two home games halfway thru the season. Has this hurt?
It can't help. And so far, the Coliseum has been a pretty good home-field advantage. But keep in mind, the London game was a Rams home game _ Kroenke's attempt to make more money and keep demand up in LA. So only five of the Rams' remaining nine games will be played in LA.
---------
Sounds like some 6-10 BS
I believe the b.s. in question here is of the 7-9 variety.
----------
Lifelong resident of Sacto, loved the LA Rams as a kid, loved the St Louis Rams as a young adult now I love the LA Rams again in middle age, & so it goes. This year its once again poor OLine play, bad QB play, lack of productive WRs, weird mediocre coaching, dumb mistakes and penalties plus an owner who gives ugats about winning games...i.e, way way too much "7-9 bs" have followed the Rams from the 314 to the 213. Whats the biggest bye-week tweak you see them making or not making to beat/lose to the Panthers?
Well, this would be the week I change QBs, but that's not going to happen. But if I point to one thing: They simply have to get the run game going. Gurley showed signs that he was close to that breakout game against both Buffalo and Detroit, but then the running game took a step back against the NY Giants, and the Rams really didn't give him a ton of work (15 carries) even though it was a close game throughout. Now, how exactly do you fix the running game, I'm not sure.
----------
Jim, when the football Cardinals left in the 1980s, it strung, but I think many of us were confident St. Louis would eventually get a team. That made it easier to take. This time, I would be surprised if St. Louis got another team in my lifetime and that makes it even harder to stomach.
In the past, the league eventually took care of cities who lost teams (Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston), but there seems to be no sense of doing the same with St. Louis. That's one reason why I have lost total interest in the NFL. Thoughts, please?? And, how much do you enjoy covering the NFL without one particular team to focus on?
It stings more this time because St. Louis made a good-faith effort to keep the team this time. That wasn't the case in 1987, when there really wasn't a bona fide stadium plan. Plus Bill Bidwill didn't trash St. Louis on the way out of town. Plus Bill Bidwill really didn't have a burning desire to leave St. Louis.
Because of the way the league and Kroenke misled St. Louis, the appetite for the NFL among local and state leaders isn't there. I can't see any kind of push for the NFL made locally among this generation of civic, political, business leaders.
As for my new responsibilities, it has its plusses and minuses. I enjoy the variety of covering different things and different teams. I enjoy the fact that I don't have to cover a lousy team year after year after year. You can only take so many trainwrecks.
It's kind of liberating to know that I don't have to monitor every hamstring pull or worry about finding out in the middle of the night that a player has been shot. But I do miss the routine and the intensity of covering a team on an every-day basis, and I realize that not as many people are reading me as was the case when the Rams were in town.
---------
I'm a St. Louisan living in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1990. The Niners have a lot of fair weather fans and the Raiders have a lot of die-hard fans. When the Niners are losing nobody cares about them. The Bay Area is huge. That's a lot of people not watching football. The attitude in LA is this "OK, we have a team. That's a start. Call me when they start winning."
There won't be a 3 year honeymoon until the new stadium comes up. And, name a game that a borderline fan is going to say "I can't wait to see that game!" In the past you had Brady vs. Manning and other attractions that brought the borderline fans to the games. You don't have that anymore.
Yeah, the league always has been able to replace lost starpower (retiring players) with new stars. But that doesn't quite seem to be the case right now.
----------
Any chance the rams could trade Keenum?
Given Fisher's feelings about Keenum, why would they want to do that?
----------
How do you explain 53 passes on Sunday? I can't.
Only if they fell behind by 3 touchdowns in the first quarter.
---------
If not even Todd Gurley can run the ball, I can only conclude that, after all these years, the OL is still poor. Your thoughts?
Doesn't seem to be much of a line surge in most games, that's for sure.
--------
When you have a combination of the worst qb and worst head coach in the league you're not going to win many games. Throw in two awful OTs and you have no chance. Fisher sucks.
I wouldn't call Havenstein awful, but I catch your drift.
--------
1. Switch Robinson and Saffold. 2. Start Goff. 3. play press coverage and blitz on 75% of defensive plays. 4. Use Donaldson as 4th down goalline back. 5. Fisher tells the team no days off until we win consistently.
I think Robinson might be more effective inside. Blitzing 75% of the time isn't a good idea. Who's Donaldson? NFL Players association would complain about no days off.
--------
The Rams are not going anywhere this year no matter who plays QB, the Rams must have some idea what Goff. What happens if Goff gets hurt, What happens if Goff stinks, What Happens if Goff is ok, nothing good for Fish. If Goff goes in and lights it up, then Fish looks bad for waiting to play him. Or at best, Fish looks good for drafting him. However, the Rams wont be able to market the intrigue of Goff next year to sell tickets.
I wouldn't write off the schedule just yet. The Rams have a pretty soft schedule this year, particularly compared to some of their recent schedules in St Louis. Coming out of the bye, they get 1-5 Carolina, and still have games against San Fran 1-6, Miami 3-4, the New York Jets 2-5, and New Orleans 2-4. Those are all winnable games.
---------
What kind of celebrations will the NFL/Los Angeles be holding when Jeff Fisher breaks the record for most losses?
I'm sure it will be epic. Because after all, the Rams are home.
-----------
Why do you think that Greg Robinson is struggling so bad in the NFL?
Seems to lunge at approaching defenders instead of staying back and "catching" them. And I can't explain the penalties _ he must have bad habits there that he can't seem to break.
--------
NFL.com draft website: Goff fumbled 24 times and sacked 81 times (from the shotgun) in his last 3 years in college (small hands?, can't scramble effectively?). Several interceptions came when he failed to read zone defenders - which will obviously be much more prevalent in the NFL. Maybe the guy just isn't able to translate his skillset to the NFL. Where was stan the "quarterback picker" when the rams needed him?
Goff's fumbles were a lot lower last season at Cal. Smaller hands can be an issue in ball security. And Goff has a relatively slight frame which could make him more prone to injury. But he also has a very quick release
--------
Do you think Jeff Fisher is extremely literal? For example, the phrase "you win some, you lose some", I mean he is Mr. 8-8, maybe more Mr. 7-9. Or another example, the Rams OC is Rob Boras which is very close to Rob Bor-us. Maybe S(a)tan Kroenke needs to talk to Jeff, unlike what he did for us fans here in St. Louis.
Thanks for playing. . . .
---------
Jim, thanks for having me back in group therapy I love this place. You made a good point that the Rams are pretending the last 21 years didn't happen. People seem so surpised they suck. Have people not been following them over the years? This whole minset of being in a new city means you're better is a myth!
Judging by his tweet over the weekend, Rob Lowe has not been paying attention.
-----------
Let's rate Snead. It is early to rate his second big trade (for Goff), but it is not looking good. The RG3 trade is not looking all that good either. Who did we get from that deal that is still on the roster and dominating?
Of the 8 players the Rams got in the RGIII and spinoff deals, the Rams still have Alec Ogletree, Michael Brockers, and Greg Robinson. The only other player still in the league is Janoris Jenkins.
---------
How often was Georgia out at Rams Park in season? I know you said you could count on 1 hand how many times Kroenke was there.
Until the later years, when her health was failing, Georgia was around a lot at Rams Park. I can remember her taking me on a long tour of a little store she had set up on the second floor of Rams Park _ I think it was called The Huddle. She had her own office on the second floor. I remember her coming out to the practice field to talk to Tony Banks after he missed the team flight back from a game in Miami. I'm sure many LA Rams fans won't share this opinion, but I found her eccentric but fascinating.
-------
Have defenses solved Gurley? one 100 yard game in 14 starts. Your Thoughts?
Here's what I've noticed. They are almost always tackling him low these days, around the ankles. The few times Gurley has gotten in the open field, he doesn't seem like he has his normal acceleration this year. And I don't think you can over-estimate the fact that teams are ganging up against the run because the Rams don't have a passing game that you have to fear.
But if you notice on some pass plays _ and the Rams are starting to use him more in the passing game _ he remains very hard to bring down in the open field. I'd like to see a few more stretch plays with him, instead of these constant runs off right guard and left guard.
---------
How about Josh McDaniels for head coach of the Rams? They've made such a significant investment in Goff, doesn't it make sense to have an offensive coach to guide him?
Not a bad thought. Although McDaniels wasn't exactly a hit as Rams offensive coordinator in 2011. He got Bradford pounded.
-----------
Before we get into this chat, and because there were some questions about it, I thought I'd kick things off with a tweet from Rob Lowe. This most likely wouldn't happen if the Rams were still in St. Louis.
View: https://twitter.com/RobLowe/status/790273995924836352
**************************************************************************
http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_33?Page=0
Jim Thomas NFL Chat
Wow, that didn't take long. When you lose Rob Lowe, surely the rest of Hollywood will follow. There goes "Malibu Stan" and "Tinsletown Demoff"
My question to Rob Lowe would be, what exactly did you think you were getting?
-----------
odds that stubborn Fisher will survive the year?
Yeah, he's sure being stubborn about the quarterback situation. I don't see how the Rams can keep him if the team fails to finish above .500. Then again, I would have said the same thing last year.
---------
Bleacher Report is reporting Goff is "a long way from playing"
Which makes you wonder what has he been doing since the draft, and what have the coaches been doing with him? In the last several weeks, from people I know around the league, I've heard these 2 things: 1.) Goff doesn't appear to have much in the way of leadership skills. 2.) Behind closed doors in Thousand Oaks, the Rams aren't as high on Goff as they are proclaiming publicly.
---------
Did you ever see a mind-numbing end to a game like we witnessed last Sunday night?
I was listening on the radio driving back from Kansas City, where I had covered Chiefs-Saints earlier that day. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And listening to Kurt Warner, who was doing the analyst work on the radio broadcast, was highly entertaining. Kurt couldn't believe what he was seeing. A part of me likes low-scoring defensive struggles.
They're kind of like football's version of a pitcher's duel. And they are not all that unusual in the NFC West _ where it's just the nature of the beast. Of course, had I actually been watching the Cardinals-Seahawks instead of just listening to it, maybe I would have felt otherwise.
----------
Or possibly Goff is not as smart the Rams thought? Even my 5 year old niece knows the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Wow. That one's going to stick with Goff for a while, isn't it? He did apparently score very high on the Wonderlic test.
----------
As I sat in my seat at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday, surrounded by thousands of Giants fans (from NY, London and Germany) who completely outnumbered and drowned out the “home” support; a UK Rams fan of 34 years; I reflected on what has become a pretty futile pursuit - supporting this team and this franchise.
I spent the entire half time and all of the third quarter waiting to get some food from the criminally understaffed concession stands and didn’t miss a thing. So I withheld my ire regarding the £95 ticket, having missed over ¼ of my “entertainment”, as it would have been pretty miserable to witness it anyway.
And then it came down to the 4th quarter and as I munched on my indigestible burger and saw our offense splutter its way down the field. At no point, even when we got to the 15 yard line, did I think we would score (not even when we converted on 4th down).
There was no confidence or swagger and so it came to pass. The conclusion drawn as I stayed seated amongst hundreds of high fiving obnoxious Giants fans was, we just aren’t a very good football team. We are not terrible, but we are definitely not great.
There is no diagnosing a couple of quick fixes to make us suddenly play off worthy – Goff won’t make the difference and I am not sure if getting Gurley going is necessarily going to make us “Good” So 7-9 or 8-8 (if we are lucky) will be our lot.
My question, after this long diatribe (I did the same after the previous Pats/Rams debacle in 2012, so apologies), is what would three things would you do in the off season to elevate this team in to the playoffs?
1.) Hire a new head coach, an offensive mind who would put some excitement into the team. 2.) Hire a new general manager, someone who lived and breathed personnel _ this will take a lot of homework to find the right guy. 3.) Find some WRs, offensive linemen, and a quarterback.
-----------
Just saw the comment from the UK fan being surrounded by obnoxious fans for the other team. Just want to say to him welcome to our world when the Rams were in St Louis. I had to suffer through it eight games a year! Actually it is common in other stadiums I have been to with a high profile visiting team.
Yeah, in these days of the secondary ticket market (StubHub, etc.) it's pretty easy to get into other stadiums, particularly if the home team isn't that good. For the most part you see it all over the league.
---------
Well heck, if all we need is wide receivers, a QB and some offensive lineman, we should be able to pick all of those up in the draft next year!
And you could probably use another cornerback and linebacker.
http://data:image/jpeg;base64,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
-----------
So have you already decided that Goff is useless? A complete bust? Even Jamarcus Russell played before it was known he was a bust. Tim Couch. Just wondering what you know here.
No, I haven't decided that at all. I'd just like to see the guy play.
----------
Why does Fisher keep stressing how far Goff is from playing, yet dresses him, making him 1 injury away from playing?
You noticed that too, eh?
---------
I feel all the protests at the beginning of game is a factor in the ratings decline. The decline is being blamed on a number things, but no one wants to state the obvious.
I'm sure this has been a factor for some, even though NFL headquarters isn't willing to concede that's the case. But I don't think it's the only factor.
---------
Is Russell Wilson hurt? He is incapable of scrambling and that hurts Seattle big time
Yeah, from what I've heard, he wasn't moving that well Sunday night, eh? Remember, he had the knee injury in one leg, and the high ankle sprain on the other. And apparently the bye week wasn't enough to get him back closer to full health. His mobility certainly is a big factor in what he does.
----------
Does the NFL make available to the media/public any reports showing how officials are evaluated for their game performances?
No they don't
---------
If I asked for your opinion on 'The Walking Dead', would you tell me about Negan and Rick.....or Case and Fisher?
I've heard of the show, but I have no idea what it's about. Except, I guess, dead people walking around. So I guess there's a sarcastic joke in there that I'm sure plenty of our chatters think is funny. I do appreciate the effort. (I'm making fun of myself, not you.)
---------
Is Fisher going to have new wr's in the next game?
From where? It's not like he has many options at this point. And who are you sitting?
The alternatives at WR to Austin, Quick, and Britt are Marquez, Thomas, Spruce, and Cooper. And I don't see any of them equipped at this point to provide a meaningful alternative.
----------
If Orlando Pace is a 10 and Jason Smith is a 1, how do you rate Greg Robinson? I get that you like to give players some time to develop before you write them off, but by the third year, it's getting time to start making some conclusions, yes?
No doubt. Usually, but not always, if you're not seeing it by the third year in the NFL you're simply not going to see it. Now I have to preface this by saying I've watched hardly any coaches' film this season of the Rams (which gives you a much better indication of the quality of line play); I've been watching TV copy.
But on your ranking scale, I'd give Robinson maybe a 4 or 5, which obviously isn't good enough for a No. 2 overall pick. The penalties as much as anything continue to astound me. Shouldn't he have been coached out of those bad techniques by now? Or is this simply one of those cases where no amount of coaching can fix it.
--------
How many more pathetic losses till I can buy a Rams ticket on the street for $10, and sit alone in my own section displaying my STL>LA sign?
Well, you should be pretty close already. I heard tickets for the LA home opener this year were going for $19 on stubhub.
---------
Head scratching ? why you gamble the future for Goff and then go with Keenam, when you could have used the draft picks on real needs and maybe have gotten over the hump. Kinda puzzling
Yeah, real puzzling.
--------
I think a main reason the nfl has lost viewers is that there's no continuity with coaches anymore. Coaches give a team an identity (Lambeau, Ditka, and more recently Cowher, Gruden) a fan can relate to. If you like ground and pound, you'd watch a Bears game, if you liked an air game, you'd follow the Dolphins. Now, with very little exception, it's the flavor-of-the-month league where everyone copies everyone else and very few coach past their third season with the same team.
There's some merit to what you're saying. But hasn't that always been the case in terms of coaches coming and going? I will agree that there seems to be less overall personality in today's head coaches. Most head coaches these days say very little and avoid letting you know what they're really like, who they really are. There are very few colorful types like Ditka, or Vermeil, or Mike Martz for that matter.
--------
The rams have had only two home games halfway thru the season. Has this hurt?
It can't help. And so far, the Coliseum has been a pretty good home-field advantage. But keep in mind, the London game was a Rams home game _ Kroenke's attempt to make more money and keep demand up in LA. So only five of the Rams' remaining nine games will be played in LA.
---------
Sounds like some 6-10 BS
I believe the b.s. in question here is of the 7-9 variety.
----------
Lifelong resident of Sacto, loved the LA Rams as a kid, loved the St Louis Rams as a young adult now I love the LA Rams again in middle age, & so it goes. This year its once again poor OLine play, bad QB play, lack of productive WRs, weird mediocre coaching, dumb mistakes and penalties plus an owner who gives ugats about winning games...i.e, way way too much "7-9 bs" have followed the Rams from the 314 to the 213. Whats the biggest bye-week tweak you see them making or not making to beat/lose to the Panthers?
Well, this would be the week I change QBs, but that's not going to happen. But if I point to one thing: They simply have to get the run game going. Gurley showed signs that he was close to that breakout game against both Buffalo and Detroit, but then the running game took a step back against the NY Giants, and the Rams really didn't give him a ton of work (15 carries) even though it was a close game throughout. Now, how exactly do you fix the running game, I'm not sure.
----------
Jim, when the football Cardinals left in the 1980s, it strung, but I think many of us were confident St. Louis would eventually get a team. That made it easier to take. This time, I would be surprised if St. Louis got another team in my lifetime and that makes it even harder to stomach.
In the past, the league eventually took care of cities who lost teams (Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston), but there seems to be no sense of doing the same with St. Louis. That's one reason why I have lost total interest in the NFL. Thoughts, please?? And, how much do you enjoy covering the NFL without one particular team to focus on?
It stings more this time because St. Louis made a good-faith effort to keep the team this time. That wasn't the case in 1987, when there really wasn't a bona fide stadium plan. Plus Bill Bidwill didn't trash St. Louis on the way out of town. Plus Bill Bidwill really didn't have a burning desire to leave St. Louis.
Because of the way the league and Kroenke misled St. Louis, the appetite for the NFL among local and state leaders isn't there. I can't see any kind of push for the NFL made locally among this generation of civic, political, business leaders.
As for my new responsibilities, it has its plusses and minuses. I enjoy the variety of covering different things and different teams. I enjoy the fact that I don't have to cover a lousy team year after year after year. You can only take so many trainwrecks.
It's kind of liberating to know that I don't have to monitor every hamstring pull or worry about finding out in the middle of the night that a player has been shot. But I do miss the routine and the intensity of covering a team on an every-day basis, and I realize that not as many people are reading me as was the case when the Rams were in town.
---------
I'm a St. Louisan living in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1990. The Niners have a lot of fair weather fans and the Raiders have a lot of die-hard fans. When the Niners are losing nobody cares about them. The Bay Area is huge. That's a lot of people not watching football. The attitude in LA is this "OK, we have a team. That's a start. Call me when they start winning."
There won't be a 3 year honeymoon until the new stadium comes up. And, name a game that a borderline fan is going to say "I can't wait to see that game!" In the past you had Brady vs. Manning and other attractions that brought the borderline fans to the games. You don't have that anymore.
Yeah, the league always has been able to replace lost starpower (retiring players) with new stars. But that doesn't quite seem to be the case right now.
----------
Any chance the rams could trade Keenum?
Given Fisher's feelings about Keenum, why would they want to do that?
----------
How do you explain 53 passes on Sunday? I can't.
Only if they fell behind by 3 touchdowns in the first quarter.
---------
If not even Todd Gurley can run the ball, I can only conclude that, after all these years, the OL is still poor. Your thoughts?
Doesn't seem to be much of a line surge in most games, that's for sure.
--------
When you have a combination of the worst qb and worst head coach in the league you're not going to win many games. Throw in two awful OTs and you have no chance. Fisher sucks.
I wouldn't call Havenstein awful, but I catch your drift.
--------
1. Switch Robinson and Saffold. 2. Start Goff. 3. play press coverage and blitz on 75% of defensive plays. 4. Use Donaldson as 4th down goalline back. 5. Fisher tells the team no days off until we win consistently.
I think Robinson might be more effective inside. Blitzing 75% of the time isn't a good idea. Who's Donaldson? NFL Players association would complain about no days off.
--------
The Rams are not going anywhere this year no matter who plays QB, the Rams must have some idea what Goff. What happens if Goff gets hurt, What happens if Goff stinks, What Happens if Goff is ok, nothing good for Fish. If Goff goes in and lights it up, then Fish looks bad for waiting to play him. Or at best, Fish looks good for drafting him. However, the Rams wont be able to market the intrigue of Goff next year to sell tickets.
I wouldn't write off the schedule just yet. The Rams have a pretty soft schedule this year, particularly compared to some of their recent schedules in St Louis. Coming out of the bye, they get 1-5 Carolina, and still have games against San Fran 1-6, Miami 3-4, the New York Jets 2-5, and New Orleans 2-4. Those are all winnable games.
---------
What kind of celebrations will the NFL/Los Angeles be holding when Jeff Fisher breaks the record for most losses?
I'm sure it will be epic. Because after all, the Rams are home.
-----------
Why do you think that Greg Robinson is struggling so bad in the NFL?
Seems to lunge at approaching defenders instead of staying back and "catching" them. And I can't explain the penalties _ he must have bad habits there that he can't seem to break.
--------
NFL.com draft website: Goff fumbled 24 times and sacked 81 times (from the shotgun) in his last 3 years in college (small hands?, can't scramble effectively?). Several interceptions came when he failed to read zone defenders - which will obviously be much more prevalent in the NFL. Maybe the guy just isn't able to translate his skillset to the NFL. Where was stan the "quarterback picker" when the rams needed him?
Goff's fumbles were a lot lower last season at Cal. Smaller hands can be an issue in ball security. And Goff has a relatively slight frame which could make him more prone to injury. But he also has a very quick release
--------
Do you think Jeff Fisher is extremely literal? For example, the phrase "you win some, you lose some", I mean he is Mr. 8-8, maybe more Mr. 7-9. Or another example, the Rams OC is Rob Boras which is very close to Rob Bor-us. Maybe S(a)tan Kroenke needs to talk to Jeff, unlike what he did for us fans here in St. Louis.
Thanks for playing. . . .
---------
Jim, thanks for having me back in group therapy I love this place. You made a good point that the Rams are pretending the last 21 years didn't happen. People seem so surpised they suck. Have people not been following them over the years? This whole minset of being in a new city means you're better is a myth!
Judging by his tweet over the weekend, Rob Lowe has not been paying attention.
-----------
Let's rate Snead. It is early to rate his second big trade (for Goff), but it is not looking good. The RG3 trade is not looking all that good either. Who did we get from that deal that is still on the roster and dominating?
Of the 8 players the Rams got in the RGIII and spinoff deals, the Rams still have Alec Ogletree, Michael Brockers, and Greg Robinson. The only other player still in the league is Janoris Jenkins.
---------
How often was Georgia out at Rams Park in season? I know you said you could count on 1 hand how many times Kroenke was there.
Until the later years, when her health was failing, Georgia was around a lot at Rams Park. I can remember her taking me on a long tour of a little store she had set up on the second floor of Rams Park _ I think it was called The Huddle. She had her own office on the second floor. I remember her coming out to the practice field to talk to Tony Banks after he missed the team flight back from a game in Miami. I'm sure many LA Rams fans won't share this opinion, but I found her eccentric but fascinating.
-------
Have defenses solved Gurley? one 100 yard game in 14 starts. Your Thoughts?
Here's what I've noticed. They are almost always tackling him low these days, around the ankles. The few times Gurley has gotten in the open field, he doesn't seem like he has his normal acceleration this year. And I don't think you can over-estimate the fact that teams are ganging up against the run because the Rams don't have a passing game that you have to fear.
But if you notice on some pass plays _ and the Rams are starting to use him more in the passing game _ he remains very hard to bring down in the open field. I'd like to see a few more stretch plays with him, instead of these constant runs off right guard and left guard.
---------
How about Josh McDaniels for head coach of the Rams? They've made such a significant investment in Goff, doesn't it make sense to have an offensive coach to guide him?
Not a bad thought. Although McDaniels wasn't exactly a hit as Rams offensive coordinator in 2011. He got Bradford pounded.
-----------
