Vent thread: Rams @ Vikings
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I waited 24 hours to settle down before making this post because I was in such a foul mood.
By no means a comprehensive list, mind you.
Exhibit A. Fisher's 2 point decision early in a tight game. We all know how that worked out.
Exhibit B. Cigs kept running Gurley into the teeth of a Viking D specifically schemed to stop him. In contrast, the Vikes used TB to make pass after pass to loosen up the Ram D that was schemed to stop AP. We know how both those strategies worked out, too.
Exhibit C. The Vikes were smothering our screen attempts. They seemed to be sitting on them. This tells me that either their coaches picked up a tell of some kind, OR our screen execution is so bad that the plays have become transparent to opposing D's. Until fixed, we might as well take the screens out of our playbook.
Exhibit D. Despite all, we still had a 5 point lead at the end of the 1st half. Yet we only scored 3 points in the 2nd half. THREE freaking points! All 3 in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. Any doubts as to which coaching staff made the better adjustments?
Exhibit E. No Ram pressure or contain on the inexperienced TB. Yeah, I know we had starters out on D, but c'mon... TB just killed us with short passes and wide open scrambles. GW never seemed to adjust. We handled the scrambling Wilson, Rodgers, and Kaep. Why let TB get off the hook constantly?
The above are just a few of our coaching shortcomings. The player shortcomings would be another chock full post.
Honestly, it's hard for me to express the depths of my anger and disappointment. Throw in a healthy dose of frustration, despair, and a sense of futility. And I think I see some apathy lurking around the corner.
I may be approaching the end of my rope, fellas. I'm serious...
By no means a comprehensive list, mind you.
Exhibit A. Fisher's 2 point decision early in a tight game. We all know how that worked out.
Exhibit B. Cigs kept running Gurley into the teeth of a Viking D specifically schemed to stop him. In contrast, the Vikes used TB to make pass after pass to loosen up the Ram D that was schemed to stop AP. We know how both those strategies worked out, too.
Exhibit C. The Vikes were smothering our screen attempts. They seemed to be sitting on them. This tells me that either their coaches picked up a tell of some kind, OR our screen execution is so bad that the plays have become transparent to opposing D's. Until fixed, we might as well take the screens out of our playbook.
Exhibit D. Despite all, we still had a 5 point lead at the end of the 1st half. Yet we only scored 3 points in the 2nd half. THREE freaking points! All 3 in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. Any doubts as to which coaching staff made the better adjustments?
Exhibit E. No Ram pressure or contain on the inexperienced TB. Yeah, I know we had starters out on D, but c'mon... TB just killed us with short passes and wide open scrambles. GW never seemed to adjust. We handled the scrambling Wilson, Rodgers, and Kaep. Why let TB get off the hook constantly?
The above are just a few of our coaching shortcomings. The player shortcomings would be another chock full post.
Honestly, it's hard for me to express the depths of my anger and disappointment. Throw in a healthy dose of frustration, despair, and a sense of futility. And I think I see some apathy lurking around the corner.
I may be approaching the end of my rope, fellas. I'm serious...
Uhhh, no dude. I just rewatched it.
If you come back to a ball AND have to jump, you didn't need to come back to the ball. The pass was on target and that's on TA.
TA didn't beat anyone, he just ran his route. It was a missed assignment.
But to the point, even with his mistake of coming back to the ball, he dropped that ball more because he's short trying to make a fingertip catch. He shouldn't be on those routes. We know who Foles is and TA is not the receiver for Foles. This game proved it over and over. A big receiver, Britt, made the catches and defended the bad passes. TA can't do that. He can't even get open against good coverage most of the time and he HAS to be open, unlike Britt, because he's not winning the battle for the ball
It's Foles' shortcomings that is the reason we need big wide receivers with big wingspans and the ability to defend a bad pass, but so what? It is what it is, TA isn't that guy. It works well enough with the right bodies out there, as a rule it doesn't work with TA, and almost never has.
He nailed it. Someone not named, Gurley, or Austin had to make a play, and couldn't. Foles didn't play well. Missed two streaking open, one Britt, on first play of game, with a 3 - 5 yard cushion and no safety over the top....Foles didn't even throw it, and he had at least 5 -6 seconds after play action. A couple series later, after the same jet sweep P/A, Foles didn't throw it again to his primary receiver, Brian Quick this time, and he didn't have a player around him on the TV screen. These should have both been EZ long TD's. Again, he had tons of time on that play.
Havenstein being out, and the trickle down effect on our OL was monumental. Our play calling got extremely repetitive, and we were unwilling to throw any outs, seams, anything that wasn't close to, or behind the LOS. It was pathetic. Somehow, even with our defense not close to playing their best, we were in the game the whole time.
@jrry32 didn't want to blame them, but there was blame to go around. Refs were blatantly bad on a few key calls, including an obvious block in the back late in the game, that really helped the Vikes. The block in the back, which was right at the point of the play, took out two defenders, and allowed a big punt return, after an amazing, long punt into a strong wind, by Hekker, deep in our own territory. On another series, where they were pinned deep, they called a bogus holding call to let the Vikes, who were backed up in their own EZ, to get out. We had stopped them.
Frustrating game. Some bad coaching decisions, some bad play calling. Some stupid penalties. There were a million reasons why we lost this game, but IMO, Foles is not the guy. We run about 10 plays, and if he can't be comfortable, or hit (OR EVEN THROW TO) his primary receiver, when he does have time. I don't know what to say, except, I don't see it. We seemed afraid to throw the ball at all, when we needed to, and I don't blame the coaches for that, because when Foles did throw it, I don't know who was throwing it to.
Our interior line was horrible, and we couldn't block their nose tackle all day. Donnal, and Barnes, especially. Barnes got pancaked on one play. It was brutal.
I'll be happy to answer any questions, if you have any. Peace.
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Big Willie
Starter
He was past the markers on the first one, no?
The second one was on Foles for drawing him back across, but that's why we have a big TE, turn and get the yard back.
Cook is not unreliable, he's very reliable, you can be certain if it's 3rd down, he's not catching it. You can also be certain Fishers' not going to do a damn thing about it.
Yeah, more with the two yard comebacks, when we need 3 or 4. I'm tired of saying that, every darn week.
Britt made some nice plays and nice defenses. 3 receptions for 87 yards.
I think apathy has overtaken me as the loss did not upset me at all! Seeing how inept the offense has been has left me believing the staff doesn't have answers to the problems! Guess I'm a lousy fan!
I don't know. Seeing how all of the points in the game w/ the exception of our TD was scored w/ the wind might tell you something you might not have seen. Obviously, our coaching staff saw something in pre-game against the wind that they didn't want to risk it. And going against it in the 3rd was a strategy that was pre planned. That game was what it was. W/o those who set out, we had to play a perfecct game to win. And we didn't.
still, they had 2 more playmakers because i'll add tavon to our list. the Rams need a receiver who can get instant separation so foles can throw quickly to him. no need to do extra reads or wait for the receiver. Foles doesnt have faith in any receiver anymore, he did with Cook, but that's gone to the wayside.
their d was all over the runs and screens because despite the few deep throws, we always are looking for about 4 yards a play....we don't stretch the field....except in rare occasions....crowd the LOS should be in every defense against us...
Foles' best season in Philly was not under Andy Reid. Foles' only good season in this league came in Chip Kelly's first year. Last year (Kelly's 2nd season), Foles still had Maclin, Celek, Shady, and Jordan Mathews, but his numbers were very mediocre before he was injured.
12intheBox
Legend
Numbers Shmumbers - watch the games! He isn't seeing the field out there. He isn't the only problem, but he is a major one.
I would love nothing more than for him to go on a run and make me look dumb - but right now, he is playing bottom fourth of the league QB and you don't have to go back years to see it.
I would love nothing more than for him to go on a run and make me look dumb - but right now, he is playing bottom fourth of the league QB and you don't have to go back years to see it.
Which was probably the result of him holding the ball too long. Something we've seen a lot of this year already. Profootballfocus had the Eagles' O-line ranked 2nd overall for 2014. 10th in pass blocking, 2nd in run blocking.
12intheBox
Legend
The read option generally involves the QB getting hit - just part of the design. This is the real reason more teams don't use it.
Not a big PFF guy. I saw 4 of their games last year, by chance, that was a part of it, though. He hung in there pretty tough last year, in the games that I saw.