This title is probably inappropriate for the St. Louis Rams. The fact is, stats don't matter for the Rams. They are 2-8 and only score 12 point per game. They are pathetic in every sense of the word. This franchise has fallen a long way from the Greatest Show on Turf days. They are a disgrace to themselves and, more importantly, their fans. This is one of the hardest franchises to root for in the NFL. Year in and year out the team disappoints fans and the city. The sad thing is that no one cares. A quote from Brian Burwell of the St. Louis Post Distpatch:
"There was a time in the darkest days of this franchise's (Rams) decade-long slide into NFL irrelevance when the fans would linger around the end zone tunnel after losses and belch out the worst kind of public frustration at the Rams' failures. But now? Now they just leave. Quietly. It's not with a whimper, but with a disturbing numbness and a conditioned resignation to another lost season."
I am a season ticket holder for the Rams, and I can tell you he is spot on. We all leave the Dome with our heads down, not speaking because we can't come up with the right words. We feel shame for even being fans of the Rams.
After the jump, a breakdown of the stats.
Positive
James Laurnaitis is a fantastic player. Without him the defense would be in shambles. He had 13 tackles, and was one of the few Rams players that I didn't see quit yesterday. He is a great player to build a team around. He is already one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and the talent around him on defense is terrible. Imagine what he would do with good players around him. Scary, huh?
The defense came out and played very well. The Rams defense held the Seahawks to less than 300 yards (289 yards). Qunitin Mikell and Chris Chamberlain both had first quarter interceptions. They also collected 4 sacks and held the Seahawks running game to 3.2 yards per carry. The defense is certainly not the problem with this team. They are playing well enough to win games.
Chris Long played another good game. His defense is very good and he is starting to pile up the sacks. He has now set a career high in sacks, 9, with a sack on Sunday. He has 6 sacks in the last four games. He is playing worthy of a player drafted second overall and is one of the few bright spots on the team.
Brandon Lloyd had 5 catches for 67 yards and 1 TD. He has been a very good player for the Rams. If only they had him for the whole season, because right now, it's too little to late for the offense.
Negative
The Rams couldn't get the running game going, but it's not like they really tried. Steven Jackson only had 15 carries in the game and could only muster up 42 yards. McDaniels used empty set for many plays with Jackson in the slot or out wide, which is questionable at best. (Jackson is not a receiving threat. Why not put five actual WRs in the game?) The problem with the empty set was it eliminated the run from the game. McDaniels effectively rendered the Rams best player useless.
Sam Bradford: 20/40, 181 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 2 fumbles. He played awful. I am, as Ryan is too, starting to wonder if the Rams should sit Sam the rest of the year. It's doing him no good to go out and get crushed. He was sacked 5 times Sunday and hit countless more. He looks lost out there. He is not playing like a confident QB. He is gun shy and is struggling to complete the basic needs of the position. Sitting him out for a few games, at least to let him get his head on strait, might be the best thing.
Donnie Jones punted 10 times...that's right TEN. Compare that to the number of first downs, 13, and you start to get the picture of how bad the offense really is. Another clue to that could be that the Rams couldn't even muster up 200 yards of offense.
I could not find a stat for it, but the Rams were killed in the field position game. They constantly had to start drives at or behind their own twenty. Conversely, the Seahawks seemed to be starting every drive around their own forty.
Overall, the stats and your eyes should show you that the Rams are a horrible, horrible excuse for a professional football team. The worst part is, no one seems to care on the team. Spags keeps giving his "I fail to not believe in this team anymore" and "We're staying the course" talk after every game. You may still believe in the team and the course they are on, Steve, but I know none of the fans do. I'm willing to bet the majority of the players don't believe in you anymore either.
Thanks for reading.