Rams are sending mixed signals when it comes to their power offense

[lockdnram21]

http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/06/03/rams-sending-mixed-signals-on-offense/

 

[DaveFan'51]

http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/06/03/rams-sending-mixed-signals-on-offense/

I think, as they talk about in this^ piece. Part of the problem Tavon had with the spread offence we used in 2013 ( which they don't mention!) was he had a lot of plays called back due to F-ing penalties called on a piss-poor supporting cast! These penalties cost him lots of yards, and TD's! But of course he always has had a problem getting separation on "Deep Routes! JMH Old opinion:mrburnsevil:

 

[Fatbot]

I am not going to panic yet at the mention of 2013, instead will wait and see what we get. There's no such thing as "the spread offense", there are many different flavors and it all comes down to the underlying identity & philosophy. The 2013 offense was a fiasco because the identity was wayyyy too much "west coast offense" flavored. Schotty attempted to substitute a short passing game for a running game and the philosophy was focused on horizontal ball control, not the downfield jugular. Bradford got roasted for being "Capt. Checkdown" when in my opinion it was the design of the offense to throw everything short & safe. The NFL has evolved beyond that.

So I can only hope Fisher learned his lesson and won't repeat that philosophy. The Rams have a power running game, they do not need to substitute a short passing game in its place. I hope Groh's passing offense will complement the power running game by attacking downfield as its philosophy. I want to see high pressure on both sides of the ball, the offense should be as threatening as the D.

That said, I could totally envision the Rams on their second possession jumping into an up-tempo "bear raid" type of thing for a series just to get the defense backpedaling, and then come back with the hammer Gurley -- the opposing d-line would look like they were on ice skates not knowing what to do. Everything is fun to imagine in the offseason, even if not realistic, we'll see how Boras & Groh matches play design to our personnel and what identity Fisher picks.

 

[Zaphod]

I am not going to panic yet at the mention of 2013, instead will wait and see what we get. There's no such thing as "the spread offense", there are many different flavors and it all comes down to the underlying identity & philosophy. The 2013 offense was a fiasco because the identity was wayyyy too much "west coast offense" flavored. Schotty attempted to substitute a short passing game for a running game and the philosophy was focused on horizontal ball control, not the downfield jugular. Bradford got roasted for being "Capt. Checkdown" when in my opinion it was the design of the offense to throw everything short & safe. The NFL has evolved beyond that.

So I can only hope Fisher learned his lesson and won't repeat that philosophy. The Rams have a power running game, they do not need to substitute a short passing game in its place. I hope Groh's passing offense will complement the power running game by attacking downfield as its philosophy. I want to see high pressure on both sides of the ball, the offense should be as threatening as the D.

That said, I could totally envision the Rams on their second possession jumping into an up-tempo "bear raid" type of thing for a series just to get the defense backpedaling, and then come back with the hammer Gurley -- the opposing d-line would look like they were on ice skates not knowing what to do. Everything is fun to imagine in the offseason, even if not realistic, we'll see how Boras & Groh matches play design to our personnel and what identity Fisher picks.

The biggest reason Shottenheimer's spread didn't work is because he wasn't getting enough run or pass blocking from the front 5. Their big change which got the running game going again was involving the tight ends with blocking.

It's interesting because last year they really tried to open up the deep routes with play action, and I've no doubt that they'll certainly do it again, except with the emphasis on an intermediate passing attack stands better than a 50% chance of being intercepted.

I don't think you have to be concerned. You don't accumulate talent like Gurley and Austin just to abandon the rushing attack, and they didn't just draft two tight ends just to line them out wide in an attempt to spread the field horizontally. If anything I expect the intermediate game to be a consistent enough threat to teams who focus on our backfield.

 

[Big Game]

The reason the spread type offense of 2013 didn't work was due to a lack of a consist running game too many drops by WR's. I believe Richardson was the lead back during that time

 

[Frogbelly]

The logic makes sense to me. Even though the Rams finished 7th in rushing last year, it didn't stop the offense from finishing last. In order to improve, they needed a qb that can counter the 8 and 9 in the box with accurate throws and setup the play action. Once they can establish that they can throw the ball around, Gurley will run wild...
That's some good tasting koolaid.

 

[Riverumbbq]

See more of a hybrid than a flat out spread, ... and comparing what the team would show today as to 3 years ago is light-years different. I'm guessing Boras will mix it up, installing his O gameplan in bits & pieces while allowing his players to adjust, and develop his playbook steadily, using his players skills and abilities in the spread to balance the learning curve. Like every season, you go with what works and mix in the new to keep the opposition off-guard.

We now have the beginnings of a solid OL & receiving corps to go along with a franchise type QB without the injury risk M.O. Where Steven Jackson was finishing up his career as the primary RB, Gurley is just getting started. Our defense is much improved over 3 years ago, and that alone helps keep the offense on the field. 3 years ago we didn't know how to use T.A., now he's the best all-purpose WR on the roster. Cook will no longer be dropping balls, and the addition of receiving TE's Higbee & Hemingway along with WR's Cooper & Thomas, the question changes from whether Quick will ever be capable to we'll take whatever we can get out of him because we now have that luxury in depth. We may have to wait another year for that true and elusive # 1 WR, but overall, we are better, ... at least on paper, which is about all we can expect before a single snap occurs during the pre-season.

My big fear is whether the OL injury bug continues to plague us as it has for several seasons now, although seeing our younger guys develop sheds more hope than ever that our depth can prevail. GRob & Barnes looked like they both were finally 'getting it' those last few games and rookie Havenstein appears to have stepped right into the starting RT position without the team missing a beat, the veteran newbie Reynolds was surprisingly solid at Guard. Many of the youngsters got playing time with all our injured offensive linemen coming out, and while that was often tough to watch last season, it did add up to valuable on-field experience & development for those who might not otherwise have seen the field. Darrell Williams looked quite good with his limited snaps & guys like Brown, Wichmann & Donnal all received valuable playing time. Rhaney & Battle are the expected unknowns as they needed strength training, and there is that never-ending question on how many games we will get out of Saffold, although i'm now resigned to taking that as one game at a time, and like Quick, anything is better than nothing.

I believe the Rams are now fielding a play-off caliber team, at least so long as we remain injury free. The question is more about experience and development than the quality of our athletes. Young guys make mistakes and cause more penalties, but once chemistry replaces their rookie jitters, this team has what it takes. Our DL is far better with the return of Quinn (Hayes = Long & Easley > Fairley), and our LB corps is much better with Ogletree at MLB. The DB's are more of a question than the front 7, especially at FS, but Fisher usually finds someone capable here, it will be interesting to see if & how the 2014 Gaines compares to the 2015 Jenkins in 2016. Overall, the D is improved somewhat, both starting and depth.

The change in offense is night and day. Exchange Foles for Goff, exchange Cook for Higbee, a healthy OL with more experience and better developed; a quality, experienced young RB actually starting the season, and two new WR's in Cooper & Thomas competing with Britt & Quick for playing time. Hey, maybe even Bailey finds his way home. This may take some extra time to develop, but once Goff gets comfortable and the receivers have their routes down, ... look out. jmo.

 

[FrantikRam]

This year is going to be tough offensively...I'm expecting to be ranked in the 30s in most major categories again...if we hit the 20s that would be good progress.

Goff with almost no proven WRs, and a young still developing OL - 2017 this team will explode. But 2016 is going to be tough on offense IMO.

But it'll still be exciting to watch all these young guys growing together. And watching a rookie QB struggle is FAR better than watching poor QB play from vets.

 

[Riverumbbq]

This year is going to be tough offensively...I'm expecting to be ranked in the 30s in most major categories again...if we hit the 20s that would be good progress.

Goff with almost no proven WRs, and a young still developing OL - 2017 this team will explode. But 2016 is going to be tough on offense IMO.

But it'll still be exciting to watch all these young guys growing together. And watching a rookie QB struggle is FAR better than watching poor QB play from vets.

I'm a bit more optimistic. We lost 4 games last season by a combined 15 points, no reason we shouldn't improve on 7 - 9 this next season. Other than some rather minor questions with our DB's, this team looks better up & down the line, on both sides of the ball. jmo.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Fisher said:

“We’re going to get the ball spread around a little bit more. It’s going to all focus off the run game. But we’re going to be able to, if need be, hand it off to Todd, and if someone says “we’re not going to let you do that”, then were going to spread it around.”

Uh, that isn't the definition of a spread offense.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

"An incompetent offensive coordinator in Brien Schottenheimer"- how did he ever get hired? And why did it take so long for the NFL, mainly Fisher to realise that he sucks? Is NFL nepotism really that prominent? Some things, I will never u understand.

Many of us cringed at the hire and saw it as an obviously bad decision, yet NFL media didn't seem to have a problem with it.


And did anyone notice the improved secondary play when Chuck Cecil was promoted and Brandon Fisher and Denard Wilson took over the defensive backs coaching? The old school coaching tree was not getting the job done. I am so happy that Fisher finally got the memo.

 

[ReddingRam]

I am not going to panic yet at the mention of 2013, instead will wait and see what we get. There's no such thing as "the spread offense", there are many different flavors and it all comes down to the underlying identity & philosophy. The 2013 offense was a fiasco because the identity was wayyyy too much "west coast offense" flavored. Schotty attempted to substitute a short passing game for a running game and the philosophy was focused on horizontal ball control, not the downfield jugular. Bradford got roasted for being "Capt. Checkdown" when in my opinion it was the design of the offense to throw everything short & safe. The NFL has evolved beyond that.

So I can only hope Fisher learned his lesson and won't repeat that philosophy. The Rams have a power running game, they do not need to substitute a short passing game in its place. I hope Groh's passing offense will complement the power running game by attacking downfield as its philosophy. I want to see high pressure on both sides of the ball, the offense should be as threatening as the D.

That said, I could totally envision the Rams on their second possession jumping into an up-tempo "bear raid" type of thing for a series just to get the defense backpedaling, and then come back with the hammer Gurley -- the opposing d-line would look like they were on ice skates not knowing what to do. Everything is fun to imagine in the offseason, even if not realistic, we'll see how Boras & Groh matches play design to our personnel and what identity Fisher picks.

Exactly. There is no reason to panic and there is no reason to not want to see the Rams open up their offense a bit. Their best bet is to become a more "rounded" or "balanced" offense that can play the game anyway it needs to be played at any given time. Every week your opponent changes, as does his strengths and weaknesses. Same with defensive personnel groupings. To be able to attack those in any manner needed and be proficient at it, They need to become a more "open" style of offense. One that can adjust and be good at it.

 

[ReddingRam]

My big fear is whether the OL injury bug continues to plague us as it has for several seasons now, although seeing our younger guys develop sheds more hope than ever that our depth can prevail.

This is HUGE! And I have been saying so for the past couple yrs, that our injuries to the guys up front have had as much to do as anything with our offense not being able to become anything near competent. It all starts up front. And for the past several yrs, we have been losing 3-5 of our starting OL and then some of the top backups to injury. There has been no continuity, no cohesiveness and no stabilizing force to let the offense grow. It has been an almost weekly change, and that is NOT good for a young offense to grow and develop.

 

[Ram65]

_________________________
“We’re going to get the ball spread around a little bit more. It’s going to all focus off the run game. But we’re going to be able to, if need be, hand it off to Todd, and if someone says “we’re not going to let you do that”, then were going to spread it around.”

Fisher continued by saying:

“When it’s all said and done, we’re going to look back and, I think, see Tavon maybe doubling the number of catches he had last year.”
____________________________________

It said spread the ball around.

Adding Goff (soon to be NFL quality QB) gives the Rams more options on offense. Gurely will get his power runs in the offense. The offense will get the ball in TA's hand more. This can become a very unpredictable offense with the rookie TEs combined with improvements at WR.

 

[Roman Snow]

I actually don't see the point of this article. Does the writer want the Rams to stick with 3 yards of Gurley and a cloud of dust?

This is a classic case of a sports writer trying to stir up a story where there is none, or missing the real story.

So our 32nd ranks offense that just moved up to the #1 slot to select a gun-slinging quarterback should send more clear signals that we are doubling down on the ground game?! OF COURSE the Rams are going to change their offense to incorporate more passing.

This isn't sending "mixed signals". It is called, "making necessary adjustments to get better".

The lazy writer could have done a story on the exciting new changes coming. But, instead he chose to infer that Fisher is just throwing darts in panic mode, and has no focus.

I see it differently. The Rams have put together a game plan to compete in this league. Starting with Tavon, the building of a solid offensive line, additions of Gurley, Groh, Goff, Higbee and Cooper.

We are going to have a competitive offense, which will only make our good defense into a great defense, simply by not having to be on the field so much.

The title of the article from the lazy writer should have been, "Rams Sending Clear Signals of Grohth"

 

[snackdaddy]

Fisher said:

Uh, that isn't the definition of a spread offense.

Exactly. I don't know why writers assume they're going to a spread offense when Fisher said they're going to spread the ball around. All that means is they want to get more receivers involved rather than just a couple.

I wonder what they could come up with if he said "We're going to balance our passing game by getting more receivers involved"?

I see it now. "Fisher abandons the run game."

 

[So Ram]

See more of a hybrid than a flat out spread, ... and comparing what the team would show today as to 3 years ago is light-years different. I'm guessing Boras will mix it up, installing his O gameplan in bits & pieces while allowing his players to adjust, and develop his playbook steadily, using his players skills and abilities in the spread to balance the learning curve. Like every season, you go with what works and mix in the new to keep the opposition off-guard.

We now have the beginnings of a solid OL & receiving corps to go along with a franchise type QB without the injury risk M.O. Where Steven Jackson was finishing up his career as the primary RB, Gurley is just getting started. Our defense is much improved over 3 years ago, and that alone helps keep the offense on the field. 3 years ago we didn't know how to use T.A., now he's the best all-purpose WR on the roster. Cook will no longer be dropping balls, and the addition of receiving TE's Higbee & Hemingway along with WR's Cooper & Thomas, the question changes from whether Quick will ever be capable to we'll take whatever we can get out of him because we now have that luxury in depth. We may have to wait another year for that true and elusive # 1 WR, but overall, we are better, ... at least on paper, which is about all we can expect before a single snap occurs during the pre-season.

My big fear is whether the OL injury bug continues to plague us as it has for several seasons now, although seeing our younger guys develop sheds more hope than ever that our depth can prevail. GRob & Barnes looked like they both were finally 'getting it' those last few games and rookie Havenstein appears to have stepped right into the starting RT position without the team missing a beat, the veteran newbie Reynolds was surprisingly solid at Guard. Many of the youngsters got playing time with all our injured offensive linemen coming out, and while that was often tough to watch last season, it did add up to valuable on-field experience & development for those who might not otherwise have seen the field. Darrell Williams looked quite good with his limited snaps & guys like Brown, Wichmann & Donnal all received valuable playing time. Rhaney & Battle are the expected unknowns as they needed strength training, and there is that never-ending question on how many games we will get out of Saffold, although i'm now resigned to taking that as one game at a time, and like Quick, anything is better than nothing.

I believe the Rams are now fielding a play-off caliber team, at least so long as we remain injury free. The question is more about experience and development than the quality of our athletes. Young guys make mistakes and cause more penalties, but once chemistry replaces their rookie jitters, this team has what it takes. Our DL is far better with the return of Quinn (Hayes = Long & Easley > Fairley), and our LB corps is much better with Ogletree at MLB. The DB's are more of a question than the front 7, especially at FS, but Fisher usually finds someone capable here, it will be interesting to see if & how the 2014 Gaines compares to the 2015 Jenkins in 2016. Overall, the D is improved somewhat, both starting and depth.

The change in offense is night and day. Exchange Foles for Goff, exchange Cook for Higbee, a healthy OL with more experience and better developed; a quality, experienced young RB actually starting the season, and two new WR's in Cooper & Thomas competing with Britt & Quick for playing time. Hey, maybe even Bailey finds his way home. This may take some extra time to develop, but once Goff gets comfortable and the receivers have their routes down, ... look out. jmo.

--- J. Brown is a stud at OG & a starter !!!
Reynolds is excellent depth. Wichmann as well, & a steal in the draft.
-- Groh is a up in comer & adding Pete is a very good addition .
--Rhaney is good on Kick returns not much else.--I like the Cal connection myself at center better.
--QB depth is excellent. Case Keenan proved his value & will fit this new offense.Add the fact Mannion is totally under the radar.If you look at a couples drills his foot work looks fantastic for his size. He is coming out of O-St Mike Riley system of NFL ready QB's.Hecklar might throw a good pass, Mannion is going to be a QB in the league for awhile.
----I Wouldn't Doubt Roger Safffold.Just read his quite on himself being ready.I'd bet on this guy.
----Coples is more C.Long than Hayes.
Long was hurt most of 2015
Ogletree is #55 ,because he was hurt last season.Add JL was playing hurt & slow.--
Gaines for JJ .I like the depth at CB this year.Roberson in his 3rd year & Q.Sensabaugh.
---- Don't sleep on the WR's either.Tavon Austin is (has)taking a leadership position.