Passing records get deflated by loss

[RamWraith]

By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Oct. 02 2005

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Few would've guessed that on the day the
Rams set franchise records for pass attempts and completions, the most prolific
receiver in team history would be watching from the sideline.

But that's where wideout Isaac Bruce spent the afternoon Sunday at Giants
Stadium, nursing the "turf toe" injury that he suffered last week. In his
stead, Shaun McDonald and Dane Looker had the most productive games of their
respective careers, combining for 17 catches and 211 yards.

And yet the Rams fell far short, succumbing to the New York Giants 44-24.

"If you lose the game, it doesn't matter if you go for 500 yards," McDonald
said. "It's all about 'W's.'"

Looker, who normally sees limited action as the No. 5 wideout, added: "It's
never nice to get work when the reason is that one of your teammates goes down
(with an injury)."

The Rams were down 10-0 less than 6 1/2 minutes after kickoff, and their ground
game was lurching backward: The first four carries by running back Steven
Jackson, who was playing with a bruised chest, netted minus-7 yards. So coach
Mike Martz turned quarterback Marc Bulger loose.

Bulger unloaded 62 times (the previous record was 61, vs. Buffalo in 1995), and
40 of them found their targets (the previous record was 36, set by Bulger vs.
San Diego in 2002). They accounted for 442 of the Rams' 476 yards. McDonald, a
fourth-round draft pick in 2003, had nine receptions for 121 yards. Looker, a
fifth-year pro who joined the Rams in 2002 as a free agent, caught eight passes
for 80 yards.

McDonald would have liked to revel in his big day, but the outcome, coupled
with his involvement in a crucial blunder, dampened his mood. "It's all for
nothing," he muttered.

After lagging behind 27-7 early in the second quarter, the Rams had rallied to
27-17 and were closing in again on the opening series of the third period. But
on a third-and-3 play from the New York 6-yard line, they botched a reverse
when Jackson's pitch for McDonald failed to make connections. Giants tackle
Fred Robbins jumped on the loose ball.

Both principals declared themselves culpable. "I got my hands on it, so I
should've caught it. I take blame for that," McDonald said.

But Jackson insisted that "it wasn't Shaun; it was my fault. I was indecisive.
I kind of wanted to keep it myself and at the last minute, I decided to go with
the play, and I threw it behind him."

Giants DE Michael Strahan said the play call was, uh, curious. "I think they
tried to get a little too cute," he said. "If they had scored a touchdown or a
field goal, it would've definitely pulled it within reach for those guys. ...
It was probably the turning point."

[Haterade]

Heaving up 60+ attempts can never lead to a good thing, especially with Bulger's decling TD:INT ratio.

Martz needs to wise up and use the RB's a little more. Ever since the Superbowl game against the Pats, he's been so easy to give up on the run and just pass the game away.

[RamWraith]

Not sure what you can do when you are down by 20 points and every time you try to run you get jacked behind the line of scrimmage. Maybe I have been watching a different game. Game I watched Martz attempted it early on and the result was a couple three and outs. Not my idea of a running attack, and it cost us being down fast.

Martz needs to wise up and use the RB's a little more. Ever since the Superbowl game against the Pats, he's been so easy to give up on the run and just pass the game away.