Some thoughts on this season now that PS is over

[Sum1]

I am probably forgetting some games, but aside from the fumble vs AZ in 2013 and the drop vs Dallas last year, when has Cook messed up big time?

I'd have to go back and really look...the stuff just doesn't stay with me like when I was a teenager. Cook is hardly a sure handed player though.

 

[fearsomefour]

He's underrated because of the fact he doesn't block and drops the ball at horrible times and just generally has a suck ass attitude (pushing Austin Davis etc).

I would say that is why he is overrated.
I have beaten the Cook horse over and over so I will not now. He has some limiting factors physically to me as a receiver. As a blocker, that is all "will" not skill. I don't care if he was brought in to be a receiver or not, TEs have to block. He did improve quite a bit in that area last year. Generally, with few exceptions, TEs as big play receivers are overrated. Cook doesn't need to be a top five receiver to be very effective. With Britt, Quick, Cook and Kendricks the Rams should have enough solid consistent receiving targets to open up big plays for Austin. If you tally Austins touches and minutes played in the preseason you can see the big play potential is alive and well there.
I don't get too caught up in #1 WR thing. To me it comes down to packages and how we run the ball. I do expect Foles to pass a lot vs. Seattle. Britt, Quick, Austin, Bailey, Cook, Kendricks and Givens.....there may not be a name that a casual football fan knows as a "star" but I for one like the group. I think our WRs are 4 deep and while I can be critical of Cook, as an overall group of 2, I would take our TEs with any group of two in the league.

 

[Warner4Prez]

The lack of a starting Center kind of bothers me...a lot. I'd hoped that they would have had that figured out going into week 3.

Part of me wonders if they did though. I get this feeling like the preseason has been 85% subterfuge from Fish and Co. preparing for week 1 with Seattle. I think they all realize it's the biggest game we've had since Fish arrived in town. They know how they've performed early in the year and they understand the largely tepid attitude of the fans right now.

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I think everything they have is going into coming out strong with a win week 1. So downplay preseason as much as possible. Muddy up the depth chart a bit for the public at large and then come out guns blazing Sunday afternoon. I hope.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Only view I had was from a TV set, but I saw some good things. Forget the second half, scrubs playing scrubs.

The OL held up well. They are improving every game. Looks like Rahney is going to be G depth. Havenstien held up well, OL didn't allow a sack and gave Foles some time. Still need improvement, but they ARE getting there. Cody Wichman got a lot of playing time, and looks like a keeper. Guy gets to the second level and could step in at RT if Hav goes down. GRob didn't look lost, did a good job when he went in. Battle is going to see games, forget that "red shirt" crap, this guy was a steal. Rams OL will be OK, and it has depth.

Bryce Hagar is fast. Best sideline to sideline LB on Rams. Looks like he could step in for JL.

Mo Alexander is a hitting machine. He's improving game by game.

Cody Davis is ready.

All in all, the Rams have improved since the first preseason game. Are they ready for the seahags?

 

[JonRam99]

My only hope is that the regular season version of the Rams looks nothing like the pre-season version

You can say that again.

 

[DaveFan'51]

The lack of a starting Center kind of bothers me...a lot. I'd hoped that they would have had that figured out going into week 3.

I think Jones is going to work-out fine.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Boy, I know pre-season is "vanilla" and all...

And, if Fisher's teams had a history of starting out stronger, I might feel more confident.

But, now that PS is over? Frankly, I have no idea what I'll see next week. I really don't.

I swear... this team will put me in the looney bin... all I can do now is hope... and drink... and take antacids... and watch.

 

[BonifayRam]

This Ram team is stronger & deeper in talent than its been in over a decade. It remains to be seen if this coaching cadre can get the most out of this present opportunity. It will not last long with the amount of our 2016 UFA's.

The situation @ CB is my biggest concern. The loss of Gaines was huge. The total failure of Roberson, McGee & Joyner to step into the void is bad. Gregg may move into using more big safety Nickles/Dimes over the standard corner Nickles/Dimes. Snead has brought in major talent here @ safety.

 

[bubbaramfan]

rams had 8 total penalties, but only 3 in the first half.
A definate improvement.

 

[Ramhusker]

rams had 8 total penalties, but only 3 in the first half.
A definate improvement.

And most of them were minor ones that don't hurt as much.

 

[Rams43]

1. Britt should not be a starter for long in this offense. This season should be about the young guys coming up and getting it done. To my eye he is not as good as many of them, in fact I think I'd even start Givens over him. Play the kids Cig. Quick, Austin, Bailey, and yes Givens are a respectable group so unleash them.

2. I have given up on Cook. Not hating on the guy but he's a perennial tease, all world ability and athleticism but he's not a smart player, he still can't block which I relate to a bit of being a prima donna, and still has bad hands/focus at the worst times. Guy like him should be MONEY but he's just like a rookie still with ups and downs and I am tired of it. Can Foles get him out of that? Maybe, but man... I'm done hoping with him.

3. Cigs might be ok as the OC. He shows some resilience in his calls, and I find myself wondering if Fish finally hit it on his OC hire for the first time since Dinger. Still got my fingers crossed with him because we're not gonna have a real idea until after that Shehawks matchup.

4. McDonald will be a pro bowl player this year regardless of whether he gets the votes.

5. The defense has 3 pro bowlers in my estimation: Quinn, Donald, and McDonald.

6. The defense has 4 players capable of that level in my estimation: Jenks, Brock, Ogletree, Long. The ceiling of this defense in general depends on how those four play this season.

7. We are not going to see what kind of ceiling this offense has this season until Gurley starts. He has the ability to give this attack a boost by providing a player from the backfield that scares defenses more than Tavon, Cook, or Quick. It's been a long time since the Rams had that. I hope he stays healthy because I'd really like to see what the skill players can do with that threat in the backfield.

8. Foles is going to do great things with this team. The leadership he shows is sorely needed by this offense and I think it is going to translate this season into some much improved play, hopefully improved enough to get this team into the playoffs.

9. The OL will probably struggle against Seattle and what is a great front seven, but over the first quarter of the season I predict we quickly see them settle into a solid group. I have my worries but overall this is a quality group that is working hard under great OL coaching. They're gonna get it together quickly IMO.

A truly outstanding post, Merlin.

Your calling out of Britt and Cook particularly resonates with me. Neither should be the least bit complacent because neither is irreplaceable. Hell, if Cook doesn't get his "stuff" together PDQ, it wouldn't upset me at all if Fisher promoted Kendricks and moved Harkey and J Cunningham (or Bayer) up a notch.

Same thing with Britt. Foles can do just fine with a combo of Quick, Tavon, Bailey, and the "new" Givens. Plus I would like to see some Marquez. Sometimes a starter needs to ride the pine for a game before he gets the damned message.

With this "work in progress" OL, Foles (and the team) both need and deserve the very best that Cook and Britt have to give. Nothing less should be accepted by Fisher.

One thing I would add to your fine list is that I hope GW resists the urge to get too cute with his D this year. He's loaded with thoroughbreds, so just let them do their thing and play.

Rant over. Lol.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Need proof the Rams depth is better? Watch the other teams snap up some of the Rams cuts. Especially DL. In years past, if you got cut by the Rams, your chances were slim of getting picked up by another team and your career was probably over. This year, I'm betting a lot of the guys the Rams cut will be picked up by other teams. THAT is "roster improvement".

 

[LACHAMP46]

Britt should not be a starter for long in this offense. This season should be about the young guys coming up and getting it done. To my eye he is not as good as many of them, in fact I think I'd even start Givens over him. Play the kids Cig. Quick, Austin, Bailey, and yes Givens are a respectable group so unleash them.

Excellent post...I'm sure we all feel your concerns in varying degrees....Britt is almost the same age as Quick....Both in their prime...Cook is one of our best players...elder statesman as you will...It is known around the league that vet hate preseason...a guy like this probably hates to block, catch passes in traffic, or do anything that could cause injury. I kinda don't like it, but still, I think he is a valuable piece of this offense...Cig will use him well. Britt is in the Cook mold, but game days seems even tougher. I think both have changed the culture on the team for the better.

Bryce Hagar is fast. Best sideline to sideline LB on Rams. Looks like he could step in for JL.

Mo Alexander is a hitting machine. He's improving game by game.

Agree so much on Mo & Bryce(?)...Hagar can really run...I've said so a bunch of times...I saw a game vs UCLA, and a couple of clips...his sideline to sideline game is awesome... Mo is the next Sean Taylor,and if he continues to improve, we will not re-sign Barron (maybe McLeod?)...and I really respect Barron's game.

Cody Davis is ready.

Hold on...LOL....Na, JK...Cody has looked like a different player...Bigger, more solid...knows the role of FS (deeper than the deepest)...Still running a 4.3...

The total failure of Roberson, McGee & Joyner to step into the void is bad.

Boni...boni....patience...you've been talking to @den-the-coach again? McGee will be ready.....trust in me...Trust in Snisher....
Joyner...has me nervous...only because I remember EJ Gaines...can he be EJ? Can he be better than EJ? Joyner has a lot to prove to me...If I could only put his heart & willingness to tackle in Roberson's body and instincts/coverage abilities, with McGee's speed & athleticism. Yea....I went there....LOL

 

[GabesHorn]

Agree with Filling our whole at CB and Center will just have to play themselves into a gelled situation. No one guy has had proper reps with the 1's. I would like Barnes myself but I'm not privy to line calls got right and wrong that only coach Paul has. I also have watched the OL for the shehags and I think we have more going for us as they have had Wilson sacked and running for his life.

We cannot let their awesome smooth rookie from Kansas State (Lockett) make our cover guys look like the rookie from the giants did last season. Lockett is most dangerous on returns. Had TD's in 2 pre-season games and I did'nt watch this last one yet.

I love the screen game and think Foles has been hiding his Seam game(on purpose) in PS as he was money in practice for weeks. We will actually call slant passes this season too. Its like discovering gold in your back yard. Lots of shoulder injuries we might want to look into weightroom tactics with the big men and I hope Mason can shake his Hammy as he is up and if out Pead and Cunningham have it till Watts or we finally see Gurley. All playoff teams were no worse than a 2-2 start last season. Means nothing but lets not sleepwalk till week 5 this season. NO INJURIES and if we cut Fairley which I have no clue about his injury status we get 3 mill to pick up someones final cut that may be just what we're looking for.(Just sayin) Sneads work is never done.

 

[-X-]

1. Britt should not be a starter for long in this offense. This season should be about the young guys coming up and getting it done. To my eye he is not as good as many of them, in fact I think I'd even start Givens over him. Play the kids Cig. Quick, Austin, Bailey, and yes Givens are a respectable group so unleash them.

I think I'd like to see him play first. He hasn't done a whole lot in preseason, but I don't know if that's an indicator of anything. Many, many times last year I saw him running free. Sometimes planting a defender with a stiff-arm beforehand. And I don't think you can overstate how valuable he is as a veteran mentor and key locker room guy. I know we have enough of those, but he's the only one for that particular unit.​

2. I have given up on Cook. Not hating on the guy but he's a perennial tease, all world ability and athleticism but he's not a smart player, he still can't block which I relate to a bit of being a prima donna, and still has bad hands/focus at the worst times. Guy like him should be MONEY but he's just like a rookie still with ups and downs and I am tired of it. Can Foles get him out of that? Maybe, but man... I'm done hoping with him.

"Cookie" is on my short-list too. Someone with that physical talent should be ripping the league to shreds no matter who's throwing to him. He's just that big, fast, and has that much range. It's not like you're trying to throw a dime to Tavon here or anything. So, yeah, I agree.​

3. Cigs might be ok as the OC. He shows some resilience in his calls, and I find myself wondering if Fish finally hit it on his OC hire for the first time since Dinger. Still got my fingers crossed with him because we're not gonna have a real idea until after that Shehawks matchup.

I'm still hung up on the fact that he uses so much strong I formation. But I like it. You can do a lot of things out of that formation, and we've seen him motion into it and out of it for different looks. Now if he can stick Kendricks on the other end of it by motioning *him* (or Cook, I guess) out of the backfield and into the weak side, I'd love it even more. ACE sets are my one true love. And if his system truly is simpler to understand, then he should be successful. The guys Snead/Fisher drafted just weren't good fits for Schotty's offense. They were too inexperienced with playbooks and simply didn't understand quickly enough.​

4. McDonald will be a pro bowl player this year regardless of whether he gets the votes.

Yup.​

5. The defense has 3 pro bowlers in my estimation: Quinn, Donald, and McDonald.

They already have another one in Long (former/alternate), and I think he can regain his form.​

6. The defense has 4 players capable of that level in my estimation: Jenks, Brock, Ogletree, Long. The ceiling of this defense in general depends on how those four play this season.

Maybe Jenkins. Maybe Brockers, but he's one of those selfless players who forces the spotlight on other players. I hope there are enough people out there (voters) who can recognize and appreciate that kind of play.​

7. We are not going to see what kind of ceiling this offense has this season until Gurley starts. He has the ability to give this attack a boost by providing a player from the backfield that scares defenses more than Tavon, Cook, or Quick. It's been a long time since the Rams had that. I hope he stays healthy because I'd really like to see what the skill players can do with that threat in the backfield.

I agree. Look at what Stacy was able to do for them in 2013 (over 1000 AP yards, 8 TDs), and he's not even in the same universe as Gurley. He'll change the way defenses play on multiple levels.​

8. Foles is going to do great things with this team. The leadership he shows is sorely needed by this offense and I think it is going to translate this season into some much improved play, hopefully improved enough to get this team into the playoffs.

I'm guarded on that one. I'm a fan, but he has some chinks in his armor. He's pretty dependent on protection, so I'll finish my thought on this as I answer your next question ... which was a pretty good unintentional segue on your part.
​

9. The OL will probably struggle against Seattle and what is a great front seven, but over the first quarter of the season I predict we quickly see them settle into a solid group. I have my worries but overall this is a quality group that is working hard under great OL coaching. They're gonna get it together quickly IMO.

That could be a horrible, horrible outing for Foles, because who's running the ball? Gurley's not, Mason's not (probably), so it's either Cunningham or Pead. Beast mode Pead, I mean. So the only alternative I can see is that Cignetti designs a game predicated on quick throws, lots of screens to relax the rush, and sending Harkules into the teeth of that front 7 to blow shit up. IF they can do all that, then you just never know. Nobody here thought we were gonna handle Peyton, and look what happened. That team got schooled. So, maybe we do it again. You just never know.​

 

[RamWoodie]

Until the Rams play a regular season game, which means we see THE REAL DEAL...I got high hopes, and nothing to say.

The Rams have many bright spots but while their trying to evaluate what they have it's hard to really see!

The true evaluation is when it matters...Sept 13th is coming!!!

 

[MTRamsFan]

My only hope is that the regular season version of the Rams looks nothing like the pre-season version

 

[Robocop]

first of all making these types of conclusions over a preseason are totally premature IMHO. why the heck would you say Britt should be benched? over preseason bullshit? he was the best receiver last year and stepped up in some clutch moments I lost count how many times last year he broke free but had to stop his route to catch a dead duck pass then get tackled. I say he breaks 1000 yards. he got over 700 with backups so if you're high on foles why would he not make Britt better? we still don't know much about Foles he's had ups and downs do you really think opposing defenses were throwing the book at him in the preseason? And Cook is just Cook he can't block but Foles will be taking shots at him a lot in the end zone and when in space he can move. which will makes him a concern for defenses which lets Kendricks be the sleeper.