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  • #1

    Rams Continue Their Futility

    Rams Lose 36-17, Continue Their Futility
    By Jeff Gordon

    The Rams needed to make a stand Sunday to show their fans – and themselves – that progress is coming with the New Regime.

    They failed dismally. Some faces changed in this defeat, but familiar problems remained.

    The Rams staggered to their 13th loss in a row and 30th in 35 games, falling to the Packers 36-17 in their home opener at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

    “I was disappointed with the result, but I wasn’t disappointed with the effort,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said after the game, repeating his familiar refrain.

    With a horrific offensive start, the Rams fell behind 16-0 less than six minutes into the second quarter. They got a spark when quarterback Kyle Boller replaced starter Marc Bulger — who departed with a bruised shoulder.

    The Rams fought back to cut Green Bay’s lead to 23-17 . . . and then their comeback bid ran out of steam.

    The Rams got two TD receptions by tight end Daniel Fells, 163 total yards from Steven Jackson, 187 return yards from Danny Amendola and a 53-yard field by Josh Brown.

    And now the bad news:

    Bulger and Jackson turned the ball over with first-quarter fumbles. Both mishaps put the Packers into scoring position.
    Brown had a 48-yard field goal attempt blocked.
    Despite his two TD passes, Boller finished with a dreary passer rating of 75.2. He misfired on 15 of 31 passes and threw a late interception.
    Working against the makeshift Packers line, the Rams front seven didn’t apply much pass pressure. These guys let Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers break containment and scramble for 40 yards and a touchdown.
    Overall, the Rams defense allowed 402 yards as Rodgers posted a passer rating of 126.9. He kept bombing away, hitting one big play after another in the Rams secondary.
    “You try to bounce back after those big plays, but they kill you,” Spagnuolo said.

    Top Rams wide receiver Laurent Robinson left the game with an ankle injury and starting safety James Butler suffered an MCL injury. Those injuries left a bad team even more shorthanded.

    “Laurent had done some good things for us in some key situations,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ll have to have other guys step up.”

    And Butler, Spagnuolo said, “he kind of runs the show back there.”

    So the Rams, 0-3, sank to the very bottom of the NFL. The Detroit Lions won today, so there can be no team worse than this one.

    Spagnuolo says he doesn’t want to discuss the past, but he has done nothing to this point to break the three-year pattern of failure.
    :ramlogo:
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

    We have MAJOR, MAJOR issues, to state the obvious. I watched this game from start to finish today- another 3 hours of my life I'll never get back- and came to the realization that we'll be lucky if we win 2 games this year. Very little productivity coming from the receivers position. Anemic pass rush, despite Green Bay's mediocre O-Line. Continued inconsistent play from the Offensive Line. Too many big plays allowed by the corners. Fumbles, penalties, sub-par quarterbacking, questionable play calling,the list goes on. No fan can sit here and blame one or two guys for this futility; there is more than enough blame to share.There are guys starting on this team that have no business being on a professional football field, but they're the best we have. You can't make chicken salad out of you know what...

    The Colts, the Saints, the Cardinals twice and the Vikings remain on the schedule. It's gonna' get ugly in a hurry, folks.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

      I don't think anyone is disappointed with the effort considering what we as fans have put up with the past 2 seasons but at some point that effort needs to turn into wins,effort is a good start now the winning needs to follow.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

        NJ, I could not agree with you more. I too, watched the Rams play without any sense of coordination or focus. I am not sure where to begin. As I wached the Bears' Devon Hester run, I am wondering why we didn't go for speed in the draft like under Coach Martz.

        The Rams have talent, and I do not understand why we can't win at least some football games. See you guy's next week on the road to SF.

        Best to all

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

          Yeah, but the question Toicat is where ? where is the talent on this team?

          At positions where its not really a big impact.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

            Originally posted by Toicat View Post
            NJ, I could not agree with you more. I too, watched the Rams play without any sense of coordination or focus. I am not sure where to begin. As I wached the Bears' Devon Hester run, I am wondering why we didn't go for speed in the draft like under Coach Martz.

            The Rams have talent, and I do not understand why we can't win at least some football games. See you guy's next week on the road to SF.

            Best to all
            Our downward spiral started with Martz. And who did Martz draft that ever
            went to the probowl? Even more than that, who was drafted under martz that
            still plays in the NFL? Kevin Curtis? And if anyone names the rest there missing
            the point.
            Last edited by BEER; -09-28-2009, 02:19 PM.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

              I think the following teams are worse than the Rams:

              Oakland
              Tampa Bay
              Cleveland

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

                Originally posted by txramsfan View Post
                I think the following teams are worse than the Rams:

                Oakland
                Tampa Bay
                Cleveland
                I have to agree on your pics and I have this to say as well. I believe we have one of the best coaches in the NFL right
                now. The best long term teams build.. Jets, Miami, wont last. But the team
                that builds, and keeps building will be the/ : Eagles, titans, colts, EXE.

                Now if the Rams move, Who knows. If they keep Bill and all coaches, when or
                if they move, makes all the diff.

                On that point, I would like to say that if the do move, I hope the keep the
                same staff, they are going to make something great of this team. "In Time"

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

                  Originally posted by txramsfan View Post
                  I think the following teams are worse than the Rams:

                  Oakland
                  Tampa Bay
                  Cleveland
                  That sounds about right. It is too bad we can't play them! At least it would be competitive.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Rams Continue Their Futility

                    well the Titans have got a 0-3 record too...;)

                    Comment

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                    • eldfan
                      Rams are the new Lions
                      by eldfan
                      Rams are the new Lions

                      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scores on a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome (By Chris Lee/P-D)BY JIM THOMAS
                      ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                      09/28/2009

                      Welcome to St. Louis, the Land of the Lost when it comes to professional football.

                      With Detroit's 19-14 victory Sunday over Washington, the Lions snapped their league-high 19-game losing streak. The NFL's longest streak of futility now belongs to the Rams following Sunday's 36-17 loss to Green Bay at the Edward Jones Dome.

                      With their latest pratfall, the Rams have lost 13 consecutive games, with an 0-3 start this season coupled with a 10-game losing streak to finish 2008.

                      "It's been tough sledding for us," offensive guard Richie Incognito said. "We're in a losing funk right now. Penalties early; turnovers; that's all balled up in the losing funk. And we've really got to shake that."

                      What they're trying to shake has mushroomed into a franchise-record losing streak. In the 72 years of Rams football, the team had never lost 13 games in a row until now. The previous record of 12 straight defeats was set by the Rams in 1937 and '38, tied in 1959-60 and tied again until Sunday's unlucky 13th.

                      "This team is totally different than it was last year," defensive end Leonard Little insisted. "We've got some of the same people that we had last year, but it's a different attitude. This attitude's going to take us a long way in the long run because we've got guys that give effort, go out there and lay it on the line. We're going to start getting wins because of that."

                      If those victories come in the near term, like next week in San Francisco, it almost certainly will have to happen without several of the team's starters. Quarterback Marc Bulger (shoulder) and safety James Butler (left knee) were sidelined in the first quarter with injuries.

                      "There's some significance to those injuries," coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

                      League sources later told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger has a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder. He will have additional testing today, and if it's a torn rotator cuff, the injury could end his season.

                      Late in the second quarter, the Rams lost their top receiver, Laurent Robinson, with what looks like a substantial right ankle injury. (Robinson was on crutches after the game.) The team's other starting wide receiver, struggling Donnie Avery, suffered an injury to his ribs late in the fourth quarter.

                      "It's a struggle when guys get hurt, especially early in the game," Spagnuolo said.

                      Bulger suffered his injury with just over 4 minutes to play in the first quarter when he was sacked by Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman, who got around right tackle...
                      -09-28-2009, 07:19 AM
                    • r8rh8rmike
                      Burwell: 0-2 Feels Different This Year
                      by r8rh8rmike
                      0-2 feels different this year

                      Sports Columnist Bryan Burwell
                      ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                      09/23/2009

                      Just because you meet two men on the same floor in a narrow stairwell, there's no guarantee that they're headed in the same direction. Steve Spagnuolo keeps trying to emphasize this every time the clatter from some disgruntled Rams fans and impatient media wags gets a bit too close to the impressionable ears of his green-but-growing football team.

                      Every time someone ventures to compare his winless two-game start of the season to Scott Linehan's atrocious 0-2 nightmare from last season, almost by reflex, Spagnuolo quickly puts up the blinders. You can see him figuratively clap his hands over his team's collective ears as he essentially tries to shout above the din (with apologies to a certain Mr. M. McGwire): "I'm not here to talk about the past."

                      There is some definite merit to Spagnuolo's strategy, because even though the '08 Rams and these '09 Rams are standing on the same 0-2 platform, there has to be a very real sense among most practical-thinking folks that it's just not the same. Linehan's Rams were a pratfall waiting to happen, lurching down the stairs toward 2-14 oblivion. On the other hand, Spagnuolo's Rams are earnestly clutching the handrail, trying hard to climb one step at a time upward toward respectability.

                      On Monday afternoon as he addressed his team and praised them for their obvious improvement from Week 1's 28-0 disaster to Week 2's frustrating, but decidedly better effort in a 9-7 loss to Washington, "Dean" Spagnuolo delivered this rather instructive message to a young team still learning how to become winners:

                      "We should be upset that we lost — disappointed, but not discouraged," Spagnuolo said. "These are all the things I said to them. Be careful not to think just because it was 28-0 a week ago, (and) this week (it) was a two-point deficit that it's automatic that we're going to (win this week). It doesn't happen that way. Every week is a new week and we've got a new challenge this week with Green Bay. We get it corrected, we detail it, we come back on Wednesday, and all we do is put the blinders on to face Green Bay."

                      Three weeks ago when you looked at the early part of the Rams schedule, the toughest and seemingly most unwinnable game appeared to be Sunday's home opener against the Packers. The Pack were being touted as one of the rising teams in the NFC. Now they are a struggling 1-1 team that suddenly looks vulnerable, even to a team like the Rams, who are on a 12-game losing streak.

                      Green Bay's offense is beat up, mistake-prone and suddenly incapable of protecting star QB Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked six times and knocked down four other times by the 17 blitzes in a 31-24 loss to Cincinnati. But as bad as the offense was, the Packers defense was the big...
                      -09-22-2009, 10:09 PM
                    • r8rh8rmike
                      Rams Developing Identity
                      by r8rh8rmike
                      Rams Developing Identity
                      Friday, August 28, 2009


                      By Nick Wagoner
                      Senior Writer

                      The process of building a team nearly from scratch is a long and arduous task that can manifest over the course of multiple seasons. But the idea of building an identity begins right away and it can show itself at any given moment.

                      Perhaps there is still plenty of growing to do for the new-look Rams but subtle signs of just what this team could look like in 2009 and beyond are starting to emerge.

                      Never were those signs more imminent in this first year under coach Steve Spagnuolo than during Thursday night’s preseason victory against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

                      The Rams emerged from that game with a 24-21 win on the strength of four turnovers, six sacks and a controlled offense that didn’t turn the ball over. Those are the qualities Spagnuolo is looking for as his first edition attempts to take Spagnuolo’s vision and make it a reality.

                      “In a nut shell, I’d say a focused, disciplined, tough football team,” Spagnuolo said. “And we have certain measurements that we’ve talked about after every game on how we measure focus and discipline and how we measure physical toughness. I blurt them out to them after every game, did we meet it, did we not meet it? And I think the team’s embracing that I think they want to be that.”

                      Signs of that team personality were evident in Thursday’s game. Whether it’s the hustle of Jason Smith to help quarterback Brock Berlin up after he took a particularly hard hit or the relentless attempts to pound the ball on the ground on offense or the trademark forced fumble by free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who the Rams are is beginning to come into focus.

                      Even Spagnuolo took notice at halftime.

                      “I would go back and say that I really thought the way they approached the game, the mindset,” Spagnuolo said. “I told them this morning – I was really impressed at halftime. You know the NFL gives you a 12-minute window and you go in and you make the adjustments and usually you’re kind of scrambling a little bit. Our guys were up, standing up ready to go back out there with five minutes to go. They just wanted to get back out and play. I thought that was pretty revealing about this group and this team.”

                      That act might seem simple for most teams but for a group that a year ago might have reacted completely different after falling behind early, it’s a step in the right direction.

                      “We couldn’t wait at all to get right back out there,” center Jason Brown said. “That’s how much enthusiasm we have.”
                      In some ways, building a team personality is like a puzzle. For it all to come together as a team, it first must come together in parts. Usually those parts come by way of respective units.

                      For anyone curious about the defensive part of that puzzle, the difference...
                      -08-28-2009, 07:56 PM
                    • r8rh8rmike
                      Rams Team Report - Nov 10
                      by r8rh8rmike
                      Rams Team Report
                      Yahoo! Sports - Nov 10, 1:40 am EST


                      INSIDE SLANT


                      As the Rams begin the second half of their first season under coach Steve Spagnuolo with a record of 1-7, no one knows how many wins will occur in the final eight games. Certainly, Spagnuolo was hopeful of having more than one when the team hit its bye.

                      But he hasn't strayed from his consistent approach, which is to stress team first, one game at a time, and remain as positive as possible with his message. That can be tough when losses mount up, but Spagnuolo has apparently achieved it so far.

                      He admitted, "I have had my moments (of frustration). But I think there's a professional way to do it. I think everybody in this business should be respected for the jobs they have. I think any business is about respecting each other. I don't see any reason to go off the cuff. I keep that to myself. Part of what we talk about as a team is being a poised team. You can't be a poised team if the head coach isn't poised."

                      Said safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, "Being a guy who has been here with the Rams now going for five years, some of the younger guys and some of the vets need to see loyalty and faithfulness from the guys that have already been here, and that's going to carry over throughout the locker room so you just build a team that is really focused on one goal and one purpose and being one."

                      A head coach has to have credibility, and that can be difficult for a first-timer. It surely helped Spagnuolo that he was an assistant coach for 10 seasons under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Tom Coughlin with the Giants.

                      "I think that he would even admit that we bought into his system," quarterback Marc Bulger said. "We know it's going to be successful; it's just a matter of bearing with it. Once we start getting those wins, it will start to pay off. It's a winning formula. He's been with the Giants and Philadelphia. It's not always easy, but I think that the older guys around here know that it is a winning formula. We've all bought into it."

                      Spagnuolo likes what he has seen, especially the absence of sulking players, or those who start pointing fingers at others.

                      Said Spagnuolo, "To me, that's a credit to the players. It is easy in this business to venture somewhere else, especially when you don't have a lot of success. That's why I keep going back to and keep saying that I love the group down there, the character, the commitment, the loyalty, because if you have those things, eventually that will be the reason why you win. It won't be about coaches or trick plays. It will be because what your core of players is made of. That will be the reason why we win."

                      Expounding on that point, Spagnuolo said he gets impressions from a lot of the little things that are still important in terms of the...
                      -11-11-2009, 03:42 PM
                    • r8rh8rmike
                      Where's The Rams Coaching Staff's Fire?
                      by r8rh8rmike
                      12.09.2009 4:30 pm
                      Where’s the Rams coaching staff’s fire?
                      By Andy Dapron


                      **DISCLAIMER: I KNOW STEVE SPAGNUOLO AND HIS COORDINATORS ARE ROOKIES AT THEIR POSITIONS. I ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY BELIEVE THAT SPAGNUOLO HAS DONE GOOD THINGS FOR THE RAMS, PARTICULARLY IN HELPING THE TEAM CONTINUE TO WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD DURING A DIFFICULT SEASON, AND IN STABILIZING THE ONCE DYSFUNCTIONAL ATMOSPHERE AT RAMS PARK. THE RAMS ARE LACKING IN TALENT, SPAGNUOLO AND HIS STAFF DESERVE MORE THAN ONE SEASON TO UNDO THE MESS THAT IS RECENT RAMS FOOTBALL, AND GIVEN THAT TIME, THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO ACHIEVE SOME GOOD THINGS.**

                      There. I’ll put that out there first, because it’s true, and because I know that those points are bound to be made in response to what I say next.

                      To repeat a familiar refrain, there has been a lot of talk lately, by me, by all the beat writers and the columnists, by the network commentators, the play-by-play men, and all the other talking heads, about the competitive fire of the Rams players. They still have it, everyone insists. In spite of the eleven losses and all the struggles, we’re still getting effort. We’re still getting intensity. We’re just not getting wins.

                      Fair enough. Since being torched 42-6 by Indianapolis in week 7, only once has a game felt like it was never really within the Rams’ reach. That was last week against Seattle, and the Rams did show some measure of resiliency this week, playing a terrific game on special teams, holding the Chicago ground game to 3.2 yards per carry, and limiting the Bears’ offense to 248 total yards. The Rams have every reason to have checked out by now, but they’re still hanging around in these games. So, I’ll buy that the Rams players are still giving everything they’ve got.

                      After watching Sunday’s 17-9 loss to the Bears, I wonder if the Rams coaches are matching that fire.

                      It’s an odd thing to question. Players usually reflect their coach’s mentality. And I’m not suggesting for a minute that that Rams’ coaches don’t to get off the snide as badly as the players do, or that they players aren’t inheriting that little bit of grittiness that’s allowing them to hang in these recent contests from their coaches, particularly Spagnuolo.

                      But, I do feel like the coaches are lacking a winner’s mentality, especially when it comes to play-calling.

                      The Bears game was the perfect example. Despite a game in which the offense produced no touchdowns and only 233 total yards, including an absolutely paltry 98 yards passing (Not even 100 yards! Wow!), this game was right there for the Rams the whole way. One big play might have been enough to tie this game and force overtime. Two big plays, and maybe the Rams leave the Windy City with their second victory.

                      Instead, the Rams seemingly deny themselves the opportunity to make a big play by refusing to even test...
                      -12-09-2009, 11:11 PM
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