Waiting for Rams to click is like waiting for a miracle

By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Sep. 21 2006

When Scott Linehan's real offense is ready for a true rollout, I hope I am in
the stadium to witness it, because clearly this will be among the most
spectacular onslaughts in National Football League history.

I say this only because the coach, with two regular-season games already in the
books, continues to tell us that it's going to take more time to get this
offense clicking. Why? What exactly is so unusual or extraordinary about the
Linehan offense that precludes playmakers from functioning smoothly?

Linehan's task isn't to supervise the aging of an exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon
from Napa Valley. He wasn't hired to build a replica of the Pyramids for Rams
owner Georgia Frontiere. Linehan isn't a literary agent, given the assignment
of imploring the reclusive J.D. Salinger to finally write a followup to "The
Catcher in the Rye." At least Mozart had an excuse for not completing a
masterwork; the great composer died before finishing "The Requiem."

Really, why is this so difficult? Look at what Linehan inherited. Quarterback
Marc Bulger had a career completion percentage of around 65 percent coming into
this season. Offensive tackle Orlando Pace is one of the great OTs of this era.
Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are potential Hall of Fame wide receivers. Steven
Jackson, the young power back, is a fit for Linehan's system. Last year,
despite being hit hard by injuries, this Rams offense ranked No. 11 in the NFL
in points scored and sixth in yards.

Bulger has been playing catch with Holt and Bruce in real NFL games since 2002.
Holt and Bruce are tremendous route runners. Bulger has never been a good deep
passer, but otherwise he has shown the ability to connect on all type of
throws. And Jackson already has two 100-yard games on the board this season.

So with this proven mix of talent, why have we seen only one touchdown from the
starting offense through four exhibitions and two regular-season games? How
could the Rams virtually get smothered by a mediocre San Francisco defense in
Sunday's second half?

We're talking football here: block, run, throw, catch. Coaches would like to
have us believe their work requires the meticulous brainpower we normally
associate with a NASA engineer. Don't believe it. Linehan has had plenty of
time to get things rolling. Minicamps. Organized Team Activities. Around 40
training camp practices. Exhibition games.

In 1998, the Rams lined up with Tony Banks at quarterback. June Henley was the
leading rusher. Ricky Proehl was the leading receiver, averaging only 12 yards
a catch. (Isaac Bruce was injured for much of the year.) But somehow this group
managed to open the season by averaging 25 points over the first five games.

In 1999, Mike Martz took over as offensive coordinator and put in an offense
that perhaps was the most complex in NFL history. He lost his No. 1 quarterback
(Trent Green) to injury. He went with an old Arena League quarterback, Kurt
Warner. Martz had to revive Bruce. Martz had Holt, but Holt was a rookie. Martz
also was given the gift of Marshall Faulk at running back. But Faulk reported
late to camp.

Martz had a couple of months to bring all of these new parts together -- guys
who had never been in the same huddle before -- and get the players to
understand and fully absorb a highly sophisticated offense. And here's how the
1999 Rams broke out of the gate in the first five weeks: 27 points, followed by
35, 38, 42 and 41. That relentless march ended with a triumph in the Super Bowl.

I'm not saying Linehan's offense needs to match Martz's offense; that's
unreasonable and unrealistic. It's a different time. And I do believe Linehan
will get this offense cooking. Until then, please hold the excuses, Coach. The
excuses just aren't credible. We're talking about staging two or three
successful touchdown drives a game. It ain't the Lewis & Clark Expedition

This man truly is obsessed with Linehan. Who knew all it would take is limiting his access to the team and coaching staff?

Quote:

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Last year,
despite being hit hard by injuries, this Rams offense ranked No. 11 in the NFL
in points scored and sixth in yards.

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And what, we're not injured now. Ask Pace and McCollum that one. And what he doesn't mention is that the Rams have averaged 21 points per game the past two years. We've started with 18 and 13. Not at our average, but not exactly light-years behind it either.

Quote:

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Linehan has had plenty of
time to get things rolling. Minicamps. Organized Team Activities. Around 40
training camp practices. Exhibition games.

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I have to disagree. All the practice time in the world does not equate to game speed.

This offense is 100% flipped flopped from where they have been. The O line has gone from zone to power blocking. The routes have changed, Bulger's role has changed. That's just not going to happen overnight.

My take on it....Bernie's a smart guy, surely he knows all this. But again, his personal displeasure with Linehan has leaked into his article. Hey maybe, he can convince Samir to start a knife fight in the front office, that should create a little drama for him.

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Originally Posted by BernieM

I say this only because the coach, with two regular-season games already in the books, continues to tell us that it's going to take more time to get this offense clicking. Why?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BernieM

Quarterback Marc Bulger had a career completion percentage of around 65 percent coming into this season. Offensive tackle Orlando Pace is one of the great OTs of this era. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are potential Hall of Fame wide receivers. Steven Jackson, the young power back, is a fit for Linehan's system. Last year, despite being hit hard by injuries, this Rams offense ranked No. 11 in the NFL in points scored and sixth in yards.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BernieM

I'm not saying Linehan's offense needs to match Martz's offense; that's unreasonable and unrealistic. It's a different time. And I do believe Linehan will get this offense cooking.

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Way to take both sides of the fence there, Bernie. :x

With those quotes put together in the same story, I really don't know what he's trying to say, if anything but to stir up the pot. Doesn't make any sense to me, but maybe it's just me. :)

Some of Linehan's statements about how it is going to take time to get use to his new systems, dose seem like he is talking about this being a rebuliding year. He did not say it, but it but I get the sense he think the rams are a couple of seasons away for competing for the division.

I think we all know by now that Bernesto is a football challenged individual. That said; I was looking over his bits on last weeks game, ( i know, why you ask?) one poster stated something I thought was actually thought provoking.

How is it that Bulger was able to grasp and perform well under Martz's so called complicated system after coming off the bench in 03' and yet is having trouble with Linehan's supposedly simpler system.

Now, I know it's comparing apples to oranges, and I'm not, nor do I claim to be an expert on these matters; I just found it to be an interesting topic.

Food for thought; I'd like to hear your responses.

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Originally Posted by RAMMAN68

How is it that Bulger was able to grasp and perform well under Martz's so called complicated system after coming off the bench in 03' and yet is having trouble with Linehan's supposedly simpler system.

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Bulger was a backup for a while with the Rams before Warner was injured and he became a starter. He had a couple preseasons and experience as a backup to garner plenty of time to learn Martz's system.

For those who don't have time to read the whole article, allow me to summarize:

Bernie hates Linehan

That is all.

Well... he won't let me talk to his assistants, the big meanie!!!!!

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Originally Posted by AvengerRam

For those who don't have time to read the whole article, allow me to summarize:

Bernie hates Linehan

That is all.

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Aren't you being a little hard on the guy AV? :)

Well that's pretty much what I would have expected from Bernie, trying to set up a situation where he will shower Haslett with praise and try to create a power struggle between him and Linehan for the head coaching reins. Creating drama that isn't there, as usual.

Now with that said, I have to say that not letting our first offense play more in the preseason was an amazingly stupid decision, as is evident by now they needed all the snaps they could get. That's the biggest mistake Linehan has made so far I think. But there's nothing we can do about it now.

P.S Bernie claims that Bulger is good at all throws except the deep ones. I seem to remember some statistics showing that Bulger is actually the most accurate passer in the NFL - showing special accuracy on exactly the deep balls. Am I wrong here, does anyone else remember this? As anecdotal evidence I would have to say that in the years I've followed Bulger I've never seen him have trouble with the deep balls either, in fact I usually name that as one of his chief strengths.

Quote:

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Bulger was a backup for a while with the Rams before Warner was injured and he became a starter. He had a couple preseasons and experience as a backup to garner plenty of time to learn Martz's system.

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Good point EDM; so is this comparison between Martz's and Linehan's offensive systems a moot point?

Could it have more to do with game planning and in game adjustments?

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Originally Posted by Bernie

When Scott Linehan's real offense is ready for a true rollout, I hope I am in the stadium to witness it, because clearly this will be among the most spectacular onslaughts in National Football League history.

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From Bernie's book, "How To Win Friends And Influnece People". Or maybe "My Life As A Dic*".

Mike, just before I scrolled down to your post that's exactly the type of descriptive I was going to use in conjunction with Mr Miklasz.

So intead of doing that I'll just say that the only thing that rivals the abject nature of his prose is his opinion.

He's a disgrace.

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Originally Posted by Fat Pang

Mike, just before I scrolled down to your post that's exactly the type of descriptive I was going to use in conjunction with Mr Miklasz.

So intead of doing that I'll just say that the only thing that rivals the abject nature of his prose is his opinion.

He's a disgrace.

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He is a disgrace Pang. He cries and moans about Rams fans with statements like this:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bernie

But Rams fans -- if I write something they don't like, they go immediately below the belt with cheap shots. They immediately get dirty.

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Then HE immediately goes below the belt with cheap shots and gets dirty with flippant, disrepecful, mocking statements about Linehan.

Nothing worse than a hypocrite.

Meh, I expect nothing less from the guy anymore, nothing he writes surprises me. Pathetic.