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- May 8, 2014
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Rams are 4-5 with an underperforming offense and improving defense. Fat lady hasn't sung that sad season ending song just yet. So let's take a look at the next window of games:
@ New England
Philly
@ New Orleans
Buffalo
After these four games we have 3 divisional games and the Jets. But no need to sweat those yet, because this next stretch is going to determine whether the Rams enter that final stretch ready to fight and maybe win a playoff berth, or unravel and get a better than usual draft pick.
I think the key for this next stretch is three wins. We have to get a few wins out of that group of games so we'll be sitting at 7-6 with the final four games remaining. So how does that happen?
1. Unfuck this OL. I will say again that this year's OL group has the potential to be the best unit we've seen in years. Dotson and Hav on the right are studs. Avila was a plus starter as a rook. So that means 3/5 of our OL positions are plus starters potentially, and Jackson is average at LT, while at Center we have a rook who has improved week to week in Limmer and a veteran who should be able to find his proficiency in there. You can make a fine OL with that. The nature of OL are that the sum of the parts is greater than the parts, when you're talking about a unit that is playing well. Our GSoT OL had two top players in Pace & Timmerman, with solid types around them. This unit has the quality we need to play at a high level.
2. Balance the attack. I know McVay is a pass-first OC and that's never going to change. I'm fine with it. But he's only got 2 weapons in the pass game, and a good secondary is going to be able to handle them and roll it up tight like Miami just did to us because there is no real threat to make them pay deep. So at least until this OL finds its footing again there has to be a plan to balance it on the ground to create the gaps the JAGs we have to rely on in the pass game need to function at high enough efficiency. We have two excellent backs. We have brutes on the OL. Pieces are there.
3. Sort this damn secondary. Our defense has been solid of late vs the run. Solid enough, to where their single biggest issue is eliminating the miscues and busted reads and coverages we are still plagued by on defense. The rush is outstanding. So I don't care who you gotta sit, there should be a path forward with the pieces we have to find at least enough efficiency that once the offense starts firing this defense will perfectly complement it. I think this defense right now, the way they are playing up front, is very close to being a top unit. They just get fucked over by terrible coverage on the back end far too much.
That's the bare minimum to my eye, in order to get this team back on top of things. And in every example we have the talent on the roster to do it. So I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.
@ New England
Philly
@ New Orleans
Buffalo
After these four games we have 3 divisional games and the Jets. But no need to sweat those yet, because this next stretch is going to determine whether the Rams enter that final stretch ready to fight and maybe win a playoff berth, or unravel and get a better than usual draft pick.
I think the key for this next stretch is three wins. We have to get a few wins out of that group of games so we'll be sitting at 7-6 with the final four games remaining. So how does that happen?
1. Unfuck this OL. I will say again that this year's OL group has the potential to be the best unit we've seen in years. Dotson and Hav on the right are studs. Avila was a plus starter as a rook. So that means 3/5 of our OL positions are plus starters potentially, and Jackson is average at LT, while at Center we have a rook who has improved week to week in Limmer and a veteran who should be able to find his proficiency in there. You can make a fine OL with that. The nature of OL are that the sum of the parts is greater than the parts, when you're talking about a unit that is playing well. Our GSoT OL had two top players in Pace & Timmerman, with solid types around them. This unit has the quality we need to play at a high level.
2. Balance the attack. I know McVay is a pass-first OC and that's never going to change. I'm fine with it. But he's only got 2 weapons in the pass game, and a good secondary is going to be able to handle them and roll it up tight like Miami just did to us because there is no real threat to make them pay deep. So at least until this OL finds its footing again there has to be a plan to balance it on the ground to create the gaps the JAGs we have to rely on in the pass game need to function at high enough efficiency. We have two excellent backs. We have brutes on the OL. Pieces are there.
3. Sort this damn secondary. Our defense has been solid of late vs the run. Solid enough, to where their single biggest issue is eliminating the miscues and busted reads and coverages we are still plagued by on defense. The rush is outstanding. So I don't care who you gotta sit, there should be a path forward with the pieces we have to find at least enough efficiency that once the offense starts firing this defense will perfectly complement it. I think this defense right now, the way they are playing up front, is very close to being a top unit. They just get fucked over by terrible coverage on the back end far too much.
That's the bare minimum to my eye, in order to get this team back on top of things. And in every example we have the talent on the roster to do it. So I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.
