Monday, September 28, 2009

Big Plays

It is a continuing problem for the St. Louis Rams, giving up the big plays on defense.

Sunday's home game against Green Bay was another of the long plays hurting the Rams chances to win a game. The Rams lost the game 36-17 to the Packers.

The Rams defense gave up pass plays of 46, 50 & 53 yards. They held an opponents running back to under 100 yards for the first time since…. since I can remember. Ryan Grant had 99 yards on 26 carries. It was the passing game of Green Bay that took it's toll this time on the Rams.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards and scored on a 4 yard run.

The Rams defense has not gotten any help from their offense this year, and on Sunday they found themselves down 16-0 early in the second quarter.

The Rams defense didn't win the turnover battle either. The Rams didn't have one takeaway the whole game. With a lackluster offense, it makes it a long day on the defensive side of the ball.

Next up is the San Francisco 49'rs. With Frank Gore as their number one weapon, I see another day of big plays coming the defenses way. Maybe the Rams can adjust the defense and find a way to beat San Fran.

On a good note, the Rams retired Deacon Jones #75 at halftime yesterday. He is well deserving of the honor.

"See you on the hit side" #21

Monday, September 21, 2009

Strange Game

The St. Louis Rams played their second game of the season yesterday against the Washington Redskins. Last year the Rams beat the Redskins for one of their only two victories of the year.

The Rams have lost 12 straight games since then. Was it going to repeat? Not on this Sunday. Again the Rams found ways of giving the game away.

The Rams lost 9-7. This time it was not the defenses fault. The defense only gave up three field goals, but the offense only managed 7 points. That's now 7 points in TWO games.

The Rams defense held Clinton Portis of the Redskins to only 79 yards on the ground. Steven Jackson had 104 yards on the ground. Anytime you have more rushing yards than your opponent, you should win the game. But this is the Rams we're talking about.

Marc Bulger is starting to get on my bad side. He passed Jim Everett in Rams history with the most completions. The problem was he threw 4 incomplete passes when it was supposed to count late in the game. He was 0-4 on the Rams last possession and 1-6 in the fourth quarter. This year in the two games that he's played, he's 6-17 in the fourth quarter. Brutal to say the least.

This was a snooze fest of a game from the get go. Even on the last drive, the 4 and out made it just another Rams loss. No excitement. Next week the Green Bay Packers come to St. Louis. Somebody better wake up the offense. I'm not ready for another strange game.

"See you on the hit side" #21

Monday, September 14, 2009

Game On

The Rams traveled to Seattle yesterday to play the first game of the 2009 season. Who showed up? Not the Rams we expected, or was it the Rams we expected? The Rams were in their uniforms, but weren't there mentally.

Big plays again killed the Rams. Julius Jones had 117 yards rushing against the Rams defense, which included a 62 yard TD run. Another 100 yard game against them, sounds familiar doesn't it? The Rams defense got torched for 446 total yards, 167 on the ground.

This was not the real story of this game. The Rams got shut out 28-0. It was the Rams first shut out since 1998.

I saw some interesting facts on the Rams I'd like to share. The Rams have lost 11 straight games now. The Rams have scored 16 or less points in the last 13 of 17 games. I preach about defense all the time, but this is a two sided coin. You have to put up points to win games! It is so difficult to get shut out in the NFL nowadays. Even the Lions put up 27 in their defeat yesterday. The Rams are in for a very long season if they can't score. The defense will wear down from being on the field all the time. It is a spiral that only goes downwards.

The Rams players need to get a gut check and suck it up. This isn't preseason any longer, this is for real. Game on, these games count.

"See you on the hit side" #21

Friday, September 4, 2009

What Did We Learn?

Well the preseason is finally over. The NFL could cut it in half if you ask me. The Rams finished 3-1 for the 2009 preseason. Is that any indication of what will transpire during the regular season? I don't think so.

The Rams have improved from their embarrassing 2-14 season of a year ago. They still have glaring problems to overcome. The defense still can't stop anyone from running on them. They also have a bad tendency to give up the big play. This would be acceptable, if it didn't happen more than once a game.

Even though the Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17-9 on Thursday night, they had 4 plays of 40+ yards against the defense. The defense allowed 406 yards, with 170 of those coming on the ground. I realize most of the starters had limited play, but it's still the scheme that's put to the test. We also have to face that it was the Chiefs offense that put up those numbers. The Chiefs have been picked by many NFL experts to be one of the worst teams this year.

What happens when the Rams play the Vikings, Colts and New Orleans this year? Adrian Peterson will have fun against the Rams rushing defense. Peyton Manning and Drew Breese will have monster numbers. This might sound negative, but I'm being honest.

Do you want some positive notes? The Rams defense had +12 in turnovers for the preseason. If that trend carries into the regular season, that will keep the Rams in the games.

Also, the Rams are a young team. As they continue forward they should get better as the season goes along.

So what did we learn from the preseason? We learned that the Rams won't be as bad as last year. I have them going 6-10 this year. So…… GO RAMS!

'See you on the hit side" #21