Offseason? What NFL offseason?

We had a two week down-ish window between the Super Bowl and the combine (or as NFL Network’s draft guru extraordinaire Mike Mayock calls it the “Underwear Olympics.”) But don’t be mistaken, something is always going on in the NFL and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

1) I think WR Titus Young Sr. must be quite the basket case.

Now you see him then now you don’t. The Rams were the only NFL team to put a claim on Young Sr. after the Detroit Lions said enough was enough. This wasn’t a complete head scratching move on the Rams part because the situation at wide receiver is still very much in flux in St. Louis. So why not take a low risk gamble on a very troubled yet talented player.

Yet Rams head coach Jeff Fisher and company decided Young Sr. wasn’t worth the headache after nine days.

We just felt like he was not the best option for us at that position. We went into detail. We felt like we’ve got a good young group, and we feel like perhaps Titus is better suited for another organization.

And this coming from a coach that took chances on some non-Four Pillar-esque players such as Janoris Jenkins, Chris Givens and Trumaine Johnson.

If Fisher didn’t give you a chance you might be done playing in this league, Mr. Young.

» Continue reading “Five Things I Think – St. Louis Rams Early Offseason Edition”

I’m going to try something new (Thanks to our Broncos  writer, Brenda.) by jotting down observations, big plays, and anything else that stands out during each quarter.

First Quarter

Rams offense’s stop and go is giving me motion sickness. Third down conversions compounded by a false start penalty (Robert Turner) is not helping the Rams’ cause. Dramamine anyone?

Continued chants of “Craig Dahl sucks” overflow my Twitter timeline as he whiffs on two open field tackles. What are Rams fans going to do when Dahl isn’t around next year as their punching bag?

Seattle’s Russell Wilson continues to show flashes of why Pete Carroll sat Matt Flynn in favor of the rookie quarterback. Wilson evades Rams defensive end Kendall Langford and gets a key first down.

Seahawks have a TD called back on a pushing penalty.

But the other Rams have been getting to Wilson. Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Chris Long, and William Hayes have all said hello to the rook in the Seahawks backfield.

Rookie punter Johnny Hekker is not having a good day. He’s not helping the field position game at all. You need to get it together kid. The team needs you.

First quarter ends scoreless. Rams have been so the last six first quarters.

Second Quarter

Sack number four on Wilson. This time Robert Quinn gets to him for a loss of two yards.

Steven Hauschka‘s 43-yard field goal gives the Seahawks the first points of the day.

» Continue reading “St. Louis Rams At Seattle Seahawks Quarter Quick Hits”

St. Louis Rams defense huddle. (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

The home season finale at the Edward Jones Dome didn’t go quite as planned. The score at half time ballooned to 30-7 and the Rams got lost searching for their missing offense. They’ve had a habit of starting games slowly and this time the deficit was too big to overcome.

All Day Made The Rams Pay

I fully expected the Rams to win Sunday. I knew Vikings powerhouse running back Adrian Peterson would run on the Rams. With that being said, I didn’t think I’d witness a 212-yard spanking. He did almost half of the damage on two runs in the second half: 82 yards that resulted in a TD and 52 yards that ended with a 51-yard field goal by kicker Blair Walsh. In all fairness to the Rams defense they did hold Peterson in check for a good portion of the game. It’s just that when he did break a couple of runs he really gored them.

The Usual Penalties 

The Rams offense drudged through the first quarter on their way to eight penalties. So last week’s two flags were the anomaly. Four false starts by the offensive line (seriously who gets called for false starts at home?!),  holding calls on left tackle Rodger Saffold, and my personal favorite the unsportsmanlike conduct taunting flag on wide receiver Brandon Gibson.

Just when the Rams have you believing they are headed in the right direction they take a detour the next game. This latest loss may have directed them out of the playoffs.

» Continue reading “36-22 Loss To Vikings Detours Rams Playoff Chances”

I guess I’m still a little hung over from the overtime victory from last Sunday. It was a game with highs and lows and acronyms from all over the emotional spectrum – WTH, LMAO, SMDH, and OMG!

It took the Rams ten quarters of gritty football and a bit of luck (another missed David Akers field goal) but they did the unthinkable – they beat the 49ers.

In the end the only three letters that really mattered were W.I.N.

RB Steven Jackson after the 49ers at Rams game. 12/02/12 (Personal Photo)

After the game the usually subdued Edward Jones Dome was the happiest I’ve witnessed all season. Rams fans were loud, proud, and whooping and a hollering.

A good sized crowd stayed long after to thank the players and the masses weren’t disappointed. Quarterback Sam Bradford, running back Steven Jackson, defensive end Robert Quinn, cornerback Cortland Finnegan and many others took time to sign autographs.

Fast forward a week to Sunday. Last week’s win is just that – in the past. This week brings its own unique challenges and a new team.

The Rams take on the Buffalo Bills – a team that they haven’t seen since the 2008 season where the Rams lost at home 31-14. The last time the Rams visited the Ralph (Wilson Stadium) was back in 2004 where they were defeated 17-37. The most recent Rams win over the Bills was in 1998 (34-33) at Buffalo.

Back to the present.

The biggest question heading into week 14 is can the Rams maintain that energy on the road in the “elements” and not have another let down game. The last thing fans want to see is a repeat of the Jets-Rams loss.

Week 14 marks an pivotal point in the St. Louis Rams 2012 season.

With a victory in Buffalo the Rams will have accomplished the following:

1) Get back to a .500(ish) record.

They are stoking an overall 5-6-1 record. A win in Buffalo will get them back to an equal number of wins and losses.

2) Three consecutive wins in a row.

The Rams haven’t won three games in a row since week 15-17 during the 2006 season where they bested the Oakland Raiders, the Washington Redskins, and the Minnesota Vikings. A very very long time ago from a season far far away.

3) Two consecutive road wins.

We don’t have to go as far back for this one. Look no further than weeks 12-13 at Denver and at Arizona in 2010, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford‘s rookie season.

» Continue reading “St. Louis Rams At Buffalo Bills Week 14 Preview”

In week 10, the first meeting between the two teams ended in a 24-24 tie. It was an unbelievable foot stomping, hair pulling, deep sighing tie. The ups and downs that occurred just in the 15 minutes of overtime were enough to render a Dramamine sedated fan nauseous. Here are my real time game notes if you’re wanting to relive the roller coaster ride.

Even though the Rams and 49ers are playing again in the span of four weeks, Sunday’s week 13 match up will not be the same for four reasons.

1) Rams will most likely be without wide receiver Danny Amendola.

Amendola has not practiced all week nursing a foot injury. He’s been seen off and on with a walking boot at Rams Park which is never a good sign even, if precautionary. He was a big reason for the Rams success against the 49ers in week 10 with 11 receptions for 102 yards. (And that’s not including the 80-yard bomb that should have counted but got wiped out by stupid penalties.)

Amendola is officially listed as doubtful.

2) The 49ers will be getting their first real glimpse at rookies cornerback Janoris Jenkins and wide receiver Chris Givens.

The Rams dynamic duo got into some dynamic trouble on the business trip to the Bay Area a few weeks ago. Coach Fisher put his foot down and the two were relegated to running stairs during pre-game warm ups and watching helplessly on the sidelines.

Since coming off the figurative naughty chair the two have made a big impact – especially last week against the Cardinals. Jenkins returned two INTs for touchdowns (He scored 12 of the team’s 31 points) and Givens had five receptions for 115 yards and 1 TD.

3) Rams center Scott Wells will be playing.

The anchor(man) of the Rams offensive line, (I am Scott Wells?) was not available in week 10 but returned last week. His presence immediately upgrades the line in turn upgrades the offense.

» Continue reading “San Francisco 49ers At St. Louis Rams Week 13 Preview”

I’m going to try something new (Thanks to our Broncos  writer, Brenda.) by jotting down observations, big plays, and anything else that stands out during each quarter.

Key Game Status Updates

Rams’ WR Danny Amendola is ACTIVE and will give it a go it seems. Probably more of a decoy but we’ll see.

Rams inactives: QB Austin Davis, WR Steve Smith, RB Terrance Ganaway, LB Mario Haggan, OL Chris Williams, T Joe Barksdale, DT Matt Conrath per STLouisRams.com.

Cardinals inactives include QB Kevin Kolb, RB Alphonso Smith, G Senio Kelemete, T Pat McQuistan, WR Early Doucet, TE Todd Heap, DE Calais Campbell. DE Calais Campbell and WR Early Doucet inactive with injuries. TE Todd Heap is a healthy inactive today.

First Quarter

Cardinals start the quarter steady. Their rookie QB Ryan Lindley is doing a good job of getting his receivers involved by making passes to Andre Roberts, Larry Fitzgerald, and TE Rob Housler.

RB Beanie Wells not getting great push on the run so Lindley is making his mark by throwing to any rookie QB’s best friend, Fitzgerald. Wells gets his mojo back at the right time and rumbles into the end zone for the 1-yard TD.

Game is already getting chippy with unnecessary roughness penalties on Rams S Quintin Mikell and DE Chris Long has to be separated from what looked like Cardinals TE Jeff King.

» Continue reading “Rams At Cardinals Quarter Quick Hits”

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

Was this a winnable game against a formidable elite NFL team? Yes. But as with just about any the Rams losses they were still in it in the fourth quarter. This a welcomed change from years past but it doesn’t make the defeat any easier to swallow. Especially when we don’t see improvement from week to week in certain areas.

Same song, different verse.

Rams dropped critical passes: Yes, I’m looking at you Brit Miller and Brandon Gibson to extend drives.

Rams failed to wrap it up: Bad tackling. I distinctly remember a missed tackle by Jo-Lonn Dunbar that lead to a crucial third down conversion for the Packers in the fourth quarter that lead to the last Packer touchdown.

Rams didn’t finish drives with touchdowns: i.e. continued red zone woes. I’m not counting the last minute garbage time touchdown from Sam Bradford to Austin Pettis. The game was more than over by then.

I counted three defensive false starts/neutral zone infractions, two on defensive end Chris Long and the other on Kendall Langford. Not to mention the offensive false starts, delay of game, and a very questionable unnecessary roughness call on cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

The Rams defense was able to pester Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with three sacks by Michael Brockers, William Hayes, and Robert Quinn but failed to create those all important turnovers.

I liked that new offensive linemen Joe Barksdale and Shelley Smith came in and did a pretty good job today. They weren’t perfect – they let Clay Matthews III through for a sack on Bradford – but overall Matthews III had a relatively quiet night.

As expected Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein shook off last week and came back to easily make a 50-yard and 43-yard field goals. I never lost faith.

The Packers weren’t playing with a full deck (no WR Greg Jennings, DT B.J. Raji, CB Sam Shields, and LB Nick Perry) yet seemed to find a way to make plays when it mattered the most.

» Continue reading “Rams No Longer Perfect At Home, Lose To Packers 30-20″

This isn’t the week 3 match up that most had foreseen when the schedules came out in April. Bears starting running back Matt Forte was officially ruled out Friday and his Rams counterpart Steven Jackson is listed as questionable. Most likely we’ll be watching the Michael Bush – Daryl Richardson Show if all things go as planned.

Although Coach Jeff Fisher did say if active the Bears could see all three rookie running backs in the Rams stable.

I have no concern what so ever about all three of them. Like I mentioned yesterday, they’re ready to play if ‘Jack’ (Steven Jackson) can’t play. It’s been a while since I potentially went into a game with three rookies at the running back position.

Now this I would love to get a glimpse of what Terrance Ganaway do. After all, there has to be a reason they have him. Here is what Coach Fisher said when asked about Ganaway.

Yes. If he gets in, he’ll do well. We watched a lot of college tape. He’s a really smart, young man. Got ball security and he’s a good size and he’s got good running sense.

Remember Isaiah Pead? Yeah, I’m starting to forget what he looks like.

—–

The Five Things I’ll be watching for in  week 3:

» Continue reading “St. Louis Rams At Chicago Bears Week 3 Preview”

Sigh... SMH.

With Pettis out, revisiting the NFC West drafts

Rookie draft choices are making strong contributions throughout the NFC West, but less so in St. Louis after the NFL suspended receiver Austin Pettis.

Something we here in St. Louis know oh too well.  And not the rest of the ESPN/NFL world knows it.  It’s especially depressing when you go through and read how the other teams’ draft picks have progressed and flourished.  49ers’ Aldon Smith and Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson just to name a couple of stand outs.  Most people couldn’t even name one Rams’ draft pick from this year.

Rams 2011 draft class disappointing

Through injury, poor performance and questionable roster decisions, this year’s draft has not been very productive for the Rams. In fact, in the final two games of the season, defensive end Robert Quinn (first round) and tight end Lance Kendricks (second round) will be the only two drafted players active. Two undrafted free agents will also play: cornerback Chris Smith and long snapper Jake McQuaide.

Um, yeah…  So what’s going on with the Rams?  Is it bad talent evaluation or is it bad coaching, or both?  Another damning red flag against the current regime staying.

Stop with the excuses for Spags and Devaney

Perhaps I need to read (again) the words of the late, great Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, just to make sure I remember the objective here.

It was Lombardi who once said, “Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged on one thing: the result.”

Yet, many make excuses for Spags and Devaney staying put.  I’m pretty much decided on getting rid of Devaney but there’s definitely a part of me that thinks Spags could get another year – at least let him finish out his contract.  I’d like to see what he could do with a healthy roster.  I don’t think Mr. Miklasz really agrees but that’s okay.

PED's?

Rams rookie WR and third round draft pick, Austin Pettis, will serve a four game suspension effective immediately for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drugs policy according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Rams beat writer, Jim Thomas.

He will sit out the rest of the season and the first two games of next season without pay.

Austin’s situation is unfortunate. Obviously, we are disappointed and will miss him during this suspension, but the NFL’s policies are very clear and we respect the League’s decision in this matter. We are unable to comment further on this matter or any aspect of the NFL’s Drug Policy.

#1

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#3 & #4

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My best guess is Pettis took PED’s to help him recover from his week 11 leg injury and not the anabolic steroids that people usually associate banned drugs with.  But that’s just a complete stab in the dark.  Women’s intuition.  We’ll have to see when and if the truth comes out.

Whatever the reason, it doesn’t change the fact banned substances were discovered in his system.  I just hope he man’s up and take responsibility for his actions.