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No excuse for Rams' lack of receivers
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
10/19/2009
Danny Amendola has been quite a find for the Rams. He has enlivened the team’s kick return game and added a receiving spark as well.
The kid is a playmaker. When he gets the ball in space, the former Texas Tech star is dangerous.
Adding him to replace the unproductive Derek Stanley was a nice in-season upgrade by general manager Billy Devaney.
Now the Rams need to find three or four additional candidates ASAP to juice up their moribund offense. Devaney should issue an all-points bulletin for receivers with wheels.
Who knows, maybe Amendola has a friend willing to come along for the ride.
Devaney should summon 10 guys for a tryout this week. Or 50. Or 1,050 -– whatever it takes to find somebody capable of stretching defenses and making opponents BACK OFF THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE and defend more real estate.
Once speedy receiver Donnie Avery went down Sunday, the Rams offense went into a shell. After Avery’s demise, quarterback Marc Bulger seldom tested Jacksonville’s wretched pass defense with downfield throws.
The Jaguars stacked the line of scrimmage to contain running back Steven Jackson. A series of three-and-out offensive series ensued.
The Rams defense spent most of the second half on the field. Predictably, it wore out. Come overtime, there was nothing left -– especially after cornerback Ron Bartell and linebacker Will Witherspoon got hurt on the same play.
Now the team must upgrade the offense so it can finally win a football game. As we saw Sunday, this team, however depleted by injuries, could still win games this season. It doesn't have to finish 0-16.
The Rams came out with a good offensive game plan at Jacksonville and immediately marched for a TD. Bulger got the ball out quickly and moved the team in his first start since suffering his shoulder injury.
He threw one TD pass to Avery and would have had another, but he hung a post-pattern throw just enough to get picked off.
Had Avery stayed in the game, Bulger would have taken some additional shots down the field. Had Avery stayed in the game, the Rams likely would have won.
But when Donnie went down, all Bulger had to throw to was the pint-sized Amendola, possession receiver Keenan Burton and fill-in Tim Carter -– just back with the team after getting cut in the summer.
There is no excuse for having so few receiving options on this team. While this team has maintained an army of defensive linemen, it has remained woefully short at receiver.
Bad luck explains some of it. Losing Laurent Robinson and Brooks Foster to season-ending injuries hurt for sure.
But there is still no excuse for getting caught short at this position. Finding replacement receivers isn’t like trying to find a replacement quarterback. Supply exceeds demand.
Another potential Rams victory slipped away because of their limitations at this position. How many more times will this happen this season?
Given the extensive injury histories of Avery and Burton, Devaney must use all means necessary to shore up the receiver corps. If he has to spend a middle-round pick to add a viable wideout before the deadline, go ahead and do it.
If he has to buy time on ESPN to make his appeal to unemployed receivers everywhere, then that would be money well spent.
The newcomers wouldn’t have to learn the whole playbook to help. They would just have to learn the routes that EXTEND MORE THAN EIGHT YARDS DOWNFIELD to help.
There can’t be many of those routes in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s playbook, judging from what we’ve seen so far this season. Any newcomers could skip ahead to the good parts.
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
10/19/2009
Danny Amendola has been quite a find for the Rams. He has enlivened the team’s kick return game and added a receiving spark as well.
The kid is a playmaker. When he gets the ball in space, the former Texas Tech star is dangerous.
Adding him to replace the unproductive Derek Stanley was a nice in-season upgrade by general manager Billy Devaney.
Now the Rams need to find three or four additional candidates ASAP to juice up their moribund offense. Devaney should issue an all-points bulletin for receivers with wheels.
Who knows, maybe Amendola has a friend willing to come along for the ride.
Devaney should summon 10 guys for a tryout this week. Or 50. Or 1,050 -– whatever it takes to find somebody capable of stretching defenses and making opponents BACK OFF THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE and defend more real estate.
Once speedy receiver Donnie Avery went down Sunday, the Rams offense went into a shell. After Avery’s demise, quarterback Marc Bulger seldom tested Jacksonville’s wretched pass defense with downfield throws.
The Jaguars stacked the line of scrimmage to contain running back Steven Jackson. A series of three-and-out offensive series ensued.
The Rams defense spent most of the second half on the field. Predictably, it wore out. Come overtime, there was nothing left -– especially after cornerback Ron Bartell and linebacker Will Witherspoon got hurt on the same play.
Now the team must upgrade the offense so it can finally win a football game. As we saw Sunday, this team, however depleted by injuries, could still win games this season. It doesn't have to finish 0-16.
The Rams came out with a good offensive game plan at Jacksonville and immediately marched for a TD. Bulger got the ball out quickly and moved the team in his first start since suffering his shoulder injury.
He threw one TD pass to Avery and would have had another, but he hung a post-pattern throw just enough to get picked off.
Had Avery stayed in the game, Bulger would have taken some additional shots down the field. Had Avery stayed in the game, the Rams likely would have won.
But when Donnie went down, all Bulger had to throw to was the pint-sized Amendola, possession receiver Keenan Burton and fill-in Tim Carter -– just back with the team after getting cut in the summer.
There is no excuse for having so few receiving options on this team. While this team has maintained an army of defensive linemen, it has remained woefully short at receiver.
Bad luck explains some of it. Losing Laurent Robinson and Brooks Foster to season-ending injuries hurt for sure.
But there is still no excuse for getting caught short at this position. Finding replacement receivers isn’t like trying to find a replacement quarterback. Supply exceeds demand.
Another potential Rams victory slipped away because of their limitations at this position. How many more times will this happen this season?
Given the extensive injury histories of Avery and Burton, Devaney must use all means necessary to shore up the receiver corps. If he has to spend a middle-round pick to add a viable wideout before the deadline, go ahead and do it.
If he has to buy time on ESPN to make his appeal to unemployed receivers everywhere, then that would be money well spent.
The newcomers wouldn’t have to learn the whole playbook to help. They would just have to learn the routes that EXTEND MORE THAN EIGHT YARDS DOWNFIELD to help.
There can’t be many of those routes in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s playbook, judging from what we’ve seen so far this season. Any newcomers could skip ahead to the good parts.
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