It’s been an ugly season for the most part, but it’s shockingly looked much better as of late.

 - I would say last week’s result was mainly the Rams playing well against a depleted secondary. Steven Jackson took over the first half, and for the first time this year, Marc Bulger ran an effective passing game. The Saints didn’t look that great, but our defensive gameplan was to let them have the small plays and force turnovers. It worked almost enough to steal a win.
 - Nothing much. Once the Rush Limbaugh story died, it took most of the attention with it. And yes, there is a chance it could relocate, but I’d say that’s about a 15% chance. Los Angeles will be looking for a team well before St. Louis could leave, and the St. Louis market is more than viable for an NFL franchise.
 - Neither? I really don’t know. Last week, we sat everyone back in coverage and watched our D-line run in wacky squiggly lines around the field as Brees ate breakfast, watched Family Feud, and then completed passes. It was a very frustrating defense to watch as a Rams fan, but amazingly we finally forced some turnovers and made it work. If Flajole (our DC) rolls it out against you guys again, expect neither.

Most NFL teams use the forward pass these days… just playing. Obviously, we have to make the most out of Steven Jackson’s talent every week. He’s the most underrated football player in the NFL (just ahead of Andre Johnson). Still, what we’ve seen is teams get tired of him turning 2 yard plays into 6 yard plays and just stack the box with 9 people. It’s really sad to see Marc Bulger struggle against such compacted defensive formations. Still, if last week is any indication, the Rams got a huge playmaker in Brandon Gibson. He was a YAC devouring machine, something the Rams haven’t had since Torry Holt was young and spry. Expect to see Gibson juking, Avery running very, very fast, and Randy McMichael finding ways to drop easy receptions.

It’s more an indication of a return to the mean. Long’s issue has been his approach, and we can’t find if it’s his doing or a coaching stance that he’s following. He tends to only use outside pass rush moves and never tries to cut the B gap in between the tackle and guard. Last week, he flashed some B gap moves, and St. Louis fainted. In any case, he’s in his sophomore season, so he’s still got plenty of time to improve.

Can I hop in here 3k?

 - Honestly it’s been a very shaker year on the defensive line. Lenoard Little still shows flashes of his youth. Against the Jags he actually had a pick 6. Chris Long has struggled again this year, but has a sack in each of the last 2 games and seems to be improving. I would say a toss up, but I can feel Long having a potential break through game soon… but who knows!

- Our receivers have been improving. Now, honestly this is the most confusing area on the team IMHO. We lost Laurant Robinson who showed signs of a brilliant possession receiver to a season ending knee injury, and also Keenan Burton to a season ending knee injury last week. We’ve picked up several ex-Eagles – Almendola (who is a good K and P returner but had a BIG drop last week and he may have scored), Ruvell Martin (yet to see action) and Brandon Gibson who last week shined with 7 receptions for 93 yards (Great RAC look out for this) in his first ever regular season game (I believe?). Avery has started to pick things up the last couple weeks… 2 TD last week vs Saints. I think mostly due to play calling and getting him downfield. He has struggled in the short passing game.

- Jason Smith has performed GREAT. He had moments early on, but recently he’s really done well. He allowed only one sack to Dwight Freeney when we played the Colts. That alone says something about his potential. The real guy to watch is Alex Barron. He has had a rough season… great at times, then bonehead in others. I think if we can get through a game where he isn’t called for holding or false start, we’re all fairly happy. I predict he’ll be gone after the season. Incognito has played better and penalty free but then again he has been injured for a couple weeks. Not sure if he’ll be in this week or not.

- There are many opinions as to what we need, but I have to say QB and D-Line… both DT and DE as Little isn’t getting younger, and Long is still a question mark. Most of us at TST believe a strong DT could really help Long on the outside. Suh looks good, but if we get some wins he may not be around for us to draft…

I’d say the biggest needs are QB, #1 WR, DT/DE… that’s the short list. We also need a solid #2 RB because Jackson is getting pounded week in and week out… how much longer can he do that?

Hope that answers your questions!

There’s been plenty of motivation to go that route this year. We drafted Keith Null last year, but he hasn’t smelled the field this year sitting behind Bulger and Boller on the depth chart. The remainder of this season is absolutely crucial in determining whether Bulger will be a Ram in 2010 or not. Either way, his time in St. Louis is quickly drawing to a close.

  He’s handled character issues in Incognito and Barron quickly and comprehensively. He’s been able to put together a D-line that has been functional which is saying something given how bad our DT depth is. He’s been able to control the team’s emotions and push them to keep the effort level at the maximum – something Linehan utterly failed to do once things got rough. The real key is how long it will take him to build the kind of defense he had in New York.
  You can see the effect his departure had on the Giants’ defense; hopefully, his arrival in St. Louis can have an opposite effect.

  I think once the game starts, the Cardinals are in the end the visiting team. But Kurt will always be a fan favorite. I’m certainly not a historian, but I can’t think of another instance when a city got an NFL franchise, a Super Bowl victory and a story like Kurt’s in a single season like the 1998 Rams.

We of course don’t want you to beat the Cards this week, but we were all rooting for you to topple an undefeated!