Happy Birthday Marc!!!

The St. Louis Rams Have Released Marc Bulger

The wicked witch of the NFC West is dead! The St. Louis Rams released or as I prefer shit-canned Marc Bulger today. To top it off it is Marc's birthday! What a great day. Time to start saving for my Sam Bradford jersey.

Marc Bulger was absolutely horrible over the last 3 years compiling a 5-32 record when starting, leading to the Rams overall 6-42 record during that period. From 2004 through 2006 Marc had three straight seasons with a QB rating of 92.9 or greater, including 2006 when he threw for 4301 yards, so what happened?

The Bulger apologist like to blame Marc's poor production on the offensive line, poor play calling, lack of talent, but never on Marc Bulger himself. Well Marc had his best year in 2006 while being sacked 49 times, so how great did the O-line play that year? I do not want to question an athletes heart or manhood but here is my own opinion on what happened to Marc Bulger. Marc Bulger is a very good athlete from a family of very good athletes. Marc at 6'3" and 200+ pounds looks the part of an NFL QB. Marc's father Jim was a quarterback at Notre Dame. I believe Marc like many kids followed or was led down the path their family usually chooses. Marc has great accuracy and played very well while at West Virginia. Marc was finally given the chance to play in 2002 after a series of injuries to Kurt Warner. It is horrible to say but Marc comes across as someone that is gifted at something but does not really care or have a passion for that gift. Even when playing well I never believed Marc enjoyed or wanted to be a winner in the NFL. He appears to go through the motions and he is actually so good that he could get by on that for quite a while. After being sacked 49 times in 2006 Marc has been awful and afraid to stand in the pocket and make the throws capable of moving the ball down the field in the NFL. It is no longer worth it to him to stand there and take the pounding so he basically packed it in. If he was a gamer, or a fighter, or a true NFL player that leaves it all on the field this never would have happened. The 62.5 million dollar contract Marc signed after the 2006 season including 27 million guaranteed money set Marc up for life. Many other things contributed to the Rams fall from grace as well but the quarterback is the key and Marc can no longer even pretend to be one.

According to Chris Mortensen the Washington Redskins were interested in dealing for Marc Bulger but once the Redskins traded for Donovan McNabb there was apparently no more reason to continue to hold onto Bulger who was slated to make 8.5 million dollar in 2010. Will Lovie Smith continue to add ex-Rams to the Chicago Bears roster?

Evan Silva Says Sam Bradford To Rams

I know everyday more and more mock drafts are being created. I have yet to create one, but will soon. Today Evan Silva has posted his on profootballtalk, and once again we have another vote for Sam Bradford. Silva says:

1. Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Bradford's athleticism, smarts, and accuracy make for an ideal match in Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's West Coast system. Marc Bulger will likely be released after the draft.

Who do you think the St. Louis Rams will draft with the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft? Please cast your vote on our poll.

Rams Fall 32 Yards Short Of Paydirt

It was actually very fun today at the Edward Jones Dome as the St. Louis Rams played their best game of the season, but lost 28-23 in the end to the 9-0 New Orleans Saints. Bad clock managment forced Marc Bulger to throw up a prayer into the right corner of the end zone from the Saints 32 yard line as time expired. The prayer went unanswered and fans could only feel what could have been if the Rams could have pulled this one out. It was a great effort from the Rams who hopefully will continue to play for 60 minutes as they did today.

Steven Jackson continues to be a beast for the Rams. Jackson who touched the ball 35 times today was just the man in the first half as the teams exchanged touchdowns and the game was tied at 14 at halftime. Jackson who leads the Rams in receptions with 33 had 176 total yards in the game and a rushing TD. Jackson has rushed for over 100 yards three straight games now, as he had 131 yards today. In the first half he basically looked like he told the team to climb on his back and he would take them to the promise land.

Marc Bulger actually played ok today but he had a costly interception and his clock management on the last drive was awful. Marc continues to dump the ball off as if he is afraid to try and throw the ball down field. The two times he threw it down field to Donnie Avery both plays resulted in TDs. I am not sure at 1-8 why this team continues to dump the ball off on 3rd and long. There is also a disturbing lack of play action passes for a team that has Steven Jackson. This was the best game of he season for Marc as he completed 26 of 40 passes for 298 yards, with two TDs and one interception. It appears very obvious that Marc lacks a NFL caliber arm strength at this point in his career.

The Rams defense which battled the highest scoring team in the league continues to be very inconsistant. On one hand they held the Saints to only 21 points as the Saints scored one TD on a kickoff return to start the second half. On the other hand they did allow the Saints to roll up 420 yards of offense, and 203 yards rushing. In addition they continue to be unable to get off the field as the Saints converted 60% of their 3rd down conversions. The pass rush is also still anemic as the Rams managed only one sack on the day, by Chris Long as he bull rushed the Saints linemens ass into Brees forcing him to fall over. The Rams rarely even touched Brees. Again on the plus side the Rams seemed to hit harder than usual and they forced two interceptions and a fumble that resulted in a touchback. Overall inconsistant is still the best way to describe them.

The Rams will now have to get ready to take on Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and the high flying Arizon Cardinals next week at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cardinals already with a two game lead in the NFC West will look to pick apart the young Rams linebackers and secondary. This will be another tough test for the Rams. Hopefully the Rams will continue to improve and give us another good game.

Colts & Manning Dump The Rams 42-6

Well it was another early exit for the St. Louis Rams on Sunday as they were dumped 42-6 by the Indianapolis Colts at the very quiet Edward Jones Dome. The Colts won the opening coin flip, received the kickoff and went 90 yards, in 10 plays, in 6 minutes and 4 seconds to take an early 7-0 nothing lead on a 6 yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne. On a day when the Rams would only score 6 points the Colts had 7 before we even touched the ball. Game over.

I expect the usual puff pieces from the St. Louis media and the Rams tomorrow. The Rams tried hard, it was close for three quarters, if only we could have executed on a couple more plays. Well guess what the Rams did not and now have lost 17 straight games which is a disgrace in the salary cap era. In addition they have been outscored at home 116-33. They have not turned any corner, they have only managed to replace some older players for younger players.

I expected more from a Steve Spagnuolo led defense, I know he wasn't given much to work with but I was expecting something. The Rams were again lifeless on defense. The Colts had 3 drives of 78+ yards. The Rams allowed the Colts to convert 8 of 12 third down attempts. The Rams had no sacks and forced no turnovers. I know Manning is good and your secondary is thin but you have to play with a little risk.

The Rams offense was not much better. The Rams had only 121 yards of offense at halftime and trailed the Colts 21-3 going into the second half. On the Rams 4th offensive play they completed on a 50 yard flea flicker from Marc Bulger to Donnie Avery. In usual Rams fashion they only managed a field goal on the drive, and Donnie Avery was banged up again and was unable to play much after his catch. The Rams who had 63 yards passing only four plays into the game ended the game with 117 net yards passing and two awful interceptions by Marc Bulger.

I don't know how much worse it could get but we will find out this week as the Rams travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. The Rams have replaced the Lions as the laughing stock of the NFL, and if the Lions can hand the Rams another loss next week we will be down about as far as a franchise can fall.

Until next week....

Week 7 – Indianapolis @ Rams Matchup

Sunday Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts should be in for an early Thanksgiving against the St. Louis Rams. This could be one of the biggest mis-matches in NFL history. The Indianapolis Colts have won 14 straight games, while the St. Louis Rams have lost 16 straight games. The Colts are a 14.5 point favorite as the road team. If your a Rams fan every stat is a nightmare to scary to even look at. On paper the Rams should never be in this one on Sunday.

The Rams have allowed opponents to complete 67% of their passes and on Sunday they will face Peyton Manning one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Manning has been on fire early in the 2009 NFL season with a 73.5 completion percentage and a QB rating of 114.1! Manning has started the season with five consecutive 300-yard passing games. With Ron Bartell coming back from a concussion and Justin King possibly out with a groin injury it will be like shooting fish in a barrel for Manning.

Dallas Clark who leads the Colts in receptions with 35, and already has 441 yards in only 5 games will be licking his chops coming into this one. The Rams who traded Will Witherspoon earlier in the week to the Philadelphia Eagles will be starting journeyman Paris Lenon, rookie James Laurinaitis and second year man Larry Grant as their starting linebackers. Look for Clark to have a huge game, the Rams will have no answer for the Manning to Clark duo.

Are the Rams already afraid of the Colts? The Rams are leaning toward starting Adam Goldberg at right tackle even though rookie first-round choice Jason Smith is healthy enough to play. The Rams are worried about Robert Mathis handing it to Smith. Either way we are looking at Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney against Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg, yikes. The two have combined for 10.5 sacks already. With Marc Bulger holding the ball too long and probably playing from behind look for the Colts to just tee off.

The Colts are 5th in scoring offense while the Rams are 30th in points allowed. The Colts are 1st in passing offense while the Rams are 27th against the pass. The Rams are dead last in points scored while the Colts average 27+ points per game.

The Rams who have ZERO rushing touchdowns will have to beat the Colts through the air and that means Marc Bulger will need to out dual Peyton Manning. Sorry I just started laughing a little. With the Rams defense allowing opponents to keep the ball with a 50% 3rd down conversion rate look for Manning to move the Rams around like chess pieces and put on a clinic in this one.

Prediction Colts over the Rams 35-10

St. Louis Rams Complete The Perfect Season

The St. Louis Rams completed their perfect season today with a 23-20 Overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of the St. Louis Rams stunning 34-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. That is one calendar year folks, without watching our beloved Rams win a regular season football game. When the salary cap and parity have made it so easy to compete the Rams have found a way to lose 16 straight games. Scott Linehan has been gone for a while now, and the Rams have still managed to lose under Jim Haslett and Steve Spagnuolo as well. Although the Rams were only 9 yards away from winning the game late today, you just never had a feeling they will pull it out. If we feel that way how must they feel in the locker room?

The Rams have been perfect, 16 straight losses. The Rams are 0-9 in their last nine road games and 0-7 in their last seven home games. To put things into perspective the Rams have been outscored 456 to 190 points in those 16 games. The Detroit Lions who went 0-16 in 2008 scored 268 points while allowing 517. The Lions were the laughing stock of the country the only difference between the 2008 Lions and our Rams is the calendar year. The Rams have lost 9 of those 16 games by at least 19 points. We have been routinely blown out like a college team.

Today's loss was almost worse than being blown out. The Rams took the opening kickoff and marched down to take an early 7-0 lead on a pass from Marc Bulger to Donnie Avery. The Rams led from that point on until only 8 minutes and 5 seconds remained in the game. Then just when you thought it was over Leonard Little made a fantastic play, on an awful pass by David Garrard and intercepted a pass and took it 36 yards for what looked like the winning TD. However nothing is that easy for the Rams. The Jaguars went 75 yards on 9 plays to take the lead back 20-17. The Rams had one last chance and after an unbelievable screen pass catch and run by Steven Jackson the Rams were able to move down the field. When Randy McMichael caught a 13 yard pass and took the ball to the Jags nine yard line with only 30 seconds left, a win was finally in our site.

The Rams that are 5-33 in their last 38 games then took over. The Rams who wasted 2 timeouts earlier in the half only managed two incomplete passes and never once threw a pass into the end zone and were still left with 1 time out when time expired. The Rams never saw the ball in OT as the Jags went 62 yards in 13 plays and capped off the game and the Rams perfect season with a Josh Scobee 36-yard field goal.

Thanks to the Rams for our special season

Week 6 – Rams @ Jacksonville Matchup

Well Rams fans it has now been over a calendar year since the St. Louis Rams won a NFL regular season road game. a 19=17 victory over the Washington Redskins. The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a 41-0 pounding against the Seattle Seahawks. Even the Rams only lost 28-0 to the high powered Seahags. On the positive side the Jags lost 41-0 so they must not be very good right, or will they be that more pissed off and take it out on the St. Louis Rams? The Jags are 30th on defense in total yards and passing yards allowed. On the flip side the Rams are 31st in points allowed and 32nd in points scored, an awful combination.

The Jags took an interesting approach to the offseason one that the Rams could have taken. With their first two picks in the 2009 NFL Draft the Jaguars selected offensive tackles Eugene Monroe & Eben Britton. The Jaguars have each already in the starting lineup, while the Rams are still trying to get Jason Smith on the field at RT. The Rams were looking for more long term upside but meanwhile we are losing game after game, will the gamble ever pay off? The Jags then followed up drafting a DT, CB and 2 WRs seems like they had the same needs heading into the draft that the Rams had. Which has done a better job of filling their needs?

As for this game I think you simply have to follow the numbers. David Garrard has 5 TD passes in two home game, while the Rams have only scored 4 touchdowns the entire season and NONE on the ground even with Steven Jackson. The Jags are capable of putting some points on the board while the Rams rank 31st in points against. In addition the Jags will be getting WR Mike Sims-Walker back today. With Sims-Walker and Torry Holt on the outside and the Rams inexperience at CB the Rams could struggle again today. Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard are very hard to tackle so it will be very important for the Rams to get a great game from their front four today.

The Rams will have Marc Bulger back in the saddle at QB today. The Rams are only completing 56% of their passes which is bad news since rarely do they even throw the ball more than 10 yards down field. Bulger is coming back from another injury and I expect him to stay rusty. Steven Jackson has been putting up numbers and is on pace for 1400+ yards rushing but he has ZERO touchdowns, has fumbled a couple of times and continues to miss blitz pickups. I expect Maurice Jones-Drew to outplay Steven Jackson today.

The bottom line is there is still no reason to believe that the Rams believe they can win a game. Until they can believe it and do it, we will continue to pick against them. The numbers are just too heavy against them. In addition to losing 15 straight games, the Rams have also been outscored 146 to 34. Jacksonville is coming off an embarrassing loss and Jack Del Rio is not going to let that fly. I expect Jacksonville to be nasty on defense today and try to knock the Rams around and out. The most telling number may be the fact that in Las Vegas the Rams are a 10 point underdog to a team that just lost 41-0. The Jags can also still salvage their season with 3 straight games against the winless Rams, Titans, and Chiefs. Could the Jags be 5-4 through 9 weeks? I will exit with a quote from Brian Billick "Rams need more talent
Jacksonville has shown signs of being a very good team. I'm not sure St. Louis has the talent yet to beat anybody".

Prediction Jaguars over the Rams 31-10

Marc Bulger To Sit On Sunday

Marc Bulger has done some light throwing this week in practice for the St. Louis Rams, but Steve Spagnuolo has said Kyle Boller will very likely start the game against the Minnesota Vikings. This is good news for Marc who has a bruised rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder, because the Vikings have Jared Allen the current NFC leader in sacks. Will Alex Barron who was benched last week be able to bounce back and block Allen? I am not betting on it. Keith Null better loosen up prior to this game because he may see some action.

Roll 'em Up Rams Fans!

Well I hate to be Donnie Downer but the 2009 St. Louis Rams season is over. That's right I am calling it. Sure not many fans had a vision of playoffs this year but there are still those of you out there thinking we are turning the corner and can win 5, 6, or even 7 games. Well I am here to crush those dreams, another season has ended for our beloved Rams. Facts are that since the playoffs were expanded to 12 teams in 1990 only 3 out of 204 teams that started the season 0-3 made the playoffs. Don't even start thinking we will be the 4th.

The Rams have lost 13 straight games, including 6 straight at home. In addition since the 2006 NFL Season the Rams are 5-30! That is an outstanding winning percentage of 14.2. Although I was and am behind the hiring of Steve Spagnuolo this franchise has been run into the ground and I do not see us turning the corner soon. The drafting and free agent signings this decade have been worse than awful. All of our talent and playmakers have moved on or retired and we have not backfilled as needed.

The most depressing part of our current situation is that we have salary cap issues. Based on our talent level how can that be? Well it is easy, more mistakes by the front office over the years. We are apparently so strapped for money we cut Chris Draft over $380,000. The 2009 NFL salary cap is set at $127 million, and we were forced to worry about $380,000. Let's recap where some of the money is going. We have 60+ million dollar contracts with Marc Bulger, Chris Long and Jason Smith. Chris Long is not even starting at the moment and is unable to provide any push on the front line. Jason Smith is the starting right tackle when healthy but he was drafted second overall in the draft a spot reserved for outstanding left tackle talent. I don't even want to discuss the contract that was given to Marc Bulger. We can then drop to the second tier decisions. The Rams gave out 30+ million dollar free agent contracts to Drew Bennett, Jacob Bell, and Jason Brown. Brown looks like a nice NFL center but should he be the highest paid in the NFL? In addition to these expenses we are starring at another top 5 draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft which will cost the Rams another $60+ million. Still with all this money going out the lack of talent, experience, and depth on this team is staggering. We enter Week 4 of the 2009 NFL season with the worst wide receiving group I have ever seen. At corner only Ron Bartell really has any NFL experience and no other cornerback on the roster has shown me anything. So don't make fun of the Raiders, Browns, and Lions of the world because we are going down the long winding road along with them.

In the words of Chevy Chase Roll 'em Up!

Time For Rams To Punch Someone In The Mouth

It should be simple, after 12 straight losses, and losing 29 of their last 34 games the St. Louis Rams should be pissed off! I think it is time to show it. After being pushed and pushed some more and then pushed again it should be time to push back. That's right, it is time to punch someone in the mouth, and why not the cheeseheads. This could be the Rams best chance to win a game before their week 8 showdown against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Rams will be playing their home opener at the Edward Jones Dome in front of a packed house of 66,000 fans. The Green Bay Packers who have already let up 10 sacks will be without Chad Clifton. The Packers who were stunned last week by the Cincinnati Bengals will also be looking ahead to week four when they will travel to face their good buddy Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. There will be a ton of pressure on the Packers who could easily start 1-3 if they happen to fall to the St. Louis Rams.

As for the Rams it is time to show the fans something. Time to show the fans that keep hearing about the effort and the toughness and how the team is for sale and how the Edward Jones Dome is not good enough for our team, time to show us a win. The Packers just let up 151 yards rushing at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and we have Steve Jackson. We have the hammer, pound the rock. Stand up look them in the face and pound the rock. Hey Barron, Goldberg, Brown, Bell and Incognito, step up show us you want to play here and punch those Packers in the mouth. Run the ball and run the ball some more, and when you are done running the ball run it again. Steven Jackson is our star, and it is time for him to shine brightly and bring home a win so we can remember what it feels like.

It is time for all of the excuses to end. We spent over 30+ million on Bell and Brown. We spent first round draft picks on Barron and Smith. We talk about Marc Bulger in 3rd person saying he is Pro Bowl QB Marc Bulger, well this is 2009 and he has been awful for a long time. Marc is dead last in yards per attempt and 27th in QB rating. I don't want to hear about the receiving core. Donnie Avery is another high draft choice and Marc was 30th in QB rating in 2007 when he had Hall of Fame receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. I don't want to hear about the pinkie or lack of blocking or the lack of preseason play, Marc needs to step up and complete some NFL type passes or he can grab a clipboard.

It is time for Steve Spagnuolo to get after it and throw every blitz you have at the packers patchwork offensive line. You learned from the great Jim Johnson so I know you have those plays just sitting there. Bring the backers, bring the corners, bring a safety, bring them all. Leave no stone unturned. You have Butler and Atogwe back there to cover everything up, just get there before Aaron Rodgers can throw it. The New York Giants beat on Tom Brady and won a game nobody thought they could win. Do the same thing on Sunday. It is time to bloody up an opponent and start the change in our culture. It is our turn on Sunday!

I was not going to pick the Rams until they actually won a game but what the hell.

Prediction St. Louis Rams 20 - Green Bay Packers 16

St. Louis Rams Score But Lose 9-7 To Redskins

The St Louis Rams did some things to help win the game on Sunday and they did some things to help themselves lose on Sunday. The end result was a 9-7 loss to the Washington Redskins at FexEx field. If I told you Steven Jackson would run for 100+ yards, the turnover battle would be even, Marc Bulger would only be sacked one time, and Albert Haynesworth would only have 1 tackle you would think the Rams would win. Of course for the 12th straight time they did not. The Rams did score their first touchdown of the season with 3:56 to go in the 2nd quarter to put the Rams up 7-6. The Bulger to Laurent Robinson 2 yard hookup put the Rams up 7-6 at halftime as the Redskins left the field to a chorus of boos!

On to the second half. After the Redskins failed to convert inside the Red Zone again and settled for a 23-yard field goal from Scott Suisham they led 9-7. The Rams then got the ball and had the drive of the game. The Rams held the ball for 8 minutes and 25 seconds and drove the ball to the Redskins 9 yard line. On 2nd and 4 from the 9 the Rams handed the ball to Steven Jackson who bounced outside and was stopped for no gain. The play was a run between the tackles with Mike Karney as the lead blocker. There was a huge hole opened by the line and Karney easily got through to the second level to even provide another block. For some reason Jackson bounced the play outside and was stuffed. On 3rd and 4 from the 9 Bulger threw a short pass to Donnie Avery who was without a catch on the day. The ball and the defender got there about the same time. Avery hauled in the pass and was immediately hit and the ball popped loose and was recovered by Carlos Rogers of the Redskins. With 12 minutes and 55 seconds left in the game the Rams had blown it. Donnie Avery our number one receiver managed to catch one ball in the game and he fumbled it away. You just knew that was it for the Rams. Washington owned the clock for most of the game and the 4th quarter was no different. The Rams managed only 8 yards the entire rest of the 4th quarter and finished with only 245 total net yards on the day.

There is no moral victory here. This is the NFL folks and the Rams have lost 12 straight games and are already two games out of first in the NFC West. The Redskins always play close games and rarely score more than 20. It is great we stayed with them but we lost. The Rams have averaged 3.5 points and 246 yards per game through 2 games. They are ranked 32nd and 31st in those two categories. Marc Bulger who is under siege and really does not have much to work with is only completing 50 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 69.5 That ranks Marc 27th, around the same area he has been for 2+ years now. With the Green Bay Packers coming to town the Rams will need to start scoring some points or they will be 0-3 and the 2009 season will basically be over.

Week 2 – Rams @ Redskins Matchup

Both the St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins started the season with a loss. After today one of the teams will drop to 0-2 and you know what they say about your playoff chances when you start 0-2. The Redskins are coming off a tough loss against the New York Giants and will be looking to take it out on the Rams who have now lost 11 games in a row. The Redskins who play in the tough NFL East should benefit from a string of games against St. Louis, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Kansas City which could put them at the top of their division. The Rams on the other hand have to play tough road games at Washington, San Francisco, and Jacksonville and even tougher home games agsinst Green Bay, Minnesota and Indianapolis before their schedule gets easier.

These teams at times can be very similar with bad QB play, a receiving core that does not scare you and an inconsistent running game. Which ever team plays better in these 3 areas today will come away the winner. The Rams managed to create three early turnovers last weeks against the Seattle Seahawks but were unable to turn those mistake into any points. They must convert all opportunities to stay in these games.

The Rams need to find a way to stop the run and then come after Jason Campbell with a pass rush that they have not been able to produce so far. I expect a much better blitz package this week from Steve Spagnuolo. This is the type of game the Rams usually get beat by the back up running back. I think Ladell Betts will see a lot of action today and the Rams will need to shut down their run. The Rams who allowed 5.1 per rush in the preseason started off allowing 4.9 last week to Julius Jones and the Seattle Seahawks, they will not win many games if that continues.

On offense the Rams were worse than pitiful last week as they were the ONLY NFL team to come away with zero points. They obviously look to improve upon that this week. The Rams had around 100 meager yards heading into the 4th quarter last week. The Rams say they are going to pound Steven Jackson but will they? Today should be straight forward they need to run behind Incognito and Jason Smith and try to overpower Phillip Daniels & Brian Orakpo. On the left side of the line they will have their hands full with Jacob Bell who has been just awful since the Rams acquired him from Tennessee, going up against the monster man Albert Haynesworth. In the passing game I am about done with Marc Bulger and talking about Marc Bulger. However if we are going to score any points today he is going to need to complete some passes under pressure. He is great in practice with his little red "don't touch me shirt on" but under pressure he continues to crumble like a Ritz cracker. Step up Marc, just step up!

Although the Redskins do not frighten me and are not the type of team that will blow many teams out, I still do not like the Rams chances today. They have just not played together long enough. The injuries to Marc Bulger and Donnie Avery have this offense way behind. Along with the fact the Rams have a new Offensive coordinator, RT, LT and Center this team will take a while to put it together. I do love the swarming, ball hawking defense but they are not good enough to spend the whole day on the field. If the Rams can contain Portis and Betts they should be able to take this one into the 4th quarter and have a shot. In the end I think the team with 11 straight loses will continue to find ways to lose.

Prediction Washington 20-10 over the Rams

St. Louis Rams vs. Chiefs Pregame Thoughts

The St. Louis Rams will take on the Kansas City Chiefs tonight at the Edward Jones Dome. This game will be blacked out locally since it has not sold out. You can catch the taped delayed showing on Fox 2 at 10:30 CST in the St. Louis area. Both teams will be playing for the PFC (Private First Class) Cup, I mean Governor’s Cup. The Rams and Chiefs combined to go 4-28 lastyear, and a horrific 11-53 over the last two seasons. This is just another reason Rams PSL holders should be upset. The fact that season ticket holder are forced to pay full price for these preseason games is a joke. In addition it is upsetting that your casual fan can find tickets to the preseason games as low as $5 on Stubhub and other major ticket outlets. Teams are looking at the bottom half of their roster by game four of the preseason as well as being cautious with starters. We already know we will not see Marc Bulger or Matt Cassel do to injury and it is unlikely we will see much or any of Steven Jackson or Larry Johnson. This game is basically a try out. Below are some things we will be watching for.

There is a battle for the 3rd QB spot between Brock Berlin and Keith Null. I give the edge right now to Null who was drafted by coach Steve Spagnuolo, is younger, has a bigger upside, and is cheaper to keep.

There is a log jam for backup running back. Samkon Gado seems to have earned the #2 spot for now. Antonio Pittman or rookie Chris Ogbonnaya will probably be odd man out. I will project Pittman will be cut.

The Rams have quantity but not much quality at WR. Nate Jones is odd man out, but veterans Tim Carter and Ronald Curry will also be playing for a roster spot tonight. Do we really need to spend big money on Ronald Curry?

The O-line is pretty much set and has some versatile players on it as well. This is bad news for the likes of Renardo Foster, Tim Taltran, Mark Setterstrom and Eric Young. It will just come down to how many O-line the Rams plan to keep.

On the D-Line the emergence and play of Darell Scott and Gary Gibson could have veterans Adam Carriker and Hollis Thomas on the bubble at DT. I would not be surprised if Antwon Burton and Carriker are cut. Eric Moore has played well in preseason at DE but has it been good enough to earn a spot? With James Hall, Leonard Little, and Chris Long as a solid rotation how many backups will they keep? Adeyanju, Ah You, and Moore will battle for a spot or maybe two tonight.

Very excited about the Linebacker prospects with James Laurinaitis on the Rams. With Will Witherspoon back on the outside where he belongs who will be the other starting LB? Culberson has not played much at all in the preseason and I look for him to be cut. Chris Draft is a better coach and backup than starter. I expect to see a lot of Larry Grant tonight. I would love to see him win the other spot and then have the Rams keep Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora as backups and special teamers.

Now for maybe the most interesting part of tonight's game and roster decisions the Rams have to make. With Tye Hill being traded to the Atlanta Falcons early this week who will line up with Ron Bartell as the other starting cornerback as the 2009 NFL season starts? The Rams only have 5 corners on the roster so they may not cut any of them unless they pick up another player this week. I do not believe Jonathan Wade can be a starting corner he struggles playing nickel and was not good on special teams last year either. You know early in the season our opponents are going to try and match up T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Santana Moss, and Greg Jennings on Wade. I don't want to see that. Are youngsters Quincy Butler, Justin King, or Bradley Fletcher ready to start in the NFL, I don't think so. We are already forced to play one when in the nickel. I look for the Rams to pick up a veteran corner in the next week.

Marc Bulger Injured In Practice

Marc Bulger was injured in practice today while taking a snap from center, suffering a non-displaced pinkie fracture. Bulger is expected to miss the next two preseason games against the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. In his absence Kyle Boller will be the new #1 in the huddle. This is bad news for Marc Bulger who needs to learn the west cost offense and get his timing down with a bunch of new receivers as well. For a QB that has lost 23 of his last 27 starts Marc is in need of a break and I do not think this is the break he was looking for