By Jim Thomas
CHARLOTTE, N.C. • Coach Jeff Fisher stubbornly lives in the moment. He has disdain for the big picture and distaste for gridiron philosophizing.
So when asked what it would mean for his Rams team to improve its record to 4-3 with a victory Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Fisher’s reply was predictable.
“It would mean that we won the next game on our schedule, which we’re trying to do,” Fisher said, with a trace of a smile. “That’s the object — one more point.”
As in one more point than the other guy wins the game.
One more point than the Panthers in Sunday’s noon kickoff (St. Louis time) puts the Rams above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2006. Under then-rookie head coach Scott Linehan, the Rams started the ’06 campaign 4-1 before losing five in a row and seven of their next eight.
Fisher’s first Rams team stood at 3-2 last season following a 17-13 Thursday night triumph over Arizona. But the team then went on an 0-4-1 skid and didn’t top .500 again before finishing 7-8-1.
But ask the players what 4-3 would mean, and the answer’s a bit different than Fisher’s.
“It would mean a lot,” said defensive end Chris Long, who has yet to experience a winning season since being drafted by the Rams in 2008. “We talked about confidence earlier; it’d be another step in the right direction. Another step in being confident, and exhibiting that we can get things done on the field. It’d be another tough road win, and we’d love to go get it.”
And from tight end Lance Kendricks, who was drafted in 2011 — or just in time for Steve Spagnuolo’s ill-fated 2-14 Rams finale: “It would mean a great deal. I think last year we were only above .500 maybe once or twice. So I think this early in the season, being above .500 is very important for us, especially being a young team.”
Plus, should the Rams escape North Carolina with a victory, their next two contests are at home.
“Yeah, exactly,” Kendricks said. “So we’ve really got to just crank it up for this week, get going early, and hopefully we can make some big plays.”
Six games into this season, it’s next to impossible to get a read on the Rams. They opened the season with two spirited fourth-quarter rallies — one that succeeded (Arizona), and one that didn’t (Atlanta).
Then came two dispiriting losses (Dallas, San Francisco) that were painfully reminiscent of football follies of past regimes.
And most recently, with a retooled offensive philosophy and a newfound penchant for takeaways by the defense (and special teams), the Rams posted convincing victories over Jacksonville (34-20) and Houston (38-13).
“I hope that they continue,” Fisher said when asked if defensive scores were contagious. “Two weeks in a row now, but the idea is to get the ball in the end zone....
-10-19-2013, 11:52 PM
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