2009 by the numbers: offense
by Ryan Van Bibber on Jan 4, 2010 12:09 PM CST
in 2009 St. Louis Rams regular season
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PrintYou don't need statistics to tell you that the 2009 St. Louis Rams had problems. Despite Steven Jackson's impressive season rushing for more than 1,400 yards behind an offensive line that was rarely comprised of the same five players, the Rams offense whirred and sputtered like a rusty jalopy stuck in quicksand. Let's begin the TST review of the season that was with a look at some numbers that have much to say about the Rams offensive performance in 2009.
The numbers appear with their rank, where applicable.
279.4 YPG, 29th
111.5 rushing YPG, 20th
167.9 passing YPG, 28th
It was the year of the quarterback in the NFL, quarterback and receivers, as the passing game took on more and more significance throughout the league. Only three of the twelve playoff teams ranked in the bottom half of the league for passing yards per game. For the Rams 8 and 9 fronts greeted their offense down after down this season. With opposing defenses looking to keep SJ39 in check, that should have made it easy to create some space with passes behind the tightly grouped defense. Whether you blame the conservative play calling, the QB situation or the lack of wide receiving talent, that never happened, and the Rams offense averaged an impressively bad 10.9 points per game.
100 penalties, 10th
834 penalty yards, 11th
Few numbers on this list are as infuriating as these. Only 11 teams reached triple digits in penalties. Unlike many of those teams, the Rams offense was not good enough to overcome even the occasional 5-yard penalty. The youthful, inexperienced roster and new systems on both sides of the ball certainly get some credit for the high number of infractions. However, a quick review of the roster reveals some of the same old culprits. Alex Barron had 11 penalties, his most since picking up 13 in 2007. The Rams starting LT had 5 holding, a career high, and 5 false starts, a career low. Richie Incognito had 6 before his untimely release for maleficence. Rookie OT Jason Smith had just one penalty in 8 games and 5 starts.
-13 turnover ratio, 31st
Ouch. This one hurts too since an offense that can't overcome penalties surely cannot overcome turnovers. Rams passers threw 21 INTs, 6 each for Bulger and Boller and 9 for rookie Keith Null. Painful.
44 sacks, 6th (tied)
On the surface, this looks like the same old shoddy Rams pass protection we'd grown accustomed to, but it belies a much improved offensive line performance. Take away the 12 sacks allowed through the last two games - 8 yesterday, EIGHT! - and the Rams would be among the 15th most sacks rather than the 6th most. Remember that was a makeshift offensive line for the Rams starting those two games. For most of the season, Rams QBs had time in the pocket.
5.5 average yards per pass, 31st
Short passes riled fans all season, so this comes as no surprise. Again, you can argue the role of scheme and talent as the cause for this number. One thing it does say is what a poor job Rams receivers did getting yards after the catch, something that has to do with the trouble they had getting open all season as well as the fact that most of them were members of a practice squad as recently as this season.
32 percent third down conversion rate, 27th
Again, nothing you didn't already know here and no surprise since it seemed like the Rams were consistently facing third-and-long with that passing game.
Those numbers could only belong to a historically bad offense. The reasons for that are numerous, and they lead a list of things the Rams have to address before the 2010 season. To me, you can't underestimate the lack of talent the team had at WR this year. In fact, we finished the season with two starting receivers that had been on practice squads at the beginning of the year. Our guys had trouble getting open and too often had trouble hanging onto the ball. The inexperienced youth can't share all the blame for that either as veteran TE Randy McMichael dropped key passes time and time again. Yes, the play calling left us all scratching our heads every Sunday, but it's important to remember that this is an offensive system predicated on receivers being able to yards after the catch. That just wasn't happening for the Rams this year. Early on, the lack of three and even four wide receiver sets frustrated those of us who can remember the Greatest Show days. As the season progressed, those packages became more common to no end.
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Where to start for 2010.
I know that its hard to believe, but sometimes the best defense is an offense that can sustain long drives which result in scores. This keeps your defense off the field and well rested, but wears down the opponents defense so they are apt to give up more points. It also helps in disrupting the opposing offense because they don’t have the time to get in sync on the field and they are more likely to go 3-and-out on their drives. This strategy would definitely work with the majority of Rams home games and half of the away games. In order to get to this point the Rams need to put serious effort into patching up their offensive line, get a WR that can block as well as catch (a Hines Ward type), a back-up RB with good north-south speed, and acquire a mistake-free QB that can manage games. From an interim standpoint, most of these areas can be improved through free agency.
The draft should be used to beef up the interior defense line so that the Rams can win the battle for field position. Half of the battle for point scoring lies behind where Rams offense starts on the field. If the Rams defense doesn’t kill drives early when they’re on the field then it allows the opposing team to drill punts near their goal line which sets the offense up for failure. The Rams were able to apply defensive pressure on the edges with Little and Long, but there was no push up the middle which allowed the opposing QBs plenty of time to go through their progressions and complete big plays. Opposing running backs used the middle of the line to take huge chunks of yardage during scoring drives. The Rams have been weak at their defensive tackle positions for years. Adding Suh would go a long way to repairing this sore spot.
The Greatest Show on Turf is dead and gone. This team has a better opportunity to be a power run team with at strong defensed than an offensive jaugernaught like the Rams had from 1999-2001. But the key is for the GM and coaching staff to concentrate on both sides of the line, otherwise we’ll have another top 2 draft pick in 2011.
Everyone of these stats points to a talent starved, poorly coached team. There, I said it.
I stomached watching 15 out of 16 of these debacles we call “games.” Here’s something telling that isn’t in the stats, our division rivals, the 40 whiners and Sea Hens, outscored us this year 63-6 and 55-17, respectively. And those two teams are not exactly powerhouses. The Rams couldn’t pass, catch, block or tackle. We could only run due to the near solo Herculean efforts of SJax, who must have aged 3 years this past season. Our D-Line and QBs were the worst offenders – putrid. Every other facet of the team except for RB and punter were way below average. And, nearly all the offensive play-calling was downright embarassing. That reflects poor coaching and decision making. We, the fans, have to be honest and ask ourselves how many of our 53 man roster are really credible NFL players? I may miss a few but let me take a shot: Sjax, Jason Smith, Jason Brown, Avery, Robinson, Amendola (KR), Goldberg, Karney, Josh Brown, Donnie Jones, Chris Long, Ah You, Ryan, Gibson, Dahl, Butler, Bartell, Otogwe, and who else? Thus, IMHO, about 2/3 of the team doesn’t cut it as NFL capable because of old-age, perennial injuries, or lack of talent. That’s a heckuva mess to fix. Especially when one of the missing keys is a QB, which happens to be the most important position in the game. Where am I wrong here..??
How dare you leave out... OH wait, you corrected ;-)
I can’t disagree Ed.. I think you are 100% on point, and the part about sjax aging 3 years really does suck.
Here’s the problem I see: Will we become a “real” team before sjax contemplates retirement or starts a downhill slide?
The timeline here really scares me because without being optimistic, I’d say 2 years before we make a playoff run (MAYBE next year but let’s get real).
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
by VTramsFan on Jan 4, 2010 2:03 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm not looking back either-
The Rams start the next season UNDEFEATED! Why would I want to grind my teeth at what used to be? I’t time again for me to focus on seeing the Rams team that I didn’t get to see in 2009, from a thing called IR. I don’t want to be so busy looking where we’ve been, cause It becomes to easy to lose sight of where you’re going.
And the conclusion you Ram fans reach after reviewing those offensive stats is.......
WE HAVE TO DRAFT A DT!!!
Yes I am a Lions fan and would like to see Suh in Detroit. But you guys will go through exactly what we did last year and finally understand that you do not go anywhere in this league without a high quality QB.
Don’t get yourselves worked up over a player that really will not help your franchise in the short, medium, or long term and that your Front Office is unlikely to draft.
since the FO and staff have already shown that they wish to build the 'trenches'
with last years 1st round pick, i highly doubt that they will go for a QB w/ the 1st pick. should they trade down, id think a qb would be much more likely to happen
Dude give it up.
Wait till we do a piece on defensive statistics.
When you factor in how poor that unit was with a relatively healthy year, it’s clear a DT is the biggest need.
Not to mention the fact that neither Clausen nor Bradford (though he’s a question mark) look as impressive as Stafford did coming out of college. At least not now. Clausen isn’t all that accurate, and no one knows what Post-Injury Bradford is going to look like at the workouts.
If I had to bet, I’d bet that if a QB is taken in the top 10 it’s Bradford if he performs well. But this team has needs all over the place, so in this situation you take the best player available, who happens to fill a big area of need, and build to your strengths (however slightly the edge is), which happens to be the defense right now.
I know you guys want Suh pretty bad, but even if we were to pass on him, how in the world can you pass on Russell Okung the way Stafford/DET QB have been getting hit this year? 137 combined Sacks/QB Hits. Protect the “Franchise.” He’s a damn good QB, and if there were one that’s coming out that looks as good as he does, then I’d be happy to take him (Marc Bulger loyalism aside). It’s just not there.
Oh and, before you bring up Jason Smith/our offensive line’s woes, know that 3 of our starters have missed significant time on the O-Line, including him. The 3 or 4 games that they were all together, our rushing stats/pass blocking were damn good, and a flash of things to come.
"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.
this
+1
northleft, you’re jealous your team didn’t suck enough this year to get this guy. yes, our offense was terrible, but suh is a slam dunk pick. sorry you’re not going to be able to draft him. really a shame…
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jan 4, 2010 3:49 PM CST up reply actions
Clausen not that accurate? How does 68% sound? At +8 yards per attempt.
I hate to admit it, but his numbers are better than Staffords were. I agree with you about Bradford. Until he shows a lot at the combines and workouts and gets a clean bill of health I would stay away from him in the first round.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you can get a good QB later in the draft. The record of guys picked in the second round has been horrible. Over the last ten years Chad Henne and Drew Brees are the only guys who are looking good. Henne still has a lot to prove, but I think he will make it.
Why do you guys think that the solution to a poor offensive line is to draft a Left Tackle. You may not want to believe this but Backus has been the Lions best O lineman….by a mile. Why would you draft a replacement for your best lineman? Our Guards are terrible. And frankly, Okung is not exactly a world beater at LT. He is okay, but I don’t see much of an upside for him. Anthony Davis and Bruce Campbell are slightly riskier, but have a much higher upside.
If your line is so good, and with S. Jackson [one of the top three RBs in the NFL IMO] why wouldn’t you invest in a top notch QB? Might be a much better situation than Stafford found himself in.
Like I said before, the NFL is a QB league. You cannot win on a consistent basis without a solid QB. I think your Front Office and Coaches know better, and will make the decision for the long term good of your franchise.
I wish you guys all the luck in the world. It is tough to get up for your team’s games when they are so outmatched in talent level.
See what I did there?
I offered up what, on the surface, looks like a bigger need for the Lions. You reacted by downplaying Okung’s abilities the same way I downplayed Clausen’s.
I know my team better than you do, and you know your team better than I do. So let’s cut the “on the surface” stuff.
We need a DT bad. We need a QB as well (though I repeat, I’m not done with Bulger), but that need isn’t as great as the DT need, and this particular draft doesn’t have a guy that looks like THE guy. At #1, you have to have a can’t-miss, too-good-to-be-true QB. I can say with all honesty that I’ve watched at least 5 Jimmy Clausen/Notre Dame games this season as a Trojan that both watches his rivals and scouts for his Rams. Nothing about him exudes “I’m going to be unstoppable in the NFL” to me. A good starter at best it seems.
What you’ve done, much like I’ve done, is picked the best prospect at a position of need that you perceive, whether honestly or because of your lust for Suh, to be greater than the DT need we have. Not gonna fly.
You don’t just draft the best QB available. If he’s a #1 quality talent, take him. So far, only Suh, Gerald McCoy, and Eric Berry show me that they deserve that selection. If there were a Stafford this year, that’d be worth it. Lots of things can change by April, but as of now, the BPA is Suh, and he happens to fill a HUGE need.
As someone who knows his team, I cannot stress how huge this need is. We’ll see how this plays out soon enough.
"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 Jan 4, 2010 5:46 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I too, am not done with Bulger
He showed us he can still show flashes of what he used to this season, and was really starting to play pretty well before he was injured. He was by far the best QB on the team this year and is worth keeping around (hopefully at a reduced salary). He can run the team for another year or two until we get some more pieces in place, mainly, his replacement.
A couple of things.
The record of guys picked in the second round has been horrible. Over the last ten years Chad Henne and Drew Brees are the only guys who are looking good. Henne still has a lot to prove, but I think he will make it.
Brett Favre was a second rounder. I know he wasn’t drafted in the last 10 years but he’s been a dominant force in the last ten years. But that’s not really important. Being drafted in the 2nd round doesn’t automatically make you set up to fail because there haven’t been many good ones in the past. If our coaching staff sees someone they like and we’ve already drafted Suh, I’m fine with taking one there. Past players are in no way related to the current player just because they were drafted in the same round years before. I never got that argument. Whether it is Brett Favre, Drew Brees, or Marques Tuiasosopo, they have nothing to do with the chance of success of the potential player we could draft.
If your line is so good, and with S. Jackson [one of the top three RBs in the NFL IMO] why wouldn’t you invest in a top notch QB? Might be a much better situation than Stafford found himself in.
O-line might be a little better, but I’d say having Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew improved his situation a lot. Our number 1 receiver and TE right now are Donnie Avery and we don’t really have a TE for next year.
WHAT??
But you guys will go through exactly what we did last year and finally understand that you do not go anywhere in this league without a high quality QB.
Er—Just where did you go with your #1 high quality quarterback? And just what is it again that we will finally understand?
Don't be too hard on him.
His eyes are just really set on Suh and he’ll say anything to get us to see that/feel that way. I understand it.
"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.
Except persuading us doesn't help since we have no say.
And in response to the above quote. Its not like drafting Suh means we would forever give up on drafting a QB. We can still draft one in a year or two. What’s the point of drafting a QB to take you somewhere, if the rest of the team is not good enough to help him take us somewhere. And how will Suh not help our Franchise now, or in the future? Again this isn’t our last chance to draft a QB. And as you said below, If you think you can turn it around in one year, you are not being realistic. So why do we need a QB this year. If its already going to take at least one more draft after this why can’t we take one next year?
Think long term Knoxfan. Long Term.
If you guys think you can turn it around in one year, then you are not being realistic. Been there. Done that.
You couldn't do it because-
You still didn’t have any talent. You spent your #1 on a position you didn’t need to fill—Next year you won’t have talent because your team looks for love in all the wrong places., and your fans stoop to subversion on other posting sites—Have you hit the 49ers and Hags yet?
Wow! You are one smart dude. You think Daunte Culpepper is a good QB?
Or Drew Stanton? Even the Stafford haters in Detroit, and there are many, have pretty much admitted that the Lions would not have won a game in 2010 with Daunte and Stanton at QB.
I guess I thought by sharing our experience last year at #1, or #32 if you look at it that way, I might save you some grief by getting all worked up over the “sexy” pick of the moment [that would be Suh] before you meltdown when your FO does the right thing and pick Clausen. I went to Atlanta’s SB site in the summer about their Matt Ryan angst in 2008, and they went through the same thing as us.
Yes I have been on the Seahawks site. Trust me, if Clausen slips to them they will take him. Then you can look forward to seeing him for the next ten years or so.
I may agree with you on the FO possibly disappointing us
But regardless of whom the shehogs or 69ers pick, we can look forward to seeing them in the future. Theres no avoiding that. That is one item that absolutely will not affect our picks.
Eggzactly right that one doesn't go anywhere in the NFL without a high quality QB...
…except that there should be other experienced, quality QB’s available w/o having to train up a rookie, e.g. Quinn, Kolb, Vick, etc. Detroit is NOT getting Suh. And you guys got a looong way to go too. Afterall, the Lions lost at home to the worst team in the league this year.
Available with a price
The Rams would have to trade picks to get any of the ones you’ve listed.
I went through this last year with the Lions and have read every scenario that was possible. (keep Orlovsky, Daunte will work out, sign Vick, start Stanton, trade for so-and-so) The best outcome was drafting a QB. This is coming from one of the anti-draft Stafford folks.
Northleft and I aren’t trying to pick arguements, we’re just saying anything can happen and don’t be suprised or pissed if the Rams pick a QB at #1. It’s very risky banking on a gamble that a stud QB will fall to you in the following years draft.
Yes, Suh would be a fine pick. The smartest pick for the Rams at this time would be a QB. Just throwing it out there for you folks to think about.
Ya gotta be kidding me???
The Lions drafted QB’s Harrington and Stafford #1. Where has that gotten them? The answer: more top 5 draft picks. The Lions have shown the other 31 teams exactly how not to draft. Unfortunately some of the (namely the Rams) have failed to learn.
Wow
I just looked at the Lions draft history and, I knew it was bad, but that is just terrible. Since 2000 they have had 12 1st round draft picks. 11 of those 12 have been used on offense.
3 OTs 4 WRs (in 5 years, 2 of which have been complete busts and one of which is Roy Williams, who seems to suck now, but at least they got rid of him before that.), and two QBs. Also a RB and TE. The one defensive pick in the last 10 years was a LB. There are as many busts in there as we have.
Not with Null/Bulger/Boller/??? as your QB.
Maybe you will switch Suh to QB? Couldn’t be worse than what you have now.
Actually, that Bulger fellow has a better QB Rating than Stafford...
…and no receiving options anywhere near as good as Calvin Johnson/Brandon Pettigrew.
I’d say he’s doing just fine minus the injuries.
"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.
As good of a soldier as Bulgers been
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back next season. Boller won’t be back I’m sure. Null and Reilly for backups? I don’t endorse any of this, but without a replacement, do we really let Bulger go? I’m thinking it would take a major FA addition, and you’re right. Bulger isn’t bad if he had receivers. I just think it will be one of many interesting things to watch.
What an interesting possibility-
Bulger has now had a year to rest and watch. That has done a lot for some other QB’s that needed a comeback. Bulger knew starting 2009 with one WR would place the team on his shoulders, in a new system, with a new coach, and no one to back him up (that he could trust) was just to big of a load. He was trying to be to careful on one hand, and still make something happen on the other. Not every QB is a Farve or Manning, but it would kinda be interesting to see if he could return to his old form (the good form) if he returns as part of a good supporting cast. Let SJax be the spark plug, and Bulger be the driver. Of course Barron will still be just a hitch-hiker.
I could see Bulger back
I have always been on the bandwagon to get rid of him asap, but im not so sure anymore. I am not a big fan of him in general but I could see this being an option for next year. I wonder if he would stay as a backup, I am not sure how many teams would try to aquire him as a starter anyways.
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