STL Ram's Fan Diary (Last Week) -Lions @ Rams-

[FoolKiller]

Great!

I'm talking trash with all the Colts fans at work about this Thursday's game, despite being preseason and it being the Colts.

Oh, and welcome to Moe Williams, former UK Wildcat! It looks like he might be replacing Faulk for the short yardage power runs.

Of course, one has to question bringing in a guy that just recovered from knee surgery to replace a guy having knee surgery.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

^True. I expect Moe to do well AND yes....welcome Moe Williams!

Too bad I can't watch the Rams game on Thursday. I'm stuck watching Raiders/Niners preseason games this whole month.

 

[FoolKiller]

Well, I am getting the Rams preseason game here on FOX. I didn't think I would but TV Guide says I am so, yay!

I will probably just watch the first quarter. I mean, if I wanted to watch the second and third string guys play I just have to wait until everyone gets injured by game 6, right?


Oh, I had an idea, tell me what you think about this: Everyone seems to be putting episodes of shows on iTunes and other sources for download after they have aired right? What if the NFL did this with the games so that displaced fans, like yourself, or fans that only had the choices of other games, like myself, could watch their favorite team for a small fee, say $4.99?

This would also draw in people who didn't get to watch some incredible game that didn't get aired in their market. This way, even if I don't want to or can't afford to do the satellite deal I can catch my team's games later on.

Just a thought.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

We got Denver heading to St. Louis this Sunday. Glad to say that we have another great season of the diary coming up. Feel free to add to my diary.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Denver at St. Louis this Sunday.

What we need to do to win?
-Defense. We need the D to step up. A lot of games were lost, and a couple times won, due to defense. Denver has Jevon Walker on their team now and a great list of RBs, so we have to step up on sunday for it.
-Home field advantage. First game of the year, so the fans must be hyped up for the game...hopefully. It'll be our 12th man this Sunday.
-Offense. Will this "new offense" work out? We got the weapons we just have to work very well and efficiently. AND no turnovers at all for this game.
-Last, early momentum. We have to get that early edge.

So sit back, relax, and get ready for some football!

 

[FoolKiller]

I am excited about this game. I have a lot of hope for our new offensive strategy. I mean, running the ball more, who'd have thunk it?

Oh wait, I did back in Post 139

I feel that Martz relied too heavily on the passing game.

I am sure I made tons of more references throughout the season too , but that was teh most recent one.

But as you said, we need defense. It is something that we haven't had a lot of. We also need a decent O-line. Bulger is no good if he keeps getting injured and we lose him for half a season. He has great stats when he plays and is one of the highest rated quarterbacks on paper. Imagine what he would look like if he actually had time to get his passes properly thrown. It would be nice to quiet the Bulger haters here at work.

Granted, one of them is a Packers fan that says that Favre is still the greatest quarterback in the NFL. Maybe if they had a seniors league, but not compared to P. Manning or Brady. So, I don't take this guy's criticisms to heart.

Another hater is a Colts fan, so yeah, compared to Manning I would say that Bulger is lacking too, but I think that this year we will see some changes and Bulger will have the ability to truly show off. Now if the line can just give him the time he needs to show it.

Denver is a tough team, so we need to be on our A-Game. Pre season is over so no more warming up and experimenting.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Week 1
STL Rams 18 DEN Broncos 10

I came into this game late due to the fact I had to go to church in the morning, but when I opened up the TV and saw this game on CBS I was hyped up. Even more hyped when I saw the Rams had the early lead. But lemme fast foward to halftime when I saw the highlights for the game, and yes....I saw Defense. Yea....defense.

That's basically the whole game, just beautiful defense for the Rams (Although we gave a couple big plays). Also the offense looking the same as always, but our ablity not to score a TD is really bugging me because if we can play the defense we just played today along with our spectacular offense I seriously believe we are tough contenders. But let me go back to this defense! New players on the squad Tye Hill and Corey Chavous both picked up INTs and the whole defense was really sharp and aggressive. Now this is the broncos people. Although a lot of drops by Walker the D was really playing right.

I'll add on later, high five on the win Foolkiller.

 

[Max Powers]

Congratulations to all you Rams fans, they're looking better than I expected this year.

 

[FoolKiller]

Week 1
STL Rams 18 DEN Broncos 10

I came into this game late due to the fact I had to go to church in the morning, but when I opened up the TV and saw this game on CBS I was hyped up. Even more hyped when I saw the Rams had the early lead. But lemme fast foward to halftime when I saw the highlights for the game, and yes....I saw Defense. Yea....defense.

That's basically the whole game, just beautiful defense for the Rams (Although we gave a couple big plays). Also the offense looking the same as always, but our ablity not to score a TD is really bugging me because if we can play the defense we just played today along with our spectacular offense I seriously believe we are tough contenders. But let me go back to this defense! New players on the squad Tye Hill and Corey Chavous both picked up INTs and the whole defense was really sharp and aggressive. Now this is the broncos people. Although a lot of drops by Walker the D was really playing right.

I'll add on later, high five on the win Foolkiller.

OK, so I didn't get to see the game locally. I was stuck watching the Bengals give KC a beating.

While watching I would catch the odds and ends highlights and all I kept seeing was defense. Then I saw the sack and fumble recovery on teh 1 yard line and I was expecting to be shown a touchdown immediately after that, but no. You mean we couldn't get a guy to fall one yard? After realizing that we were doing great I spent more time watching the score tracker than the game I was being shown. It disturbed me a bit to see our score keep going up by 3. I was waiting for a 7, just one 7. Heck, I woudl have even taken a 6.

So, for those who did see the game, is our red zone struggling or was the offense in general struggling?

It's great to see our defense is working, and against the Broncos to boot. I was feeling nervous going into this game, but all my confidence has been brought back. A touchdown would have been nice, but who needs them when you can stop the other team cold?

 

[Danoff]

Steven Jackson is on my fantasy team this year, so I was watching the rams game very carefully and it frustrated me to no end that he didn't find the end zone. Having said that I think I can give you a bit of a feel for the game.

Rams D did an amazing job making the broncos look bad. Jake looked so bad that Cutler was on the screen for a good bit. The offense looked good too, when they were at the 50 yard line. In the red zone they got stopped over and over. Whether it was because the broncos stuffed the run or bulger didn't manage to connect... it was always something. They did a lot of settling for three and I began wondering how it was possible that their kicker was outscoring my man Jackson.

Still, I'd have to say that overall they looked good. I think they've got a good season ahead of them and despite the red zone troubles I'd be happy with their performance... if I were a rams fan.

 

[FoolKiller]

They did a lot of settling for three and I began wondering how it was possible that their kicker was outscoring my man Jackson.

Well, last year Jeff Wilkins did become the highest scorer on the Rams roster. He has more points than any of the offense. So this is nothing new.


Thanks for the summary though. It sounds like it happend just as I was picturing it.

 

[Danoff]

Well, last year Jeff Wilkins did become the highest scorer on the Rams roster. He has more points than any of the offense. So this is nothing new.

In fantasy games that's ludicrous though. Kickers get 3 points for <40 yards. 4 points for 40-50, and 5 points for 50+.

Runningbacks get 1 point per 10 yards and 6 points for TDs.

So a three field goal night gets you 9-10 points for the kicker. While a 100 yard + 1 TD game gets you 16 from the running back.

 

[FoolKiller]

In fantasy games that's ludicrous though. Kickers get 3 points for <40 yards. 4 points for 40-50, and 5 points for 50+.

Runningbacks get 1 point per 10 yards and 6 points for TDs.

So a three field goal night gets you 9-10 points for the kicker. While a 100 yard + 1 TD game gets you 16 from the running back.

And this is why I was hoping to get Wilkins for my fantasy kicker. I didn't because I played smart and chose my kickers almost last (I got Jeff Reed), but Wilkins was my first choice because he can do 50+ like it's a PAT and for some reason the Rams seem to struggle in the red zone. Wilkins is an ideal fantasy kicker.


Is there a GTP fantasy league? If not we should do one next year.

 

[Danoff]

And this is why I was hoping to get Wilkins for my fantasy kicker. I didn't because I played smart and chose my kickers almost last (I got Jeff Reed), but Wilkins was my first choice because he can do 50+ like it's a PAT and for some reason the Rams seem to struggle in the red zone. Wilkins is an ideal fantasy kicker.


Is there a GTP fantasy league? If not we should do one next year.

Good call. I'd love to do that.

My kicker was on the next-to-last round as well. Guess who I got... why it's Jeff Reed! Do you have Jackson as well? If so, why are you copying my fantasy drafting?

 

[FoolKiller]

Good call. I'd love to do that.

My kicker was on the next-to-last round as well. Guess who I got... why it's Jeff Reed! Do you have Jackson as well? If so, why are you copying my fantasy drafting?

No, I actually have no Rams players. I went third pick and then we did a snake order so I went 3-18-23-etc. So I took Tomlinson early and then Jackson was gone by the time it came back around to me. So all my picks are one good and then everyone else moderate, although I am looking at some changes after seeing the recent games. Some of the free agents left sitting are looking a lot better now.

My problem was I played it strategically and loaded up on RBs and WRs. We had a few newbies so we had a few oddities, like Peyton Manning, going first round. I didn't grab a QB until fifth round. By the time I got there some guys were already grabbing at kickers. It was as if they wanted the one best player for each position and then worried about the rest down the line.

But I had Steven Jackson pegged for my second pick and he went three guys before me, I had Bulger for my backup QB and some guy snatched him before I picked my starter, and then Wilkins, along with a couple of other kickers and defenses were gone by sixth round. Maybe it was the fact that I stayed sober and they didn't but I couldn't figure the strategy some guys had. Only one other guy loaded up on RBs and WRs and he and I have been getting all kinds of trade offers.

 

[Danoff]

Jackson was my first pick, I picked 7th. I wanted Parker for my second pick but ended up settling for Fitzgerald. I think I drafted at QB in the 5th. Then TE in the 8th.

 

[FoolKiller]

Jackson was my first pick, I picked 7th. I wanted Parker for my second pick but ended up settling for Fitzgerald. I think I drafted at QB in the 5th. Then TE in the 8th.

As it should be done.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

We only had trouble with our offense, weird huh. Although everything was looking ok we did horrible in the red zone. Passing near the 5 shouldnt even be on the gameplan. Suprised Jackson couldn't pound it in for 6. That was the only problem that I found, I'll also add that we must get the blitz in. We were sending at least 5-7 guys blitzing and sometimes we didnt get the blitz in causing the big play and lucky our secondary backed us up. That's the only problems so far.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Sorry for taking so long, but here's a preview:

STL Rams at SF Niners
1st Divisional game this year and it'll be nice to start off right. I'll add that we have to do it without our starting center Andy McCollum who hasn't missed a start in a long time. Instead we're starting a rookie center. Hopefully it won't affect us. Here's my tips for them nasty, ugly niners:

-Blitz, get pressure on Bulger.
-Stop Jackson, force us to be 1 demensional.
-No turnovers. Our D looked very nice against a well respected Denver offense.

For us, well just score 24 and we win . I think 24 will do. Our D will probably give up 14, or if we have turnovers probably 21.

Most important part about this is that I will be at the game!!! I'm going with my dad so I'll report back when I come back.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

(Week 2)
STL Rams 13, SF Niners 20
Great day at the game but just a pathetic lost, AND a good win by the Niners. Niners just straight up got us. I'll start off first by saying how then Niners beat us:

-Gore. They used gore as the foundation for their offense. Some runs were horrible, (including the huge fumble in the 2nd Quarter), and some were huge. With us Rams having to worry about the run, we gave up holes in our passing D. We tried blitzing, but no. Every block was picked up nicely. Results were a few big passes by Smith to get the momentum going which bit us in the anus later in the game.
-Smart Defense. They blitzed and had success. Not to mention they straight up played us man on man. We did miss some opportunities though. Plus we lost Pace in the 2nd qtr, which of course didnt help us at all. They just played smart.
-Going singleback. I notice the change in formations through the game. We couldnt get 2 backs in the back because they would expect run, and when we would playaction they would read it nicely. Single back really killed us.
-Crowd. They were the 12th man. Good job for the crowd.

How we lost:
-Bulger. Horrible reads/throws at times. Never read the blitzes. No composure at all.
-No balance. Had to get out of the run due to good D by niners.
-So-so Defense. Some plays were well read but some were a disgrace. Blown coverages, bad blitzes, horrible coverage is what it came to be.

In the end though, we need next week's game. Good luck to the Cardinals though, they should see the whole game that they just played to get a win. In the meantime I hope Pace gets better and we can keep our heads up.

Come on Rams!

 

[FoolKiller]

We tried blitzing, but no. Every block was picked up nicely. Results were a few big passes by Smith to get the momentum going which bit us in the anus later in the game.

Having not been able to see the game (again) I can't say a whole lot, but I would like to comment on this.

I have some issues with the way blitzes are performed. Blitzes can work, that I will grant you, but when the other team is managing to stop the blitz, or avoid it then give it up. Time and again I will see a defense go for some big blitzes (We are talking 6-7 man blitzes) and the other team gets the blocks properly. The QB only needs a couple of seconds because someone is going to be open do to most of the defenders going after the QB. The result: big passing plays.

I saw this last night in the Pitt. vs Jax game. Immediately after the play Cower was in the face of his defensive coordinator explaining, loudly, what happened (as if he didn't notice?).

I don't know if you ever read Tuesday Morning Quarterback (was on NFl.com but is now on ESPN.com) he actually has a section called "Stop Me Before I Blitz Again" where he goes through the biggest failed blitz plays of the week.

-Smart Defense. They blitzed and had success.

This sounds familiar. Are we still having O-Line problems?

-Crowd. They were the 12th man. Good job for the crowd.

I noticed that this is becoming more and more of a factor. I think fans are truly realizing how much of a part they can have in the game.

How we lost:
-Bulger. Horrible reads/throws at times. Never read the blitzes. No composure at all.
-No balance. Had to get out of the run due to good D by niners.
-So-so Defense. Some plays were well read but some were a disgrace. Blown coverages, bad blitzes, horrible coverage is what it came to be.

Wait. I thought we got rid of Martz.

 

[Speedy Samurai]

I don't know if you ever read Tuesday Morning Quarterback (was on NFl.com but is now on ESPN.com) he actually has a section called "Stop Me Before I Blitz Again" where he goes through the biggest failed blitz plays of the week.

Aiiyeee! Boom goes the punt, and I write the words 'Game Over' in my notebook.

 

[FoolKiller]

Aiiyeee! Boom goes the punt, and I write the words 'Game Over' in my notebook.

Yes, he also has a section called "Stop me before I kick again." "Kick early, go for it late" is his philosophy.

Fraidy cat punts and field goals when you are down in the fourth quarter will not win you a game.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Having not been able to see the game (again) I can't say a whole lot, but I would like to comment on this.

I have some issues with the way blitzes are performed. Blitzes can work, that I will grant you, but when the other team is managing to stop the blitz, or avoid it then give it up. Time and again I will see a defense go for some big blitzes (We are talking 6-7 man blitzes) and the other team gets the blocks properly. The QB only needs a couple of seconds because someone is going to be open do to most of the defenders going after the QB. The result: big passing plays.

I saw this last night in the Pitt. vs Jax game. Immediately after the play Cower was in the face of his defensive coordinator explaining, loudly, what happened (as if he didn't notice?).

I don't know if you ever read Tuesday Morning Quarterback (was on NFl.com but is now on ESPN.com) he actually has a section called "Stop Me Before I Blitz Again" where he goes through the biggest failed blitz plays of the week.


This sounds familiar. Are we still having O-Line problems?


I noticed that this is becoming more and more of a factor. I think fans are truly realizing how much of a part they can have in the game.


Wait. I thought we got rid of Martz.

Wow, sounds like a great section . I gotta check that out. But yeah I didn't like how we blitzed though. We never really penetrated that much which was horrible and didn't see anything special.

As for O-line problems. I never knew we lost Pace in the 2nd qtr. So we basically had a rookie and a backup to replace our starters. Other than that the Niners did a good job of knowing that and went straight to us.

The fans were crazy. It was a big factor. The whole rivalry thing made things a lot tougher.

And yeah we got rid of Martz ALTHOUGH, it did look like the same team as before. We got back to the same offense where we pass first run later. Last we werent physical enough. K Curt, Ike, and Holt got manned up and took down.

Last note, sadly I never felt real confident in the team after the 14 unanswered points. My heart was beating fast and I was real shaky on every drive. Which is not good.

Ok...sorry lol. Last note again, we did lose LB Tinoisimoa. That I did see and really got mad. Saw the site and says a dislocated elbow.


Oh sorry, one more. I have to give props to Witherspoon #51 who played real nice.

 

[FoolKiller]

Ok...sorry lol. Last note again, we did lose LB Tinoisimoa. That I did see and really got mad. Saw the site and says a dislocated elbow.

I just have to comment on this. A dislocated elbow sounds like it would be an extremely painful thing. I would type my immediate response to reading this, but the swear filter would probably get overloaded.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Been a while but I got some plans for this diary due to the fact that only me and Foolkiller post here now and then. Well...

After this Sunday's game against the Lions, I am changing this diary into a NFL diary.

I still love the Rams but I thought it'd be nice to share my thoughts week by week about the league.

Back on topic...
STL Rams 16 ARI Cards 14

Beautiful victory! On the road divisional game won by us! Again, judging by the stats we had a good defensive game with 3 INTs and only 14 pts given. But not soo good for our offense who has yet to score over 18 this year. Next week is a must win game especially with damage to the Hawks with Alexander breaking a bone.

 

[FoolKiller]

STL Rams 16 ARI Cards 14

Beautiful victory! On the road divisional game won by us! Again, judging by the stats we had a good defensive game with 3 INTs and only 14 pts given. But not soo good for our offense who has yet to score over 18 this year. Next week is a must win game especially with damage to the Hawks with Alexander breaking a bone.

I'm going to be honest, Kurt Warner lost the game for us. A win is still a win, but it is somewhat bittersweet when you know that had Warner not fumbled we would have most likely lost.

We need bigger numbers on the board or we will be lucky to see the playoffs. And despite the Hawks losing Alexander they have a nasty looking receiving group now. Our secondary will have to step up if we are to beat them this year.


And the idea of making thsi a general NFL thread sounds good. It will save me from posting NFL stuff in multiple threads, since no one has an official NFL thread. Plus, it will be fun to trash talk some of the losing teams' fans.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Yes, very true. Very very "dirty" win. But since I am an optimist I was happy to see that:

-Bulger feeling good with the passing game. (I believe 21-31 at Arizona)
-Defense only 2 TDs allowed. (Against that crazy offense)

Looking good, but yeah I'm waiting for the Hawks to face us. It'll be real tough, and their offense is looking real nice without Shaun.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Lions 34 Rams 41

Looks like the offense is clicking real nice, but the D didn't play so well this week. But 41 is nice to see because it is the 1st time we got over 20 this whole year. Still though, that D needs to stop the scoring if we are to make it to the playoffs. We played decent in the 1st three games but this week Detroit really got us. I have to say it was that Mike Martz offense

Well I'll put this topic up for a couple more days, and then I'll open the new NFL General Discussion to replace this.

Go RAMS!!!

 

[FoolKiller]

Lions 34 Rams 41

Looks like the offense is clicking real nice, but the D didn't play so well this week. But 41 is nice to see because it is the 1st time we got over 20 this whole year. Still though, that D needs to stop the scoring if we are to make it to the playoffs. We played decent in the 1st three games but this week Detroit really got us. I have to say it was that Mike Martz offense

Well I'll put this topic up for a couple more days, and then I'll open the new NFL General Discussion to replace this.

Go RAMS!!!

I unfortunately didn't get to see it. I got home from Petit LeMans just in time to flip on CBS to see The Bengals getting blown out (so much for my fantasy defense) and had to watch my Rams come from 4 points down to win it in the GameTrax score thing at the bottom, the whole time yelling for them to switch games. When they finally switched games it was to a Jax overtime and then they just went away while the Rams were still playing.

Does CBS only cover the AFC? If that is the case I think that is a stupid policy/contract. So they switch double-headers with Fox but whoever has it will only be allowed to show half of the games if they need to switch over or even show an awesome play? Games weren't finished but CBS went to 60 Minutes. I couldn't care who is trying to sell what book when my team is still playing!

Sorry about the rant, but that made me all kinds of mad last night. I couldn't even watch the Seattle game I was so upset.