Same old worries for me

There probably isn't a way to write this without it being taken negatively, but it really is a case of being realistic, not negative.

First of all, I don't think any of us should be patting the Rams on the back for beating SF last night. Just like the Cards and Saints, the Rams SHOULD have won. To me, it's like these guys who excessively celebrate after making a tackle. That's your job! You don't get brownie points for doing what you're supposed to do. You can't take a win for granted in the NFL but I won't throw a ticker-tape parade for a win like last night either.

Secondly, and more importantly to me, Mike Martz once again coaches in response to the media. Has there ever been a coach more affected by what is said in the media than Martz? I'm not even going to comment on his big speech earlier in the week since we all know you can't believe anything he's feeding to the media in press conferences. He called a good game this week and no one should have a problem with the actual plays that were called. I worry about the motivation for calling the game that he did.

Anyone remember the NFL Network promo's that were aired when the station had just started? "It doesn't suck being Rich Eisen" or something like that. In one of the promo's he's feeding a ball into a throwing machine and Torry Holt leaps 5, 10...20 feet in the air to catch it. Okay, maybe not quite that high but he was "Air Holt" for sure. The pass he caught last night was identical to that. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Can we all stop the Jackson needs the ball more than Faulk talk now? I think it should be obvious to everyone that Faulk's still got more moves than Jackson. It was nice to see Jackson get his first td, but I'm going to murder Martz if he takes Faulk out for Jackson in a real game. Jackson just doesn't have the goal line awareness that Faulk has and it was evident to me last night as Jackson struggled to get the ball into the end zone.

What the hell was Butler doing playing 15 yards off the ball when the Niners were on the 10 yard line? That slant pass that he gave up for a td--where he didn't ever TOUCH the wr was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen.

Hopefully the Rams can use this success to get better by next week and compete with the Seahawks. But, just like after the NFC Championship game against the Eagles, when we all thought that Martz FINALLY got it by running Faulk and calling a balanced attack, I fear that just like against the Patriots when things start to get tough, Martz will revert to his old ways against the Seahawks. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm betting Bulger will top 45 passes next week.

[sbramfan]

Re: Same old worries for me

I with you Mok...I mean, we can take a moment to celebrate the team finally playing together as a team, but it's just one game. The Patriots coach was saying "we've only won 3 games, we've got a long season ahead"... That should really put our victory against an 0-3 team in perspective!

Hopefully we can build on this win and get this season going....

Martz is quick to pull the plug on the run...he commits to it if it works right off the get go...but if it doesn't work like 3 times in a row, you won't see another run the rest of the game.

The pass he caught last night was identical to that. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

I was thinking the exact same thing on that catch...It was just like the commercial.

[AvengerRam_old]

Re: Same old worries for me

Mok, nobody is saying that last night's win was the be-all and end-all.


But... seriously dude...

You need to find your happy place.

[moklerman]

Re: Same old worries for me

I'm not sure how message boards work, but I do know that the official Rams board has an "ignore" feature that allows a user to block all posts from a particular member. I strongly suggest that the ClanRam adopt this feature if at all possible.

Just like so many other times, certain moderators make no effort to address my thread or the points therein. However, a snide comment and/or criticism toward me is always available. I strongly disagree with this tactic and have commented about it privately and in threads before.

My post has both positive and negative aspects of last night's game and is absolutely on topic without violating any board rules. I don't appreciate the harrassment from the board moderators and would like to know of any alternatives that can be offered other than me finding a different board to share my opinions.

[AvengerRam_old]

Re: Same old worries for me

Like it or not, the way in which you post causes you to have a reputation. When you are controversial - people might call you an instigator. When you are optimistic - people might call you a Pollyanna. When you spend weeks nitpicking at the team and then after a win you post a thread about "same old worries" - well... somebody might tell you to find your happy place.

As for your comments:

1. In the NFL, a win is always a good thing, even if it is against a "lesser" opponent. There's no style points involved. Its just a question of having another entry in the W column.

2. I really don't think Martz devises his gameplans based upon the media.

3. Torry's catch was great.

4. Faulk may have more moves than Jackson, but Jackson clearly is faster and stronger. I'm happy to have both right now.

5. I too was surprised at how deep Butler was playing on that play. He fared much better when he jammed receivers at the line.

6. I don't care if Bulger throws 100 passes next week if the Rams win.

[tanus]

Re: Same old worries for me

you are right, we should beat the whiners and we did just that. however, more importantly we came out from the get go and took it to the whiners. this is something that we havent done yet this season and desperately needed to happen. the D finally caused some turnovers which is always good to see. i really believe the team needed a win like this. lets see what happens next week in seattle.

[RamWraith]

Re: Same old worries for me

Hear a lot of what your saying and agree. Next week will be a true test. What worries me still is the defense, not whether or not Martz throws the ball 45 times. To be honest, I feel more comfortable throwing than I do running the old man ;-) x1000

Serious though, Jackson is the future. 100+ yards or not, them holes will not be there next week like they were this.

There probably isn't a way to write this without it being taken negatively, but it really is a case of being realistic, not negative.

First of all, I don't think any of us should be patting the Rams on the back for beating SF last night. Just like the Cards and Saints, the Rams SHOULD have won. To me, it's like these guys who excessively celebrate after making a tackle. That's your job! You don't get brownie points for doing what you're supposed to do. You can't take a win for granted in the NFL but I won't throw a ticker-tape parade for a win like last night either.

Secondly, and more importantly to me, Mike Martz once again coaches in response to the media. Has there ever been a coach more affected by what is said in the media than Martz? I'm not even going to comment on his big speech earlier in the week since we all know you can't believe anything he's feeding to the media in press conferences. He called a good game this week and no one should have a problem with the actual plays that were called. I worry about the motivation for calling the game that he did.

Anyone remember the NFL Network promo's that were aired when the station had just started? "It doesn't suck being Rich Eisen" or something like that. In one of the promo's he's feeding a ball into a throwing machine and Torry Holt leaps 5, 10...20 feet in the air to catch it. Okay, maybe not quite that high but he was "Air Holt" for sure. The pass he caught last night was identical to that. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Can we all stop the Jackson needs the ball more than Faulk talk now? I think it should be obvious to everyone that Faulk's still got more moves than Jackson. It was nice to see Jackson get his first td, but I'm going to murder Martz if he takes Faulk out for Jackson in a real game. Jackson just doesn't have the goal line awareness that Faulk has and it was evident to me last night as Jackson struggled to get the ball into the end zone.

What the hell was Butler doing playing 15 yards off the ball when the Niners were on the 10 yard line? That slant pass that he gave up for a td--where he didn't ever TOUCH the wr was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen.

Hopefully the Rams can use this success to get better by next week and compete with the Seahawks. But, just like after the NFC Championship game against the Eagles, when we all thought that Martz FINALLY got it by running Faulk and calling a balanced attack, I fear that just like against the Patriots when things start to get tough, Martz will revert to his old ways against the Seahawks. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm betting Bulger will top 45 passes next week.

[moklerman]

Re: Same old worries for me

2. I really don't think Martz devises his gameplans based upon the media.

Based on what? I think this week is just another in a line of instances where it appears he did just that. It certainly APPEARS that he at least adjusted his gameplan based on the criticism he was receiving.

4. Faulk may have more moves than Jackson, but Jackson clearly is faster and stronger. I'm happy to have both right now.

I don't think it's very clear, and in most cases Faulk was making something out of nothing and gaining extra yards at the end of the play. Seemed plenty powerful to me. Jackson seems to have faster straight-line speed but doesn't utilize it very well at this point. There were examples of him running right into a pile or right up his blockers back instead of reading the defense and having good vision. Straight-line speed isn't particularly important when it comes to rb's if you ask me. Remember 4.3, 40 Trung Canidate?

6. I don't care if Bulger throws 100 passes next week if the Rams win.

After the game is done, I don't really care how a team won either. A win is a win is a win. BUT, before the game I do care that if you tell me that Bulger is going to throw the ball 45 or more times. Based on stats, trends, tendencies, probabilities and other big words like that, if the Rams pass the ball too much there's a good chance they're going to lose. If the Rams run the ball it increases their chances of winning. I think getting into a shootout with the Seahawks is a big mistake too. Our D can't keep up with their offense at this point and I think we need to slow the game down as much as possible and win it in the 4th quarter. The Rams will get killed if they try to match point for point with Seattle.

[sbramfan]

Re: Same old worries for me

It makes me wonder if Martz ever runs plays to set up other plays later...or even set up next weeks opponent?

I really don't think he does much of this. He calls a play to get what he wants on THAT particular play. He may do it a bit in the passing game, but this is another thing can hurt you if you abandon the run...

A HUGE example for me was in the cleveland browns game last year. We ran a fake field goal on them that ended up resulting in, guess what...a field goal. (because even though it was successful, we still ended up not getting in the end zone). And this was 2 weeks before the playoffs.... Tell me we couldn't have used that Looker pass to wilkens vs. carolina? But we tipped our hat. I don't think he looks ahead in the game, or the season. (much).

[moklerman]

Re: Same old worries for me

I've thought about similar things and I'm not sure either. It kind of seems to me that he loses some of his nerve during bigger games and is willing to try more of the oddball stuff during "winnable" games. Maybe not, but it's definitely tough to come up with anything that Martz "normally" does. The only thing that's consistant is the inconsistancy.

[r8rh8rmike]

Re: Same old worries for me

I think it would be safe to say that by opening up the running game against the whiners and making it work, Martz gave the Seattle decision makers a lot more to worry about. They now have to respect BOTH the run and the pass.

[ZigZagRam]

Re: Same old worries for me

It's not beating the Whiners that has everybody excited, it's little things that we did during the game that gives us a positive look into the future. The running game was great against a rushing defense that had only given up 2.9 YPC. The Whiners might win only a few games this year but it won't be because of their front 7. Take a look at the roster of the team last year that held us to about 25 yards rushing in the game. It's not that different. The offensive line dominated against the strong 49er front. Scott Tercero looks like he's the real deal and will be the starting guard in 2005. Kevin Curtis made his presence felt and has shown flashes of being the speedy #3 that this team needs. Mike Martz has shown that he might actually have an idea that he knows what he's doing. He baited the opposition with his press conference shinannigans. The defense stopped the run. Is that not a step up from what we did against New Orleans? The defense didn't give up any big plays until our second team defense was being subbed in frequently. Take a look at special teams. That was as good of a special teams performance that I've seen from the Rams since 1999.

I realize it's just the *****. I realize we should have won that game. But the result of the game isn't what has me thinking much more positive about this team now than 7 days ago. It's the little things that the Rams did perfectly right that have the future looking much brighter. Sure it's just a win against a weak team, but seriously. You're killing me Mok!

[Nick]

Re: Same old worries for me

I think it would be safe to say that by opening up the running game against the whiners and making it work, Martz gave the Seattle decision makers a lot more to worry about. They now have to respect BOTH the run and the pass.

Good point, Mike. I think by coming out and running the ball, you're exactly right - they gave Seattle more to think about. Faulk wasn't necessarily quick last night, but he showed good agility and flashed his cutback skills on a national spotlight that's sure to make defensive coaches think. A lot of us have been questioning and doubting Marshall, and I think after last night, we owe him a bit of an apology. When Faulk gets the holes, he performs very well. We just have to get him his holes.

And as Avenger said, I don't think anyone shot off the confetti and broke out the champagne after this win. But let's face it - after losing a heartbreaker against the Saints and having to go on the road against a team that played us VERY hard at their house last season, the Rams needed to get a victory here. Some of us are excited not only because they won, but they looked pretty good while doing it, and I don't think that's anything that warrants criticism. Go ask the Kansas City Chiefs or the Miami Dolphins how much a win would mean to them. I think to imply that people are going buck nutty about this win is a bit off base. Perhaps some are just more excited because of the circumstances surrounding the win.

[moklerman]

Re: Same old worries for me

Sure it's just a win against a weak team, but seriously. You're killing me Mok!

? I don't get it. I'm the one who's been defending Marshall the past couple of weeks. I've been giving Bulger his due...now that he's earning it. I've been objectively trying to figure out Martz, yet after all of this I'm the one who's throwing sour grapes.

I don't know why it's perceived as being so negative. Have we all forgotten week 1 already? The Rams looked real good against Arizona in that game but there were quite a few circcumstances that some of us felt warranted a tempering of excitement toward the Rams' abilities. I think the game last night is practically a duplicate of week 1 and that everyone should breathe a sigh of relief that the Rams didn't have any kind of disaster, but last night shouldn't warrant too many thoughts of optimism. Not yet anyway.

I'm not rooting against the Rams, I'm simply pointing out that there are a couple of things that I don't have faith in when it comes to the Rams. One is Martz actually changing his tune when it comes to play-calling. He's done this before and until he continues to have SOME balance, week in and week out, I'm very skeptical of the Niner game being some kind of sign of things to come.

I think our O-line is still a question mark too. They're playing better than I thought they would but they looked good against Arizona too. I don't think that any of the games so far have been real tests of what the Rams are capable of and the fact that they lost 2 of them is a bad sign in my opinion.

I don't think the Rams suck. I don't think Martz should be fired. I don't hate Bulger. I just think that last night's win isn't much of an indicator of anything based on everything that's happened in the last 4 years. I'm happy for the win, but not encouraged that much has changed.

[Yodude]

Re: Same old worries for me

Faulk wasn't necessarily quick last night, but he showed good agility and flashed his cutback skills on a national spotlight that's sure to make defensive coaches think.

......and, he ran with power. On more than one occasion, he was wrapped up by two, three defenders, and was successful in battling for a few extra yards. Pretty impressive performance from the "old" guy. It makes me feel more positive as to where this team might be headed this season. Bring on the Seahawks!