No respect again

[Guam rammer]

Just saw NFL live on ESPN. They all got us comming in last in our division. Tre Wingo ends the segment by saying something like the Rams are just falling and they have too many holes in their system, and they'll continue in this direction for a while....I really hate ESPN. We need to start winning again so we can once again see our team on prime time television instead of waiting for a tiny segment of our team for these morons to bash our Rams to oblivion. Oh! they also have Seattle taking the Division from the Cards and that led me to think these guys are just rolling dice before the show begins.

[Bar-bq]

Re: No respect again

Well, while I don't agree with the critique, I can certainly see how it's validated. Now, I'm not saying that there is just cause to predict definitively that we are going to be the worst in the West, but based on the production the team has shown over the last two seasons and what our first teams have accomplished this preseason (I think it's fair to say we've had 'moderate' successes on both sides of the ball) I can see why Wingo would make that prediction.

Basically, we've shown precious little on the field (as opposed to the offseason overhaul that has us all cautiously optimistic) over the last two seasons to validate a prediction other than the one he's given us. It's certainly not a generous prediction, but it is, unfortunately, more realistic than I'd like to espouse. I don't think we're falling. I think we bottomed out at the end of the Haslett era and the bell curve is now on the upswing. It's a steep climb back to success, but that's not to say we can't and won't do it in the short term.

[tomahawk247]

Re: No respect again

Problem is Arizona are going to win games, the Seahawks are healthy again and the Niners are on the up

yes the Rams are improving too, but does that make us better than the three other teams in the division? probably not
we will likely win more than we did last year, but i wouldnt be surprised if we still came bottom in the division

[majorram]

Re: No respect again

we will creep up on teams this year, i see nothing special with the Hawks there O line is a mess and their QB is one hit and he will be out, the whiners have NO pass rush, and again the QB is going to struggle......the cards will take the west and I think we will be the most improved team in the Division..

steve:ram:

[Nick_Weasel]

Re: No respect again

As much as I hate to admit it, we definitely have holes all over the place. We have question marks at CB, DE, DT, SLB, QB, WR, OT, OG, and TE. I'd venture to say the only positions I'm not concerned about are both safety positions, FB, C, K, and P.

The bright side is that a lot of these question marks are because we have young players stepping in - if our recent picks step up, Bulger returns to form, Jackson stays healthy, etc we could have a good team this year. But there are 31 other teams that could say "if everything goes our way, we could push for a playoff spot" - that's the nature of the NFL.

Until the Rams get on the field and show the rest of the league (and the analysts) that we're fielding some good players, I don't expect to receive much respect among the largely backwards-looking analysts at ESPN. I'm hoping it's soon because with the youth we have on our team, once we start playing some good football it's going to be a while before we see the cellar again.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

Re: No respect again

I have not read a single publication or article (other than one posted here on the ClanRam, written by a member) that doesn't have the Rams finishing last in the west. Most have the Rams as the # 31 team in the league. ...and how can anyone really disagree based on what we know today? The Hawks, Whiners and Cards are all better teams right now. Right now, is what we know today. What we know today is the Rams have had the worst team in the division for several years and until they lace them up and play for real, the fact that the Rams are the worst team is just that. ...a fact.

Now, if the Rams start the season with a convincing win over the Hawks in their stadium, the facts and what we know will have changed, and attitudes and the perception of our beloved Rams will as well.

But until then, you have to go with what you know.

[RebelYell]

Re: No respect again

We've got a thread bashing the team for having the worst draft in the history of the franchise in 2006 (or is it one of the many others?) and then we have a thread saying this team is under rated and not getting enough respect. After 2 horrible years since that 2006 draft, ever wonder why they might be under rated? Their #1 draft choice is having difficulty breaking into the starting lineup. That's not a good sign for the beginning of the season.

[Richbert88]

Re: No respect again

.............Their #1 draft choice is having difficulty breaking into the starting lineup. That's not a good sign for the beginning of the season.

Knock this off. Pace didn't start until game six of his rookie season.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

As fans, we have some unrealistic expectations, like Smith starting out his career as a starter. <he'll get there before you know it>.

This team will suck until it doesn't. Let's hope that having a "plan" and a "competent front office" can address this. And let's hope this team shows inprovement through what may well be a difficult season. Nobody will give them and credit until they prove it on the field. If I remember correctly, they really weren't on the Rams in '99 until week four.

In the mean time, we have some players who are going to play they're collective butt's off, and that should make for some "interesting" football.

Go Rams!

[MauiRam]

Re: No respect again

Just saw NFL live on ESPN. They all got us comming in last in our division. Tre Wingo ends the segment by saying something like the Rams are just falling and they have too many holes in their system, and they'll continue in this direction for a while....I really hate ESPN. We need to start winning again so we can once again see our team on prime time television instead of waiting for a tiny segment of our team for these morons to bash our Rams to oblivion. Oh! they also have Seattle taking the Division from the Cards and that led me to think these guys are just rolling dice before the show begins.

Respect must be earned. How much respect have we earned the last few seasons? Not much .. As far as I can see, all their pontificating on how lousy we are will be great locker room fodder .. I rarely watch espn, unless they're showing a game, therefore I didn't hear what was said. Bottom line here is that we finally appear to have a fully functional front office along with a head coach who is a born leader of men. Given time, we'll gain the respect of these "morons" whether they want to give it or not. For years it seemed free agent players didn't want to come here because the whole organization was so dysfunctional. That's about to change ..

[eldfan]

Re: No respect again

I have not read a single publication or article (other than one posted here on the ClanRam, written by a member) that doesn't have the Rams finishing last in the west. Most have the Rams as the # 31 team in the league. ...and how can anyone really disagree based on what we know today? The Hawks, Whiners and Cards are all better teams right now. Right now, is what we know today. What we know today is the Rams have had the worst team in the division for several years and until they lace them up and play for real, the fact that the Rams are the worst team is just that. ...a fact.

Now, if the Rams start the season with a convincing win over the Hawks in their stadium, the facts and what we know will have changed, and attitudes and the perception of our beloved Rams will as well.

But until then, you have to go with what you know.

I agree 100%.

[AvengerRam_old]

Re: No respect again

I don't really care if the talking heads predict that the Rams will come in last this year. It certainly is the safe pick, given recent history.

The comments that annoy me are those that say "it will take a while for the Rams to turn things around," suggesting that a rebuilding process will necessarily take years.

Have these guys been sleeping for the last 20 years, or do they just have really bad memories?

There are many examples of teams that turned things around quickly (has Wingo already forgotten the Dolphins, Ravens and Falcons from LAST YEAR!).

So, even if the Rams have another tough season, I think it is a mistake not to recognize that the future could be very bright. In 2010, the Rams can look forward to a young O line anchored by Brown and Smith (with a year together already under their belt), a top notch RB still in his prime, young receivers with a year more seasoning, up and coming front 7 players, young and athletic DBs with game experience, not to mention the FA possibilities and... quite possibly... a true "QB of the future" on the roster.

Let's take it one year at a time.

For 2009, I expect to see a team that will work hard and fight hard every week. There are holes in the team that will be exposed, and I'm only predicting an 8-8 season (which, I confess, might be optimistic), but there will be PROGRESS.

[RamsInfiniti]

Re: No respect again

The media is lazy plain and simple. They don't look past the skin of any bottom feeding team ...

Last night, seriously, I can't remember if it was on ESPN or NFLN, they were debating who was the best looking QB in the NFL, either Tom Brady or Mark Sanchez. Seriously, I kid you not ...

What they fail to realize is, we were about two touchdowns worth of points away from being 6-10 last year instead of 2-14. I guarantee you if we finished 6-10, they'd look at us alot differently ...

The other thing they fail to realize is most 10-6 teams were probably about two touchdowns worth of points away from being 6-10 ....

The media is bogus, plain and simple. It's not a matter of respect, it's a matter of laziness ....

[Ramer]

Re: No respect again

I really don't listen to predictions. I would love to see the Rams go out there and prove we are better then everyone is predicting.

[MauiRam]

Re: No respect again

.

Let's take it one year at a time.

For 2009, I expect to see a team that will work hard and fight hard every week. There are holes in the team that will be exposed, and I'm only predicting an 8-8 season (which, I confess, might be optimistic), but there will be PROGRESS.

This sums it up in a nutshell for me .. I have no prediction for how many games we will win because I have absolutely no idea, but progress we will. Most of all I expect this team to show some guts in the face of adversity.

[ScottD413]

Re: No respect again

I just want us to play hard this season. I never want to see a display like the one I saw after the Eagles game last year ever again. That was disgraceful.