Solid Defense?

As I have stated before, I try not to put too much stock into preseason
games. The Rams won a preseason game Saturday night 24-10 over the
Baltimore Ravens. I admit I did not get to see this game, but there are
some things that stand out for the Rams defense.

First of all let me preface this by noting that the Ravens are not an
offensive powerhouse. The Rams held Baltimore to only 3 points in the
first half.  Even if it was first and second string players, this is a
good sign.

Joe Flacco was running the offense for Baltimore all game. He is not
Joe Montana, but the Rams got two sacks on him and limited him to 152
yards passing. I'll take that any game of the season.

Baltimore had only 70 yards rushing for the game. The 3.9 yards per
carry concerns me a little, but anything under 100 yards for a game
is a strong statement.

If the Rams can hold their opponents to 209 total yards throughout the
season, we have a good chance to make the play-offs.

The most glaring stat for the Rams defense was holding Baltimore to
1 out of 13 on third down conversions. That is huge. Keeping your offense
on the field enables the defense to rest and of course better opportunities
for the offense to score.

All in all the Rams played solid defense, let's see what happens in the
final preseason game.

"See you on the hit side" #21

Scratching Heads

The preseason officially opened up for all teams this weekend.
The Rams opened with the Tennessee Titans and it wasn't pretty.

I try to convince myself every year, that it's not the regular season
starters and that once the regular season starts, all will be OK. 

Looking at the stats it's hard for me to keep trying to convince
myself that this is the case with the Rams.

Here is the most glaring stat of the game. The Titans rushed for
340 yards, the Rams had 76 for the game. This is pitiful and
it brings two things to mind.

First of all, regardless if it is first, second or third stringers
playing, the scheme against the run failed. I would have
hoped that the Rams coaching staff would have made some
adjustments during the offseason, to address the problems
against the run, but obviously not.

The Rams only rushing for a measly 76 yards doesn't help
the defense either. Ball control helps rest the defensive
players.

How about this for an idea: Sign Steven Jackson! 

Signing him will help improve both sides for the ball. If the
Rams organization doesn't start using their heads soon, by
December we will all be scratching our heads.


"See you on the hit side" #21