Redskins game day examination: St. Louis RAMblings

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October 11, 10:58 PM

by Mark Newgent, Washington Redskins Examiner

 

Steven Jackson (AP Photo John Froschauer)

This week Jordan Davis of RAMblings give us his perspective on the Rams woes and how they will fare against the Redskins.

Mark Newgent: What happened to the Rams, how did they go from the "Greatest Show on Turf" to an 0-4 start and firing their head coach just a few weeks into the season?

Jordan Davis: Well, to be honest, the Rams are several seasons, a series of bad personnel moves, and many players past their "Greatest Show on Turf" days. Former head coach Mike Martz was working with an offensive perfect storm: a quarterback who made great decisions with a big arm in Warner, a running back in Marshall Faulk who was an excellent runner, but also a wonderful pass catcher, one of the most underrated receiving tandems in recent memory in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, not to mention a set of complementary receivers that could stand toe-to-toe with any in the league. However, in more recent years, especially with the advent of the Steven Jackson era, rushing, not passing has become the focal point of the Rams offense. The Rams have deployed Jackson as a receiving threat, and need to keep doing it, because even though he has the size of an inside bruiser, he is not.

MN: I know Steven Jackson made a stink about Scott Linehan demoting Marc Bulger, but did Linehan lose the locker room before that?

JD: It's hard to say. This team has been underachieving for the past three seasons; and with the lineup the Rams are able to put on paper, they should be better than they have been. When teams that should not be bad are awful a lot of people want to place the blame at the feet of the head coach, and certainly Linehan must take some of the blame. But Steven Jackson and others are not accepting their own roles in the failures of this franchise.

MN: Redskins fans were not too impressed with Al Saunders offense when he was offensive coordinator here in Washington. How well is Saunders' vaunted 700-page playbook taking in St. Louis?

JD: Considering the fact that the Rams offense has only scored four touchdowns in four weeks, and two of those came in their last game before the bye; there are serious problems. I am not sure if Saunders' playbook is too complex and that has led to some of the turmoil, but to go back to Martz, he was and is famous for massive offensive playbooks as well, the difference being, his plays worked in St. Louis. Saunders came in and stated that he wanted to get Steven Jackson more involved with the offense, which sounds great, but perhaps Saunders has not quite figured out the best way to do that. He consistently calls plays that do not work to Jackson's strengths.

MN: You recently wrote that against the Bills you saw a glimpse of hope for the Rams that gave you, "hope as a fan that this team will be competitive the rest of the year." What was it you saw?

JD: I saw a team that did not look as if it had given up, which is what I had seen for most of this season and even in the pre- season. Even though the Rams went on to lose against the Bills, in that first half they looked like they belonged on the field with another NFL franchise; they were winning in fact! Sadly, this team has not even been able to compete against its opponents for much of the early season, and this next stretch against the Redskins, Cowboys, Patriots, Cardinals, and Jets does not offer the greatest of hope for securing the elusive first win.

MN: What are your keys to a Rams victory?

JD: My number one key has to be improved offensive and defensive line play. No matter how good Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, or Steven Jackson might be, none of them will be able to make any consistent plays unless the line picks up its performance. The same holds true for the defensive line; if they do not improve their play and actually pressure Jason Campbell or stymie Clinton Portis. St. Louis fans will be seeing yet another lopsided score.

MN: What weaknesses can the Redskins exploit?

JD: Do the Rams have any strengths at this point? If the Redskins are able to shut down Torry Holt and force one of the complementary receivers to make plays, the Rams will be in for a long day, because I just do not believe that any of them have solid NFL playmaking ability just yet. Adding to the misery, tight end Randy McMichael is out for the season and he was a favorite dump-off valve for Bulger and Trent Green.

MN: What Rams player could make a difference in the game?

JD: On offense an X- factor might be receiver Donnie Avery, who showed great moves on his 37-yard reverse for a touchdown against the Bills a couple of weeks ago. On defense, the key player could be linebacker Will Witherspoon, who faces the task of going against the Hogs and trying to contain Clinton Portis who is in the midst of a personal renaissance.

MN: Give me your predicted order of finish in the NFC West.

JD:
1. Cardinals
2. 49ers
3. Seahawks
4. Rams

Thanks Jordan.

This could be a trap game, but I think the Redskins come out and score early and often. 

My prediction:  Redskins 31, Rams 17.
 

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