- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Rams offense needs most offseason attention
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16741/rams-offense-needs-most-offseason-attention
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- For better or worse, the St. Louis Rams have made it abundantly clear that they are committed to continuity.
Despite a 6-10 record in 2014 and a 20-27-1 mark in the three years since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach, everything the Rams have or have not done since the offseason began points toward continuing down the same path that's led to those records.
On defense, where the Rams began to become the dominant group many thought they'd be under Gregg Williams in the season's second half, that's probably a good thing. It's a unit that needs to be more consistent but a second year under Williams should help that develop.
Meanwhile, the offense has undergone something resembling change this offseason but change for the Rams offense is a relative term. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer departed for the same job at the University of Georgia with quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti promoted. The team also named an assistant head coach/offense but again it came in the form of internal promotion for tight ends coach Rob Boras.
All signs point to the Rams sticking to more of the same at quarterback with an intent to bring Sam Bradford back. The only real change of note to this point is the addition of Chris Weinke as quarterbacks coach. Weinke represents the only outside addition to the offensive coaching staff at a position of note since Fisher's arrival.
Whether it's a function of Fisher's desire to retain continuity or an inability to bring in talented outside options is inconsequential. The fact remains that the Rams intend to do the same things offensively but improve how they do them.
"What we're going to do is make it better," Fisher said. "I was able to... look and see the areas we needed to improve upon and I'm confident that's going to take place."
By this point of the Fisher regime, there should be no doubt as to what that "it" is. Fisher's offensive philosophy has remained the same for two decades save for a four-game experiment with a more-wide open approach in 2013. That experiment failed and Fisher went back to pushing for what he knows best.
"It's a run game, you need to run the football and you need to complement your play action game to the run game," Fisher said. "And play good defense and play good special teams. Everybody will tell you, if you've got a top five or six defense and you can run the football, you've got a chance to be in the final four. That's the very basic theory."
For the Rams to achieve Fisher's goal of doing what they do but doing it better, they will have to make at least some change. It stands to reason that since those changes didn't come on the coaching staff or to the philosophy that they'll have to come in the form of personnel. Which is why the bulk of the resources the Rams use in the upcoming free-agent period and this year's NFL draft should be devoted toward upgrading an offense that must improve for the Rams to move beyond their recent mediocrity.
In the three years since Fisher arrived in St. Louis, the Rams rank 28th in yards per game (316.2), 24th in yards per play (5.2) and 26th in offensive points per game (17.8). If you prefer more advanced statistics, the Rams are 27th in offensive expected points added at negative-110.09 points and 26th in offensive win probability added at negative-1.97. Conversely, the defense ranks 11th in defensive expected points added at negative-7.44 points and 14th in defensive win probability added at negative-2.35.
For an offense with designs on a power running game, the results haven't been much better. An average of 106.3 rushing yards per game ranks 17th in that span and an average of 4.1 yards per carry is 17th. A power running team like Seattle can win championships because it has an all-time great defense and a rushing attack that is first in yards per game and second in yards per carry in the past three seasons.
To reach that level, the Rams have a lot of work to do. It starts with requisite upgrades on the offensive line, namely at center and guard and possibly at right tackle should Joe Barksdale depart in free agency. St. Louis won't have much cap space compared to others but should have enough to get at least one difference maker so it doesn't have to lean exclusively on the draft for upgrades.
A healthy Bradford would certainly help, but the Rams must also find a better Plan B than what they've had the past two years. They need to locate a potential long-term solution as well. At wide receiver, the Rams would be wise to keep Kenny Britt but a difference-maker in the draft wouldn't hurt either if the value is right.
"When you are in the window with a good defense, you definitely want to score more points," general manager Les Snead said. "So we'll look at all ways to do that. If it's a couple of these draft picks, it could be the time of year to do it. At all costs, just don't reach because you'll regret it later."
That doesn't mean the Rams should completely ignore the defense. Such an approach would have cost them star defensive tackle Aaron Donald last year. But if all things are equal, as the Rams heard toward the fourth season of the Fisher and Snead regime, this must be an offseason of offense.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16741/rams-offense-needs-most-offseason-attention
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- For better or worse, the St. Louis Rams have made it abundantly clear that they are committed to continuity.
Despite a 6-10 record in 2014 and a 20-27-1 mark in the three years since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach, everything the Rams have or have not done since the offseason began points toward continuing down the same path that's led to those records.
On defense, where the Rams began to become the dominant group many thought they'd be under Gregg Williams in the season's second half, that's probably a good thing. It's a unit that needs to be more consistent but a second year under Williams should help that develop.
Meanwhile, the offense has undergone something resembling change this offseason but change for the Rams offense is a relative term. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer departed for the same job at the University of Georgia with quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti promoted. The team also named an assistant head coach/offense but again it came in the form of internal promotion for tight ends coach Rob Boras.
All signs point to the Rams sticking to more of the same at quarterback with an intent to bring Sam Bradford back. The only real change of note to this point is the addition of Chris Weinke as quarterbacks coach. Weinke represents the only outside addition to the offensive coaching staff at a position of note since Fisher's arrival.
Whether it's a function of Fisher's desire to retain continuity or an inability to bring in talented outside options is inconsequential. The fact remains that the Rams intend to do the same things offensively but improve how they do them.
"What we're going to do is make it better," Fisher said. "I was able to... look and see the areas we needed to improve upon and I'm confident that's going to take place."
By this point of the Fisher regime, there should be no doubt as to what that "it" is. Fisher's offensive philosophy has remained the same for two decades save for a four-game experiment with a more-wide open approach in 2013. That experiment failed and Fisher went back to pushing for what he knows best.
"It's a run game, you need to run the football and you need to complement your play action game to the run game," Fisher said. "And play good defense and play good special teams. Everybody will tell you, if you've got a top five or six defense and you can run the football, you've got a chance to be in the final four. That's the very basic theory."
For the Rams to achieve Fisher's goal of doing what they do but doing it better, they will have to make at least some change. It stands to reason that since those changes didn't come on the coaching staff or to the philosophy that they'll have to come in the form of personnel. Which is why the bulk of the resources the Rams use in the upcoming free-agent period and this year's NFL draft should be devoted toward upgrading an offense that must improve for the Rams to move beyond their recent mediocrity.
In the three years since Fisher arrived in St. Louis, the Rams rank 28th in yards per game (316.2), 24th in yards per play (5.2) and 26th in offensive points per game (17.8). If you prefer more advanced statistics, the Rams are 27th in offensive expected points added at negative-110.09 points and 26th in offensive win probability added at negative-1.97. Conversely, the defense ranks 11th in defensive expected points added at negative-7.44 points and 14th in defensive win probability added at negative-2.35.
For an offense with designs on a power running game, the results haven't been much better. An average of 106.3 rushing yards per game ranks 17th in that span and an average of 4.1 yards per carry is 17th. A power running team like Seattle can win championships because it has an all-time great defense and a rushing attack that is first in yards per game and second in yards per carry in the past three seasons.
To reach that level, the Rams have a lot of work to do. It starts with requisite upgrades on the offensive line, namely at center and guard and possibly at right tackle should Joe Barksdale depart in free agency. St. Louis won't have much cap space compared to others but should have enough to get at least one difference maker so it doesn't have to lean exclusively on the draft for upgrades.
A healthy Bradford would certainly help, but the Rams must also find a better Plan B than what they've had the past two years. They need to locate a potential long-term solution as well. At wide receiver, the Rams would be wise to keep Kenny Britt but a difference-maker in the draft wouldn't hurt either if the value is right.
"When you are in the window with a good defense, you definitely want to score more points," general manager Les Snead said. "So we'll look at all ways to do that. If it's a couple of these draft picks, it could be the time of year to do it. At all costs, just don't reach because you'll regret it later."
That doesn't mean the Rams should completely ignore the defense. Such an approach would have cost them star defensive tackle Aaron Donald last year. But if all things are equal, as the Rams heard toward the fourth season of the Fisher and Snead regime, this must be an offseason of offense.
