Re: This is incorrect....

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dzrams

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sacram
he of the 2 INTs, one returned for a TD:

"We just kept going with our game plan. Sure enough, they still never threw the ball downfield."

Factually, the Rams actually do throw downfield. But that quote shows the mindset other teams have of our offense.

It seems to me they don't believe Keenum can beat them with the downfield game enough to respect it.

And let them keep thinking that.

The stat from PFF I keep quoting says that the Rams are 4th in the league in the number of deep passes.

But...perceptions? That's their perceptions? They should try watching film.

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Oh, I'm sure the other team watches film. That's my point. They know the PFF stat. And after absorbing that info, they still feel that the best way to beat us is to overload the box. IOW, they don't respect the deep game despite the numbers.

Actually, they may respect the deep game but the deep shots you're speaking of are in the 6% range IIRC. IOW, even though that percentage is among the league high, it's not very often those real deep strikes happen. The issue is probably that they don't respect Keenum's intermediate game. Whatever it is they are disrespecting, they don't believe that he can lead a passing game potent enough to defeat them.

That's a problem.

But...the Rams came from behind twice in a row on the road to win, and part of it each time was long throws.

Actually look up the espn splits on Keenum from 2013. He was hitting on 50% of his deep passes that year (he had the receivers for it in Houston). 50% is not very common.

What all this tells you, then, is that the Rams have set things up to take shots, and are very smart about when they do them. Shots don't come often so you design good ones for the team you're playing. That actually is a decent strength of the Rams offense and it is not random. It's not by accident. They don't go "hey let;s throw one here." They gameplan for it, set it up, and dial them up at the right times. And again, that contributed (a lot) to 2 come from behind wins on the road. They're confident in it, they set it up for different players (eg. Kendricks v. Seattle), they use it well.

If that player for the Bills was revealing his team's thinking, then, let's hope future opponents are that neglectful.

Even without hitting a 31+ yarder today the Rams YPA was 8.7---and if that were for the season so far, they would rank 2nd in the league behind Ryan.



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Long throws were NOT a part of the Rams come back in both wins. Depending on how a long throw is classified, they may not have been a part of either come back win.

I just went back and reviewed the games and I'll give a quick summary of each.

Week 3 Against TB

At 2:32 in Q2, the Rams were down 20-10.

Barron intercepted the ball and the Rams started their drive at TB's 22 yard line. They scored in four or five plays mostly on the back of Gurley runs. No long shots here. Rams 17, TB 20

At 4:40 in Q3, the Rams were down 20-17. Aguayo had just missed a FG and the Rams took over at the LA 31 yard line. The longest throws of the drive were a 19 yard completion to Britt and a 12 yard completion to Marquez. Gurley had a 16 yard run down to the TB 1 and two plays later he scored. Rams 24, TB 20

At 11:56 in Q4, Quinn sacked Winston and forced a fumble which Westbrooks returned for a TD. Rams 31, TB 20.

At 4:49 in Q4, the Rams were ahead 31-26 at the TB 43 yard line. Keenum hits Austin at the 22, the defender misses an easy tackle and Austin walks into the end zone. It's listed as a 43 yard reception.

I don't know if the requirement is for the ball to travel 31+ yards in the air or if a catch and run counts. If the ball has to travel in the air, it's not a deep strike since it only traveled 22 yards in the air. This was mostly a score because of the missed tackle by the defender just like the long Quick TD earlier in the game. Both were mostly run after the catch due to missed tackles.

Week 4 Against Arizona

At 5:26 in Q4, the Rams were down 13-10.

Arizona punted to the LA 19 and Austin returned it to the Ari. 34. After tacking on a 15 yard facemask penalty, the Rams started the drive at the Ari. 19. Five players later they scored a TD. The longest play was an 8 yard reception to Gurley. No long throws here...

It's debatable whether long throws were part of the TB come back win. That depends on whether the throw has to travel a certain amount of yards in the air. Long throws were definitely NOT a part of the Arizona come back win.

All that aside, as I mentioned above, I really don't think the problem is the lack of the very deep downfield shots. I think it may be issues with the intermediate game. There is some reason why teams are willing to essentially let Keenum beat them deep.

With the way the offense is not putting up many points, I'd say they are justified in continuing whatever strategy they are currently pursuing. I definitely wouldn't call pursuing that strategy neglectful.