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How did the Rams get this bad?
Columnist Jeff Gordon
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
11/30/2009
The Rams are 1-10 and racing toward 1-15, with little hope of actually winning another football game.
If this team couldn’t beat the reeling Seahawks at home, then you can't expect it to beat anybody left on its schedule.
The thoroughness of their futility is stunning. How did the Rams get THIS bad?
Four predominant factors are to blame:
1. To speed up the rebuilding process, the Rams football operation unloaded much of the remaining big-money veteran talent.
From the end of last season into the middle of this season, the Rams cashiered tackle Orlando Pace, receiver Torry Holt, receiver Dane Looker, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, linebacker Chris Draft, cornerback Tye Hill, safety Corey Chavous, linebacker Will Witherspoon and others.
True, many of those guys played their way off the team. But that is a LOT of veteran talent to lose in such a short period of time.
2. Once again, the Rams suffered an inordinate number of costly injuries.
The offensive line was coming together nicely this season, but tackle Jason Smith, guard Richie Incognito and center Jason Brown all went down. Once again, the Rams are forced to use a patchwork approach up front.
Rookie cornerback Fletcher Bradley was emerging as a solid “press” coverage player, but he suffered a catastrophic knee injury. Quarterback Marc Bulger, receiver Keenan Burton, receiver Laurent Robinson, defensive tackle Adam Carriker, receiver Brooks Foster, defensive end C.J. Ah You . . . the list of casualties goes on and on, with new victims appearing on the injured list every week.
3. The Rams lacked the depth to withstand all these losses.
For a variety of reasons, this franchise failed to build and maintain a critical mass of talent in recent years. As the Greatest Show on Turf aged, the Rams failed to develop viable replacements.
The Rams became stunningly deficient in almost every area. They didn’t have worthy prospects ready to replace all the departing veterans. And when injuries hit, general manager Billy Devaney was forced to fetch fill-ins off practice squads and off the street.
As a result, this season has turned into an extended training camp with youngsters and fringe veterans coming and going at a dizzying rate.
4. The Rams embarked on this massive rebuilding project with inexperienced leadership.
From the top of the organization on down, the key leaders are learning on the job. Devaney, president Kevin Demoff, head coach Steve Spagnulo, offensive coordinator Pat Shumur and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole all possess more responsibility than they have ever had before.
It’s safe to say they have all experienced growing pains during this disastrous season.
I still believe these men are following the proper blueprint -- but as colleague Bernie Miklasz reminds us in his column, we haven’t seen actual progress on the field.
Yes, injuries are an issue, as Spagnuolo noted during Sunday’s news conference. So is the relative inexperience of so many players. So is the dearth of proven talent.
But the men in charge of this football operation still must find ways to get some results. They just do. Hopes and wishes don’t sell tickets or further careers. Only on-field success can do that.
So where does the franchise go from here?
One solution could come through the sale of the franchise. The next ownership group would assess the state of the franchise, establish a new plan of action and make the appropriate changes.
Presumably, the next ownership group will put a strong football man at the top of the organizational chart and go from there.
If the franchise doesn’t gain new ownership during the next few months, then the current leadership must learn from this struggle and overhaul the entire operation. Everything should be up for re-evaluation.
Yes, the Rams cleared a lot of dead weight off the roster. Yes, the team sped up the learning process for a lot of young players. Those are positives.
But the losing atmosphere remains. The Rams still haven’t gained a new identity. The biggest challenges remain unmet.
The Rams cannot stay on their current course. While it still has the power to make changes, the current regime must act quickly and decisively.
“We’ve got five more games this season and hopefully we can put together five good ones,” defensive end Chris Long told reporters after the game. “All that matters is the next snap and we’ve got to have that mentality because nobody is going to dig us out of this hole accept ourselves.”
Columnist Jeff Gordon
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
11/30/2009
The Rams are 1-10 and racing toward 1-15, with little hope of actually winning another football game.
If this team couldn’t beat the reeling Seahawks at home, then you can't expect it to beat anybody left on its schedule.
The thoroughness of their futility is stunning. How did the Rams get THIS bad?
Four predominant factors are to blame:
1. To speed up the rebuilding process, the Rams football operation unloaded much of the remaining big-money veteran talent.
From the end of last season into the middle of this season, the Rams cashiered tackle Orlando Pace, receiver Torry Holt, receiver Dane Looker, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, linebacker Chris Draft, cornerback Tye Hill, safety Corey Chavous, linebacker Will Witherspoon and others.
True, many of those guys played their way off the team. But that is a LOT of veteran talent to lose in such a short period of time.
2. Once again, the Rams suffered an inordinate number of costly injuries.
The offensive line was coming together nicely this season, but tackle Jason Smith, guard Richie Incognito and center Jason Brown all went down. Once again, the Rams are forced to use a patchwork approach up front.
Rookie cornerback Fletcher Bradley was emerging as a solid “press” coverage player, but he suffered a catastrophic knee injury. Quarterback Marc Bulger, receiver Keenan Burton, receiver Laurent Robinson, defensive tackle Adam Carriker, receiver Brooks Foster, defensive end C.J. Ah You . . . the list of casualties goes on and on, with new victims appearing on the injured list every week.
3. The Rams lacked the depth to withstand all these losses.
For a variety of reasons, this franchise failed to build and maintain a critical mass of talent in recent years. As the Greatest Show on Turf aged, the Rams failed to develop viable replacements.
The Rams became stunningly deficient in almost every area. They didn’t have worthy prospects ready to replace all the departing veterans. And when injuries hit, general manager Billy Devaney was forced to fetch fill-ins off practice squads and off the street.
As a result, this season has turned into an extended training camp with youngsters and fringe veterans coming and going at a dizzying rate.
4. The Rams embarked on this massive rebuilding project with inexperienced leadership.
From the top of the organization on down, the key leaders are learning on the job. Devaney, president Kevin Demoff, head coach Steve Spagnulo, offensive coordinator Pat Shumur and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole all possess more responsibility than they have ever had before.
It’s safe to say they have all experienced growing pains during this disastrous season.
I still believe these men are following the proper blueprint -- but as colleague Bernie Miklasz reminds us in his column, we haven’t seen actual progress on the field.
Yes, injuries are an issue, as Spagnuolo noted during Sunday’s news conference. So is the relative inexperience of so many players. So is the dearth of proven talent.
But the men in charge of this football operation still must find ways to get some results. They just do. Hopes and wishes don’t sell tickets or further careers. Only on-field success can do that.
So where does the franchise go from here?
One solution could come through the sale of the franchise. The next ownership group would assess the state of the franchise, establish a new plan of action and make the appropriate changes.
Presumably, the next ownership group will put a strong football man at the top of the organizational chart and go from there.
If the franchise doesn’t gain new ownership during the next few months, then the current leadership must learn from this struggle and overhaul the entire operation. Everything should be up for re-evaluation.
Yes, the Rams cleared a lot of dead weight off the roster. Yes, the team sped up the learning process for a lot of young players. Those are positives.
But the losing atmosphere remains. The Rams still haven’t gained a new identity. The biggest challenges remain unmet.
The Rams cannot stay on their current course. While it still has the power to make changes, the current regime must act quickly and decisively.
“We’ve got five more games this season and hopefully we can put together five good ones,” defensive end Chris Long told reporters after the game. “All that matters is the next snap and we’ve got to have that mentality because nobody is going to dig us out of this hole accept ourselves.”
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