Jackson’s image, on the other hand, has been tarnished.  Even though he won’t be charged, the allegation came out publicly and an allegation can look almost as bad as having formal charges placed on him.  While I haven’t seen a major backlash with his image, he’d only recently had the image he needed as a calm, cool team leader as opposed to the loudmouth he’d been beforehand.  After making a full 180, this allegation might knock him back.  For all involved, if a civil suit comes, it’d behoove Jackson to just pay the woman to finish the issue.

A report came out yesterday from TMZ.com that Pro Bowl RB of the St. Louis Rams, Steven Jackson, allegedly assaulted his 9 month pregnant girlfriend in March of 2009. Jackson has denied the allegations, and this has become a he-said, she-said, which more than likely won’t turn out well for the face of the franchise.  Given that coach Steve Spagnuolo came to the Rams with his “Four Pillars” and really stressing character, this probably doesn’t sit well.  But GM Billy Devaney has acknowledged that they will not stick so closely to the Four Pillars this offseason, but that’s for the acquisition of new players.

The plus to all of this is that since this came out in the offseason, Jackson and the Rams have a good chance to take care of it before next season, whatever may come of it.  There have been no charges filed, to my knowledge, so these are currently (very troublesome) allegations.  There really is no good way out of this one, however.  For a team that has really only one star, his public light has been definitely diminished due to these allegations.

Before I look at what to do with the #1 overall draft pick, the Rams have a pressing offseason problem – what do we do at QB?  Marc Bulger has a few years left on a pretty hefty contract, Kyle Boller may or may not return, and Keith Null is going into his second year as a professional but has a few games under his belt.  Though there may or may not be a capped year, here are the realistic options for the Rams -

1) Stick with what they have and look for a possible QB of the future.

2) Make drafting a QB a high priority and make that draft pick a starter immediately, cutting Bulger and keeping Boller and Null.

3) Cut Bulger to continue gaining good cap space and pick up a veteran QB for the interim while grooming a future QB.

Option #1 isn’t all that terrible considering there won’t be many (if any) methods to improving the QB position drastically but it limits the future of the franchise.  Bulger just isn’t cutting it right now and has taken a beating, as well as sustaining major leg injuries.  Boller didn’t show much at all in his time to make any case to be better than the #2 QB, and Null did just enough to put himself into talks of being the #2 QB but Bulger is no longer a clear #1 and there’s no identifiable #1 on the roster or in the future.  Nothing lost, but nothing gained.

Option #2 is very viable but also very risky.  Looking at the draft, Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma, Jimmy Clausen out of Notre Dame, Pike out of Cincinatti, Colt McCoy out of Texas are all the top QBs (Tim Tebow just isn’t viable to me).  The problem?  The 1st rounders (Bradford/Clausen/McCoy) are clear reaches for the #1 overall pick and will not be there by the 2nd round more than likely.  Would Pike be a better option in the 3rd round?  Also the Rams (or at least they should) be choosing for talent with every pick because there’s a need at every position, so that could potentially alter how they attack the draft.  Either way, if they reach for one of the 1st rounders it could very well be boom or bust depending on if there’s help on offense coming for that young QB.  The talent cupboard is bare, but drafting a new face of a franchise could make a PR difference and possibly get more butts in the seats.

But of the 3 options, #3 makes good sense now, with the QB being Michael Vick.  When he came back into full NFL reinstatement, it made no sense to grab him as a QB – too many other problems abound with the team.  However, after a year of work with the Eagles and getting back into football shape, it’s not all that bad of an idea.  Firstly, Bulger needs to be released.  His time with the Rams has come and gone, and he’s had to endure one hell of a beating over the past few seasons, which no doubt shortened his career.  He’s being paid like a guy who’s winning football games and being the face of a franchise, and he’s not doing that right now.  There’s no sense in paying him to keep getting walloped back there, and since we’ve already established that the draft options are not as clear cut for QB as to who would be the best fit and we know that Boller and Null aren’t starters right now, what’s the worst that can happen?

Well, there are a few downsides.  Though he’s a known winner, he’s not a known passer.  His accuracy isn’t the strongest, and considering the youth at WR the Rams currently have, they don’t want to possibly have a regression of some sort in their development by giving them a guy who’s not a pure passer by any means.  Another potential problem is the Eagles know there’s interest in Vick – they might hold onto him in order to trade him due to Vick’s perceived value.  Vick wants to be a starter in the NFL – McNabb is the guy in Philly and Kevin Kolb is laying in wait; he won’t get his shot there.  The Bills are a potential suitor but are trying to get a head coach right now and who knows what’ll happen with that, Al Davis might covet Vick’s rocket arm but I doubt he’d land in Oakland.  The Rams might have to part with a draft pick but if I remember right they have a couple of mid-round picks, and Vick isn’t worth more than a 4th rounder in my estimation.

So those are the downsides, what are the upsides?  Electricity in the air.  He’s not going to light it up through the air like the Greatest Show on Turf, but the assets the Rams have currently is in their ability to run the football.  Vick succeeded in Atlanta because he had a forceful offensive line, a great running game to complement his own, and his defense was solid.  My guess is that this offseason, defense must be addressed primarily.  But the keys for Vick’s success are there, and he could grow with those young receivers.  The Rams lacked a playmaking threat not named Steven Jackson on offense – Vick brings an added dimension that the Rams desperately need.  Could he really be worse than what we’ve seen the past few years?  His time off actually extends his career due to him not being banged around for a couple of years.  And as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, GM Billy Devaney knew Vick from Devaney’s time in Atlanta and I believe could make a solid pitch for the QB.

Oh and let’s be honest – who WOULDN’T come see Vick as the marquee guy in St. Louis?  The Rams faithful come to see something exciting and hands down – Michael Vick is the most exciting player in the NFL this decade.  Not the best, but the most exciting – he touched the ball every offensive snap and could do a billion things with it.  And the crowd always anticipated what he would do, waiting on the edge of their seats, hoping they’d see some magic.  Maybe Vick would be magical for the Rams.

The worst season in franchise history has finally concluded.  1-15.  A few close games, a very tough schedule, a lot of key injuries and a dearth of talent combined with a completely rookie coaching staff meant this was going to be a rough season.  But I didn’t think it’d be THIS rough.  Listen, kudos to the entire team for gutting it out and not quitting, unlike past years.  If there’s one thing to take away, it’s that Coach Steve Spagnuolo has the team’s attention and they’ve bought what he’s selling.  GM Billy Devaney has been making some decent moves but overall has a good nose for talent (Brandon Gibson pickup, Laurent Robinson pickup, Danny Amendola pickup all come to mind).  The front office got overhauled and the roster got overturned, so here’s hoping that the much needed continuity this franchise has will be a boon for them in the near future.

As far as grading the Rams position-by-position during the entire year, it’s very tough to do.  Steven Jackson, the NFC’s leading rusher and the Rams’ sole Pro Bowler, gets an A; both for effort and numbers.  The offensive line will be better but were good when all 5 starters were in and healthy.  They got in sync and it showed.  But you can’t just keep plugging in guys, especially rookies, into a brand new system come mid to late season due to injuries and really expect to compete.  So it’s kind of a push for grading the offensive line.  The same goes for the defensive line – Adam Carriker never played a snap, another DT went on IR midway through the season so you’re already in the hole with talent and depth.  Leonard Little really gutted it out and Chris Long picked it up in the back half of the season, finishing with a career high 5.0 sacks.  But the numbers don’t lie.  The same thing happens for the linebackers – when they’re as young as they are, including James Laurinaitis, mistakes will happen.  Guaranteed.  But some of this happens due to injury, due to suspensions, due to trading Will Witherspoon – it’s tough to give them a fair grade, in my opinion.  The secondary was a problem, but this also is due to injuries in many ways.  James Butler missed a few games, O.J. Atogwe went on IR, Ron Bartell played banged up and missed a game, I believe, and the corner opposite Bartell was a revolving door.  How can we really grade them?

There is one position we can fairly grade – Quarterback.  God awful.  Something needs to change, and there’s a lot of speculation as to what will happen to Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, and Keith Null.  But make no mistake – all three didn’t do very well.  Some of that can be attributed to the youth, inexperience and lack of chemistry with the WRs.  But then the WRs started dropping like flies (Laurent Robinson hit IR early, Keenan Burton around midseason).  And even though guys might have been open, the quarterback just never seemed right.  Again, nobody quit out there.  But it’s a major issue.

Anyhow, it’s mercifully a finished season.  The Rams must improve on a lot of things, but there are bright spots.  Whoever plays QB will have a young, fresh WR corps that are hungry and play like it.  There are a lot of guys coming back from injury who were expected to contribute or were contributing when they were hurt.  There’s a lot of upside, but there’s also not a lot of talent.  GM Devaney has his hands full in his second offseason with the Rams, but he’s been a smart person with his choices.

As far as the coaching staff, it was a serious learning season.  Spags is going to improve his game management.  Defensive coordinator Ken Flajole was decently aggressive with his schemes, but offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was far too bland for my tastes.  Open up that playbook for the 2010-2011 offense, please.  But rookie lumps are expected to be had.

As a preview for my post on what the Rams do with the #1 overall, here’s a name to remember – Ndamukong Suh.  Happy New Year everybody!

Week 14 – This was a game I thought about trying to go to.  Instead I was in Memphis and didn’t get to see a game in Nashville (thanks NFL distribution!), and the final score says plenty – 47-7.  Rookie Keith Null got his first start of the season, and threw a bunch of picks in what was a lackluster and listless overall performance.  The Tennessee Titans ate up the Rams like the Titans of Greek lore.  Richie Incognito got a couple of personal fouls….which would get him waived a few days later.   Nothing good to be had, but it’s apparent the team’s lack of depth and talent combined with injuries at the wrong positions will make this season tougher to get to.

Week 15 – Hosting the Houston Texans in a game that was blacked out, the Texans threw the ball up and down but only scored one touchdown.  Andre Johnson caught 9 balls for nearly 200 yeards (he IS the best WR in the NFL today), but no scores.  Danny Amendola, a bright spot on this rebuilding team, caught his first TD but coach Steve Spagnuolo’s decision to punt the ball on 4th down late in the game was questionable at best.  I understand having faith in your defense, but hell you only won one game – do you have something to lose?  Well the Rams did, losing 16-13.  Null showed more, and don’t be surprised if the 6th round pick sticks around as the backup next season.  Oh…and franchise player O.J. Atogwe was put on IR, along with starting LG Jacob Bell and TE Daniel Fells.  Season can’t get much better, right?

Week 16 – Rams go to the NFC West Champion Arizona Cardinals, and Kurt Warner feasts on the defense.  Marc Bulger officially goes on IR and probably will not be a Ram next year, Steven Jackson, who toughed it out with a bulging disc in his back for weeks, was held out of the Cardinals game.  Interesting note – Steven Jackson came into Week 16 as the #2 leading rusher in the NFL, even though he was running against 8 and 9 man fronts.  Amazing stuff.  The Rams lost to the Big Red 31-10, with Matt Leinart taking some snaps towards the end of the game.  Null continues to show some ability, Chris Ogbonnaya got his first playing time of the year and did a decent job, the patchwork offensive line (missing #2 overall pick RT Jason Smith, still out with a concussion) did the best it could, but this is getting tough to watch.  But one of the best pictures you’ll see that represents the potential future of the Rams is right here:

I couldn’t find the picture of Brandon Gibson’s amazingly acrobatic touchdown catch against the Cardinals, which says plenty.  Literally, there are bright spots for next year, particularly at WR, and the Rams have moved themselves closer to the #1 overall pick and hopefully Ndamukong Suh out of Nebraska…more later on as news comes available, with the Rams hosting the 49ers to close out the season.

EDIT: I did want to give kudos to Chris Long.  He’s turned up his pass rushing motor in the second half of the season, really getting a lot of pressures on the QBs, including his career best 5th sack recorded against the Cards.  Kudos to him, and it’s proof that there’s progress in St. Louis…it’s just slow.

Chris Johnson vs. Steven Jackson

Steven Jackson has quietly had probably the best season of his career, as the NFC’s leading rusher on a tremendously bad team.  He’s the sole focal point on an anemic offense and has to run against 8 and 9 man fronts, consistently putting up terrific numbers, all while having a bad back for the past few games.  He ought to make it to the Pro Bowl, if for no other reason than for being, as Howie Long said a few weeks ago, the second best RB in the NFL behind Adrian Peterson.  With a bad back again this week and with FB Mike Karney maybe playing after missing a couple of games, the question on SJ’s end is how long will he hold up until that back goes out?

If Jackson’s had a quiet, great year, then Chris Johnson’s season has been loud and extraordinary.  He’s staring down the barrel of a 2,000 yard season, and he’s going against a terrible run defense.

The Rams don’t have the physical play up front that they need, and the Titans offensive line can and will take it to this Rams front 7.  Look out for the “home run ball” that Johnson can hit on any given handoff and contrast that to Jackson’s methodical, bruising style (though he is more than capable of a home run).

Can the Rams Throw the Football???

This season has been so difficult for Jackson because of the lack of a passing offense.  And by lack, I mean its total and complete nonexistence.  The Bears last week played with 9 men in the box sometimes, and Kyle Boller wouldn’t audible to a throw.  The passing attack for the Rams has lacked bite for a couple of years now, and with Marc Bulger still out and Boller banged up, rookie Keith Null might actually get the start, according to a tweet from the official Rams headquarters. In the end, for the Rams to compete against the always physical Titans, they can’t keep on smashing Jackson 25 times a game and not give him any help.  Whoever is the QB, let’s see them get the ball downfield.

Dual Threat QBs A Problem For Rams Historically

Vince Young might be the best dual threat QB in the NFL right now off the top of my head.  This Rams defense doesn’t have the talent available to shut down a RB, and while the pass rush has gotten better as the year progressed, if they can’t stop the run when it’s planned, do you think they can stop an improvisational run, or worse, the option attack the Titans have been putting in?  Defensive Coordinator Ken Flajole will need to scheme and call a very good game for the Rams to have a shot, but gap control will be key.

The Offense Must Open Up

No matter who’s running the offense or playing QB, Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur has got to call a better game.  He’s got to open up the offense, spread the field, utilize the few weapons on offense there are, and just call it loose and fast.  This overly conservative offense just isn’t putting up points – this was the problem the past couple of years.  The defense would be worn out and the offense just couldn’t get anything on the board.  The defense plays pretty hard, but the Rams must start being aggressive with the football and getting away from this basic offense.

This will be a tough road game for the Rams, who will be without O.J. Atogwe, who’s on IR with a shoulder injury.  He’s the chief turnover machine for the Rams, and without him it’ll be very difficult for the Rams to force any turnovers.  Anything can happen, but unless Flajole calls a great defensive game, Chris Johnson might dash the Rams for over 150 yards and 2 TDs en route to a 27-13 Titans win.

Seen this before...

- The 17-9 loss to the Bears was particularly difficult to swallow because the Bears offense was shut down, for all intents and purposes.  Jay Cutler looked God-awful, completing very few passes in the second half, and the Rams could only muster up a measly 9 points after getting to Bears side of the field multiple times.  Steven Jackson continued to run strong, racking up over 100 yards again even though he’s been having back spasms the past couple of weeks.  Kyle Boller is a backup, giving backup play but there’s something in particular I need to highlight.  The offensive playcalling of Pat Shurmur has been absolutely conservative all season long, and the strategies the coaching staff as a whole have for this offense have been lackluster and stiff.  The Rams, offensively, are playing to keep games close – not to win them.  Against a similarly poor Detroit team, it’s much easier to pull off the win – but against a Bears team that doesn’t have the same defensive punch it used to, why not dial up some downfield plays?  This has been a gripe all season for me, but as the injuries mount up and Jackson continues to take a pounding because the Rams won’t air it out and let it hang a little, this season could come back to haunt us in a couple of years.  I understand coaches have to learn how to coach (our coordinators have never been coordinators, and our head coach is a rookie also), but as a fan it’s tough to sit there and not say to yourself, “Damn, I would’ve called…”

- Injuries are mounting up, and Mike Sando of ESPN.com did a great job highlighting the injury front for the Rams at key positions, and they keep going.  O.J. Atogwe is out for the season with a shoulder injury, Donnie Avery is banged up, Jason Smith cannot get over his concussion for some reason, Marc Bulger is essentially done for the year, Mike Karney is still out, and the front seven has been worn down and injured, especially at defensive tackle.  Oh, and by the way – we’re not supremely talented either.  This will be a tough year to swallow, especially if the Rams finish 1-15 (which is a pretty solid possibility when looking at the remaining schedule).  But there is some good – the team is buying into Coach Spagnuolo.  Perhaps that’ll pay dividends in the future, but right now the Rams are operating in the red.

- So, everybody’s hurt, we’re low on talent, and the coaching (particularly offensively) has been lackluster and overly conservative.  On the plus side, Donnie Jones is having another Pro Bowl level year.  Hopefully he and Steven Jackson get Pro Bowl honors – Jackson has been beastly this season rushing against 8 and even 9 man fronts.  Can you believe we ran the football against a 9 man front?  THERE’S NO SAFETY UP TOP; THROW THE DAMN BALL!  Ugh, thinking about it makes me sick.

-Looking ahead to Week 14 against the Titans, this could be an ugly game quickly.  The Rams can’t stop the run.  The Titans have the best runningback in the NFL this season in Chris Johnson.  The Rams have historically struggled against mobile QBs.  Vince Young is one of the most dangerous dual threat QBs in the NFL.  The Rams can run the football but the offensive line hasn’t been generating a good push.  The Titans have been blitzing a fair amount this season.  Anybody else seeing where this one is going?

I just hope we can upset a team in the closing weeks, but I’m not so sure it’s coming this Sunday.  I’ll have my What 2 Watch 4 column up in a couple of days, explicitly highlighting the keys to the game.

It’s clear to me that the defense cannot seem to stop the run.  They’ve made huge plays late in games over the past few weeks, but far and away this team is not consistent at its run stopping.  Justin Forsett had his career game this week; last week Tim Hightower ran up and down the Rams front 7; 2 weeks ago Reggie Bush had arguably his best offensive game in his career.  As we get closer to the end of the season, I’m going to start looking towards offseason needs – and one has to be a big bodied defensive tackle to keep James Laurinaitis and Co. clean.  The run defense has irked coach Spags; but we all knew this would be a long term rebuilding project.

Here were some bright spots from the blacked out game:

Donnie Avery catching another TD pass; this time early in the game to knot it up at 7-7;

James Laurinaitis recorded his first sack of the season;

“Action” Steven Jackson continued his awe-inspiring season, with over 100 yards from scrimmage and a TD in his 4th straight game;

The Rams ran 78 plays for 364 yards of offense – a 4.7 yard per play average;

The defense forced another turnover, with Justin King recovering a fumble.

Look, there are positives to every game, but the big negative is one of those negatives that has plagued the Rams for the past few years – INJURIES.

Steven Jackson, Mike Karney, Marc Bulger, Jason Smith, Jason Brown and Richie Incognito are all key players for the Rams who either played hurt, got hurt during the game, or didn’t play due to injuries.  The list continues to mount, and the offensive line just cannot – scratch that, the team cannot – handle another key injury.  Jackson being hurt was bound to happen as long as teams continued to key in on just him, though hopefully Donnie Avery’s reappearance will soften up those defenses, but the Rams have hit the breaking point – they lost 2 starting receivers, 2 starting defensive tackles, the starting quarterback, the blocking fullback, the impressive center, the starting right side of the offensive line, and a couple of starting cornerbacks to injury.  Mind you, the team wasn’t loaded with talent to begin with.  It’s going to be difficult for the Rams to win any ball games unless they:

- Shore up the run defense.

- Keep playing aggressive offense.

- Keep being gutsy with coaching decisions.

- Get turnovers.

This ball club has a shot against Chicago – provided they force turnovers and stop the run.

More to come later in the week.

- The Ed Was Rocking All Game Long. Some people say Rams fans are fair weather fans, due to the overwhelming popularity (and consistency) of the St. Louis Cardinals.  Well, unlike cities with better records (here’s looking at you, Jacksonville), we haven’t had any blackouts.  And all game long I got chills just seeing how into it the crowd was.  When the Rams made a big play, the stadium roared like it was 2001.  It’s gotta be great as a player to see that the fans still support you through a difficult season, and I really believe they were the 12th man on the field for the Rams for much of the game.  It’s been said that due to the acoustics of the Edward Jones Dome, it can be one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.  I hope the fans really bring it for the Cardinals game next week, and the Seahawks game on Thanksgiving weekend.

- Steven Jackson Finally Got Some Help… from one source who needed a great game and one very unlikely source.  Donnie Avery put up his career game, with two spectacular touchdown grabs (I maintain the corner route he ran on the 1st TD was the best route he’s run in his career, and the fade route for the 2nd TD showcased his ability to find the ball in the air) and no drops that I saw.  Brandon Gibson, the rookie WR acquired in the Will Witherspoon game, really took over with 7 grabs for over 90 yards.  There was one play where Marc Bulger found him on 3rd down, maybe a yard shy of the marker, and as Gibson was being tackled, he essentially dove the ball across the line.  That’s heart and toughness, and it’s something the Rams can build on.  GM Billy Devaney has a knack for finding some receivers out of nowhere, apparently, Laurent Robinson before he got hurt and now Gibson.  Avery finally being fully healthy probably helped him have his breakout game, but it was good to see the offense open up, literally.

- Marc Bulger Had His Best Game In Forever.  Would you have thought that Bulger would have 1 fewer INT than Drew Brees, more passing yards, and a higher passer rating at the end of their game?  Well he did, and save for that last drive where a spike on 2nd down would have helped instead of dumpoffs to a gassed Steven Jackson (I’ll explain that in a minute), Bulger played a complete game.  He missed on a few throws (if he lofts the pass that hit Malcom Jenkins in the back instead of side-arming it, the Rams take the lead), but overall he did a great job of reading the defense and finding open guys.  He also zipped one in to Gibson on an out route with precision; something we haven’t seen a whole lot of from him.  I know it’s probably Bulger’s last or 2nd to last year as a Ram, but in the beginning of that last drive, he scrambled.  He ran for his life…and the 1st down.  Got both of them.  He’s scrappy and maybe he’s finally hitting his rhythm a little bit.

Steven Jackson Was Gassed, But He Deserved To Be. I wrote in my keys to the game that Steven Jackson needed 40 touches for the Rams to win.  He got 35.  He rushed for 100 yards and a TD in the 1st half.  He seemed a little tired in the 2nd half, particularly by the 4th quarter, but he’d been THE OFFENSE for 8 games straight, including 3 100 yard performances.  And Samkon Gado is a significant dropoff from Steven Jackson.  He stayed on the field, and helped give us a chance to upset the Saints.  Also, the holes that were there in the 1st half weren’t nearly as open as they were in the 2nd half, so some good adjustments to the run were made by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  But here’s a quote from Howie Long during the halftime show.  “If Adrian Peterson is 1A, Steven Jackson is 1B.”

The Offensive Line Has Some Serious Ability – Bulger had a pocket for most of the game, getting sacked twice, but one of them was a coverage sack and the other someone did get beat.  Jackson had holes, and the offensive line was getting a pretty good push.  They were getting tired too, but you know what, they really are coming together and making some plays.  There was a play where Jackson got the dumpoff, juked a guy and had like 6 or 7 defenders trying to drag him down.  At least 4 linemen bowled into the crowd, helping push it forward, including Jason Smith who singlehandedly smashed the pile forward a yard when he ran into it, all to the audience’s delight.

Take Away The Big Runs, and the Run D Was Solid. Reggie Bush had a couple of big runs, and Devery Henderson had a huge reverse, but aside from that the regular running was shut down.  Good aggression from the front 7 to sniff out the play and then make the play.  The total yardage was 200, but in a weird way it was a quiet 200 yards rushing.

Drew Brees Almost Was Neutralized – He threw 2 INTs to both of our safeties, and the game deciding TD to Robert Meachem had great coverage by Quincy Butler…Drew Brees is just that good.

The Defense Stepped Up When They Needed To. On a key 3rd down late in the game, we had a Chris Long sighting, as he dominated the LT for the Saints, barreling the two of them into an unsuspecting Brees for a sack.  We were treated to a 4th and Short stop.  David Vobora made a nice play on a pass intended for Jeremy Shockey and our ballhawking FS got his mojo back – O.J. Atogwe’s first INT since week 1.  We had a later Atogwe sighting, as Marques Colston tried to leap over him for a TD.  Atogwe stood his ground and nailed Colston, jarring the ball loose and giving the Rams a touchback.  They might be the worst team in the league on 3rd down stops, but they came to play, forcing 3 turnovers and making crucial plays to keep the Rams in the game.

Very Good Playcalling. Except for one series, the offensive playcalling was superb.  Shurmur opened up the passing attack, and it reaped dividends for the offense, and took some of the pressure off of our All-World Back, SJ.  On defense, Flajole called an interesting game – very little 3rd down pressure, preferring to rush four and drop 7.  It didn’t work a whole lot, and I remember hearing a quip, “If you aren’t going to pressure the QB, pressure the receivers.”  Seemed like they got a free release often, but only 1 receiver had a great game and that was Henderson.  Marques Colston was non-existent.

I know it sucks, but we need to take solace in the fact that we competed, and had a very good chance to beat the NFC’s best team.  If we can compete with the Saints, the Cardinals and the Seahawks need to be worried right now – this is not a walk in the park Rams team that we’ve had the past 2 years.

- The offensive line has done a great job of blocking, both run and pass.  Specifically, there was a dumpoff to Jackson where he made one guy miss and was wrapped up by like 7 Saints…and the offensive line came out and blasted the pile forward.  They’re firing out and really being aggressive.

-The defensive line has done a great job against the run, really making it hard for the Saints to get more than 3 yards or so on many carries.

- O.J. Atogwe made a tremendous play, getting a pick on a well-defended ball by David Vobora (and James Butler just got a pick in the 3rd quarter!)

- Brandon Gibson, the WR received in the Will Witherspoon trade, is having a great game for the Rams.  Perhaps Billy Devaney does know what he’s doing with personnel decisions.

- Bulger has played his best game of the year, keeping the ball safe but being aggressive.  Very few missed throws.

- Jackson = SUPERMAN.  Playing his heart out, dragging defenders, bowling through guys, Howie Long said if Adrian Peterson is 1A, Steven Jackson is 1B.  And I’d wager that AD’s fumblitis and lack of receiving ability puts SJ above him by a hair.

- Easily the best game the Rams have played.  They’ve been consistent, aggressive, competitive, and are playing to win.  They currently have 17 points, and they average 9.6.  Score is 21-17 Saints right now, with 7:00 left in the 3rd Quarter.  Go Rams!  I’ll be back with a end-game wrapup.