The case FOR optimism....and the case AGAINSt optimism
| December 31, 2018 06:29AM |
Here are reasons to be optimistic:
- Second time in the playoffs, and having played several "prime time" games this year....this team should not come out of the gate as overwhelmed as they were last year.
- The emergence of CJ Anderson allows the offense to keep an up tempo ground-and-pound game and can alernate CJ and Gurley as needed. Add in the possibility of the two tight end formation....this could be a great way to keep the ball out of the opposing QB's hands. Playoffs tend to come down to which team can control time of possession....which usually means a strong ground game.
- Goff's struggles in the past several weeks are partly because McVay is withholding adjustments until the playoffs. Everett, Reynolds, and Higbee have all grown....but McVay wants to wait until season #2 (playoffs) to unveil the new plan of attack. Goff is a QB that excels when things are clicking.....he doesn't do well when told to run "basic" plays....when he knows they could attack with a more potent plan.
- Rams defense is not as bad as people think. Since Talib has been back, they have averaged allowing 20 pts per game. If the Rams kept their starters in the second half vs the Niners, you can take away 14 garbage points. Goff's INT vs the Eagles deep in their own zone was another easy six pts for the Eagles. So the Ram D points allowed average could easily be 16 pts in the last five games. A 16 pt per game average would be #1 in the league.
Here are the reasons to be pessimistic:
- In the last half of the season Goff has not taken care of the ball. He has forced throws...tried to escape sacks with panic tosses....and holds the ball out when scrambling.....all leading to too many turnovers. These situations will only be more amplified in the Playoffs. Playoff opponents will feast on that.
- Rams O-line is breaking down, causing more opportunities or Goff to panic and make mistakes
- Gurley might have something wrong with his knee that a few weeks rest won't fix. If so, he won't be the old Gurley until after the off season. Without Gurley, Goff has no "sure thing" as an emergency receving option. CJ has brought a great ground game option, but he is not the sure threat as a receiver that Gurley is. Without Gurley as a receiver out of the backfield, Goff will eventually panic and make a few mistakes.
- Rams defense lives off the turnover. They seem willing to take risks that might allow more yardage, so long as it creates more opportunity for an INT (D lineman out of their lane thinking they can get a QB hurry....or DB's going off their assignment thinking they can fool the Q
. Playoff teams make you pay for these poor decisions. The result will be fewer turnovers, and more yards/points allowed.
- Second time in the playoffs, and having played several "prime time" games this year....this team should not come out of the gate as overwhelmed as they were last year.
- The emergence of CJ Anderson allows the offense to keep an up tempo ground-and-pound game and can alernate CJ and Gurley as needed. Add in the possibility of the two tight end formation....this could be a great way to keep the ball out of the opposing QB's hands. Playoffs tend to come down to which team can control time of possession....which usually means a strong ground game.
- Goff's struggles in the past several weeks are partly because McVay is withholding adjustments until the playoffs. Everett, Reynolds, and Higbee have all grown....but McVay wants to wait until season #2 (playoffs) to unveil the new plan of attack. Goff is a QB that excels when things are clicking.....he doesn't do well when told to run "basic" plays....when he knows they could attack with a more potent plan.
- Rams defense is not as bad as people think. Since Talib has been back, they have averaged allowing 20 pts per game. If the Rams kept their starters in the second half vs the Niners, you can take away 14 garbage points. Goff's INT vs the Eagles deep in their own zone was another easy six pts for the Eagles. So the Ram D points allowed average could easily be 16 pts in the last five games. A 16 pt per game average would be #1 in the league.
Here are the reasons to be pessimistic:
- In the last half of the season Goff has not taken care of the ball. He has forced throws...tried to escape sacks with panic tosses....and holds the ball out when scrambling.....all leading to too many turnovers. These situations will only be more amplified in the Playoffs. Playoff opponents will feast on that.
- Rams O-line is breaking down, causing more opportunities or Goff to panic and make mistakes
- Gurley might have something wrong with his knee that a few weeks rest won't fix. If so, he won't be the old Gurley until after the off season. Without Gurley, Goff has no "sure thing" as an emergency receving option. CJ has brought a great ground game option, but he is not the sure threat as a receiver that Gurley is. Without Gurley as a receiver out of the backfield, Goff will eventually panic and make a few mistakes.
- Rams defense lives off the turnover. They seem willing to take risks that might allow more yardage, so long as it creates more opportunity for an INT (D lineman out of their lane thinking they can get a QB hurry....or DB's going off their assignment thinking they can fool the Q
. Playoff teams make you pay for these poor decisions. The result will be fewer turnovers, and more yards/points allowed.
