ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Rams' problems at receiver are hamstringing the offense in a big way.

That was true even without starters Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton fighting hamstring injuries this week (Avery practiced Thursday and felt better, but Burton sat out).

Rams Wide Receiver Thru Week 4 Rec. Yards YPC TD Laurent Robinson 13 167 12.8 1 Donnie Avery 13 109 8.4 0 Keenan Burton 7 92 13.1 0 Danny Amendola 1 8 8.0 0 Ruvell Martin 0 0 0.0 0

Against the 49ers, the Rams used four wide receivers at once for the first time this season. They handed to Steven Jackson for no gain. The four receivers: Avery, Danny Amendola, Keenan Burton and Ruvell Martin.

With Laurent Robinson on injured reserve and former starter Torry Holt visiting Seattle in Week 5 as a member of the Jaguars, the Rams aren't challenging defenses through the air.

That is why their package with Daniel Fells as the second tight end has looked so appealing relative to other options. For this team, the second tight end sometimes provides more receiving value than the third wide receiver and certainly more than the fullback.

For you Rams die-hards out there -- and you know who you are -- I'll pass along a file breaking down every Rams offensive play this season, with a second sheet showing production by personnel group. It's a calling.



Back to the first item about Fells and that offensive package:

I sorted the Rams' first-down plays by most yards gained. Twelve of the 20 longest gainers came from their Tiger personnel group with one back, two tight ends and two receivers. That is significant because the Rams have used this personnel group only 27.8 percent of the time on first down.

Their two longest first-down plays against the 49ers came from this grouping. These were 14- and 11-yard passes to Avery. For the season, five of the Rams' seven longest first-down rushing plays came from Tiger personnel, most against the Packers.

Across all downs, the Rams have averaged 4.4 yards per carry from this group while converting five first downs in 19 carries. They have 12 first downs on 73 carries from other personnel groups.

A few other things about the Rams recently:

• The Rams lack confidence. Amendola's lost fumble, which the 49ers' Ray McDonald returned for a touchdown, came after he seemed to realize he was in trouble on the play.
• Starting tight end Randy McMichael hasn't done much as a receiver. I've got him with three drops so far. Fifteen of 20 throws to McMichael have come from "11" personnel with one back and one tight end. Eight of his nine receptions came from this group. The Rams generally are not throwing to McMichael from their base offense, in other words. They could be settling for him in passing situations, not looking for ways to feature him. Three of his four longest receptions were at Seattle in Week 1.
• Defensive end Leonard Little can still be a good player. He shoved Vernon Davis hard right at 5 yards to disrupt one 49ers pass play. Little also hit Glen Coffee hard early in the game. He sacked Shaun Hill late in the game. The Rams are limited, but they have heart.
• The Rams are not bad on defense. They looked better than that against the 49ers' struggling guards. Even former practice-squader Leger Douzable gave the 49ers problems inside.
• Kicker Josh Brown has missed 3 of 4 field goal tries, including two from inside 50 yards. Tough conditions affected his 50-plus miss against the 49ers.
• Pressure and desperate circumstances contribute to bad decision making. Quarterback Kyle Boller provided one example with his across-the-field pass for Burton in the second half (returned for a touchdown by linebacker Patrick Willis).
• Avery did show positive signs against the 49ers. Getting him back to mid-2008 form would greatly improve the Rams' chances at winning a game.