Rams Squander An Opportunity
Under new head coach Jim Haslett, the Rams are a better, more competitive and determined football team.
But they should have won Sunday’s game in New England. Period.
The Rams offense just wasted a long menu of opportunities.
Let’s recap:
1. First possession. Emboldened by Haslett’s successful decision to go for it on 4th down earlier in the drive, the Rams advanced to the New England 2 but had to settle for a FG. Why: Marc Bulger’s third-down pass for Torry Holt went incomplete. Bulger went to the wrong receiver; he had the tight end open underneath. Outcome: 3 points instead of 7.
2. Second quarter: Rams moved to New England’s 33 and stalled. Why: Bulger fot sacked for a 13-yard loss. They had another shot, a third-down play at the New England 38. Bulger was sacked again, minus 2. Outcome: zilch, after being pushed out of Josh Brown’s FG range.
3. Third quarter: Haslett called for an onside kick to open the second half and Brown executed it perfectly. The Rams started off at their own 41. Result: nothing, three plays and out. Why: The Rams needed 4 yards on third down and Bulger couldn’t connect with TE Daniel Fell.
4. Third quarter: safety O.J. Atogwe intercepted a Matt Cassel pass to set the Rams up. They got as far as the New England 33 and conked out. Why: a 10-yard holding penalty on RT Alex Barron. And on third and 14, Bulger’s pass to Holt was good for only 11 yards. I’ve never understood the logic of routes that don’t take the receiver to the first-down marker. Holt is no longer capable of catching passes underneath and making defenders miss. Outcome: Brown kicked a 44-yard FG to tie the game at 13-13. But again, the offense couldn’t find the end zone and lost points.
5. Third quarter: CB Fakhir Brown intercepted a tipped Cassel pass to get the Rams started at their own 42. They get as far as their own 46. Outcome: Zero, as Bulger missed on a third-down pass to Holt. So in the third quarter the Rams recovered an onside kick and made two INTs and cashed in for only 3 total points. Not good.
6. Fourth quarter: Rams marched from their 36 to the New England 7. Outcome: a 25-yard FG by Brown, after Bulger can’t hook up with Holt on third down and seven. The FG gave the Rams a 16-13 lead, but they left points on the field… again.
7. Fourth quarter: The Rams were trailing 23-16 and desperate. Bulger navigated them from their 10 to the New England 33, and then it all broke down. Why? A false start on Richie Incognito, and then an interception by Bulger, who threw into triple coverage. Instead of forcing a bad pass that had no chance, Bulger could have waited a second for an open receiver, Donnie Avery to come completely clear towards the middle of the field. Avery had peeled off but the ball was already in the air. Follow-up: some of you have written to disagree, saying that Avery wasn’t really running free; you say it only appeared that way because the Patriots defenders had left him to play the ball. Perhaps. But here’s the bottom line: Bulger had plenty of time but inexplicably rushed a horrible throw that he had no chance of completing. Outcome: INT and game over.
Seven prime chances to score.
TDs scored: none.
Total points scored: 9.
And that’s the No. 1 reason why the Rams walked out of Gilette Stadium with a setback.
What a shame, because the fellas did so many things well in this game. It’s really excting to see the young wideouts (Avery and Keenan Burton) start to take off. The defense did enough to set the offense up for some scores, and that defense had to play shorthanded after DE Leonard Little and CB Ron Bartell left with injuries.
The Rams should have flown out of New England with their third consecutive victory and a chance to reach .500 on Sunday vs. Arizona. Instead they’re 2-5 and still have a long way to go to barge their way into contention in the NFC West.
I want to vent about three more things:
1. Bulger has to be much, much better than this. The good QBs, the clutch QBs, find a way to win this game. An inexperienced and inferior QB, Matt Cassel, made the money throws at the end for New England, completing all four passing attempts on the winning drive, including the decisive TD pass. Bulger had plenty of chances to make plays; we’ve already discussed all of the blown opportunities and third-down misfires. Bulger started off well, but as soon as the Patriots smacked him around, he lapsed into his old routine of throwing off the back foot, and becoming squishy in the pocket. The pressure got to him again. Bulger showed signs of being unnerved by the effects of BQS. (Battered Quarterback Syndrome). The more the Patriots hit him, the more Bulger retreated. Yes, the early flourish put Bulger in position to finish with 301 yards passing. That may look good on the stat sheet, but those who saw the game know better. In the second half Bulger completed only 8 of 20 passes and had a QB rating of 38.9. The O-line didn’t offer great protection, and Bulger was sacked four times, but on a couple of those sacks he needed to get rid of the danged football. After some hopeful progress during the previous two games, Bulger regressed. And I don’t want to hear any of this “They Didn’t Have Steven Jackson” baloney to make excuses for Bulger. Jackson’s replacement, Antonio Pittman, did a solid job. He rushed for 83 yards, averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and caught some balls to finished with 105 total yards from scrimmage. Jackson averaged 127 yards from scrimmage in the first six games.
2. I simply did not understand the play-calling approach of offensive coordinator Al Saunders, at least in the passing game. I hosted a virtual chat during the game over at the Bernie’s Press Box forum, and those who joined in know that I was squawking about the Rams’ stubborn refusal to work the short and intermediate areas in the middle of the field. You have to establish that you’ll use the middle and make the defense account for that.and ir helps to force those slower ILB to cover. But the Rams were predictable and directed much of their air game to the sideline. .
3. The officiating was a disgrace, and an embarrassment to the NFL. Nine penalties on the Rams? And NONE called on the Patriots? (Well, they did call a couple of penalties which were declined by the Rams, but that’s not the point). The Rams had to go into New England and not only beat the Patriots and handle the home crowd, but also had to overcome the grossly incompetent officiating. The refs ignored a blatant late hit out of bounds against Fakhir Brown when he made his INT. Head referee Scott Green ignored an obvious roughing-the-passer episode that happened several feet from him, and while he was staring at the play. Green also threw a flag on the Patriots for hitting Bulger in the facemask, then picked up the flag and waved off the penalty. They missed other stuff, too, including some flagrant holding calls. The lazy, gutless display by this crew only reinforced the impression that the Patriots get special treatment. The Patriots came into the game having been flagged only 16 times in the first 6 games, the second-fewest total in the league. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is very good at intimidating officials, and it apparently worked again for him on Sunday. I had to laugh late in the game when the TV camera zoomed in on Belichick as he screamed at the officials. What was Coach Hoodie possibly upset about? Did one of the officials fail to properly shine Belichick’s car? Did Scott Green forget to pick up the coach’s dry cleaning? Did one of the refs make a mistake and deliver the wrong kind of pizza to Bill’s house on Saturday night? LOL. No surprise. I don’t even know why I get worked up. The way NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handled “Spygate” and made it disappear told us all we needed to know.
Wanted to add something upbeat as I finish… as Andy B, one of the posters at Bernie’s Press Box said: it feels good to be mad at the Rams for losing a game like this. This is a helluva lot better than the non-competitive and dull blowouts we were seeing under the previous head coach.
Thanks for reading …
-B
Get em.
Bernie, you are absolutely correct. The refs were biased and Al Saunders looks like he is running plays Linehan left behind. Also, Bulger has to be better, but so does the blocking. We have all seen Bulger play at a high level. He can do it, but he must have protection. Anyways, good read.
My wife ,myself , and two friends , who are Patriots’fans ,were at the game . By 4th quarter,while Rams’ were receiving yet another penalty ,my friend looked at me and said , “I’ve never been at an NFL game where a team never rec’d. a penalty until mid-4th quarter.” The non-call on Brown-had even Pats’ fans smirking.But Bulger , throwing those ridiculous side-line passes,in order to pick up two or three yds……WHY ? Why risk putting the ball in the air for 20 yds. ACROSS the field , for 2 or 3 yds. ,why not throw it DOWN the field where they have now put the END ZONE ?? I LOVE Bulger , but I believe he had the worst game I have ever seen him have. And , for the hell of it , could we consider keeping a back into block for Mark when we’re in OBVIOUS passing situations ? Pats put Vrabel in,make him eligible , but primarily use his extra blocking ability to provide Q.B. with that extra second. Keeps defenses honest ,too.I was rather vociferous during the game , especially the third quarter , and took a helluva razzing after game-ending Int.Shouldn’t have happened.Big Al had alousy day ,too.Any T.E. plays in our play-book whatsoever? I really came away confused today , so many wierd occurrences.
The refs did little to cause the Rams to lose this game. The Rams have to make plays. I was taught by my father and my coaches that you have to overcome bad calls and make plays if you want to win. The Rams have to learn how to win again. The first thing they have to do is not make excuses,the second is to stop beating themselves, the third is to make the plays it takes to win.
7 things.
1. We have to start doing some play-action on first down. It’s a good call and we seldom see it.
2. The offensive line had some unreal breakdowns. A defensive center went in almost untouched on a three man rush in the second half. that is crazy. there were other breakdowns also. I think more play action and less predictability would help here but these guys up front own much of this.
3. Bulger was not that sharp, but this line still has him jumpy. They are not to be trusted.
4. The refs were unreal. I could not believe some of the obvious stuff they missed.
5. special teams were unspecial again. Our kickoff return game should just settle for letting the ball go into the end zone. Two kickoff returns never made it to the 15. That is not acceptable.
6. Even with all of that we almost beat a team that seldom loses at home. The D was pretty good and our field goal kicker was great again. Long had another good one. I think that Long is really going to be a force and if Little can stay on the field this D could really turn mean.
7. Where are you Steven? Can’t be frail and be the big man.
Even though I hate to blame just one player, your blog is pretty much right on. Bulger has to step up his game in these situations. He got the big contract and is supposed to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Well then sometimes, he has to go out there and win a close game when the team gives him that opportunity.
The only thing I would add is that the O-Line must get a good hunk of the blame, too. The right side of the line was particularly weak. As for the officiating, I don’t think I can even say what I’m thinking. I think you went as far as we can go in a family-oriented setting. Suffice to say, the league will do nothing, as usual.
Bernie, as usual you are dead on with your comments. I agree entirely with your comments. I had forgotten how bad the officiating was. My son-in-law and I commented to each other several times during the game about the lack of calls on NE. Officiating under Goodell’s watch has declined.
Even though the officiating was brutal, Bulger’s play was worse. The ref’s as bad as they were, did not cost the Rams the game. The players and the coaches did! The Rams cannot win with Bulger at QB. The rest of the Rams schedule has winnable games on it, however does anyone have any doubt that Bulger will perform well when pressured? And he will get pressured! Every team in the league can see all you have to do is get to Bulger a few times and he is finished for the game.
Now that we are seven games into the season, will Saunders reveal that he is the offensive genius he is billed to be? The TV announcers knew the middle of the field was open, how did the Rams coaches miss it? Do they talk to each other? Rams should have won. It was very disappointing.
I will say this, Haslett is the right head coach for this team. I think the players not only like him, but more importantly, respect him. I also think if Haslett is the head coach next year, and I think he should be, there will be some players and coaches that no longer will be a member of the Rams next year. He can’t do much now, but things will change.
Trust, Trust, and Trust. The Rams are coming around. Remember when they were 0-4, and who they’ve played to get to 2-5. I believe they have a head coach they can Trust and respect. But their O line is still shaky. Bulger can make the big plays, he just doesn’t the patience anymore to find that open reciever. That patience that comes with being able to Trust your offensive line to cover your back. There were a lot of things they could have done different that might have changed the outcome of the game, but when you step on that field no matter where it’s at, or what level of ball your playing, you automatically TRUST the OFFICIATING crew as well. Some say it doesn’t change the outcome of the game, how could you ever know???
With the officials, the Pats had to many players on the field PERIOD
Belicheat was moaning that the refs blew the whistle too quickly on the kneel down by Cassell. He took the snap and stood there for a few seconds and then took a knee. If Belicheat is going to coach his guy to do that, opposing coaches should encourage their D to blow up the line and put a hit on Cassell.
NE got away with several cheap shots and late hits and a few were blatantly obvious. Bulger is a battered QB that flinches when he hears the D go Boo. I can’t say I blame him cuz he finishes most pass plays looking up from his backside.
Question — are there any mechanisms within the NFL for official protests regarding specific officiating crews or even individuals? Is there an office for the public to contact? Obviously that won’t change the outcome of the game nor would I expect, under this regime, for the NFL to do a thing. Still, if complaints can be lodgeed, it doesn’t hurt to go on the record does it? If I were wealthy I’d be tempted to have some private investigators look into these guys just to see what’s there.
When officiating is so bad even the home team fans who they are favoring starting wondering, well, that’s over the line.