L.A. Already Regretting Rams?
The return of the Los Angeles Rams could not be more horrific.
On Monday night, the Rams suffered a 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on national television. The fact that the Rams played like crap probably did not matter, because by the time the game started (10:10 ET for the second game of a Monday night doubleheader) half of America was already asleep.
To summarize how awful the Rams were on Monday night, let’s take a look at their unit performances:
Offense: Out of 14 drives, the Rams punted 10 times. TEN. Their other drives ended in two interceptions, a turnover on downs, and the end of the game. Quarterback Case Keenum, starting over number one pick Jared Goff, went 17 for 35 for 130 yards and two interceptions. Running back Todd Gurley, one of fantasy football’s top players, was held to 47 rushing yards. The entire Rams offense mustered 185 yards of total offense.
Defense: The Rams’ defense basically made Blaine Gabbert look like he belongs in the NFL, which he doesn’t. The Niners were able to run for 150 combined yards and three touchdowns. Gabbert added the other touchdown through the air.
Let’s not forget that the 49ers are projected by many experts to be the worst team in the NFL this year. Over the offseason they hired Chip Kelly to be their new head coach after Kelly was basically run out of Philadelphia. Their starting quarterback is Blaine Gabbert, who is only starting because Colin Kaepernick has fallen from grace and looks completely lost trying to figure out how to play quarterback again. They have Carlos Hyde at running back, but they have virtually no receiving threats at all. Also, the 49ers are projected to have one of the worst defenses this season. They probably still will, but they dominated the Rams on Monday night.
Hey Los Angeles, congratulations! You have football back! Oh wait, you have the Rams. THE. RAMS.
Absolutely, positively embarrassing.
You know what the saddest part was about this game? The two most entertaining parts of it were when Aaron Donald slammed his helmet to the ground after getting ejected, and radio announcer Kevin Harlan’s amazing play-by-play of a drunk fan running onto the field.
Here’s the call:
The bad news is that it’s not going to get any better for the Rams. This is a franchise that has not made the playoffs since 2004. They have not finished .500 since 2006, and have finished 7-9 four times in the last six seasons.
Their head coach is Jeff Fisher, who is the king of mediocrity. Fisher is probably one of the most overrated coaches of all time. Fisher was hired as head coach of the Rams in 2012, and has not made the playoffs once since then. Before his tenure with the Rams, he was head coach of the Titans dating all the way back to 1995 when the Titans were the Houston Oilers. In that span, he made the playoffs six times, including a Super bowl appearance. But Fisher’s last playoff appearance with the Titans was in 2008, and he has not been back since.
The fact is, Fisher is not a good head coach. Can you name the offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator of the Rams? Me neither. Aside from Steve McNair, who Fisher already had when he took over as head coach of the Titans, can you name a successful starting quarterback drafted by Fisher? Me neither.
Now, the Rams are stuck with no playmakers and Case Keenum as their starting quarterback. Apparently, Fisher and Los Angeles’ coaching staff feels that Goff is nowhere near ready to play, and their number one pick did not even suit up for Monday’s game and was listed as inactive.
Seriously, though, how much worse than Keenum can Goff be?
What’s crazy is that Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been rumored to be in talks with Fisher about a contract extension. Let’s keep in mind that we’re talking about the same owner who moved the Rams out of his hometown state in Missouri to go to L.A. All he cares about is money, and he clearly has no idea how to run a football team. The proof is in the pudding. Look no further than Fisher, who amazingly still has a job.
Unless your team is a rival of a team like the Rams, no one likes seeing a franchise crumble to the ground. However, it is frustrating to watch especially when some of the issues could be fixed easily, but won’t be because of stubborn ownership.
Los Angeles, I am glad that football is back. I’m sorry that it had to be the Rams.
