Tag: St. Louis Rams (Page 11 of 42)

      There’s no way Sam Bradford is a rookie, is he?

      November 28, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Brandford throws during warm ups at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver on November 28, 2010. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

      Sam Bradford continues to amaze me. He’s playing for a team that is so devoid in talent and yet, he continues to do incredible things in his first year.

      With their 36-33 win over the Broncos on Sunday, the Rams are now tied for first place in the NFC West. Granted, they’re 5-6 and play in the worst division in football, but don’t forget that this is a team that only won one game last year. Yet here they are, mostly because of Bradford’s play, fighting every week and in contention for a playoff spot.

      Bradford threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in Denver on Sunday. He now has 11 touchdown passes and one interception since leading receiver Mark Clayton landed on injured reserve. That was right around the time when everyone thought Bradford would start to play like the rookie he is.

      Instead, he’s flourished. The Rams have yet to take the training wheels off, but they don’t need to either. The Falcons kept it simple for Matt Ryan in his rookie season, as did the Ravens with Joe Flacco. There’s still plenty of time for Bradford to adjust to defenses and make calls at the line of scrimmage after he’s learned what the pro game is all about. Ryan has just begun to look like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady when it comes to dissecting defenses and he’s in his third year. Bradford still has time to grow and he’s only a rookie.

      And that’s what the most impressive thing is: he’s not playing like a rookie. He’s poised. He’s comfortable. He’s in control. He’s winning. He has given the city of St. Louis something to cheer about again after several miserable seasons.

      The Rams still have a long way to go if they want to reach the playoffs, but it’s not like the Seahawks (who are also 5-6) are ready to claim the division. They were just blown out at home by the Chiefs.

      Why not the Rams?

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 11.1 ROY power rankings

      November 28, 2010 /

      Every week, I have to add a new name to this list, and that’s really saying something as players have to make major adjustments to the NFL game their first year.

      1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Hung in tough against Patriots, racking up another sack and three tackles. Not huge numbers, but it’s more his presence in the middle.

      2. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—Hung tough in Atlanta despite a loss; but who was really expecting Rams to win that or to be still in contention at Thanksgiving?

      3. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks—55 tackles and 5 picks through 10 games after a fine game in a losing effort at New Orleans.

      4. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—Of all his numbers, the 63.8% completion percentage as a rookie is the most impressive, especially because you probably can’t name more than one of his receivers.

      5. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—He made it clear on Thanksgiving that he wants the ball more, as his 0 catches proves. And maybe he should get the ball more.

      6. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—Continues to put points up on a team that might surprise with a postseason berth.

      7. Devin McCourty, New England Patriots—61 tackles, including 30 in his last four games; and 5 picks, most notably two on a national stage this past Thursday.

      8. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—Don’t look solely at his numbers, just watch the kid play on Sunday.

      9. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals—Slowed recently, but still a bright spot on a crappy team.

      10. Jordan Shipley, Cincinnati Bengals—A tough TD against the Jets on a national stage surely won’t hurt his chances here.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 11.1 COY power rankings

      November 28, 2010 /

      Are the Bucs for real? Who knows, but their coach sure is.

      1. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—Despite how well the Falcons and Saints are playing, the Bucs are making a case for three teams to come out of the NFC South for the playoffs.

      2. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—If he can hold off the Chargers, he’ll stay here. But that’s a big IF.

      3. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles—Raise your hand if you picked the Eagles to win the NFC East. That’s what I thought.

      4. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—One game out of first, and it’s almost December. Yeah, the NFC West is kind of a joke, but still.

      5. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—The current top seed in the NFC. I wonder what Bobby Petrino is doing these days.

      6. (tie) Bill Belichick, New England Patriots and Rex Ryan, New York Jets—The mad scientist is probably watching film of the Jets all holiday weekend to get a jump; but don’t think Rex isn’t doing the same.

      7. Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears—He’ll stay here if his team beats Green Bay again (January 2 at Lambeau).

      8. Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars—They’re what? Leading the AFC South after Week 11?

      9. Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders—Hard to believe this guy was so close to losing his job a year ago, and look at him now.

      10. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—Things were bleak in Pittsburgh after a crappy end to 2009 and not having Big Ben for four games to start 2010. But now they are 7-3 and one of the better teams in the AFC.

      External Sports, NFL

      Are the Falcons becoming a pass-first team under Matt Ryan?

      November 21, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - NOVEMBER 2: Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons throws a pass against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of the game at the Louisiana Superdome on November 2, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      For the past two years the Falcons have largely been known as a run-first team, which makes sense because they are.

      Or were.

      For the past two weeks the Falcons have gotten away from their mantra of allowing Michael Turner and the running game to set up Matt Ryan and the passing game. In their 26-21 win over the Ravens last Thursday night, seven of their first nine plays were passes and for the most part, they stuck with the pass even after they built a two-score lead.

      In their 34-17 win over the Rams on Sunday, Turner racked up 131 yards on 28 carries but 39 of those yards came on one touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Truth be told, Atlanta had issues running the ball with consistency for much of the game and relied mostly on Ryan’s arm to earn their NFC-best eighth win.

      Ryan was outstanding. He completed 26-of-39 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions (although he was nearly picked off in the end zone in the second half). Whenever the Falcons needed a big play, it was Ryan finding Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins through the air – not Turner churning out first downs on the ground. That’s not to say Turner was ineffective or wasn’t a part of the game plan because he was (on both accounts). But it’s becoming clear that offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is putting the game more on Ryan’s shoulders, which is good seeing as how well the third-year quarterback has handled the pressure.

      That said, a balanced offense remains the key to the Falcons’ success. Ryan has looked great running the no-huddle and has done his most damage when he can read the defense and to check to plays at the line of scrimmage. But Atlanta found some balance late in the third quarter against St. Louis and that’s when the Falcons were at their best offensively. There was little the Rams could do as Atlanta marched up the field methodically and dominated time of possession. The Falcons are dangerous right now because they have so many weapons that they can throw at a defense. But balance is everything.

      Next week should be fun. The Falcons host the Packers in what could be a potential playoff showdown in the Georgia Dome.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 10 ROY power rankings

      November 21, 2010 /

      This is turning out to be a fine rookie class, isn’t it? There are game-changers on both sides of the ball:

      1. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—On pace for 73 catches, 958 yards, and 9 TDs; but also he’s averaging a ridiculous 14.4 yards on punt returns with 2 scores. Absolutely electrifying.

      2. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—A monster in the middle, and something Detroit has not had in a long, long time.

      3. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—It’s not like he’s throwing to Roddy White or Hakeem Nicks or Antonio Gates. In fact, I don’t know who this kid is throwing to.

      4. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks—47 tackles and 4 picks through 9 games. That’s a full season for many safeties.

      5. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—If the Browns had beaten the Jets, and they almost did, we’d be talking potentially squeaking into the playoffs. And this kid is a huge reason the Browns are playing with confidence.

      6. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—DUI might hurt his chances for the top spot, but still no denying his numbers (40, 627, 5).

      7. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals—Give it a year or two, and this dude will be fawned over the way Jermichael Finley was this year.

      8. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—He’s going to make life miserable for whoever is quarterbacking the Cardinals these days.

      9. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Slowed after a fast start and injury, but finally Megatron has defenses paying attention to someone else.

      10, Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs—If he hadn’t hurt his ankle, this Ole Miss product might be higher on this list.

      External Sports, NFL

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