Jeff Fisher

Going back to basics has worked wonders for the St. Louis Rams defense. The unit has the talent, but lacked the results to match it in recent seasons.

Five games into the 2012 NFL season, the Rams defense has been the driving force behind the team's 3-2 start, and keyed the 17-3 manhandling of the previously unbeaten Arizona Cardinals to begin Week 5.

Adopting a simpler approach has been the decisive factor in the unit's turnaround, following three seasons of wild inconsistency operating the complex system of ex-head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Under Spagnuolo, the Rams played a fire-zone scheme, calling for a complex blend of blitz pressures and coverages.

In 2009, the group ranked 29th, but registered sharp improvement a year later. In fact, the defense played its part in taking the Rams one game short of capturing the NFC West crown in 2010, ranking 19th overall and 12th in scoring. It appeared Spagnuolo's plans had taken shape.

However, the defense regressed in 2011, falling to 22nd. A rash of injuries in the secondary didn't help, but the real issue was the 31st-ranked run defense.

The 152.1 rushing yards surrendered per game revealed a defense that had become too bloated by scheme and had forgotten the basics. That picture has changed under new head coach Jeff Fisher, who has quickly moulded an aggressive unit that still respects sound fundamentals.

Fisher and his defensive crew, led by long-time assistants Dave McGinnis and Chuck Cecil, have scaled back the scheme in favour of a simpler system. The key to their approach has been to rely on a basic man under, two-deep coverage concept, allowing the defensive line rotation to provide the majority of the pressure.

That's as basic as it gets for pro 4-3 defenses, but the affects are obvious. Fisher has eliminated most of the pre-snap movement and lengthy blitz signals the Rams were calling during the last three years. His defense simply concentrates on playing downhill and swarming to the ball.

New arrivals have certainly aided this transformation. In particular, free-agent cornerback Cortland Finnegan can usually be relied upon to take away the opposition's best receiver, which allows Fisher to trust press coverage on the outside.

Linebackers Rocky McIntosh and Jo-Lonn Dunbar were also smart additions. Their athleticism on the outside allows aggressive mike 'backer James Laurinaitis to concentrate on attacking A-gap to A-gap.

However, the real driving force behind the Rams defense is the line, a group as deep and talented as any during the team's stay in St. Louis. Fisher added top rookie Michael Brockers and low-key free agents William Hayes and Kendall Langford to arguably the best young duo of rush ends in the league in Chris Long and Robert Quinn.

Rotation players like Jermelle Cudjo, Kellen Heard and Eugene Sims have also contributed. The group devoured the Cardinals, enabling the defense to collect a whopping nine sacks.

Previously, Rams defensive linemen often exchanged gap and rush responsibilities and alignments, or dropped into zone coverage. Now they are simply tasked with getting behind the line of scrimmage and destroying plays at their source.

The Rams are now able to create consistent and heavy pressure up front without relying on complicated and risky blitz packages. Along with Finnegan and rookie Janoris Jenkins locking down the outside, usually with deep safety help, that simple formula is proving a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

The Rams' back to basics defense is providing real hope that the Fisher era won't be just another false dawn in St. Louis.

Simply put, the referees in the Rams-Redskins game in St. Louis Sunday afternoon were a disaster.

There were missed calls all over the field that hurt both teams, there were two massive missed touchdown calls that went against the Rams and the extracurricular activities that continued to occur after the whistle was blown were outrageous.

The game was hotly contested right from the start when Rams' wide receiver Danny Amendola was stripped of the ball on the first play from scrimmage and it was subsequently returned by the Redskins for a touchdown. The game continued to get more and more chippy between the two teams.

The referees threw a flag on a very questionable late hit call on Robert Griffin III which gave the Redskins a first down when they would have been punting. After that, Sam Bradford was hit late after sliding and giving himself up, yet no flag was thrown on the play.

With the questionable calls throughout the game, players continued to get rowdy and there were unacceptable skirmishes that continued to occur after each play.

There were also three very bad calls, unrelated to penalties, that went against the Rams in the first half.

The Rams were given a terrible spot by the officials in the first quarter that forced the Rams to punt instead of giving them a first down. There was a touchdown pass thrown by Bradford where the receiver was ruled out of bounds.

Rams' head coach Jeff Fisher should have probably challenged, but if the official thought at all that the receiver had caught the ball he should have ruled it a touchdown and the booth would have reviewed the scoring play. Finally, there was a clear touchdown scored by Rams' running back Steven Jackson in the second quarter that was ruled otherwise.

The Rams had to settle for two field goals after both of these terrible missed touchdown calls. The first half of the game was a total joke in terms of officiating.

Bleacher Report featured columnist, Brian Paxton, who was doing a live blog of the Redskins Rams game, summed it up: "If there was ever an example needed for why the league should settle with the NFLRA, this is it. The replacement refs have been absolutely dreadful and on the verge of losing control."

In the second half, the referees went from on the verge of losing control, to losing control, to past the point of having lost control. The skirmishes continued to get more and more physical after each play, and they started becoming more and more frequent. The referees had no control over the players in the second half.

Eventually the skirmishes culminated in Josh Morgan throwing a football at the Rams' Cortland Finnegan at the end of the game. The 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Redskins out of field goal range and cost them a shot at potentially tying the game at 31 with a field goal.

While it was the right call for the referees to throw a flag on Morgan on the play, a message should have been sent earlier in the game by the officials that fights after the whistle was blown would not be tolerated throughout the course of the game.

This article is not an attempt to rip on the replacement officials, but to show that the NFL needs to get the actual NFL officials back on the field. There have been so many games with so many missed calls so far this season and it is turning into a joke.

The first half of the Rams-Redskins game was an embarrassment to the NFL. A game that had the potential to be an awesome battle between two very evenly-matched teams was marred by bad calls and fights throughout.

As the season continues and the games get more and more crucial, the loss of the actual NFL officials will be magnified. Imagine your favorite team losing a crucial regular season game, playoff game, or in a worst case scenario, a Super Bowl, because a replacement official missed an obvious call or made a call that obviously should not have been made.

The NFL needs to get their actual officials back on the field now, before more of these great NFL games are turned into a joke because of terrible officiating.

The Lions barely escaped with a 27-23 win over St. Louis Sunday afternoon at Ford Field. “A win’s a win” most of you might say, but if we take a closer look, there are a few things, good and bad, that we can take away from the game.

Perhaps surprisingly, I found more positives to take away from this game than negatives. The most obvious and also most frustrating aspect of this game was Matthew Stafford’s three first-half interceptions. First-year Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher seemed to have the perfect game plan drawn up to defend the Lions’ potent passing attack.

Almost every time the Lions smelled the end zone, the Rams came up with a takeaway. On all three of Stafford’s interceptions, it seemed as if the Rams defense knew exactly where he was going with the ball. St. Louis disguised double coverages and had Stafford fooled, rattled and guessing for most of the game.

The NFC North and other foes should be thanking Fisher and the Rams defense for manufacturing a blueprint on how to foil the Lions passing game. There is no doubt that Lions’ offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will have to make some adjustments, especially as they are heading into San Francisco next Sunday night.

Staying on the same side of the ball, I was extremely impressed with the Lions offensive line.  The easiest way to tell if the O-line is on par is if you never hear the commentators say anything about them. That means they’re doing their jobs. Detroit is one of the only teams in the NFL returning all five starters in the offensive trenches, and their chemistry showed.

They only allowed one sack on Stafford (which was more or less a coverage sack) and they also had zero false starts and zero offensive holding penalties. Speaking of penalties, Detroit only had three all afternoon. This is all but miraculous after giving up almost eight per game last season.

The most impressive thing that I saw from Detroit on Sunday afternoon was holding running back Steven Jackson to just 53 rushing yards, his longest run being only nine yards. As a team, the Rams only averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Stephen Tulloch was the anchor in the middle of this run defense and will be all season as long as he is on the field.

Detroit’s banged up secondary was not tested by Sam Bradford and company. Lions starting cornerback Bill Bentley left the game on Sunday with an injury as well. With the jury still out on his status for next week, the Lions were also missing starting cornerback Chris Houston and starting safety Louis Delmas due to injuries.

Three missing starters in a defensive backfield is never a delightful thought, unless your name is Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Randy Moss, Mario Manningham or Michael Crabtree—all who could be looking forward to shred a second string secondary next week in San Fran. 

The San Francisco 49ers went 13-3 last season, and were likely a Kyle Williams fumble—and over a half dozen third-down conversions—from appearing in the Super Bowl.  

Now back to reality.

Las Vegas is set to make a small fortune this season off of suckers with the shortsightedness to roll with the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. 

Despite being loaded defensively—with a unit that has potential to flirt with double-digit Pro Bowlers—signs of the 49ers' impending inflation are too apocalyptic to ignore. 

One of the most powerful statistics used by informed handicappers when valuing NFL teams centers around turnover differential. 

As evidenced by the 2004 Buffalo Bills, 2005 Denver Broncos and 2006 Baltimore Ravens, those who overachieve in this category are almost always destined to fail the following season. 

With an unsustainable turnover differential improvement of +29 (-1 turnover differential in 2010; +28 turnover differential in 2011, good enough to lead the league), all while only losing 36 percent of their fumbles where the historic league average is 50 percent, expect San Francisco to struggle with turnover issues that were not only foreign last season, but were also the difference in many razor-close contests. 

The 49ers also played over six points better than the spread last season.  This type of success against the spread is nothing short of an anomaly given the rarity of surpassing even the five-point ATS mark, even for elite teams such as the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers who played 2.94 points and 4.22 points better than the spread, respectively, despite posting a combined 28-4 record in the regular season.  

San Francisco's seven-game improvement from 2010 should also scare bettors away given the history of subsequent doom of NFL teams with similar Cinderella-like results. 

And this is all before considering the fact that with the onslaught of offense in Roger Goddell's run-and-shoot era of quarterback dependency, all six teams to have won a Super Bowl under Goddell's watch boast a bona fide Hall of Famer at quarterback. 

Meanwhile, the 49ers are still stuck with Alex Smith. 

The San Francisco 49ers figure to be a Bay Area bust all season.  Lucky for them, they have escaped the SpreadSHREDDER's prescient wrath for now. 

KANSAS CITY (+3) OVER ATLANTA

The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best home-field advantages in all of football and have reloaded on offense with the return of multiple players—namely running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Tony Moeaki and quarterback Matt Cassell—whose injuries resulted in a fall from grace for a team that won its division the season prior. 

Despite being white-hot in the preseason under new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Atlanta should see growing pains with the debut of a new hurry-up offense inside one of the NFL's loudest stadiums, and against what should be a stingy team coached by defensive guru Romeo Crennel.  

The Falcons are just 8-9 ATS outdoors under Matt Ryan, including an alarming 1-3 mark last season.  As a team that will figure to inflict a run-heavy offensive gameplan, featuring Charles and new toy Peyton Hillis, in order to undermine the Falocns' no-huddle hopes on a slow field, Kansas City has incredible value as a home dog.  

KANSAS CITY, 24-21 

ARIZONA (+3) OVER SEATTLE

Few times has preseason success resulted in as much hype, hope and hyperbole as has been the case for unproven rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. 

The Seattle Seahawks went 4-0 in the preseason, which will likely be their finest accomplishment of 2012.  

The Seahawks' late-season surge from last year was not without its share of inflation, as Carroll's crew achieved the fourth-highest year-to-year turnover improvement at a bloated +17, while beating the spread by a dangerous margin of over five points. 

The -3-point line on the road suggests that the Seahawks are five-and-a-half points better than the Cardinals.  There are just too many uncertainties at key positions—not to mention a makeshift Seahawks offensive line—to believe Seattle is that much better than a team similar to the one that finished above them in the always-mediocre NFC West.

For now, Arizona has more stability at head coach, and believe it or not, quarterback.  This one just smells like a blowout.

ARIZONA, 27-7 

ST. LOUIS (+7.5) OVER DETROIT

Despite a ridiculously talented roster, the Detroit Lions could see measurable erosion from last year's season-long coming-out party.

Strike one says that the Detroit Lions led the league in defensive touchdowns, which is yet another indicator of overvalue given the likelihood of that statistic disappearing from any team that doesn't employ Devin Hester.

Strike two says the Detroit Lions were curiously fortunate in recovering 65 percent of their fumbles, good for 5th-best in the league.  Bad for value.   

Strike three will see first-year St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher come to town.  Of course, Detroit coach and resident hothead Jim Schwartz is a disciple of Fisher's coaching tree.  Jeff Fisher taught Jim Schwartz everything he knows, but he didn't teach him everything Jeff Fisher knows.

ST. LOUIS, 28-27

[Lines from Sportsbook.com via VegasInsider.com]

The only real way to kick off another disappointing season is with a cheesy gimmick. 

Big Lead Sports reports the St. Louis Rams have found one way to have fans excited about the first home game of the regular season. 

This being the Rams, the prospects of a win wasn't nearly enough. 

Instead, the allure that is Jeff Fisher's mustache will have to be enough to have fans flock to the stadium on September 16 with an actual smile on their respective faces. 

Here is a tweet from ESPN's Darren Rovell that informs us this fine game against the Washington Redskins from Edward Jones Stadium will be quite the "Stache Bash."

Rams giving Jeff Fisher mustaches to fans (via @burnstyler, @shaunclair45) twitpic.com/apzvjt

— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) September 1, 2012

Finally, a reason to care about the Rams' season. 

This is coming from a Rams fan, one who used to root on Jim Everett passes that never quite got to Willie "Flipper" Anderson, or fell well short of Henry Ellard. 

As the Big Lead Sports' report reminds us, having a 15-65 record over the last five seasons does little to invoke hope despite a new head coach. 

All it does is reinforce the old feelings of despair that haunts this unfortunate fan base. 

The best part in all this is, you can walk away from future Rams losses with your head held high, knowing full well that your disguise will prevent others from knowing your sad sports loyalties. 

Follow me on Twitter for more nonsense. 

Follow @gabezal

Sunday's NFL preseason action has two first-overall picks at the helm of the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts, each trying to open up the 2012 season on a better note.  2011 was one of the more forgettable years for each franchise, but there is reason for long-term optimism in both camps. 

Let's take a closer look at who has the edge in this Week 1 exhibition matchup.

Coaches

There aren't a lot of records to speak of here. Jeff Fisher had a winning preseason record during his time in Tennessee, but he's a bit of a wild card when it comes to game planning in the exhibition. 

From CBSsports.com:

Earlier in the week, Fisher said that starters could get as little as two series or as long as a quarter. Fisher said running back Steven Jackson probably won't play much, and Bradford said he hadn't been given an indication how much playing time he'll get.

Jackson participated in practice Friday night after two days off, with second-round pick Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson likely to get heavy duty Sunday.

Fisher brings Brian Schottenheimer in to run the offense. Chuck Pagano heads up the Colts and has no head coaching record to speak of.  He has Bruce Arians in charge of Andrew Luck and company, while Greg Manusky leads the defense.

Markets

The line opened at Indy -2.5 and we've seen some movement toward St Louis. The line currently sits at Indy -1.5 (courtesy of SBR Forum) and 57 percent of the bets on the Rams. I won't be shocked if there's even more movement toward the dog.

Quarterbacks

Most eyes are going to be on No. 1-overall pick Andrew Luck in this matchup. Arians has said Luck will get between 20-25 plays, but that's not set in stone.  If Robert Griffin III's performance is any indication, we should be in store for another impressive debut for the Colts rookie. That might be easier said than done. 60 percent of the 90-man roster is new and there isn't a whole lot of quality depth. The O-Line is a work in progress, the running game has question marks and Donnie Avery won't be available at WR.

After Luck we have Drew Stanton. Those within the team have nothing but good things to say about his veteran presence, but observers at camp haven't been as generous with their reviews. However, the real problem comes in the third-string spot.  Chandler Harnish is the "Mr. Irrelevant" seventh-round choice who has the responsibility of mopping up this game. Good luck shedding that label!

For St Louis we have another No. 1-overall pick in Sam Bradford. He has said that his ankle still isn't 100 percent from last season, but there hasn't been any sign of problems in training camp. The talent on this kid is off the charts, it's just a matter of surrounding him with options and protecting him more effectively. 

The good news is he has more options this year. Danny Amendola returns from injury, Brandon Gibson has impressed in camp, Brian Quick and Chris Givens were acquired in the draft and Steve Smith was signed in free agency. That group might be devoid of a "No. 1," but when you throw in Lance Kendricks it's a group with room to grow.

In the backup roles there is Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, and Tom Brandstater. Clemens has first-hand knowledge of Schottenheimer's offense and should be serviceable. Davis and Brandstater aren't household names, but they can't be any worse than "Mr. Irrelevant".  Jeff Fisher has liked what he's seen from Davis in camp, so expect him to get the bulk of 2nd half action.

Roster

I realize the Rams finished near the bottom of the league last year, but make no mistake, this team has some nice pieces to build on. Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins are big additions in the secondary and the likes of Robert Quinn, James Laurinaitis and Chris Long are difference makers in the front seven.

Rookies Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson will see a lot of action at running back and the Rams are liking what they've done in camp so far.  Also, there are more than enough receivers to give all three QBs some capable options.

On the flip side, I can't be as optimistic for the Colts. Much like the Browns, they barely have enough to fill out a competitive starting roster, let alone any quality depth in the backup roles.  I'm not even going to try pretending I know half of these guys. From what I've read, there is so much turnover and change that no one really knows what they have yet.

What I do know is that they are headed for some serious growing pains.

Pick

I don't understand how bookmakers set this line. I understand home teams get the obligatory 2.5 points, but the Rams have one of the most respected and experienced head coaches in the NFL, a better QB rotation and better overall quality throughout the lineup.

There's been no news out of either camp to indicate a lean toward the Colts unless you think Luck is going to own the day with multiple TD drives to open the game. If you look at some of the talent he'll be facing and what he has to work with, I'd say that's unlikely.

NFL Pick: STL +1.5 (SBR Forum)

This article is from the Free NFL Predictions blog. For more articles and picks visit www.brooksbets.com. Follow Bobby Brooks on Twitter the entire football season for all things NFL betting.

It's been a long road for the NFL franchise that was once deemed "The Greatest Show On Turf." The last time the St. Louis Rams went to the playoffs, Ron Burgundy was sitting behind a news desk (2004). 

In those seven years, the Rams have gone through four coaches, and the only real bright spot on the team has been Steven Jackson. But the stars are beginning to align in the "Lou" as new head coach Jeff Fisher brings his proven playoff formula to the Midwest. 

The Fisher Formula: Running the Ball Plus Stopping the Run Equals Playoffs

Fisher's last five playoff teams finished in the top 10 at stopping the run and in rushing attempts. The name of the game for Fisher is ball control. Fisher likes to run the ball to control the clock and stop the run to force your opponent to throw the ball, limiting their ball control.

Fisher's formula relies on two things: 1) D-Line and 2) Running Back.  Fisher has proven year in and year out that if you give him the talent to plug into his formula, he'll get the job done. Right now in St. Louis, Fisher has the variables that make up his highly consistent playoff equation. 

Variable 1: Running the Ball

Make no mistake—Fisher wants to run the ball. Fisher hired Brian Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator to implement his ball-controlled offense. There isn't a better match made in heaven than Schottenheimer and Fisher.

Schottenheimer shares his head coach's enthusiasm for running the rock. In this century, only one other team has rushed the ball more times in a season than Schottenheimer's 2009 Jets (2004 Steelers). With Fisher, Schottenheimer and the offensive line wonder-coach Paul Boudreau, the Rams' think-tank is set.

Last year, the Rams offensive line gave up 55 sacks and was ranked last in protecting the quarterback. Boudreau has his work cut out for him, but he's got the talent to make this line mesh.

The Rams offensive line is made up of veteran free agents (Harvey Dahl and Scott Wells) mixed with recent high draft picks (Jason Smith, No. 2, 2009 and Roger Saffold, No. 33, 2010). The line is talented and finally experienced enough to open up holes for the running game.

Fisher has proven he can make the playoffs with premier backs—Eddie George and Chris Johnson—but doesn't necessarily need them. When Fisher made the playoffs in 2007, his offensive line carried Lendale White over the line.

All Fisher needs is someone who can hold onto the ball and run through the holes. Lucky for him, Steven Jackson can do that and more. Jackson is coming off his sixth straight thousand-yard season and shows no signs of letting up. Jackson's ability to work through injuries and produce will continue in 2012.

With backups Darryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead looking good in camp, Jackson feels optimistic about this year's team:

“I think we’re taking a step in the right direction. I believe Coach Fisher and what he’s brought to the team," Jackson said. "We had a huge turnout today and I think from what the fans saw, they saw a new type of team that is very aggressive, very confident in what we’re doing and looking for a change.” 

Variable 2: Stopping the Run

Fisher got his start as an assistant to former Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Fisher learned from one of the best, and his dedication to defense can be seen throughout his career.

In 16 seasons of coaching, Fisher's defenses gave up an average of 100 rushing yards per game only five times. In St. Louis, Fisher takes over a team who ranked 31st in rushing defense—something that doesn't sit well with a defensive-minded coach.

The only good thing that came out of St. Louis being abysmal for seven years was stockpiling first-round draft picks, which they used mostly on their defensive line (Michael Brockers, Robert Quinn, Chris Long).

Fisher glared at the Rams' defensive line output with disgust and took the first step in fixing it when he drafted LSU's defensive tackle Brockers 14th overall. Fisher will use Brockers' 6'5", 322-pound frame as a roadblock to attack the opponent's run game at the start.

Fisher added to his commitment to stopping the run when he gave Rams defensive end Chris Long a four-year extension. Long's in his fifth year and has increased his total number of sacks each year. Last year, Long had 13 sacks (fourth in the NFL) and 31 tackles. New contract, new coach will equal Long's best year yet, especially with help from another former first-round draft pick Quinn, who will be putting pressure on the other end.

Quinn, who was drafted 14th overall in 2010, is in his second year. In Quinn's rookie season, he had 23 tackles and five sacks—both better than Long's first year. Quinn has gotten into a little hot water lately, but his talent and potential have been a hot topic of conversation in training camp for Jeff Fisher.

“I am kind of just hoping that thing carries over in the games," Fisher said. "It kind of reminds me of a little bit—even though you’re going to think I’m crazy about the comparison—but a little bit about (Titans running back) Chris Johnson’s rookie year in training camp when you said, ‘Gosh, if this was a game do you think he’d score?’ And I am thinking, ‘Well if this is a game, he should have a few sacks by the time the game is over.’ He has really improved.” 

With these three up front and a linebacking corps led by James Laurinatis, Fisher's new-look Rams will do better than 31st in stopping the run. The push up front will force opponents to throw the ball at a Rams pass defense that, last year, ranked seventh in the league even without newly acquired cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

This strong defensive variable will keep the ball out of the opponents' hands and into Fisher's ball-controlled offense.

All this adds up to a probable 2012 playoff appearance.  Stay Classy, St. Louis.  

Garrett Turner is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.