Recap: Rams lose an ugly one to Oakland
by Ryan Van Bibber on Sep 19, 2010 6:32 PM CDT
in 2010 St. Louis Rams season
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The St. Louis Rams went deep into the well, called on the memories of 2009 and laid a big egg on the field against the Raiders today for their second loss of the season and the fourth straight season with an 0-2 start.
It didn't start off ugly. The Rams looked good early with Steven Jackson chewing up the field and Sam Bradford completing 6 of 7 passes. At the end of the half, the Rams went into the locker room with a 7-3 lead. So what happened?
Poor execution once again dogged the Rams. The offense failed to finish drives, and the defense spent the majority of the second half on the field, unable to prevent Oakland and replacement QB Bruce Gradkowski from putting up another 13 points.
Like 2009, the real stinker today was the Rams offense, and you can pick almost any personnel group to blame. The offensive line got manhandled by the Raiders defensive front, limiting Jackson to less than 20 yards in the second half. Bradford was clearly pressing a little too hard with some of his throws and his receivers did absolutely nothing to help the situation. Remember last year when Laurent Robinson looked like he could be the receiver the Rams needed? Nope. He was awful today, catching one pass, allowing an INT (with a little help by Bradford) and getting owned by Raiders defenders not named Nnamdi. Clayton, despite a 2 TD game, again flashed inconsistent hands, but he did make a nice grab for the Rams second TD of the day.
Rodger Saffold left the game with a back injury, replaced by Rolando Foster. It didn't help matters, but the whole line played poorly in the second half...after playing really well in the first half.
The wide receivers and the offensive line get a F, an F minus for their effort today, as does offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur who failed to get players like Danny Amendola involved when they were needed. Inexplicable playcalling in the second half. The Raiders had their corners practically on the line of scrimmage, and the Rams still didn't throw it deep...even a medium depth. And why not bring the tight ends into the game again? Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema had key plays in the first half, but were ghosts in the second half.
And there were the penalties. Most notable among them, Fred Robbins so-called roughing the passer on the Raiders' last possession. Had that penalty not happened, the Rams would have probably been able to get the ball back one more time, down by just two points. Yes, there were some terrible calls, like the late hit credited to Atogwe, but the bottom line is that the Rams players got chippy, chippy without being smart.
I felt for the defense though. They played fairly well, given the circumstances, like not getting a breather at all until late in the fourth quarter thanks to an inept offense...very, very 2009-esque.
And why did Spagnuolo use all his time outs? Someone needs to review the standards for using those things.
There was a lot not to like. However, the one thing that stands out to me is just how lacking the Rams are at wide receiver. Why was Brandon Gibson on the sidelines, inactive for this game? The Rams need to try and make up for their lack of quality with quantity at the WR position. If I were Billy Devaney, I'd be on the phone begging San Diego to make a deal for Vincent Jackson...of course the 0-2 Vikings might be thinking the same thing. The Rams lack of an offensive weapon to pair with Steven Jackson makes their offense incredibly easy to defend. Jackson wouldn't put the Rams into contention this year, but he would make them a more competitive team...and likely a contender next year in a terrible division.
It's still early in the season, and the Rams are capable of playing better than they did today. They damn near won the game in spite of themselves. If I were coaching the Rams, I'd have them running laps tomorrow until their legs melted.
Lots more to say about this week's loss in the 48 hours ahead. Stay tuned...if you haven't given up already.
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I don't understand
why we aren’t getting our TE’s involved.. I mean, it’s like they are erased from the playbook. In preseason they were the #1 target for Sam.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Fells did have one sweet catch
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Speaking of TE's
where the hell was Fendi?
He at least contributes on ST and could potentially provide a big target for Bradford to throw to. Darcy Johnson was apparently active today and did not see the field once, or if he did he was a total and complete non-factor.
It seems to me we tried to play with 44 active players. Surely that 45th spot would have been better used by having Fendi or Gibson active.
Fell's legs got bent whacky-like in the pass-catch
more injuries because players try to hard for the extra yac yardage instead of preparing for the tackle 1-2 yards ahead of the potential season-ending injury.
It is called game brains – like that Leon Lett style fumble last week.
Van, great job with the recap
I dont know how you did it, I dont even want to think about this game till wednesday at least
I was actually thinking the same thing
You’re awesome Van
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Same thought
Let’s not use our tight ends. They’ve been our most reliable receivers since pre-season.
Let’s not screen pass or run off the tackle with Steven Jackson, since it seemed to be working so well in the first quarter.
Let’s stop using what is working and make sure to “mix up” the plays a bit to keep everyone offguard including ourselves.
Bradford today was the same as last week
On some drives you can see the potential loaded in this offense. On most other drives, play calling is awful, our inexperience hounds us and we cannot block.
Like I have been saying to everyone I know, sure I would like to see results, but ultimately I am looking for improvement every game.
Things I saw today:
1. Smith/Saffold consistently get beat. Hopefully with time that will improve
2. Bradford makes beautiful throws, and then tries to make something happen too much and rushes a throw….He’s gonna be such a stud
3. Lauranitis is a beast
Sam Bradford
my title was meant to say Bradford and the offense
Sam Bradford
No one is turning on them.
Are we not allowed to be mad? Because we deserve to be.
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
Defense played well today.
A third quarter to forget, but it’s tough when you don’t prepare much for the back-up. Offense needs to stay on the field. We need to do a better job of stretching the field. The receivers need to get open deep with consistency, otherwise teams will continue to stack the box and stop SJ39. I’m also pissed at Shurmur for not calling many HB screens in the second half when they were working like dynamite in the first half. The secondary never really got beat, Gradkowski gashed a few times but that was a tough situation. I like how we blitz a lot, it does a good job disrupting the opposing offense. The defense was also victim of some weak personal foul calls, especially the two roughing the passers. I’d give the defense a B+ for this game, a lot of pressure and sacks, two picks, including the first by a CB since 2008. Offense gets a C-. This team has a lot of upside. Our offensive line is one guard away from being really good, the running back situation is fine, the QB position is full of potential, our wide receivers have potential too. I think we could really benefit from a #1 guy, but I think Clayton might develop into that. We are also missing Avery, who would have been huge this year. Our defense is fine, especially the secondary and d-line. Probably need another good D-end for the future, and another LB, but we have a ton of potential on both sides of the ball. For now, we are simply inexperienced and will get a lot better as the season goes on.
Also, Jerome Murphy is basically a good Jonathon Wade.
We suck...
There is nothing more to be said. We can’t win against the pitiful Raiders who pulled their starting QB at half time. We are on a 10 game losing streak and we have won one game in our last 28 tries. I can’t even remember the last time we won a home game. I’m tired of coming on this site and seeing everybody sugarcoating things. What good can we say about this game? Steven Jackson ran for 75 yards and 0 touchdowns? Bradford threw for one touchdown? The defense held the horrible Raiders offense to 16 points? There is nothing in this game that we did good, and that’s sad. The coaching was terrible, the offense was terrible, the defense was horrendous and we gave the Raiders a win. I will be surprised if we win one game this year. It’s time to face it, we are no better than the Detroit Lions. I’m tired of being the laughing stock of the league and being embarrassed to even admit that I am a Rams fan. I hate to say it, but if The University of Alabama were to play us right now, I would put my money on Nick Saban and the Tide. SMH….
On this team, we are all united in a common goal: to keep my job.
-- Lou Holtz
SJ39 got 3.9 yards a carry when Oakland spent the entire game trying to stop him.
Bradford completed 56% of his passes, had two TDs and a pick. Not bad. Shurmur didn’t call enough plays to stretch the field, and the Raiders defense played very tight and condensed, and there was nothing the coaches did to counteract it. I was disappointed in the receivers, nobody was able to get open on a consistent basis. The offensive line didn’t protect well (J. Smith had a rough game, same with Saffold), and Bradford didn’t have any time to deliver the ball. The offense had a very bad game overall, but that was due to inexperience on the line, young receivers who had trouble getting open against a pretty good secondary, and bad coaching.
The defense was on the field for too long, and they were undisciplined at times (especially Robbins on the final roughing call. It was a weak call, but the ref was quick to give personal fouls all game). However, they played very well in the first half and fourth quarter. Two picks is pretty good, especially when they both came at clutch times (Butler preserved a half-time lead, Murphy kept the Rams in the game). I don’t see how you can call the defense “horrendous.” The blitzes worked well to disrupt the opponent, and our redzone defense was pretty damn good. We dropped a couple of picks (including one by Fletcher in the endzone), but nothing you can do about that. We haven’t played a good team yet, but I can tell this team is better than it was last year.
Special teams needs work. Bad punt coverage early on, Brown missed a field goal, but the Raiders had their fair share of problems.
Also, you are an idiot if you think Alabama would beat the Rams. Every single player (with the exception of Fendi Onobun and Antonio Gates) in the NFL was a stud in college. If the Rams played the Crimson Tide, the Rams would win by at least 40 points, no question.
the rams would win by more than 40 dont even joke Alabama wouldnt even score
Alabama has at least 12 NFL players starting sure but maybe 4 or 5 solid NFL guys every starter on the rams is a solid NFL player they would win by a lot
Bradford had 2 TDs, but nonetheless…..
by kickasskeever on Sep 19, 2010 7:12 PM CDT up reply actions
there's always the pre-season win totals to cheer you all up
then again, I wrote by reg. season game #4, we will all basically know reality for sure this season!
Raiders aren't that pitiful anymore
their performance this year will exceed their reputation… its a damn shame that people won’t know until the end of the year
by stlcardsfan4 on Sep 20, 2010 1:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Hi Guys my husband just wanted to say thank you for all the good posts.
He is in a better place where the Rams have a real team that actually knows how to win games. Praise Jebus
Margaritaville is my guess
"I have something 95 percent of all those All-Stars only wish they had: a World Series ring. If I had to choose between that and being an All-Star, it would be no contest. I’d grab the gold ring and never look back." -Tim Salmon
by BruinHalo on Sep 19, 2010 7:33 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
2009 all over again
If we can’t beat the Raiders we are not going to beat anybody. I really thought we had a good chance to win 5-6 games this year,but that ship has sailed. Everybody was down on our receivers, but I always thought that they were not that bad. Wrong again. I like the comment Lynch said about Mike Shanahan who said if a receiver cannot beat one man covering him he should be selling cars instead of being in the NFL. Oh so true. We are in deep trouble with no end in sight and that is really a shame.
It seems pretty clear to me...
The NFL is a passing league and we have no receivers. As long as this is the case, the frustrations will continue.
My biggest wish in my little NFL world is that Shurmer were t get fired. He has to be the worst OC i have ever seen. I am greatly saddened to say i would rather see Martz calling our plays then that piece of dog meat we have, and Spags is as much to blame as Shitmur for allowing it
If practice makes perfect....
Yet nobodies perfect.....
Then why practice ???
As we've said over and over,
we need a true #1 receiver who can stretch the field and make the defensive backs stay back and worry about our receivers. Clearly Oakland was not worried in the slightest about them today. On one play they lined up all 11 defenders within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage on a passing down, let Nnamdi take Clayton and knew none of our other receivers was going to go deep. We have no chance if this doesn’t get fixed.
I'm just glad to see someone didn't pin the entire game on the OC and the Refs...
…I mean geez, the blitz-pickup and run blocking was astonishingly bad in the second half. Our receivers still get no separation and somehow all of this is remedied by axing the OC?
I’m not saying this guy has a Martz-like imagination, but for crying out loud the players have to take the blame as well.
"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
Chris Mortensen: "You know it's the 'Show-Me' State right Sam?"
"Pshh, 'Show Me.' (smirking) Yeah, I've heard that."
-Sam Bradford
It sounds like you agree...
That our receiving corps needs to be upgraded… and quick.
Like I complained before..
….I wasn’t able to watch the game due to FOX’s decision to cram that damn Bears-Cowboys game down our throat in the So Cal area. I got on RedZone every chance I got but it seems like the Raiders had the ball every time I saw any pieces of the game. I really couldn’t see any of the drives when the Rams had the ball but the one play that I did see was the screen pass to Jackson in the first quarter that went all the way down the sideline and put us in a goal to go situation. Jackson came up visibly limping and I was already envisioning us without him. WE NEED HELP ON THIS TEAM! (can you tell I’m pissed?) SJ39 can’t do it all!
Get us a damn backup running back and a damn No. 1 reciever! I am sick and tired of losing especially to teams like the Faiders!! We should be 2-0 and in first place. I thought we had a shot at 7-9 wins this season but my expectations have dropped so low I think we will be lucky to win 3 games. Early first round picks are nice but ONLY if you trade up for them, not when you EARN them!
Let’s go Rams! Get your Sheyet together!!
Are we going to be able to afford another early 1st rounder?
by JonnyMudbone on Sep 20, 2010 4:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Honestly, that is my worry.
We need a mid first round pick, not top 5.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
The way things are going,..
….we are going to have another early round pick next year. That whole trade down and get additional picks scenario is really gona have to come into play next year. All the reason more for us to trade our picks this year to pick up veteran talent like Vincent Jackson, Brandon Jacobs and maybe Marcus McNeal.
I tuned in during the 3rd quarter
I couldn’t figure out what looked so funny until I realized the Raiders had their corners kicking it in the box and their safeties bumping up against their line backers.
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