Stillers vs. Rams Pregame Analysis (Game #7, vs. St Lou)
The stumbling 2-4 Stillers play their 1,000 game in
franchise history, hosting the 4-2 Rams.�
The Rams are a game behind Seattle in the very competitive NFC West, so
they're looking to keep pace with the Seahawks. Meanwhile, despite the woeful
competition in the AFC North, the Stillers are looking to get off the 3-game
schnied and back onto the winning track.�
�
* When the Rams have the ball, the "Greatest
Show on Turf" will have to make do on "synthetic natural grass"
and without the straw that stirs the drink, RB Marshall Faulk.� Faulk has been listed as questionable, but
based on his injuries and his lack of recent play, I can't fathom that Coach Martz
would sacrifice the war to win a battle by giving Faulk lots of PT and making
the injuries worse.� Backup RB Lamar
Gordon is also hobbled, leaving rookie 3rd stringer Arlen Harris to assume the
starting chores for this tilt.� Harris
actually acquitted himself quite well last week vs. GB, carrying 18 times for
85 yards (4.7 YPR).�
Of course, with Faulk out, it's not really important who
plays at RB, because the Rams won't be looking to do anything more on the
ground than the occasional plunge.� The
Ram's are built for an aerial attack, and they have all the weapons one needs
to do just that.� Marc Bulger will start
at QB, where's he's 10-2 as a starter.� The
former Mountaineer has a crisp, quick release, and reads the field quite
well.� He's got two awesome weapons at
WR, Bruce and Holt.� This might very
well be the most explosive duo in the league.�
Holt is having a superb season, leading the NFC in grabs and also
hauling in 7 TDs.� Bruce is 7th in the
NFC in grabs.� Dane Looker will see work
as the #3 WR.�
The O-line isn't as strong as some of the really good lines
the Stillers have faced this season, but it isn't shabby, either.� The Big O, Olrando Pace, mans the LT spot
quite well.� Adam Timmerman is a solid
blocker at RG.� Temperamental Kyle
Turley was brought in from NO, as was LG Andy McCollum.� Cam Cleeland gets a lot of work at FB and
H-back.�
The key matchup will be the Rams dynamic WR duo,
vs. the Stiller secondary.� The Stiller
defense is supposedly #2 in the NFL in pass defense.� That's a prime example of how irrelevant and useless most stats
are in the sport of pro football.� The
problem with the pass defense stat, is that they don't measure penalty yardage
when computing the stats.� So, for the
dozens of times this porous secondary has been flagged for long PI penalties,
none of those hundreds of yards has been factored into the stat. �When an offense throws a 42-yard pass, they
really don't care if the ball is caught for a 42-yard gain, or if a PI flag
generates a 42-yard gain.� In fact, to
better hold down player salary demands during free agency, the team would
probably prefer the latter.� Because
Faulk is hobbled, we know the Rams won't run the ball all that much, so it will
be up to the pass defense to either get the job done, or get their butts
scorched.�
* When the Stillers have the ball, they'll
be led the supposed savior, Fat Jerome Bettis, who's been reinserted, just as
predicted before the season ever began, into the starting lineup. You knew
Billy Cowher couldn't go too long without his pacifier and his security
blanket, and with the ship sinking at 2-4, Billy cried and sobbed for his
pacifier and blanket, and The Tubby Tailback is now the starting RB.�
The Stiller O-line is a mess, with injury and incompetency
running rampant up and down the line.� The
line will be, from L-R, Faneca, Vincent, Hartings, Simmons, and Fordham.� The left side is fine, but after that, this
line is a disaster.� Hartings has gimpy
knees.� 2 Fingers Simmons is still weak
from preseason elbow surgery and diabetes, and now he's got a sore
shoulder.� Fordham is, simply put, the
biggest pile of shit since Piss Conrad once roamed the RT spot a few years
ago.� �
The Rams have gotten solid play from their defense thus far
in '03.� The D-line is led by DEs Leonard
Little and Grant Wistrom.� Little has
been very strong so far, while Wistrom has been a bit quiet.� The Scrams also have two 1st rounders at DT,
Damoine Lewis and Ryan Pickett.� The LB
corps is led by former Buc Jamie Duncan and last year's 1st rounder, Robert
Thomas.� Tommy Polley, last year's 2nd
rounder, is out with an elbow injury.�
The secondary is a mix of young and old.� Ageless Aeneas Williams, the longtime Cardinal
CB, is now the FS and leader of this crew.�
(Wouldn't Williams look great at FS in a black n' gold uni right
about now?)�� Youngsters Butler and Fisher
round out the secondary, along with talented SS Adam Archuletta, who has been
hurt but should play.� Veteran Jason
Seehorn also backs up at safety.�
The key matchup will be the Stiller O-line vs. the
Ram front 7.� This O-line hasn't gotten
it done all year.�� They've had the bye
week to get things straightened out some.�
This isn't an ultra terrorizing front 7, so this O-line should be able
to do some things with at least a modicum of effectiveness.�
* Special Teams: �In the placekicking game, it will be a battle of the Jeffs --
Wilkins vs. Reed.�� With Harris getting
the starting nod at RB, he'll likely give way to Joffrey Reynolds on KOR.� DeJuan Groce handles the PR tasks.� For the Stillers, it's unknown if Freddie Millions
will be allowed to even dress for the first time all year�
Key Individual Matchups:
* DE Leonard Little vs. RT Todd Fordham.� This is uglier than a Freddy Krueger
movie.� Unless the Stillers use a FB or
TE to help Fordham on every play, I cannot fathom how Maddox will make
it through this entire game.�
* DT Damoine Lewis vs. Kendall "2 Fingers"
Simmons.� This is another ugly matchup
that women and children shouldn't be allowed to watch.� 2 Fingers Simmons had better get a few more
fingers than TWO on Lewis, or this will be an awfully long day for Madd Ox and
Bettis.�
* CBs Chad Scott and DeWayne Washington, vs. Holt and
Bruce.� Can "synthetic natural
grass" burn?� With the scorching by
Bruce and Holt, this grass might be blackened by game's end.� �
* RT Kyle Turley vs. OLB Jason GilDong.� Turley is mean, nasty, and plays through the
whistle on every play.� In other words,
he's everything that The Dogger, Jason GilDog, is not.�
* Synopsis: This is gotta-win territory for
the Stillers, who have upcoming road games at Seattle, San Fran, and Clev
looming in the near future.� Of course,
according to Billy Cowher, until a team is backed into the precipice of playoff
elimination, no game is a "must" win, so, by that guidance, the
Stillers can lose another 4 games before they even think about a
"must" win.� I have personally
felt ultra confident in every one of my predictions these first 6 games, going
5-1, with the only miss being the Clev loss.�
This game has left me perplexed the past 2 weeks.� I've had several sleepless nights, seeing
Holt and Bruce dance unfettered thru our secondary.� But I'm willing to give Billy Cowher the benefit of the bye week,
which was mostly wasted with his generous allotment of time off, to get this
team refocused, reenergized, and recommitted.�
Besides, how can the Stillers lose their 1,000 game, at home, no
less?�� Stillers will win a tough one,
27-24.� �