SB Nation User Blog: VanRam

Random Ramsdom 12/22: Rams news for all your last minute shopping

VanRam — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:01:20 -0000

It's Tuesday, and that means only three shopping days until Christmas. If you need my shirt size, just send me an email. Just kidding. You find any gift ideas for your sweet heart among this group of news items about the St. Louis Rams, but you will find some info about Christmas in April, better known as the draft.

Rams add DE James Wyche - The Rams picked up a new DE to fill the roster spot vacated by Daniel Fell's trip to IR.

The flu means nothing to Darrell Scott - Darrell Scott played a good game for a guy that missed Friday's practice with the swine flu.

More praise for Suh - ESPN's Todd McShay calls Suh "elite" and has him being drafted first overall by the Rams. However, the well-known draft guru does point out some areas where Suh must improve, just in case you started to think he was flawless.

Fresno's Ryan Matthews jumps to NFL - The Fresno State running back will enter the draft this year. He's a big runner, not a super fast guy, so he might not be exactly what the Rams are looking for to complement Steven Jackson. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on RBs entering the draft given the Rams glaring need for a #2.

2010 NFL Draft prospects playing in non-BCS bowl games - Without 3k in the mix right now, we'll have to scrounge prospect info where we can get it. This is a pretty interesting read as bowl season heats up.

No decision from Spagnuolo on which QB will start for the Rams

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:42:26 -0000

No decision from Spagnuolo on which QB will start for the Rams

Spagnuolo would not commit one way or another to Kyle Boller or Keith Null as the St. Louis Rams' starting QB for their week 16 game in Arizona. A decision should come as soon as Wednesday practice.

Rams add TE Fells to lengthy IR list

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:22:04 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Fells is headed to IR.

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Another Monday, another player to the Injured Reserve list for the St. Louis Rams. Today's entrant is TE Daniel Fells who was placed on IR after a fracture in his thigh and a sprained ligament. Though Fells had just 4 receptions in his last two games - he left late in the first quarter this week - the third year TE was an important part of the Rams injury-depleted pass catchers.

CB Quincy Butler has a knee and an ankle sprain that will probably keep him out for the rest of the season, definitely this week.

The Rams will activate CB Jonathan Wade for their game against the Cardinals. Jeez. Remember, Wade was a starting CB when the season began, and was gradually replaced by Bradley Fletcher. At first, it just seemed like Fletcher was a better corner, because he was, but then Butler and Justin King got more reps after Fletcher went to IR. Such is life in the NFL...

In one other item of interest from the injury report today: OT Jason Smith has not taken another baseline neurological examination. Hmmm. That most likely means he's still experiencing symptoms and is thus close to being shut down for the season, officially or unofficially. That's too bad. I'd really like to see more Smith, but there's no point taking a risk with your investment for two more games of what could very well become a one-win season.

For those of you keeping count at home, that's 12 players on IR for the Rams, 9 of those players were starters. Here's the list:

DT Adam Carriker
WR Laurent Robinson
DT Gary Gibson
LS Chris Massey
WR Keenan Burton
FS Oshiomogho Atogwe
OG Jacob Bell
CB Bradley Fletcher
TE Daniel Fells
WR Brooks Foster
DE C. J. Ah You
S Eric Bassey

If you include players that could and probably should be put on IR, you've got quite a team.

Third downs looking up for the Rams

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:33:52 -0000

Nobody would call moving the ball one of the St. Louis Rams strengths this season. Scoring was, once again, hard to come by for Spagnuolo's group this week, for several reasons. However, offense lovers did get some relief from the endless procession of three-and-outs as the Rams set a season high for third down conversions against the Texans this week, converting 8 of 15 third down attempts. The 53 percent conversion rate was the highest of the season.

On fifteen third downs during the game, the Rams had an average distance of 6.9 yards to convert it for a first. Naturally, that meant they had to throw the ball plenty, 11 times in fact. The Rams were successful on 5 of those 11 pass attempts. Two of the unsuccessful throws came on third-and-12 and third-and-19.

They ran the ball four times on third down, converting three attempts. Each run came on third-and-1 or third-and-2. Shurmur called a pass on one third-and-2, Null's TD to Danny Amendola.

Now, third down conversions mean nothing if you can't move the ball well enough to score, but for the Rams of 2009, this is measurable progress and something to build on for next week and beyond.

It's easy, and even understandable, for players on horrible teams to gear it down as the season...

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:06:45 -0000

It's easy, and even understandable, for players on horrible teams to gear it down as the season comes to a close. But the guys who don't understand anything but all-out effort under any circumstances should be recognized and appreciated, and that's exactly what Steven Jackson is.

Yahoo's Shutdown Corner blog on SJ39

Start Null or not?

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:17:30 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

What's next for Null and the Rams?

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Alright, what's the point of overraction Monday without a little Keith Null talk, huh? The St. Louis Rams rookie, third string QB erased (some) memories of his five INT introduction to the NFL last week with what was an all-around solid outing, though not without rookie mistakes, in a near-win against the Houston Texans.

For the second week in a row, the young man from a little school in West Texas showed the poise and composure that had everyone talking last week. Null completed 18 of 27 passes for 173 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Nothing special, but Null did throw one more TD than Brett Favre and had better stats than Tom Brady. As far as the playcalling goes, the Rams did use more three and four receiver sets for the experienced spread QB compared to last week. And offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur had his rookie QB airing out, taking shots down the field too. Last week, Null averaged 3.5 yards per pass; this week it was 5.0 yards per pass. It wasn't the best QB performance for the 2009 Rams - that was Bulger's outing against the Saints back in week 10 - but in a season where good QB outings have been few and far between, Null's game does grade out as one of the better performances we have seen from a QB this season. (Just going by QB rating, Null's 81.2 was the second best for a Rams QB playing a complete game this season; Bulger had a 93.5 against NO).

One digression: I feel a little bad for Null or any QB. The Rams are so talent starved every single mistake gets amplified because they just can't overcome those errors.

So, that makes Null the next Kurt Warner by default? Absolutely not. Ryan Leaf's former protege has a long way to go before he earns the title of anything other than fill-in. However, he is the team's best option at QB at this point in the season, and should start the last two games.

Why not Boller? We've had five games of Boller's six year career. We know what he is capable of when he is under center. Maybe he's less likely to muff a snap because he's at least used to taking them directly, but at least he can go through his progressions and find a receiver...even though that receiver will probably drop the pass. Null seems to be working better with the team around him than Boller.

What about "beating him down" a la JaMarcus Russell, as PD columnist and sometime Rams watcher Jeff Gordon suggests? Ridiculous. Sacks weren't Russell's biggest problem; Russell was Russell's biggest problem...that and being part of the Raiders. Null, whether he pans out or not and he could very well not, at least has the passion and committment to keep pouring every ounce of effort into it. His follow up to a 5 interception proves that.

It sounds like the Rams do plan to start Null over the season's final two weeks, which will go a long way toward determining how he fits into the plans for 2010. Whether he winds up back on the third string or not, Null is the only Rams QB to see the field this season that actually does figure into the plans for 2010.

Poll

Who should the Rams start at QB for the last two games of the season?

Chat with Steven Jackson, today at 1:15 p.m.

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:26:45 -0000

Chat with Steven Jackson, today at 1:15 p.m.

Got a question for SJ39? He'll be talking with fans this afternoon.

Rams 13, Texans 16: Pictures to prove it

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:03:02 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

1 day ago: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) runs for a 35-yard gain as Houston Texans safety Bernard Pollard gives chase during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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Maybe watching Steven Jackson break off his 35-yard run got Bernard Pollard pissed off. Either way, it was good to see Jackson pumped up, giving it everything he had and not walking away from a cheap shot. Definitely one of the better moments from the Rams season.

Click on the photo above for the full gallery from yesterday's game.

With the fine of 50 grand, I would have gladly paid more to get out of that situation in St. Louis....

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:32:48 -0000

With the fine of 50 grand, I would have gladly paid more to get out of that situation in St. Louis. So I chalk it up to that.

That's recently released OG Richie Incognito, proving that his classy statements upon leaving the Rams were just scripted by his agent. The real Richie came out with the Bills today; he had three penalties for 30 yards. He'll be begging for that 30 grand this time next season, when his dumb penalties earn him a ticket to the UFL.

Rams 13, Texans 16: Rams lose a close one

VanRam — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:32:29 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

The little things dragged the Rams down today.

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Credit the St. Louis Rams for playing a good game, despite losing their 13th contest of the season. The results were especially encouraging given the team's extensive list of players on injured reserve or the sidelines.

The offense did a much better job moving the ball than they did against the Titans last week. Nevertheless, they just don't have the talent to overcome the slightest mistake, say a rookie QB under pressure and throwing the ball blindly down the field for an easy INT. The worst part of it was that the Texans scored on the ensuing drive, giving them a lead the Rams could not overcome. You can go line by line through the play-by-play and find those difference makers that better teams can play through and keep driving the ball for results.

On the other side of the ball, the Rams defense had a good day, except for getting burned again and again by the deep ball. Oshiomogho Atogwe and Bradley Fletcher are greatly missed by this Rams secondary, which is not to say that Craig Dahl, filling in for Atogwe, didn't play well; I just the chances for the Rams to play the ball more with Togs in the lineup. Still, despite Andre Johnson's 200-yard day (196 actually) the Rams kept him out of the end zone and limited Houston to just one touchdown. They really did a good a job as a unit missing so many starters.

I know we have the "Draft Suh" contingent here, but I would still have liked to see the Rams get the win. The close ones are the toughest to take, no matter how much you expect it. It would have been a huge stride forward for the organization. Nevertheless, Spagnuolo's group showed lots of promise and made it easier to see what GM Billy Devaney was talking about in his Friday chat with fans when he said the team has fewer holes to fill.

Keith Null

Once again the rookie from West Texas A&M showed real moxie. He was poised and bounced back from mistakes. Null even showed showed some emotion, something fans were pleasantly surprised to see from their QBs. Two fumbles resulting from bad snaps reminded us that the spread offense and DII football remained a part of Null, and the INT was the definition of a rookie move. Experience should cure that. Maybe I was a bit premature in dubbing it the best performance from a Rams QB this season, very premature, but it is clear who should start the next two games, the last two games of the season.

The Offensive Line

This group had become such a team strength until injuries started to take their toll. Jacob Bell went to IR and Richie Incognito got himself released, leaving the Rams without both starting guards this week. Mark Setterstrom, on the left, and John Greco, on the right, did well for themselves today. It was a little rough in the running game in the early going and at times throughout the game. It's important to remember, however, that the Texans have a strong front seven on defense. It's clear this unit is better with Jason Smith, but this group had a decent outing today, certainly better than they did last week. I still like out depth at guard.

Once again Alex Barron weakened the unit as a whole. He let Mario Williams get around him to recover a fumble. The troubled tackle's most egregious offense came on the last drive of the fourth quarter when he got beat and Null got sacked for a loss of 8 yards. That made it 3rd-and-19. Game over. I don't see how the Rams can bring back Barron in 2010.

Special Teams

Hats off the special teams once again. Not only have the Rams found a solid return man with good vision to match his speed in Danny Amendola, who averaged 31 yards on kickoff returns, they've got a good group of blockers and coverage guys assembled. Josh Brown was nails on the distance shots today, hitting a 52-yarder to make him 5 for 6 on FG attempts of 50 or more yards. Donnie Jones is really getting jobbed by the fact that he's not even in contention for a Pro Bowl nod.