Ramblin' Fan » NFL Week 3

The Aftermath Of Rams-Ravens

Justin Stine — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:51:05 +0000

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media on Monday, and needless to say it wasn’t the most upbeat presser of all time. I thought he certainly had some interesting things to say about Sunday’s game, especially when he discussed the issues with the defense. According to Spags, the team game-planned to stop Ray Rice. Apparently, they forgot that the Ravens also employ a pretty good quarterback and some talented receivers. Here’s the quote: “Now, here’s what happened and as you watch the film we kind of felt during the game, but it was evident there were, I’m going to roughly say between eight and 10, maybe as many as 11 plays that they called as run plays. But because we had decided to take away 27 (Ray Rice), they turned into pass plays. Now, I think the quarterback when it was all said and done was the guy that beat us. And that’s pretty evident when you throw for 389 (yards), but when I say that it’s because his ability to recognize what we were doing and then him and the receivers being on the same page.” I don’t think I really need to say anything else, because that quote pretty much says it all.

Speaking of defense, Spags addressed the play of Justin King as well. I’ve made it no secret that I don’t believe King should be allowed on the field at this point, but the head coach doesn’t feel the same way. “I wouldn’t bench King anyways. I would say this about Justin King, did he struggle on a couple plays? Yes, but that guy played his butt off the whole game. You watch a couple of plays, he’s throwing himself in there. He caused a fumble on Joe Flacco there, which I thought was a good play. He’s all over the place and he’s playing nickel and he is playing corner. I’ll go to battle with Justin King.” I’m all for standing up for your players, but I know I wouldn’t want King on the battlefield with me. He’s proven he can’t cover anybody. Keep reading for the injury report….

Another Distaser For The Rams

Justin Stine — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:47:18 +0000

I don’t even really know what to say about this team anymore. As I was sitting in the stands watching the 37-7 debacle at the hands of the Ravens, I was trying to remember why exactly everyone was so excited before the season started. Let’s be honest… this team just isn’t very good right now. I’m sick of blaming the injuries. There’s absolutely no excuse for an NFL team to show up with such a lack of fire and enthusiasm for a home game, I don’t care what the scenario is. What I saw today was absolutely unacceptable. It’s almost pointless to point out specific players who weren’t good today, but something has to happen with Justin King. It’s not a personal vendetta against the guy, but he’s not good enough to be on the field right now. I understand that the depth at corner is extremely lacking, but I can’t watch him anymore. As far as Steve Spagnuolo goes, it’s still far too early to make any general statements about his job security. However, something has to change with the way this team operates. I’m going to stop now before I let my emotions get the best of me, so check back tomorrow for an actual recap of the game.

Jackson Not Looking Good For Sunday

Justin Stine — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:14:02 +0000

We are getting closer to Sunday, and the news on Steven Jackson isn’t looking promising. After giving it a go in practice on Thursday, SJ39 did not participate on Friday and is still being called a game-time decision for Sunday against the Ravens. Honestly, I really thought Jackson would be good to go this week, and he still might play, but at this point it’s not looking good. As far as Cadillac Williams goes, he was limited today and will also likely be a game-time decision. It sounds as if Caddy is the more likely of the two to be active, but right now it doesn’t sound like we will know much before Sunday.

Ben Leber was limited in practice as well today, and he’s being called questionable for the Ravens. If I had to put money on it, I’d say he’s going to play but we don’t know for sure at this point. I think Leber is going to be an important factor if he does suit up, so let’s hope for the best.

For the Ravens, it looks like wide receiver Lee Evans will be out Sunday, and David Reed, Ben Grubbs and Jimmy Smith have all missed practice this week. Cory Redding and Terrance Cody have been limited this week, but they are both expected to play.