The Dallas Cowboys brought their circus to town. They brought some of their obnoxious fans into town. They had every television and radio pundit from ESPN to Fox picking them to trample the St.Louis Rams.
Sorry. This newly inspired football team proved all the talking heads wrong for a second consecutive week. Head coach Jim Haslett has done a masterful job of coaching this team since the departure of Scott Linehan.
St. Louis 34, Dallas 14.
Jim Haslett has done something that Scott Linehan could not do. That is keep this team motivated to play four quarters of football. Haslett was all over the place during the game against the Dallas Cowboys. He stayed in somebody face the entire game. He never stopped coaching. After the Rams surrendered a touchdown on the opening drive, he got right in the face of his defense and challenged them.
The next Dallas Cowboy offensive possession ended with a three-and-out. The following series with the Cowboys now trailing 14-7 linebacker Will Witherspoon intercepted a pass from quarterback Brad Johnson. That led to another Ram touchdown. The 21-point outburst was the biggest of the season so far. It was also the biggest total since the 2001 season against the Carolina Panthers.
As the game trudged along, you could start to feel the confidence of the St. Louis Rams increasing. Highly-criticized quarterback Marc Bulger played with some poise and some emotion. After his 42-yard strike to rookie wideout Donnie Avery in the first quarter, Bulger showed a rare outburst with his fist punching in the air.
Not to confuse him with the likes of Brett Favre, it was a pleasant sight to see this side of Bulger. He had only five incomplete passes and he had a passer rating over 100 for the first time this year. The Rams stuck to the running game today and it was a good move. Steven Jackson had a monster game averaging over six yards a carry, including a 56-yard touchdown rumble to put the game out of reach in the third quarter.
On this Sunday, the Rams take the show on the east coast to play the New England Patriots. The Rams are turning the non-believers into believers. The Rams now believe they can beat anybody anywhere, anytime. I’m on board. But, does two wins in a row change anything? Absolutely it does. It changes the atmosphere in the locker room. This football team was once left for dead. They were punch lines for the network talking heads. They became punching bags for the local talking heads here. Then came the disposal of one of the sorriest coach that has ever graced the sideline for the St.Louis Rams.
I can say this much. After the past two football games you can’t tell me that this team wanted to play for Scott Linehan. It is blatantly obvious who this team would rather play for. Scott Linehan couldn’t even motivate the guys he brought in here to play for him.
I don’t know how long this is going to last. For the meantime, the last two weeks has provided us the perfect elixir from the last 20 games prior.
Any questions or comments email me at Livnlegend@hotmail.com.
