The Rams probably should have won this football game but they didn’t.  Trent Green only attempted one pass in this game and it was incomplete.  Brock Berlin was effective again in this game as he completed 13 of 21 passes for 107 yards and he threw a 20-yard TD pass to WR Dane Looker.  Bruce Gradkowski was not especially sharp in this game as he completed 11 of 18 passes for 105 yards with 1 interception.  RB Lance Ball led the Rams in rushing in this game with 70 yards on 13 carries (5.4 ypc) and he scored a 2-yard TD on a run.  He also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) in this game.  Travis Minor was also busy in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 21 yards (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 30 yards (6.0 avg).  Marques Hagans was the leading receiver for the Rams in this game with 47 yards on 4 catches (11.8 avg).  Dane Looker pitched in with 3 catches for 32 yards (10.7 avg) with a TD grab.  The Rams finished up with 106 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes for 199 yards. 

The Rams’ defense had problems stopping the Chiefs running game.  DE C.J. Ah You led the way for the Rams in this game with 7 tackles.  The Chiefs finished up with 157 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 5 of 12 passes for 48 yards.  The Rams finished up the preseason with a solid 2-2 record.

The Rams looked very solid in dumping the Ravens last Saturday Night.  Marc Bulger was razor sharp in this game as he completed 18 of 25 passes for 182 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  Brock Berlin was also very effective as he completed 8 of 11 passes for 99 yards.  Bruce Gradkowski did not look good at all in this game as he completed 3 of 5 passes for 17 yards with 1 interception.  Lance Ball was the leading rusher in this game for the Rams with 48 yards on 13 carries (3.7 ypc) including a 5-yard TD run.  Antonio Pittman was also busy with 9 carries for 36 yards (4.0 ypc).  Travis Minor pitched in with 30 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught a 1-yard TD pass.  Rookie WR Donnie Avery had a good game catching 5 passes for 65 yards (13.0 avg).  WR Keenan Burton was also effective in catching 3 passes for 63 yards (21.0 avg) with a TD grab.  Dane Looker pitched in with 5 catches for 44 yards (8.8 avg).  The Rams finished up with 113 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 41 passes for 298 yards.  The Rams had possession of the football for a stunning 37:00 in this football game.

Cornerback Jonathan Wade led the Rams’ defense with 5 tackles in this game against the Ravens.  The Ravens finished with only 70 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 37 passes for 139 yards.  The Rams should try to bottle up some of this defensive energy and save it for the regular season.

Reserve offensive linemen Mark Setterstrom (fractured patella) and Brando Gorin (torn labrum) have both been placed on the Injured Reserve List ending their seasons.  Here we go again with the offensive line of the Rams.  They can’t afford any more injuries on the offensive line or Marc Bulger’s going to get beat up again.

The Rams played pretty well on defense last Saturday Night and they controlled the clock by running the football on offense.  Marc Bulger had a night to forget as he completed 7 of 14 passes for 56 yards with 2 interceptions.  He also took off running one time for 14 yards.  Trent Green made a quick appearance as he completed 2 of 5 passes for 35 yards.  Bruce Gradkowski looked o.k. as he completed 6 of 9 passes for 49 yards and he also ran the ball once for 13 yards.  Brock Berlin completed all 3 of his pass attempts in this game for 9 yards.  Antonio Pittman led the Rams in rushing against the Chargers with 67 yards rushing on 9 carries (7.4 ypc).  Travis Minor was also busy against the Chargers with 39 yards rushing on 11 carries (3.5 ypc) with a 3-yard TD run.  Brian Leonard was also effective as he carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also has caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  TE Randy McMichael was also solid in catching 3 passes for 54 yards (18.0 avg) for the Rams.  The Rams finished up with 183 yards rushing in this game on 38 carries (4.8 ypc).  They also completed 18 of 31 passes for 126 yards passing.  The Rams’ offense protected the defense by holding onto the ball for 36:06.

Linebacker Quinton Culberson led the way for the Rams on Saturday Night with 5 tackles.  The Chargers finished up with 104 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 21 passes for 99 yards.  This was an outstanding effort by the Rams defense on Saturday Night.

Scott Linehan looked like a coach on the rise after improving the Rams 2 wins to a 8-8 record in 2006.  But, 2007 was a complete nightmare that almost got him fired as the team stumbled to a 3-13 record.  Let’s be fair though it wasn’t all his fault.  The Rams suffered a ton of injuries especially on the offensive line which caused the team to even start QB Brock Berlin in a game because the QBs were getting drilled very often.  Still, the Rams front office won’t likely tolerate another season like 2007 no matter what the excuses are.  Linehan has compiled a 11-21 record (34.4%) in his two years as head coach of the Rams.

The Rams signed 29-year old kicker Josh Brown away from the rival Seahawks and he will do a good job for them.  Brown played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and he connected on 28 of 34 field goals (82.4%).  He also made all 43 of his extra points last season.  Look for the Rams to benefit big time from not leaving many points on the field this season.  Brown has now played in 80 games in his NFL career and he has made 116 of 145 (80%) field goals.  He has also made 223 of 224 extra points (99.6%) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The Rams spent a lot of free agent cash on this position last season and they invested two draft picks here two years ago(Dominique Byrd is already gone) and they weren’t happy with the results.  The Rams still have high hopes for this position in 2008.  29-year old Randy McMichael is by far the best player of this bunch.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 39 passes for 429 yards (11.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Rams would be very excited if McMichael could double those numbers and he has the talent to do it.  McMichael has now played in 96 games in his NFL career and he has caught 322 passes for 3,525 yards (10.9 avg) with 21 TD grabs. 

30-year old Anthony Becht was brought in as a free agent.  Becht played in all 16 games for the Buccaneers last season and he only caught 5 passes for 20 yards (4.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Rams would probably like to use him a little more in the passing game than the Bucs did last season but he’s 280 pounds now so that might not work.  Becht has now played in 126 games in his NFL career and he has caught 172 passes for 1,411 yards (8.2 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

2nd year man Joe Klopfenstein did a lot of blocking last season for the run and that will likely be his role again in 2008.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 2 passes for 37 yards (18.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t look for Klopfenstein to catch many passes in 2008 for the Rams.  He has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 22 passes for 263 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

The Rams have brought in a couple of new faces (Donnie Avery, Reche Caldwell) to help out with depth at WR and they should help the offense.  But, 32-year old Torry Holt is the still the main man for the Rams’ passing attack.  Holt played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 93 passes for 1,189 yards (12.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs despite catching passes from a lot of different QBs in 2007.  Holt will likely have another stellar season in 2008 in which his numbers could actually increase without Isaac Bruce around to steal some catches.  Holt has now played in 142 games in his NFL career and he has caught 805 passes for 11,864 yards (14.7 avg) with 71 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 11 times for 57 yards (5.2 ypc) in his career.

29-year old Drew Bennett will step into Isaac Bruce’s role as the Rams’ #2 WR in 2008.  Bennett is a big guy at 6’5″, 206 pounds and he has pretty good hands despite lacking big time speed.  Bennett played in 14 games for the Rams last season and he caught 33 passes for 375 yards (11.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Bennett to at least double those numbers in 2008 for the Rams as long as he can stay healthy.  Bennett has now played in 101 games in his NFL career and he has caught 306 passes for 4,408 yards (14.4 avg) with 28 TD grabs.

24-year old rookie Donnie Avery is the favorite to win the #3 job at WR for the Rams this season.  He played in 13 games (11 starts) for the Houston Cougars last season and he caught 91 passes for 1,456 yards (16.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Don’t expect numbers like that in 2008 out of Avery but he could catch 40-50 passes.  Avery finished up his career at Houston playing in 50 games (44 starts) in which he caught 210 passes for 3,289 yards (15.7 avg) with 19 TD grabs.

29-year old Reche Caldwell could possibly move up the depth chart if he plays well in training camp and the preseason.  Caldwell played in 8 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 15 passes for 141 yards (9.4 avg).  Look for Caldwell to at least double those numbers in 2008 for the Rams.  Caldwell has now played in 71 games in his NFL career and he has caught 152 passes for 1,851 yards (12.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 14 times for 108 yards (7.7 ypc) in his career.

25-year old converted college QB Marques Hagans did not make a smooth transition as a rookie but he still has time.  Hagans played in 4 games for the Rams last season and he caught 8 passes for 101 yards (12.6 avg).  He also carried the ball 2 times for a loss of 4 yards (-2.0 ypc) last season. 

29-year old Dante Hall is too valuable on special teams for the Rams to use him too much on offense.  Hall played in 7 games for the Rams last season and he caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg).  He also carried the football 3 times for 18 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Hall has now played in 99 games in his NFL career and he has caught 150 passes for 1,642 yards (10.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 50 times for 233 yards (4.7 ypc) in his career.

32-year old Dane Looker is a solid player who is trying to hang on for the Rams.  Looker played in 13 games for the Rams last season and he caught 6 passes for 38 yards (6.3 avg).  But, Looker has been productive in the past so don’t write him off just yet.  Looker has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has caught 89 passes for 953 yards (10.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Rams have placed rookie CB Justin King on the Injured Reserve List after he needed surgery to repair a torn ligament in his big toe.  This will hurt the Rams who had high hopes for King.  He was likely going to play in nickel and dime packages for the Rams as a rookie.  They were also going to use him on special teams a lot.  This is a blow to an already weak defense for the Rams.

The Rams got destroyed in Tennessee on Saturday Night.  Marc Bulger had a tough game as he completed 3 of 9 passes for 29 yards.  He also threw a pick six as linebacker Keith Bulluck returned a interception 13 yards for a TD.  Trent Green made a brief experience completing only 1 of 3 passes for 16 yards.  Bruce Gradkowski also didn’t do much completing 2 of 5 passes for 6 yards and he also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards.  Brock Berlin was the most effective Rams’ QB by far in this game as he completed 11 of 14 passes for 139 yards.  Antonio Pittman was busy as he carried the ball 6 times for 21 yards (3.5 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 16 yards against the Titans.  Travis Minor was also busy with 20 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.0 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).  Brian Leonard pitched in with 12 yards rushing on 5 carries (2.4 ypc).  Dane Looker was the top receiver for the Rams in this game as he caught 4 passes for 73 yards (18.3 avg).  The Rams finished this game with 76 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.8 ypc).  They also completed 17 of 31 passes for 165 yards as they only had possession of the football for 25:19 on Saturday Night.

Safety Todd Johnson (7 tackles) and defensive end Eric Moore (6 tackles) led a pathetic team effort by the Rams’ defense.  The Titans rushed for an amazing 340 yards on 43 carries (7.9 ypc) which shows how awful the Rams played on defense.  The Titans also completed 13 of 26 passes for 155 yards.  The Rams have a long way to go on defense as they were putrid on Saturday.