Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rams report, 12/28: black Sunday?

* Not shockingly, not enough tickets have been sold for the NFL to allow Sunday's season finale to be shown on local TV. The Rams have received a 24-hour extension, but if there are still too few tickets sold by noon tomorrow, the game will be blacked out locally. It will be the tenth Rams game blacked out in St. Louis if that happens.

Looks like I'll be recording the Red Zone channel.

* Al Harris has announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL. His blown knee was one of the worst things to happen to the Rams this season. He played a physical style at corner that the Ram secondary has essentially been missing forever, and he was a great mentor to the many young CBs bouncing around Rams Park this season, like Josh Gordy. Harris says he wants to move into coaching, and I would love to have him back with the team next season in that capacity, but I figure he'll get plenty of attractive offers. Watch, he'll coach DBs for Spagnuolo with the Giants next season.

* Jeff Fisher currently has a 55% - 25% lead over Jon Gruden in a STLtoday online poll asking fans who they'd want as the Rams' next coach. It accompanies a roundtable article where Brian Burwell freaking idiotically, but consistently, insists again that Steve Spagnuolo shouldn't be fired.

RamView voted with the 20% who voted "neither". My desperation to find a head coach capable of winning more than 3 games a season around here blinded me to how much I freaking hate Jeff Fisher.

* Quote of the day, from former NFL head of officials Mike Pereira:
"I am not a fan of [Jon] Gruden's. Not today, not yesterday, not when I worked for the NFL and not when I was working on the field as a side judge. He was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn't know what he is talking about."

Gruden criticized officials during Monday night's Falcons-Saints game for their calls involving defenseless receivers. Replays showed the officials got the calls right and that Gruden was wrong. Mike Tirico even noted the correct application of the rule in the first instance.

I didn't see the game. Gruden may have been complaining as much about the rule itself as its enforcement. That's been a standard complaint this season. On the flip side, I find Pereira's broadside more than a little chickenhearted since there are no more MNF games this season for Gruden to defend himself. We fans are all going to love the controversy Pereira's, um, frankness, generates here, but I don't find blindsiding Gruden to be any more professional than Gruden not knowing the rule.

Another good reason to be against the Rams hiring Gruden, btw. Referees HATE him!

-$-

Unless something really big happens, I doubt there will be much reason to update the injury report today.

-$$-

No comments: