We don't have the talent anymore

It just isn't there. We aren't as talented as some of you perceive us to be.

1. Williams on the O line dosen't deserve to be in the NFL.
2. Faulk is just about through. He dosen't hit the hole like he used to. He dosen't make people miss. He isn't perceived to be a threat in the passing game anymore. He is missing the speed that made him a HOF. The pass he dropped yesterday was right where it had to be.
3. We are very small in the front seven on defense. We've been getting pushed around all year. The 2001 draft is becoming quite possibly the huge bust we all feared. Pickett and DLew can't stuff the run, and Archuleta has regressed from his first year.
4. Brooks threw to Butler's side all day yesterday. Whatever WR lined up against Butler was automatically open.

We just aren't very good right now. Happens in the day and age of the salary cap. My take, let other people "coach up" DT's. Time to clean some office, free up some cap space, draft O line and FA the rest.

I'm not sure I'm ready to go as far as that.


In my opinion we are solid or better at the following positions:

QB, WR1, WR2, RB (if Jackson and Faulk used correctly), LT, C, RG, DE (Little), DT (Pickett), OLB (Pisa), FS/CB (Aeneas), SS (Archuleta). There are several other positions that the Rams are average - DE (Fisher), DT (Lewis), OLB (Polly/Chillar), MLB (Thomas), CB (Butler).

The keys are playing to our strengths and avoiding mistakes. So far, the Rams have done a poor job at both.

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2. Faulk is just about through. He dosen't hit the hole like he used to. He dosen't make people miss. He isn't perceived to be a threat in the passing game anymore. He is missing the speed that made him a HOF. The pass he dropped yesterday was right where it had to be.

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What holes are you talking about Tex? Can't make a defender miss? Did you even watch the game yesterday? I saw at least 3 different plays where Faulk made brilliant cuts to avoid tackles and gain yardage. I can't defend the pass that he dropped but I will say that we might be a little spoiled by his pass catching abilities if 1 drop means the end of his usefullness. Don't forget all of the over the shoulder circus catches that he makes on a regular basis.

Faulk made brilliant cut to pick up the first when we went of it on forth. Just no hole with this O-line right now.

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Originally Posted by Rambos

Faulk made brilliant cut to pick up the first when we went for it on fourth. Just no hole with this O-line right now.

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The O-line really is the crux of the problem on the O side right now.

If you're referring to the stupid penalities then, yes, the line is the O's problem. But they are 7th in yards per carry (which is useless unless we start calling more running plays). And there are 11 teams that give up more sacks per attempt. That's remarkable when you think about how bad this line could have been.

Having said that, with every false start and holding call, my hair gets a little more gray and a little more loose.

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Originally Posted by txramsfan

... and Archuleta has regressed from his first year.

We just aren't very good right now. Happens in the day and age of the salary cap. My take, let other people "coach up" DT's. Time to clean some office, free up some cap space, draft O line and FA the rest.

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1st, I'm not going to hang much on Arch for yesterday's game. Last week was a different story. From what I could tell, Arch was playing LB while Lassiter and Lucas were the safeties for most of the game. And when pass coverage was called for, he seemed to be called to play man-to-man on the slot or TE. That strikes me as scheme. He was placed in a position where he could only look bad. Williams is not fast enough to be a cover corner anymore in a league where contact is to be de-emphasized. That is scheme also.

2nd, when you consider cleaning office, I hope you factor in the part that coaching, or lack thereof, is playing in this season's opening disappointment also.