Differential disappointment: Diagnosing St. Louis’ slump
Two seasons ago, the St. Louis Rams finished with the worst record in the league at 1-15. After drafting quarterback Sam Bradford in the offseason, the Rams were able to improve to 7-9 in 2010, almost winning their division and getting into the playoffs. With their impressively quick turnaround, it seemed likely that the Rams would stay competitive for the top spot in the weak NFC West in 2011.
This season though, the Rams have taken a step back. So far, they’re dead last in the NFC with a point differential of minus-67. St. Louis didn’t play Sunday due to a bye week, so fans are hoping that will give them some time to find a way to regain some composure. Still, with a poor first quarter of the season coming after so much offseason promise, the causes for failure need to be exposed.
The question is just what those causes are, however. Justin Stine of Ramblin’ Fan doesn’t see one specific thing hampering the Rams.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one exact reason why the Rams have started 0-4 this season,” Stine said. “Injuries have certainly been an issue, with top players like Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Danny Amendola and Jerome Murphy out for the season and guys like Steven Jackson missing time over the first few weeks.”
Stine said the injuries are far from the only concern, though.
“Coaching has seemingly been a problem as well, and there is some growing skepticism here in St. Louis about whether head coach Steve Spagnuolo and [offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels are the right men for the job,” he said. “I think part of the issue has to do with the schedule as well, as starting with Philadelphia, NY Giants, Baltimore Ravens and an improved Washington Redskins team wasn’t a walk in the park.”
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To Stine, a major issue is the young and unsure Rams offense that isn’t able to decide on its offensive identity.
“The Rams have some nice weapons in Steven Jackson, Sam Bradford and some talented young receivers and tight ends, but as a fan who watches every play closely, I don’t know what the offense is trying to do,” Stine said. “Are they a pass-first offense who wants to work down the field, or are they a team that wants to establish a run and use that to open up the pass? Until this group figures out who they are, they are going to struggle to be consistent.”
Although there is a noticeable lack of veterans on offense (the Rams had the seventh-youngest offense going into this season and the second-youngest starters on offense), they have still had chances to develop and learn from mistakes. Stine doesn’t see their mistakes being corrected after each game, though, and he thinks it’s fair to criticize head coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney for the team’s poor execution.
With their bye week concluding, it now to be seen if the Rams will be able to make the best out of the rest of the season. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, however,with a Week 6 game at Green Bay up next. It might be too late to see a playoff run, but St. Louis can still make the best out of its situation. Stine points out that the Rams’ remaining three games before the halfway point of the season are against the Packers, Saints and Cowboys, and he feels it’s safe to say that the team will be 0-7 if things don’t improve.
“The schedule in the second half is considerably easier, but from what I’ve seen thus far, I don’t think this team will win more than five games this season if nothing changes.”
For a team that entered this year as a division favorite and a young squad on the rise, that’s an extremely disappointing outlook. Perhaps it shows that sustaining progress can be just as tough as starting it.
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