OK, admit it. You never thought at the halfway mark of the season the Rams would be 4-4. Having a .500 record is a pleasant surprise to say the least.
Congratulations. You are in a large group of people who thought the same thing. With the exception of players and coaches, some zealous fans who only think one way, most of the rest of the free world never saw this coming. Think back to last season, where at this time, the talk was who were the Rams going to take first on the upcoming draft.
Now, the team has four wins under their belt, which is three more than last year and there are still eight games to play. They are in the worst division in the NFL. Lo and behold, could they be a playoff contender? As of today, the Rams will have something to play for other than a high draft pick.
So, just how did they get there? Folks, it’s very simple … coaching. Steve Spagnuolo and his staff are not blessed with a bunch of Pro Bowl players. They have taken what has been given to them and coached them up. The Rams are short at a variety of positions when it comes to skill, but players have taken advantage of the chance to play and not wasted it.
Veterans like Steven Jackson, James Hall and Fred Robbins have been pros on and off the field and shown the way to the younger players who may have been in need of direction. So far, it’s working, but for how long?
The Rams are short on talent and depth. The injury bug normally bites teams that are short on talent, and the reserves get exposed. That has not been the case for the Rams this year … yet.
The receiving corps has done a remarkable job with the help of first-year quarterback Sam Bradford. The offensive line has been very solid. They have protected Bradford as well as given Jackson a chance to make defenders in the secondary pay for tackling him.
While linemen have not gotten the credit they deserve, the play on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been the real difference for the Rams. The numbers show this in sacks and sacks allowed, as one is up and the other is down.
The question now is what to expect from the Rams for the second half of the season? The schedule is tough but fair. If there is one challenge, the Rams have yet to win on the road and they will have three consecutive road games starting with the last week of November. Hopefully by then the Rams will have a win under their belt as that part of the schedule could be a deciding factor on whether postseason play will be in their future.
It should not take more than 9-10 wins to get into to post season play. I would take another 4-4 just for starters.
Revenge on ESL
Well, what do you know? Someone is out to get the East St. Louis High football program. I was wondering what took them so long to mess with them.
Ah, yes, the old residency rule was pulled out of the sky to attempt to nail the Flyers. If case you have not been following East St. Louis recently, they have annihilated everyone in Southern Illinois over the last few years and no one could do anything about it when it came to playing the games.
What has allegedly took place with the Flyers program is more common than you think. When you are punished the way Flyers handle their opponents, you just knew someone was gonna cry foul.
Shame on East St. Louis for allowing themselves to fall prey to one of the most common methods of the being put in your place. You knew better.
As for who dropped the dime, some published reports point the finger at one of the parents of a player whose residency was in question. Naw, that couldn’t be. Could it? A father throwing his own kid under the bus to prove a point?
The Flyers lived to play another day due to a legal stay to give East St. Louis time to gather information and respond to the punishment set forth by the Illinois High School Association. Why do I have the feeling that the State is not done with East Side?
The two players in question will not be allowed to play. While they are very good, the Flyers should still steamroll anyone who stands in their way as they compete for another championship. Now, if only East St. Louis can beat the State like they have beat their other opponents.
