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Okay, ask any Rams fan, what are the things that have driven you crazy this season? And did we see those same exact things in this game?

• Terrible quarterbacking. Check.
• Wide receivers that can't get open downfield. Check.
• A defense that plays tough competitive football for three and a half quarters. Check.
• Too many penalties. Big Check.
• More terrible quarterbacking. Check
• A porous offensive line. Check.
• Rookie knee injuries, courtesy of the Jones Dome turf. Check.
• Rams' opponents make second-half adjustments, Rams don't. Check.
• Play-it-safe coaching when the game is on the line. More than anything else, Check.
• Head-butts. Check.
• And ultimately, a blowout at the hands of a divisional opponent. Check.

About the only thing we didn't see was hair-brained Shurmur play-calling on offense, as I thought he did a better job of trying to mix things up. Our players just couldn't execute. And speaking of players not executing, pity poor Roger Allen III, a camp body and practice squad guy who really should not have been on the field. But because of injuries to Bell and Setterstrom and the release of Richie Incognito, Allen was shoved into the starting lineup. A local guy playing in his first (and possibly last) career NFL game, all his family was in attendance to see him get embarrassed throughout the first quarter by the amped-up Justin Smith. (It's possible that Allen had never seen a 3-4 pass rush.) Then, just as he gets it together, and blocks two 49ers on the same play, his knee crumples and he is carried off the field. It was just one of many miscues at the dome, the first of which was before the opening kickoff. San Francisco seemed to want no part of an Isaac celebration, either. Bruce lined up for only one play -- the game's first -- and with no chance for the stadium announcers to call attention to his appearance or departure, they yanked him off and he spent the rest of the game on the sideline, and the entire second half in his street clothes. The Rams' defense played spectacularly well in the first half, or perhaps Alex Smith and the Niners played spectacularly poorly. However, as in so many games in the past, the offense could pick up zero momentum from the defense's stands. Null was hit countless times, and there were no holes for Jackson. In short, our offense got nada until Allen's departure. We had a brief semblance of a pocket with Goldberg switching over to left guard and Trautwein at right tackle, which led to two short drives, two long field goal tries, and 3 points at the half. The second half opened with a change of offensive tactics and a sudden burst of good blocking for the Niners, freeing Gore for a long run that set up a touchdown. The Rams ultimately adjusted and gave their offense chance after chance to counter, but only a long punt return by Danny Amendola (Check.) set them up with a scoring chance. After 9 yards on three runs, though, the game's turning point came on -- stop me if you've heard this one -- a botched 4th and 1 call in the fourth quarter. Down 7-3, Spagnuolo opened his book of "Chicken Soup for the Coach's Soul," a bland collection of play-it-safe homilies that somehow inspired him to send in the field goal unit. Because if there's anything better than losing by four, it's losing by one. Right, coach? Oh wait, would going for the win have been a good idea there instead? Maybe I should read that book of yours, so I can understand what the hell was going on there. Demoralized, the Rams' defense gave up touchdowns on three consecutive drives. And Chris Long, who had played a hell of a game, got himself ejected with a head-butt along the way. Game over. Season over. Go home Rams fans, nothing more to see here. Oh, and if you did happen to stick around long enough, the cameras eventually caught Isaac Bruce on the sidelines and put him on the Jumbotron. So all of 5,000 fans could salute him on their way to the exit. Good work, Rams. And so the horned ones finish this season the way they started, winless in the division, and winless at home. They were outscored by 124 points in the six NFC West games, almost three touchdowns per contest. And outscored by 131 in their eight home games. It looked, for a brief moment, as though the Rams might be ready to leave those curses behind them in 2009, and notch the first win of the calendar year 2010. But it was not to be. If there's a sentiment for this ill-fated season, that's it in a nutshell. It was just not to be. no comments

Isaac Bruce is active for today's game against the Rams, and is "75% sure" that he will retire when it's done. Rams fans will want to give him a nice sendoff if this is the case, possibly including the burning of effigies of Jay Zygmunt and Drew Bennett outside the stadium. (Hey, it's 9 effing degrees outside. We're burning effigies for warmth, not just spite!) Here are a few quick memories: When the Rams arrived in St Louis, Bruce and Jerome Bettis were the only players of any note on the offense, and the Bus didn't stop here for long. Unfortunately, Bruce's talent remained mostly untapped during the next few injury-plagued years. In games he played, he was often electric. Few receivers could amass the kinds of yards he did -- 191 yards and 2 TDs against Atlanta in 1995, 229 yards and a score against Baltimore in '96, 233 with 2 TDs against Atlanta in '97 -- from quarterbacks as erratic as Chris Miller and Tony Banks. However, after Bettis' trade and his health issues, he was often angry and dissatisfied with himself and with his team. He rarely gave in to any diva-esque displays that we come to expect from the most talented WRs in the game, but once was enough. However, much like Steven Jackson this season, Bruce rededicated himself to his health and preparation and came back strong for the fateful 1999 season. A season in which everyone's job appeared to be in jeopardy after Vermeil was forced to purge many of his assistants, and the team brought in a big gamble at quarterback -- Trent Green. Bruce's own position on the roster might be usurped by the drafting of a brash young talent from North Carolina. Instead of embracing just one weapon in the passing game, however, the Rams under Mike Martz used all of them. All the time. And Bruce's career was reborn. And the Rams' faith in Bruce was renewed, as they inked him to a massive $42 million dollar payday. Formerly fragile, Bruce missed only one game until turf toe sidelined him in 2005. However, he returned for full seasons in 2006-07, and continued to be a reliable target on the field. However, the Rams -- driven largely by fan dissatisfaction with their team's all-too-apparent inconsistencies on defense and special teams -- responded in the only reasonable way possible: by firing the architect of their offense and releasing Bruce. A collective "WHAT????" flooded the Saint Louis airwaves as the Rams went and signed his replacement, Drew Bennett, to perhaps the worst contract in St Louis sports history -- eclipsing even Tino Martinez's albatross deal. Meanwhile, Bruce was reunited with Martz in San Francisco less than a day after his release. And naturally, he immediately became the team's leader in reception yards and touchdowns. This season, though, he has been a largely forgotten man as age, minor injuries, and a highly inconsistent 49ers offense have put him on the sidelines. In last season's return to the dome, he caught the game-winning touchdown in a hard-fought 17-16 win. Fans cheered him anyway. In this season's farewell, who knows how much time he'll see, or how much impact he'll have? But one thing is for sure, the fans will cheer him anyway. no comments

The mighty 49ers have one road win in seven tries -- the juggernaut Rams have zero home wins in seven tries. Kicking off today: the battle of the Easily Movable Objects versus the Highly Resistible Force! (Plus an unofficial Isaac Bruce tribute.) Expected to take a big step forward this season, the Niners have instead taken steps in all sorts of directions, weaving from good to bad like a drunken sailor on shore leave. The Rams, in the meantime, are the unfortunate working girls in this metaphor, stuck in one place waiting for bad things to happen to them -- over and over and over again. Good: They remove the "interim" tag from Mike Singletary's Head Coach position. Bad: They embark on an Ishtar-like wandering quest for an offensive coordinator, getting turned down by Scott Linehan along the way. (They got former Jets OC Jimmy Raye, which has turned out a little better than bad.) Good: They start off 3-1, including a 35-0 pasting of the Rams, in which we shot ourselves in the foot so many times and ways as to leave nothing more than bloody stumps. Bad: They finally come to terms with #1 pick Michael Crabtree, then discover that he isn't compatible with their starting quarterback, Shaun Hill. In the process of changing quarterbacks, losing Frank Gore to injury, and changing their entire offensive system to an Alex-Smith-friendlier spread offense, they lose four straight, and five of six, effectively removing them from the playoff picture. Good: Smith finally has a series of "breakthrough" games, playing well in close losses to the Packers and Seahawks, and beating the Jaguars. Bad: The 49ers utterly and completely forget to use Frank Gore in the process. You know Frank Gore, the player that was supposed to be the offensive centerpiece of the Niners? The guy who was supposed to get the ball 60% of the time? Is Alex Smith only compatible with one player at a time? Even More Bad: Smith then goes into a tailspin, playing sub-Boller-esque football against the talented secondaries in Arizona and Philadelphia. Niners lose both, and are officially eliminated from the playoffs. Good: Niners come back strong against Detroit, and finish the schedule against the Rams, who they've dominated. All this brings up the ultimate question facing this San Francisco franchise: Is Alex Smith the answer? And can the Rams take advantage of the questions surrounding him? The San Francisco Chronicle offers a familiar refrain, suggesting that he is on the cusp of a breakthrough, and that the Niners owe him "one more year" (again) to find out. They also offer a little quarterback psychology for the fans: "Structure" as in "Quit yanking me in and out of the starter job, and quit bringing in other guys to compete with me?" Or "structure" as in "Boo hoo, why won't the other team just line up in a regular defense, like they used to in the Mountain West, and quit trying to fool me and blitz me all the time?" Other analysts (and many fans) offer a much different take: that Smith categorically is not the answer, and the team must move on if they are going to take the next step forward. If we accept that Smith is a weakness, can the Rams take advantage in this game? Firstly, they will have to stop Gore, who you would think would get a healthy dose of carries in this game. Secondly, the Rams' combination of pass rush and secondary will have to play better than they have for most of the season. If you look at the NFL-wide cornerback rankings at ProFootballFocus.com, at the very bottom of the list you will find two all-too familiar names: Ron Bartell and Justin King. (You'll also find Jonathan Wade right in the middle -- if only he could get out of Spag's doghouse.) An effective Chris Long paired with a new proud papa James Hall (playing perhaps his last game in the pros) will have to give their all and then some, and Bartell and King will have to raise their game to at least a "Philip Buchanon" level if they want to shut down Smith and have a chance at giving the home fans a season-ending upset win. Here's hoping they can. We need something to keep us warm during the long winter between now and the draft. no comments

Professional football players only get sixteen chances a year to prove that they're better than someone else. It's really hard to sit, as a fan, and root for a loss, even if that loss would guarantee your team the #1 draft pick and the unencumbered rights to the fearsome Ndamukong Suh. It's especially hard when you're facing off against division rivals, the hated San Francisco 49ers. The danger of winning, of course, is that the Lions could sneak past the Rams into the top spot, thanks to their weaker strength of schedule. The easy thing to do would be to root for the Lions to win against the Bears -- but they are still mulling whether to start the corpse of Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton and his career 36.3 QB rating. Even if you believe the Bears can find their own way to lose games, it barely seems likely in this matchup. But fear not! Jeff at RamsGab has figured out a formula of teams to root for this weekend that will turn the tide of the relative strength of schedule, and put the Rams on the clock for Suh, even if they manage a win against the Niners. Here's my take on each matchup, after the break:

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EARLY GAMES

Bills over Colts – Helps Rams

Likelihood? Seemingly high. Vegas has the Bills as 8 point favorites. The Colts are fully expected to rest their starters, and as you may have heard, that didn't go so well last week against the highly motivated Jets. The Bills have been perhaps the least consistent team in the NFL, though, so even when presented with a golden opportunity, they could easily screw it up. As an aside, the fact that Jim Caldwell is still mentioned as a Coach of the Year candidate is laughable. The Colts' run of success is entirely attributable to the coach on the field, Peyton Manning. Manning gave Caldwell a George Siefert situation: just don't screw it up and we'll handle our business. And in Caldwell's only meaningful decision, he pulled Manning off the field. Only two things can justify that decision -- a Super Bowl win, or a season-ending injury to Manning. You play for the one, and you pray against the other.

Browns over Jags – Double Bonus

The Jaguars are going without three starters -- Torry Holt, TE Marcedes Lewis, and CB Rashean Mathis, though perhaps the most unsettling personnel issue is the disconnect between the offense and its most talented receiver, Mike Sims-Walker. He has only 10 catches in four games, three of which were losses, after being on pace for an 1,100 yard season at the halfway point. After getting blown out 35-7 by the Patriots, he tweeted: The Browns are favored by a point, and have been on a tidy little roll lately thanks to the insanity of Joshua Cribbs, but the Jaguars are the physically stronger team. This could be a tough one.

Pats over Texans – Helps Rams

In any other universe, this is a gimme. But the Patriots have nothing to play for, and the Texans have everything, and in Vegas, Houston is a shocking 8-point favorite. No one outside the Belichick family knows whether he will play his starters, but when have you ever known (1) a Belichick team to lie down? or (2) something to go right for the Texans?

Vikings over Giants – Hurts Lions

Both these teams have not played well in December, but the Vikings can gain a much-needed bye week with the win. If you're going to rest your guys, better to do it in Week 1 of the playoffs. I like the Vikings here.

Steelers over Dolphins – Hurts Lions

Both teams have playoff hopes, and both teams could be missing a key player as Troy Polamalu and Ricky Williams are both questionable. Recent trends give Pittsburgh the edge, as the Dolphins' offense has been "as explosive as a soggy firecracker" with Ronnie Brown on injured reserve.

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AFTERNOON GAMES

Ravens over Raiders – Hurts Lions

Vegas is making it hard for Ravens fans, listing them as 11.5-point favorites against the unpredictable Oakland Raiders, who have quietly become a potent running team while the football world has been focused on their significant quarterback drama. However, with the Ravens needing only a win to notch a second straight playoff berth, a win is not out of the question here.

Packers over Cardinals – Helps Rams

If this was a playoff game, and it very well could be next weekend, this could be the game of the year. These are two highly entertaining, high-octane offenses that are both peaking at the same time. However, by the time this one is played, a Vikings win would cinch a bye week and leave the Cardinals with nothing to play for. So rooting for Minnesota has double benefits in that the Packer's aggressive secondary would get treated to an extended dose of Matt Leinert time, and likely a very simplified playbook as neither team will want to show its hand before a much more critical rematch.

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SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

Bengals over Jets – Hurts Lions

The Jets have been benefitting from a series of lucky bounces, from the Colts playing possum last week to a series of fortunate events that have suddenly catapulted the Jets' playoff hopes from a "pipe dream" to a "win and they're in" proposition. The Bengals have nothing to play for but pride in this one, but pride could be a powerful factor as the entire team was snubbed from this year's Pro Bowl, despite being the most impressive and unexpected turnaround story of the season. The Jets' chances seem strong, and Vegas has them listed as ten point favorites, so if our hopes come down to this one game, all of St Louis will become unlikely fans of the Queen City. Of course, if our hopes for drafting first are resting on the Bengals, that means we've done the improbable and finished strong with a win against San Francisco. I'm rooting for that most of all. no comments

The pregame narrative was laid out as a story of princes and paupers. The Cardinals were crowned NFC West champions the Sunday previous, while the Rams have not won a divisional game since November 18, 2007. The Cardinals start two Pro Bowl talents at wide receiver, and their quarterback is the most-sainted St Louis athlete since Stan Musial. Their defense isn't content to wait until January to play at a playoff level, as top talents Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie make up perhaps the best secondary in the NFC, and Darnell Dockett has been emerging as a legitimate threat to the health and safety of the league's quarterbacks. Meanwhile, the Rams' only Pro Bowl hopeful, Steven Jackson, was sidelined just before the start. So was Leonard Little (injury), and James Hall (birth of a new baby boy -- congrats!), while our starting quarterback would be still holding the clipboard and wearing his visor for nearly every other team in the league. And our secondary features the two lowest-rated corners in the NFL in ProFootballFocus' player rankings. In fact, as Howard Balzer at the St Louis Globe Democrat points out, 30 of the 45 active Rams players were bottom-of-the-draft choices: 6th rounders, 7th rounders, and walk-ons. In short, it was a game the Cardinals were supposed to win and they did. Vegas gave them a 14-point handicap and they covered. Most importantly, though, it was a game that the Rams could have laid down for, but they didn't. The talent disparity points out an obvious flaw in this year's team construction, but at the same time, it points out the greatest virtue of this year's Rams team versus the creaking, toothless beasts of the Linehan years. The guys that took the field this Sunday and fought like the Hells Angels at Altamont for four quarters are exactly the kind of gritty, hard-nosed players that you want filling the gaps in your scheme. We have an active roster full to overflowing with "glue" guys like Cliff Ryan, Craig Dahl, Adam Goldberg, Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola, Mark Setterstrom, Chris Chamberlain, Mike Karney, Billy Bajema, Larry Grant, David Vobora, Ken Darby and Chris "Silent G" Ogbannaya. These guys and more are potential diamonds that Billy Devaney has mined and Coach Spagnuolo is in the process of cutting down and polishing up. These are the guys who have been impacted most by the example Steven Jackson has set down all season long, slamming into plays like a man possessed, even if the play isn't there. And whether the play gets stuffed or goes for 20, he gets up and gets ready to do it again. Today he was awarded with the ultimate validation possible in a year like this: an invite to the Pro Bowl. And while his candidacy is often couched in terms like "while playing for the struggling/lowly/awful Rams" by the overdressed and overgelled sports media, I prefer to think that his vote-in is a testament to the attitude and fight that so much of this team carries. Of the other teams falling to the bottom of the league and toward the top of the draft chart, some are legitimately embarrassing. The Redskins are in open mutiny, and the Seahawks appear to be not-so-quietly heading in the same direction. Leadership questions surround the Chiefs, Browns and Bears. And while the Bucs are showing a lot of heart in their season-closing upsets, there are still strong rumors that their raw-as-sushi head coach is going to be replaced. Sure, there are a few fans who are trotting out paper bags, and plenty more who have stayed home rather than drive downtown for these last home games. (Those that did missed a really strong performance against Houston, and those who stay home this Sunday will likely be missing out on one of the most heartfelt efforts of the season.) But there is no embarrassment surrounding these Rams, led by Jackson and a gutty, glue-y coach whose "team first" mantra is the glue-iest in the NFL. This has been a rebuilding year from the very foundation of the franchise up, with SJ the lone towering talent. The Cardinals know very well how that goes. But the good news for this team is that the men toiling in Jackson's lengthy shadow are proving their worth, and are truly helping to rebuild that foundation. When the Rams start getting the top-flight offensive and defensive talents to match the Cards, some of these guys will get pushed out of starting roles on the team. But that shouldn't stop them from being hungry to contribute in any way they can. Jackson's Pro Bowl berth is the only glory for these guys to share right now, but you know they're hungry for more. When that glory starts coming in the form of wins, the script for this division rivalry will get flipped in a hurry. no comments

Bill Coats' latest dispatch from Around the Horns contained this tiny nugget that sounds innocuous enough by itself, but when considered in context, continues to round out our portrait of Coach Spags in his first year with the Rams: By "everything," is that including the possible return of Marc Bulger for Week 17? The team still hasn't placed him on IR, even though he has not traveled in weeks, in effort to do as the doctors have ordered and keep weight off the fractured tibia. No doubt he would like to come back and play, and prove (presumably to Rams brass that haven't already made up their minds to cut him this offseason) that the starting job is still his to lose. I've heard speculation -- not necessarily "informed" speculation, but chatter at least -- that this is still a possibility. If so, it's a clear reason why Spagnuolo would not be in a position to declare Null the man right now. The obvious question is "Why?" Does Bulger really have anything to prove? And do the Rams really have anything to gain? But the biggest question is, what kind of coach would allow this wounded duck to continue his prideful, Quixotic quest? The answer boils down to a debate between two coaching schools of thought: (1) Respect the Hierarchy, and (2) Open Competition.

Respect the Hierarchy?

The rules of "Respect the Hierarchy" state that your #1 guy (Bulger) is always your #1 guy, and will play unless absolutely incapacitated. In that case, then your #2 guy (Boller) plays and we are not to be critical of him, because after all, he's just our #2 guy and we're all waiting for our #1 guy to come back. Our #3 guy (Null) will only play as long as #1 and #2 are so critically incapacitated that they have either (a) lost a limb or (b) under medical quarantine. A believer in the hierarchy will be very uncomfortable playing the #2 guy, especially at quarterback, because he considers it a very slippery slope to introduce a different voice in the huddle, and a different face for fans. A believer in the hierarchy is also a delegator -- his #1 guy is the coach's delegated leader of that position, and to upset the order of things by playing the #2 is to see a part of the coach's leadership base crumble. It takes a momentous event -- a Judas-level betrayal of trust -- to upset the hierarchy altogether, and have the #2 or the #3 become the #1. Dick Vermeil is a classic Hierarchy coach. The football team is his extended family, each person with their important role and status, players and coaches alike. Some players will be put on a track to "graduate" to starting roles, others will be asked to "mentor," and everyone is expected to play nice.

Open Competition?

The rules of "Open Competition" are simple -- may the best man win. Talent evaluation and job auditions don't stop in training camp, they continue throughout practices, and throughout the season. Some coaches in this mold will "ride the hot hand," others will create a platoon or come up with other inventive ways to try and maximize the talent on the playing field. But the competition is not always truly "open" -- the coach controls the opportunities for these competitions to suit his own needs, and the needs of the team (usually in that order). A coach who believes in open competition sees himself as the eye of the hurricane -- the gravitational center that keeps swirling chaos in order. This type is not a delegator, and is often called a "control freak." No ego is tolerated that is bigger than his, nor any voice in the locker room louder than his. Bill Parcells was famous for using this philosophy as a weapon in the locker room. Players live in a state of constant fear for their jobs, and acrimony or animosity in the locker room is not only tolerated, it might be encouraged -- as long as the ultimate expressions of rage can be inflicted against the opposing team on Sunday. (The truest believer in Open Competition I ever saw was Steve Spurrier. But then again, his case study is the classic example of a state of mind that works in the college game but absolutely does not translate to grown men in the pros.) Looking at the Rams' recent past, I believe Scott Linehan was at heart a Hierarchy guy who lost his way in season three, notably when he benched Bulger. The players openly revolted at his pathetic attempt to become a fearmonger, and correctly predicted that his job was in far more danger than theirs. Haslett was more of a wildcard, and did succeed in rocking the boat by demoting several entrenched veterans. Ironically, at season's end, it was Haslett whom the players supported via a petition to the front office. It's also worthy to note that, in general, the herd of fans in talk radio, the internet, and armchairs everywhere sympathize with the "Open Competition" philosophy. It's simpler, and since they don't have to deal with the leadership issues of actual people in the locker room, there's really no downside to venting about how much one guy sucks and another guy ought to take his place. Spagnuolo has struck me as a believer in the heirarchy, but one who is attuned to the reality of his roster, and is not averse to having guys compete for certain spots. The team's decision to part ways with players such as Chris Draft, Pisa Tinoisamoa, and fan favorites like Joe Klofenstein suggest that they will use competition to weed out the unwanted. Likewise, the Jason Smith/Adam Goldberg battle for starting time in the first two months showed how he believes in it as a tool to sharpen talent and build depth in a unit. However, in his steadfastness to Marc Bulger since day one, Spags has held up a firm hierarchy and has not wavered from it. Asking Spagnuolo to commit to Null, still his #3 guy at heart, is not a decision the coach will make lightly. And if he does commit to Null, I would expect a face-saving announcement that places Bulger officially on the IR, and gives Boller some sort of lingering and temporarily uncurable malady that lasts three more weeks. The hierarchy must be preserved, even when the names change places. Like the old saying goes: "The king is dead, long live the king!" no comments

Keith Null's debut as a starting quarterback opened up a can of worms that we seldom see in football, but one that has so thoroughly infested baseball that is has changed -- ruined? -- the very language of the sport. I'm speaking of the clash between "Stats vs Scouts" as an evaluation of talent. The kings of the world of football stats, Football Outsiders, devoted their Week 14 "Quick Reads" column to Null's debut, and had this to say (emphasis mine): Even more disgusting to the stat-minded crowd than the five interceptions (a feat already accomplished by Sanchez, Stafford, Cutler and Delhomme this season), or his puny 37.8 passer rating (better than three of Derek Anderson's starts in Cleveland), was his abysmal yards-per-pass mark. 43 throws for only 157 yards yields an awful 3.7 in this count. These statistics tell you that this is a player without a future, a risk with no reward. What it doesn't tell you, though, is how severely he was handicapped by the ultra-conservative gameplan. Spagnuolo's and Pat Shurmur's response to the rookie and the 8- and 9-man fronts being lined up against him was to call an endless array of sideline screen passes and 3-yard slants. It was as though Null was being forced to read the playbook upside down -- starting with the hot reads and outlet passes, and progressing up to his primary reads. As Null himself said, when asked what went right, replied "I made some good throws. Good reads. I threw the ball to the right read most of the time." Unfortunately, the "right reads" in this case encouraged the defense to keep nine or ten players in a ten-yard swarm around the line of scrimmage, creating perfect conditions for easy interceptions and pass breakups. The only thing it prevented was sacks -- only one by Tennessee. Whether it was this performance, or this reaction from the stat-based media, we see exactly what Coach Spagnuolo was hoping to shield Null from. But there was more to look at than pure numbers in this game. And this week against the Texans, we saw what the scouting eye saw last week against Tennessee: a gritty, stand-up performance with untapped talent inside. When opportunity was given to him, Null did grab hold of it with a confidence that was noticeable. Several writers and viewers, including commenter CoachConnors, took note of his self-assurance and played down the five picks: Cameron Holloway at the St Louis Beacon, long a proponent of giving Null a chance, offered this take: Jim Thomas captured the coach's sentiments in this quote: Null earned a second try almost by default this week against the Houston Texans, as Kyle Boller and most of Rams Park fell victim to the biological warfare of the H1N1 virus (which similarly afflicted the Texans a week earlier). But this time, he practiced all week as the starter, and it was obvious from the gameplan that he had not only earned the start, but a great deal more confidence from his coaches, as well. Houston, like Tennessee last week, lined up nine in the box to stuff the run and clog the short passing lanes. Goal one was successful: Jackson's first six carries totaled five painful yards. Goal two, however, came apart as Null was given a more realistic playbook to work with -- moving the pocket, targeting players downfield, and even a gutsy outlet pass to Jackson (good for 16) on 4th and inches on the Rams' first drive of the game. The playbook demanded more time in the pocket, leaving Null in to make his reads and take his punishment if his line let him down. Null was sacked three times in this game, and made his only throwing mistake -- a Favre-esque sidearmed interception -- escaping from a fourth. As Null and the passing game got more aggressive -- notably after a deep try down the sideline to Donnie Avery, who had a step on his man -- the naturally conservative Cover 2 defense of the Texans backed out of their 8- and 9-man fronts and were forced to play the Rams honest. Hallelujah! A Christmas miracle! Unfortunately, the herniated-disk Steven Jackson couldn't do much against the Texans, even when they were playing straight up. He finished with 123 yards from scrimmage (including 41 receiving yards), but couldn't do much real running behind the Rams' makeshift offensive line. Almost half of his rushing yards came against an early 9-man front that couldn't contain the outside edge, leading to a 35-yard gainer. Time and again he slammed into the line, exhorting his blockers to push forward, but could gain no ground. Jackson had 12 runs for 1 yard or less in the game ... a staggeringly high total for him. With a healthy Jackson, the poised quarterbacking that Null showed today, and full use of the playbook, the Rams' offense just might be capable of taking a big step forward in the coming year. Bring back Jason Smith, add some hungry new talent at guard to take Richie's place, and give Null a tall target (like Missouri's Danario Alexander?) to worry defenses, and I could just about see it. The question is whether Pat Shurmur is still around to see it, too. no comments

I give the Rams credit for their fight today -- they brought more to this game than either the Texans or the 30,000 or so fans in the half-filled Edward Jones Dome expected. Fans walked into the stadium talking about Christmas shopping, and left talking about a play here, a play there, and a win that nearly was. With the Rams' loss and the Buccaneers' decisive win against the wallowing Seattle Seahawks, the Rams are now alone in the bottom of the league, and the top of the draft board. Billy Devaney, you are on the clock. Based on this game, and how much an effective pass rush could have turned the tide, put RamsHerd in the camp for drafting the monster DT Ndamukong Suh. The Rams' undermanned defense seemingly had an answer for everything the Texans could offer -- except for the connection between the unhurried Matt Schaub and the unstoppable Andre Johnson. The two combined for fully half the Houston offensive day, with 196 yards receiving. It could easily have been more, but for a very conservative gameplan. While Johnson was doing the work of shaking his man (often Bartell, as he, Justin King, and the newcomer Gorren were the primary cornerbacks to see time), Schaub calmly stood stood within his pocket for counts of five, six, seven seconds or more. Giving Spagnuolo a true pass-rushing threat gives this Rams defense a chance to do more than just fight. no comments

Twitter is the best thing to hit sports since the invention of the internet. How else could we have heard, first hand and unfiltered, honest reactions like the one Buffalo Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell (@Ka_Mitchell55) offered to the arrival of their newest offensive lineman? I capture these sentiments here in all their glory because it's only a matter of time before somebody in Mitchell's agent's PR network gets on the horn and that little lock appears next to his tweets. Which is why PR and agents are the worst thing to happen to pro sports ... So Kawika, why the beef? Moments when the Chiefs and Rams faced off? Considering that Mitchell's time in Kansas City ended after the 2006 season, and Richie's playing time in St Louis didn't start until 2006, thanks to a pre-draft knee injury, we're talking about a Governor's Cup matchup, and maybe one play in particular, which was notable enough to make the AP recap: Riiiight, Richie. Just a slip. Good luck in Buffalo. no comments