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Are the Rams really making progress?
Columnist Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
11/04/2009
Steve Spagnuolo stood on the Rams practice field on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, two days removed from his first NFL head coaching victory.
He allowed himself to reflect -– for just a brief moment -– on the first half of this 1-7 season and see progress.
“There were some struggles, there were some good things, but we have built something,” Spagnuolo told reporters. “We talked this morning on the foundation we wanted to build. There is some trust, there is mutual respect, there is unity in the team. I think more than anything, we take that away.
“It was a rough road, let’s face it, we had seven losses. But to see what the guys did -– I’m not talking about on the field -– what they did as people and what they did together, that probably sticks in my head more than anything.”
Fans can’t see this sort of progress. Neither can prospective buyers of the franchise, analyzing the situation from afar.
The players can feel it and insist that it is real. They can point to their collective effort and their unity.
They can cite the team spirit that spilled out after the team FINALLY won a game, outlasting the Lions on Sunday in Detroit.
The Rams note that they don’t feature the locker room drama seen in other struggling teams, like the cross-state Chiefs. Their star player, Steven Jackson, has matured into the ultimate team player when the franchise needed him the most.
But those of us on the outside can only accept this premise of progress on faith, if at all.
Is this team really making progress? Are Spagnuolo, his assistant coaches, general manager Billy Devaney and the rest of the football operatives really setting the foundation for future success?
Are these the right men to lead the attempted turnaround? Are they really up to this enormous task?
This is the great mystery as the Rams scatter to enjoy their bye weekend. We can’t answer these questions until much later, after the football operation fills in the new framework with more playmakers and sturdier depth.
This team has lost a lot of talent since the end of last season, including Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Will Witherspoon -– leaders who went on to play big roles on other teams.
This team has run off a bunch of mid- and low-level players, too, like Drew Bennett, Trent Green, Corey Chavous, La’Roi Glover, Tye Hill, Chris Draft, Quinton Culberson, Nick Leckey, Claude Wroten, Todd Johnson, Antonio Pittman, Joe Klopfenstein, Dominique Byrd, Brian Leonard, Derek Stanley, Dane Looker, Anthony Becht, Jason Craft, Fakhir Brown . . . the roll call goes on and on.
This team has taken some serious injuries hits, losing potential building blocks like Laurent Robinson, Bradley Fletcher, Brooks Foster and Adam Carriker to significant injuries.
Along the way, the team has added some useful young players who could help, guys like Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola, Craig Dahl, LaJuan Ramsey and Daniel Fells.
The result of the wholesale change is a younger, less talented but (presumably) hungrier group that could grow together. The trick will be facilitating that growth during the remaining eight games, adding only fringe players (like new cornerback Danny Gorrer) on the fly.
“We’ve got enough talent here,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ve got guys that want to work at it, we’ve got guys that can make plays. We’ve just got to keep plugging away. We are going to play some good football teams here and hopefully we will be playing some good football, too.”
Reinforcements will arrive during the offseason, with the addition of veteran free agents, another wave of draft picks, the return of injured players and the arrival of new faces through every other means possible.
Between now and then, the Rams must keep making progress. They must find new ways to win games, rather than invent new ways to lose.
For the first eight games, they learned from their mistakes. For the last eight games, they need to learn more from success.
Their mood is good today. But the mood must be even better on Jan. 3 to keep this regime moving forward.
Columnist Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
11/04/2009
Steve Spagnuolo stood on the Rams practice field on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, two days removed from his first NFL head coaching victory.
He allowed himself to reflect -– for just a brief moment -– on the first half of this 1-7 season and see progress.
“There were some struggles, there were some good things, but we have built something,” Spagnuolo told reporters. “We talked this morning on the foundation we wanted to build. There is some trust, there is mutual respect, there is unity in the team. I think more than anything, we take that away.
“It was a rough road, let’s face it, we had seven losses. But to see what the guys did -– I’m not talking about on the field -– what they did as people and what they did together, that probably sticks in my head more than anything.”
Fans can’t see this sort of progress. Neither can prospective buyers of the franchise, analyzing the situation from afar.
The players can feel it and insist that it is real. They can point to their collective effort and their unity.
They can cite the team spirit that spilled out after the team FINALLY won a game, outlasting the Lions on Sunday in Detroit.
The Rams note that they don’t feature the locker room drama seen in other struggling teams, like the cross-state Chiefs. Their star player, Steven Jackson, has matured into the ultimate team player when the franchise needed him the most.
But those of us on the outside can only accept this premise of progress on faith, if at all.
Is this team really making progress? Are Spagnuolo, his assistant coaches, general manager Billy Devaney and the rest of the football operatives really setting the foundation for future success?
Are these the right men to lead the attempted turnaround? Are they really up to this enormous task?
This is the great mystery as the Rams scatter to enjoy their bye weekend. We can’t answer these questions until much later, after the football operation fills in the new framework with more playmakers and sturdier depth.
This team has lost a lot of talent since the end of last season, including Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Will Witherspoon -– leaders who went on to play big roles on other teams.
This team has run off a bunch of mid- and low-level players, too, like Drew Bennett, Trent Green, Corey Chavous, La’Roi Glover, Tye Hill, Chris Draft, Quinton Culberson, Nick Leckey, Claude Wroten, Todd Johnson, Antonio Pittman, Joe Klopfenstein, Dominique Byrd, Brian Leonard, Derek Stanley, Dane Looker, Anthony Becht, Jason Craft, Fakhir Brown . . . the roll call goes on and on.
This team has taken some serious injuries hits, losing potential building blocks like Laurent Robinson, Bradley Fletcher, Brooks Foster and Adam Carriker to significant injuries.
Along the way, the team has added some useful young players who could help, guys like Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola, Craig Dahl, LaJuan Ramsey and Daniel Fells.
The result of the wholesale change is a younger, less talented but (presumably) hungrier group that could grow together. The trick will be facilitating that growth during the remaining eight games, adding only fringe players (like new cornerback Danny Gorrer) on the fly.
“We’ve got enough talent here,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ve got guys that want to work at it, we’ve got guys that can make plays. We’ve just got to keep plugging away. We are going to play some good football teams here and hopefully we will be playing some good football, too.”
Reinforcements will arrive during the offseason, with the addition of veteran free agents, another wave of draft picks, the return of injured players and the arrival of new faces through every other means possible.
Between now and then, the Rams must keep making progress. They must find new ways to win games, rather than invent new ways to lose.
For the first eight games, they learned from their mistakes. For the last eight games, they need to learn more from success.
Their mood is good today. But the mood must be even better on Jan. 3 to keep this regime moving forward.
RAMMER
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