St. Louis Rams

By VanRam As Haslett and the Rams hammer out  the final details of the agreement that would automatically make him the team's head coach for 2009 if he wins six games, he can take some comfort in historical precedent.  According to this post from ESPN's Mike Sando, the average number of wins for...

By VanRam As you know, LT Orlando Pace strained his quad in the fourth quarter of last week's win over the Redskins. He's currently listed as questionable, and in his online chat today at the Post Dispatch, Rams beat writer Jim Thomas posited that Pace was "50-50 - at best" to play this week.

By VanRam Unleash Donnie Avery! This gives the Rams passing game, looking to build some momentum with Bulger back at the helm, Avery starting in Bruce's old spot and Torry Holt looking to stockpile numbers more familiar to the seven-time Pro Bowler.

By VanRam Now, I know it's just a punter, but the Rams will need to use every advantage they can get against the Cowboys to pull off a second upset in two weeks. Dallas hasn't had to punt quite as much as the Rams - 24 versus 31 - but when they have punted they've been effective, netting an average of 49 yards...

By VanRam When the Rams shook up the franchsie by firing Scott Linehan, fans put on their GM hat and talked rebuilding, knowing it was mostly fantasy. That included hypothetical trade talk. Now, with details emerging about Haslett's conditional deal with the Rams, i.e. the win 6 games clause, we can sa...

By VanRam After getting just two touches through five games and some work on special teams, the Rams shut down Brian Leonard for the season for more shoulder surgery. RushingReceivingGRushYdsY/GAvgLngTDRecYdsY/GAvgLngTD2008 - Brian Leonard1277.03.550000000

By VanRam Looking back over the play-by-play, two trouble spots stand out: right end and left tackle. Of the 28 running plays carried out by the two running backs, 15 came through those two spots, 8 at LT and 7 at RE. The Redskins picked up 66 yards running through the left tackle and 50 yards running thro...

By VanRam in just one game and we can all feel that we have a real head coach what a change from Linehan, the players and the fans have responded like i knew they would Week 12 - Chicago: Winnable at home. Week 14 - at Arizona: As with the 49ers, gotta take one of these games.

By VanRam This is a new Rams team. We haven't seen a Rams team play inspired football - for four quarters - in a long, long time.  There's a lot more to say, but for now, let's savor the moment. We've earned it.  Poll Game ball goes to: Donnie Avery Pisa Tinoisamoa Steven Jackson OJ Atogwe Jason Craft

By VanRam The Redskins will need to be sleepy themselves, or at least overconfident as 13 point favorites, for the Rams to take it to them. But don't completely count the Rams out. This is a game that will come down to those shady intangibles - a sinking ship righted, a new captain leading a crew with a new...

By 3k Westbrook rushed for just 33 yards and DeSean Jackson had just 1 catch.  What was shocking was that you were able to do all that without great pressure on the QB (no sacks last week for you guys).  At this point, who do you credit more for the success you've seen so far?  Is it the coaching for prov...

By VanRam Here's what George said about the Rams: Both lead teams that for the first time this season are not dealing with a head coach/front office disconnect or a constant clock-ticking watch on when -- not if -- their head coaches would be fired.

By VanRam Oh yeah. Given all the uncertainty about the front office, the head coach, the QB ... and the fact that the NFC East ain't exactly, well, the NFC West (just keeping it real) there were certainly reasons to think this team might be in transition for a while. And especially after the Giants clocked t...

By VanRam The Rams offenisve line has been, well, offensive, offensive to football sensibilities. (rim shot). Anyway, I wondered where the running plays have been going and how success they've been. Without a doubt, the Rams run game got a big uptick in their last game against the Bills, Steven Jacks...

By VanRam In the discussion this morning, kevinramsfan made the suggestion - one I think of us agree with - that the Rams need to take the best offensive lineman available in the draft next year, the point being to make the support personnel around Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger top-flight and allow...

By VanRam The Rams best trade options would be QB Marc Bulger or WR Torry Holt, in my opinion. Both would address key needs for teams on the bubble and would fetch the Rams premium draft picks. Dante Hall might have been an option too, but he's hurt and has done himself no favors proving his worth when heal...

By VanRam It goes without saying that Steven Jackson is the Rams best playmaker on offense. He finally cracked the 100 yard mark in his last outing against the Bills, and the Rams will need to create opportunities for him to work his magic against the Redskins this week to have a chance at the upset.

By VanRam Tight end play for the Rams depends largley on how the offense responds to the recent round of changes. There's no doubt in my mind that Linehan and the losing climate around Rams park lately had a lot to do with the level of play we've seen so far this season. There's not enough gold spray paint i...

By 3k And this: I'm going to know exactly how many times Steven Jackson touches the ball. How many times Torry Holt touches the ball. How many times Donnie Avery has the ball. And (Keenan) Burton and (Drew) Bennett when they get back. And if I don't think they've touched the ball enough, I'll let Al kno...

By 3k Yes, Linehan was unsuccessful as a head coach, but what real chance did the office give him?  Joe Klopfenstein?  La'Roi Glover?  Drew Bennett?!  Until ownership puts people in positions of authority at the management level who can spot above-average football players, we're goin...

By VanRam Turns out it's more than just idle chatter about Rams new head coach Jim Haslett wanting to bring back CB Fakhir Brown. The Rams are now involved in negotiations to bring back the CB released as something of a scapegoat by Scott Linehan ahead of the week four game with the Bills. This is good. B...

By VanRam Not convinced players aren't playing for their future? Let's take TE Joe Klopfenstein for example. The Rams second round pick from 2006 has big shoes to fill with McMichael out with a broken tibia. He'll be asked to take on some of the pass catching work for McMichael. If Klop fails to shine as a...

By ksmooth This is an obvious choice for many reasons but ultimately Bulger is the highest paid player in Rams history and gives the team the best chance to win.  Bulger has had a rough start to the season but didn't deserve to be benched in my opinion.  His benching was a last ditch attempt by Scott Lineha...

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By VanRam We were all a little shocked when the Rams cut CB Fakhir Brown. He was the team's best CB, but his play was, well, different and speculation about problems between Brown and the coaching staff followed. It was, after all, Linehan that cut him. 

By 3k As I left the Emirates, I passed by a row of pictures of the Arsenal board of directors, since the team doesn't have the same ownership system the Rams have.  One of those pictures was of Stan Kroenke, minority owner of the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams world is a small one, but it's one I care about an...

By VanRam But, the real interesting parlay of the presser was Linehan's volley over whether or not QB Marc Bulger had said anything to the head coach regarding his rumored unwillingness to play for Linehan anymore, from the PD:  So what's going on at Rams Park? Who the hell knows. It's an evolving sit...

By VanRam No, the sack totals haven't finally added up. That headline is my paraphrasing of what's probably the most under-reported aspect of Steven Jackson (latest) buzz generating interview, the one where he hammered the Rams for their decision to bench QB Marc Bulger.

By VanRam I'm not sure the Bills have a weak spot - they're quite good everywhere - but they're not overwhelming in any particular area.  If St. Louis can play physical defense, limit big plays and get after Edwards, they have a chance to shut down our O.  They'll need to make some plays through the air off...

By VanRam The wackiness continues at Rams Park. As 3k posted just a few minutes ago, the Rams have handed starting CB Fakhir Brown his pink slip. To replace Brown, the Rams signed the just released Saints CB Jason Craft. Ah ha, a clue. Brown's talent has been MIA this season, even though he ranks as probabl...

By VanRam Linehan and the Rams remain mum on the subject. There's an obvious attempt to send a message to the team, a demand for better play and a stark reminder that nobody is untouchable. I'm not quite sure how that works by benching Bulger, especially when the QB seems to be one of the Rams smaller on fi...

By 3k 2004 NFL draft Brandon Chillar, UCLA - Rd. 4, pick 34 (130th): GB 5-star 2.) James Laurinaitis, Ohio St. (Sr.) - 6'3", 240 lbs. 4-star 7.) Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina (Sr.) - 6'2", 275 lbs. 5-star 2.) Brian Cushing, USC (Sr.) - 6'3", 255 lbs. 3.) Marcus Freeman, Ohio St. (Sr.) - 6'1", 239 lbs.

By VanRam You can find fault all around. The run defense was terrible, shades of Jimmy Kennedy terrible. The backfield let no-name receivers look like Pro Bowlers. On the other side of the ball, the offensive line was terrible, again. Steven Jackson wasn't able to top 3 yards per carry. Bulger, though he...

By VanRam When Torry Holt made an offhand remark this summer about playing in Carolina when his contract with the Rams ended, a vocal contingent of Rams fans, er, spoke up, ready to cast off what they thought was an ungrateful Holt. It was nonsense. Regardless of what fans may have thought of Holt then,...

By VanRam Steven Jackson, RB: Of course the big fantasy question most people are asking is when will they get a return for drafting Jackson early in the first round. Well, this could be another tough week. Seattle has a pretty good run defense led by Julian Peterson and Lofa Tatupu. They held Frank Gore t...

By VanRam Mike Sando has a great blog, dedicated to the NFC West, over at ESPN's blog network. If you don't read it, you should make it a part of your daily stroll around the interwebs.There's a link in our links menu on the left side of the page. Many of us noted in the comments this Sunday and the day after, t...

By 3k Is it possible for a week 3 game to be a must win?  Is it possible that the fates of Coach Linehan (and President of Football Operations/GM Jay Zygmunt) rest on the outcome of this game?  Is it possible for Steven Jackson to get at least 15 carries in a single game?!  One can only hope.

By VanRam The Rams, by comparison, are averaging 131+ yards per game, and starting QB Marc Bulger has completed 53.8% of his passes, has a QB rating of 73.6 while throwing for 335 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.) Last season, Atogwe had an INT and 2 passes defended against the Seahawks. Ron Bartell, right now the Ram...

By VanRam OT Anthony Alabi, one of the two players brought in for an audition yesterday, was a Nick Saban pick, during his, um, celebrated run as the Dolphins head coach from 2005-06. WR Chad Jackson is actually an intriguing possibility. An early second round pick (36th) in 2006 by the Patriots, he de...

By 3k 5.) Alex Boone, Ohio St. (Sr.) - 6'8", 312 lbs. 6.) Jason Smith, Baylor (Sr.) - 6'5", 298 lbs. 7.) Jamon Meredith, S. Carolina (Sr.) - 6'5", 301 lbs. 10.) Ramon Foster, Tennessee (Sr.) - 6'6", 325 lbs. 1.) Alex Mack, California (Sr.) - 6'4", 316 lbs. 5.) Brett Helms, LSU (Sr.) - 6'2", 283 lbs.

By VanRam Calls for the Rams to fire head coach Scott Linehan are nothing new, ditto the demands for changes in the front office. However, at no point last season were such calls as overt and loud as they are now. Two of the St. Louis Post Dispatch's, the hometown fish wrap, most prominent sports columnis...

By 3k Over the next couple games, I'm going to start a college football player watch series (which you can get a jump on by checking out our SBNation partner Mocking the Draft) to look at the players who will come out in the first three rounds or so of the '09 NFL draft.  If (or what's looking more an...

By VanRam Four sacks in the first half, and Bulger looked like a hurt puppy, lost and confused behind the paper tigers in front of him. Blocking from the other players, TE, FB, and most of all RB has to get better too. Steven Jackson now makes too damn much money to not pass block better than he does. Many Ram...

By VanRam Well, this is it, the Rams home opener, what promises to be an emotional affair for the franchise as they honor their former owner, the late Georgia Frontiere. We're all hoping that emotion translates onto the field for the team as well. Another spanking will not sit well with fans or anyone e...

By 3k 3.) Big Plays on Big Days (3k): In case you didn't know, I am the self-appointed Presidential candidate of the Turf Show Times Party.  Seriously though, something that really disappointed me last week was the lack of a big play.  No touchdowns, nothing significant out of Steven Jackso...

By VanRam The Rams have a tough match up once again this week, maybe as tough as the Eagles last week. After watching Marc Bulger serve as the league's most well-compensated tackle dummy for the last two years, the Giants' mighty pass rush presents a daunting matchup for the Rams. Look at the numbers be...

By VanRam Sounding more like the grouchy old uncle who spends most of Thanksgiving prattling on about football with leather helments, Grover Cleveland, and jitterbugging his way to school in the snow, Rams future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk appeared on St. Louis sports talk radio yes...

By VanRam No pressure at all on McNab, while the Ram offensive line has no answer at all for the Eagles blitzes. I think we have a shot this year at the first overall pick in the draft instead of having to settle for #2. And it gets better from there. After the jump, Linehan,

By VanRam No one unit of the offense or defense or special teams caused this. It was a team effort at failure. For that reason, hearing Scott Linehan acknowledge a huge mistake and an explanation to the loyal fans, who came back after a 3 win season, of just what happened.

By VanRam Question: Do the Rams consider trading for Lito Sheppard? Seriously. A third, even second, round pick...and Brian Leonard? What would it take? The secondary's lousy play was only part of the story. If Leonard Little's gone for an extended period of time, they'll be even more exposed. 

By VanRam The pundits have already picked a winner, but limbs were made for walking on, and I'll optimistically proclaim a Rams victory. For football betting odds, expert NFL predictions, even and free picks, check with an expert like Doc's Sports.

By VanRam Match-ups and three keys, the TST preview.Holdout, schmoldout! Steven Jackson is ready to go and the team says he'll carry a full load. Rams fans will carry a full load if he doesn't. An inside view of the Eagles.So many unknowns also give the Rams offensive line a chance to surprise! An...

By VanRam A few more notes about depth. In the near future, the Rams are going to have to start thinking about replacements for Orlando Pace and Marc Bulger, two key positions where both players have age and health questions, Pace more so than Bulger. I think, depending on the talent available, OT look...

By VanRam Offensive Line Bottom line: The Rams o-line could surprise a lot of people with healthy seasons from Pace and emergent seasons from Incognito, Barron and Leckey. Poll What are your expectations of the Rams offensive line? They'll surprise people, pleasantly. Mediocrity. They'll fall ap...

By VanRam As far as red zone efficiency, that remains to be seen as well. The hope is that having a healthy LJ Smith back and a healthy McNabb should be a cure for those ills inside the 20... It was pretty puzzling last year how the Eagles were able to move the ball quite well, but just couldn't punch it when the...

By VanRam Neither of these guys can replace Steven Jackson and what he brings to the field, but it is a sign that the Rams have some prospects behind him on the depth chart should the unthinkable happen and Jackson not be able to play a game or two. Even had he held out things might not have been as bad as tho...

By VanRam Running backs, surprisingly enough, are well represented on the practice squad. The Rams got serious this year about adding blockers at those key positions not on the offensive line, such as TE and FB. Veteran FB Dan Krieder will do most of the blocking out of the backfield (Steelers fans al...

By VanRam Lance Ball, RB - Ball will get a lot of carries tonight, passes too. The Maryland undrafted rookie has really impressed, and had the Steven Jackson holdout dragged into the regular season, there's no question he'd be on the team. He will make the practice squad. 

By VanRam It's a night that must belong to the offense. Unfortunately, they're starting with an arm tied behind their back with Steven Jackson holding out. And now come reports that Torry Holt may sit out against the Chargers tonight, back spasms. He'll be a game time decision, but with the Rams first t...

By VanRam If the Rams offense has trouble moving the ball, fan demand for the team to make Jackson an offer will be louder than a Dome full of Steelers fans. That scenario will only solidify Jackson's position in the holdout. How will the front office react if that happens? Conversely, how will the fron...

By VanRam Topically, why should today be any different, just because it's Friday Fantasy? We Rams fans know Steven Jackson is a top 3 pick, McMichael's a sneaky TE pick, etc. Let's continue probing dark places (wait a minute, that analogy might have gone too far) and take a look at the hated but necess...

By VanRam Seventh round picks Chris Chamberlin and David Vobora are being counted on to improve special teams with their speed and athletic ability, and by all accounts they should be able to do that. Besides those two, the Rams will have to have improved play from the other members of those units, gu...

By VanRam Avery and Isaac Bruce have more than just speed in common. Check out who Avery compared himself to in a pre-draft chat with fans at ESPN: I would have to say Isaac Bruce, Marvin Harrison. Those guys. They have the dedication and the desire to be the best. That's the kind of dedication that I have.

By VanRam The Rams lacked speed at WR; now, they have a proven speed threat with goods hands and a great opportunity to develop. And let's face it, there's no team I trust more with wide receivers than the Rams...well, more specifically the Al Saunders Rams. Sorry Linehan, this picks works much better wit...

By VanRam They're also listening to trade offers, and would be wise to continue that until the buzzer sounds Saturday. The consensus possibilities for the Rams at #2, Chris Long, Gholston and Dorsey, are, as Linehan said, "difference makers." Other teams agree, and that's why everyone from the Sai...

By VanRam There's a lot of pressure on the Rams this season to improve on their disappointing 3 win 2007. For the coaches, the stakes are obvious, but individual players will be playing for their reputations as well. For Drew Bennett, the stakes ratcheted way up as soon as the Rams severed ties with Mr. R...

By VanRam I can't help but wonder if there's at least some opportunity for the Rams to grow their fan base and expand their footprint by holding training camp at a location like Missouri State in Springfield, MO. Obviously, since I live here and am a Rams fan, I would love to see the team here each summer....

By VanRam Chillar's gone now, so taking a linebacker certainly becomes more of a priority. However, for the 3-4 formation the Rams do have Witherspoon as their rushing LB on one side and DE Leonard Little can play LB on that other side in that formation. And to save Little's wheels, a first round DE like...

By VanRam One thing an o-line fix might reveal this season is just what kind of player the Rams have in FB Brian Leonard. Without a doubt he can run and catch, and is, by most measures, the Rams #2 runner behind Steven Jackson (apologies to Travis Minor). However, his size - 6'2" 230 lbs - limits the contri...

By VanRam I figure I better start using Ohio State instead of OSU, so as not to confuse the Oklahoma State-inclined readers out there, and with Oklahoma State, I use the term "readers" loosely. Just kidding. It seems like the people that like Gholston REALLY like him, even though he didn't garner as ma...

By VanRam Has the arrow pointed any other way for this guy? Talent and pedigree will do wonders, huh? Devaney called him a "force" against the run, and indicated that his pass rushing skills will need work. Some scouts and NFL personnel people also see Long able to play linebacker and a natural fit for...

By VanRam Peruse the list of wide receivers that have been cut this season and the first thing that jumps out at you many seem to be 30 or older. [Ed. note: at 32, I'm well aware of the irony in that statement.] We're all aware of the decision facing the Rams regarding the legendary Isaac Bruce. That nothing h...

By VanRam The Scouting Combine starts in a week...kind of. Officially, it starts on Wednesday, February 20, but workouts don't start until Saturday, February 23. That's according to the NFL's official site for the event. The real choice facing the Rams with the second overall pick is whether to go for th...

By VanRam Drew Bennett turned into the pricey free agent pick up that everyone forgot about. Bennett had his worst season since his rookie year in 2001. Injuries and the team's offensive woes hobbled his first season in St. Louis; he had just 33 receptions, 375 yards and 3 TDs.

By VanRam There's not much in the way of rumor about the Rams trading down from the second overall pick in the draft. Don't rule it out though. Teams salivating over McFadden or Boston College QB Matt Ryan could make an enticing offer, and if it nets the Rams two first rounders, I'd think they'd have to at...

By VanRam Things are relatively settled at QB for the Rams. We've got our starter in Marc Bulger, a starter the team's invested in quite heavily. If the o-line isn't fixed and a blocking fullback isn't added, Bulger's a lost investment...any QB would be. The issue for the Rams at QB is the backup.

By VanRam Blocking segues nicely into our other major need in the RB corps, a power fullback, a blocking specialist. The tattered offensive line exposed the lack of a blocker from the backfield this season. There's no need to keep Richard Owens. Brian Leonard will be a valuable asset for the offense, b...

By VanRam Receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, and quarterback Marc Bulger can still be productive on any given day, but they are all getting old together and taking up far too much cap space. Former All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace has started to break down and a return to his former self is unlikely...

By VanRam Today's game certainly isn't out if reach for the Rams. If you look at hte points allowed totals, the Rams have allowed 390 and the Cardinals 380, so the game certainly has the potential to feature some scoring. I'll be pretty happy if the Rams can dial it in for the last game and play as well in th...

By VanRam Linehan's job is safe, barring some kind of Denny Neagle-type incident, so he's not playing Bulger to cling to another season as the Rams head coach. Rumors circulating around the message boards (consider the source) say that Linehan owes some of his job security to ownership trying to so...

By VanRam DeMarcus "Tank" Tyler, Carucci's #3, isn't 13th pick material, unless Linehan et al see something we don't. He should be gone early in the second round, but if he's not, he'd be a steal for the Rams and their 52nd overall pick (20th in the second round).

By VanRam Using Football Outsiders advance stats, we can get a pretty good idea of where the Rams weakness was defending against the Run. In the middle, opponents rushed for 4.89 adjusted line yards (ALY) [definition at the top of the page linked to above], which was the second worst total in the NFL. 42...

By VanRam