Rams Unspirited in Loss
By Rams Nation's Don Ackerman
In theory, this provided the Saint Louis Rams the motivation to win a game and
make the road to Houston go through the Edward Jones Dome. Well...it wasn't
enough.
Sunday the Rams laid an eagle-sized egg. In the second half of a 20-30 loss,
the Rams were outscored 20 to 0. I saw two highlights in that second half:
1. The Rams converted a 4th and 5 when Arlen Harris took a direct snap for
6 yards. This kept the Rams alive with 4 minutes left in the game.
2. Kurt Warner was finally pulled off the shelf and given some gametime.
The first half looked pretty good. Going into the tunnel up 20-10, the Rams
looked like they could win another ugly game. Getting the second half kickoff,
you had to think the Rams would fight for the NFC's best record.
For me, this game was suspect when I watched the pre-game and the Rams in the
huddle gearing up for Sunday football. The Rams yelled something like "Best
record" but I hear no Marine-like hoo-rah. Watching the second half, I
had to look back at that moment and realize that maybe I did see something.
Focus On and Now Away from Saint Louis
This week the Rams have deservedly been covered in the sports magazines. I've
seen articles in Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News talking about the
Rams. Winning ugly games has kept the focus away from the Saint Louis Rams but
owning the best record in the NFC brought back the spotlight. Gone is the Greatest
Show on Turf, this team wins ugly games. Though defense wins championships,
it rarely makes SportsCenter. So the Rams were getting looked at by the media.
Today's loss at Detroit will turn the focus back to the team that could host
the NFC championship and did end up with the best record (though by tiebreaker).
Maybe, this is good. Maybe the Rams have to be underdogs. Like starting 1-2,
maybe the Rams need a goal, an obstacle. I sure hope so because they have one.
To Be the Best, Beat the Best
Now things are interesting again and the nay-sayers will say the Rams cannot
win in Philadelphia. First off, the Eagles can't win in Philadelphia, why worry
about Saint Louis? The Eagles are 5-3 on the road and lost last year's NFC Championship
in Philly against the sun-baked Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When
the Rams took the edge in best record, Philly players and media reminded us
the Eagles are 7-1 on the road and might actually prefer a road game. Yeah,
right!! There's no way. The Rams players disputed that thought and told the
truth - we like playing at home.
Now the Rams still can play at home. They must win in two weeks and watch the
game in Philly. Part of me wants the Rams to go to Philly. Part of me wants
them at home. I want them at home because the Ed is a great place for the Rams
to play ball. They win at home. It's that simple. Even in the disappointing
2002 when the Rams were a bad team, the Rams were 6-2 at home. The dome's a
great place to play in front of the home fans. But a part of me wants the Rams
to struggle and rise above it all. I want the Rams to test their mettle and
define themselves as a team who doesn't care how they win. They can win because
of their offensive weapons, they can win because their defense is superior and
they can win at home and on the road. A part of me wants them winning in bad
situations to show the fortitude they can have. Yes, part of me wants the Rams
to be the best because they beat the best! Hopefully, they can be that and then
some.
Wow, the playoffs start in 6 days. Are you ready?
Ram on,
Don
Don, the Rams Nation columnist can be contacted at Don@RamsNation.org.