Recap: Rams win is better than it looked
by Ryan Van Bibber on Dec 26, 2010 3:43 PM CST
in 2010 St. Louis Rams season
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PrintSomehow, the St. Louis Rams found a win. Heading into the locker room at halftime, that seemed impossible.
Head coach Steve Spagnuolo's conservative offensive tendencies made it a nail biter that came down to the last minute of play, when it should have been over after a Danny Amendola 84-yard punt return. At that point, with a five-point lead and the ball at the 49ers 12-yard line, the Rams ran it three times before kicking a field goal. Running it the first time, or even the second, wouldn't have been such an issue if the Rams' offensive line had done a better job of blocking today, heck, any blocking would have been an improvement from a front five easily handled by the San Francisco defensive line.
I don't mean to complain. Spagnuolo and Shurmur set aside their fear of success long enough to go with the hurry up offense, i.e. turn things over to Bradford, and switch up the playbook with a deep shot to Danario Alexander that set up the second touchdown and some creative calls like a Danny Amendola end-around, my personal favorite. Nevertheless, the game was closer than it needed to be because for some reason the Rams think that any lead at any point during the game mandates a dried-up approach to possession.
That kind of thinking works when you have playmakers at receiver and road graders in the middle of the offensive line, neither of which the Rams can claim.
Credit the defense for setting an aggressive tempo that kept the 49ers on their heels the entire game, regardless of the decision to switch quarterbacks. Chris Long, bruised thigh and all, and his front four dominated the 49ers makeshift offensive line; all four of the Rams' sacks came from Long and his linemates.
And don't forget the turnovers. Back when the Rams were falling into oblivion in the days of Linehan and Haslett, they used a defense that keyed on the ball to make up for offensive inconsistency. Spagnuolo and Flajole did that today, and it paid off. Of course, this time around, it helps that the Rams have much surer tackling, meaning that forcing turnovers isn't an all or nothing proposition.
Three things and parting words after the jump...
The Rhythm Method
The success of the Rams with the hurry-up offense is telling. It lends credence to that internet meme, started by Trent Dilfer of all people, that defenses are locking down Steven Jackson and playing Sam Bradford in the short passing game. When the Rams run the no-huddle they move the ball; it's that simple. Why? Partly because it forces defenses off their game plan, an easy game plan when the team lacks talent like the Rams do. Think of it like jazz. Jazz is at its best when played off the cuff, when musicians just play the sheet music, it's called Kenny G. Why the Rams don't run this more blows my mind, but at least they go to it enough...or did today anyway.
In the Trenches
San Fran's defensive linemen owned the Rams offensive line...from tackle to tackle. It's embarrassing. As a group their athletic enough to do well in pass blocking, but opening lanes against stout defensive linemen requires power. Personally, the most frustrating thing about the offensive play calling is that they call so many damn runs up through the middle, when it clearly doesn't work. Hell, they did that with two minutes left and gave the 49ers one last possession, a dangerous gambit when they have talented receivers like Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. That's also a good lesson that being conservative is really just redistributing risk. I think that starting, or at least playing, John Greco at RG would help. Probably that's not enough, but it's a step in the right direction. Using the full back more often would help too, but even then there has to be some minimal blocking up front.
The Smiths
Yes, I have a Smith's CD, but my passing fancy for whiny English emo rock isn't what I'm talking about here. I don't know why head coach Mike Singletary lifted Troy Smith in favor of Alex Smith. Yes, statistically, Troy was having a terrible game, but his ability to move outside the pocket could have threatened the Rams at their weakest spots on defense...it did on several occasions in this game. Really, the SF QB situation is just the most obvious instance of the Rams just playing more disciplined, better football than the 49ers. No matter how much we dislike the playcalling, the Rams were technically pretty sound, and that was enough, especially after last week when poor execution added fuel to the fire.
Bradford had a really nice game today, after looking a little shaky early in the game. Completing 28 of 37 passes for a TD and a 107 QB rating, he set the record for completions by a rookie. I think he was pressing a little bit, trying to carry too much of the load and forcing things. It was a much better second half for Bradford and the Rams. Hopefully, that hot streak is a confidence booster, something they'll need in spades in Seattle next week, where the game will determine who wins the NFC West.
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Most shocking stat today
SJax ran for only 48 yards on 24 carries. That’s only 2 yards a pop. Much less if you figure in his one 12 yard run. Gotta be poor blocking (and running up the gut 90% of the time) that’s killing our stallion. Any other ideas???
Yep,
did you see how fast the middle got clogged…on every run? Yet we wouldn’t stop going up the middle. No counters, misdirections or even runs around the edge. Every run on the edge was SJ avoiding the cluster in the middle.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
by douchiedude on Dec 26, 2010 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
to be fair
we tried a toss after the end around and sax only got 2 yards because 2 guys were on him.
credit to sax getting positive yardage considering they reached him 4 yards behind the LOS lol
Bradford to Onobun!
Oh yeah the toss.
But I meant like off tackle or tight end, just an outside handoff.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
but also, SF is one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Combine that
with a poor o-line, little threat of the deep pass, 63 total rushing yards is what should have been expected.
Sam the MAN! GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!
by loyal2therams on Dec 26, 2010 5:23 PM CST up reply actions
Not gonna be popular...
…but I haven’t seen SJ make very many plays this year. Does he run hard? Absolutely! Is he good between the tackles? Yes, for the most part. But when the dude isn’t a threat to run to the outside then the D can focus on clogging the middle of the line. We could use a RB that can get outside.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 26, 2010 4:59 PM CST up reply actions
i don't disagree
but right now without sax churning a yard or two we’d be losing yards every play.
a scat compliment would be awesome, but we need sjax still.
Bradford to Onobun!
No doubt we need him!
But the crappy running game isn’t ALL on the OL imo.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 26, 2010 5:23 PM CST up reply actions
Eat it!
re: your comment about Bradford after his turnover earlier…
Troll!
I would never support your statement.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 26, 2010 10:15 PM CST up reply actions
I think Shurmur did a great job today
Got 25 pts out of an offense that was averaging 2 yds a carry. The most impressive call was definitely the end around.
I know the post-Amendola-return plays were really conservative, but thinking back to the Saints game when I would have been to end the half with a field goal and instead they get a pick 6, I’m glad we just ensured some time off the clock and a FG.
He did a good job when he was doing a good job,
if that makes sense. But he was pretty awful at times too.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
I really didn't catch any awful moments today
but I wasn’t following the gamethread, and I’m sure there were plenty of “Fire Shurmur” moments.
We definitely need more hurry up, and more DX! I think if Uh-Oh gets back next week it expands the playbook a lot.
Oh there definitely was,
way too premature. I mean that last field goal drive, there was no harm in trying a pass on third down, those LOUD boos were well-deserved. The last drive, I completely understood all runs, that was a clock killer. I guess there weren’t many awful moments but definitely questionable ones. Overall, he did good today. The run blocking continues to make both SJ and Shurmur look worse though.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
I just don't understand why we don't go to the hurry up offense more often
I mean it works every damn time.
Definitely.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
the point about the run blocking is so true.
we wouldn’t be complaining if we could block lol
and yes. more hurry up. maybe more aggression before half time too?
i always call for it on gamethreads and we never try and hurt people in the 2nd qtr lol
Bradford to Onobun!
Our guards just cannot move anybody out on runs.
They may be good pass blockers, but they are pitiful trying to run block. We just have to get at least one big, strong, good-blocking guard for next year.
by andyhawk on Dec 26, 2010 5:21 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
For once I agree Andy
1st or 2nd round pick next year. I am so sick and tired of watching Bell and Goldberg get tossed around in our backfield like rag dolls. Even worse, sometimes a LB is beating them with a bull rush. C’mon!! You fatties outweigh them by at least 40 pounds!
Rams fans did a great job responding to criticism.
First full house all year, and it was the loudest game I’ve been to since 2006. Great work, St. Louis. I love Danario Alexander. If he can be more consistent, he’ll be an incredible player in this league.
I agree, the Rams have won every game where they successfully got the ball to him.
All I want for Christmas is a Pete Carroll scowl on week 17!
Actually, he successfully got to the ball
Both the atch today and his td earlier this year were poorly thrown Bradford mid/range to long/range throws.
Bradford will get better at accuracy once he has a few wr’s he is used too so timing is perfected on long routes that delay the throw a bit.
were you at the game? If so, please describe how fans reacted to on certain downs
Usually they don’t get loud until 3rd down. What about 1st and 2nd, ect?
Sam Bradford
Except for a short time in the 2nd Quarter
when the Rams went to sleep, and Shurmur got too conservative, the fans were in the game all the way. In the 1st Quarter and the whole 2nd Half they were loud on almost every Niners play. They weren’t waiting for 3rd Down. It was the most alive I’ve seen our fans for more than just a play or two in a long time.
Fans were very good today.
I always clap loudly on first and second down, then cheer on third down. That’s basically the culture of the dome. It is definitely still a little noisy on first and second down, but third down is when it gets loud (for the most part). Today, from the very start it was loud on every down, and it was deafening on third downs. Also, the crowd got into it on field goal attempts too. Usually, there’s a little bit of noise on field goals, but when the other team was trying to kick it was still extremely loud as if they were going for it on fourth down. That’s what caused the miss by their kicker late in the game.
Also, the fans did a good job of not getting discouraged. Usually, when a team converts a third down despite a lot of noise, the crowd is completely out of it. Even when the Niners converted a third and 13 early in the game, the crowd was still loud on the very next play.
Sam said it was rocking in there too
check my fanshot.
loved hearing some new tunes like power in there. nice hype music.
they should check ANTE UP by MOP lol
watching this FELT like we had homefield advantage. looked great!
my dream is to go to a home game…
Bradford to Onobun!
MOP?
What is this, ’99?
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
by 3k on Dec 26, 2010 5:39 PM CST up reply actions
Guard play has been surprisingly BAD this season
Not many people saw this position as a position of need earlier this season.
Is Jacob Bell a flop or injured too much?
Looking ahead...
…anyone else think we have a chance to go on SNF next week? Although NBC has proven they will pick a meaningless game (Vikes-Eagles this week), the NFL always prefers the final week’s game to be one where it’s “win-and-you’re-in” for at least one of the teams. While there are a few teams where that will be a possibility (Jets, Giants, Packers), how does that trump a division title game? Just more small-market bias…
go cards, o's, and phillies.
...boiler up.
Correction
the Jets have already clinched. And the Giants could if they win, right? I say we all root for the Saints tonight so that the Saints-Bucs isn’t a play-in game.
go cards, o's, and phillies.
...boiler up.
I don't think there is a Sunday Night Game next week.
The thing that sucks is CBS has the doubleheader next week and it doesn’t look like any of the AFC games will matter next week. I’m wondering if FOX is going to screw the SoCal fans and show us the Bears-Packers game.
I'm suffering from an extreme case of laurinaitis!
Maybe a lightening storm will hit early and the game will be delayed to the Sunday Night Slot
That would be a cool set-up for a playoff type game.
Great win
First half could’ve been better though.
I was super pumped, good set-up for a HUGE game next week
I met Joe Halahuni's parents.....in Alaska. Jealous?
The Smiths aren't emo...
that’s quite a derogatory term lol
If anything say they are ‘downbeat’ ha
love the write up. the lack of beef up front is really worrying, and if we didn’t have SJax i wouldn’t dare to imagine how Sam would be looking at this point in the season… I’m guessing along the lines of Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky.
I like Gibson, Amendola and DX, definitely staying next season. Shurmer is too conservative, but showed some cajones with the reverse and then annoyed us with the repeat play 2 downs later. I am hoping Pat learns from this season and does some magic after we acquire a few more playmakers and more beef up front.
Stellar D Line play makes me smile, and as I only watched the 4th QTR (thought we had a later start :/ ) I was impressed by Darian Stewart’s contributions. I can’t remember seeing him ever really blow on any plays? he’s either not been involved or done a solid job. anyone care to correct me if i am wrong?
ALWAYS NICE BEATING SAN FRAN.
we should have won last game but for some horrific gaffes from Rams and MORE PROMINENTLY REFEREES.
now let’s sweep seattle and get ourselves in the playoffs.
super excited for that game, also apprehensive. Qwest is a tough place to go, however I feel that we will be buoyed by this win and lay some hurt on some Seagull ass!
Bradford to Onobun!
Gibson is NOT a prime time player
The only wideout the Rams had on the field today was DX. I think the coaches worry about overusing him and getting him hurt again. That’s the only logical reason why the NCAA’s yardage leader for 2009 is not the focus of the Ram’s passing attack. As far as Gibson goes, he’s way too inconsistent to be a good NFL player. He drops too many passes, can’t hold important blocks, he runs lousy patterns, and can’t usually get separation. If Spags is calling all these idiot between the tackles runs they he should get out of play calling because he’s bad at it. If Shurmur is calling these ineffective runs then he should be replaced. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
No one ever said Gibson is a prime time player..................
But he’s earned a spot back next season.
"I kind of stepped my swagger up. You look at the Madden game and the swagger's so low, maybe they'll bump me up. Before it was a meatball flex, so you've got to liven it up a little bit." - Animal Jr.
You forgot Amendola
The guy only has the most net yards in the NFL. But you’re probably right, he’s not THAT good…
I'm scared of next week :(
Not because of Seattle but because of the play calling.
We showed already that Seattle isn’t much of a challenge for us but if Spags keeps a lid on Bradford, the nerves might get to him
Speaking of Bradford, it amazes me how he’s breaking all these records with such a conservative system and left over recievers. I can only imagine what this guy can do with the weapons Brady, Manning and Brees have
by Option27 on Dec 26, 2010 4:45 PM CST via mobile reply actions
THE GAME HAS EVOLVED
into one where passing yards are easy to get and is the main gobbler on offense for most teams in today’s pro ball.
Uh
Manning’s weapons? Like Tamme, Garcon and whoever replaced Collie? Please. That’s probably worse than the Rams
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
Are you forgetting Reggie Wayne?
He’s better than anyone we have.
I never thought I'd ever want a division rival to win a game
But I wanted you guys to win, and you pulled it off. Thanks a ton for winning this game, and I hope you guys win next week too.
Most Cardinals fans are pulling for you guys. You’re our only hope of saving face for the NFC West.
Seattle has been the playoff nemesis though
how many seasons has it been where Seattle was the team that knocked Rams outta playoffs in past 4-6 seasons?
Thanks dude
I pulled for AZ in the playoffs with Kurt and I’m impressed by Skelton, still gonna have to outwardly hate you on here but it’s nice to see some classy fans within the division.
Bradford to Onobun!
Rec'd
I didn’t even watch, but loved my mama’s tone after the game. She’s sold on the whole boat in Big D. Hilarious failure by the most disgusting franchise in sports (along with the Yankees). Thanks, Cards!
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
Next week it would sure be nice to have Danario and HoHo in there as viable receivers.
Still gotta get SJax some blocking. It shure ain’t coming in the middle of the O-Line these days. Dockery and the OLB’s worry me on Defense…
I doubt DX and HoHo will be used much
The Rams coaches prefer the “two yards and a pound of rubber” approach.
I hope
that people will eventually wake up and realize that it is Spags’ call how the Rams approach offense. This is from Bernie:
Spags said he played it safe late in the game (going for FG instead of knockout TD) because he had faith in defense to stop 49ers.
See? Until Spags finds his nerve, we will continue to go through these Sundays.
Umm
if that’s the case, then Spags is a terrible head coach. If Shurmur is doing something Spags doesn’t like, it’s his job to fix it.
The 49ers had only scored 10 pts on offense and the defense did get a stop
really don’t see the issue here.
Exactly
Our team plays smart for the most part. Good teams,like the Saints, are just too talented for us. We beat teams we are supposed to beat.
by AWolfAtTheDoor on Dec 26, 2010 7:26 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I wish Spags would decide to put the daggar in the heart of the opponent
instead of playing safe and playing not to lose. Maybe as we get more weapons next year he’ll loosen up a little.
I agree, if we get more playmakers on offense and we're still putting all the pressure on our defense I'm not going to be happy
but right now we’re just playing to our strengths. We don’t have the talent to call the plays the fans are begging for. One thing I do like about our offense is that for as young as it is we don’t really turn the ball over a lot.
previous post
If Spags is calling all these idiot between-the-tackles runs they he should get out of play calling because he’s bad at it. If Shurmur is calling these ineffective runs then he should be replaced. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
I don't know how serious it is because I haven't really been paying attention to closely
but I saw the play it happened on. He just ran into the endzone untouched and looked like he pulled something in his back.
that could help the seahawks next week
DONNIE FUCKING JONES FOR PRO BOWL!
by stlcardsfan4 on Dec 26, 2010 5:54 PM CST up reply actions
I am happy
just got off 9ers fan posts talk about your cry babies.Some were screaming about the penalties being called.I thought to myself now you know how we felt when we played there.We played at home and still got reamed by the refs.
Rams get to play Sunday night next week!
NBC picked the STL VS SEA. National TV game for the Rams. Rejoice Rams fans everywhere.
Vincie are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK Vincie?
by Smoooth Criminal on Dec 26, 2010 9:05 PM CST reply actions
Fauxmadden lol and then i looked in to it
Vincie are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK Vincie?
by Smoooth Criminal on Dec 26, 2010 10:32 PM CST up reply actions
With all the complaining of the conservative play calling..
..I gotta tip my hat to the offensive coaching staff for the closing strategy. After the Amendola return the Rams were automatically in field goal range. By calling the run plays, it forced the Niners to burn some of their timeouts. Knowing that a field goal would ensure that we could not lose the game in regulation it had to be the way to go. Especially knowing that putting either Alex or Troy Smith in a two minute offense with no timeouts and knowing that they HAD to convert a two point play after a touchdown just made a daunting situation for them. I knew once we knocked that last field goal through the posts, we pounded the final nail in the Niners coffin.
I LOVE IT!! The Niners are dead!!
I'm suffering from an extreme case of laurinaitis!
Gruden
York said he’s not afraid to open up his wallet. Gruden is a bay area boy. 1+1=2
I have to ADMIT after today's two worlds 1st and 2nd half
the Rams are getting better, but frustratingly so, they continue to make stupid mistakes here and there that creates situations like,
a 14 point turnaround (like when team A fails to score by turning ball over and team B immediately takes the ball and scores).
So, up 9-0, Rams need to score 14 points just to be up 16 points like they should have been instead of 9-7.
Loved the post
Your one-liner was great: “Jazz is at its best when played off the cuff, when musicians just play the sheet music, it’s called Kenny G.” Nicely done.
Not to take anything away from Sjax..
and the OL was pushed around like a schoolyard group, but why don’t we mix in Toast’em and Jam to mix up the running game? Steven was trying to get through holes that didn’t open up and then couldn’t get around it quickly enough. Darby is more of a slasher and might be able to slip through or around the line when it’s clogged up. It actually worked to a degree early on this year.
"Tread lightly, lest the Big Goat Eats."
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