by Ryan Wilson
It's not like the Rams had a shot at beating the Bears yesterday, but I'm sure it must be frustrating for, well, everybody even remotely involved in the team. And that includes those fans who regularly waste three hours a week to watch them, or worse, fork over money to see the horror unfold in person.
Whatever, St. Louis has now dropped five straight, and could only must three points against Chicago. And while one play didn't decide the game, the fake punt that went horribly awry was certainly memorable for head coach Jim Haslett. Punter Donnie Jones tried to complete a pass to Eric Bassey on fourth-and-15, except Bassey was mauled before the ball arrived. Pass interference, right? Uh, no. As Haslett correctly reasoned, "there is no pass interference on a fake punt." Huh, that sucks.
But it gets worse. Apparently, the Rams had no business even attempting a fake punt in that situation.
"It was dumb play by the upback to call on a fourth-and-15, that's what it was," Haslett said. "We ... worked ... all week for if it was fourth-and-less-than-10. This was fourth-and-15. The chances of getting it done aren't very good."
"Aren't very good" is being optimistic, I think. Naturally, Bears rookie running back Matt Forte would rip off a 47-yard touchdown run two plays later, and Chicago would take a comfortable 21-0 lead with just over 30 minutes to go.
For the glass-is-half-full set: there are just 300 minutes remaining in the Rams' 2008 season. So there's that.
Rams Botch Fake Punt; on Upside, Bears Ensuing Touchdown Didn't Affect Outcome originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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