SB Nation - Leonard Little

The Rams at the trade deadline: What to expect

VanRam — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:08:40 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Could the St. Louis Rams trade defensive end Leonard Little today?

Today, at 3:00 p.m. CST, is the NFL trade deadline. Unlike major league baseball, the deadline usually comes and goes with very little action. How does today's deadline, how could today's deadline impact the St. Louis Rams?

Basically, the Rams have two options if they do make a trade. GM Billy Devaney can try and secure some much needed help for his struggling team or he can try to move a player for draft picks when the spring rolls around.

Obviously, 0-6 teams in the first year of a rebuilding project are way beyond that mystical "one player away" status that sends GMs from contending teams to the phones. So the question becomes do they have any players that might appeal to those contending teams? Not really. The Rams cleaned house during the offseason, and most of their "one player away" type players are long gone. There are still a few possibilities, though it's a stretch. Who might be a candidate to move?

Marc Bulger - Forget it. No matter how bad they are, the Rams are going to need three quarterbacks to play out their schedule this season. Is there a team out there that needs a solid backup? I still don't see him in a Rams uniform in 2010.

Steven Jackson - If the Rams wanted to fetch some draft picks for their rebuilding, this would be the move to make. It seems unlikely, since you can imagine how bad the Rams would be without Jackson. Also, as the offensive line improves, SJ39 would be a big asset next season, and a needed one if the Rams snag a rookie QB in the draft.

Alex Barron - I'm of the opinion that the Rams would be just fine with Jason Smith at LT and Adam Goldberg at RT, for the rest of this season at least. Barron's a restricted free agent after this season. If the Rams are leaning toward parting ways with Barron, then trying to trade him might possibly bring a better return than just letting him go.

O.J. Atogwe - Another player who would fetch a nice return. The Rams need to get a long-term deal with Atogwe, who'll be a RFA next year thanks to the wacky CBA situation, or risk an extended holdout. Two choices here: make him a deal that reflects his role as a centerpiece in the defense or move him for some return. The smart thing to do is to pay the guy.

Leonard Little - Little's a FA after this season, and at his age isn't likely to bring a first round pick. However, as this week's game reminded us, he still has lots of fire left...just nothing to burn with the Rams. Plenty of teams need a pass rusher, the Bengals and the Patriots come to mind, and Little is the Rams most obvious trading chip. Of course, that make the defensive line really, really thin for the rest of the season. However, if Devaney could get a second or third round pick that could then be used to trade up for another pick late in the first or early in the second, that would have a huge impact for rebuilding team.

Rams 20, Jacksonville 23, F/OT: New route, same result

VanRam — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:50:20 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

Jacksonville held Steven Jackson in check, and that was too much for the Rams struggling offense to overcome.

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The St. Louis Rams had a much better effort today, but - stop me if you've heard this one before - it just wasn't enough as they lost in OT to the Jacksonville Jaguars. A quick recap:

The Offense

Again, the Rams offense just wasn't very good, but they really got hurt when Donnie Avery left the game. That took away a desperately needed dimension to the Rams offense. The Jacksonville run defense was tough; Steven Jackson got a measly 50 yards on 16 carries. The offensive line didn't have their best day opening holes for Jackson. One thing I noticed watching this game was that our blockers consistently had trouble getting to the second level. Jacksonville's safeties were in the box on almost every play, so it seemed, and they led the day in tackles. The blocking was much better; Bulger hit the dirt just one time...if only he had anyone to throw the ball to.

It's kind of funny, but the passing game continues to be a strength for the Rams, except on third down. Speaking of third down, the Rams were pathetic, converting just 4 of 12. And third down wasn't the only problem area. The offense sputtered enough that they only had 11 total first downs to Jacksonville's 33. That's right 11 Rams first down to Jacksonville's 33. Which gives you some idea of why the Jags had 492 yards of offense to our 262.

The Defense

Our defense has definitely improved from the product on the field that last three seasons. If our offense had any competency whatsoever the defense is good enough that the Rams could win some games. That's not to say our defense is good. They took some ill-advised penalties today too.

Gary Gibson is missed. DT has to be a priority for this team before next season. The Jones-Drew ground game eventually got to them, but they were on the field for more than 40 minutes, 42:12 to be exact. We just don't have the depth for that kind of exposure.

The line had more pressure from the ends, including a nice back to back sack series. They also did a good job getting pressure, that resulted in two INTs, including Leonard Little's that made it a game.

The secondary had it's moments, both good and bad. Is Bartell still aching? He got burned twice in the first half for big plays. You could argue, not convincingly, that Holt's 41-yard catch was just a nice play, but he got burned bad on Sims-Walker's 35-yard catch. Four pass interference penalties hurt, though the Jaguars didn't get points on any of those drives.

Ultimately, the defense suffered because they were on the field twice as long as the offense, and they're just not good enough to keep any team out of the end zone for 42 minutes.

Special Teams

Donnie Jones didn't have his leg today; Josh Brown did. Danny Amendola has been the find of the season, averaging 31 yards on 4 kick returns.

Ultimately, it was a disappointing effort for the Rams, who lost their 16th in a row. Maybe things would have been different with Avery. Still, at this point, it's hard not to wonder if they won't end up winless this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars defeat St. Louis Rams 23-20 in dramatic overtime finish!

River City Rage — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:25:57 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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In what was an exhausting and dramatic game between the 0-5 St. Louis Rams and the 2-3 Jacksonville Jaguars, the home team pulled out a victory with a 36 yard overtime field goal by Josh Scobee. The Jaguars seemed to have the game under control after a Jones-Drew touchdown, but a short pass by David Garrard was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Leonard Little.

The Jaguars had nearly 500 yards of offense, with Jones-Drew, Torry Holt and Mike Sims-Walker each having over 100 yards receiving or rushing. Mike Thomas made some big plays, and with the exception of the final Rams drive, the defense did a great job, particularly on pass defense. We can debate on Monday what went wrong on the final drive, but you can't argue with a win going into the bye week.

Player of the Game: Maurice Jones-Drew. He asked for the ball, he demanded that the Jaguars return to a run-first idenity, and when the game was on the line, he put on a show. Three rushing touchdowns, 133 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, all rounding out a dominating performance. Sure, he lost a fumble in the red zone, but he more than made up for it.

When you run your mouth, you have to back it up. MJD backed it up.

More to come, time to enjoy the post-game show. Or if you're me, you're going to work.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno, top, leaps over Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Happy Tuesday, friends and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations, where we're always aiming to deliver the best thing since Starks in Clark's Wallabees. It's a feel-good Tuesday, right? Our Broncos are 3-0, but it's a much more legitimate-feeling 3-0 than last season's version. The respect is still slow in coming, but it's coming bit by bit.

The most important thing I've witnessed happening is a growing confidence and self-respect among our fan base. MHR is mostly known as a positive-thinking community, so maybe a lot of us were on the feel-good train earlier than others, but I can feel it really starting to take hold. Contrast that to Cleveland (where most are aware that I reside). The feeling around here is just awful, and we can all be glad not to be feeling that way. It's on to the Cowboys game, but first let's do this thing here. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I was browsing through my Facebook news feed on Sunday night, and I saw this gem from NYCBroncosFan (Later posted on MHR by John Bena):

"Denver rookie head coach Josh McDaniels doesn't have a grasp on how to build a team." - John Clayton, April 23rd, 2009

Doesn't have a grasp, huh? That's a really, embarrassingly arrogant comment, because if you're commenting on other people's "grasps," it necessarily follows that you fancy yourself an expert, who is far beyond mere grasping of the operative subject. I spent some time excoriating Clayton last week, but since that's like stealing a candy bar from a developmentally challenged baby chinchilla, I have no interest in continuing with that tack this week. At some point, the referee calls the fight, and I'll take a bloody win by TKO. It's his blood, and not mine, after all.

What I want to talk about in this prime ST&NO real estate today is the idea of team building. For one thing, what in the world would John Clayton know about building a football team, any damn way?

OK... sorry about that. I guess I need to work on impulse control. Let me start again. New paragraph.

Deep breath. And another. OK, beginning again, in a more measured tone, I didn't tweet a whole lot on Sunday (@TedBartlett905) because I spent a lot of the game on the phone with my brother Chris, a Los Angeles-based fellow Broncos fan. He's a smart guy (it runs in part of the family), and we were talking about team building. His fanhood of Correll Buckhalter continues to grow, and he said that his impression was that Buckhalter was a winning player, and that he never perceived him that way in his Philadelphia days.

Some discussion ensued, and he said one of his classic, succinct "Chris things" that he bestows upon the world sometimes.

"Building a team isn't about getting the best players, it's about getting the right players." Chris Bartlett, September 27, 2009

Riddle me this, friends. Who is the worst player on the 2009 Broncos? That's a tough question to answer, because whoever it is, he is a pretty good football player. As far as I am concerned, this team has zero bad players on it. Now think back to last year. It was a horror show of bad players on defense, right? There were at least 5 starting by the end of the year, and another starting at RB, after all the injuries. Think how many of these players are out of the NFL now, who didn't even get a sniff of a training camp this year. Nearly all of them.

CBS showed a graphic of the sources of player acquisition for the Broncos' 53-man roster.

2009 Free Agency	17	32.08%
2009 Trade	3	5.66%
2009 Draft	9	16.98%
2009 College Free Agent	1	1.89%
Holdovers	23	43.40%

Total	53	100.00%

That is an astounding amount of turnover, but it represented the importation of the right players, if not necessarily the best players. Instead of Channing Crowder, we got the much cheaper Andra Davis, who has been great for the Broncos through 3 games. Instead of Albert Haynesworth or Chris Canty, we got the very cost-effective Ronald Fields, who has also been outstanding. Derrick Ward? How about Buckhalter instead? Only two somewhat highly-priced players were brought in via Free Agency; Brian Dawkins (5 years, $17 Million) and Andre' Goodman (5 years, $20.4 Million), and both of them have been worth their weight in gold. (To get all finance-nerd on you, Dawkins weighs 210 pounds, which is 3,062.5 Troy Ounces. Gold traded at 990.42 USD per Troy Ounce on Monday night, so I just valued Dawkins at $3,033,161.25, which is pretty close to the average annual value of his contract of $3.4 million. Funny how that worked out.) :)

When you know exactly what you want to do on the football field, and you know exactly how you want to do it, you can go out and decisively get the right players to do those things in those ways. Of course, your ability to project the fit of the new players, and evaluate their talent is key. For my money, every single player whom the new Broncos staff signed, drafted, and traded for has performed EXACTLY as expected, if not better. The only bust was J.J. Arrington, who didn't recover well from an injury and cost $100,000 (and nobody was counting on him too much, anyway). It was $100,000 well spent, because a healthy Arrington would be a contributor on this team, and they weren't expecting him to necessarily be healthy anyway.

There is no glaring weakness on this whole football team. That's a lofty statement, but I think it is a true one. The Broncos can run and throw, from big or small personnel groupings. They can stop the run and the pass, and be effective blitzing both and dropping, in base personnel or sub packages. The special teams have been excellent, through 3 games, even if I am a little reluctant to call that a sure thing yet. How many teams can say all of that? I can't really think of any, beyond the Giants and the Ravens. Maybe the Broncos' strengths aren't as strong as some other teams', but their weaknesses are mostly less weak. You'd better bring your "A" game when you play this team, because they're going to compete with you.

The 2009 Denver Broncos are a good football team, and they can compete with anybody in the NFL. This fact becomes clearer all the time, which is to say that most people still aren't hip to it, yet. They'll get there, though, eventually. Thinking ahead to 2010, anybody the Broncos bring in will be to upgrade a position of some strength. To me, that is a textbook way to build a team. As for John Clayton, I wonder when Josh McDaniels gets his apology, for the mean-spirited, myopic, and idiotic comment of April 23rd. I am betting on never.

2. Information From My Eyes - Denver at Oakland Edition:

a. I was just saying how the Broncos don't have any particular glaring weaknesses. An area where they can (and need to) perform better is in short-yardage running. I thought Russ Hochstein looked pretty bad as the goal-line FB for 3 straight plays; I want to see Spencer Larsen back filling that role if Peyton Hillis is going to be the ball carrier. I actually think that Knowshon Moreno could be the better option, though. He runs with quickness and violence, and I think he can be really effective down at the goal line.

b. Jabar Gaffney was a fantastic acquisition, and he continues to make key plays for the Broncos. He would be the number one guy for the Raiders if he'd signed there, and the Crypt Keeper wasn't setting the depth chart. I am glad he signed in Denver and that he plays a great deal for the Broncos.

c. Renaldo Hill has been such an unsung guy throughout his career, but he's a really good player. He is always in the right position, and plays the game with awareness and intelligence.

d. Does anybody realize the the Broncos' defense is now number 1 in the NFL in both yards and points per game?

e. I'll talk more about Ryan Clady in the Between The Lines segment, but he tied an NFL record Sunday by posting his 19th consecutive game from the start of his NFL career without allowing a full sack. The player he tied is Ryan Young, a forgotten former Jet, who began his career in 1999. It says here that next week, Mr. Clady will dominate DeMarcus Ware, as he did in the 2008 Preseason, and he'll hold the record alone.

f. I'd like to see Eddie Royal get the ball more on offense, and I am sure I am not alone in that camp. It just seems to me that the Broncos were sure they could run the ball at will against Cleveland and Oakland, and decided to follow that plan without a lot of deviation. When you get substantial leads, passing seems more risky than what you want in the second halves of games.

g. I didn't think RIch Gannon was particularly critical of the Raiders Sunday, and I wonder if John Herrerra's ~~clownish~~ typical ploy worked, by chastening Gannon's commentary about his former team. It's pretty ridiculous that the Raiders are so allergic to criticism, and the better way to avoid it is to lose the Commitment To Sucking.

h. I usually get things right, and I still think JaMarcus Russell can salvage his career and be a good QB. I have to say, though, that ever since I said that he looked good in Week 3 of the preseason, he has played terribly. He clearly isn't playing with much confidence right now, and it is incumbent on the Raiders' staff to set him up for success by asking him to do things he is comfortable doing. My understanding is that they're messing with Russell's mechanics a lot in practice, and while he definitely needs refinement, the regular season is no time for overhauls.

i. Could Darrius Heyward-Bey possibly look more clueless on the field? That guy is a project, because he doesn't know how to run routes, and he's inconsistent catching the ball. Louis Murphy is better than him now, and probably always will be. Of course, Murphy didn't have too great a game Sunday, either.

j. Nice job of holding by Brett Kern, as two Lonie Paxton snaps weren't too great. Matt Prater did his job Sunday, which should keep his critics temporarily at bay.

k. Has anybody else noticed that the Broncos' captains aren't wearing the "C" patches? I was under the impression that doing so was a Roger Goodell mandate. Does anybody know more than me about this?

l. I also noticed (last week) that the Broncos' name wasn't painted in the end zones at Mile High, and all there were were the diagonal stripes. I didn't really care for the look, and I wonder what the rationale for it is.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games Edition:

a. The Patriots sure have been struggling in goal-to-go situations the last couple weeks. I think if I had Randy Moss, I'd definitely be looking to hit some fade routes on teams down there. Part of the problem is definitely that their line isn't getting the same push as in past seasons

b. Brian Williams was released by the Jaguars, but still looks pretty useful to me. He broke up a deep ball to Randy Moss that would have been a sure TD, and generally looked to me like a solid player. For the Patriots, they were in on the Jaguars Retreads Act too, with Fred Taylor looking very good, and getting over 100 yards and a TD. Taylor is a formerly great player, who has declined to being merely a good one, but he was a classic Patriots bargain acquisition.

c. Ryan Mouton for the Titans may be playing himself out of a job, and he personally cost his team the game against the Jets (with help from Kerry Collns). Mouton hasn't shown much positive in the return game, and has shown trouble holding on to the football.

d. As for Collins, he was in a no-win situation, but he needed to play better. Sunday's game was a classic case of the game getting away from the better all-around team early on, and causing them to play from behind, to their operational detriment. Collins is not built to play like that, and he responded accordingly.

e. I haven't seen a lot of the Redskins this season, so I watched a bit of the Detroit-Washington game Sunday. The Skins are getting atrocious play from their offensive line, and are another team that should have taken Michael Oher. Jim Zorn has faced a lot of criticism for his scoring area play-calling, but the fact is, if the line doesn't block anybody, Clinton Portis can't pound the ball in.

f. The Lions are on the right track, and it's clear how much better coached they are than they have been - maybe ever in my lifetime. Matthew Stafford, Kevin Smith, and Calvin Johnson are an outstanding trio on offense, and Brandon Pettigrew is another nice weapon. The Lions need more talent to be a real contender, but they will steal a few more wins this season, like they did on Sunday, and add to their talent base in the next offseason. They'll grow up with Stafford, and finally be a legitimate team.

g. Tampa Bay is a terrible team right now, especially on defense. Tim Crowder is playing significant snaps for them, which speaks to their relative talent level, when he was the odd man out in Denver. Even a good play, like Sabby Piscitelli's tackle for a loss on Brandon Jacobs to force a FG rather than a TD is wasted, because the Bucs can't put together any kind of consistent performance in the other phases of the game.

h. Percy Harvin is a dangerous, dangerous player. He never returned kickoffs at Florida, because the best kick returner in America, Brandon James, was there, too. Harvin took one back 101 yards in the third quarter Sunday, and looked like he was born to do it. He has now scored in every game this season, and could challenge Mark Sanchez to be Offensive Rookie of the Year, if he keeps it up.

i. The 49ers got their own huge special teams play, when Ray McDonald blocked a FG attempt and Nate Clements took it back 59 yards for a TD as the first half ended. Both of those special teams plays felt like huge momentum shifts, and neither particularly ended up affecting the final score, thanks to Brett Favre's heroics.

j. A young defensive player I like a lot is Thomas DeCoud, a Safety for the Falcons. He was a third-round pick last season, and he showed very well against the Patriots on Sunday, especially in breaking up a well-thrown Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss deep ball.

k. The Cincinnati Bengals look real to me, as real as Carson Palmer can make them. The big surprise to me is how well their offensive line is playing, even without top draft pick Andre Smith. Andrew Whitworth is better than I thought he was, and he's doing pretty well at Left Tackle, even if James Harrison did get him once for a sack on Sunday. When Smith gets healthy, he'll step right in at RT, and they'll be even better, because he can blow guys off the ball.

l. For more Bengals fun, the winning Touchdown was caught by another ST&NO Favorite, Andre Caldwell, who is turning into a nice WR. He was a great player throughout his career at Florida, his brother Reche played in the NFL, and you have to love a WR whose nickname is Bubba. He is part of a really good group, along with Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Laveranues Coles (yet another ST&NO Favorite), and he makes the Bengals that much harder to defend, especially when you remember to worry about the highly underrated Cedric Benson. If I were the Bengals' offensive coordinator, I'd be going 4 wide with Benson all game long, and making teams try to stop me from running with their sub packages. The Bengals' coaching budget is too light to have that much creativity, though. It costs money, after all.

m. The Steelers defense really misses Troy Polamalu from a scheme perspective, because his presence allows them to do a lot of the exotic blitz packages they normally do. Polamalu is one of the very fastest players in the NFL in pads, and can consistently show blitz, and get to deep center field from there at the snap.

n. I think the Cardinals lost the Sunday Night Game on one play, when Tim Hightower fumbled inside the Colts' 5-yard line in the second quarter. If they scored, they'd have taken a 10-0 lead, and instead, the Colts just took off after that play. I question the mental toughness of the Cardinals team, and especially Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who seems like he doesn't want me to be right in praising him a few weeks ago.

o. Donald Brown is a much better player than Joseph Addai in all phases of the game, and it's absolutely no accident that he's getting the crunch-time snaps for the Colts, even if Addai is nominally the starter.

p. Dwight Freeney's injury could be catastrophic for the Colts, if he has to miss a lot of time. A lot is made of how irreplaceable Bob Sanders has been in years past, but I actually think Melvin Bullitt does a really nice job filling in for him. Freeney is the irreplaceable one for the Colts, make no mistake about that. If they can't rush the passer with 4 men, they're suddenly as vulnerable against the pass as they are against the run.

q. The Ravens are hitting on all cylinders right now, and look like the best team in the NFL, to me. I don't think they miss Rex Ryan too much, as it looks like Greg Mattison has their defense playing just as well as Ryan did. Mattison isn't well known to NFL fans yet, but he's a great coach (I am familiar with him from his college days).

r. Brady Quinn is not the problem for the Browns, and neither would Derek Anderson be, although Quinn is better. I talked about how the Broncos hit on all of their offseason acquisitions - well, the Browns missed on all of theirs, from the looks of things so far. They're talent-poor, and they look like they know they are losers. It's going to be a long season here in the metro area, but at least the locals are used to this. I can't imagine how Eric Mangini and George Kokinis evaluated this to be a competitive group of players.

s. Stick a fork in the Dolphins, even before Chad Pennington was lost for the season. Chad Henne is not the answer, and he'll prove that as the season goes on. Pat White isn't either, as a full-time QB, so I expect Miami to be shopping after this season, with a high first-rounder to spend. After passing on Matt Ryan in 2008, you wonder if they'd do it again.

t. Darren Sproles proved once again that he is a second banana, and not a lead back.

u. The longest run the Broncos have given up this season was 20 yards, to Cedric Benson. If Felix Jones is healthy next Sunday, and the Broncos miss setting the edge at an inopportune time, that could go out the window. The only RB who's more dangerous to the outside is Jones' draft classmate Chris Johnson, and it's not a very big difference. Jones strained his left knee on a 40-yard run in the 3rd quarter Monday night.

v. You know who has developed into a terrific player is Thomas Davis, who was a first-round pick as a Safety for the Panthers in 2005. It took him awhile to learn how to play LB, but he has really turned into a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. He is excellent in coverage, and really hits guys.

w. I only saw the very end of the Seattle-Chicago game, and didn't care enough to record or watch the Short Cut. What I saw though told me what I already knew, which is that Seneca Wallace isn't good enough to be a backup QB in the NFL. When he was forced to throw the ball from the pocket in a compressed-time situation, and beat zone defense with strong throws, he was unable to do it. The Seahawks have to know this by now, and should have addressed it in the offseason.

x. The Texans got screwed on that offensive pass-interference call on Kevin Walter, to be sure, but Chris Brown has to hold onto the ball going into the end zone. The Texans are a team that just can't seem to consistently do the little things to win games, which doesn't reflect very well on MHR favorite Gary Kubiak and his staff. To be honest, doing the big things well and missing the little things is sort of Later Years Shanahan-ish, when you think about it. I hope Kubiak and Company can get it turned around.

4. Between The Lines

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

a. Once again, the Broncos were nearly flawless in pass protection - this time, against the best pair of DEs they've seen this season. Kyle Orton took one significant hit, on an outside stunt by Gerard Warren, after he'd gotten rid of the ball. Ryan Clady owned Richard Seymour, to the point where Seymour was called for a personal foul for pulling Clady's hair. On the right side, Ryan Harris dominated Greg Ellis, as well. Ellis came into the game with 3 sacks but never got a sniff of Orton. The inside of the Broncos' line also held up well, against their somewhat-lesser individual competition. Largely since the Broncos rarely had to throw, the Raiders never generated a significant rush in this game. ESPN.com didn't even give Warren credit for his QB hit, and had the Raiders entirely shut out in their box score.

b. For their part, the Raiders struggled in pass protection, before finally pretty much giving up on throwing the football. I had to look up who #51 was, because he showed up in my notes several times with terrible plays. It's Chris Morris, a natural Center, who was playing Guard. In addition to two holding penalties, he got beaten a few times. Mario Henderson struggled mightily with Elvis Dumervil, who had two sacks and should have had two more (Darrell Reid's hands-to-the-face penalty cost him one, and JaMarcus Russell dragged him past the line of scrimmage on another). Robert Ayers lined up all over and got a lot of pressure. I am really pleased with his growth. Darrell Reid got a sack, and Vonnie Holliday and Marcus Thomas also got good pressure in spots. The Broncos sacked Russell 3 times, and hit him 3 more.

c. The Broncos line also dominated in the running game, again splitting about half and half between zone- and man-blocking concepts. The only black mark was the failure to convert 3 straight runs from the 1-yard line early in the game. Ryan Harris was dominant in the running game, and was key to springing both of Correll Buckhalter's long runs. Clady was his normal self, and his cut block on Nnamdi Asomugha allowed Knowshon Moreno to score his first-ever TD. The Broncos rushed 45 times for 215 yards (4.8 per rush) and the Moreno TD. I did think the Broncos slowed down a bit when Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus played a lot in the second half. I really enjoyed Richard Quinn's blocking, and he showed again that he is just another player who is perfectly fitting his role, as imagined when he was acquired.

d. The Raiders came into the game with a pretty vaunted rushing attack, and it never really got going. They rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries, but it was tremendously disjointed, and 15 of those yards came on one run by Russell. Henderson was a bit better in the running game for Oakland, and Samson Satele showed a bit of surge a few times, too. For the most part, though, the Broncos held the line of scrimmage, and maintained their gap discipline well. Mario Haggan had a really nice game against the run, and forced a Darren McFadden fumble, which Thomas and Reid unfortunately failed to recover, after the three of them had combined to stack up a play. McFadden got a couple of outside creases, but nothing consistent at all.

e. The Broncos dominated both lines in this game, and there was no bigger reason why they won. It was so clear that even the fairly reticent Josh McDaniels claimed the victory in these areas.

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams

a. I feel like I have been telling this story for two years (possibly because I have been), but the Packers are bad in pass protection. Leonard Little beat Allen Barbre twice for sacks, and Aaron Rodgers avoided 5 other near sacks by running with the ball (he had 8 carries for 38 yards and a TD). If the Rams were any better on the defensive line, Rodgers could have had a more-typically painful day. I didn't see much of anything from Chris Long in the pass-rushing department, even against the underwhelming pass blocking of Daryn Colledge.

b. The Packers disappointed in terms of rushing the passer. Aaron Kampman got a sack and injured Marc Bulger, but the Packers never hit Kyle Boller after that. I was really surprised, because the Rams' OT combination of Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg is decidedly below average. Barron was solid, but Goldberg surrendered the Kampman sack and had a holding penalty, on a play where I initially wrote "great block" (The replay showed it to definitely be a hold). Jason Brown has been a very nice acquisition for the Rams, and anchored the middle. I really didn't see much from Clay Matthews, and I haven't yet.

c. The Packers' rushing stats looked pretty good, with 37 carries for 152 yards and 2 TDs. The truth is, the gains made by Ryan Grant were very hard-fought, and only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. The overall number is dramatically inflated by Rodgers' 38 yards and Donald Driver's 13. Chris Long did show well in the running game, and Clifton Ryan hung pretty tough inside, but the best run stopper was S Craig Dahl, not a lineman.

d. The Rams actually did a very nice job of run blocking, led by Jason Brown and RG Richie Incognito. Barron and Goldberg were OK outside, but the battle was won inside. For the Packers, ST&NO Favorite Cullen Jenkins had a disappointing game, but NT Ryan Pickett showed pretty well. B.J. Raji was active for the first time, and I never noticed him in this game once, and I'm not even sure that he played, since he didn't register on the stat sheet.

e. I'd give a slight edge to the Rams overall, which is mostly probably due to low expectations. I just can't get past the feeling that the Packers are really bad on the O-Line, and it's a shame, because they're very good otherwise. The Rams have to feel pretty good about their performance, and maybe it carries over to games against lesser competition.

5. So, I guess this makes me something of a flip-flopper, but I am going to briefly explain a change in previously stated policy, so we're all on the same page, and nobody wonders. I have previously declared that I would henceforth refer to several underwhelming football writers by unflattering nicknames. I have decided to change course on that policy, and call them by their names.

I like to think that this column is pretty good, and I don't want to detract from that. There's no need to feed the God of Obviousness by calling people names, and I can get cheap laughs by other methods. I will still feel free to criticize stupid things that people write, but I will call their writers by their chosen names.

6. Back to football, I decided to name glaring weaknesses by team, to illustrate my point in item 1. I am limiting this to whole phases of the game, and mostly not subsets of a phase of the game.

Dallas Cowboys - Pass coverage, Pass rush (other than DeMarcus Ware)

New York Giants - None, but pass protection is sometimes close to being one.

Philadelphia Eagles - Running the ball inside

Washington Redskins - The offensive line in both the running and passing games

Green Bay Packers - Pass protection (a major weakness)

Detroit Lions- Pass protection, run defense, pass defense

Minnesota Vikings- Pass protection, Pass coverage

Chicago Bears - The offensive line in both the running and passing games, and pass coverage from safeties

San Francisco 49ers - Pass offense, Pass rush

Seattle Seahawks - Run offense, Pass protection

Arizona Cardinals - Pass protection (a major weakness, like Green Bay)

St. Louis Rams - Everything, except for punting and place-kicking; this is the least talented team in the NFL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pass rush, Run defense, Pass offense

Carolina Panthers - Run defense

Atlanta Falcons - Pass defense and Interior run defense

New Orleans Saints - Pass defense (it's somewhat improved, but I don't trust it after Kevin Kolb lit them up)

New England Patriots - Pass protection, Pass rush

New York Jets - Pass protection (though it is improving)

Miami Dolphins - Passing offense

Buffalo Bills - Pass defense

Pittsburgh Steelers- Pass protection, Run offense

Baltimore Ravens - None

Cleveland Browns - Everything except special teams

Cincinnati Bengals - Pass protection (but they're improving lately)

Oakland Raiders - Pass offense, Run defense

Kansas City Chiefs - Run defense, Pass rush, Pass offense

San Diego Chargers - Run defense, Pass rush

Jacksonville Jaguars - Pass offense, Pass defense

Houston Texans - Pass protection, Run defense

Indianapolis Colts - Run defense

Tennessee Titans - Pass offense, Pass coverage

7. Retired for John Elway

8. I saw where ESPN Dallas was launched this week, joining Chicago and Boston as cities where the Worldwide Leader has spread. I wonder when/if Denver gets its own site. If it happens, their writers better consistently bring their "A" games to compete with MHR.

9. Big up Matt Bowen of the National Football Post for being the first widely-distributed national NFL writer to admit he didn't see the Broncos coming, and that they're for real.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Time-to-hop-on-the-Broncos-bandwagon.html

Can the Broncos keep it going?

Sure they can. I fully understand that the early season schedule has been favorable for the Broncos, but looking ahead, they still have two games against Kansas City, one more at home versus the Raiders (three games they should win) and two big games against Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

Anybody who can divorce themselves from their preconceived notions can see that the Broncos are doing all of the little things that win games. That's the crux of Bowen's realization, and I salute him for being the first to have the combination of acumen and guts to see it and say it.

10. An early thought on next week's Cowboys game. Dallas has a massive offensive line, and they tend to wear teams down by the time the second half rolls around. That's what happened with the Panthers Monday night. I think the Broncos will be tougher to wear down, because they use such an interchangeable rotation of defensive linemen, and there's no particular drop-off in quality when the subs come in. Every player in the rotation is contributing, and I think it bodes really well for success in Week 4.

That's all for this week, friends. Check us out Saturday morning for Lighting Up

Ah, The Joys Of Family

Mitchell_M — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:11:17 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

What makes a 37-17 game into a 36-17 game? Mason Crosby's tummyache.

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Last week Sunday, I was working during the entire slate of NFL games (which is why I asked y'all for help). This week, I didn't have to work, but I did have another committment: dinner with the future in-laws for my fiance's mother's birthday.

Now, before the jokes are let loose, let me just say that my lady's family is awesome. They are extremely fascinated by my Midwestern heritage, and I've shaped that into a general sense of good will. It helps that the first time I met them was when I (a Packer fan) went over to watch the NFC Championship at their house (Giants fans). Naturally, the Giants winning that game and then the Super Bowl made me into some sort of good luck charm.

Anyway, I would have been able to at least pay attention to the score updates as they watched the Giants absolutely dominate Tampa Bay, but I drew the shortest of short straws that day: baby chasing duty.

My fiance has a nephew, Tommy. He's about a year and a half. He's adorable. And energetic. And when he's at Amma and Papa's house, he needs to run around the kitchen, dining rooms, bedrooms, and up the stairs.

Awesome.

Naturally, I didn't find out any details about the game until well after it was over. Following are what was expected and unexpected, without watching any more than the highlights provided by NFL.com.

I did expect...the defense to take Marc Bulger out of the game. Granted, I thought that he would be benched for poor performance rather than leaving with an injury after four attempts, but it's all the same. The defense didn't make life easy for Kyle Boller, except on those two TD passes where Brandon Chillar showed why he didn't try out for cornerback. Getting a fumble off of Bulger and a pick off of Boller brought two of Green Bay's three forced turnovers (four if you count the blocked kick), which is really the lifeblood of this defense. If they can't get at least two takeaways per game, opposing offenses will have much more success. Besides, Charles Woodson is good for at least one turnover per game, so it's up to one of the other 10 guys to get the ball.

I did not expect...the Rams' defense to make Aaron Rodgers' life so difficult. Yes, the offensive line has been an issue, but we knew that, and even the 2 sacks from Leonard Little aren't a shock. But 13 of 23? Add on another 10 attempts and that's JaMarcus Russell on a good day. Were the receivers running bad routes? Was Rodgers running too much? Or have the boys still not shaken off whatever gave them the dropsies?

I did expect...Ryan Grant to reach (or nearly reach) the century mark in yardage. He may be overrated, his offensive line may be iffy, but gosh-dangit, it's the Rams, and if you don't break 90 yards without getting hurt, there's something wrong with you.

I did not expect...it to take him 26 attempts. It might be a 3.8 average per carry, but gosh-dangit, it's the Rams! Steven Jackson put up 117 on 27 carries, not to mention another 46 on five catches. That's 5.1 yards per touch. Those are numbers Grant should be putting up against bad defenses. Was he making bad cuts? Was the offensive line stuffing him in the backfield? Or was he simply running into his own linemen's backs again?

I did expect...the team to put up at least 30 points in this game. They may not have a lockdown defense yet, but this offense simply has too much talent to not score the football. Granted, Mason Crosby did the heavy lifting early on with 3 first-half field goals, but still. You gotta get into the end zone.

I did not expect...Mason Crosby to miss an extra point. That abdominal injury must be more serious than anyone is letting on. I guess he did too much heavy lifting!

Now, let's shake things up a bit.

I do expect...the coaches to go all-out in preparation for the next game.

I do not expect...for them to solve every problem that plagues this team in time for Monday night.

Recap: Green Bay Packers Defeat Rams 36-17

Brandon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:01:16 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

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Though the Rams have lost their last 13 games (ugh!) it was still a good looking win. They led the entire game, and although the Rams got within 6 points in the 3rd quarter, they pulled away with 2 TDs in the 4th quarter. Despite the comfortable win they could have played better and there are still some holes on the team.

The defense looked weak at times, and allowed 17 points to a team only had scored 7 in their first two games. But a lot of writers were expecting a slow start for the defense as they get used to all the new schemes from Dom Capers. At least they can fall back on big plays CB Charles Woodson in the meantime. The offensive line might be struggling all season long, as they find it hard to protect QB Aaron Rodgers and open up rushing lanes for RB Ryan Grant, but at least Rodgers is playing well despite the pressure and a few drops from his receivers. The offense showed off it's big play ability again in this game. The special teams struggled, but at least they can hang their hat on a blocked FG.

And they also came out of the game with only a couple injuries, according to Mike McCarthy. I don't think WR James Jones returned, but WR Greg Jennings did return after apparently re-injuring his wrist early in the 3rd quarter.

The Packers almost ended the week tied a top the NFC Central, but QB Brett Favre had a big game winning TD pass to improve the Vikings to 3-0. Although we should all feel better about last week's loss to the Bengals since they just upset the Steelers.

Packers vs Rams coverage; Packers vs Rams recap; Packers vs Rams boxscore; Turf Show Times

Play-by-play recap from NFL.com:

First Quarter:

(11:03) 3-Josh.Brown 48 yard field goal is BLOCKED (97-J.Jolly), Center-45-C.Massey, Holder-5-D.Jones, RECOVERED by GB-27-W.Blackmon at GB 25. 27-W.Blackmon to GB 43 for 18 yards (5-D.Jones).

It was a little discouraging to see the Rams move the ball down the field fairly easily to start the game, but DE Johnny Jolly had a great game, starting with this blocked FG attempt.

(10:20) (Shotgun) 25-R.Grant right end to SL 46 for 10 yards (96-J.Hall). SL-37-J.Butler was injured during the play.

Nine first half carries for RB Ryan Grant, and six of them were for 2 yards or less. This was the only carry over 10 yards. It was a good play; a power running play where RT Allen Barbre pulled right and created a running lane for Grant. But for most of the half, Grant would run one direction, and then look for a cutback lane. I'm not sure if it's by design to get the defense to go one direction and have him cut back the other direction. Or if he doesn't trust his blockers, and is looking for daylight where ever he sees it. Either way, it's not working.

(7:13) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at SL 34 for -7 yards (91-L.Little).

DE Leonard Little just beat Barbre for the sack. It was a weak effort by Barbre, but at least it was only 1 of 2 sacks allowed all game. Unfortunately it's still not a great showing since the Rams only had 1 sack in their previous 2 games. Barbre does seem to be improving, which is more than can be said for the rest of the offensive line (Jason Spitz excluded). Actually I don't know what to make of RG Josh Sitton; it seems like he's getting shoved around sometimes, but otherwise holding up.

(5:52) 39-S.Jackson right tackle to SL 38 for 19 yards (36-N.Collins). PENALTY on SL-73-A.Goldberg, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at SL 19 - No Play.

This was the first play I noticed DL B.J. Raji. He played mostly at left defensive end, but he played so often inside the offensive tackles that he was really playing like a defensive tackle. RB Steven Jackson ran right at Raji, and the blocker had to hold Raji to keep him out of the way. He doesn't receive a stat for it, but Raji moved them back 10 yards on his first play.

(4:09) (Shotgun) 10-M.Bulger sacked at SL 10 for -5 yards (74-A.Kampman). FUMBLES (74-A.Kampman) [74-A.Kampman], RECOVERED by GB-97-J.Jolly at SL 15. 97-J.Jolly to SL 15 for no gain (60-J.Brown).

Nice play all around, although QB Marc Bulger was injured on the play. Unfortunately it led to just another FG.

(2:46) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at SL 20 for -12 yards (91-L.Little).

In the early going, QB Aaron Rodgers was under a lot of pass pressure. Daryn Colledge was moved to LT for this game due to the injury to LT Chad Clifton, and as blueguitarbob points out, he's playing high and getting overpowered. I lost track of all the times the pocket collapsed when Colledge got shoved into it.

(2:08) 39-S.Jackson left guard to SL 14 for 3 yards (77-C.Jenkins). FUMBLES (77-C.Jenkins), RECOVERED by GB-31-A.Harris at SL 12. 31-A.Harris to SL 12 for no gain (70-A.Barron). SL-10-M.Bulger was injured during the play.

Another great play and the 2nd turnover of the half. Unfortunately the offense stalls (again) and they settle for a FG (again); the 3rd FG of the quarter.

Second Quarter:

(13:09) 12-K.Boller pass incomplete short right to 11-L.Robinson.

QB Kyle Boller came in when Bulger was hurt, and turned this game into a matchup of two ex-Cal Golden Bears. He was high on his first two passes, but he got much better after he settled down.

(12:10) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 80-D.Driver to SL 30 for 46 yards (32-B.Fletcher). Penalty on SL-32-B.Fletcher, Defensive Pass Interference, declined.

Just an amazing one-handed catch by WR Donald Driver, his other hand was being held by the defender.

(9:55) 30-J.Kuhn up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

It was like the Rams completely ignored FB John Kuhn on the play, although he had a wide open running lane due to a great block by Colledge.

(9:42) 39-S.Jackson right end to SL 22 for no gain (56-N.Barnett).

LB Nick Barnett is still the best of the inside linebackers. LB A.J. Hawk gets shoved around too much. LB Brandon Chillar always seems a step behind the play (see next play). Although Barnett is still being held to a 40 play limit, according to Mike McCarthy, so LB Desmond Bishop got some playing time in the 2nd half.

(4:51) 12-K.Boller pass deep right to 46-D.Fells for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

(:08) (Shotgun) 12-K.Boller pass deep left to 46-D.Fells for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Chillar covered Fells one-on-one on both TDs. He was there, but as I mentioned above, he's always a step behind the play. It looked like he was expecting to have some help in coverage deep. The Packers defense played a lot of 2-5-4 and it seems to be causing them some trouble in pass coverage. I'm not sure what the advantage to having 5 linebackers in the game is. The pass rush is weak, they only had one sack in the game, whether 5 linebackers are in or not. It doesn't seem to give them any advantage with the run defense either.

(2:33) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep right to 85-G.Jennings to SL 21 for 50 yards (24-R.Bartell).

I'm slightly out-of-order, lumping both Chillar allowed TDs in one post. WR Greg Jennings has been pretty quiet this season, but if all he does is catch one or two 50 yard passes per game, I guess I can live with that.

(2:00) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 80-D.Driver for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Rodgers makes up for a missed TD to Driver in the first quarter with this one. He is having trouble with his accuracy this season. He's been long on some passes, but a lot of it has to do with the lousy pass protection.

Third Quarter:

(12:09) 12-K.Boller pass short right to 39-S.Jackson to SL 47 for 13 yards (50-A.Hawk, 36-N.Collins).

Pick your Steven Jackson poison on the Rams first drive of the 2nd half. After a Packer 3-and-out, Jackson had 4 carries and a pass reception to move them into Packer territory and set up a FG. It wasn't pretty, but at least it was their last scoring drive of the game.

(8:12) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 87-J.Nelson.

I don't recall if this particular pass that WR Jordy Nelson dropped, but he dropped one that he should have had. WR James Jones was running in a fog and ended up with zero catches. I'm not sure what's going on with him. At least Nelson seemed to come around on the next drive.

(4:17) 25-R.Grant right tackle to SL 44 for 10 yards. PENALTY on GB-63-S.Wells, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at GB 46 - No Play.

Probably a perfect example of why C Scott Wells was benched. He was run over on this play.

Fourth Quarter:

(15:00) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle to 85-G.Jennings to SL 17 for 53 yards (24-R.Bartell).

The offense did a good job to get out of a hole when the Rams pinned them down at the 2 yard line during the 3rd quarter, but otherwise it was a very quiet half. Two good runs by Grant to end the 3rd quarter, and this big reception gets the offense back on track.

(12:18) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers up the middle for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Rodgers did a lot with his legs on this drive, and this was a nifty open field move to juke the only defender in the area and run right up the middle for the TD.

2-M.Crosby extra point is No Good, Wide Left, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.

Yes, K Mason Crosby isn't supposed to miss those, but he's battling an abdominal injury that has to be effecting him.

(9:57) 25-R.Grant up the middle to GB 28 for 17 yards. PENALTY on SL-98-C.Ah You, Illegal Use of Hands, 5 yards, enforced at GB 28.

That was a nice zone blocking play. It's good to see Grant get on track, but the running game still looks like it's going to be inconsistent going forward.

(6:19) (Shotgun) 12-K.Boller pass short middle intended for 16-D.Amendola INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson [97-J.Jolly] at SL 26. 21-C.Woodson to SL 26 for no gain (16-D.Amendola).

It's just not a Packer game without an INT by CB Charles Woodson. I can't believe the Rams didn't challenge him deep at all since Woodson had some trouble with going deep during the win over the Bears.

(4:50) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 30-J.Kuhn for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Again, the Rams seemed to ignore Kuhn. Time to drop Grant in your fantasy league for Kuhn :)

What to Make of Chris Long?

kevinramsfan — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:21:30 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Will Chris Long keep his eye on the ball this season? (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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Ever since I have been following the draft, the St. Louis Rams have had a lot of difficulty finding success in selecting defensive linemen. Defensive tackles in particular have been difficult, with names that make fans cringe like Claude Wroten, Ryan Pickett, Damione Lewis and of course, Jimmy Kennedy . For whatever reason (attitude mostly) these guys have had all the talent in the world, but could not put it together consitstantly in a Rams uniform.

On the other hand, defensive ends have seen mixed results. Before Chris Long, the last true defensive end drafted was Victor Adeyanju in 2006 (Adam Carriker was a d-end in college, but was moved inside by the previous coaching regime). Adeyanju has seen a little bit of the field, but his run-stopping prowess and lack of pass-rush ability has kept him in the specialty category. Tony Hargrove was drafted in the 3rd round of 2004's draft, and well -- like everyone but a certain Steven Jackson from that class -- Hargrove no longer plays for the Rams.

But Long was supposed to break that streak of bad d-linemen. Coming out of college, he looked like a can't miss. He had talent. He had pedigree. He went up against fellow future first round pick OT Eugene Monroe in practice. More importantly, he had the right attitude. What wasn't to like?

Well, here's Long's career stat line to date (according to NFL.com):

Total Tackles: 54
Solo: 36
Assists: 15
Sacks: 4.0

So the inevitable question arises: What to make of Chris Long's struggles? One blogger's take after the jump.

I must confess, the Post-Dispatch sort of beat me to the punch here, but I'm still going to offer my take on the situation.

In short, I think there is no need to panic regarding the performance of the the 2nd overall pick in 2008...yet.

Conisder this. Vernon Gholston, the talented DE from Ohio state who fell to the Jets at no. 6 that year, has yet to record a sack in his professional career (although he was moved to OLB). The other two DE's taken in the first round that year were Derrick Harvey from Florida and Lawrence Jackson from Southern Cal. Those two have combined 8.5 career sacks. A litte more than twice Long's total. But neither Jackson nor Harvey were rated worthy of the no. 2 overall pick. So even with hindsight, I like the pick based on how the draft unfolded. I could argue with a lot of other draft picks, but that's for another day.

Another comparison that I think has merit is to his father, Hall-of-Famer Howie Long. Through his first two seasons in Oakland ('81-'82) he had 5.5 total sacks. That's it. I know, different era, different game. OT's are bigger and faster. But Chris learned from arguably one of the top five sack artists of all time (Howie ended his career with 84.0 sacks and a bust in Canton). There's no need to panic. He's holding his own, particularly against the run. He's learing from Leonard Little and his hall of fame father. He'll get some sacks. That's what I found the consenus to be among the Rams writers at the PD.

But let's not give him a complete pass here. He was drafted to do a job, and start games at DE and rush the passer. So far, he's been a serviceable starter. But he's struggled rushing the passer. He, and the rest of this d-line, must put pressure on the QB this year, or the Rams will be picking high again next year.

The recipie for success? Billy Devaney must make a commitment to get some big bodies in the middle. That will take some blocking attention from Long and make it easier for him to do his job. And Long must learn from Steve Spagnuolo. He has a knack for helping out okay d-linemen and turning them into great ones (see Osi Umenyiora). Those two things combined will help Chris Long erase the d-lineman draft woes of the past and get this defense -- and this team -- back on the winning track.

Where's Admiral Ackbar When You Need Him?

Mitchell_M — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:32:08 -0000

Because you know he's got the warning for this week.

Hmm, maybe that didn't get the point across like I wanted it to.

Not quite. It's urgent enough, but just not enough repetition...

Ah, here. This is exactly how I want to say it.

Packers. Rams. Week 3. Other short statements. After the jump.

Green Bay put up an uneven performance in week 1 against Chicago. Then they followed that with a positively dismal performance (Charles Woodson excluded, of course) against Cincinnati. Now, they sit at 1-1, and I'm sure many eyes are looking forward to the October 5th showdown between Green Bay and division-leading Minnesota.

But the NFL season, much like the flow of time, is completely chronological and cannot be disturbed. Unless of course your home city suffers a major catastrophe and you're awarded a "home" game in New York. But lets hope that doesn't happen.

The point of this mini-diatribe is that Green Bay has to play the St. Louis Rams before even thinking about the Vikings. And yes, I know, St. Louis has been dreadful for years, but so was Cincinnati (excluding 2006). They started out the year by getting shut out 28-0 to Seattle, and last week lost in an ~~epic~~ ~~entertaining~~ ~~watchable~~ ~~tolerable~~ ~~mediocre~~ awful 9-7 game against Washington. This team has problems. But do you want a repeat of last week? Me neither. So without further delay, let's get to it.

STL rushing vs. GB defense: Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson. The first-round pick in fantasy drafts everywhere has struggled over the last few years, usually because of injuries to St. Louis' sorry excuse for an offensive line and virtual lack of any semblance of a passing game. It's hard to run the ball when you're going up against 10 in the box.

That said, Jackson is still one of the top RBs in the game in terms of athleticism, versatility, and talent. Over two games, Jackson has amassed 171 yards on 33 carries, resulting in an excellent 5.2 ypc. He's been kept out of the end zone and hasn't had his usual impact on the passing game, but the potential is always there. Jackson had several injuries hampering his production in 2008, and he seems to have bounced back and looks healthy.

Up front is where St. Louis has suffered so much in recent years. On the left side, Alex Barron is a man who, as some critics put it, looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. He is a monster at 6'7", 300+ lbs, and has the strength, agility, and quickness to dominate in both run and pass blocking. Unfortunately, Barron's biggest deficiency is work ethic, which undermines his consistency and keeps him a marginal starter (at best). The rest of the line (from LG to RT) is manned by Jacob Bell (6'5", 300), Jason Brown (6'3", 328), the ever mysterious Richie Incognito (6'3", 324), and Adam Goldberg (6'7, 309). Goldberg is starting in place of the injured rookie Jason Smith.

Green Bay did an excellent job in keeping Matt Forte under wraps in week 1, but then imploded when faced with the powerful blocking of Cincinnati's special run-blocking sub package of offensive linemen. The clever coaching maneuver torched the Packers to the tune of 141 yards on 29 carries. Naturally, this was helped by Green Bay's inability to wrap up on tackles, taking good angles towards ball carriers, and converging on the running back whenever a hole opened up.

Advantage: Push. Does Green Bay have a dominant run defense that had a bad day against Cincy? Or do they have a poor run defense that had a good day against Chicago? That debate, along with the juxtaposition of Steven Jackson's talent against his offensive line's limitations makes this matchup a complete draw.

STL passing vs. GB defense: For Steven Jackson, the offensive line made life in the NFL a nightmare. However, nobody suffered more than Marc Bulger. You think Aaron Rodgers has happy feet after two games? Imagine getting pounded into mush week in and week out for at least 3 seasons. Marc Bulger was the conductor of the second phase of the Greatest Show on Turf, and was fairly effective until his protection vanished. He is still an above-average quarterback with decent accuracy, decent arm strength, average mobility, and the ability to read coverages and make the necessary throws (if he has time, of course).

Bulger has always found success whenever surrounded with skilled teammates. Unfortunately for him, that is no longer the case. Steven Jackson is an outstanding receiver, but the rest of the receiving corps includes the like of Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, TE Randy McMichael, and the recently-departed Ruvell Martin. Avery has a little bit of speed on vertical routes, and Martin and McMichael have excellent size, but that's all that is notable about this group. As far as pass blocking goes, the Rams' success depends on three things: good line calls from center Jason Brown (their best lineman, but currently dealing with a knee injury), a motivated Alex Barron, and a healthy Jason Smith. They've already lost one of those, so protection will really be at a premium if Green Bay decides to bring heavy pressure.

Of course, that's if Green Bay can afford to bring pressure. The situation at safety is certainly a red flag for the Packers' pass defense. With Atari Bigby out and Nick Collins' availability (currently "day-to-day") unknown, and Aaron Rouse cut in favor of Matt Giordano, Dom Capers' playcalling figures to be much more vanilla than some of us would like. Cullen Jenkins and Clay Matthews both showed off their pass rushing skills last week by recording sacks, and Charles Woodson (2 INT, 1 TD) continues his quest to single-handedly carry the team when the offense isn't working.

Advantage: Green Bay. This defense can get to the quarterback, and no team is more vulnerable than this St. Louis squad missing its top draft pick. If they get a chance to blitz, expect another dominating performance.

GB rushing vs. STL defense: Ryan Grant was a huge disappointment in 2008, but his new contract, attendance at training camp, and a healed hamstring make it look like he's ready to shine again. He hasn't found much help up front, limiting him to 107 yards on 30 carries, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn't think he'd have better stats if he hadn't been limited to 3 carries in the second half of the Cincy game.

With Clifton out for the forseeable future with a sprained ankle, the offensive line is shuffled once again. The lineup, from left to right, will likely be Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, Scott Wells, Josh Sitton, and Allen Barbre. According to Jason Wilde, there are several other options that the team is considering, including moving Barbre from RT to LT and promoting either Breno Giacomini or T.J. Lang to RT. This would keep the interior line of Colledge-Spitz-Sitton intact.

With so much uncertainty, Green Bay's chances of mounting an effective ground attack are up in the air. Fortunately, St. Louis is far from a stalwart run defense. As a team, they're giving up 146 yards per game. This is even more glaring when considering their first opponent (Seattle) is no longer a powerhouse rushing team. Still, despite giving up large chunks of yardage, the Rams' run defense did not allow Clinton Portis to score in Week 2. The addition of James Laurinaitis and return to health of Will Witherspoon more than makes up for the release of Pisa Tinoisamoa, and the tandem of Clifton Ryan and Jake Long are fairly strong against run blockers. However, Adam Carriker's trip to the I.R. promoted the undersized Gary Gibson to start alongside the aging Leonard Little, leaving the right side of their defensive line vulnerable to the run. Nobody in St. Louis' secondary can be described as a run-stopper.

Advantage: Green Bay, but only if they actually call run plays. If Grant sees less than five carries in a half, you'll know something went wrong. If there's a team vulnerable to a strong running game, it's the 2009 Rams.

GB passing vs. STL defense: Aaron Rodgers looked like a world-beater in the preseason...until teams started stepping up their pass rush and the offensive tackles forgot how to pass block. Allen Barbre made remarkable improvement from the first week to the second, but he will have his hands full with Leonard Little. The winner Barbre-Little matchup will likely determine the owner of the RT position for the rest of the season. On the other side, Jake Long is a capable pass rusher in the mold of Aaron Kampman before he got famous (unathletic but high motor, poor mechanics but determined, blah blah blah...) Whoever starts at LT (most likely Daryn Colledge) won't have as difficult of a matchup as the RT (Barbre), but still a matchup to pay attention to.

St. Louis' pass defense is ranked 25th in the league, giving up 258 yards per game. This is largely because of the average defensive backfield they employ. At CB, Ronald Bartell and Jonathan Wade are merely decent players with an average skill set. They're not lightning fast or amazing athletes or strong bump-and-run style corners; they're just guys who go out and try to execute whatever coverage is given to them.

Their situation at safety is better with James Butler and Oshiomogho Atogwe starting with our beloved Anthony Smith filling the backup role for both positions. Both Butler and Atogwe are young players with good experience starting in the NFL, they're both rangy athletes who can cover space, and Atogwe in particular has a knack for finding the ball. Neither one is particularly strong in run support, but they won't shy away from it either.

Aaron Rodgers' protection is priority #1 on offense, but catching passes is a close #2. In both games, the dependable cast of Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson have all had at least one dropped ball. Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant also have drops, but Finley is still maturing and Grant has never been a good receiver. The return of Brandon Jackson to practice on Wednesday might give Rodgers another weapon on passing downs, but that shouldn't matter. The talent is there, and Rodgers has done an excellent job keeping control of the ball despite getting batted around like a ball of yarn in the first two weeks. If the receivers can shake off whatever is keeping them from catching passes, Rodgers' punishment at least won't be in vain.

Advantage: Green Bay by a slight margin. Again, the talent is there; they just need to execute.

Preliminary Verdict: Green Bay has an excellent chance of bouncing back from the Cincinnati debacle and playing a dominant game against the Rams. But be warned, if the players are thinking more about Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, and You Know Who than they are Steven Jackson, Jake Long, and Marc Bulger, expect another major disappointment (and even more Vikings fans coming to the site to let us know that the Packers failed.)

Let's put it this way: Neither team has very much momentum right now. Green Bay has higher aspirations for this season, so they could definitely use the boost. Hopefully, they don't overlook the Rams like some people feel they did the Bengals.

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 3 vs. St. Louis?

Big GB win.

213 votes

Slim GB win.

149 votes

Too close to call.

32 votes

Slim STL win.

36 votes

Big STL win.

22 votes

452 votes | Poll has closed

Seahawks' Journalist Details the Redskins Keys to Blowout the Rams

KevinE — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:48:39 -0000

We've talked to Rams' fans and heard all the comments from Redskins Park regarding the game this Sunday, but why not ask the team that just played them, the Seahawks? I shot an email over to the SB Nation Seahawks blog, Field Gulls, and they quickly returned my questions regarding the Rams D-line, the Rams WRs, what to expect from the Rams secondary, and the often-penalized, Richie Incognito.

Hogs Haven: The Rams were unable to record any sacks despite having Leonard Little and Chris Long. How was the Seahawks O-line so successful in keeping Hasselbeck upright? Did they not blitz a lot? You'd think Spagnuolo would come up with something to get to the QB.

The answer is in the question. Soon to be 35, Leonard Little, (who missed a portion of the game) and second year end, Chris Long, are not quality pass rushers, but they are the best pass rushers the Rams have. Steve Spagnuolo mixed it up, showing creative looks and a diverse pass rush, but Seattle's offensive linemen were not challenged by the Rams talent itself. When the Rams rushed four, Seattle's line kept the heat off. When the Rams blitzed, Seattle used a mix of screen, max-protect and good blocking from its backs to protect Matt Hasselbeck.

Spagnuolo and Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp matched wits, and Knapp won. Spags will get the better of more traditional or less adaptive coordinators. He is a true disciple of Jim Johnson. Spagnuolo sent corner blitzes, safety blitzes and regularly involved the linebackers. The Rams executed well, but their dearth of talent undercut them last Sunday. I was impressed though, and I expect the Rams defense to steal some wins against superior opponents.

Hogs Haven: How would you rate the Rams WRs? Bulger seems to have trouble with the WRs and their timing. Is this the case or did the Seahawks corners implement something to disrupt their game plan.

Field Gulls: The Rams are weak at wide receiver. There is no way to sugar coat that. Donnie Avery may develop into a lower-tier number one type, but he doesn't look like a dominant, true number one. Seattle benefited from an advantageous matchup. Josh Wilson is fast, agile and strong, but he's small. Larger wide receivers can bully him with an aggressive body shield--especially on jump balls. That's not Avery's game. He is a fast, route specialist in the Marvin Harrison mold. Wilson matches well against that type and he smothered Avery.

The rest of St. Louis wide receivers are still discovering their roles. Laurent Robinson is a low-level possession receiver that couldn't make the roster of most teams. Not that he's bad, but as a possession receiver and exclusively a possession receiver, most teams have better. And most teams don't save a spot for a backup possession receiver. Keenan Burton has better talent, but hasn't developed chemistry with Marc Bulger. Randy McMichael is what he's ever been, and the Rams didn't integrate Steven Jackson into their pass game.

Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur didn't do a bad job though. He used some creative looks and unbalanced formations, but against a heady Seahawks defense, those were sniffed out and squashed. A future opponent should look out for Avery. The Rams couldn't get anything started, so the passing attack was often desperately attempting to convert bad down and distance. If the rushing attack can get going and open up the playbook, I expect Avery to run double-moves and other deep patterns. He is a homerun threat.

Hogs Haven: The Rams D were able to record 3 turnovers. What are the things to watch-out for when facing them?

Field Gulls: Seattle had more to do with the turnovers than the Rams. Matt Hasselbeck was forcing passes into double cover. He doesn't have much arm strength and the receivers Seattle fielded struggle to get separation, so bad decisions turned into gimme picks. Spagnuolo runs a high-risk, high-reward attack. Watch out for free blitzers. A good blocking back is a huge plus for an opponent. I would watch to see how Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts read and react to corner, safety and linebackers blitzes. Against the Rams, Portis might be more valuable for his pass blocking than his rushing. But against Spagnuolo, it's not enough to be able to block in space, a back must also show keen awareness, because half the battle is knowing where the blitz is coming from.

Hogs Haven: What would be your reaction if the Seahawks traded a mid-round pick for Incognito?

Field Gulls: Richie is an interesting cat. Multiple coaches have bet on the talent and been stung by the stupidity. He needs some impulse control, some Luvox or something. One can't argue he is anything but a terrible guard as is, but there's All-Pro potential. All-Pro. Between the bouts of explosive rage and drive crippling stupidity, he is a nasty, dominant guard that beats down and discourages defensive tackles. But he's like dating a crazy chick. When your excuses run out, you're left with lot of hot, unrealized fantasies and slashed tires.

So the ONLY thing I can think of that can hurt the Redskins is if Zorn and Campbell cannot establish a groove. It's safe to say Soupy will have adequate time to throw on the majority of the plays, so hopefully we can open the field up. We know our WRs can get open....can this game start already?

Interview with a Rams' Fan About Redskins Game this Sunday

KevinE — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:48:51 -0000

We've beaten the Week 1 loss to death, so we're ready to move on to the Rams game. A good friend of mine, and former roommate, John Dickerman, is a Missourian native and knows everything St. Louis there is when it comes to sports. Since so many NFC East fans could give a rat's ass know so little about the Rams, I thought it'd be worth picking his brain for a quick update on the state of the 2-14 squad from last season.

Ken and I will be doing an interview with the SB Nation Rams blog in the next day, so we'll be able to get a good feel of what to expect. I appeared on their blog last night, and one thing is very clear: The Rams current WRs are about as valuable as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly were to the Redskins last year, specificaly with the timing and accuracy of their routes.

Hogs Haven: What is the current state of the Rams? Are they re-building or do they think they're a legit contender? I noticed they brought in some high-priced free agents on the OLine (Jacob Bell and Jason Brown) the past 2 years.

The Rams are a total disaster as a result of at least 6 years of poor drafting. (The Rams currently have two players on their roster from the 2006 Draft - two players picked in the 4th and 7th rounds.) There is no question that they are rebuilding. This year, in particular, they are in flux because they have two high-priced veterans on O who are past their prime (Marc Bulger), or nearing their prime and are ineffective because of a poor surrounding cast (S Jax). They have added money to the O line with Bell, Brown and Jason Smith, but their O line is inefficient and undisciplined. (The big story this week was Incognito again taking personal foul penalties - two of them, there's no question that guy has a load of talent, but he has a rep for being a dirty player now. He's on a short leash with the league, and everyone in St. Louis is frustrated with his immaturity on the field.) I don't think anyone in St. Louis expects them to win more than 4 games. 6 wins would have to be considered a success.

Hogs Haven: Marc Bulger seems to really have lost a step. Are the fans and Spagnuolo still behind him? Zero points for the Rams last week despite being the beneficiary of 3 turnovers.

Even though Bulger clearly isn't the QB he was 4 or 5 years ago, he still has the support of the coaching staff. I don't think Kyle Boller is much of a step up. The fans aren't behind Bulger at all, because fans are stupid and fickle and tend to blame the QB for all of the team's mistakes on Offense. Keep in mind, though, that the Rams have no effective weapons for Bulger to take advantage of, aside from S Jax. Their receiver corps must be the thinnest and youngest in the league. All of that being said...if Bulger can't put together a decent seasons, stat-wise, his career in St. Louis might be over.

Hogs Haven: The Redskins were mostly successful at stopping the run against an incredible Giants backfield. What do you think St. Louis needs to accomplish to beat the Redskins defense, who are highlighted by their stout D-line with Hayensworth? Will Stephen Jackson see more than 16 touches this week?

The Rams have to rush the football consistently and make no mistakes on the O Line. Last week the Rams averaged about 4.2 yards per carry...not terrible. But they threw the football an inordinate amount of time, even before falling behind 21-0. I know the 'Skin's have a great D line, but S Jax is punishing. If the hits the hole 25 or 30 times, I'm confident the Rams could actually make headway on Offense. That being said...the Skins could easily stack the box and play the Rams receivers man-to-man and not worry too much about getting burned downfield. No false starts and no personal foul penalties would be a great start for the Rams O line.

Hogs Haven: The Redskins haven't show-cased a high powered offense yet, but there are still many weapons they can beat you with. What needs to happen for the Rams D to be successful (especially since they had zero sacks last week)? Have you seen any changes in the defense with Spagnuolo that made him so successful with the Giants and under Jim Johnson in PHI?

The Rams need a pass rush in order to be successful, no question. By all accounts, they didn't even cause MH [Hasselbeck] to sweat last week. Their Secondary played okay, considering their inexperience, and their linebackers tackled well...but, as one writer in St. Lou said yesterday, even long runs end with a tackle if they don't end up in the end zone. The Rams need to show some ability to stop the run, or at least challenge it.

One thing is clear, the Rams are still in disarray, but a couple things DO stand out. There defense is pretty good. They forced three turnovers from the Seahawks, and they still have Leonard Little.

Hogs Haven: If the Rams were playing the D.C. Divas without Stephen Jackson and Leonard Little, who would you take?

DC Divas might debacle the Rams without S Jax and LL, but only if Rosie O'Donnell starts at RB.

Thanks again J-Dick for the time.