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HighPlainsDrifter
not just defensively, but the team as a whole does not seem to take their individual responsibilities seriously. There is no attention to the minute details or nuances of the game. There are a lot of good athletes on the field, but precious few real football players. Players that study the game and study their own position and their opponents with any degree of urgency. Every single unit on this team bears a striking resemblance to a Chinese fire drill, and as long as the players are running hard and sweating a bit, the coaching staff seems pleased with their efforts. Few of these players seem to understand that they are in the NFL now, and there is a high expectation of them, and a higher level that their game needs to aspire to. The attitude seems to be go out there and have some fun and let the chips fall where they may. It's like club football, not professional football.
RAMbeau and I were talking about this very thing yesterday. There doesn't seem to be anybody on the team any more who is a "student of the game", who is dedicated to honing their craft week in and week out and who then shows it on the field. There's nobody other players model after and look up to. Since the GSOT years, the Rams have never had more than 1-3 players like that on the team at a time but it seemed to make some difference when they did. Steven Jackson and Chris Long come to mind.