What has the real problem been this year?

[AvengerRam]

Is there one factor that has been the true culprit for the Rams' woes?

[txramsfan]

Letting London Fletcher go was the worst thing that ever happened to the Rams. He was the heartbeat of the defense, and since he left no one has stepped up and taken that mantle.

[AvengerRam]

LOL See Tx, that's what happens when you don't wait for the poll choices to go up!

I voted for some, but not all, of the factors.

While the Front Office instability has gotten a lot of press, I don't buy that it had much to do with what happens on Sundays.

I do think Martz's mid-season departure was a big factor.

I don't think that the team lacks sufficient talent, but I do think a combination of injuries and inexperienced players being thrown into the mix (Fitz's debut notwithstanding) have hurt the Rams.

[txramsfan]

It's called premature postulation. Posting to quickly.

LOL

[AvengerRam]

Next time, think about baseball. It will slow you down a bit. LOL

[HUbison]

As is always true in football, there's never one item that decides a season. I think we're just a very mediocre team top to bottom. In 2003, our very talented O was 2 years younger and this D overachieved with their 157,425 turnovers. Since then the D has come back to earth and the O has gotten older. Factor in Martz' illness, the in-house fighting, injuries and rookies.....well, I'd say we're doing good to be 5-6.

An aging O
An ailing HC
A below-average D
A bottom rung DC

This is just who we are right now, but change is on the horizon.

[RamJackson39]

A bottom rung DC

Why give marmie more credit than he deserves?

[txramsfan]

The Rams just don't have the talent. And everyone please, QUIT JUST LOOKING AT THE OFFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL. Who's the playmaker on defense? Who takes charge in the huddle? There is no one on the defensive side of the ball this year that is considered a stud. Little for all his reasons just hasn't done it this year. I can see Pickett working his way into the mold of the heart of the defense but he isn't there yet.

[rampete]

losing j. butler early in training camp and not having found a serviceable FS till mid season didn't help any also...

but marmie and his lack of leadership in forming an identity for his players has been the straw to break the camel's back....

[RAMMAN68]

Who's the playmaker on defense? Who takes charge in the huddle? There is no one on the defensive side of the ball this year that is considered a stud. Little for all his reasons just hasn't done it this year.

Well I'd have to say that Pisa is the leader right now. He has been calling the plays and is the leading tackler.

A lot of things have contributed to the failures this season most notably is the injuries and having inexperienced players having to fill in.

I have to say though that the FO/ coaching staff did a very poor job addressing the need for quality DB's before the season started.:clanram:

[Curly Horns]

Stupid mistakes by the players and a general lack of overall execution.

I have to say though that the FO/ coaching staff did a very poor job addressing the need for quality DB's before the season started.

Where you gonna get em? It's not like they grow on trees and are a dime a dozen. Butler got hurt. Fisher regressed and I think Butler's absence hurt him as well. The Rams drafted and brought in quite a few DBs.

As far as addressing needs, I'd say it was the LBs they brought in that really did not work out.

[RamsFanSam]

The Rams have a boatload of individual talent, but a lot of woes with the team talent. Kinda like having Carl Sagan, Steven Hawking, and Albert Einstien discussing string theory, stellar mechanics, time dilation, and dark matter - each is extremely talented in his own right, but collectively, they can't find an theory they all agree on.
The 'clown college' in the front office is not doing any real favors for us, but I don't think it is a major factor.
The illness that Martz is dealing with most likely has played a major role in the lack of success this year. I'm not a doctor, but I do know that a problem in the heart can result in reduced bloodflow to the brain. Lower bloodflow = loss of oxygen, and this means impaired memory and thought processes. Add the worry the players feel for Martz and this can add up to be a huge problem.
Considering the number of injuries this year, and who has been injured, I think this plays a HUGE role in the mediocrity of the team. Our second string has done a good job of trying to fill their shoes, but there is a reason they are second string. They should not be expected to do what the starters do as well as the starters do it.
As far as the inexperienced and young players...yes, they have been a small part of the problem. Take Barron, for example...young, inexperienced, and very talented. He has done a fantastic job at right tackle, better than some of the more experienced veterans in the league, and definitely a lot better than who we had in there during the first few games. However, he has committed a lot of 'rookie penalties'. This is where you have to choose...a veteran 'revolving door', or a brick wall who jumps the gun?
The few aging players we have are not a major drawback, in my opinion. Sometimes there is no substitute for their experience. As long as they are doing what they do better than anyone else we have, let them play.
The other major problem I see is a coaching staff who isn't doing the best they can. Even Marmie has to know a bit about coaching or he would have had to find another career years ago. Problem is, they are not using the knowledge they have to actually help. One bright spot I see is Henry Ellard...He seems to be doing a great job with our recievers.
Add it all together, we have a few major things and a lot of minor things that are giving us headaches.

[RamsFan16]

All of These Factors Played An Equal Part

[RealRam]

Very good thread, yet one that inevitably requires subjectivity & speculation.

For lack of time but in convenient agreement, I'll support RamsFanSam's commentary. :up:

[NY RAMFAN]

I think that all the problems and internal wars in the FO is a big factor.
You have a HC that cannot talk to the FO, and that hurts the perception of the player to the HC who is their leader.
The idea of "team" this year is lost, but we have to learn from our mistakes.
Mad M don't go . . . just fire Marmelade