[Wagoner]: Reshuffled Line Slows Rams

[Nick]

Reshuffled Line Slows Rams
Sunday, September 17, 2006
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

SAN FRANCISCO – Entering Sunday’s game against the *****, the Rams offensive line was going to have to deal with a reshuffle, but nobody expected that by the end of the day, that unit would have a new look at three of its five positions.

After center Andy McCollum was lost for the season last week against Denver because of torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, the Rams opted to move left guard Richie Incognito to center and slide veteran Todd Steussie into the vacated guard position.

After playing most of the first half with a line consisting of that pair, left tackle Orlando Pace, right guard Adam Timmerman and right tackle Alex Barron, the Rams had to do some major reshuffling. On the final drive of the first half, Pace took a blow to the head that put him out for the rest of the game with a concussion.

Pace was taken to a local hospital for treatment and Steussie moved into his spot at left tackle with Adam Goldberg taking over at left guard.

“It was kind of like the worst case scenario today,” Timmerman said. “It was tough and on the road, communication is so important and with new guys it’s not at its best. But then we still can’t make excuses. We have to be better.”

The Rams' offensive line got off to an auspicious start by allowing a pair of sacks on the opening drive to kill any chances of an early score and lead.

But the group beared down in the second quarter and helped the Rams control the game. St. Louis took command in a dominating quarter by controlling the ball and eating up 12 minutes and 27 seconds.

But any momentum gained by that performance went by the wayside when the seven-time Pro Bowler was lost for the rest of the game.

“There’s no replacing him,” Goldberg said. "That’s how you have to roll with things in the NFL. Most teams dress seven, some dress eight, but when you lose someone like Orlando, there is going to be some musical positions on the offensive line. You can never use that as an excuse because it’s something you have to prepare for.”

Things went sour in a hurry in the second half as the ***** ratcheted up the blitzes and the pressure on quarterback Marc Bulger. Bulger was under pressure for most of the half and never really got into a rhythm. He finished 19-of-34 for 185 yards with a touchdown for a rating of 81.1.

With Bulger on the run most of the day, it was hard for the offense to establish any kind of consistency. Although the offensive line helped running back Steven Jackson gain 103 yards on 22 carries, there was never an opportunity to keep feeding him because of a sack or a penalty on the offensive line.

By the time the game was over, the Rams had allowed six sacks and Bulger was hit many more times.

“Sacks are big momentum plays and they are hard to overcome offensively,” Head Coach Scott Linehan said. “If you are moving the ball and even if you get no yards on a run or you don’t hit the big pass, you start over where you were. Taking a sack is a momentum play for our team and it’s hard to overcome. That certainly is something we have to fix.”

As for Incognito, he fared well in his debut at center according to Timmerman. Incognito showed strength in the run game and had only one snapping miscue when he picked up a 5-yard penalty for an illegal snap.

“He stayed calm,” Timmerman said. “He could have hit the panic button, but he stayed in there and did a good job.”

The length of Pace’s absence remains unknown as he undergoes more testing, but for concussions, most players usually miss at least a week. There will be more information on Pace on Monday.

PISA LEAVES: Pace wasn’t the only important Ram to have a game-ending injury Sunday. Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa left the game with a dislocated elbow after making a tackle in the third quarter.

Tinoisamoa, who has played through a variety of injuries over the years, went to the locker room for examination and wanted to return, but was unable to get back on the field.

His status for next week is unknown.

“I think the idea is once we evaluate him that he should be available next week,” Linehan said. “It’s too early to say. He wasn’t able to go back in so it’s too early to make that statement at this point.”

TURK TAKES SHOT: Punter Matt Turk is making a habit of finishing his punts face down on the ground. One week after he was hit late on a punt for a 15-yard penalty, Turk took another shot, this time from San Francisco’s Keith Lewis in the second quarter. The penalty kept a drive alive and the Rams converted it into three points.

Turk was on the ground for a short period of time, but returned to the game.

RAM BITS: The Rams’ loss on Sunday was the team’s first in 40 games when they had a 100-yard rusher…Isaac Bruce’s second reception of the game was the 820th of his career, passing Steve Largent for 11th on the all-time list…Inactives for the Rams included quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, center Brett Romberg, guard Mark Setterstrom, cornerback Jerametrius Butler, linebacker Jon Alston, defensive end Brandon Green and tight end Dominique Byrd…The only two Rams active who didn’t play were quarterback Gus Frerotte and defensive tackle Claude Wroten.