Rams report card vs. Giants
Here is one blogger’s grades for the Rams after Sunday’s 41-13 loss to the New York Giants:
QUARTERBACK: If DE Justin Tuck doesn’t make a great play on his interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Marc Bulger probably finishes with a passer rating of about 100. Decent day despite heavy pressure. GRADE: B
RUNNING BACKS: Jackson would’ve had a 66-yard TD, instead of a 15-yard gain, on the second series if he hadn’t tripped himself up on the turf. His other 12 carries netted just 38 yards — an average of just 3.2 per try. GRADE: C
RECEIVERS: Torry Holt had 76 yards on six catches, including an eye-popping 45-yarder for the Rams’ only TD. No other receiver produced more than 29 yards. And why did the Rams draft Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton if they’re not going to use them? GRADE: C+
OFFENSIVE LINE: Tackles Orlando Pace and Alex Barron were OK, but the interior was pounded by the NYG front. Six sacks and many pressures. GRADE: D+
DEFENSIVE LINE: First-round draftee Chris Long got his first sack, and fellow DE Victor Adeyanju picked up his second in his three seasons. Still, Giants averaged 6.5 per carry in rolling up 200 yards on the ground. GRADE: C
LINEBACKERS: Pisa Tinoisamoa and Will Witherspoon were solid. Quinton Culberson didn’t do much. GRADE: B-
SECONDARY: S Oshiomogho Atogwe was burned by Plaxico Burress’s double move for an early TD. Didn’t the Rams watch the film of Hank Baskett’s double move on a 90-yard strike last week? Giants went after CB Tye Hill aggressively, and often successfully. GRADE: D+
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Josh Brown nailed a pair of 54-yard field goals, and Donnie Jones was terrific, averaging 55.7 yards (43.0 net) on six punts. Coverage was so-so. The Rams didn’t get much on their returns. GRADE: B+
COACHING: Scott Linehan is taking plenty of heat after two rough outings. But when are his heralded coordinators, Al Saunders and Jim Haslett, going to produce with their units? GRADE: D
All for now . . . more after Linehan’s media get-together Monday afternoon.
Linebackers are a c- at best.. The Rams Linebackers are too small to deliver a blow, which is why when they do make a tackle, it is 5-10 yards downfield. They are in no way dominate or intimidating force. The Giants FG just before half was due to a drive that consisted of 3-4 basic running plays up the middle in which our linebackers (and interior linemen) were blown off the line of scrimage.
I would agree with the grades but Bulger was more like a C. When he wasn’t pressured he missed receivers such as McMichael twice over through looker on several routes.
Also.the db’s are bad…OJ…no training camp is showing…hill..yuck..but I think that Bartell short of the PI was actually ok. If you’ve noticed teams haven’t tried to go vertical on Bartell, only Brown..(why is he playing) and Hill..
Coaching should get worse than an F. Whatever for the rest of the grades. It comes down to having a gameplan for the guys you have. Your O-line is more porous than a building under construction and is up against a top D-line, where were the screen passes? Why not use the $uckiness to your advantage? Where were the guts on 4th down? What do you have to lose? Go for it. Why not onside once after the few points you got. You need the ball to score as much as you had to, try and get it. Seriously. Go back to basics if you have to, Al Saunders. You may help your O-line out drastically. Linehan, the clock is ticking. You better come up with something to salvage your time here with the Rams.
The interior offensive line was the problem. Lackey was lost. Overall the line can’t be blamed when they are constantly looking at 3rd and long. Why is it that when its 3rd and 15 they throw the ball 5 yards? The secondary should be way way more aggresive, even to the point of interference. Who cares at this point. How about tackling the ball once in awhile? Man this is frustrating.
Bill, Who pays your salary? The Post or The Rams? If it’s The Post, then you owe us subscribers a better effort. Look, this is simple the D-Line allowed 200 yds Rushing that is a complete failure in the NFL. The O-Line allowed 6 sacks and Bulger got pummeled when they blew basic gap responsibilites. That, my friend, is also considered a complete failure. Why sugar coat their performance? It was nearly as bad as bad can be in the NFL.
Tye Hill is a bust!!! The Giants wide receivers looked like Giants compared to our secondary.
WHY IS DANTE HALL ON THE TEAM- HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING RETURNING KICKS— HE HAS NEVER OR WILL BE A GOOD RECEIVER AND WE DRAFTED TWO WR’S PRETTY HIGH TO PLAY I WOULD IMAGINE — EVERY OTHER ROOKIE WR IS PLAYING ON GOOD TEAMS. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN OURS SIT ON THE BENCH AND WE STINK– WAKE UP MANANGEMENT BEFORE YOU COST YOUR TEAM ANOTHER MOVE BACK TO LA— THIS TEAM IS A JOKE—
Unbelievable grades. I agree with most of the postings here that it sounds like you’re just grasping at straws in order to avoid giving F’s. I wish you were the one grading my ACT and SAT tests back in high school! The Rams are clearly one of the worst teams in the NFL, and look like they couldn’t beat most D-I or D-II college teams. Prediction - if next week’s game looks like the last two, Linehan is gone. Why wait until the end of the season?
Why does our media praise Jackson so much? There is no way that performance deserves a “C”.
Linehan should go, personally I did not want the Rams to hire him a few years ago. I was not impressed with him then and no one is now. He should leave coaching and go sell life insurance in
alaska