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The Rams have enjoyed two back-to-back excellent seasons resulting in two NFC West titles. They've been the deserving recipients of much praise during that time and have made football fun again. That said, some observations must be made.
Though not unexpected by me, tonight's loss was nonetheless disappointing. Credit the Bears, a good team who tonight were better, hungrier, more disciplined and tougher- overcoming a 3 int performance by their QB, who was rusty after a two-week absence, And thumbs down to Sean McVay, who continues to bewilder with his periodic unwillingness to utilize Gurley in the running game. This infatuation with the pass when you have the game's best back is mind-boggling to me. Certainly McVay is intelligent enough to know that play action only works when you establish a running game. Otherwise, the ball fake means nothing and defenses aren't fooled. Tonight, his unwillingness to get Gurley going early hurt the offense. It's almost like McVay overthinks stuff from time to time. And the use of timeouts- including an ugly stretch where we used two of them in a three second span- continues to conjure up images of Mike Martz. We simply have to have a better handle on processing play calls.
Goff, for all of the tremendous strides he's made, still has much work to do. He had the absolute worst game he's had in the McVay regime, looking totally lost and displaying the lack of poise shown in his rookie year. His mistakes were numerous and came in all areas of play. He misfired on numerous throws, missed open receivers, forced balls, showed poor pocket presence and threw 4 interceptions- one of which immediately followed a Rams defensive pick. Goff has regressed the past two weeks, and as we head towards the playoffs, this is a concern. It begs the question "Who is Jared Goff?" Is he a guy who needs everything to be perfect including great protection, a great back, and the weather to succeed? Or is he a guy who can succeed despite adverse conditions? Is he truly a potentially elite QB or simply the beneficiary of a lot of surrounding talent and a brilliant coach? His performance tonight feeds the stereotype of the West Coast/warm climate player: a guy who isn't tough and performs poorly in less-than-ideal weather and with some pressure in his face.
Tonight's game also drove home a point I've made time and again- to the disagreement of some in today's fantasy-driven offensive-minded NFL: Defense is still very important. The high-flying Rams were grounded tonight. And with the big names we have on defense, we have to be able to do this to a New Orleans, a New England or a Kansas City if we see them again.
Moving forward, I want to see improved balance from McVay with Gurley getting the opportunity to establish things early. I want continued improvement from the defense. And I want Goff to rebound from two sub-par weeks of football.
Though not unexpected by me, tonight's loss was nonetheless disappointing. Credit the Bears, a good team who tonight were better, hungrier, more disciplined and tougher- overcoming a 3 int performance by their QB, who was rusty after a two-week absence, And thumbs down to Sean McVay, who continues to bewilder with his periodic unwillingness to utilize Gurley in the running game. This infatuation with the pass when you have the game's best back is mind-boggling to me. Certainly McVay is intelligent enough to know that play action only works when you establish a running game. Otherwise, the ball fake means nothing and defenses aren't fooled. Tonight, his unwillingness to get Gurley going early hurt the offense. It's almost like McVay overthinks stuff from time to time. And the use of timeouts- including an ugly stretch where we used two of them in a three second span- continues to conjure up images of Mike Martz. We simply have to have a better handle on processing play calls.
Goff, for all of the tremendous strides he's made, still has much work to do. He had the absolute worst game he's had in the McVay regime, looking totally lost and displaying the lack of poise shown in his rookie year. His mistakes were numerous and came in all areas of play. He misfired on numerous throws, missed open receivers, forced balls, showed poor pocket presence and threw 4 interceptions- one of which immediately followed a Rams defensive pick. Goff has regressed the past two weeks, and as we head towards the playoffs, this is a concern. It begs the question "Who is Jared Goff?" Is he a guy who needs everything to be perfect including great protection, a great back, and the weather to succeed? Or is he a guy who can succeed despite adverse conditions? Is he truly a potentially elite QB or simply the beneficiary of a lot of surrounding talent and a brilliant coach? His performance tonight feeds the stereotype of the West Coast/warm climate player: a guy who isn't tough and performs poorly in less-than-ideal weather and with some pressure in his face.
Tonight's game also drove home a point I've made time and again- to the disagreement of some in today's fantasy-driven offensive-minded NFL: Defense is still very important. The high-flying Rams were grounded tonight. And with the big names we have on defense, we have to be able to do this to a New Orleans, a New England or a Kansas City if we see them again.
Moving forward, I want to see improved balance from McVay with Gurley getting the opportunity to establish things early. I want continued improvement from the defense. And I want Goff to rebound from two sub-par weeks of football.
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