Afterthoughts from a Sane man…
By Jake Cohn (Varg6)
Rams fans, if you were expecting me to say things such as “trade Bulger for Moss” or “We’re awful now, we’re never going to bounce back from a 1-1 record”…Well, stop reading now, because I am going to analyze the week 2 game like a normal human being, and give some other insight about our team... So, with that being said, I shall begin my afterthoughts of the San Francisco VS St. Louis game (9-17-06).
I know we’re all into saying who’s who to blame for the loss, but that’s not how I’m going to look at it. Sure, our offensive line really was awful last game, but a few of the guys were also backup players. Incognito, I think looked pretty damn good this game at center. Center is a very tough position in football, and to make the transition like that and to have only (I think around 1 or 2 penalties) a couple of mistakes made, penalty wise, was awesome to see. Unfortunately, I can’t say the rest of the line was all that “awesome” last game. But, hey let’s look at it this way. The whole offense is obviously off. But say our line was doing alright, and only allowed, let’s say one sack. Would the offense be better because of that? I don’t think it would’ve made THAT big of a difference simply because of the fact that everyone is on the wrong page offensively. Bulger did not look like he knew where to throw to when he called hike, because the wide receivers themselves didn’t look like they knew where they were going. So, I don’t think our line is the only problem we have right now. So, can we really blame everything on the line? I say no.
Is Bulger really a mistake? No. If the guys from the Martz era can go through and play in an offense Martz drilled into their heads (which so far the Lions look great with so far, cough cough.), I am absolutely positive that those guys can adjust to a (obviously) simpler offensive attack. Ah, another issue at hand is our star running back. He’s not doing too well, he hasn’t scored, and he must be traded instantly. Everyone…Once again, Jackson is an up and coming running back, you guys all know this. We were defeated by the *****, but it is only week two. There’s only room for progress, and the only way we’re heading is up, my friends. We all know that these guys happen to be one of the most talented offenses in the league. So, once that all clicks, and everyone is on the same page, who knows what’ll happen? What do I think? I think our offense will dominate. Can I give you a realistic time when this will happen? Hmm, yeah I guess so. I’d realistically say that next year would be the time when the offense truly shines. I think we’ll see bits and pieces of the offense this year, but I don’t think it’s all going to come together until next year. I know it’s hard to grasp, but we just have to be patient guys. Simple as that, we can’t go around thinking we’re a terrible team because of one loss. We all thought we were the best team in the league when we beat the Broncos, now we’re the worst because we lost to the *****? Come on. I understand the frustration, I truly do. How do you (defensively, especially) play so well one game, and totally turn into the opposite team you were last week, and play like crap the way they did (Which they really didn’t play THAT terribly, but it was terrible compared to last week’s performance.). I understand that we have an awesome offensive group of players, and I understand how we can all get ticked off because we only scored one touchdown so far. But everyone, just strap in, this is new for everyone, especially
Scott Linehan. If anything, if anyone is going to be “up and coming” I honestly believe Linehan will become a great coach. But like we all know, this doesn’t happen over night, it just doesn’t. These things take time, and you know what? I’m willing to wait for our team; I’m willing to give it a few years if that’s what it takes for us to become elite again.
Anyways, I am absolutely WAY OFF topic. What I saw from this game was our worst enemy. It’s been our worst enemy for a long time now, and that’s inconsistency. We’ve been inconsistent on defense, it looks as if one week we’ll do great defensively, and one week we’ll play poorly. I hope that is not the case, but it sure seemed like it going from week 1 to week 2. I don’t think a lot of us really can comprehend what’s going on right now, but if I could point out…Bulger has not thrown one pick yet, but, he’s in a totally new offensive scheme, how can he not screw up!? Well, that just shows that he truly is our QB, and if we are willing to give him some time, things are GOING TO HAPPEN. It’s pretty much a guarantee with the guys we have on offense.
Jackson, even though he rushed for over 100 yards, he still isn’t really carrying the team or anything just yet. That’s probably also because of the new regime being installed. It must be confusing when your QB is doing an audible and you’re still adjusting to the new offense. This game really showed us that we’re a young team, and showed slight marks of superiority, if you watch the game(s) again, obviously you’ll see the talent we have. I honestly believe getting the new offense is the biggest problem. And, also, it’s not like we have a new defense our anything either! All those older guys are adjusting to the new system as well. So we just need to wait, guys!
What I found from this game and the game against Denver was this: If both sides of the ball play consistent football, we’re going to win games, hell; we’d go to the super bowl if we were consistent 75% of the time in my opinion. The biggest problem for us right now, is inconsistency. The guys need to do extra hours at practice just sitting down and breaking down each play, everyday. I am going to try to be positive here, and end this with a positive note. By mid-year, I do (hope) think that the Rams offense and defense can really put together a great team, and even if we don’t make the playoffs, I think even “expert” analysis’s will be impressed by how much we’ve improved, and more than likely we’ll be a contender next year. We need to get through our heads that, no matter how much we want it. This is a Rams transition year.
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