Blame in Rams Loss Could Be Shared Amongst Many
By Rams Nation's Don Ackerman
First, you could blame the loss on the defense. The Rams strength in 2003 was
their defense. In 2004, the defense look soft throughout most of the game. The
Panther's racked up 216 yards on 41 rushes. The Panthers average 5.3 yards per
rush and QB Delhomme was the only Panther without positive yards. As if that
wasn't enough, the Panther's QB looked like anything but a rookie as he completed
16 of 27 passes for 290 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interceptions. Yes, we
could blame the D.
But we could blame other Rams, too. Let's blame head coach Mike Martz who squandered
a chance to win the game but running about 35 seconds off the clock to settle
on a game-tying field goal. I saw squandered because the Rams had first down
at the 15-yard line with 1 timeout in their pocket. (By the way, don't blame
Martz for wasting timeouts. When the Rams need one, they had one!). Instead
of trying...anything..., Martz let the clock run down and Wilkins hit a gimme
field goal (a 33-yarder) and Martz was ready to stake his fate on a coin flip.
He was very wrong to do so. The Panthers drove 41-yards and lined up for a field
goal to win the game. Martz was bailed out of boiling hot water when John Kasay
missed a 45-yarder. The defense let him down but a miracle saved him. Bad move,
Mike.
We could also blame Marc Bulger. His three interceptions doomed the Rams and
his lackluster performance influenced Martz to go conservative. If Marc could
avoid one of the interceptions....
Why not blame Torry Holt. This all-pro receiver dropped a sure touchdown pass
as he beat the coverage. In a field goal kicker's dream game, a touchdown by
Torry could have been the difference. If that's not enough, Torry could have
prevented one of Bulger's INTs by outwrestling Ricky Manning for a pass. Yes,
I could put some blame on Torry.
Yes, a lot of blame could be passed out amongst the Rams.
Or you could simply blame none of the Rams. I say we blame the Panthers for
coming to Saint Louis and kicking our butts in our house in front of us. Yes,
I think that is where the blame solely lies. Yes, I blame those darn Panthers.
Not Blame, But Credit
I can also tell you who deserve not blame, but credit.
Give credit to Mike Martz for engineering an amazing comeback. In under three
minutes, Martz's team put 11 points on the board. That my friends is the potential
this offense has.
Give credit to field goal kicker Jeff Wilkins. Though he missed a 53-yarder
which is asking a lot, Jeff was basically the Rams offense with field goals
of 20, 26, 24, 51, and 33 yards. Making a 51-yarder is why Wilkins deserves
a trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
Give the fans credit. When the game was on the line, the fans screamed and
yelled their hearts out. For six quarters, fans gave their all in support of
the Saint Louis Rams. In overtime, it was especially tough when the Rams game
up third down conversion after third down conversion (Don't forget that the
Panthers scored on third and fourteen!). This did not stop the cheering but
the Rams fans started again on the next first down. Yes, give credit to the
fans.
Ram on,
Don, the Rams Nation columnist can be contacted at
Don@RamsNation.org.