The Rams were a significantly better team on Sunday than they had been the past three games. That team was easily worse than the Detroit Lions, but it seemed like Steven Jackson being back changed the complexion of everything, including the defense and special teams. Well, everything except the man taking snaps. Jackson ran the ball 21 times and gained 94 yards. Josh Brown and Donnie Jones were excellent kicking and punting, and the defense held the Miami Dolphins to only 16 points. Alas, it still wasn't enough for a Rams victory. Marc Bulger -- despite good run support from Jackson and Antonio Pittman -- was simply dreadful. He connected on less than half his pass attempts and was intercepted three times -- including a game-ender on their last-gasp attempt, when he badly overthrew Derek Stanley.
A head-to-head battle between the top two draft picks was also of interest. Jake Long was squaring off against Chris Long. Considering Chris didn't record a single stat, it would appear Jake got the best of Howie's kid. It was a close matchup, though, as Chris wasn't severely abused by any means. Both have worlds of potential in this league moving forward.
For the Dolphins, the good news is they won the game. They can, however, leave St. Louis realizing they were lucky to get a win with the way they played today. They were penalized 10 times for 94 yards, didn't run the ball as well as they should have against this terrible Rams' run defense, and converted only four of 12 third downs.
As a side note, I was incredibly bored watching this game. The Dolphins' creative play-calling only was used a few times, there were no real big plays, and the scoring comprised of field goals and a short-yardage run. C'mon guys, if I'm covering a game, gimme some action. I will point out one exciting play. The Fins handed the ball to Ronnie Brown, he went left, but then stopped and appeared to look for a throw-back to Chad Pennington. It would have been a very dangerous pass at that point, so Brown ventured back towards the middle and eventually found David Martin downfield for what appeared to be a significant gain. Only Martin fumbled and the Rams recovered. So that was exciting. One play in three hours.
The Dolphins, now 7-5 and still a game out of the wild card, will travel to Toronto for a tilt with the Bills next week.
The Rams, well, it really doesn't matter.
Finally, rookie wideout Davone Bess was a serious part of the Miami offense for the second straight week. It will be interesting to see how he develops -- with Greg Camarillo out for the season -- in this young and exciting offense with opposite Ted Ginn.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-30-2008 @ 7:05PM
HGRMD said...
Great to see Miami's record improve to 7-4, especially considering last year's lost season. However, I don't think they are as good as their record. To barely squeak by Oakland, Seattle, and St. Louis tells me that the playoffs are unliikely this year. Hope I'm wrong, but Miami's still got a long way to go.
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12-01-2008 @ 8:08AM
jef said...
i think they are as good as their record. there offensive and defensive ratings are respectable. there turnover ratio is one of the best in the league. a good front line and improving every week. solid running game. can pressure the oposing quarterback. 10 wins is very much possible...
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12-02-2008 @ 3:53PM
Bob said...
It is time to check out Brock Berlin to determine if it is necessary to pick one of the good young quarterbacks coming out of the draft is on the boards when the Rams again pick early. Maybe it is time for an all-out shake up and look for a deal with Michael Vick. A winning season and some excitement and most will be forgiven. How about bringing in Cower as the GM/Coach with Romeo Cronell as defensive coordinator? If Berlin is worth a damn, then the pick can be used for another offensive lineman and another in free agency. Until the OL is fixed, it doesn't matter who is at QB or RB. And it is time to give up on trying to find CBs in the draft. Go get the top free agent available and see if Tye Hill can stay on his bony legs for more than a week. If not, Fakhir or someone can become a servicable CB on the other side. Why the Rams didn't get DeAngelo Hall when he was available and they had no CB on the roster better than a Division II College CB is still a mystery to me. The front DL is going to be fine and the LB situation should be fine with Witherspoon, Culbertson and Tino. Cornerback is good if we don't lose Atogwe and Chavous has another few years left in him. And, with some protection, Bulger might be OK. He is suffering David Carr-itis right now. He played this week with a concussion. Everyone thought Kurt Warner had nothing left to offer and he may well get another MVP. How about Kerry Collins? Some of these guys can recover. But without an overhaul and some real football people in the front office, we are going to have the same frustrations next year. By the way, it is time to give Greco and Shoening a chance to show what they can do. It is time to say "goodbye and job well done" to Orlando. Every warrior needs to know when to quit. And Chip, if you don't give a damn, get out of the business. Because right now you are an embarassment to St. Louis and professional football in general.
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