NFC West Breakdown: Week 9

(Vince Vitale writes for Ramblin' Fan, which is FSB’s St. Louis Rams blog. Representing the rest of the NFC West are 12th Man Rising, Niner Noise. and Raising Zona.)

Let's hear it for the Arizona Cardinals and Kurt Warner who have taken a three game lead in the NFC West with 8 games remaining. The Rams have simmered down under Coach Jim Haslett and have lost two straight. The Seahawks are no longer flying and in San Francisco everyone is talking about pants.

Arizona Cardinals (5-3):

Looking Back:

The Arizona Cardinals traveled to the Edward Jones Dome and physically dominated the St. Louis Rams 34-13. The Cardinals now have an overwhelming 3 game lead in the NFC West. Kurt Warner raised his QB rating to an outstanding 104.2 on the season, and has to be the favorite for NFL MVP at this point in the season.

Looking Forward:

Tim Hightower out of Richmond was a great 5th round selection by the Cardinals. With the lack of run blocking the Cardinals line provides Hightower’s speed gives the Cardinals a better chance at a running attack. The Cardinals play five of their remaining eight games at home. While in St. Louis the Cardinals never won or even hosted a playoff game. Arizona get ready, a home playoff game is heading your way!

St. Louis Rams (2-6):

Looking Back:

Back...back...back...back...GONE. That's right the St. Louis Rams 2008 season is officially over after an awful 34-13 beating at the hands of The King Ram, Kurt Warner. Warner and the Cardinals shredded the Rams for 510 total yards. This looked like the Scott Linehan led Rams on Sunday.

Looking Forward:

It is simply time to blow it up. From the top down the Rams organization needs new personnel. It is currently so bad for the Rams that Kenneth Darby may be the starting running back this week. Do not look ahead to the New York Jets game, look ahead to who will be your next franchise player. Should it be Michael Oher, Michael Crabtree, Matthew Stafford, or other?

San Francisco 49ers (2-6):

Looking Back:

How bad are the Niners, they spent most of the bye week tracking down the team leak that tattled that Mike Singletary dropped his pants at halftime of the Seahawks game. In addition their only two wins are against Seattle and the woeful Detroit Lions. How the mighty have fallen.

Looking Forward:

The Niners will play the first place Arizona Cardinals on the road this week. This is a good chance for the Niners and new head coach Mike Singletary to work on improving the defense. The Niners are 30th in points allowed and Singletary needs to prove he can turn that side of the ball around if he wants to be a serious head coach candidate. It's time to make Patrick Willis your cornerstone to build around.

Seattle Seahawks (2-6):

Looking Back:

Well you have to look back 12 drives to find success. The Seahawks scored on their first offensive play of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 90 yard touchdown pass from Seneca Wallace to Koren Robinson. The Eagles then smothered the Seahawks who managed only 143 yards of offense after that play and punted on 11 consecutive drives.

Looking Forward:

The Seahawks next 5 games are against Miami, Arizona, Washington, Dallas, and New England. With Matt Hasselbeck and most of the receiving core still missing this is a team that is going to continue to struggle on offense. Seattle is 32nd in passing and 31st in total yards and they may not improve. Hurry back Matt they need you.

NFC West Breakdown: Week 9

(Vince Vitale writes for Ramblin' Fan, which is FSB’s St. Louis Rams blog. Representing the rest of the NFC West are 12th Man Rising, Niner Noise. and Raising Zona.)

Let's hear it for the Arizona Cardinals and Kurt Warner who have taken a three game lead in the NFC West with 8 games remaining. The Rams have simmered down under Coach Jim Haslett and have lost two straight. The Seahawks are no longer flying and in San Francisco everyone is talking about pants.

Arizona Cardinals (5-3):

Looking Back:

The Arizona Cardinals traveled to the Edward Jones Dome and physically dominated the St. Louis Rams 34-13. The Cardinals now have an overwhelming 3 game lead in the NFC West. Kurt Warner raised his QB rating to an outstanding 104.2 on the season, and has to be the favorite for NFL MVP at this point in the season.

Looking Forward:

Tim Hightower out of Richmond was a great 5th round selection by the Cardinals. With the lack of run blocking the Cardinals line provides Hightower’s speed gives the Cardinals a better chance at a running attack. The Cardinals play five of their remaining eight games at home. While in St. Louis the Cardinals never won or even hosted a playoff game. Arizona get ready, a home playoff game is heading your way!

St. Louis Rams (2-6):

Looking Back:

Back...back...back...back...GONE. That's right the St. Louis Rams 2008 season is officially over after an awful 34-13 beating at the hands of The King Ram, Kurt Warner. Warner and the Cardinals shredded the Rams for 510 total yards. This looked like the Scott Linehan led Rams on Sunday.

Looking Forward:

It is simply time to blow it up. From the top down the Rams organization needs new personnel. It is currently so bad for the Rams that Kenneth Darby may be the starting running back this week. Do not look ahead to the New York Jets game, look ahead to who will be your next franchise player. Should it be Michael Oher, Michael Crabtree, Matthew Stafford, or other?

San Francisco 49ers (2-6):

Looking Back:

How bad are the Niners, they spent most of the bye week tracking down the team leak that tattled that Mike Singletary dropped his pants at halftime of the Seahawks game. In addition their only two wins are against Seattle and the woeful Detroit Lions. How the mighty have fallen.

Looking Forward:

The Niners will play the first place Arizona Cardinals on the road this week. This is a good chance for the Niners and new head coach Mike Singletary to work on improving the defense. The Niners are 30th in points allowed and Singletary needs to prove he can turn that side of the ball around if he wants to be a serious head coach candidate. It's time to make Patrick Willis your cornerstone to build around.

Seattle Seahawks (2-6):

Looking Back:

Well you have to look back 12 drives to find success. The Seahawks scored on their first offensive play of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 90 yard touchdown pass from Seneca Wallace to Koren Robinson. The Eagles then smothered the Seahawks who managed only 143 yards of offense after that play and punted on 11 consecutive drives.

Looking Forward:

The Seahawks next 5 games are against Miami, Arizona, Washington, Dallas, and New England. With Matt Hasselbeck and most of the receiving core still missing this is a team that is going to continue to struggle on offense. Seattle is 32nd in passing and 31st in total yards and they may not improve. Hurry back Matt they need you.

Marc Bulger The Boy In The Bubble

The St. Louis Rams are 19-37 in their last 56 games. Marc Bulger has started 43 of those games and appears to be a sacred animal in the eyes of the St. Louis media. St. Louis media has placed Marc in a nice soft bubble and coddles him week in and week out. Marc has thrown for 200+ yards in only one game so far this year. Marc is 24th in QB rating and has thrown only 6 touchdown passes in seven games. His play is flat out unacceptable.Read more »

Kenneth Darby Who Are You

In addition to a terrible 34-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the St. Louis Rams also experienced several injuries to the running back position. Steven Jackson was unable to perform on Sunday and still has a bad quad. Antonio Pittman hurt his hamstring on his first carry of the game, and Travis Minor suffered a concussion. There is a good chance that Kenneth Darby will be the starting running back Sunday against the New York Jets. The Rams signed Darby off of the Atlanta Falcons practice squad a couple of weeks ago. The Rams showed interest and contacted Darby back in 2007 during the draft week.

Kenneth Darby was a 7th round draft pick in 2007 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Darby has two career carries in the NFL for nine yards. Darby played four years at the University of Alabama and had 3324 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Darby was also good receiver out of the backfield catching 70 passes for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns.

About.com has the following profile on Kenneth Darby:

During his junior season, Darby showed that he could run well against good, even great defenses, particularly at the end of the season (he played spectacularly in losing efforts against LSU and Auburn). He also put up respectable numbers in Alabama's bowl game against Texas Tech. He possesses tremendous strength, can make catches out of the backfield, runs intelligently, and can make great players miss (see Alabama vs. Ole Miss.) Finally, he delivers when he needs to, and can consistently convert third-and-short situations.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

The first place Arizona Cardinals dominated the St. Louis Rams Sunday on their way to a 34-13 victory. After Marc Bulger hit Derek Stanley with a 80 yard touchdown pass last in the first quarter the Rams only managed 151 net yards on offense. The Rams also commited 2 costly turnovers early in the second quarter which helped the Arizona Cardinals put up 24 points in the quarter. The first was a pick six from Antrel Rolle on a ball intended for Donnie Avery. On their very next possesion Bulger was sacked by Adrian Wilson and the Arizona Cardinals recovered and turned it into 3 points. The Rams went from up 7-0 to down 10-7 in a span of four minutes time. After that the game was pretty much over.

The Rams had a chance to pull within one game of first place but seemed flat throughout the day. Steven Jackson boasted that he would play today. To start their first drive Jackson was in the huddle and then came off the field and was replaced by Antonio Pittman prior to the play. The Rams seemed to be confused throughout the day. They never seemed to know if Jackson was in or out, if the receiveres were on the right side of the field etc. It was as if the ghost of Scott Linehan was on the sideline. We have seen this Rams team before. This is the team that has a hard time stopping the opponent on their opening drive. These were the Rams that could never make a tackle or create pass pressure from their front four. These were the Rams that could not adjusted and would be outscored in the second half. We have seen these Rams and they are who we thought they were.

The Rams are who we thought they were. They are now 2-6 and on pace for a 4-12 season which is right about where they should finish. On any given Sunday the Rams can win but look out on the field, the talent level is just not high enough. We can now turn our thoughts from 1st place to the 2009 NFL draft.

The Inmates Are Running The Asylum

The St. Louis Rams are worth about 950 million dollars according to Forbes. The Rams should be able to afford the best doctors and trainers on the planet. Based on that fact why do players always dictate when they play? Steven Jackson posted on his own website that he was "So to be clear: I am playing. Be ready." Well apparently he was not ready and the Rams did not put together a game plan that would work without him. Adam Carriker and Leonard Little were also both questionable for Sunday's game as well. However both managed to run on and off the field throughout the game against the Arizona Cardinals. All three players were completely ineffective. Jackson had 17 yards rushing and dropped a sure touchdown pass, while Little and Carriker combined for only 1 tackle. Why are the inmates running the asylum? Are the Rams coaches ever going to know and understand when to scratch players from the lineup far enough ahead of time to properly game plan and get the backups enough reps for the upcoming game? Note to the coaches, inmates and players lie plan accordingly.

Hey Leonard Little Your Just A Regular Guy

Wednesday the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that Leonard Little said Kurt Warner is "just a regular quarterback now." Sure Leonard probably said this tongue-n-cheek but Kurt Warner is far from regular and Leonard should know that. Kurt Warner lit up the St. Louis Rams once again at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday in route to a 34-13 Arizona Cardinals victory. Warner was 23 out of 34 for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kurt came in leading the NFL in completion percentage and was 3rd in QB rating. Kurt completed 68% of his passes on Sunday and had a QB rating of 120. It was Marc Bulger that fumbled and threw picks on Sunday not Kurt. Leonard who played off and on during the contest on Sunday, mostly on passing downs came up with one tackle on the day. Hey Leonard maybe you are just a regular guy!

Defensive end Leonard Little chuckled Wednesday when asked whether he’d be glad to see his former teammate Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. “You guys ask that every year,” Little replied. “He’s a friend of mine. He brought us a world championship here, but I just treat him like a regular quarterback now.”

Week 9 Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams - Injury Report

NFL injuries play a key part in every NFL game. This weeks game between the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams will be no different. The below injury report is from NFL.com. The Arizona Cardinals key injury is to Neil Rackers. This game could come down to a kick from either Neil Rackers or Josh Brown. The St. Louis Rams key injuries are of course to Steven Jackson, Leonard Little, and Adam Carriker. Steven Jackson is still a game time decision and we need him. A balanced attack can help out Marc Bulger who is still not playing well. Little and Carriker will probably both be out this week. This is huge. We need a pass rush to get to Kurt Warner, to slow down the Cardinals. The Rams will now need a huge game from Chris Long and James Hall. The Rams will not win if Kurt gets 4+ seconds to pass.

Arizona Cardinals Injury Report

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
Leonard Pope	TE	Ankle	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Early Doucet	WR	Groin	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Travis LaBoy	DE	Groin	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Sean Morey	WR	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Ben Patrick	TE	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Aaron Francisco	S	Ankle	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Neil Rackers	K	Right Calf	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Eric Green	CB	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Probable

St. Louis Rams Injury Report

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
Drew Bennett	WR	Foot	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Todd Johnson	S	kidney	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Adam Carriker	DT	Ankle	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Tye Hill	CB	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Steven Jackson	RB	Thigh	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Leonard Little	DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable

NFL Week 9 Predictions

Every week I will make my NFL gameday predictions. We would love it if you share your opinions, or your own predictions in the comment area of our Fan-Sided forum area. All picks will be straight-up, not against the spread. We are doing pretty good so far going 71-45. My NFL Week 9 Predictions are below. Good Luck to you. The Lions gave it a good college try last week, however this is the pros so they still lost. I was also a little disappointed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who should have knocked off the Cowgirls. The Kansas City Chiefs are my upset pick this week.

Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland Browns
Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears
Kansas City Chiefs
St. Louis Rams
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Atlanta Falcons
Indianapolis Colts
Pittsburgh Steelers

Last Week 9 - 5

Year to Date 71 -45

Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars Must Win

I would like to give a shout out to the local Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars. The Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars (7-2), must defeat the Troy-Buchanan Trojans (3-5) tonight to gain entry into the 2008 Missouri MSHSAA Playoffs. The Jaguars suffered a heartbreaking 56-55 lost last week to the Jeff City Jays (6-2). T.J. Moe (verbally committed to the University of Missouri) had the best game I have ever seen. T.J. was 23 of 31 passing for 565 yards with 6 touchdowns. In addition T.J. added 90 yards rushing and two more touchdowns. That's right Moe accounted for 8 touchdowns and lost! The Jaguars are the highest scoring team in the area averaging over 52 points per game. It is too early for the Jaguars to bow out now. We wish them luck tonight against the Trojans.

*****UPDATE***** The Fort Zumwalt West Jaguars won 63-27 over the Troy-Buchanan Trojans

Steven Jackson Game Time Decision

Jim Haslett is still calling Steven Jackson a game time decision for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Steven Jackson says the quad is not 100% yet.

“It's not 100 percent but it's not something that's unbearable like Sunday where I wouldn't able to be myself out there,” Jackson said. “We felt taking a week off would probably be the best thing for the rest of the season.”

Jackson has practiced the last three days and has got in some work against the scout team. Steven Jackson says they are being careful but the quad is no longer tight while he is running.

I am pretty concerned with Jackson's limited work this week. Hopefully he is more ready than the St. Louis Rams are leading on. Antonio Pittman can gain yards against the Arizona Cardinals but let's be real we need Jackson this week. This is the must win game of the 2008 season. Steven Jackson needs to find a way onto the field this Sunday.

St. Louis Rams Tickets

There are still great Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams tickets remaining for this weeks showdown. Don't let the Deadbirds come into the Edward Jones Dome and take over. It is very important for the Rams to start dominating at home. The home field advantage is limited if half the fans are for the other team. Let's suck up these tickets and rock the dome on Sunday. Kickoff at the Edward Jones Dome will be 12 noon on Sunday November 2nd. Tickets are still going for as low as $18. Be there and Bring It!

Week 8 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week

Every week NFL.com hosts the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. Donnie Avery has been nominated again this week. Avery had 6 catches for 163 yards and a TD this week and should be the clear winner. In addition Avery now leads the Rams in yardage and TD receptions. Donnie Avery is up against Joe Flacco (QB) Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Flowers (CB) Kansas City Chiefs, Kenny Phillips (S) New York Giants, Chris Johnson (RB) Tennessee Titans. Let's bring home some more awards. Get out there and vote for Avery!

Who do you think is the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week? Head over to NFL.com or click here.

We would like to once again thank Kenneth Pordon from NFL.com for sharing all of their latest news.

NFC West Breakdown: Week 8

(Vince Vitale writes for Ramblin' Fan, which is FSB’s St. Louis Rams blog. Representing the rest of the NFC West are 12th Man Rising, Niner Noise. and Raising Zona.)

The NFC West continued to struggle going 1-3 on the week and are now 10-19 on the season. Defense is at a premium as these teams combined are allowing 27.1 points per game. The Rams continue to be the talk of the West, playing much better under Coach Jim Haslett. The game of the week will be Arizona at St. Louis. In sunny San Francisco, DaBear Mike Singletary is going to start laying down the law. Birds of a feather will flock together as the Seahawks, without Matt Hasselbeck will take on the Donovan McNabb led Eagles.

Arizona Cardinals (4-3):

Looking Back:

The Arizona Cardinals lost for the fourth straight time to the first place Carolina Panthers(6-2) wasting a 381 yard 2 touchdown performance from the young again Kurt Warner. A costly fumble by Edgerrin James in the 3rd Quarter helped the Panthers score 14 points in a 46 second span. The Cardinals keep shooting themselves in the foot every week and it could cost them the NFC West division crown.

Looking Forward:

Arizona will travel to play the second place St. Louis Rams(2-5). The Cardinals scored 82 points in their season sweep of the Rams in 2007. This game will feature the return of fan favorite Kurt Warner to St. Louis. Additionally Dick Vermeil will be inducted into the Rams Ring of Fame. It will be like a family reunion at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. The big question is which team will end up crying.

St. Louis Rams (2-5):

Looking Back:

The Rams were not quite able to pull off their third straight upset under Coach Jim Haslett, falling 23-16 in a hard fought game against the New England Patriots(5-2). The Rams managed 90 yards on the ground but they missed the threat of Steven Jackson in the lineup. The patriots continued to have the Rams number even with Matt Cassel at QB.

Looking Forward:

Even at 2-5 this is probably the biggest game for the Rams since 2004. The Rams can pull within a game of first place with a win over the Arizona Cardinals(4-3) on Sunday. The Rams are 19-36 in their last 55 games so it has been a long time since they have tasted success. The Edward Jones Dome will be rocking this week as the Rams fans can taste the team turn around that Jim Haslett is cooking.

San Francisco 49ers (2-6):

Looking Back:

Mike Singletary had an interesting first game as the Niners Head Coach. The Niners lost badly to the Seattle Seahawks(2-5), 34-13. During the game Vernon Davis received a personal foul penalty, after the play Singletary sent Davis literally to the showers. I would like to applaud this move and would like to see more coaches dish out some punishment. After a costly pick 6 from J.T. O’Sullivan he was also sent to the showers in favor of Shaun Hill. After the game it was rumored that the Niners are interested in hiring Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to a high level position in the organization. Good luck Mike.

Looking Forward:

The Niners reach the bye week in full free fall. The Niners have lost their last five games by a combined score of 164-94. The Niners will travel off their bye week to a Monday Night Football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals(4-3). The Niners are simply in rebuilding mode and need to focus on new leadership and gathering more skilled players. It would be great to see Singletary take over this club and rebuild the defense.

Seattle Seahawks (2-5):

Looking Back:

The Seahawks took advantage of some timely defense and mistakes by the San Francisco 49ers(2-6) to roll to a 34-13 victory. The Seahawks only managed 39 yards rushing on 28 carries. This offensive line is far from their hay day. Seneca Wallace was 15 of 25 for 222 yards in a solid performance.

Looking Forward:

Seattle will host the Philadelphia Eagles(4-3) on Sunday. The Eagles are 9th in rushing defense and will try to shut down the Seahawks running came and then Jim Johnson will tee off with blitzes against Seneca Wallace. The Eagles boast three shut down corners which are also a bad matchup for the Seahawk decimated wide receiving core. The job does not get any easier for the Seahawk who will then be forced to take the longest trip in the NFL down to Miami to take on the Dolphins(3-4).

Rams Run Out Of Gas In Beantown

Rams Run Out Of Gas In Beantown, lose 23-16 to Patriots

The St. Louis Rams with nine minutes left in the game against the New England Patriots were up 16-13, and the Arizona Cardinals were down to the Carolina Panthers 24-23 at the time. This was probably the most excited Rams fans have been in over three years for a Rams game. Could it be possible that the Rams would pull within one game of first place only 14 days after firing Scott Linehan. Unfortunately the Rams ran out of gas in the 4th quarter.

The Rams first two drives in the forth quarter resulted in minus two yards and two straight three and outs. This spelled doom for the Rams defense as not only did they not get much rest but the Patriots next two drives started on their 47 and 48 yard lines. With only 81 yards of offense the Patriots were able to get 10 points and go up by a score of 23-16.

With 3:13 left on the clock the Rams started their last drive on thier own 10 yard line after another bad kick return and a penalty by Eric Bassey tacked on. It was time for Marc Bulger to rally the Rams and pull on out. The Rams were able to drive to the Patriots 33 yard line but after a 5 yard false start penalty against Richie Incognito the Rams faced 3rd and 15 from the 38 yard line. Bulger forced a deep out to Keenan Burton who was well covered and the ball was intercepted by Deltha O'Neil.

The Rams gave it a good shot and a great effort which is a Rams fan was great to see. With Steven Jackson out with quad injury and Leonard Little out early in the first half with a hamstring injury you have to be pretty happy wih the effort if not the result.

The Rams are still two games out of first place in the NFC West and will take on the Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome next Sunday. This will be a huge game and one that the Rams can win. Lets get behind them and bring the noise on Sunday. There are still about 2000 tickets left for the game. Do not let the Cardinals have get them. There are tickets selling for as low as $18 check them out here.

Steven Jackson Inactive

The St. Louis Rams have made Steven Jackson inactive today for thier game against the New England patriots. This is not good for Rams fans. Steven Jackson injured his quad muscle late in the game last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Antonio Pittman will now start for the St. Louis Rams. Travis Minor and Kenneth Darby will spell and backup Pittman. With Jackson out Donnie Avery will be the key to the Rams offense today. In addition Nick Kaczur is out for the Patriots which will force Mark LeVoir, former Ram to block Leonard Little. Little and Chris Long should have some nice oppurtunites out there today.

NFL Week 8 Predictions

Every week I will make my NFL gameday predictions. We would love it if you share your opinions, or your own predictions in the comment area of our Fan-Sided forum area. All picks will be straight-up, not against the spread. We are doing pretty good so far going 62-40. My NFL Week 8 Predictions are below. Good Luck to you. I lost a couple close ones last week with Washington and the Browns. My huge upset this week is the Detroit Lions. I know you think I have lost my mind. It is hard to go 0-16 in the NFL and nobody looks more likely to do that than the Lions. However I like the fact they are playing Washington who tends to keep teams in games.

Baltimore Ravens
Carolina panther
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
San Diego Chargers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans

Last Week 8 -6

Year to Date 62 -40

Our Sports Vortex Radio Interview

Jeff Schools and Matty Boutwell from The Sports Vortex asked us to come on their radio show and preview this weeks St. Louis Rams at New England Patriots contest. Jeff is a major contributor to the Central Maine Sports Blog. During our half hour interview that was played on WJZF 97.1 FM radio, we covered many topics. We discussed the recent turnaround of the Rams, the effectiveness of Jim Haslett, and the key match-ups for this weeks big game. Rams fans need to check this out.

To listen to the full interview please click here or here!

We would like to thank Jeff again for having us on.

Orlando Pace To Start Sunday

The St. Louis Rams and coach Jim Haslett announced today that Orlando Pace returned to practice and will start Sunday against the New England Patriots. Pace had a slight tear in his quad which was more serious than the strain that Steven Jackson has. This is huge news because Orlando Pace will be blocking the very athletic Richard Seymour and Adalius Thomas who have combined for 6 sacks this season. I think it is a big advantage that the Rams played the Dallas Cowboys last week. The Cowboys also play 3-4 on defense. The Rams should be use to the blocking schemes needed to be successful. Adam Goldberg had a great game last week in place of Pace.

Quotes from Stlouisrams.com:

Haslett declared Pace fit and ready to make the start this weekend against New England.

"Everything is good," Pace said. "I went through the whole practice and felt pretty good."

Week 7 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week

Every week NFL.com hosts the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. Donnie Avery has been nominated this week. Avery had a huge early touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys, and went on to post five catches for 65 yards. Donnie Avery is up against Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens, Chris Johnson Tennessee Titans, Trevor Scott Oakland Raiders and Jonathan Stewart Carolina Panthers. Steven Jackson already was named the NFC offensive player of the week. Let's bring home some more awards. Get out there and vote for Avery!

Who do you think is the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week? Head over to NFL.com or click here.

We would like to once again thank Kenneth Pordon from NFL.com for sharing all of their latest news.

Vote For Steven Jackson

Steven Jackson was nominated as one of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for Week 7. Steven is up against LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans and Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins. Jackson hammered the Dallas Cowboys for 160 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns during the Rams 34-14 victory Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The NFL will announce the winner on Friday so head on over and vote for Steven Jackson!

If Steven Jackson wins FedEx will make a $1,000 donation in Steven’s name to the local Safe Kids USA coalition in St. Louis. FedEx is teamed up with Safe Kids USA – a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children – to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ cities. The funding directly benefits pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year.

Steven Jackson Scored NFL NFC Player Of The Week

Steven Jackson has won the NFL NFC offensive Player of the week award. Jackson was outstanding in the St. Louis Rams 34-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Jackson had 160 yards rushing on 25 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. Jackson has averaged over 100 yards rushing over his last three games. I believe Jackson is now in game shape and about at the point he would have been if he wouldn't have held out through training camp. MRI results yesterday did not show any serious quad damage so hopefully Jackson will be able to put up some number this week in New England. Congrats to S-Jack!!!

NFC West Coaches Taking A Pounding

The NFC West coaches are taking a pounding early in the 2008 NFL Season. Scott Linehan was fired four games into the season and now Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers has been fired after their first seven, going 2-5. The Whiner fans have been calling for Nolan's head for a while now. Long time Chicago Bears great Mike Singletary will be the interim head coach. Singletary has been after a head coaching job for a while now, maybe this will be his big break. The word has been that Singletary does not interview well, well now he does not have to interview. The Niners were 18 and 37 under Nolan seemingly not making many great strides this year. Nolan like Linehan seemed to be a nice guy in the middle of a huge mess looking for a way out. Nolan is most hated by the fans for trading a 1st round pick to the New England Patriots.

With Mike Holmgren as a lame duck coach in Seattle, Ken Whisenhunt of the Arizona Cardinals will be the longest tenured head coach in the NFC West with 12 months of experience. The NFC West has a combined record of 9-16 and two of their head coaches have been fired. The future is so bright they may want to watch their back!

Steven Jackson MRI Results

The St. Louis Rams have reported that the results of the Steven Jackson's MRI on Monday revealed "a slight strain." Yesterday some reports said that Jackson heard a pop, others said it was a slight bruise, and Marc Bulger stated that Jackson appeared to be in quite a bit of pain. Coming off our biggest win in over a year and a half this is great news for the Rams. The New England Patriots will be coming off a short week after playing Monday night against the Denver Broncos. In addition to being without Tom Brady they will also be without Laurence Maroney who was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Jackson will probably not practice very much this week so he can hopefully heal and be ready for the game against New England.

St. Louis Rams Injury Report

The St. Louis Rams had four injuries during their 34-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

• The worst injury came about on special teams as Todd Johnson bruised a kidney. Per the St. Louis Rams, Johnson is in a local hospital and will be out at least a couple of weeks.


• Adam Carriker was on the turf for quite a while in the second period with what appeared to be a very serious injury. The Rams say he has a lower ankle sprain. James Hall was outstanding taking over after Carriker left the game. Carriker may also miss a game or two.


• Derek Stanley was basically knocked out on the same kick coverage that Todd Johnson was hurt on. Stanley was down for a long time and Rams players were on the field praying. Once the cart came on the field to cart Stanley off, he all of a sudden came around and ended up walking off the field. If Stanley can pass the concussion tests that the NFL now uses he will be able to play against the New England Patriots.


• Then there was the big one. With the Rams up 34-7 late in the game Steven Jackson limped off the field after a one yard run. Jackson was in visible pain on the sideline as many helpers gathered around. After a couple of minutes on the sideline Jackson limped off into the locker room after waving to the crowd. The word from the Rams was he had a tight quad and would need an MRI on Monday. The Rams can not afford to lose their workhorse with an upcoming game coming against NE.

Rams Put Wade Phillips On Hot Seat

The St. Louis Rams hammered the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon 34-14 and in doing so have placed Wade Phillips on the coaching hot seat. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas News is basically calling for Phillips head. I am not one to ever want someone to lose their job but I do love seeing the Dallas circus veer off course. Way to go Rams!!!

Phillips' low-key demeanor and aw-shucks approach elevated a team that had been beaten down by four years under Bill Parcells. But all of that is gone now. It's just a team of uninspired excuse makers who take their cue from the head coach.

According to the Canadian Press Phillips is fine for now:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Sunday's loss to the Rams that coach Wade Phillips' job is not in danger. "No, it is not," Jones said after Dallas' 34-14 loss. "Emphatically, no."

St. Louis Rams Roll Into Second Place

After today's 34-14 dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys the St. Louis Rams have moved into second place in the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers have lost 4 straight, and the Seattle Seahawks have now lost 3 in a row. The Rams now trail the Arizona Cardinals by 2 games for the NFC West lead. As weird as this would have sounded eight days ago, the Rams may have a shot at this thing.

The Rams have games remaining against New England, Arizona (2), NY Jets, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta. None of these teams are unbeatable. The Rams next home game will be on November 2nd against the Arizona Cardinals. This is going to be a huge game. The Edward Jones Dome was rocking today, let's make it rock on November 2nd. Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams tickets are currently going for as low as $13. Don't let the Cardinals fans take over the dome, buy tickets here!

Week 7 Gameday: Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams will take on the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at 12 noon CST at the Edward Jones Dome. Dallas has lost two of three and with that dropped one game back of the New York Giants in the tough NFC East. It was a long week for the Cowgirls, they lost to the Arizona Cardinals, Tony Romo broke a finger, and Pacman Jones was suspended by the league. The Rams are coming off their first game and victory under Jim Haslett, eating the Washington Redskins 19-17 at FedEx Field.

Injuries will play a large part in today's game. The Cowboys are not saying if they are playing Tony Romo or not. I believe this is just to try and keep the Rams guessing, I do not expect Romo to play. The Cowboys injury list is long including Felix Jones RB, Kyle Kosier G, Terence Newman CB, Anthony Spencer LB, Pat Watkins S, Kevin Burnett LB, Tony Romo QB, Keith Davis S, Tank Johnson DT & Roy Williams S. Some of these players may play but at least they are nicked up. The Rams will be without Tye Hill and Orlando Pace. Fakhir Brown is back to replace Hill, and Adam Goldberg will take over for the injured Pace.

I hate to be Mr. glass half empty but if you watched the Rams Redskins game the Rams offense was again awful. The Rams managed just 157 yards of offense before the hail mary pass from ulger to Avery. On the plus side they took advantage of every break and played the full 60 minutes. You have to be very concerned about the Rams offense against the explosive Cowboys. The Rams are not going to be able to win this game 13-10. Bulger must step up, and stay up to make some plays. The Rams are 28th in passing, 29th in rushing, and 31st overall in offense.

The Rams will once again be outmatched even if Romo does not play. The Arizona Cardinals were able to beat the Cowboys last week because Kurt Warner stood in the pocket and took a beating while going 22 of 30 for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. Can Bulger stand in the pocket and get knocked down 20 times and make those plays? I have not seen it in a very long time. The Cardinals on D were also not afraid of the Cowboys and went after them for teh full three hours in attack mode. The Rams must do the same.

I think once again the game will come down to line play. The Cowboys play a 3-4 which is something the Rams rarely see. DeMarcus Ware will be coming off the corner with Chris Canty and this will be big trouble for Adam Goldberg. In addition Jay Ratliff will be lined up right over Nick Leckey. Look for Ratliff to shut down Steven Jackson up the middle. On offense the Cowboys have Marion Barber, Jason Witten, T.O., and now Roy Williams as well. The Cowboys have more talent on the field and that should win out. For the Rams to win they will need to be able to take advantage of the Cowboys secondary by attacking down field with Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton. On defense the Rams need to bring pressure all day and tackle Barber when they have a chance. Overall the Rams will need to be a plus 3 in the turnover battle to have a chance. A ton of people are picking the Rams to win this game but if you look at it there is no reason to do so. This is the same Rams team that can not score, and has lost 8 of it's last 9 regular season games. The secondary has not stopped anyone and people now believe they can shut down Owens and Williams? Let's be realistic the Rams will need every break in the world to hang in this one for 60 minutes.

Prediction:


Dallas Cowboys 30 - St. Louis Rams 17