- In the NFL and the sporting world, you'll often hear a variety of things said or written over and over. Things like a player "stepping up" or someone giving "110 percent." Those cliches are generally meaningless but there are a few that are less vague that are cliches for a reason. That reason? Because they are true and they happen over and over.

- For example, it's cliche to say turnovers are a key to the game because, well, they are a key to every game. And yes, the team that wins the turnover battle more often than not wins the football game.

- And so it was that Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV pitting Indianapolis and New Orleans against each other came down to who would come out on the better end of a couple of NFL cliches.

- It is said that most NFL games are decided or at the very least swing on the basis of a couple of plays in every game. In Sunday's game, that could not have been more true. First, there was the play that changed the game and then there was the play that decided it.

- The play that changed it happened on the opening kickoff of the second half. This might sound familiar to Rams fans who saw the Rams drop a close on to the Saints earlier this year after a kickoff return for a touchdown by New Orleans Courtney Roby altered the course of the game. Thomas Morstead, who had never kicked an onside kick in his life, booted a perfect one right at Indianapolis receiver Hank Baskett. Baskett couldn't handle it and Chris Reis eventually recovered after a long scrum. It was a gutsy call full of bravado by Saints coach Sean Payton but it was also the type of call you would expect from the always daring Payton.

- The Saints recovered the kick, quarterback Drew Brees caught fire and the Saints went on to score a touchdown for their first lead of the game.

- The second play involved another aforementioned NFL cliche, the turnover. With about three and a half minutes to go in the game, both teams had been relatively flawless. No turnovers and the penalties had been kept to a minimum. Then, of all things, New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter stepped in front of Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, picked off Peyton Manning and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. It was 31-17 New Orleans and the celebration on Bourbon Street was underway.

- A few things on this: First and foremost, congratulations to the Saints. Very happy for them and especially for former Rams interim coach Joe Vitt. Vitt has been at this more than 30 years and this is his first Super Bowl. Well deserved. Also, obviously happy for that city and all they have been through. Great story.

- Drew Brees has burst through the door to join Tom Brady and Peyton Manning on that echelon of the top guys in the league. Great player, great guy. What a moment it was to see him celebrating with his 1-year old son after the game.

- I'm not going to break down too much more of the game because you can read plenty of that anywhere but there are a few things that I've read already that are ridiculous.

- First, I don't want to hear the comparisons of the Colts to Atlanta Braves in baseball. Some say they are the equivalent, teams that constantly make the playoffs but rarely win the championship. In that sense, I suppose you can draw it but does anyone realize how hard it is? In baseball, you get a seven game series to prove you're better. In football, it's one and done. I don't think those making the comparison realize how very hard it is to win even ONE Super Bowl let alone multiples. How many great teams never even win a championship? How many great players? It's an absurd comparison. And as great as the Manning-led Colts have been over the years, there have been plenty of other teams with great quarterbacks that have more talent across the board.

- Second, the interception by Porter was a great play by the corner but some are comparing Manning's interception to Brett Favre's from the NFC Championship. From watching it, it looked to me like there was some sort of error on the route by Reggie Wayne or he got his feet caught up and couldn't get out of his break. Manning gave credit to Porter after the game and rightfully so but I just don't know that it was all Manning's fault.

- Great effort, Dwight Freeney. It's a shame that super long halftime made it hard for him to be ready to go to start the second half.

- That's it for the 2009 season as the NFL world will now turn its attention to some other matters, not the least of which is the next collective bargaining agreement. The combine is in a couple of weeks followed by free agency, pro days and the draft. Plenty of good stuff ahead. Stay tuned, I know you will.

- This week, the NFL announced the 330 players invted to this month's scouting combine in Indianapolis. Here is the list, alphabetically, by position. Underclassmen have an asterisk.

Quarterbacks (19)

QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma*        
QB Levi Brown, Troy
QB Jarrett Brown, West Virginia        
QB Sean Canfield, Oregon State       
QB Daryll Clark, Penn State        
QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame*   
QB Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State     
QB Max Hall, Brigham Young        
QB Tim Hiller, Western Michigan        
QB Mike Kafka, Northwestern      
QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan     
QB Thaddeus Lewis, Duke
QB Colt McCoy, Texas          
QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati     
QB Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State       
QB John Skelton, Fordham    
QB Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
QB Jevan Snead, Mississippi*    
QB Tim Tebow, Florida

Running backs (30)

RB Matthew Asiata, Utah
RB Joique Bell, Wayne State
RB Jahvid Best, California*
RB LeGarrette Blount, Oregon
RB Chris Brown, Oklahoma
FB John Conner, Kentucky
RB Andre Dixon, Connecticut
RB Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State
RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech*
RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford
RB Montario Hardesty, Tennessee 
RB Rashawn Jackson, Virginia
RB Javarris James, Miami (Fla.)
RB Stafon Johnson, USC
RB Darius Marshall, Marshall*
RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State*
RB Dexter McCluster, Mississippi 
RB Joe McKnight, USC*
RB Shawnbrey McNeal, SMU*
RB Lonyae Miller, Fresno State 
RB Brandon Minor, Michigan  
RB Pat Paschall, North Dakota State
RB Charles Scott, LSU 
RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson
RB James Starks, Buffalo 
RB Ben Tate, Auburn
FB Manase Tonga, Brigham Young 
RB Keith Toston, Oklahoma State
RB Keiland Williams, LSU

Wide receivers (44)
     
WR Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State
WR Danario Alexander, Missouri
WR Alric Arnett, West Virginia
WR Brandon Banks, Kansas State
WR Chris Bell, Norfolk State*
WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois*
WR Nyan Boateng, California
WR Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas*
WR Antonio  Brown, Central Michigan*
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State*
WR Chris Carter, UC Davis
WR Riley Cooper, Florida
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota
WR Marcus Easley, Connecticut
WR Jacoby Ford, Clemson
WR David Gettis, Baylor
WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
WR Shay Hodge, Mississippi
WR Brandon James, Florida
WR Donald Jones, Youngstown
WR Kevin Jurovich, San Jose State
WR Brandon LaFell, LSU
WR Scott Long, Louisville
WR Chris McGaha, Arizona State
WR Kerry Meier, Kansas
WR Carlton Mitchell, South Florida*
WR Preston Parker, North Alabama
WR Jared Perry, Missouri
WR Taylor Price, Ohio
WR David Reed, Utah
WR Andre Roberts, The Citadel
WR Emmanuel Sanders, SMU
WR Jordan Shipley, Texas
WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame*
WR Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech*
WR Verran Tucker, California
WR Chastin West, Fresno State
WR Blair White, Michigan State
WR Damian Williams, USC*
WR Jeremy Williams, Tulane
WR Kyle Williams, Arizona State
WR Mike Williams, ex-Syracuse*
WR Stephen Williams, Toledo
WR Ryan Wolfe, UNLV

Tight ends (20)

TE Nate Byham, Pittsburgh
TE Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh
TE Ed Dickson, Oregon
TE Jim Dray, Stanford
TE Brody Eldridge, Oklahoma
TE Dedrick Epps, Miami (Fla.)
TE Riar Geer, Colorado
TE Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
TE Jimmy Graham, Miami (Fla.)
TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma*
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona*
TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State
TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida*
TE Michael Hoomanawanui, Illinois
TE Jeron Mastrud, Kansas State
TE Anthony McCoy, USC
TE Tony Moeaki, Iowa
TE Colin Peek, Alabama
TE Dennis Pitta, Brigham Young
TE Andrew Quarless, Penn State
                              
Offensive linemen (47)
                      
OG Jon Asamoah, Illinois  
OT Zane Beadles, Utah
OT Ciron Black. LSU  
OG Dorian Brooks, James Madison  
OT Charles Brown, USC  
OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa*      
C Jeff Byers, USC  
OT Kyle Calloway, Iowa      
OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland*  
OT Selvish Capers, West Virginia
OG Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
C Erik Cook, New Mexico  
OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers*
OT Chris Degeare, Wake Forest
OT Vladimir Ducasse, Massachusetts  
OT Jason Fox, Miami (Fla.)
OG Kurtis Gregory, Missouri
OG Joe Hawley, UNLV
C Jake Hickman, Nebraska
OG Mike Iupati, Idaho
OT John Jerry, Mississippi
OG Mike Johnson, Alabama
OT Kyle Jolly, North Carolina
OT Matt Kopa, Stanford
C Ted Larsen, North Carolina State
OT Shawn Lauvao, Arizona State
OT Marshall Newhouse, TCU
OT Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
C Eric Olsen, Notre Dame
OG Alex Parsons, USC
OT Cole Pemberton, Colorado State
OG Mitch Petrus, Arkansas
C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida*
OG Dace Richardson, Iowa
OT Rodger Saffold, Indiana
OT Chris Scott, Tennessee
OG Shelley Smith, Colorado State
C Matt Tennant, Boston College
OT Mike Tepper, California
OT Adam Ulatoski, Texas    
OT Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale (Mich.)   
C J.D. Walton, Baylor      
OT Ed Wang, Virginia Tech      
OT Tony Washington, Abilene Christian       
OT Thomas Welch, Vanderbilt      
OT Trent Williams, Oklahoma       
OT Sam Young, Notre Dame

Defensive linemen (66)
                      
DE Rahim Alem, LSU
DT Charles Alexander, LSU  
DE Tyson Alualu, California      
DT Geno Atkins, Georgia
DE Kevin Basped, Nevada*  
DE Alex Carrington, Arkansas State
NT Terrence Cody, Alabama  
DE Antonio Coleman, Auburn  
DE Jermaine Cunningham, Florida  
DE Dexter Davis, Arizona State  
DE Hall Davis, Louisiana-Lafayette  
DE Brandon Deaderick, Alabama  
DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida*  
DE Junior Galette, Stillman (Ala.)  
DE Clifton Geathers, South Carolina*
DE Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State*
DE Brandon Graham, Michigan  
DE Everson Griffen, USC*
DE Greg Hardy, Mississippi  
DT Lamarr Houston, Texas      
DE Jerry Hughes, TCU
DE Carl Ihenacho, San Jose State
DT Arthur Jones, Syracuse
DT Linval Joseph, East Carolina*
DE Sergio Kindle, Texas  
DE Jammie Kirlew, Indiana  
DE Austen Lane, Murray State  
DE Brandon Lang, Troy  
DE Erik Lorig, Stanford  
DE Albert McClellan, Marshall      
DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma*
DE Greg Middleton, Indiana
DE Koa Misi, Utah
DT Earl Mitchell, Arizona      
DE Arthur Moats, James Madison  
DE Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech*
DT Aleric Mullins, North Carolina  
DT Mike Neal, Purdue
DT Jared Odrick, Penn State  
DT Vince Oghobaase, Duke  
DT Jeff Owens, Georgia  
DT Corey Peters, Kentucky  
DE Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida*
DT Brian Price, UCLA*
DT Jay Ross, East Carolina
DE Ricky Sapp, Clemson  
DE O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
DE George Selvie, South Florida  
DE Cameron Sheffield, Troy  
DT Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas      
DT D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska          
DE Daniel Te'o-nesheim, Washington      
DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina  
DE Adrian Tracy, William & Mary  
DT Torell Troup, Central Florida      
DE Lorenzo Washington, Alabama      
DT Dan Williams, Tennessee          
DE C.J. Wilson, East Carolina
DE E.J. Wilson, North Carolina
DE Lindsey Witten, Connecticut          
DT Al Woods, LSU      
DE Corey Wootton, Northwestern          
DE Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech*  
DT Doug Worthington, Ohio State      
DE Willie Young, North Carolina State  

Linebackers (36)
                          
ILB Pat Angerer, Iowa      
OLB Jason Beauchamp, UNLV          
OLB Kyle Bosworth, UCLA      
OLB Navorro Bowman, Penn State*  
ILB Donald Butler. Washington          
ILB Lee Campbell Minnesota          
ILB Jamar Chaney, Mississippi  
OLB Keenan Clayton, Oklahoma      
OLB Justin Cole, San Jose State  
OLB Harry Coleman, LSU  
OLB Kavell Conner, Clemson          
OLB Rennie Curran, Georgia*      
ILB Phillip Dillard, Nebraska      
OLB A.J. Edds, Iowa
ILB Travis Goethel, Arizona State
OLB Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech  
ILB Josh Hull, Penn State
ILB Micah Johnson, Kentucky      
OLB Keaton Kristick, Oregon  
OLB Simoni Lawrence, Minnesota  
ILB Boris Lee, Troy  
OLB Sean Lee, Penn State
OLB Samuel Maxwell, Kentucky      
ILB Rolando McClain, Alabama*
ILB Mike McLaughlin, Boston College
ILB Rod Muckelroy, Texas      
OLB Eric Norwood, South Carolina  
OLB Perry Riley, LSU  
ILB Darryl Sharpton, Miami (Fla.)      
ILB Brandon Spikes, Florida      
OLB Steven Sylvester, Utah      
ILB Nathan Triplett, Minnesota      
ILB Daryl Washington, TCU      
OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State  
OLB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri      
ILB Kion Wilson, South Florida

Defensive backs (58)
                          
FS Nate Allen, South Florida  
FS Jonathon Amaya, Nevada          
FS Lucien Antoine, Oklahoma State          
CB Javier Arenas, Alabama                  
SS Larry Asante, Nebraska          
SS Eric Berry, Tennessee*      
CB Cornelius Brown, UTEP              
SS Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech*  
CB Crezdon Butler, Clemson          
CB Nolan Carroll, Maryland          
CB Christian Chancellor, Clemson      
FS Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech  
SS Barry Church, Toledo          
SS Kurt Coleman, Ohio State  
CB Chris Cook, Virginia  
CB Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State  
CB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma*  
CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest      
CB Marshay Green, Mississippi          
CB Joe Haden, Florida*  
CB Chris Hawkins, LSU
CB Brian Jackson, Oklahoma      
CB Kareem Jackson, Alabama*  
CB A.J.  Jefferson, Fresno State
FS Chad Jones, LSU*
SS Reshad Jones, Georgia*      
FS Kendrick Lewis, Mississippi      
CB Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt      
CB Trevard Lindley, Kentucky      
FS Taylor Mays, USC  
SS Kyle McCarthy, Notre Dame  
CB Devin McCourty, Rutgers  
CB Sherrick McManis, Northwestern  
CB Joshua Moore, Kansas State*
CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
CB Akwasi Owusu-ansah, Indiana (Pa.)  
CB David Pender, Purdue  
CB Josh Pinkard, USC  
FS Nick Polk, Indiana
CB Patrick Robinson, Florida State
FS Dennis Rogan, Tennessee*
SS Myron Rolle, Florida State  
CB Devin Ross, Arizona  
CB Amari Spievey, Iowa
FS Darian Stewart, South Carolina
FS Darrell Stuckey, Kansas      
SS Earl Thomas, Texas*
CB Kevin Thomas, USC
CB Syd'quan Thompson, California  
CB Walter Thurmond Oregon  
CB Alterraun Verner, UCLA
CB Stephan Virgil, Virginia Tech  
CB Jamar Wall, Texas Tech
FS T.J. Ward, Oregon
CB Donovan Warren, Michigan*
CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State  
SS Justin Woodall, Alabama  
FS Major Wright, Florida*  

Punters and placekickers (8) 
 
P Brent Bowden, Virginia Tech
P Matt Dodge, East Carolina
P Robert Malone, Fresno State
P Zoltan Mesko, Michigan
PK Aaron Pettrey, Ohio State
P Scott Ravanesi, Southern Illinois
PK Brett Swenson, Michigan State
PK Leigh Tiffin, Alabama

Special-teamers (2)

ST Clint Gresham, TCU
ST Trindon Holliday, LSU

- Greetings and welcome to Around the League where this week, of course, we'll be taking a look at this week's big game. Of course, we sat out last week because of the Senior Bowl whirlwind but we'll hit on a few topics today to get you ready for the Super Bowl as well as touch on some other league issues.

- On the game, I know I discussed this some in a recent chat but it's amazing the way this league works. You think you know something in October and November like Indianapolis and New Orleans are the best teams. Then you forget about it because teams like Dallas and San Diego get hot. I'm not going to be a hypocrite because I bought the Chargers hype myself but we should really stick with what we know in December because being hot and being consistent are two very different things. Great to see the two teams playing for the ring that we all thought would play for it way back when. They were the best all year and they deserve to be there. Rare to see the two No. 1 seeds square off.

- Here's how I see the game: I'd like to see the Saints pull it off. Tony Hargrove's return to the game is a great story, that city deserves it, Drew Brees is a great guy and they have Chase Daniel on the roster (for those that don't know I'm a Mizzou guy already). More than anything, though, I'd love to see Joe Vitt get a Super Bowl ring. He's committed his whole life to this game and done it with respect, enthusiasm and an unbelievable work ethic. Would like nothing more than to see him rewarded for that.

- That said, I just am not sure the Saints can keep up with Indianapolis. The Dwight Freeney injury situation is very important. If he's out, Brees will have more time to operate and pick apart an underrated Colts defense. But here's where I see the difference in the teams: when you watched the AFC Championship game, you saw Peyton Manning flustered for a couple, three drives at the beginning of the game. Even when he was, though, he didn't make any huge, costly mistakes. And you just knew he'd pull it together and start moving his team down the field.

- When you watched the NFC Championship game, you saw the Vikings putting the ball on the ground and the Saints committing silly penalties all over the place. Those mistakes almost made enough difference for Minnesota to advance in spite of the penalties. And on top of it, the Vikings put up almost 500 yards of offense on New Orleans.

- The point is, Indianapolis doesn't make mistakes. You almost have to be perfect to beat them and you have to be as close to perfect as possible to slow down Manning. The Rams posted 434 yards on the Saints defense. It's a group that can be taken advantage of. Manning should have no problems doing the same.

- New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams made some headlines earlier this week when he made it known that he wants his defense to relentlessly attack Manning, even potentially after plays are over. I don't think he meant that in any sort of malicious way but here's the thing. Let's say the Saints hit Manning a few times after they should and draw some flags. And let's say Manning takes those hits in stride like he normally does. Do you really want to run the risk of giving him more downs and make him angry? Risky business in my mind.

- How close this game is will come down to how well the Saints can move the ball offensively and if they can get a big play or two on special teams. I think it could well be a shoot out but I just see the Colts making less mistakes in the end and getting the win. Let's call it Indianapolis 38, New Orleans 27.

- As a side note, I believe that Peyton Manning is probably already the greatest quarterback of all time. But if he gets another ring on Sunday, I think he cements it and begins entering discussion as the greatest football player of all time. Enjoy it, folks, it doesn't get much better.
- As for some other things making news around the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted recently that an uncapped year is a virtual certainty. This isn't much of a surprise as the two sides only have until March 5 to try to reach an agreement on collective bargaining. I still don't think it's the best thing for the league to have an uncapped year but it looks like it's going to happen. Despite what some might think, this is going to have a severe impact on free agency. It's going to be harder than ever (and it's already very difficult) to make your team better through free agent acquisitions in 2010.

- The Pro Bowl drew its highest ratings in a long time despite of or perhaps because of its new time slot. That is interesting but it's also surprising considering the lack of All Stars in the game. Jacksonville QB David Garrard said after the game he wanted to go out and prove he belonged in the game. No offense to Garrard but come on, you're sixth or seventh on the list from your conference to be in the game and ranked in the lower-middle tier of quarterbacks in terms of rating this year. Having it back in Hawaii should help some of the guys missing it show up and returning it to its original time would help also. Otherwise, scrapping it all together might not be a bad idea.

- That's it for this week. Hope everyone enjoys the game this weekend.

- The NFL announced its all decade team on Sunday and four former Rams were among those honors. Two of whom spent the bulk of the decade with the team.

- Receiver Torry Holt and tackle Orlando Pace, two of the cornerstones of the Rams for most of the past 10 years were honored at their positions. Returner Dante Hall, who made his name in Kansas City and finished his career here, and defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, who earned his stripes in New Orleans and Dallas, also made it.

- Holt, of course, was one of the top targets of the decade, finishing first in receiving yards for the aughts. He is one of four receivers, joined by Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

- Pace was the bookend left tackle the Rams had hoped when they traded up to get him with the first pick of the 1997 NFL Draft. Jonathan Ogden, Walter Jones and Willie Roaf were the other tackles on the team.

- Glover came to the Rams as a free agent near the end of his career but was one of the most productive pass rushing DT's in league history. Glover is joined by Warren Sapp, Richard Seymour and Kevin Williams.

- Hall also arrived in St. Louis at the tail end of his career after becoming one of the most lethal returners in league history while with the Chiefs. Joshua Cribbs joined Hall as kick returners while Devin Hester was the other punt returner.

- Kurt Warner retired from the NFL today after 12 seasons in the league. He'll go down as a legend of this game for the many things he accomplished on the field. And for as great as he has been on the field, nobody will ever dispute that he was every bit as wonderful off it.

- Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to cover Warner during the heights of the Greatest Show on Turf. But like anyone who follows football, I followed Warner's exploits and his story. Someday, when the story of the NFL is told and people are talking about the great tales in league history, Warner's story will be a part of the fabric of that tale. The stockboy to Super Bowl champion and MVP part of it is the lede of that story but there are so many layers to who Warner is and what he's accomplished.

- There has been plenty of debate about when or even if Warner will someday land in the NFL. So, let's look at the statistical credentials first.

- In 12 seasons, Warner led two teams to three Super Bowls. He won the first one with the Rams in 1999 and came within an eyelash of two more. In those three games, Warner posted the highest passing yardage totals in NFL history. That's right, the Super Bowl record books, the top three passing totals read: Warner, Warner, Warner. He was Super Bowl MVP in '99 and would have won it again last year had Arizona pulled off the win. He's the only quarterback in league history to throw for more than 14,000 yards with two teams and one of only two signal callers to throw for 100 touchdowns with two squads.

- If you want records, Warner has plenty. He has the highest career postseason completion percentage at 65.6 percent. He's tied with two others for the most consecutive 300-yard passing games with six and tied with two quarterbacks with most touchdown passes in a postseason career.

- Here's how the final numbers break down for Warner:
Regular season: 32,344 yards, 208 touchdowns, 128 interceptions with a 65.5 percent completion percentage for a rating of 93.7, among the best ratings for a career of all time.
Postseason: 3,952 yards, 31 touchdowns, 14 interceptions with a 66.5 percent completion percentage for a rating of 102.8. He also finished with a record of 9-4 in playoff contests.

- Off the field, Warner has never shied away from his deep religious beliefs, often giving praise to God for his success. He is extremely active in charitable endeavors, including Warner's Warm up St. Louis which provides coats to those in need during the winter months. His First Things First Foundation helps a variety of causes including needy children and assisting single parents.

- A couple of weeks ago on Deadspin.com, writer Will Leitch summed up what makes Warner so special better than I ever could. Here's a passage from that terrific essay:

"It's difficult to describe Warner, when he's on, when he's '99 Warner, as anything other than bionic. He is a robotically constructed quarterback machine, showing no emotion, no fear, no joy, no panic: He throws the ball exactly where it's supposed to go because that's where it's supposed to go. It's not the chaos of Favre, or the nerdy precision of Manning, or the All-American faux heroism of Brady. There's nothing to it at all: Warner just hits exactly his spot and then jogs down the field to do it again. It's unnerving. It's inhuman. It does not compute.

Kurt Warner plays football like most people take out the mail, or pour milk on their cereal, or pump gas. He just happens to be brilliant at it. There is no mess. He is a reasonable, removed man playing a savage game, and he barely seems to notice. I've seen Kurt Warner get angry on the field, I've seen him frustrated, I've seen him in pain ... but I've never seen him nervous...Warner plays like he knows how this story ends. Kurt Warner makes me want to be a better person. He makes me want to try to figure it all out. And he makes me want him to win, win, win, before it's over, before the mystery vanishes, in a wisp, gone."

- Warner walked away from the game today in a typically classy manner. He answered every question. He thanked his family, his coaches, his teammates, the various owners that gave him shots to play around the league including those in St. Louis. He even thanked the media! The media that can be so difficult when things aren't going right and most athletes would rather ignore than thank. But that's who Warner is.

- Is Warner a Hall of Famer? No question. The numbers and the winning back that up without fail. Character isn't supposed to factor into the vote when it happens but it's hard to ignore that part of Warner's greatness as a player comes from his greatness as a human being. Whether or not his teammates agreed with Warner's beliefs, they never doubted him because for as much as Warner believed in God, his teammates believed in him and he believed in them.

- Warner is walking away the top of his game. Heck, he just put on one of the most amazing performances of his career in the Wild Card round against Green Bay. Could he have continued to play and do so at a high level? No doubt about it. But here's the thing, Warner knew when it was time to go. He didn't want to get to a point where he couldn't do it anymore and have to leave on someone else's terms. He didn't want to be the guy who stuck around too long. And Warner has been bruised and battered for so long, that he wanted to be able to spend quality time with his wife and seven children. Part of Warner's greatness as a player was in his decision making ability. Who are we to doubt that this was just another great choice in a career full of them?

- Sometime in the near future, I would expect Warner to be honored in St. Louis. There's no doubt that will happen at some point. In five years, he'll likely get the same treatment in Canton. It was a storybook career that seems destined to become a Hollywood movie someday. But Warner said something in his press conference that resonated with me. He said this isn't the end of his story, it's just the end of this chapter.

- And for all the great things Kurt Warner accomplished on a football field, I have a strong suspicion that the next chapter will be just as important to our world.

MOBILE, Ala. -

- The South team completed its Wednesday afternoon practice with a spirited session, ending the fully padded portion of the week as the teams switch to shells tomorrow and a walk through on Friday before Saturday's game. And, like earlier in the day, the defense won the day.

- South team cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Patrick Robinson had strong days and South Florida safety Nate Allen also emerged.

- Cox was perhaps the best player on the field on Wednesday, playing sticky coverage and even coming up with a couple of interceptions in the team portion of practice. He could end up in the first round if he runs well at the combine in February.

- Robinson isn't far behind. He's easily as skilled as Cox. The only question with him is how much effort he will put forth on every play. If he maintains intensity, he's as good as any corner in the draft this side of Florida's Joe Haden.

- Today was Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's best day. He handled snaps better, got out from under center quicker and generally looked more polished. It doesn't mean a ton but Dolphins coach Tony Sparano had Tebow doing more stuff out of the shotgun with spread looks. Perhaps that helped make Tebow more comfortable.

- After a close race, I think the quarterback in attendance with the most physical tools to excel in the NFL is West Virginia's Jarrett Brown. Brown has a rocket for a right arm and is a good athlete. You can tell he's a bit raw but he put the ball on a string for a couple of long touchdown throws. Seems like a more polished Tarvaris Jackson with similar physical skills.

- South Florida defensive end George Selvie was once considered one of the best pass rushing prospects in college football. Selvie flashed why in one on ones by just obliterating Tennessee tackle Chris Scott on one play.

- USC safety Taylor Mays continues to struggle in coverage. He can run with anyone but he just lacks the ball skills necessary to cover the back end.

- Kentucky CB Trevard Lindley is really struggling this week.

- Lost in the hype for fellow SEC defensive tackles is Georgia's Geno Atkins. He is a squat guy but plays with good leverage and seemingly has some upside.

- USC TE Anthony McCoy caught another deep ball today and is the best combination of blocker and pass catcher among the tight ends though he wasn't terribly productive for the Trojans.

- That will do it for our practice reports from here this week. It's been fun chatting, blogging, etc with all of you. I'll have a Senior Bowl wrap up chat on Friday after I spend tomorrow traveling back to St. Louis. Until then...

MOBILE, Ala. -

- The North team finished its final fully padded practice Wednesday morning on a crisp, sunny day at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. And for the most part, it was a day dominated by the defense.

- Let's get to the injury front first where Missouri receiver Danario Alexander appeared to be the only ailment of the day. Going up to contest a deep pass, he landed awkwardly on his leg. Detroit offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, former head coach of the Rams, said Alexander banged up his knee. Linehan was unsure of the extent of the injury but Alexander did not finish the practice.

- As for the action on the field, it was a defensive kind of day, particularly for the linebackers and defensive backs.

- Some of the standouts included Virginia CB Chris Cook, Boise State CB Kyle Wilson and Rutgers CB Devin McCourty.

- All are considered among the top five or so players at the position in this year's draft and all showed why on Wednesday.

- Perhaps none stood above the rest more than Cook. At 6'1, Cooks towers above a lot of the corners, plays physical and shows good ball skills. On one deep out in team drills, Cook sat on the route, baited Cincinnati QB Tony Pike into the throw and jumped the route. In one motion, he picked off the pass and tight roped the sideline for what would have been a pick-6.

- Wilson and McCourty, meanwhile, continue to just be as sticky as possible in coverage and show a high level of feistiness in run support. Wilson is very polished for a young corner. McCourty might have the most upside of all of them.

- At linebacker, Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon continues to impress as does TCU's Daryl Washington. Washington dropped an easy interception after reading a screen pass but he seems to be a good athlete with a nose for the ball.

- Another strong performance from Oregon TE Ed Dickson, who continues to have good success separating from defenders.

- Boston College C Matt Tennant isn't the biggest guy but boy does he compete. He holds his own surprisingly well against much bigger players. He does a really nice job of using leverage to hold up against the bull rush.

- California CB Syd'Quan Thompson also had a nice day with a couple of pass breakups.

- Ohio WR Taylor Price had probably his worst outing as he struggled to get separation and even dropped a few passes. Same for Clemson's Jacoby Ford.

- North Carolina DL Cam Thomas had a better day and is trying to match Weatherspoon's vocal presence.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo spent the morning watching practice from the sideline alongside Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. Spagnuolo said he and Tomlin talked about some of Tomlin's experiences in his first two years as a head coach and joked about how they both sort of gravitated toward the defensive players on the field.

- Will have more on Spagnuolo and the Senior Bowl later today with a feature for the front of the site. And, of course, I will have a blog from this afternoon's practice as well. Feel free to shoto questions to the mailbag too. I'll answer anything Senior Bowl related you want to throw in there.

MOBILE, Ala. -

- Just back from the North practice and caught up with coach Steve Spagnuolo who discussed his limited trips to Mobile for the Senior Bowl as well as some Rams news. I'll have more detail in a feature story later but here's a taste of what's to come.

- Spagnuolo said he has spoken with a couple of potential replacements for Charlie Baggett as wide receivers coach. But nothing is quite imminent on that.

- When asked about the possibility of Isaac Bruce as receivers coach should he choose to retire, Spagnuolo said "I have not talked to Isaac. I would certainly welcome a (chance). I don't know him that well but I have heard so many great things about him as a person and I know what he was like as a player. At some point, I will try to give him a call."

- As for the replacement for departing assistant offensive line coach Art Valero, Spagnuolo said there's a "50/50 chance" the team will choose to fill the spot at all. It's also a possibility that the team could move around some other assistant for that vacancy.

- Back with more in a bit.

- The South team just completed its first fully padded practice down at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and what a scene it was. Since about half the South roster is composed of SEC players anyway, there were plenty of fans there but nobody brings them out like Florida QB Tim Tebow.

- Let me set the scene a little for those of you who have never been to Mobile before. The stadium is older and set up in a neighborhood sort of like Lambeau Field without the history. Normally the parking lot is about half full and those in attendance are scouts, coaches, media types and some others. Today, when practice started, the entire parking lot was full. Fans were decked out in their Tebow No. 15 Florida jerseys and screaming for him at the top of their lungs. And that was just the adults. There was one young female fan on the south side of the stadium holding a sign and screaming every time Tebow did anything: complete a pass, throw a pass, drop a snap, tie his shoes, you name it.

- As for what TebowMania translates to on the field, it really doesn't mean much. Tebow is battling strep throat and a 103 degree temperature and went to a local hospital on Monday night. Of course, that didn't keep him from practicing. After hearing some things said about his performance yesterday I had to wonder how bad it could be but Tebow looks just fine for the most part. When he drops to throw in seven on seven or individual drills, he can make all the throws and he has a pretty strong arm.
- The problem arises when Tebow has to go under center which is understandable because he's really never had to do it. By my count, he only botched one snap during the team portion of drills. Still, even when he took the snap, he was a bit slow getting out from under center. He threw a couple of interceptions in team drill and struggled a bit when he was pressured. To his credit, he threw well on the run and did a nice job on rollouts and play action.

- The other quarterbacks, West Virginia's Jarrett Brown and Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson, also come from spread offenses and have had trouble taking snaps under center. Brown had some nice moments and seems to have a pretty strong arm.

- One of the standouts of the day is Mississippi Swiss Army Knife Dexter McCluster. McCluster did individual drills with the receivers then moved to running back during team portion of practice and also worked as a punt and kick returner. Some teams view him as a slot guy but he says he's an "O.W." which stands for offensive weapon. As a receiver, he made one tremendous diving catch on a deep ball down the sideline. On the pass, McCluster said he lost it in the sun but stayed with it and saw it in time to dive for the catch. He seems like the type of kid who can do it all and make big plays. Think Darren Sproles after a few Red Bulls. Impressive kid.

- Tennessee DT Dan Williams is a strong, powerful kid who plays with a lot of leverage. Dominant in one on one pass rush drills.

- Say what you want about Alabama DT Terrence Cody but the big man can't be blocked by one person.

- Miami tight end Jimmy Graham doesn't come with a ton of experience but he's big and has a lot of athletic ability. Intriguing prospect who caught a nice deep ball today in team drills.

- I'm not sure how fast he is but Alabama CB Javier Arenas sure is feisty. What a competitor.

- USC TE Anthony McCoy made a nice diving catch deep down the seam during team drills.
- Tebow's teammate, WR Riley Cooper had some nice moments during the workout but also dropped some balls that cost Tebow some completions.

- Mississippi offensive lineman John Jerry, brother of 2009 first-round pick Peria Jerry, looked solid in one on one pass rush drills at both guard and tackle.

- That's it for today, gotta get hammering on some feature stories for the front of the site. But I'll take a longer look at some non-Tebow stuff for the South tomorrow morning.

MOBILE, Ala. -

- Good morning from Mobile. Just wanted to give everyone an idea of what is to come today and how the schedule down here will work this week.

- Getting ready now to head over to Ladd-Peebles Stadium where the North team will begin practice at 9:30. Upon the completion of that practice, I'll do some interviews and then head back to write up a blog and some feature stories. In addition, I'll be doing my chat this afternoon around 1:00 for anyone with questions about stuff going on down here.

- I'm efforting a new feature with an independent scout with takes on various players throughout the week so you can get the perspective of someone who has been watching these guys and knows them better than I.

- After the chat session, I'll be heading out to practice for the afternoon session, featuring the South team. Haven't had a chance to see that squad yet so should be some new nuggets from the afternoon.

- Of course, I will also have my eye out for Rams personnel, including coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney. Any news from them will be included as well in the daily reports.

- The padded practices begin today. This is what the NFL world comes to watch so it should be a good first look at some of these guys.

- As for what else to expect: caught up with a lot of players so far including Sean Weatherspoon, Danario Alexander, Myron Rolle, Stafon Johnson, Sean Canfield, Tony Pike, Dan Lefevour, among others. Will be posting some of their thoughts as well as featuring some on the site in the coming days.

- So long for just a while.

MOBILE, Ala. -

- As has become custom, I just arrived in Mobile for this week's Senior Bowl activities. After barely catching my connecting flight to hop off one puddle jumper to another, I made it in time to get to the hotel, get my credentials and head out to practice.

- Today, the teams were in shells and practiced this afternoon at separate locations. The North team was at the usual spot, Ladd-Peebles Stadium while the South was at Fairhope Stadium. Simply because my flight put me in about the time the practices were scheduled to start, I opted for Ladd-Peebles which is about 25 minutes closer. Thus, I was not there for day one of Tebow-Mania. But have no fear, I'll be all over it in the coming days and likely catch up with him at tonight's media function.

- On to what I did get to see on the field and a couple of notes from a few interviews I was able to conduct after the practice.

- The North squad is composed mostly of players from the Big 10, the ACC, the Big 12 and a few other places. The South is heavy on SEC players with a few from the ACC and some PAC 10 guys.

- Headlining the show for the North are three solid quarterbacks generally considered to be second or third round type of signal callers. That's Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour, Cincinnati's Tony Pike and Oregon State's Sean Canfield.

- I watched that trio closely during seven on sevens and team drills. Weird to see Scott Linehan handling the coaching duties for the offense. The Lions are working with the North team.

- Of the three, at least for today, LeFevour was clearly the best. He had the most zip, the most accurate and basically the smoothest of the three. By no means will I make any blanket statements about these guys based on what happens in a single practice but at least for one workout, LeFevour was clearly the best of the bunch.

- You can see that Pike has skills but he also comes from an offense that is going to force him to make a major adjustment in mechanics and technique at the next level. Spoke to him after the practice and he seems like a smart, humble kid with plenty of intangibles you like. He acknowledged that the biggest thing for him between now and April is proving his ability to play in a pro style offense.

- Canfield struggled to drive the ball downfield. He was better in team than seven on seven but he had trouble with out patterns and deep balls. Good footwork and delivery, though.

- Wisconsin defensive end O'Brien Schofield was thought to be a potential second or third round pick coming here this week but he suffered what appeared to be a serious left knee injury during the workout. Best of luck to him, hopefully it's not too bad.

- Schofield suffered the injury in one on one pass rush drills against Massachusetts tackle Vladimir Ducasse. Ducasse is a mountain of a man from a small school with big time ability. He really has nice footwork and seems like he has a lot of potential.

- Spoke with Ducasse and he says he started playing football as a junior in high school after his family moved from Haiti when he was 14. Scary thing is, he's a very talented player already but he's just scratching the surface on what kind of player he could be.

- For the record, Ducasse has heard from family members back in Haiti and reports that everyone is OK.

- Impressed with Michigan DE Brandon Graham, who might turn out to be better suited for a 3-4. He's quick and athletic and his motor never stops running.

- There might not be a more physically imposing specimen than Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick. He was a handful in the one on one drills as well.

- In case anyone was wondering, Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is here. Weatherspoon made his presence felt by his constant hyperactivity and jaw jacking. He says it's all in good fun but he got a laugh out of it when he talked noise to Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount, you may recall, was the player suspended for punching a Boise State player early last year.

- On one play, Blount dropped a swing pass and jogged after it. Weatherspoon playfully shouted at him to hustle to get the ball. Afterward, Weatherspoon said he and Blount have been talking and it was all in good fun.

- On a more serious note, Weatherspoon got a ton of repetitions on Monday after he weighed in at 10 pounds less than his playing weight last year. He checked in at 241 pounds after playing at 251 in 2009. Weatherspoon says he has a lot to prove this week because he "didn't make enough plays" as a senior and it hurt his draft stock. That's a big reason why he dropped the weight. He's playing all three linebacker spots this week.

- Buzz about Alabama DT Terrence Cody, who apparently weighed in at 370 pounds. Yeah, that makes Andre Smith circa last year sound like Calista Flockhart.

- Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard looked sharp on some routes and made some nice catches. He has potential as a returner too.

- Some late additions to the roster of local interest include Illinois TE Michael Hoomanawanui and G Jon Asamoah.

- One scout told me that the class at center this year is woefully thin but there's talent at guard. Asamoah is one of the more highly touted interior linemen along with Idaho's Mike Iupati.

- Be back with more, including practice reports after each practice tomorrow, feature stories and a live chat tomorrow afternoon. Off to media event.

- In what looks like something that is going to be happening in mass amounts this year, Rams running back Steven Jackson officially pulled out of the Pro Bowl on Wednesday afternoon.

- This comes as no real surprise as Jackson battled a herniated disc in his back the final six weeks of the season and he made it pretty clear from the beginning that it would be a long shot for him to play in the game.

- San Francisco RB Frank Gore will replace Jackson in Miami.

- Still, Jackson will be in Miami enjoying his week and relaxing with his fellow NFL All Stars.
- Jackson is far from the only player missing the Pro Bowl for injuries or other reasons. Moving the game to the week before the Super Bowl and to Miami from Hawaii has made it a less desirable destination.

- Be back tomorrow with some news and notes, including an early glimpse at some of the various NFL mock drafts already available as well as hopefully finalized rosters from the Senior Bowl.

- The NFL released a question and answer transcript on Wednesday afternoon intended to answer any questioins you might have about the status of the collective bargaining agreement and how it will affect various aspects of the coming offseason. I've posted that transcript below for your perusal.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Questions and Answers

Q.         When does the CBA expire should there be no extension to the agreement?

A.         In March of 2011.

Q.         Will there be a college draft in 2011?

A.         Yes.

Q.         What is the “Final League Year” in the current agreement?

A.         The “Final League Year” is the term used in the CBA to refer to the last year of the agreement.  Without a further extension of the CBA, the “Final League Year” would be the 2010 League Year, which begins on March 5. 

Q.         What are the differences between the “Final League Year” and any other “League Year?”

A.         The principal differences are that in the “Final League Year” there is no salary cap and there are substantial additional restrictions on player free agency and reductions in player benefits.

Q.         Are current player benefits affected in the Final League Year?

A.         We expect current player benefits to decline in the Final League Year.  The union agreed that in the Final League Year, clubs would be relieved of their obligation to fund numerous benefit programs.  Examples include second career savings (401K), player annuity, severance pay and performance-based pay.  The total league-wide contributions to such plans in 2009, the last capped year, were in excess of $325 million or more than $10 million per club. 

Q.         Are retired player benefits affected in the Final League Year?

A.         Commissioner Goodell has stated in a letter to the NFL Alumni Association Board of Directors that there will be no reduction in pension or disability payments to retired players during the Final League Year (2010).  Since at least the fall of 2007, NFL owners have consistently agreed and planned that they will not reduce the funding for pension or disability benefits for retired players.  Nor will they reduce funding for the 88 Plan during the Final League Year. 

Q.         What determines an unrestricted free agent in the Final League Year (2010)?

A.         In capped seasons, a player whose contract has expired becomes an unrestricted free agent if he has four or more accrued seasons.  In the Final League Year (2010), a player whose contract has expired becomes an unrestricted free agent only if he has six or more accrued seasons.  An unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any club with no compensation owed to his old club. 

Q.         What determines whether a player is a restricted free agent in the “Final League Year?”

A.         In capped seasons, a player whose contract expires becomes a restricted free agent if he has three accrued seasons.  In the Final League Year (2010), a player whose contract expires becomes a restricted free agent if he has three, four or five accrued seasons.  The first refusal/compensation rights of restricted free agents remain unchanged in the Final League Year.    

Q.         In addition to the right to designate a franchise (or transition) player each capped year, can clubs designate additional players in the Final League Year?

A.         Yes, one additional player can be tagged.  In capped years, a club may designate a franchise player or a transition player.  In the final league year (2010), a club may designate one additional transition player.  A transition player must be offered a minimum of the average of the top 10 salaries of the prior season at the player’s position or 120 percent of the player’s prior year’s salary, whichever is greater.  A transition player designation gives the club a first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet given to the player by another club after his contract expires.  If the club matches, it retains the player.  If it does not match, it receives no draft pick compensation from that club.

Q.         What is the Final Eight Plan?

A.         During the Final League Year, the eight clubs that make the Divisional Playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign unrestricted free agents from other clubs.  In general, the four clubs participating in the championship games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs.  They cannot sign any UFAs unless one of theirs is signed by another team.

For the four clubs that lost in the Divisional Playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters.  Those four only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases.

In the case of all final eight teams, the first year salary of UFAs they sign to replace those lost cannot exceed the first year salary of the player lost with limitations on the per year increases.

Q.         Is there an Entering Player Pool in the Final League Year?

A.         There may be.  The CBA provides that the league has the unilateral right to keep or eliminate the rookie pool in the Final League Year. 

Q.         Is there a Minimum Team Salary in the Final League Year?

A.         There is no Minimum Team Salary in the Final League Year.  The Minimum Team Salary in 2009 is $107,748,000, meaning each team is required to allocate more than $107 million to player costs (not including benefits).  The team salary cap in 2009 was $123 million.

Q.         Are there individual player minimum salaries in the Final League Year?

A.         Yes, but they rise at a rate somewhat slower than player minimum salaries rise in capped years.

Q.         Do any player contract rules from capped years remain in place for the Final League Year?

A.         Yes, some rules like the “30% increase rule” are still in effect in the Final League Year for player contracts signed in capped years.  That rule restricts salary increases from 2009 to 2010.  For example: a player with a $500,000 salary in 2009 would be limited to annual salary increases of $150,000 ($500,000 x 30%) beginning in 2010.

- And....we're back. After a one-week hiatus and a great opportunity to recharge the batteries before attacking what should be an interesting and exciting offseason, From the Sidelines has returned. Yesterday, we dropped the news that receivers coach Charlie Baggett is moving on to the University of Tennessee. Earlier today, I gave you a list of the 53 players who have declared early for the NFL Draft and been granted that eligibility by the NFL. Be sure to check out both blogs if you have not already and want some more details.

- That business taken care of, let's take a look at what's been happening around the league including a (mostly boring) NFL playoffs that has yielded few upsets and not much suspense, as well as the wacky world of NFL coaches that has already seen some carryover from the wacky world of NCAA coaches.

- Here's a funny thing about the NFL, it's kind of like a woman in some ways. Just when you think you have it figured out, you really don't. When you think you have the answers, the question changes. Take this season for example. In week 13, we knew, I mean we KNEW that the the best teams in the NFL were Indianapolis, New Orleans and Minnesota. By week 16, the Vikings had just taken it on the chin a couple of times, the Saints looked out of sorts and the Colts had nearly caused a riot by resting starters. San Diego and Dallas became the chic picks. Now, I won't alter history, I bought into the Chargers hype because they had won a bunch of games in a row and looked good doing it. But really, what changed? We had theories that resting players would hurt a team's chemistry and performance but really not much was different.

- So, at the end of the day what we now know, that the three best teams in the NFL now are the same ones that we thought were the best way back in October and November. As for the outlier that is the Jets? Well, here's something else we already knew: You can still win a lot of football games in this league if you can run the ball and play defense at a really high level. The Jets happen to do both better than anyone else in the league. So even their ascent shouldn't come as much of a surprise regardless of their seed.

- For the record, if I take you back, my wild card picks were Cincinnati, Green Bay, Dallas and Baltimore. So, I went 2-2, though I believed Arizona and the Packers was a toss up. For what it's worth, in last week's games I had it going chalk with all of the higher seeded teams winning, so I went 3-1. At this point, I'm 5-3 in these playoffs, not bad but I should have had more respect for the Jets.

- And before I give some thoughts on championship weekend, I wanted to tip my cap to the Arizona-Green Bay game. I'm a bit of an old school fan in that I love watching great, hard hitting defenses play but every once in a while a good shootout is tremendously entertaining. That game had it all and was instantly revered as one of the great playoff games of all time. The performance of both quarterbacks was nothing short of incredible. The Cardinals won but the Packers had no reason to hang their head in shame. Just a wonderful, wonderful game after a disappointing weekend.

- Some quick hits on last weekend's games as well: I don't care much about the way Minnesota handled business against Dallas but a fourth-and-3 passing play was a bit unnecessary. Run the ball there and I don't see how anyone can complain, even if the run goes for a touchdown...Sidney Rice should probably be the Most Improved Player in the league this year...Tony Romo had a rough day but it wasn't his fault nobody blocked for him...Good to see you Reggie Bush, circa USC days...The Saints had no problems flipping the switch, very impressive performance though I still wonder how that game goes if Jerheme Urban doesn't fumble in the early going...If indeed that's it for Kurt Warner, it was a heck of a career, see you in Canton...Same to you Ed Reed, though I hope you come back for more, you still have plenty of good football in you...I believe Peyton Manning will one day be revered as the greatest quarterback this league has ever seen and perhaps its best player but for now can we all agree that nobody manages a game better than he does.

- That Chargers-Jets game has been discussed a lot the last couple of days, particularly the decision to onside kick late in the game rather than kick deep. To reset the situation: San Diego trailed 17-14 with about 2:11 left in the game. The Chargers had a timeout and the two-minute warning in their pocket. If they don't recover the onside kick, the Jets need one first down to ice the game and have the ability to run the clock and force San Diego to use its timeout. Seems like the Chargers would be better served kicking deep, right? Well, I would disagree and here's why. San Diego, without a doubt in my mind, needed to score a touchdown there. Kicker Nate Kaeding had missed three field goals, two from relatively easy distances. He looked rattled and shook. His chances of making a game tying field goal with the season on the line simply weren't good. They just weren't. So, you need every precious second left to give Philip Rivers time to try to get the ball in the end zone and win it in regulation. If you kick deep and you even come up with the three and out, you probably have about a minute left in the game (depending on the play calling sequence of the Jets but I don't see any way that Rex Ryan has rookie Mark Sanchez throwing on third down, regardless). And you are probably looking at having to go about 65, 70 yards for the score. If you get the onside kick, you have more than two minutes, you have the warning and your timeout and probably need about 55 yards for the touchdown. An easy call, in my mind.

- As for this weekend, I should probably give more consideration to the Jets in the AFC but I just don't see it happening. I know I'm the type of guy that Rex Ryan is talking about when he discusses people doubting his team constantly but there are a lot of things working for the Colts right now. 1. Peyton Manning 2. They are playing at home 3. They are playing the team they were playing the day they shut down the starters so they have something to prove to those fans. 4. They just played a team with a very similar style to the Jets 5. Peyton Manning.
- Let's call it Indianapolis 20, New York 10. And by the way, Darrelle Revis is fast becoming the new Deion Sanders in coverage. Simply amazing the way he shuts down an entire side of the field.

- In the NFC, this is the game I wanted to see from way back when. The Vikings, so balanced and complete against the high-octane on both sides of the ball Saints. I believed for a long time that this game would come down to which team gets to host it. After some late season stumbles at home, New Orleans looked vulnerable regardless of venue but after last weekend, it's hard to imagine the Saints losing at the Superdome. In fact, I believe the atmosphere at Sunday's game will be one of the best ever at any sporting event. Those people in that city are so connected to this team after all everyone went through that I wouldn't be stunned if they blow the roof off that building with noise on Sunday.

- That said, Minnesota is still playing very good football and Brett Favre has a penchant for playing well in that venue. Still, the Vikings have been just OK on the road this year and they are still struggling to run the football effectively. Plus, I'm a little biased because I want to see Joe Vitt go to a Super Bowl. One of my favorite guys to cover since I've been doing this. Call it New Orleans 34, Minnesota 27.

- Elsewhere in the NFL, the coaching carousel has been relatively quiet. The big news was Pete Carroll going to Seattle. I don't fault him for wanting another crack at the game's highest level and he will have the resources to do well with the Seahawks. How quickly he can turn it around remains to be seen but it's easy to forget that he had a winning record in the NFL.

- There was a terrific piece in ESPN the Magazine a few weeks ago (by my main man and fellow Mizzou grad Seth Wickersham, no less) about the qualities in a head coaching hire that generally lead to success. In it, he determined that many coaches are better the second tour of duty. And Marty Morningwhieg fit the profile of a guy who would make a great hire. Although Chan Gailey's name wasn't mentioned, he has many of the same characteristics. And he was unfairly let go in Dallas as Jerry Jones himself has admitted. Still want to see Leslie Frazier get a job somewhere, he's almost overqualified at this point.

- That will do it for this week. Enjoy championship Sunday and be sure to check in today for my mailbag which is extremely full after my week off.

- The NFL released the list of underclassmen who have declared and been cleared as eligible for this year's NFL Draft.

- There will be 53 non-seniors in this year's draft, the most this decade. Last season's draft had 46 underclassmen declare.

- Below is the list of draft eligible players with three years or more of college experience.

Player                          Pos.            College
Basped, Kevin             DE             Nevada
Benn, Arrelious            WR            Illinois
Berry, Eric                   DB             Tennessee
Best, Jahvid                 RB             California
Bowman, Navorro       LB             Penn State
Bradford, Sam             QB            Oklahoma
Briscoe, Dezmon         WR            Kansas
Brown, Antonio           WR            Central Michigan
Bryant, Dez                 WR            Oklahoma State
Bulaga, Bryan              T                Iowa
Burnett, Morgan          DB             Georgia Tech
Campbell, Bruce          T                Maryland
Clausen, Jimmy           QB              Notre Dame
Curran, Rennie            LB              Georgia
Davis, Anthony            T                Rutgers
Dunlap, Carlos            DE              Florida
Dwyer, Jonathan         RB             Georgia Tech
Franks, Dominique      DB             Oklahoma
Geathers, Clifton         DE              South Carolina
Gibson, Thaddeus       DE              Ohio State
Gresham, Jermaine      TE              Oklahoma
Griffen, Everson          DE              Southern California
Gronkowski, Rob       TE               Arizona
Haden, Joe                 DB              Florida
Hernandez, Aaron      TE               Florida
Jackson, Kareem       DB              Alabama
Jones, Chad               DB              Louisiana State
Jones, Reshad            DB             Georgia
Joseph, Linval            DT              East Carolina
Marshall, Darius        RB              Marshall
Mathews, Ryan         RB              Fresno State
McClain, Rolando     LB              Alabama
McCoy, Gerald         DT             Oklahoma
McKnight, Joe          RB             Southern California
McNeal, Shawnbrey RB             Southern Methodist
Mitchell, Carlton       WR            South Florida
Moore, Joshua          DB             Kansas State
Morgan, Derrick       DE             Georgia Tech
Norton, Jerell            DB             Arkansas
Pierre-Paul, Jason     DE             South Florida
Pouncey, Maurkice    C               Florida
Price, Brian               DT             UCLA
Rogan, Dennis          DB             Tennessee
Snead, Jevan            QB             Mississippi
Spievey, Amari         DB             Iowa
Tate, Golden            WR            Notre Dame
Thomas, Demaryius  WR            Georgia Tech
Thomas, Earl            DB             Texas
Warren, Donovan     DB            Michigan
Williams, Damian      WR           Southern California
Williams, Mike         WR            Syracuse
Worilds, Jason          DE            Virginia Tech
Wright, Major          DB             Florida

- Greetings and welcome to the first postseason edition of Around the League. Today, we'll dive into some playoff previews, I'll drop my All Pro team on you and cast my final awards ballot for the 2009 season.

- First, let's get down to business on the awards.

- Most Valuable Player: QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis - Manning had perhaps his worst supporting cast this decade and still found a way to post one of his two or three best NFL seasons. The Colts would be lost in the wilderness without Manning and he is deserving of his fourth MVP award, something that has never been accomplished.

- Behind Manning on my ballot (in this order) would be: Philip Rivers, Chris Johnson, Drew Brees and Brett Favre.

- Offensive Player of the Year: RB Chris Johnson, Tennessee - Johnson put up more than 2,000 yards rushing and set the NFL record from yards from scrimmage. No player in the league was as singularly dominant as Johnson, who is only going to get better as his career continues.

- Defensive Player of the Year: CB Darrelle Revis, New York Jets - Apologies to Elvis Dumervil and Charles Woodson but Revis was incredible in 2009. He limited some of the best receivers in the league to their worst performances of the season and made big plays on the few occasions the ball was actually thrown his way. He joins Nnamdi Asomugha in the elite company of guys you simply don't throw at.

- Coach of the Year: Cincinnati HC Marvin Lewis - There were a lot of great candidates for this award but nobody enjoyed a bigger turnaround and did more with less this year than Lewis. Not many people expected much from the Bengals but in the face of a few tragedies (Chris Henry's death, the death of DC Mike Zimmer's wife), they somehow found a way to win one of the toughest divisions in football and advance to the playoffs.

- Offensive Rookie of the Year: WR/KR Percy Harvin, Minnesota - Call me a snob because I snubbed Baltimore OT Michael Oher but I'm going with the guy whose impact was felt directly on the game when he touches the ball. Harvin was a threat to score every time he touched the ball and gave the Vikings a weapon capable of stretching the field and opening up things in the return game.

- Defensive Rookie of the Year: S Jairus Byrd, Buffalo - James Laurinaitis, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews all had excellent cases for this award but nobody made more big plays than Byrd. The young safety who attended Clayton High here in St. Louis, posted eight interceptions and was constantly around the ball and wreaking havoc in the Bills' secondary.

- As for the All Pro team, here's what I came up with (and for the record, I'm going with a 3-4 defense).
Offense:
QB - Manning (IND)
RB - Johnson (TEN), Steven Jackson (STL)
FB - Lousaka Polite (MIA)
WR - Andre Johnson (HOU), Wes Welker (NE)
TE - Antonio Gates (SD)
LT - Ryan Clady (DEN)
LG - Logan Mankins (NE)
C - Nick Mangold (NYJ)
RG - Jahri Evans (NO)
RT - Joe Thomas (CLE) - So he's technically a left tackle but I'm cheating.

Defense:
DE: Dwight Freeney (IND)
DT: Jay Ratliff (DAL)
DE: Jared Allen (MIN)
OLB: DeMarcus Ware (DAL)
ILB: Patrick Willis (SF)
ILB: London Fletcher (WASH)
OLB: Elvis Dumervil (DEN)
CB: Revis (NYJ)
CB: Woodson (GB)
FS: Darren Sharper (NO)
SS: Adrian Wilson (AZ)

Special Teams:
K: Nate Kaeding (SD)
P: Shane Lechler (OAK)
KR: Josh Cribbs (CLE)
PR: DeSean Jackson (PHI)
Coverage: John Wendling (BUF)

- On the playoff front, it should be an interesting Wild Card weekend with three matchups that were paired just last week (though most of the teams were resting starters in some fashion).

- I can't remember a year when I thought things were as wide open as this year, especially in the NFC. Any of the six teams and I really mean any of them can win the whole thing. In the AFC, it looks more to me like a two-horse race between San Diego and Indianapolis but Baltimore is dangerous and any team with Tom Brady has a chance.

- As for this weekend, the Bengals vs. Jets should be interesting. New York slaughtered Cincinnati last week, even when the Bengals had the starters in but they didn't have anything to play for at the time. I think things will be different this week as I don't see the Jets having the success they did running the ball last week. The Bengals will win this one in a close one as rookie QB Mark Sanchez makes a few too many mistakes.

- By the way, how about Missouri alum Brad Smith last week? Nice to see the Jets figuring out how to use him.

- The Patriots take on the Ravens in the other AFC matchup. New England is banged up and without Welker. The Ravens have played seemingly every game very close this year. They run the ball well, play excellent defense and Joe Flacco has experience under his belt. It's hard to bet against Brady in January but I'm going with Baltimore in this one.

- In the NFC, we have two rematches from last week.

- Arizona vs. Green Bay is the game that intrigues me the most because both teams have flaws but also incredible strengths and either could easily win the NFC. This one will be much closer than last week when the Cardinals rested the majority of their starters. It's in Arizona, where the Cardinals played extremely well in front of big crowds in last year's playoffs. They have a ton of weapons but Anquan Boldin is banged up. Still, the defense has played well in recent weeks. Green Bay is a bit schizophrenic so it's hard to get a read on them. Aaron Rodgers has been outstanding and the offense is very balanced. The question is which Packers defense will show up? If it's the one that has been around most of the year, the Packers win. If it's the one that surrendered over 500 passing yards to Ben Roethlisberger, the Packers are in trouble. I'm going with Green Bay in this one though it's a coin toss.

- In Dallas, the Cowboys and Eagles square off for the third time. It's very difficult to beat the same team three times in one year but you'd be hard pressed to find a team playing better than Dallas right now. The Eagles don't seem to have the answer for the Cowboys right now but expect a lot more blitzing and a different defensive game plan in this one. Philadelphia has outstanding weapons on offense but the lack of running game will be their downfall as the Cowboys pin their ears back and send Ware and Anthony Spencer after Donovan McNabb. Dallas moves on.

- Now that I'm on the record, be sure to remember who I picked so you can throw it in my face next week after my choices inevitably fall flat. Enjoy the wild card weekend and stay tuned to this space as more Rams information will continue to be posted here in the coming weeks as we build toward an exciting offseason.

- For about 75 percent of Sunday's game against San Francisco, the Rams seemed to be in control, at least on defense. They had a 3-0 lead and it looked like that field goal just might hold up and be enough for a second victory.

- Alas, it came apart at the seams after a couple of big plays by 49ers running back Frank Gore and the 49ers surged to a 28-6 victory at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

- On the injury front, the Rams took some hits. Guard Roger Allen III suffered a knee injury and will need an MRI on Monday morning. Quarterback Keith Null and receiver Donnie Avery suffered concussions and were kept out after. Receiver Ruvell Martin had the wind knocked out of him but was able to return.

- With Allen out of the lineup, the Rams had to again reshuffle the offensive line. Adam Goldberg slid over to left guard with Phil Trautwein stepping in at right tackle.

- Kyle Boller replaced Null at quarterback. Martin and Jordan Kent got reps in place of Avery.

- The Rams defense pieced together its best half of the season, shutting down the 49ers in the first half and holding them scoreless. Defensive coordinator Ken Flajole threw out some terrific blitz packages and the Rams found numerous ways to get pressure on Alex Smith. Meanwhile, the run defense was holding up well across the board.

- When San Francisco finally broke some big plays, namely Gore's 34-yard run and 22-yard catch to set up the first touchdown, the game broke open. The Rams answered with a field goal but Vernon Davis' 73-yard touchdown catch down the right sideline essentially put it away.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo discussed the decision to take the field goal instead of go for it on fourth down in San Francisco territory after the game. He said because the third down play had left the Rams almost 2 yards short and the third down play had lost some yardage, he wasn't comfortable going for it. And with the way the defense had played, Spagnuolo believed it could get another stop and get the ball back for a possible game winning field goal.

- At the conclusion of the game, a pair of fans reaching for souveneirs fell from the stands. One was taken to a local hospital but everyone appeared to be OK. Spagnuolo sent out thoughts and prayers to those injured in the accident.

- Plenty of love for 49ers receiver and Rams legend Isaac Bruce for most of the day. Near the end of the game, Bruce was featured on the videoboard and received the loudest cheers of the day. If indeed it was Bruce's last game in the NFL, thanks for the memories Isaac. Can't wait to see that No. 80 go up in the rafters.

- Although he didn't register any sacks Sunday, Chris Long was playing another strong game, especially against the run before he was ejected for a headbutt late in the game. Long took responsibility for it after and said he needs to do a better job of controlling his emotions. Nonetheless, Long was clearly provoked.

- Tight end or not, Davis is one of the fastest players in the league. His speed on that touchdown was impressive.

- Congrats to Steven Jackson for finishing first in the NFC in rushing yards with 1,416. It was a long, tough year but Jackson's performance this season was nothing short of inspiring.

- Busy day for Donnie Jones, who set a career high with 11 punts for 551 yards, an average of 50.1 with a net of 44.5. It was the busiest day of his career and he was outstanding once again.

- Josh Brown is money from 50-plus yards.

- Another nice return day from Danny Amendola, who had a 56-yard punt return.

- The Rams special teams really made great strides in 2009. One hiccup against New Orleans was the only glaring error but they improved in coverage and return all year and Jones and Brown remain perhaps the best 1-2 kicker/punter combo in the league.

- The loss dropped the Rams to 1-15 and sewed up the No. 1 pick in April's Draft. Let the speculation and rumor mill begin...

- Back tomorrow to wrap this one up and we'll wrap up the 2009 season this week as well.

- The Rams got back to work on Wednesday with a practice, their first since Sunday's game against Arizona and in preparation for the season finale on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

- On the injury front, the Rams got some good news in the form of a returnee to practice. Tackle Jason Smith passed his baseline test on Monday and returned to work out on a limited basis Wednesday, the first time since suffering the concussion.

- Smith is unlikely to play on Sunday but his return to practice is a good sign for the future that he has moved past the symptoms that have been holding him out.

- Mark Setterstrom missed practice and will be out this week with a torn left triceps. Setterstrom is scheduled for surgery in the "near future" according to coach Steve Spagnuolo.
- Steven Jackson, Leonard Little, Quincy Butler and Paris Lenon did not practice. The Rams are hopeful that they'll have Jackson, Lenon and possibly Little this week against San Francisco.

- James Laurinaitis and Donnie Avery were limited in practice but should be OK as the week goes on.

- Spagnuolo said he will again not make a decision on the quarterback for this week until later in the week. Kyle Boller and Keith Null both got a solid share of reps on Wednesday.

- The Rams captains for this week are Donnie Jones, Josh Brown, Jackson, Adam Goldberg, Laurinaitis and Little.

- Spoke with Rams great and current 49er Isaac Bruce via conference call this morning. Bruce said there's a "75 percent" chance that Sunday's game in St. Louis will be his last as a professional. Bruce recently became a father for the first time and cites the opportunity to be with his family as something that will play very strongly in his decision on whether to return or not.

- Bruce also acknowledged how special it would be to end it full circle in St. Louis after so many great years here.

- Although San Francisco coach Mike Singletary had declared Bruce inactive a few weeks back, it sounds like he's warming to the idea of suiting Bruce up for the season finale. There's a chance that Bruce will be up against the Rams on Sunday.

- In addition to Bruce's return for what could be one final bow, Sunday is also "Fan Appreciation Day." Fans in attendance will be randomly given prizes ranging from entertainment centers to merchandise. In addition, food and drink will be available at seriously discounted prices.

- If you want to come out and take part in the festivities, call 314-RAMS-TIX or grab them online at stlouisrams.com.

- Welcome to the final regular season edition of Around the League. The NFL will announce Pro Bowl selections tonight and I will give you my teams on each side for this year's Pro Bowl based on what I have seen as well as a few other random thoughts. First, let's get to the Pro Bowl choices (with my pick for starters listed first).

- AFC
Offense:
QB: Peyton Manning (IND), Philip Rivers (SD), Tom Brady (NE) (apologies to Matt Schaub)
RB: Chris Johnson (TEN), Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX), Ray Rice (BAL)
FB: Lousaka Polite (MIA)
WR: Andre Johnson (HOU), Reggie Wayne (IND), Wes Welker (NE), Randy Moss (NE) (tough call here, apologies to Santonio Holmes, Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall)
TE: Antonio Gates (SD), Dallas Clark (IND) 
T: Joe Thomas (CLE), Michael Roos (TEN), Ryan Clady (DEN)
G: Alan Faneca (NYJ), Chris Kemoeatu (PIT), Kris Dielman (SD)
C: Jeff Saturday (IND), Nick Mangold (NYJ)

Defense:
DE: Dwight Freeney (IND), Robert Mathis (IND), Mario Williams (HOU)
DT: Haloti Ngata (BAL), Tony Brown (TEN), Vince Wilfork (NE)
OLB: Elvis Dumervil (DEN), James Harrison (PIT), Lamarr Woodley (PIT)
ILB: David Harris (NYJ), DeMeco Ryans (HOU)
CB: Darrelle Revis (NYJ), Leon Hall (CIN), Nnamdi Asomugha (OAK)
SS: Brandon Meriweather (NE)
FS: Jairus Byrd (BUF)

Special Teams:
K: Nate Kaeding (SD)
P: Shane Lechler (OAK)
R: Joshua Cribbs (CLE)
ST: Montell Owens (JAX)

NFC

Offense:
QB: Drew Brees (NO), Aaron Rodgers (GB) , Brett Favre (MIN)
RB: Steven Jackson (STL), Adrian Peterson (MIN), Ryan Grant (GB)
FB: Naufahu Tahi (MIN)
WR: Miles Austin (DAL), DeSean Jackson (PHI), Larry Fitzgerald (ARI), Sidney Rice (MIN)
TE: Vernon Davis (SF), Brent Celek (PHI)
T: Jason Peters (PHI), Jeremy Trueblood (TB), Kareem McKenzie (NYG)
G: Jahri Evans (NO), Chris Snee (NYG), Steve Hutchinson (MIN)
C: Jason Brown (STL), Jamaal Jackson (PHI - injured but deserving)

Defense:
DE: Jared Allen (MIN), Julius Peppers (CAR), Will Smith (NO)
DT: Kevin Williams (MIN), Jay Ratliff (DAL), Aubrayo Franklin (SF)
OLB: DeMarcus Ware (DAL), Brian Orakpo (WAS), Clay Matthews (GB)
ILB: Patrick Willis (SF), London Fletcher (WAS)
CB: Charles Woodson (GB), Asante Samuel (PHI), Mike Jenkins (DAL)
SS: Adrian Wilson (ARI)
FS: Darren Sharper (NO)

Special Teams
K: Ryan Longwell (MIN)
P: Donnie Jones (STL)
R: Percy Harvin (MIN)
ST: Sean Morey (ARI

- Of course, those are just my picks, always up for debate. Some tough choices in there and plenty of slam dunks.

- I won't get into it ad nausea because it's been discussed at length already but the Colts' decision to sit their starters in the second half was a poor one. Throw out all of the integrity of the game stuff I keep hearing. In a strictly football sense, it doesn't make sense. The Colts have a track record of wrapping things up early, resting their starters then making premature exits from the playoffs. They lose their sharpness in that down time. The ONLY time they won the Super Bowl, they did it in a year when they had to play to the end. And this is a team that has struggled to run the ball this year and is dealing with young receivers that can use every rep possible to get on the same page with Peyton Manning. It obviously could still work out for them. But I'm just a little surprised they didn't opt to make a run at perfection.

- The debate should be over: Manning is the MVP. Chris Johnson and Philip Rivers would take second and third on my ballot.

- Defensive player of the year is a tougher debate. Dumervil, Woodson and Revis have really strong cases. If the season ended today, I'd go Dumervil, Revis, Woodson in that order.

- Is anyone else starting to think this is the year San Diego pulls through and wins the whole thing?

- Scarier team to play in a possible wild card game: Green Bay or Philadelphia?

- It's possible there could be a Minnesota-Green Bay Part III in the playoffs. Can you imagine the hype? It's awfully hard to beat the same team three times.

- Jets coach Rex Ryan gets a gift from the Colts to put his team in charge of an AFC wild card spot and this week he gets a Bengals team that has wrapped up all it can. Talk about the path to the postseason opening up nicely.

- Impressive finish for the Browns. Jerome Harrison seems like he could be a long term answer at RB.

- Recorded the Washington-Dallas game and watched it last night. Dallas DT Jay Ratliff is a man among men. What a player and he gets almost no recognition.

- Quick bowl thought and I won't get into many because I despise the bowl system...I have a bad feeling about Navy in this Mizzou-Navy matchup. Mizzou traditionally struggles with these type of running attacks. I hate to do it, but I'm picking the Middies to pull off the upset.

- Alabama 31, Texas 13

- That's it for this week. We'll begin Around the League: Playoff edition starting next week.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just completed his second to last post-mortem of the year, discussing Sunday's 31-10 loss to the Cardinals out in Arizona. Before we delve into that, injuries, injuries, injuries.

- The most serious ailment is, as expected, the torn left triceps of guard Mark Setterstrom. Setterstrom is likely to have surgery in the coming days and will not be available for the final game of the year against San Francisco.

- Receiver Donnie Avery had an MRI on his thigh and it revealed a mild strain. He should be OK but will have to tread lightly in practice this week.

- Linebacker James Laurinaitis has an inflamed bursa sac in his left knee. He should be OK but also might have to take it easy in practice.

- Linebacker Paris Lenon has a broken left pinkie toe and will probably be limited in practice but able to play against the 49ers.

- The Rams are hopeful that end Leonard Little will return from the knee infection that has kept him out the past two games. Little has been waiting for the wound to heal in the place where he had the infection taken care of in his knee.

- Running back Steven Jackson and the Rams are hopeful that he'll be able to play in the finale after the herniated disc in his back caused problems and led to some pain in his legs in the pregame against the Cardinals. The extra week off could even allow Jackson to practice this week.

- On the game, Spagnuolo expressed disappointment at the lack of offensive output in the game as a whole and the defensive performance in the second quarter.

- As per usual, when losing the turnover battle, you lose the game. That happened to the Rams again on Sunday.

- Spagnuolo noted the strong performance of the defensive line, especially the undermanned group on the end. He specifically gave props to Chris Long, who appears to be coming into his own. Long recorded his fifth sack of the season, topping his output for last year. And Spagnuolo said he believes Long really is coming on now that he's comfortable in the system and adjusted to his new position just two years removed from playing in a 3-4.

- For the record, Long finished with two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a sack and a forced fumble and graded out extremely high. Considering he played every snap, that's an impressive day.

- Spagnuolo was pleased with the effort of running backs Chris Ogbonnaya and Kenneth Darby in Jackson's stead. Ogbonnaya, in particular, had a nice outing and could work his way into some more work this week even if Jackson returns.

- Roger Allen III made his NFL debut in place of Setterstrom and Spagnuolo said he fared well for the most part but also had his share of rookie bumps along the way. Allen will start in place of Setterstrom this week.

- For what it's worth, the Rams are high on Allen's future and he could figure prominently into the offensive line of the future should he continue to develop. Getting a sneak peek at him this year could be helpful heading into 2010.

- Spagnuolo would again not commit to a quarterback for this week but acknowledged that part of the reason Null got the start against the Cardinals was for continuity purposes. Considering that, it seems likely Null would get another go this week.

- The Rams will wrap up the season this weekend against San Francisco. It's fan appreciation day at the Edward Jones Dome. There will be discounted food and drink as well as surprises along the way. For tickets, call 314-RAMS-TIX or online here at stlouisrams.com.

- Back tomorrow to go Around the League.

GLENDALE, Ariz. –

- The NFL can be a funny game. It’s been a popular refrain, repeated over and over this year but the NFL is without question a game that comes down to a play or two every week in many games.

- Even when the score doesn’t reflect it, there’s no doubt that Sunday’s 31-10 Rams’ loss to Arizona was one of those games. More on that in a minute but let’s hit the injuries first.

- Without question, the most serious ailment belongs to guard Mark Setterstrom. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said after the game that Setterstrom has a torn left triceps. That injury happened in the third quarter and kept him out the rest of the game. Roger Allen III got his first NFL action in Setterstrom’s place.

- Quarterback Keith Null had the wind knocked out of him and missed a play but came right back in.

- Linebacker Paris Lenon (foot) and cornerback Ron Bartell (elbow) also suffered injuries but were able to return.

- The biggest news of the day happened in the pregame; though as Steven Jackson was declared inactive because of injury.

- In each game since he’s been hurt, Jackson has gone out on Sunday morning and worked out and loosened up enough to be ready to play. He was unable to get loose enough this week and said after the game that he was dealing with injuries to other parts of his body caused by compensating for the pain the herniated disc in his back has wrought.

- Jackson did say he hopes the extra week of rest will have him ready this week to close out the season next week at home against San Francisco.

- Defensive end James Hall was the only other mild surprise on the pregame inactive list. Hall returned to St. Louis on Saturday afternoon to be with his pregnant wife, who gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Sunday morning.

- After playing Arizona to a draw in the first quarter, things appeared to get away from the Rams in the second quarter as Arizona jumped out to a 17-0 lead.

- But as has happened all year, the Rams kept battling until they got a sack/fumble from defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey. Victor Adeyanju pounced on the ball.

- A few plays later, Null floated a pass that appeared to be out of the reach of receiver Brandon Gibson. But Gibson made a tremendous catch for a touchdown.

- On the next series, cornerback Danny Gorrer jumped a quick out route on a three-step drop. He stepped in front and had what appeared to be a sure interception to be returned for a touchdown. But he forgot the ball.

- Still, the Rams got the stop and forced a punt. But on that punt, the reliable Danny Amendola fumbled after a long return and Arizona recovered.

- Those were just two plays in a 60-minute game but sometimes just those two plays can make all the difference. Arizona scored after Amendola’s turnover and never looked back.

- A possible 17-14 game turned into a 31-10 loss. Once again, the Rams just don’t have those couple plays in them right now.

- An extra tip of the cap to Gibson for his touchdown catch. Seriously, an outstanding grab and a well earned first score.

- A nice start by Kenneth Darby and rookie Chris Ogbonnaya really showed some glimpses of his potential, rushing nine times for 45 yards.

- Aside from his fumble, Amendola had another nice day in returns. He had three punt returns for an average of 26.3 per return.

- Chris Long and Victor Adeyanju won’t have the big sack numbers but they played well, especially Long. Long registered his fifth sack, topping his total from last year and he continues to grow and get better. A possible permanent move to the left side next year could really lead to a breakout year.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, James Butler led the way with 11 tackles. Craig Dahl was second with eight stops. Both did a nice job tackling, leading to a solid performance against Arizona’s rushing attack.

- Tough matchups across the board for any secondary when you play Arizona’s high-octane passing attack. But it’s even more difficult when you have so much youth and inexperience at cornerback. Bartell, Gorrer and King had some rough moments but battled for the most part.
- Is it just me or does it seem like the Rams have come out on the wrong end of a lot of bad spots by the officials this year?

- Another strong performance by punter Donnie Jones. He had five punts, four of which he dropped inside the 20 with a net average of 41.8.

- The Rams wrapped up their Thursday practice and moved everything up this afternoon so as to get away and spend time with their families tonight and tomorrow morning. The team will reconvene tomorrow afternoon for practice and meetings.

- The injury report is the same as Wednesday with one exception. Cornerback Ron Bartell (hip) was upgraded from limited participation to full participation.

- No decision yet on the starting quarterback for this week, according to coach Steve Spagnuolo. That decision might not be made until later in the week, possibly leading up to game time.

- Despite that, Keith Null took the heavy majority of the reps again on Thursday.

- Running back Chris Ogbonnaya has been getting more reps with the first team this week. And Spagnuolo said it's possible the team will get its first look at him on Sunday.

- With Daniel Fells out, the Rams are down to just Billy Bajema and Randy McMichael at tight end. It's possible Eric Butler could be called up from the practice squad but that decision won't be made until Friday at the earliest.

- That's it for today. Merry Christmas to all...

- In this week's edition of Around the League, we'll take a look at the playoff picture as it begins to crystallize, more thoughts on the MVP including a couple of guys making strong late runs for the award and other assorted thoughts.

- Let's start in Pittsburgh where the Steelers and Packers played one of the greatest games I've seen in a long time. It's crazy to watch those two historic franchises, both known for having great defenses for a long time just moving the ball up and down the field on each other.

- Mike Tomlin is taking heat for his onside kick decision and rightfully so but it wasn't a horrible idea considering the Packers were moving up and down the field and the shorter field it created would allow his offense more time to get the ball back and score again.

- Is there a more underrated quarterback with two Super Bowl rings than Ben Roethlisberger? What an epic performance against a defense that has been dynamite against the pass this year.

- Aaron Rodgers is playing like an MVP candidate. Considering that offensive line situation, his performance this year has been unbelievable.

- I thought Green Bay was one of those teams you don't want to play in January. But if the defense plays like it did in Pittsburgh, it's going to be a quick out for the Pack. Especially because they are going to have to hit the road.

- What a mess the AFC playoff picture is. Denver is trying everything possible to not make the playoffs. And there's approximately 1,234 teams with 100 million scenarios still in the mix for those wild card spots. Baltimore is the only one that looks poised to strangle a spot. Of course as soon as I say that, the Ravens could lose to Pittsburgh and be right back at square one.

- I know I have preached the virtues of Chris Johnson in this space but I'm beginning to think there's a player who is just as exciting as Johnson. His name? Cleveland's Josh Cribbs. What a player.

- Speaking of Cleveland, who is Jerome Harrison and why is he running for almost 300 yards? Nice day for him and good times for the Browns right now. Mike Holmgren is a wonderful man and a great hire for them.

- San Diego/Cincinnati, another terrific game. That's what this league is all about. What an emotional day it was for the Bengals and really both teams overall. Seeing Chad Ochocinco point to the sky and fallen teammates Chris Henry after his touchdown will be an enduring image from this season. Can we get a rematch in January? It's entirely possible.

- Still think the Chargers are the most dangerous team int he playoffs and could well win the whole thing. Philip Rivers is quickly surging his way up the MVP debate as well.

- Speaking of that, this is how I'd rank them if I voted today: 1. Peyton Manning 2. Chris Johnson 3. Philip Rivers 4. Drew Brees 5. Aaron Rodgers

- Brett Favre is struggling again and you have to wonder some about Minnesota's long term playoff viability.

- Great performance by the Cowboys against the Saints on Saturday night. Tony Romo was outstanding and DeMarcus Ware's effort was nothing short of inspiring.

- Stream of consciousness, DeSean Jackson belongs in the conversation with Cribbs and Johnson for most exciting player.

- The Pro Bowl balloting ends tomorrow. Get in your votes last minute at nfl.com and be sure to vote for Steven Jackson. He's very deserving of that honor.

- It's the bowl season officially but does anyone really care? There's only one game that matters and you could argue that the most deserving teams aren't necessarily playing in it. I know it's popular to bash the BCS and ask for a playoff but it just seems silly that they can't have a playoff going right now.

- Watched ESPN's 30 for 30, "The U" about the Miami dynasty. It was extremely well done but the thing that stuck out to me most was something I already knew. Back before the days of the BCS, top tier college teams used to play each other all the time on the regular season schedule. Those Miami teams used to play brutal schedules and still come out unscathed. Yes, the final national title could be split and teams wouldn't be matched up according to ranking. But boy, those days were fun.

- That's all for this week. Have a great holiday week everyone. Be back tomorrow with regularly scheduled Rams updates.

- Another Sunday, another close loss for the Rams. Despite having the ball and a chance to take a late lead or tie it, the Rams came up short again against the Texas on Sunday in a 16-13 loss.

- On the injury front, the news wasn't too bad. Cornerback Quincy Butler and tight end Daniel Fells suffered knee injuries early in the game that kept them out. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Butler possibly could have come back in had another corner suffered an injury but that wasn't necessary. Fells' injury is being called a hyperextended knee for now. More on both tomorrow.

- The Rams have played seven games this season that have been one possession games. They are 1-6 in those contests with the lone win coming in Detroit. It's been said ad nausea in this space, but in the NFL, games can come down to a play or two that can make the difference. The Rams just aren't quite at the point yet where they can make those one or two plays to turn those into victories.

- Hats off to quarterback Keith Null, who bounced back from his five-interception performance with a solid effort. Null was 18-of-27 for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a rating of 81.2.

- Null's interception he'd like to have back. He says he was trying to make something happen and he knows he should have thrown it away. Instead, he threw a costly pick while the Rams were in field goal range.

- Null did a tremendous job of bouncing back from the pick, though, quickly leading a march into Houston territory that led to a tying field goal.

- It appeared that the game slowed considerably for Null, who was calmly suveying the defense and checking out of plays. On one, he settled the line and threw a 20-yard strike to tight end Randy McMichael. Good poise for the rookie.

- That said, by his own admission Null needs to do a better job of handling snaps. He dropped a couple including one that Houston recovered.

- Running back Steven Jackson is just a warrior. No other way to put it. He finished with 123 total yards behind a line featuring two new starting guards.

- Speaking of that line, it allowed three sacks but for the most part kept Null clean and opened some holes for Jackson.

- Andre Johnson is the wide receiver equivalent of Steven Jackson. What a monster.

- Quietly, defensive tackle Leger Douzable has done a nice job in recent weeks. He finished with four tackles and a quarterback hurry in unofficial pressbox statistics. Douzable is making a move lately.

- Danny Amendola continues to be productive, catching his first career touchdown pass and continuing to make a difference in the return game. He had five returns for an average of 31.8 yards per attempt and a punt return for 12 yards in addition to his score.

- Things that won't get picked up in the box score: Kenneth Darby had five touches on offense. He moved the chains for a first down on four of those. That's all you can ask from your third-down back.

- It was absolutely the right choice to punt on fourth-and-10 late in the game with two timeouts and the two-minute warning in your back pocket. Houston had been ineffective running the ball all game and it should have given the Rams good field position with a three and out and plenty of time to at the very least move into field goal range. Alas, for the first time all game, the run defense couldn't get the stop needed to get the ball back.

- For the record, Houston finished with 52 yards on 24 attempts, an average of just 2.2 per attempt. And the Rams forced a pair of fumbles that they recovered.

- We'll be back tomorrow to wrap this one up after Spagnuolo speaks with the media.

- Take note: Because Christmas is on Friday this week, stlouisrams.com will be providing the fans with an early present. Steven Jackson will be chatting live tomorrow at 1:15, answering any and all of your questions. Check back tonight for the application to begin asking SJ39 questions.

- The Rams got back to practice on Wednesday with plenty of new faces in different places getting an opportunity to prove themselves because of injuries and changes to the roster.

- First and foremost, the injury front.

- Illness hit the Rams locker room as quarterback Kyle Boller and center Jason Brown missed Wednesday's workout.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger remains listed as out and won't even be listed under did not participate.

- On the did not participate list are running back Steven Jackson (back), tackle Jason Smith (head), defensive end Leonard Little (knee), Boller and Brown.

- Limited participants included linebackers David Vobora (knee/ankle), K.C. Asiodu (abdomen), Paris Lenon (hip) and defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey (wrist).

- No decision has been made on whether to place Smith or Bulger on injured reserve just yet though it remains a strong possibility both could be shut down for the season soon. Jacob Bell (hamstring) did get placed on that list officially on Wednesday.

- In Bell's place, the Rams signed guard Ryan McKee, who was previously with the Jets. The roster spot vacated by Richie Incognito has been filled by tackle Eric Young, who was promoted from the practice squad.

- Center Drew Miller has been added to the practice squad.

- Jackson's back is in about the same condition as it has been for the past few Wednesdays. Coach Steve Spagnuolo noted that Jackson did do some more work on the stationary bike than he has in recent weeks.

- With so many alterations on the offensive line, the Rams had a completely different look on the interior on Wednesday. On the left side was Roger Allen III with Mark Setterstrom at center and John Greco on the right. Nothing changed with the tackles. Upon Brown's expected return from illness, he will plug back into center with Setterstrom on the left and Greco on the right.

- It was Allen's first work with the first team in a long time. Allen figures to be active for the first time after being on the sideline in sweats for the first 13 games.

- Keith Null took all of the reps with Boller sick. No decision will be made on the quarterback for this week until Boller's health status can be determined.

- The captains for this week are tight end Randy McMichael, end Chris Long and running back Kenneth Darby (special teams).

- Per custom, Steve Spagnuolo just spoke with the media about Sunday's loss to the Titans and, of course, updated everyone on his team's rather lengthy injury report.

- At the top of that report is guard Jacob Bell, who suffered a torn muscle in his hamstring. Bell is likely to be out for the rest of the season and could go on injured reserve sooner than later.

- Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe has not yet scheduled his shoulder surgery but is expecting to do it in the coming days.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger had his MRI on Friday and though the leg is healing and the swelling had gone down, he's expected to miss at least two more weeks. Spagnuolo said a decision on Bulger and possibly going to injured reserve will be made soon.

- There is still no change on tackle Jason Smith's status. Smith has not had another concussion test and there doesn't appear to be one in the offing. Spagnuolo also said that it's possible Smith could be shut down if no progress is made soon.

- Linebackers Larry Grant (knee) and David Vobora (knee/ankle) had MRI's on Monday afternoon, the results of which are not yet available. Will update that when more information comes available.

- Outside of the above, the rest of the list is relatively OK. K.C. Asiodu (hip), Kyle Boller (thigh), Jason Brown (illness), Steven Jackson (back), James Laurinaitis (shoulder), Paris Lenon (hip), Leonard Little (knee) and LaJuan Ramsey (wrist) are all dealing with something and some have more pain than others but all are expected to be OK.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo made it a point to praise quarterback Keith Null for his composure and moxie considering the difficulties of the circumstances. Null threw five interceptions but never seemed rattled and handled some of the basic aspects of the position well, according to Spagnuolo. For more on Null's day, check back to stlouisrams.com later for a feature story.

- On guard Richie Incognito, Spagnuolo had no further comment until he gets the chance to speak with Incognito. He had yet to do that and wanted to before any type of decision on his playing status for this week or anything else is made.

- As for the quarterback situation, Spagnuolo indicated that Boller would start this week if healthy but also said the team is a long way from a decision on that. He also said Null could benefit from a full week of practice so it's likely the decision won't drag into Sunday's game against Houston this week.

- Spagnuolo also was asked if he had given more thought to playing more and more of his young players (though many are already playing) for the rest of the season to get a look at who might contribute in the future as opposed to sticking with veterans with a solid resume already. His answer? "That's possible."

- Spagnuolo was also asked about possibly shutting down Jackson for a week or two to let his back heal. He said he had not thought about it and will continue talking with Jackson weekly to make sure he's up to the challenge.

- That's all for today. Back tomorrow with a look around the league.

NASHVILLE, Ten. -

- The circumstances were hard enough for a Rams team hoping to pull an upset against Tennessee on Sunday before it was determined that Kyle Boller was unable to play. When rookie quarterback Keith Null stepped in to take the reins, things became even more difficult.
- Ultimately, the Rams fell 47-7 at LP Field on Sunday to a physically dominant Titans team that once again has embraced the hardnosed approach put in place by coach Jeff Fisher.

- On the injury front, the Rams had a few ailments that need to be monitored. Linebackers Paris Lenon (hip) and David Vobora (knee) were lost at various points of the game and did not return. The extent of either injury is unknown at this time.

- Also, guard Jacob Bell had a hamstring injury that will get a closer look.

- Defensive end Leonard Little battled through a knee injury and was able to finish the game.

- As for the game itself, clearly, it wasn't what the Rams had hoped. Coach Steve Spagnuolo, for the first time this year, acknowledged it as a bit of a "step backward" for a team that had showed progress late in October and into the first part of November.

- Offensively, things were extremely difficult for Null. He did his best but he made some rookie mistakes and finished with five interceptions. Considering the difficulty of the situation, Null was pretty well composed and not too nervous before or during the game.

- Tough sledding for running back Steven Jackson, who had his lowest output of the season in terms of yards. Jackson just couldn't get untracked and didn't have much room to run most of the day. After the game, Jackson was visibly upset and conducted a very brief media gathering before excusing himself. Hard to blame Jackson for being frustrated.

- Richie Incognito had another rough day with a pair of 15-yard penalties. He was benched in favor of Mark Setterstrom aftet the second flag.

- It might not seem like it but the defense actually did a pretty good job against Chris Johnson. Of course, Johnson is the type of home run hitter who killed the Rams with his two big plays. He didn't do much else but then, he didn't have to.

- No decision will be made right away on what to do with the quarterback spot next week.

- Tip of the cap to returner Danny Amendola, who was a busy man in returning kicks. He finished with an average of 24.1 yards per return on nine tries.

- Nobody was openly upset about the way the Titans chose to finish the game in scoring a pair of times after or on plays in which they went for it on fourth down.

- That's it for tonight. Back tomorrow with much more incluing injury updates.

- Greetings and welcome to Around the League for this week. This will be a bit abbreviated but we'll get into plenty, including some thoughts on the crazy weekend that was in the NFL, a former Ram making a difference in Oakland and some mind-blowing performances on the college landscape.

- Quick hit on the Rams; they will make a couple of additions to the roster official in the next 24 hours. We'll have more on that as it comes.

- As for the week that was, I always like to start with the Monday night game because it's fresh in my mind and I have time to watch it. Green Bay looked very good last night. For them, it's a shame they won't get any homefield advantage in the playoffs but that's a dangerous team. Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as anyone right now. Perhaps the way his situation was handled is the ideal way to bring along a young quarterback.

- In the Sunday night game, I was stunned by Arizona's performance. Does anyone want to see the Cardinals in January? When they control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball like that, nobody beats them. And they actually benefit from the proliferation of dome games they are likely to see.

- Speaking of teams nobody wants to play: How about San Diego? The Chargers are on fire. I got a chance to see a recording of the game and I was thoroughly impressed. Granted, this week's victim was Cleveland but the Chargers just present so many matchup problems. Their receivers and tights ends would make a heck of a basketball team then they throw this mighty mite little running back in Darren Sproles along with LaDainian Tomlinson and a fearless trigger man in Philip Rivers. If they can continue to play good defense and stay healthy, I truly believe they will win the AFC.

- Tough loss for the Titans but they put up a pretty good fight. The Colts continue to roll.

- Peyton Manning's ability to bring young receivers along never ceases to amaze me. Pierre Garcon looks like he's been in the league for 10 years and came from a college power.

- The perfect storm was brewing for an upset in our nation's capital this week. The Saints, coming off a dominant performance in a much-hyped game on a short week playing against a revived Redskins team with a good defense, seemed poised to take their first loss. And somehow, some way, they found a way to pull it out. Love that Sean Payton says his team will play for perfection also. I've never been a fan of resting everybody for the stretch drive.

- If the playoffs started today, Jacksonville would be in. What a weird year for the Jaguars but give credit where it's due. They have found ways to win.

- The NFC East just got a whole lot more interesting. It's a shame Miami lost Ronnie Brown because the Dolphins could make a real run at that division crown.

- The biggest upset of the weekend happened in Oakland where the Raiders knocked off Pittsburgh with former Rams quarterback Bruce Gradkowski at the controls. It's amazing what a competent signal caller can do for a team. Gradkowski was a good athlete and a smart guy when he was in St. Louis but he wasn't very accurate and was outplayed by Brock Berlin in the 2008 preseason. But he's done a nice job in Oakland and proved what a competitor he is. He's also a good guy, glad to see him doing well.

- Obviously he shouldn't get the award but the most valuable player to his team in the league has to be Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu. It's unreal how different that team is without him roaming the backfield. He really does make that much of a difference.

- On the college front, as expected, I was wrong. Alabama was very impressive in handling Florida. Hard to see any way that the Tide don't cruise over Texas in the championship game but considering my recent picks, the opposite is likely to happen.

- I'll be the first to admit this: Watching Ndamakong Suh play makes you think that he was literally put on this earth to play that position. What a beast. I don't know many interior defensive linemen who dominate games like that but he might be the best prospect I've ever seen inside. A couple of years ago, Glenn Dorsey had some impressive game tape but Suh makes that look like nothing.

- I don't have a Heisman ballot but if I did: 1. Suh 2. Toby Gerhart 3. C.J. Spiller.

- I have no real opinion of the bowl situation for Missouri because I believe the bowl system is a farce and a bunch of meaningless games don't really move the needle for me. I will say that it would be nice if the Big 12 got its stuff together and came up with massive improvements in areas like the television contract, its bowl affiliations, its bowl selection process. I realize that Oklahoma and Texas football are the conference bell cows but how about finding ways to make the whole operation better?

- That's all for this week. Back tomorrow after the Rams get back to work.

CHICAGO –

- Another near miss in the Windy City left the Rams on the wrong end of a 17-9 decision and dropped them to 1-11 on the season. It was another game that was there for the taking but once again the Rams have just been unable to put it all together for four quarters and come up with the big play or two necessary to find a victory.

- On the injury front, the Rams seemed to be OK but you never know until Monday.

- It appears safety Oshiomogho Atogwe took the brunt of it, leaving with what appeared to be a separated shoulder. He came back and went back out. He will have an MRI on Monday morning.

- Guard Richie Incognito left with a neck stinger but returned and was able to finish the game.
- Quarterback Kyle Boller had the wind knocked out of him but finished the contest. Donnie Avery suffered a shoulder injury also but was able to return and finish as well.

- David Vobora also suffered a shoulder injury and returned to finish the game.

- As for the happenings on the field, the Rams continue to search for those one or two big plays that can turn the game in their favor.

- On Sunday, the Rams played pretty darn well on defense and got a terrific performance from all aspects of special teams. The thing lacking? Offense.

- The Rams’ average drive started at their 36 and they started at their 41 or better on seven of their 13 possessions. On those seven drives, they mustered just two field goals.

- Coincidentally, the best drive of the day from the offense came when the Rams had their worst field position, starting at their 10. They drove 88 yards before settling for a field goal.

- Chicago stacked the box to stop Steven Jackson all day and was pretty effective for the most part though Jackson was able to muster 112 yards on 28 carries despite his banged up back.

- Hats off once again to Jackson for breaking 100 yards while playing hurt and answering the bell once again. He just continues to pour his heart and soul into this team.

- It was a big day for the Rams special teams, a group that turned in a complete and outstanding performance.

- Kicker Josh Brown provided all nine points with three field goals, including blasts of 48 and 50 yards. Heck of a job considering the cold and windy conditions.

- Speaking of great kicking performance, punter Donnie Jones was unbelievable. The Rams can thank Jones for their great field position; He punted seven times for an average of 45.3 yards but actually had a net of 45.7. In other words, he was kicking balls that were unreturnable and the coverage units were doing a great job of getting down the field to down the ball. Of Jones’ seven punts, six were downed inside the 20 and four of those were inside the 7 with two at the 2.

- Jordan Kent, in his first action as a Ram was also playing lights out special teams. He downed both Jones punts that pinned Chicago at its 2.

- Returner Danny Amendola also had a nice day. He had five punt returns for 60 yards, an average of 12 per chance and averaged 27 yards per try on four kick returns with a long of 43.

- Before suffering the shoulder injury, Atogwe was registering another outstanding performance. After a lull on forced turnovers, Atogwe forced and recovered a fumble early and later forced another that unfortunately rolled out of bounds.

- Chris Long racked up his fourth sack of the season, matching his total from last year. That’s four in five games for the youngster.

- The Bears finished with just 248 yards of offense but the Rams allowed most of that damage on just a couple of plays. Chicago hit completions of 71 and 48 yards. That’s good for 119 yards, almost all of the Bears’ passing total.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo acknowledged after the game that his defensive backs must do a better job of “becoming receivers” when the ball is in the air. In other words, find the ball when it’s in the air and make a play on it. The inability to do that also contributed to a costly pass interference penalty on Quincy Butler that resulted in Chicago’s first touchdown.

- Why did the Bears try that fake field goal? What a strange call.

- James Laurinaitis continues to rack up the tackles; he finished with 12 tackles in unofficial pressbox statistics.

- Tremendous performance from the Bears’ Jamar Williams, who replaced Lance Briggs at weakside linebacker. Williams had 18 tackles in the unofficial pressbox statistics.

- That’s all for this evening. Be back tomorrow to wrap this one after Spagnuolo addresses the media in his weekly news conference.

 - It was a wild weekend in the NFL leading up to Monday night's big showdown in the Big Easy. Some of the results were surprising, some were not but as always the greatest league in the world provided thrills across the board. This week, Around the League takes a look at the resurgence in Nashville, the debate over which team is the league's best, continued discussion of what will be a very heated MVP contest, a glimpse at the playoff picture and a variety of other issues.

- How can we start anywhere but with what went down in Tennessee on Sunday as the Titans pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Cardinals on Sunday? Of course, Arizona was without Kurt Warner and that dramatically changed the way the game went. That said, how exhilirating was Vince Young's performance on that final, 99-yard touchdown drive. I'm not sure if Young is going to be a great quarterback in this league but he appears to be on his way. He was like a completely different player, calmly leading the Titans down the field with his right arm and not his legs. If he continues to take care of the ball like that and make accurate, clutch throws at the end of games, the Titans are a team to be feared for years to come.

- And of course, the biggest reason for that fear is running back Chris Johnson. I've raved about him every week but believe me, he deserves it. If he played in a big market like New York, he'd be a superstar on the level of a LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. This guy is going to run for more than 2,000 yards and could challenge for the season record for rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. If Tennessee makes the playoffs after an 0-6 start, Young will get a lot of the credit (as well he should) but Johnson should be the MVP if that happens.

- There was a lot of buildup to last night's New Orleans-New England game. I really thought the Patriots would deal the Saints their first loss but I was clearly oh so wrong. That home field advantage for the Saints can't be underestimated. It would serve them well to continue to play at full speed throughout the season and not rest starters so as to ensure homefield throughout the playoffs. And if you look at their schedule the rest of the way, an undefeated season is very realistic.

- Drew Brees was lights out last night. It's crazy how balanced that offense is but knowing that Brees can light up the sky whenever he feels like it makes the Saints especially dangerous. He pushed himself right back up to at or near the top of the MVP debate as well.
- Great defensive game plan and execution by Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Knowing the offense was on fire, Williams was so varied and unpredictable in his schemes and play calls that the Patriots had no idea what was coming on any given down. It's easier to be unpredictable when playing with a lead but Williams did a tremendous job of mixing it up. The only thing that was consistent about the Saints defense was that any receiver who dared to catch the ball was going to take a shot. Great performance.

- I've written in this space about the talented teams we've seen come through St. Louis this year. It's probably fair to say that three teams stand above the rest of the league right now in the form of New Orleans, Indianapolis and one-loss Minnesota. San Diego, Cincinnati, Arizona and the Patriots are probably a step below.

- Now, clearly the Saints and Colts are undefeated and looking outstanding. Indianapolis' never say die ability makes it dangerous. The Saints are a more complete team than people give them credit for. But I still believe the Vikings are the best team in football. Now, if they have to travel to New Orleans for a possible NFC Championship game, that's a difficult chore for any team. But Minnesota does two things really well that always matter in January: they run the ball and stop the run. The Saints can run but don't stop the run particularly well. The Colts don't do either especially great. All three teams have big time, clutch quarterbacks so that's a wash. But ultimately, assuming he's healthy, Adrian Peterson is the best player on either team and he, along with Minnesota's defensive balance, tilts the scales in the direction of Minnesota. Still, it should be a great playoffs and I'd love to see a Saints-Vikings NFC Championship game and perhaps an Indy-New England rematch in the AFC or something involving the red hot Chargers.

- Big win for Denver. The Broncos still control their destiny in the wild card hunt and could be a dangerous out in January.

- Looking at the playoff landscape, there's not much to watch in terms of the divisional races. New Orleans, Indy, Minnesota, New England, Cincinnati, Arizona and San Diego seem to have strangleholds on their respective divisions. That leaves just the NFC East where Dallas and Philly will fight it out with the Giants also having an outside shot. I suppose San Francisco could still possibly catch Arizona but if Warner is healthy, that's not likely.

- Meanwhile, the race for the wild cards should be outstanding. In the AFC, you have Denver, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Miami and even Houston with shots at staking a claim. In the NFC, you're looking at either Dallas or Philly, Atlanta, the 49ers, Green Bay, the Giants and possibly long shot Carolina. The Packers are a good bet, along with the loser of the Eagles/Cowboys duel but injuries will play a major factor in how that breaks down.

- As for the MVP race, last week I had a top three of Manning, Johnson, Brees. This week, I'll stick with the same but Brett Favre is right there as well. Any of these four could easily win it. Philip Rivers and Steven Jackson deserve mention as well.

- Best/Craziest statistic of the week: This season, Johnson has scored a touchdown from 85 yards out or further on three occasions. No player in the history of the league has accomplished that in a CAREER. When it's all said and done, Johnson probably won't be the best running back of all time but he might end up being the greatest home run hitter ever. It's cliche to say someone is capable of scoring every time they touch the ball. But Johnson truly is.

- On the college scene, it appears we have the expected collision course about to happen. The play in championship game takes place in the SEC on Saturday afternoon. Florida-Alabama is appointment television. Should be a great game. I'm taking the Gators based on quarterback play but this one should be a hard hitting battle to the final whistle. The Big 12 championship doesn't figure to be as much of a battle with Texas taking on underdog Nebraska. But I'm excited to watch monster DT Ndamakong Suh do his best to disrupt Colt McCoy and the Longhorns offense.

- What a fun game in Kansas City the other day, though it nearly gave me a heart attack. Always fun for Missouri to beat Kansas even if it's closer than it should have been. Danario Alexander was once again the man. Shocked at some of the awful coaching decisions at the end of the contest but the good guys won, so how can I complain? I thought Mizzou would be 8-4 before the season started because let's face it, it was a rebuilding year. But it's hard not to look back and be a little disappointed that the Tigers didn't win nine or 10. They should always beat Baylor, especially at home. And they had the Nebraska game right there. Of course, they'd be getting served up as fodder for Texas again this week had they won those but it's still nice to control the North, even if it's way down.

- Still would like to see TCU get a crack at the national championship and that is possible with a Texas loss but Cincinnati and Boise State also have strong cases. It's a shame we don't get to see these teams duke it out for the title.

- That's all for this week. Stick around this week as we'll have updates on the Rams following every practice and another chat coming up on Friday. Have a good Tuesday everyone.

- First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Rams fans out there. I can safely say I am thankful for all of you who so passionately follow the team, come the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday, write in to the mailbag and make this job so much fun. Thank you.

- The Rams wrapped up practice Thursday with the same cast of characters on the sideline with injuries save for punter Donnie Jones. Jones returned to the practice field after an illness set him aside on Wednesday.

- Running back Steven Jackson remains on the sideline with back spasms. He did not practice but coach Steve Spagnuolo remains optimistic that Jackson will be available this weekend against Seattle.

- "Steven is a warrior. He's not there yet. There's still a little bit of spasm there. We don't want to take any chances and he hasn't practiced. I guess it could go either way but I guess I am thinking positive because of who he is."

- Tackle Jason Smith (concussion) again sat out the practice and is scheduled to re-take his baseline test this afternoon. Smith could, in theory, play if he passes the test but it's looking like he won't be available. If that's the case, Adam Goldberg would be at right tackle with Mark Setterstrom at right guard.

- Richie Incognito (foot), fullback Mike Karney (neck) and quarterback Marc Bulger (knee) also did not practice.

- Linebacker Chris Chamberlain (head) was limited as well. He's not been cleared for contact yet though he passed his baseline test. He should be OK for Sunday.

- Happy Birthday to linebacker Paris Lenon and Rams PR ace Ryan Anderson.

- Spagnuolo also did not want to commit to any type of adjusted workload for Jackson should he be available but limited against the Seahawks. The Rams want to take a wait and see approach with Jackson.

- Rams players had morning meetings and practiced. Spagnuolo excused them immediately after. The coaching staff will watch the practice tape and prepare for Friday's practice before heading home. Spagnuolo said he was unsure of when he would be able to get home but he'll be there to spend some time with his lovely wife Maria.

- Spagnuolo made no secret of his desire to have his team weigh in on Thursday morning, well in advance of Turkey Day feasts..."That was highly, highly, highly requested that they have the weigh in today and not tomorrow. I have to be honest with you, I bet you all 31 other teams do the same thing. It's kind of the unwritten rule so we go with it."

- More on Thanksgiving and the team's plans according to Spagnuolo - "We ask that everybody takes care of their teammates and nobody is going home by themselves. Guys that don't have family and are from different areas, that every is taken care of. I know certain guys are having a bunch of people over. It's a good thing. That's what you do as a team and I think that's what we have in that locker room...a true team."

- The Rams returned to the practice field Wednesday afternoon to begin preparations for this week's game against Seattle. And they did so with less than a full deck as a number of Rams were held out of practice because of injuries.

- The biggest name held out of the workout was running back Steven Jackson. Jackson has soreness in his lower back and the Rams are taking extra pre-cautions to ensure that he can make it to Sunday. Coach Steve Spagnuolo calls Jackson "day to day" and said the team will know more about his status on Thursday. It's likely that Jackson will be OK and Spagnuolo named him offensive captain for this week but the Rams don't want to rush him back.

- Of course, quarterback Marc Bulger also did not practice and he won't for at least the next three weeks. Bulger is on crutches after suffering a fractured tibia. Kyle Boller took most of the reps with the first team but the Rams made it a point to get Keith Null some work with the ones as well.

- On the concussion front, linebacker Chris Chamberlain passed his baseline test and was able to practice on a limited basis. He is expected to be fine and made it through OK.

- Tackle Jason Smith, on the other hand, did not pass the test and was held out of Wednesday's practice. Smith will likely take the test again Thursday afternoon in hopes he can be cleared and potentially play this weekend. The Rams will not rush Smith, either.

- Guard Richie Incognito is still not back and did some conditioning on the side. Spagnuolo said Incognito is getting closer but it would still be a bit of a long shot for him to be available this weekend.

- Fullback Mike Karney injured a ligament in his neck and did not practice, either. Karney is considered day to day as well.

- Spagnuolo said should Karney be unable to go, the Rams have some options, including all of the tight ends on the roster.

- Speaking of tight ends, the Rams added Eric Butler from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday to take the place of injured end C.J. Ah You. Butler has experience working as a fullback and could be an option should Karney be unable to go.

- Samkon Gado also could potentially fill in at fullback if Karney is held out.

- Joining Jackson as captains this week are cornerback Ron Bartell (defense) and returner Danny Amendola (special teams).

- Spagnuolo took a minute to congratulate Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols on his National League Most Valuable Player award. "I'd like to throw out my congratulations to Albert Pujols. I think that is terrific. He had an outstanding season."

- The Rams have some emergency options should they need a third quarterback this week. Amendola and Ruvell Martin did some work after practice taking snaps.

- That's all for today. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and be back tomorrow. Be sure to check the homepage tomorrow afternoon for a look at end Leonard Little, who took some time to reflect on his 12-year career and discuss his future.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media a few hours ago, listing the lengthy team injury report as well as going over a crazy game in which a lot of decisions had to be made.

- For the full injury report, check out the story on the homepage entitled "Rams Battling Injury Bug." At the top of the list is quarterback Marc Bulger. He is out three to six weeks with a broken tibia.

- Spagnuolo revisited some of the difficult decisions he faced Sunday, especially fourth and short situations.

- In retrospect, he says there is only one thing he would change and that was the play call - a call he made - early in the game on fourth-and-1. That was the play he called where Steven Jackson was lined up to the right of the formation and took the handoff and was stopped short. Spagnuolo said "there was a better play" the Rams could have run and the blame for it falls on the head coach. That was the sequence where Jackson was stopped twice from 1 yard away near Arizona's 20.

- Spagnuolo also explained the thought process behind kicking the field goal in the third quarter rather than going for the touchdown from 2 yards out. Simply, the Rams had a full quarter left to play and wanted to cut it to a two-score game.

- With the news of Bulger's injury, Kyle Boller becomes the starter. And rookie Keith Null will be the backup. Of course, the Rams could potentially bring in a third signal caller whether or not they place Bulger on injured reserve. They are about to have a roster spot open up because of the injury to C.J. Ah You when he goes on injured reserve soon.

- Because of the breaking Bulger news, this has to be an abbreviated version of "Wrapping Up" but I promise to be more Rams-centric in Around the League tomorrow afternoon.

- For the fourth time this season, the Rams were a big play here or there short of a victory, ultimately falling short 21-13 at the hands of Arizona on Sunday.

- The Rams came out of the game relatively injury free, losing Jason Smith to a blow to the head. He was replaced at right tackle by Adam Goldberg with Mark Setterstrom moving in at right guard. Smith will be evaluated again Monday morning.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger played through a hamstring injury and also suffered a shot to the head late in the game.

- Add this game to the list of near misses for the Rams. More often than not, in close games in the NFL, it comes down to a big play here or there that makes the difference. Against Jacksonville, Washington, New Orleans and Arizona, the Rams have been just short of making that play. It's crazy to think about considering the record but if the Rams had a bounce or two in their direction, this season could have a decidedly different feel.

- This time around, the Rams had a number of near misses. The most glaring being the near catch by Brandon Gibson on a fade to the corner as Antrel Rolle got a hand on the ball followed by Donnie Avery just missing on a similar play.

- There was clear contact on the Avery play and it looked like it should have been a flag. After the game, officials said the contact was "incidental." Wow.

- Earlier on the drive, there was a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call on Goldberg. It was a surprising penalty considering the recipient. I didn't see the penalty but there was a lot of surprise on the Rams sideline at the flag. It really hurt the Rams, taking them from second-and-10 at Arizona's 13 to a second-and-25 at Arizona's 28.

- Gutsy effort from Danny Amendola this week after a tough finish last week. His 25-yard catch to set up running back Steven Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run.

- Speaking of Jackson, from the Department of Redundancy Department, he was excellent again. Jackson finished with 116 yards on 24 carries, his fourth consecutive 100-yard outing. In the process, Jackson became the first running back in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in five consecutive seasons. Jackson remains on pace to potentially pass Marshall Faulk before the end of the season.

- Amazing how different Arizona is without Kurt Warner and with Matt Leinart. The Rams did come out much better against the run in the second half, though.

- Avery made some big plays down the stretch again and is starting to emerge as a clutch receiver.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, Brandon Gibson was targeted 17 times. Think he's becoming a favorite of Bulger's?

- In those same stats, linebacker James Laurinaitis was credited with 16 tackles which if proved true would be a career high.

- Oh, forgot to mention on Amendola front, he had three kick returns for 91 yards and came close to breaking a couple of them all the way.

- Punter Donnie Jones had a nice day, averaging 51. yards per punt with a net of 46.5.

- Left tackle Alex Barron was not in the game to start the second half because he had to be re-taped and change shoes at the half. He returned to the game on the team's second possession of the half.

- Larry Fitzgerald is still an unbelievable player. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who plucks it better than him.

- The Rams will continue searching for ways to become the team that makes that one or two plays to win games next week against Seattle. They are on the cusp of a breakthrough and like anything else, once they get one, they'll likely get more. Maybe that first one can come against the Seahawks.

- Be back to wrap this one up with injury updates tomorrow.

- The Rams wrapped their Thursday practice and did so with limited numbers available on the defensive line, particularly at end.

- The worst news came in the form of losing end CJ Ah You for the rest of the season. Ah You suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday's practice on the turf in the indoor facility at Rams Park. It was a freak accident that occurred when Ah You got his foot caught under another player's and then another player rolled into his knee. Tough break for Ah You, who was playing pretty well in a variety of roles.

- As for the rest of the group, ends Chris Long (knee), Leonard Little (knee) and James Hall (back) were limited in practice. The Rams don't have much else behind that trio aside from Victor Adeyanju but made it through practice.

- As expected, guard Richie Incognito did not practice and won't be available this week. Adam Goldberg continues to get the reps in his place.

- Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (toe) did return to practice and should be ready to go Sunday.

- With Ah You gone, it will affect the way the Rams deploy their ends in the nickel situation. In most of those opportunities, they have used four defensive ends, often aligning Ah You and Little on the end with Long and Hall in the middle. Adeyanju is more suited to the inside so it would stand to reason that Long would shift back outside with Ah You unavailable.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo said the Rams won't make a roster addition to replace Ah You this week, instead opting to wait until next week. The theory being that it would be too late to have someone ready to potentially play this week anyway.

- Check the home page later for a look at how the Rams offensive line is coming together as well as more thoughts from Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator on the loss of Ah You.

- Greetings and welcome to Around the League where we do our best to take a look at the happenings around the NFL. In this installment, we'll hit on the Bill Belichick decision in Indianapolis, the emergence of a full out superstar in Tennessee, an opinion on who the best team in football is and more.

- Well, it's the topic that seems to be all over the place and is unavoidable. I don't want to harp on it too much because it's been overkill in some ways but the choice of New England coach Bill Belichick to go for it on fourth and 2 with two minutes to go and a 6-point lead at Indianapolis was simply wrong. I've heard all of the reasons for the move and I can comprehend the logic but it's not really a choice. You punt the ball. If you're that worried about Peyton Manning beating you from about 70 yards away, what about from 29?

- Other observations from that game: Manning pulled it off and that wasn't a surprise but it was a bit of a shock because he was not playing his best. I've never seen him throw so many wounded ducks. He's still the best and in my opinion the MVP... The Colts must find a way to run the ball more consistently...The Patriots defense has to make some serious strides in the coming weeks if they want to make a Super Bowl run...Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne, still two of the absolute best at what they do...Nice game plan by New England in taking away Dallas Clark. 

- Tennessee running back Chris Johnson is a superstar. His numbers are ridiculous. He leads the league in rushing and total yards and he's averaging almost 6.5 yards per carry.  Vince Young is getting a lot of credit for the turnaround for the Titans but it's Johnson that makes it all go.

- Speaking of Johnson, how's this for a scenario...two years ago, the Rams had targeted a couple of speedy, play making backs to join Steven Jackson in the backfield. One was Felix Jones, the other was Johnson. Neither made it to the second round, where the Rams would have pulled the trigger. Jones went 22nd and Johnson went 24th. Imagine if Johnson had dropped eight more spots, that could have been an amazing combination.

- As we sit here headed to week 11 in the NFL, the Rams are one of the only teams to see the best teams in the league. Indianapolis, New Orleans and Minnesota are among the best teams in the league. This neutral observer has watched all three play in person and I've been impressed by all three. So, which one is the best? Which is the best Super Bowl contender? Believe it or not, I would vote for the team of the trio that has actually lost a game, Minnesota. The Vikings are the most balanced with a veteran star at quarterback in Brett Favre, a dominant force at running back in Adrian Peterson, emerging receivers and play makers, a run defense with two dynamite tackles and a premiere pass rusher in Jared Allen. If Favre can stay healthy, the Vikings are the most complete team in football.

- So, why not the Saints or Colts? New Orleans is very good but if it doesn't have its play makers on defense healthy, it can be scored on and run on regularly. The Colts lack a running game and have youth in the secondary. In addition, Indianapolis is very young at receiver aside from Wayne and Clark. Again, both teams are outstanding but the Vikings seem to be the most Super Bowl ready at this point.

- Monday night's game between Cleveland and Baltimore is the first Monday night game I haven't watched this season. After seeing the highlights, it appeared I made the right choice.

- The luster has come off the Broncos pretty quick. Clearly, the offense has had struggle remaining consistent but the most alarming thing has to be the defensive struggles the past couple of weeks. Huge game against the Chargers this week for the AFC West.

- Speaking of the Chargers, that's a very dangerous team heading down the stretch because the offense is playing as well as anyone's. But they aren't going too far if they continue to give up copious amounts of yards through the air.

- Nice week for the Giants. They don't play a game and make up ground on Philly and Dallas.

- I might be the last person in America to come around and agree but the Bengals are for real. What a defensive, physical footbal team that has become. That cornerback duo of Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall deserves a lot more credit than its getting. If Cedric Benson can get healthy, that's a tough out in January because the Bengals play defense and run it well.

- Matt Ryan has fallen on some rough times in Atlanta and the timing hasn't been good because the running game is starting to get going.

- Don't count the Panthers out of the NFC playoff race. They run the ball too well to be discounted.

- Things are looking up in Tampa Bay where rookie quarterback Josh Freeman is showing some signs of becoming a true play maker. Glad to see that group snapping out of it under offensive coordinator Greg Olson, the former Rams offensive coordinator who happens to be one of the good guys in the game.

- Not looking good for Jay Cutler and Co. in Chicago. Cutler is making the same mistakes there he made in Denver and has thrown 17 interceptions on the season.

- On the college scene, things are getting harder and harder to figure out. By now, it's clear that Texas will play the winner of the SEC championship game for the national title, barring a major upset. But here's the real question: is there a team in the college ranks that is legitimately good and balanced in all phases? The Longhorns, Gators and Crimson Tide all play great defense but there's not much there in the way of offense. If I had to choose, I'd probably go with Florida just for the Tebow factor but I'm not sure that any of these teams are truly great.

- Nice win for my beloved (yet schizophrenic) Missouri Tigers against Kansas State. A shame they lost to Baylor the previous week or they'd still be in the mix to win the Big 12 North. Receiver Danario Alexander is an absolute stud and a better pure receiver than Jeremy Maclin was. His draft stock will fluctuate because of his injury history but he has all the tools.

- TCU is a legitimate football team. The Horned Frogs play great defense and are better offensively than people give them credit for. Impressive win against Utah.

- Give credit to Iowa for its effort against Ohio State. Nobody gave them much of a chance in that game (the Hawkeyes were 16 1/2 point underdogs) but they still found a way to force overtime with a freshman quarterback in charge. Both teams could still wind up in BCS bowls.

- It's one of my favorite times of the year as college hoops is kicking off. College basketball is perhaps my favorite sport to watch and I watch as much as I can. But this ESPN 24-hour marathon is a bit ridiculous. Seriously, is it necessary to have games at 6 a.m.?

- I'll get my Final 4 predictions in print right now so I can be ridiculed later: Kansas, Villanova, Purdue, Kentucky with Kansas winning it all. It's not fancy and it pains me to choose the hated Jayhawks but they are loaded. Some sleepers to watch out for: Georgia Tech, Clemson, Missouri, Washington.

- That's all for this week. Be sure to continue to check us out on Twitter at OneRamsWay and on facebook. And get your questions in to Nick's Mailbag right here at stlouisrams.com.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and his team reviewed the film of yesterday's hard fought loss to New Orleans and like Sunday afternoon, Spagnuolo couldn't help but be disappointed that the Rams came up just short. More on his thoughts in a moment...

- On the injury front, the news came as expected as receiver Keenan Burton is out for the year with a patella tendon injury in his knee. He will have surgery and his season will come to an end when he's officially placed on injured reserve in the near future. Tough break for a great kid. Here's to a speedy recovery for him.

- Elsewhere on the injury front, plenty of players drew mentions from Spagnuolo but none were too serious. End Chris Long had an MRI on his knee but it came back as nothing more than a bone bruise. That will be monitored in the coming days but Long should be OK.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger and Leonard Little had bruised knees but should also be fine. James Hall dealt with back spasms but is also expected to be fine.

- The only other injury worth noting is a hyperextended toe of defensive tackle Clifton Ryan. He will be watched closely this week but should also be OK.

- End C.J. Ah You made it through the game on his injured ankle OK.

- Guard Richie Incognito isn't a slam dunk to return this week from his foot injury and will also be watched this week. Spagnuolo was asked about Incognito getting his spot back considering how well the line has played recently and indicated that Incognito would get his job or at least a job back somewhere on the line.

- Spagnuolo doesn't have hard and fast rules when it comes to starters losing their job to injury. He says he takes it on a case by case basis and mentioned how well the line had played before Incognito was injured.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo cited the kickoff return coming out of the half as one of the key plays. After watching the film, he said it was a "misread" by a few of the tacklers on the coverage unit and they opted to go on the wrong side of the blocks which left open the gaping hole down the left sideline for a touchdown.

- As Spagnuolo points out, it's hard enough to slow the Saints' scoring machine without giving up points on special teams. That made it even more difficult for his team.

- With Burton out, Brandon Gibson's role will expand though Spagnuolo stopped short of declaring him the starter opposite Donnie Avery just yet. Ruvell Martin, who has been inactive the past few weeks should figure into the mix on gamedays now.

- The Rams are likely to sign yet another receiver to replace Burton on the roster. There are some in house options like practice squadder Sean Walker and some guys who have been here outside who could figure in. Spagnuolo said he and GM Billy Devaney haven't yet begun to dig into that.

- Spagnuolo also revisited the decision to go for the onside kick late in Sunday's game. He again pointed out that it was out of respect for the Saints' offensive ability. He also believed Josh Brown is excellent at kicking onsides. And he's right, Brown kicked a near perfect ball but nobody was able to break through the blockers to get to it.

- Steven Jackson now ranks third in the league in rushing and trailing only Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson in that category. He's just 2 yards behind Peterson for second. In addition, he's second in the league in yards from scrimmage. Jackson would need to average about 107 yards per game the rest of the way to pass Marshall Faulk for second in franchise history.

- Looking back at the final drive, Spagnuolo said he was pleased overall with how it went. Obviously, the Rams would have liked to have hit one of the deep ball tries to Gibson or Avery but Spagnuolo points out they still had a play from a reasonable spot on the field to win it.

- Spagnuolo was again complimentary of rookie tackle Jason Smith who once again had an excellent game blocking, particularly in the running game.

- That's all for today. Be back tomorrow with a look around the league.

- With the Saints coming to town this weekend, the Rams will once again face one of the best teams in the league. In fact, despite facing talented groups like Indianapolis and Minnesota, this one might be the biggest challenge of all.

- Everyone knows by now just how good New Orleans' offense is but what most people ignore is how balanced it is. The Saints are fifth in the league in rushing with a three-headed monster of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell.

- All three are excellent but Thomas has the chance to be truly special. He mixes power and speed as well as any back in the league.

- The Rams are relatively healthy heading into this week. Only guard Richie Incognito did not participate in practice as he continues to recover from a foot injury. Incognito almost certainly won't play against New Orleans and Adam Goldberg has taken all of the reps at right guard this week.

- End CJ Ah You was listed as limited again but he should be fine and ready to play as he returns from an ankle injury. Guard Jacob Bell has a thumb injury but was listed as full participation and should be fine.

- For New Orleans, the injury report is a bit lengthier. Big names on the list include those who did not participate such as DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle) and CB Jabari Greer (groin). Limited participants include WR Marques Colston (illness) and S Darren Sharper (knee).

- The Rams are still working to sell out Sunday's game. For tickets, call 314-RAMS-TIX or do it right here at stlouisrams.com. For every ticket sold, the team will donate one to local military. And for those attending, you will receive a free Rams "dog tag" upon entrance.

- Per weekly custom, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just wrapped up his Monday press briefing.

- As always, the first order of business is injuries. The Rams came out of Sunday's win against Detroit relatively healthy.

- Receiver Danny Amendola suffered a concussion as expected when he took a hard shot late in the game. The fact that Amendola held on to the ball was amazing. He will have the necessary tests on Wednesday in order to get cleared for next week.

- Guard Jacob Bell had a neck stinger and a concussion. That is his second concussion of the season though it's not expected to be as serious as the first one. He will be tested on Tuesday.

- Receiver Donnie Avery (shoulder) and tight end Randy McMichael (ribs) simply had bruises and came out of it OK.

- Defensive end C.J. Ah You (ankle) will test his injury this week.

- The Rams are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before being let go for some down time on the bye week.

- Some thoughts from Spagnuolo on the game that was...

- Of course, the first thing he did was re-iterate how happy he was for the team to get a reward for its hard work so far this season in the form of a win.

- When the subject of running back Steven Jackson came up, Spagnuolo couldn't help but smile. Jackson now ranks among the league's top two in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. And he's doing it when the whole world knows he's the focal point of the offense.
- Spagnuolo said he was pleased with the performance of Quincy Butler, who got the first opportunity to start in place of injured Bradley Fletcher. Butler finished with five tackles and two passes defended. He will continue to get the opportunities at that spot.

- Speaking of filling in nicely, Spagnuolo said guard Mark Setterstrom did quite well in stepping in for Bell. He played a little more than 20 plays and the running game and blocking overall didn't miss a beat.

- Chris Long got his first sack of the season, cleaning up after Clifton Ryan just missed. It was a nice reward for a lot of hard work Long has put in.

- For those wondering, end Leonard Little was credited with a sack for his takedown of Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter. Little now has five on the season.

- James Laurinaitis again led the team in tackles with eight after the official tape review. At the halfway point, he has a team leading 74 tackles.

- Spagnuolo said he thought James Butler's mental error that resulted in a safety was an aberration and won't be something you ever see again from the secondary's veteran leader.

- The Rams will spend most of this week doing some self scouting. In other words, poring over tape of the first eight games and searching for ways to make themselves better. That extends to coaches as well as players. There will be some review of New Orleans tape to get a head start but that's all as far as that.

- And the coaches will also get a little bit of down time this week to recharge their batteries as well.

- As expected, the reviews of Jason Smith's performance Sunday were very positive. He was a monster in the run game and very solid in pass protection.

- That's all for today. Will have a short Around the League tomorrow because of the adjusted schedule will have any Rams news as well as Nick's Mailbag ready to go.

DETROIT –

- The Rams emerged victorious for the first time in a long time Sunday as they came away with a stirring late 17-10 win against the Lions at Ford Field.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo has preached staying the course to his team all year and as part of that he has again and again hoped that patience would reward his players with a win for all of their hard work. Finally, on Sunday, it did.

- Let’s knock the injury updates out of the way right away.

- The Rams lost two players to blows to the head. Because they haven’t been officially diagnosed, Spagnuolo didn’t want to label them as concussions but Danny Amendola and Jacob Bell both took shots.

- Tight end Randy McMichael suffered a bruised rib on a hard hit in the secondary. He was replaced by Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema, depending on the package.

- Linebacker Paris Lenon suffered a back injury but he returned and finished the game.

- As for the game, it’s hard to say that this was anything but a team win. There were mistakes in all three phases of the game but each time there was, a different phase was there to make up for it.

- The defense held Detroit to eight points after giving two away, the offense came through when it had to and the special teams even provided a touchdown and a field goal. Team win, all the way around.

- The energy in the locker room after the game was to be expected. Players, coaches and staff alike were clearly enjoying themselves. But there’s on person who every player in the locker room made it a point to credit and mention: running back Steven Jackson.

- I know it’s been written in this space plenty of times and I’ve talked at length about the way Jackson has become a leader for this team. He’s already the most talented guy in the locker room. But there was no prettier sight than seeing Jackson – the guy who has run his heart out all year with nary a win or even a touchdown – score the game winning points to break the team’s losing streak. It was a poetic moment in his career and Rams fans everywhere should truly appreciate what he does. He’s as good as it gets and I can only hope that the rest of the NFL world begins to realize it.

- Jackson had plenty of impressive runs on Sunday but how about the 11-yard burst he had on the drive where the Rams started at their 2. That got them out of a bad situation and eventually led to a flip in field position that was absolutely crucial to getting the game-winning score.

- Jackson finished with 22 carries for 149 yards and the score. He also had three catches for 17 yards.

- It wouldn’t be fair to go on and on about Jackson without mentioning the offensive line. A tremendous job by that group. Not only were there holes for Jackson to run through but quarterback Marc Bulger was kept clean and didn’t get sacked a single time.

- It sure seemed like there was something cooking on the right side of the line. How handy is Adam Goldberg? The guy steps in at right guard from right tackle, doesn’t miss a beat and was  outstanding, especially in the running game.

- The rookie, Jason Smith, also flashed some of his immense potential and skill. All the way around, a strong effort. Even Mark Setterstrom, who stepped in for Bell, did a good job.

- Keenan Burton, targeted six times, caught five passes for 54 yards. Keep it up, kid.

- How about th performance of Bajema? He has two catches for 43 yards, both career highs. Obviously, that speaks to the fact that he has generally been a blocker in his career. But the guy catches everything thrown his way when he gets a chance. His 27-yard grab in the fourth quarter also played a huge part in the aforementioned drive that swung field position in the Rams’ favor.

- Daniel Fells showed some wheels on his touchdown catch and run on the fake field goal. Josh Brown’s pass wasn’t pretty but it doesn’t matter. He still has a perfect quarterback rating on the stat sheet.

- Here’s an underrated play from the game that deserves mentioning and probably won’t be…So, even after Jackson scores the leading touchdown from 25 yards out late, you still wonder what could happen. It’s happened to the Rams in the past where something bad has happened after a big play like that.

- Sure enough, Detroit kick returner Derrick Williams takes the ensuing kickoff and darts to the left where suddenly a big hole opens up. I don’t know if he was going to go all the way but out of nowhere rookie linebacker K.C. Asiodu to tackle Williams at Detroit’s 20. The Rams promptly got a four and out and were able to go into victory formation to seal the game. Nice play, rook.

- The Rams have struggled mightily in the second half of games this year. Against the Lions, the defense was on the field a ton in the first half and there had to be come concerns about fatigue in the final 30 minutes.

- But defensive coordinator Ken Flajole and Spagnuolo made some important adjustments that ultimately shut down the Lions attack.

- For much of the opening half, the Lions were able to hit some big gains on screen passes as Flajole dialed up blitzes again and again. In the final two quarters, the Rams spent much more time in the base defense and let their players make plays. The Lions had just 120 total yards in the second half and had the ball for about six minutes less than they did in the first half.

- It won’t show up in the box score but aside from Jackson, the most dominant player on the field Sunday was Rams end James Hall. He defeated his man, many times Lions guard Jon Jansen all day.

- That will do it for tonight. Enjoy this one Rams’ fans and you get to enjoy it for two weeks which makes it even better. Be back tomorrow to put this one to bed with Spagnuolo’s thoughts after reviewing the tape and any injury news.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just wrapped up his Monday meeting with the media after reviewing the tape of Sunday's game against the Colts and being apprised of all of the injury news.

- On that front, the news isn't very good. As expected, long snapper Chris Massey has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Perhaps slightly more unexpected is the same fate for cornerback Bradley Fletcher.

- Fletcher has torn meniscus and a torn ACL. Both will require surgery. Fletcher will have his first surgery in the next 24 to 48 hours then have a waiting period of about a month before he has the other surgery. The injury could keep him out close to a year but Spagnuolo acknowledged that he might be out up to the start of next season at least.

- Massey will have to do some rehab before his surgery but he will have it in the next month or so.

- Guard Richie Incognito has a Lisfranc injury in his foot that will keep him out for two to three weeks. Adam Goldberg will step in for Incognito with Alex Barron and Jason Smith handling the tackle duties.

- End C.J. Ah You had an MRI for an ankle injury. The results of that test were not yet available.

- End Leonard Little (pinched nerve in neck) and receiver Donnie Avery (ribs, hip) were a bit banged up but are expected to be OK this week.

- Cornerback Justin King and end James Hall are expected to return this week after being inactive because of groin injuries against the Colts.

- The Rams brought in four potential replacements for Massey at long snapper. One is expected to be added in the next day or so.

- The replacement for Fletcher on the roster won't necessarily be a cornerback. It stands to reason that it could be but Spagnuolo said the Rams would explore all options. Jonathan Wade, Quincy Butler and King will all get a look to replace Fletcher in the starting lineup.

- Linebacker David Vobora was officially welcomed back to the building on Monday. He spent the time catching up on film work and Spagnuolo said he will take a wait and see approach on when and how to work Vobora back into the mix.

- Spagnuolo discussed the decision to use Smith, Barron and Goldberg in a rotation at the tackle spots against the Colts, saying he wanted to get a look at them in different spots. Of course, that discussion is mute the next couple of weeks because of the injury to Incognito.

- As for depth at those positions, John Greco will likely fill the role held by Goldberg as the primary backup at both tackle and guard.

- Spagnuolo expected Colts all everything QB Peyton Manning to get his share of plays. He does that to everybody. But he said he was most disappointed with some of the big running plays the team allowed.

- Conversely, Spagnuolo was pleased with how well the secondary held up when the Colts took deep shots. The only real long pass they hit was the perfect throw from Manning to Dallas Clark for a touchdown. And the only other positive result was a questionable pass interference call on Oshiomogho Atogwe late in the game.

- Last week, Peyton Manning called brother Eli, who happens to quarterback the Giants and used to face Spagnuolo's defense daily, for tips on how to pick it apart. Spagnuolo saw that coming and tried to combat it by getting a hold of Eli to try to get some tips on how to handle Peyton. But Spagnuolo's calls to quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer went unreturned and Spagnuolo joked about it on Monday, saying he guessed Eli had more important things to do than call him back.

- Pro Bowl balloting is set to begin today and if nothing else, be sure to go vote for running back Steven Jackson. You can make a case for punter Donnie Jones, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Leonard Little and defensive tackle Clifton Ryan as well. But there's no doubt about Jackson.

- In seven games, Jackson has faced a loaded run box every single time. There are almost always eight defenders in the box and sometimes nine. Still, Jackson is third in the NFL in rushing heading into the Monday night game. He has 635 yards and is trailing Adrian Peterson by just 52 yards for second place.

- Beyond that, the hidden stats really show how hard Jackson is running. He's at his best in the second half, averaging 5 yards per carry, proving again that he only gets stronger as the game goes along. In addition, he's leading the league in yards after contact. There's no doubt he's deserving of his second trip to the Pro Bowl.

- That's all for today. Check in tomorrow as we take a look around the league.

- The Rams fell behind Indianapolis early and were unable to make up the ground as Peyton Manning and the Colts walked out of the Edward Jones Dome with a very business-like 42-6 win on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

- The injury news isn't great for the Rams this week. Long snapper Chris Massey suffered an ACL injury in the second quarter. Coach Steve Spagnuolo didn't want to make any declarative statements but did say it didn't look good for Massey's return.

- Cornerback Bradley Fletcher suffered a hyperextended knee late in the game and was on crutches leaving the locker room. He will have an MRI on Monday.

- Receiver Donnie Avery bruised his ribs and injured his shoulder early in the game. He did return to the game, though.

- Guard Richie Incognito has a midfoot sprain. He'll be examined further Monday.

- Here's hoping for a speedy recover for Massey. Good guy who happens to be very good at his job.

- Running back Steven Jackson had his best output of the season on the ground, carrying 23 times for 134 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per attempt. Jackson had a monster third quarter, in fact it was the best 15 minute span of his career as he rushed nine times for 95 yards. Jackson is simply running as well as any back in the league.

- That said, it would have been nice for the Rams to get the running game going early. Credit to them for sticking with it but the Colts did a good job of limiting Jackson early and the Rams fell behind, making it hard to play keepaway from Peyton Manning and that Indianapolis offense.

- Speaking of which, I'm not sure how one goes about defending Manning. He is simply the best in the business. His touchdown toss to Dallas Clark was just an amazingly precise throw under pressure. There's a good chance when he's done that Manning will be viewed as the best who ever did it.

- That entire Colts team is very talented. It has a chance to go a long way this year.

- Punter Donnie Jones was excellent again and tight end Billy Bajema should be commended for stepping in for Massey as the long snapper and handling the job error free.

- The Rams rotated tackles Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg and Alex Barron throughout the day. That group did a solid job against Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis but Freeney did beat Smith once with an introduction to the league.

- Despite falling behind early, the Rams battled. In the second and third quarter, the Rams held Indianapolis to eight first downs and 132 yards. By comparison, the Rams generated eight first downs and 126 yards. It was a pretty even game in the middle quarters.

- Spagnuolo was not pleased with how his team finished the game in the fourth quarter, though and said as much in the postgame.

- Be back tomorrow to wrap this one up before we move on to Detroit.

- The Rams wrapped up their Thursday practice and seem to be getting some of their banged up players more involved with each passing day.

- The only player to sit out Thursday's workout was defensive end James Hall, who is dealing with a groin injury.

- Receiver Donnie Avery did some work in a limited capacity but that was an upgrade over what he did on Wednesday.

- Cornerback Justin King (groin) and receiver Ruvell Martin (hamstring) were also limited.

- Guard Richie Incognito (ankle) and safety James Butler (knee) were full go. Both should be ready to start against the Colts.

- This weekend's game is officially a sell out and will be televised locally on KMOV-TV, Channel 4 in St. Louis.

- There are still a limited number of tickets available for the game, though. Fans can purchase those tickets by calling 314-RAMS-TIX. Those who do purchase tickets will receive a free pink Rams hat from Reebok in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

- The Rams will honor Hall of Fame defensive lineman Jack Youngblood on Sunday. He will be in attendance and signing autographs in the Bud Light Party Zone during halftime.

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith has been getting a lot of work with the first team offense this week. The interesting thing about it, though, is that Smith has been working a lot on the left side. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Smith will likely work in a lot on Sunday and he expects all three tackles, including Smith, Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg to rotate against the Colts. It's not out of the question that we'll see plenty of opportunities for Smith on the left side.

- No determination has been made yet on how much if any playing time receiver Brandon Gibson will get Sunday. He could well be active and get some reps but Spagnuolo wants to take some more time to evaluate.

- Spagnuolo had a heated moment in practice, chiding the defense for a lack of effort on one play.

- Gonna try something new on the old blog today and hope to begin doing this every Tuesday as I will take a look around some of the things going on around the league whether it's amazing performances from the week that was a look ahead to the coming week and anything in between. Let's get down to business, shall we?

- Since it's the freshest in my mind, how about that Monday Night Football game between the Broncos and Chargers? For anyone wondering whether Denver's hot start was legit, consider that question answered with wins against New England and San Diego in the past couple of weeks.

- Denver's defense is nothing short of dynamite. I think the Broncos blitzed on about 75 percent of the plays last night. Elvis Dumervil is an absolute stud. He could make a run at 20 sacks or more, easily. With D.J. Williams next to him, Denver has a pair of impact linebackers that are nearly impossible to block.

- On offense, Kyle Orton is doing a terrific job of guiding the team. He's doing more than manage the game but he's outstanding at protecting the ball. With an outstanding offensive line and some good receivers, Orton is proving he can be a strong starter in this league.

- Not many players in the league more fun to watch than San Diego's Darren Sproles. I covered him a little in college and he was just as exciting then. Exciting player.

- Hard to argue against the Saints as the league's best team though I'm sure fans in Indy, Denver and Minnesota might take umbrage. The resume is the most impressive. That offense is as close as I've see to the Greatest Show on Turf and that includes the 2007 Patriots. Drew Brees is unbelievably accurate and one of the game's best leaders. And the offensive line is terribly underrated.

- The Giants will rebound from that game but if they want to get back to the Super Bowl, they have seen where the bar is being set and the Saints are the ones setting it.

- Minnesota was extremely impressive in its recent visit to St. Louis and it continues to find ways to win. The Vikings have great balance. I know Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson are getting most of the pub - and for good reason - but is it insane to say that Jared Allen might be the most valuable player on that team?

- Strange situation in Washington where the Redskins have brought in someone who wasn't even technically on the staff a few weeks ago to handle play calling duties. Sherman Lewis should help stabilize things a little bit but without a major improvement from one of the quarterbacks, it's going to be tough sledding.

- What happened in New England? Tom Brady is starting to look like the Brady of old so I wasn't stunned by the Patriots' offensive output. What's stunning is how far the Titans have fallen. Peter King at CNNSI.com had the statistic but it's worth repeating: last year at this time, the Titans had allowed a total of seven touchdowns in six games. On Sunday, they allowed eight in 36 minutes. Stunning.

- Carolina's Dante Wesley crashed into an unsuspecting Tampa returner named Clifton Smith on Sunday. The hit was overzealous to begin with but it happened to a returner before the ball got there. Wesley has been punished but it's hits like that which lead to the league putting an emphasis on protecting the players every year. It's a violent enough game without that type of stuff happening.

- It's been an excellent year for rookie linebackers in the league. Right here, we all know about James Laurinaitis and what he's done for the Rams as he averages almost 10 tackles per game. But Green Bay's Clay Matthews, Houston's Brian Cushing and Cincinnati's Rey Maulauga, Seattle's Aaron Curry are also off to great starts.

- Clearly, the NFL right now is a quarterback's league. Brady, Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Brett Favre, Matt Ryan, Orton, Aaron Rodgers, the list goes on of signal callers playing lights out football. But one guy that is still somehow flying under the radar is Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. He continues to pile up big numbers and win games. The guy has two Super Bowl rings and he is rarely mentioned with the likes of Brees, Brady, Favre and Manning though Brady is the only one with more rings.

- I know I'm a bit biased because I'm fortunate enough to see him every week but after seeing Maurice Jones-Drew in person for the first time last week I now feel confident in saying I've seen all of the league's best backs play live. And for my money, in terms of all around talent I'm pretty sure Steven Jackson is the best back in the league. I know that's a bit blasphemous to Peterson fans (and I think Peterson is probably the best runner) but for total package, I think I'd take Jackson right now if all things were equal.

- Who does less with more: Norv Turner or Wade Phillips?

- Underrated player of the week: Houston tight end Owen Daniels. He's a red zone machine and his one-handed catch in the end zone against the Bengals was nothing short of terrific.

- Felt for Orlando Pace on Sunday night after he committed a pair of penalties that cost the Bears late in the game. That type of thing happens to the best in the league but you just don't expect it from a guy with Pace's experience.

- Those ready to anoint Mark Sanchez the second coming of Namath for the Jets got a rude awakening on Sunday. Sanchez threw five interceptions against Buffalo in a loss and later blamed himself repeatedly for the loss. He's going to be a fine signal caller in the league but it just goes to show that there's a growing process for everyone in the league, especially at that position.

- It should be noted that local product Jairus Byrd picked off two passes for Buffalo in that game. Great to see. Byrd's pops, Gill Byrd coached defensive backs for the Rams a few years ago. Nice man, nice family, good start for the former Clayton Greyhound and Oregon Duck.

- Tough week for my Missouri Tigers. Played great in the first half against Oklahoma State but couldn't finish the job and ended up losing 33-17. A three-game losing streak looks very possible with Texas coming to Columbia for homecoming this weekend.

- That's it for the first installment of Around the League. Any feedback, suggestions, questions or comments are always welcome in my mailbag.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –

- In the closest battle for the Rams to date six games into the 2009 season, the Rams just couldn’t quite come up with that one last play needed to come out with a victory as Jacksonville booted a 36-yard field goal in overtime to win 23-20.

- First things first, on the injury front, the Rams took quite a few hits.

- None were more important or costly than the early loss of receiver Donnie Avery. The Rams made a statement early by throwing the ball all over the Jaguars secondary as Avery sealed the opening drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch. But Avery suffered a hip injury in the first quarter and did not return. The x rays on the hip came back OK but Avery said he will have an MRI on it Monday to search for any further damage.

- For whatever it’s worth, Avery says the injury didn’t feel like the one he suffered last year that hampered him all season.

- In overtime, linebacker Will Witherspoon suffered a hip injury and cornerback Ron Bartell was shaken up by a head injury. Neither returned to the game. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Witherspoon has a left hip injury and he would be examined further. Spagnuolo hesitated to call Bartell’s injury a concussion and Bartell said he was a bit woozy but felt OK after the game.

- Cornerback Justin King aggravated a groin injury and will have to have further examination Monday morning.

- Defensive end James Hall had a similar injury and will also be looked at more on Monday.

- Receiver Tim Carter and tight end Daniel Fells had the wind knocked out of them on hits at various points. Both returned and finished the game.

- As for the game, it was undoubtedly a heartbreaker for the Rams, considering they way they scratched and clawed to get the lead, stay in the game and eventually force overtime.

- Defensive end Leonard Little’s effort on Sunday was nothing short of heroic. Looking for leaders on this young team? Try this on for size. Little missed Friday’s practice with strep throat and was sick as can be entering Sunday’s game. His eyes were red and puffy, his voice was nearly gone and he was dehydrated. All he did was play most of the game and post three tackles, a sack, two quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and an interception return 36 yards for a touchdown that very nearly won it for the Rams. A gutsy, gritty effort by the Rams most tenured veteran.

- Little wasn’t the only defensive lineman making noise Sunday. Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan is playing terrific football right now. He had five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss in unofficial pressbox statistics.

- Hall added a sack as well and the Rams finished with 12 quarterback hurries, seven of which came from the defensive line.

- James Laurinaitis continues to be an impact player who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and making sure, solid tackles. He had five tackles, two quarterback hurries and two interceptions in unofficial stats.

- Spagnuolo didn’t want to go there when asked about a series of questionable pass interference calls that went against the Rams on Sunday. They were flagged multiple times on a variety of close calls. The interesting thing to me is that Torry Holt was the beneficiary of many of those calls. He didn’t seem to get many of those calls when he was getting similar treatment from defensive backs in his final seasons in St. Louis.

- Great to see the Rams come out and march the ball on offense on the opening possession for a touchdown. Just a masterful drive with some excellent play calls.

- After getting the takeaway on a fumble recovery by Craig Dahl, the Rams took a deep shot for Avery down the middle of the field. It was intercepted by Jacksonville’s Rashean Mathis but it was an aggressive, strong play call that nearly worked.

- That said, the offense struggled without Avery. The second half was especially slow. Jacksonville had the ball for 22:45 to the Rams 7:15 in the second half. The only first down the team had in the half before its final drive was a 15-yard run by Jackson on the team’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

- Speaking of the final drive, what an absolutely tremendous and strong play by Jackson to open the team’s final possession and tying drive. He caught a screen pass to the right, turned it up field and dragged about six defenders with him to Jacksonville’s 40.

- The Rams’response in that situation to come up with the field goal was excellent.

- With 15 seconds the Rams had second down at Jacksonville’s 9. That play was a designed pass and Bulger rolled out to his right but could find nobody before he eventually threw it away. That was the correct choice by Bulger but it also took up eight seconds, leaving just seven more on the clock.

- On third down, Spagnuolo opted to kick the field goal with a timeout in his pocket. He said one more second on the clock and the Rams would have opted to run another play rather than kick for the tie. But there are too many things that can happen to cause a clock to run seven seconds on one play and he felt that was the correct decision.

- All in all, it was a hard fought battle that seemed like it was going to go the Rams’ way. It didn’t but there are a lot of good things for them to take from it.

- That’s all for tonight. Be back tomorrow to put the finishing touches on this one.

- The Rams just completed their Wednesday afternoon practice session and coach Steve Spagnuolo was pleased with the energy and effort.

- He had to be equally pleased with the returning form to health for the bulk of his team. The only player who did not participate in the session was receiver Ruvell Martin, who continues to battle a hamstring issue.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller might have been a bit of a surprise as he returned to the practice field on Wednesday. Boller took the baseline tests for his mild concussion on Tuesday and passed. That test cleared him to practice but not necessarily to play. Spagnuolo said Boller would be tested again Friday so he can get clearance to play this weekend if need be.

- That said, Marc Bulger took all of the reps with the first team as expected and he will start this weekend against Jacksonville barring something unexpected.

- Safety James Butler continues to progress toward a return. Butler practiced some in the team portion of the workout, doing so exclusively with the scout team. But he at least appears to be closer to getting back.

- Fellow safety Anthony Smith also got back in and got some work.

- Defensive end Chris Long has the test on his chest after having some post-game discomfort. He came out of that OK and should be ready to go.

- Tim Carter had his first practice with the team since being re-signed. Spagnuolo said he is running as smooth as ever.

- Jason Smith is close to being back to full health. He worked with the first team for about half of Wednesday's practice. Spagnuolo said the Rams will make a decision soon on where he will fit in as the line played well last week.

- "It's something we will look at," Spagnuolo said. "Jason was in there before he got hurt. There's no rule here. We'll see how practice went today and then look at it."

- The captains for this week are center Jason Brown, cornerback Ron Bartell and long snapper Chris Massey.

- Per custom, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just finished his Monday news conference and covered a variety of topics, not the least of which was the team's ever expanding injury list.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller took a shot to the head late in Sunday's game against the Vikings and had to leave the game. Spagnuolo called it a "mild concussion" on Monday afternoon. Boller will have his baseline tests tomorrow to see where he is in recovery from it.

- When Boller left the game, Marc Bulger replaced him and went seven-of-seven and threw the game's only touchdown pass for a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. Bulger is still recovering from a shoulder injury but it appears he'll be ready to return this week. Spagnuolo said if both Bulger and Boller would be healthy, Bulger would still get the nod if he can practice all week.

- As expected, defensive tackle Gary Gibson has a broken ankle and will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Gibson suffered the injury early in the game and will have surgery on the ankle tomorrow.

- With Gibson on injured reserve, the Rams re-signed receiver Tim Carter to the active roster. Carter spent the preseason with the Rams and is familiar with the offense.

- Cornerback Justin King got some encouraging news after suffering a knee injury in Sunday's game. King had an MRI on the knee but it revealed "only" a bone bruise. He could miss a game or two but he will be day to day for now.

- Safety James Butler will be day to day again this week as he continues recovery from a knee injury.

- Tight end Daniel Fells has a stinger in his neck from a hit he took Sunday. He is expected to be OK according to Spagnuolo.

- Defensive end Chris Long has some discomfort in his chest and will have a CT Scan today or tomorrow to get a closer look and identify the problem.

- Safety Anthony Smith will have an MRI to get a closer look at his knee problem that kept him out this week.

- Tackle Jason Smith was active for Sunday's game and served as the backup tackle but did not get in the game offensively. Smith will again be day to day this week. It looks like he's closer to a return though.

- After reviewing the tape, a few things stood out to Spagnuolo. First, he was pleased with the way the offensive line played. That group did a strong job creating holes in the running game and giving the quarterbacks time to throw. The unit allowed two sacks, one of which was only credited to the team because it had to on Boller's fumble.

- Spagnuolo praised left tackle Alex Barron for the job he did against Minnesota DE Jared Allen. Allen recovered Boller's fumble but that was no fault of Barron's on a designed screen pass. Allen had no sacks after racking up 4.5 against Green Bay last week.

- With Gibson out, rookie Darrell Scott will likely get back to being active on Sundays. LaJuan Ramsey and Leger Douzable will likely battle it out for the starting position but Spagnuolo said regardless there will still be a rotation.

- Fullback Mike Karney had one of his best games as Ram and was another reason there was room for back Steven Jackson to run against one of the best run defenses in the league.

- Cornerback Bradley Fletcher made his first start opposite Ron Bartell and acquitted himself well on film, according to Spagnuolo. Fletcher was stride for stride on the long pass he allowed. Spagnuolo said there are some minor things that need to be tweaked in terms of ball awareness but overall he's pleased with the progress of his young defensive backs.

- That said, Spagnuolo said he plans to continue to rotate the corners opposite Bartell. That means Fletcher, Jonathan Wade, King and even Quincy Butler could get looks.

- That's all for today. Back with more in the coming days.

- Per Monday tradion, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just finished his news conference and discussed injuries, Alex Barron, dealing with adversity and a number of other topics.

- As usual, I'll hit the injuries first. The Rams came out of the game pretty banged up though nothing appeares too serious. Perhaps the most serious injury is to safety Craig Dahl who suffered a concussion early in the game. Anthony Smith replaced him and fared pretty well in relief.

- Receiver Danny Amendola cramped up in the game but returned and finished it. He will be monitored this week to ensure it doesn't happen again.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell (quad) will be day to day again this week. He attempted to give it a go before Sunday's game but was unable. He's more likely to return this week.

- Guard Jacob Bell has a lower back injury that should be OK but he too will be watched closely this week.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger did some light throwing today and he is going to be day to day as well. It's a good sign that Bulger is throwing but Spagnuolo said he'd consider Bulger "questionable" if he had to label it at this point.

- Safety James Butler will be day to day as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Spagnuolo called Butler "very doubtful" for this week, however.

- Spagnuolo was hopeful that the Rams could get tackle Jason Smith back from a knee injury this week. He'll be watched closely also.

- Defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey tweaked his ankle but should be OK.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo maintained his disappointment in the outcome but says there were some good things to take from it. He liked the performance of the defense as a group, but singled out the defensive line for its job both against the run and putting pressure on the quarterback.

- As for the Barron issue. Spagnuolo replaced Barron with John Greco in the second quarter and Greco finished the game. Spagnuolo said Monday that he still believes in Barron and the two talked Monday morning about it. It looks likely that Barron will be back in the starting lineup this week as Spagnuolo said the slate has been "wiped clean."

- On a key third-and-1 play on the Rams' second drive, running back Steven Jackson was on the sideline and Samkon Gado was in the game. Spagnuolo said he believed Jackson had an equipment issue, causing Gado to replace him. Gado lost a yard and the Rams had to settle for a field goal attempt.

- That's it for today, barring any news. Check the homepage later for a story on how Spagnuolo and the Rams' leaders are doing all that can be done to keep the team focused and headed on the right track.

SAN FRANCISCO –

- The Rams dropped to 0-4 against the 49ers on Sunday after a 35-0 loss that much like Seattle in the opener seemed to be there for the taking, at least in the first half.

- The first half was a defensive struggle for both teams as the only points scored came on a strange punt play that just so happened to bounce San Francisco’s way. Otherwise, the Rams actually outgained San Francisco in the opening 30 minutes 113-112.

- On the injury front, the Rams are pretty banged up. They made it out with only safety Craig Dahl (blow to the head) and receiver Danny Amendola (cramps) as players who left the game because of injury. But coach Steve Spagnuolo said the team as a whole is pretty banged up and the list will likely be longer on Monday afternoon after a day to settle in.

- The first half defensive effort was even more impressive considering San Francisco started drives at its 34, 41 and 42 on consecutive possessions.

- Hats off to the Rams defensive line which probably had its best performance of the season. San Francisco never got traction in the running game and finished with just 3.3 yards per attempt on the ground. That group also was responsible for three sacks as James Hall, Leonard Little and C.J. Ah You dropped quarterback Shaun Hill for losses.

- Nice sack by Larry Grant as well. Grant got some opportunities with David Vobora out because of suspension. Paris Lenon got the start.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Rams in tackles with nine.

- All told, the 49ers only produced points via the offense on two occasions. It was no coincidence that those scores came on a short field as San Francisco started its first scoring drive on the Rams’ 48 and the other on the Rams’ 43.

- San Francisco’s average starting field position was its 35.

- Once again, the Rams couldn’t keep from the barrage of laundry as they were penalized 10 times for 73 yards.

- Perhaps no penalty altered the game more than the first one. Amendola took the opening kickoff to San Francisco’s 3 for what appeared to be a 92-yard return. Instead, Anthony Smith was flagged for holding and it came back to the Rams’ 22.

- The Rams’ third down defense has made great strides as well, holding San Francisco to four-of-13 in those situations. On the flip side, the Rams were just five-of-16 converting third downs.

- A wise man once said you make your own luck and while that’s true, it certainly seems the Rams can’t get one of those bounces in their direction. San Francisco muffed two punts and recovered one while the other went out of bounds. Sometimes, it takes a bounce in your favor like the punt hitting Butler’s leg to spur something bigger.

- John Greco replaced Alex Barron late in the first half at left tackle. That was a decision made solely by Spagnuolo. After the game, he said he still has “complete confidence” in Barron.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell attempted to give it a go in pregame warm-ups but couldn’t let his hamstring go in terms of running full speed and the Rams opted to be cautious. Justin King started for him and appeared to hold up well.

- It’s not noticed much in the box score but part of the Rams’ success against the run the past few weeks is a direct reflection of the play of defensive tackle Clifton Ryan. He’s blossoming in front of our eyes. He gets down the line better than he used to and makes plays and when he doesn’t, he ties up blockers for someone else to make the play. Laurinaitis leads this team in tackles but he’d be the first to give the assist to Ryan.

- After the game in the Rams locker room, to a man just about every player acknowledged how hard and tough San Francisco plays. From watching in person, it really shines through. Nobody epitomizes that more than linebacker Patrick Willis. What a stud. He finished with eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. The scary part is he does that just about every week.

- That’s all for tonight. Be back tomorrow to tie up the loose ends on this game after Spagnuolo speaks in his weekly Monday news conference.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just spoke to the media after reviewing the game film from yesterday's loss to the Packers and getting all of the necessary injury information.

- Unfortunately for the Rams, the injury bug has hit hard this week and they will have to deal with some serious aches and pains in the coming weeks though there was some good news considering it could have been worse.

- The worst news of the day is the high ankle sprain and fractured fibula on receiver Laurent Robinson's right leg. The injuries will require surgery and Robinson is out for the season. The Rams will likely have to go and find another receiver from the free agent market or potentially bring Nate Jones up from the practice squad.

- The news on quarterback Marc Bulger was better than expected. Bulger has no tears in his right rotator cuff and it is being called a bruise at this point. Bulger will not need surgery of any kind and is being taken on a day to day basis. He could throw as early as Wednesday and Spagnuolo has not ruled him out for this week.

- If Bulger can't play against San Francisco, Kyle Boller would get the start with Keith Null handling backup duties.

- Safety James Butler also received perhaps a more favorable prognosis than first feared. Spagnuolo says he has a third degree MCL sprain that also will not require surgery. He will be out a minimum of two weeks and probably no more than four. Craig Dahl will start in his stead.

- Receiver Donnie Avery had an X ray on his ribs after he landed squarely on the ball late in Sunday's game. That came back negative and Avery is also going to work on a day to day basis. Spagnuolo said he should be OK for this week against San Francisco.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell continues to be hampered by a nagging thigh injury. He played through it Sunday but he will be day to day this week also.

- Defensive tackle Gary Gibson (leg) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (shoulder) are a bit banged up but expected to be OK. Linebacker David Vobora suffered a concussion. He will have a baseline test in the coming days to see his state of readiness for a possible return.

- Right tackle Jason Smith has been upgraded to questionable from doubtful at this time last week. No word yet on whether he will practice this week but he appears headed for a return from his knee injury sooner than later.

- Back with more to wrap up yesterday's game in a bit.

- The score wasn’t as close as the game as the Rams were within a six points of the Packers heading into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Green Bay had too many big plays in its arsenal and the Rams fell 36-17 with a couple of late touchdowns to seal it up.

- As usual, a quick look at the injuries, which are detailed further in the notebook on the home page (the Deacon Jones retired number story).

- Quarterback Marc Bulger (right shoulder), safety James Butler (left knee) and receiver Laurent Robinson (right ankle) were all injured in the first half and did not return. All will be examined further on Monday morning before any determination can be made about their status.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo did acknowledge that all three injuries could be of “some significance.”

- Receiver Donnie Avery took a late shot to the ribs and had the wind knocked out of him. Spagnuolo said he too would be evaluated to see if there was any further damage done.

- As for some thoughts from the game, the Rams probably played their best game offensively and were only a few miscues on both sides from pulling out their first win. Of course, Spagnuolo is the first to say there are no moral victories but it was certainly a better all around performance this week.

- Kyle Boller really provided a needed offensive spark upon entering the game. Although he struggled in the second half and on his first drive, his ability to make some plays running the ball to extend drives and his willingness to throw his body around to make blocks fired up the entire sideline.

- Although the extent of Bulger’s injury is unknown, there’s a strong possibility that Boller will be handling the duties again this week. Considering he got zero repetitions with the offense aside from scout team last week, he should only get better as time goes on.

- The Rams shuffled cornerbacks opposite Ron Bartell a lot on Sunday and according to Spagnuolo, that was by design. Jonathan Wade got the start but Bradley Fletcher got a lot of work on the outside as well and Justin King continued to work in the nickel.

- Bartell played with pain in his quadriceps and Spagnuolo said he was proud of him for playing through the pain though Bartell had a couple of rough spots against Greg Jennings.

- Great to see tight end/nice guy Daniel Fells have a big day on Sunday. Fells has been making plays in practice since the day he arrived in St. Louis but it had yet to translate to Sundays. Fells was the recipient of two nice throws from Boller for touchdowns but he really went up and got after the second one and attacked the ball in the air. His role in the offense will and should increase in the coming weeks.

- It won’t get noticed in the box score but center Jason Brown is a warrior. He has a balky knee and didn’t miss a single practice or a single play in the game. He helped open holes for a big day for running back Steven Jackson.

- Speaking of Jackson, this was the type of day one could expect from him. The Rams fed him the ball early and often and he made the most of it even though Green Bay stacked the box against him. On numerous occasions, the Packers used linebacker Nick Barnett as a “safety,” bringing an extra linebacker (former Ram Brandon Chillar) on to the field with the sole purpose of slowing Jackson.

- It didn’t work. Jackson rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries and had five catches for 46 yards. Were it not for a questionable fumble in which it appeared the officials were slow on the whistle, Jackson’s day would have been even bigger.

- Nice to see the burst back in defensive end Leonard Little, who posted a pair of sacks and put the pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers all day.

- Danny Amendola got off to a nice start as a returner, bringing his first attempt back 42 yards and finishing with a respectable 23.4 average on eight attempts. He also averaged 11.5 yards on two punt return attempts.

- From the as per usual department, punter Donnie Jones had another excellent day. He had four attempts and averaged 54 yards in gross with a net of 46.3. He’s still the best in the league in the estimation of this corner of the internet universe.

- Safety Craig Dahl filled in admirably for Butler, leading the team with seven stops in unofficial pressbox statistics. Not bad for his first game active this year.

- That’s all for this evening. Be back tomorrow with all of the latest injury news and an opportunity to look back at what happened in today’s contest after the review of the game film.

- The Rams got back down to business on Wednesday afternoon, holding their usual two hour workout.

- On the injury front, the Rams are a bit better off than usual. Tackle Jason Smith is out as expected with a knee injury. Smith is still listed as doubtful but coach Steve Spagnuolo has not ruled him out.

- Safety Craig Dahl, guard John Greco, center Jason Brown and safety David Roach were a little bit limited but did most of the work. Brown, in particular, was very encouraging with his work load.

- The Rams captains for this week will be linebacker Chris Chamberlain (special teams), tackle Adam Goldberg (offense) and safety James Butler (defense).

- Receiver Danny Amendola made his debut as a Ram, working kick and punt return and even a little bit with the first team offense at receiver. He caught one long pass on a play mid way through team drills.

- Spagnuolo won't yet commit to Amendola playing on Sunday but signs are pointing in that direction. Amendola says the offense in St. Louis is pretty much the exact same as the one he came from in Philadelphia.

- More to come on Amendola later today on the homepage as well as an interview with Rosey Grier talking about Deacon Jones.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just addressed the media about the happenings from Sunday's disappointing 9-7 loss to the Redskins at FedEx Field.

- Spagnuolo maintained the looking forward, focus on the positive attitude he had last week and there were plenty more of those to look at this week than after last week. We'll get to those in a minute. First, a look at the injuries.

- The ailment thought to be most serious coming out of yesterday's game was to right tackle Jason Smith's left knee. Originally, it was thought there was some cartilage damage in the knee, namely to his meniscus. But after an MRI, Smith is being diagnosed with a knee sprain. The good news is that it won't require surgery and Smith shouldn't miss a ton of time. The bad news is he will almost certainly miss this week's game against Green Bay.

- Adam Goldberg will step in for Smith should he be unable to go against the Packers.

- Center Jason Brown is also being diagnosed with a right knee sprain. Brown injured the knee in the game and came out for a short while but did return to action. He was hobbled after the game but apparently already felt better this morning. His outlook is a bit more positive. He could practice this week and will be day to day.

- Tackle Alex Barron (thigh bruise), tight end Daniel Fells (shin) and cornerback Justin King (hamstring) were also named by Spagnuolo on the injury report but all seemed to be OK and are likely to be fine for Sunday.

- Safety Craig Dahl appears ready to finally return to action. Spagnuolo said he expects him to be ready to go in practice this week.

- Guard John Greco will also start working back in the mix from his wrist surgery. Greco will slowly get back into it but how fast he's at full speed will depend on how fast he can regain his punch.

- Spagnuolo's message to the team this week will be similar to the one he used last week. He maintained on Monday that he was disappointed but not discouraged by what happened in Washington and he believes there are plenty of things for the Rams to build on this week in preparation for the Packers.

- One player who got his first action against the Redskins was recently acquired defensive lineman LeJuan Ramsey. Ramsey played about eight plays but flashed some signs of potential and Spagnuolo said he could work into the mix more as he continues to get acclimated to the defense.

- Spagnuolo said he would like to see the Rams defense get better at getting off the field when third down opportunities arise. Washington was seven-of-15 on Sunday in those situations and thus was able to win the time of possession battle 34:53 to 25:07.

- One play that nearly swung the game in the Rams' favor was the team's first sack of the season as Jason Campbell was brought down near his goal line. It appeared the play might have been a safety but the officials ruled that he got the ball out of the end zone before his knee touched. Spagnuolo said he considered using a challenge but the word from the Rams staff in the booth was that there was not enough clear evidence that it was a safety to challenge.

- Spagnuolo acknowledged Monday that Derek Stanley could get some looks in the kick return game after Kenneth Darby handled the duties against the Redskins. Darby, Donnie Avery and Samkon Gado have done the work in the first two games but the Rams have struggled to get traction in the return game.

- Another area Spagnuolo would like to improve is the pass rush. The Rams have just the one sack in the two games and have asked their defensive backs to cover for a long time. Spagnuolo says he personally can do a better job of creating opportunities for his guys to get after the quarterback.

- The Rams will now turn their attention to this week's home opener against Green Bay. It should be an emotional day as the No. 75 of Deacon Jones is raised to the rafters. Be back tomorrow with a look around the league, a new Tuesday blog feature with thoughts from other games and happenings around the NFL.

LANDOVER, Mary. –

- It was just one of those days for the Rams on Sunday against the Redskins. One of those days where the game, as is often the case in the NFL, comes down to a few plays that swing the result in one direction or the other. Unfortunately for the Rams, those plays and the whistles seemed to go in Washington’s favor in a disappointing 9-7 loss at FedEx Field.

- Before we dig into the game, let’s get to the injury news. After a relatively clean week last week, the Rams had much worse luck this week against the Redskins.

- Right tackle Jason Smith had what appears to be the most serious of the injuries. He suffered a left knee injury that coach Steve Spagnuolo called a meniscus injury after the game. Smith will have an MRI on Monday and more will be revealed at that time. But the injury was severe enough that Adam Goldberg replaced Smith and Smith did not return.

- Elsewhere on the offensive line, center Jason Brown suffered a right knee injury in which the early prognosis is a MCL sprain. Brown was replaced for a bit by Mark Setterstrom but did return to the game. Brown was optimistic it wasn’t serious but he too will have an MRI on Monday.

- The rest of the walking wounded carries name value but none of the ailments appeared to be serious. Leonard Little (calf), James Laurinaitis (knee), Marc Bulger (back), Alex Barron (thigh) and Oshiomogho Atogwe (blow to head) were all listed by Spagnuolo after the game but none are thought to be serious.

- On to the game…It was a game in which there was plenty more positive to glean than perhaps at this time last week but Spagnuolo emphasized after the game there are no moral victories in the NFL.

- That said, there were some steps in the right directions. Although Washington posted 362 yards of offense and outgained the Rams by a healthy margin, the Rams defense deserves a tip of the cap. In the NFL, teams are going to move the ball, it’s just that simple. But whenever Washington traveled deep into Rams territory, the defense bowed its neck and forced a field goal. Washington finished with just nine points on those three field goals and the one time it went for it on fourth down in the red zone, the Rams managed to get a stop and give it back to the offense.

- That said, Rams cornerback Ron Bartell was disappointed with his group’s inability to get stops on third down and get off the field when the opportunity presented itself. Washington was seven-of-15 on third downs but was very productive in those situations, mostly because of tight end Chris Cooley.

- Speaking of Bartell, he made an outstanding play to force a fumble by Washington receiver Santana Moss in the second quarter. The bad news was that the play was blown dead. The Redskins were extremely fortunate that the whistle was blown. Although the play was reviewed and the Rams got the ball, had the whistle never blown, Bartell had nothing but open space in front of him and could have score a touchdown.

- The replay showed that Bartell was close to stepping out of bounds when he scooped the ball up but it still would have been worthwhile to see what could have happened had the whistle never blown. More often than not, officials let that play work itself out and go back and look at it later. Bad break for the Rams.

- On the other side of the ball, the Rams did make progress though they posted just seven points. For one, that group cut down on the penalties. And there was a direct correlation between that and the unit’s ability to convert third downs. The Rams were six-of-12 this week on third down opportunities.

- Receiver Laurent Robinson continues to make his case as Bulger’s most consistent target. Robinson finished with six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. He’s been outstanding at getting yards after the catch and does a nice job of catching with his hands. The fade pass for a 2-yard touchdown to him was a thing of beauty.

- When Steven Jackson gets into a rhythm running the ball, there are few players in the league I’d rather watch tote the ball. He finished with 17 carries for 104 yards with a long of 58 yards. Unfortunately, a false start penalty wiped out a play that had touchdown written all over it or Jackson’s numbers would have been even more impressive and the result of the game might have been vastly different.

- Bulger’s numbers weren’t eye popping but facing a good defense that was generating regular pressure, he left it all on the field and put it all out there. He stood tall in the pocket and delivered some gorgeous passes to keep some drives alive.

- Keenan Burton had a nice sequence in which he caught a pair of balls for first downs, including a tough 13-yard grab over the middle on third down.

- Donnie Avery had a more trying day. He was targeted six times and had just one catch. And when he did make that catch, a key grab near Washington’s goal line that would have been a first down, he coughed up a costly fumble to kill a Rams drive and potential lead-taking score.

- A pair of Rams set some franchise records on Sunday. Bulger became the Rams’ all time leader in completions when he hit Jackson for a gain in the first quarter.

- In addition, Jackson moved into fourth place in franchise history in rushing yards with his first half performance.

- The signs of progress were indeed evident on Sunday for the Rams and they will get back to the drawing board this week with a talented Green Bay team coming to town next week. Be back to wrap this one up on Monday afternoon.

Hello Rams Family,
 
Today has been quite a day! We woke up early this morning after staying up late to watch the Rams vs. Seattle game. You'll be happy to know we have quite a few Rams fans overseas! The game was playing in one of the chow halls and plenty of Marines, Navy Seals, Air Force and Army men came to cheer on our team even though it was 4 a.m.!
 
We departed for another FOB early today by Blackhawk. This particular base hasn't seen visitors in over five months. Needless to say they were overwhelmed to see friendly faces. We walked around to various posts and handed out autographed posters then sat for a meet and greet. We were only three miles from the border of Pakistan! Before we left, we ate a quick lunch with the soldiers and took plenty of photos.
 
We flew back to our home base and rested for a bit before our next adventure. We were invited to a change of command ceremony. We were honored to be invited and following the ceremony, we joined the soldiers and new Commander for dinner.
 
Tonight is our last night in Kandahar. We've had a great time here and have gotten to experience once in a lifetime things. We've had the opportunity to meet hundreds of soldiers, shoot guns with snipers, ride in Strikers and MRAP's, and fly in different types of military helicopters. We're performing a show for Kandahar tonight followed by a meet and greet and it's off to Qatar tomorrow. We have one more show in Qatar then we'll head back to the States.
 
We'll send another update when we arrive in Qatar

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just completed his day after the game news conference and addressed a variety of topics. But as usual, let's take care of the injury front first.

- As was reported yesterday, rookie middle linebacker James Laurinaitis has a bursa sac injury in his knee but it is indeed not a serious issue and something that Laurinaitis will just need to monitor and continue to ice in the next few days. Laurinaitis completed his workout Monday morning with no complications.

- Defensive ends James Hall and Leonard Little had some dehydration issues in the game and were given IV's but they played on and had no problems after the game. Aside from that, the Rams came out of the game clean.

- On to the game. The tape did not lie to Spagnuolo and his coaching staff when they reviewed it late Sunday and Monday morning. Spagnuolo re-iterated what he said after the game. He was disappointed in the penalties and he put the blame on himself for those mistakes.

- At the same time, Spagnuolo gave his team the message that it's only one game and his sole focus isn't on anything but this year's team and not anything that's happened in the past or will happen in the future. In fact, Spagnuolo said the team would spend Monday correcting the many mistakes that cost them against the Seahawks then it will quickly move on to preparations for next week's game against Washington.

- Spagnuolo still has a lot of confidence in guard Richie Incognito. He's sticking by the big fella and it appears Incognito will retain his spot heading to D.C.

- There weren't any major surprises on the pregame inactive list Sunday save for the possible exception of end Victor Adeyanju. Spagnuolo said that decision simply came down to the numbers game as the team wanted to have some added pass rush help in the form of end C.J. Ah You.

- Speaking of which, Ah You took the blame for being the 12th man on the field during the blocked field goal. Spagnuolo took the blame also and said Monday the block probably wouldn't have happened had it not been for the extra man on the field.

- Spagnuolo was pleased with the performance of his two rookies starters in Laurinaitis and right tackle Jason Smith. Smith gave up one sack but was pretty sound and confident in pass protection the rest of the way.

- Strong side linebacker David Vobora and cornerback Jonathan Wade also acquitted themselves quite well for the most part in their first season opening starts. Wade was instrumental in the early stages of the game, playing perfect coverage to force the first interception by James Butler then jumping a route to break up a third down pass. Wade also did a nice job of tackling and keeping short gains short.

- The Rams have the league-mandated day off Tuesday but will be back to the grind on Wednesday with a visit to Washington on the docket this weekend.

SEATTLE –

- In the immediate aftermath of their 28-0 loss to the Seahawks in the season opener in Seattle, the Rams did not hang their heads. In fact, to a man, everyone in the locker room focused on the positives while acknowledging the negatives.

- More on that in a minute, but first a look at the injuries. One of the positives was an overall lack of injuries. Defensive ends Leonard Little and James Hall were on and off the field at various points in the game but both checked out OK after the contest.

- The only injury of note according to coach Steve Spagnuolo is a slight knee injury to middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis says it’s nothing serious and he will just ice it down but Spagnuolo wanted to be cautious with it in fear that Laurinaitis might feel more pain when he wakes up in the morning.

- First and foremost, the No. 1 reason for the Rams’ loss came down to an avalanche of mental errors, mostly in the form of penalties that killed any opportunity the team had to get an early lead.

- All told, the Rams finished with 10 penalties for 85 yards. That’s essentially a long drive worth of miscues. More to the point, though, the offense was guilty of the majority of those errors.

- To wit, in the first half, the offense six possessions in the first half, one of which was a throwaway at the end of the half which was composed one one rushing play by Steven Jackson. On the previous five possessions, the Rams had at least one penalty and they had six penalties on the first four possessions. Each time, one of those penalties ultimately killed a drive.

- None of those penalties on the offense were more costly than a holding penalty on receiver Donnie Avery that negated about a 20-yard gain from Jackson to Seattle’s 18. That followed a fumble recovery from Laurinaitis and was the Rams’ best field position of the game.

- Of course, none of the penalties were bigger than the 12 men on the field penalty on the Rams. The rules allow for the officials to review anything inside of two minutes and the call was absolutely correct. The fact that it wiped out a great blocked field goal from C.J. Ah You and a return by Quincy Butler for a touchdown was really costly. It hurt even more when the flag gave Seattle a first down and it eventually scored a touchdown for a two score lead heading into the locker room.

- The worst part of that penalty might be the fact that the Rams didn’t really need the extra man on the field for the block. Laurinaitis was line up off the line of scrimmage and didn’t rush the kick in case of a fake.

- Guard Richie Incognito was apologetic for his penalty issues after the game. He racked up two personal fouls and a pre-snap false start. “This is something where I have the team on my shoulders on this one, they need me to stop committing fouls and it’s something I have worked very hard at,” Incognito said. “You come out here and it’s first game jitters and you let one pop off. I am going to keep working hard at trying to step my mental game up.”

- Adam Goldberg replaced Goldberg for about a series and a half in an effort to get Incognito some time to cool down and get his head together.

- It was excellent to see the takeaway parade continue for the Rams on Sunday. After a scary start in which Avery fumbled the opening kickoff, the defense stood tall and got an interception from James Butler on a ball Jonathan Wade played perfectly and tipped up in the air.

- Oshiomogho Atogwe is a takeaway machine. Period. His interception was classic Atogwe and though he won’t get credit for it, he had a hand in starting to jar the ball loose on Laurinaitis’ fumble recovery.

- Speaking of Laurinaitis, he was all over the field. He was unofficially credited with 14 tackles in his pro debut and also came up with that fumble recovery.

- Originally, Laurinaitis was credited with forcing the fumble but Will Witherspoon got the credit after another look at it.

- From the department of redundancy department, punter Donnie Jones is simply a monster. He finished with eight punts for an average of 50.8 yards with a long of 61. He dropped two inside the 20, one downed at the 4 and the other rolled dead at the 1. His net was 44.8 yards. Talk about picking up where you left off.

- All for tonight but I’ll clean the notebook out tomorrow. Rams back to practice on Wednesday but will spend Monday attempting to correct the many mistakes that plagued them on Sunday.

- The Rams finished their first regular season week of practice Friday and will head to Seattle on Saturday afternoon for this weekend's game against the Seahawks.

- With a busy week behind them, things have settled down and this is how the team shapes up heading into Sunday.

- On offense, the Rams will look like this:
QB - Marc Bulger
RB - Steven Jackson
FB - Mike Karney
RT - Jason Smith
RG - Richie Incognito
C - Jason Brown
LG - Jacob Bell
LT - Alex Barron
WR - Donnie Avery
WR - Laurent Robinson
TE - Randy McMichael

- The Rams won't use a lot of three and four receiver sets. Keep an eye out for multiple tight end sets and expect the Rams to pound the ball on the ground to set up play action and get the ball out quick against Seattle's talented front seven.

- Here's how the defense shapes up:
LDE - Leonard Little
LDT - Gary Gibson
RDT - Clifton Ryan
RDE - Chris Long
WLB - Will Witherspoon
MLB - James Laurinaitis
SLB - David Vobora
LCB - Ron Bartell
RCB - Jonathan Wade
SS - James Butler
FS - Oshiomogho Atogwe

- Only two players have been ruled out because of injury and that's guard John Greco and safety Craig Dahl. The Rams will have eight players inactive on game day per league rules. It's a safe bet those two plus third quarterback Keith Null will be on that list. As for the other spots, linebacker Larry Grant could be a candidate depending on how he feels. He practiced again Friday and is listed as questionable with a sprained knee.

- The other spots we will have to wait and see because we have yet to see how many players at each position that coach Steve Spagnuolo likes to carry on game day. Since the team is carrying 10 offensive linemen, it's a strong possiblity that one or two more of the inactives will come from that group. And there are 10 defensive linemen, so it's a safe bet that at least one more will come from that group. More than likely the remainder of the inactive list will come from those two areas because that's where the Rams have the most players.

- That's all for now. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my breakdown of the Seahawks and the main page for five important keys to Sunday's game against Seattle.

Hello Rams Fans!

Sending you a quick update from Qatar before we depart for Afghanistan.
We received a behind the scenes tour of the Air Force Base we are currently
stationed at,  viewing the ins and outs of military vehicles such as
MRAP, Striker and an M17.

We will soon be  in Afghanistan. It is an area that sees a lot of "action." In other words, our eyes will be opened to the realness of war in about three hours. We will have the utmost protection at all times, but the soldiers are on the frontlines sleeping in tents, lacking showers and risking their lives daily. We're excited and nervous at the same time, but hope that our service brings light and additional smiles to our heroes.

Updates to come,

The St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders (abroad)

Kate

- The Rams got back to work on Wednesday afternoon and for the first time in all of camp, the starters on both sides were in place and as they should be.

- Although he didn't take every rep, quarterback Marc Bulger got most of the work with the first team and took snaps under center for the first time since he suffered a broken pinkie back on Aug. 17.

- Bulger reported no immediate ill effects after using a web type of taping that he referred to as "buddy" tape. The pinkie is taped to the ring finger but not up against it. He continues to have no problems throwing the ball and he said if he had to start a game on Wednesday he could have done it.

- In other news, coach Steve Spagnuolo officially named rookie Jason Smith the starter at right tackle in Sunday's opener in Seattle. Smith says he is ready to go and is excited for the opportunity.

- For more on Bulger and Smith, see the feature pieces on the front of the website later this afternoon.

- Linebacker Larry Grant (knee), guard John Greco (wrist) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) did not practice. Grant and Greco have been ruled out already and Dahl is still day to day.

- Grant did some running on the side but he's still at least a week away or so.

- Receiver Nate Jones was brought back and added to the practice squad. Defensive end Ian Campbell was released to make room for Jones.

- Samkon Gado switched his number from 38 to his more customary 35. Practice squad defensive back Cord Parks is now wearing 23.

- The Rams will not name season captains under Spagnuolo. Instead, they will be named on a weekly basis on Wednesdays. This week, it's free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, running back Steven Jackson and kicker Josh Brown.

Dearest Rams Fans,

We set out for our journey overseas to visit troops in Qatar and Afghanistan on Tuesday September 8th. After a seven hour layover in Washington D.C., and a twelve hour trip over the Atlantic, we arrived in Qatar safely.  Welcomed by a group of American military members, we loaded up our bags in two SUVs and headed off to our first base to
visit.

Qatar is a beautiful city located on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula. Although we have only been here for a few hours we are already beginning to create memories of a lifetime. We will be heading out to Afghanistan in the early morning. As a soldier told us when we arrived, "this experience will be one you tell your
grandchildren."

We feel the same way and look forward to creating priceless memories and sharing stories as we spread our thanks to the troops abroad.

Until next time,

The Rams Cheerleaders

- The Rams finished up their practice squad additions on Monday morning by signing a pair of players to bring the total to the league maximum eight players.

- Running back Chris Ogbonnaya, a seventh-round choice this year by the Rams, signed on after posting 94 yards on 32 carries in the preseason.

- Defensive end Bryan Smith, who was a third-round pick of Philadelphia's in 2008, also joins the mix. Smith was on the Eagles roster but did not appear in any games.

- The Rams are about to hit the practice field for the first time in a game week under coach Steve Spagnuolo. Back with updates after that workout.

- The Rams and the rest of the league pared their rosters to the final 53 players on Saturday and Sunday filled out their 8-man practice squads. But that doesn't mean the players on that roster will be the ones that are suiting up this season.

- As is tradition around the league, teams always scour the waiver wire and free agent list to find potential gems or guys they believe are upgrades over what is currently on the roster. The Rams are no different. General manager Billy Devaney has maintained all along that he would always have his eyes open in search of someone who can upgrade the roster. And while the Rams will look particularly close for depth at receiver and safety to name a couple, they won't be looking strictly at those spots.

- This is how the roster breaks down as it stands:

Quarterbacks (3) - Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, Keith Null
Running Backs (4) - Steven Jackson, Kenneth Darby, Samkon Gado, Mike Karney
Wide Receivers (5) - Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Keenan Burton, Derek Stanley, Nate Jones
Tight End (3) - Randy McMichael, Billy Bajema, Daniel Fells
Offensive Line (10) - Alex Barron, Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg, Jason Brown, Richie Incognito, Jacob Bell, Mark Setterstrom, Eric Young, John Greco, Roger Allen III
Defensive Line (9) - Leonard Little, James Hall, Chris Long, Victor Adeyanju, Gary Gibson, Hollis Thomas, Clifton Ryan, Darell Scott, C.J. Ah You
Linebacker (7) - Will Witherspoon, James Laurinaitis, Chris Draft, Quinton Culberson, Larry Grant, David Vobora, Chris Chamberlain
Defensive Backs (9) - Jonathan Wade, Ron Bartell, Oshiomogho Atogwe, James Butler, Craig Dahl, Quincy Butler, Bradley Fletcher, David Roach.
Specialists (3) - Josh Brown, Donnie Jones, Chris Massey

- The Rams injured reserve list also already has four names on it as defensive tackle Adam Carriker and end Eric Moore were added to the list on Saturday. They join safety Eric Bassey and receiver Brooks Foster.

- Greco has a fractured wrist and will miss two to three weeks. He injured the wrist against the Chiefs but the extent of the injury was unknown until Saturday.

- In examining the roster, it's clear that coach Steve Spagnuolo has put an emphasis on having depth along the lines. The Rams kept nine defensive linemen and 10 offensive linemen and just five wide receivers.

- Tip of the cap to Ah You. Talk about perseverence. Ah You has been on the practice squad the past two years, just kept working and made some plays in games. Now, he's finally on the active roster. Congrats to him.

- Allen's story is a good one. A prospect from a small local school lands in his home state and plays his way on to the team. His future is very bright, too. He's only scratching the surface of his potential.

- Be back with the practice squad and any aforementioned roster reconfiguration later today.  

ST. LOUIS, MO – In an effort to reach the NFL-mandated 53-player roster limit, the St. Louis Rams have made the following roster moves:

The Rams waived LB K.C. Asiodu, QB Brock Berlin, DT Antwon Burton, TE Eric Butler, DE Ian Campbell, LB Dominic Douglas, T Renardo Foster, FB Jerome Johnson, C Tim Mattran, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, CB Cord Parks, RB Antonio Pittman, S Mark Rubin, G Roy Schuening, T Phil Trautwein and WR Sean Walker.

The Rams also terminated the contracts of vested veterans WR Tim Carter, WR Ronald Curry and S Todd Johnson.  DT Adam Carriker was placed on the reserve/injured list with a shoulder injury.

The Rams currently have 54 players on the roster.  NFL teams are required to reach a 53-player roster limit today, prior to the start of the regular season.

- A year from now, heck maybe a month from now, nobody will remember what happened in this preseason but if indeed a team begins building its identity in the offseason, there's no doubt that getting takeaways and taking care of the ball was the hallmark of this Rams' team.

- The Rams were plus-2 in turnovers on Thursday night and they needed all of that help on their way to a 17-9 win at the Edward Jones Dome. The biggest play came when Quincy Butler jumped a route and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

- Let's get to some injury stuff before we get into the nuts and bolts of the game. This was not a real good night for the Rams in terms of injury.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker suffered a right shoulder injury, the extent of which is unknown but coach Steve Spagnuolo did not seem too upbeat about the results. More will be available tomorrow but not good news for Carriker who has had some injury issues.

- Running back Samkon Gado had an X ray on his ribs after leaving the game. That came back negative but Gado is set to have an MRI tomorrow.

- Defensive end Eric Moore injured his hand late in the game and will have an X ray. The result of that is not yet known.

- Safety Craig Dahl (hamstring), cornerback Justin King (knee) and safety David Roach (shoulder) had some minor bumps and are expected to get further evaluations. They will be day to day in the meantime.

- On to the game. Quincy Butler had a terrific preseason. He made plays all through camp and has done it again in the games the last two weeks. Butler has made a strong case for a roster spot. He's a prime example of taking advantage of your opportunities.

- C.J. Ah You and Victor Adeyanju also had statement games. Ah You had a sack in his second consecutive game. Adeyanju was all over the field and also came up with a sack.

- The Rams showed some pretty impressive blitz packages including the one that resulted in Adeyanju's sack. Standing up in the middle of the defensive line, Adeyanju bolted up the middle and got to the quarterback. Should be fun to watch the various ways these defenders are deployed when the real games start.

- Brock Berlin and Keith Null settled nothing and Spagnuolo says the decision for that third quarterback spot won't be made based on one game. However, Berlin really pieced together a nice drive in the second quarter when he was seven-of-nine for 74 yards and hit Daniel Fells for a touchdown.

- How about Fells on that play? Hit by three guys, he still found a way into the end zone for the touchdown.

- Donnie Jones bounced back from last week with an incredible performance. He dropped seven of his nine punts inside Kansas City's 20. Jones ripped a 61-yarder at the end of the game to kill any chances of the Chiefs forging a comeback.

- Justin King showed up well Thursday night as well and registered his first interception in the NFL.

- Ronald Curry made a nice final statement as well. He was targeted four times and came up with three catches for 40 yards.

- The Rams must cut down to the final 53 by Saturday afternoon and that process will likely begin tomorrow. The team is off for the weekend and will be in game mode starting Monday.

- The Rams just finished their Tuesday afternoon practice and for the action on the field, there was just as much off of it.

- Per league guidelines, all teams had to trim their roster by five players on Tuesday and the Rams went one more, removing six from the fold.

- The biggest move came in the form of the trade of cornerback Tye Hill. It came as a bit of a surprise after Hill had worked with the starting unit for all of the preseason and offseason opposite Ron Bartell.

- Hill never quite met the expectations that came with his lofty first-round draft status as he was hampered by injuries throughout his three seasons in St. Louis.

- Upon Hill's departure, Jonathan Wade stepped into the lead role. He stands as the leader in the clubhouse but there will be continued competition from the likes of Bradley Fletcher and Justin King.

- The Rams also trimmed five players from the roster in the form of tight end Joe Klopfenstein, center Daniel Sanders, receivers Jarrett Byers and Brooks Foster and cornerback Marcus Brown. Foster was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers. 

- The Rams are one player under the 75 man roster limit as of now and Spagnuolo says another move is "possible" before Thursday night's game against Kansas City.

- Safety James Butler was absent from practice because he attended the birth of his new baby boy.

- Guard Richie Incognito, defensive end Leonard Little, fullback Mike Karney and quarterback Marc Bulger did not participate. Larry Grant was added to the injury report because of a knee sprain. That injury is expected to keep him out for a couple of weeks. All were ruled out for Thursday night except for Incognito, who is questionable.

- Bulger did some more throwing and took some shotgun snaps. He has been ruled out for Thursday's game according to Spagnuolo.

- After a couple of days off, the Rams returned to the practice field on Sunday afternoon for a couple-hour workout. The team has switched into season mode as far as the schedule so that they can get accustomed to how it will work during the regular season before the first game week hits. Crazy to think, but one week from today the Rams will be in game week.

- Fullback Mike Karney, quarterback Marc Bulger, defensive end Leonard Little and guard Richie Incognito sat out the workout. Karney's ankle is a little sore and the Rams wanted to be cautious with it. Incognito has a mild knee sprain and the Rams are likewise being careful with him as well.

- Bulger threw for the first time since he broke his right pinkie a couple of weeks ago. He threw 21 passes in a controlled side session and took no snaps. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says the Rams will wait to see how Bulger feels tomorrow before the team determines the next step.

- Bulger isn't likely to play this week against Kansas City but the possibility hasn't been ruled out yet by Spagnuolo.

- Little is OK but the Rams are being what Spagnuolo calls "overly cautious" with him to ensure he is healthy when the games start.

- Receiver Donnie Avery and guard Jacob Bell returned to practice. Avery is running with very little restriction and Spagnuolo says the plan is to have him play against the Chiefs this week. Bell was cleared from his concussion and will also play this week barring any setback. According to Spagnuolo, Bell could play a little more than the rest of the ones so he can get a little more time to knock the rust off.

- No decision has been made yet on the status of receiver Brooks Foster. Spagnuolo says one could be made in the next 24 hours. Most indications are that he could end up on injured reserve but that choice has not been made yet.

- The Rams get back at it tomorrow and will have to cut five players by Tuesday to get down to the league-mandated 75 players on the roster.

- Given a night to reflect and a chance to see the film, coach Steve Spagnuolo was in pretty good spirits about what he saw from his team in Thursday's win against the Bengals. For the most part, anyway.

- After a slow start against the Falcons last week that the Rams couldn't recover from, Spagnuolo was particularly pleased with how they bounced back to put up 21 unanswered points in beating Cincinnati.

- The Rams continue to find ways to come up with turnovers and are now plus 7 in the preseason including plus four last night. Your chances of winning when you have four more takeaways than giveaways are unbelievably good.

- Of course, Spagnuolo wasn't thrilled with the team's 10 penalties and the struggles on special teams. Fortunately those are are traditionally areas that can be ironed out in short order according to the head coach.

- Let's get to some injury news that isn't terribly important for this week's preseason game against Kansas City so much as it is for the season opener against Seattle.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger will do some throwing this week for the first time since suffering a broken right pinkie. Bulger isn't likely to take any snaps but getting some repetitions throwing the ball is the first step to getting him back to full practice mode, hopefully for the week leading up to Seattle.

- Expected to return on a near full time basis are guard Jacob Bell and defensive tackle Adam Carriker. Bell has passed the baseline concussion test and is cleared to get back to work. He may be eased into that but he will be back on the practice field. Carriker did that last week but his ankle is healed enough that he should be full go this week as well.

- Defensive end Leonard Little (knee) is still going to be day to day this week.

- One new update from Thursday night is a thumb injury to cornerback Justin King. He is going to have an X ray in the next day on the thumb but it's not expected to be too serious.

- Defensive coordinator Ken Flajole moved up to the coach's booth on Thursday night after working the first two games from the sideline. He passed down calls to linebackers coach Paul Ferraro who then sent the calls to middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Spagnuolo said the Rams simply wanted to do some expermenting with that to get a feel for it. He said Flajole seemed to like being upstairs but nothing is set on where he will be during the season.

- The Rams came in for conditioning and lifting on Friday morning and watched tape with a couple of meetings Friday afternoon. Now, the team has Saturday off before returning to the practice field on Sunday morning.

- In the meantime, the coaching and scouting staffs will meet in the next day or so to prepare for the first round of cuts coming Tuesday. The Rams must trim from 80 to 75 that day before the final round of cuts takes it down to the final 53 on Sept. 5.

- That's all for now. Be sure to keep following along on Twitter and Facebook.

CINCINNATI -

- The Rams came up with another win at Paul Brown Stadium on Thursday night, getting the 24-21 decision after a hard fought contest.

- More often than not, coming up with turnovers seems to be a cyclical thing but in this case, the Rams continue to get them in bunches. Sometimes you make your own luck and there isn't a lot of luck involved in sack/fumbles or in getting a strip like Oshiomogho Atogwe does.
- Speaking of Atogwe, I defy anyone to find me someone better at stripping the ball.

- On the injury front, quarterback Marc Bulger, receivers Donnie Avery and Brooks Foster, tackle Adam Carriker, guard Jacob Bell and defensive end Leonard Little were the only Rams not to play.

- Early indications were that the team came out of the game relatively healthy as well. In a strange twist, there was a car burning just outside of the stadium that caused a lot of smoke to waft into the stadium. That caused the asthma of Gary Gibson and Chris Draft to kick in and they were pulled because they had trouble breathing.

- Additionally, receiver Keenan Burton had an ankle injury. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says Burton could have returned in a regular season game but the Rams didn't want to push it with him on Thursday.

- Safety Craig Dahl tweaked his hamstring.

- Some quick observations at 3 a.m....Running back Samkon Gado bounced back nicely after a rough week, eh?...Defensive end C.J. Ah You had his best performance as a Ram. He had a forced fumble, fumble recovery and six tackles in unofficial press box statistics...Apparently end Eric Moore is the Mariano Rivera of the Rams. He came in and got a key sack/fumble for the second time this preseason to preserve the win...The Rams had six sacks and four takeaways. That's an impressive, hard nosed defensive performance...Kyle Boller completed 14 of 20 passes and managed the game extremely well. The 71-yard drive by the Rams to answer the punt return was a thing of beauty.

- Spagnuolo really takes the idea of versatility seriously. He had Jonathan Wade and Tye Hill rotating with the first group at cornerback and did a variety of things with players like Chris Long, who even lined up at linebacker at one point. More on this idea tomorrow.

- That's all for tonight. Thanks for bearing with me as we returned from Cincinnati. Be back with more on the home page and in this space tomorrow.

- The Rams went through a quick practice on Tuesday afternoon and after getting plenty of bad injury news in recent days and weeks, the tide is starting to turn in their favor and it couldn't happen at a better time.

- Receiver Donnie Avery (foot), defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and receiver Tim Carter (hamstring) participated in all of Tuesday's practice, including team drills. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says getting back into practice is part of the rehabilitation process but there's no doubt it's a good sign as far as return times for all three.

- Avery and Carter worked on the scout team and Avery even came down with a couple of touchdown catches late in team drills.

- Defensive end Leonard Little (knee) and running back Kenneth Darby (knee) sat out the practice along with Jacob Bell, who is still recovering from a concussion.

- While Little sat out the workout, he did speak after practice and says he is pain free. The Rams are being cautious with him but it seems fair to say that had the Rams had a regular season game this week, Little would be good to go.

- As for Darby, he did catch some kickoffs after practice and Spagnuolo says the Rams are going to try to get him to Thursday night's game OK.

- Bell took the five tests he needs to get back from his concussion but there's no results yet. He's almost certain not to play this week but he could also be back next week.

- Be sure to check back later for a feature story on some of the recovering Rams and how they might figure into the mix in the days leading up to the season opener.

- The Rams just completed the final open practice of the first training camp under coach Steve Spagnuolo. The "official" training camp portion of practice is complete but Spagnuolo views the entire preseason like training camp so the schedule and work hours won't change a ton in the coming weeks.

- At the end of the practice, the Rams showed some final love to the fans that came out as the entire team signed autographs and distributed team merchandise to those in attendance.

- Spagnuolo made it a point to express his gratitude as well. "I’d like to thank all of the fans," Spagnuolo said. "It’s been 32 (open) practices that people have come out to watch us practice. I know the guys really appreciate it. That’s why they are over there signing autographs. It really helps us and we appreciate it. We appreciate all the support they give us."

-  On the injury front, not much has changed. The only new addition to the sideline was running back Ken Darby. Darby has a sprained knee and sat out Sunday afternoon. Alex Barron returned to the practice field.

- There was some positive news for some of the injured players, though. Receiver Donnie Avery did some running with strength coach Rock Gullickson and appears to be ahead of schedule though Spagnuolo wouldn't quite go that far. "I don’t know that but I know today he ran pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "When I looked over and Rock was putting him through his conditioning drills. He is chomping at the bit. If he had his way, he’d be going right now."

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker is likewise making progress from his sprained ankle. Carriker did individual drills on Sunday and Spagnuolo says he'd like to see Carriker participate in one on one pass rush drills sometime soon.

- No decision has been made on the status of rookie receiver Brooks Foster, who had surgery on his foot on Friday.

- Spagnuolo and his staff are still working out the details of this week's game. Normally, the third preseason game allows for the top units to get the most work. But the Rams are on a short week and have some injuries on those top units. Still, Spagnuolo expects at least the first half again for the starters but hasn't made a decision on who or if the rest of the group will come out for the second half.

- That's all for today. I also personally want to thank all the fans who came out to practice and the scrimmage and those of you who said hello as well. Hope that the experience was a good one for you. Be back tomorrow with reports from practice.  

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media late Saturday afternoon after he and the coaching staff had the opportunity to go over the tape.

- Spagnuolo's final word on how the game went wasn't much different from his initial impressions last night. More on that in a moment but first let's get to the injury business.

- Nothing has changed on receiver Donnie Avery (foot) and quarterback Marc Bulger (pinkie). Both will be out again this week.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) will do some more work and possibly get in on individual drills but he's also not likely to play this week according to Spagnuolo.

- Guard Jacob Bell is going to start doing some running this week and will be tested again before he can get back to action. Receiver Tim Carter is also expected to get back into some running.

- The worst news on the injury front pertains to rookie receiver Brooks Foster. Foster had surgery on his foot on Friday, after it was determined his injury was worse than an ankle sprain. It appears to be a high ankle sprain with some other issues discovered by the medical staff. Foster is out six to eight weeks and Spagnuolo says the Rams "have a decision to make."

- Tackle Alex Barron will be day to day as he continues to experience swelling in his knee.

- As far as the game, Spagnuolo pointed the finger at himself for the Rams' struggles early in the game. "Personally I think it’s all on the head coach for the first quarter," he said. "I don’t think I had the team ready to play in the first quarter. I’m going to take the onus on that. We need to start the game better, especially against a good football team."

- Spagnuolo did emphasize that he was pleased with how the team responded after the slow start and gave plenty of credit to Atlanta for being a good team.

- There is no definite indication from Spagnuolo or anyone which way the third quarterback battle is headed. Keith Null was poised again last night but Brock Berlin also had a good night. Spagnuolo is not tipping his hand just yet.

-  Another tip of the cap to Laurent Robinson who continues to flash signs of major ability in the passing game. He's the top dog at receiver right now.

- Spagnuolo said despite some miscues that he was overall pleased with the performance of Kyle Boller. "I did think that although Kyle didn’t have great stats, I thought he did some good things, handled some things well. Offensively I thought we distributed the ball around real well."

- The Rams get back to work tomorrow with a 2:30 practice that will be the final workout of the "training camp" portion of the preseason.  The team has a short week before getting back in action on Thursday against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

- The Rams just completed their one and only practice of the day and it's a routine they are about to get used to. The training camp portion of this year's preseason is almost complete and the Rams are preparing now for Friday night's game against Atlanta at the Edward Jones Dome.

- Not much to update on the injury front as the status quo seems to be holding for most of the injured players. Defensive tackle Adam Carriker did some running and drills on the side and appears to be closer to a return. It's highly unlikely he'll play against the Falcons but he could return early next week.

- Jacob Bell still hasn't passed all of the baseline tests for his concussion and will almost certainly be held out this week. John Greco has been getting most of the repetitions in his place the past couple days. Mark Setterstrom also has had work there but it appears Greco would get the call.

- Alex Barron did not practice again and the team is being cautious with him headed toward Friday. Jason Smith worked with the first team at right tackle with Adam Goldberg sliding over again.

- Defensive tackle Darell Scott missed practice again but the team is hoping he'll be ready to go in time for Friday's game.

- The injury bug continues to swarm the Rams as left tackle Alex Barron missed Tuesday's morning practice with some swelling in his left knee.

- Barron had the leg wrapped on Monday and sat out some one on one work in those practices but still participated in team drills. On Tuesday, Barron stood on the sidelines and did no work. He is set to undergo an MRI this afternoon. We'll have an update on his status when it becomes available.

- Aside from Barron, the rest of the group sitting out the practice was the same. Quarterback Marc Bulger (pinkie), guard Jacob Bell (concussion), receivers Donnie Avery (foot), Tim Carter (hamstring) and Brooke Foster (ankle), defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) joined Barron on the sideline.

- According to coach Steve Spagnuolo, Carriker is moving closer to a return. "He’s supposed to do a little more today or tomorrow so he’s progressing," Spagnuolo said. "But no timetable on him right now."

-  For the first time since suffering the injury, Avery is without a boot on his foot. Signs are pointing to a possible early return for Avery. "Donnie wants to go," Spagnuolo said. "That’s Donnie. Keenan was the same way in the spring. I told those guys I’d rather have guys like that but we are just going to be smart."

- Receiver Keenan Burton and defensive end Eric Moore were shaken up in the morning practice but both continued to play and made it through the workout.

- With Barron on the sidelines, Jason Smith practiced with the first team offense at right tackle with Adam Goldberg handling the work on the left side.

- I'll have more on Smith's progress and hopefully an update on Barron following the afternoon practice. Today's afternoon practice represents the final two a day in this year's training camp.  

- The Rams just finished up the afternoon practice and coach Steve Spagnuolo spoke to reporters after practice to break down the injury to quarterback Marc Bulger.

- Bulger had an X ray on his right pinkie finger after injuring it on a center exchange with Jason Brown in the morning practice. That X ray revealed what Spagnuolo is calling a "small fracture" in the pinkie finger. The finger was not displaced in any way and there is no surgery or casting that can be done on it.

- Instead, Bulger has a splint on his ring finger and has the pinkie taped up against it. Only time will heal the injury and that is expected to take about two weeks.

- Spagnuolo ruled out Bulger for this week's game against Atlanta and called him "doubtful" for the following week against Cincinnati. Assuming he comes back in two weeks, that would leave Spagnuolo and staff with a decision to make on whether to play him in the fourth preseason game. The last exhibition game is normally reserved for mostly backups with maybe a short cameo for the starters.

- Kyle Boller takes over as starter for now and he will get the call with the first team on Friday night against Atlanta. More on Boller in a feature story for stlouisrams.com later today.

- "We’ll keep him immobilized with the finger for a couple weeks and see where we are after that," Spagnuolo said of Bulger. "He won’t do very much for two weeks just to be on the safe side."

- Jacob Bell got the baseline test results back and the Rams will continue to be cautious with him though the news was generally good.  "It was pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "There are five different barometers of tests and he was pretty good on four of the five. That’s good."

- That's all from the afternoon session. I'll have further information on Bulger and Boller in the aforementioned feature story. Be sure to follow along on Twitter @OneRamsWay for instant updates.  

- The Rams just finished their morning practice in the indoor facility after rain pushed them from the outside before it started. That meant a closed practice. No word just yet on whether the team will return outside for an open afternoon workout. I'll have updates as I get them on that.

- The standout issue from this morning's practice was the absence of quarterback Marc Bulger. Bulger has a jammed right pinky finger and the Rams held him out as a precaution. He will have the finger X rayed this afternoon but coach Steve Spagnuolo is cautiously optimistic that it's not a serious injury.

- "I never like to say that," Spagnuolo said. "Luckily we have the technology where we can take pictures of the inside of our bodies. I’m hopeful. I’m very hopeful, he’s OK." Spagnuolo said the injury occurred on a center/quarterback exchange.

-  Kyle Boller took most of the repetitions with the first team offense and had a good day according to Spagnuolo. "He stepped right in there today," Spagnuolo said. "You challenge him a little bit and he did pretty much all of the right things. In 7 on 7 he stuck out today. They say he’s a smart quarterback, athletic quarterback, I keep hearing all of those things so that’s helpful."

- Aside from Bulger, there was nothing new to report on the injury front. Receivers Donnie Avery (foot), Brooks Foster (foot) and Tim Carter (hamstring) missed the workout. Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and guard Jacob Bell (concussion) also sat out.

-  Defensive end Victor Adeyanju tweaked his knee during the practice but fought through and finished the workout.

- Fullback Mike Karney and safety Craig Dahl appear to be back in the mix and could play this week.

- That's it for now. Will have an update on that afternoon practice later.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media a couple of hours ago and expressed his thoughts on the team's performance last night against the Jets after reviewing the film.

- Overall, Spagnuolo was pleased with the effort but he didn't heap the praise on too much, acknowledging there is plenty of work to be done.

- Spagnuolo had nothing but praise for the team's top two picks, right tackle Jason Smith and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis started and fared well. Smith came in later and was solid with some very impressive moments. Smith manhandled New York's Vernon Gholston, the No. 6 pick in last year's draft, on a few occasions.

- "James for being tossed in there as a starter at MIC linebacker in the first preseason game of his rookie year, I thought he did a nice job," Spagnuolo said. "Both Will and Chris Draft helped him out pretty good. It’s nice to have two vets there. Jason played physical and aggressive which is what we saw when we drafted him so in  that regard they showed us what they had showed when they were in college."

- The Rams had five penalties and no turnovers against the Jets. While Spagnuolo would prefer to be spotless in the penalty department, he was pleased with his team's discipline overall. He especially liked the goose egg in the turnover department. Considering it was the first preseason game, a contest that usually has more laundry than a dry cleaner, five penalties wasn't too bad.

-  On the injury front, Jacob Bell took a blow to the head and he will be day to day with a mild concussion. Receivers Tim Carter (groin) and Brooks Foster (ankle) will have MRIs in the next day to see the extent of their ailments. Quarterback Brock Berlin had the wind knocked out of him and a mild MCL sprain in his knee. He will also be day to day.

- Fullback Mike Karney (ankle) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) are expected to return to work this week with Adam Carriker (ankle) and Donnie Avery (foot) still out.

- Spagnuolo's father came over from Connecticut to attend the game last night.

- Quarterback Keith Null, ever the humble kid, did get the ball from his first touchdown pass last night. Marc Bulger asked Rams staff member Matt Litzinger to retrieve it. Litzinger did and Null has a nice souvenir. By the way, watched the game again this morning and am still amazed at how good that throw was by the rookie, especially in that situation.

- The run defense really was outstanding with the exception of the reverse and one breakout by Shonn Greene. Very encouraging.

- Defensive tackle Gary Gibson really got some nice push against the run. Yeah, he missed the sack opportunity that was there for him but he played pretty darn well otherwise.

- Keep your fingers crossed that Randy McMichael stays healthy. He did a great job blocking in the run game and really worked hard to get yards after the catch.

- The only two Rams not to participate last night aside from Carriker and Avery were Karney and Dahl.

- It was a bit of a surprise that Roy Schuening and not John Greco stepped in for Bell when Bell went out with a head injury. But the Rams like to use right and left and keep them in their spots so Schuening was the choice. If it had been Richie Incognito who had been injured, Greco would have entered the game.

- Speaking of Schuening, he fared OK after a rocky start, according to Spagnuolo. "Roy jumped in there and was a little rough at the beginning and then it kind of smoothed out for him," Spagnuolo said. "I think he’d tell you he’d want to play a little bit better."

- The offensive line as a whole played well. None of the sacks were the sole responsibility of any of the linemen and really only about half could even potentially be attributed to them. And the line was outstanding in the run game. Roger Allen did a really nice job opening a hole for Gado on the 77-yard touchdown run.

- The Rams' four quarterbacks combined to go 15-of-23 for 145 yards and a touchdown for a rating of 97.2. With the smallest sample size, Null had a rating of 139.6.

- That's all for today. Back at it tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. It's an open practice, come on out and get a look at the Rams before it's too late. Only seven open practices left.

- Be sure to follow along on Twitter @OneRamsWay where I am providing regular updates and will be coming with some promotional stuff in the near future where you could win some prizes and earn a mention on this here blog and or the mailbag. Also, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rams.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -

- As you know by now, the Rams pulled out a 23-20 win at Giants Stadium on Friday night. Sure, it was only the first preseason game but it was hard not to find a lot of things that could be considered encouraging.

- First, some injury news. Guard Jacob Bell was the only played that was shaken up. According to coach Steve Spagnuolo, Bell took a blow to the head and was a bit "fuzzy" after the game. Still, Spagnuolo expects Bell to be OK.

- Aside from Bell, quarterback Brock Berlin had the wind knocked out of him and tweaked a knee injury. Neither player returned after his injury.

- Linebacker Chris Chamberlain also took a blow to the head. Fullback Mike Karney (ankle) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) were the only two Rams in uniform who did not play.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and receiver Donnie Avery (foot) did not make the trip.

- As for some of the things from the game, let's start by tipping our cap to rookie quarterback Keith Null. Null had barely played, comes into the game, makes a great read and fires an amazing throw to undrafted rookie receiver Sean Walker for a 13-yard touchdown. Not a bad start for a kid who is still adjusting to life after the spread offense.

- Speaking of not bad, how about Samkon Gado? Gado has been asked to do just about everything in special teams and is playing fullback and tailback in the offense. With nary a complaint, Gado has embraced his myriad roles and rewarded the coaching staff's faith in him with a 77-yard touchdown run and all around impressive effort.

- "We’ve got three more games left and I’ve still got a lot of work to do at fullback," Gado said. "I think I’m being evaluated at that position and how well I do there. I think this is going to dictate where I land on this team, but at this point I can’t worry too much.  The most important thing is to just keep getting better and I’m pretty confident that if I keep doing that I’ll land on this team.  Whatever role that ends up being, I’m more than happy with."

- Quarterback Marc Bulger and the first team offense had some moments, including Bulger's 50-yard strike to Laurent Robinson down the right sideline. Simply put, when Bulger has time to throw, he can still put the ball just where it needs to be.

- Unfortunately for Bulger, he didn't always have a ton of time. He was sacked three times, more often than not because of a missed blitz pickup by one of the running backs. "They may have been a missed pick-up," Spagnuolo said. "Maybe we had to get the ball out quicker.  Anytime that happens, there are a lot of different reasons.  It’s not just one thing."

- On the positive side of that, backup backs Antonio Pittman and Chris Ogbonnaya had some impressive runs to complement what Gado had already done.

- One fascinating thing about the preseason is the different approaches of various coaches. Spagnuolo views the first preseason contest as a continuation of training camp. The Jets Rex Ryan apparently considers it an opportunity to throw a variety of blitzes at his opponent. The Rams handled the pressure well but it was a bit surprising for a preseason opener.

"We kind of knew that was coming," Spagnuolo said. "Rex does a great job.  I’ve got a lot of respect for him for what he did in Baltimore and what he’s doing now.  I think they’ve got a good football team."

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith played the bulk of the second and third quarters and was as advertised as a run blocker. But Smith also did a nice job in pass protection and effectively neutralized the Jets' pass rush, especially last year's No. 1 pick Vernon Gholston.

- Tip of the cap to defensive ends Leonard Little and Eric Moore for coming up with some big plays.

- In case you were wondering, Spagnuolo says he slept fine on Thursday night before the game and though he stopped and thought about what he accomplished on the Giants Stadium field, his focus stayed with his current team.

- I'll empty the notebook out tomorrow and have updates in the evening after Spagnuolo's news conference.  

- The Rams just finished up their Wednesday morning practice and it's evident that these guys are more than ready to get on the field against the Jets on Friday night. There's a lot to be said for finally getting the chance to hit someone other than your teammates.

- Defensive tackle Darell Scott missed the morning practice because of inflammation in his knee, according to coach Steve Spagnuolo. Scott will get some time to rest because Spagnuolo says he wants to see Scott in game action on Friday night.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell also missed most of the practice because of soreness in his hamstring. Per Spagnuolo, Bartell will get treatment and could be back on the field by this afternoon. If not, he should be OK in time for Friday's game.

- Visiting the Russell Training Center today were former Rams tackle Grant Williams and running back Arlen Harris. Sports Illustrated's Peter King, fresh off his Hall of Fame award last weekend, is also in the house.

- Keith Null completed a nice deep pass to Jarrett Byers during a team session as Null begins to get more comfortable. Spagnuolo says the plan is to work all four quarterbacks in Friday night's game against the Jets.

- Cornerback Quincy Butler continues to make plays, coming up with yet another interception. He is starting to work in more and more with the top units as he continues to prove himself.

- Spagnuolo says the plans for Friday night's game include about a "quarter or so" for the starting units, give or take some plays. It could be less, it could be more. But Spagnuolo says he wants to see a little of what his top units can do. More than likely, that workload will increase in weeks two and three.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) will not play against the Jets. The Rams will wait and see on fullback Mike Karney, who is also dealing with an ankle injury.

- Be back with another update after the afternoon practice, which is set for 2:45.

- The Rams went through a quick one-hour special teams session this afternoon. The team takes the opportunity to go through the paces and work on all aspects including return, coverage, extra points and field goals in these practices.

- The good news from the workout was the participation of linebacker Chris Draft and cornerback Tye Hill. Both must be feeling OK to get the work in.

- One Ram who is being closely followed is rookie tackle Jason Smith. Smith has had his ups and downs in this camp as he adjusts to the NFL game and putting his hand in the dirt in the three point stance. That has been a serious change for Smith but coach Steve Spagnuolo believes Smith is about right on pace of where he expected him to be at this point.

- "(He's) pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "About the way it should be right now, not behind, not ahead. I think the guys see his talent there. it just takes a little while in this league."

- For the time being, Smith is still taking most of his reps as the No. 2 right tackle with Adam Goldberg handling the chores with the top unit.

- Tight end Billy Bajema was signed with an eye toward his blocking prowess in hopes he could fill that void in the offense. But Bajema has opened some eyes with his ability to get down the seam, make the difficult catches and deliver contact to anyone attempting to tackle him.

-  "He’s the blocker we thought and I think he does some pretty good things in the pass game and that helps us," Spagnuolo said.

- That's it for today. If you want to get a look at the Rams once more before they head to New York, be sure to come out tomorrow for practices at 8:15 a.m. and again at 2:45 p.m. Also, be sure to follow my updates on twitter @OneRamsWay and check out our new facebook page at www.facebook.com/Rams.

- The Rams finished up another lively morning practice on Tuesday after going live once again for portions of team periods. It was a pretty entertaining session all things considered though it will be the last live periods this week leading up to Friday night's preseason game against the Jets.

- On the injury front, Donnie Avery (foot), Adam Carriker (ankle) and Craig Dahl (hamstring) continue to miss practice. Fullback Mike Karney isn't all the way back but he's starting to work in again during team and is doing most of the individual drills.

- Linebacker Chris Draft took a thumb to the throat in Monday's afternoon practice and sat out the morning practice. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Draft's throat will get a closer evaluation soon so the team can determine the next step though it's likely a bruise. Larry Grant took the repetitions at strong side linebacker and had an excellent day, including an interception that would have gone for a touchdown.

- Cornerback Tye Hill tweaked his repaired knee in a special teams practice on Sunday and has been dealing with some swelling and fluids in it the past couple of days. On Tuesday, Hill tried to play through it but was brought out as it started to bother him. Hill had the knee wrapped and then missed the rest of the workout. "He has a little swelling in his knee," Spagnuolo said. :He just has to fight through that. Once the swelling goes down, I think he will be fine."

- Quarterback Marc Bulger acknowledged Tuesday that he's getting more comfortable in the offense and it shows. He seems to get sharper with each passing practice and threw a laser for a big gain to Laurent Robinson on a deep dig route.

- Receiver Derek Stanley answered the challenge for some wideouts to step up in place of Avery on Tuesday. Stanley has been trying to get back in the swing of things since coming off ACL surgery and started to show flashes of his talent in Tuesday's practice. He caught probably eight balls in team drills. "Derek is becoming a detailed guy which we felt he had to do and I think the details are paying off," Spagnuolo said. "He’s catching the ball well, he’s holding it a lot better now. I think he’s a talent. We just have got to get him out there in a game and see what happens."

- The Rams will practice again this afternoon before hitting two more practices on Wednesday. The team departs for New Jersey on Thursday afternoon. Today's second practice is slated for 2:15.  

- The Rams just finished their Monday morning practice. It was a lighter workout than what has been the norm around here as the team prepares for its first game. The team spent most of the practice in "thud" mode rather than live tackling.

- That doesn't mean the practice was without fireworks, though. The first small fracas of camp broke out in seven-on-seven passing drills. After tight end Billy Bajema caught a pass over the middle and was subsequently stripped, he grabbed for the ball and tackles safety James Butler. Butler, who recovered the ball, was angered and threw it at Bajema. That led to a shoving match that was quickly diffused though Bajema briefly found himself surrounded by a group of defensive backs. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said he preferred not to see fighting amongst his team but understood it and was pleased that it took this long for one to break out.

- "I’m not going to say (I liked it) because it slows down practice," Spagnuolo said. "I happened to be standing next to Marc Bulger and he looked over and said ‘Is that the first time that has happened in training camp?’ That’s a credit to the guys. We are getting some physical hard work done and they are playing as a team. I would rather not have it but I understand it and I think we got it diffused pretty good."

- The official diagnosis of receiver Donnie Avery is in. He has a fractured fourth metatarsal in his left foot. The initial four to six week estimate stays the same. The Rams did some work in three and four receiver sets with Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson, Tim Carter and Derek Stanley getting much of the work. Burton and Robinson handled most of the reps with the first team. Burton made an impressive touchdown catch over cornerback Ron Bartell in seven on seven work.

- For now, it appears the Rams will not be going outside the Russell Training Center to replace Avery. "Billy (Devaney) has always got his eye out," Spagnuolo said. :He’s been great because all the time he’s got another name or somebody to look at. So he’ll keep doing that and we’ll see what happens." When asked if there would be any additions in the near term, Spagnuolo said "not as of right now."

- Safety Mark Rubin was officially brought back to the roster Monday morning to replace safety Eric Bassey, who was waived/injured on Sunday afternoon. Rubin is wearing No. 33 and was with the team in the spring.

- The Rams will continue to dial back the live action periods between now and Friday in anticipation of the first preseason game and in hopes of staying healthy between now and then.

- That's it for now as the Rams will step on the practice field again at 2:45 this afternoon.

- The news on receiver Donnie Aver