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Disaster in Seattle: Rams lose 28-0
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As I watched the final seconds tick off the clock in Seattle I could not help but think about former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ken Norton Jr. tonight. He had a phrase that fit what all of the NFL saw today....Same old sorry ass Rams. There is no way to sugar coat what we saw today. This was a team that was not prepared, made ridiculous mistakes and played awful from the fumble on the opening kickoff, to having 12 men on the field for a field goal attempt, to having a marginal running back like Julius Jones run the ball right down the Rams throats. It is the NFL and I understand it is only one game but nothing that happened in Seattle today leads me to believe that any sort of winning season miracle is going to happen in the near future for this franchise.
What Went Wrong Today
Coaching: I am not the type of guy who always blames the coaches when a team loses a game. The reality today though was that the Rams coaching staff was shockingly out-coached today. How else can you explain a team that looked completely out of sorts because of the crowd noise? How else can you have a team that would have 12 players on the field for a field goal attempt? How else can you explain a team that looked like they had never even considered the tight end (who happened to be the Seahawks leading receiver last season) as a significant offensive threat? I had bought in on the Steve Spagnuolo coaching values but today was an eye opener. We have had it beaten into our heads about the "four pillars" and about how this team was going to play hard and play smart. This team may have been playing hard by some estimations, including the head coach's, but they were certainly not playing smart today.
Playcalling: The playcalling left something to be desired today. It was so bad at the end of the game that Randy McMichael became visibly upset when the Rams called for a Steven Jackson run on 3rd and goal from the 6. There were too many times today where there was just nothing there for Bulger and he had to throw it away. There were clearly some scheme issues today because it looked like the Seahawks had out foxed the Rams offense. The Rams also spent way too many times in 3rd and long situations. Everyone will criticize the Rams for being 2/12 on 3rd down conversions today but when you are playing from 3rd and 8 all the time that is what your conversion rate is going to be. You can't put yourself in that position.
Richie Incognito: Enough is enough with Incognito. I have now listened to Scott Linehan, Jim Haslett and Steve Spagnuolo explain that they were going to be able to calm Incognito down and keep him under control during the game. Then not even 2 hours into the first game Incognito has two costly personal foul penalties. There is not one player in the league that is worth 30 yards of personal foul penalties in a game. Teammates and Spagnuolo all were defending Incognito in the locker room after the game. Everyone clearly sees the talent but it is tough to justify his future in a Rams uniform. The cost on the field is just not worth it. The Rams don't have a viable option today so they are going to have to stick with Incognito, but the Rams have to address this issue moving forward.
Run Defense: Julius Jones ran for 117 yards today. That Julius Jones. Now Rams apologists will say that he picked up most of that on a 62 yard run but why are the Rams continually giving up huge running plays every game? The answer is twofold. One the Rams interior defensive line continues to be an issue. Second their tackling is not good. There was one particular play on a 3rd and 4 in the fourth quarter where Ron Bartell made arguably one of the worst attempts at a tackle that I have ever seen in the NFL. There were some better points on the tackling today but there were breakdowns once again by a player here and a player there. In the NFL you just can't do that. The Rams defense gave up 167 yards rushing. That is unacceptable.
Wide Receivers: I know the Marc Bulger haters are going to be all over Bulger's lack of production today but while I don't think Bulger was great he was not horrible by any stretch. I believe Bulger had a lot of time for most of the day, although he was sacked 3 times but there were numerous times where Bulger was looking, and looking, and looking and no one is open. This is either a function of play calling or wide receivers not getting themselves open. It is probably a combination of the two or a function of the offensive coordinator not being able to call plays that give Bulger multiple options because of the lack of talent at the position. For whatever the reason it is a HUGE issue moving forward.
Special Teams: Donnie Avery fumbles the opening kickoff. Brilliant. Josh Brown misses a 37 yard field goal. Hope that is not a sign. The punt return and kickoff return teams do absolutely nothing in their opportunities. How long will it be before the Rams decide to find a true kickoff and punt returner? That players is not on this roster right now. We are almost at a decade without a true threat back there.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Turnovers: The scary part about today's game is that the Rams could have very well lost worse had it not been for the Rams defense coming up with some big turnovers. The Rams forced three turnovers today and were +2 on the turnover ratio. If the Rams could continue that this season, and get the offense going, then there is a chance for significant improvement.
Jonathan Wade: All eyes were on Wade after Tye Hill was shipped out of here. It figured to be a trying afternoon for Wade but he held up very well. As it turned out Ron Bartell was the bigger issue today and Wade did a nice job when he was hooked up against T.J. Houshmandzadeh. It is only one game but Wade validated the Rams coaching staff belief that he can be a starting cornerback for the Rams.
Jason Smith: The Rams offense was pathetic today but the play of the number two overall pick was pretty good for his first time out. Smith did surrender one sack this afternoon but overall his play was pretty consistent and you can see that his progress continues in an upward direction.
James Laurinaitis: The second round draft pick had 10 tackles and 4 assists this afternoon against the Seahawks. He was out of position by over pursuing on some plays but overall for the first game out he did pretty well. The future looks bright for Laurinaitis.
Donnie Jones: 8 Punts for Jones today with an average of almost 51 yards including 2 downed punts within the 5 yard line. A great afternoon for the punter who at least did his part.
The beauty of the NFL is how important every game is. One win or one loss can lead a team to believe their season is headed toward the playoffs or their season is headed toward disaster. Disaster seems to be the word on many Rams fans minds today but a win in Washington next week changes everything. We'll see what kind of heart this team has after having it ripped out at Qwest Field today by the Seahawks.
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