 "NEARLY 8-2!" AND OTHER
BRILLIANT PROPHECIES, BY ZACK NERUDA (Nov 19) |
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EVERYONE'S LOOKING AHEAD. Last Sunday in the middle
of a very dull GB/Dallas game, John Madden said he would cover this Sunday's 9ers/Rams
game. He said something more or less like the following-"I don't know much about the
Rams. I know Warner's hot. They have a lot of speed on offense. But I really don't know
what else they've got." Oh well. Anyway, it is almost no exaggeration to say
that that bit of news generated more interest among Rams fans than the upcoming game
itself. That's how far things have come. Used to be, a Rams/9ers game would generate more interest than any other possible game...and now, with the rise of the Rams and the collapse of the 9ers, Rams fans almost seem more interested in who is covering the game than the game itself. Why? They assume it will be a blowout. Actually, I don't assume that, not entirely anyway, though I am clearly in the minority on that. I have seen too many strange upsets and surprises in my time to feel all safe making predictions. Don't get me wrong---even I am smart enough to recognize that the 9ers don't stand a chance...it's just that, you never know. So all that "wise caution" aside, OBVIOUSLY the safe bet is the Rams. They have too much firepower, too much defense, and too much pride. Unless they stumble all over themselves with stupid turnovers, it's the Rams. Which, naturally, inevitably, is why Rams fans all over the net seem to be thinking about the future more than the coming game. The playoffs. Next year. Free agency, The draft, even (will it be a CB, OT, or DT? Who will be there in the lowest ends of the first round? Etc.) What about Green coming back? How about next year's schedule? Sign of the times. All of a sudden, the future counts. Going with the safe bet, you have to say that the Rams will be 8-2 after Sunday...one game away from being assured of their first winning season in a decade. Only a game or two away from owning the NFC West outright. The fight now is for homefield advantage in the playoffs. Last January seems like it is way in the past, way back in the dark ages. It WAS the dark ages. I mean, things WERE darker back then. And now...guess which game most of the Minnesotta players will be watching Sunday during their bye week....? -:) THE SF GAME. Speaking of chugging along. Where are the dangers or pitfalls in this game? There will be all sorts of opinions on this, but honestly, I think it will have to do with the SF front 7. SF blitzed the Rams heavily and set Haley on Miller. The result? Haley threatened Warner some, and on one play, McDonald stripped Warner for a fumble and defensive TD. The blitz was interesting. McDonald lined up outside Williams with Pace occupied with the end. This isolated Miller on Haley. Result? McDonald blew right past Williams. Why is this significant? That is exactly the defensive alignment Tennessee used to take the first quarter of the Titans game. In fact, I will betcha anything Fisher got the idea from watching tapes of the SF game. Overload the left side of the OL, occupy Pace, force the TE and RBs to deal with the (offensive leftside) blitz, and isolate Miller on a speed rusher. That was all SF's idea. My guess is that the SF defense will come up with something new to try on the Rams, or some devilish variation on what they tied before. Except for their miserable secondary, SF has a proud, smart, veteran defense, and this game will mean something to them. I always believe that the defense is the pride and fire of a team-if SF has anything left in them at all, they will bring it in this game. They are at home. They are facing the division leader. They were humiliated in the earlier game. The first Rams/SF game began the slide they are still on (remember back on Oct 10, SF came to St. Louis 3-1, having just beaten the Titans at home, and their secondary had not been completely exposed yet...& Garcia still looked promising). So I say that with their smarts, their savvy, their pride, their anger, and what is left of their talent, the SF defense will come up with something and play like devils with nothing to lose...for at least a quarter. We'll see. That is one thing worth watching-what the 9ers come up with on defense to expose or take advantage of Rams weaknesses. What else bears watching? * Devin Bush. Is he Lyle's replacement and a future Ram or the one FA mistake from the offseason? Not that Bush will decide the game one way or another, but he is definitely worth watching. For the future as well as for the game itself. * Dre' Bly. 100% guarantee the 9ers go after Bly. How will he hold up? This also points to the future. * Horne. Is he really "back" yet? If he even plays can he pick up where he left off? * Wistrom and Carter. At the end of the last SF game, Carter was standing on the sideline, looking real angry and mean, yelling for the Rams to run a play on the SF goal-line instead of taking a knee. The camera focused on him. It was real. He meant it. Why? My guess-> The SF OL positively went after Wistrom and Carter with every dirty trick they had...holding, tripping, chopping, you name it. Carter was VERY annoyed (if "annoyed" is the right word for a 295 strong fast terror who excels at right defensive end in the NFL...maybe it's more like "filled with awe-inspiring wrath.") I want to see if the Rams DEs set out to exact a little justice of their own...given that the refs positively refused to. * Warner. I actually think the SF defense will come up with something, and Warner will have to react and adjust to some kind of look or pressure designed to thwart him some. The SF front 7 may not be near as good as Detroit's but they will try SOMETHING. After facing 3 determined defenses in a row-defenses that were positively hyped to stop the Rams, a team that is now marked on schedules as a BIG GAME for Rams opponents-Warner has had a chance to see the NFL is like when it gets tough on him. Tennessee, Detroit, and Carolina all did something to take the Rams out of their offensive game, and all three teams played like it was a genuine playoff game (which is one reason why both the Titans and Lions lost the following week, IMO). Now, at this point, Warner can show that he is used to this new level of intensity, having learned to handle it in the crucible of fire facing much more talented teams. In other words, it is possible that this game could visibly show everyone how much Warner has grown as a result of the last three games. He handled himself well before, but now, getting used to it some, maybe he steps up to another level. Worth watching. * Faulk. Two subpar games in a row. Will that lead to positive adjustments? Worth watching. There are other things worth watching in this game (I didn't even mention Owens, Garner, and Stenstrom), but that'll do as a start. INJURIES. What amazes me about the Rams run so far is that contrary to popular (non-Rams fan) myth, they HAVE been dinged up. Lyle and Allen are only the latest. There's Green. Conwell. (Many say that Conwell will add a whole lot to the running game when he comes back.) Holcombe has been banged up. BOTH Faulk and Holcombe had to leave the first SF game. Nutten has been out for a spell. McCleon. Tuten. Wilkins. Granted, it doesn't sound as bad as the Dallas injuries, but it IS real. ` Arguably, because of all these ailments, large and small, the Rams have not even gotten up to full steam yet. Still they just keep chugging along. |
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