Bernie: 10 Keys to Rams’ 2015 Season
PostPosted:9 years 4 months ago
Bernie: 10 Keys to Rams’ 2015 Season
Posted by: Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/11/ber ... 15-season/
Plenty of good tickets remain for the Rams’ season-opening game against Seattle on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Standing-room only? Yeah, but only if the game is moved to Jeff Fisher’s backyard.
At least Rams are assured of having one sell-out in 2015: that would be Enos Stanley Kroenke.
The most interesting tail-gaiting scene will take place after the season, with local-TV news trucks gassed up to begin a close pursuit of Kroenke’s moving fans as they head west on I-70. If you’ve been waiting for the Rams to connect on a long pass, it will definitely happen if the NFL sends Kroenke on a fly pattern to Los Angeles.
With Kroenke’s franchise suspended in mid-air, we’re in for a weird season of football in St. Louis. We may witness something unusual, incredible, or truly outlandish.
The Rams could make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
They could have their first winning season since 2003.
They could become LA’s team for the first time since 1994.
Or, in the longest of longshots, Kroenke could speak publicly in St. Louis for the first time since Jan. 17, 2012.
That’s when the pinstripe-suited Kroenke _ displaying the personal magnetism of an especially morose undertaker _ briefly rocked the microphone to introduce Fisher as the Rams’ new head coach during a news conference at the team’s Earth City headquarters.
“I can tell you this,” Kroenke said. “As of five minutes ago, Jeff and I both put our names on a contract upstairs that will keep him here for a good while. And we’re really excited about it.”
You’ll notice that Kroenke said the signed deal would keep Fisher in St. Louis for a good while.
The problem is, Kroenke never said that HE would remain in St. Louis for a good while.
Kroenke’s future and the Rams’ home in 2016 will be determined after the season, after the NFL cuts the desired backroom deal. This much we know: the Rams are here now. And if the NFL turns its franchise-relocation guidelines into scrap paper, then it’s onto Inglewood.
As the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks traveled to St. Louis, they were preparing to enter another dimension.
A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
A land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
“It’s like you’re in the Twilight Zone,” Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane told Seattle-area media on Thursday. “It’s kind of hard to describe.”
OK, Mebane. You got it.
I’ll take the meme and run with it.
In 2015, the Edward Jones Dome should be rebranded and renamed.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Rod Serling Dome!
“It’s real tough to play there,” Mebane said. “The lights are real dim. The crowd is real small. It’s just real quiet out there. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning (Seattle time), so we try not to be too sleepy. We’ve got to wake up and we’ve got to go.”
That also would apply to the Rams.
After beginning each of the past three seasons with a 3-5 record halfway through the 16-game schedule, the Rams have to rouse themselves, energize, and accelerate to a more advantageous position. Another pokey start will doom them. If they want to end the streak of non-winning, non-playoff seasons, the Rams must quickly find the fast lane and zoom past their usual 3-5 start.
Seattle is the first roadblock.
Here are the 10 keys to a successful Rams’ season:
1. The rapid maturation of the offensive line.
Three new starters. Two rookies. Only one player, guard Rodger Saffold, with more than 12 NFL starts. Saffold has started 60 NFL games; the other four first-string O-linemen have combined for 16.
The path to a productive, above-average Rams offense will be cleared by the big men up front.
Or not.
“All these things have changed in football,” said Dan Dierdorf, the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle during an in-studio interview on my 101 ESPN radio show. “One of the things that has not changed in football is simply this: if you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you can’t win. You may win an occasional game by running back an interception or a punt. If you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you are never going to be a good football team.
“The Rams have struggled as you know on the line of scrimmage for years now. And with all that youth, how long will it take them to start functioning as a unit. It’s a very great question. … how long will it take? I’m telling you, a really good offensive line makes everybody better. It can make an average quarterback into a good quarterback. It can make an average running back into a thousand-yard back. How many times do you see it where if you can one first down will win you the football game? And you see teams that can’t do it. Teams that can do it _ they’re the ones that consistently win.”
2. Score more points, or forget the playoffs.
In Coach Fisher’s three seasons, the offense struggled to reach the end zone and never approached the playoff-team level of points scored. (I’m talking points scored only by the offense _ not on special teams or by the defense.)
In 2012, the Rams scored 261 points from scrimmage which ranked 28th. That season the 12 NFL playoff teams averaged 385 points from scrimmage.
In 2013, the Rams improved to 304 points on offense, which ranked 22nd; playoff teams averaged 401 points.
In 2014, the Rams slipped to 289 points from scrimmage, ranking 23rd. The playoff-team average was 385 points.
But there is a way into the postseason _ yeah, even if the Rams fail to meet the playoff-team standard on offense. A veteran Rams defense has the talent and potential to shut opponents down in 2015, and may not require a 400-point season from the offense to take care of business. That said, the Rams “O” would likely have to raise its points-scored total to at least the NFL-average level of the past three seasons. And that means around 340 points from scrimmage.
nick foles-2
Rams QB Nick Foles
3. Quarterback Nick Foles: well, what is he exactly?
Foles was great in 2013, a Pro Bowl slinger that passed for 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
In 2014 an inconsistent and injured Foles fell out of favor with Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who bought the QB a bus ticket to St. Louis in a trade for the surgically repaired knees (and psyche) of quarterback Sam Bradford.
In July I wrote a column saying I had no idea what to expect from Foles. Based on glaringly contrasting and conflicting reports out of Philadelphia, Foles could be the Rams’ solution to a longstanding problem at quarterback. Or he could be just another disappointment.
Some readers ridiculed me for declining to offer the usual “hot take” stand.
Sorry brothers and sisters, but I refuse to score cheap big-mouth, macho-man, poseur points by pretending that I know what Foles will do for the Rans. In this instance, “I don’t know” is not only a reasonable answer; it’s an answer rooted in sanity and reality.
Because NO ONE knows, including you.
Ah, but we do know this: if the Rams can run the football with a consistent show of raw power, Foles will have a chance to be the best QB here since Marc Bulger circa 2006. If the Rams can’t run the rock effectively, Foles has a better chance of becoming Kyle Boller. Foles has skill as a play-action passer, but that won’t kick in unless he has a bloody-good rushing attack to open the passing-game possibilities.
4. Todd Gurley, the running back of Fisher’s dreams.
Fisher came to the STL with a rep for establishing a physical, punishing rushing attack. That perception _ and reputation _ wasn’t the reality. Over the past three seasons the Rams have ranked 19th in rushing yards per game (106.3) and 17th in average yards (4.1) rush. They were 29th in first downs via the rush, struggled to win the short-yardage battles, and only four teams pounded for fewer rushing TDs. There was the occasional breakaway run, but the big-play count was lacking.
Fisher and GM Les Snead coveted Gurley, the scintillating Georgia RB. Though Gurley was still rehabbing from knee surgery and would be highly unlikely to go to the post at the start of the 2015 season, the Rams made him the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft. For the Fisher offense to have legs, Gurley must emerge as a Tennessee hybrid: a combination of Eddie George and Chris Johnson, who gave Fisher’s Titans an offensive identity.
Gurley was born to run. But when will he enter his race?
5. The Rams defense must match the hype, starting Sunday vs. Seattle.
Under the formidable first-year defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the 2014 Rams defense opened the season by roaming around in a state of discomfort and confusion, playing so far below expectations that you’d find their statistics buried under the Ed Jones Dome carpet, right there with the careers of Joe Klopfenstein and Tye Hill.
gregg williams
In the first eight games the defense ranked 27th in the league by giving up an average of 27.5 points per game. They were in the bottom half of the league rankings in sacks, opponent passer rating (104.Cool, TD-INT ratio, opponent average yards per passing attempt, opponent completion percentage (70%) and stopping third downs. Only two NFL teams were plowed for more yards rushing per game over the first half of the schedule, and the frequency of opponent breakout runs was alarming.
Williams coached the fellows up, got everyone on the same page, and made critical adjustments. Over the final eight games the Rams defense ranked fourth in fewest points allowed per game (16.Cool, second in opponent TD-INT ratio, and were among the league top 10 in sack percentage, opponent passer rating (81.4), third-down stops, rushing-yards allowed (84 per game), yards allowed per rushing attempt (3.59). The improvement was dramatic, emphatic, and overdue.
And with most of the defensive membership back in place in 2015 the expectations are up again _ understandably so. With a young line, a new QB, a new offensive coordinator and Gurley idle on the sidelines, the Rams offense may need time to establish traction. The assignment for this defense: play at peak level, take over games, and dominate. Williams and the players are in synch now; really there are no excuses.
6. To repeat: a slow start will doom the Rams’ playoff hopes.
Earlier in the week we presented the hard numbers that show us what happens to a team’s playoff chances when it staggers out to a 3-5 record over the first eight games on the schedule. You can read that here. The short version: since 2002, only two of 65 NFC teams that completed the first half of the season with a 3-5 record went on to make the playoffs. The 2012 Redskins and the 2013 Eagles. Enough said.
7. One more time, with feeling: enough already with the blockhead penalties.
Historically, Fisher’s teams are chronic offenders that draw too many penalties. It happened again last season; the Rams flagged for the NFL’s highest totals in accepted penalties and penalty yardage. I offered the gory details in an earlier post, but it comes down to this: a Rams offense that until now lacks quick-strike capability and the ample firepower to overcome mistakes cannot destroy possessions with a lack of discipline that attracts the attention of alarmed, flag-tossing zebras. The defense can’t give opponents gratuitous penalties to keep drives going. The Rams’ margin of error is slim; penalties are especially damaging and must be reduced. This is on Fisher to control the mischief and hold players accountable for repeat mental errors.
8. Do something about the small crowds and potential dome-field disadvantage.
Realistically speaking, Rams players can’t fully restore the loyalty and support of a fan base that’s been beaten down by the devastating combination of a .309 winning percentage over the past 10 seasons plus a calculating owner that’s tried to alienate the customers to strengthen his case for moving the team to Los Angeles to expand his personal fortune. But if these guys can win games early, generate excitement and change the subject _ away from Kroenke _ then more fans will be motivated to return to the Dome for old times’ sake.
For all of the justifiable anger and grumbling over The Mustache, no fan ever went to a stadium to root for an owner. Fans cheer for players and attach their loyalty to a community identity _ one represented nationally by the pro-sports teams in our town . I’m not saying that a 4-2 start will fill the big warehouse of football. But a promising start to the season can shift the emphasis _ if ever so briefly _ back to football, and create a positive energy.
9. Frank Cignetti can’t be Brian Schottenheimer v. 2.0.
This is, and always will be, a Jeff Fisher offense. The head coach prefers leather-helmet football, and in a mythical NFL draft he would probably choose Bronko Nagurski or Marion Motley over Marshall Faulk or Terry Metcalf. Fisher and the crew at Rams Park have been dropping hints, suggesting that a Cignetti offense will be different than the usual Schotty offense. I’m skeptical. But Cignetti, the new offensive coordinator, appears to be a bright guy. And there is at least a reason to believe we’ll see more creativity _ even within the confines of the Fisher ground-control philosophy. And yes an offense can be physical without being predictable and boring. That’s the challenge for Cignetti. His first test case: Tavon Austin. We wish the OC well.
10. Ignore the noise — the imaginary sounds of rumbling moving vans.
That’s a prime challenge for the men that wear the classic Rams helmets in 2015.. They have to block out the moving speculation _ and concentrate on blocking the opponents’ front seven. They can’t be worried about Kroenke hauling them to Inglewood; they have to focus on hauling in touchdown passes. They can’t waste time knocking down rumors; they must knock down passes. They can’t stress over what might happen after the season; they have to devote themselves to winning games during the season. It won’t be easy to mute the noise. But it must be done. No distractions.
Good luck to the Rams.
And as always, thanks for reading …
-Bernie
Posted by: Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/11/ber ... 15-season/
Plenty of good tickets remain for the Rams’ season-opening game against Seattle on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Standing-room only? Yeah, but only if the game is moved to Jeff Fisher’s backyard.
At least Rams are assured of having one sell-out in 2015: that would be Enos Stanley Kroenke.
The most interesting tail-gaiting scene will take place after the season, with local-TV news trucks gassed up to begin a close pursuit of Kroenke’s moving fans as they head west on I-70. If you’ve been waiting for the Rams to connect on a long pass, it will definitely happen if the NFL sends Kroenke on a fly pattern to Los Angeles.
With Kroenke’s franchise suspended in mid-air, we’re in for a weird season of football in St. Louis. We may witness something unusual, incredible, or truly outlandish.
The Rams could make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
They could have their first winning season since 2003.
They could become LA’s team for the first time since 1994.
Or, in the longest of longshots, Kroenke could speak publicly in St. Louis for the first time since Jan. 17, 2012.
That’s when the pinstripe-suited Kroenke _ displaying the personal magnetism of an especially morose undertaker _ briefly rocked the microphone to introduce Fisher as the Rams’ new head coach during a news conference at the team’s Earth City headquarters.
“I can tell you this,” Kroenke said. “As of five minutes ago, Jeff and I both put our names on a contract upstairs that will keep him here for a good while. And we’re really excited about it.”
You’ll notice that Kroenke said the signed deal would keep Fisher in St. Louis for a good while.
The problem is, Kroenke never said that HE would remain in St. Louis for a good while.
Kroenke’s future and the Rams’ home in 2016 will be determined after the season, after the NFL cuts the desired backroom deal. This much we know: the Rams are here now. And if the NFL turns its franchise-relocation guidelines into scrap paper, then it’s onto Inglewood.
As the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks traveled to St. Louis, they were preparing to enter another dimension.
A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
A land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
“It’s like you’re in the Twilight Zone,” Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane told Seattle-area media on Thursday. “It’s kind of hard to describe.”
OK, Mebane. You got it.
I’ll take the meme and run with it.
In 2015, the Edward Jones Dome should be rebranded and renamed.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Rod Serling Dome!
“It’s real tough to play there,” Mebane said. “The lights are real dim. The crowd is real small. It’s just real quiet out there. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning (Seattle time), so we try not to be too sleepy. We’ve got to wake up and we’ve got to go.”
That also would apply to the Rams.
After beginning each of the past three seasons with a 3-5 record halfway through the 16-game schedule, the Rams have to rouse themselves, energize, and accelerate to a more advantageous position. Another pokey start will doom them. If they want to end the streak of non-winning, non-playoff seasons, the Rams must quickly find the fast lane and zoom past their usual 3-5 start.
Seattle is the first roadblock.
Here are the 10 keys to a successful Rams’ season:
1. The rapid maturation of the offensive line.
Three new starters. Two rookies. Only one player, guard Rodger Saffold, with more than 12 NFL starts. Saffold has started 60 NFL games; the other four first-string O-linemen have combined for 16.
The path to a productive, above-average Rams offense will be cleared by the big men up front.
Or not.
“All these things have changed in football,” said Dan Dierdorf, the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle during an in-studio interview on my 101 ESPN radio show. “One of the things that has not changed in football is simply this: if you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you can’t win. You may win an occasional game by running back an interception or a punt. If you can’t control the offensive line of scrimmage, you are never going to be a good football team.
“The Rams have struggled as you know on the line of scrimmage for years now. And with all that youth, how long will it take them to start functioning as a unit. It’s a very great question. … how long will it take? I’m telling you, a really good offensive line makes everybody better. It can make an average quarterback into a good quarterback. It can make an average running back into a thousand-yard back. How many times do you see it where if you can one first down will win you the football game? And you see teams that can’t do it. Teams that can do it _ they’re the ones that consistently win.”
2. Score more points, or forget the playoffs.
In Coach Fisher’s three seasons, the offense struggled to reach the end zone and never approached the playoff-team level of points scored. (I’m talking points scored only by the offense _ not on special teams or by the defense.)
In 2012, the Rams scored 261 points from scrimmage which ranked 28th. That season the 12 NFL playoff teams averaged 385 points from scrimmage.
In 2013, the Rams improved to 304 points on offense, which ranked 22nd; playoff teams averaged 401 points.
In 2014, the Rams slipped to 289 points from scrimmage, ranking 23rd. The playoff-team average was 385 points.
But there is a way into the postseason _ yeah, even if the Rams fail to meet the playoff-team standard on offense. A veteran Rams defense has the talent and potential to shut opponents down in 2015, and may not require a 400-point season from the offense to take care of business. That said, the Rams “O” would likely have to raise its points-scored total to at least the NFL-average level of the past three seasons. And that means around 340 points from scrimmage.
nick foles-2
Rams QB Nick Foles
3. Quarterback Nick Foles: well, what is he exactly?
Foles was great in 2013, a Pro Bowl slinger that passed for 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
In 2014 an inconsistent and injured Foles fell out of favor with Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who bought the QB a bus ticket to St. Louis in a trade for the surgically repaired knees (and psyche) of quarterback Sam Bradford.
In July I wrote a column saying I had no idea what to expect from Foles. Based on glaringly contrasting and conflicting reports out of Philadelphia, Foles could be the Rams’ solution to a longstanding problem at quarterback. Or he could be just another disappointment.
Some readers ridiculed me for declining to offer the usual “hot take” stand.
Sorry brothers and sisters, but I refuse to score cheap big-mouth, macho-man, poseur points by pretending that I know what Foles will do for the Rans. In this instance, “I don’t know” is not only a reasonable answer; it’s an answer rooted in sanity and reality.
Because NO ONE knows, including you.
Ah, but we do know this: if the Rams can run the football with a consistent show of raw power, Foles will have a chance to be the best QB here since Marc Bulger circa 2006. If the Rams can’t run the rock effectively, Foles has a better chance of becoming Kyle Boller. Foles has skill as a play-action passer, but that won’t kick in unless he has a bloody-good rushing attack to open the passing-game possibilities.
4. Todd Gurley, the running back of Fisher’s dreams.
Fisher came to the STL with a rep for establishing a physical, punishing rushing attack. That perception _ and reputation _ wasn’t the reality. Over the past three seasons the Rams have ranked 19th in rushing yards per game (106.3) and 17th in average yards (4.1) rush. They were 29th in first downs via the rush, struggled to win the short-yardage battles, and only four teams pounded for fewer rushing TDs. There was the occasional breakaway run, but the big-play count was lacking.
Fisher and GM Les Snead coveted Gurley, the scintillating Georgia RB. Though Gurley was still rehabbing from knee surgery and would be highly unlikely to go to the post at the start of the 2015 season, the Rams made him the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft. For the Fisher offense to have legs, Gurley must emerge as a Tennessee hybrid: a combination of Eddie George and Chris Johnson, who gave Fisher’s Titans an offensive identity.
Gurley was born to run. But when will he enter his race?
5. The Rams defense must match the hype, starting Sunday vs. Seattle.
Under the formidable first-year defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the 2014 Rams defense opened the season by roaming around in a state of discomfort and confusion, playing so far below expectations that you’d find their statistics buried under the Ed Jones Dome carpet, right there with the careers of Joe Klopfenstein and Tye Hill.
gregg williams
In the first eight games the defense ranked 27th in the league by giving up an average of 27.5 points per game. They were in the bottom half of the league rankings in sacks, opponent passer rating (104.Cool, TD-INT ratio, opponent average yards per passing attempt, opponent completion percentage (70%) and stopping third downs. Only two NFL teams were plowed for more yards rushing per game over the first half of the schedule, and the frequency of opponent breakout runs was alarming.
Williams coached the fellows up, got everyone on the same page, and made critical adjustments. Over the final eight games the Rams defense ranked fourth in fewest points allowed per game (16.Cool, second in opponent TD-INT ratio, and were among the league top 10 in sack percentage, opponent passer rating (81.4), third-down stops, rushing-yards allowed (84 per game), yards allowed per rushing attempt (3.59). The improvement was dramatic, emphatic, and overdue.
And with most of the defensive membership back in place in 2015 the expectations are up again _ understandably so. With a young line, a new QB, a new offensive coordinator and Gurley idle on the sidelines, the Rams offense may need time to establish traction. The assignment for this defense: play at peak level, take over games, and dominate. Williams and the players are in synch now; really there are no excuses.
6. To repeat: a slow start will doom the Rams’ playoff hopes.
Earlier in the week we presented the hard numbers that show us what happens to a team’s playoff chances when it staggers out to a 3-5 record over the first eight games on the schedule. You can read that here. The short version: since 2002, only two of 65 NFC teams that completed the first half of the season with a 3-5 record went on to make the playoffs. The 2012 Redskins and the 2013 Eagles. Enough said.
7. One more time, with feeling: enough already with the blockhead penalties.
Historically, Fisher’s teams are chronic offenders that draw too many penalties. It happened again last season; the Rams flagged for the NFL’s highest totals in accepted penalties and penalty yardage. I offered the gory details in an earlier post, but it comes down to this: a Rams offense that until now lacks quick-strike capability and the ample firepower to overcome mistakes cannot destroy possessions with a lack of discipline that attracts the attention of alarmed, flag-tossing zebras. The defense can’t give opponents gratuitous penalties to keep drives going. The Rams’ margin of error is slim; penalties are especially damaging and must be reduced. This is on Fisher to control the mischief and hold players accountable for repeat mental errors.
8. Do something about the small crowds and potential dome-field disadvantage.
Realistically speaking, Rams players can’t fully restore the loyalty and support of a fan base that’s been beaten down by the devastating combination of a .309 winning percentage over the past 10 seasons plus a calculating owner that’s tried to alienate the customers to strengthen his case for moving the team to Los Angeles to expand his personal fortune. But if these guys can win games early, generate excitement and change the subject _ away from Kroenke _ then more fans will be motivated to return to the Dome for old times’ sake.
For all of the justifiable anger and grumbling over The Mustache, no fan ever went to a stadium to root for an owner. Fans cheer for players and attach their loyalty to a community identity _ one represented nationally by the pro-sports teams in our town . I’m not saying that a 4-2 start will fill the big warehouse of football. But a promising start to the season can shift the emphasis _ if ever so briefly _ back to football, and create a positive energy.
9. Frank Cignetti can’t be Brian Schottenheimer v. 2.0.
This is, and always will be, a Jeff Fisher offense. The head coach prefers leather-helmet football, and in a mythical NFL draft he would probably choose Bronko Nagurski or Marion Motley over Marshall Faulk or Terry Metcalf. Fisher and the crew at Rams Park have been dropping hints, suggesting that a Cignetti offense will be different than the usual Schotty offense. I’m skeptical. But Cignetti, the new offensive coordinator, appears to be a bright guy. And there is at least a reason to believe we’ll see more creativity _ even within the confines of the Fisher ground-control philosophy. And yes an offense can be physical without being predictable and boring. That’s the challenge for Cignetti. His first test case: Tavon Austin. We wish the OC well.
10. Ignore the noise — the imaginary sounds of rumbling moving vans.
That’s a prime challenge for the men that wear the classic Rams helmets in 2015.. They have to block out the moving speculation _ and concentrate on blocking the opponents’ front seven. They can’t be worried about Kroenke hauling them to Inglewood; they have to focus on hauling in touchdown passes. They can’t waste time knocking down rumors; they must knock down passes. They can’t stress over what might happen after the season; they have to devote themselves to winning games during the season. It won’t be easy to mute the noise. But it must be done. No distractions.
Good luck to the Rams.
And as always, thanks for reading …
-Bernie