Winless Rams having trouble with mistakes

[eldfan]

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS — Marc Bulger is expected to start this week for
the St. Louis Rams, whether or not backup Kyle Boller gets
cleared from a mild concussion.

Whoever’s taking the snaps on Sunday at Jacksonville, the larger
problem is cutting down on the epidemic of mistakes that are
dragging down a winless, rebuilding team that has little margin
for error.

The Rams (0-5) committed four turnovers in Sunday’s 38-10 loss
to the Vikings, three of them inside the Minnesota 10, and have
totaled 10 giveaways the last three weeks.

“Right now I think that’s the only thing that’s separating us
from winning games,” defensive end Leonard Little said Monday.
“The mistakes we’ve been making, it’s something we’ve got to
correct.

“We always correct them in practice but in the games it seems
like everything falls apart for us.”

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said at his weekly day-after news
conference that it was “correction day.”

Every Monday, it seems.

“The ball slips out of your hand, you miss a routine handoff,
those are tough things to explain,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ll hone
in on them, get better at them and move on.”

The Rams (0-5) had a 400-377 edge in total yards over unbeaten
Minnesota (5-0) and rolled up 27 first downs. Boller and Bulger
were a combined 27 for 38 for 297 yards with one touchdown and
an interception, and the offensive line limited the dangerous
Vikings pass rush to two sacks.

The giveaways negated those numbers, in a big way.

Jared Allen had a 52-yard fumble return for touchdown after the
ball somehow slipped out of Boller’s hand as he dropped back for
a screen pass. Boller and Steven Jackson didn’t connect on a
handoff from the Vikings 1. Tight end Daniel Fells tried to back
into the end zone after a catch and got stripped. Boller threw
an interception in the end zone.

That was more than enough to ensure the Rams’ 15th straight
loss, the longest slump in the NFL. They’ve been outscored by a
whopping 146-34 on the season.

Jackson took the hit for the fumble, although it officially went
to Boller.

“It really hurt the team and our momentum, and I think after
that we just snowballed downwards,” Jackson said. “We just have
to get over this spell of turnovers.”

Boller, starting for the second straight game in place of Bulger
(shoulder), was injured early in the fourth quarter and will
undergo testing Tuesday to determine his availability. Though
Boller moved the offense, Spagnuolo said there’s no competition
for the job and if Bulger’s OK he’ll be back as the starter.

Spagnuolo was comfortable with Bulger as the backup against the
Vikings after watching him progress during the practice week. He
said Boller got the start because he had taken snaps with the
first string all week.

“I love both of them,” wide receiver Keenan Burton said.
“Whoever’s out there I’m definitely going to try to make plays.”

Defensive tackle Gary Gibson will miss the rest of the season
with a broken left ankle sustained when he got his leg caught
under his body after he tumbled to the turf after a late block
in the third quarter. Gibson, who’s due to undergo surgery
Tuesday, is the second defensive tackle to land on injured
reserve after Adam Carriker was hurt in the preseason.

Spagnuolo was hopeful rookie offensive tackle Jason Smith
(bruised left knee) and safety James Butler (sprained left knee)
could return to the lineup this week. Smith was active on Sunday
but did not play.

Spagnuolo said defensive end Chris Long (chest) would undergo a
CT scan but Long said he felt fine. Defensive back Justin King
(knee bone bruise) is likely out.

[txramsfan]

You know, I do see positives with this team. They fix those turnovers against the Vikings, the Rams win.

How would you like to be a fan of the Titans? A team that wasn't supposed to be bottom feeding right now but that's where they are.

[eldfan]

I believe the team can turn it around to if it fixes those turnovers woes. The Titans has to be the most disappointing team, and there are some bad 0-5 teams and all 0-5 are not created equal.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

I think the mistakes and miscues are the most frustrating part about this season, aside from the losing of course. In the last three games, the Rams went toe-to-toe with their opponents until the mistakes and turnovers turned each game around. Forget what some are saying about this team being one of the all time worst teams. That's BS. This team has guts, they're playing their butts off and it will get better.

...and this is the single biggest reason I think the Rams will turn it around, beginning this season. The mistakes and miscues are a result of a young team and players that are thinking too much, and pressing too much. ...and this is because the Rams have a new HC, a new OC, and a new offensive scheme and they're taking in too much and it shows. Sooner or later, things will begin to click and they'll get more confortable, which in turn will allow them to react and just play, and you'll see a different "comfort level" that will translate into wins.

[schut39]

I feel pretty confident that Bulger can actually lead this team right now. I'm hoping we can get a win this coming week vs the Jags.