Packers-Rams: Six Things To Look For

Unlevel Playing Field: Field position, fan support help Packers

by RamWraith

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Monday, Dec. 17 2007

For nearly three quarters, the St. Louis game plan worked effectively and the
Rams stuck with it. They established Steven Jackson and the running game early,
and took their shots with Marc Bulger in the passing game.

Through three quarters, the Rams had a 2-to-1 edge in possession time and had
outgained Brett Favre and the potent Green Bay offense by nearly 100 yards.
Yet, when the Rams looked up at the scoreboard at the Edward Jones Dome � aka
Lambeau Field South � they trailed by two touchdowns.

How did this happen?

Well, some gridiron historians refer to football as the "100-yard war." On
Sunday, it became more like a "50-yard skirmish" for the Packers. Thanks in
large part to lousy special teams play, the average starting point for the
Packers' drives was their 48-yard line.

Of Green Bay's 12 offensive series, six started in St. Louis territory. Three
others started at the Packers' 40, 44 and 48-yard lines.

"I just know when we're on offense and we hit the 50, it's kind of like you're
going downhill," Bulger said.

The Packers were going downhill all afternoon, like a sled on the snow at Art
Hill. Of the 53 offensive plays by Green Bay, 41 began in St. Louis territory.

"You're not going to beat a good football team like (Green Bay) doing that,"
coach Scott Linehan said.

Given such a lopsided edge in field position, it's almost surprising that the
final score wasn't more lopsided than Green Bay 33, Rams 14.

"They have only two losses for a reason," Bulger said. "They're a good team.
They made us play with that field position."

And made them pay because of that field position. Green Bay's victory coupled
with Seattle's loss to Carolina clinched a first-round playoff bye for the
Packers (12-2).

On a day when Favre eclipsed Dan Marino's NFL record for career passing yards,
it seemed as if all of Green Bay was on hand. With Rams fans continuing to bail
on their 3-11 team, thousands of "lower bowl" tickets belonging to Rams
season-ticket holders ended up in the hands of Packers fans.

Green and gold were the colors of the day. Cheeseheads everywhere. Dozens of
pro-Packers signs throughout the stadium. There was no way to know officially,
but it looked as if there were more Packers fans than Rams fans in attendance.

"It was a joke," Jackson said. "It's as simple as that. The whole (lower) level
was Green Bay Packers. We allowed them to put up signs. It's a joke."

"That was the worst, as far as the other team's fans,"...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-17-2007, 05:23 AM
[Packers] Packers timing it just right

by DJRamFan

Green Bay has won five straight since it flopped in its last appearance on 'Monday Night Football'

By Todd McMahon
News-Chronicle
There was a time, not long ago, when a general consensus had formed that the Green Bay Packers' time was all but up in the 2004 season.

They left a national TV audience equal parts flabbergasted and appalled the evening of Oct. 11. The Tennessee Titans stormed Lambeau Field and battered the Packers into submission by way of a 48-27 defeat, the most points ever surrendered by the home team at its sacred stadium.

Like that, the two-time reigning NFC North champions had sunk to the unfathomable low of being at the bottom of the division with a 1-4 record spun out of a four-game losing streak.

That was the last time the Packers had a co-starring role on ABC's "Monday Night Football." My, how the times have changed in the seven weeks leading up to their return engagement - and there's more to it than the network's catching flak for one of its desperate housewives baring herself to Philadelphia star receiver Terrell Owens in a recent pregame locker-room spoof.

At 8 tonight, the coast-to-coast TV audience will be introduced to a Green Bay team that has taken on a new, albeit familiar identity. All the Packers have been doing since bombing in their last "MNF" episode is win.

They put a five-game winning streak on the line against St. Louis (5-5) at Lambeau Field. At stake for the 6-4 Packers is maintaining a hold on the NFC North lead, a concept that seemed a pipe dream in the wake of the debacle against the Titans.

"We know how it feels to be 1-4. That feels pretty bad. We've been through that, and we don't want to go back there," said right guard Marco Rivera.

No turning, or looking, back is precisely the outlook head coach Mike Sherman drilled into his players' heads Wednesday morning. It was his first meeting with the team since addressing it late last Sunday night, following its gritty 16-13 comeback win at Houston in another prime-time game.

He paralleled what transpired in those four quarters to how the Packers' season has unfolded to date.

A 13-3 deficit through a dismal three quarters mirrored their 1-4 start in the win-loss ledger. "In that game, things weren't looking very good," Sherman reflected.

Lo and behold, the Packers caught fire in the final 15 minutes to score 13 unanswered points, pulling out the victory on Ryan Longwell's 46-yard field goal as time expired. A microcosm of how they've rallied in the past month and a half to string together the five wins.

"The guys hung together throughout the game; they believed in themselves," Sherman continued with the analogy. "You're down 13-3 going into the fourth quarter, and guys battled back. I thought...
- Channel: NFL TALK
-11-29-2004, 01:21 PM
Packers give the Rams extra motivation

by RamWraith

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Dec. 16 2007

For the past couple of months, the Rams have been under the radar, out of sight
and basically out of mind in NFL circles. That's what happens when you open the
season with eight straight losses.

On Sunday, the Rams play somebody from the other side of the tracks. For only
the second time since October, the Rams play a team with a winning record. And
it's not just any team. It's the Green Bay Packers, arguably the most storied
franchise in NFL history.

At 11-2, Green Bay can clinch a first-round bye with a victory, coupled with a
Seattle loss (or tie) at Carolina. A Green Bay tie and a Seattle loss also does
the trick.

The incomparable Brett Favre, at age 38, can surpass one of the NFL's biggest
passing milestones if he throws for 184 yards Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
That total will allow Favre to break Dan Marino's record for career passing
yards, set at 61,361.

Even at age 33 and in his 12th NFL season, defensive tackle La'Roi Glover
admits to being a bit more energized than usual because of the caliber of the
opponent.

"The motivation is there because of who Brett Favre is and the things he's been
able to accomplish in the NFL," Glover said. "So it's going to be a little
heightened excitement."

But it's not as if the Rams are going to seek out Favre's autograph during TV
timeouts.

"He's a quarterback who is good at what he does," running back Steven Jackson
said. "But you can't get caught up in that. We are playing the Green Bay
Packers. If you are in awe of who you're playing, then that's a loss already.
We have to go out and take care of business."

As for Favre's pending record, which can be achieved at the Rams' expense with
that modest total of 184 yards?

"I'm not worried about Brett Favre setting any type of records," cornerback Ron
Bartell said. "I'm worried about getting the win. He's set so many records in
his career, who cares about if he passes for 180 yards? I just want to get a
win."

For the Rams, 3-10 and officially out of playoff consideration, getting a
victory will be no mean feat. Not only are the Packers ranked No. 3 in the NFL
in total offense, they come to St. Louis with the league's ninth-ranked
defense. With a special teams unit that ranks in the top 10 in most major
categories, the Packers have few soft spots.

"They can run the ball. They've got, to me, the greatest passer that's ever
played the game," defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. "And they've got
great receivers. So we have our work cut out...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-16-2007, 08:54 AM
Packers offensive woes sound familiar

by Azul e Oro

by Tom Fanning, Packers.com
posted 09/24/2009

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said this week that Green Bay's offense is at its best when it can find a rhythm, but their struggles on first and second down have contributed to the Packers' inability to develop that during the first two games.

After ranking fifth in the league in 2008 in third-down conversions with a 44.2 percentage, the offense has seen a drop-off there through the first two weeks of this season, converting just 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) opportunities, which ranks tied for 20th in the NFL.

"I think we need to help (Aaron) more, and number one is winning more on first and second down and creating better third-down situations for him to be competitive in," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. "Our biggest problem on offense is the down-and-distances we have been playing in generated by the negative plays we have had."

The Packers' 17 negative plays through two games, which doesn't include penalties, are the second most in the league, behind only Minnesota's 19. Besides the league-leading 10 sacks Green Bay has allowed, it also has had six negative rushing plays and one passing play that lost yardage.

That has played a large part in the Packers' need to pick up 10 yards or more 12 times on 27 third downs, second only to San Francisco's 16. In 2008 when the offense converted at a higher clip, Green Bay faced third-and-10 or more just 57 times all season.

"When you are putting yourselves in third-and-12s, third-and-16s, third-and-20s, guys know they can pin their ears back and come after you," guard Daryn Colledge said. "We have got to run the ball well, establish it, and put ourselves in some short down-and-distances and let A-Rod and these receivers do what they do best."

Of those 12 third-and-10-plus situations in the first two games, the Packers converted just one of them, a 22-yard pass from Rodgers to tight end Jermichael Finley on a third-and-10 on Green Bay's final possession against Cincinnati.

Of the Packers' 27 third-down plays, 16 of them (59.3 percent) have been third-and-8 or more, with just two conversions. Compare that to the 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) third downs they have converted when they are looking at third-and-7 or less, and the impact of the negative-yardage plays is obvious.

Getting into those improved third-down situations starts with production on first down, and that hasn't been there to this point either. Green Bay has gained just 213 yards on the opening down, second to last in the NFL, as the Packers rank last in the league in average yards to go on second down at 9.37.

That number has also been impacted by the sacks that the Packers have allowed, with six of the 10 coming on first down for a total yardage loss of 42 yards. It only makes sense that when they are facing long-yardage situations...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-09-25-2009, 10:46 AM
Pick Six: Keys For The Rams Against The *****

by MauiRam

Bleacher Report by Ron Clements

The Rams are 0-3 and, even worse, have been bitten pretty hard by the injury bug.

In their 36-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers last week, the Rams lost leading receiver Laurent Robinson for the season with a high ankle sprain and broken fibula.

Safety James Butler sprained his MCL and will miss at least two weeks. Cornerback Ron Bartell is nursing a couple of leg injuries and will not be 100 percent for Sunday's game against the *****.

Quarterback Marc Bulger has a bruised shoulder, and is questionable for Sunday. Backup Kyle Boller, who played admirably for a half against the Packers and led the Rams on two scoring drives, is practicing with the first team this week.

Offensive tackles Alex Barron and Jason Smith missed some practice time this week with leg issues.

Then on Tuesday came news that starting linebacker David Vobora will miss the next four weeks for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

To fill roster spots, the Rams made a bunch of roster moves this week. They promoted defensive tackle Leger Douzable, linebacker Dominic Douglas, and wideout Nate Jones from the practice squad.

Jones takes Robinson's spot on the roster, putting the Rams back at five receivers with former Packer Ruvell Martin, Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, and return specialist Danny Amendola.

The Rams are basically a walking MASH unit, and will be facing a San Francisco team that is one Brett Favre miracle away from being 3-0.

So what can the Rams do to somehow find a victory?

1. Get Steven Jackson into the end zone

Jackson is the Rams best player, and offensive coordinator did a much better job of getting the ball in Jackson's hands last week. He's got two consecutive 100-yard rushing games, but has yet to find the end zone.

Richie Incognito said the offensive line lives vicariously through Jackson, so Jackson scoring touchdowns will only boost the morale of a downtrodden team.

2. Let Kyle Boller start

Marc Bulger may be the $10 million man in St. Louis, but Boller gives the Rams the best chance to win. He's proven his toughness in the preseason, and against Green Bay. He's also shown a proclivity to make plays with his legs, an aspect Bulger really can't provide.

Bulger may be an accurate passer when given time, but the St. Louis offensive line has not protected the quarterback well, and Boller can move the pocket. He's just a much more mobile quarterback, and is whom the Rams need to turn to come Sunday.

3. Start fast

The Rams dug themselves a hole last week against the Packers. A blocked field goal and two fumbles had the Packers up 9-0 before most fans had filed into the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams were fortunate...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-10-01-2009, 08:23 PM

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