In last week's game, Bulger and his receivers, mostly Bulger, passed their way to the horse collar, or some other symbolic anti-MVP award. Unlike last year, when I was able to keep "if only the o-line..." on the computer's clip board, they were (mostly) above reproach against the Chargers. So, here's the kind of thing you don't want to read in the middle of the week, wondering if Bulger et al can get the playbook loaded into muscle memory:

Orlando Pace is experiencing soreness, including in his surgically repaired left shoulder. Swell. Head coach Scott Linehan says Pace's soreness is mostly a result of the big left tackle just getting back into game shape, having played at a high level through plenty of snaps in practice and preseason games. That makes sense, given that Pace played less than half a game last season, but it's something to keep an eye on...and don't let the Paxil get to far out of sight.

This makes the reported progress of Adam Goldberg even more important, and it's a good bet that Goldberg will see some time with the first team this weekend, giving Pace the chance to rest up for the regular season slog.

Some other items with comment:

• From the PD's Bill Coats, Torry Holt says you can blame the offense, the skill guys in particular, for ugly results recently as they learn Al Saunders' system and get the routes and timing down. That should be fairly obvious. You can watch the highlights (or lowlights) from last week's game and see Bennett and Bulger on a different page on the INT meant for Bennett. Unfortunately, that comes from two players looking to bury some poor results from last season, thus the deluge of "these guys suck" posts on the message boards. 
• I don't want to get off on a tangent here, but you can never underestimate the benefits of a healthy diet. Just ask Dante Hall, between that and Al Saunders, he's a new man this season. He sure looked sharp on his returns last weekend, giving the offense great field position (to squander). I have concerns about using the 5'8" Hall as a regular WR, for reasons you might imagine (hurts his return game, too small). However, during his best seasons with KC as a returner, 2003-05, Hall's work at WR didn't cut into his return game. In 2005, for instance, he caught 34 passes for 436 yards an 3 TDs to go with 65 kick returns for 1560 yards and 1 TD and 42 punt returns for 476 yards. Those 42 punt returns were a career high, by quite a bit too. 
• Torry Holt, back on the field yesterday for practice, has been in touch with Steven Jackson. No luck on breaking his holdout though. 
• I'd rather have rookies learning the guard position on the fly at the NFL level than the tackle position because the nature of the position is relatively simple and the more ability a rookie brings with him, the easier it is to perform well or at least adequately there. 2008 draftees John Greco and Roy Schuening will get plenty of chances to make an impression at guard with Setterstrom out now. I think Greco can have an immediate impact, and I'm, frankly, a little surprised that Schuening hasn't had a better preseason thus far given his ability. Plenty of time left to see just what these guys can do though. 

There's already been plenty of talk about 2008 being Tye Hill's breakthrough season, his third in the league.

Hill came to league as a track star, and at 5'9" came with plenty wondering how exactly he would work out at the pro level. Turns out he did just fine. In his first season, he started 10 games, made 47 tackles and 3 INTs. Notable, but it was ultimately lost in the shuffle as the Rams defense struggled so mightily against the run.

Last year, Hill was on his way, eventhough the Rams started the season without Fakhir Brown and a questionable bunch at corner behind Hill. Lenny Walls anyone? After an 8 tackle day against Carolina to open the season, the Rams lost Hill for the next four games after sustaining an injury in practice. He was back for good run from week 6-13 making 26 tackles and 1 INT before being lost to a thumb.wrist injury for the rest of the season.

That was too bad. Not only could the Rams have used Hill - everyone knows they needed a bright spot - Hill might have had something of a breakthrough performance against pass happy teams like the Packers, Bengals and Cardinals in the last four weeks of the season. Of course, no team had much reason to pass against the Rams, when the games turned into run-out-the-clock excercises.

There's not really anythign magical about the third season for a cornerback. It takes time to learn the position at the pro level for all but the best of the best, esp with the NFL's rules about contact with eligible receivers that differ from the college game. Hill's already shown excellent ability in man-to-man coverage and his early numbers belie some of that rookie inconsistency that can show up from time to time.

If the Rams have a better, more consistent unit up front and can keep the d-backs together, then those expectations for Hill could very well come to fruition. The regular stat lines for corners hide much of their ability, but we can take somethin away from their number of INTs and passes defended.

Drafted two years prior to Hill, Falcons CB and noted mouth Deangelo Hall, whom Hill has been compared to before, brokeout in his second season with 6 INTs, 10 PD, and 59 tackles. Cowboys CB Terrance Newman had 4 INTs and 15 PD in his second season, after pulling in 6 INTs and a whopping 20 PD in his rookie year of 2003. Is it out of the question to expect similar numbers from Hill this season?

Tired of the Steven Jackson holdout situation and, more recently, tired of wondering whether or not Bulger has some kind of sack-induced PTSD that's going to keep fans wondering if graybeard Trent Green should be starting, it's as good a day as any to think about something else. For some reason, after a long delay between waking up and the first cup of coffee, I settled on the Rams defensive backs. The defense looks like it could be a real bright spot for this year's team. Hell, if the offense can keep them off the field for something less than 45 minutes, they have the potential to steal a game or two. With Leonard Little looking spry and svelte and two recent draft's worth of first round picks, the defensive line has garnered most of the spotlight. And that's fine. Their work up front ought to give the backfield defenders a real boost. So here's a little time for those guys in the mighty TST spotlight, a pedestal so bright it could well up their value beyond the reach of this humble mid-market team.

The bane of Ron Bartell's existence on the field has always been his inconsistency. From play to play, fans and coaches never knew which Bartell would make an appearance, the gifted corner able to smother an opposing wide receiver or the bumbling traffic cone.

A second round pick from 2005, Bartell started seven games at CB filling in for Travis Fisher who broke his arm that season, alongside such notables as DeJuan Groce.  He had 32 tackles and 1 forced fumble as part of a Rams defense that ranked in the bottom fifth of the league in all categories. Bartell had a more limited role with the 2006 team, working as the third corner. The Rams' defensive backfield was still a mess that season, but things started to solidify with the addition of Fakhir Brown and an impressive rookie debut from first round pick Tye HIll (more on him later). Bartell showed some ball skills that year, nabbing three INTs, matching teammates Atogwe, Brown and Hill, and made 25 tackles.

Last season, starting at various times for a suspended Fakhir Brown and an injured Tye Hill, Bartell made 12 starts. Bartell flashed that maddening inconsistency, but I really felt like he improved as the season went on and he got more playing time. Bartell even played a little safety last season. He finished the year with 63 tackles, 2 INTS, and a sack.

So far this summer, Bartell's seen plenty of playing time filling in for the injured Fakhir Brown (rotator cuff tear), and the possibility of Bartell starting in place of Brown to open the season looms. He's impressed through camp, shaking off some early inconsistency. Against the Chargers on Saturday, Bartell tied for the team lead with 4 tackles and had a pass defense as well, pleasing coaches and pundits alike.

Most of Bartell's progress can be attributed to experience and improved coaching since Bartell started with the Rams in 2005. Don't discount the motivation that comes from playing in the last year of a contract though. Bartell will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season.

With one potential "franchise" player nowhere near a playing field and the "franchise" quarterback making fans pine for the accuracy and consistency of Gus Frerotte, this afternoon's as good a time as any to think back upon more pleasant memories.

ESPN recently surveyed readers to determine the ultimate franchise player for each NFL team. For the Rams, Marshall Faulk took home the honor. No surprise there.

I wonder if disillusionment with the Rams current running back and the team's recent seasons got Faulk some votes? Nah. It's pretty hard to argue with a one man offensive weapon, who could lead the league even when mediocrity surrounded him. (Ah, the Mike Martz legacy...)

The case for Merlin Olsen makes for a heady debate though. And defensive end Jack Youngblood was left off the list.

The "franchise" concept is strange for Rams fans, particularly St. Louisians. Remember, St. Louis had an NFL team for a long time, the Cardinals, and other than a basic familiarity with superstars like Youngblood or Olsen, how many people in the area were Los Angeles Rams fans? So, Faulk unquesitonably gets the honor if you consider the Rams post move.

It's kind of a depressing morning. Once again, pundits are relegating the Rams to the basement and even the most optimistic fans are starting to wonder if this might be another season in the wilderness.

Me, I think they can do better. I won't assume anything, though, until I see it on the field. Not anymore.

Let's start with the 2,000 lbs gorilla in the room, the Steven Jackson holdout. No news is bad news in this case. Linehan's positive assessment reported this weekend in reaction to "some" talks between the two parties turns out to have been a little too optimistic. Jim Thomas at the PD is reporting that those talks consisted of a breif phone call on Friday. Now the coach is expressing concerns about Jackson's readiness for the start of the regular season.Swell.

Ending this ridiculous situation with Jackson would do wonders for the fans. Admit it, you'd feel much better about where things are headed if Jackson had a Rams uni on right now. And I'll bet the starting offense would have had a TD Saturday night too. Maybe it's just Monday morning, but I'm frustrated with this thing to point of wishing the Rams would have traded him to Dallas, when the rumors surfaced prior to the draft, for draft picks and a DE. Then call it a rebuild.

To make the day even brighter, there's some injury news to discuss. The Rams lost linemen Setterstrom and Gorin for the season this weekend. Gorin was a fringe player, brought in as a free agent when last fall when the Rams linemen started dropping like flys. He was questionable to make the final cut anyway, and it's not like he was a difference maker, see 2007 for proof of  that. I'd be much more concerned about our OT depth had Goldberg gone down. Losing Setterstrom does hurt. He's not a starter, but was considered for the role heading into camp. That, obviously, impacts our depth at guard. However, with John Greco, who's looked great at G this month, and Nick Leckey or Romberg able to transfer their solid work at C over one spot, and Roy Schuening, the Rams still have some solid, if unexperienced depth at that position. I'd rather have rookies learnign the ropes at G than OT; Setterstrom proved himself to be just fine filling in as a rookie G in 2006. Setterstrom, however, has to be wondering about his future in pro football right now.

Oh, but the injuries don't stop there. David Vobora, in the race for a LB spot and a special teams role, sprained his ankle and will miss the rest of the preseason, probably.

AND Brian Leonard will likely miss the rest of August's action as well with a sprained shoulder. While we're on Leonard, let me ask you a question. Maybe I'm just feeling nasty this morning, but I can't help but think, seeing this team play, that we could have done much, much better with our second round pick in 2007, getting player to address more important needs. Depending on the position and the player, they'd likely be having an impact this season, as opposed to reminding us just how much we need Steven Jackson in uniform to compete. Maybe we could have drafted a quarterback.

To read the headlines you wouldn't know it, but it hardly looked like the end of the world last night. When your first team offense hasn't scored a TD in two and a half preseasons, though, you're not allowed the benefit of the doubt. Not scoring is a story, not THE story, but still one that gets more attention than anything else. 

Five things to like:

1. Execution. Well, other than Marc Bulger, both sides of the ball played, mostly mistake free football. Alex Barron threw in a false start in the second quarter for old times' sake, but the offensive line played very well. They opened holes, they made plays. They did allow two sacks, one potentially scary for Bulger, but it was an encouraging performance  and a teaser of what this team could do with Steven Jackson running the ball. 
2. Intensity. Check. That's a factor that can compromise good execution, and we saw that on a couple penalties: Looker's personal foul late in the first and Wade's unnecessary roughness in the third. The defense, the toast of the evening, looked really good, tough and hard to beat, with some nice stands in the red zone. 
3. The d-line looked really good, and the starters came away with 4 sacks. Ok, starting LBs Witherspoon and Culberson had two, but Little looked like a man reborn on his sack and Clifton Ryan put one on the board too. In fact, the front seven together had a great game. Backups too. Chamberlain had 4 tackles, tying for the most with Bartell and Culberson.
4. The tight ends got in on the action. McMichael looked particularly sharp, and if Bulger can get the cob webs out of his brain, talk of his big season should hold up. The backup runners, especially the speedy Pittman, looked good too, thanks largely to the o-line. 
5. The return unit(s) played well too. Dante Hall had two nice kick returns. That helps the offense. The coverage units were okay, with one glaring 36 yard punt return from Chris Davis in the 3rd quarter marring their night. 

Has there been a preseason game with higher stakes in the last decade that you can recall? This is a big one for the Rams, not because of a QB controversy or anything so seemingly minor. The future of the franchise, though not solely dependent on this game, does have a lot riding on tonight. Sound crazy? Think about it.

The Rams need to re-ingratiate themselves to a fanbase that's largely given up waiting on the ship to right itself. That comes just months after long-time owner, Georgia Frontiere passed away and handed majority ownership in the team over to her children, feeding a deluge of rumors about the franchise being up for sale and the possibility of a move looming on the horizon. The team needs to sell tickets, lots of them, if they're going to make the case to stay in St. Louis AND regain the approval of fans and civic leaders before asking the public to kick in their hard earned benjamins to build a new facility about the time the 2015 clause comes up on their lease. 

That's a lot of meaning wrapped up in one preseason game, huh? Well, so as not to saturate your evening with hyperbole, the fate of things won't be decided tonight, but a nervous Rams leadership would like to see good results in order to hype ticket sales for the season and get some leverage in Steven Jackson's holdout. The stakes aren't particularly high, but they're there.

Hell, enjoy it; may be the closest thing to a Super Bowl we'll see this season. 

It's a night that must belong to the offense. Unfortunately, they're starting with an arm tied behind their back with Steven Jackson holding out. And now come reports that Torry Holt may sit out against the Chargers tonight, back spasms. He'll be a game time decision, but with the Rams first team offense needing to score, I'd be surprised if he didn't slog through a few series with Bulger. 

There is some "read between the lines" news on Steven Jackson. Head coach Scott Linehan told the Belleville News Democrat when asked about Jackson's holdout:

"I know they've had some talks, and I know it's moving along. Whatever that means. It sounds positive to me, though."

That would seem to confirm news from earlier in the week that Jackson's representation and the Rams front office have engaged in low level discussions. There's some assurance in that. Whether the "moving along" and the "sounds positive" comments are talking points from the front office, reality or misguided optimism remains to be seen. For now, I'll choose to take it at face value, with that opinion to be updated tomorrow, pending the outcome of tonight's game. 

The pressure's on this offense, and they get a break with a couple of key San Diego starters out tonight. Supastar linebacker and noted PED fan Shawne Merriman missed most of the week with a virus and cornerback Antonio Cromartie has a bum ankle. That's a break the Rams have to exploit, particularly the passing game. Anyway, my questions for the Rams offense tonight:

• Can the o-line shake off the rust? Even All World LT Orlando Pace looked a little lost last week, in his first action since the first half of last season's opener. You have to figure that Pace can step it up this week, but the rest of the line will have to sharp. Give Bulger time to find his man and make his throw. In the run game, they'll have to compensate as much as possible for the lack of Steven Jackson, and open holes enough so that the backups can at least give the Rams a weapon to control the clock. That means nice lanes up the gut. 
• Can Nick Leckey build on his strong camp showing? He needs to; he's starting in place of Brett Romberg tonight at center. Leckey's not a brand name, but his yeoman efforts have been productive when he has started. I've always wondered a little bit about Romberg's size and the impact that has on the run game. Leckey's got an inch and about 5 lbs on Romberg, a negligible difference. The additions of Jacob Bell and a nasty Richie Incognito at guard bolsters the middle of the line. The Rams have done more with less in those spots; see late 2006. Of course, those guys can't be rusty either.
• Will wide receivers not named Torry Holt make an impact? They'll need to, whether Holt plays or not. Without Holt, Bennett gets his first good shot at redemption. The other one I'm really looking for is Keenan Burton. Burton looks like a solid possession receiver with flashy hands and an ability to work in coverage. Barring a shocker, he's got a roster spot, but I'd like to see him do something with that spot, put this hooha about the Rams WR depth to rest. Donnie Avery might not play, needing some more time to get up to speed after returning only this week. Hey, if the guy can play without putting himself at risk of further injury, play him. Nobody's going to judge too harshly if he looks like a rookie. I want to see that speed. The battle for the final WR spots between Looker, Stanley, et al ought to be a good sideshow. 
• Can Lance Ball make the case to stick? Without Jackson, he'll definitely have the floor to make his case. He lacks true running back speed, but his size, 5'9" 232 lbs, and low center of gravity make him a bulldozer to tackle. I think he could be a god third down specialist or a goal line guy. With Jackson out, the Rams need to mix and match their runners based on situations and strengths, Pittman as the speedy guy and Leonard as a screen pass guy. It still leaves the team short of what they'd have with Steven Jackson, esp when it comes to opponents stacking the box, but, as Rummy said, you go to war with the team you've got. 
• Will we see some of that Al Saunders tight end play we've heard so much about? I hope. All summer we've been told about big plans for Randy McMichael. The Rams offense was too incompetent last week for him to factor in, but this week we'll need to see him employed as a top 3 receiver, like we'd see from him in the regular season. Klopfenstein would help his cause among fans if he showed up too. Anthony Becht will be a useful addition to the blockers, but he could sit out with a sore hammy again. 

I don't think anyone doubts that it's the Rams offense that has the most to prove/lose in this weekend's preseason game against the Chargers. If their preseason scoreless streak runs to 10 games, panic sets in. Don't blame it all on Steven Jackson's holdout either, the Rams first team offense failed to score with Jackson in the mix last summer and the summer before that too.

However, while the offense was inducing panic last week, the defense wasn't exactly a beacon of hope when they gave up 340+ yards to the Titans on the ground. Add to that the pressure the Rams defense will carry if the offense is shaky or, heaven forbid, Steven Jackson's holdout continues. The defense needs a good night too tomorrow. Here's a few things we'll be watching for, feel free to add to this list in the comment or on in the fanposts. Oh, and before I forget, if you're new to the TurfShowTimes, be sure get an account via the links in the top part of the page. It's not used for any marketing crap or anything like that, it just allows you to comment and be a part of the community here. And you may well feel the need to vent if Steven Jackson's holdout goes on.

• On the d-line, rookie Chris Long and second year vet Adam Carriker didn't contribute much against the Titans, looking lost and getting manhandled at times. They'll play most of the first half against a Chargers team resting or missing some its marquee names: Tomlinson won't play, TE Antonio Gates is out with a toe injury and WR Vincent Jackson has a sore hammy. We've heard lots about Long's work ethic and ability to improve rapidly, and we'll need to see that this weekend. Plenty is expected out of Carriker too, and only crashed pockets and stuffed runs will ease minds.
  
• Stopping the run last week proved to be especially difficult with MLB Will Witherspoon and Culberson out. The Spoon and Culberson are back this week, but they can't do it all by his lonesome. Rookie linebackers like Chamberlain, who did have a good game, Vobora and Magro need to put on a show for a spot on the active roster. McGarigle has the most to lose after a bad game with plenty of lapses last week. These guys may be ultimately overmatched against a team like the Chargers, but they have to at least compensate by not missing assingments and lining up right.
  
• The Rams could be without several defensive backs this week, including safeties O.J. Atogwe, Jerome Carter and Eric Bassey as well as starting cornerback Fakhir Brown. Chavous, Todd Johnson and European import Sebastien Sejean will see plenty of playing time. Although his play at LB has garnered him attention, I'd like to see what Chris Chamberlain can do at safety. At corner, Bartell and Jonathan Wade will see more time with the first unit with Brown out. Bartell needs to show consistency and Wade needs to show he's a reliable option as the Rams fourth CB.
  
• Sacks, sacks, and sacks. Little's been "on" through the early goings, and a sack from the man, myth, legend would do much to bolster confidence. For that, he'll need solid play from his front line mates.
  
• Speaking of the d-line, there's plenty to anticipate from James Hall too.
  

I'm sure I left something off the list. The preseason's all about answering questions, so covering them all is unlikely. Add what you will.

Tomorrow, our eyes turn to the beleaguered offense and their mighty task of reassuring fans.