Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the blowout loss

[Nick]

Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the blowout loss
POST-DISPATCH | Posted: Sunday, October 10, 2010 4:10 pm

Post-Dispatch columnists Bernie Miklasz and Bryan Burwell offer a quick analysis of the Rams' 44-6 loss to the Detroit Lions:

BERNIE MIKLASZ:

This game was a systematic failure by the Rams. Every area was weak, every area failed to respond. The coaches were embarrassed by their counterparts on the Detroit side. And the Rams players didn't come close to matching the Lions' intensity and hunger.

I thought the Rams would lose to the Lions but I never imagined we'd see such an ambivalent, no-show performance.

The Rams' soft play and ineptitude was worse than anything I saw from them in 2009. That's because last year's team had no chance. But the 2010 Rams have demonstrated that they can be competitive.

This team had played well in winning two games in a row. And the Rams deserved all of the accolades they received after decisively beating the Redskins and Seahawks. This was an extreme regression.

All of the praise inflated their ego. This team could not handle its first rush of success. The coaching staff didn't have the players ready to play. And rather than respond in an admirable way to adversity, the players cowered.

Sam Bradford played like a rookie for the first time, but I thought he hung in there better than most of his teammates.

The special teams were a disaster. The offensive line - as I feared - got its arse kicked by the Lions. But I have to say I was surprised by how the Rams' defensive players stopped competing in the first half to let this game get away. Given the energy and relentless personality we'd seen from the Rams defense over the first month, the surrender was hard to watch. When you make Scott Linehan look good, then it's as bad as it can be.

The Rams faced a major credibility check in this game. And they failed miserably. Rather than move the program forward, coach Steve Spagnuolo, his assistants and the players took us back on a harrowing journey to the sad and depressing futility of 2009.



BRYAN BURWELL:

The Rams should have gotten beyond losing like this.

Losing on the road, I can understand. Losing a close, competitive contest is what you have to expect every now and then.

But there's no way that the Rams should have come into Ford Field on Sunday and flat out gotten blown out by 44-6 to the Detroit Lions.

From start to finish, this was as embarrassing a loss as you could imagine, particularly at this stage in this young franchise's development.

Nothing much changed from what we saw in the first half. Mistake after mistake after mistake.

Embarrassing is the only word that can fully explain what happened out here.


* * *


Below are the "Quick Hits" from Bernie and Bryan at halftime:

BERNIE MIKLASZ:

The first half was an unequivocal embarrassment for the Rams -- across the board.

Obviously, Steve Spagnuolo blundered in his decision to go for the onside kick to start the game. The Rams immediately gave an 0-4 Lions team a short course for an early 3-0 lead. Then the kickoff unit allowed the long return for a TD. The Rams special teams were a disaster.

The Rams defense played well before letting down late in the half with two collapses in which they failed to maintain the high standard for competitiveness that was set in the wins over Washington and Seattle. The Rams made it way too easy for the Lions to score two TDs that put them up 24-6 at the half.

For some reason the Rams LBs seem startled to see the Lions throwing to the tight ends, which the Lions do all of the time. That's poor coaching.

On offense, Rams killed themselves in the red zone. Three opportunities resulted in a lost fumble and two field goals. The Rams offensive line should be doing better against a Detroit defense that gives up a bunch of big plays. And offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur ran out of ideas.

All in all, through one half the Rams are failing this road/credibility test. The STL coaches are losing their end of the competition, and the Rams players aren't as desperate as the Lions' players. There's no other conclusion to make here.

The loss of WR Mark Clayton is a big blow for the Rams. You wonder when this franchise will start to experience better luck with injuries.

But when your coaching staff is getting taken to school by Scott Linehan, injuries are no excuse. It can't get worse than that.



BRYAN BURWELL:

This game is playing out disturbingly as I feared. The Rams have had too many mistakes in this first half to overcome. Beginning with the opening kickoff -- a botched onside kick that did not fool anyone -- the Rams just kept on making the sort of mistakes they made in those first two games of the season.

You name the self-destructive error and the Rams did it:

* Dropped passes (Darcy Johnson).

* Dropped interceptions (Ron Bartell could not have had an easier ball to steal, but dropped one right in his hands).

* Fumbles (Danny Amendola in the red zone).

* Critical injury (wide receiver Mark Clayton).

* Repeated failure to cover the Detroit tight ends on short out routes or the tailback on the little wheel routes out of the backfield.

Down 24-6 at the half, the score is as bad as I feared. This looks like a Rams team that thought it could just waltz into Ford Field and win a game. They aren't close to being that good and now they are in a deep hole that could be impossible to recover from.

[dgr828]

Basically, in a nutshell, The Rams played like 'Betty White' out there!

[DistantRam]

You name the self-destructive error and the Rams did it:

* Critical injury (wide receiver Mark Clayton).

Yeah, that was obviously something which the Rams "did" on purpose.



Other than that, there isn't too much to argue with in those notes.

[ludairv]

yikes...this team just cant catch a break...and is stuck in a catch 22... u lose if you dont find help or depth at reciever and u lose if u go out and spend posibbly picks on a reciever...jeeez

[laram0]

44-6....

Embarrassing!!!!!

The Lions? Really?


Scott Linehan and his 45 tightends?

NO! NO! Say it isn't so!

I'm still feeling sick over this!

[rNemesis]

Very embarassed to be a Ram fan right now. We better beat or play darn well against the Chargers or else.

[LA_Rams]

i trashed some furniture during that first half. on to San Diego. they're having some problems of their own.

I couldn't throw anything around. I was at the game.