The first-ever RamsHerd giveaway comes courtesy of Courtyard Marriott, who is hosting an invitation-only pregame tailgate party on Thursday, prior to the Rams' primetime matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. And it just so happens that I have two invitations to give away. 

The details: Several notable guests, including Rams QB emeritus Marc Bulger, will be on hand at the downtown Courtyard Marriott at Market and Jefferson for a pregame party that starts at 6:00. There will be food, drinks, and a shuttle to the Dome for those that win tickets to the game. For those that don't, there will be a raffle to win two tickets; and for those that aren't gifted with the raffle magic or a ticket tree in their backyard, there will be a game-watching party at the Marriott.

The contest: Because I never get tired of awesome Fisher Stache photos, I'm asking readers to send in their best game-face pictures. If you get stached up, great. If you accessorize in other ways, awesome. If you have the hard cold eyes of Jack Youngblood and the bloodthirsty howl of an arctic wolf, by all means capture it on video and send it in.

You can post links to your photo in the comments section of this post, or you can Twitpic them to me at @RamsHerd. We'll be posting all submissions and picking a winner tonight, hopefully in celebration of a big Rams win over the Seattle Seahawks.

For those out-of-town Rams fans, if you're the traveling type, check out Marriott's Greatness On The Road campaign, which offers a 15% off orders of $100+ at NFLShop.com and other perks for fans who road-trip in support of their teams.

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Update: Winner Announced!

Congratulations to @lbrown1213 for her winning GameFace submission. She actually looks more bloodthirsty than Rams fullback Brit Miller in this pic. Well done.

Also, I have posted a few corrections to the event details and related marketing stuff above. Notably, NFL fans do not get 15% off bookings, as I had originally stated. Also, the shuttle service to the Dome is apparently only for the lucky winners of the ticket raffle.

At the very least, I believe I have the identity of the special guest Rams QB right. There will be at least three former Rams quarterbacks in town as Trent Green will be in the booth, and Kurt Warner is said to be welcomed back to the field in the Rams' ongoing tribute to its former greats.

The Seattle Seahawks are coming to the Edward Jones dome for a visit. After watching the Rams play the Bears, the Seattle defensive line is probably looking to top its 8 sack performance (IN ONE HALF) from Monday night.

Rams’ fans may not realize their own dire circumstances. I have seen pundits and fans alike suggesting that the dude on offense in “da Bears” game can be corrected by coaching. They suggest the Rams simply need to run more and return to the Redskin game plan of short drops and quick passes. It may not be that easy. 

The Redskins created pressure with the blitz. This opened up the middle of the field, which played right into the hands of the Rams who wanted to throw quick passes primarily in the middle. Last week, the Bears created pressure with only four defensive linemen rushing. On occasion, they created pressure rushing only thee. All of the remaining defenders flooded the middle of the field and the receivers had great difficulty getting open quickly. 

To get open, the receivers had to run routes deeper than 10 yards and this required time. The time rarely materialized. The Bear defensive lineman were literally running past and/or tossing to the side our offensive lineman and getting to Bradford in two seconds or less. In two of the six sacks, Bradford had at least three seconds time to throw. In the other four, he had time for one look and then it was over. The vast majority of the pressures and hurries also came within two seconds. 

So … what now with the sack happy Seahawks in town? I would love to say the answer is simple, but it is not. Here are my thoughts:

1.  RUN MORE AND RUN MORE EFFECTIVELY

Running right up the middle and gaining two yards or less is not going to help the Rams, no matter how often they do it. I agree with the proposition that early failure in the run does not suggest game long ineptitude. Yes, the Rams need to keep trying to run if they do not have early success.  At the same time, I want to see diversity. If Steven Jackson and his bad groin can’t find space between the tackles, I want to see more of Richardson and Pead. Both have superior speed. One of the ways to create doubt in the running game is to run counter plays. You need a healthy groin and great speed to run counter plays.  I want to see 25 total runs, with an average of at least 4.0 yards a carry (I will not include quarterback scrambles in these totals).

2.  BLOCK, BLOCK, AND BLOCK SOME MORE

There is no way around it. Our offensive line has to be better. If Wayne Hunter is literally thrown to the ground with a left hand shove, Quinn Ojinnaka lets someone go right by him, and Richardson lets someone go right over him, we have no chance. Fans will not want to hear this, but it is extremely difficult to game plan around a bad line. The short drop/quick throw plan works for Tom Brady as a consistent game plan. However, he is nearly perfect on almost every throw. If our receivers can’t get open quickly, Sam Bradford will have to throw into coverage, place it nearly perfectly and the receivers have to consistently catch it. Perfection is not something Rams fan should rest their hopes on for a victory. 

3.  IF 1 AND 2 WORK, GO MARTZIAN

Going Martzian does not mean throwing 50 yard bombs.  I am talking about timing throws.  Martz was amazing at planning routes where the ball is thrown to a spot, not necessarily to a receiver. In other words, Martz wanted the throw made before the QB knew if the receiver was open.  Most of these routes were deeper than 10 yards.

Why? If you throw to a spot before the CB turns his back to the quarterback, the CB has the advantage because he can see the QB’s eyes. Once the CB turns his back to the QB, the receiver has the advantage because only the receiver knows when he is breaking off his route and when the ball is going to be thrown. In three games, I have seen very few timing throws.

Maybe this is Bradford’s fault. Maybe it is coaching. Maybe the receivers can’t be trusted to make it to the spot in time. Whatever the explanation, almost every Bradford throw is designed to be thrown at the first sign that someone is getting open.  (This may explain why he lasers in on receivers). If the line is bad, you can’t run deeper routes and wait for the receiver to be open. You have to throw before they are actually open. This requires trust in the receivers to make a play. 

4.  CATCH THE DAMN BALL – MAKE A PLAY

Catch the damn ball. If Brandon Gibson wants to continue to be starter, he has to show that he can consistently get open and consistently catch the ball.  If Lance Kendricks wants to be a pass catching threat, he has to catch every ball thrown at his chest. I don’t care if there is tight coverage. Your only job is run a route and catch a ball. Do your job.  Oh, and for all the wide receivers, when Sam Bradford doesn’t make a perfect throw, can you try to make an adjustment, position yourself, and make a play?

5.  STOP THE RUN

Many talking heads are raving about Seattle’s new quarterback, Russell Wilson.  Will you mind if I ask why? The “incredible” Mr. Wilson was 18 for 34 for 153 yards in game one, 15 for 29 for 151 yards in game two and 10 for 21 for 130 yards and 2 TDs in game three (remember the last TD, yards and the completion were not legitimate). I have no fear of Russell Wilson. This team’s offense is based on the running game.  Take it away and you will not have to worry about their offense.  Including Wilson’s scrambles, I want to hold Seattle to less than 125 total yards rushing.  

Here we go again. Pundits everywhere are distressed that the Rams abandoned the run in the loss to the Bears. My first article after the Rams loss noted the Rams called for runs on only 26% of the plays in the Bears game. I called it an astonishingly low ratio. At the same time, I noted that I wanted to review the film before any conclusions could be drawn. http://www.ramsherd.com/2012-articles/what-the-hell-happened-and-other-life-altering-questions.html.  Before watching any film, Twitter was replete with noted sport gurus overwrought with the lack of running plays.

Ramsherd Will remarked “Running the ball became an afterthought in the second half, as the Rams ill-advisedly switched into the shotgun to try to move the ball.” http://www.ramsherd.com/2012-articles/season/mistakes-doom-rams-fourth-quarter-comeback-hopes-in-loss-to-bears.html. I will acknowledge that the formations the rams choose certainly were not advantageous to slowing down the rush. 

Bernie Miklasz assailed offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer in his Monday column: “The Rams abandoned the running game long before it was necessary, and that eliminated the real possibility of using play-action fakes to slow the Bears pass rush.” http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-rams-smacked-with-jolt-of-harsh-reality/article_6ff00cf6-b335-5287-a17b-5b365d1c8558.html

On his radio show, Bernie informed his audience that the Rams should not have abandoned the run in the second half because the Rams had 8 carries for 34 yards in the first half. The suggestion was the Rams should have kept running because they were having success.

With all due respect, after reviewing the game tape, I disagree. I will acknowledge that 15 runs out of a total 58 plays is not ideal. I will also note that the Rams could have and arguably should have run more in certain possessions. At the same time, looking at the numbers, I do not believe a reasonable person can blame the coaches for abandoning the run.  Let’s take a closer look.

In the first quarter, the Rams had three runs from the running backs, one called roll out for Bradford which led to a run, and seven passing plays. There were four first downs the entire quarter for the Rams, and they ran on two of them. The three running plays gained a grand total of 4 yards. 

In the second quarter, once again the rams called three running plays for the running backs. Bradford also had a scramble to escape pressure which gained 10 yards, and 10 other pass plays were called. There were six first downs for the Rams in the quarter and the Rams ran on only two of them. The first run of the quarter was a 12 yard gain by Richardson. It must be noted that the Rams had 8 blockers on the run. It was an amazingly well designed run, which was executed to perfection. With the four yards from the other two runs, the Rams gained a whopping 16 yards in the second quarter. 

At this point, I will note that Mr. Miklasz, who I respect greatly, may have looked at numbers that he wanted to make a point. To get to 34 rushing yards in the first half, one has to include Bradford’s scrambles. According to the stats from the NFL, the running backs gained only 20 yards rushing in the first half. http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/55537/CHI_Gamebook.pdf. It is a little misleading to try to suggest that the running game was working due to scrambles by the quarterback, unless of course Bernie wanted to run Bradford more. 

So, here we are. The Rams called 6 running play for the running backs in the first half, and they were still in the game. Of course, with everyone claiming the Rams abandoned the run in the second half, you would expect the numbers to go down, correct?

In the third quarter, the Rams called eight (8) running plays for the running backs. Let me repeat that in bold: eight running plays.  There were only 13 passing plays called. Outside of one 13 yard gain by Steven Jackson, the running plays were less than productive.  We gained 3, 3, -1, 2, 4, 3 and -1 on the other seven runs. There were 8 first downs in the third quarter and the Rams ran on five of them. On second down, we had the following opportunities: 2^nd and 10, 2^nd and 12, 2^nd and 7, 2^nd and 8, 2^nd and 10, 2^nd and 24, and 2^nd and 7. 

I ask all reasonable people reading this article; do you consider 8 runs in one quarter, after only 6 in the first half, abandoning the run? I would argue the Rams coaches tried everything they could to get the running game going in the third quarter. If you take into account the lack of success in the running the game, Steven Jackson’s bad groin and the actual down and distance on second and third down in this quarter, you have to stretch to say the Rams abandoned the run. 

This leads us to the fourth quarter. At the beginning of the quarter, the score was 13-6. The Bears had the ball for the first possession of the fourth quarter. After a nice drive, they sputtered inside the five yard line and had to kick a field goal. The Bears now led 16-6. The Rams were still in it. They needed a good drive to keep this game in reach.

Unfortunately, we got four called pass plays. The fourth was the pick 6. Suddenly, the Rams were down 23-6 with only 9:06 left in the game. After this, the Rams ran only 1 time.  This run came on 3^rd and 2.  Steven Jackson lost a yard. For the quarter, they had 11 passes and only the 1 run. In context, the lack of running plays is completely understandable. 

With the abandonment argument clearly refuted, let’s discuss where the Rams could have run more. The most obvious situation was the first possession in the fourth quarter. They needed a good drive. With the lack of success in running to that point, I understand why the coaches may have thought passing was the best idea. However, given the tremendous pressure on Bradford, I believe the Rams needed to try to establish the run on that drive.

On first down they had an incomplete pass. Often after a failed pass, teams run the ball to avoid a difficult third down.  However, the rams threw again, which resulted in a 19 yard completion.  It is difficult to second guess that success. 

In an effort to foreshadow, on this 2^nd and 10, the Bears were chomping at the bit to get to Bradford  and jumped offsides. The penalty was declined. With another first down the Rams chose to pass again. I think a run would have been a better option. The pass was incomplete.  Once again, on 2^nd and 10 after an incompletion the Rams passed.  If there was ever a time to run the ball, this was it.  Instead, Bradford threw the interception, and the game was over for all intents and purposes.

I also would have liked to see more runs in the 2nd quarter, when it was becoming obvious that the o-line was outmatched.  In the third quarter, there were only a few situations where the run was a reasonable option.  If only to even things out, maybe one or two more runs in the third quarter would have been helpful. 

If you disagree with this article, please comment below or contact me on twitter @therebirth. I would love to discuss this further.  

Scary as it may seem, this Rams offense has made progress. Okay, feel free to read on once you’re done face palming at the concept of this offense being an improvement.

Writers Disclaimer: Be prepared for the tone of this article to swing from positive to negative, hopeful to panic and back again.

The first two weeks of the NFL season were relatively encouraging for the St. Louis Rams. Under new head coach Jeff Fisher and his glorious moustache, the Rams were competitive in week one, losing a tight game to the extremely talented, Detroit Lions, then pulled out a close (while scoring 30 points….I know, right) contest against the Washington Redskins and the quarterback the Rams traded them this offseason. (Well, sort of.) 

Sam Bradford is a more polished passer and decision maker than he was in 2011. In three games, he's thrown only two fewer touch downs than in ten total games last year. While at the same time showing the accuracy and touch that made him $50 million guaranteed back in 2010.

Bernie Miklasz posted a good read on Brian Quick in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, saying that the Rams were too quick (pun intended) to name him "the next Terrell Owens." To date, Quick has earned a total of six snaps on offense, per Pro Football Focus, and was inactive for Week 3's game against Chicago. 

Of course, Owens also got off to a slow start to his NFL career as a relatively highly-drafted rookie coming out of Division I-AA UT-Chattanooga. His first three games totaled three receptions for 32 yards, and he was similarly inactive in his third week as a professional, and didn't become an every-week starter until his second season. 

Of course, in order to become a starter, first he has to get on the field, something Quick knows too well.

"Obviously, it's something I have to do to get on the field," he said in a conversation with the P-D's Jim Thomas. "So I need to work harder, I need to do things a little bit better. And we'll see what happens."

With all that said, where is your worry meter right now? The RamsHerd writers weigh in after the break.

In this review, I am humbled. The Rams did everything I asked and lost. In fact, part of the reason why they lost is they could not get away from the game plan I asked for. The bears were prepared for the steady Eddy approach set forth below, and they wanted the ball in the middle of the field. The bears flooded the middle of the field with linebackers and defensive backs all within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Therefore, the best place to be open was on the outside and deep. Unfortunately, the Bears were maintaining tight coverage on the outside wide receivers, who rarely got open quickly.

What about going deep? With all of these linebackers and defensive backs covering people, the Rams should have had an advantage on the line. If the Bears wanted to flood the middle they had to accept rushing only four. The Rams always had five blockers, and often had a sixth blocker. With the extra man advantage the Rams should have been able to protect Bradford, which would have given the wide receivers some time to find the holes in the zone. So, the Rams could go deep, right?

Unfortunately, no. The offensive line was so bad, the Bears were able to assert tremendous pressure on Bradford while rushing only four. In fact, one of the hurried throws in the first half came when the Bears rushed three.

To emphasize how bad the line was, let’s look at Bradford’s performance in the first half. The second half is its own story.  In the first half, Bradford dropped back 19 times. He scrambled twice and was sacked three times. Two of the sacks were a result of quick pressure due to the Bears’ defender man-handling our offensive lineman. The other sack was caused by our own offensive lineman tripping Bradford. Thus, the sacks were not on Bradford.

There were 14 passes thrown in first half. Bradford completed 7 of them. Of the 7 incompletions, 1 was dropped by Brandon Gibson, 1 was dropped by Lance Kendricks, and 1 was a spike. All 4 of the remaining incompletions were under some pressure, and 2 were throw aways to avoid a sack. In other words, Bradford had only 2 bad throws.

What about the running game? The Rams had 6 rushes from the running backs for 20 yards in the first half. More than half of this came on one 12 yard run by Richardson. That 12 yard run was a result of eight blockers. Otherwise, the Rams couldn’t run. It did not get better in the second half.  The Rams had 9 rushing attempts and gained 25 yards. Some have complained that the lack of a running game caused the pressure problems in the passing game.  Others have suggested that formations played a role. I will address those issues later in the week.

When the line is as bad as it was in this game, it negates good play. It even negates good play calling. Pressure coming from a guy that looks like he will be blocked and then isn’t blocked is very difficult to address. It requires players on the field anticipating that another player will not do his job. You can’t make that assumption on the field or you will have total chaos.

Now let’s look at the preview to see how it worked out:

PREVIEW 1 - STEADY EDDY

The Rams need to be Steady Eddy, especially in the first quarter … If this game is won by the Rams, it will be won in the fourth quarter.

REVIEW – Dead on. The game was there for either team to win it in the fourth quarter. As requested, the Rams were unflappable in the first half. They stuck with a short passing game approach in an attempt to keep the chains moving. The chains would have moved, if not for the sacks, drops and penalties. It is tough to be steady Eddy when you have 2^nd and 12, 3^rd and 14 and dropped passes.

PREVIEW 2 - PRESSURE, PRESSURE, PRESSURE

The Rams must put pressure on Jay Cutler … I want to see multiple blitzes and consistent pressure. If you pressure Cutler, he will wilt. I am looking for at least four sacks in this game.

REVIEW – The Rams got pressure, but they only had two sacks. Cutler was exactly what you would expect from him, under pressure. To quote Cortland Finnegan, when asked what he saw from Cutler: “Not much. I think he had 190 yards, but no touchdowns. Typical him.”

PREVIEW 3 - FOCUS ON 54

Urlacher has admitted that his knee will never be the same. Let’s test where it is now. … For this game, I want to see at least 10 passes to our running backs and tight ends. I want to see Urlacher having to run all over the field.

REVIEW – The Rams threw 11 passes to the running backs and tight ends, so I can’t complain. Unfortunately, for me, the focus on the middle and the short passes was one of the reasons the Rams lost. The Bears were ready for it. When nothing was open in the middle, the offense stalled. Additionally, these passes to the running backs and tight ends, resulted in no big plays. The longest completion was 12 yards to Mullegan. Many were completed for five or less yards. Nice idea, but it did not help lead to victory. 

PREVIEW 4 - TWO TIGHTENDS

Unfortunately, we still have issues on our line, and we are facing one of the best passing rushing defensive ends in the last 10 years. While I want to attack Urlacher, I also believe we need a tight end back on the line to help with pass protection. The obvious conclusion is we need frequent two tight end sets. After last week’s performance by Bradford, the Bears will focus on trying to get quick pressure on him. Therefore, I hope to see an offensive game plan that shows protection is a priority.

REVIEW – Not only did Rams use two tight ends often, they used three tight ends often. The tights ends often line up as a wide receiver and sometimes in the backfield.  The extra blockers didn’t matter. More often than not, the pressure came from non-blitz situations where the defensive lineman clearly beat the offensive lineman. 

PREVIEW 5 - STEADY EDDY 2

I hope to see more of the same from Bradford. Last week was a shining example of what Bradford does well. With three/five step drops and quick throws, Bradford is at his best. With seven step drops and a requirement that he review his options all over the field, he is at his worst. … Keep moving the chains. Keep moving the chains.  I am also not opposed to field goals. Steady Eddy has to get points to be there in the fourth quarter.

REVIEW – This preview could not have been more correct. When Bradford used three and five step drops with quick throws in the 1^st half, he was very good. In the 2^nd half, the Rams tried to get the ball deeper (over 10 yards) and operated from the shotgun 14 times. Bradford ended up holding the ball longer.  The results were not positive.  Bradford completed 11 of 24, with two interceptions.  I do not have the space in this article to address the wide receivers, but I try to address it later in the week. 

It is not the end of the world. The Rams lost to a potential division winner on the road. Remember, the Bears lost 10 days earlier to their division rival. They simply could not lose to the Rams, in this game, at Soldier Field. Fans should not be devastated by this loss.

At the same time, we should not ignore the reasons why they lost. I have not reviewed all of the film available to me yet, but there are some glaring numbers that interest me.  The Rams had 15 runs from runningbacks in the game.  With 58 total plays from scrimmage, that is 26% of the total plays, an astonishingly low number. It is understandable in a blow out, but this game was within seven points for most of the game. The question is why. Did the coaches give up on the run, or where the circumstances not favorable to running plays? Only the tape will reveal the answer. 

Additionally, Sam Bradford was sacked six times and hurried on many more plays. Many fans love to blame the offensive line when they see pressure like we saw in this game. However, there is usually more to the story. Where was the pressure coming from and what was the defense doing to get pressure? How often did Bradford hold the ball too long? Where the receivers getting open?  If not, why? Did the play calling play a role?

The Rams defensive performance looks good by the numbers: 274 total yards, 103 rushing yards, 171 passing yard, 2 sacks, got off the field on 72% of 3^rd downs and 1 turnover. I still have questions.  How much pressure was put on Cutler? What did the Rams have to do to get pressure? How often did the Bears mess up as opposed to the Rams causing an error?

To truly understand why a team lost, we need answers to these questions. Last year, the answers to these questions were often irrelvant. The Rams were simply outmatched. EX. Baltimore vs. Rams 9/25/2011. This year, I want the answers. I hope many fans want the answers because it suggests they believe in this team. I wish I had access to game films, but I play the hand that is dealt to me. I will review the highlights on NFL.com and the TV feed and report back to you, the readers of Rams Herd.

I will also review the preview that I wrote. The purpose of the review is to hold myself accountable. Writing a preview means nothing unless it is reviewed after to see if it highlighted important issues.