Report card: Defensive line earns an A, coaches an A-

Report Card: D-line earns an A, coaches an A minus ..

by MauiRam

By BILL COATS | Posted: Monday, October 4, 2010 3:45 pm

Post-Dispatch football writer Bill Coats grades the St. Louis Rams after their 20-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks:

QUARTERBACK: Sam Bradford threw a bad interception in the end zone, and a few of his tosses, especially early in the game, were off target. But that's quibbling in what overall was a solid effort by the rookie. His 15-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Gibson was a laser shot, but Bradford also showed a nice touch on the large number of screen passes that were called. GRADE: B

RUNNING BACKS: Steven Jackson gets extra credit for a gritty performance. Playing with a sore groin, Jackson gutted out 124 yards from scrimmage -- 70 rushing, 54 receiving. Kenneth Darby scored a 21-yard TD with a nice run after a screen pass. GRADE: B+

RECEIVERS: Another strong outing by WR Mark Clayton (5 catches, 72 yards). WR Danny Amendola also had 5 receptions, including a stunning one-handed catch. WR Brandon Gibson was effective, with 3 catches for 50 yards. TE Daniel Fells averaged 11.7 yards on 3 catches. GRADE: B

OFFENSIVE LINE: The pass protection was spotty. Bradford was sacked four times and scrambled out of trouble on a few other occasions. The run blocking improved as the game went on. GRADE: C+

DEFENSIVE LINE: A stellar performance, featuring a number of big plays. Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck was harassed all afternoon, and mostly by a four-man rush. He was sacked four times. The Rams were stout against the run, especially in the second half, when RB Justin Forsett mustered just 16 yards on eight carries. GRADE: A

LINEBACKERS: David Vobora had a sack. Na'il Diggs was the most active he's been all year. Laurinaitis was solid, it not spectacular, in the middle. Nice job on dangerous TE John Carlson, who had just one catch. GRADE: B+

SECONDARY: CB Bradley Fletcher had an interception for the second consecutive game. Ron Bartell was strong in coverage again. With Oshiomogho Atogwe getting limited time, Craig Dahl and James Butler did a nice job at safety. GRADE: B

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Rams thwarted a fake field goal, Kevin Dockery hauling down the ballcarrier. Donnie Jones dropped four of seven punts inside the 20. K Josh Brown hit on both FG attempts. Rams coverage against Seattle's dangerous return units was good. GRADE: B+

COACHING: Odd call by coach Steve Spagnuolo, eschewing an easy FG late in the game. Still, he obviously prepared his team well, despite injuries to his captains, Jackson and Atogwe, and several others throughout the week. Nice game-planning by OC Pat Shurmur, who hurt Seattle with several screen passes, and used a couple of four-wideout sets. D
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-10-04-2010, 07:01 PM
Rams Report Card: D's for Bradford, coaching

by Nick

Rams Report Card: D's for Bradford, coaching
BY BILL COATS | Posted: Monday, December 20, 2010 12:05 am

Here are the grades for the St. Louis Rams after Sunday's 27-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs:

QUARTERBACK: Sam Bradford endured one of the worst outings of his rookie season. He was pressured consistently and sacked three times, so his struggles weren't all self-inflicted. He hit on less than 50 percent of his passes (21 of 43) and got a big chunk of his 181 yards in the final minutes. He was intercepted twice. GRADE: D

RUNNING BACKS: Steven Jackson had a so-so performance on a day when he got some decent blocking up front. He averaged 3.5 yards on 19 carries and also caught five passes for 37 yards. GRADE: C

RECEIVERS: Five of WR Danny Amendola's game-high seven receptions came on the Rams' lone TD drive. WRs Brandon Gibson and Laurent Robinson each had a drop. TE Daniel Fells had four catches for 47 yards. TE Billy Bajema committed a costly false-start penalty. GRADE: C-

OFFENSIVE LINE: The run blocking was OK, but the pass blocking was poor. Bradford took a pretty sound beating. He was pressured constantly, sacked three times and hit several other times. Both tackles, Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold, false-started. Smith also was cited for illegal use of the hands and holding (which was declined). GRADE: D

DEFENSIVE LINE: The Rams didn't blitz much, and the front four couldn't get sustained pressure on QB Matt Cassel. He was sacked three times and hit just a couple of other times. The Rams were gashed for a season-high 210 rushing yards, including Jamaal Charles' back-breaking 80-yard dash with 4:04 left. GRADE: D

LINEBACKERS: SLB David Vobora had a sack. MLB James Laurinaitis was credited with a team-high 11 tackles in the unofficial press-box stats. WLB Chris Chamberlain had a nice pass break-up but also might've been a culprit on Charles' long run. Vobora and Chamberlain did a pretty good job at containing the edge. GRADE: C+

SECONDARY: Kudos to CB Ron Bartell for chasing down the speedy Charles on his 80-yard jaunt. CB Kevin Dockery had an interception. Bartell and safeties Oshiomogho Atogwe and Craig Dahl combined for 22 tackles (unofficial press-box stats). Coverage was generally good. GRADE: B

SPECIAL TEAMS: Danny Amendola's 43-yard punt return led to a field goal. Overall return game was pretty good. Rams coverage was good on kickoffs, just fair on punts. Josh Brown hit both FG tries, including a 52-yarder. P Donnie Jones had a so-so day, by his standards. GRADE: B

COACHING: Strange use of a timeout, plus some odd play-calling near the end of the half. After a fast start, the offense went stagnant for most of three quarters. Defensive approach, which featured only rare blitzing, was baffling. Overall, Rams didn't concoct an effective game plan on either side of the ball. GRADE:...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-20-2010, 09:49 AM
Report Card: A For Secondary; C Minus For Sam

by r8rh8rmike

Report Card: A for secondary; C minus for Sam

By BILL COATS
Monday, December 6, 2010

QUARTERBACK: Rookie Sam Bradford didn't have best day. He was a bit inaccurate at times, threw a bad interception and made some questionable decisions. Still, he managed to avoid serious trouble and stayed the course on a day when points were hard to come by. GRADE: C-

RUNNING BACKS: Steven Jackson's rushing total of 102 yards was slightly misleading; he lost 10 yards on two carries as the clock wound down at the end. Jackson had a 27-yard TD run when he broke a tackle or two and sprinting down the right sideline. GRADE: B+

RECEIVERS: WR Brandon Gibson continues to perk, getting 54 yards on six catches. TEs Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema combined for five receptions. WR Danny Amendola was targeted just twice, and had one catch. GRADE: C+

OFFENSIVE LINE: Jackson generally wasn't given much room, although RT Jason Smith helped spring him with a nice block on his TD run. Bradford was sacked twice and pressured occasionally. GRADE: C

DEFENSIVE LINE: The Rams were gashed early on the ground, but stiffened later. Still, Arizona averaged 5.5 yards per rush attempt. The Rams recorded four sacks (two by DT Fred Robbins) and consistently applied pressure to the Big Red QBs. GRADE: B

LINEBACKERS: SLB Na'il Diggs was having perhaps his best day of the season before leaving with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. MLB James Laurinaitis was his usual steady self, but David Vobora didn't provide a lot at WLB. GRADE: B

SECONDARY: Interceptions by SS Craig Dahl and CB Bradley Fletcher led to six crucial points. Quincy Butler performed well after replacing the injured Ron Bartell. Kevin Dockery made a couple of plays in the nickel package. FS Oshiomogho Atogwe was active. GRADE: A

SPECIAL TEAMS: Danny Amendola was very good on returns, averaging 20.5 yards on punts and 26.0 on kickoffs. P Donnie Jones averaged 50.0 gross and 45.5 net. Josh Brown was four-for-four on FGs, including a 52-yarder. The Rams' coverage was pretty good. GRADE: A-

COACHING: OC Pat Shurmur's approach wasn't flashy, but it was effective. DC Ken Flajole brought the heat, with consistent blitzes keeping the Cardinals QB on their heels. The clock could've been managed a bit better at the end of the half, but no serious issues overall. GRADE: B+
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-06-2010, 08:40 PM
Report Card: A For Bradford, A- For Receivers

by r8rh8rmike

Report Card: A for Bradford, A- for receivers

By BILL COATS
Monday, November 29, 2010

Here are the grades for the St. Louis Rams after Sunday's 36-33 victory over the Denver Broncos:

QUARTERBACK: Rookie Sam Bradford had a breakout game, passing for a season-high 308 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception. His passer rating was 113.3, also a personal best. GRADE: A

RUNNING BACKS: Steven Jackson didn't get any easy yards, as he picked up 72 on 29 carries, an average of 2.5 per try. Backup Kenneth Darby scored a TD on a 1-yard run. WR Danny Amendola added 48 yards on three end-around plays. GRADE: C

RECEIVERS: Danario Alexander sparked the passing attack with 95 yards on four catches. Laurent Robinson and Danny Amendola had four catches each, and Brandon Gibson added three. No drops by this group. GRADE: A-

OFFENSIVE LINE: Bradford was generally well protected. But the run blocking was subpar. The interior of the line wasn't able to produce push, which made for a tough day for Jackson to find room to operate. GRADE: C-

DEFENSIVE LINE: DE Chris Long made two big plays on Denver's last drive, sacking QB Kyle Orton on first down, then batting down Orton's fourth-down pass. DE C.J. Ah You and DT Fred Robbins also had sacks. The Broncos averaged 6.6 yards per rush attempt. GRADE: C+

LINEBACKERS: Na'il Diggs had a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss. James Laurinaitis also had a tackle for loss but was less involved than on most Sundays. Larry Grant and Chris Chamberlain didn't do much. GRADE: C

SECONDARY: Safeties Oshiomogho Atogwe and Craig Dahl were active. Atogwe also forced a fumble that led to a Rams TD. Coverage often was soft, and Denver WRs stung the Rams for 257 yards on 15 catches, even though much of the damage came in the game's hectic final minutes. GRADE: D

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Josh Brown left four points on the field, clanking a PAT try off the upright and missing a 45-yard FG. P Donnie Jones' day was below average for him. Danny Amendola averaged a solid 29 yards on three kickoff returns. The Rams' coverage was pretty good. GRADE: C+

COACHING: The Rams nearly coughed up another lead on the road, as they again pulled back on offense after taking control. Still, the 36 points marked a high in coach Steve Spagnuolo's two seasons. No issues with clock management or general decision-making. GRADE: C+
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-11-30-2010, 09:16 AM
Rams Report Card: D+ For Coaching; D For Secondary

by r8rh8rmike

Rams Report Card: D+ for coaching; D for secondary

By BILL COATS
Monday, November 15, 2010

Here are the St. Louis Rams' grades after Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the *****:

QUARTERBACK: Sam Bradford had a few errant tosses. But overall, there's little to quibble about. He completed 71 percent of his passes, didn't throw an interception for the fourth game in a row, and compiled a solid passer rating of 94.4. He also was solid on the late drive that sent the game into OT. GRADE: A-

RUNNING BACKS: Still playing with a broken finger, Steven Jackson piled up 148 yards -- 81 rushing on 20 attempts, 67 receiving on eight catches. GRADE: B+

RECEIVERS: Though he had eight catches for 72 yards, WR Brandon Gibson inexplicably twice failed to surge upfield after making catches near the first-down marker. Danny Amendola was his usual solid self, with seven catches for 51 yards and a TD. TE Daniel Fells couldn't come up with the grab at about the 7-yard line in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. He might've scored and regained the lead for the Rams. GRADE: C+

OFFENSIVE LINE: Bradford was sacked three times, but generally was pretty well protected. The run blocking was lacking early, but got better later. Renardo Foster filled in nicely at LT after Rodger Saffold left with an ankle injury. GRADE: C+

DEFENSIVE LINE: Three of the Rams' five sacks were by d-linemen -- Chris Long, C.J. Ah You and James Hall. The Rams got good pressure on QB Troy Smith, but he often was able to wriggle out of trouble. The ***** mustered only 98 yards on the ground. GRADE: B

LINEBACKERS: MLB James Laurinaitis had a sack. SLB Na'il Diggs had a couple of good moments, and a couple of not-so-good ones. WLB Chris Chamberlain didn't do much is his first career start. GRADE: C

SECONDARY: Although it wasn't totally the d-backs' fault, Troy Smith torched the Rams for 356 passing yards, easily the highest total against them all season. CB Kevin Dockery was beaten badly two times in the first quarter, for 32 and then 65 yards. The Rams also committed two costly pass-interference penalties that added 60 yards. S Craig Dahl was credited with 13 tackles in the unofficial press-box stats. GRADE: D

SPECIAL TEAMS: Donnie Jones was outstanding; the ***** didn't return any of his nine punts. The ***** averaged just 14 yards on three kickoff returns. The Rams' returns were just so-so. Josh Brown hit on both FG tries, but also booted a kickoff out of bounds. Bryan Kehl blocked a field goal. GRADE: B+

COACHING: OC Pat Shurmur opened the game with four-wideout sets on three of the first four snaps. He stayed creative early, but again turned conservative as the Rams tried to hold a lead. DC Ken Flajole oddly chose to go with four-man rushes on a number of crucial pass situations. HC coach Steve Spagnuolo could be challenged...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-11-15-2010, 06:29 PM

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Report card: Defensive line earns an A, coaches an A-

Report card: Defensive line earns an A, coaches an A-

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