Rams 13, Cardinals 21: Trouble on the home front

by VanRam on Nov 23, 2009 9:22 AM CST in 2009 regular season Comment 13 comments

Just in case you thought the 2009 St. Louis Rams had disappeared somewhere between the win at Detroit and the oh-so-close game against New Orleans, fear not; the 2009 Rams are back. That's right, the struggling offense, the leaky defensive line...it was all there.

Ok, ok, that's a little harsh. The Rams tightened up after a sloppy first half, one in which they gained just 97 yards of offense. Give the Cardinals defense credit too. They bottled up Steven Jackson and kept the passing game in check.

Injuries

Jason Smith took a blow to the head. We'll know more later.
Marc Bulger has a hamstring and/or groin issue and will have testing done.

The Frustrating

Brandon Gibson's splash debut wasn't followed up well. He struggled with routes and dropped a BIG pass late in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the rookie did flash some hints of what got us so excited about him last week. I'd still caution you before anointing him the second coming of Isaac Bruce.
Bulger was not the forceful presence for four quarters like he was last week. He had his moments, but did he really show you anything that gives you confidence in him moving forward? He's not good enough to win games anymore.
Why do the coaches insist on trotting out Samkon Gado in short yardage situations? The play calling is still fishy. Why did Jackson not get the ball when the Rams were driving in the last five minutes of the game? It's baffling. How can anyone put this much faith in Marc Bulger and role player WRs? Maybe they wanted to try another 4th down fade to Avery. And why so few passes to Jackson? Why are they not lining up SJ39 at receiver more often?
Terrible officiating. Did they not remember that they could call pass interference? And how do you get unsportsmanlike for a hit after the pass when the lineman's back is to the QB?
Talent on the defensive line is so desperately needed. Are they so bad that they need to drop Leonard Little into coverage?
Oh, offensive line...after all the nice things we've said about you.
Justin King covering Larry Fitzgerald. Tough break kid. Still, the secondary could have done much worse.
With the exception of Steven Jackson, the Rams offense is terrible. What was the number? Averaging 9+ yards on third downs? Blame whoever you want, but it's a multi-faceted effort at failure. The WRs have some promise, but it's clear why they were not first round draft picks. The QB is too dependent on a guy to get in his route precisely, and he just doesn't have much left in the tank. That takes away from the most effective weapon, Jackson, because teams can focus on him, like AZ did today.

The Better

Steven Jackson is amazing. It looked like rough going for the big man, but he still managed to get 116 yards and 4.8 per carry. The offensive line didn't help much in the first half, and he had trouble getting it going. Once he hit his stride, there was no looking back...until the coaches stopped feeding him the ball. Jackson now has five 1,000 yard seasons and four consecutive games of 100 yards or more rushing.
James Laurinaitis, though the Cardinals tried and succeeded at isolating him a few a times, he still had a nice game, as the defense stepped up against the Cardinals run in the second half.
Chris Long got another sack, and generall played better lately. I think that if the Rams add some talent on the defensive line, we won't be talking about whether or not he's a bust.
The comeback. Rams Gab said it best that the score should not have been this close with the Rams playing as bad as they were. But it was that close. The defense got Warner out of the game and pulled together to stop the bleeding they were taking from the Cardinals' running game. They also forced the turnovers that would have given a team with a semi-competent offense the chance to put it away. Credit the coaches. Whatever they're selling has sunk in on that side of the ball. If this team had a halfway decent d-line, they'd be stealing games.

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d-line

Although I am not necessarily disagreeing with your last comment about “a halfway decent d-line”.
I believe if we had a halfway decent Quarterback we could do the same thing.

by ZamRam on Nov 23, 2009 10:18 AM CST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Any time something good is said about how certain aspect of the team is improving, the rams seem to botch it up the following week (sans AxJax). So how about we say nothing good this week about the rams?

The rams suck!
The O-line is horrible! prolly the worst in the league
The D-Line sucks!
The Coverage sucks!
The Coaching Suck!

Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers. ~Merle Kessler

by mlkgandhiv2k on Nov 23, 2009 10:33 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

That's going to get old in a hurry...

But I know your heart’s in the right place

by CoachConnors on Nov 23, 2009 11:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i understand the sentiment

Turf Show Times

by VanRam on Nov 23, 2009 12:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Confidence in Bulger?

Want to see something that instills confidence in Bulger? Just look at last season.

What I’m saying is that he’s better than he was last season, so I think that’s encouraging. Is he back 100%? Hell no. But did you expect him to be?

Everyone likes to point to Warner, but it seems to me people forget (or refuse to remember) he didn’t just return to Pro-Bowl form immediately the next year. It took several years.

To think he should be as accurate and as poised as he was 3 or 4 years ago is unfair. He’s better than he was last year and this is the first season I can say I feel Bugler is not worse than he was the previous season.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

by Tackle Box on Nov 23, 2009 11:50 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

can he get better?

that’s the question. or can he get good enough with the right parts around him?

Turf Show Times

by VanRam on Nov 23, 2009 12:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I would like to give a props to...

Amendola, he really showed some great athletic ability as a returner AND receiver. I really think he will develop nicely along with the Rams as a unit.

by PCarn on Nov 23, 2009 2:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yes

i think bulger can. And for this off season their is no one in the free agency that strikes me as a better option then bulger. I really think he’s getting better his receivers are getting more open and their gellin. If you bring in another wide receiver (a vet) we could have a pretty good receiver corps. Blank, L Robinson,Avery,Gibson, Amendola? That sounds pretty good to me. The offense has come a long way since the beginning of the season and Bulgers been a part of that effort helping these guys develop. So it’s a possibility he will be back next year, this off season is going to be exciting i can tell you that

by keeperskillz24 on Nov 23, 2009 2:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

"but did he really show you anything that gives you confidence in him moving forward? He's not good enough to win games anymore. "

Correction: The St. Louis Rams aren’t good enough to win games YET.

Also, he did show me something. Since we’re going by a “QBs have to win the game” criteria, he drove the Rams for a TD with a drive saving 4th and 17 STRIKE to Danny Amendola.

He then proceeded to drive the Rams to the 7 with passes of 29, 21, and 16 yards on the next drive. A fatal drop by Brandon Gibson, as well as a questionable (and fatal) non call against Avery, doomed the drive, but the only thing Marc could have really done was put the Gibson pass a little further. It was still a ball he should have caught.

So yeah, he did look like he could win the game, but you can’t fault him for 327 yards of offense in the first half. The offensive line looked terrible in the first half. Steven had nowhere to go, and the Rams passing game couldn’t work because of it.

As Tackle Box said, his stats may not be great, but he IS better than he was last season. He still had Torry last season, but I’ve seen some passes from Marc this year that tell me he’s better than last season. Could another offseason give him the necessary reps with these talented (BUT YOUNG) receivers? We’d have a 3rd year Donnie Avery, a healthy (hopefully up to former form) Laurent Robinson, a year of experience for Brandon Gibson (who looks like quite a find), and a tough SOB Danny Amendola, not to mention a reliable Keenan Burton.

I think the problem is people’s patience with Marc is done, but we overlook that this isn’t Peyton Manning nor will he ever be. Thing is, he doesn’t need to be. What he is, more importantly than what we wish he was, is a QB that can perform at a winning level IF THE PIECES AROUND HIM ARE THERE. I think the O-Line is getting there for sure, and the receivers are getting there with MORE reps.

For the past 2 10/16ths seasons, that situation around him has been terrible. It was the O-Line for 2 years, the receivers this season, but they’re getting there.

It’ll be a question of how long the patience holds up, but mine will only start running out if he becomes the problem here. He isn’t. He’s barely turned it over this season. I think that’s what Spags means when he says “he’s done everything we’ve asked of him.”

I guess my point is, I like our chances better with Bulger developing continuity with the receivers (since the O-Line isn’t the problem) from here on till next season, than bringing in a rookie in April that may or may not be worth the money. I’m all for drafting one, but not in the first round, where defensive line (either DE/DT) should be the concern.

GO RAMS!!!

"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."

"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."

-Kobe Bryant

A mantra for all athletes.

by TrojanRam on Nov 23, 2009 3:52 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

Thanks.

You said it better than I did.

Bulger gives us a luxury so that we can take time with a new QB and let him sit and learn. I feel more than fine with Bulger starting next season. Draft someone who you think has the tools and can develop. This doesn’t have to be a first rounder (just like you said).

I just hope we have the personnel to recognize that potential. Maybe we should hire Mike Martz to be our QB coach/consultant…….I’m only half serious………he’s really good at recognizing QB skills.

yeesh…..I can’t believe I just wrote that last sentence…

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

by Tackle Box on Nov 23, 2009 4:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I can

I’m actually in agreeance with it.

by dbcouver on Nov 23, 2009 7:30 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'm not positive who you're talking to or what you're referring to

but I love the Fred Durst reference.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

by Tackle Box on Nov 23, 2009 9:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Your last paragraph

I think my distaste for Martz was spawned from him following the Vermeil act. I loved Vermeil and no one could have satisfactorily replaced him probably. But Martz was good with the QBs. So I can believe you wrote that last sentence. Also I forgot where I heard the word agreeance but I knew I liked it.

by dbcouver on Nov 25, 2009 3:27 AM CST reply actions 0 recs