Official Cardinals@Rams Vent Thread

[jrry32]

Schotty makes me so mad so I really don't want to justify his behavior but here I go anyways...

It's hard to look good as an OC when you have Davin Joseph and Scott Wells continually getting whipped by the Cardinals DL which makes it difficult to run and pass the ball...and your backup QB is playing terrible football.

Was it just me or did Hill and the WRs not seem to be on the same page at all? I swear Hill threw at least 4-5 passes in that game and the WR or TE ran a completely different route.

And it seemed to me, without the benefit of coach's film yet, that Hill missed a lot of reads and a couple big throws.

Schotty ticked me off in this game. He has that tendency to go away from things that are working. He teases you with them and then they're never to be seen again. But our offense wasn't executing for shit either.

I wouldn't be depressed if he was replaced but I don't think he's our biggest problem either. Guy is a meh OC...but he's not terrible.

 

[rhinobean]

Probably been said but the the need for quality offensive linemen can't be underplayed! If the guys on the roster can't take the job s from the likes of Joseph and Wells then they need replacing along with those 2 jokers! Line play was a joke last night!

 

[rhinobean]

Posted in the vent thread about the o line and this thread gets a nod as the oc isn't the end all he should be either. Can't run inside? Take it outside instead! Hill didn't have time to read while on run! Not that he played well, either!

 

[mr.stlouis]

Schotty makes me so mad so I really don't want to justify his behavior but here I go anyways...

It's hard to look good as an OC when you have Davin Joseph and Scott Wells continually getting whipped by the Cardinals DL which makes it difficult to run and pass the ball...and your backup QB is playing terrible football.

Was it just me or did Hill and the WRs not seem to be on the same page at all? I swear Hill threw at least 4-5 passes in that game and the WR or TE ran a completely different route.

And it seemed to me, without the benefit of coach's film yet, that Hill missed a lot of reads and a couple big throws.

Schotty ticked me off in this game. He has that tendency to go away from things that are working. He teases you with them and then they're never to be seen again. But our offense wasn't executing for crap either.

I wouldn't be depressed if he was replaced but I don't think he's our biggest problem either. Guy is a meh OC...but he's not terrible.

We asked Schotty to make chicken soup with chicken feathers tonight. Poor pass blocking, poor run blocking, and an average back up QB that had to play sharp as a tack to have a chance. I don't care what OC you throw into that dumpster fire, the difference would have been very marginal. Of course when you lose by 6 points it doesn't take much, but we are grasping straws here.

Give me a stout interior and a legit QB and we win this game by at least 10.

But hey, is it REALLY all that upsetting knowing we're trying to make Hill out to be a savior of the season like the great KW? He's not gonna make all the throws, he's not gonna make the best decisions, and that's why he's a second string QB. HIll is not great and he played a defense that stiffled his limitations.

 

[Philly5]

OL is still a mess. Looked like a Chinese fire drill for most of the game. No excuse for being that confused with a mostly veteran group. Overmatched in the running game also.

Cards seemed to be toying with Jenkins and his gambling ways.

Never a Schotty knocker, but aren't there things we can do to beat a team blitzing on almost every play? The Cards defense played excellent 'responsibility' football though.

Hill took a beating, but looked bad. Very inaccurate and seemed indecisive.

 

[mr.stlouis]

You really think Martz would have helped us tonight? You are kidding yourself, man. Hill struggled to complete any of his passes over ten yards. Martz would have utterly got embarrassed if he would have tried to go all GSOT on the Cards with poor blocking and Hill.

 

[fancents86]

Well we just got beat by their second and third string quarter back. Hell half their team is second stringers. Somehow they don't need an excuse for that, and I'm gonna guess its coaching on the coordinators side.

 

[jrry32]

Well we just got beat by their second and third string quarter back. Hell half their team is second stringers. Somehow they don't need an excuse for that, and I'm gonna guess its coaching on the coordinators side.

Really wasn't much of a difference between how the teams played. Arizona just got the lucky bounces.

 

[blue4]

While Schotty doesn't have much in the C or RG positions to work with it doesn't excuse the fact that he has very little idea how to use the positions he does have. Other team blitzing like crazy, getting home on most? 2nd string QB under fire? OL not blocking well? Well sir, the obvious answer here is to go empty backfield. I mean, who wouldn't?
Got that 2nd string QB starting his first game after an injury inside the 10 needing just 3 to tie a playoff caliber team? Why not use empty backfield passing play?

 

[jrry32]

While Schotty doesn't have much in the C or RG positions to work with it doesn't excuse the fact that he has very little idea how to use the positions he does have. Other team blitzing like crazy, getting home on most? 2nd string QB under fire? OL not blocking well? Well sir, the obvious answer here is to go empty backfield. I mean, who wouldn't?
Got that 2nd string QB starting his first game after an injury inside the 10 needing just 3 to tie a playoff caliber team? Why not use empty backfield passing play?

We barely used the empty back-field and it nearly resulted in a huge play if Hill had put the ball out in front of Bailey. I don't like the empty back-field but it's not the root of our problems. Having Cook pass block was a far more egregious error.

 

[shaunpinney]

Unfortunately, it just goes to show where we are in the NFL, we're probably at the top of the pile of the divisional bottom dwellers, lets hope the rose tinted glasses are now off after beating Oakland and Washington, when it counted we didn't deliver.

Offensively we looked like pants. In my book, not scoring a TD (at home) is inexcusable.

For me, after Mason's fumble, I would have used Austin more and put in Stacey - the guy has something to prove and the Cards seemed to have definitely done their homework on Mason.

 

[WillasDad]

You really think Martz would have helped us tonight? You are kidding yourself, man. Hill struggled to complete any of his passes over ten yards. Martz would have utterly got embarrassed if he would have tried to go all GSOT on the Cards with poor blocking and Hill.

And yet, the OC repeatedly called for these 10+ yard pass plays. There were just too many empty backfield plays putting enormous pressure on a O-line that could've used the extra blocking help from the RB and not enough quick screen passes to Tavon/rbs. Powers (#25) was in our backfield like a bajillion times and no thoughts of accounting for him, including the last 2 plays of the game? Also, hate to say this, but do we have the dumbest player in the league in Jared Cook.. It seems like his mind is either not in the game the majority of the time or he just doesn't get this game.

The areas of need for the offseason in order of priority:

1. Fire the current OC. This is one of those doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results situations. Total insanity if we keep him after this year.
2. Find a FA replacement for Saffold. These scrubs like Davin Joseph wouldn't get any playing time but for Saffold's unreliabiity.
3. Find a replacement for Jared Cook. Except for Harkey, who I love, we really have some crappy TEs.
4. Get a shutdown corner. Trade an elite d-lineman for one, if necessary. We have the worst corners in our division.
5. Replacement for Laurinitis. Very serviceable lb but we need more natural physical talent at his position.
6. Draft a 2nd/3rd round qb. I'd love to see Sean Mannion in a Rams jersey.
7. Tre Mason is the best of a mediocre bunch. We need a better rb. Will AP be available?

 

[BadCompany]

I thought they could have called some more screens, but that's just me. If you're offensive line is letting guys through then you might as well play to that, right?

What really killed me though was the third and one... Not necessarily because of the call, but because of Hill throwing it away. Look, I know this is unfair, and totally unrealistic, but this is the vent thread, right? Let me have my moment. It killed me that Hill threw the ball away with really only one guy coming at him. I know it would have been a heck of a play, but we're talking about the game here, I would have liked to have seen some improvising. Turn and start sprinting back the other way. Fake a throw to get your pursuer jumping in the air. Scamble. Whatever. Prolong the play to see what happens. Maybe a receiver or tight-end pops open. What's the worst that can happen? You take a 15 yard sack? It's still a chip-shot field goal. Sure, I guess the WORST that could happen would be that you fumble or throw an interception, but to toss it away?? Ugh. I was annoyed.

I know they say to take the points when they are given to you, but when you're at the 1 yard line and you know you need a touchdown no matter what, I say go for it. Either on that scramble or on fourth down. To me the odds are better that you score from the one and then kick a 50+ yard field goal for the win, then they are taking a chip shot field goal and then knowing you have to go 80 yards for a touchdown to win. Seems to me a lot more games are won on game-winning field goals than on game-winning touchdowns.

Another losing season. Where is the scream button??

 

[Corbin]

I dont know a lot but one thing I do know is as a leader you have to know what guys you have and what they are used best at and what they are not so good at. Brian S. has zero idea how this concept works. Davin Joseph and Wells are absolutely horrible at certain things and how we were calling plays for 5 and 7 step plays is ridiculous. Yes maybe against Oakland, Wash, or any other pass rushing challenged team but you don't do that with a top D like AZ. He need to put together a game plan similar to what it was like at Denver. Dude has no clue how to even adjust either. I called it at the 1 yard line HE ALWAYS DOES THIS. SHORT AND GOAL?? PASS...

The Jets ones I found on the net... apparently he did the same crap in NY....

 

[tahoe]

The offense seemed completely unprepared like they didnt have enough time this week... the defense didn't play all that great either, they allowed too many big plays. Have the rams ever won on thursday night? Im trying to think of one they won and I can't

 

[Corbin]

The offense seemed completely unprepared like they didnt have enough time this week... the defense didn't play all that great either, they allowed too many big plays. Have the rams ever won on thursday night? Im trying to think of one they won and I can't

Last time we played Thursday was against AZ I believe. for our first game of the year.

 

[classicpony]

O-line & QB need more work

 

[Thordaddy]

Posted in the vent thread about the o line and this thread gets a nod as the oc isn't the end all he should be either. Can't run inside? Take it outside instead! Hill didn't have time to read while on run! Not that he played well, either!

While I agree with what you are saying here rhino, we have to ,or at least I have to consider that the Cardinals are not only an 11 win team they have gotten 5 of those wins behind backup Qbs who have won at least two games where the starter was put out of the game . Wells has got to go second butt fumble convinced me of that , but back to AZ if they'd had Palmer healthy all year they'd IMO have been comfortably in the lead for the HFA by last night and as I said yesterday they have people who can get after the passer they just aren't quite as heralded as our d-line . Further I think Tod Boles is every bit as good a DC as ours.
My conclusion there is yes we need both positions upgraded but Joseph could be a backup we really only need a guard I think we can get the kid from Bama to be our center by next year.
Shaun Hill .well what can I say ,I'm willing to accept he had a bad game , you/ I expect a guy who has spent his entire career as a backup to have bad games to perform great in spurts and then inexplicably go to pieces ,it's what keeps them 2nd , he is now if you want to count his w-l as him owning them at his career average 2-2,not terrible but unless we win out from here I doubt we have a lot of competition for his services if we want to keep him.
My NEW stuff on him is this ,on one of the desperation throws he launched last night he ran up in the pocket and rainbowed the ball in what appeared to be as far as he could throw it ,it traveled from our 21 to their 30 ........49 yards, if it had been allowed to hit the ground maybe 52 yards.

The punt pass and kick record for 13 year old passing is 56 yards and the 15 year old record is 7 inches short of 71 yards, I think Hill may have the weakest arm on the team caveat he was fatigued from the rest of the game which then would go to age and conditioning.
ALL THAT SAID,I still believe if he'd never been injured and played all year and our defense had turned in the performances it has the last 6 weeks all year we'd probably be 8-4 or 7-5 now , but I also believe we'd be either of those if AD had started all the games with the same defensive support.

My conclusion ,at the beginning of the season I was of the mind we could win enough games to be solidly in the playoff hunt at this moment with Hill as long as the defense played to it's sack city billing , and as I said I still think that, I also believe as I said Davis could have done representatively the same ,we are where we are because we were giving up an average of 144 yards per game for a stretch of games and not getting sacks and only an elite or semi elite QB was going to overcome that disadvantage.

The six straight 3 and outs we posted last night was so demoralizing I had to fight off sleep in order to watch .
I think the Hill Martz remembers isn't the one we have now ,I know how much harder I had to work at Hills age to keep my level of play in other sports from diminishing , hopefully he does what it takes in the off season to reclaim some of his arm strength,cuz from what I saw last night he's lost something it' hard to believe it was never better than that.
Edit: I have Hills w-l wrong it's 3-2 brain flatulance ,the rest stands

 

[Corbin]

I'm sorry guys, I hate to be so negative but I know I'm not the only person here who feels this way right? How poorly can an OC be prepared for a game. And I'll say it once and I'll say it again, he's the script coach. Once he's outside his script he's the worst play caller ever. How embarrassing. Hey Brian, that screen to Benny Cunningham worked pretty well in your "script". Where was it the rest of the game? No max protect, no quick hitches, bubbles or slants to combat the blitz onslaught that you knew was coming from Todd Bowles. Amazing to me truly amazing. If he's back next year, I hate to say it but we're probably in for another long frustrating season.

 

[BadCompany]

My NEW stuff on him is this ,on one of the desperation throws he launched last night he ran up in the pocket and rainbowed the ball in what appeared to be as far as he could throw it ,it traveled from our 21 to their 30 ........49 yards, if it had been allowed to hit the ground maybe 52 yards.

Yeah, he was throwing a lot of dying quails out there. Some of those throws looked like flag-football throws from a beer-league hero. Definitely not pretty.