More Game Mismanagement And General Wackiness From Spags

[Warner2BruceTD]

Today, it was a lesson in how to completely mismanage 4th downs:

-1st Q, no score, facing a 4th and 1 from the Seahawks 29, Spags opts for the 46 yard FG. Josh Brown misses, but that's not the problem. The problem is this...

-Tie game (7-7), 4th and 4, Spags bypasses a 42 yard attempt and goes for it. What?! So let me get this straight...he's afraid of trying to get one yard (with short yardage beast Steven Jackson on his team), but bypasses a shorter FG to go for four yards (with Kyle Boller, no less). Boller throws a pick 6, game momentum changes for good.

-4th Q, Rams down 17, about 8:00 left. 4th and goal from around the 5. No matter what, you need three scores, one of which needs to be a FG. So of course, Spags goes for it. This is an incredibly dumb and unnessacery risk even if you succeed, but of course, they fail, compounding the error.

Rams end up scoring late to cut the lead to 10, which means if Spags had kicked either FG in those incredibly obvious FG situations, the Rams would have had a shot at a meaningful onside kick with 1:00 left.

Spags has no clue how to manage 4th downs, especially the last 3 weeks. He also fails at basic math (17 = 3 scores), but I really cant hang him for that because most of these NFL coaches terribly mismanage similar situations by not extending games.

Spags is a good motivator, but he's in over his head and lost as a game manager, has no clue how to manage his roster, and clearly isnt ready for a HC job.

[stevsta]

hopefully next year we get healthy and by some miracle find a decent qb that wont lose us the game and take sacks unnecessarily

also our line actually look decent for steven jackson

[Palooza]

I wish Spags would have never left New York. It seems some people aren't meant to be a HC and should stick to being a coordinator. From what I've read, Spags is one of those guys, even though this is his first season as a HC.

[Warner2BruceTD]

The o-line has played better in the second half of the season, but again, I have to point at Spags' inability to manage the roster:

Jason Smith has been bounced around from LT to RT to the bench. Pick a position for the kid, and let him play. I really dont care which side you put him on (i'd prefer the left, but that's not the point), just pick a spot and let him develop. Benching him after giving up a sack to Dwight Freeney accomplishes nothing. Flip flopping from RT to LT accomplishes nothing.

Unlike alot of Rams fans calling for the heads of Bulger and Boller, I place little blame on either. Aside from one or two games, the pass blocking is a disaster, and the WR's are young, inexperienced, and cant get open. Rams "fans" are running Bulger out of town, when he should be getting praised for his toughness. Nobody has been sacked more since 2004, despite the fact he misses so many games to injury. He never throws anyone under the bus, and plays his ass off until the doctors tell him he cant. He has my respect.

[Warner2BruceTD]

And another thing, it's a damn shame that virtually nobody is watching Steven Jackson this year. It's nothing short of incredible how hard he plays and how effective he's been, surrounded by zero talent.

He didnt practice all week, and the team is 1-10, and yet he not only suited up, but played hard and played well with back spasms. 80+ yards rushing, 5 catches, 100+ total yards, and a TD.

[SHOGUN]

Was the game even on TV today?

I was listening to some of it on the radio, but it must have been blacked out locally.

[steeljake]

spags went for it on 4th and 4 cuz he didnt have fiath in his kicker after missing the other field goal. i know W2B is frustrated with his team sucking and i get that, but to say spags is clueless when he has very little talent to use is just not fair. I know Spags fucked up the wr corps in free agency and trades, but the guy is far from being incompentent.

[red33]

And another thing, it's a damn shame that virtually nobody is watching Steven Jackson this year. It's nothing short of incredible how hard he plays and how effective he's been, surrounded by zero talent.

He didnt practice all week, and the team is 1-10, and yet he not only suited up, but played hard and played well with back spasms. 80+ yards rushing, 5 catches, 100+ total yards, and a TD.

for a minute there last year and during the off season i was wodnering about Jacksons commitment to the team and his attitude. I was curious to see if he was going to blow up during all these losses.

This year he has shown me character i think a lot of people didnt think he had.

I lvoe jackson so much i bought my lil girl a jackson jersey.

[Warner2BruceTD]

spags went for it on 4th and 4 cuz he didnt have fiath in his kicker after missing the other field goal. i know W2B is frustrated with his team sucking and i get that, but to say spags is clueless when he has very little talent to use is just not fair. I know Spags fucked up the wr corps in free agency and trades, but the guy is far from being incompentent.

It had nothing to do with faith in Josh Brown, who happens to be a very good and reliable kicker. The proof was later, when he let Brown try a 55 yarder (which he nailed).

Besides, who bypasses a 42 yarder in a tie game, on 4th and 4? C'mon.

This is now a three game pattern of mismanaging 4th downs and when to try for FG's. It wasnt a matter of gut instinct/not trusting his K.

I dont hold the no talent thing against him, but his suspect game management puts his team behind the 8 ball, and it isnt fair.

EDIT-The point is, of the three scenrios listed, the only one where you can make an argument to go for it is #1....and that's the only one where he opted for the FG. He's lost.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Was the game even on TV today?

I was listening to some of it on the radio, but it must have been blacked out locally.

Blacked out.

I'm back in Jersey this week for Thanksgiving, so my old bar got a huge dose of my yelling and screaming. Just like the old days, except Spags was the target instead of Lamehan.

[Hasselbeck]

I was wondering the exact same thing in regards to everything you said W2B. Spags was coaching sort of like a guy that has never played Black Jack in Vegas before, only instead of being wishy-washy on hitting/staying on 16, he was being wishy-washy on when to go for it on 4th down.

I think Spags still has a chance to be a good head coach over time, but he's obviously taking some lumps now with an overall putrid roster save for a handful of players (Jackson, Atogwe, Josh Brown to name a few).

[Warner2BruceTD]

Lots of rumblings (finally) that Spags could be in trouble IF the Rams sell quickly, and the new owner chooses to clean house (why wouldnt they?) or hires a strong football man who brings in his own people (similar to Parcells).

This was the first week where the local media has really put into question whether Spags can be an effective HC. The team is still terrible, still has no identity, and Spags hasnt shown he has a feel for managing a game.

[Sven Draconian]

Today, it was a lesson in how to completely mismanage 4th downs:

-1st Q, no score, facing a 4th and 1 from the Seahawks 29, Spags opts for the 46 yard FG. Josh Brown misses, but that's not the problem. The problem is this...

-Tie game (7-7), 4th and 4, Spags bypasses a 42 yard attempt and goes for it. What?! So let me get this straight...he's afraid of trying to get one yard (with short yardage beast Steven Jackson on his team), but bypasses a shorter FG to go for four yards (with Kyle Boller, no less). Boller throws a pick 6, game momentum changes for good.

-4th Q, Rams down 17, about 8:00 left. 4th and goal from around the 5. No matter what, you need three scores, one of which needs to be a FG. So of course, Spags goes for it. This is an incredibly dumb and unnessacery risk even if you succeed, but of course, they fail, compounding the error.

Rams end up scoring late to cut the lead to 10, which means if Spags had kicked either FG in those incredibly obvious FG situations, the Rams would have had a shot at a meaningful onside kick with 1:00 left.

Spags has no clue how to manage 4th downs, especially the last 3 weeks. He also fails at basic math (17 = 3 scores), but I really cant hang him for that because most of these NFL coaches terribly mismanage similar situations by not extending games.

Spags is a good motivator, but he's in over his head and lost as a game manager, has no clue how to manage his roster, and clearly isnt ready for a HC job.

There is a lot more to running a team than managing 4th downs for a top 5 pick team.

Why go for it on 4th down? To send a message about accountability. If the kicker misses a kick, don't just trot him back out automatically. The game is meaningless, the message is far more important to develop the right attitude.

Why move around Jason Smith, to hold him accountable for failing...or as a means to replace other players who aren't getting the job done. If you give up a sack, you don't always get another shot, get the fucking job done.

Conversly, it could be to protect him if he was being abused.

I don't really know, because I don't know either party involved or the logic used.

It's called building a team. You create an attitude first (accountability, pride ect ect) and that doesn't always mean putting winning first (especially in meaningless situations).

For all we know, the offense coudl have been begging to for it on 4th down (both times) and he wanted to show confidence in them.

It's unfair to judge him based on decisions when you don't have all the information present.

*Edited to change some wording.

[Warner2BruceTD]

There is a lot more to running a team than managing 4th downs for a top 5 pick team.

Why go for it on 4th down? To send a message about accountability. If the kicker misses a kick, don't just trot him back out automatically. The game is meaningless, the message is far more important to develop the right attitude.

Why move around Jason Smith, to hold him accountable for failing...or as a means to replace other players who aren't getting the job done. If you give up a sack, you don't always get another shot, get the fucking job done.

Conversly, it could be to protect him if he was being abused.

I don't really know, because I don't know either party involved or the logic used.

It's called building a team. You create an attitude first (accountability, pride ect ect) and that doesn't always mean putting winning first (especially in meaningless situations).

For all we know, the offense coudl have been begging to for it on 4th down (both times) and he wanted to show confidence in them.

It's stupid to judge him based on decisions when you don't have all the information present.

Bold #1-Absolute bullshit. Winning should always be the objective.

Bold #2-If Spags is bypassing basic football logic to appease players "begging to go for it on 4th", he's even worse than I ever imagined. He's the Head fucking Coach, he makes decisions, players play.

Besides, it wasnt the case. He simply mismanaged all three scenerios.

The Rams have played some close games this year, with outcomes that could have swung if this guy had a clue. I don't want him around screwing things up when they have the proper talent in place.

[Sven Draconian]

Bold #1-Absolute bullshit. Winning should always be the objective.

So winning a meaningless game shoud be the objective over developing the team's attitude and developing young players? The Lions agree.

Bold #2-If Spags is bypassing basic football logic to appease players "begging to go for it on 4th", he's even worse than I ever imagined. He's the Head fucking Coach, he makes decisions, players play.

Assuming the theory (which may or may not have happened, just a devils advocate thing) that's a pretty basic fundamental of leadership. When the chips are down, show confidence in your people. The tradeoff is, again, a meaningless game over developing a teams culture and identity.

Besides, it wasnt the case. He simply mismanaged all three scenerios.

This is true. However, I guess I give the benefit of the doubt to the NFL head coach who has spent nearly 27 years coaching football and has a super bowl ring.

The Rams have played some close games this year, with outcomes that could have swung if this guy had a clue. I don't want him around screwing things up when they have the proper talent in place.

Even assuming he did fuck things up this year, should you REALLY can a guy after one bad season (coughClevelandBrownscough).