Rams Choked
October 25th, 2010
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes Sam Bradford and the Rams choked Sunday.
Many Bucs fans are giddy on this Monday morning that the Bucs rallied (again) in the fourth quarter for their fourth win of the season.
Denizens of the Midwest see a different outcome. They see a tank job by the Rams.
Joe’s good friend Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch didn’t mince words. He outright called the game a Rams choke job.
There is no polite way to put this: the Rams choked.
They absolutely, positively, handed a game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by blowing a 17-3 lead in a disappointing 18-17 loss.
It’s a game that the Rams had won, only to give it away with a hideous second half. This was a gag job. This is a game that the Rams had control of, with Tampa Bay all but looking for a hole to crawl into after the Rams took charge early.
Miklasz went on to type that the Rams coaching in the second half was “a joke.”
How refreshing it is to read a columnist type his mind. Bravo Bernie, bravo! His column is a quality read.
While Joe likes to believe the Bucs won the game in the fourth quarter, any NFL team that coughs up a two-touchdown lead in the second half with a running back averaging five yards a carry and the opponent’s offense trying to outdo itself with creative penalties, yeah, Joe can see how others would see this outcome as a choke job by the Rams.
October 25th, 2010 at 7:13 am
The Rams media can say they choked, I say Tampa forced their will on their opponent in the second half. Either way we won, that’s all that matters.
October 25th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Every team that loses to the young bucs supposedly choked.
October 25th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Amen Amar. We have beat 3 teams in this fashion and I dont believe that it is a coincidence. It’s not that the other team choked. It’s that the Buccaneers started to play ball with second half adjustments like letting Blount carry the ball and the defense actually tackled the runner.
October 25th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Now if only we could put together a full 4 quarters of football. I love the win but we’ve already seen this year what happens when you come out stagnant against the better teams in the league. Mediocre teams will let you back into the game, not the big boys. Either way this is still a learning on the job type season for a good portion of our roster and learning to overcome adversity is one part of that.
October 25th, 2010 at 9:01 am
Even though *how* you win doesn’t count in the standings Bernie Miklasz is right, the Rams choked that game away. The Bucs are 31st (I think) in rush defense but they are 7th in pass defense. They are at 22nd for total yards. The Bucs are dead last in sacks and 29th in tackles.
Sheesh, they are practically at the bottom when it comes to run defense, tackles, and putting pressure on the QB. Ummmmm…….how are they 4-2? Oh yeah, the other team chokes the game away.
October 25th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Not the first time some team’s gotten complacent on us
It was fugly, but hey, a win’s a win
October 25th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Wow, I watched the game. After a bad first half, the Bucs played very well in the second half. They firmly planted their cleats up the Rams’s behind! If the rams choked, it was on the Bucs cleats! And. That’s a loooong way to shove a shoe. The Bucs out played the rams in the second half and won. What else COULD the Rams say?
October 25th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Yeah they did choke. These teams really disrespect the Bucs too much and that is why they lose. Its like they never expected the Bucs to put up a fight. Spagnuolo in his hubris decides to not play against the run in 2nd half and as a result his team suffered a Blount force injury. Their defense then got picked apart by Josh Freeman. B. Ruud said it best in that this team hasn’t peaked yet…they aren’t even close…by some standards they have a very long way to go. But one thing is for sure, they are taking advantage of disrespect…and in that regard they ARE the best in the NFC.
October 25th, 2010 at 10:32 am
WITH Blount running the ball effectively, we can play with most teams. The Rams did not choke, Tampa imposed their will on them, simple as that. Again, I was at Tampa Stadium with Binoculars. I like to watch the looks on the faces of Blount Tacklers. You can see their surprise. I saw it in the Steeler defenders, and I saw it yesterday in the Rams. Blount is a load to bring down. Tampa has not peaked yet, not even close. We are a young team, just finding ourselves. IMHO, we found our Mike Alstott replacement yesterday, the B Train, Legarrett Blount!
October 25th, 2010 at 11:33 am
Hey Guys,
I have heard/read everywhere that the Rams got away from running the ball in the second half, but did you notice that Steven Jackson had to take 2 series off because he was shaken up! Also they did start the second half with running the ball and they tried to run the ball untill Jackson was hurt…
Come on guys, the bucs played well in the second half and we won.. Plain and Simple!
October 25th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Apple Roof Cleaning never met a conclusion he didn’t want to jump to….