RamView, November 1, 2009
From The Couch
(Report and opinions on the game.)
Game #8: RAMS 17, Lions 10

* Secondary: It is very difficult to grade the Ram defense today, with Lions receivers dropping passes as if Matthew Stafford was throwing them live cacti. Bryant Johnson burned Ron Bartell deep on the opening drive but flubbed the catch. That wasn’t the first time Johnson would burn Bartell with just a simple move at the line. He did it again on a 36-yard catch down to the Ram 5 to start the 4^th, as the Ram defense was completely unalert to a team trying a big play to start off a quarter. But the Lion receivers were the Rams’ best weapons. Will Heller dropped a pass to kill a drive. Brandon Pettigrew killed a drive by dropping one right into James Butler’s hands late in the 2^nd. And in classic Ram DB form, Butler didn’t catch the ball that was right in his hands. And oh, hell no, that wasn’t even his worst play of the day. Early in the 2^nd, he made a nice diving catch of another Lions muffed catch (think they didn’t miss Calvin Johnson today??) and assumed the fetal position just inside the goal line. Major threat averted, right? No, the dumbass gets up and runs the ball out of the end zone! Then the even dumber dumbass runs BACK INTO the end zone and gets tripped up there by Kevin Smith for a safety! James needs to knock off the rust and play a lot more like a veteran the 2^nd half of the season. Quincy Butler became the latest DB to leapfrog Jonathan Wade on the depth chart. He broke up a couple of deep passes (including one where James Butler really jacked up Pettigrew) and was all right in run support, though not a very physical tackler. Late pass rush brought a lot of wild throws from Stafford, so we’re left hanging wondering how the Rams would have fared today against a competent passing game.

* Special teams: Tom McMahon wins today’s coaching game ball for dialing up the play that changed the game late in the first half, running a fake instead of trying a 54-yard FG. The play was executed almost perfectly. New long snapper Ryan Neill fed Donnie Jones a perfect snap for the play. Jones and Josh Brown sold it beautifully. None of the Lions paid attention to Daniel Fells heading downfield off the end of the line. Brown rolled left and threw Fells a little hook shot of a pass, and the TE took care of the rest with a 36-yard TD rumble. Special teams winning games for the Rams: who’da thunk it? Jones had a fine day punting, averaging 44.4 and pinning Detroit inside the 15 three times. Brown was responsible for 11 of the Rams’ points and has a perfect career passer rating of 158.3. The only downer was Amendola getting CLOBBERED on a kick return in the 4^th. Quincy Butler replaced him and is clearly from the Shaun McDonald school of punt returns. He’s not qualified to do it.

CB Ron Bartell’s coverage has slipped, but he’s also been playing hurt.

- St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz in his 5 Minutes column about Rams CB Ron Bartell.

Interesting note that Bartell is playing hurt as he has been one of the worst corners in the league in 2009.  We haven’t heard anything about an injury this season for Bartell, but that gives hope that Bartell is simply suffering this season because an injury is sapping his speed and agility.

For Rams fans, let’s hope that Bartell is in fact injured and his true skill level is more like what we saw last season.

UPDATE: More info from an AP story by R.B. Fallstrom.

…top cornerback Ron Bartell has lacked top speed for several weeks due to a lingering groin injury that brings pain with every step.

That would make sense why Bryant Johnson of all people was able to burn him a few times on Sunday.

RamView, November 1, 2009
From The Couch
(Report and opinions on the game.)
Game #8: RAMS 17, Lions 10

* Offensive line: Jackson didn’t really win the game by himself, of course. The offensive line played its best game in perhaps three years. They paved the way for Jackson’s 147 yards. Bulger not only wasn’t sacked; he was rarely even touched and got forever to throw at times. Alex Barron may have had his best game as a Ram. Julian Peterson beat him a couple of times early, but Alex was solid otherwise. I can’t remember a game where so many successful runs came off of Barron blocks. Jason Smith played well, delivering some punishing run blocks and keeping speed rushes directed behind Bulger for the most part. There were plays where the Lions just quit rushing because the Rams had them stymied, with Barron and Smith looking around for guys to hit. It’s been a long time since the Ram offensive line so resembled a wall. Jackson got blocks from Barron, Jason Brown and all three WRs on his 26-yard run before halftime. Most of the tight end blocking was terrific. Fells dumped a Lion on his butt to give Bulger time on the 15-yard completion to Avery in the 1^st, and he sealed the right edge but good on Jackson’s winning TD run. Right before that run, Jackson got good blocks from Brown, Adam Goldberg (RG for injured Richie Incognito) and Mark Setterstrom (LG for injured Jacob Bell) on a 17-yard blast up the middle. Bajema blocked two Lions to help Jackson get out of the end zone on the near-safety in the 4^th. Setterstrom got beat on that play, but line breakdowns were few and far between. Larry Foote blitzed between Fells and Bell to drop Jackson for a 4-yard loss in the 2^nd. But that was about it. The Lion d-line may not present the highest level of difficulty, but the Ram offensive line dominated the trenches today and have earned themselves at least a couple of nice steaks during their week off.

* Defensive line / LB: A win for the Ram defense today despite an ugly start. They didn’t really stop the run; Detroit ran for 127, and killed Ram blitzes with screen passes for at least another 68 yards. They put very little pressure on Matthew Stafford until late in the game despite Detroit’s bad offensive line. They couldn’t stop a cutback run to save their lives. The Lions ran through them like crap through a goose in the first half but killed every drive themselves with brutal dropped passes or penalties. Leger Douzable (!) may have been the star of the first half, with a couple of tackles for loss, but his linemates didn’t make them stand up. Aaron Brown ran around Chris Long for 11 late in the 1st as TE Will Heller dominated Long at the point of attack. Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris gashed Ram blitzes off screen passes, with NO ONE covering Morris on a 3rd-and-11 screen that gained 19. But that drive ended (sort of) in a Stafford interception, and Detroit’s ensuing drive was promising until ending in another dropped pass. The Rams forced their first 3-and-out late in the 2nd, with James Hall’s pressure forcing Stafford’s high, and dropped, pass. They got another in the 3rd, thanks to LaJuan (WHO?) Ramsey coming through unblocked to stuff Smith for a 4-yard loss. They followed with another 3-and-out. Stafford back-body-dropped Cliff Ryan to briefly avoid trouble, but Long cleaned up to get his first sack of the season and end an Andy-Stitzer-like streak of not getting some. The 4^th quarter did not start well, though, as Detroit tied the game. Stafford beat them with a bomb, then a 4-yard TD run made possible by Leonard Little’s massive overpursuit. They tied the game with a 2-pointer that saw James Laurinaitis bite HARD on play-action and leave Morris wide open in the end zone. The Lions got the ball back with the game still tied and appeared to have unstoppable momentum. Morris took a pitch right for 13, with Little getting blocked by the TE and Ryan getting knocked down. Morris then cut back for 15 more, as Ramsey and Little got pancaked and David Vobora ran himself out of the play. At midfield, though, Ryan made the play of the day, defeating his man soundly and blowing up Morris’ attempted outside run. Morris tried to cut back, but right into Little for a 7-yard loss. Now the Rams had momentum, and kept it. With the Lions pinned at their 6 with 4:00 left, Ramsey stuffed a Morris run, then Little beat Gosder Cherilus with a sweet spin move for the Rams’ second sack, helped by pressure alongside from VICTOR ADEYANJU. The Rams got good field position after the punt and turned it into a TD lead, and the D-line got to pin its ears back with 1:30 to play. Hall nearly got Stafford a couple of times; I believe he was the one drawing the two holding penalties on Jon Jansen. Long got up in the rookie’s face. Little finished it off with good late pressure to force a wild pass on 3rd-and-20. Yep, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The Lions had every opportunity to run the Rams right off the field early, but didn’t take advantage, and paid for it. It’s not how you’d script the defense’s performance for the first win of the season, but I’ll by-God take it.

Q: Fans and now media believe that Null should get some 4th quarter time, otherwise he could be considered a wasted pick especially if we go for a QB next year. What is your look to the Rams current starting QB position- Bulger or Null, or a Bulger/Null mix, etc.?

Mike Sando (2:00 PM)
Keith Null? Really? Look, I’m all for taking a look at the future, but if the Rams start playing scout-team-level players in key roles, how in the world can Steve Spagnuolo expect the veterans to toe the line the way they have done so far? Remember, Spagnuolo needs Steven Jackson and Leonard Little and James Hall and the other veterans to help him establish a standard for how the Rams practice, play and conduct themselves overall. It’s hard enough to expect those players to go along with what is already obviously a rebuild project. Once you start putting in players who would likely prevent the team from winning, good luck. I say it’s too early to start thinking that way with Null unless the game is practically over. There’s no way Null is going to be the starter next year anyway.

The Rams need to stick with Bulger this season as long as he is healthy and upright.  Keith Null beat out Brock Berlin for the 3rd quarterback spot in preseason based on the fact that he is considerably younger than Berlin.  He’s not ready to play in the NFL right now.  Last year at this time he was playing for a 1-AA college program in a spread offense.  Null is not getting regular reps in practice either.  It is easy to romanticize the 3rd quarterback, but if Spagnuolo wants the Rams to never quit the whole game, he shouldn’t throw in the 3rd quarterback in a blowout.

Lastly, if Null comes in the game, both Bulger and Boller and ineligible to return to the game.  So, if Null gets hurt in mop-up time, the Rams will have to run one of their wide receivers out there as a shotgun quarterback.

Its fun to think about, but there is no reason the Rams should put Keith Null in the game.

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
The Rams are for sale, which is an issue, but for now it hasn’t impacted the operation. They have good harmony and stability in the front office. GM Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo are working well together. The personnel department, the scouts, are being treated as an important part of the operation. You just don’t see the glaring dysfunction that greatly damaged the Rams during the latter years of the previous regime. And in this context the Rams are in better shape than many of the other woeful NFL losers these days.

BILL COATS:
I like the Rams’ future, because I think they’re going about things the right way. That is, they’re not pulling off desperate moves now to try to win a relatively meaningless game or two but hamstringing themselves down the road. They’re being patient and prudent, and I believe that approach will pay off in the long run.

RamView, November 1, 2009
From The Couch
(Report and opinions on the game.)
Game #8: RAMS 17, Lions 10

* Receivers: Tight ends were targeted a lot, with mixed results. Randy McMichael (2-16) could have had two TDs. Louis Delmas knocked him into next week at the goal line to break up one; McMichael dropped the other, a catch an NFL TE has to make, at the front right pylon in the 4^th. McMichael did draw a DPI critical to the Rams’ decisive TD drive. Daniel Fells (1-36) was all alone downfield for the Rams’ first TD, making the easy catch and stiffarming Cliff Avril to the ground to stun Detroit right before halftime. Well, the stunner was that Josh Brown, not Bulger, threw Fells the pass, on a fake FG attempt. Billy Bajema (2-43), of all people, made a nice grab of a ball thrown behind him and beat the safety downfield for 27 in the 4^th. Keenan Burton (5-54) was the leading receiver, but in a familiar pattern, the Rams went to him a lot early, he made nice catches and showed the best YAC ability on the team, and the offense then forgot about him most of the rest of the game. His sliding, spinning, Curly-Howard-style 8-yard catch kept the Rams’ game-winning drive moving forward. Danny Amendola (1-13) wasn’t a factor and missed the 4^th quarter after getting injured on a kick return. Also a non-factor: Donnie Avery (1-15), who dropped as many as he caught. Hopefully Avery will pull it together during the bye week; this sure has been a lost season so far.

They scored -42.3% so far on the year, which is nowhere near good.

Our offense is -19.3% which is good enough for 26th in the NFL.

Our defense is 22.8%, which is good enough for 31st.  Ouch.

The good news comes in the form of our offensive line, which comes in ranked 13th with 4.15 adjusted line yards.  The Rams are having a lot of sucess running to both right and left tackle.

Check out Footballoutsiders.com for more.

One thing that really drew my attention this week after I had run all the stats was the identity of the new leader in rushing DYAR: Steven Jackson. That’s right, the guy with only one touchdown. After Ronnie Brown’s awful performance against the Jets, Jackson now ranks as the most valuable runner of the year. What’s interesting there is the power of the opponent adjustments. Six of the Rams’ eight opponents rank in the top ten for DVOA run defense. Here’s a table showing Jackson’s yardage in each game along with where that ranks among all running backs who have faced that defense so far this season. He’s had the biggest day of any back against three teams, and the second-biggest day against three other teams:

Steven Jackson’s 2009 Rushing Totals
Week	Opponent	Run Defense DVOA Rank	Runs	Yards	Rank among RB vs. Team in 2009
1	SEA	8	16	67	2
2	WAS	2	17	104	1
3	GB	6	27	119	2
4	SF	3	23	79	3
5	MIN	5	21	86	1
6	JAC	9	16	50	4
7	IND	23	23	134	2
8	DET	24	22	149

There should be a 1 in that last cell.  We are extremely lucky to be watching Steven Jackson every game as he carries the Rams on his back.

We will be looking at the Rams team DVOA later today.

RamView, November 1, 2009
From The Couch
(Report and opinions on the game.)
Game #8: RAMS 17, Lions 10

* QB: Jackson saved Marc Bulger’s bacon after a frustratingly poor game, 17-35-176, passer rating 51.6. Bulger’s had problems this year with protection and subpar receivers, but those issues were minimal today and he still almost blew the game, against one of the league’s worst defenses. His decision-making looked strong early, as he hit Keenan Burton for 22 and Donnie Avery for 15 to spark a game-opening FG drive. After settling for that, the offense settled for useless short passes on 3rd-and-long until special teams lightning struck for a TD right before halftime to give the Rams a 10-2 lead. No coffee for Bulger at the team meeting tomorrow, though. Coffee is for closers. Bulger blew many opportunities to put the Lions away. Overthrowing an open Avery on a bomb in the 3^rd. Scrambling in the open field on 3rd-and-6 later and sliding a yard short of the first down. After Randy McMichael dropped a red zone TD pass the next drive, Bulger stuck a fork in it. He threw a flat pass for Jackson, possibly thinking DE Dewayne White fell out of the play, but White bounced up instead and picked it off. Just sloppy. After Detroit tied the game, Bulger answered by getting a pass blocked at the line for the second time to end a drive at midfield. The Rams got the ball back with about 2:00 left, and Bulger started that drive by getting a pass batted down before Jackson took over. Are you 6′3” or 5′3”? Some good defense by Delmas broke up several passes, and receivers dropped a couple. But they were also more open today than they’ve been all year. Pass protection was the best it’s been all year. The running game was powerful. And Bulger still blew ample opportunities. He hung McMichael out to dry a couple of times. His accuracy on shorter passes looked really shoddy. In short, the Rams won today despite Marc Bulger. There are other offensive issues, but the starting QB’s game is not in a good place.

The Rams signed CB Danny Gorrer today and released much-maligned WR Tim Carter.  We’ve all heard too much about Tim Carter and his lack of relevance on the Rams squad.

Danny Gorrer is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds.  He was a street free agent after the 2009 NFL draft and signed with New Orleans Saints out of Texas A&M.  He was cut and moved to their practice squad.  The Rams grabbed him off the Saints practice squad.  Looking for more information on him.  If you find any please post it in the comments.