SB Nation - Leonard Little

Week 13 Preview: Rams (1-10) @ Bears (4-7)

wiltfongjr — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

When you are sitting at 4-7 there isn't a lot that can put your team in a good mood, but taking on the worse off 1-10 St. Louis Rams could be a good start. If things go as they have all year the Bears should be able to win. They lose to the real good teams and beat the real bad teams. However if the flip side occurs and the Bears actually get dropped by the hapless Rams, in Chicago no less, then it could be a start to the end of season house cleaning many fans want.

Week 12 Recap

The Rams: Seattle running back Justin Forsett had a career day in St. Louis last week with two tuddy's and 130 yards rushing as the Seahawks won 27-17. The Rams actually out gained Seattle 364 to 265, but that Seattle D picked up 4 sacks and 2 picks. Ram QB Kyle Boller (yes the former bust out with the Ravens) threw for his third most yards ever, 282, and hit 10 different receivers while doing it. He also added 26 yards on the ground. A less that 100% Steven Jackson still racked up 89 yards rushing and chipped in with 5 grabs out of the backfield for 29 yards.

The Bears: Chicago looked like a Sophomore team trying to take on the Varsity. The Vikings whipped up on the Bears in every possible way winning 36-10, and it wasn't even that close. Brett Favre had one of the better days of his stellar career and Jarred Allen's 2 sacks led the Viking D to a dominating performance. Here are the ugly final yardage totals, Minnesota 537 - Chicago 169, and don't forget the Bears only had 2 yards of total offense in the second half. U-G-L-Y.

Quick Numbers:

20: A career high (so far) interceptions for Jay Cutler.
8: Number of interceptions the Rams defense has picked off so far this year.
7: Turnovers by Kyle Boller in just 4 games played.
6: Charles Tillman leads the league with 6 forced fumbles this year.

Key Injuries:

STL - RB Steven Jackson - Questionable (Back) Likely will play

STL - FB Mike Karney - Questionable (Neck)

STL - OT Jason Smith - Out (Concussion)

CHI - OLB Lance Briggs - Out (Knee)

CHI - LT Orlando Pace - Out (Groin)

CHI - Desmond Clark - Questionable (Neck)

CHI - Charles Tillman - Probable (Concussion) Likely will play

When the Rams have the ball.
Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson, and more Steven Jackson. Jackson leads the team in rushing and receptions and the Rams look to get him the ball as much as possible. Look for QB Kyle Boller to target Jackson early to try and get his confidence up.

The key match-up for the Rams: Rams OL vs. Bears DL
The Rams offensive line should welcome back starting guard Richie Incognito and center Jason Brown. If the interior of the Ram line is able to neutralize the Bears DT's look for them to methodically pound the 231 pound Jackson inside all day. With the way the Rams defense has been playing controlling the clock is their best chance at a win.

The X factor on offense for the Rams: QB Kyle Boller
As I mentioned above Boller tossed for his third most yards ever, if the Rams are able to establish the run, their play-actions and roll outs could give the Bears fits. Boller is a mobile QB and won't hesitate to take off and pick up what he can.

When the Bears have the ball.
The Rams have given up the fifth most total yards and are fifth worst against the rush (148.5 per game), so I would expect the Bears to try and get the run game going. After only 8 rushing attempts against the Vikings last week the Bears have to try and get it going vs. the Rams. Matt Forte rushed for 139 yards last year in St. Louis, his most as a pro, and should be a big part of the offensive game plan this week. Jay Cutler has played much better at home this year, but the Bears should allow him to easy into the game this week. And for the love of God, could we not see the wide receiver screen this week?

The key match-up for the Bears: RT Kevin Shaffer vs. DE Leonard Little
I alluded to this match up in my preview I did on the Sporting News, so it makes sense to bring it to light here as well. The Bears picked a heck of a week to plug Shaffer in at RT. Little is the best pass rusher the Rams have with 5.5 sacks on the year (and 86.5 on his career), but Shaffer played mostly right tackle in Cleveland so it isn't new to him.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: QB Jay Cutler
Can someone of the stature of Cutler be an X Factor? I'm not sure, but he is this week... Since I had Boller as the X Factor for St. Louis why not throw Cutler in there for Chicago? The only way I see the Rams having a chance this week is if Cutler allows them, with a few more interceptions. Play in the system, take what is given to you, and run when some open field presents itself. I can see another unsatisfying win just like the Cleveland game, but at this point the Bears will take any win they can get.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Vikings: Sunday Night Football and a trip to Arizona, this may be the last team on the schedule that could trip up the Vikings.

Packers: Baltimore is a tough place to play and Ray Rice is gonna be a tough test for the Packers, he's #2 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

Lions: Look for the Bengals passing game to make quick work of a banged up Lions secondary.

Breaking down the Rams defensive breakdown

VanRam — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:19:20 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Seattle Seahawks running back Justin Forsett (20) dives into the end zone for his first TD of the game. What happened to the Rams run defense in that game?

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Being a Luddite, I don't own a TiVO, and even if I did, I'm not sure watching the St. Louis Rams get eaten up by the Seahawks last Sunday would be worth the time or hard drive space. The NFL does keep short videos of game highlights on their site, cleverly inserting them into the play-by-play section for each game. Wanting answers for what happened in the running game, I went back and watched the videos of Forsett's 25- and 26-yard runs along with his two TDs. Here's what I noticed.

On Forsett's 25-yard run in the first quarter, Seattle is lined up in the basic I formation. On the snap, the blockers push to the offense's right, and the Rams front seven goes sliding that way too. As Forsett cuts left to an open field, OLB David Vobora goes wide around the Rams DE locked up with the Seattle blocker, coming in behind Forsett and is easily pushed aside by Forsett's lead blocker, after Forsett is into the second level. SS James Butler, playing back, comes in on Forsett, but is easily beaten when the running back cuts out wide toward the sideline.

The second long run by Seattle's running back came on their first drive of the fourth quarter, right after a Rams three-and-out and a Donnie Jones punt that put the ball on Seattle's 49-yard-line, ugh. Second-and-six, Seattle lines up in another I formation, this one with an extra blocker in the backfield. As soon as they snap the ball, Rams the Rams front four are engulfed by single blockers. That's not the problem, as Clifton Ryan gets off his man and starts sliding down toward his left side, where the Forsett is coming. As Ryan moves toward the hole where the ball is coming he's stopped when he runs into OLB Paris Lenon getting pushed back by the blocker he ran up and engaged at the line as soon as the ball was snapped. MLB James Laurinaitis obviously sees the Seattle runners coming and he moves over to stop them but is pushed aside by Forsett's lead blocker.

On Forsett's first TD, from the 3-yard line, Leonard Little sees him but gets moved off Forsett because he can't quite shake his blocker. Laurinaitis gets a quick hit from Seattle's right guard, gets off him with no problem but is far enough from the lane that he can't make the tackle in time. Clifton Ryan does get around his blocker and almost has Forsett, but it looks like he either didn't get around in time or missed the tackle. James Butler comes up behind Ryan and the Seattle LT but can't make the tackle because he's stuck behind Ryan and the blocker he sheds. A better angle, coming to the inside rather than around, and Butler would have tackled Forsett for no gain or even a loss.

Gap assignments gone awry? Substandard players getting faked out and overpowered? You decide. What should have happened here and how do you fix it?

The Bears don't have much going for them in the running game and a banged up offensive line - the same could have been and was said about the Seahawks - so the Rams have a chance to do it right this weekend. Stay tuned to see if they get it fixed.

Rams 13, Cardinals 21: Trouble on the home front

VanRam — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:22:17 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Marc Bulger ended the game injured.

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Just in case you thought the 2009 St. Louis Rams had disappeared somewhere between the win at Detroit and the oh-so-close game against New Orleans, fear not; the 2009 Rams are back. That's right, the struggling offense, the leaky defensive line...it was all there.

Ok, ok, that's a little harsh. The Rams tightened up after a sloppy first half, one in which they gained just 97 yards of offense. Give the Cardinals defense credit too. They bottled up Steven Jackson and kept the passing game in check.

Injuries

Jason Smith took a blow to the head. We'll know more later.
Marc Bulger has a hamstring and/or groin issue and will have testing done.

The Frustrating

Brandon Gibson's splash debut wasn't followed up well. He struggled with routes and dropped a BIG pass late in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the rookie did flash some hints of what got us so excited about him last week. I'd still caution you before anointing him the second coming of Isaac Bruce.
Bulger was not the forceful presence for four quarters like he was last week. He had his moments, but did he really show you anything that gives you confidence in him moving forward? He's not good enough to win games anymore.
Why do the coaches insist on trotting out Samkon Gado in short yardage situations? The play calling is still fishy. Why did Jackson not get the ball when the Rams were driving in the last five minutes of the game? It's baffling. How can anyone put this much faith in Marc Bulger and role player WRs? Maybe they wanted to try another 4th down fade to Avery. And why so few passes to Jackson? Why are they not lining up SJ39 at receiver more often?
Terrible officiating. Did they not remember that they could call pass interference? And how do you get unsportsmanlike for a hit after the pass when the lineman's back is to the QB?
Talent on the defensive line is so desperately needed. Are they so bad that they need to drop Leonard Little into coverage?
Oh, offensive line...after all the nice things we've said about you.
Justin King covering Larry Fitzgerald. Tough break kid. Still, the secondary could have done much worse.
With the exception of Steven Jackson, the Rams offense is terrible. What was the number? Averaging 9+ yards on third downs? Blame whoever you want, but it's a multi-faceted effort at failure. The WRs have some promise, but it's clear why they were not first round draft picks. The QB is too dependent on a guy to get in his route precisely, and he just doesn't have much left in the tank. That takes away from the most effective weapon, Jackson, because teams can focus on him, like AZ did today.

The Better

Steven Jackson is amazing. It looked like rough going for the big man, but he still managed to get 116 yards and 4.8 per carry. The offensive line didn't help much in the first half, and he had trouble getting it going. Once he hit his stride, there was no looking back...until the coaches stopped feeding him the ball. Jackson now has five 1,000 yard seasons and four consecutive games of 100 yards or more rushing.
James Laurinaitis, though the Cardinals tried and succeeded at isolating him a few a times, he still had a nice game, as the defense stepped up against the Cardinals run in the second half.
Chris Long got another sack, and generall played better lately. I think that if the Rams add some talent on the defensive line, we won't be talking about whether or not he's a bust.
The comeback. Rams Gab said it best that the score should not have been this close with the Rams playing as bad as they were. But it was that close. The defense got Warner out of the game and pulled together to stop the bleeding they were taking from the Cardinals' running game. They also forced the turnovers that would have given a team with a semi-competent offense the chance to put it away. Credit the coaches. Whatever they're selling has sunk in on that side of the ball. If this team had a halfway decent d-line, they'd be stealing games.

Random Ramsdom 11/21: Catching up on Saturday's Rams news

VanRam — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:04:50 -0000

Happy Saturday everyone. It's the second to last week of the college football regular season, so that means you've got work to do scouting the the future of the St. Louis Rams. Don't forget to download 3k's college watch list.

In the meantime, we've got some newsy links to get to, for your Saturday edition of Random Ramsdom.

Little facing old friend this week - Leonard Little is not going to let his friendship with Kurt Warner get in the way of a good sack.

Reconsidering Marc Bulger - Sando wonders if Bulger wouldn't be useful for the Rams to keep around in 2010 if the QB can play well down the stretch, allowing the Rams to use their first round pick on someone besides a QB. I suspect this is an argument we'll be hearing until next April.

Victor Adeyanju back in the fold - An important role player in recent seasons, Adeyanju will get plenty of reps this week with a banged up D-line.

Gibson a starter? - Without actually confirming it, Spagnuolo made it look as though WR Brandon Gibson will start this week. Who else do the Rams have at this point?

Rams C Jason Brown chatted with fans yesterday - See what the big man had to say.

Jackson's on a blistering pace; Chris Long is questionable - No surprise on Jackson. If Chris Long is out or limited this week, the Rams could really have some trouble on the D-line. If any of the others get injured, it'll be a tough afternoon.

Rams buy remaining tickets, avoid blackout - Not a bad move. Remember, the Rams TB ratings have improved steadily this season, with the Detroit and New Orleans games getting some good numbers. If they can play well this week, it'll go along way toward goosing their ratings for the season and building the fan base. Having Kurt Warner in town never hurts either.

Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams: Injury Report

Hawkwind — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:20:40 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Arizona Cardinals ~~wide receiver~~ special teams ace Sean Morey continues to deal the after effects of a concussion. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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As the season wears on the Arizona Cardinals injury report seems to get longer and longer and this week is no exception. In all there were 13 players listed on the report with four DNP's, eight limited particpations and a single player who was listed but participated fully. Duece Lutui is officially on the report because he missed practice but it wasn't injury related so we can assume that he'll be back at practice today. Joining him on the DNP list are Bryant McFadden (ankle), Chike Okeafor (back) and Michael Adams (hamstring). On the limited side were Steve Breaston (knee), Karlos Dansby (shoulder), Mike Gandy (pelvis), Gerald Hayes (back), Kenny Iwebema (knee), Sean Morey (head), Ben Patrick (knee) and Adrian Wilson (groin). Reggie Wells continues to be on the report with a broken thumb but he's yet to miss any practice or game time because of the injury.

Needless to say that's quite a bit of talent standing on the sidelines, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Five of the eleven starters missed at least some of practice yesterday, including three of our four linebackers, so hopefully this was just a day where Ken Whisenhunt took it easy on some veterans. It's good to see Hayes back in practice, even if just on a limited basis, and there is some hope that he'll be ready to go by Sunday. Okeafor is a guy we'll have to continue to monitor as his back continues to give him problems. He's missed two games already this season and he's one of the more consistent pass rusher. If he's unable to go then his OLB spot will again be filled by a combination of Bertrand Berry and rookie Will Davis.

The Rams injury list isn't nearly as long but there are some key names.

Did Not Practice:

G Richie Incognito (foot)
DE Chris Long (knee)

Limited Participation:

C.J. Ah You (knee)
DE James Hall (back)
DE Leonard Little (knee)
DT Clifton Ryan (toe)

New Orleans Saints' Offensive Player Grades @ Rams

saints-nation — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:43 -0000

by L.G. Patterson - AP

25 days ago: New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, top, leaps over St. Louis Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe for a three-yard touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

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Below are the offensive player grades for the flawed victory at St. Louis. The grade represents the player's performance for the game and the GPA behind it in parentheses represents the player's cumulative effort for all games combined.

Saints vs Rams coverage

Saints vs Rams recap

Saints vs Rams boxscore

Drew Brees: C (2.96) Is anyone getting tired of Brees' turnover penchant? Yes, he's the franchise's savior, yes, he's an mvp candidate, and yes, we should all be thankful he's the quarterback of the Saints. But he really hasn't looked all that great in recent games. He's played good enough to win, but he hasn't played mistake free football. I've given him lenient grading up until now, but this time it's going to be a little harsher. He finished 18 for 26 for 223yds, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. His second interception in particular was a horribly overthrown pass intended for Shockey. I will admit that his touchdown pass to Meachem was one of the prettiest passes he's thrown all season, so give him credit for that. The main disappointment for me, though, was that the offense had the opportunity to kill the game TWICE and Brees misfired on two third down attempts to keep the chains moving. Normally you can at least count on Brees, even on an abnormally pedestrian day this season, to come through in the clutch. Today, he didn't, and his grade suffered because of it. I was also frustrated by the constant reliance on the security valve throw underneath and what I perceived as sometimes questionable clock management (spiking on 3rd down before halftime with 6 seconds left).

Reggie Bush: A (2.59) I thought this was Bush's best game of the season. He looked shifty, quick, and elusive. I understand he's not your prototypical running back, but when someone gets you 83 yards on 6 carries - how can you not give them more carries?? His 17 yard run on the first drive was impressive. His 55 yard breakaway career long run was amazing. Oh, and he also ran for a score and caught another one. In short, he was awesome.

Mike Bell: C (2.81) He finished with 8 carries for 30 yards. He showed decent effort. He didn't really get into the game or get a chance to show his stuff.

Pierre Thomas: C+ (3.09) 11 carries for 37 yards for Thomas. He was barely more involved than Bell, and no more effective. He also caught a pass for 5 yards.

Marques Colston: D+ (2.74) Colston finished with just 2 catches for 17 yards, and was almost never targeted. Perhaps he was feeling the ill effects (no pun intended) of the flu he was battling earlier in the week. He also rushed once for 6 yards, though I can't for the life of me understand why he'd get a reverse over Meachem or Henderson. Colston, despite his massive size, decided to try the Reggie Bush leap over the end zone which resulted in a big fumble. The Rams stopped the Saints inches from scoring, and that kept the game close. That's back to back horrendous games from Colston, so hopefully he can bounce back. His GPA is falling fast. He does deserve credit, though, for throwing a terrific block on Reggie Bush's first touchdown run.

Devery Henderson: B+ (3.15) It's truly been special to watch this player's maturation into a complete NFL receiver. We can no longer accuse him of having bad hands. How many drops does he have this year anyway? One? He made reliable catches and was dangerous after the catch. Another solid performance from Devery, who's been the most consistent threat in the passing game this season. He finished with 4 catches for 72 yards, and was wide open on a couple of Brees' misfires.

Robert Meachem: B+ (2.90) I can't really give him a better grade when he touched the ball 2 times. That said, to say he makes the most of his touches is a gross understatement. Once again Meachem was a difference maker, and he's finally validating the decision to draft him in the first round. Just one catch, but it happened to be 27 yards for a touchdown and was the difference in the game. Oh, and he took a reverse 41 yards to set up another score. Did you all see how fast he was on that play? Wow.

Jeremy Shockey: C (3.07) Just 3 catches for 42 yards. In most blocking sets, the Saints relied more on David Thomas and Darnell Dinkins. Shockey was the target on both interceptions, though neither can really be blamed on him. A very quiet day for the former Pro Bowler.

David Thomas: A- (2.14) Not only did Thomas move the chains and prove himself to be a very reliable target, he was fantastic blocking. Give him all the credit on the Meachem reverse, as he completely took out a would be tackler to clear up an open field for #17. He did a formidable job in the fullback position, too. 5 catches for 45 yards on a day where he was often targeted. I'd give him an A if he had gotten in the end zone.

Jermon Bushrod: B (2.84) Bushrod was mostly fine. He got Brees hit once and sacked once by Chris Long, but on both plays Brees could have had better pocket awareness and gotten rid of the ball sooner. His run blocking wasn't great, but it was pretty good.

Carl Nicks: B (3.00) Nicks was great in pass blocking, but the run blocking wasn't as good as usual. The Saints in general didn't have a tremendous amount of success running on the left side.

Jonathan Goodwin: B (3.04) He was having a fantastic game, but I got annoyed at him for missing a block on the screen pass to Pierre Thomas. He was also partly to blame for Eckel getting stacked up on that 4th down play. He makes his assignment there and the game is basically over. Otherwise, he was solid in pass protection.

Jahri Evans: A- (3.33) Evans continues to prove why he's Pro Bowl worthy. The right side of the Rams' line was neutralized all day. Every single successful run came from the right side. He threw a phenomenal block on Bush's 55 yard scamper. I'd give him an A but he should have had more push on the 4th down play.

Jon Stinchcomb: A- (2.96) Matched up against an aging but very dangerous defensive end in Leonard Little, Stinchcomb ate him alive. He was also responsible for a terrific block on Bush's long run. On Bush's 17 yard run in the 1st quarter, he was also involved. Little finished with 1 tackle and never even got close to touching Brees. Stinchcomb is playing some good football right now.

Darnell Dinkins: D (1.34) The Saints pained through weeks of this guy being hurt, for what? He blocked poorly, he can't catch, and he had ANOTHER false start penalty. I realize this guy is supposed to be a good blocker, but at what point do the Saints decide he's not worth a roster spot when he hurts us every time he's on the field? I hate to be hard on him because I know he's capable of better, but Dinkins is making too many mistakes for how little he plays.

Kyle Eckel: C (1.84) He was ok in run blocking. The Saints overall had more success running with David Thomas as the fullback. Give him credit for converting a 3rd and short with a nice 7 yard run. That got him another opportunity on 4th and 2, but he got stacked for a loss. That was a critical point in the game, but I blame bad play calling for that play more so than Eckel.

My Offensive Player of the Game: Reggie Bush

Poll

Who Was Your Offensive Player of the Game?

Reggie Bush

489 votes

Drew Brees

14 votes

David Thomas

12 votes

Robert Meachem

22 votes

Jahri Evans

10 votes

547 votes | Poll has closed

Rams VP Kevin Demoff covers the cap, free agency, TST and more in his chat today.

VanRam — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:22:34 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - AP

The St. Louis Rams would like to see safety Oshiomogho Atowgwe in their future.

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St. Louis Rams VP of Football Operations and COO Kevin Demoff held a live chat with fans today. Some highlights, with comment:

If there is a salary cap in 2010, the Rams will be approximately 35m under the salary, which would be the third most room under the cap in the NFL. There has been some pain this year, but the salary cap should not be the driving force behind any personnel decisions moving forward. This year, we were forced to create a dollar of salary cap room for every dollar of salary cap room spent. That meant making difficult decisions with some talented players, but we made the decisions that we thought were best for the long-term future of this organization.

Though I don't believe there will be a cap, having $35 million worth of space under the cap is great news. It means that the Rams can really make some strides to fill the big holes on the roster, without having to choose between one position at the expense of the other in the draft. Of course, if it is an upcapped year that means...

However, if 2010 is uncapped, there will be a limited free agent pool consisting of players with 6 years or more of experience. That will make it harder to sign young, talented players in free agency, the type of player every team wants in free agency. As a result, in an uncapped year, the draft will be paramount, which is one of the reasons we are trying to stockpile picks in the 2010 draft.

I don't know what his definition of stockpiling is, but so far the Rams have added a 5th round pick from the Eagles in the Witherspoon trade and a 7th round pick from the Falcons in the Tye Hill trade. Those could be packaged to move up in other rounds, of course. I don't know that they'll have much in the way of compensatory picks, since they really didn't lose many free agents of note.

Which players are up for free agency this year? It depends on the cap situation. Here's the list from Demoff:

...eight players...[that] would normally be Unrestricted Free Agents in 2010 who will be Restricted Free Agents in 2010 if there is no salary cap. Those players are as follows: Victor Adeyanju, OJ Atogwe, Alex Barron, Samkon Gado, Gary Gibson, Richie Incognito, Ruvell Martin, Mark Setterstrom. We would have the right to "tender" all of those players as RFA's. There are 6 players who will be UFA's no matter what the cap situation is: Kyle Boller, James Hall, Paris Lenon, Leonard Little, Chris Massey, Randy McMichael.

We'll talk plenty more about these guys down the road. For now, I'd say you can count on the Rams making an effort to hang onto Atogwe, Gibson, Incognito, Setterstrom, and some combination of Hall and Little. Those last two guys will surely be considering retirement, though they could still be useful as part timers.

The highlight of the chat...a TST shout out from Demoff. Check it out:

I couldn't let the good guys at TurfShowTimes go unrewarded for their drive to send in questions for this chat.

Hell yeah! Anyway, he answered our question about re-signing Atogwe, and it sounds like the team plans to keep him in the picture for the future.

Alright, go read the whole thing. It's pretty informative.

Questions for Kevin Demoff

VanRam — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:55:43 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Is Atogwe in the plans for next year?

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Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. CST, St. Louis Rams VP of Football Operations and COO Kevin Demoff will take part in a live chat with fans on the Rams official web site. Some questions you might pose to the team's contract guy:

Are there plans to negotiate a new contract with O.J. Atogwe?
Is Alex Barron in the plans for next season? If so, will you use his RFA status to retain him?
If the league is without a cap next season, how will that directly impact the Rams?
Will you re-sign Leonard Little?
How active does the team plan to be on the free agent market?

Others?

Be sure to head over there for the chat. It should be pretty informative, and it also gives the Rams incentive to do more direct, new media outreach with their fan base.

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?

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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.