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Still a lot of games left

Posted September 09, 2007 11:00 pm

Hal Pilger

By Hal Pilger

Gatehouse News Service

ST. LOUIS - Wide receiver Isaac Bruce has been around the NFL block. Many, many times.

The only remaining Rams player who was with the team when it still was based in Los Angeles in 1994, Bruce has played for some very bad Rams teams - including clubs that won only four and five games - and some very good Rams teams - including two that went to the Super Bowl.

He knows what took place during Sunday's disheartening 27-13 loss to Carolina at the Edward Jones Dome more closely resembled the former than the latter.

Especially during a second half fraught with Rams' turnovers and too many three-and-outs.

"I include three-and-outs as turnovers," Bruce said. "Any time you get in that situation it's not good for an offense. And definitely not good for a defense because they don't have too much rest off the field.

"We've got to do a better job, even taking care of the football."

Rams' regulars - especially the so-called skill-position players - saw very little playing time during a 2-2 preseason that was designed to evaluate newcomers and backups while keeping starters safe from injury. Does Bruce believe that factored into a lack of offensive timing on Sunday?

"I got plenty of work in the preseason," Bruce said. "I thought we got enough time to have the timing as far as quarterbacks and receivers are concerned. The offensive line was pretty much gelled through the preseason.

"We've got to do a better job when the band's playing and when it's for real. We didn't do that today."

Bruce caught three passes for 20 yards on a day Marc Bulger completed 22 of 42 passes for 167 yards. Fellow wideout Torry Holt had a decent day with eight catches for 73 yards, including the Rams' longest play from scrimmage - 18 yards - and the Rams' only touchdown, a 3-yard goal line reception.

But the Rams' offense, which also produced only 76 yards on the ground, really tanked in the second half, when St. Louis was still in the game but offensive line stalwart Orlando Pace was not. The All-Pro tackle injured his shoulder late in the second half and did not return.

"He's a big part of it," Bruce said. "He's the catalyst on that offensive line and a big guy we like to run behind. It (the offense) has to change. The guy's a seven- or eight-time All-Pro, and if he's not in there it changes things a little.

"You take an All-Pro out of the situation, and they're pretty healthy on the other side. They already have a pretty good front seven. I guess those guys started licking their chops when they see 76 (Pace) out of the game.

"I'm not really knocking anyone else (Adam Goldberg moved into Pace's left tackle spot). Orlando Pace is Orlando Pace."

Said Bulger, "I think Adam came in and played pretty well."

But, the quarterback conceded, the Rams moved the ball well at the beginning and then hit a lull.

"I don't think one guy (being out) should stop our whole offense," Bulger said. "Losing one guy, we should all have picked it up, and we didn't."

For whatever reason, the Rams seldom took many shots down the field. Should they, in Bruce's veteran opinion, have tried to go a little deeper a little more often?

"You're asking the wrong guy because I'm a receiver and I love going down the field," said the still-speedy Bruce, whose 1,098 receiving yards last season marked the eighth time in his career he has eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau.

But the bottom line is whatever was called Sunday seldom worked for the Rams.

"If we call a play, get to the line of scrimmage, and we don't execute, it's a mishap," Bruce said. "So we have to go back to the drawing board. We have to go back next week, make sure we execute the plays.

"If we're throwing it, we have to throw and catch, get what we can after the catch. If we're running it and we get man-on-man blocking, we have to block."

It all sounds so simple. As the Rams proved Sunday, it is not.

"Certainly you want to get touchdowns against a good defense," Bulger said, "but we did a lot of things wrong. We certainly didn't play our best."

Can this Rams' offense come even close to living up to the heady preseason predictions of just a few days ago?

"I believe we can," said Bruce. "I mean, just right now it's kind of hard because of what we just showed.

"But, thank God there's 16 games and not one."

Hal Pilger can be reached at 788-1548 or hal.pilger@sj-r.com.

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