[Truth]

Originally Posted by AvengerRam

There are a lot of things this year that I don't like, but at least understand. Here are 10 things I just don't understand:

1. Why has Jon Alston been "redshirted"?
Yeah, I get the whole "missed most of the Summer" excuse, but its now three months later, and he hasn't played a down. The guy was drafted because of his great physical tools and because he is supposedly a very good football player. How is he expected to develop if he's not even on the active roster? Its not like the defense or special teams are doing so well that he just can't crack the lineup. Reminds me of last year when Atogwe was on the shelf until late in the season. Now, he's a starter who, though prone to error, has shown some promise. Wouldn't Atogwe be further along if he played more last year? Can't the same be said about Alston?

2. What happened to the 3-4?
We heard during the offseason that Haslett was going to mix in the 3-4 on defense. Has that happened even once? Why not? Given how bad the defense has been, can anyone say that a front 7 set with Little, Adeyanju or Wroten and Kennedy on the D Line and Pisa, Spoon, Chillar and Coakley at LB would have been worse? Why not give it a try?

3. Why are we not more committed to the run?
The Rams have had (1) a top-notch workhorse type RB (not to mention a quality backup big-back in Davis), (2) a defense that needs to be kept off the field, and (3) few games in which they were so far behind early that they had to throw. Nonetheless, the Rams throw the ball over 60% of their total plays. Why?

4. Where have the trick plays gone?
The Rams ran a double reverse last week. That was the first time all year that I can recall a trick play being called. Why not throw a few in from time to time. Hasn't this team needed a spark?

Some good questions.

1. Why has Jon Alston been "redshirted"? - That's a really good question. Unless he has some medical issues we don't know about, he definately should be getting some playing time in now.

2. What happened to the 3-4? - I think our coaches are afraid to try the 3-4. If we can't stop the run or get a pass rush with the 4-3, I think the coaches are concerned with having 1 less player at the point of attack. Still, at this point, why not try it.

3. Why are we not more committed to the run? - Actually, I think we start each game committied to the run. However, after falling behind quickly, or not having immediate success, we do seem to forget that we have a very talented RB.

4. Where have the trick plays gone? - OMG!! Trick plays!?!?! We can't even execute our standard plays half the time.