Rams at Cowboys: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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The St. Louis Rams (0-6) fell short once again this season, this time against the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas. 

Not only are the Rams winless in 2011, but they have lost nine of their last 10 games dating back to the 2010 season. They have not even been competitive in a single game this season. It could be argued that their game against the Redskins was close given the 17-10 score, but the score is deceiving; they were completely overwhelmed throughout that game. 

Steve Spagnuolo is on the hot seat. There's no question or debate about it like there was two or three weeks ago. 

Really, the only question is whether to fire him during the season or afterwards. 

It's possible that owner Stan Kroenke will see how the team performs in the second half of the season against weaker teams before making a final decision, but it's also possible that he'll just get fed up with the embarrassment and send him packing after one or two more losses. 

But for now, here's what the Rams did against Dallas, the good, the bad and the ugly...

The Good

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Well, the Rams scored a touchdown against the Dallas defense. That's been a rare feat for a Rams team that only scored four total touchdowns in the first five games. With six games played so far in 2011, they have yet to score two touchdowns in a single game. So the good news is they met their peak against Dallas. 

And Donnie Jones sure can punt the ball, he's a heck of a punter. 

Other than that, the offensive line allowed only one sack (but took a step backwards in run blocking), Brandon Lloyd had a solid debut with the Rams (six catches, 74 yards) and Steven Jackson had a solid afternoon with 70 yards a a score, despite having no run lanes whatsoever.  

The Bad

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The Rams managed to get an assortment of stupid penalties, once again, such as putting 12 men on the field and jumping offsides, proving once again that this team has very little discipline (although it was still one of their better games in 2011 penalty-wise).  

A.J. Feeley was not terrible in the backup role. He went 20-for-33 with 196 yards and an interception. But he was unable to establish any rhythm whatsoever despite being sacked only once. 

The defense, the group that was supposed to be a strong point in 2011, was humiliated. They held Tony Romo to only 166 yards, but he threw for a pair of touchdowns. The run defense was gutted for 295 rushing yards, with 253 of yards coming from a rookie running back (DeMarco Murray). 

The Ugly

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It's becoming increasingly clear that the Rams' coaches are in over their heads. They are so overwhelmed with the task at hand that they cannot even begin to know where to start or what to focus on. 

The group is not improving week after week like they should; in fact they are worse in many aspects. 

The look on Steve Spagnuolo's face on gameday is that of a lost child in a grocery store, checking every aisle for his inattentive mother. 

Whether it was the challenge of Cadillac Williams' fumble, running the ball for the third time in a row on 3rd-and-long or the refusal to utilize weapons such as Danario Alexander and Lance Kendricks in the game plan, it was perfectly clear that the coaches were outmatched.