I couldn't stomach the way the Rams season came to an end. I had to stop watching the playoff game when it became clear that the Rams weren't prepared for it, and I had to get away from it for a while. I have noticed that Sean McVay has something in common with Mike Martz. He is an offensive genius, but he can also be clueless. I am hoping that this is mainly due to his youth and that, unlike Martz, he has what it takes to lead the Rams to a championship.
I recently watched a playoff game in 2003 that was a good example of Martz' cluelessness. After trailing by 11 points late in the 4th quarter, the Rams scored a TD, got the two point conversion, and then Jeff Wilkins recovered his own onside kick. The Rams drove down to the 15 yard line with about 30 seconds left, and I believe they also had a timeout. To my dismay, Martz let the clock tick down to 3 seconds to kick a FG to send the game into OT. What??? There are so many things wrong with that decision. The Rams had the Panthers on their heals. They had just driven down for a TD and then had driven into scoring position and a chance to win the game in regulation. They could have had at least three chances to put the ball in the end zone, with Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce among their weapons. Sure, you have to protect the ball and avoid a turnover, but you have a good chance in that situation to win the game. Go for a FG, and there could be a penalty (with a 10 second run off), bad snap, shanked kick, blocked kick. Any of those things happen, and the game is over. Even if you make the kick, there is no reason to expect better than 50-50 odds of winning in OT in a game in which your team was trailing 23-12 until late in the 4th quarter. They probably had better than a 50-50 chance of winning it outright if they had pressed for a TD.
I saw lots of brilliance from McVay during the 2017 season, but I also saw examples of cluelessness that reminded me of Martz. I was dumbfounded that Gurley repeatedly held the ball out while approaching the end zone early in the season. He got away with it a few times, but how can a head coach allow such a risky behavior go unchecked? Sure enough, the Rams got burned when Gurley's fumble near the goal line cost the Rams the first Seahawks game. A QB has got to be aware of pressure from the blindspot. Early in the season, it seemed that the Rams made adjustments to this problem, but it ended up costing them the Eagles game when home field advantage was on the line. I saw something far more disturbing in that game. With about 3:00 to go and the Rams behind, Goff continued to run the offense in the same way the Rams had been running it all season -- allowing the clock to keep ticking until the last second before snapping it. This allowed precious time to bleed off the clock when a crucial game was hanging in the balance. I was immediately concerned when McVay decided to blow off the final game of the regular season. Great coaches, such as Bill Belichick, don't make that mistake. They play they starters and keep the machine rolling -- at least for part of such games. At the end of the preseason, most coaches do the same -- put their starters in the game at least for a few series. Other than the defense, the Rams came out unprepared for the playoff game. This really makes me concerned about McVay. Despite the terrible start, the Rams were in a position to take the lead late in the first half. A great coach would have moved heaven and earth to put the ball in the end zone and take a 14-13 lead. McVay didn't seem to recognize the need for a sense of urgency in that situation, and he settled for a FG and a 13-10 deficit.
It is unfortunate that the Rams blew a golden opportunity to go to the Super Bowl. It is one of those rare seasons when there isn't some team that seems to be an unstoppable impediment to getting to the Super Bowl and winning it all. Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald may never have such a great season again. Other teams may figure out how to stop the Rams. There could be key injuries. Lots of things can happen. Changes for better and for worse can happen very quickly in the NFL.
