Gameday Thread: Bye Week Edition

[Ramsfan28]

SPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYY EDITION








AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS THE MOST HORRIFYING THING I'VE EVER SEEN! THEY SHOULD PUT THE "FAT FREE" IN RED!!!!!!!








TRICK OR TREAT!



Awwww....how cute! What are you supposed to be?




Dahl: I'm supposed to be a safety!



Mikell: Me too!

Old Lady: Awww...you mean those things that make plays in coverage?

Dahl: ...what? No, we're more like the...

Mikell: Wanderin' around type. Like, "whoa, there goes that tight end!"

Dahl: Or, "wow, that zone over there sure looks like the perfect spot for a receiver to be. Oh golly, why am I over here confusing my own teammate? OH! TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS!"

Old Lady: Oh, well how cute! Here's a 7th round draft pick. It will be worth more than both of you combined at the end of the season! HAHAHAH! Owww...it hurts to breathe....



And now, a message from Robert Quinn




I got more sacks than a group of trick or treaters in a rich neighborhood!




Season Mid-term Grades


Total Offense

Ranked 28th in the league in yards per game. 30th in points per game. Out of those 2 categories, the Rams rank as one of the worst offenses int he league. Oddly enough, they are actually in the top half of total rushing yards per game (12th with 850 yards) and 20th in passing (1652 yards).

However, the Rams only have 2 rushing touchdowns this year! 2! That is beyond pathetic. Also, only 9 passing touchdowns. To be fair though, tons of teams are stuck at only 9 passing TD's. However, the majority of those teams at least have the running TD's to back it up. I'm also pretty sure that if it weren't for GZ, the Rams would be dead last in PPG (the one offensive category the Rams are top 5 in = field goals made). The Rams offense is like that friend that just can't seal the deal with the ladies. Nothing you can really say or do is going to change it, you just have to watch the awkwardness while thinking (nooo, don't do that man!) and just hope the tides turn.

Penalties are an issue too. With 448 penalty yards, they are ranked 6th in the league in penalties. Sadly, if you do the math, that's nearly 18% of their total offensive production (448/2503). Overall, I would say a lack of execution is the Rams offensive problem right now.


But...let's look at some finer notes.

1. GZ has become a nice weapon for the Rams ineptitude in the red zone (which has now been extended by 15 yards in GZ's case....). He's right up there with some of the elite kickers in the league, with only Lawrence Tynes being a huge frontrunner with 24 made. Out of the Rams total points this year (137), GZ has 51 of those points, meaning he accounts for more than 1/3 of the Rams total offensive production.

2. A nice surprise in nearly Mr. Irrelevant D-Rich. Maybe he's not the answer we're looking for, but it's nice to see someone run with such authority. I know you're probably not alone when thinking "I wish SJax would motor like that...he would just bowl people over!"

3. Brandon Gibson. Once again, maybe not the answer we're looking for, but who would have thought that he would be Bradford's 2nd favorite target, now favorite target with Danny out? He has really been able to find some separation out there. He's starting to become more consistent. Though he still has had his bad games, he has also had some really good ones.

4. Chris Givens finally adding some excitement to this offense. It's nice having a speedster again. Hopefully this one can stay healthy. Establishing him as a deep threat will open up so many gaps that will help everyone flourish.

5. Bradford is improving. Maybe he's not the super star we all want him to be, but the progress is showing. It would be nice if there were just one offensive coordinator for him to study under rather than switching things up every year for him. However, he has shown that he can lead the team.

6. Nice surprises on a beat up O-line. Richardson, Hunter, and Barksdale have all stepped it up. Are they perfect? No, but each has had a good game. It's nice to see that the first resort wasn't going into sleep mode and creating a revolving door.

Overall Grade = D+

I think we are all on the boarder of being satisfied with this, but mostly this offense has been unsatisfactory.


Defense

They are ranked 14th in the league in yards per game allowed, However, they are also ranked 10th in points allowed, allowing 186 on the season (keep in mind, 75 of those were allowed in the last 2 games against 2 of the best offenses).

I almost feel as if there is an illusion with this defense. That is illusion is...are they really THAT good? There are times where I go into games thinking they have a top 10 defense, but the reality of it all is they might not even be a top 15 defense. It's obvious that there are some key components holding them back. Safety is a very weak position. Also, a WLB would be nice as well.

The rush defense is middle of the pack, giving up 844 yards, while allowing 8 rushing touchdowns. The pass defense is middle of the pack as well, allowing 11 scores through the air (4 of those were last week from Brady, and 3 were from Aaron Rodgers). The impressive feat is that the Rams have 11 picks on the year, and not to mention 21 sacks.

But here is where it breaks down. Before the Rams went up against 2 elite teams in Green Bay and New England, they had only allowed 4 passing touchdowns. Not to mention they didn't get any interceptions. What it boils down to is the defense showed it couldn't hold its' own against good offenses. Obviously these teams see the weakpoints and exploit them, which was very evident last week with Gronkowski eating the safeties alive. Also, teams have exploited Jenkins being a rookie, catching him a few times missing assignments.

That being said, here are some things that will make sure the Rams D only improves as time goes on.


1. Robert Quinn. With 7 sacks on the year, he has esteemed himself the new Leonard Little. Also, his containment has gotten WAY better. He is well on his way to becoming elite.

2. James Laurinaitis and Chris Long acting as the hearts of the defense. Even when other components are weakening, you can expect one of these two to help pull things back together. Both are invaluable, and both will stay in blue and gold for awhile.

3. Cortland Finnegan and Jo-Lonn Dunbar giving this defense a new edge. Both have been fantastic additions. Dunbar has 50 tackles, 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception on the year. Also, he has been pretty on top of his assignments, minus the crucial one that still haunts us in Detroit. Finnegan has also been playing lights out with 3 INT's, one of them for a pick 6. He' still playing up to par in terms of being stingy with yards per catch allowed, as well as having 52 tackles on the season. I think we can all agree that he has been a major component of this defense, as well as another leader.

4. Rookies Brockers and Jenkins have given the Rams some new life. Jenkins has made some mistakes, but is a playmaker. Big hitter, speedy, nasty attitude, really gives fans something to be excited about. Brockers has been a rock for the Rams. Very solid in his assignments, good at eating up blocks, as well as shutting down the run. He has teamed up nicely with Langford.

Overall Grade= B-

Definitely much better than we have seen in the past. However, there is still some work to be done. They will look great against inferior offenses, but the good teams know how to expose them. Still, we all know that they will only get better as the season progresses.


BIG BOARD

My big board:

1. Taylor Lewan, OT Michigan
2. Keenan Allen, WR Cal
3. Chance Warmack, OG Bama
4. Eric Reid, FS LSU
5. Austin Hunter, WR Tenn


Rationale: Obviously the offensive line problems keep mounting. Lewan is a great talent at offensive tackle. Neither Hunter nor Saffold seem to be that franchise LT that we are all looking for. Honestly, I think Saffold's time as a Ram is running out. If Lewan isn't our guy on offensive line, then Warmack should be it. One of the best offensive guard prospects to come out since Davin Joseph (whom I feel relied mostly on size) and Mike Iupati.

Between Hunter and Allen, I think Allen can be the #1 we are all looking for. Great speed, great route runner, reliable hands. I wouldn't mind Hunter either, as he has terrific playmaking ability to go with his speed and size. But I feel what Sam needs right now is a reliable receiver to move the chains.

Finally, there's Eric Reid of LSU. He reminds me a lot of Michael Griffin with his ability to be a ball hawk, but mostly his ability to be at the right place at the right time when needed in run support. I think he would be a great fit for Fisher's defense. He's rated as a middle of the first round prospect, which should make him fall comfortably to the Rams with either their record of Washington's record.






Hurricane Update

As you all know, NYC got pretty lit up by Hurricane Sandy.



This is lower Manhattan....LIGHTS OUT! Very scary week for us New Yorkers. Tons of us are without power. Thankfully my neighborhood was barely scathed in the storm. It appears the storm had an assignment of hitting mainland.



But it could have missed.... If only this storm were more like Craig Dahl! It would have totally went out to sea and missed us!!! WHY!?!?!!?!




And now to close, we have the following fines from the Commissioner:



Ramsfan28: 8 dollars for improperly reporting what building the dangling crane was on in New York City during the hurricane.

jrry32: 2,000 pesos for an unsportsmanlike post in...some...thread....we know you did it!!

iRams: $75, which will go to an AA class, for drinking on the job.

El Ramster: $18 for typing in haiku format.

StLunatic88: $50 for being rational.

ramsfan55: 2 chicken nuggets for stealing picture evidence from the NFL, and an additional happy meal for trying to prove Patriots fans wrong.

RamRod: An Arby's chicken sandwich that you were about to order...for bringing up stats on the Rams record with/without Danny Amendola. This sandwich will be donated to the Vince Wilfork "I'm hungry NOW" charity.

DistantRam: For staying during the whole Rams game at Wembley and not leaving during the 3rd quarter, as is tradition at the Edwards Jones Dome, you will be fined $5 in Monopoly money. But hopefully FEMA will give you $4,000 in collateral damage for what you witnessed.

Halradio: $6 for making only factual posts. This money will go to the iRams "I really need a drink after watching the Rams play today" foundation, which is located at the pub around the corner.

The J.R.S.: Removal of one Adam Archuletta jersey for defending Adam Archuletta. Adam will sign said removed jersey.

DEE RAWL: 5,000 Yen for stating the Rams shouldn't draft a safety in the first round, despite watching the safeties look confused in the backfield.

Wr80: Removal of Patriots season tickets for calling the Patriots bullies.

yrba1: Banishment of having El Ramster make you sigs for trying to convince Ramster to stop making terrible sig bets. Next time, set up an intervention...we will get together and confront him about this.
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[DEE RAWL]

Hahaha that is some great stuff. Especially considering its a bye week. Great job man.

First off, gotta say glad Hurricane sandy has moved on with everyone in the forum ok (no homo). What a B**** she was.


As for the team... Started out excellent and have gone through a bit of a rough patch lets see if they can get back on track with the 9ers coming up... Yikes.

A couple questions, why no love for Robert Woods? I love Keenan Allen as well but clearly the homer in me has to love Woods. He does run uncanny routes with hands to go with it.

I havent watched much film or done much research on most of thr OL prospects, is Lewan a better prospect than either of the Tex A&M tackles?

And finally, I still dont think a safety is a 1st round priority , but it is a priority without a doubt.
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[Ramsfan28]

[jrry32]

The LT position is such a waste of time.
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[El ramster]

[jrry32]

[Ramsfan28]

[jrry32]

[Ramsfan28]

If it were right tackle, I would like Dallas Thomas in the second, or maybe someone like Oday Abushi in the 3rd. I agree though, if Warmack is there, the Rams need to draft him.
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[chris00cm]

Danario Alexander starting tonight for the Chargers. I bet he lights it up and is a player of the game nominee.

Then will miss a couple weeks with a knee injury.
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Xbox Live Gamertag: Chris Sanity

[Ramsfan28]

[tim199009]

[RamRod]

I get fined an Arby's chicken sandwich? That's okay cause I've got the Arby's Grab-N-Go deal.
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Adopt-a-Ram: Brian Quick - 11 receptions, 156 yards, 2 TDs

[stlblackshirt]

Hilarious GDT. I always wondered how long it takes you to prepare one of these.

In the 2nd half, the future of the Rams comes down to one guy: Brian Quick. Yes he's a project and he comes from a simple offense but with the issues in the red zone, how the heck can he not be a guy to run fades? One of the best WR coaches in the NFL is teaching him so you wonder if it's a motivation thing or if Sam has no confidence in him (like when he hung Sam out to dry in the NE game with that terrible effort). If he develops, the need for a 1st round WR becomes less than the need for safeties and linemen.

Potentially, this draft is better than last years draft. Deep in WR, OL and S - all 3 of great need. I would love to see Snead trade down with one of the 1st rounders and pick up an extra pick(s) in the 2nd/3rd.
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Wishlist for 2013: WR, FS, OL, OLB

[Ramsfan28]