RamView : From Row HH
By Rams Nation's Mike Franke
Position by position:
QB: Marc Bulger silenced his critics, for a week, anyway, with
a steady performance today (15-20-222). The key for Marc today was pass protection.
He was not hassled often, and as a result, passed much more accurately than
he had the previous three weeks. Marc didn't start off great, forcing the Rams
to settle for a FG on their second drive after taking a sack on 2nd-and-goal
from the 2 and skipping a pass to Torry Holt wide open in the end zone on 3rd
down. But he started the next drive by hitting Isaac Bruce for 25 and Holt for
22 and finished it with a 4-yard TD to Bruce, a nice throw and a nice job waiting
for Isaac to break his route in the end zone to the inside. Bulger forced a
bomb for Holt late in the 2nd that the Vikings intercepted and converted into
a 17-17 tying TD. But working from the Ram 19 with 0:47 left, Marshall Faulk
caught a 30-yard pass, and Bulger hit Holt for 18 to put Jeff Wilkins in position
for a 51-yard FG. Bulger basically put the game away after Tyoka Jackson's interception
in the 3rd. From the Viking 12, he wisely exploited the open middle of the field
for a TD scramble to make the game 34-17, Rams. That capped off a game where
Bulger ran the offense very efficiently, with just the one turnover and just
the one sack, cutting way back on the dumb mistakes that had been keeping bad
opponents in the game the last couple of weeks.
RB: When you score a TD the first time you touch the ball, it's
a good day, and that's what Marshall Faulk had, bursting off left tackle with
an 18-yard TD on the Rams' first play from scrimmage. Late in the half, he ran
30 yards with a short Bulger pass to help set up Wilkins' long FG. Faulk had a
5-yard TD run in the 3rd and a 7-yard TD run in the 4th to salt the game away.
Those three TDs moved him ahead of Walter Payton and Jim Brown and into 5th on
the all-time TD list. But neither of those were Marshall's most memorable run
of the day, en route to 108 on only 17 rushes. That would be his 29-yard run in
the 4th, a designed run right where he spun out of a tackle, cut back left, hit
a second spin move, and suddenly he's all alone down the left side line for a
big gain. That was vintage Marshall – no, that surpassed vintage Marshall.
His wheels looked as good today as they have in three seasons, so look out, NFL,
Marshall Faulk is back.
WR: Torry Holt may have lost the one-on-one battle with Randy Moss today – 8-102 vs. 10-160, but there's little question he outworked
his fellow league leader, including throwing effective blocks on all three of
Faulk's TD runs. And Bulger missed Holt for a couple of open TDs, or he would
have topped Moss. Isaac Bruce (3-49) stole the show, though, catching a TD in
the 2nd and throwing a 41-yard gadget pass, off a reverse, to Dane Looker in the
3rd. That was a nicer pass than a lot of NFL QBs throw. Bruce was responsible
for 61 yards on that drive, which ended in Faulk's 2nd TD. The Ram WRs also controlled
the 2nd Ram TD drive. That was a 4-yard TD to Bruce, but they got there with long
catches by Holt and Bruce, a 14-yard Bruce reverse and Holt drawing a holding
penalty. The offense did not have to show a lot of depth at receiver today, because
these two took over the game.
Offensive line: Orlando Pace is the one lineman who's played
well week in and week out, and he played well again today, as two of Faulk's TDs
were to the left. And Faulk got a nice block from Kyle Turley on his 3rd TD. Pass
protection was superb. Bulger was sacked only once and usually had plenty of time
to throw. The few Minnesota blitzes were picked up capably by Faulk and Brandon Manumaleuna. Manu laid a crushing block toward the end of Marshall's double-spin
run in the 4th to boot. But the big news is that (after 12 games) the Rams have
found their fullback, and he's Joey Goodspeed. One postgame show noted he had
12 knockdown blocks today. Faulk got the best running room he's gotten this season
in part because Good-speed knocked so many Vikings around. Goodspeed coming into
his own and Manumaleuna delivering much-awaited physical play could be the pieces
that really put the Ram running game over the top.
Defensive line / LB: Leonard Little walked off the injury report
and right into a starting DE position in the Pro Bowl with a dominating performance:
4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. The defense stopped Minnesota's first two drives by
holding Michael Bennett to 4 yards on 4 rushes, but the Vikings pulled within
10-7 at the end of the 1st, with Bennett finding huge holes on cutbacks and the
line not coming up with enough heat to disrupt Daunte Culpepper. But after the
Rams made it 17-7, Lovie Smith turned on the blitz, with positive results. Little
got his first sack, and Adam Archuleta crashed through unblocked for a big 3rd-down
sack in the red zone, forcing a FG. They nearly held after Bulger's interception,
but an 18-yard scramble by Culpepper and Moe Williams' almost-lucky twist into
the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the 1 pulled the Vikings even. But the Rams
really went on the attack after halftime. Archuleta's second sack on Minnesota's
first 2nd-half drive led to a FG try where their attempted fake failed. The Rams
went up 10. Next possession, Little gets his 2nd sack, and on a 3rd-down blitz,
Tommy Polley makes the too-little-appreciated effort of getting his hand up, and
deflects Culpepper's pass to Tyoka Jackson, who made like Bronko Nagurski and
returned it 11 yards to the Viking 12. Rams go up 17. Early in the 4th, the Vikings
drove smartly down to the Ram 10, but here comes Little again, blazing in for
his 3rd sack and drilling the ball loose from Culpepper. A blitzing Aeneas Williams
grabbed that and outraced two Vikings for a 90-yard return TD. Rams up 24. The
next Viking drive was crushed by another successful blitz up the gut, a sack this
time for Pisa Tinoisamoa. The Rams went up 31. Little killed another Viking drive
with a 4th-down sack-and-fumble, and Jackson added a late sack, the Rams' EIGHTH.
The Ram defense dictated the game to the Vikings, who couldn't handle the hard-charging
Little or the well-placed blitz up the middle any time today.
Secondary: I guess we'll let Randy Moss off the hook today for
playing with a bum ankle. Whether he was at 50% capacity or 50% effort, the Ram
secondary only looked 50% interested in covering him, as he cruised to 160 yards
on 10 catches. Moss was wide open in gaps in the Rams' soft zone even more than
his big numbers indicate. The only time the Rams really slowed him down was when
Aeneas Williams matched up on him in the slot. Aeneas always got in a good jam.
Down 34-17, Moss didn't, or couldn't, make an effort for extra yards on a reverse
or a 3rd-down catch where Jason Sehorn stopped him, so Minnesota was forced into
the 4th down where Aeneas recovered Culpepper's fumble and outran him and Moe
Williams for a long return TD. Ram DBs were biggest factors on blitzes, Aeneas
on the return TD, and Adam Archuleta on his two sacks. Archuleta tied Polley for
the team lead in tackles with 11. Excellent, excellent effort.
Special teams: Special teams turned the tide of the game positively
for the Rams. Jamie Duncan blocked the first Viking punt to set up Faulk's first
TD. Jeff Wilkins stuck a 51-yard FG as time ran out in the first half. That kick,
which would have been good from 61, made the score 20-17, Rams. The Vikings then
tried an ill-advised fake FG in the 3rd, instead of going for the tie. Brian Young
blew that up, the Rams drove for a TD, and the rout was on. Wilkins had two FGs,
kick coverage was good every time down, and they've gone two straight weeks without
giving up a TD – good job!
Coaching/discipline: A mini-complaint first: Bulger's intercepted
bomb was a horrible call by Mike Martz, a completely unnecessary call at that
juncture of the game. Faulk only had 9 carries at halftime and should have got
the ball more than he did. So much for that. Just about everything else Martz
touched today turned to gold. The reverse WR option pass from Bruce to Looker
was a flashback to the Greatest Show days, and it was executed perfectly by Isaac.
Faulk's 2nd TD was the art of deception at its finest. Manu went in motion right,
the whole line blocked right, I think Bulger even rolled right – but Faulk
is running left all the way, and gets the TD with the help of a Holt block. Lovie
Smith deserves huge credit today as well. He got the defense adjusted during the
game and hit the Vikings with a flurry of blitzes they were unable to answer.
The blitzing was a major difference in the game, really disrupting Minnesota's
#1-ranked offense. The decisive, and probably worst, call of this game goes to
Vikings coach Mike Tice, for trying a shovel pass out of FG formation instead
of kicking a potential 20-20 tying FG in the 3rd. The play flopped miserably,
and the Rams never looked back. The Vikings blitzed very little themselves, considering
the Rams' recent vulnerability to it. Also, there were a couple of short-yardage
situations where the Rams left a gaping hole right over center, but Culpepper
and the Vikings were not savvy enough to just have the 260-lb QB run up in there
right off the snap. Last week, Tice said he liked his team's matchups for this
game. I assume he did not mean the coaching matchup, because Mike Martz and staff
beat his staff soundly there.
Upon further review: The Terry McAulay crew wasn't very good,
so it’s a good thing the Rams kept them out of the game. Some of Bennett's
longer runs were helped immeasurably by blatant holds by the tackle or the WRs
downfield. Minnesota fumbled away the opening kickoff but got the ball back from
the sleeping refs. They also appeared to call Jim Kleinsasser down at the 1 on
a play where he'd actually scored, but the Vikes scored two plays later, and they
did call a couple of penalties for defensive downfield contact on the drive that
led to Bruce's TD, so I'll spare them a flunking grade, but not by much.
Cheers: It was good to have the Rams home again for just the
second time in six weeks. The well-rested home crowd was a big factor today, likely
forcing 4 of the Vikings' 6 false starts. Just when you think the crowd can't
roar any louder, Minnesota tries to audible and the crowd cranks it up to 11.
Bulger got a sarcastic cheer after throwing a ball away to avoid a sack in the
first half, leading to ESPN's Ed Werder basically asking Bulger after the game
how he feels about the fans hating him. Don't hurt your foot kicking that dead
QB controversy horse, Ed. Note to HBO: there were a lot of exciting plays in today's
game, so you might think about including Rams' highlights on the next "Inside
The NFL", unlike last week. Thanks.
Who’s next?: The Rams hit Cleveland for an important game
next Monday night, important because there's the Eagles to catch for the #1 playoff
position in the NFC, and because the Seahawks are still a game back and visiting
St. Louis in a couple of weeks. With that Seattle game looming, the game in Cleveland
is a classic "trap" game. The Browns are playing like a team that has
packed it in, though. They're 4-8 and have scored just 13 points in two weeks,
including a 34-7 wipeout in Seattle today. Butch Davis' game of musical QBs ended
abruptly today when Tim Couch (no relation) injured his knee, so it'll be Kelly Holcomb Monday night. Holcomb is capable of putting up big yards, and the Browns
have a fast and dangerous WR corps even after letting Kevin Johnson go a couple
of weeks ago. But Holcomb is awful under pressure, and the Browns have no running
game in the wake of William Green's suspension to take the heat off him. So a
big key Monday night is getting a good pass rush on Holcomb against a pretty mediocre
Brown offensive line, where ex-Ram Ryan Tucker has probably been the best player.
Cleveland's run defense has had bad games of historic proportions this year. Jamal Lewis set the NFL single-game record against them. LaDainian Tomlinson trashed
them for 200 yards. Shaun Alexander had 127 today, and hell, even Jerome Bettis
cracked 90 on them a couple of weeks ago. So once again, the call goes out for
a steady diet of Marshall Faulk. Cleveland has the #2 pass defense in the NFL,
even though their disappointing defensive line is near the bottom of the league
in getting to the QB. They may be #2 against the pass because certain teams have
run on them so successfully. Matt Hasselbeck wasn't too bothered today, with 3
TDs and 300+ yards. Monday night looks like another of those road games where
the Rams have their opponent outclassed, and they need to take the Browns out
if they are serious about making a sustained run at a high playoff seed. They
can take this one by playing smart football and getting Faulk and/or Little and
Wistrom's pictures on the Monday Night Football "horse trailer."
-- Mike
Game stats from nfl.com
|