What Balzer thinks

**RamWraith** · #1 (**permalink**) -25-08-2004

Howard Balzer, of Fox Sports Midwest, ESPN Radio 1380, and USA Today Sports Weekly: "A day after the Rams horrific performance against the Chiefs on Monday night, leaves room for several observations. First, the defense was pretty awful playing against a very good offense. But let's remember one thing. When coach Mike Martz talks after the game about the team not being prepared, what he really meant was: The Rams don't prepare to play teams in the preseason, they just go in and try to work on their own things, not mindful of what the other team does. And when you go against an offense like the Chiefs, the defense is going to struggle."

"Yes there are issues on defense, but the Rams are using a lot of different combinations as they find out who can play in that rotation, especially at defensive tackle. So we shouldn't overreact too much to what happens in a preseason game. Let's remember the year 2000 when the Rams when the Rams were coming off their Super Bowl win over Tennessee, went to Nashville on a Monday night and lost to the Titans 30-3. Tennessee fans thought the Rams were going to have to give the Lombardi trophy to them based on a prerseason game."

"That's the way the Chiefs played this one on Monday night. They blitzed the Rams, they came after them - on offense they used many of their weapons, and the Rams weren't ready for it, because one aspect is they have to play again on Friday night."

"So the defense, yes, has to work on a lot of things. Tommy Polley didn't play as a starter and then he got hurt. Defensively inside, the Rams have to get better. The offensive line - that's another whole issue the Rams have to deal with. It's time for Orlando Pace to join this team, it's also time for the Rams to step up their intensity level."

"But they do that in the regular season, not in the preseason."

**HUbison** · #2 (**permalink**) -25-08-2004

Quote:

Tennessee fans thought the Rams were going to have to give the Lombardi trophy to them based on a prerseason game."

On a sidenote, I lived in Nashville during this time and it was truly sad. The Titan fans were treating that preseason game like it was the 2nd and decisive round of the Super Bowl. They acted like the SB didn't even happen. That preseason game WAS their SB. I really felt bad for them. Oh well, with some teams, I guess it's any port in a storm.

Again, there are no preseason "games", only preseason "interactive-scrimmages".

*sbramfan* · #3 (**permalink**) -25-08-2004

Hey, whatever helps you sleep better at night.

But let's call a spade a spade...

The Chiefs are in regular season form and look like a team to recon with. The Rams look like a team in disarray and have holes in both lines.

Wins and losses are not all that important in pre-season, but looking like you barely belong on the same field as the other team is where they are currently at. It needs to getter better in a hurry!!