If the St. Louis Rams are good at one thing, it’s eventual futility. The idea of a ticking timebomb that will erupt at some point inside four quarters of football. If you are one of those fans who drifts around the house during a game and doesn’t suck in four straight quarters, you would be perplexed by this team’s ability to sink in the second half. For example, I left my house during the third quarter with the Rams leading the Arizona Cardinals 14-10 yesterday. By the time I got back home an hour later, it was 31-14 Cardinals. In a span of one trip to the grocery store, the Rams crumbled. The same way they did against Dallas and San Francisco. This time, they did it on the road against the best team in the division. It was ugly.
Things looked great for two quarters. The Rams struck first with an early score, with Benny Cunningham scoring on a 3 yard rush. The offense stalled until Austin Davis hooked up with Jared Cook for a 59 yard pass right before halftime. 14-10 Rams. The defense was getting pressure on the QB and forcing Carson Palmer around in the pocket. Alec Ogletree forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. Take away those two drives and the rest of the game wasn’t good for the Rams. The second half was worse. Davis struggled, throwing 2 interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown by Patrick Petersen that sealed the game. Antonio Cromartie forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Rams defense wasn’t shredded. The offense had a horrible game.
I am not sure what Brian Schottenheimer is thinking about on the sidelines but when your unit gets shut out 21-0 in the second half, and gives the other team two huge turnovers that are returned for 14 points, something is wrong and something needs to be fixed. The Rams offense didn’t have a good game against San Francisco last week. The defense won that game in the second half. The Cards and 49ers are tough competition but these are the teams that the Rams are looking up to in a fierce division with zero leaks. Get busy adjusting or get busy dying. The Rams have a point differential of -96 in the second half in 2014. That is horrible.
The record is 3-6 but it feels a lot worse because if a more solid second half performance happens, the team could be at .500 right now. The Rams are so maddening and inconsistent. Davis has regressed in the last 5 games but he isn’t the main problem. The unit as a whole needs work. The playcalling. The execution of each individual play. Jeff Fisher is giving away field goals down in the red zone when going for 4th down completions and that hurts the team. It’s nice to be gutsy but when it costs your low scoring team repeatedly, take the three points. I wouldn’t be surprised if Davis was pushed to the bench for Shaun Hill. Quarterbacks are always the first person to get shoved out. I just think it does deeper than him. The problem goes into game plans, offensive schemes and the individual execution of plays.
This isn’t a classroom with one cheating student. This isn’t a playground with one bully. This is an organization in search of a pulse and a reason to force local leaders to throw an anchor into the Mississippi River to keep the team here. Every week, the clock ticks. Where are they headed? Where is the progress? Where is the fight? Why do they go missing in the second half? Do Fisher and company have issues adjusting to other teams attacks and strategies? Is it something else? Is it a lack of talent? With this team now, I think there is talent.
Look at the bare facts. The injuries can’t be denied. Sam Bradford. Chris Long. Brian Quick. Jake Long. All come and gone. Quick gave Davis a threat to think about on every snap. Before we fry Davis at the stake, remember he lost his deep threat and go to chest target in Quick three weeks ago. It’s deeper rooted here than one individual problem. Do we all really think Sam Bradford would be playing better in this system?
What are the Rams fighting here? Themselves, adversity or a simple mismatch? The question can’t obviously be answered. This isn’t solved with a calculator. It could be very well solved with a few team members being chopped.
The Rams have 7 games left. Sunday, they welcome Peyton Manning into the Edward Jones Dome. A slaughter may occur but no matter what happens, I would like to see the Rams offense put up some points on the Denver defense, which is improved but vulnerable. I don’t care how they do it but reinserting Stacy into the running game(with Tre Mason and Cunningham) would help and opening up the passing game would bolster the unit as well. I don’t ask for 4th down conversions. Just more animated and creative playcalling. The Rams are 1-3 at home also. That’s just ugly. Let’s forget the hard schedule excuses and call it like it is. The Rams aren’t very good. They can be horrible at times. However, it’s their ability to stay in games for a half that throws me off.
From here on out, I wouldn’t mind seeing some guilt free football? What is there to lose at this point? Just more football. Possibly a home for 2015. A pulse in St. Louis sports nation.
Let it ride, Rams.
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