The bad taste is still in my mouth. Only a strong outing in Washington (Landover, MD, really) will wash it away. I'm still hopeful, though it's hard to contain the cynicism. Why am I hopeful? There was plenty of blame to go around on offense, but one of the biggest issues was a matter of sync. Bulger had time and couldn't find his receivers. The receivers didn't do a great job getting into routes and getting some separation between themselves and a defender. The offensive line was unable to stay on the same page. C Jason Brown tipped the snaps in shotgun formations because looking back at Marc Bulger because of the crowd noise. And Richie Incognito... As far as Pat Shurmur's game plan goes, if it's as good keeping defenses honest as the Rams defense was (to start the game anyway) by mixing the looks, then it should at least be able to scratch out some yards and keep the defense off the field for long stretches of time.
Incognito and the whole team are now on an incredibly short leash.
How 'bout some Random Ramsdom?
Columnist Bernie Miklasz from the Post-Dispatch is on board for Spagnulo's one more chance for Incognito. At this point, I think you've got to put him in there one more time, with an incredibly short leash. The Rams have depth at G...maybe Incognito's getting a stay of execution this week because Greco is out.
ESPN's Mike Sando has a different take on our troubled guard:
The Rams cannot trust right guard Richie Incognito to keep his composure. There's a difference between playing with an edge and falling over the edge. I seriously question whether Incognito can ever show the necessary self-control.
Looking ahead to next week against the Redskins, remember back during the summer when Rams C Jason Brown said he was glad to be playing the 'Skins early because they could let fatigue serve as something of a 12th man (not that the Rams wouldn't try to put 12 men on the field anyway) against a big guy like DT Albert Haynesworth? Well fatigue got part of the blame for Washington's loss this week. And Haynesworth? From the Washington Post's Redskins Insider:
So Arrington thinks the Redskins lost at New York because they weren't physically prepared for four quarters of football. Interesting theory, and anyone who saw Albert Haynesworth take to the sidelines in the early moments of Sunday's game -- or take a knee on the sidelines in some of the later moments -- was no doubt wondering the same thing. In fact, I was, too.
The Rams offense looks like it needs all the help it can get.
One more thing. Keep an eye on TST today. The Rams do not practice today, thanks to a league mandate, but I get the sneaking suspicion that they could make a roster move or two. The Eagles have officially put Hank Baskett on the block, and there could be other options out there as well.
Keep the unsportsman like business to a minimum at the water cooler today.