2012-2016- The Fisher Era

How to fix the St. Louis Rams’ 2015 season

The St. Louis Rams hit a low-point last week after being humiliated by the Chicago Bears. Time to start evaluating the 2016 NFL Draft right? That can wait awhile. Mock drafts are fun and all, but the Rams are 4-5 entering Week 10, which puts them in good position to at least make the Wild Card. Here are five things that may fix the Rams’ season:

Shake up the depth chart – The Rams are taking a step in the right direction by switching things up. They started last week by adding veteran wide receiver Wes Welker. He didn’t make a huge impact this past week, but you cannot expect him to produce big numbers in less than a week with the team. Adding Welker is huge, because the Rams not only added a veteran presence to a very young Rams receiving corps, but they now have a reliable receiver known for making clutch catches. He may be in the latter half of his career, but he definitely still has something left in the tank.

This week, head coach Jeff Fisher has decided to bench quarterback Nick Foles in favor of backup Case Keenum. It’s not like Keenum has never started in an NFL game before, and he’s had some impressive starts. Keenum is a player itching to come off the bench, and it may provide some time for Foles to take a step back and evaluate the Rams’ scheme. This likely won’t be a permanent change, but if it works for the better, then he’ll likely remain the starter. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, it’s been awhile since Keenum last started for any team.

It may be time to consider benching other players too, particularly on offense. Guys dropping passes, fumbling the football and blowing blocking assignments is not acceptable. At this point, it’s time to break the status quo and start based on consistency. Contracts cannot play a role on the field. If the team’s original starters aren’t producing, it’s time to make a change. They can play off the bench.

Coaching changes – No one necessarily needs to be fired, but offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti needs to step down. He truly took several steps backwards in the last few weeks. His philosophy of oversimplifying the offense has slowed progress and arguably made it worse than last year. It’s his first season, but that doesn’t give him an excuse for the poor performance. It might benefit the team more if he is demoted back to quarterbacks coach and have him spend more time with Foles. Fisher can take over the playcalling as long as he doesn’t remain as predictable as Cignetti.

More discipline – We’ve seen this all too often. Penalties kill drives, and that can quickly change the momentum of the game. The Rams have erased points off the scoreboard due to unnecessary penalties. Because of this, Fisher needs to work on correcting that on both sides of the football. The Rams cannot get into a rhythm if it’s constantly being interrupted by flags. Currently, the Rams are fifth in league in penalties committed with 76 and lost a total of 625 yards.

Slow down – The goal of the offseason was to produce a team that relies heavily on the ground game. The Rams cannot move away from that despite some injuries to the offensive line. It’s unfortunate, but injuries shouldn’t determine the scheme of an offense. The Rams have something special in rookie running back Todd Gurley, but he cannot carry the team on his own. It wouldn’t hurt to use Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham a little bit more, even on passing plays. By getting them more involved, it is more likely to tire out defenses. Trying to contain each running back and their different styles can also become confusing.

Speaking of tired defenses, the Rams’ defense could use longer breaks. The offense needs to manage the game clock to the team’s advantage. Controlling the ball is vital to the success of the Rams. If they continue to have quick three-and-out drives, the Rams will not be making the playoffs this season. The Rams are a talented team despite recent losses, and correcting these problems will provide them with a better chance to win more football games.

Source: Pro-football-reference.com

You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.

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