...the way he looks in this video is the way he can actually play in a Rams uniform.

I have to admit, I never heard of Aaron Brown before this draft. I was upset that we passed on outside linebackers such as Lavonte David and Sean Spence when they were there for the taking. I also didn't like the fact that we waited until the 7th round to address the position.

BUT! And you knew there was a "but" coming. I am impressed for one thing with the length of this video and the plethora of plays that Aaron Brown is involved in. The other thing I am impressed with is his ability to sift through trash and get his nose in the middle of the play. He shows great speed and tackling ability and at 6-1 235 he is actually bigger than Lavonte David and Sean Spence.

Hopefully he will wind up being a late round gem that Jeff Fisher is known for digging up.

Looking back at what happened going into and during the 1999 NFL Draft and comparing it to what has happened so far going into the 2012 draft, there are a lot of similarities.

Back in 1999, two quarterbacks were expected to go #1 and #2 in the draft. Cleveland was expected to take Tim Couch, an ultraproductive white pocket passing quarterback from Kentucky. The Eagles were expected to take Donovan McNabb, an athletic strong armed black quarterback from Syracuse. This year it's the same thing. The Colts are expected to take one of the best pocket passers who has come out in a while in Andrew Luck who happens to be white. The Redskins are expected to take black, strong armed athletic quarterback Robert Griffin III.

In 1999 there was a HUGE trade which involved the Redskins and a dreadlocked athlete that was wowing all the draft prognosticators. Back then, the Saints and Mike Ditka offered their entire draft to the Redskins to move up to number 4 and they took Texas running back Ricky Williams. This year the Redskins mortgaged their future and offered three number one picks plus a second rounder for this year to the Rams to put themselves in position to take Robert Griffin III.

In 1999, the Rams traded down with another team and wound up with the number six pick. The Rams took a wide receiver by the name of Torry Holt and we all know what happened after that. This year, the Rams traded down and wound up with the #6 pick again and guess what one of their biggest needs is...yes that is right, they need a wide receiver. Justin Blackmon just might be sitting there for the Rams to fill that hole.

In 1999, the Rams came into the season with a new offensive coordinator from an eastern division team. They brought in Mike Martz from the Washington Redskins. This year we will be starting the season with a new offensive coordinator named Brian Schottenheimer from the AFC East New York Jets.

In 1999, the Rams brought in a key interior lineman from the Green Bay Packers. Adam Timmerman was a major contributor to the Packers NFC Champion and Super Bowl Champion teams of the late 90's. This year, the Rams have brought in Scott Wells. He was the center for the Packers who won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2010 season.

All I know is at the end of that season Jeff Fisher was coaching his NFL team in the Super Bowl. That team was the Tennesee Titans who lost to our Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. Hopefully Fish will be coaching a Super Bowl at the end of this season also, just with a different result as far as he is concerned!

I guess the discussion between Rams fans about whether we should take Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd has become pretty heated. I did a little research and this is what I came up with after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

So many things to post, so little time. Just a cornucopia of Rams related info after the jump. Dig in and let me know what you think.

Continue reading this post »

As we all recall, when Steve Spagnuolo came in as the head coach a couple of years ago, he scoured the Giants and Eagles rosters for defensive players that he used to coach when he was with those organizations and we quickly became Giants/Eagles West. Of all those players who were brought in, it seems like Quintin Mikell is the only one who found a permanent home in St. Louis. Fred Robbins was a decent DT but we have moved on. Now we have an all new coaching staff who all came from different directions and I am sure they would like to bring in some of the athletes that not only they are familiar with but the players will be familiar with the scheme. I went through the Pro Football Weekly Free Agent Tracker to see which unrestricted free agents are (or were) out there and this is what I came up with:

Brian Schottenheimer's New York Jets offense connection:

QB - Kellen Clemens, Mark Brunell, Kevin O'Connell

RB- Ladanian Thomlinson

WR- Plaxico Burress, Jericho Cotchery

TE- Matthew Mulligan (Rams have a visit scheduled with him already)

OG - Robert Turner

Jeff Fisher's Tennessee Titans connection:

FB - Ahmard Hall

OG - Jake Scott

DE- Dave Ball, William Hayes, Jason Jones (went to Seattle)

CB - Cortland Finnegan (already signed by Rams!)

S - Chris Hope, Anthony Smith

LS - Kenneth Amato

Greg Williams' New Orleans Saints Defense connection:

DE - Jeff Charleston

DT - Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rogers

OLB - Jo-Lonn Dunbar

ILB - Ramon Humber

CB - Tracy Porter (scheduled to come in for a visit), Leigh Torrence

I personally wouldn't mind if by the end of free agency that Corland Finnegan (CB), Kellen Clemens (QB), Matthew Mulligan (TE), Plaxico Burress (WR), Jake Scott (OG) and Tracy Porter (CB) are all signed. Although, I am intrigued by the thought of kicking the tires on Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Shaun Rogers. I know it's all far fetched because I'm not even thinking about the economics of potentially signing all these players but these options are out there for us.

Is it just me or are things moving WAY to slowly for the Rams so far in their quest to acquire talent this offseason. I like the job that Jeff Fisher did when he got here by trimming the fat and letting go of people like Jacob Bell, Jason Brown, Fred Robbins, Justin Bannan and Justin King. With the players we cut and the free agents that we lost, I figured their were about 17 holes to fill on our roster. So far, all we have been able to reel in are CB Cortland Finnegan, C Scott Wells and DT Kendall Langford.

There were a lot of free agents that we never resigned who probably might still be floating around out there for us to bring back. If Chris Chamberlain, Kellen Clemens, Donnie Jones and Tony Wragge are still available I would like for the Rams to bring them back. Chamberlain was serviceable as a linebacker and special teams demon. Kellen Clemens did an admirable job while Bradford was out with his injury last season and now that Brian Schottenheimer is our OC, it wouldn't hurt to have Clemens back since he is familiar with his system. Donnie Jones in my opinion was a pro bowl punter that never got a fair shake. I had Tony Wragge penciled in as our starting center when we let go of Jason Brown. He would be good to have for depth.

I was glad that we were able to pull the deal with the Redskins for our number two. The idea that we own their first round draft pick for the next three years probably puts us in a position to add some prime talent over the next three years BUT....(and you knew their was a BUT coming). When we were talking about trade scenarios I was actually hoping we could work a deal that would give us someones first round, second round and either 3rd or 4th round as well as a first round or second round next year. I would have preferred to fill the holes that are on the roster right now with free agency and 6 picks in the first four rounds this year. I figure by the time we get to use that first rounder in 2014, some of the studs on the current roster are going to be leaving and needing to be replaced. Hence, we will constantly be in rebuilding mode.

Because we are a team that seems to be perpetually rebuilding it seems like prime free agents don't seem to want to come to the Rams. We need to move faster to get this organization to the point where everyone will want to be a part of the fun in St. Louis like the old Greatest Show On Turf days.

Right now we have the 6th pick in the first round. There should only be three players for us to target with that pick. Justin Blackmon, Matt Kalil and Morris Claiborne. If those guys are all gone, we need to trade down with someone who wants that 6th pick and pick up an additional 2nd or 3rd round pick. Depending on how far down we drop, we might be able to draft David DeCastro or Kendall Wright later on in the first round.

When the second round starts we will be on the board and teams will have overnight to work a deal with us to move down out of that pick. There HAS TO BE a stud who falls out of the first round that many teams will be clamoring to get into position to pick up. If we can trade down out of that 33rd pick and pick up another third rounder, then that will put us even closer to filling some of those roster holes with prime talent.

One thing that I like is the fact that Jeff Fisher has a knack for finding diamonds in the rough for the offensive and defensive line in the later rounds. Michael Roos who is one of the top offensive tackles in the league is from Eastern Washington, guard Eugene Amano is from Southeast Missouri State, guard Jake Scott is from Idaho and DT Jason Jones (who scorned us and went to Seattle) is from Eastern Michigan. So if we wind up scratching our heads on draft day give Fisher the benefit of the doubt.

If we wind up making the two trades this is what I would like to see our draft board look like:

1st Round: David DeCastro OG

2nd Round: David Wilson RB

2nd Round: Zebrie Sanders OT

3rd Round: Sean Spence OLB

3rd Round: Amini Silatolu OG

3rd Round: Nigel Bradham LB

4th Round: Brian Quick WR

6th Round: Kheeston Randall DT

7th Round: Ryan Steed CB

7th Round: Brian Linthecum TE

I have brought this up over and over on other posts and I think it's about time I stated my two cents. There are three players in this upcoming draft that quite a few Rams fans seem enamored with. Defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Devon Still and also OLB Zach Brown.

Over the years, we have busted over and over on defensive tackles in the first couple of rounds. Damione Lewis, Jimmy Kennedy, Adam Carriker. Claude Wroten and Ryan Pickett (who was a decent Ram at the end of his tenure but became a very good Green Bay Packer). The last thing we need to do, especially with these extra picks we got from the RGIII trade, is to waste them on more busts.

In my opinion Michael Brockers and Devon Still are better suited being drafted by other teams. Does this video of Michael Brockers impress you? All he does is get stuffed at the line like some of the DT's we have on our current roster. I can't imagine how he will do against pro level offensive guards and centers. This video of Devon Still isn't much better. I am hoping that now that we lost Robbins and Bannon that a top tier free agent or two are on the way.

I know we need an outside linebacker and Zach Brown of North Carolina seems to be the consensus top rated OLB in the upcoming draft but I honestly feel he will be a bust. Take a look at this video. He may be fast but he tackles like he really doesn't want to. Kind of like Deion Sanders. I would feel better with Lavonte David, Sean Spence (I like this video!) or Nigel Bradham. These guys are fast and are not afraid to tackle.

Besides that, the Rams are making a lot of cuts. It's like their cleaning the refrigerator to make room for the Thanksgiving groceries. I can't wait to see what develops..

If by chance the Rams suck so bad this year and we wind up with the number one pick, the last thing we should do is draft another quarterback. Drafting Sam Bradford was one of the best draft picks the Rams have made in the last 15 years.

Remember in 1997 the Oakland Raiders made a trade to move up to the second pick in the draft to set themselves up to take Orlando Pace. A couple of days later we made the trade with the Jets to have the number one pick and ultimately took Pace number one overall? this is what happens when a highly coveted player comes out. Andrew Luck is one of the most talented quarterbacks to come out since Peyton Manning. There is a boatload of teams who need a quartback that are salivating to have a shot at him.

Sam Bradford is a franchise quarterback and this team has historically struggled to keep one of those. Remember the Rams  succeeded in turning Jim Everett into a female tennis player. we turned possible hall of famer Kurt Warner into an injured castoff and somewhere former Pro bowler Marc Bulger has Queensryche's song "I'm Gonna Get Close To You" playing over and over in his head. The demise of all three of those quarterbacks was poor offensive line play that damaged their phsyces.

the best thing for the Rams to do is trade their pick and move down to add a dominant pass blocking tackle, a number one receiver, a road grading guard and an explosive running back to eventually replace Steven Jackson. Dont trade Bradford and have us start over again, surround him with talent and lets get to work!

If you are a Raiders fan.

My stepdaughter was talking smack when it was 21-3 at halftime and decided to DVR the second half. I got home from church and our family Sunday and found out the Bills came back and won the game. I decided to sit down and watch the recording to see how the Bills did it. I must say, I enjoyed every second of it very much as the Raiders defense turned Ryan Fitzpatrick (ex-Ram by the way) into Tom Brady.

I was caught up in the recording as the lead kept changing and the Bills were moving the ball with a minute left. they were down four and needed to punch it in. A couple of Raiders penalties brought the Bills into the red zone and just as I was on the edge of my seat expecting a huge finish, CBS announced that "due to contractual obligations we will be breaking away from this game to the Patriots Chargers game!" With 30 seconds left in the battle they broke away to commercials and all of a sudden we were watching the pregame setup from Foxboro. I would have loved to have been at a Raiders party to see how they would have reacted to that one. 

Oh well the Raiders lost and thats all that mattered to me.

There is a certain reciever that I have been clamoring for the past couple of years and all that I caught was a bunch of flak from my fellow TSTers. I said that the Rams should have considered trading a 3rd to 5th round pick for Steve Smith of the Panthers but everyone said he was to old and slow. He even said he wanted to be traded because of the quarterback situation in Carolina (before anybody knew what Cam Newton was gonna do with his first two games). Now Steve Smith leads all receivers with 14 catches for 334 yards. You think Sam Bradford would be able to do something with that kind of talent on the outside? We wound up drafting Austin Pettis, Greg Salas and Jermale Hines with those aforementioned draft picks. Would anyone rather have Steve Smith on our roster instead of one of those three guys? I know I would!

I got my new issue of Sports Illustrated and as expected a Philadelphia Eagle is on the cover. Yes it was Nnamdi Awesomewha. But in the NFL section there is a side story about 10 deals that will make a difference. There are 5 Big Name Deals and 5 Under the Radar Deals. 

Haynesworth, Jonathon Josepth, Santonio Holmes, Reggie Bush and Peyton Manning are the big name deals but the first one mentioned in the Under the Radar moves is the Rams signing of Harvey Dahl. This is what it says:

"Atlanta had two above average free agent guards in Dahl and Justin Blalock. Blalocks three years younger at 27, so he stayed with the Falcons and Dahl went on the market.The Rams will make him a Day One starter and his mean streak will serve them well."

I can't believe we actually got SOME recognition from someone outside the St. Louis area!

Looking back at the players that the Rams drafted I would have to say that we nissed out on talent at key positions that we are trying to fill now. If I was in charge of the draft here are the players I would have picked. I agree with the Robert Quinn choice in the first round.

In the second round, the Lance Kendricks choice surprised me. I get the fact that were trying to create a dual tight end threat but I thought our TE's were already serviceable. I would have taken wide receiver Leonard Hankerson. he is a big target who looked strong in the Senior Bowl. With that choice we could have been done with our wideouts. Instead we took Austin Pettis and Greg Salas with our third and fourth round picks which in my opinion only muddled the reciever situation with two more receivers who cant separate. We could have had a receiver unit of Clayton, Amendola, Avery, Gibson, Alexander and Hankerson.

In the third round I would have taken defensive tackle Drake Nevis who was viewed as a late first round, early second round talent who slipped into the third. He would have been a great addition to our DT rotation and I'm sure Spags would have liked his D Line prospects.

In the fourth I would have taken RB Kendall Hunter who is known for his ability to run the outside and catch passes out of the backfield. He also showed he could excel in pass protection during Senior Bowl drills. He would have been an excellent as a third down back.

In the fifth round we traded down with Atlanta so they could take Jaquizz Rodgers. I would have stood pat and taken Michigan St linebacker Greg Jones. He was one of the best inside backers in college but he started as an outside backer and played it very well.

If we dont trade with Atlanta we have only two seventh rounders instead of three. I would have used those two picks to take offensive guard Maurice Hurt and OLB Mark Herzlich. All the positions we needed to address would have been tsken care of except for the secondary but I didnt think the secondary was as much of a need.

Comments?

I'm actually surprised. In previous draft talk posts, Von Miller did not seem like he was being considered as a popular pick for the Rams because a lot of TST'ers were saying that he was shaping up as a possible 3-4 rush end/linebacker. My last post on this series showed that he is the overwhelming favorite as the sixth most coveted player on our board. After six selections, this is the current Turf Show Times Community Draft Board:

1. A.J. Green

2. Nick Fairley

3. Julio Jones

4. Patrick Peterson

5. DaQuan Bowers

6. Von Miller

I guess his performance in the Senior Bowl and Combine really helped convince Rams fans that he can work in Steve Spagnuolo's system. I would not mind at all if he fell to us at 14.

Now, we will move on. Let us pretend that the Rams have the 7th pick in the 2011 draft. If all the aforementioned players are already off the board, who is the next most coveted player according to Rams fans?

That last poll was a tight race. 24% of you voted for Patrick Peterson and 23% voted for Da'Quan Bowers. Peterson won that poll by one stinking vote! With that, I will skip the 5th pick and move on to the sixth pick (if you don't mind) and this is how the Rams draft board looks so far:

1. A.J. Green

2. Nick Fairley

3. Julio Jones

4. Patrick Peterson

5. Da'Quan Bowers.

I'm wondering if some of you have changed your minds about your previous pick now that the combine is behind us. Now, let's continue with the experiment. Let's pretend that the Rams have the sixth pick in the draft and ALL the players mentioned above are already off the board. Who is the next coveted player coming out this year among St. Louis Rams fans?

The experiment continues. After three separate polls, it has been concluded that the fanbase of the St. Louis Rams is not fooling around with the idea of bolstering the wide receiver corps. The most coveted prospect in the draft is wide receiver A.J. Green. Number two prospect is defensive tackle Nick Fairley and the latest poll decided that Rams fans want wideout Julio Jones above anyone else. This next poll gets even more interesting.

Let's pretend that the Rams are drafting fourth overall and when our pick comes up, A.J. Green, Nick Fairley and Julio Jones are all off the board (which would really suck if it did happen). Who is the next most coveted player available?

[Note by VanRam, 02/11/11 9:35 PM EST ] Promoted from the Fan Posts by Van Ram. The draft is the one time of year I think every fan is entitled to let speculation run wild, so we might as well entertain the notion of the St. Louis Rams picking third in the draft.

The experiment continues and this is where it starts to get interesting. With TST supporters helping build the draft board it has been concluded so far that the number one prospect on our board is obviously AJ Green, the wide receiver from Georgia. The second most coveted player is Nick Fairley, the defensive tackle from Auburn.

Now lets pretend that the Rams have the third pick in the draft and Green and Fairley are off the board. Do we pull the trigger on the receiver of the future in Julio Jones at number three or do we take a higher rated player at another position and hope that a top flight receiver can be taken in the second round?

Okay, the experiment so far is starting off just the way I thought. Over 60 percent of TST voters voted that we should take A.J. Green if we have the first overall pick. I was actually surprised that some fans voted that we should take the QB Blaine Gabbert since we already have a QB in Sam Bradford on board. Makes me wonder if opposing teams fans are getting on the site and voting for players who are not in a position of need to try and throw us off. Selecting the TE Kyle Rudolph and OLB Akeem Ayers also seemed strange to me.

Moving on, now we can pretend that the Rams have the second overall pick in the draft and A.J. Green is already off the board. Who would you take with the second pick in the draft? 

I am going to conduct an experiment on this website and all of you who contribute to Turf Show Times will be my guinea pigs. I want to get a feel for the heartbeat of the Rams fanbase to see who they really want the team to pick in this years draft. I will go about this one pick at a time so I can build my draft board and see if my way of thinking is on line with the way the rest of you are thinking.

To move on to the experiment, lets pretend that the Rams have the number one pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Of all the prospects that are coming out, who would you want the Rams to take? Check the poll below and make your selections.

In a year where it has become painfully obvious that the St. Louis Rams are in dire need of a wide receiver, this is starting to shape into an NFL Draft that has become painfully weak at the position. As the college season was coming to a close we were collectively licking our chops hoping we could get our hands on an AJ Green, Julio Jones, Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Ryan Broyles, Jonathon Baldwin or Leonard Hankerson. Now that the deadline to commit to the NFL Draft has come and gone, a lot of talented players have decided to go back to school. Among those players are Justin Blackmon (Ok. State), Michael Floyd (Notre Dame), Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma), Devier Posey (Ohio St.), Juron Criner (Arizona), T.Y. Hilton (Florida Intl.), Martin McNutt (Iowa) and Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M).

Among the players who decided to early out from college to enter the draft are AJ Green (Georgia), Julio Jones (Alabama), Jonathon Baldwin (Pitt.), Tandon Doss (Indiana), Randall Cobb (Kentucky), Torrey Smith (Maryland), Tori Gurley (South Carolina) and DeAndre Brown (Souther Miss). It just makes you wonder what this reciever draft class would look like if none of these players decided to leave early!

My concern is about the receivers that are left on the Rams War Room Draft board to choose from. A.J. Green will undoubtedly be gone before the 14th pick in the draft comes up. There is a very remote chance that Julio Jones will be there. I don't believe that reaching for Baldwin in the first round can be an option. We will have to wait until the second round to see who is available.

Even if we were to draft a reciever, he would have to learn the playbook, find his niche and POSSIBLY take a couple of years before he starts contributing. It just makes me wonder if we should use our picks this year to bolster our offensive line and our defensive front seven. I am starting to warm up to the idea of drafting either Mike Pouncey (OG) or Ryan Kerrigan (DE) with the 14th pick an outside linebacker like Bruce Carter or Mason Foster in the second round and a running back like DeMarco Murray or Shane Vereen in the 3rd round.

Instead of paying a boatload of money for Vincent Jackson or Sidney Rice, maybe we could trade a later round draft pick for Steve Smith of the Panthers. His house is up for sale and he would like to be traded to a contender. I'm not saying the Rams are a contender right now but with a solid draft and a veteran signing or two (Chad Greenway?), we could be in the mix.

With Steve Smith as our #1, Mark Clayton as our #2 and Amendola as our slot guy we would have a good core to our receiving unit. Donnie Avery, Danario Alexander and either Brandon Gibson or Mardy Gilyard providing relief would be solid. I figure Smith would be good for at least 2 or 3 more years and then we could turn towards next years draft when Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Ryan Broyles and maybe Alshon Jefferies would be available.

Another take on spending big money on recievers: Did you see those dropped passes by Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houzhmenzadeh when the Ravens lost to the Steelers. Reminded me of that last game against the Seahawks. It seems like regardless of whether your pass catchers are seasoned veterans or up and coming rookies, the dropsies can happen anytime.

We suffered from dropped passes by Danario Alexander, Laurent Robinson, Daniel Fells, Brandon Gibson, Steven Jackson and even Danny Amendola whiffed on that sideline out. Sam Bradford really had a good game, he got the ball in spots where plays should have been made. Drives should have continued. More points should have been scored. Jackson could have had a better game if we would have given him the rock just a little bit more. Those dump-offs to Jackson got to predictable. Shurmur called plays to try and get the ball downfield but either Bradford would have the pass batted down or the recievers forgot how to use their hands. I think I broke my own hand when I slammed it on the ground after the Seahags converted that 3rd and long in the second quarter. I was glad Ed Hochuli wasn't officiating but after I saw the non-call penalties against us, I wished he was officiating.

I'm not mad anymore. I saw this game as a playoff game and we were in it till the end. It was a hell of a run and I want to thank the Rams for giving us an exciting 2010. Looking forward to free agency and the upcoming excitement about the NFL Draft. Time to start doing our research guys.

This past NFL weekend schedule gave us more evidence and a ray of hope that on any given day, David CAN slay Goliath.

The Minnesota Vikings beat Philadelphia in Philly with a rookie quarterback on national TV. The Eagles needed to win this game to get a first round bye and now the NFC playoff landscape has changed just that much with one loss.

The Redskins with Rex Grossman defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that the Jaguars absolutely had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive as they are fighting with the Colts for the AFC South title.

The Denver Broncos finally gave Tim Tebow his first start and they beat the Houston Texans who at the beginning of the season were making their own case for the AFC South.

The San Diego Chargers who were vying for the AFC West title needed to beat the Bengals and couldn't pull it off. I believe the Bengals were without Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens also. The Chargers season is now over.

Before Sundays games, Seattle was tied for first place with the Rams record-wise and the Bucs were in third place in the NFC South. The Bucs manhandled the Seahawks and kept their own playoff hopes alive.

The Saints went into Matt Ryan's house and pulled off a victory over the Falcons on Monday Night Football to clinch a playoff spot on the road. Before that game, wasn't Matty Ice like 14-2 at home or something like that? 

In other examples of BIG Davids going against equally big Goliaths, the Bears beat the Jets and the Packers beat down the Giants.

I don't know if you want to include the Cardinals victory over the Cowboys on Thursday night being that both teams are equally messy but the Cowboys were overwhelming favorites to win the NFC East before the season started.

With that said, here's hoping that the Rams can go into Qwest Field this Sunday night and jump on the Seahogs to quiet the 12th Man and send them to the turnstiles early.

God Bless the St. Louis Rams for making this an awesome Chrismas Holiday season. This is all I asked for!

Merry Christmas Rams fans and what a weekend it was. It was a huge sports weekend for me with the Heat coming to town to play against my Lakers on Christmas and then Niner week with playoff implications on Sunday. Of course my Lakers laid a huge egg in their loss to Lebron and Co. so I had to depend on my Rams to bring me up. BOY DID THEY! Not only did they end the Niners season but they got another coached fired as Mike Singletary was shown the door after we beat them. I'm gonna miss Mike. He made me laugh. Don't let the door hit you in the ass Mike!

Now we got a SUNDAY NIGHT Primetime match up with the SeaChickens for all the marbles. Bernie Miklasz has concerns about the time slot change but I think it's all good. Nothing wrong with getting a jump start on the playoff environment.

I guess it can get pretty loud in Qwest Field with the Seahawks fans known as the 12 man. But I like what Brian Billick said on NFL Network today. He's more worried about the other 11 men!

Matt Hasselbeck got hurt in the Tampa Bay loss on Sunday but no one touched him. It's been that kind of season for Seattle I guess. Now Charlie Whitehurst is slated to be the starter against us on Sunday. I can only envision our D-Line busting through that leaky Seattle O-Line and making it a rough day for Charlie all day.

Hard to believe we mired through a 1-15 season last year and now we are one win away from the playoffs! I love Ron Bartell's outlook on this link.

It's nice to know that I can go to church and take the family out for a nice leisurely breakfast and come home at 5:00 for the BIG game on TV this coming Sunday. Life my friends, is good! 

A frustrating loss this week against the Saints but honestly, I don't think too many of us really EXPECTED us to go into New Orleans and defeat the defending champs. It was a noble effort as the team as a whole fought to the end. Now we are home for a crucial game against the cross state rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, for a magnified chapter of the Governor's Cup. Has it ever happened that the Governer's Cup has featured two first place teams in the last three weeks of the season? Somehow, I doubt it.

1) The Rams-Chiefs and Chargers-Niners games this week will go a long way in determining the outcomes of the NFC and AFC West divisions. The Allies (Rams / Chargers) are teaming up to take down the Axis (49ers / Chiefs) and I am pulling for the Allies to come through again.

2) Who will win the NFC West? NFC Network takes a look at this discussion.

3) Nick Wagoner and Brian Stull on the St. Louis Rams website take an in depth look at the game this week.

4) A lot of current mock drafts are not giving the respect of thinking the Rams can win their division and make it to the playoffs. If this happens, they will pick 21st in the first round, 53rd in the second and 85th in the third round. WalterFootball.com is up to speed and I like their first two picks so far, addressing areas of need.  

5) Earlier in the season, the Rams had a penchant for pouncing on the opposition in the first half and in a lot of cases, they failed to go for the jugular. This was evident in their losses to Arizona, Oakland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and even in their victory against the Chargers. Now, they fallen into a rut and in their last three games against Denver, Arizona and New Orleans, and allowed them to move the ball with relative ease against our defense and given them quick starts against us. Something has to change.

6) We can all agree the NFC West has been some ugly football this season and the argument continues about whether or not a sub-.500 team should make the playoffs or not. Yahoo's Mike Silver shares a scenario that says the West can get uglier. The Rams actually control their own destiny and just need to win their way into the playoffs.

Now, let's all just relax and get ready to collectively root for the Bolts to come through for both of us on Thursday Night Football!

GOOO CHAAAAAJUUUS!

1) How bad is the state of the 49ers when head coach Mike Singletary announces he will be playing eenie meenie minee moe every week to decide who the starting quarterback will be? I seriously believe that his job is in jeopardy and with all the talent being wasted on that team they should have a better record than they do. Hey Mike!! Just out of curiousity.........is your favorite band The Smiths?

2) Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is suspended for the remainder of the season. He has openly stated that he doesn't like playing in 3-4 defenses. It's funny how Adam Carriker played in a 4-3 defense here with the Rams and didn't perform and was believed to be a better fit in Washington's scheme. Am I the only Rams fan that is wondering waaaaay back in the back of my head if Haynesworth is too much trouble or would he be delighted to be part of positive environment under Coach Spags in our 4-3? If so, what would we have to give up to get him?

3) Are you tired of Rex Ryans antics and his pearly whites? I know I am! Oh, by the way, Rex? If my wife wanted to be a magazine model, she could be if she tried! I was rooting for the Patriots to give the Jets a beat down and bring Ryan back to earth. Did they? Boy howdy!!

4) What is it with Brett Favre? When was the last time he played in a Super Bowl? It's been 13 years since his Packers lost to the Elway's Broncos. Was Favre the QB when Vince Lombardi was the coach? I can't remember.  Why is it that NFL Network, ESPN and FOX Sports needs to continue with their collective man crush with him? To me it seems like all he cares about is his consecutive games streak while the Minnesota Vikings season has fallen apart around him. In my opinion, the Vikes need to put Tarvaris Jackson on the field to see what they have in him before they go into the draft for next year. I can't wait for Favre to ride off into the sunset so these networks will be forced to talk about someone else and maybe the Rams can get a little more face time.

5) As much flak as the Martz-Linehan era has recieved for the bum draft picks we made during those era's, we gotta give Mike Martz and his scouting department kudo's for drafting Ryan Fitzpatrick. He is doing a helluva job and at least one NFL expert is saying that the team should keep him for the quarterback of the future. (Un)fortunately, that team is the Buffalo Bills. I'm not saying in ANY way that I would prefer Fitz over Bradford but at least one of the picks from that era has panned out, even though it's for someone else.

6) Ed Hochuli is at it again. Makes you wonder if the NFL is taking a look at this guy for his penchant for making horrendous calls. He was the referee involved in the "pass interference" call against OJ Atogwe in the overtime loss against the 49ers. Now he is under scrutiny for making that "unnecessary roughness" call against Ndamukong Suh. Don't you sometimes wonder if the league is trying to turn Suh into the next Richie Incognito? Seems like everytime we talk about him is because he did something in a game to lighten the load on his wallet.

This weeks opponent, the New Orleans Saints, go into week 14 with a 9-3 record and in second place in the NFC South. Their 3 losses this season have been to the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. With the Saints being defending Super Bowl Champions, it makes you wonder how they could have lost to the Browns and Cardinls considering how they are not two of the better teams in the league this year. Looking back at those two losses it was pretty obvious to me that those teams were playing over their heads and needed some lucky breaks and/or trick plays to pull off those victories. 

In that Browns game, I want to tip my hat to the Browns coaching staff for coming into the game prepared to run a few trick plays that caught the Saints just a little off guard. I don't know if Spagnuolo and Shurmur have it in them to run some trick plays being that, with Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson on the offense, maybe we feel that running trick plays are not necessary.

I would imagine another huge dose of Steven Jackson will be in the mix on Sunday. I am sure Browns running back Peyton Hillis is a big power back that would like to be thought of as the next Steven Jackson. He had a good day against the Saints that week with 16 rushes for 69 yards and a TD. Check out the breakdown of Peyton Hillis' touchdown. The offense did a good job of setting up the blocks and neutralizing the Saints defense to open up a huge hole on the left side for him to score.

The loss to the Cardinals seems to be a result of the Cardinals special teams and defense really coming through with some key plays. Two interceptions returned for touchdowns and three field goals made accounted for the majority of the Cardinals scoring with that game being Max Hall's debut. Not much was expected from him and he didn't need to with all the big plays that the Cards came through with. Check out the highlights.

Comparing the defensive units from the Saints and the Rams, the Rams are right up there in the NFC defensive rankings with the Saints  in points given up per game (Saints 18.9 / Rams 19.8), they are pretty even in rushing yards given up per game (Rams 103.5 / Saints 107.8). The Saints give up less passing yards per game than the Rams (Saints 199.3 / Rams 229.5). As much as we talk about the Rams defensive backs having hands of stone, the Rams have 10 interceptions and 65 passes defensed to the Saints 7 interceptions and 52 passes defensed.. The Saints have forced 17 fumbles while the Rams have forced 16. The number that excites me is the fact that the Rams have 35 sacks while the Saints have 23. You would figure a team that is winning a lot would put the opposition in a lot of passing situations and be able to build up their sacks, INTS and passes defended numbers. Just makes you wonder if Sam Bradford is in for a big day.

Bottom line, the talent level on this Rams team is much better than the Browns and Cardinals and if we can stay turnover free and keep the penalties down, the Saints can be had.

LETS GO RAMS!! (oh yeah, and let's go niners...........ugghh)

1) Looks like the Rams aren't the only the NFC team with an elite quarterback that is struggling to pull off close games. Considering where Sam Bradford is so far in his early career, it is obvious that he is ahead of the curve.

2) The Rams are starting their rise at the same time other playoff "pretenders" are blowing up. The timing is too perfect. To think that the Niners, Cowboys and Vikings were overwhelming favorites to run away with their respective divisions.

3) You have to agree that the Rams draft strategy of bringing in Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold were two of the better draft choices we have made in the last 10 years. With all the clamoring we have been doing about the offensive guard play (or lack thereof) we are probably one good guard away from having the best line in the league. The Indianapolis Colts are starting to doubt themselves for letting Ryan Lilja go before this season. I was kinda hoping we could have got him. But anyway....

4) Randy Moss went from the Patriots to the Vikings and they struggled to win. Now he is in Tennessee and the Titans have yet to win with him. With games left against Jacksonville, Kansas City, Houston and two games against the Colts, it doesn't look like it's going to get any better. The grumbling is already starting. Just makes me wonder what would have happened if he came here. I still think he would have been happier having Bradford launch SAM's (Surface to Air Missles) into his lap as he galloped down the sideline into the endzone.