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About all the Rams have left is their composure
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
10/28/2009
So far, anyway, the Rams have handled relentless adversity in a professional manner.
They don’t have their star running back spewing insults via Twitter and barking homophobic taunts at media types, as the Chiefs have.
They haven’t rendered their head coach a lame duck and forced him to surrender play-calling responsibilities, as the Redskins have.
They haven’t had the head coach accused of assaulting one of his assistant coaches, as the Raiders have.
They haven’t had the wife of a deposed general manager insulting current management on local radio shows, as the Titans have.
All in all, the Rams have maintained their composure through their 0-7 start. But that doesn’t mean the players are happy about it -– or that they are immune to the immense frustration that builds while a team loses 17 games in a row and 34 out of 39 overall.
“This has been a brutal stretch the last 2 ½ years,” said defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, who has been along for every bit of this suffering. “We have to keep believing in ourselves, believing in the coaching staff and believing in the philosophy they are putting in place.”
Of course, that is easier said than done. The Rams need a breakthrough performance to keep from moving closer to the disarray we’re seeing elsewhere.
The Rams need to beat the 1-5 Lions. They just do.
Yes, the Lions are better than the Rams right now. Yes, they are hosting the Rams on Sunday. They are favored to beat Steve Spagnuolo’s battered team –- and rightfully so.
Former Rams coach Scott Linehan is probably staying up nights devising some newer and slightly less vanilla offensive plays to beat his old team. Detroit’s first-year offensive coordinator wants this game big-time.
“This is not a game we can take lightly,” said Ryan, a Michigan native who has heard all the Lions jokes while visiting his family between seasons. “Everybody wants to downgrade the Lions . . . there are some talented players on the Lions. They competed with the Saints for two and a half, three quarters.”
But some how, some way, the Rams have to win this game. They just do.
Losing takes a heavy mental and psychological toll. So does the mounting casualty list, which got longer with the demise of cornerback Bradley Fletcher -– who could be sidelined well into next season with a massive knee injury.
Fletcher was just starting to arrive as the physical cornerback the Rams need to play “press” coverage in this defense. Now he faces two surgeries and a long and difficult comeback to regain his full speed and mobility.
This was a huge loss, just as the demise of top receiver Laurent Robinson punched a hole in the offense.
Long-snapper Chris Massey suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday. Potential fourth receiver Brooks Foster got wiped out during training camp. Defensive tackles Adam Carriker and Gary Gibson suffered season-ending injuries, too, as did special teamer Eric Bassey.
Guard Richie Incognito could miss a few games with a foot injury. Cornerback Ron Bartell and receiver Donnie Avery have played through nagging injuries. Tackle Jason Smith and safety James Butler have missed time, too.
One bad thing after another has happened to this team. Just as good teams tend to make their own breaks, bad teams find ways to fail.
You saw the cumulative effect of all that Sunday, when the Rams lost their edge in the fourth quarter of that 42-6 loss to the Colts. After reviewing game video, Spagnuolo believed the collapse was confined to a short stretch of the final quarter.
“It was probably three minutes of not quite the intensity that we had,” Spagnuolo told reporters at his Monday media briefing. “I don’t know why that is, but that has not been this team. For six games and three and a half quarters, that has not been this team. I’m banking on these guys to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
That’s hard to do in the midst of a prolonged losing streak. So the Rams must ACTUALLY WIN A GAME to keep their spirits up.
Almost beating the Redskins was a step. Forcing the Jaguars into overtime was another step. But near-victories aren’t the same as real ones.
Week after week, month after month the Rams have worked to make things better. Now the team needs to see that progress reflected on the scoreboard at game’s end.
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
10/28/2009
So far, anyway, the Rams have handled relentless adversity in a professional manner.
They don’t have their star running back spewing insults via Twitter and barking homophobic taunts at media types, as the Chiefs have.
They haven’t rendered their head coach a lame duck and forced him to surrender play-calling responsibilities, as the Redskins have.
They haven’t had the head coach accused of assaulting one of his assistant coaches, as the Raiders have.
They haven’t had the wife of a deposed general manager insulting current management on local radio shows, as the Titans have.
All in all, the Rams have maintained their composure through their 0-7 start. But that doesn’t mean the players are happy about it -– or that they are immune to the immense frustration that builds while a team loses 17 games in a row and 34 out of 39 overall.
“This has been a brutal stretch the last 2 ½ years,” said defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, who has been along for every bit of this suffering. “We have to keep believing in ourselves, believing in the coaching staff and believing in the philosophy they are putting in place.”
Of course, that is easier said than done. The Rams need a breakthrough performance to keep from moving closer to the disarray we’re seeing elsewhere.
The Rams need to beat the 1-5 Lions. They just do.
Yes, the Lions are better than the Rams right now. Yes, they are hosting the Rams on Sunday. They are favored to beat Steve Spagnuolo’s battered team –- and rightfully so.
Former Rams coach Scott Linehan is probably staying up nights devising some newer and slightly less vanilla offensive plays to beat his old team. Detroit’s first-year offensive coordinator wants this game big-time.
“This is not a game we can take lightly,” said Ryan, a Michigan native who has heard all the Lions jokes while visiting his family between seasons. “Everybody wants to downgrade the Lions . . . there are some talented players on the Lions. They competed with the Saints for two and a half, three quarters.”
But some how, some way, the Rams have to win this game. They just do.
Losing takes a heavy mental and psychological toll. So does the mounting casualty list, which got longer with the demise of cornerback Bradley Fletcher -– who could be sidelined well into next season with a massive knee injury.
Fletcher was just starting to arrive as the physical cornerback the Rams need to play “press” coverage in this defense. Now he faces two surgeries and a long and difficult comeback to regain his full speed and mobility.
This was a huge loss, just as the demise of top receiver Laurent Robinson punched a hole in the offense.
Long-snapper Chris Massey suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday. Potential fourth receiver Brooks Foster got wiped out during training camp. Defensive tackles Adam Carriker and Gary Gibson suffered season-ending injuries, too, as did special teamer Eric Bassey.
Guard Richie Incognito could miss a few games with a foot injury. Cornerback Ron Bartell and receiver Donnie Avery have played through nagging injuries. Tackle Jason Smith and safety James Butler have missed time, too.
One bad thing after another has happened to this team. Just as good teams tend to make their own breaks, bad teams find ways to fail.
You saw the cumulative effect of all that Sunday, when the Rams lost their edge in the fourth quarter of that 42-6 loss to the Colts. After reviewing game video, Spagnuolo believed the collapse was confined to a short stretch of the final quarter.
“It was probably three minutes of not quite the intensity that we had,” Spagnuolo told reporters at his Monday media briefing. “I don’t know why that is, but that has not been this team. For six games and three and a half quarters, that has not been this team. I’m banking on these guys to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
That’s hard to do in the midst of a prolonged losing streak. So the Rams must ACTUALLY WIN A GAME to keep their spirits up.
Almost beating the Redskins was a step. Forcing the Jaguars into overtime was another step. But near-victories aren’t the same as real ones.
Week after week, month after month the Rams have worked to make things better. Now the team needs to see that progress reflected on the scoreboard at game’s end.
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