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Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... c1162.html
Here are the grades for the St. Louis Rams after their not-so-pretty 31-17 victory over the Cardinals at Arizona:
QUARTERBACK: Chat room whipping boy Sam Bradford had an interesting day. He wasn't efficient, but he made some big plays and proved his toughness. He threw an ugly interception into the Arizona end zone, throwing late as Austin Pettis flashed open. He suffered two sacks and missed some targets badly while under duress. He was lucky to recover his own fumble after a strip-sack. He completed only eight of 17 passes overall.
But Bradford rallied the Rams from 14-7 and 21-17 deficits by throwing touchdown passes to Lance Kendricks and Chris Givens respectively. By producing 12.1 yards per passing attempt, he finished with a sterling 106.3 passer rating. Back-up Kellen Clemens stepped in for only play (after Bradford got racked) and had a pass batted down.
Grade: B
RUNNING BACK: Steven Jackson trucked the Cardinals for 139 yards on 24 carries. He looked like a kid again on his 46-yard sprint, his longest run since the 2011 season. Rookie Daryl Richardson contributed 32 yards on seven carries. The Rams wanted to step on the Cardinals with their ground game and they did just that.
Grade: A
RECEIVERS: Relentless Danny Amendola was in a walking boot all week, then he somehow played Sunday. He inspired the group with his diving 38-yard catch. Givens emulated him by stretching out for a 37-yard TD — the highlight of his breakout five-catch, 115-yard game. Brandon Gibson (three targets), Pettis (two targets) and Brian Quick (one target) didn’t have a catch. But the receivers got separation in the secondary and caught pretty much everything they could.
Grade: A
TIGHT ENDS: Kendricks has the wheels to get behind defenses for big plays. Sunday it worked for a 37-yard TD pass. Also, Matthew Mulligan chipped in a 15-yard catch. The tight ends had a good day blocking. On the other hand, Kendricks committed an illegal motion infraction that cost Richardson a 12-yard gain. This has been a recurring problem for the Rams this season.
Grade: A-minus
OFFENSIVE LINE: Left tackle Rodger Saffold wiped out an almost certain touchdown with a holding penalty as Jackson bowled to the one-yard line. In a closer game, that could have been a big blunder. The glaring breakdowns in pass protection would have cost the Rams against a better foe. Bradford suffered a huge hit on an incomplete pass and ran for his health several times. But as the game wore on, excellent run blocking helped the Rams pull away.
Grade: B
DEFENSIVE LINE: Defensive end Robert Quinn was most noticeable while earning offside and encroachment penalties as he tried too hard to exploit the Gridbird tackles. One of those penalties erased a defensive stop and allowed Arizona to jump to a 7-0 lead. Defensive end William Hayes earned the only sack for this unit. Defensive end Chris Long got pinned inside on one of Beanie Wells’ touchdown runs. Defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford had quiet games, too, but the front four buckled down against the run during the second half.
Grade: C
LINEBACKERS: Jo-Lonn Dunbar had a memorable game on the outside. He had some big tackles (including one for a loss) and at least one costly missed tackle. He also earned a personal foul penalty for head hunting. In a closer game, that would have been troublesome. Rocky McIntosh, starting on the other side with Mario Haggan hurt, earned a sack. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis got a late deflection interception to pad his statistics. But this group was headed toward a poor grade until the Rams blanked the Gridbirds in the second half. How did the Rams allow that offense to open with a 15-play TD drive?
Grade: B
SECONDARY: This group had a mixed outing. Rookie Janoris Jenkins picked off two passes and returned them for touchdowns, explaining why coach Jeff Fisher has remained patient with him. Safety Craig Dahl held on to an easy interception, too. These were the first turnovers forced by the Rams in 52 days. On the other hand, soft first-half pass coverage allowed the struggling Cardinals to take a 17-14 lead. Rookie cornerback Trumaine Johnson got lost on a 21-yard catch by Andre Roberts. Safety Quintin Mikell extended one drive with a third-down personal foul penalty. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan missed a tackle that led to a 25-yard catch-and-run play. Overall, the Rams allowed rookie Arizona quarterback Ryan Lindley to complete 31 of 52 passes for 312 yards. But two defensive TDs are two TDs.
Grade: B
SPECIAL TEAMS: Only the Rams could earn two holding penalties on the same punt return. Congratulations Josh Hull and Bradley Fletcher! Rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein may have lost his “Legatron” status after missing badly from 35 yards. He did kick a 19-yard field goal and rookie punter Johnny Hekker was OK — allowing just one notable Patrick Peterson return, for 26 yards.
Grade: C
COACHING: The Rams were a much, much stronger team after regrouping at the half. They dialed up more pressure on Lindley, forced additional turnovers and throttled the Cardinals throughout the second half. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer attacked Arizona with some deep throws and got the desired results. The Rams were penalty-prone, again, but they were tactically and emotionally prepared to close out a lesser team.
Grade: B
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... c1162.html
Here are the grades for the St. Louis Rams after their not-so-pretty 31-17 victory over the Cardinals at Arizona:
QUARTERBACK: Chat room whipping boy Sam Bradford had an interesting day. He wasn't efficient, but he made some big plays and proved his toughness. He threw an ugly interception into the Arizona end zone, throwing late as Austin Pettis flashed open. He suffered two sacks and missed some targets badly while under duress. He was lucky to recover his own fumble after a strip-sack. He completed only eight of 17 passes overall.
But Bradford rallied the Rams from 14-7 and 21-17 deficits by throwing touchdown passes to Lance Kendricks and Chris Givens respectively. By producing 12.1 yards per passing attempt, he finished with a sterling 106.3 passer rating. Back-up Kellen Clemens stepped in for only play (after Bradford got racked) and had a pass batted down.
Grade: B
RUNNING BACK: Steven Jackson trucked the Cardinals for 139 yards on 24 carries. He looked like a kid again on his 46-yard sprint, his longest run since the 2011 season. Rookie Daryl Richardson contributed 32 yards on seven carries. The Rams wanted to step on the Cardinals with their ground game and they did just that.
Grade: A
RECEIVERS: Relentless Danny Amendola was in a walking boot all week, then he somehow played Sunday. He inspired the group with his diving 38-yard catch. Givens emulated him by stretching out for a 37-yard TD — the highlight of his breakout five-catch, 115-yard game. Brandon Gibson (three targets), Pettis (two targets) and Brian Quick (one target) didn’t have a catch. But the receivers got separation in the secondary and caught pretty much everything they could.
Grade: A
TIGHT ENDS: Kendricks has the wheels to get behind defenses for big plays. Sunday it worked for a 37-yard TD pass. Also, Matthew Mulligan chipped in a 15-yard catch. The tight ends had a good day blocking. On the other hand, Kendricks committed an illegal motion infraction that cost Richardson a 12-yard gain. This has been a recurring problem for the Rams this season.
Grade: A-minus
OFFENSIVE LINE: Left tackle Rodger Saffold wiped out an almost certain touchdown with a holding penalty as Jackson bowled to the one-yard line. In a closer game, that could have been a big blunder. The glaring breakdowns in pass protection would have cost the Rams against a better foe. Bradford suffered a huge hit on an incomplete pass and ran for his health several times. But as the game wore on, excellent run blocking helped the Rams pull away.
Grade: B
DEFENSIVE LINE: Defensive end Robert Quinn was most noticeable while earning offside and encroachment penalties as he tried too hard to exploit the Gridbird tackles. One of those penalties erased a defensive stop and allowed Arizona to jump to a 7-0 lead. Defensive end William Hayes earned the only sack for this unit. Defensive end Chris Long got pinned inside on one of Beanie Wells’ touchdown runs. Defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford had quiet games, too, but the front four buckled down against the run during the second half.
Grade: C
LINEBACKERS: Jo-Lonn Dunbar had a memorable game on the outside. He had some big tackles (including one for a loss) and at least one costly missed tackle. He also earned a personal foul penalty for head hunting. In a closer game, that would have been troublesome. Rocky McIntosh, starting on the other side with Mario Haggan hurt, earned a sack. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis got a late deflection interception to pad his statistics. But this group was headed toward a poor grade until the Rams blanked the Gridbirds in the second half. How did the Rams allow that offense to open with a 15-play TD drive?
Grade: B
SECONDARY: This group had a mixed outing. Rookie Janoris Jenkins picked off two passes and returned them for touchdowns, explaining why coach Jeff Fisher has remained patient with him. Safety Craig Dahl held on to an easy interception, too. These were the first turnovers forced by the Rams in 52 days. On the other hand, soft first-half pass coverage allowed the struggling Cardinals to take a 17-14 lead. Rookie cornerback Trumaine Johnson got lost on a 21-yard catch by Andre Roberts. Safety Quintin Mikell extended one drive with a third-down personal foul penalty. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan missed a tackle that led to a 25-yard catch-and-run play. Overall, the Rams allowed rookie Arizona quarterback Ryan Lindley to complete 31 of 52 passes for 312 yards. But two defensive TDs are two TDs.
Grade: B
SPECIAL TEAMS: Only the Rams could earn two holding penalties on the same punt return. Congratulations Josh Hull and Bradley Fletcher! Rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein may have lost his “Legatron” status after missing badly from 35 yards. He did kick a 19-yard field goal and rookie punter Johnny Hekker was OK — allowing just one notable Patrick Peterson return, for 26 yards.
Grade: C
COACHING: The Rams were a much, much stronger team after regrouping at the half. They dialed up more pressure on Lindley, forced additional turnovers and throttled the Cardinals throughout the second half. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer attacked Arizona with some deep throws and got the desired results. The Rams were penalty-prone, again, but they were tactically and emotionally prepared to close out a lesser team.
Grade: B
