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  • #1

    Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

    Spagnuolo puts blame on himself
    BY JIM THOMAS
    ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
    08/23/2009

    The score was 14-0, Atlanta, before most spectators had a chance to dig into their popcorn Friday at the Edward Jones Dome. For a Rams franchise intent on showing the fan base that things will be different this season, it was the last thing they wanted to happen.

    On Saturday, after reviewing game tape, coach Steve Spagnuolo blamed himself.

    "Personally, I think it's all on the head coach," Spagnuolo said. "The first quarter, I don't think I had the team ready to play. I'm going to take the onus on that. We need to start the game better, especially against a good football team."

    So what can Spagnuolo do differently to make sure his team gets out of the gate quicker?
    "I don't know," he said. "Just like we evaluate the players, I'm going to evaluate myself all the time. I'll sit back this week, and if I think there's something we can do differently in practice we'll do it.

    "If I think there's something we can say or approach (differently) the day before the game, we'll do that. But right now, if the team's not ready early like that, it's on the head coach. So we'll figure out a way."

    Besides being outscored 14-0, the Rams were outgained 147 yards to 56 by Atlanta in the opening quarter. Spagnuolo said it's impossible to gauge whether or not a team is ready to play based on pregame warm-up or really anything else leading up to the game.

    "I've stopped doing that in football," he said. "Sometimes you walk in there and say, 'This team's not ready to play.' And they go out and beat a team by 30 points. That's hard to assess."

    Granted it came once the starters were done for the night and the reserves had taken over, but Spagnuolo was pleased with the fact that the team chipped away at the early deficit and was in position to tie or win the game in the fourth quarter.

    SURGERY FOR FOSTER

    The Rams' draft class of '09 took its first major injury hit, with Spagnuolo announcing Saturday that wide receiver Brooks Foster will be out six to eight weeks following ankle surgery.

    Foster suffered what originally was termed a sprained ankle in the Aug. 14 preseason opener against the New York Jets. But additional testing revealed additional problems, so Foster underwent surgery on Friday.

    The Rams must decide whether to place Foster on the injured reserve list. The fifth-round pick from North Carolina had some good moments on the practice field during training camp as well as in the scrimmage at Lindenwood University. But he had no catches in the Jets' game, and faced an uphill struggle on making the 53-man roster.

    MORE ON INJURIES

    As expected, Spagnuolo said wide receiver Donnie Avery (foot) and quarterback Marc Bulger (finger) would not play in Thursday's preseason game at Cincinnati.

    Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and wide receiver Tim Carter (groin) will do some field work (individual drills) this week, but Spagnuolo said they are questionable for the Bengals.

    Offensive tackles Alex Barron (knee) and Phil Trautwein (back) are day-to-day.

    "If it was a regular-season game there was a possibility (Barron) could've played last night," Spagnuolo said. "But we felt it was smarter to kind of shut him down."

    Left guard Jacob Bell (concussion) will do some running Sunday. If he suffers no post-concussion symptoms afterward, he will take another baseline test. Bell must pass that baseline test before he's cleared to play.

    Defensive ends Eric Moore (ribs) and James Hall (sternum) are thought to be OK, but will be re-evaluated Sunday when the team returns to practice following a day off. Spagnuolo also said that running back Kenneth Darby "dinged" his knee but came out of the Falcons game OK.
    Tags: None
    • #2
      Re: Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

      Originally posted by r8rh8rmike

      "The first quarter, I don't think I had the team ready to play. I'm going to take the onus on that.

      So what can Spagnuolo do differently to make sure his team gets out of the gate quicker? "I don't know," he said.

      Spagnuolo said it's impossible to gauge whether or not a team is ready to play based on pregame warm-up or really anything else leading up to the game.

      "I've stopped doing that in football," he said. "Sometimes you walk in there and say, 'This team's not ready to play.' And they go out and beat a team by 30 points. That's hard to assess."
      God I hate to even appear negative at this time, but there were some odd statements in here to me.
      • First he said it was on him that the team was not ready.
      • Then said he did "not know" what to do about it.
      • Then he said you can't assess weather they are ready or not.

      I hate coach speak so I'm going to chalk it up to coach speak. I am not expecting miracles from the guy so all he had to say was, we've got to get better. But to be honest I almost thought this was Linehan speaking.

      No. No! I am not bailing on the guy already. Because I think he'll make the changes that count. Like with the roster. He just needs to choose his words better, perhaps. Anyone else read this and was like, hmm?

        Comment

        • #3
          Re: Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

          Spagnuolo said it's impossible to gauge whether or not a team is ready to play based on pregame warm-up or really anything else leading up to the game.

          "I've stopped doing that in football," he said. "Sometimes you walk in there and say, 'This team's not ready to play.' And they go out and beat a team by 30 points. That's hard to assess."
          Interesting.

          He blames himself for not having the team ready to play; yet claims there is no sure fire method to tell whether or not the team is ready to play.

          Nice conundrum! Guess that's why they pay him the big bucks.

            Comment

            • #4
              Re: Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

              Originally posted by HornyRam
              Interesting.

              He blames himself for not having the team ready to play; yet claims there is no sure fire method to tell whether or not the team is ready to play.

              Nice conundrum! Guess that's why they pay him the big bucks.
              lol.. sarcasm, I love it.

              (Disclaimer; I am in no way attempting to say that Spagnuolo is a bad coach or that we should even consider replacing him so don't go there. I just thought this was an odd couple o' statements of coach speak that almost directly contradict themselves.)

                Comment

                • #5
                  Re: Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

                  Well, at least Spags didn't BLAME IT ON DA ACK,AC,AC, ALCOHOL, BABY!!!
                  sigpic

                    Comment

                    • #6
                      Re: Spagnuolo Puts Blame On Himself

                      He could have done what Haslett did many times last season...blame the kicker

                        Comment

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                        • Rambos
                          Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo Takes Blame For Loss
                          by Rambos
                          Coach Steve Spagnuolo blamed himself for the St. Louis Rams' ugly first quarter Friday night, saying he was guilty of not having his team ready to play. The Rams (1-1) fell behind 14-0 and could never make up the lost ground as they fell 20-13 to the Atlanta Falcons at the Edward Jones Dome. "I think it's all on the head coach with the first quarter," Spagnuolo said. "I don't think I had the team ready to play in the first quarter. I'm going to take the onus on that. We need to start the game better, especially against a good football team." sked how he was going to make sure the Rams were ready when they travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Thursday, Spagnuolo said he didn't know. "I'm going to be evaluating myself all the time," Spagnuolo said, "I'll sit back this week, and if I think there's something we can do differently in practice, we'll do it. "If I think there's something we can say or approach differently the day before the game, we'll do that. But, right now if the team is not ready early like that, it's on the head coach. So we'll figure out a way."

                          Source: Belleville News Democrat
                          -08-23-2009, 06:25 PM
                        • r8rh8rmike
                          Rams Moving Ahead
                          by r8rh8rmike
                          Rams Moving Ahead
                          Saturday, August 15, 2009

                          By Nick Wagoner
                          Senior Writer


                          After reviewing the film of his first game as a head coach, Steve Spagnuolo made sure, like always, to keep the big picture view as his main focus.

                          While there were plenty of positives to take away from the team’s 23-20 win against the Jets on Friday night, there were also a few negatives. But the idea is to not get too high or too low based on either of those things, especially after just one preseason game.

                          And that’s the message Spagnuolo conveyed late Saturday afternoon after he had finished watching the tape.

                          “We have to do work in all different areas,” Spagnuolo said. “Like I said, this is a beginning, not an end. This wasn’t a final exam, this was just a – I’m not going to say a pop quiz because we knew this was coming – but we will take whatever we can out of it good and bad and hopefully get better. We have kind of been pushing that all the way through.”

                          That didn’t change on Saturday and isn’t likely to anytime soon, either. In the meantime, Spagnuolo will have the opportunity to continue to evaluate his players. Of course, Spagnuolo and staff will not completely ignore what happened on the field on Friday night, either.

                          Certainly, knee jerk reactions to a spectacular catch or forced fumble or long touchdown run will not be the order of the day for the Rams but there’s no doubt that making plays to stand out will earn certain players some opportunities they haven’t yet been afforded to this point.

                          “There will be a little bit of juggling,” Spagnuolo said. “I don’t know that there was anything that drastic that you will go out there tomorrow and say ‘Oh my God, they have changed here and there.’ We have a long way to go. We still have two more games before we have to make any decisions and then that final game. There will be a little bit of juggling, maybe more some guys getting some reps with the ones that haven’t and vice versa but that’s about it.”

                          Clearly, no player made a bigger impression on Friday night than running back Samkon Gado. Gado got his first action of the game working on special teams and also took first half snaps at fullback in place of Mike Karney.

                          To open the third quarter, Gado had a 25-yard kickoff return followed two plays later by his 77-yard touchdown run off the left side.

                          In a matter of an hour and a half, Gado showed the type of versatility that Spagnuolo seems to covet up and down the roster.

                          “Anybody that can play two positions I think is valuable,” Spagnuolo said. “I think anybody with versatility gives you a leg up. You go to 53 and all of a sudden it’s 45 on gameday, versatility is big.”

                          Gado wasn’t the only Rams running back making a strong impression. Antonio Pittman showed some juice, picking up 36 yards on...
                          -08-16-2009, 03:51 PM
                        • r8rh8rmike
                          Rams' Spagnuolo Not Second-Guessing Decisions
                          by r8rh8rmike
                          Rams’ Spagnuolo not second-guessing decisions

                          By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
                          13 hours, 16 minutes ago

                          ST. LOUIS (AP)—A day after a three-point loss to the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo declined to second-guess decisions that factored into the defeat.

                          Spagnuolo said on Monday that he still would have burned more than a half-minute off the clock at the end of the first half and settled for a field goal, and he still would have punted on fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter and counted on a defense that had given up huge chunks of yards on the ground to get the ball back.

                          Instead of going for the big plays, the Rams played not to lose.

                          Spagnuolo is 10-33 with five games to go in his third season. It’s a challenging stretch that could determine whether he keeps his job.

                          The Rams (2-9) are 13-point underdogs at San Francisco this week and, counting the rematch in the season finale against the *****, the next five opponents are a combined 38-17.

                          “Do you mean, how do I handle this San Francisco game right here this week?” Spagnuolo said. “You guys know how I’m wired.”

                          The coach believes players are still buying in, if a bit beat down.

                          “You have to forget about it and move on, but as a competitor they’re going to really get under your skin,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “I hate losing, I hate losing, and am never going to get used to losing.

                          “Nobody should in this locker room, in this organization.”

                          There’s no looking back for Spagnuolo. He wouldn’t have taken a few more shots at the end zone and tried to give the Rams a 14-3 cushion before halftime. He had to be talked into allowing one try before bringing on the field goal unit.

                          “It was a conservative approach, no question,” Spagnuolo said. “And you could have gone another way.”

                          In this case, Spagnuolo got the sense the offense was reeling. After Brandon Lloyd’s 26-yard reception to the 3 with 43 seconds left in the first half, the Rams went in reverse with a botched play call that resulted in a false-start penalty but easily could have been whistled for delay of game, and Sam Bradford was sacked for a 9-yard loss the next play.

                          “Obviously, we put ourselves in a pretty bad situation,” Bradford said.

                          Spagnuolo wouldn’t say what happened on the play from the 3, but indicated a lot had gone wrong.

                          “There were a lot of things going on,” the coach said. “There were too many issues. We need to get that play off.”

                          Spagnuolo also revealed he was thinking field goal right after Lloyd’s catch, going through “what if” scenarios in his mind that only got reinforced after two failures.

                          “Do we want to get a touchdown? Yeah,” Spagnuolo said. “I was going to bring it all the way down...
                          -11-29-2011, 03:06 PM
                        • r8rh8rmike
                          Spagnuolo Isn't Ready To Panic
                          by r8rh8rmike
                          Spagnuolo isn't ready to panic

                          BY JIM THOMAS
                          Wednesday, September 21, 2011

                          With a season-opening schedule of Philadelphia and the New York Giants, who have combined to win nine of the past 11 NFC East titles, it's not necessarily surprising that the Rams are 0-2. It's more how they've gotten there.

                          "We're certainly not where we want to be, record-wise or performance-wise," coach Steve Spagnuolo said Tuesday, after reviewing tape of the Rams' 28-16 Monday night loss to the Giants. "But I will say this, we've always said this: It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. Now, you can only use that saying for so long because then you start running out of games."

                          Although concerned, Spagnuolo isn't about to panic, and he speaks from the vantage point of someone who was defensive coordinator of a Giants team in 2007 that lost its first two games— giving up 80 points in the process — and went on to win the Super Bowl. No one, Spagnuolo included, is saying that's going to happen here. But he's not giving up on the season, either, not three weeks into September.

                          "We'll just forge ahead," Spagnuolo said. "We've got some good coaches here and we've got some good players. Nobody here is going to feel sorry for us. We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves. And we're going to go back to work."

                          So he's locked into the task at hand, namely, addressing a long laundry list of areas that need improvement and preparing for another formidable foe this Sunday in the visiting Baltimore Ravens.

                          "What we intend to do is learn from what's happened so far and move forward," Spagnuolo said. "That's just how we operate and what we'll do. There are certain things that are very visible, that being turnovers and penalties."

                          He could add numerous other entries to the "very visible" list, such as red zone ineptitude, dropped passes and just plain dumb football. Falling into the latter category would be what happened to running back Cadillac Williams when he couldn't hang on to a backwards pass from quarterback Sam Bradford and then became a spectator as Giants linebacker Michael Boley scooped up the ball and raced 65 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.

                          As of Tuesday afternoon, Spagnuolo said he still hadn't talked to Williams about the play. That is, not counting Spagnuolo's sideline "lecture" immediately after the play. Other than players needing treatment, Tuesday was a day off for them.

                          During his postgame media session Monday at MetLife Stadium, Spagnuolo gave Williams the benefit of the doubt, saying that perhaps the team hadn't worked on or discussed what to do in such situations. However, any such benefit of the doubt was removed Tuesday.

                          "I do know this, in talking with the offensive coaches, we...
                          -09-21-2011, 03:32 PM
                        • Rambos
                          Rams' Spagnuolo ready for new challenge
                          by Rambos
                          ST. LOUIS — New St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo knows the easy part is over.

                          "It's nice to be 3-1 after the preseason, but like I told the players last night, the score counted when we played the games," Spagnuolo said Friday, one day after the Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17-9. "It doesn't matter now. We're moving on.

                          "I'm perfectly aware that all of this is a honeymoon period. The real challenge is upcoming."

                          That challenge begins for St. Louis on Sept. 13, when the Rams open the season in Seattle. The Seahawks have beaten the Rams eight straight times. Then again, a lot of people have beaten the Rams lately, as St. Louis has won just five games the past two seasons.

                          No one is expecting Spagnuolo to change that overnight. He does like the way the team's mental approach heading into the season.

                          "I think we got a bunch of hungry guys. I think it's good to be hungry. When you get complacent, that's not a good thing. I do think it's a hungry football team. We've talked a lot about it and I think the guy's have embraced it."

                          However, plenty of question marks still remain. For instance, who will be under center when the Rams take the field in Seattle. Nine-year veteran Marc Bulger is the starter, but Bulger has been nursing a broken pinkie finger and has not played.

                          Bulger says he will be ready to start the season and Spagnuolo is counting on him.

                          "If he's ready to go, he goes," Spagnuolo said. "He threw in pregame last night. He felt comfortable throwing. It still comes down to taking the snap."

                          Another newcomer to St. Louis, Kyle Boller has started in Bulger's absence.

                          Another area of concern is the running game — on both sides of the ball. The Rams allowed more than 150 yards per game on the ground last season, and that area looked suspect during the preseason, particularly against Atlanta, when Falcons starters gouged Rams for two easy scores.

                          "We know if we had to pick out one area that we need to improve on both sides, it's in the running game, whether it's running it or stopping the run," Spagnuolo said. "I thought Atlanta came out and really took it to us. I don't think anybody felt great about that. And yet when challenged, the team bounced back against Cincinnati."

                          The Rams have yet to make any final roster moves. Spagnuolo said that he expects to make those by midday Saturday, but noted that the coaches were still evaluating players and positions.

                          One roster spot that might open up is on the defensive line. Spagnuolo reported Friday that 2007 first-round pick Adam Carriker suffered a "significant" injury to his right shoulder. He expects to have a final determination on Carriker's status Saturday.

                          Spagnuolo said the final cuts will be the toughest....
                          -09-05-2009, 10:09 AM
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