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Next three games will reveal a lot about Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/21680/next-three-games-will-reveal-a-lot-about-rams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Getting St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to talk about anything beyond the upcoming opponent is normally an exercise in futility.
So it was quite telling that in his Monday news conference, Fisher actually volunteered an acknowledgement that the Rams are about to enter a three-game stretch that will test them, especially on defense, in a major way.
"Not to look ahead, but we’ve got (Pittsburgh QB Ben) Roethlisberger and (Arizona QB) Carson Palmer and (Green Bay QB) Aaron Rodgers ahead of us and we’re allowing way too many completions against our defense," Fisher said. "We know where we’ve got to work and we’ll get that done."
Like any team facing that type of stretch, working on just about everything would be highly suggested. By the time the Rams come out of those games and head into their Week 6 bye, it should be pretty clear which direction the 2015 team is headed.
To wit, the Rams have started 1-3 each of the past two season. Both times, the hole became too much for the Rams to dig out of despite the team generally playing better in the second half of each of those seasons. From a historical perspective, falling behind in the first five weeks has been a death knell for the Rams. They have not made the playoffs with a 2-3 or worse start in their first five games since 1952.
Which means is it would be highly advisable for the Rams to find a way to win two of the next three games against teams with a combined 5-1 record through the first two weeks and coming off a 2014 season in which they combined for 34 wins.
The good news for the Rams is that they'll be at home on Sunday. The bad news is that the Steelers have a huge national fanbase that will help mitigate any home-field advantage the Rams might have. The Steelers also possess an offense that's as dynamic as any in the NFL.
And though Rams players are quick to appeal to the one-game-at-a-time directive of their head coach, they don't shy away from the idea they they'll learn plenty about themselves in the next three weeks.
"A whole lot, I mean a whole lot," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "With three really good quarterbacks, three really good teams. So we’re going to find out a lot about what kind of club we have here the next three, but it starts with this offensive machine that’s coming to town Sunday."
Of course, given the Rams' penchant for pulling big upsets against so-called better teams and following with letdowns against so-called lesser opponents, there's not a combination of results that would come as any sort of surprise. And if they can find a way to win two or more of the next three, it would send a resounding message to the rest of the league.
"That’s the best opportunity that you can possibly have," guard Rodger Saffold said. "If you want to be the best, you have to go against some of the best and we have big challenges each week. By no means does that mean we are not excited to play those guys. You love to play the big games and we have learned that you have to take advantage of your opportunities, you have to play clean every week. You cannot have a bad week."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/21680/next-three-games-will-reveal-a-lot-about-rams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Getting St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to talk about anything beyond the upcoming opponent is normally an exercise in futility.
So it was quite telling that in his Monday news conference, Fisher actually volunteered an acknowledgement that the Rams are about to enter a three-game stretch that will test them, especially on defense, in a major way.
"Not to look ahead, but we’ve got (Pittsburgh QB Ben) Roethlisberger and (Arizona QB) Carson Palmer and (Green Bay QB) Aaron Rodgers ahead of us and we’re allowing way too many completions against our defense," Fisher said. "We know where we’ve got to work and we’ll get that done."
Like any team facing that type of stretch, working on just about everything would be highly suggested. By the time the Rams come out of those games and head into their Week 6 bye, it should be pretty clear which direction the 2015 team is headed.
To wit, the Rams have started 1-3 each of the past two season. Both times, the hole became too much for the Rams to dig out of despite the team generally playing better in the second half of each of those seasons. From a historical perspective, falling behind in the first five weeks has been a death knell for the Rams. They have not made the playoffs with a 2-3 or worse start in their first five games since 1952.
Which means is it would be highly advisable for the Rams to find a way to win two of the next three games against teams with a combined 5-1 record through the first two weeks and coming off a 2014 season in which they combined for 34 wins.
The good news for the Rams is that they'll be at home on Sunday. The bad news is that the Steelers have a huge national fanbase that will help mitigate any home-field advantage the Rams might have. The Steelers also possess an offense that's as dynamic as any in the NFL.
And though Rams players are quick to appeal to the one-game-at-a-time directive of their head coach, they don't shy away from the idea they they'll learn plenty about themselves in the next three weeks.
"A whole lot, I mean a whole lot," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "With three really good quarterbacks, three really good teams. So we’re going to find out a lot about what kind of club we have here the next three, but it starts with this offensive machine that’s coming to town Sunday."
Of course, given the Rams' penchant for pulling big upsets against so-called better teams and following with letdowns against so-called lesser opponents, there's not a combination of results that would come as any sort of surprise. And if they can find a way to win two or more of the next three, it would send a resounding message to the rest of the league.
"That’s the best opportunity that you can possibly have," guard Rodger Saffold said. "If you want to be the best, you have to go against some of the best and we have big challenges each week. By no means does that mean we are not excited to play those guys. You love to play the big games and we have learned that you have to take advantage of your opportunities, you have to play clean every week. You cannot have a bad week."
