Glenn
09-28-2006, 01:52 PM
I think we may take it up the ol' poop shoot.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;_ylt=AsiIwMkp2iR1ZP.zlLxu6JRDubYF?gid=2006 1001014
Detroit (0-3) at St. Louis (2-1)
Game Info: 4:05 pm EDT Sun Oct 1, 2006
TV: FOX
By DAN BURCH, STATS Writer
Mike Martz has spent plenty of time on the sidelines in the Edward Jones Dome -- just not as a visitor.
Now the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, Martz returns to St. Louis for the first time since being fired as Rams coach when the teams meet on Sunday.
Martz spent the past six seasons as coach of the Rams before he was let go on Jan. 2, going 54-33 with four playoff appearances and a berth in the Super Bowl following the 2001 season.
He ran the "Greatest Show on Turf" offense and St. Louis piled up plenty of points during his seven seasons with the organization, beginning in 1999 when he was the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Super Bowl-winning team.
Too bad his current club isn't scoring that way.
The Lions (0-3) have been inconsistent in coach Rod Marinelli's debut season. They scored a combined 13 points in losses to Seattle and Chicago before a 31-24 defeat to Green Bay last week.
Detroit is 21st in the NFL with 306.7 yards of offense per game.
"Obviously, we all want to validate what we are doing with wins -- that's what this is all about," guard Damien Woody said. "But we're making progress. We watch the tape, and we can see the little details and nuances that we need to fix. That's the important part. We understand what we have to do, and how good it will be when we get there.
"We're getting close."
The Lions haven't had problems throwing the ball, it's the running game that's been dismal. Detroit is averaging 63 yards per game on the ground, the third-worst total in the league.
"I see us as a team right now that is three or four plays away from getting wins in football games," said quarterback Jon Kitna, who threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers. "The thing is, once you make those plays -- when that game happens and you get that win and you make those plays -- then you almost go a way where you feel like you can't lose. I see that about to happen here, I really do."
It's been the opposite for the Detroit defense.
The Lions rank sixth in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 80 yards per game, but are allowing 269 yards passing -- 29th in the league.
"We're playing the run well -- very strong and very physical," Marinelli said. "But the money down is third down -- that's when you have to come home with your check book. It is the rush and it is the coverage. It's not just one unit."
Martz's old team hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard either, but the Rams have won two of their first three games, largely on the strength of their kicking game.
New coach Scott Linehan's ball-control system has taken time to learn and St. Louis has had to settle too often for field goals. The Rams beat Denver 18-10 in Week 1 thanks to six field goals from Jeff Wilkins, then defeated Arizona 16-14 last week with three more field goals from Wilkins.
"Instead of feet, we're inches (away from touchdowns)," Linehan said. "We've got to score. We've got to get the ball in the end zone and score touchdowns. We certainly feel great about being 2-1 now, but there are going to be days when 18, 16 or 13 points will be good enough to win games."
Linehan has stressed a more run-oriented approach and it has paid off, as Steven Jackson has rushed for at least 100 yards in two of the first three games.
Quarterback Marc Bulger -- 21-4 at home as a starter -- has completed 59 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. The Rams have a plus-7 turnover margin, first in the NFC and second in the NFL.
"The game is about having the ball and turnover ratio and time of possession and things like that," linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said. "I think that's why we are so successful right now because we are getting that ball and giving our team more opportunities to make big plays."
Defensive end Anthony Hargrove was reinstated to the team this week after he missed two days of practice last week because of personal issues.
Rookie Victor Adeyanju took his place against the Cardinals and will start versus the Lions, though Hargrove may play as a backup.
"He played excellent," Linehan said of Adeyanju, a fourth-round pick from Indiana. "He played with great energy and effort. He didn't play like a rookie."
Rams receiver Isaac Bruce has 826 receptions and needs two more to pass Larry Centers and move into 10th place on the all-time list.
Detroit has won four of the last five meetings between these teams. This is the first matchup in St. Louis since the Rams moved there from Los Angeles following the 1994 season.
edit: [smilie=TD Lions]
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;_ylt=AsiIwMkp2iR1ZP.zlLxu6JRDubYF?gid=2006 1001014
Detroit (0-3) at St. Louis (2-1)
Game Info: 4:05 pm EDT Sun Oct 1, 2006
TV: FOX
By DAN BURCH, STATS Writer
Mike Martz has spent plenty of time on the sidelines in the Edward Jones Dome -- just not as a visitor.
Now the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, Martz returns to St. Louis for the first time since being fired as Rams coach when the teams meet on Sunday.
Martz spent the past six seasons as coach of the Rams before he was let go on Jan. 2, going 54-33 with four playoff appearances and a berth in the Super Bowl following the 2001 season.
He ran the "Greatest Show on Turf" offense and St. Louis piled up plenty of points during his seven seasons with the organization, beginning in 1999 when he was the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Super Bowl-winning team.
Too bad his current club isn't scoring that way.
The Lions (0-3) have been inconsistent in coach Rod Marinelli's debut season. They scored a combined 13 points in losses to Seattle and Chicago before a 31-24 defeat to Green Bay last week.
Detroit is 21st in the NFL with 306.7 yards of offense per game.
"Obviously, we all want to validate what we are doing with wins -- that's what this is all about," guard Damien Woody said. "But we're making progress. We watch the tape, and we can see the little details and nuances that we need to fix. That's the important part. We understand what we have to do, and how good it will be when we get there.
"We're getting close."
The Lions haven't had problems throwing the ball, it's the running game that's been dismal. Detroit is averaging 63 yards per game on the ground, the third-worst total in the league.
"I see us as a team right now that is three or four plays away from getting wins in football games," said quarterback Jon Kitna, who threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers. "The thing is, once you make those plays -- when that game happens and you get that win and you make those plays -- then you almost go a way where you feel like you can't lose. I see that about to happen here, I really do."
It's been the opposite for the Detroit defense.
The Lions rank sixth in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 80 yards per game, but are allowing 269 yards passing -- 29th in the league.
"We're playing the run well -- very strong and very physical," Marinelli said. "But the money down is third down -- that's when you have to come home with your check book. It is the rush and it is the coverage. It's not just one unit."
Martz's old team hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard either, but the Rams have won two of their first three games, largely on the strength of their kicking game.
New coach Scott Linehan's ball-control system has taken time to learn and St. Louis has had to settle too often for field goals. The Rams beat Denver 18-10 in Week 1 thanks to six field goals from Jeff Wilkins, then defeated Arizona 16-14 last week with three more field goals from Wilkins.
"Instead of feet, we're inches (away from touchdowns)," Linehan said. "We've got to score. We've got to get the ball in the end zone and score touchdowns. We certainly feel great about being 2-1 now, but there are going to be days when 18, 16 or 13 points will be good enough to win games."
Linehan has stressed a more run-oriented approach and it has paid off, as Steven Jackson has rushed for at least 100 yards in two of the first three games.
Quarterback Marc Bulger -- 21-4 at home as a starter -- has completed 59 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. The Rams have a plus-7 turnover margin, first in the NFC and second in the NFL.
"The game is about having the ball and turnover ratio and time of possession and things like that," linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said. "I think that's why we are so successful right now because we are getting that ball and giving our team more opportunities to make big plays."
Defensive end Anthony Hargrove was reinstated to the team this week after he missed two days of practice last week because of personal issues.
Rookie Victor Adeyanju took his place against the Cardinals and will start versus the Lions, though Hargrove may play as a backup.
"He played excellent," Linehan said of Adeyanju, a fourth-round pick from Indiana. "He played with great energy and effort. He didn't play like a rookie."
Rams receiver Isaac Bruce has 826 receptions and needs two more to pass Larry Centers and move into 10th place on the all-time list.
Detroit has won four of the last five meetings between these teams. This is the first matchup in St. Louis since the Rams moved there from Los Angeles following the 1994 season.
edit: [smilie=TD Lions]