SB Nation - Kenneth Darby

Deep thought: Would a better #2 running back have made a difference for the Rams?

VanRam — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:51:40 -0000

A deep thought...

Taking nothing away from the otherwordly Steven Jackson, but how much would a solid #2 RB have helped the Rams yesterday...and beyond?

Besides the obvious concern of not wanting to completly exhuast Jackson, it seems to me, that another competent runner would have opened up the playbook a little more, allowing the Rams to do some different things when Jackson was not on the field. Typically, in those situations team can be assured that the Rams will be passing, since Samkon Gado doesn't present much of a threat.

Darren Sproles is scheduled to be a free agent after this season; he's currently playing on a franchise tender. That might be a little pie-in-the-sky, but that's the kind of player I'm thinking of to complement Jackson. Leon Washtington would be another fit of that type. Of course, there's always a bruiser, short-yardage option type of guy, like LenDale White.

And, here's another question, what happened to Kenneth Darby?

Rams missing the deep ball

VanRam — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:17:30 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

The St. Louis Rams have completely abandoned the deep pass, and they're paying for it.

Browse more photos »

It's always easy to criticize the play calling with your hand burried in a bowl of nachos and four beers into a game. Like blaming the refs it makes for a nice scapegoat after bewilderingly bad play. Still, that doesn't mean you can't, shouldn't question the decisions made on the sideline or in the booth, and for the 0-3 St. Louis Rams, the offensive play calling has offered much to question.

After the season opener in Seattle, the big question on our minds was about the missing running game. That changed in week two, when the Rams decided to grind it out against Albert Haynesworth and the Washington Redskins. Steven Jackson carried the ball 17 times for 104 yards, and Kenneth Darby added another two carries for offense that was on the field just 25 minutes. This week against the Packers the Rams had even more success on the ground. Thirty-three of 69 total offensive plays were rushes. Steven Jackson carried the ball 27 times - the third most carries he's had spanning this season and last - picking up 117 yards.

So, according to the preseason analysis, Jackson carries, Rams win...what happened? Turns out, you have to pass the ball too. huh. Of course, the Rams have been passing ball, but you'd be hard pressed to point out any memorable passes, i.e. big plays...the kind of big plays the Packers used to beat the Rams this week. Chew on this number:

5.1 yards

That's the Rams average gain per passing play this season. That's the league's worst total, tied with the lowly Oakland Raiders, actually. The Rams have had just three passes of 20 yards or more, another league worst. Clearly, they're not throwing the ball deep, airing it out. Take a look at the play-by-play.

Yesterday, according to the play-by-play, the Rams passed deep just once. After Josh Brown's leg made it 23-17, the Rams next drive, which started out nicely with a Steven Jackson 20-yard run, ended with two incomplete short pass attempts to force a punt. Against Washington, according to the official play-by-play, the Rams threw deep just twice, on their final possession of the game. Per the stats at Pro Football Focus (which are a little different thanks to better classifications than the play-by-play), they threw four passes for 10 yards or more...and completed 3 of them, one that beauty over the middle to Keenan Burton for 25 yards.

Go back to this week, with the box stacked, often with five LBs, the Rams did not throw deep to take advantage of the mismatch. That should really stand out to anyone, armchair QB to seasoned football analyst, as big, big mistake.

Is it a personnel thing? Partly. The Rams don't have world beating receivers, but Donnie Avery has proven he can catch a deep ball. Sure his hands have been a little rusty of late, but what's the loss in trying? Keenan Burton may be a physical over the middle guy, but he has the speed to catch a deep ball or two also. Bulger can make those throws, and while Boller is a little shakier when he goes deep, he's still capable of putting the occasional ball into a receiver's hands. Personnel is not an excuse for not trying to mix it up in this case, whether you like the personnel or not.

Football is a game of balance. You can't have a good running game with the pass, etc., etc. This week, with the running game working well, the vertical passing game was MIA, tragically, on day where it made all the sense in the world to mix some deep strikes into the play calling. The Rams missed a golden opportunity by looking like West Coast zealots.

Rams host free agent RB: Random Ramsdom, 9/8

VanRam — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:52:04 -0000

It's a game week, regular season game week as the St. Louis Rams get ready to take on the Seattle Seahawks to pull the curtain off the new look franchise.

ESPN has their NFL team previews up, with expert projections (we're projected to finish 4th in the division), info from Scouts, Inc. and more. Here's the bottom line from their preview:

The Rams took the safe route by selecting an offensive tackle, Jason Smith, with the second overall choice. They had too much money invested in Marc Bulger to select a quarterback early without considering other options. Of course, the Rams couldn't help but draft for need because they had so many from which to choose. Second-round linebacker James Laurinaitis filled another one. The biggest disappointment might have been failing to find an impact receiver, but how many of those are there in a given draft?

It never ceases to amaze me how closely NFL projections follow precedent. Barring the addition of a big time free agent or a sexy draft pick, predictions from the experts always look a lot like the final standings from the season before...which ought to tell you something about the usefulness of predictions.

The Rams will be hosting RB Gary Russell for a visit today. Russell got some work down the stretch as a short yardage guy for the Steelers, getting a Super Bowl TD. In preseason with the Raiders, he had 28 carries for 154 yards and 3 TDs. Russell averaged 5.5 yards per carry. He also shows some promise as a return man, where the Steelers also used him in the postseason. This news has to make Kenneth Darby a little worried.

Apparently, S Anthony Smith was quite a prize for the Rams, as a number of teams wanted him, but the Rams had an early shot at him thanks to their waiver priority status. Few thought he would be cut in Green Bay.

QB Marc Bulger and his broken pinkie will take snaps under center (he's been fine out of the shotgun) for the first time since the week after the Jets preseason game on Wednesday. You can pretty much guarantee it will be painful. How painful is the real question.

DT Adam Carriker has shoulder surgery tomorrow. Meh.

Rams vs Chiefs Fight Card

VanRam — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:17:22 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Hollis Thomas will present his case to stay on the Rams final 53-man roster tonight against the Chiefs in the final preseason game.

View full size photo »

The last game of the preseason is upon us. The St. Louis Rams host their cross-state counterparts from the AFC Worst (not to be confused with the NFC Worst) with a giant silver cup owned by the state of Missouri and given to the team whose second and third stringers out perform the other team's second and third stringers to claim the title of best preseason football team in the Show Me State.

3k has a game preview, so be sure to check it out. I'm here with the cliff notes version of what to watch tonight.

On the radar

Now, before you get too excited about preseason football, just remember the Lions, yes, the 0-16 Lions, won all four of their preseason games last season. I seem to recall more than one pundit writing throwaway copy like "the Lions could surprise this season." Yeah, they surprised alright. Getting a third preseason win doesn't mean much on paper for the Rams in terms of what to expect in the regular season, but they really need to win this game. A win here, with the hometown baseball team having wrapped up their game this afternoon, would help generate a little momentum heading into the regular season, put the Rams back on the St. Louis sports radar. That matters because this is a franchise trying to rebuild itself, and the more asses in the seats it has, the more support from the people signing checks to build a winning team year-in and year-out.

Donnie Avery Returns

After a broken foot, Donnie Avery returns and is expected to play tonight against the Chiefs. The starters are not expected to play much this evening, and that probably holds true for Avery as well. After all, there's no point getting him injured in a game to determine roster spots. He's been running well in practice by accounts. Tonight, keep an eye on how the fast one fares with live opponents trying to make their case to stay on an NFL roster.

Who's Number Three?

We've spilled plenty of ink on this one already. Brock Berlin and Keith Null will get the majority of snaps at QB tonight. Who earns the coveted third spot?

Thomas or Gibson?

3k and I spent some time on this question last night on TSR, concluding that Gibson probably gets the fourth and final defensive tackle spot. How can he not? Thomas has size, but have you seen much of anything else from the guy?

Being a better run blocker

Can Jason Smith build on the progress he showed against the Bengals? Watch to see if he does a better job staying low and driving on his blocks. The Chiefs run a 3-4 defense and are allowing opponents an average of 3.3 yards per rushing attempt in the preseason.

Special teams looking special

The Rams special teams have not impressed in the preseason. For a lot of the guys trying to get on the roster, their play on special teams will have lots to do with the final verdict.

Corner pocket

The Rams probably won't carry more than nine defensive backs on their roster, which would mean 4 safeties and 5 corners. Since they traded Tye Hill, there are only six corners on the roster, and Cord Parks is going to have to do something really special (or Quincy Butler is going to have to play really bad) to miss out. I think we might get a better sense tonight as to whether or not the Rams will look outside for depth at cornerback.

Backup, backup running back

Gado has the #2 RB spot nailed down. Tonight, Antonio Pittman, Kenneth Darby and Chris Ogbonnaya will make their case for the third spot. Another roster spot where we might get a sense of whether or not Billy Devaney will look elsewhere to find a solid runner to round out this group.

There are a million stories in the naked city and around 75 of them in tonight's game.

Chapter 1, Game 4 - v. Kansas City Chiefs (Sept. 3rd)

3k — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:01:38 -0000

The History of the Governor's Cup, as told by 3k

In 1764, two French fur traders, Pierre Laclède and René Auguste Chouteau, arrived on a junction of two mighty rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi.

Pierre said to René, "My gud frien, we shall cull zeez pless 'St. Louis.' And one day zey shall 'ave for zemselves a football teem. Zey shall be zee 'Rams.' And every yee-er, zey shall play a teem from zee oowest. And we shall call zeez gehm zee 'Coupe du Duché.'"

"But Pierre," René said, "Certainement, zees is not zee American way, no? I propose to name zee game, "La Coupe de la Gouverneur."

Twenty-five short years later, France went a little kooky and went from this:

to this:

I'm still not really sure if that counts as a victory.

And that was how we came to tonight. Preview of the battle for the Governor's Cup after the fold.

For game-specific info, check out the SBN event page for this game. For Chiefs news leading up the game, check out Arrowhead Pride.

BTW, I'm going to be concise this time out. Beware....KC

St. Louis Rams, 2-1, 3rd - NFC West

Kansas City Chiefs, 0-3, 4th - AFC West

STL pass v. KC pass D

KC doesn't have a whole lot to be worried about. Brandon Flowers is decent, but the fact that he is IMO the best pass defender (along with Mike Brown) says a lot about KC's pass defense. In short, it's exploitable. Keep an eye on Keenan Burton who should get plenty of reps against a defense that is not top level.

STL run v. KC run D

This is all about depth. Samkon Gado? Kenneth Darby? Or even Antonio Pittman? I don't have the answers. What I do have is questions. In between those questions and answers lies (or is it lay?) Derrick Johnson. Johnson is a beast, but around him, it's pretty ugly. Could ActionJackson take advantage of this matchup? Easily. Can the guys behind him? We'll see.

STL O-line v. KC D-line

I'll be concise: this is the weakest D-line the Rams have faced / will face all preseason. Sure, Glenn Dorsey and Tamba Hali shows some promise. But if our O-line doesn't dominate their D-line as long as the tops are in, it should be viewed as a failure. Keep an eye on Tyson Jackson too see if he's a prospect or a nowspect.

KC pass v. STL pass D

This is an interesting matchup. I'm VERY high on Dwayne Bowe; at the same time, I'm very low on the rest of this passing attack. With Tye Hill gone, can Jonathan Wade step up? If not, who challenges him for PT? There's a ton to pay attention to with these two units for both teams. Keep an eye on the replays.

KC run v. STL run D

Yeah, Larry Johnson is a beast. But he won't get much of a look in this contest. For Rams fans, this should be another examination of the James-es; Laurinatis and Butler. Dealing with a team as poor as this (in all aspects) shouldn't be a barometer -- it should be a baseline for domination. Anything less is a failure.

KC O-line v. STL D-line

This is strange; for the Rams to see a unit that they can completely outplay is rare. Enjoy it before the game. If we don't see domination, we'll have something to yak on Wednesday on Turf Show Radio.

This week's top 3 storylines brought to you by famous people from St. Louis:

1.) Maya Angelou: Angelou famously penned I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It was soon followed by a sequel written by 3k titled I Don't Know Why the Tye Hill Sucked. In any case, this is a chance for the rest of the CB corps to step up and earn the reps that Hill had been handed.

2.) T.S. Eliot: Eliot brought poetry into the 20th century with The Waste Land, which despite what you might assume is not a poem about the Edward Jones Dome from 2005-2008. The pieces on offense will all be on the field in week 1 (barring anything wacky tonight); we could see an offense this season that deserves to don the blue and gold.

3.) Scott Bakula: Scott Bakula is widely regarded as the finest actor in human history. Bakula played the fundamentally significant part of Dr. Sam Beckett in the popular tv show Quantum Leap. To say this team has made a quantum leap from its dismal recent past would be premature. To rule it out would be shortsighted.

Tonight's game closes out the first chapter of the 2009 season. It's almost time to enjoy what drives Turf Show Times: regular season (and post-season, but let's not get ahead of ourselves) football. GO RAMS!

Rams 24, Bengals 21: Now this is more like it

VanRam — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:47:49 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (72) and his teammates looked sharp against the Bengals as the Rams picked up their second preseason win.

Browse more photos »

That noise? That was a collective sigh of release coming from Rams fans.

After a game in which the starters really struggled for both units, the St. Louis Rams come out with a strong, sharp performance to win their second preseason game. Sharp, except for the special teams, who allowed a punt return TD right off the bat and an unusual two missed field goals from Josh Brown.

But the special teams weren't the big story here. The starters owned the evening, with both the offense and defense combining to score three first half touchdowns. We'll have more reaction tomorrow, but for now, some of the highpoints...

A well played game by the defense

The Bengals first offensive drive ended almost as quickly as it started, with James Butler coming for a sack on the Bengals first snap. That was followed by an OJ Atogwe forced fumble recovered by Lauinaitis, as the Rams again brought pressure. The blitz is alive in St. Louis! Flajole and Spags didn't show much in the way of pass rush in the last two games, but they gave fans the red meat they wanted tonight as the defense recorded six sacks in all. They also recorded four tackles for a loss.

In the first quarter the Rams defense allowed just 21 yards, only 11 yards rushing. Their first drive of the second quarter ended with a fumble and James Butler's TD. For the entire first half, the defense allowed a mere 57 yards rushing in the first half. Cincinnati did better with the pass, with most of those yards coming on two plays that went for more than 20 yards.

Oh, and the tackling. Blue shirts swarmed to the ball, got wrapped up and brought guys down. They even had some nice ball stripping on display.

Had we seen this defense last week, I think Atlanta would have still been successful running the ball, but not nearly as successful. The secondary is still not without issues. Jonathan Wade is our second best corner right now.

The first team offense had a good night too

Spagnuolo wasn't kidding when he said we would see more from Steven Jackson. The Rams starting RB carried the ball five times...doubling the number of carries he's had this season. The running game was much better than last week, though in the end they averaged just 3.3 yards on 31 carries. Total stats are always a little wonky in preseason though. Continuing with something we talked about on TSR last night, the passing game looked surprisingly sharp. Quick, short throws moved the ball downfield effectively, and they threw out of the shotgun more often than not with Boller. The TEs and RBs were involved, and Boller saved his bacon by scrambling a couple times.

Something that will surely come as surprise: the Rams converted 2 of 3 red zone attempts.

The offensive line allowed no sacks. None. First, second or third team. That's impressive. All the tackles looked pretty good blocking against the pass. Watching streaming on the web, it was hard to see when different players went into the game on the line, but I did see Jason Smith make a couple of nice blocks in pass pro. Any readers have insight on how he looked blocking for the run? Was he lower in his stance? The middle of line did a nice job opening lanes too. Gado had nice gaps in front of him on their second drive, eventually leading to his 16-yard TD.

Player notes, after the jump...

Bulger, Avery, Bell and Carriker all sat out with their various injuries.

Let's start with the guys feeling the most heat coming into this game...

Chris Long - Had a good night. He got penetration and was able to get his hands up and deflect a pass. He consistently brought pressure, along with the rest of the defense.

Tye Hill - I'll go to my video quality sucked excuse for Hill, but I didn't see much to impress. Of course, didn't see any big whiffs either. That's a small victory for Hill.

Kyle Boller - He completed 70% of his passes, made quick drops and the ball out. A couple of smart scrambles bailed him out tonight too.

Jason Smith - As I said above, it was tough to see Smith's work when he was on the field. I did see some more nice pass blocking, which contributed to the Rams success working out of the shotgun so often tonight. As far as run blocking goes, what did you see?

The Rams had some real standout performances too, including...

James Laurinaitis - Yeah, I like which MLB we drafted in the second round this year. He was sharp reading the plays coming at him, and generally looked pretty polished in his game. Someone said it in the comments, and I have to agree: this kid could be something special. And, hey, it's just nice to have a real MLB for a change.

James Butler - Where was he NOT on the field? A sack and a fumble recovered for a TD, you can't ask for a better night than that. The Rams should be glad they signed him. He also made a few tackles on plays that otherwise might have done some damage.

Sakmon Gado - He reinserted himself into the second spot on the depth chart...and owes the offensive line a steak dinner. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry with a rushing TD and a receiving TD.

The Middle of the Offensive Line - Brown, Cogs, Setterstrom and Greco moved bodies and kept paper tigers out of the backfield. Remember, this Bengals defense was the among the top third in the league last year, despite their 4-12 season.

Continuing their strong preseason play...

James Hall - He's the best guy on the defense right now. Tonight, he tackled Cedric Benson for a 4-yard loss, forced an incompletion and made a nice stop to thwart the first Cincy drive of the second half.

Laurent Robinson - You knew someone would emerge from this group of unheralded receivers, and Robinson looks like he could make a nice #2 across from Avery.

Larry Grant - Grant had a sack, playing with the first team. He looked strong and quick out there, and could make a case for serious playing time.

David Vobora - Vobora got time with the starters too, and generally had a decent night.

Quincy Butler - Hadn't seen much out of Butler in the games, until a nice play for an INT tonight.

And a few guys having a rough night included...

Keith Null - Sorry Null fans. He'll get lots of time to make his case next week. Berlin didn't do much himself to make the race any clearer.

Kenneth Darby - Just doesn't hit the holes with much umph on runs. But here's a question: which RB is the third best right now?

Josh Brown - What the...? His golden leg was anything but. Surely it's just the preseason.

That list is by means all-inclusive. Who did we leave out?

Chapter 1, Game 3 - @ Cincinnati Bengals (Aug. 27th)

3k — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:19:23 -0000

Oftentimes when I write these previews, we get two animal logos. When I see a pissed off blue ram mugging down a neon, maybe radioactively orange tiger who appears to be singing, I wish I could actually see a ram and a tiger in a death match. I'm not saying I want Michael Vick to start hosting interspecies cage matches, but let's just think about this. You don't fuck with tigers. I mean, seriously. Don't be dumb. But rams are dumb. They fight by headbutting and nutknocking. The difference? When a ram is done, it "proves its worthiness."

Child please. Game 3 preview after the fold.

For game-specific info, check out the event page for tonight's game. For Bengalss news leading up the game, check out Cincy Jungle.

St. Louis Rams, 1-1, 3rd - NFC West

Cincinnati Bengals, 1-1, t-2nd - AFC North

Parentheses include NFL rankings in that area.

STL pass v. CIN pass D

Going into this without Marc Bulger could be a challenge for the first team. Cincy boasts a very functional pair of starting CBs in Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. In the back, their safety trio of Chinedum Ndukwe, Marvin White, and Roy L. Williams is nothing to sneeze at (which BTW is one of my favorite all time sayings. If you happen to sit front row at a Rams game this year and a benchwarmer walks within spray range, I expect you to sneeze on them), but I would certainly rather have James Butler and O.J. Atogwe in the back.

Hopefully, this means we'll get a similar result from Laurent Robinson to what he offered up against the Falcons (5 rec,. 65 yds.). He could definitely open up the game for what starters we do have on offense. Keenan Burton needs to get his hands on the ball as well. While Kyle Boller exhibited a penchant for inaccuracy, I'm hoping we tighten up the passing game a bit and work Burton into some shorter routes.

STL run v. CIN run D

Suffice to say, we need to improve on the 2.6 yds per carry average we posted against ATL. While Steven Jackson will probably be off the field as soon as possible, the running backs behind him have to do more with less. Kenneth Darby was able to hammer out 30 yards on 7 carries, whil Samkon Gado rushed 12 times... for 5 yards. We could see somewhat similar results against the Bengals, especially if Darby sits out.

At LB, they feature Keith Rivers at WLB who is a very capable OLB. Of course they drafted Rey Maualuga just 3 picks after we took James Laurinaitis, so they have plenty of talent at LB. The key will be dealing with their front 4 and defending any run blitzes.

STL O-line v. CIN D-line

Hopefully, we can get Jacob Bell and Alex Barron back on the field in time for this; it would be a great opportunity to face some qualified defensive linemen and get ready for week 1 of the regular season. The Bengals have a phenomenal DT in Domata Peko and an young DT in Pat Sims who should continue to improve his game coming off of his rookie campaign. They needed to upgrade their pass rush and did so by drafting Michael Johnson, who at 6'7" and a solid 260 lbs., should be a force once he adjusts to the NFL game. I think he needs more development to take advantage of his size, but once he gets going, I think he could have a very productive career.

The Rams were able to pass block as well as I can remember against the Falcons; repeating that success would be no small feat. Improving the run blocking, to be frank, has to happen if we want any success out of 2009. Doing so tonight would be an achievement, albeit a small one.

CIN pass v. STL pass D

Despite the loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks, Cincy still can put up solid numbers in the air... as long as Carson Palmer stays healthy. Chad Ochocinco, tomfoolery aside, is as talented as any WR in the league. Picking up Laveranues Coles adds experience to a unit that needed it once Housh bolted. And in drafting Chase Coffman, Cincinnati may have finally found a reliable receiving TE. Cincy has scored just 13 points in two games this preseason, so they're certainly not an offensive powerhouse, but the Rams defense has been known to make even the weakest offense look pretty explosive so don't rule anything out.

The Rams have to get more pressure. Four sacks in two games might be tolerable if it was coupled with a more consistent rush on the QB. While Palmer will likely sit due to an ankle injury, any QB, if given enough time, can be effective. Chris Long needs to step up and make sure this is not the case tonight. Seeing Larry Grant in some varied blitzes would be a welcome change, but he can't go it alone. Given the quality of Cincinnati's line (which is poor), the Rams need to capitalize on shutting down this facet early.

CIN run v. STL run D

Having praised the Bengals pretty blatantly until now, let me be equally blatant - their running game is soft sauce. Cedric Benson, their starting RB, averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last year and found the end zone twice. This should be enough to remind Rams fans how valuable a talent like Steven Jackson is.

After being carved up by Michael Turner, we need to get back to the kind of run stopping we saw the Rams exhibit when they stuffed Thomas Jones for just 13 yards on 9 carries. Part of that will be dependent on James Laurinaitis. The need for Animal, Jr. to recognize appropriate attack lanes was on clear display when Turner broke a nice counter off for more than 40 yards; James bit, and the rest was more blistery than history.

CIN O-line v. STL D-line

This is a great matchup between subpar units. For "trenchers" like myself, Cincinnati's O-line is their biggest weakness. It makes Cedric Benson look worse and heightens the risk of another injury to Carson Palmer. Meanwhile, the Rams' defensive line isn't scaring anybody. Chris Long looks mediocre and Adam Carriker is watching his spot on the depth chart being taken over by Gary Gibson (click here and scroll down to "Carriker Works"). If your two of your three most recent first round picks (and the two with the most experience versus your greenest rookie) are struggling to earn a first round talent tab, your franchise is going to suffer, your team is going to struggle and your fans are going to be, well, pretty pissed off.

Because I want to pump this out and the 3 storylines are killing me, I'm skipping them this week. But fear not, they'll be back next week!

Go Rams!

Interview: School is in Session, VanRam tells us about the St. Louis Rams

Kirkendall — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:03:39 -0000

VanRam runs a great blog that covers the St. Louis Rams. He's also our SB Nation partner and opponent this Thursday. Kind enough to take time out of his busy day, VanRam sits down with us and gives us an impression and rundown of what to expect Thursday. Head over to Turf Show Times to see my and Jake's answers.

The Rams and Bengals have an interesting parallel in their respective drafts, picking an offensive tackle in the first round and a linebacker in the second. Cincinnati had Jason Smith near the top, if not the top, of their draft boards. How’s he looked so far?

VanRam: Smith has had a rough welcome to the NFL. In practice, he’s done well run blocking, but squaring off with Leonard Little has given him fits. Playing with the starting unit in last week’s game against the Falcons, he botched blocks on a run and pass play for back to back gains by Atlanta. He might not start when the season begins on September 13. Still, he has shown enough potential that it’s just a matter of time before he’s up to speed for the NFL.

For the Ohio State University fans out there, how’s linebacker James Laurinaitis looking?

VanRam: He played his way into the starting lineup early, which is no small task considering he’s being asked to call plays for the defense in his rookie season. As you might expect from a rookie, he hasn’t been flawless, but his strong play has far outweighed whatever normal rookie learning curve he faces. This is a big upgrade for the Rams at MLB.

Marc Bulger has a broken finger and it’s unlikely that he’ll play Thursday. Is there a backup quarterback competition between Kyle Boller and Brock Berlin and who do you expect to win the job?

VanRam: Boller has the job, barring unforeseen circumstances between now and the start of the season. Criticisms of his accuracy and decision making rang true in his start against the Falcons last week. We’re hoping for something better this week. Sixth round pick Keith Null and Brock Berlin are jockeying for the third QB role. Both had a nice game last week. Null looks the part, with nice poise and seems unflappable in the pocket. Berlin has some moves. It won’t be an easy decision, but the favorite is Null.

Steven Jackson led the league with 2,334 yards from scrimmage in 2006. Since then, he’s missed time in each of the past two seasons, struggling with injury to regain the form that earned him his lone Pro Bowl. Is there concern about Jackson’s durability?

VanRam: Of course, that concern has been echoed all spring and summer, eliciting numerous howls when the Rams didn’t do more to get a backup running back. Jackson’s injuries the last two seasons have much to do with the offensive line, which was so bad it forced more of the burden directly onto Jackson’s legs. The coaches are being extremely cautious with him. He hasn’t played more than two drives in the preseason.

Carson Palmer is the heart and soul of the Bengals offense. If he goes down to injury, the Bengals chances of winning dramatically increases. We figure that Jackson is critical to the Rams offense. Would it be fair to say that the offense depends heavily on Jackson and will he make or break the season?

VanRam: Absolutely. Without Jackson the Rams offense will suffer greatly. With so many needs to fill this offseason, the Rams didn't pick up a backup runner capable of stepping in should Jackson not be available to play. It seemed like, maybe, there were some options on the roster already with Kenneth Darby, Antonio Pittman and Samkon Gado. Nobody from that group has done anything with enough consistency through camp and preseason play to distinguish themselves. Of course, I could be wrong. If Bulger rebounds well, he could still do some damage with this offense. That's unlikely considering the Rams would lack enough of a serious threat on the ground to create the kind of balance an offense needs to keep defenses honest.

Bengals and Rams fans have one thing in common. Both are seeking to regain their high-scoring offenses. Are the Rams close to regaining that magic, or is the team taking on a totally different philosophy?

VanRam: The days of the Rams putting up 30 points (and spotting opponents 20) ended when the cast and crew from the Greatest Show on Turf got old, especially the linemen. With a better line and a healthy Steven Jackson they’ll move the ball. The passing game has looked much better than people expected, especially considering the inexperience we have at receiver. This is a grind it out offense now.

Since Mike Martz left early in the 2005 season, the Rams have seen several changes as the team’s head coach. Now that Steve Spagnuolo is the team’s fourth head coach since Martz, do you believe he’ll bring stability to the team and improve from a combined five wins in the past two seasons?

VanRam: The change in coaches and a front-office overhaul already seem to be doing wonders for the team. The losing culture is being slowly but surely extracted from the locker room. Players seem to be buying into it, and there’s a new sense of excitement in the building, especially as the team has gotten younger since the last year. Nobody expects a double digit win season, but improvement should be easy.

Now that Torry Holt has left St. Louis for Jacksonville, what’s the general feel with the Rams wide receivers?

VanRam: There was, still is, concern about the relative lack of experience at WR. However, the young guys, particularly third year pro Laurent Robinson, have looked sharp in early returns. Losing Donnie Avery hurts, but he is close to returning. Once he does, the should surprise more than a few prognosticators with a top three combo of Avery, Robinson and Keenan Burton.

I believe that predicting wins and losses for an entire season is a bit pointless. However, how do you see the Rams matching up in your division and do they have a shot at the playoffs?

VanRam: The NFC West is such a wacky division. The Cardinals certainly have the best team, but any single factor could knock them off the top...like, say, an injury to the elderly Kurt Warner. The Rams HAVE to win games against the 49ers and the Seahawks this year, and that's very possible. I think this is a six win team.

Where things stand: A mid-August assessment of the Rams offense

VanRam — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:14:02 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Laurent Robinson, has been a pleasant surprise for the Rams so far.

Browse more photos »

The St. Louis Rams have had, so far, an up and down preseason. The practices at Rams Park kicked off the new era. They were intense, physical, and exciting to see. Each session bolstered fan hopes for an improved Rams team after a long time in the wilderness. Summing up the difference between this year's camp and those from previous seasons, the PD has the most apt anecdote:

"Get low and stick 'em!"

It was the players' tribute to one of those fans, Jerry Harrison — aka Coach, aka Superfan. "Get low and stick 'em!" has been Harrison's trademark chant during training camp practices for more than a decade. (Except for the three years he was muzzled by Scott Linehan, that is.)

Scott Linehan and the Rams former top brass did much to silence fans over the years, mostly by turning out a sub-par product, but the fact that they actually ordered one of the most enthusiastic fans - at a time when paper bags were widely distributed prior to home games - to be silenced say all you need to know about the changes at Rams Park.

A win over the New York Jets to open the preseason kept the fires of interest burning, though a few instances of what happened on the field (like Bulger getting sacked three times) evoked an eerie deja vu and reminded us all that dominance was still down the road a bit.

News of injured starters made for some unsettling days between the Rams' first two preseason games. Then, with last Friday's loss to the Falcons, the sound of teeth gnashing and nail biting started drowning out the excitement, and the legacies of seasons past look harder to shake than they should be.

Take a deep breath, count the bumps on that little string of beans, and repeat after me: "It's still preseason. Om. It's still preseason. Om." Before the Rams play their third preseason game this Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals, it's worth taking a look at where things stand and what questions still need to be answered. Let's start with the offense:

We'll start with the big questions and then go unit by unit with a look at their progress and work remaining.

Will Bulger be able to play like a starter again? So far, the beleaguered Bulger hasn't really had much time to answer the question that's dogged him every since he signed a big new contract before the start of the 2007 season. Throughout camp he has demonstrated the accuracy that made him famous and a solid grasp of the playbook. In limited playing time against the Jets, he was sharp, going 4-for-4. He made a couple of throws with rushers in his face, and the three sacks didn't seem to faze him. On just one sack did it look like he held the ball too long. He connected with his receivers, despite the #1 Donnie Avery being sidelined since the August 7 scrimmage. We need to see more sync with Steven Jackson, who hasn't played much at all in the preseason. Bulger will miss this week's game against the Bengals; he might miss the next one against the Chiefs too. Though he should be back for the season opener against Seattle. Obviously, he'd be better off having more practice time, but it doesn't look like Bulger will be the issue holding the offense back.

Can Steven Jackson stay healthy and become an elite, do-it-all back? Jackson certainly came to camp in the best physical shape of his life, but we haven't seen much from him in preseason play. If he has the holes, we know he can run. We also know he can catch passes, but it still would be nice to see a little bit more of that in the new offense. Though it didn't seem like it would be an issue when camp started, the big question surrounding Jackson now is whether or not he's going to get the running lanes he needs.

Will the offensive line be improved? That seemed like a sure thing just a month ago, with the addition of C Jason Brown, drafting Jason Smith and getting younger and tougher across the line. Against the Falcons, a team that featured a notably porous run defense, the Rams had terrible run blocking and the line has again opened itself up to questioning. Part of the problem was that Jason Smith just wasn't ready. Contradicting camp reports (and maybe offering some hope that it was just a matter of first exposure to NFL starters) Smith blocked decently against the pass rush but poorly for the run. He has some time to establish himself and learn the ropes. On the other side of the line Barron has looked solid. In the middle, I don't know what I was expecting, but I somehow expected the combo of Brown, Incognito and Bell to look a little sharper than they have. Bell's hurt, again, and his replacement, Mark Setterstrom, did just fine. Curiously enough, the Rams never ran up the middle with Steven Jackson against the Falcons. Granted, he was only in for one series, but that seems unusual. Gado ran up the middle to no avail. Some of that is the steep drop-off between Jackson and Gado, but the linemen had trouble getting to the second level against the Falcons stacked box, leaving little running room for Gado to exploit. That's a good lead-in to the next question that faced the Rams when preseason began...

Who will backup Steven Jackson? The jury's still out on that one. Sakmon Gado looked good against the Jets, but played mostly against guys battling for a roster spot, an easy matchup for a guy who has had success at the NFL level. Against the Falcons' first team Gado got nado. I want to officialy go on the record as stating that Gado is a camp/preseason phenomenon, nothing more. Kenneth Darby looked to have a solid grasp on the #2 job heading into the preseason opener, but struggles in pass protection and running the ball pushed him back down the depth chart. Antonio Pittman had nice night in relief of Steven Jackson against New York, faring a little better than his rivals against the Falcons. Of course, all the Rams runners struggled against the Falcons. Right now, Pittman looks like he might be the lead horse for the second spot. I wouldn't discount Chris Ogbonnaya yet either. He has shown good ball control (though limited reps) and can catch passes, which theoretically makes him a good fit in this offense. I'd like to see what he can do against NFL starters.

Will inexperience among the Rams wide receivers hurt the team? Of all the questions we figured to still be trying to answer midway through the preseason, this topped the list. Turns out, the receivers look pretty solid Laurent Robinson looks every bit like a starter, and when Avery gets back the two should be a nice 1-2 pairing. Keenan Burton has looked sharp in limited action. The tight ends have done well in passing game too, even blocking TE Billy Bajema has more than 50 yards on 4 catches. Playing with backup QBs makes this a little tougher to evaluate.

Now the units...

Quarterback - We covered Bulger above. After what he's endured in recent seasons, heightened risk of injury will always be there, hanging over Bulger. The problem with that as things stand now is what we've seen from his backup, Kyle Boller. Boller was inaccurate and made questionable decisions in the pocket, despite having the kind of time Marc Bulger would have killed for. Those are the two main points of criticism that have always followed Boller. In all honest, it might be nice to see what Null and Berlin can do with the first team.

Running back - Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur must have supreme confidence in Jackson, because they're being really, really stingy with him in preseason play. Call it the Ladainian Tomlinson approach to preseason play. Finding a backup and consistent blocking is still the main story here.

Wide receiver - Robinson and Avery look like a very competent combo for the Rams starters. Keenan Burton has looked sharp too. Sean Walker and Derrek Stanley have looked alright with the second team. Another stand out performer here would finally put questions about this unit to rest.

Tight end - McMichael and Bulger looked to have a mind meld going in the Jets game, but Boller's accuracy left him catchless last week. It's fair to ask at this point mow much speed he has left. Fells was widely expected to grab the third spot on the depth chart, and that still seems likely. He made some noise with the first team against the Falcons. Bajema's been the most pleasant surprise. The blocking specialist is the second leading receiver on the Rams right now. Klopfenstein has done nothing to justify his spot on the roster.

Offensive line - Discussed above in more detail. I just need to see some consistency from this unit to rest easier. Smith hurt his cause last week, giving Goldberg a good chance to start the season on the right side. The first rounder will get better; he has the talent and will to do so. The backups look good.

Fullback - Mike Karney missed the preseason opener. The poor run blocking against the Falcons didn't give him much of a chance to clear lanes ahead of the runner. Need to see more here. Ditto for converted Jerome Johnson, a converted linebacker with nice size to play FB.

We'll run down the defense next.

Ahman Green and Samkon Gado in St. Louis

Brandon — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:24 -0000

Former Packer RB Ahman Green spent the last two seasons battling injuries in Houston. He was released back in February and is still trying to find a job for 2009. He tried out for the Rams this week. But this caught my eye:

"Four-time Pro Bowl RB Ahman Green worked out for St. Louis this week as the team examines its options at the position.

The Rams have Steven Jackson, a 2007 Pro Bowler, as their starting running back, with Kenneth Darby, Samkon Gado and Antonio Pittman as the experienced backups behind him."

Apparently St. Louis is trying to corner the market on ex-Packer/Texans running backs by reuniting Gado and Green.