Seven Takeaways from the Rams 31-28 loss @ Detroit

[JKBOGEN]

You bet.

I'm not a real big fan of PFF as an evaluation tool, though. I think it works best as a companion to your own eyes. Even those guys (Sam, Neil, Khaled) will tell you that their evals and grades are based on limited knowledge of the play design. But they do put together a lot of useful information. It doesn't surprise me that Harkey would be rated fairly high. The fullback is a dying breed anyway, and Harkey is a very versatile and fundamentally sound player.

Now. All that said? I did not care for the play at all. Pulling a guard down there doesn't give you much room for error in that situation. The entire defense is on the LOS, so it basically comes down to a match of strength. And nothing about our O-line screamed 'strength' to me up to that point. Would have much rather seen a spread out offense (to get more defenders off the line), and then pick your poison. But, it is what it is. It does seem as though it would have worked if Gurley made the right read.

I liked the call but the fact of the matter is this. The way the Rams were throwing on them they should have just gone empty set with a personnel of Quick, Britt, Higbee, Kendricks and Gurley. That would have been the smart option

 

[kurtfaulk]

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Did Gurley get the call wrong? It seems he was the only one that didn't know he was supposed to run to the left.

.

 

[-X-]

I liked the call but the fact of the matter is this. The way the Rams were throwing on them they should have just gone empty set with a personnel of Quick, Britt, Higbee, Kendricks and Gurley. That would have been the smart option

Yeah, prolly.

Only problem would be if they failed to convert.
I'll bet you my house that the internet would have erupted with, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE IT TO GURLEYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?"

In the end, you win some and you lose some.

 

[JKBOGEN]

Great article and fun to read. Gurley doesn't look very good this year and it's concerning. I understand he's only a 2nd year back but there are signs of regression. I never expected this type of drop off from him.

Also, that was the best performance I've seen a Rams QB have in a long time. The most recent ones I can think of are Foles vs Seattle last year, Bradford vs Denver in 2010 and Bulger vs the Saints in 2007. Everything was on the money up until the INT. And if the defense just makes a play or two(ZERO TURNOVERS IN THE LAST TWO GAMES!), then we don't think twice about continuing to start him. Of course at this point, I don't see a reason not to start Goff. 3-3 and no signs of trending up.

All in all, we need Quinn and Johnson. They do so much for this defense. Donald can't do it all by himself.

Thank you! I will hold off from starting Goff until Keenum comes back down to earth (hopefully he just found his touch). I think Gurley is very concerning to an extent because look at the backs the Rams have drafted. (Isaiah Pead, Daryl Richardson, Zac Stacy and Tre Mason). They all besides Pead had bright spots and then hit a wall. Hopefully Gurley isn't following with that.

 

[JKBOGEN]

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Did Gurley get the call wrong? It seems he was the only one that didn't know he was supposed to run to the left.

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That's what I'm thinking...

 

[JKBOGEN]

Good write up Mate (an English week remember!).

Six weeks of offense for DCs to pick off. It will be downhill from here for this offense unless Gurely returns to form.

Thank you! I truly hope not haha

 

[JKBOGEN]

Yeah, prolly.

Only problem would be if they failed to convert.
I'll bet you my house that the internet would have erupted with, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE IT TO GURLEYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?"

In the end, you win some and you lose some.

Good point, but I mean you go with what works. For instance had we had Hekker heave it in Buffalo instead of running that really bad fake running play. No one would have said we never shouldn't have let Hekker throw it. I think Fisher would have had an argument had they gone for it empty set and missed he could have said we haven't been able to really get the run game going. I don't know but this right here is what worries me with Gurley.

 

[-X-]

For instance had we had Hekker heave it in Buffalo instead of running that really bad fake running play. No one would have said we never shouldn't have let Hekker throw it.

Should have let Marquez have the option of throwing it himself on the HB-option when the corner crashed.
Or maybe he did have that option, and that's why it didn't "work."

 

[Ajb44]

I was surprised to hear fisher say "case did well, but we didn't win" while that doesn't seem like much, he usually praises the hell out of case...these two mistakes in the last two weeks have been HUGE. And may separate the good from the average. Will he ever get fed up of case? Who knows. Hekker could play qb for all I care as long as we can get wins

 

[Mojo Ram]

Solid piece except for the easy, faux pas target that has suddenly become GW and his defense because they haven't piled up sacks, consistently gotten off the field and held NFL offenses to 6 points or less.
There are key personnel and injury issues effecting that side of the ball right now.

Without GW and his scheme the Rams probably don't win more than 3 games a year the last few seasons. Mild hyperbole there, but as i like to say...perspective is quite often lost among fans(and writers) from week to week it seems.

 

[NJRamsFan]

Solid piece except for the easy, faux pas target that has suddenly become GW and his defense because they haven't piled up sacks, consistently gotten off the field and held NFL offenses to 6 points or less.
There are key personnel and injury issues effecting that side of the ball right now.

Without GW and his scheme the Rams probably don't win more than 3 games a year the last few seasons. Mild hyperbole there, but as i like to say...perspective is quite often lost among fans(and writers) from week to week it seems.

Mojo sucks! Mojo sucks! Mojo sucks!

 

[NJRamsFan]

Solid piece except for the easy, faux pas target that has suddenly become GW and his defense because they haven't piled up sacks, consistently gotten off the field and held NFL offenses to 6 points or less.
There are key personnel and injury issues effecting that side of the ball right now.

Without GW and his scheme the Rams probably don't win more than 3 games a year the last few seasons. Mild hyperbole there, but as i like to say...perspective is quite often lost among fans(and writers) from week to week it seems.

I was trying to get banned and become a martyr...im in the mood for a good uprising

 

[Mojo Ram]

Mojo sucks! Mojo sucks! Mojo sucks!

Yep. I've clearly lost my Mojo.
[av]http://www.moviewavs.com/0053148414/MP3S/Movies/Blade_Runner/ive_done.mp3[/av]

 

[JKBOGEN]

Should have let Marquez have the option of throwing it himself on the HB-option when the corner crashed.
Or maybe he did have that option, and that's why it didn't "work."

Marquez can throw since he was an outfielder for the Mets farm system

 

[JKBOGEN]

I was surprised to hear fisher say "case did well, but we didn't win" while that doesn't seem like much, he usually praises the hell out of case...these two mistakes in the last two weeks have been HUGE. And may separate the good from the average. Will he ever get fed up of case? Who knows. Hekker could play qb for all I care as long as we can get wins

Case gets a pass this week. He's week to week for me my issue has been how he seemed to only do just enough because a defense but then last week when they needed him he folded. This week however four touchdowns silences me for this week. Lets keep it up Case.

 

[JKBOGEN]

Solid piece except for the easy, faux pas target that has suddenly become GW and his defense because they haven't piled up sacks, consistently gotten off the field and held NFL offenses to 6 points or less.
There are key personnel and injury issues effecting that side of the ball right now.

Without GW and his scheme the Rams probably don't win more than 3 games a year the last few seasons. Mild hyperbole there, but as i like to say...perspective is quite often lost among fans(and writers) from week to week it seems.

Thank you but I have to disagree. I think the perfect DC for this team? Steve Spagnuolo I mean in all honesty Gregg Williams is negating our defensive line with those stupid blitzes. All its doing is leaving men wide open all over the field and the blitzes are making it easier to game plan around it.

 

[Alaskan Ram]

Good write up Jake. I've read most of the work you've shared here. This piece is my favorite so far on the quality and content front.

Wondering if Gurley is battling concussion? Another point in the game he ran up to Case asking for play call and hit the wrong hole. Case played it cool and came up with positive yardage.

This truly is a game of inches. I thought Britt had the touchdown. Looked to be at the line. If he didn't the Ball should have been placed with nose of the football one millimeter from the chalk. Not a half yard out. A QB or RB dive with ball extended would have been another good call there.

 

[shaunpinney]

Would be interesting to mix up the RB position. I've been worried this season that I've seen TG try and run through people rather than avoid the contact.

 

[shaunpinney]

Good write up Jake. I've read most of the work you've shared here. This piece is my favorite so far on the quality and content front.

Wondering if Gurley is battling concussion? Another point in the game he ran up to Case asking for play call and hit the wrong hole. Case played it cool and came up with positive yardage.

This truly is a game of inches. I thought Britt had the touchdown. Looked to be at the line. If he didn't the Ball should have been placed with nose of the football one millimeter from the chalk. Not a half yard out. A QB or RB dive with ball extended would have been another good call there.

Lol. My wife said the same thing - "couldn't he just dive and stretch a bit!"

Sometimes football's simple

 

[DaveFan'51]

Seven Takeaways from the Rams 31-28 loss @ Detroit

http://www.downtownrams.com/single-post/2016/10/17/Seven-Takeaways-from-the-Rams-31-28-loss-Detroit

The Rams lost a heart-breaker in week six to drop to 3-3 on the young season. With ten games left to go, the Rams desperately need a win in London next week versus the N.Y. Giants. However, lets get right into my takeaways from the Rams loss to the Lions.
Case Keenum might have sealed his starting job for the rest of the year
What can I say? I feel bad how hard I was on poor Case Keenum. He was absolutely incredible! Keenum looked like he was back at Houston when he shattered passing records back in college. Keenum finished with 27/32, 321 passing yards, three touchdowns including another touchdown he added via the ground. Keenum was part of one of the most impressive offensive performances I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately however, all good things must come to an end. Keenum won't be remembered for his record breaking 19 straight completions or his four total touchdowns or his over 300 yard game or even the fact he had an adjusted completion percentage of 90 which would have broke Kurt Warner's record. No, instead Keenum will be remembered for throwing the interception that costed the Rams the game in the late going.
I have not been on the Keenum train like some but I will say now how extremely unfair it is to get on Keenum and say he lost the Rams the game. No, when you score 28 points and Keenum is responsible for every point on the board besides the four extra points. You have to bite the bullet and look for someone else to blame it on because Keenum certainly doesn't deserve the blame. Bad pass? Absolutely! However, he was incredible, and if he continues to play like this the Rams could be on their way to a big season (assuming the defense learns how to stop an offense).
The fourth-and-goal play call was spot on, Gurley just didn't execute it
Another thing I've seen a lot of is that the Offensive line blew a chance at a touchdown for Todd Gurley. Hold on a second! For the record Gurley completely ran the wrong way. I am not a Gurley "hater" by any means as he is one of my favorites to watch but, he is struggling mightily and he often misses holes. In this play he completely ran into the stone wall of Lions waiting for him on the right side. Why? Well for starters the Lions had the right side overloaded and the Rams actually combated that well or rather Offensive coordinator Rob Boras combated it well. Boras called a ballsy run play to the left with RG Jamon Brown executing a pull block to guide Gurley into the end zone.
Everything went completely according to plan but clearly Gurley wasn't aware of what to do and he completely missed the pull Brown had set. It wasn't the O-line who would have had him in the end zone had he run to the left side. No, it was Gurley failing to either understand the play or read his blocks.

You can see above Gurley has already decided to try to truck through the wall the Lions created on the right however, on the left side had he cut it like he was supposed to FB Cory Harkey who was the lead blocker seals off the right side you can see RG Jamon Brown right to the left of Gurley fulfilling is obligation as the pull blocker and Gurley is 100 percent supposed to follow Brown for an easy touchdown.
Kenny Britt is a number one WR
I have been saying it awhile now, Kenny Britt is extremely talented and is in for a great year with the Rams. He is by far the best WR on the roster and it's not even close. What Britt can do is fantastic. The way Britt is able to box out corners, high point the ball, beat anyone off the line and have sure hands makes him the absolute best on the Rams. Britt has developed a serious connection with QB Case Keenum and it could only mean that Britt is in for a possible Pro Bowl type season.
Britt finished with seven catches on eight targets that went for 136 yards (the first 100+ yard receiving game since Kenny Britt did it week three versus Pittsburgh last year). Britt also added two touchdowns to that impressive box score. Britt has now tallied 492 yards receiving going into week seven which he only had 224 last year through the first six games. Britt is on a tear and if Boras continues this play-calling and Keenum continues this kind of passing Britt could turn in a career year in L.A.
OC Rob Boras needs to keep up his surprisingly creative play-calling
I and I'm sure the rest of the Rams faithful were confused when they saw a Rams offense led by Case Keenum marching down the field at will completing long and awe-inspiring drives. Three out of all four scoring drives were ten plays or more which is impressive. For awhile now it seemed the Rams couldn't keep a drive going and would throw the defense back on the field almost instantaneously. This game was a complete flip-flop. Rob Boras absolutely out-coached defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for the Rams and it became noticeable when the defense was unable to hold the Lions under 28 points causing the Rams to lose.
I have been calling for new Passing game coordinator Mike Groh to get more involved with the play-calling and whether he did or didn't if Boras calls this type of offense the rest of the year the Rams might actually end up finishing among top-15 in total offense.
The Rams miss Trumaine Johnson & Robert Quinn a lot
If it wasn't obvious watching Troy Hill consistently get burned and the Rams failing to force the big turnover on the edge. The Rams miss Johnson and Quinn and it's staggering. Quinn almost seems to guarantee the big strip sack late in the game with the way he gets off the edge and Johnson's 6-foot-2 size and his ability to play physical is clearly being missed. Johnson absolutely dominated Calvin Johnson last year versus the Lions and probably would have done the same but instead probably would have picked off Stafford.
Hopefully Johnson comes back after the bye and Quinn comes back next week because it's about to get tough at 3-3 and if the Rams continue to be unable to create turnovers.
DC Gregg Williams needs to tone down his defensive aggression
While the injuries have been a key loss to this defense, the one thing that continues to destroy this defense? This defense. That's right Williams play-calling is becoming reckless and quite honestly stupid. Anyone with any knowledge of football knows that if you blitz someone and he doesn't get through to break up the pass, then you are looking at an open guy somewhere on the field. Stafford is too good of a QB to fall for that.
Seriously though, Williams high octane defense is ruining the elite defensive front. Watch a Rams game and you will see Williams showing blitz from Safeties and CB's alike. Well occasionally blitzes can stunt a drive and really screw up a QB's timing if done on occasion of course. However, Williams doesn't do them on occasion. His reckless blitzing is starting to make it too easy for offenses to game plan around it. Now instead of the defensive line getting pressure the QBs and OC sees the blitz every play and thus only has to call quick slants and dump offs to take advantage of an over-pursuing defense. It needs to stop because the ultra-aggressive play-calling is leading to allowing long tiresome drives and neutralizing the best part about the Rams, the defensive line. Here are Williams blitzing stats per Pro Football Focus and how they stack up against the entire league.
LB Alec Ogletree 42 blitzes, 8th out of all LB's in the NFL (efficiency rating of 60.0 which is 31st ovr)
LB Mark Barron 47 blitzes, 4th out of all LB's in the NFL (efficiency rating of 46.6 which is 63rd ovr)
CB LaMarcus Joyner, 14 blitzes, 1st out of all CB's in the NFL (efficiency rating of 61.2 which is 13th ovr)
S T.J. McDonald 40 blitzes, 1st out of all S's in the NFL (efficiency rating of 51.9 which is 17th ovr)
S Mo Alexander 30 blitzes, 2nd out of all S's in the NFL (efficiency rating of 69.2 which is 3rd ovr)
There it is guys, Williams is too aggressive and the proof is right above.
The referees need to be consistent with their flags
This is starting to get ridiculous to be honest. I get that refs aren't perfect but bear in mind the flag they called on Mo Alexander was ludicrous. Third-and-12 at the L.A. 48-yard line the Rams get a stop and the Lions would have ultimately had to punt even down 28-21. However, the referee threw the flag for Alexander's pass breakup on WR Marvin Jones, calling it to be pass interference. That ended up aiding their drive and carried them into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.

Later on a 3rd-and-five play at the L.A. 35-yard line with just over five minutes to play and CB Darius Slay is all over Kenny Britt but the refs don't call it and it forces the Rams to punt and ultimately give up a field-goal to lose the game.

Obviously if it wasn't realized before, the Rams need to knock off the N.Y. Giants this Sunday in London cause a 3-game losing streak and 3-4 isn't going to be good for their playoff hopes.

I like your post and can agree with almost everything! Except when it comes to Williams, his problem is NOT with him being overly aggressive, It's with his "Bend don't Break" attitude at times! JMHO