Rams-Cardinals-Rams Win 27-24. 1-0

[Chilipepper]

Hope it was the first game rust. Also RAMS can make adjustments now. Cook will now open up other WR's cuz he's gonna need more attention to be stopped. Same ole red zone RAMS but It will get better with this talent in the RED ZONE.

 

[ksudodger]

Condolences brother Vita....

Now to my views from the game-

1. IMO, the defense as a whole was good, but not great. Biggest area of improvement is going to be our all-pro CB's trusting the young kids in the middle to do their jobs and not be worried about having to help them. Stay on Jenkins and Finnegan Island. Both offensive TD's the Cards got resulted in Finnegan or Jenkins turning their focus from their assignment to the middle to check on the kids.
2. One stat REALLY stood out to me. ZERO SACKS ALLOWED!! Great game by the O line, but they do need to do a little better with the run blocking.
3. News Flash, Jared Cook is a TOP 5 TIGHT END IN THE NFL!!
4. All of the WR's got involved.. gotta love the effort by Brian Quick and Austin Pettis...KUDOS!
5. Wil Witherspoon will be just fine for one season... but we need another young OLB to step up

All in all, impressed with the resolve of the team to make that comback. Gives us a ton of momentum going into the next 3 games. Atlanta looks vulnerable on defense, so we might be able to sneak out of Atlanta with a W.

 

[UnrealTerm04]

Hey Vita, thoughts are with you man.

I liked what I saw from the defense for the most part. I like how we created fumbles and although we didn't recover all of them, fumbles were still caused by pressuring the QB and hitting him. Run defense was awesome! pass defense needs improvement but remember this is a healthy Carson Palmer throwing to some great receivers.

We'll need our whole team playing hot when we take on the 49ers.

GO RAMS!

 

[Red_Chaos]

one of these days some of these fumbles are gonna fall are way...

defense wise i gotta feel its gonna be a bend but not break kind of year. offense has to keep scoring more.

 

[SJ76]

Ok Sam looked good at times. But the blocked INT and the fumble late that Richardson recovered were still bonehead plays. Bradford has to eliminate these kinds of plays and especially late in the game. But both bonehead plays were close to his own end zone and he has to make better decisions under that pressure. READY FOR SOME CONSISTENCY. He just has to keep getting better. He won't be Luck, but he might be as good as Andy Dalton.

I don't know how McDonald did in coverage, but he hit some people and I like that. Jenkins looked good, Finnegan seemed to be getting picked on by the refs because Honey Badger threw a guy down out of bounds as well and got no flag. But overall, I think the secondary was good. And I think the D-line was good, but will get better as well as the LB's will get more cohesion as the season goes on. Ogletree had 7 tackles and seemed ok.

Cook? Monster. He's a big target for the Rams and needs to stay healthy! Tavon needs to get in the mix, Givens too. And D Rich looked ok, but I want to see Cunningham and Bailey, along with Quick too.

 

[darken65]

Good job with the win but you didn't cover the spread. I lost hard earned v-cash on this game!

 

[Rambunctious]

Good job with the win but you didn't cover the spread. I lost hard earned v-cash on this game!

 

[Retroram52]

Mutigers. Chris Long was getting doubled teamed nearly all game long with the TE chipping him on a delayed route or blocking him outright. When they did it to Quinn, he got stopped as well but then Brockers starting getting a push up the middle. All eight of those guys are studs and I saw alot of the second team of Hayes, Sims, Conrath, and Cudjo and they were just as good. I hope all 8 stick around awhile.

 

[Vitamike]

Mutigers. Chris Long was getting doubled teamed nearly all game long with the TE chipping him on a delayed route or blocking him outright. When they did it to Quinn, he got stopped as well but then Brockers starting getting a push up the middle. All eight of those guys are studs and I saw alot of the second team of Hayes, Sims, Conrath, and Cudjo and they were just as good. I hope all 8 stick around awhile.

I'm sure you've heard their nickname.... "The Elite Eight"

It was talked about in that story I posted were Rosie came by and was showing them spin moves with his cane.

 

[mutigers1fan]

Vita, love that name for the front.

Retro, I didn't think to start paying attention to it until the 2nd half and even then I was splitting attention between there and trying to get as good of a look at the secondary as you can on tv. One of these years when I have time and money I'm going to get that all-22 film.

 

[fastforward]

The better team won. It was a hard fought game that was always competitive. The Rams had the advantage on the OL & DL which ultimately made the difference. Both offenses were on top for the 1st half, (200+ yards each), and both teams ran the ball well for the 1st 20 minutes. Defenses had the slight advantage in the 2nd half. The box scores will mislead you. The biggest mismatch was RDE Quinn vs LT Brown. Bradford was very good, as was Palmer.

Positives: Bradford was very good again. The OL was good against a weak pass rush but they were at least partly at fault for the pick 6. The DL contained the Cardinals running game and created intermittent pressure. The receivers looked in sync with Bradford and got a lot of YAC yardage. Defensively we gave up very little in YAC yardage. No coverage breakdowns.

Negatives: The play-calling became increasing conservative, particularly on 3rd down. The OL seemed to tire as the game progressed and be less effective in the running game, (a league trend?). Multiple 15 yard penalties. Poor coverage, play identification, and support from the Ss. Defensively we were too passive in the 1st half.

Overall: The Cardinals are a solid overall team but they're 1 of the weakest opponents we'll face. We were 11 points behind late on. We'll need more from the rest of the DL. The Ss have to be more decisive.

 

[Vitamike]

Vita, love that name for the front.

Retro, I didn't think to start paying attention to it until the 2nd half and even then I was splitting attention between there and trying to get as good of a look at the secondary as you can on tv. One of these years when I have time and money I'm going to get that all-22 film.

Hey mutiger1fan I know how it is when your in school and all however if you can scrape together $30 bucks to pluck down on NFL rewind you can get the coaches film on Rams games. (However not there for last weeks game for some reason). You'll want to have some music playing in the background or something cause there ain't no sound.

Right now they have a one week free trial but you'll need to cancel before the cancellation date or they'll charge you for the $70 buck package. (That's the one I buy, it gives you all the NFL games).

If you're interested...

https://gamerewind.nfl.com/nflgr/secure/packages?ttv=1

 

[Vitamike]

The better team won. It was a hard fought game that was always competitive. The Rams had the advantage on the OL & DL which ultimately made the difference. Both offenses were on top for the 1st half, (200+ yards each), and both teams ran the ball well for the 1st 20 minutes. Defenses had the slight advantage in the 2nd half. The box scores will mislead you. The biggest mismatch was RDE Quinn vs LT Brown. Bradford was very good, as was Palmer.

Positives: Bradford was very good again. The OL was good against a weak pass rush but they were at least partly at fault for the pick 6. The DL contained the Cardinals running game and created intermittent pressure. The receivers looked in sync with Bradford and got a lot of YAC yardage. Defensively we gave up very little in YAC yardage. No coverage breakdowns.

Negatives: The play-calling became increasing conservative, particularly on 3rd down. The OL seemed to tire as the game progressed and be less effective in the running game, (a league trend?). Multiple 15 yard penalties. Poor coverage, play identification, and support from the Ss. Defensively we were too passive in the 1st half.

Overall: The Cardinals are a solid overall team but they're 1 of the weakest opponents we'll face. We were 11 points behind late on. We'll need more from the rest of the DL. The Ss have to be more decisive.

In your very articulate manner that we all enjoy, would you please share with the others in class the OL's culpability and/or responsibility here. ~ Thanks in advance ff!

Also I'd like to add to the positives the Rams taking over the 4th quarter.

On offense we sustained two scoring drives of 8 plays each (One for 80 yards and a TD the other for 50 yards and a FG) and took advantage on another scoring drive to tie the game on the turnover fumble.

On defense we held them to 4 non scoring drives. The first a 5 play, 10 yard fumble, then an 8 play 26 yard punt, after that a 3 play 8 yard punt (Providing Sam and company enough time to get into field goal position for the game winner) and last the 3 play 8 yard end of game drive. (Don't discount this last one either. We are a very young team and we all saw what happened to the Bucs in that same scenario, didn't we?)

 

[fastforward]

Watch Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams [09/08/2013] - NFL.com

I can break it down in Xs and Os with MS Paint if you need it. It would take me about an hour to draw all the assignments so i'd rather avoid it if possible. A brief synopsis:

The formation is WRs left and right, Cook is off the line to the left. 2 'RBs' in an offset-left I-Formation. Cook motions to the right pre-snap. The play is a misdirection screen to the FB, (looks like Kendicks), who will fake a lead run-block left but slide behind the OL to receive the misdirection screen right. The QB will fake the hand-off to the RB who will fake an off-tackle run left. The LT is supposed to block the 3-4 DRE left and away. The WR to the right is to run a fly pattern, possibly with a back shoulder option, to take the CB and S down field. The remaining 4 OL are to slide the 2 remaining DL to the QB's left, hopefully biting on the run left fake and drawing the LBs in that direction as well. Cook is supposed to ignore the DLE and seal off the LBs from pursuing the FB after the reception. The play is supposed to draw the DLE into either rushing the QB, (in which case Bradford knows he has to dink it over him or make him miss), or follow the run down the line. If he stays at home the play is screwed. Most times he'll rush the QB. Sometimes he'll disrupt or deflect the pass but a lot of times he won't. If he deflects it and catches his own deflection you have to shrug your shoulders and say 'well played'. The left WR is irrelevant. If all goes to plan the FB should be in space against the S with a WR to block against the CB. LT Long does his job. the right WR does his job. The fake hand-off is ok. The RB fake run is ok. Cook seals off a LB, (probably not the right 1 but at least he makes contact). The FB sneaks back behind the line. The S sees what's coming and leaves the CB 1-on-1 so the play probably won't gain much. The DE makes the play and tips the ball. it should fall incomplete.

There are 4 OL whose sole job is to block 2 DL to the QB's left and not concede ground. Saffold wins his block. The bottom line is that we have G-C-G against the NT who ends up 5 yards in the backfield straight down the middle. It's bad luck that the tip falls to him...BUT HE SHOULDN'T BE THERE!

A brief diagnosis of the other highlights: Jenkins lines up 5 yards away from Fitzgerald on the goal-line for the 1st TD - You can't give an isolated WR a free goal-line release.

For the 2nd TD there's a blitz from Palmer's right. His slot left receiver is given 10 yards by the DB. The slot right receiver, (Fitzgerald), draws bump-n-run coverage against the rush from that side. It's an easy read for the S. He only has to help Finnegan who's going to be underneath the coverage.

 

[Caynine29]

Thankful for the win...

But, man... I don't think we're ready to take the league by storm. Not based on that effort, at least.

Just as he was throughout the preseason, Sam Bradford was on point. Give this guy a clean pocket (and jersey) and he'll pick a team apart. Yeah, the fumble wasn't pretty. But, thank God Richardson was there to clean it up. His only pick was an outlet pass turned jump ball, when it was batted at the line. All in all... he had a great performance. I mean, a 71% completion percentage, 299 yards and 2 TDs? I think his QB rating was 101.1. What more could you ask for? I'd guess that this is only the first chapter of the new offense. I can't imagine after all the posturing and hush-hush nature of Fisher and Schottenheimer throughout the offseason is going to culminate in a simple end-around from Tavon Austin. Lol.

Offensively, the run blocking HAS to improve. As I've said before... the whole "running back by committee" is going to end up being the Daryl Richardson show. Barring some sort of career game out of Isaiah Pead in week 2, he'll be the featured back, from here on out. Jared Cook is the TRUTH! Man, that guy is good! He and Bradford are clearly on the same page, too. Didn't see much out of Chris Givens, but there's no doubt in my mind that'll come along, as well.

Defensively... what was up with the soft coverage all day? Carson Palmer was eating us alive. I've heard speculation that it was to protect the young safeties in their first start. Whatever it was, it wasn't working. TJ MacDonald is a thumper, no doubt. But, he still doesn't have a clue on where he should be at any given time. Evidenced by Fitzgerald's 2nd TD reception. Gotta expect that, I guess. I mean, he is a rookie. I have a feeling this D is going to do a lot more "breaking" than we'd all care to see.

To me, it looked every bit like a young team coming together. As the season goes on, we'll see improvement. There were positives to build on and all the negatives appear to be coachable issues. It's gonna be a long roller-coaster type season, in 2013. But, it sure feels good to start it at 1-0.

 

[fastforward]

GameDay: Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams highlights - NFL Videos

A quicker link to see the highlights. (Still an unnecessary 5 minute edit rule).

 

[Caynine29]

Oh, damn....

...How could I forget to mention Robert Quinn??? Looks like somebody's trying to get an early jump on the inaugural "Deacon Jones Trophy"

He beat Levi Brown like a rented mule all day! Hell... it could be argued that HE won the game for us. I'm really looking forward to watching that guy terrorize QBs on a weekly basis.

 

[fastforward]

Also I'd like to add to the positives the Rams taking over the 4th quarter.

On offense we sustained two scoring drives of 8 plays each (One for 80 yards and a TD the other for 50 yards and a FG) and took advantage on another scoring drive to tie the game on the turnover fumble.

On defense we held them to 4 non scoring drives. The first a 5 play, 10 yard fumble, then an 8 play 26 yard punt, after that a 3 play 8 yard punt (Providing Sam and company enough time to get into field goal position for the game winner) and last the 3 play 8 yard end of game drive. (Don't discount this last one either. We are a very young team and we all saw what happened to the Bucs in that same scenario, didn't we?)

We played very well in the last 18-20 minutes. We needed to since we were 11 points behind. We finished with 366 yards of which 200 were in the 1st half. The Cardinals finished with 413 yards. It's not the whole story by any means. It doesn't show yards lost on sacks or penalty yardage, (big PI on Mathieu). We were the better team but we weren't dominant. The Cardinals got the rub of the green with fumbles and tipped passes. Let's put it another way. We made a long FG whilst they missed a long FG. On another day we lose this game.

 

[Vitamike]

We played very well in the last 18-20 minutes. We needed to since we were 11 points behind. We finished with 366 yards of which 200 were in the 1st half. The Cardinals finished with 413 yards. It's not the whole story by any means. It doesn't show yards lost on sacks or penalty yardage, (big PI on Mathieu). We were the better team but we weren't dominant. The Cardinals got the rub of the green with fumbles and tipped passes. Let's put it another way. We made a long FG whilst they missed a long FG. On another day we lose this game.

I thought it was a game we tried hard to give away yet found a way to win. That can be the mark of a good team. Arizona is a much improved team, they wont be the push over this year as they were after their 4-0 start last year.

And to Caynine's point, yes Sam had a 101 rating or something similar. I think that speaks volumes on his progress as he very easily could have ended up with 3 TD's and no interceptions however Zona was there to make some plays and change those things. They will be a tough out for all they face and I glad too, I see them splitting games in division and that in turn may help us in the long run because at this point we are at least guaranteed that split.

 

[Vitamike]

By the way Jeff Fisher is now 5-1-1 in division lifetime as a NFC West HC.