Self-inflicted wounds: Random Ramsdom, 9/20
Yes, the St. Louis Rams are still mired in the rebuilding process. Big holes take a while to dig yourself out of, and the lack of talent is all too apparent. But at some point, all that fades into the background. Steve Spagnuolo's group had a very winnable game against Oakland this week.
A poor opening drive in the first half looked to be an exception. Daniel Fells juggling grab of a pass to put the Rams on the 5-yard line spoke to what players and coaches had been telling the public about this team: that these guys would play their best football and go hard for 60 minutes. The next two plays foreshadowed a second half that was vintage Rams, Zygmunt-esque football, as Bradford failed to the throw the ball away on a sack that put the Rams back 13 yards and Josh Brown missed a 36-yard field goal.
Mistakes bury teams that lack talent. Third-and-15 might as well be third-and-50 when your top receiver is Mark Clayton...and your blockers aren't blocking well...and, well, you get it. The Rams handed themselves a loss this week, out-coached by Tom Cable and outplayed by Bruce Gradkowski. It was uglier than last year's losses because you expected better this year.
Let's get to some links...
Injuries...most serious of all, Craig Dahl suffered what looked to be a concussion, after looking like a one man wrecking crew. The guy has proven to be a real spark plug for the Rams defense, and I hope that he can get back on the field ASAP, though concussions are a tricky matter.
TEs Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema both suffered knee injuries that are not thought to be serious. They'll be evaluated today, along with Rodger Saffold, who suffered a back injury (though he did return to the game) and DT Darrell Scott twisted an ankle.
Cs and Ds all around on the Rams report card from the PD, well deserved I might add.
Mike Sando calls the Oakland loss "troubling."
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Whoa fella.
I’m no Raiders fan, but Gradkowski showed last year he is a better than average NFL QB. The guy beat Pittsburgh and a few other teams too.
Yeah, Oakland looked horrible in their opener, but they are not a terrible team. You played a close game on the road, and just could not pull it out. No shame in that.
I wonder what kind of fans teams have anymore. All they expect are wins and the playoffs all the time. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Yeah all they expect is to win and the playoffs all the time.
Most people on this site are passionate fans. Its just that the amount of losing seen the past few years has been frustrating us. It seems that the team finds ways to loose every week and the one yesterday is no different. We could have-no we should have won that game. But a late flag and some more pitiful offense has doomed us yet again.
Its not like people are gonna stop caring about the rams or are going to stop watching them (Actually some might). Its just that we want to see a win. No one is asking them to go to the playoffs. This team lacks way too much in terms of talent for that to happen. All we are asking for is a win every now ad then. Especially a game that we should have won.
Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers. ~Merle Kessler
by mlkgandhiv2k on Sep 20, 2010 7:36 AM CDT up reply actions
Hey man, I am a Lions fan so don't lecture me about losing.
Bradford is looking good for you. I hope the fan base has finally come to the conclusion that you had to draft a QB at #1. But, as I can tell you, rookie QBs [whether they are saviours or not] will have a lot of adjusting and growing pains. Better learn to live with it this year. It will pay off in the long run.
BTW Us Lions fans think we should be 2-0 now. Tampa Bay and KC are 2-0 but I don’t think they are any better than us, or you guys for that matter. Still fourteen games to go. I will be happier if we finish strong, rather than start strong.
Best of luck to you guys…….except against us.
Didn't know you were a lions fan.
Also the frustration is more directed at the fact that we seemed to beat ourselves (no disrespect to the raiders). I expect a Bradford to make mistakes. In fact I think he is doing a terrific job considering that was his second game. He exceeds my expectations to this point. But being so close (this is where you have more experience than us with the disallowed TD) is frustrating and this site is the only place most of us can vent about the rams.
Hopefully the two franchises can turn it around soon.
One bright side is that we have the same record as the vikings and only one game behind the superbowl bound jets right?
Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers. ~Merle Kessler
by mlkgandhiv2k on Sep 20, 2010 8:55 AM CDT up reply actions
our issue is not with Sam
or even our talent, but mainly just how ineffective we are in the 2nd half on offense. it’s impossible to blame a rookie Qb for that, or even our journeymen WR’s. the blame lies solely on coaching when you cannot scheme a way into the endzone with 5 yards and 4 downs to do it.
Sam’s foolish sack was also probably a product of the fact that we run that play EVERY time we get in that situation.
we have patience and don’t expect a superbowl right now, but for me what I expect is just something watchable.
your Lions might be losing but they are doing it the right way, Megatron’s TD wipe was BS (regardless of it’s correctness) and with Stafford out to score that many vs Eagles is impressive. you score points and utilise your talent. we have the Best RB in the NFL but we only run him up the gut on draw plays.
We are beating ourselves here and we are getting mad at the inability of the OFFENSIVE coaching to adjust to situation.
Bradford to Onobun!
2nd half collapses - like I said prior to the season when fans were day-dreaming about possibilities
Well, here’s a possibility—————→ 0-16 to 2-14
This is Rams 2010 in a pinch!
See ya all next season in the win column!
I agree with you about SJackson.....
…but be careful and don’t over use him.
by NorthLeft12 on Sep 20, 2010 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
While I agree
I do have to say that Sam has been the bright spot. Even though we are “young” and that seems to be the excuse every week, 200+ yards in personal foul calls = team not ready and that is pinned on the head coach.
There were a few bad calls, however they were still calls. This team should have been ready to play. period.
Thanks for coming here and commenting.. you’re one of the few who actually has something worthwhile to say rather than a bash fest however, our problem is not Sam Bradford or his inexperience. He had very good stats yesterday and threw 2 TD passes when he had time, and the pass was longer than 5 yards.
I’m also convinced the Raiders are not as good as advertised. We played a close game and lost to the Raiders. I assure you, if we keep playing like this, the blowouts will come.
We have deeper problems that need to be addressed.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
There is no possible way that you can convince me that Bruce Gradkowski is a better than average NFL QB.
He could be a better than average backup, but most definitely not better than 25 starting Qbs, let alone 15, making him better than average.
"I got to get Dr. Freeze off my twig right now."-Nyjer Morgan
by flipthebird15 on Sep 20, 2010 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions
+1
his success comes from being underestimated or not gameplanned for.
once he plays against an actual defense that know he is coming he will be squashed.
nice Qb with nice heart but literally terrible talent level. his arm is weaker than penningtons too.
Bradford to Onobun!
I am just going by the results he got for the Raiders with what on offence?
They have, outside the Bills, the worst O line in football; terrible WRs; their RBs are so so; and they have an excellent TE. Show me another QB that could win the games he did with that kind of support. 2 and 2 in games started for Raiders in 2009. Played against Cinci, Dallas, Pitts, and Washington.
Okay, maybe he is not better than average [got carried away] but he is definitely better than Campbell IMO.
by NorthLeft12 on Sep 20, 2010 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Play Selection
Most of our problems are the offense.Two passes to the tight end and Robinson catches one pass?
the tight end situation sucks
Hoom is hurt and Fells will probably be singing soprano for the next few days. They wont play Onobun. Bajema is the only factor out of 5 tight ends right now???!!!!! This was supposed to be our bright spot this year dang it.
and Bajema has actually played fairly well
Very puzzling how the TE is not involved. Heck, may as well not suit them up.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
I really don't get all the talking down on Mark Clayton
How did he show inconsistent hands once again this game? He may have missed (1) catchable ball this game…maybe? Did Robinson even catch one? (Serious question….don’t remember him being a factor at all but could have caught one or two) Clayton has prooved to be a steal for what we got him for and I for one am extremely greatful he is on our team. Could we use VJAX…. absofreakinglutely….. has Clayton held up his end of the bargain… you betchya.
I love Clayton myself....
I don’t care what anybody says, he has been great for the team. Has he missed some catchable balls? Yes. So has every other WR in the league. I think he doing a great job. We need an OC that can call a ten you pass. Oh here I go again with THE SCHURMUR SENDROME. That is what I am gonna start calling it. It will be like a phobia of any pass or play that results in more than 3 yards.
by crashoveride01 on Sep 20, 2010 8:23 AM CDT up reply actions
I will agree with you this week
I think he played a great game, not just good. 2 TD catches in my book = savior
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
last week= bradford getting one touch down this week= bradford getting 2 touchdowns
hopefully the same pattern keeps going….lol
+1
On clayton. I don’t recall him dropping sang passes against oak. He actually got me 14 in fantasy. We just need to get the ball to the tes more n stop being afraid to take a shot down field. Please!
by markg1127 on Sep 20, 2010 8:21 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
seriously!
The reason we looked so good in the preseason is we had a running mid field and long pass game. We split up passes between te’s and wr’s. This brings me back to not understanding why Onobun is not activated. He has great hands, big body and fast speed. If he can’t block don’t put him in on those plays. It’s not like we don’t switch out the other te’s. Plus he is good on special teams. Put him and Bajema out there together and let Bajema take care of the blocks. What do we have to loose at this point…. what one of our for sure wins…lol
very well said
Here’s the thing.. Bradford had all day too. I think the real problem may be the O-Line. Bradford hit the TE a lot but often times they were his third choice. The last 2 games he hasn’t had time. Teams are blitzing a lot right now.
What has me excited about Sam is, once he learns how to beat the blitz, he is going to be lights out in the NFL. Seriously. Imagine seeing Sam like the way he was against the Pats, ALL the time or most of the time? I mean seriously. This kid is going to be a star.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
I know... the Oline completely fell apart when the raiders offense started to shine
It really showed me how yound they all are. It was a confidence thing. Once the defense was having their hands full with the raiders the young offense showed they didn’t have confidence in themselves….yet the very minute we got the interception they came to life again…. it was crazy how obvious their lack of faith in themselves was.
no prob... plus you made some extra excellant points.... like gibson
I don’t know what is going on there but something outside of football sure is. The whole “not good on special teams” thing is a load of crap. It would be different if our special teams were stellar but so far Josh Brown is our biggest threat as a tackler and that aint good…..lol. Gibson deserves a shot at helping us out and whatever personality clash is going on behind the scenes needs to be squashed for the good of the team.
It never helps
when the refs make ticky-tack calls like they did yesterday. That Robbins “unnessecary roughness” call was ridiculous. Gradkowski looked like he was playing soccar the way he took that dive, and the Raiders had been pulling that crap on Sam all day.
I can’t help but feel like our offensive gameplan wasn’t adjusted at halftime either. Obviously, the Raiders D adjusted. Don’t they teach that kind of stuff in OC 101?
THIS year's the year. I hope....
agree completely
failure to adjust and some absolute BS calls.
in my opinion Spags has to start showing refs they can’t make BS calls like that, he is being too polite. now I will never call for Spag’s head unless our defense plays like our offense, but damn, GET ANGRY WHEN WE GET EYE FUCKED BY REFEREES sheeeeeeesh! show some anger, look at coaches like Gruden who just straight up do not accept that BS.
Bradford to Onobun!
you got bigger replies than me :( lol but it's cool lol
you made some better points than me lol
Bradford to Onobun!
oh I thought maybe I had accidentally duplicated one of your posts
which is very possible since I agree with everything you say…. scary wierd how much
We were playing the Raiders.
We should have beat them easily. When you get beat by a ref against a bad team, you have problems.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
+1
It wasn’t just ticky tacky calls either…. the calls in general were very very onesided. I saw two extremely obvious holds on long that weren’t called. The refs need to go over the game tape as much as the rams players IMO. However, Spags deserves some of the blame and I am a big Spagg’s supporter. The raiders coach was yelling at the refs when the calls against him were totally deserved let alone if they were undeserved. Spagg’s has got to get out there and show some damn emotion. Stick up for his players like they were his children and show some passion. He has to be the leader. I get the whole 4 pillars thing and see what good character can do in terms of uniting a team. However, if that is his game plan than he needs to show these great kids when it is ok to show some pissed offedness and when it’s not. When the pads are on and the crowd is around you…. niceness should go out the window…. and you should take everything that has happened to you bad that week out on the player across from you.
Frustrating = Spags not barking
3k said it in the game thread.. he allowed the refs to dictate the calls. If he had barked a bit early and became more vocal, we may not even be talking about that Robbins call. It was a tough call, and could have been swayed by earlier events.
However, a vet like Robbins should have known better to begin with. Not only did Spags NOT get vocal, he obviously did NOT get back control of his team even after the second call.. I mean seriously.. you need to get vocal to the team too. Perhaps he did? That would be even wprse if he did and the team still didn’t respond.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
totally agree
Robbins saw the way the refs were and is seasoned enough to know not to even get close to touch the QB at that point. I don’t think I ever saw Spags even grab a player and get intense with him let alone vocal…lol. They say he has a mean streak in training camp…. he needs to bring it into season games with him.
I dont get it
Spags does not call the Offense he does not call the defense he wont talk during the game to the Refs or players for that mater,what is it that he does is he the message boy for Devaney just to talk to the media?
this may be controversial
but that powerslam or german suplex or whatever by mcclain is what i want to see from our d.
obviously costing us yards is stupid, but something like that early can set a tempo and show teams we don’t take no shit, and to not try and pass it over the middle.
it has a lot of negatives, but if i was a raider fan i’d be cheering like we’d gotten a TD. that stuff just fires people up.
Bradford to Onobun!
lol... of course i thought the same thing (really I think we are eachothers football clone)
when I saw it I was like “damn a#$hole deserves a big penalty” yet I was slightly jelous of their defense at that very moment…. you do something like that early in a game… yeah you get a big penalty…but you set up your team and crowd with a great high adrenaline mentality….and possibly scare the offense a little… he totally drove amendola into the ground… i am surprised there wasn’t an amendola shaped body print 2 inches into the dirt….lol
p.s. did you see the way amendola just got right up like it didn't happen
I swear that kid is half ninja…. he is such a warrior…. i have a serious football crush on him
LMAO yes!
he got crumpled and just got up and didn’t he make a play right after? so much love!
i believe that you and Carneros have similar football tastes to me, it’s great! lol
Bradford to Onobun!
I like McClain - woulda traded down to draft him too!
but alas, a rookie qb with the most guaranteed money ever that could have been guaranteed money for multiple Pro Bowl level players at multiple positions! As if a great college qb won’t appear again for years.
So, when does Clausen take over as the starter in Carolina?
don't know what you're smoking
but I would pick Bradford over a McClain deal any day of the week and twice on sunday…. and you give me a call when Clausen becomes someone with even half the potential of Bradford
as if McClain is not way better and bigger and stronger
over-paying rookies is a sure-fire demise in the NFL. Sam Brad’s does not deserve 50 mil guaranteed either.
More better players
Look, Sam will be good imo, but good enough to offset the money and pooling of more talent?
Clausen is not bad either! Why dis him?
you and me will not agree on your points here
the only argument for not grabbing sam was to grab suh, and Clausen or similar in the 2nd. Clausen and McCoy and all the rest have already proven to me why we made the pick we made as has Saffold. IMO there is a giant gaping hole between what Bradford has been able to do in so little time and what they are capable of. JL is a future probowler and a huge bright spot on a team clawing it’s way back from the bottom of the barrel. So McClain vs. Laurianatis, when we got Lil Animal last year, is just not een an issue in my head.
Clausen cant match a pimple on Bradford's ass lmao
And you can take that to the Bank
Why isn't anyone asking for Robbins head....
Instead of blaming the refs how about ask Robbins why he had to even push Gradkowski in the first place. Robbins had a great game and he blew it all with that dumb push. Was it tickey tackey? Yes! Did Grad. do a good acting job? Yes! Was it necessary for Robbins to do it? HELL NO and it could have easily been avoided.
I will had however that I didn’t feel the refs did a good job at all. It just amazes me how the Rams games seem to come down to one stupid play here or there and how “we just need to stop doing that and start making those plays” never seems to happen. Why is that?
Also it appears, as has been mentioned, that other teams adjust on D and the Rams O keeps doing the same thing the entire game. They were two totally different offenses from half to half.
i think everyone agrees with everything you just said
it is just a situation of what to bitch about first….lol
The refs didn't even really need to review Clayton's catch
Because the dirt streaks should pretty much seal the deal. Goldberg was like “um, you might want to just come over here and look”. And Gradkowski was a better actor than a Brazilian soccer player. I heard something on ESPN 101 the other day where a former player said you would do anything you could to get away with things for the win. Gradkowski certainly did that.
In terms of football players taking a dive, Gradkowski's was nothing notable
Why are people so fixated on blaming people other than Robbins for the penalty?
He unnecessarily ran into, albeit not at full speed, a quarterback AFTER THE PLAY WAS OVER. What the hell did he think was going to happen?
it was a frustrated rookie move by a veteran who should have known better
especially with having the whole game’s worth of proof on the ref situation
Our TE's getting beat up early certainly hurt us
Bradford, as with most young QB’s, loves to use the TE’s and RB’s as safety valves when he is pressured. And he was doing this with good success during the first half. However in the second half, with Fells and Bajema getting banged up, S-Jax finding no room, and our receivers getting very little separation, he was forced to hang on to the ball a little longer and sometimes force passes into covered receivers. With the Raiders defense basically owning our O-line in the second half, and S-Jax not picking up the blitz well (anyone else think he didn’t pick up the blitz well?), he was pressured and couldn’t go through his reads/check-downs. Perhaps it’s time to unleash Onobun, and bring Gibson (a more physical receiver) into the mix. Gilyard has been pretty invisible thus far on most plays, as if Shurmur is not quite sure how to use his talents yet (and he is very talented). After all, what have they got to lose than more games?
One other thought
I was feeling a little depressed after yesterdays “near win”. The penalties hurt bad (especially seeing we racked up more penalty yards than the raiders, which is usually impossible), and I turned off the TV with a feeling of “ugh”. However, when I got up this morning I had a thought: Bradford is still alive, he is gaining experience, and the defense (again, with the exception of the penalties and a few containment problems with RB’s getting to the edge) looked really feisty and hungry. I just want to see that feistiness translate on the other side of the ball, and a little more ballsy playcalling. Sure, Bradford can still be brought along slowly, but we need to get more creative and use what talent we do have on offense to at least keep the defense guessing. Right now, it’s like “ok, they are going to fake reverse… yep, fake reverse”.
The Lions, really...
aren’t they actually 1-1? (refs need to stay out of determining who wins and let the teams play).
Cowboys 0-2… THANK YOU ALEX! I love it!
Nice perspective...
The Vikes with their D and the Cowboys with Romo surrounded by all that skill, and they’re record is no better than the Rams. Being a Dallas resident, I’d bet that the fan frustration level here is probably 100 times more than in St Louis.
The 49ers getting creamed by Saints tonight will hellp though.
That always makes me feel better. Especially when it happens on a Monday night in front of a national TV audience.
Bah...
I’m just sick over this one. The play calling was abysmal. I’m still liking Clayton, hell what would the score have been if we didn’t have him? But….a near loss is still an L, and it seemed like Oakland had so many injured, it was like we were playing their second string.
I sure hope like hell something starts jelling soon.
+1
this game really felt “09ish” in alot of ways…. there were points were it was like a complete meltdown of everything we had worked so hard for.
Yeah, here's what I think of the playcalling:
It seems like we just keep outsmarting ourselves. Most offensive/defensive coordinators have the philosophy of “stick with what works, until it doesn’t work anymore”. I loved the bubble-type screens in the first half, where S-Jax had some big gains. The raiders did not stop that. However, in the second half it was like the slate was wiped clean and we went in a totally different direction. If I were on the raiders defense, I’d be like “thanks for letting up on the gas pedal”.
Of course, not having healthy TE's certainly hurt
They at least caused the raider’s D to think twice about coverage
All the talk about not having healthy TE's
and Uh-Oh was a non-factor in week 1 even before his injury.
Bajema has shown he is more than capable of the big play, yet I honestly don’t think he has even been targeted.
We also have Onobun sitting on the sideline, or in some cases, at home. The excuse is, he’s not ready. Well, by the looks of 90% of the team, they didn’t look ready either.
Get Onobun in there for a few plays seriously. What can it possibly hurt? We aren’t going to the playoffs let alone the superbowl. Get him some in game experience. The excuse already is “we’re young” why worry about it if he screws up?
Our FO has some team management issues, I’m seriously convinced.
I don’t believe the problem is TE injuries, the problem is making the calls to get them involved.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
+1
You elaborated it well. I think the TE’s just need to get more involved. Other than that fumble by Bajema in the first regular season game, they showed in preseason that they can be a part of the offense when called. And I just say throw Onobun in there, because 1) they might not have a choice if there are lingering effects to Fells’/Bajema’s injuries, so he should get extra reps this week and 2) we need a big tall receiver out there that can get a jump ball in the red zone.
up and schedule
With our schedule getting tougher through the second half of the season I am beginng to think we may be going winless. Wow, can’t believe I said that but its looking that way, the blow outs are coming. This blows! Another shit season.
The only thing comparable to a Rams win is a 49er loss!
by DevsLaRams on Sep 20, 2010 12:03 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

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