Written by Gary Klein at LA Times.com
It didn’t look much different than the last time the Rams called Los Angeles home.
It bore a striking resemblance to the way they played for much of the last 13 years in St. Louis, too.
The season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” was supposed to be the Rams’ national coming-out party.
Instead, it served as an ugly reminder that regardless of location, this is a team still many moves away from becoming a contender.
The Rams’ 28-0 loss at Levi’s Stadium featured inconsistent quarterback play and an offense that could not score or convert third downs. Those are the same characteristics that plagued the Rams last season when they finished 7-9 with NFL’s worst offense and worst passing offense.
And a defense attempting to make up for the losses of a key cornerback and safety to free agency struggled against 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who had been pedestrian in his first five NFL seasons.
The frustration spilled over late in the fourth quarter when Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald was ejected for committing his second unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. The third-year pro took off his helmet and slammed it to the turf near midfield before he was escorted to the locker room.
That does not bode well for a team that will play this week’s home opener against a Seattle Seahawks team poised to make Coach Pete Carroll’s homecoming to the Coliseum a happy one.
“We’ve got to come back,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We’ve got to bounce back strong . We’ve got to come back with a sense of urgency.”
Added middle linebacker Alex Ogletree: “There’s frustration, but it’s Week 1. We’ve got a long season ahead of us. We have to get back to the drawing board.”
It was supposed to be different, in theory at least, after the NFL gave the Rams permission to move from St. Louis and return to Los Angeles after a 21-year absence.
To continue reading this article, click here.
