Week 3 - Why we win / Why we lose vs. Tampa Bay

[RamsInfiniti]

Ok guys. Here we go for week 3 @ Tampa. I think we match up well for this guy in just about all facets and I can't imagine why we can't go to Tampa and rack up our first W:

Thing we must do to win!

1. Throw the ball vertically - Ah yes. The Cover 2. We've seen it so many times, it's definitely not quite the fad it used to be. We have to throw the ball downfield early and often in this game. They don't even have to be completions, persay, but just enough to move the defenders back. There are two really effective way to attack the Cover 2: get four or five receivers downfield into open space, and to vertically stretch the corners. If the makeshift line can provide Bulger time early in the game to knock the safeties back a few yards, and get the linebackers a little wider than normal, it should provide many a running lane for S.J. to get his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Coming out to establish the run against this defense might not be the answer, but if they take the medicine early, there is no reason not to feed the monster. However, if we knock these guys back a notch early, it could easily be a 450 yard, 30 point performance from our offense.

2. NO TURNOVERS - Enough said. We can't have any silly turnovers in this game. We all saw what our defense can do when they keep their energy level high. Maintaining time of possession is critical to this. We need to keep the ball moving at all times.

3. Linebackers stay on the point of attack - We face Cadillac Williams this week behind a fair offensive line. He is definitely not the back that Gore is, but he runs a similar style and I expect a similar attack to the ***** in that regard. We should have no problem containing up the middle, and I'd expect them to try to bounce Williams off-tackle or run some counter treys. The linebackers must contain at the point of attack and not let the runs get outside like they did in week 1. There was definite improvement with Draft in there last week over Pisa. He is stronger, more aggressive, and plays a little smarter, definitely against the run. If we get a solid performance from our linebackers, and better run support from our safeties, I can't see the Tampa RB's getting much accomplished. We need to keep a spy on Garcia because we are terrible at containing mobile QB's. He will run when he see's the pressure. I'd like to see O.J. come up and whack him one good time.

Things that will cause us to lose:

1. No pressure from the front four - Haslett got a little creative last week and had some excellent results, including the delayed CB blitz by Bartell that resulted in a big loss. This creativity is nice, but we need a little more pressure from the front four. If we let Garcia sit in the pocket, he'll have a more than solid day against our depleted secondary. If we get consistent pressure, he'll look alot more like he did in his days at Cleveland. He is easily rattled when he is hit and he'll try to make plays with his feet before he sits around the pocket and gets sacked. If we can force Garcia to move around more than he'd like, we can probably force him into a few mistakes. If we can get consistent front four pressure, and build a lead early, we can take apart Garcia's mentality with a steady dose of blitzes from all angles. If we lose this game, it will be because of Garcia's arm.

2. No aggression on offense - If we come out very vanilla to start this game, we are going to be in for a long day. Tampa has a good set of linebackers who can make plays and we need to stretch them out and get them into uncomfortable situations early and often. The Tampa DB's are undersized and we need to attack Rhonde Barber all day long. He matches up best against Ike which leaves Holt and Bennett against inferior defenders. Barber stands no chance against the larger Bennett. If we can attack their DB's early and force help from the LB's, McMichael and his backfield mates should be free all day long. I don't expect alot of pressure from the depleted Tampa front four, so even behind this line, Bulger should have time to get the ball downfield. Versus what he saw against the *****, things should be moving in slow motion for Marc this week.

3. Uninspired play - The energy I saw from the defense last week was something that I haven't seen from the Rams since day 1 of last season. I don't know what Haslett and Linehan have to do to motivate the D in that manner, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: if the D performs like that every week, there is no one that we cannot beat. We need to avoid giving up the BIG GAIN. That seems to be the problem that we have every game. If we only give up 185 yards of offense, we should never lose, no matter how poorly our offense is playing. With the energy, come a little over aggressiveness, which is what we saw on the big gainer from Gore last week, when Chavous went for the strip instead of making the sure tackle. We need to be smarter than that this week.

Overall, I think we have Tampa outclassed across the board. If we bring the energy we had last week, I think we soundly win this game. An uninspired effort will result in uninspired results. The victory Tampa had over New Orleans last week is not nearly as impressive as it looked. New Orleans cannot run the ball and they cannot defend the pass. Tampa will need a much better effort this week to take down the Rams, who are hungry for a win.

Rams 24, Tampa 13

[Richbert88]

Components of a win in Tampa:

1. Hit Garcia early, and with reminder hits later.

2. Contain the run.

3. Don't turn the ball over.

4. Stay hydrated.

31-16 Rams

[itsguud]

Excellent post RamsInfiniti. I agree 100% with all of your points.

The only thing I think needs to be added, is our inexperienced O-line vs. the Tampa home crowd. I am worried about penalties as their first away game. Hopefully its not a problem.

[BigDaddyPace]

1. NO TURNOVERS!
2. Stop the run.
3. NO TURNOVERS!
4. Get the running game going.
5. Get SJ involved in the passing game (screens, shuttle passes, swing passes)

Rams Win 24-14

[RAMMAN68]

What it all boils down to with the offense, IMO is a lack of discipline.

The O line is not very solid right now, but if you throw in dropped balls, over thrown passes, and turnovers your not going to win.

In week one, it was the ST play that stood out; in week two it was the defense. Could week three be the week the offense finally gets on track? Let's hope so.

[TekeRam]

I've said it before, this week we need to immediately stretch the field to keep those safeties back and we need to give Jackson the short dump off screen whenever they blitz. Let them come with six or seven, then just get the simple pass to Jax and let him work in space an not a lot of defenders to try to break.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

All the Rams need to do is show up, run the offense the way they're capable of playing, and don't turn the ball over.

If they do that, they win. Period.

[Brain Daddy]

I think this game has the potential to be a shootout.

Offensively, I think the Rams showed improvement last week from their first game of the season. I think it'll be like last year where they struggle for a couple games before exploding. Tampa's D is nowhere near where it used to be. Their defensive passer rating is 88 and they give up 4 YPC on the ground. If Jackson & Co. are going to bust out, here's a pretty good chance. That line needs to open holes for Jackson and protect Bulger.

Defensively, I think the Rams have looked pretty good stopping the run up the middle and the Bucs have struggled to run the ball. However, the Rams have a defensive passer rating of 110.7 and with your secondary thin, an experienced QB like Garcia and a beastly WR like Galloway can have a big day.

This is a big game for the Rams and the score should definitely be up there.

[Bar-bq]

Score early and often.
Run The Ball.
Control the Clock.
Create Turnovers.

I guarantee you this is the recipe for a win every week.