Rams 13, 49ers 23, Seventh loss of the season.

[Retroram52]

After two excellent total team play games against middle tier teams, we went into San Fran hoping to put together three-in-a-row against a very good team. It was evident early on that this was going to be a much tougher game because our offense sputtered early and often. WE after all, were playing the NFC champs in their back yard and we would have to have a stellar game by everyone to pull off the win.

After two three-and-outs, the offense reverted backward to its inept playing days and Clemens looked every bit a back-up and the offense could not get things going. As the defense has done most of the year, they kept us close for the better part of three quarters and then ran out of gas.

But the big killer was an ill-timed faked punt that failed in our territory on the 17 yard line and Fisher took the life out of everyone with one boneheaded call. Giordano somehow screwed up the handoff to Bailey and suddenly our defense could not stop the ensuing touchdown. We did get one late TD but it was too little very too late and we looked liked the old Rams all over again.

Our offensive production actually out-gained the 49ers in rushing (114 to 83 yards) but we failed to sustain any consistency with the usual litany of mistakes. Poorly thrown passes, dropped footballs and sacks given up by the O-line, and a boatload of penalties. Everyone looked pedestrian and no one could muster much of anything.

On defense. We didn't fair much better. We gave up big plays a lot and we gave up 23 points even with three sacks. We looked pathetic all around and the season is definitely in jeopardy as we simply did not play a very good game. The special teams played O.K. and Zuerlein had his usual kicking day but again, nothing spectacular helped us.

We stand now at 5-7 for the year and we head into Arizona against the Cards who lost today. Another game difficult to predict because like many have stated, it depends which team decides to show up.

 

[Chilipepper]

Good take on the game Retro. I agree 100% Those long time eating drives were killer by the 49ers. I didn't know that the Rams defense was near the bottom in that category.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea Chillipepper, our defense has slipped this year and we have some bottom dwelling stats. Right now we are ranked 19th overall but somehow it feels like we are a top five defense when the points on the board decry a different story. BTW, the Lakers are on tonight versus the Blazers. I'll be on that board.

 

[Chilipepper]

Yeah GO LAKERS!, UCLA beat USC (SWEET) so I'm looking for 2 out of 3 this weekend.

 

[Retroram52]

That works. very cool!

 

[BOSS429Mustang]

That was pathetic. I don't know what was worse--the play calling or the playing. I admit that I for one was beginning to become optimistic, actually thinking that this team had finally figured it out, and the two Wit brothers (Nit Wit Fisher and Dim Wit Shottenhiemer) had the team on the right track. But it looks like we just reverted to what we've been most of the season--an undisciplined, unprepared team lead by our "Deer in the Headlights" coaching staff. What idiot calls for a fake punt that close to their own goal line with the game still in doubt??? What a moroon. I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion. We won two in a row so I guess our squirrel was blind but lucky also. All this and the Rams banging heads together to give each other a concussion.....it'd be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic.

 

[Chilipepper]

Yeah Boss the RAMS went right back into the same ole RAMS! Pathetic is a kind word for the RAMS. Backsliding again.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea Boss429Mustang, this whole game was a reversion back to that default mental game where we simply cannot get used to winning and have to lose. I don't know if it is contract related or just in the corporate franchise psyche since we have lost so much over a 15 year period, but whenever we get to getting things going in the right direction, we have to revert back to those old familiar ways of losing and effing up a game. And everybody chimes in including Fisher with that ridiculous ill-timed fake punt call.

You could see it with Clemens body language sitting on the sidelines. He looked whipped and it was the only the second quarter. You have to feel for guys like C. Long whose entire career has been wasted (or so it seems) waiting for a franchise to get their act together. And he himself with those encroachment penalties is just undisciplined play and unpreparedness as you mentioned and it has not changed much under Fisher. Could you imagine what Dick Vermeil would do with this team? I can only fantasize.

 

[ksudodger]

Unfortunately we were the unwanted recipients of the Niners waking up and remembering they are a very good football team. We could not get anything going offensively, and the defense help with all the penalties early on (although I think half of them were bogus "home team" calls.... but I dugress).

We are just quite over the hump we all hoped to get over this week...

 

[Retroram52]

Yep KSUDodgers. 6-6 looks a whole lot better than 5-7. With Washington's loss, it has been reported our first pick may slip to number two. Yowser!! And if we keep effing this season up, we may finish in the top ten ourselves.

 

[ksudodger]

Ok, so I will broach the subject here... if Washington or our pick ends up in the top 3, do we shop it??

 

[Retroram52]

Oh I am sure the Rams will do everything in their power to shop the pick with Fisher's ridiculous mantra of never picking an O-lineman in the first round ever-present when he has a potential all-pro for the next ten years staring him and Snead in the face with Matthews or even Kouandijo. I mean how dumb could you be to throw that away? When we took O. Pace number one overall back at the beginning of the Vermeil years, Vermeil set in motion the construction of a championship team. I am getting really tired of Fisher and Snead trying to get creative to get their guys who often take years to develop their "potential" when rooks like Jeffreys have career days seemingly every Sunday RIGHT NOW!!!.

Although they might be right a couple of times, more often than not they bypass great football players that other teams like the Niners do not and the results we saw today. The talent difference is stark because due in part to these ridiculous draft gyrations the Rams seem to pull out of their collective asses to prove what? And they seem to reveal in doing it year in and year out. Another guy we whiffed on had a monster day today and that being Alshon Jeffreys. 259 total yards and what 2 TDs? Do our WRs have anything remotely close to that EVER!!!!

Some days I want to take Fisher and Snead aside and beat the ever-livin' daylights out of them for being purposefully stupid. I know, it would get me into a bed next to a guy named Bubba who would tell me: "Bitch, you is my woman now"!

 

[Silas]

Ok, so I will broach the subject here... if Washington or our pick ends up in the top 3, do we shop it??

Given Snead and Fisher's history, I wouldn't be surprised to seem them shop it. I guess it depends who's available. I'd like the Rams to pick the best player possible to move this team up the chart. Don't they already have two 1st Round picks next year?

The Rams are not a championship caliber team and to me, QB is the biggest question. But I'll take anyone who will improve this team significantly; knowing that the Draft can be a crapshoot.

Fisher is a dumbass calling for a fake punt on the 22 yard line, or whatever it was. QB was a problem again and it just goes on and on.

 

[Jermaine133]

can we do like the clippers and trade the washington pick along with fisher and shitmer in a combo deal for Chucky or Tony Dungy?

 

[Vitamike]

Ok, so I will broach the subject here... if Washington or our pick ends up in the top 3, do we shop it??

I think we are coming to a point where quality outweighs quantity. I think Fisher and Snead both understand this so, in other words no shop.

 

[ksudodger]

can we do like the clippers and trade the washington pick along with fisher and shitmer in a combo deal for Chucky or Tony Dungy?

Who would we trade the pick to?? NBC?? ESPN?? Maybe we can get Rodney Harrison to play safety along with Dungy!!!

 

[Caynine29]

I don't know why everybody (although, not so much here) is all bent out of shape about. We all knew this was a very real possibility. I know it sucks, but people are going nuts on some media outlets. "FIRE SO-AND-SO!"... "CUT WHAT'S-HIS-FACE!", etc. Lol. It's okay, people. Losses happen. Chicago and Indy were fun, but we're just not a great football team yet.

Yeah... yesterday was a tough one. The defense actually played well enough to win, again. But, that offense... ugh. Just couldn't get the running game started with any consistency, which was a MUST in this one. And by the time it did work, it was too late. Breaking off chunks of yards is great, except when it's the 4th quarter and they're lettin' us do it.

And passing? Forget passing. Even though I kept waiting on Kellen Clemens' "Whodini-esque escapability", "world-class speed" and "Cam Newton/Michael Vick/RG3/Aaron Rodgers-like" playmaking abilities to kick in... you still couldn't put the blame for this one at his feet. Whatever it was that the WRs were using the last two games must've worn off, because all the dropped passes came back in full force. Cook and Givens couldn't catch a cold yesterday. And Austin couldn't get open.

This is also one of the few games this year where I'll say it... some of the coaching decisions were serious head-scratchers. Most notably being the fake punt from our own redzone. That play was pretty much the turning point that sucked whatever life we had at the time right out of us. Who's brain-child was that one?? They should have had to ride outside the plane for the trip back to St. Louis.

Oh well... it was a fun ride while it lasted. Now it's back to the drawing board, for Arizona. We've still got four more games to finish out.

 

[jacobarch]

I don't know why everybody (although, not so much here) is all bent out of shape about. We all knew this was a very real possibility. I know it sucks, but people are going nuts on some media outlets. "FIRE SO-AND-SO!"... "CUT WHAT'S-HIS-FACE!", etc. Lol. It's okay, people. Losses happen. Chicago and Indy were fun, but we're just not a great football team yet.

Yeah... yesterday was a tough one. The defense actually played well enough to win, again. But, that offense... ugh. Just couldn't get the running game started with any consistency, which was a MUST in this one. And by the time it did work, it was too late. Breaking off chunks of yards is great, except when it's the 4th quarter and they're lettin' us do it.

And passing? Forget passing. Even though I kept waiting on Kellen Clemens' "Whodini-esque escapability", "world-class speed" and "Cam Newton/Michael Vick/RG3/Aaron Rodgers-like" playmaking abilities to kick in... you still couldn't put the blame for this one at his feet. Whatever it was that the WRs were using the last two games must've worn off, because all the dropped passes came back in full force. Cook and Givens couldn't catch a cold yesterday. And Austin couldn't get open.

This is also one of the few games this year where I'll say it... some of the coaching decisions were serious head-scratchers. Most notably being the fake punt from our own redzone. That play was pretty much the turning point that sucked whatever life we had at the time right out of us. Who's brain-child was that one?? They should have had to ride outside the plane for the trip back to St. Louis.

Oh well... it was a fun ride while it lasted. Now it's back to the drawing board, for Arizona. We've still got four more games to finish out.

omg some one who actually watched the game and didn't get their feelings hurt????

I can't believe what I've been reading on these boards lately. People were talking playoffs and having Clemons be our starter next year. All of a sudden we had become the best defense in the league for 2 games and people were saying we were going to run the board the rest of the season. It's naive and laughable.

 

[SJ76]

The refs sucked for sure. After the 1st Q, The Rams O had 8 total yards. And the Rams D knew they would get no help from the offense and that has to suck. It's been like that over the years against good defenses and that 49er D is stout! 23-13 with a garbage TD late. Very similar to the 38-11 loss at home in week 4, but this time the 49ers had Patrick Willis and Aldon smith playing too. Those ILB are all pro players and the rest of the D is pretty dam solid.

Rams WRs were dropping balls they probably should have caught, but Clemens was not on the mark very much and those WRs were thinking about being lit up by the DBs more than they were thinking about making plays. Clemens was out matched and our running game was silent. We have to gameplan our offense around trying to beat a good defense. We have to think like this, draft like this, and play tough because all 4 defenses in the NFC West are bad ass and it should remain that way for years.

The 49ers might be better this year than last year, especially with Crabtree back. It seems to help Kaepernick.

I hope Washington loses and as much as I want another draft pick! I would love to see us beat AZ and NO... But our schedule is going to be tough.

Austin Davis please? I would like to see what this mobile QB has.

 

[Retroram52]

I agree SJ76 on many of your points. Davis is the only QB left because they placed Quinn on the Injured Reserve list and he is done for the season. He is having a back procedure done on the Rams' dime. We stunk it up and Clemens had a very bad day. WE are really going to need another good draft to get past this funk we are in.