- Joined
- May 25, 2013
- Messages
- 1,306
Before the season began, most of us on this board who consistently analyze the Rams and their opponents considered the first handful of games to be daunting. Be honest, if you had to bet your mortgage on the exact record in the first five games, wouldn’t we all have one or two losses penciled in vs the Panthers, Saints, Browns, and Seahawks?
Most of what we’ve seen has been of little surprise to this board. We knew the interior OLine would experience growing pains and we would see our toughest defensive fronts to begin the season. We were repeatedly told that Gurley’s touches would be limited but he was healthy and would be effective. We knew that opposing defenses were going to mimic the Lions/Bears/Patriots gameplans. We were confident the communication breakdowns with Joyner in the backend would be greatly improved with Weddle calling the shots. We expected the reports that Kupp was 100% would make an impact.
What we didn’t expect were hiccups on special teams. Hekker has more mis hits already than he did in any entire season of his career. Greg Z hasn’t been automatic. Can someone please tell Jo Jo not to field punts inside the 7? We’ve given up more blocked punts than we’ve dished? This is still the best unit in the NFL, I’d just like to see them start playing like it. The new members on this unit will improve and the kickers will return to form...bet.
Going forward, we are seeing this team form a new identity. Gone is the boom or bust defense that stymied the Cards with no trips to midfield until the last drive but gave up limitless big gains to the Vikings, Chiefs, and Saints. Looking for a surprise? This is the FIRST team in my memory that was actually very good at covering Tight Ends. The run defense is becoming more consistent, hell...it may even turn into a strength. It’s the absence of blown assignments that will become the hallmark of this defense. Donald is no longer the only man keeping us in games.
On offense, McVay is restructuring the attack. We should not expect us to peak until late in the season. The angst concerning Jared should be applied to the entire unit collectively. We will get every D Coordinator’s most creative attack. This will be a season of lessons learned the hard way, expect it. The good news? This postseason, our offense will be prepared and there will be few wrinkles available to beat us.
The only thing that worries me is our unprecedented run of injury luck. I get that we have a crack training staff and a smart coach who saves their bodies from overwork in practice and the preseason. But freak injuries happen to every team, every year. We won’t be the exception this year. Did anyone else worry as much as I did when AD headed for the tunnel? We’ve been preparing backups for a couple years now, but there are several players that would significantly cripple the team if they were lost. Win or lose until 16 games have been played, the single most important result will be found on the injury report.
Finally, there’s an element nobody seems to have considered. Wade’s defense is forming an identity that will see an adjustment from offenses later this year. The emphasis of limiting big plays necessitates offensive adjustment to short and intermediate attacks that result in long drives. This can wear a defense down. While others worry about the long term success of the offense, the defense is what concerns me most down the stretch with so much needed from older vets like Weddle, Talib, and Matthews.
Brethren, engage.
Most of what we’ve seen has been of little surprise to this board. We knew the interior OLine would experience growing pains and we would see our toughest defensive fronts to begin the season. We were repeatedly told that Gurley’s touches would be limited but he was healthy and would be effective. We knew that opposing defenses were going to mimic the Lions/Bears/Patriots gameplans. We were confident the communication breakdowns with Joyner in the backend would be greatly improved with Weddle calling the shots. We expected the reports that Kupp was 100% would make an impact.
What we didn’t expect were hiccups on special teams. Hekker has more mis hits already than he did in any entire season of his career. Greg Z hasn’t been automatic. Can someone please tell Jo Jo not to field punts inside the 7? We’ve given up more blocked punts than we’ve dished? This is still the best unit in the NFL, I’d just like to see them start playing like it. The new members on this unit will improve and the kickers will return to form...bet.
Going forward, we are seeing this team form a new identity. Gone is the boom or bust defense that stymied the Cards with no trips to midfield until the last drive but gave up limitless big gains to the Vikings, Chiefs, and Saints. Looking for a surprise? This is the FIRST team in my memory that was actually very good at covering Tight Ends. The run defense is becoming more consistent, hell...it may even turn into a strength. It’s the absence of blown assignments that will become the hallmark of this defense. Donald is no longer the only man keeping us in games.
On offense, McVay is restructuring the attack. We should not expect us to peak until late in the season. The angst concerning Jared should be applied to the entire unit collectively. We will get every D Coordinator’s most creative attack. This will be a season of lessons learned the hard way, expect it. The good news? This postseason, our offense will be prepared and there will be few wrinkles available to beat us.
The only thing that worries me is our unprecedented run of injury luck. I get that we have a crack training staff and a smart coach who saves their bodies from overwork in practice and the preseason. But freak injuries happen to every team, every year. We won’t be the exception this year. Did anyone else worry as much as I did when AD headed for the tunnel? We’ve been preparing backups for a couple years now, but there are several players that would significantly cripple the team if they were lost. Win or lose until 16 games have been played, the single most important result will be found on the injury report.
Finally, there’s an element nobody seems to have considered. Wade’s defense is forming an identity that will see an adjustment from offenses later this year. The emphasis of limiting big plays necessitates offensive adjustment to short and intermediate attacks that result in long drives. This can wear a defense down. While others worry about the long term success of the offense, the defense is what concerns me most down the stretch with so much needed from older vets like Weddle, Talib, and Matthews.
Brethren, engage.
