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Rams at 49ers: Sounding Off on the St. Louis Win > insideSTL.com - St. Louis Sports, Music, Entertainment and Nightlife > STL Rams
Rams at 49ers: Sounding Off on the St. Louis Win
First and Ten
1st:
The NFL should be ashamad and appalled by the performance of referee Jerome Boger's officiating crew in the Rams 13-10 win over the 49ers. Throughout the game, it was a stuck-on-repeat disaster comprised of one questionable call after another.
Whatever the league is doing to help its officials operate optimally isn't working. Perhaps the evaluation process itself needs a review. It seems apparent that the performance of those who are paid to accurately assess and manage games is deteriorating.
At San Francisco, St. Louis had 14 points directly wiped off the board by two bogus calls.
First, 49ers running back Frank Gore was said to have his forward progress stopped when he was clearly still moving downfield when he fumbled a football that the Rams were running back for a touchdown. With the forward progress ruling being non-reviewable, the inexcuseable call cost St. Louis seven points.
Second, Rams punt returner Tavon Austin was ruled out of bounds on a runback that was destined to end in a score. Rather than letting the play finish, the play was stopped by a warrantless whistle. Had the officials not stopped the return, the play could have culminated and eventually been reviewed in an effort to get it right.
On Sunday, both teams suffered from a myriad of clumbsy calls by those who are supposed to ensure that contests are governed fairly with rules enforced with consistent accuracy. Is there anyone out there who would dare suggest with a straight face that this is currently occurring in the manner that it should be?
I'm not even sure that Roger Goodell could pull off that sales job.
And 10:
1. After a season-long hiatus, #SackCity returned with a vengence for St. Louis.
After entering the matchup with the 49ers last in the league in sacks at the season's midpoint, the Rams reeled off eight of them in week nine alone.
The aforementioned eight sacks were the most by a Rams road team since a 2000 duel against the Carolina Panthers. The team's six first half sacks were the most in a half in franchise history.
Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn -- who was held sackless in his first five games of the season's slate -- has posted five in the last three weeks, including two on Sunday.
For really the first time in 2014, the Gregg Williams led D looked like a Gregg Williams led D: it was aggressive, nasty, disruptive and productive. St. Louis can only hope this game was a harbinger of things to come.
2. Speaking of Williams' defense, one cannot say enough good things about how they performed in all phases against San Francisco.
Obviously, the pass pressure lived up to the lofty preseason expectations, but the work against the 49ers ground and air attack was pretty darn special, too.
On the ground, the Rams gave up just 80 yards on a 3.8 per carry average after entering the affair at No. 31 in rushing yards allowed at almost 150 per contest and at No. 27 barrel in yards per rush relinquished at nearly five yards per pop. Obviously, the ground D made some real progress.
Versus the passing attack of quarterback Colin Caepernick and a quadrant of veteran 49ers wideouts (Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd and Stevie Johnson), the St. Louis secondary allowed just 183 yards passing and help San Francisco to just one score through the air.
Perhaps most impressive -- outside of the onslaught of sacks -- was the way the defense overcame two first half interceptions by Rams quarterback Austin Davis to hold the 49ers to ten first half points.
Of course, the second half shutout was eye-catching as well, especially for a club who has struggled to close out games successfully.
3. There is no way to sugarcoat it -- St. Louis quarterback Austin Davis served up a clunker against San Francisco.
That evaluation was crystalized on a late fourth quarter play action pass play that saw tight end Lance Kendricks spring stunningly wide open with nobody between him and the goal line. If Davis had seen Kendricks before ducking pressure a half second earlier than he should have, the Rams could have sealed the deal with an easy game-clinching TD.
Against the 49ers, Davis completed just 13 of 24 attempts (54 percent) with a touchdown and two interceptions. His outing resulted in a rubbish rating of just 44.6.
In four of his seven starts, Davis has looked like a bona-fide NFL starter -- evidenced in part by his rating that stands at over 100 in those games.
In his other three starts, however, Davis has looked much more like a backup QB, struggling in both meetings against the 49ers and last weekend against the Chiefs.
Clearly, Davis' has generated a mixed bag of results, and while he still has eight games to solidify himself as a legitimate option to fight for the Rams starting QB duties in training camp next summer, he also has eight contests remaining that might show him to be more ideally suited for a No. 2 role.
4. Running back Tre Mason got the start, and while his 19 rushes for 65 yards and a 3.4 yard average was not exactly a statsheet-stuffer, his punishing rushing style brought an edge to the Rams rushing attack.
Had the St. Louis air attack had been productive and less pedestrian, one has to think that Mason's per carry average and overall totals would have been much better.
At this point, Mason has the look of a potential long-term starter in St. Louis. He clearly has passed up fellow runner Zac Stacy.
5. Speaking of running backs, Benny Cunningham has quietly become one of the more reliable and consistent kickoff returners in the league.
While far from flashy, Cunningham runs hard and has a knack for finding space and breaking tackles. Against the 49ers, he accumulated 78 return yards on three attempts, including a nifty 38 yarder.
6. Contrarily, punt returner Tavon Austin has been anything but consistent this season, often using more time running horizontally than he does using his 4.3 speed to progress up the field.
Against San Francisco, Austin left fans scratching their collective heads again, particularly on one return at the end of the first half.
On a field goal try by Phil Dawson that came up short, Austin corralled the kick in the back of the end zone. Thereafter, Austin juked around the endzone far too long, and nearly got tackled for a safety to close the half. Head Coach Jeff Fisher, not surprisingly, was not at all pleased with the effort.
The play was an encapsulation of much of Austin's career to date: way too much dancing and way too little use of his elite speed.
When factoring in his lack of production at wide receiver -- just 13 receptions this fall -- Austin is looking more like a mid round pick than a top ten selection.
7. No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson held up very, very well in his first career start at left tackle. Outside of a holding call, the big Auburn product had few significant blemishes on his report card.
Although I still believe Robinson is a protoptypical guard with a prospective Pro Bowl future there, his tenure with the Rams is likely destined to see him lined up outside most of the time.
Certainly, he has the physical tools to handle the pass protection aspects of the role, and his mauling run blocking skills will serve him well on the edge just as they would have on the interior.
8. The final score of 13-10 should not have been nearly as close as it was.
As touched on above, St. Louis had two touchdowns stolen from them by a largely incompetent officiating crew and had a walk-in touchdown in hand if Davis had seen Kendricks running free off of play action.
With better officiating and better quarterbacking, St. Louis puts 21 more points on the board and walks away from the Bay with a comfortable win. Nonetheless, a win is a win is a win -- and the Rams will take it.
9. It almost goes without saying when speaking of a club that has been at the bottom of the league's barrel for a decade, but these are the types of games that the Rams are supposed to lose, not triumph in.
Although last week was a step back, St. Louis now has secured two victories in its last three outings in contests that they have more than often lost than won in over the last 10 years.
Maybe, just maybe, the young Rams are beginning to learn how to close out games. If so -- and while it may not be enough to help secure a winning season in 2014 -- it could help them finally turn the corner next fall.
10. We have seen some exhilerating endings from the Rams over the years, but this has to rank in the top 10 we have seen since the franchise relocated to the Gateway City. Few games have ended with the drama that this one did.
With it looking like an almost certain heartbreaking defeat with the 49ers inside the one yard line or a trip to overtime at best, the Kaepernick fumble secured the St. Louis win.
And even at that point, fans had to wait several minutes for the results of instant replay to be announced from a awful officiating group, which left fans on edge after just enduring a crucial replay moments before that could have realistically resulted in an overturn and a game winning score for the Niners.
In my mind, this was one of the more entertaining and fullfilling finishes we have witnessed in a long time.
Rams at 49ers: Sounding Off on the St. Louis Win
First and Ten
1st:
The NFL should be ashamad and appalled by the performance of referee Jerome Boger's officiating crew in the Rams 13-10 win over the 49ers. Throughout the game, it was a stuck-on-repeat disaster comprised of one questionable call after another.
Whatever the league is doing to help its officials operate optimally isn't working. Perhaps the evaluation process itself needs a review. It seems apparent that the performance of those who are paid to accurately assess and manage games is deteriorating.
At San Francisco, St. Louis had 14 points directly wiped off the board by two bogus calls.
First, 49ers running back Frank Gore was said to have his forward progress stopped when he was clearly still moving downfield when he fumbled a football that the Rams were running back for a touchdown. With the forward progress ruling being non-reviewable, the inexcuseable call cost St. Louis seven points.
Second, Rams punt returner Tavon Austin was ruled out of bounds on a runback that was destined to end in a score. Rather than letting the play finish, the play was stopped by a warrantless whistle. Had the officials not stopped the return, the play could have culminated and eventually been reviewed in an effort to get it right.
On Sunday, both teams suffered from a myriad of clumbsy calls by those who are supposed to ensure that contests are governed fairly with rules enforced with consistent accuracy. Is there anyone out there who would dare suggest with a straight face that this is currently occurring in the manner that it should be?
I'm not even sure that Roger Goodell could pull off that sales job.
And 10:
1. After a season-long hiatus, #SackCity returned with a vengence for St. Louis.
After entering the matchup with the 49ers last in the league in sacks at the season's midpoint, the Rams reeled off eight of them in week nine alone.
The aforementioned eight sacks were the most by a Rams road team since a 2000 duel against the Carolina Panthers. The team's six first half sacks were the most in a half in franchise history.
Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn -- who was held sackless in his first five games of the season's slate -- has posted five in the last three weeks, including two on Sunday.
For really the first time in 2014, the Gregg Williams led D looked like a Gregg Williams led D: it was aggressive, nasty, disruptive and productive. St. Louis can only hope this game was a harbinger of things to come.
2. Speaking of Williams' defense, one cannot say enough good things about how they performed in all phases against San Francisco.
Obviously, the pass pressure lived up to the lofty preseason expectations, but the work against the 49ers ground and air attack was pretty darn special, too.
On the ground, the Rams gave up just 80 yards on a 3.8 per carry average after entering the affair at No. 31 in rushing yards allowed at almost 150 per contest and at No. 27 barrel in yards per rush relinquished at nearly five yards per pop. Obviously, the ground D made some real progress.
Versus the passing attack of quarterback Colin Caepernick and a quadrant of veteran 49ers wideouts (Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd and Stevie Johnson), the St. Louis secondary allowed just 183 yards passing and help San Francisco to just one score through the air.
Perhaps most impressive -- outside of the onslaught of sacks -- was the way the defense overcame two first half interceptions by Rams quarterback Austin Davis to hold the 49ers to ten first half points.
Of course, the second half shutout was eye-catching as well, especially for a club who has struggled to close out games successfully.
3. There is no way to sugarcoat it -- St. Louis quarterback Austin Davis served up a clunker against San Francisco.
That evaluation was crystalized on a late fourth quarter play action pass play that saw tight end Lance Kendricks spring stunningly wide open with nobody between him and the goal line. If Davis had seen Kendricks before ducking pressure a half second earlier than he should have, the Rams could have sealed the deal with an easy game-clinching TD.
Against the 49ers, Davis completed just 13 of 24 attempts (54 percent) with a touchdown and two interceptions. His outing resulted in a rubbish rating of just 44.6.
In four of his seven starts, Davis has looked like a bona-fide NFL starter -- evidenced in part by his rating that stands at over 100 in those games.
In his other three starts, however, Davis has looked much more like a backup QB, struggling in both meetings against the 49ers and last weekend against the Chiefs.
Clearly, Davis' has generated a mixed bag of results, and while he still has eight games to solidify himself as a legitimate option to fight for the Rams starting QB duties in training camp next summer, he also has eight contests remaining that might show him to be more ideally suited for a No. 2 role.
4. Running back Tre Mason got the start, and while his 19 rushes for 65 yards and a 3.4 yard average was not exactly a statsheet-stuffer, his punishing rushing style brought an edge to the Rams rushing attack.
Had the St. Louis air attack had been productive and less pedestrian, one has to think that Mason's per carry average and overall totals would have been much better.
At this point, Mason has the look of a potential long-term starter in St. Louis. He clearly has passed up fellow runner Zac Stacy.
5. Speaking of running backs, Benny Cunningham has quietly become one of the more reliable and consistent kickoff returners in the league.
While far from flashy, Cunningham runs hard and has a knack for finding space and breaking tackles. Against the 49ers, he accumulated 78 return yards on three attempts, including a nifty 38 yarder.
6. Contrarily, punt returner Tavon Austin has been anything but consistent this season, often using more time running horizontally than he does using his 4.3 speed to progress up the field.
Against San Francisco, Austin left fans scratching their collective heads again, particularly on one return at the end of the first half.
On a field goal try by Phil Dawson that came up short, Austin corralled the kick in the back of the end zone. Thereafter, Austin juked around the endzone far too long, and nearly got tackled for a safety to close the half. Head Coach Jeff Fisher, not surprisingly, was not at all pleased with the effort.
The play was an encapsulation of much of Austin's career to date: way too much dancing and way too little use of his elite speed.
When factoring in his lack of production at wide receiver -- just 13 receptions this fall -- Austin is looking more like a mid round pick than a top ten selection.
7. No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson held up very, very well in his first career start at left tackle. Outside of a holding call, the big Auburn product had few significant blemishes on his report card.
Although I still believe Robinson is a protoptypical guard with a prospective Pro Bowl future there, his tenure with the Rams is likely destined to see him lined up outside most of the time.
Certainly, he has the physical tools to handle the pass protection aspects of the role, and his mauling run blocking skills will serve him well on the edge just as they would have on the interior.
8. The final score of 13-10 should not have been nearly as close as it was.
As touched on above, St. Louis had two touchdowns stolen from them by a largely incompetent officiating crew and had a walk-in touchdown in hand if Davis had seen Kendricks running free off of play action.
With better officiating and better quarterbacking, St. Louis puts 21 more points on the board and walks away from the Bay with a comfortable win. Nonetheless, a win is a win is a win -- and the Rams will take it.
9. It almost goes without saying when speaking of a club that has been at the bottom of the league's barrel for a decade, but these are the types of games that the Rams are supposed to lose, not triumph in.
Although last week was a step back, St. Louis now has secured two victories in its last three outings in contests that they have more than often lost than won in over the last 10 years.
Maybe, just maybe, the young Rams are beginning to learn how to close out games. If so -- and while it may not be enough to help secure a winning season in 2014 -- it could help them finally turn the corner next fall.
10. We have seen some exhilerating endings from the Rams over the years, but this has to rank in the top 10 we have seen since the franchise relocated to the Gateway City. Few games have ended with the drama that this one did.
With it looking like an almost certain heartbreaking defeat with the 49ers inside the one yard line or a trip to overtime at best, the Kaepernick fumble secured the St. Louis win.
And even at that point, fans had to wait several minutes for the results of instant replay to be announced from a awful officiating group, which left fans on edge after just enduring a crucial replay moments before that could have realistically resulted in an overturn and a game winning score for the Niners.
In my mind, this was one of the more entertaining and fullfilling finishes we have witnessed in a long time.
