SB Nation - Clifton Ryan

Rams all-decade team: Defensive tackle

VanRam — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:05:31 -0000

Who are the Rams' best DTs of the decade?

The St. Louis Rams are closing the decade a little differently than they started it. From the highest-flying offense the NFL has ever seen to a team struggling through a one-win season. It's been an up and down decade for the Rams, and there's been lots to remember along the way. Let's look back and fill out our roster cards for the decade's best players: The Rams All Decade team.

Starting with the 2000 season and running through the current one, we'll go position by position and get our All Decade starting lineup. Today, we'll start with what might be one of those positions that won't be as obvious as some of the others, quarterback for instance, and jump in with the defensive tackles.

I think a lot of us would like to see D'Marco Farr on this list, but the 2000 season was his last in the league and it was a rough one since he started just games as Jeff Zgonina replaced him in the lineup. The later half of the decade doesn't have much to offer at the DT position, unless you were making a list of less-than-memorable DTs (better revisit the ten worst picks of the decade for some of those names). I'm only including players who started at least one season during the decade. The candidates, listed with the dates of the tenure during the decade with the Rams and stats from those days, are:

Jeff Zgonina: 2000-2001, 6 sacks, 91 tackles, 22 assists.

Ray Agnew: 2000, 4 sacks, 24 tackles, 8 assists

Brian Young: 2000-2003, 8.5 sacks, 94 tackles, 26 assists

Damione Lewis: 2001-2005, 10.5 sacks, 78 tackles, 27 assists

Ryan Pickett: 2001-2005, 6 sacks, 176 tackles, 63 assists

La'Roi Glover: 2006-2008, 12 sacks, 87 tackles, 27 assists

Adam Carriker: 2007-2008, 2 sacks, 43 tackles, 10 assists

Clifton Ryan: 2007-2009, 3 sacks, 75 tackles, 21 assists

Ok, vote for your top Rams DT of the decade. We'll take the first and second place vote getters for the All Decade team.

Poll

Vote for the Rams DT of the decade

Rams tossed around by the Titans for their 12th loss of the season

VanRam — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:36:37 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Keith Null found his welcome to the NFL to be less than memorable, yet somehow unforgettable.

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The countdown to the first overall pick in the draft has begun, as the Rams drop their twelfth game of the season to the resurgent Tennessee Titans. It was another woeful day for the franchise that is hopefully suffering one final indignation of a season before scratching their way back to respectability again. Three more weeks to have dirt kicked in their faces. Let's review the franchise's latest desecration.

It was a chippy affair from the start. The Titans played with a Billy Jack sized chip on their shoulder. It obviously worked on the Rams who responded by incurring 10 penalties for 82 yards, or six fewer yards than they rushed for through four quarters of play. Fresh from central casting for the Gummo sequel, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher didn't let his men do all of the antagonizing; the mulleted one went for it on 4th-and-1 at the St. Louis 1-yard line to make it 40-7 late in the fourth quarter. The move even had the normally sanguine Spagnuolo muttering angrily on the sidelines.

Oddly enough, it might have been just what the Rams needed. A character building moment. My hope is that this game puts a chip on the shoulders of entire team, players and coaches. Enough with the late-70s everybody's alright routine and the "we're getting better" pep talks. You stink, the rest of the league knows it, as does everybody else, so go out there and demand respect. Every player should play with the fire we saw from Clifton Ryan today, not simply their best because it's not good enough.

The most disappointing unit of the day had to be the offensive line. Inexcusably weak effort. They were dominated from the start, and the Titans, smartly, got them to respond. Not even a banged up running back doing his best to carry the team and a rookie QB in need of a little extra effort from the players around him were enough to motivate the offensive line. This group needs Jason Smith back in uniform, left or right side. In fact, I still feel like the best line combo we've had this year featured Smith at RT and Adam Goldberg at RG.

Anyone else think Richie Incognito has played his last game for Steve Spagnuolo? Alex Barron? The fact that Alex Barron allowed Keith Null to get sacked for the first time in his NFL career says all that needs to be said about the offensive line.

Null got thrown into the fire and fared about as well as you might have expected for a rookie QB who started the season as a third stringer. However, he had some things going in his favor, not the least of which was his ability to maintain composure. He had drives where he looked good, and not so good. The five INTs reveal the things he needs to overcome: better decision making, not making it so easy for defenders to read him, learning the speed of the game, timing, etc. The rookie from West Texas A&M still displayed some of the qualities that made him so intriguing after his preseason debut. Before you write Null off completely, remember Mark Sanchez had a 5 INT outing...against the Bills. Null has fundamentals, and one game with this broken down jalopy in front of him isn't enough to judge him by. I really think the Rams should make him the starter the rest of the season. Remember, Pat Shurmur, not exactly Mr. Popular in Rams nation, was a pretty good QB coach.

The offense didn't help Null today either. The blocking, back to this again I know, couldn't get anything going in the running game, which really, really kills the offense for obvious reasons. I don't know whether the coaches don't trust the receivers we have on the roster right now enough to run more 3 and 4-receiver sets and thrown downfield more? It has to be a big part of the equation, nobody can be that stubborn. I'm sure they also had to keep it relatively simple for the rookie today too.

On the other side of the ball, players fought much harder. This unit has it's moments, but until they can get some talent at key positions like OLB and CB and the DL, they just can't do it. It would have been nice to have Atogwe out there too. I really do have confidence in this coaching staff's ability to make this a good defense as they bring in players who can play more than just special teams to staff the starting roles. I think this unit will get better next year after with another offseason to shore up the depleted talent pool.

The special teams unit has made serious strides this season, and not just because of Danny Amendola's return ability. The coverage units are better too. They have done a nice job of finding the personnel for special teams, which the smart and dutiful scouts and GM should be able to do via waivers and the late rounds of the draft.

We'll see in the coming days if today's ugly loss resonates with the Rams. I would expect a much harsher tone, more critical, than we've come to expect. The Rams have been losing all season because they don't have the talent to compete. That was true today, but they also lost because they got out muscled and hustled. Steven Jackson's numbers on the day prove that. Something the running back said immediately after the game makes me think that the team is going to look at this game a little differently too:

Instead of standing here embarrassing myself, and my family, I'm just going to say I'm tired. I'm just tired. I'm tired. You fill in the blanks. However you want to write the article, however you want to say it, I'm just tired.

Rams assembling a good team, on IR

VanRam — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:22:19 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

The Rams are putting together a decent IR team.

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The St. Louis Rams have added FS Oshiomogho Atogwe to their lengthy injured reserve list, ending his season.

It's a huge blow to the Rams, as they now lose their best playmaker on defense...their only playmaker on defense really. Togs hasn't had the INT totals we grew accustomed to - no surprise given the lack of pressure the Rams put on passers - he has been able to force fumbles, giving the offense valuable field position to squander away.

Once again, injuries have taken their toll on the Rams. Let's review the IR list.

Bradley Fletcher, this year's third round pick emerged as a solid starting CB, giving the Rams a nice press corner to play along side the more finesse oriented Ron Bartell. He suffered a very serious injury hyperextending his knee and putting his sophomore season in jeopardy.

Adam Carriker, a third year, former first round pick who needed to take the next step forward under new head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Carriker didn't even make it to the regular season.

Second-year receiver Keenan Burton was starting to gain some consistency as a possession guy in the Rams woeful passing game. Can Burton ever escape the injury-plagued label now?

Laurent Robinson was looking like the steal of the offseason after GM Billy Devaney acquired him for a late round pick swap. He made it through three games. Robinson also carries the injury-plagued label.

Signed as a free agent in April, Gary Gibson came on strong in the preseason, filling in for Adam Carriker. He gave the Rams a decent DT to play along side Clifton Ryan.

Defensive end C.J. Ah You was never going to be confused for a Pro Bowler, but he started to thrive as a situational guy under Spagnuolo.

The Rams have six starters on that list, and could very well add Marc Bulger in the near future. Rounding out IR are FS Eric Bassey, WR Brooks Foster, and LS Chris Massey.

Looking back at the specific injuries to these players there's no one cause that stands out, as easy as it might seem to blame turf. My theory on why the Rams lose so many key players: The team lacks talent so these guys step up and play harder, exposing themselves to great risk of injury.

Breaking down the Rams defensive breakdown

VanRam — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:19:20 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Seattle Seahawks running back Justin Forsett (20) dives into the end zone for his first TD of the game. What happened to the Rams run defense in that game?

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Being a Luddite, I don't own a TiVO, and even if I did, I'm not sure watching the St. Louis Rams get eaten up by the Seahawks last Sunday would be worth the time or hard drive space. The NFL does keep short videos of game highlights on their site, cleverly inserting them into the play-by-play section for each game. Wanting answers for what happened in the running game, I went back and watched the videos of Forsett's 25- and 26-yard runs along with his two TDs. Here's what I noticed.

On Forsett's 25-yard run in the first quarter, Seattle is lined up in the basic I formation. On the snap, the blockers push to the offense's right, and the Rams front seven goes sliding that way too. As Forsett cuts left to an open field, OLB David Vobora goes wide around the Rams DE locked up with the Seattle blocker, coming in behind Forsett and is easily pushed aside by Forsett's lead blocker, after Forsett is into the second level. SS James Butler, playing back, comes in on Forsett, but is easily beaten when the running back cuts out wide toward the sideline.

The second long run by Seattle's running back came on their first drive of the fourth quarter, right after a Rams three-and-out and a Donnie Jones punt that put the ball on Seattle's 49-yard-line, ugh. Second-and-six, Seattle lines up in another I formation, this one with an extra blocker in the backfield. As soon as they snap the ball, Rams the Rams front four are engulfed by single blockers. That's not the problem, as Clifton Ryan gets off his man and starts sliding down toward his left side, where the Forsett is coming. As Ryan moves toward the hole where the ball is coming he's stopped when he runs into OLB Paris Lenon getting pushed back by the blocker he ran up and engaged at the line as soon as the ball was snapped. MLB James Laurinaitis obviously sees the Seattle runners coming and he moves over to stop them but is pushed aside by Forsett's lead blocker.

On Forsett's first TD, from the 3-yard line, Leonard Little sees him but gets moved off Forsett because he can't quite shake his blocker. Laurinaitis gets a quick hit from Seattle's right guard, gets off him with no problem but is far enough from the lane that he can't make the tackle in time. Clifton Ryan does get around his blocker and almost has Forsett, but it looks like he either didn't get around in time or missed the tackle. James Butler comes up behind Ryan and the Seattle LT but can't make the tackle because he's stuck behind Ryan and the blocker he sheds. A better angle, coming to the inside rather than around, and Butler would have tackled Forsett for no gain or even a loss.

Gap assignments gone awry? Substandard players getting faked out and overpowered? You decide. What should have happened here and how do you fix it?

The Bears don't have much going for them in the running game and a banged up offensive line - the same could have been and was said about the Seahawks - so the Rams have a chance to do it right this weekend. Stay tuned to see if they get it fixed.

Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams: Injury Report

Hawkwind — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:20:40 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Arizona Cardinals ~~wide receiver~~ special teams ace Sean Morey continues to deal the after effects of a concussion. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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As the season wears on the Arizona Cardinals injury report seems to get longer and longer and this week is no exception. In all there were 13 players listed on the report with four DNP's, eight limited particpations and a single player who was listed but participated fully. Duece Lutui is officially on the report because he missed practice but it wasn't injury related so we can assume that he'll be back at practice today. Joining him on the DNP list are Bryant McFadden (ankle), Chike Okeafor (back) and Michael Adams (hamstring). On the limited side were Steve Breaston (knee), Karlos Dansby (shoulder), Mike Gandy (pelvis), Gerald Hayes (back), Kenny Iwebema (knee), Sean Morey (head), Ben Patrick (knee) and Adrian Wilson (groin). Reggie Wells continues to be on the report with a broken thumb but he's yet to miss any practice or game time because of the injury.

Needless to say that's quite a bit of talent standing on the sidelines, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Five of the eleven starters missed at least some of practice yesterday, including three of our four linebackers, so hopefully this was just a day where Ken Whisenhunt took it easy on some veterans. It's good to see Hayes back in practice, even if just on a limited basis, and there is some hope that he'll be ready to go by Sunday. Okeafor is a guy we'll have to continue to monitor as his back continues to give him problems. He's missed two games already this season and he's one of the more consistent pass rusher. If he's unable to go then his OLB spot will again be filled by a combination of Bertrand Berry and rookie Will Davis.

The Rams injury list isn't nearly as long but there are some key names.

Did Not Practice:

G Richie Incognito (foot)
DE Chris Long (knee)

Limited Participation:

C.J. Ah You (knee)
DE James Hall (back)
DE Leonard Little (knee)
DT Clifton Ryan (toe)

Rams 17, Lions 10: It's a win!

VanRam — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:39:44 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, left, is sacked by Detroit Lions linebacker Julian Peterson (59) during the first quarter of an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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The St. Louis Rams narrowly pulled out their first win of the season against the equally lowly Detroit Lions. It's a good way to head into the bye week, where hopefully head coach Steve Spagnuolo can instill some discipline into this team.

Question: Do you give the game ball to Steven Jackson or to the penalty prone Lions? I had a feeling we were heading to over time (or a last minute win by the Lions) when a Louis Delmas pass interference penalty gave the Rams a new set of down that they quickly exploited with Jackson carrying the ball 42 yards on two carries to find the end zone for his first rushing TD of the season.

Jackson ran hard all day, and more than once we saw him drag a pile of Detroit defenders to eek out a few more hard-earned yards. The man carried the Rams otherwise shoddy offense. With the score notched 10-10, there were a few series that had you wondering if this wasn't the makings of 0-8, especially with Pat Shurmur still so committed to the passing game, despite his best player being SJ39. Thankfully, they stayed with Jackson enough for him to pick up the team and carry them to their first win of the season.

Stay thoughts and random observations:

Did the offensive line actually get better in run blocking once Setterstrom came into the game for Bell? Something to think about going forward.
Marc Bulger is done as a Ram, at least once this season is over he is. RIght? He's got to be. He was awful today. He had time and couldn't find receivers (not entirely his fault). He made throws that were easily batted down. Against a better secondary, he might have been intercepted 3 or 4 times today. Josh Brown was a better QB today, and now has one third of the TDs Bulger does on the season. How do the Rams pass up on a QB in the 2010 draft?
Randy McMichael is done as a Ram too. Oh sure, he'll finish out the season, if he can stay healthy, but you can pretty much guarantee this guy isn't going to be resigned. Good riddance.
The defense struggled with the screen pass. Is part of that the effect of losing Will Witherspoon?
I like Clifton Ryan, but I think it's a problem that he's the Rams best DT.
Chris Long had a sack, but an otherwise unimpressive day. I'm not willing to call him a bust just yet because he's playing with a pretty bad defensive line. With more talent in the middle and a switch to the left side, he should find his groove in the NFL.
Why is the defense not tackling well? Players who can't tackle should be weeded out of the defense.
The offense looked awful. Did I say that already? Once again they took penalties to put them in bad situations, not often, but enough to put them in third-and-long twice. They converted just 25% of their third downs. They also failed to convert any of their three trips to the red zone.
Jason Smith looked good, not perfect, but good. I want this kid at LT now.

We'll have plenty more about the Rams first win, and lots to talk about as we look back on the first half of the season as the Rams head into their bye next week.

It's a win, and a win is a win, ugly or not. The most important thing now is to see how the team responds when they come out of the bye week.

It ends today?

VanRam — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:41:50 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

DE James Hall returns for the St. Louis Rams today. They'll need him to get to Detroit QB Matthew Stafford.

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It's a game only a fan could love, the St. Louis Rams vs the Detroit Lions, if that doesn't spell excitement...

We've had some sensitive visitors from the Lions side of the ball stop by TST lately. I feel where the guy's coming from. When you're a fan of a team that's been losing season after season, you wear a thin skin. You have to. It's a position all Rams fans should be aware of, if not familiar with. That said, it's no reason to be obnoxious in the comments section. The posters at TST don't get malicious and the commentors shouldn't either.

From now on, you get one warning for inappropriate comments, and you're banned the second time. That's it. Now, let's all go be adults in the comments.

On the injury front, the Rams should have DE James Hall, DT Clifton Ryan and WR Donnie Avery in uniform today. That's good news. The Lions have a sack rate of 9.1%, 27th in the NFL, so Hall's presence helps the Rams DL, as does Ryan's, obviously. Ryan was out some during the week with illness.

Avery should help the Rams passing game (how many times have we said that this season?). The Lions secondary allows #1 WRs a 23% DVOA this season. What should be really encouraging for the Rams is that the RBs have a 63% DVOA against the Lions defense, worst in the league. Speaking of, is it just me, or do get the sense that the Rams aren't passing to SJ as much as they should?

It looks like newly acquired WR Brandon Gibson will suit up today as well. Will he see some throws?

The Lions will have QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson. No rest for the weary.

Take nothing for granted. Detroit or not, the Rams have to play air tight football today. They may be more evenly matched against the Lions, but they're still not good enough to overcome stupid mistakes like dropped passes, missed assignments, blown routes and all those things that have plagued the Rams on their 2-21 run since the start of the 2008 season.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno, top, leaps over Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Happy Tuesday, friends and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations, where we're always aiming to deliver the best thing since Starks in Clark's Wallabees. It's a feel-good Tuesday, right? Our Broncos are 3-0, but it's a much more legitimate-feeling 3-0 than last season's version. The respect is still slow in coming, but it's coming bit by bit.

The most important thing I've witnessed happening is a growing confidence and self-respect among our fan base. MHR is mostly known as a positive-thinking community, so maybe a lot of us were on the feel-good train earlier than others, but I can feel it really starting to take hold. Contrast that to Cleveland (where most are aware that I reside). The feeling around here is just awful, and we can all be glad not to be feeling that way. It's on to the Cowboys game, but first let's do this thing here. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I was browsing through my Facebook news feed on Sunday night, and I saw this gem from NYCBroncosFan (Later posted on MHR by John Bena):

"Denver rookie head coach Josh McDaniels doesn't have a grasp on how to build a team." - John Clayton, April 23rd, 2009

Doesn't have a grasp, huh? That's a really, embarrassingly arrogant comment, because if you're commenting on other people's "grasps," it necessarily follows that you fancy yourself an expert, who is far beyond mere grasping of the operative subject. I spent some time excoriating Clayton last week, but since that's like stealing a candy bar from a developmentally challenged baby chinchilla, I have no interest in continuing with that tack this week. At some point, the referee calls the fight, and I'll take a bloody win by TKO. It's his blood, and not mine, after all.

What I want to talk about in this prime ST&NO real estate today is the idea of team building. For one thing, what in the world would John Clayton know about building a football team, any damn way?

OK... sorry about that. I guess I need to work on impulse control. Let me start again. New paragraph.

Deep breath. And another. OK, beginning again, in a more measured tone, I didn't tweet a whole lot on Sunday (@TedBartlett905) because I spent a lot of the game on the phone with my brother Chris, a Los Angeles-based fellow Broncos fan. He's a smart guy (it runs in part of the family), and we were talking about team building. His fanhood of Correll Buckhalter continues to grow, and he said that his impression was that Buckhalter was a winning player, and that he never perceived him that way in his Philadelphia days.

Some discussion ensued, and he said one of his classic, succinct "Chris things" that he bestows upon the world sometimes.

"Building a team isn't about getting the best players, it's about getting the right players." Chris Bartlett, September 27, 2009

Riddle me this, friends. Who is the worst player on the 2009 Broncos? That's a tough question to answer, because whoever it is, he is a pretty good football player. As far as I am concerned, this team has zero bad players on it. Now think back to last year. It was a horror show of bad players on defense, right? There were at least 5 starting by the end of the year, and another starting at RB, after all the injuries. Think how many of these players are out of the NFL now, who didn't even get a sniff of a training camp this year. Nearly all of them.

CBS showed a graphic of the sources of player acquisition for the Broncos' 53-man roster.

2009 Free Agency	17	32.08%
2009 Trade	3	5.66%
2009 Draft	9	16.98%
2009 College Free Agent	1	1.89%
Holdovers	23	43.40%

Total	53	100.00%

That is an astounding amount of turnover, but it represented the importation of the right players, if not necessarily the best players. Instead of Channing Crowder, we got the much cheaper Andra Davis, who has been great for the Broncos through 3 games. Instead of Albert Haynesworth or Chris Canty, we got the very cost-effective Ronald Fields, who has also been outstanding. Derrick Ward? How about Buckhalter instead? Only two somewhat highly-priced players were brought in via Free Agency; Brian Dawkins (5 years, $17 Million) and Andre' Goodman (5 years, $20.4 Million), and both of them have been worth their weight in gold. (To get all finance-nerd on you, Dawkins weighs 210 pounds, which is 3,062.5 Troy Ounces. Gold traded at 990.42 USD per Troy Ounce on Monday night, so I just valued Dawkins at $3,033,161.25, which is pretty close to the average annual value of his contract of $3.4 million. Funny how that worked out.) :)

When you know exactly what you want to do on the football field, and you know exactly how you want to do it, you can go out and decisively get the right players to do those things in those ways. Of course, your ability to project the fit of the new players, and evaluate their talent is key. For my money, every single player whom the new Broncos staff signed, drafted, and traded for has performed EXACTLY as expected, if not better. The only bust was J.J. Arrington, who didn't recover well from an injury and cost $100,000 (and nobody was counting on him too much, anyway). It was $100,000 well spent, because a healthy Arrington would be a contributor on this team, and they weren't expecting him to necessarily be healthy anyway.

There is no glaring weakness on this whole football team. That's a lofty statement, but I think it is a true one. The Broncos can run and throw, from big or small personnel groupings. They can stop the run and the pass, and be effective blitzing both and dropping, in base personnel or sub packages. The special teams have been excellent, through 3 games, even if I am a little reluctant to call that a sure thing yet. How many teams can say all of that? I can't really think of any, beyond the Giants and the Ravens. Maybe the Broncos' strengths aren't as strong as some other teams', but their weaknesses are mostly less weak. You'd better bring your "A" game when you play this team, because they're going to compete with you.

The 2009 Denver Broncos are a good football team, and they can compete with anybody in the NFL. This fact becomes clearer all the time, which is to say that most people still aren't hip to it, yet. They'll get there, though, eventually. Thinking ahead to 2010, anybody the Broncos bring in will be to upgrade a position of some strength. To me, that is a textbook way to build a team. As for John Clayton, I wonder when Josh McDaniels gets his apology, for the mean-spirited, myopic, and idiotic comment of April 23rd. I am betting on never.

2. Information From My Eyes - Denver at Oakland Edition:

a. I was just saying how the Broncos don't have any particular glaring weaknesses. An area where they can (and need to) perform better is in short-yardage running. I thought Russ Hochstein looked pretty bad as the goal-line FB for 3 straight plays; I want to see Spencer Larsen back filling that role if Peyton Hillis is going to be the ball carrier. I actually think that Knowshon Moreno could be the better option, though. He runs with quickness and violence, and I think he can be really effective down at the goal line.

b. Jabar Gaffney was a fantastic acquisition, and he continues to make key plays for the Broncos. He would be the number one guy for the Raiders if he'd signed there, and the Crypt Keeper wasn't setting the depth chart. I am glad he signed in Denver and that he plays a great deal for the Broncos.

c. Renaldo Hill has been such an unsung guy throughout his career, but he's a really good player. He is always in the right position, and plays the game with awareness and intelligence.

d. Does anybody realize the the Broncos' defense is now number 1 in the NFL in both yards and points per game?

e. I'll talk more about Ryan Clady in the Between The Lines segment, but he tied an NFL record Sunday by posting his 19th consecutive game from the start of his NFL career without allowing a full sack. The player he tied is Ryan Young, a forgotten former Jet, who began his career in 1999. It says here that next week, Mr. Clady will dominate DeMarcus Ware, as he did in the 2008 Preseason, and he'll hold the record alone.

f. I'd like to see Eddie Royal get the ball more on offense, and I am sure I am not alone in that camp. It just seems to me that the Broncos were sure they could run the ball at will against Cleveland and Oakland, and decided to follow that plan without a lot of deviation. When you get substantial leads, passing seems more risky than what you want in the second halves of games.

g. I didn't think RIch Gannon was particularly critical of the Raiders Sunday, and I wonder if John Herrerra's ~~clownish~~ typical ploy worked, by chastening Gannon's commentary about his former team. It's pretty ridiculous that the Raiders are so allergic to criticism, and the better way to avoid it is to lose the Commitment To Sucking.

h. I usually get things right, and I still think JaMarcus Russell can salvage his career and be a good QB. I have to say, though, that ever since I said that he looked good in Week 3 of the preseason, he has played terribly. He clearly isn't playing with much confidence right now, and it is incumbent on the Raiders' staff to set him up for success by asking him to do things he is comfortable doing. My understanding is that they're messing with Russell's mechanics a lot in practice, and while he definitely needs refinement, the regular season is no time for overhauls.

i. Could Darrius Heyward-Bey possibly look more clueless on the field? That guy is a project, because he doesn't know how to run routes, and he's inconsistent catching the ball. Louis Murphy is better than him now, and probably always will be. Of course, Murphy didn't have too great a game Sunday, either.

j. Nice job of holding by Brett Kern, as two Lonie Paxton snaps weren't too great. Matt Prater did his job Sunday, which should keep his critics temporarily at bay.

k. Has anybody else noticed that the Broncos' captains aren't wearing the "C" patches? I was under the impression that doing so was a Roger Goodell mandate. Does anybody know more than me about this?

l. I also noticed (last week) that the Broncos' name wasn't painted in the end zones at Mile High, and all there were were the diagonal stripes. I didn't really care for the look, and I wonder what the rationale for it is.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games Edition:

a. The Patriots sure have been struggling in goal-to-go situations the last couple weeks. I think if I had Randy Moss, I'd definitely be looking to hit some fade routes on teams down there. Part of the problem is definitely that their line isn't getting the same push as in past seasons

b. Brian Williams was released by the Jaguars, but still looks pretty useful to me. He broke up a deep ball to Randy Moss that would have been a sure TD, and generally looked to me like a solid player. For the Patriots, they were in on the Jaguars Retreads Act too, with Fred Taylor looking very good, and getting over 100 yards and a TD. Taylor is a formerly great player, who has declined to being merely a good one, but he was a classic Patriots bargain acquisition.

c. Ryan Mouton for the Titans may be playing himself out of a job, and he personally cost his team the game against the Jets (with help from Kerry Collns). Mouton hasn't shown much positive in the return game, and has shown trouble holding on to the football.

d. As for Collins, he was in a no-win situation, but he needed to play better. Sunday's game was a classic case of the game getting away from the better all-around team early on, and causing them to play from behind, to their operational detriment. Collins is not built to play like that, and he responded accordingly.

e. I haven't seen a lot of the Redskins this season, so I watched a bit of the Detroit-Washington game Sunday. The Skins are getting atrocious play from their offensive line, and are another team that should have taken Michael Oher. Jim Zorn has faced a lot of criticism for his scoring area play-calling, but the fact is, if the line doesn't block anybody, Clinton Portis can't pound the ball in.

f. The Lions are on the right track, and it's clear how much better coached they are than they have been - maybe ever in my lifetime. Matthew Stafford, Kevin Smith, and Calvin Johnson are an outstanding trio on offense, and Brandon Pettigrew is another nice weapon. The Lions need more talent to be a real contender, but they will steal a few more wins this season, like they did on Sunday, and add to their talent base in the next offseason. They'll grow up with Stafford, and finally be a legitimate team.

g. Tampa Bay is a terrible team right now, especially on defense. Tim Crowder is playing significant snaps for them, which speaks to their relative talent level, when he was the odd man out in Denver. Even a good play, like Sabby Piscitelli's tackle for a loss on Brandon Jacobs to force a FG rather than a TD is wasted, because the Bucs can't put together any kind of consistent performance in the other phases of the game.

h. Percy Harvin is a dangerous, dangerous player. He never returned kickoffs at Florida, because the best kick returner in America, Brandon James, was there, too. Harvin took one back 101 yards in the third quarter Sunday, and looked like he was born to do it. He has now scored in every game this season, and could challenge Mark Sanchez to be Offensive Rookie of the Year, if he keeps it up.

i. The 49ers got their own huge special teams play, when Ray McDonald blocked a FG attempt and Nate Clements took it back 59 yards for a TD as the first half ended. Both of those special teams plays felt like huge momentum shifts, and neither particularly ended up affecting the final score, thanks to Brett Favre's heroics.

j. A young defensive player I like a lot is Thomas DeCoud, a Safety for the Falcons. He was a third-round pick last season, and he showed very well against the Patriots on Sunday, especially in breaking up a well-thrown Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss deep ball.

k. The Cincinnati Bengals look real to me, as real as Carson Palmer can make them. The big surprise to me is how well their offensive line is playing, even without top draft pick Andre Smith. Andrew Whitworth is better than I thought he was, and he's doing pretty well at Left Tackle, even if James Harrison did get him once for a sack on Sunday. When Smith gets healthy, he'll step right in at RT, and they'll be even better, because he can blow guys off the ball.

l. For more Bengals fun, the winning Touchdown was caught by another ST&NO Favorite, Andre Caldwell, who is turning into a nice WR. He was a great player throughout his career at Florida, his brother Reche played in the NFL, and you have to love a WR whose nickname is Bubba. He is part of a really good group, along with Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Laveranues Coles (yet another ST&NO Favorite), and he makes the Bengals that much harder to defend, especially when you remember to worry about the highly underrated Cedric Benson. If I were the Bengals' offensive coordinator, I'd be going 4 wide with Benson all game long, and making teams try to stop me from running with their sub packages. The Bengals' coaching budget is too light to have that much creativity, though. It costs money, after all.

m. The Steelers defense really misses Troy Polamalu from a scheme perspective, because his presence allows them to do a lot of the exotic blitz packages they normally do. Polamalu is one of the very fastest players in the NFL in pads, and can consistently show blitz, and get to deep center field from there at the snap.

n. I think the Cardinals lost the Sunday Night Game on one play, when Tim Hightower fumbled inside the Colts' 5-yard line in the second quarter. If they scored, they'd have taken a 10-0 lead, and instead, the Colts just took off after that play. I question the mental toughness of the Cardinals team, and especially Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who seems like he doesn't want me to be right in praising him a few weeks ago.

o. Donald Brown is a much better player than Joseph Addai in all phases of the game, and it's absolutely no accident that he's getting the crunch-time snaps for the Colts, even if Addai is nominally the starter.

p. Dwight Freeney's injury could be catastrophic for the Colts, if he has to miss a lot of time. A lot is made of how irreplaceable Bob Sanders has been in years past, but I actually think Melvin Bullitt does a really nice job filling in for him. Freeney is the irreplaceable one for the Colts, make no mistake about that. If they can't rush the passer with 4 men, they're suddenly as vulnerable against the pass as they are against the run.

q. The Ravens are hitting on all cylinders right now, and look like the best team in the NFL, to me. I don't think they miss Rex Ryan too much, as it looks like Greg Mattison has their defense playing just as well as Ryan did. Mattison isn't well known to NFL fans yet, but he's a great coach (I am familiar with him from his college days).

r. Brady Quinn is not the problem for the Browns, and neither would Derek Anderson be, although Quinn is better. I talked about how the Broncos hit on all of their offseason acquisitions - well, the Browns missed on all of theirs, from the looks of things so far. They're talent-poor, and they look like they know they are losers. It's going to be a long season here in the metro area, but at least the locals are used to this. I can't imagine how Eric Mangini and George Kokinis evaluated this to be a competitive group of players.

s. Stick a fork in the Dolphins, even before Chad Pennington was lost for the season. Chad Henne is not the answer, and he'll prove that as the season goes on. Pat White isn't either, as a full-time QB, so I expect Miami to be shopping after this season, with a high first-rounder to spend. After passing on Matt Ryan in 2008, you wonder if they'd do it again.

t. Darren Sproles proved once again that he is a second banana, and not a lead back.

u. The longest run the Broncos have given up this season was 20 yards, to Cedric Benson. If Felix Jones is healthy next Sunday, and the Broncos miss setting the edge at an inopportune time, that could go out the window. The only RB who's more dangerous to the outside is Jones' draft classmate Chris Johnson, and it's not a very big difference. Jones strained his left knee on a 40-yard run in the 3rd quarter Monday night.

v. You know who has developed into a terrific player is Thomas Davis, who was a first-round pick as a Safety for the Panthers in 2005. It took him awhile to learn how to play LB, but he has really turned into a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. He is excellent in coverage, and really hits guys.

w. I only saw the very end of the Seattle-Chicago game, and didn't care enough to record or watch the Short Cut. What I saw though told me what I already knew, which is that Seneca Wallace isn't good enough to be a backup QB in the NFL. When he was forced to throw the ball from the pocket in a compressed-time situation, and beat zone defense with strong throws, he was unable to do it. The Seahawks have to know this by now, and should have addressed it in the offseason.

x. The Texans got screwed on that offensive pass-interference call on Kevin Walter, to be sure, but Chris Brown has to hold onto the ball going into the end zone. The Texans are a team that just can't seem to consistently do the little things to win games, which doesn't reflect very well on MHR favorite Gary Kubiak and his staff. To be honest, doing the big things well and missing the little things is sort of Later Years Shanahan-ish, when you think about it. I hope Kubiak and Company can get it turned around.

4. Between The Lines

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

a. Once again, the Broncos were nearly flawless in pass protection - this time, against the best pair of DEs they've seen this season. Kyle Orton took one significant hit, on an outside stunt by Gerard Warren, after he'd gotten rid of the ball. Ryan Clady owned Richard Seymour, to the point where Seymour was called for a personal foul for pulling Clady's hair. On the right side, Ryan Harris dominated Greg Ellis, as well. Ellis came into the game with 3 sacks but never got a sniff of Orton. The inside of the Broncos' line also held up well, against their somewhat-lesser individual competition. Largely since the Broncos rarely had to throw, the Raiders never generated a significant rush in this game. ESPN.com didn't even give Warren credit for his QB hit, and had the Raiders entirely shut out in their box score.

b. For their part, the Raiders struggled in pass protection, before finally pretty much giving up on throwing the football. I had to look up who #51 was, because he showed up in my notes several times with terrible plays. It's Chris Morris, a natural Center, who was playing Guard. In addition to two holding penalties, he got beaten a few times. Mario Henderson struggled mightily with Elvis Dumervil, who had two sacks and should have had two more (Darrell Reid's hands-to-the-face penalty cost him one, and JaMarcus Russell dragged him past the line of scrimmage on another). Robert Ayers lined up all over and got a lot of pressure. I am really pleased with his growth. Darrell Reid got a sack, and Vonnie Holliday and Marcus Thomas also got good pressure in spots. The Broncos sacked Russell 3 times, and hit him 3 more.

c. The Broncos line also dominated in the running game, again splitting about half and half between zone- and man-blocking concepts. The only black mark was the failure to convert 3 straight runs from the 1-yard line early in the game. Ryan Harris was dominant in the running game, and was key to springing both of Correll Buckhalter's long runs. Clady was his normal self, and his cut block on Nnamdi Asomugha allowed Knowshon Moreno to score his first-ever TD. The Broncos rushed 45 times for 215 yards (4.8 per rush) and the Moreno TD. I did think the Broncos slowed down a bit when Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus played a lot in the second half. I really enjoyed Richard Quinn's blocking, and he showed again that he is just another player who is perfectly fitting his role, as imagined when he was acquired.

d. The Raiders came into the game with a pretty vaunted rushing attack, and it never really got going. They rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries, but it was tremendously disjointed, and 15 of those yards came on one run by Russell. Henderson was a bit better in the running game for Oakland, and Samson Satele showed a bit of surge a few times, too. For the most part, though, the Broncos held the line of scrimmage, and maintained their gap discipline well. Mario Haggan had a really nice game against the run, and forced a Darren McFadden fumble, which Thomas and Reid unfortunately failed to recover, after the three of them had combined to stack up a play. McFadden got a couple of outside creases, but nothing consistent at all.

e. The Broncos dominated both lines in this game, and there was no bigger reason why they won. It was so clear that even the fairly reticent Josh McDaniels claimed the victory in these areas.

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams

a. I feel like I have been telling this story for two years (possibly because I have been), but the Packers are bad in pass protection. Leonard Little beat Allen Barbre twice for sacks, and Aaron Rodgers avoided 5 other near sacks by running with the ball (he had 8 carries for 38 yards and a TD). If the Rams were any better on the defensive line, Rodgers could have had a more-typically painful day. I didn't see much of anything from Chris Long in the pass-rushing department, even against the underwhelming pass blocking of Daryn Colledge.

b. The Packers disappointed in terms of rushing the passer. Aaron Kampman got a sack and injured Marc Bulger, but the Packers never hit Kyle Boller after that. I was really surprised, because the Rams' OT combination of Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg is decidedly below average. Barron was solid, but Goldberg surrendered the Kampman sack and had a holding penalty, on a play where I initially wrote "great block" (The replay showed it to definitely be a hold). Jason Brown has been a very nice acquisition for the Rams, and anchored the middle. I really didn't see much from Clay Matthews, and I haven't yet.

c. The Packers' rushing stats looked pretty good, with 37 carries for 152 yards and 2 TDs. The truth is, the gains made by Ryan Grant were very hard-fought, and only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. The overall number is dramatically inflated by Rodgers' 38 yards and Donald Driver's 13. Chris Long did show well in the running game, and Clifton Ryan hung pretty tough inside, but the best run stopper was S Craig Dahl, not a lineman.

d. The Rams actually did a very nice job of run blocking, led by Jason Brown and RG Richie Incognito. Barron and Goldberg were OK outside, but the battle was won inside. For the Packers, ST&NO Favorite Cullen Jenkins had a disappointing game, but NT Ryan Pickett showed pretty well. B.J. Raji was active for the first time, and I never noticed him in this game once, and I'm not even sure that he played, since he didn't register on the stat sheet.

e. I'd give a slight edge to the Rams overall, which is mostly probably due to low expectations. I just can't get past the feeling that the Packers are really bad on the O-Line, and it's a shame, because they're very good otherwise. The Rams have to feel pretty good about their performance, and maybe it carries over to games against lesser competition.

5. So, I guess this makes me something of a flip-flopper, but I am going to briefly explain a change in previously stated policy, so we're all on the same page, and nobody wonders. I have previously declared that I would henceforth refer to several underwhelming football writers by unflattering nicknames. I have decided to change course on that policy, and call them by their names.

I like to think that this column is pretty good, and I don't want to detract from that. There's no need to feed the God of Obviousness by calling people names, and I can get cheap laughs by other methods. I will still feel free to criticize stupid things that people write, but I will call their writers by their chosen names.

6. Back to football, I decided to name glaring weaknesses by team, to illustrate my point in item 1. I am limiting this to whole phases of the game, and mostly not subsets of a phase of the game.

Dallas Cowboys - Pass coverage, Pass rush (other than DeMarcus Ware)

New York Giants - None, but pass protection is sometimes close to being one.

Philadelphia Eagles - Running the ball inside

Washington Redskins - The offensive line in both the running and passing games

Green Bay Packers - Pass protection (a major weakness)

Detroit Lions- Pass protection, run defense, pass defense

Minnesota Vikings- Pass protection, Pass coverage

Chicago Bears - The offensive line in both the running and passing games, and pass coverage from safeties

San Francisco 49ers - Pass offense, Pass rush

Seattle Seahawks - Run offense, Pass protection

Arizona Cardinals - Pass protection (a major weakness, like Green Bay)

St. Louis Rams - Everything, except for punting and place-kicking; this is the least talented team in the NFL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pass rush, Run defense, Pass offense

Carolina Panthers - Run defense

Atlanta Falcons - Pass defense and Interior run defense

New Orleans Saints - Pass defense (it's somewhat improved, but I don't trust it after Kevin Kolb lit them up)

New England Patriots - Pass protection, Pass rush

New York Jets - Pass protection (though it is improving)

Miami Dolphins - Passing offense

Buffalo Bills - Pass defense

Pittsburgh Steelers- Pass protection, Run offense

Baltimore Ravens - None

Cleveland Browns - Everything except special teams

Cincinnati Bengals - Pass protection (but they're improving lately)

Oakland Raiders - Pass offense, Run defense

Kansas City Chiefs - Run defense, Pass rush, Pass offense

San Diego Chargers - Run defense, Pass rush

Jacksonville Jaguars - Pass offense, Pass defense

Houston Texans - Pass protection, Run defense

Indianapolis Colts - Run defense

Tennessee Titans - Pass offense, Pass coverage

7. Retired for John Elway

8. I saw where ESPN Dallas was launched this week, joining Chicago and Boston as cities where the Worldwide Leader has spread. I wonder when/if Denver gets its own site. If it happens, their writers better consistently bring their "A" games to compete with MHR.

9. Big up Matt Bowen of the National Football Post for being the first widely-distributed national NFL writer to admit he didn't see the Broncos coming, and that they're for real.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Time-to-hop-on-the-Broncos-bandwagon.html

Can the Broncos keep it going?

Sure they can. I fully understand that the early season schedule has been favorable for the Broncos, but looking ahead, they still have two games against Kansas City, one more at home versus the Raiders (three games they should win) and two big games against Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

Anybody who can divorce themselves from their preconceived notions can see that the Broncos are doing all of the little things that win games. That's the crux of Bowen's realization, and I salute him for being the first to have the combination of acumen and guts to see it and say it.

10. An early thought on next week's Cowboys game. Dallas has a massive offensive line, and they tend to wear teams down by the time the second half rolls around. That's what happened with the Panthers Monday night. I think the Broncos will be tougher to wear down, because they use such an interchangeable rotation of defensive linemen, and there's no particular drop-off in quality when the subs come in. Every player in the rotation is contributing, and I think it bodes really well for success in Week 4.

That's all for this week, friends. Check us out Saturday morning for Lighting Up

Where's Admiral Ackbar When You Need Him?

Mitchell_M — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:32:08 -0000

Because you know he's got the warning for this week.

Hmm, maybe that didn't get the point across like I wanted it to.

Not quite. It's urgent enough, but just not enough repetition...

Ah, here. This is exactly how I want to say it.

Packers. Rams. Week 3. Other short statements. After the jump.

Green Bay put up an uneven performance in week 1 against Chicago. Then they followed that with a positively dismal performance (Charles Woodson excluded, of course) against Cincinnati. Now, they sit at 1-1, and I'm sure many eyes are looking forward to the October 5th showdown between Green Bay and division-leading Minnesota.

But the NFL season, much like the flow of time, is completely chronological and cannot be disturbed. Unless of course your home city suffers a major catastrophe and you're awarded a "home" game in New York. But lets hope that doesn't happen.

The point of this mini-diatribe is that Green Bay has to play the St. Louis Rams before even thinking about the Vikings. And yes, I know, St. Louis has been dreadful for years, but so was Cincinnati (excluding 2006). They started out the year by getting shut out 28-0 to Seattle, and last week lost in an ~~epic~~ ~~entertaining~~ ~~watchable~~ ~~tolerable~~ ~~mediocre~~ awful 9-7 game against Washington. This team has problems. But do you want a repeat of last week? Me neither. So without further delay, let's get to it.

STL rushing vs. GB defense: Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson. The first-round pick in fantasy drafts everywhere has struggled over the last few years, usually because of injuries to St. Louis' sorry excuse for an offensive line and virtual lack of any semblance of a passing game. It's hard to run the ball when you're going up against 10 in the box.

That said, Jackson is still one of the top RBs in the game in terms of athleticism, versatility, and talent. Over two games, Jackson has amassed 171 yards on 33 carries, resulting in an excellent 5.2 ypc. He's been kept out of the end zone and hasn't had his usual impact on the passing game, but the potential is always there. Jackson had several injuries hampering his production in 2008, and he seems to have bounced back and looks healthy.

Up front is where St. Louis has suffered so much in recent years. On the left side, Alex Barron is a man who, as some critics put it, looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. He is a monster at 6'7", 300+ lbs, and has the strength, agility, and quickness to dominate in both run and pass blocking. Unfortunately, Barron's biggest deficiency is work ethic, which undermines his consistency and keeps him a marginal starter (at best). The rest of the line (from LG to RT) is manned by Jacob Bell (6'5", 300), Jason Brown (6'3", 328), the ever mysterious Richie Incognito (6'3", 324), and Adam Goldberg (6'7, 309). Goldberg is starting in place of the injured rookie Jason Smith.

Green Bay did an excellent job in keeping Matt Forte under wraps in week 1, but then imploded when faced with the powerful blocking of Cincinnati's special run-blocking sub package of offensive linemen. The clever coaching maneuver torched the Packers to the tune of 141 yards on 29 carries. Naturally, this was helped by Green Bay's inability to wrap up on tackles, taking good angles towards ball carriers, and converging on the running back whenever a hole opened up.

Advantage: Push. Does Green Bay have a dominant run defense that had a bad day against Cincy? Or do they have a poor run defense that had a good day against Chicago? That debate, along with the juxtaposition of Steven Jackson's talent against his offensive line's limitations makes this matchup a complete draw.

STL passing vs. GB defense: For Steven Jackson, the offensive line made life in the NFL a nightmare. However, nobody suffered more than Marc Bulger. You think Aaron Rodgers has happy feet after two games? Imagine getting pounded into mush week in and week out for at least 3 seasons. Marc Bulger was the conductor of the second phase of the Greatest Show on Turf, and was fairly effective until his protection vanished. He is still an above-average quarterback with decent accuracy, decent arm strength, average mobility, and the ability to read coverages and make the necessary throws (if he has time, of course).

Bulger has always found success whenever surrounded with skilled teammates. Unfortunately for him, that is no longer the case. Steven Jackson is an outstanding receiver, but the rest of the receiving corps includes the like of Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, TE Randy McMichael, and the recently-departed Ruvell Martin. Avery has a little bit of speed on vertical routes, and Martin and McMichael have excellent size, but that's all that is notable about this group. As far as pass blocking goes, the Rams' success depends on three things: good line calls from center Jason Brown (their best lineman, but currently dealing with a knee injury), a motivated Alex Barron, and a healthy Jason Smith. They've already lost one of those, so protection will really be at a premium if Green Bay decides to bring heavy pressure.

Of course, that's if Green Bay can afford to bring pressure. The situation at safety is certainly a red flag for the Packers' pass defense. With Atari Bigby out and Nick Collins' availability (currently "day-to-day") unknown, and Aaron Rouse cut in favor of Matt Giordano, Dom Capers' playcalling figures to be much more vanilla than some of us would like. Cullen Jenkins and Clay Matthews both showed off their pass rushing skills last week by recording sacks, and Charles Woodson (2 INT, 1 TD) continues his quest to single-handedly carry the team when the offense isn't working.

Advantage: Green Bay. This defense can get to the quarterback, and no team is more vulnerable than this St. Louis squad missing its top draft pick. If they get a chance to blitz, expect another dominating performance.

GB rushing vs. STL defense: Ryan Grant was a huge disappointment in 2008, but his new contract, attendance at training camp, and a healed hamstring make it look like he's ready to shine again. He hasn't found much help up front, limiting him to 107 yards on 30 carries, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn't think he'd have better stats if he hadn't been limited to 3 carries in the second half of the Cincy game.

With Clifton out for the forseeable future with a sprained ankle, the offensive line is shuffled once again. The lineup, from left to right, will likely be Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, Scott Wells, Josh Sitton, and Allen Barbre. According to Jason Wilde, there are several other options that the team is considering, including moving Barbre from RT to LT and promoting either Breno Giacomini or T.J. Lang to RT. This would keep the interior line of Colledge-Spitz-Sitton intact.

With so much uncertainty, Green Bay's chances of mounting an effective ground attack are up in the air. Fortunately, St. Louis is far from a stalwart run defense. As a team, they're giving up 146 yards per game. This is even more glaring when considering their first opponent (Seattle) is no longer a powerhouse rushing team. Still, despite giving up large chunks of yardage, the Rams' run defense did not allow Clinton Portis to score in Week 2. The addition of James Laurinaitis and return to health of Will Witherspoon more than makes up for the release of Pisa Tinoisamoa, and the tandem of Clifton Ryan and Jake Long are fairly strong against run blockers. However, Adam Carriker's trip to the I.R. promoted the undersized Gary Gibson to start alongside the aging Leonard Little, leaving the right side of their defensive line vulnerable to the run. Nobody in St. Louis' secondary can be described as a run-stopper.

Advantage: Green Bay, but only if they actually call run plays. If Grant sees less than five carries in a half, you'll know something went wrong. If there's a team vulnerable to a strong running game, it's the 2009 Rams.

GB passing vs. STL defense: Aaron Rodgers looked like a world-beater in the preseason...until teams started stepping up their pass rush and the offensive tackles forgot how to pass block. Allen Barbre made remarkable improvement from the first week to the second, but he will have his hands full with Leonard Little. The winner Barbre-Little matchup will likely determine the owner of the RT position for the rest of the season. On the other side, Jake Long is a capable pass rusher in the mold of Aaron Kampman before he got famous (unathletic but high motor, poor mechanics but determined, blah blah blah...) Whoever starts at LT (most likely Daryn Colledge) won't have as difficult of a matchup as the RT (Barbre), but still a matchup to pay attention to.

St. Louis' pass defense is ranked 25th in the league, giving up 258 yards per game. This is largely because of the average defensive backfield they employ. At CB, Ronald Bartell and Jonathan Wade are merely decent players with an average skill set. They're not lightning fast or amazing athletes or strong bump-and-run style corners; they're just guys who go out and try to execute whatever coverage is given to them.

Their situation at safety is better with James Butler and Oshiomogho Atogwe starting with our beloved Anthony Smith filling the backup role for both positions. Both Butler and Atogwe are young players with good experience starting in the NFL, they're both rangy athletes who can cover space, and Atogwe in particular has a knack for finding the ball. Neither one is particularly strong in run support, but they won't shy away from it either.

Aaron Rodgers' protection is priority #1 on offense, but catching passes is a close #2. In both games, the dependable cast of Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson have all had at least one dropped ball. Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant also have drops, but Finley is still maturing and Grant has never been a good receiver. The return of Brandon Jackson to practice on Wednesday might give Rodgers another weapon on passing downs, but that shouldn't matter. The talent is there, and Rodgers has done an excellent job keeping control of the ball despite getting batted around like a ball of yarn in the first two weeks. If the receivers can shake off whatever is keeping them from catching passes, Rodgers' punishment at least won't be in vain.

Advantage: Green Bay by a slight margin. Again, the talent is there; they just need to execute.

Preliminary Verdict: Green Bay has an excellent chance of bouncing back from the Cincinnati debacle and playing a dominant game against the Rams. But be warned, if the players are thinking more about Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, and You Know Who than they are Steven Jackson, Jake Long, and Marc Bulger, expect another major disappointment (and even more Vikings fans coming to the site to let us know that the Packers failed.)

Let's put it this way: Neither team has very much momentum right now. Green Bay has higher aspirations for this season, so they could definitely use the boost. Hopefully, they don't overlook the Rams like some people feel they did the Bengals.

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 3 vs. St. Louis?

Big GB win.

213 votes

Slim GB win.

149 votes

Too close to call.

32 votes

Slim STL win.

36 votes

Big STL win.

22 votes

452 votes | Poll has closed

The Late Emergence of Julius Jones

John Morgan — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:45:39 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Alex Barron has made a habit of watching on while his skill position players get hit, but he had no trouble containing Patrick Kerney. It was the rest of the Rams expensive offensive line that Seattle's front four excelled against.

Browse more photos »

Quick notes from the remains of the third quarter:

Seattle was getting pressure from its front four. We don't know if the Rams have a good offensive line, but the team has invested huge resources into it. Guard Jacob Bell and center Jason Brown were signed to big money free agent contracts. Bell's contract is similar to Leroy Hill's, but without the opt-out clause. Brown is worth potentially $1.5 million more over one fewer season. Alex Barron and Jason Smith were both top twenty overall picks. Though Barron has become a bit of a joke, he shut down Patrick Kerney.

Most of Seattle's pressure came from the interior. Colin Cole was able to stymie Brown and Brandon Mebane and Craig Terrill created pressure in spurts. The single most impressive play by the front four was executed by Lawrence Jackson. Jackson, Seattle's strongside end in training, ran around the Rams' $62 million dollar tackle. It was an effortless edge rush with all the desired components: burst off the snap, straightline speed and the ability to turn the corner without slowing or sagging deep. It was the kind of edge rush that leaves the tackle trailing, falling and the quarterback downed, protecting the ball. Jackson was showing better timing off the snap at the end of last season. It's part of the package that makes him such an exciting mix of tools. He did not show a pass rush move, though, and that's the next step for Lawrence.

Justin Forsett nearly knelt before making an explosive cut through the hole and for the first on Seattle's 99 yard drive.

That drive was capped by the back-to-back big plays by John Carlson. Carlson flashed wide open and showed his field speed receiving for 38. For the final fifteen, he rapped both arms around the ball in classic Pop Warner fashion and switched to choppy, quick steps.

The next play was all busted coverage and Carlson. The busted coverage doesn't need elaboration. It happens. Carlson reigned in a terrible pass from Matt Hasselbeck. It fluttered and still somehow flew behind Carlson, but Carlson caught and redirected. Kid is some kind of athlete. So graceful. He smoothly spun into a turn upfield and turned on the jets for the score.

The final note before I get back to watching my Huskies hold their own against Pete Carroll's demoted NFL squad regards Julius Jones' touchdown rush. Credit goes to Jones who turned a pretty typical stretch right into a 62 yard touchdown. Justin Griffith hit the hole but struggled to clear trash from the rush lane. Clifton Ryan was bullying Steve Vallos and the initial hole was all but closed when Jones arrived. Jones faced his left shoulder and got skinny, juking through the hole. He landed, exploded into his second gear and turned a couple modest lead blocks into a break away into the third level. Once upon a time, Jones had a third gear to rival almost anyone in the NFL, but enough is left that he's still a breakout threat. If he can consistently transition a field move into a second gear burst, he could regain his big play potential.