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Carolina intercepts Rams' playoff bid

by RamWraith

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Dec. 12 2004

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Just when the Rams needed him most, Chris Chandler came up
with probably the worst performance in his 17 NFL seasons.

And no one felt worse than Chandler, who threw six - that's right, a half dozen
- interceptions in the Rams' 20-7 loss to Carolina.

"After everything I did good last week to help this team win (against San
Francisco), I can take all the blame for this loss," Chandler said.

When Carolina cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. gains more yards off Chandler passes
than Isaac Bruce, you know it's a long day. But that's exactly what happened
Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

Manning, a Rams nemesis last season in the playoffs, picked off two Chandler
passes and returned them for 46 yards. Bruce had three catches for 27 yards.

"Chris made some real poor 'judgment throws' where the ball didn't come out
when it should," coach Mike Martz said. "On some of those things he was
throwing the ball too quickly instead of letting the guy get into the hole."

Martz theorized that some of that may have been because Chandler was reverting
to old habits from past teams. The Rams ask their quarterbacks to approach
things differently in terms of how they go through their reads.

"A little bit," Chandler said. "But it's not anything that's too different. I
had no answers. No excuses, either. It was just not good."

The Rams entered the game in first place in the NFC West, holding the No. 4
seed in the playoffs. But at 6-7, the Rams are now on the outside looking in.

Seattle (7-6) took over the division lead by winning in Minnesota. And Carolina
(6-7), with its fifth straight victory, now holds the sixth - and final -
playoff spot. (It has the tiebreaker edge over the Rams because it defeated the
Rams head to head.)

But all that was on anybody's minds early Sunday evening were interceptions,
not playoff scenarios. The six interceptions were a career high for the
39-year-old Chandler - his previous high was four against San Diego, way back
in 1990.

Chandler's interception total tied for the second most in Rams franchise
history, trailing the seven thrown by Bob Waterfield against Green Bay in 1958
and Parker Hall against Green Bay in 1942.

The tone was set on the Rams' opening possession. Facing a third and 3 on the
Carolina 27, Chandler was flushed out of the pocket, had Dane Looker open over
the middle for a first down, but overthrew him with Manning coming down with
the interception.

Two additional interceptions came on deflected...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-13-2004, 06:35 AM
Words can't do justice to describe QB's ineptitude

by Nick

Words can't do justice to describe QB's ineptitude
By Bryan Burwell
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Dec. 19 2004

TEMPE, Ariz. - Before we get to the really heavy lifting in the wreckage of
this disastrous Rams season, let's shove some of the light debris out of the
way first.

Cut Chris Chandler right now.

Don't waste another day or another ounce of aggravation on someone who clearly
doesn't care enough about his job to prepare properly to help his team win. The
Rams' postseason hopes have all but disintegrated in the span of the two weeks,
and in the aftermath of another catastrophic defeat that has his fingerprints
all over it, Chandler is the easiest (though clearly not the only) culprit to
identify.

Somehow, after 17 years in the National Football League, the 39-year-old
Chandler has mysteriously forgotten how to play quarterback, as evidenced by
his pitiful display in Sunday's 31-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. One week
after playing one of the worst games I've ever seen a proven, veteran NFL
quarterback play (six interceptions and three sacks in a 20-7 loss to
Carolina), Chandler outdid himself against the Cardinals.

I cannot overstate how bad this guy stunk up half-empty Sun Devil Stadium. In
only one spectacularly abysmal quarter of play, Chandler completed one of six
passes for 1 lousy yard, was sacked twice, threw an interception and had a 0.0
passer rating. By the time Mike Martz yanked him at the end of the first
quarter, the Rams had already fallen behind 10-0 and had been outgained in
total offensive yards 108 to minus-20.

Here's how his day went out here in the Arizona desert, and too bad it wasn't a
mirage.

Three and out.

Three and out.

Interception.

Three and out.

Benched.

He was beyond bad. He was flat-out incompetent, and maybe worse than that.
Incompetence, as bad as it might be, is at least excusable. But indifference is
an unpardonable transgression. You expect a rookie to play incompetently. You
might even expect a free agent, walking in cold off the street, to be clueless.
But who could expect a 17-year veteran who has been to two Pro Bowls, won an
NFC championship and played in the scorching heat of a Super Bowl, to play
without a clue, and with so little passion?
Chandler was not only bad, he was calling passes when he was supposed to be
calling a running plays. He was throwing to the wrong receivers. He was
floating balls like they were filled with helium. And when he wasn't doing
that, he was showing all the mobility of an oak tree, feet deeply rooted in the
ground and unable to move...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-20-2004, 01:17 AM
Words can't do justice to describe QB's ineptitude

by RamWraith

By Bryan Burwell
Of the Post-Dispatch
12/19/2004

Cut Chris Chandler right now.

Don't waste another day or another ounce of aggravation on someone who clearly doesn't care enough about his job to prepare properly to help his team win. The Rams' postseason hopes have all but disintegrated in the span of the two weeks, and in the aftermath of another catastrophic defeat that has his fingerprints all over it, Chandler is the easiest (though clearly not the only) culprit to identify.

Somehow, after 17 years in the National Football League, the 39-year-old Chandler has mysteriously forgotten how to play quarterback, as evidenced by his pitiful display in Sunday's 31-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. One week after playing one of the worst games I've ever seen a proven, veteran NFL quarterback play (six interceptions and three sacks in a 20-7 loss to Carolina), Chandler outdid himself against the Cardinals.

I cannot overstate how bad this guy stunk up half-empty Sun Devil Stadium. In only one spectacularly abysmal quarter of play, Chandler completed one of six passes for 1 lousy yard, was sacked twice, threw an interception and had a 0.0 passer rating. By the time Mike Martz yanked him at the end of the first quarter, the Rams had already fallen behind 10-0 and had been outgained in total offensive yards 108 to minus-20.

Here's how his day went out here in the Arizona desert, and too bad it wasn't a mirage.

Three and out.

Three and out.

Interception.

Three and out.

Benched.

He was beyond bad. He was flat-out incompetent, and maybe worse than that. Incompetence, as bad as it might be, is at least excusable. But indifference is an unpardonable transgression. You expect a rookie to play incompetently. You might even expect a free agent, walking in cold off the street, to be clueless. But who could expect a 17-year veteran who has been to two Pro Bowls, won an NFC championship and played in the scorching heat of a Super Bowl, to play without a clue, and with so little passion?

Chandler was not only bad, he was calling passes when he was supposed to be calling a running plays. He was throwing to the wrong receivers. He was floating balls like they were filled with helium. And when he wasn't doing that, he was showing all the mobility of an oak tree, feet deeply rooted in the ground and unable to move out of the way of the various blitzes the Cards were throwing at him.

How does this happen? Was Chandler so traumatized from last week's bad experience that he was paralyzed with fear this week? Was he sleeping in meetings and didn't know the game plan? Was the wireless microphone in his helmet picking up shortwave signals from Sri Lanka? Did his dog eat his playbook?

"Guys, I don't know," said a seething Mike Martz in the head coach's...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-20-2004, 03:22 PM
Chandler throws on a running play

by RamWraith

NFL.com wire reports

TEMPE, Ariz. (Dec. 19, 2004) -- The NFC West is so bad that a team with a losing record could win it -- even the Arizona Cardinals.

The St. Louis Rams had a chance to take control of the league's worst division, but they fell flat in a 31-7 loss to the Cardinals.

Josh McCown threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more and the Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak.

McCown, starting his second game since being benched for three, went 22-of-34 for 287 yards with no interceptions. He had TD passes of 8 and 4 yards to Larry Fitzgerald, and scoring runs of 1 and 9 yards.

A victory would have moved the Rams into a tie with Seattle atop the division, since St. Louis holds the tiebreaker with two wins over the Seahawks. Instead, the Rams fell to 6-8, just one game ahead of the Cardinals (5-9), who improbably are still alive.

"We didn't see this coming," Rams wide receiver Torry Holt said. "If there was any game on the schedule that we felt confident about coming in and winning, it would be Arizona."

If Arizona wins its last two, and both Seattle and St. Louis go 0-2, the Cardinals would take the division title at 7-9.

"I'm surprised that a 5-9 team is in it, but I'm not surprised that it's this team," McCown said. "We have it in us. We have the talent, we have the capability to do this, it's just a consistency thing."

With quarterback Marc Bulger out with a shoulder injury, 39-year-old Chris Chandler lasted just one quarter for the Rams before he was replaced by Jamie Martin, who saw his first regular-season action in two years. He was signed by the Rams earlier this month when Bulger was injured.

St. Louis coach Mike Martz put much of the blame on Chandler, saying the veteran quarterback threw the ball on a run play on the first series and made other elementary mistakes.

"It's tragic for this football team, for that position to hold this whole football team hostage," Martz said, "but that's where we are."

Martz praised Martin's play, considering the circumstances, but said, "I just don't know what to call when you've got a guy in there that's never been in there."

The Rams' touchdown came on Leonard Little 's 61-yard fumble return with 7 seconds left in the first half.

"When you score 31 points, hold a team to seven points and basically no points against the offense -- and not in position to kick even field goals -- then you feel like you've done a very good job," Arizona coach Dennis Green said.

St. Louis' only serious offensive threat ended when Holt was hit by Ifeanyi Ohalete and fumbled as he was about to cross the goal line. Ohalete recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-20-2004, 04:48 AM
On a day when the Rams need him, Chandler's an asset for the Panthers

by RamWraith

By Bernie Miklasz
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Dec. 12 2004

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For some athletes, the legs are the first to go as the aging
process sets in. For Rams quarterback Chris Chandler, 39, apparently it's the
eyes. Chandler's vision seemed awfully blurred on Sunday in Carolina. He kept
throwing the football to the wrong team.

The Panthers intercepted Chandler six times in their 20-7 victory over the
visiting Rams.

Repeat: Six INTs . . .

"It kind of snowballed a little bit," Chandler said.

More like an avalanche.

Chandler needed glasses, or even a pair of binoculars, to distinguish the Rams
from the Panthers. The final tally was close; at least Rams receivers Torry
Holt and Isaac Bruce caught nine of Chandler's passes, or three more than
Carolina.

Six interceptions . . .

At Bank of America Stadium, Chandler was an ATM for the Carolina defense. When
in need, the Panthers just punched the digits 1 and 2 for a passcode - Chandler
wears No. 12 - and he'd spit out another interception. He was instant cash for
Carolina all day. Chandler was the gift that kept on giving during this blessed
holiday season.

Six interceptions . . .

This was Marc Bulger's finest day as a Rams quarterback. No, he has a bruised
shoulder and didn't play. But at least now some spoiled Rams fans should
realize Bulger isn't the worst QB in the history of Western Civilization, after
all.

Chandler's pick-six special was the worst performance by an old Rams
quarterback since Joe Namath finished his career with the 1977 Los Angeles
Rams. Namath could barely walk at the end, but at least he could see well
enough to establish, say, each team's colors.

Then again, Namath didn't have to play behind this particular Rams offensive
line. Chandler won't last long. This treatment of Chandler, the league's oldest
starting QB, might prompt a protest by the American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP) at Rams Park.

And gee, isn't it good that Mike Martz dumped Kurt Warner and signed Chris
Chandler to serve as the No. 2 quarterback? Martz grew tired of Warner's
turnovers and tendency to hold onto the ball for too long and take sacks. So he
cut Warner loose.

Warner experienced some bad days during his decline, but he never was picked
off six times in a game. Warner is a humble man, but who could blame him for
smiling a little when he hears about Chandler's by-interception-only party for
the Panthers? And if Kurt isn't laughing, Brenda probably is.

"I can take all the blame for this one," Chandler said.
...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-12-13-2004, 06:34 AM

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