Rams 16, 49ers 35: Notable Quotables

Should be an interesting news conference with Rams head coach Jim Haslett today. Should be. Depending on your perspective, there's plenty to talk about in the wake of another ugly, lopsided Rams loss. 

My favorite, from QB Marc Bulger, proving there's no "I" in team:

We were well-prepared schematically. We just didn't execute. We turned the ball over. We couldn't stop them. Just all-around, we didn't play well as a team. It has nothing to do with coaches. It's up to us to make plays, and we're not doing it.

The discrepancy from chalk board to the field befuddled another Rams veteran, Leonard Little:

We practice a whole lot better than we've played in the first half. The second half was like practice again. Everybody was where they needed to be, and people were making plays. That second quarter just killed us today.

Head coach Jim Haslett had a few things to say about the broken Xs and Os:

For us to come out in the second half and play like that, they need to string a whole game together. I really don't understand. And, when we do commit a turnover, we don't stop anybody on defense. It's disappointing from the whole standpoint.

We started off the game -- and we challenged the players to make some plays -- and we missed a field goal, which is ridiculous, and then we have a kickoff that is a line drive that they bring back. The first half was a disaster.

The pundits weighed in on the Rams poor, poor execution. From Clark Judge at CBS Sportsline:

Uh, how come nobody asks if the St. Louis Rams have quit? The past three games they've been outscored 99-10 in the first half. Whatever Jim Haslett is using for a pregame speech, I'd junk it.

Oh, burn! That wasn't so much a comment on poor execution as, well, just general poorness. ESPN's Mike Sando tried to offer something a little more constructive in his "silver linings" post for the game:

OK, we're reaching now. It's getting pathetic. I've watched most of the first half at this point. The Rams appear to be giving good effort on defense. They're chasing Shaun Hill around the field. But they're not finishing plays. The 49ers are making big plays routinely. But enough negativity! This is a silver-linings file, after all.

The "A for effort" defense. Never worked on my dear mother. Check out this exchange from Football Outsiders:

Aaron Schatz: The worst tackling team in the NFL? I don't know, St. Louis is losing to the FORTY-NINERS 28-3 and it isn't even halftime.

Doug Farrar: With the Rams, I think it's more that they're getting blown off the ball against the run, or are out of position in coverage, so often that they're not even able to get close enough to screw up a tackle.

So, now we know  the Rams executed poorly and found themselves out of position again and again, but what do we do about it? Thoughts?