Linehan on the hot seat just two games into Year 2

[RamWraith]

By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
Sunday, Sep. 16 2007

So let’s sum up the Rams’ predicament in a nutshell:

They are 0-2 this season after back-to-back home losses. Games at Tampa Bay and
Dallas loom next on the schedule -- and both teams just scored impressive Week
2 victories.

Injuries have eradicated Rams tackles Orlando Pace and Todd Steussie. NFL
suspensions have sidelined cornerback Fakhir Brown and defensive tackle Claude
Wroten. Guard Richie Incognito (high ankle sprain) and cornerback Tye Hill
(back injury) are sidelined, too.

All are sorely missed.

Quarterback Marc Bulger absorbed terrible beatings two weeks in a row. His ribs
(and some other body parts) are aching. His blockers appeared befuddled in the
face of aggressive ***** blitzes. He was fortunate to walk off the field
without help Sunday.

The Rams found more ways to beat themselves, especially with untimely
turnovers. In Sunday’s 17-16 loss to the *****, Torry Holt fumbled a ball
through the end zone while trying to gain additional yardage on a red-zone
catch. Kicker returner Dante Hall fumbled a punt in heavy traffic; a fair catch
would have been far more prudent.

Yes, I’d say the Rams are a team in crisis. And Scott Linehan, now 8-10 as a
head coach, sits firmly on the spot.

Linehan understands that public unrest comes with failure.

“We haven’t been able to finish games for two weeks in a row and that falls on
the head coach,” he said during his brief but emotional post-game news
conference. “We have to find ways to win. When we lead at halftime and lead in
the third quarter, we have to find a way to sustain it and finish out games.

“It is my responsibility and it falls on my shoulders, period.”

When the Rams faltered last season, Linehan wisely gave up his play-calling
duties to concentrate on team and game management. He made adjustments during
his first season as a NFL head coach and the team finished pretty well.

Expectations for this team grew after the Rams made key additions on both sides
of the ball. But due to the injuries and the team’s self-destructive
tendencies, the Rams failed to take advantage of their two home games opening
the season.

How bad is it? During a 2 ½-hour live chat with angry Rams fans after this
fiasco, your cyber-correspondent fielded many requests for a Mike Martz
comeback here.

A few fans were clamoring for Marty Schottenheimer. Others yearned for Jim
Haslett’s mid-season promotion.

“We will stay positive, we will work hard daily,” Linehan said. “We will
continue to work on the solutions to problems and not focus on the negative.
For every negative thing that comes out of a loss, you have to deal with it.
That is what professional sports is all about. You are happy when you win and
miserable when you lose.”

In this case, he is really, really miserable. Had the Rams stopped Frank Gore
on fourth-and-one -– instead of allowing him to barge through the line for a
43-yard touchdown run -– they would have won this game.

Had either Hall or Holt not fumbled, the Rams would have won this game.

Had the Rams been able to protect Bulger at all, he would have picked the *****
apart. His receivers were open much of the game.

He threw for 368 yards in one of the most courageous performances in Rams
history. But like yesteryear’s Tony Banks, Bulger got sacked six times, usually
at inopportune times, and lost a key fumble on one of them.

At the end of the game, he couldn’t make that one final big play to decide the
game. At the end, Linehan figured a desperate 56-yard field goal attempt was a
better call than going for a fourth-and-short conversion.

You get the idea. The Rams made some improvements from Week 1, playing tougher
on defense and more imaginably on offense, but they still found ways to lose a
game they should have easily won.

“You can’t have opportunities and squander them,” Linehan said. “We did. We had
our opportunities to win and didn’t do it.”

We’ve heard that a lot during this regime’s one-plus season. When is this
group finally going to do something about it?

[Rambos]

Tony Banks, Bulger got sacked six times, usually
at inopportune times, and lost a key fumble on one of them.

Are you kidding me.

[Country]

Linehan should be on the hot seat he is an offensive coach with a talent filled offense and he continues to lose games on the offensive side of the ball.

Lets hire a coach that will have a talented team ready to win.

[jkramsfan]

Linehan should be on the hot seat he is an offensive coach with a talent filled offense and he continues to lose games on the offensive side of the ball.

Lets hire a coach that will have a talented team ready to win.

maybe thats the problem,as you mention he has a very talented offense and maybe he just doesn't know what to do with it, he brought in even more offense and we average 14.5 points a game.it's one thing to have the offense ,it's another to know how to use it,for example the coach(who will remain nameless) in Detroit.

[Rambos]

with a talent filled offense

He had one until the O line lost three key guys. It all starts up front. But he has to find a way to win.

[jkramsfan]

He had one until the O line lost three key guys. It all starts up front. But he has to find a way to win.

great point, he needs to find a way around this, thats why I hated to see Timmerman go, he could have stepped in and even though he wasn't what he used to be he was a veteran who knew what to do and I think maybe we are lacking a little of that leadership he could have brought to this situation,at least until guys started to get back.

[blood85]

I disagree. At some point or another, the people we came to the dance with, have to make some plays. Holt and hall fumbling, not stopping gore on 4th and 1,bulger also fumbling, really hurt. Linehan has his part to blame, but for some of you to call Martz back, come on guys, remember the Carolina playoff game?? Stars make big plays and don't fumble when the game is on the line, and defenses stop the opposing teams only good player.

[blood85]

Tony banks being compared to Bulger would be a "tad" excessive, don't you think??

[jkramsfan]

I disagree. At some point or another, the people we came to the dance with, have to make some plays. Holt and hall fumbling, not stopping gore on 4th and 1,bulger also fumbling, really hurt. Linehan has his part to blame, but for some of you to call Martz back, come on guys, remember the Carolina playoff game?? Stars make big plays and don't fumble when the game is on the line, and defenses stop the opposing teams only good player.

I didn't mean for that to sound like I was wanting Martz back,it was used as an example of an offensive minded coach knowing what to do with his talent,thats all I meant by that.

[marccat]

as bad as I feel there were positives out there Sun! Plenty to build on IMO. Ryan had himself a play or three and Bruce ran that vaulted D to shame, the O line did well for the most part and we got 14 games left to win!!! I see light and it ain't a train, yuk uck# We went 3 up last year and look what happened. We were very lucky and I for one waited for the shoe to drop. Well this year I dont feel were not as good as our record says. I know we got a team... a damn good one and the worm will turn and the cream will rise and all that happy horse**** said... ITS EARLY, MANY GAMES TO WIN YET MY RAM BRETHREN ,HAVE FAITH in US!!!

[BM_Face]

Linehan should be on the hot seat. The Rams failure to execute basic football skills with pro-bowl players points to weakness in the coaching organization. Bulger is too hammered to finish the season, I give him 6-8 more full games. Linehan must adapt the playbook to account for the saftey of our star QB, if not for the present, then for the future. A new 6-year contract is bumwad if Bulger is crippled, and there are too many injuries that can end a QB's career. Yes, the O-line is gutted, so let's have our TE's pass protect (they have not proven very good at catching anyway). The end is not here, but if Scott Linehan wants to retain his job, he had better tighten up. In the NFL even great coaches need very little rope to hang themselves. I have a sinking feeling about this season, but Linehan has a great opportunity at redemption. If he can roll with the punches and use the strength remaining on the roster to win games, he will be our coach next year. This team is not in shape to win games with a ball-control and time-of-possession offence. The Rams can still win games, but it is in Linehan's control and he knows it. For the sake of my continued mental health I hope he is able to rise to the challenge. GoRams!

[jjigga3000]

Had they Run the ball more that would have opened up on the passing game. That game was Linehans fault period. When a team is Blitz hungry like they were, you run up there gut. San Fransisco doesn't have any secondary and we should have beat them.

[RamsInfiniti]

Ok, this is just ridiculous. I'll never read another article by this idiot Jeff Gordon again, comparing Bulger to Tony Banks. Does anybody have this idiot's contact information, I'd like to speak with him?

What good would it do to fire Linehan? Let's bring in a new coach, so they can come in and install a new offensive system with this makeshift offensive line? It wouldn't do any good. Have we all forgotten the adversity we've had to go through here early with all the injuries? The fumbles are not Linehan's fault, and I'm sorry if you believe otherwise. Calling for Linehan's head is pretty much putting the nail in the coffin for this season ...

[BigGameMN]

Ok, this is just ridiculous. I'll never read another article by this idiot Jeff Gordon again, comparing Bulger to Tony Banks. Does anybody have this idiot's contact information, I'd like to speak with him?

What good would it do to fire Linehan? Let's bring in a new coach, so they can come in and install a new offensive system with this makeshift offensive line? It wouldn't do any good. Have we all forgotten the adversity we've had to go through here early with all the injuries? The fumbles are not Linehan's fault, and I'm sorry if you believe otherwise. Calling for Linehan's head is pretty much putting the nail in the coffin for this season ...

Uhh, he wasn't really comparing Banks and Bulger. He was just comparing their propensity to get sacked at inopportune times. In fact he called Bulger's performance courageous, something you will never hear about Banks.

On another note, one reason Linehan is on the hotseat with me is halftime adjustments. It's the same old thing that happened last year, come out and play good the first half and then have the wheels fall off in the 2nd. That' s because the other coaches are adjusting their gameplan to what they see on the field, it seems we always stink it up in the 2nd half.

[RamsInfiniti]

Tony Banks and Marc Bulger should never be written in the same article, EVER ....