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Things We Noticed: Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_3120fc7e-77c4-50c8-a9da-2ee8329376f7.html
Post-Dispatch football writer Jim Thomas takes a final look at the Rams' game at Tampa Bay:
DEFENSE UPSIDE DOWN
Perhaps the biggest concern entering the season _ at least before Sam Bradford's season-ending knee injury _ was the secondary. Could these inexperienced guys cover anybody? Could they tackle anybody? Well, two games into the season they have played surprisingly well, particularly safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod. Janoris Jenkins has played with more consistency and more discipline, and E.J. Gaines doesn't look like a rookie. But it's the front seven, you know the group with all those first-round draft picks and the catchy #SackCity nickname, that is struggling. Granted, Chris Long wasn't on the field Sunday against Tampa following injury, but the shoddy play of the run defense was alarming. If Bobby Rainey can gain 144 yards and average 6.5 yards a carry, what kind of havoc will Rams killer DeMarco Murray of Dallas wreak on the defense Sunday.
GOLDSON'S GRUESOME HIT
Hard-hitting Tampa Bay safety Dashon Goldson was fined $455,000 for illegal hits last season, according to Yahoo! Sports, including $60,000 for one on Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey. Since blows to the head are taboo _ and subject to fines _ as Goldson has been made aware of time after time in his NFL career, he decided to go low on Rams fullback/tight end Cory Harkey. More precisely, Goldson launched himself at Harkey's knees. The replay looks gruesome, with the left knee bending in a way it's not designed to bend. It's amazing that Harkey didn't suffer a season-ending knee injury on the play and even more amazing that Harkey returned for the game. If it were a quarterback who got hit like that, there would've been a penalty and Goldson might have been tossed from the game. But apparently fullback/tight ends are disposable objects. There was no penalty, and it'll be interesting to see if Goldson even gets fined.
HORSE PLAY
Defensive end Eugene Sims is a talented fifth-year pro who plays with a lot of energy and passion. But two horse-collar tackles in one game? The first penalty for pulling a player down from behind by his collar turned a fourth-and-1 for Tampa at the St. Louis 35 into a first-and-10 at the 20. The Bucs went on to score a touchdown on their opening drive. The second horse-collar penalty came with 33 seconds left in the first half deep in Tampa territory, so it had no consequence on the game. Make no mistake, Jeff Fisher talked to Sims about it. "We did; we talked after," Fisher said. "He apologized. Just leaving the ground on one _ it's an effort play. You just can't grab the collar though."
OFFICIATING
A questionable roughing the passer call on Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar in the fourth quarter turned what would've been fourth-and-5 from the Tampa 23 into a first down on the 38. The Bucs ended up scoring their final points of the game on the drive on a Patrick Murray field goal for a 17-16 lead. Dunbar appeared to strike Tampa quarterback Josh McCown on the shoulder, not on the helmet. It was Fisher's contention that because referee Jeff Triplette was stationed behind the quarterback, he simply assumed that because McCown's head snapped back from the blow that it was a helmet-to-helmet hit.
BRIEFLY
Two games in, the Rams' receiving unit is catching just about everything thrown at them. And that's much, much different than a year ago, particularly over the first half of the 2013 season. . . .DT Aaron Donald is coming on. Coaches review of game film had him with four tackles for loss against Tampa Bay. . . .The Bucs had a lot of success running to the Rams' right. . . .Interesting, don't you think, that Tim Barnes came in as the extra blocker down near the goal line Sunday, and not No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson?
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_3120fc7e-77c4-50c8-a9da-2ee8329376f7.html
Post-Dispatch football writer Jim Thomas takes a final look at the Rams' game at Tampa Bay:
DEFENSE UPSIDE DOWN
Perhaps the biggest concern entering the season _ at least before Sam Bradford's season-ending knee injury _ was the secondary. Could these inexperienced guys cover anybody? Could they tackle anybody? Well, two games into the season they have played surprisingly well, particularly safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod. Janoris Jenkins has played with more consistency and more discipline, and E.J. Gaines doesn't look like a rookie. But it's the front seven, you know the group with all those first-round draft picks and the catchy #SackCity nickname, that is struggling. Granted, Chris Long wasn't on the field Sunday against Tampa following injury, but the shoddy play of the run defense was alarming. If Bobby Rainey can gain 144 yards and average 6.5 yards a carry, what kind of havoc will Rams killer DeMarco Murray of Dallas wreak on the defense Sunday.
GOLDSON'S GRUESOME HIT
Hard-hitting Tampa Bay safety Dashon Goldson was fined $455,000 for illegal hits last season, according to Yahoo! Sports, including $60,000 for one on Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey. Since blows to the head are taboo _ and subject to fines _ as Goldson has been made aware of time after time in his NFL career, he decided to go low on Rams fullback/tight end Cory Harkey. More precisely, Goldson launched himself at Harkey's knees. The replay looks gruesome, with the left knee bending in a way it's not designed to bend. It's amazing that Harkey didn't suffer a season-ending knee injury on the play and even more amazing that Harkey returned for the game. If it were a quarterback who got hit like that, there would've been a penalty and Goldson might have been tossed from the game. But apparently fullback/tight ends are disposable objects. There was no penalty, and it'll be interesting to see if Goldson even gets fined.
HORSE PLAY
Defensive end Eugene Sims is a talented fifth-year pro who plays with a lot of energy and passion. But two horse-collar tackles in one game? The first penalty for pulling a player down from behind by his collar turned a fourth-and-1 for Tampa at the St. Louis 35 into a first-and-10 at the 20. The Bucs went on to score a touchdown on their opening drive. The second horse-collar penalty came with 33 seconds left in the first half deep in Tampa territory, so it had no consequence on the game. Make no mistake, Jeff Fisher talked to Sims about it. "We did; we talked after," Fisher said. "He apologized. Just leaving the ground on one _ it's an effort play. You just can't grab the collar though."
OFFICIATING
A questionable roughing the passer call on Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar in the fourth quarter turned what would've been fourth-and-5 from the Tampa 23 into a first down on the 38. The Bucs ended up scoring their final points of the game on the drive on a Patrick Murray field goal for a 17-16 lead. Dunbar appeared to strike Tampa quarterback Josh McCown on the shoulder, not on the helmet. It was Fisher's contention that because referee Jeff Triplette was stationed behind the quarterback, he simply assumed that because McCown's head snapped back from the blow that it was a helmet-to-helmet hit.
BRIEFLY
Two games in, the Rams' receiving unit is catching just about everything thrown at them. And that's much, much different than a year ago, particularly over the first half of the 2013 season. . . .DT Aaron Donald is coming on. Coaches review of game film had him with four tackles for loss against Tampa Bay. . . .The Bucs had a lot of success running to the Rams' right. . . .Interesting, don't you think, that Tim Barnes came in as the extra blocker down near the goal line Sunday, and not No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson?