Stat of the Week: Week 8 (Unhappy Returns, and Why They Haven’t Hurt Us)

[AvengerRam]

Its not your imagination. The Rams have been bad in the return game this year.

Kickoff returns: 17.7 yards/return (tied for 30th)
Punt returns: 5.6 yards/return (28th)

Fortunately, the Rams are second in the NFL (behind Kansas City) in yards/drive at 42.58 and first in both points/drive and TDs/drive.

So...

If we could just get the return game going...

 

[Karate61]

Well, we can't get the punt return game going with Kupp back there fair catching everything. No one else can return punts?

 

[Selassie I]

Whatevs

There's no such thing as a return game in the NFL anymore. It's been replaced by yellow flags being launched into the air for holding or illegal block in the back penalties.

Apparently it is completely impossible to teach a special teams player how to avoid those penalties on returns. Absolutely im-fucking-possible.

 

[Tano]

Whatevs

There's no such thing as a return game in the NFL anymore. It's been replaced by yellow flags being launched into the air for holding or illegal block in the back penalties.

Apparently it is completely impossible to teach a special teams player how to avoid those penalties on returns. Absolutely im-fucking-possible.

Sometimes I feel all a person needs to do to get a penalty on special teams is breathe too hard on someone's back.

 

[Selassie I]

Sometimes I feel all a person needs to do to get a penalty on special teams is breathe too hard on someone's back.

Sadly... players are being coached to act (flop) when they hear someone running closely behind them. Some are Academy Award winning level with their acting now.

Flopping is not sports. It's for loser pussys. The flops should receive 15 yard penalties.

If you see any kind of return in the NFL that doesn't have a yellow flag today... it's the equivalent of seeing a real unicorn.

 

[I like Rams]

We let webster go, Atwell returned a whole 2 punts in college, and Kupp is injury prone and too important for our offense so he's not gonna go 100% on returns. We haven't really grabbed anyone to replace the webster, who was never that good anyway. I can't put too much on our ST coach considering considering we really haven't given him anyone to work with.

 

[Flatlyner]

We let webster go, Atwell returned a whole 2 punts in college, and Kupp is injury prone and too important for our offense so he's not gonna go 100% on returns. We haven't really grabbed anyone to replace the webster, who was never that good anyway. I can't put too much on our ST coach considering considering we really haven't given him anyone to work with.

That'd be fine if it was only the returners that were the problem. We were completely fooled by not one, but two fake punts in the same game. Not to mention being essentially unprepared for several onside kicks. Throw in that we get a flag thrown on nearly every punt return and you have the makings of a ST coach that is not fit for a SB contending team, IMO.

 

[AvengerRam]

Maybe Donte Deayon gets a shot returning punts. He was decent at it at Boise State.

 

[Selassie I]

The most important thing about the return man on punts... Ball Security


If you have to rely on big returns to have a chance of winning... that means you ain't winning anything that matters. Especially in the playoffs.

 

[KJD_Ram]

The most important thing about the return man on punts... Ball Security

spot on.....fair catch it, Stafford an Co will take it from there...

 

[IE Rams]

Well, we can't get the punt return game going with Kupp back there fair catching everything. No one else can return punts?

If Krupp ends up being our returner, I want him fair catching everything. Not worth risking him getting slammed by incoming traffic.

 

[Karate61]

If Krupp ends up being our returner, I want him fair catching everything. Not worth risking him getting slammed by incoming traffic.

Agreed. I just don't want Kupp back there at all!