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Keeping Davis Away from Third and Long is Key
By D'Marco Farr
http://www.101sports.com/2014/10/23/keeping-davis-away-third-long-key/
The Rams took a step in the right direction in last Sunday’s 28-26 victory over the Seahawks in terms of penalties (two) and turnovers (zero).
Not having a single pre-snap offensive foul allowed the Rams to stay out of third-and-outrageous, keeping the pocket relatively clean for quarterback Austin Davis, who wasn’t sacked. Asking Davis to try to overcome poor down-and-distance situations is asking for trouble, not to mention wasting chances for big plays.
Consider: St. Louis is one of the 18 teams not to lose a fumble in Week 7. Ten of the 18, including the Rams, won their respective games.
There were also six teams that managed to lose more than one fumble: Buffalo (three), Chicago (two), Cleveland (two), Houston (two), Indianapolis (two) and the New York Giants (2).
Only the Bills and Colts were fortunate enough to overcome and win.
On which side of the ledger will the Rams fall this weekend? Competing, let alone winning, at Arrowhead Stadium is difficult. However, the visitors’ chances become demonstrably better if they’re sound between the ears.
Switching gears to matters of personal conduct…
Some guys are way too late in their careers to be showing up late to meetings in late October.
Welcome to the harsh grind of the NFL, where 100-percent focus is mandatory and professionals are coveted. Point blank, period: If you don’t have indispensable talent to offset your tardiness, then chances are you’re going to be hitting the bricks. Just ask New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was barred from practice Tuesday by coach Bill Belichick for tardiness.
What could possibly keep you from showing up on time, anyway? It better be something indescribably juicy. “My dog was on fire” checks out. “My house fell into a 80-foot sinkhole” – yeah, that suffices. Otherwise, no dice.
This problem isn’t confined to Revis, though, not when hard lessons are being learned across the league right now. You can expect more examples to be made before midseason, because order must be preserved at all costs. There should be a healthy fear of the consequences for failure to abide, yes?
Let’s shift from figurative to literal fumbles, which are also piling up at this time of year. Mistakes cost you games. Flipping tables at halftime isn’t going to get back a possession. Calling out your teams via the media after “the game that got away” usually has an adverse effect, too.
Simply put, times are too crucial for mental errors. Protecting the football and sustaining drives are critical to surviving the brutal NFL landscape. Ball security is a team commitment. Are you really practicing it or just going through the motions?
By D'Marco Farr
http://www.101sports.com/2014/10/23/keeping-davis-away-third-long-key/
The Rams took a step in the right direction in last Sunday’s 28-26 victory over the Seahawks in terms of penalties (two) and turnovers (zero).
Not having a single pre-snap offensive foul allowed the Rams to stay out of third-and-outrageous, keeping the pocket relatively clean for quarterback Austin Davis, who wasn’t sacked. Asking Davis to try to overcome poor down-and-distance situations is asking for trouble, not to mention wasting chances for big plays.
Consider: St. Louis is one of the 18 teams not to lose a fumble in Week 7. Ten of the 18, including the Rams, won their respective games.
There were also six teams that managed to lose more than one fumble: Buffalo (three), Chicago (two), Cleveland (two), Houston (two), Indianapolis (two) and the New York Giants (2).
Only the Bills and Colts were fortunate enough to overcome and win.
On which side of the ledger will the Rams fall this weekend? Competing, let alone winning, at Arrowhead Stadium is difficult. However, the visitors’ chances become demonstrably better if they’re sound between the ears.
Switching gears to matters of personal conduct…
Some guys are way too late in their careers to be showing up late to meetings in late October.
Welcome to the harsh grind of the NFL, where 100-percent focus is mandatory and professionals are coveted. Point blank, period: If you don’t have indispensable talent to offset your tardiness, then chances are you’re going to be hitting the bricks. Just ask New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was barred from practice Tuesday by coach Bill Belichick for tardiness.
What could possibly keep you from showing up on time, anyway? It better be something indescribably juicy. “My dog was on fire” checks out. “My house fell into a 80-foot sinkhole” – yeah, that suffices. Otherwise, no dice.
This problem isn’t confined to Revis, though, not when hard lessons are being learned across the league right now. You can expect more examples to be made before midseason, because order must be preserved at all costs. There should be a healthy fear of the consequences for failure to abide, yes?
Let’s shift from figurative to literal fumbles, which are also piling up at this time of year. Mistakes cost you games. Flipping tables at halftime isn’t going to get back a possession. Calling out your teams via the media after “the game that got away” usually has an adverse effect, too.
Simply put, times are too crucial for mental errors. Protecting the football and sustaining drives are critical to surviving the brutal NFL landscape. Ball security is a team commitment. Are you really practicing it or just going through the motions?
