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With the 2011 game of the year coming this Sunday, the 1-6 St. Louis Rams visiting the 1-6 Arizona Cardinals, it was only appropriate to add to the hype of the game by getting together with the Rams blog Turf Show Times and asking a few questions. I answered a few questions for them as well. You can read the five questions he asked me and how I answered. They asked about Kevin Kolb, our expectations for him and his recent injury.
As for my questions, the blogger known as 3k was kind enough to take a few minute to answer them. They are after the jump.
How is the fan base handling the rough start with expectations around the country being that the Rams would take the division?Not well, but the win over the Saints was a welcome anomaly in what has otherwise been a painful, frustrating season. I think most fans were rational enough to recognize that the Rams aren't an incredibly well-built team. But the pieces were in place to win enough games to grab the division; I think Sunday's game showed that. And while injuries have made it even more difficult for this team to succeed (ESPECIALLY at cornerback), that's a reality for many if not most teams in the NFL. So yes, the fans recognized the early schedule was difficult, but to lose games in the fashion we were losing them was both agonizing and unacceptable.
What exactly happened this year?
Well, like I said the injuries at corner pushed Justin King into a starting role, and teams jumped all over that. There were dropped passes in crucial situations by seemingly every receiving option on the team that had to have been as comical for anyone but the Rams as it was disgusting for us. Red zone opportunities were consistently squandered, and undisciplined mistakes were unusually costly (see: Cadillac Williams' dropped lateral screen against the Giants). It was too many mistakes by too many players that were happening far too often. Hopefully (and I mean that with the utmost sincerity), the Rams have used up their season's worth of all of that and the weeks ahead see a more disciplined, more focused team take the field every week.
Does the fan base still have trust in Sam Bradford?
Yes, but it's not as absolute as it was. Losses tend to do that. I think it's one of those things that as the support around him failed, it made him look even worse. I expect that once his ankle heals and he wins a game or two, he'll be back on track as the savior of the Rams.
What is the greatest strength of the team? The greatest weakness?
The strength of the team is either just having Steven Jackson or the pass rush. Jackson may be the most underrated back of his generation (all-time rushing leader for the Rams, beyond Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson, both HOFers); his performance both while rushing the ball and, ahem, vocally inspiring his teammates. As a unit, the combination of Chris Long, rookie Robert Quinn and veteran James Hall give the defense a capable, talented trio to build the gameplan around.
Prediction for Sunday?
I gotta ride the win streak...of one game. Rams 27-10 with both Bradford and Kolb on the sidelines.
Thanks to 3k...what do you guys have to say about what he shared?