Steven Jackson Makes 2010 NFL Pro Bowl

Steven Jackson has made the NFC 2010 Pro Bowl roster. Jackson is one of 3 running backs on the squad including DeAngelo Williams and starter Adrian Peterson. Jackson more than deserves this honor after putting the St. Louis Rams on his back week in and week out. Steven Jackson will be the only St. Louis Rams player on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

Steven Jackson leads the NFC is rushing yards with 1353 even after missing last weeks contest. In addition Steven leads all Rams with 51 receptions for an additional 322 yards. Although teams have stacked the line against Steven, he still has managed to run for 100+ yards in 7 of the 14 games he has played in. Jackson has also caught a pass in 13 straight games. Jackson trails only Chris Johnson in rushing yards, and only Johnson and Ray Rice in total yards.

With all the great stats Steven Jackson has posted in 2009 the best thing about him has been his leadership. Steven has said wonderful things after games proving he is now the team leader. Steven continues to play in great pain when asked if he should just shut it down for the year, he said no way he needs to show the younger players that even great, high paid athletes need to give it their all game in and game out.

Congrats to Steven Jackson on making the Pro Bowl you sure deserve it!

Rams Fall 16-13 To Texans

On the bright side the St. Louis Rams truly did play hard during their 16-13 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Rams were actually able to hold a 10-6 lead for 11 minutes and 32 seconds. A close loss like this one in a way is worse than a blowout because it shows that we just need a couple more playmakers and we could find ways to win games like these.

Keith Null was decent going 18 of 27 for 173 yards and a TD. Steven Jackson is simply the Rams best player and on the surface the player that cares the most about winning. Steven Jackson who had a noticeable limp in pregame warm-up and during the game in addition to his back pain and sickness this week muscled through with a gritty effort. Jackson accounted for 123 of the Rams 237 total yards. He also had time to get in a fight with SS Bernard Pollard - Watch the fight video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KqQuuFmx9Q. The Rams special teams were outstanding once again. Danny Amendola not only set up a TD with a 55 yard kickoff return he also caught a TD pass from Keith Null. Josh Brown was 2 for 2 on field goals including a 52 yarder. Donnie Jones who seems to be great week in a week out allowed no return yards and also downed two punts inside the 20. The Rams defense held the Houston Texans to 2.2 yards per carry. The defense was also good on 3rd down holding the Texans to 5 for 14 on the day. This allowed the defense to get off the field and along with their red zone defense stay in the game.

Speaking of playmakers the Texans have one of the best in the league in wideout Andre Johnson. Johnson will easily lead the NFL in receiving yards in 2009, and he will also top 1500 yards for the second year in a row. The Rams just had no answer for Johnson who had 196 yards on 9 receptions. I think the Rams were lucky since they did keep Johnson out of the end zone. Since Ron Bartell only plays left cornerback the Texans lined up Johnson in the backfield, would send him in motion and could pretty much dictate what coverage they wanted. This forced Quincy Butler and Justin King to cover Johnson quite a bit. Matt Schaub was able to pick apart the Rams defense going 28 of 30 for 367 yards a TD and a QB rating of 107. Teams have picked apart the Rams defense all year.

On the downside the Rams simply lack enough talented players and playmakers to win many games. The Rams offense is just awful. I know we are on our third QB but maybe that is part of the problem. I am ready to watch a Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen, even if we have to go through growing pains. With only six wins in their last 46 games the Rams are already going through pains so let's rebuild. The more I watch DeSean Jackson the more aggravated I get watching Donnie Avery play. Avery was once again a non-factor with four catches for 32 yards. The Rams are in desperate need of a backup running back with breakaway speed. Kenneth Darby and Samkon Gado combined for six yards on four carries, they simply are not the answer and do not allow Steven Jackson to get any rest. The defense also needs some playmakers. James Laurinaitis was a good start, he is a tackling machine but still needs to work on his coverage skills. The Rams only have 20 sacks on the season and when Leonard Little is not playing they pose no threat. On Sunday Matt Schaub was able to complete 70 percent of his passes and was not sacked. The Rams again allowed the opponent to gain over 400 yards as the Texans gained 419 yards on the day.

Winner By Knockout - Chris Johnson

The Chris Johnson, Steven Jackson showdown and Rams Titans showdown turned into more of an MMA first round knockout! It took Chris Johnson less than 12 minutes to produce 100+ total yards and two TDs to put the Titans up 14-0, and it was all over.

The Titans went on to roll up 446 yards in route to an embarrassing 47-7 thrashing of the St. Louis Rams. Chris Johnson managed to put up 186 total yards and three TDs. Steven Jackson who was obviously not at 100% again was kept in the game way too long. Jackson managed 47 yards on 19 carries and was stopped in the backfield most of the day.

Keith Null finally got into a Rams game today as the starting QB due to the injury to Kyle Boller. Keith managed to throw 5 INTs in a less than stellar performance. A late game garbage TD pass to Randy McMichael may be the highlight of his NFL career. Keith Null was 27 of 43 for 157 yards and a QB rating of 37.8. The Rams refuse to throw the ball downfield which the Rams 3.7 yards per attempt shows all to well.

If Steve Spagnuolo says anything to the media about the Rams effort, or how hard they try, or how they never quit, or how great they looked in practice I want every Rams fan to call the Rams office and complain. Hey Steve, we don't care win a game!!!

Stlvinnie

http://www.stlouisramfan.com

The Showdown - St. Louis Rams @ Tennessee Titans

With the St. Louis Rams 1-11 on the season there is no longer much excitement surrounding their games. However today's contest features an the top two running backs in the NFL going head-to-head.

Tennessee's Chris Johnson leads the NFL in rushing yards with 1509 yards on 244 attempts for an unbelievable 6.2 yards per carry average. In addition Johnson has 39 receptions for 322 yards. This puts Johnson clearly ahead of the pack with 1831 total yards from scrimmage and he has tacked on 10 TDs for good measure. I don't believe people really understand how good Johnson is. This is the NFL and for a running back to have pure breakaway speed is remarkable. Chris Johnson truly has the ability to score on any play. Johnson has a league leading seven 40+ yard rushes and nineteen of 20 yards or more.

Steven Jackson is the undisputed leader of the St. Louis Rams in 2009. As important as he is as a great running back he has been equally important as the new leader and face of the franchise. In numerous games this year Steven has said hop on guys it's time to pick it up. Unfortunately Jackson has been only able to lead the Rams to one victory. Jackson leads the NFC in rushing and is second in the NFL in rushing. With no passing threat it is amazing that Jackson has been able to put up 1232 rushing yards on a league leading 266 attempts. Jackson also leads the Rams in receptions with 44 for 267 yards. The biggest question for Rams fans is will the 400+ touches Jackson gets in 2009 effect his ability in 2010. The Rams need to find a backup speed back for 2010.

As for the game today these are two teams going in opposite directions. The Tennessee Titans come in winning five of their last six games, and still hold out hope for a playoff position. When Vince Young took over as QB for Kerry Collins the Titans started getting on a roll. The Titans have averaged 27 points per game with Young at the helm. Vince Young however has a knee injury which has kept him out of practice all week and made him a game time decision. With the playoffs on the line I look for Vince Young to find his way onto the battlefield today. Chris Johnson, Kenny Britt, and Nate Washington also are on the injury report for Tennessee today.

The St. Louis Rams are once again working on a losing streak which stands at four. The Rams have only one win on the season and only six in the last three years. This current team could be the worst in a long franchise history. Without Steven Jackson this team would be lucky to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Rams also have major QB issues, this week Kyle Boller's thigh injury could cause Keith Null to get the start on the road. This would not be a good place for Null to get his first NFL opportunity but you take what you can get. Many fans have wanted to see what Keith Null can do before 2010 gets here, today they may get their wish. With a lot of questions on offense and a growing injury list expect more of a very basic boring offense from the Rams who are dead last in scoring at 11 points per game.

The Rams continue to show they do not know how to win, and the Titans have to win today. Look for Chris Johnson to run all over the Rams today.

Prediction Tennessee Titans 27 - St. Louis Rams 10

St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals Matchup

For the second straight week the St. Louis Rams face a high-powered NFL offense as Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals come to town. This is another awful matchup for the St. Louis Rams. On paper it looks like another long day for the St. Louis Rams down at the Edward Jones Dome.

Whenever the Rams play a team that can light up the scoreboard I do not like the matchup. Even though the Rams played well last week let's not forget that they actually lost. The Rams allowed 28 points and 420 total yards to the New Orleans Saints. Fans may think that is progress and maybe it is but these Rams are not going to win a single game when they allow 28 points, it's just not going to happen. The Saints gashed the Rams for 200+ yards rushing and they don't really have a #1 RB. The Rams also allowed 60% third down conversions, a trend that continues.

On to this week where matchups on both sides of the ball are frightening. The Arizona Cardinals score 25+ points per game and have been hot of late winning 5 of their last 6 games and they are undefeated on the road. Now with a healthy Anquan Boldin the Cardinals feature the best trio of wide receivers in the game and the Rams are very think and inexperienced at cornerback. The Rams will have no answer for Larry Fitzgerald who continues to be the best wide receiver in the NFL. The Rams need to pressure Kurt Warner into mistakes, and since they are 29th in sacks they will need to come of with some plays to get to him. In addition to these facts the Cardinals are starting to work Beanie Wells into their running game and he has been running hard. If they can supplement their passing game with any rushing at all they will put up 30+ points today.

When the Rams have the ball they will once again have to rely on Steven Jackson for production. The Rams lack of downfield passing makes them a sitting duck week after week. The Cardinals are 30th in pass defense but that is not the Rams or Marc Bulger's strength. The Cardinals play down hill all of the time and are super aggressive. Look for them to play 10 players within 10 yards and sometimes 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to shutdown Jackson. The Cardinals are 5th in sacks and will get pressure on Bulger throughout the game. Darnell Dockett is a beast and they will have to block him with Jacob Bell. Bell has no shot at blocking Dockett, the Rams need to play a fullback more often today. Adrian Wilson who usually eats the Rams alive only has half a sack on the season, look out for him today. Steven Jackson will have to do a great job in blitz pickup today. The Cardinals will lock down on Donnie Avery and Brandon Gibson with tight man to man coverage from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie & Bryant McFadden. Over the top they will have Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle both will be looking to shut down Steven Jackson. You can get big plays against the Cardinals but they will keep coming.

The St. Louis Rams just do not have the type of offense to hang with Arizona Cardinals. The Rams will have to be at least +3 in turnover differential to hang in this one. I liked how hard they played last week but let's face it you only get 16 chances to win you should play hard 16 times. This whole thing is a complete mismatch.

Prediction Arizona Cardinals 30 - St. Louis Rams 10

2010 NFL Pro Bowl Voting

It is time for St. Louis Rams fans to stand up and get Steven Jackson into the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl. Steven Jackson has been outstanding through 9 games of the 2009 NFL season. Don't let the Rams 1-8 record keep him from this award. Steven Jackson is 3rd in the NFL with 915 yards rushing and 2nd in total yards with 1146. Jackson also leads the Rams in receptions with 33 and has taken the Rams upon his back the last few games in an attempt to almost single handedly win the game. It is simple, go to the NFL Pro Bowl voting site HERE and give Steven Jackson your vote, he deserves it.

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.

Rams beat Lions 17-10 to end losing streak

Steven Jackson picked a great time for his first rushing touchdown of the season as he raced 25 yards into the end zone to put the Rams up 17-10 with 1 minute and 38 seconds left to play against the Detroit Lions. That turned out to be the difference as the Rams ended their 17 game losing streak, and head into the bye week at 1-7.

Steven Jackson was the difference today between these two bottom dwelling teams. The lack of talent and playmakers on these teams is quite noticeable. The Rams took advantage of their only playmaker as Jackson had 25 touches on the day and accounted for over 45% of the Rams total offensive yardage. Steven Jackson is now tied with Adrian Peterson for second with 784 rushing yards, 40 behind the Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson. The Rams benefited from a pass interference penalty on the Lions on their last drive and after that it was all Jackson, who rushed for the final 42 on the ground.

Their were plenty of negatives on the day for the Rams but for now I am going to just sit back and enjoy this one because it has been a long time since the Rams last won a regular season football game. With my glass half full goggles on, I will even point out that the Rams 17 point outburst on Sunday puts them only 1 point behind the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns for the least amount of points scored in the NFL.

Keenan Burton led the Rams in catches (5) and yardage (54) on Sunday. Donnie Avery was again a no show with only 1 catch for 15 yards. On defense Ron Bartell led the team with 6 tackles and Chris Long was credited with his first sack of the season. The Rams now can enjoy the next week off as they prepare to take on the 7-0 New Orleans Saints.

Week 8 – Rams @ Lions Matchup

Well today is the day we have been forced to wait for. Are the St. Louis Rams really worse than the Detroit Lions? The Rams have lost 17 straight games, but are still not quite the laughing stock of the league thanks to the Lions going 0-16 in 2008. Prior to the Lions greatness in 2008 it seemed impossible for a non-expansion team, during the salary cap era to lose every game. The Lions losers of 22 of their last 23 games will want this one bad. A Lions win over the Rams on Sunday would give them two victories on the year and put the Rams at 0-8 heading into the bye week. A loss to the Lions would make the Rams the current laughing stock of the league for sure. Nobody takes the Oakland Raiders seriously and they actually already have a win on the season. The Tennessee Titans won 13 games last year, and the Cleveland Browns even have a victory this year. Hands down the Rams are going to be in mocking territory if they can not manage a win today at Ford Field against the Lions.

Don't expect much in the way of great football today, these teams are just looking for a victory. The Rams are coming off of a 42-6 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts and the Detroit Lions lost 26-0 to the Green Bay Packers prior to their bye week. These teams have been awful on offense. The Rams have a league low 60 points scored and have yet to score a rushing touchdown. The Lions are not much better as they are 23rd in points scored, and 25th in total yards. Whoever makes less mistakes should be the winner in this one.

Injuries could be the story of the day. The Rams will be without Richie Incognito, which will force Adam Goldberg to play inside at tackle with Jason Smith coming off injuries playing right tackle. If Donnie Avery is healthy enough to play a whole game he should be able to put a ton of pressure on a very suspect Lions secondary. The Lions desperately need Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson on the field on Sunday. Both are listed as questionable and without them the Lions offense is awful.

Intangibles - Scott Linehan loser of 17 of his last 20 as Rams head coach is now the offensive coordinator of the Lions. If he is ever going to have a good game plan going into a game it will probably be today against the Rams. You know Linehan wants this one bad. Likewise the Rams should really want to take it out on Linehan and the Lions today. This is a game Steven Jackson should be able to dominate. If the Rams are 53 playing as one they should win today, but can we believe in them?

I hope Marc Bulger read the quote from Derek Anderson this week when talking about his stats "Honestly, they are garbage," he said Wednesday. "I haven't looked at them since I started playing." Marc needs to take responsibility for his poor play and the Rams continual losing and lack of offense. Bulger should play better than Stafford, and Steven Jackson should play better than Kevin Smith. This is a game the Rams should win. I am going to stick by my word and pick Detroit today based on the fact I believe they will want it more and make the plays to win it. The Rams still do not seem to know how to win. Until they can turn their culture around I am going to pick their opponent.

Prediction Lions over Rams 20-16

I Got Caught Drinking The Kool-Aid

Ok you caught me and I have to apologize to Rams fans, if there are any left at this point. Last night I got pretty excited and pumped up about opening day against the Green Bay Packers. Maybe, just maybe I had a little too much Kool-Aid Saturday night. I originally thought about predicting a score of 31-10 for the Packers but you know what they say about how women look after 6 beers. I had a little Kool-Aid, thought about the game, hell the Bengals just ran all over the Packers. This is the home opener, these are the Rams trying to win the fans back. We have Steven Jackson, if Cedric Benson can run on the Packers surely Jackson could have a good game. The Packers had allowed 10 sacks, and would be missing starting left tackle Chad Clifton, Steve Spagnuolo would have some blitz packages to eat up that Packers O-line right?

So reality set in and as Denny Green said we are who we thought we were. The same old Rams that have now lost 13 straight regular season NFL games showed up again. The Rams D started off tough and held off the Packers early after Bulger and Jackson turnovers. The Packers who only managed 26 yards in the first quarter were still up 9-0. That just seems to be what happens to bad teams. The Rams get a nice opening kickoff return from Danny Amendola and moved the ball down to the Packers 31 to start the game, but Josh Brown's 48 yard FG was blocked. So instead of getting off to a 3-0 start we found ourselves down 9-0 even though the defense played nearly a flawless first quarter. I somehow forgot about the Rams lack of pass pressure, their lack of secondary depth, their lack of playmaking receivers, and their lack of talent. I am sorry fans I will not forget again. Like the Detroit Lions I will never pick the Rams to win a game again until they win one first.

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.

The Steven Jackson report on 101 ESPN

Every week Steven Jackson will do a call-in feature on “The Fast Lane” at 5pm CST on 101 ESPN. I was able to catch the show tonight. The hosts Bob Ramsey, Randy Karraker, and DeMarco Farr will ask Steven questions about the St. Louis Rams previous game. I will summarize below:

On the chippy play and conflicts with Aaron Curry, Steven Jackson said it was the 1st game, and it was just guys being competitive.

About the hit on Bulger, Jackson was quick to say this team will not lay down, they will fight to the end. The Rams want to focus on 2009, not the 5-27 over the previous two season.

What happens in the huddle when all of the false starts and personal fouls are happening? Jackson basically said nobody gets yelled at they just say come on team or come on Rams we know better we need to play smarter. He said they don't want to step on individual toes in those situations. I don't know why it is apparent someone needs to talk to Richie Incognito.

On the O-line performance, Jackson simply said the Seattle Seahawks were prepared.

About the hit on Mark Bulger, Jackson said they are not going to let another team try to intimidate them, and they will protect their QB. A few first downs would have protected him better if you ask me.

On his off day (Tuesday) he likes to spend time with his family and just do normal things.

They asked about his running style and if there was any daylight on the running plays. Jackson again just pointed out that Seattle played well.

When asked a dumb question about how the loss of Brian Urlacher from the Chicago Bears would affect their defense, Jackson said he is worried about Albert Haynesworth and the Washington Redskins.

St. Louis Rams Season Preview

Offense - Change is the word for the Rams offense. New head coach Steve Spagnuolo is defensive minded. The Rams also brought in Pat Shurmur who runs a West Coast offense, so expect a lot of quick dink and dunk passes from Marc Bulger, and a heavy dose of Steven Jackson. I expect Jackson to get 25 touches every week, hopefully he can take the punishment. The Rams Will go with Samkon Gado and Kenneth Darby to back up Jackson. At receiver Torry Holt is gone and Donnie Avery is the #1. Avery has more receptions (53) in the NFL than any other receiver on the Rams roster. Their lack of experience is sure to show. Expect every team to key on Jackson and put 8 in the box. The Rams did draft OT Jason Smith from Baylor and picked up massive Center Jason Brown as a free agent to help restore the offensive line. The biggest question will be the leadership and ability for Marc Bulger to make positive plays and stay away from turnovers and sacks.

Defense - The Rams have been in the bottom 5 in points allowed the previous four years! It is hard to win many games that way. Steve Spagnuolo is going to look to build the defense around youngsters Chris Long and James Laurinaitis. The Rams must have a much better defense against the rush and generate a much better pass rush. The Rams are very young at defensive tackle, in addition Adam Carriker is out for the year with an injury. Spagnuolo has chosen to go very young with the roster. The Rams have chosen to release Tye Hill and Chris Draft and will start Jonathan Wade and David Vabora. The cornerbacks are super inexperienced with Ron Bartell leading the group with only four years of service. The lack of quality depth at cornerback will show against teams like Green Bay, Indy, and Arizona.

Special Teams - It does not get any better than Josh Brown and Donnie Jones. Some of the Rams best drives will be to play it safe get a few yards and let Donnie boot it 50 yards down field to help out the defense. The kick returns will be handled by Derek Stanley and Kenneth Darby, not much of a threat. With the new rule of only two players allowed on the kickoff wedge I am not expecting much on kickoff returns. We need the Rams to improve on kick coverage as well. Players like Chamberlain, Vobara and Culberson will be expected to make a lot of tackles.

Schedule - After starting the last 2 years 0-4 and 0-8 I am very worried about the Rams first 7 games on this years schedule. There is a good chance the Rams will get off to a slow start again. The Rams will play four 2008 playoff teams in 2009. The records of the Rams 2009 opponents were 119-137 in 2008. That is a winning percentage of only .464. The Rams have very hard games against the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts in 09. If you throw out those two games Rams opponents were 94-130 for a .419 winning percentage. The Rams play in the worst division in football and need to find a way to start winning division games again.

Our Thoughts - The offense will have a very hard time moving the ball and putting up points. They have the least experienced group of receivers in the NFL. They have a QB that has had two awful years in a row, and comes into the season with a broken pinkie. Marc needs to stand in the pocket and make good decisions. Steven Jackson will have every defense focused on stopping him. The defense is very young and I can't believe they are going into the season with this group of 5 cornerbacks. I expect them to get burnt early and often at the beginning of the season. James Laurinaitis is a great anchor to build around. I believe you will see the Rams manufacture a better pass rush with more blitzing and they will also swarm to the ball in an attempt to create a lot of turnovers. Overall the squad is in rebuilding mode and is just too young and inexperienced to expect much this year. The lack of star power and depth will hurt the Rams as well. The bottom line is going into a season with an offensive line that has never played a game together is just not good in the NFL. They have turned the corner with a new front office and head coach but they are still a few players away.

Prediction - (3 - 13) Early season schedule is way to hard

Week 1 – Seahawks vs. Rams Matchup

Both the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams are looking to start over in 2009. The teams combined to go 6-26 in 2008. With last year behind them both teams are looking to start over with new leadership. The Seahawks are now coached by Jim Mora Jr. and Steve Spagnuolo is the new coach of the St. Louis Rams. Both teams are looking to build their defenses around 2009 draft picks Aaron Curry and James Laurinaitis. Both players were outstanding in the preseason. Curry had 9 tackles and a sack, while Laurinaitis made 13 tackles and intercepted a pass.

Seattle will be glad to get Matt Hasselbeck back after only playing in 7 games last year. The Seahawks huge offseason pick up was T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and later they also added Edgerrin James to back up Julius Jones. In the 2009 NFL draft the Seahawks picked up Aaron Curry, Max Unger and Deon Butler all should step right in and have a huge impact this year.

The Rams are just looking to start over and move in the right direction. After removing the front office and almost all of the coaching staff it is now Steve Spagnolo's job to right the ship. The Rams picked up center Jason Brown, while adding Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis through the draft. The Rams are now very young and inexperienced since releasing a few veterans including Tye Hill their first round draft pick in 2006.The recent release of Chris draft 72 hours prior to the season starting also raises a possible team chemistry issue.

As for this weeks game, if it looks like, acts like, and quacks like a duck it is a duck. In this case that means clearly the Seattle Seahawks will win this week. The Rams have lost 8 straight games to Seattle, including a 37-13 pounding last year at Quest Field. For those that have forgotten the Rams have also lost 10 straight regular season games. Quest Field is a very hard place to play and the Rams will be heading there with an offensive line that has never played together. To make matters worse the offense was not able to get in any work in the preseason. Marc Bulger injured his pinkie and only threw 4 passes in the preseason. In addition an injury to Donnie Avery cost him the entire preseason, and Steven Jackson only saw enough action to get in 10 carries. After cutting Tye Hill the Rams will head into the game with Ron Bartell and Jonathan Wade as their starting corners and they will be forced to cover Houshmandzadeh, Burleson, Butler, and Branch who may not play. I love how the Rams defense forced turnovers and swarmed to the ball in the preseason but I just do not see the offense doing enough to win this one.

Prediction Seattle 23-10 over the Rams