Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Silver Lining


Anthony Bafaro

I have no desire to talk about Sunday’s scrimmage against San Francisco.  I don’t want to talk about the fact that the 49ers put up nearly five times as many rushing yards as the Rams.  I don’t want to talk about the Rams joining the Redskins and the Seahawks as the only teams to be shutout this year.  I certainly don’t want to talk about the league’s worst offense taking its ineptitude to a new level by not even breaching the 45-yard line of their opponent once on Sunday.  There isn’t any point in drumming up new ways to say that this team is terrible, boring, and virtually unwatchable.  I really didn’t even want to watch the game this week, but I couldn’t help myself; I’m addicted.

So, as any true addict will do with their drug of choice, I’m going to attempt to justify the fact that I will continue to make this team a part of my life for the remainder of the season.  I’m going to attempt to disregard the bad and magnify the good.  Here are the things that are still worth watching:
  1. Chris Long has developed into one of the NFL's best pass rushers.  Last year, Long was third among all defensive players in quarterback pressures with 57 and he doubled his career best in sacks with 8.5.  This year his 43 pressures lead all defensive players and he’s threatening to double his single-season sack total again, having accrued 11 through the first 12 games.  Unfortunately, the former 2nd overall pick is still not an elite all-around defensive end.  He’s actually been more of a liability as a run defender than rookie Robert Quinn, who couldn't get on the field earlier in the year due to his inability to defend the run. Long still needs to round-out his game in order to live up to his draft status, but when it comes to rushing the passer, there are few players in the NFL, if any, that are better.
  2. Robert Quinn’s 6 sacks and 16 pressures aren't eye opening numbers, but they’re impressive considering he has over 300 fewer snaps than Chris Long and over 200 fewer snaps than James Hall.  At his rate, if he had as many snaps as Long he’d have 11 sacks, and 28 pressures-top ten in both categories among 4-3 defensive ends.
  3. Brandon Lloyd makes plays.  I mocked the move when the Rams acquired Lloyd and I still stand by my statement that unless the Rams resign him, it’s a bad trade.  However, for the time being it’s great to see him snagging highlight reel catches in a Ram uniform.  Lloyd leads all Rams receivers in receptions (51), yards (713), and touchdowns (4), and at least once a week finds a way to make a “wow” catch.
  4. Justin Bannan and Fred Robbins stuff the run.  First of all, I realize that our total rushing yards allowed would suggest that no one on this team stuffs the run.  I also realize that it’s somewhat ridiculous to suggest that two gap-plugging specialists are reasons to watch a football game.  That said, they’re at least doing their jobs.  Pro Football Focus has Robbins and Bannan ranked 7th and 8th respectively against the run among all defensive tackles.  They’ve combined for thirty stops and only two missed tackles.  Part of the problem for the Rams run defense is that Robbins and Bannan also happen to be ranked 34th and 48th respectively in terms of playing time among the same group.  At some point, you would think the coaches would get tired of being the launching pad for opposing running back’s record-breaking days and start playing their best run defenders more.
  5. Sam Bradford looks good.  Okay, so he doesn't look so good now, in that he’s hurt, not playing, and some of his numbers so far are ghastly.  His 220 passing yards per game is in the bottom third of the league.  His 72.3 quarterback rating is among the worst for all starting quarterbacks and he has fewer touchdown passes than Blaine Gabbert and Carson Palmer (he’s played three games).  Those statistics show the end result, but they’re a bit misleading when it comes to the cause.                    

    Bradford has been hit while throwing twice as many times as anyone else in the league and he’s third in the league in times sacked.  The Rams are tied for 5th in dropped passes and Danario Alexander is the only Rams wide receiver in the top 60 in YAC per reception.

    Bradford has missed some throws, particularly in the Red Zone, but for the most part, he's picking himself up off of the ground after hitting the open man, only to find that he gave up his body so that Brandon Gibson could continue to pursue his league lead in dropped passes or record a three-yard gain on a five-yard completion.  Despite the lack of everything around him, he's still making mostly good decisions and throwing the ball well.  He's thrown only 5 interceptions in 367 attempts.  Only Aaron Rodgers and Jesus himself have fewer interceptions per passing attempt.

None of these things make up for the various screw jobs from various sources the fan base has had to endure this year. None of these things will make up for the four additional brow-beatings we’ve yet to receive. Some of these things, however, do qualify as entertainment, a silver lining, and it sure beats spending your Sunday afternoons cleaning out the gutters or raking leaves.