The Game 2 glass is half FULL

[supachump]

Instead of harping on the negatives. I'm going to point out some positives from last nights Chargers game.

1) The first team defense did pretty good against the run considering we played such a strong running team.
2) Other than a couple of bad turnovers, the first team offense moved the ball well.
3) We were 2 for 2 on 4th down conversions
4) Dante Hall looked better than what we had last year
5) Hagans could be a nice addition to our WR group
6) James Hall played well and looks to be a good pickup. Not only is he helping himself, but he helped Little too.
7) Although Bennet got creamed (and hopefully not injured), he showed great catching ability despite that he had to know he was going to get crushed. AND he held onto the ball.



The offense sputtered out of the gate last year as well. It may just be a thing with Bulger and his receivers needing to get in rhythm. It looks like he is getting more comfortable quicker than he did last year. That is good.

Despite some of our game looking rough. I continue to be positive and think that this is good for the team. They can see their weaknesses and work on it before the real season starts!!

[suhpr3me]

I agree. Good post. IMO, it's not about putting points on the board, its about everyone getting to play as a unit. Our loaded offense is preparing for the regular season. Remember, its still preseason ! It's about shaking off some rust and letting some other players earn their spots. Our defense and ST didn't play too bad, we only allowed 7 points in a quarter and a half with our 1st. On offense we had 351 tot yds, we just had some mistakes, and thats okay because thats what preseason is about, learning from your mistakes ! I have much hope for the future and believe last nights game was nothing to worry about, predicting our record from last nights game is ridculous to me. Last nights game is only going to make our players better.

[ImJohnWayne]

Not worried at all about our offense. The only thing that was there to be judged was our O-line who i think did very well considering the calibur of the Chargers NT. Couple of missed blocks, one big one missed by Klop.

Other than that our offense is completely different come regular season and Steven Jackson. We dont force those deep balls when it counts, its a check down to Jackson instead. For example? How about that first and 1... I doubt we go for a short run up the middle there in the regular season.

[blood85]

I also agree with SC, I feel we are taking positive steps in the right direction.....even the guys doing the play-by-play, Simms and the other guy liked what the Rams had done to help improve the team. Again, I mentioned this before in another post, let's focus on getting out of the pre-season healthy and winning our Division. Remember that DB got hurt after that catch (hopefully nothing serious) and so did that Chargers Running back which looked alot more serious.

[Tony Soprano]

.
What the hell was Chavous doing out there? If the announcer correctly labeled him as the defender on that TD pass, he was lost in coverage.

Our Defense just got pushed all over the place - manhandled.

Haggans looked like quite the skill player. Jon Alston flashed his pass-rushing skills, he's explosive.

Our QBs took too many vicious hits.

On both sides of the ball, I'd like to see the coordinators give the young explosive guys opportunites and design a couple plays for them. Some people only step up when they are thrown into the fire on Sunday.

.

[RealRam]

...It's about everyone getting to play as a unit. Our loaded offense is preparing for the regular season. ...It's about shaking off some rust and letting some other players earn their spots. I have much hope for the future and believe last night's game was nothing to worry about, predicting our record from last night's game is ridculous to me. Last night's game is only going to make our players better.

:r Well said Suhpr3. Totally agree.

The one word I can best surmize for preseason, aside from the very factual reality that this NFL period serves to decide between players making the team -- or not -- is that it is ... RELATIVE. At least in terms of "winning" and "losing".

Sure, the exhibition games are an indicator of the team's new tools, a 'progress bar' if you will, in the coaches minds as they "download" their goals and schemes that are still on-going and rookies, new and old veterans gel; this is when, for four early but important weeks, the overall strengths, character, and other attributes are gauged, evaluated and re-evaluated over and over.

But ALL the teams are going back (and forth) to the drawing board, discussing issues and possibilities in meetings. As Suhpr3 implied, teams are making up their minds as to whom to keep for the regular season, which ones will be gone -- and players are seriously competing for their job.

That's what preseason is about and mainly has been for over 40 years in the NFL that I can remember. What we see as fans, I say again, in terms of the more obvious, is RELATIVE. I trust in Coach Linehan and his staff that they see far more and much better what transpires from these exhibition games than what meets the eye. At least, my eye. Yes, I know: the coaches, whether on the field or upstairs in the booth, they always see more than the fans do, of course they do! But I think that this is particularly poignant during preseason.

[Side note: too bad preseason game tickets are so unfairly overpriced. On the contrary, these games should be inexpensive, generally affordable to the public, both casual or die hard fanatics, to get to see pro football as the teams hone in on a higher level of practice and thus, perhaps get more people to attend the regular o 'real' games.]


Nevertheless, I agree with Supachump about the glass being half full. Despite some letdown's (couldn't see game Vs. Sn Diego but have read plenty of it), I can't help feeling positive about the new faces in the Rams various lineups.

The optimistic exception for me would be ST and even there I want to say that Dante Hall brings, hopefully by the 1st week of September, a good and necessary dose of help to the kick return plays.


It's not that I believe that "all is relative" all the time. I also believe in tangibile specifics, objetivity, and down-to-earth goals, i.e., making the playoffs (and beyond). Results. Positive results.

It's just that, with the players roster that is being placed our coach's lists, even as I type, I also believe that we will end up with an ABOVE AVERAGE, HUNGRY, STRONG group of Rams for 2007. A BETTER TEAM than last year, with greater potential and MORE WINS.


Bottom line, even now during preseason, I BELIEVE. :bash: