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SEATTLE • Quick reaction to the Rams' 27-9 loss to the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field:
• If you can't run the ball against Seattle, you have no chance of winning. You're doomed, and your demise will be especially unpleasant. The Rams were stuffed all day on the ground. Rookie Zac Stacy had no place to go, not unless he had a shovel to dig a tunnel and go under the Seattle defense. Through three quarters the Rams had 15 rushing attempts for minus 1 yard, and the rout was on. The Rams finished with 13 yards rushing on 18 attempts.
• The injuries to the Rams' offensive line clearly was a major factor in the ineffective rushing attack. The Rams were missing three starters from the lineup that mauled the Seahawks in St. Louis earlier this season; this unit was particularly weakened by the absence of left tackle Jake Long and center Scott Wells. Rodger Saffold was doing a very good job in run blocking at right guard, so having to move him to left tackle to replace Long was another minus for the line.
• Under these circumstances Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens could have thrown wadded-up balls of used Christmas-present wrapping at the Seahawks; it simply didn't matter. Seattle plays the best pass defense in the league. And with the Rams incapable of running the ball to keep the wolves from circling, Clemens was about as vulnerable as a QB can be. And the Rams passing game was essentially futile. Oh, Clemens and the Rams connected on some passes late in the fourth quarter, including a TD pass to tight end Jared Cook. But all of that came after Seattle had smashed its way to a 27-3 lead. But it meant nothing.
• For a long while the Rams defense held up under the strain of (A) having no offense for support, and (B) an extreme disadvantage in field position. But the STL defense ultimately caved, taken down by Marshawn Lynch's strenuous show of power running and self-inflicted damage. Yeah, I'm about to go on a rant about the penalties...
• The Rams defense blew itself up with a breakdown in discipline that led to too many foolish penalties. Seattle's approach on offense? Easy: Keep pounding away with Lynch, wing a few safe passes to Golden Taint, and just wait for Rams defenders to lose their composure and implode. Seattle didn't have to do much on offense; the Rams helped by getting flagged so many times. Sunday's result? The Rams suffered death by flogging, and by flagging.
• Total: 12 penalties, 87 yards. The Rams' poor discipline was an issue for most of this season. It was one of the negatives to the season. And the out-of-control temperament was embarrassing in Sunday's game. You don't “stand up” to the Seahawks by taunting and posturing and doing fake tough-guy stuff; you “stand up” to Seattle by winning the battles up front, and executing better, and being more physical, and playing tougher football within the confines of the rules. If I hear one more person say they were happy to see the Rams "stand up" to the Seahawks, I'm going to toss ... flags.
• Getting baited into idiotic penalties is "standing up" to an opponent? Really? How is that, exactly? Where in the hell is that reflected on the scoreboard? Are we going to have an awards ceremony and hand out a trophy for "Best Performance In Losing One's Mind" on the football field? The Rams got their backsides kicked at CenturyLink. This game would be won or lost on the ground; the toughest team would prevail. And the Rams were outrushed 111 yards to 13. Who did they stand up to? The officials? The Rams lost the game by 18 points. That's hardly standing up.
• Jeff Fisher coaches his teams to be edgy; maybe he can start coaching them to avoid going over the edge. Drawing a series of idiotic penalties does nothing to move this program forward. There's nothing “edgy” about acting like knuckleheads, and pushing your team deeper into the ditch against the NFC's best team, on a homefield where he Seahawks have now gone 15-1 over the last two seasons. It's just bad, and stupid, football. Period.
• Rams' Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker was brilliant again, and reaffirmed why he's already been recognized as one of the very best in the league in only his second season. Hekker averaged an impressive 48.4 net yards on seven punts Sunday and was the Rams' star of an otherwise abysmal performance. Hekker finished with an NFL single-season record of 44.2 net yards per punt. An NFL record in his second season ... applause.
• I was hoping that Stacy could reach 1,000 yards rushing for the season, but the Seahawks would have none of that. Stacy netted 15 yards rushing; he fell 27 yards shy of 1,000. The kid had a terrific season.
• Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, who was held on most passing plays, managed one sack. He could have had more, but it was tough to break loose from Seattle's obvious effort to tie him up by any means necessary.
• And Jeff Triplette's officiating crew — which is the worst in the league — didn't have the vision or the fortitude to police the holding. Quinn finished with 19 sacks. It was a great season, but getting to 20 would have put him in exclusive company in NFL history.
I'll have more in Monday's Post-Dispatch column and here on STLToday.com.
Thanks for reading...
— Bernie
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5691e1ea-4389-5c1a-96c0-319cdfff9a78.html
• If you can't run the ball against Seattle, you have no chance of winning. You're doomed, and your demise will be especially unpleasant. The Rams were stuffed all day on the ground. Rookie Zac Stacy had no place to go, not unless he had a shovel to dig a tunnel and go under the Seattle defense. Through three quarters the Rams had 15 rushing attempts for minus 1 yard, and the rout was on. The Rams finished with 13 yards rushing on 18 attempts.
• The injuries to the Rams' offensive line clearly was a major factor in the ineffective rushing attack. The Rams were missing three starters from the lineup that mauled the Seahawks in St. Louis earlier this season; this unit was particularly weakened by the absence of left tackle Jake Long and center Scott Wells. Rodger Saffold was doing a very good job in run blocking at right guard, so having to move him to left tackle to replace Long was another minus for the line.
• Under these circumstances Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens could have thrown wadded-up balls of used Christmas-present wrapping at the Seahawks; it simply didn't matter. Seattle plays the best pass defense in the league. And with the Rams incapable of running the ball to keep the wolves from circling, Clemens was about as vulnerable as a QB can be. And the Rams passing game was essentially futile. Oh, Clemens and the Rams connected on some passes late in the fourth quarter, including a TD pass to tight end Jared Cook. But all of that came after Seattle had smashed its way to a 27-3 lead. But it meant nothing.
• For a long while the Rams defense held up under the strain of (A) having no offense for support, and (B) an extreme disadvantage in field position. But the STL defense ultimately caved, taken down by Marshawn Lynch's strenuous show of power running and self-inflicted damage. Yeah, I'm about to go on a rant about the penalties...
• The Rams defense blew itself up with a breakdown in discipline that led to too many foolish penalties. Seattle's approach on offense? Easy: Keep pounding away with Lynch, wing a few safe passes to Golden Taint, and just wait for Rams defenders to lose their composure and implode. Seattle didn't have to do much on offense; the Rams helped by getting flagged so many times. Sunday's result? The Rams suffered death by flogging, and by flagging.
• Total: 12 penalties, 87 yards. The Rams' poor discipline was an issue for most of this season. It was one of the negatives to the season. And the out-of-control temperament was embarrassing in Sunday's game. You don't “stand up” to the Seahawks by taunting and posturing and doing fake tough-guy stuff; you “stand up” to Seattle by winning the battles up front, and executing better, and being more physical, and playing tougher football within the confines of the rules. If I hear one more person say they were happy to see the Rams "stand up" to the Seahawks, I'm going to toss ... flags.
• Getting baited into idiotic penalties is "standing up" to an opponent? Really? How is that, exactly? Where in the hell is that reflected on the scoreboard? Are we going to have an awards ceremony and hand out a trophy for "Best Performance In Losing One's Mind" on the football field? The Rams got their backsides kicked at CenturyLink. This game would be won or lost on the ground; the toughest team would prevail. And the Rams were outrushed 111 yards to 13. Who did they stand up to? The officials? The Rams lost the game by 18 points. That's hardly standing up.
• Jeff Fisher coaches his teams to be edgy; maybe he can start coaching them to avoid going over the edge. Drawing a series of idiotic penalties does nothing to move this program forward. There's nothing “edgy” about acting like knuckleheads, and pushing your team deeper into the ditch against the NFC's best team, on a homefield where he Seahawks have now gone 15-1 over the last two seasons. It's just bad, and stupid, football. Period.
• Rams' Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker was brilliant again, and reaffirmed why he's already been recognized as one of the very best in the league in only his second season. Hekker averaged an impressive 48.4 net yards on seven punts Sunday and was the Rams' star of an otherwise abysmal performance. Hekker finished with an NFL single-season record of 44.2 net yards per punt. An NFL record in his second season ... applause.
• I was hoping that Stacy could reach 1,000 yards rushing for the season, but the Seahawks would have none of that. Stacy netted 15 yards rushing; he fell 27 yards shy of 1,000. The kid had a terrific season.
• Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, who was held on most passing plays, managed one sack. He could have had more, but it was tough to break loose from Seattle's obvious effort to tie him up by any means necessary.
• And Jeff Triplette's officiating crew — which is the worst in the league — didn't have the vision or the fortitude to police the holding. Quinn finished with 19 sacks. It was a great season, but getting to 20 would have put him in exclusive company in NFL history.
I'll have more in Monday's Post-Dispatch column and here on STLToday.com.
Thanks for reading...
— Bernie
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5691e1ea-4389-5c1a-96c0-319cdfff9a78.html