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  • #1

    identity?

    Where was the identity for
    the rams? I did not see any identity on the O side of the ball. We lost
    28 to 0! yes. So why did we not show that we are a running, stop the run
    team? Win or loose we would have showed identity by atleast running the ball.
    Last edited by HUbison; -09-14-2009, 12:40 PM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: identity?

    When the Rams ran the ball, often times it was for minimal gain. The offensive line was not getting much push up front. Jackson had only five runs on the day that went for more than three yards, and one of them was called back because Avery was holding. It also didn't help that miscues and penalties put this team in situations where they needed to pass to gain back yards lost by negative plays.

    I would have liked to see some more attempts to get Jackson involved in this offense. It seemed like only a handful of his touches actually amounted to anything. Everyone on this staff has talked about his importance to the offense; you've got to find ways of getting him the ball in situations where he can make an impact.

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    • RamWraith
      Rams Want Run Game Revival
      by RamWraith
      Thursday, November 17, 2005

      By Nick Wagoner
      Senior Writer

      When the Rams’ season appeared to be in the most dire of straits – playing two games without the use of quarterback Marc Bulger and receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce – they hopped on the only mode of transportation that could carry them to victory.

      Running back Steven Jackson, nicknamed ‘Train’ because of his size and speed, responded by carrying the load against New Orleans and Jacksonville. Even without those Pro Bowl offensive talents, St. Louis found a way to victory on the strength of Jackson’s running, solid offensive line performances and a few timely turnovers on defense.

      After a bye week allowed the aforementioned offensive stars to recover from their injuries, the Rams’ biggest task offensively appeared to be finding the right balance between run and pass. After all, everyone who had longed for a power running game finally got to see what they wanted and it was effective.

      Even with the whole world knowing that Jackson was the Rams’ biggest offensive threat, opponents still couldn’t find a way to stop him. So, it stood to reason that the Rams would stick with Jackson against Seattle last week in another extremely important game. But the running game wasn’t as big a part of the game as many of the players expected.

      “Yeah, (I was) a little bit (surprised) because that kind of was our plan going in to run the ball a little bit more and we had some success but we had a few tackles for losses and that makes it tough on the play calling when you don’t get positive yardage on the running game too,” right guard Adam Timmerman said. “It takes commitment to stick with it and hopefully that’s what it will take down the stretch.”

      After the Jackson got 20 carries in the win against the Saints and 25 against Jacksonville the following week, his total dropped back to 17 against the Seahawks. Entering that game, the Seahawks were 12th in the league against the run, but were also without starting defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs and linebacker Jamie Sharper.

      In addition to the missing defensive pieces, the weather forecast called for rain, meaning that there was a good chance the game would be won on the ground.

      While Timmerman and Bruce expressed surprise at the lack of running game, Jackson actually wasn’t surprised by the slightly lighter load.

      “I kind of expected it,” Jackson said. “We had to get guys back into the groove of things and we wanted to try to stretch them out. We were going against the No. 1 offense and we knew we had to put up points so you can’t expect to run the ball too much.”

      Jackson finished with 17 carries for 70 yards, an average of just over 4 yards a carry. On the surface that would seem to be a more than solid performance, but a part of the reason Jackson’s carries were lessened were the direct of result...
      -11-18-2005, 04:05 AM
    • Guam rammer
      Run blocking
      by Guam rammer
      I know the ****** have a pretty stout run defense but what i saw today was no push at all. Poor Steven Jackson couldnt build any steam with all those defenders in the backfield. His linemen slowed him down on some plays and it just seemed like Jax couldnt find any daylight anywhere. Our running plays look pretty basic and predictable so why do we continue to call the same plays over again. It seems like this is our main reason why we cannot sustain drives. We come into second halves of games up by a couple of scores then we try to run. Blaaah!!! An all pro running back just can't get it done without the big fellas opening up the holes. If we can't get it for almost an entire season, then the playcalling or the o-line needs to change.
      -12-26-2010, 03:42 PM
    • eldfan
      Rams running back has nowhere to run
      by eldfan
      By Jim Thomas
      ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
      09/20/2009

      Even on a day when Marc Bulger had only 17 handoffs, Seattle's strategy in dealing with Steven Jackson and the Rams' running game was painfully obvious.

      Time after time, in those critical final seconds before the ball was snapped, the Seahawks would creep a safety toward the line of scrimmage, an eighth defender to help keep Jackson bottled up.

      "There were eight down there quite a bit," Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "With a running back like we have, I think that's something we're going to see. And I would anticipate that Washington will do the same."

      It's simple gridiron math. By sending a safety into the box — the area roughly from offensive tackle to offensive tackle along the line of scrimmage — the defense is committing eight players to stop the run. In base formations, most offenses have only seven blockers in that same area: five offensive linemen, the tight end and the fullback.

      So in what's commonly described as a game of inches, having an extra body to tackle the running back can make a huge difference.

      Jackson expected a lot of "eight in the box" against Seattle. Ditto for Washington on Sunday at FedEx Field, and really for every Sunday.

      "That's just going to be my mindset for all 16 games that we have," Jackson said. "I anticipate for the rest of the year that defenses are going to put eight men in the box because we're just so young at the wide receiver position."

      It makes all the sense in the world for defenses to gang up on Jackson.

      "I mean, right now he's our best football player on offense," tight end Randy McMichael said. "A lot of teams know that, and they want to take him away. We've got to find a way as receivers and tight ends to make plays.

      "And even if they do have eight-man fronts, we need to get seven guys (blocked), and let Steven make the one guy miss. It's all about just staying on your man a little bit longer and helping 'Jack' find somewhere to run."

      Easier said than done, particularly in more obvious running situations. Against Seattle, Jackson gained only 19 yards on eight carries on first down, a traditional running down. That's only 2.4 yards per carry. But on second and third downs, when defenses have to be more concerned with the pass, Jackson averaged six yards per carry (eight carries for 48 yards).

      Jackson should see plenty of Washington middle linebacker London Fletcher, the former Ram, on Sunday. "He's a tackling machine," Jackson said. "From what I see on game film, he kind of mirrors the running backs. So it should be a good matchup with myself and him."

      Fletcher had 18 tackles last week in the Redskins' season-opening loss to the New York...
      -09-20-2009, 08:06 AM
    • RamDez
      He leads NFL ball carriers in total yards
      by RamDez
      BY STEVE KORTE
      News-Democrat
      ST. LOUIS - Steven Jackson is proving that he can be an all-purpose running back.
      Jackson leads NFL running backs in yards from scrimmage this season with 531 -- 367 rushing yards and 164 receiving yards -- this season. San Francisco's Frank Gore is second with 460 yards.
      "It's all the same," Jackson said of being both a receiver and a runner. "Once you get the ball you're a running back anyway, so it doesn't matter."
      Jackson jokingly referred to himself as a "Big Marshall Faulk" -- arguably the best all-purpose back in NFL history -- after gaining 146 yards from scrimmage in the St. Louis Rams' 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
      "Coach (Scott Linehan) has opened the offense a little bit because after those first few weeks when the running game was so successful, we have faced a lot of eight-man boxes that are geared to stop the run," Jackson said. "The defense was trying to take that element away from us, so he wanted to get me involved in other ways and still contribute to the game and push the ball downfield. If we can't get it in the running game, we'll get some short passes."
      Jackson is on pace for 60 receptions for 656 yards after having only 43 receptions for 320 yards last season.
      "I've always had these talents," Jackson said of receiving skills. "They just didn't pop up overnight. It's just the fact that I'm able to put up stats now. That's what we all look at, I guess."
      To Linehan, it's all about getting the ball in Jackson's hands. Jackson is averaging 26 touches per game this season.
      "Certainly he's our main ballcarrier, and to be able to get him involved some in the passing game gives the ability to use him in two ways, as opposed to just handing him the ball," Linehan said. "He does a lot with it once he's got it in his hands, too. I think that the sensible thing is to figure out more ways to get it in his hands."
      Jackson said the Rams' entire offensive unit seems to be finally feeling comfortable with Linehan's system.
      "That's how offense goes," Jackson said. "Defense goes faster than offense, and we need to all get on one accord. So much goes into an offense. The timing of the receivers and the quarterbacks, the pass protection, making sure the running backs and the offensive line are on (the same page). It's so much that goes into it, but once it clicks, it clicks."
      Jackson got his first rushing touchdown last Sunday as he ran into the end zone untouched from 1 yard out.
      "To get our first rushing touchdown makes it feels like, now we've done it," Jackson said. "When you can't do it sometimes, you start to overemphasize on it. Once we got in there, we got settled in and we know that we're firing on all cylinders now."
      Rams quarterback Marc Bulger said Jackson's touchdown run was...
      -10-07-2006, 02:33 PM
    • MauiRam
      Burwell: Time for Rams to unleash the beast
      by MauiRam
      By Bryan Burwell Sunday, September 19, 2010 12:15 am

      OAKLAND, Calif. • Steve Spagnuolo's coaching DNA comes off the old Bill Parcells strain, an old-school football philosophy that emphasizes nasty, aggressive defense and an offensive style that relies on smart veterans, hands-in-the-dirt power and clock-gobbling ground control.

      So imagine the culture shock that must have occurred in his head last week when he not only put his offense in the hands of a rookie quarterback, but condoned a game plan that involved a lopsided pass/run distribution of 57-to-24. Okay, we know circumstances forced the Rams to be a bit more pass happy than what normally suits Spagnuolo's tastes. But the most surprising aspect of the way things worked for his offense was that Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson was particularly ignored for most of the first half.

      Two carries in the first quarter?

      Eight in the first half?

      That has to change, doesn't it?

      Please tell me that's going to change.

      I am as guilty as most of us of an incurable Sam Bradford obsession. Heck, I am the drum major in his parade. But as good as the kid has shown he can be, and as good an NFL quarterback as we know he will ultimately turn into, the rookie needs a lot of things going the right way if he's going to make this offense work smoothly. One of those things — the most important thing — is a highly productive Jackson.

      When the Rams face the Oakland Raiders Sunday afternoon inside rowdy Oakland-Alemeda Coliseum, the game plan needs to tilt back a bit towards a more balanced run/pass ratio. Jackson needs to be the focus of this offense.

      Every week the Rams play, I am always amazed at the comments I get from smart NFL folks who get an up-close eye full of Jackson's raging running style. A few weeks ago after the Patriots preseason game, I ran into Chris Long's dad, the legendary Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, and when the conversation rolled around to Jackson, Howie had a familiar reaction.

      "Oh man, he's a beast," he gushed. "I love watching that guy run with the football."

      It's amazing how much greater the appreciation for Jackson's unique gifts seem to be outside St. Louis. Knowledgeable football wise guys speak of him in almost reverent terms because of his size and speed and his almost freakishly powerful running style. And I guess unless you have seen Jackson's raw energy up close from an NFL sideline, even the TV replays don't adequately translate what he is doing out there.

      Jackson is a difference maker on this Rams offense, but the plays have to be called to take advantage of his talent. Throughout his career, he has proven that the longer you feed him the stronger he gets.

      I charted his entire career and it's fascinating to see what happens when he is given the ball. Look...
      -09-19-2010, 01:53 AM
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