- Wow the Rams are terrible.
- All the good feelings Seattle built up during their Thursday Night Football win over the Eagles a week and a half ago, toss those out the window after last night. To call that play uninspired seems about right.
Look, the offense was poor, but at least there are excuses on that side of the ball. The offensive line is missing 3/5 starters. The top receiver (Sidney Rice) is on IR. The quarterback, well, let's give old Tarvaris his own bullet point.
- Tarvaris Jackson has done the needed job of managing the last two wins (over Philly and St. Louis), letting the running game and the defense do most of the heavy lifting. But having watched every snap of the past two games on TV, two things are readily apparent about T-Jack the quarterback:
1) He isn't stepping into any throw. Every throw is off his back foot, or "on the run", even if he's just stepping up in the pocket. This may have something to do with his pectoral injury he's been nursing for weeks, but I'm not willing to ascribe all of these throws to injury.
2) He isn't hitting anyone in stride. #1 certainly doesn't help this, but aside from bubble screens (quick passes to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage), the receiver is having to turn his body to receive the pass. That hurts the receiver's ability to get yards after the catch.
- I mean, gee whiz, the Rams are pretty terrible.
- I'm most disappointed in Seattle's defense. The Rams had one weapon last night: Steven Jackson. That the Rams scored 13 points should be an embarrassment to Seattle's defense. The Rams had 3 big plays all game long, and none of them should have happened:
1) The 50-yard screen pass vs an all-out blitz on 3rd and long. Really? You needed an all-out blitz to prevent a team with a gimpy, rusty quarterback from converting 3rd and 13?
2) The Richard Sherman PI. Sherman actually recovered very well against this route/pass, but he didn't trust his ability to deflect the pass and pulled on Brandon Lloyd's shoulder while breaking up the pass.
3) The Richard Sherman taunting penalty that took 4th and goal from the 1 and made it 1st and goal from the 1/2 yard line. Moron.
- The Rams had 7 plays from the Seattle 1 or closer. On one of those plays (the seventh) they handed the ball to Steven Jackson out of a normal goal line formation and they scored a touchdown. Here's what they did on the other 6:
1) Steven Jackson takes the snap in a wildcat formation and tries to run it in. Result: Stopped for no gain - Defensible call
2) Sam Bradford fakes the handoff to Jackson and tries to bootleg out. Result: Called for intentional grounding as he flings the ball away in panic before being obliterated by a defender - Indefensible call. Bradford had a severe high ankle sprain that was preventing him from planting properly on his throws, and you try a naked bootleg with no pass options on that side of the field???
3) Cadillac Williams run. Result: No gain - I mean, really? It may have been Cadillac's series, but why let him run?
4) Bradford attempts a throw into the end zone. Result: Bradford misfires badly and the pass is incomplete - Why is Steven Jackson still on the sideline?
5) Bradford attempts a throw to the back of the end zone, it's a little high and goes off his receiver's hands. St. Louis is awarded a 1st down when Richard Sherman is flagged for taunting. - Defensible call (aside from not using Jackson), but Bradford looked shaky all night, why put this is his hands?
6) Bradford tries a quick fade route. Result: Seattle's tall corner bats the ball away - I don't get this one either. Seattle's corners are both at least 6'3" and you try a fade?
Let's just say the shine continues to wear off of Josh McDaniels, offensive genius.
- Finally, the Rams are really bad. I'm not sure Spagnoulo survives with so many stinkers this season.
- Speaking of firings, Todd Haley (Chiefs) and Tony Sparano (Dolphins) were both axed, joining Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville) as in-season firings.
I'm not sure you can say much positive about Haley, who never met a fight he didn't want to pick. The guy ran off 2 capable offensive coordinators (Chan Gailey and Charlie Weis), and without them his offenses have looked subpar.
Sparano fell victim to his initial success in a tough division, never getting back close to the 2008-09 division title. He had to deal with his owner's public dalliance with Jim Harbaugh this offseason, then had to hear reports of how he was set to be fired at the end of this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he came into work yesterday and said, "Commit to me for next year or fire me now." And honestly, I wouldn't blame him one bit. Not that he was any great shakes, but it's not fair to a guy to openly look at other candidates while he's still your coach.
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