Another week, another rant about the Rams lines. I'm starting to at least find comfort in the steadiness of the theme. 

But let's throw that aside; make it a standing assumption - sort of like accounting for the throngs of opposing fans at the Dome. 

The Dolphins are a fine team, already with six more wins than they totaled last season, and one that we hopefully see as a future vision of our own hapless Rams. A cleaned out and ideologically committed front office, sensible and impactful personnel moves, fans again enjoying the distraction of weekly ritual...it happened to them and with the right course, it'll happen to us.

That said, wouldn't there be something entirely appropriate in beating the Dolphins today? A statement of impending change. Not an easy task, but here are a couple of personal, uniformed observations linked to the possibility.

 

1. Run the ball, no matter how futile it seems - and each Rams offensive possession carries a high amount of futility nowadays anyway - commit to the run with a healthy Steven Jackson. Jackson has the ability to break off a good run, where other backs wouldn't get more than a yard or two. That forces the Dolphins to respect the run, thus opening the opportunity for the Rams to inflict damage through the air, a Miami weakspot.
2. Slow the game, feel the ball, be the ball. The defense can't get beat with reverses and the Wildcat formation. If the Rams defenders can flow to the ball, they can at least stem some of the bleeding. Being in the right position obviously helps.
3. I said it last week and I'll say it again this week, respond well to adversity. The Dolphins are going to score and will probably get a lead over the Rams at some point in the first half. Whether that leads stays within a 7-10 point margin (no small gap for the Rams I realize) or another 30 point laugher is up to the players. Prevent more of the same, and it's already something of a victory. 

 

Scores and updates at the SBN Scoreboard. 

GO RAMS!!!

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Game thread coming...some items worth mentioning to start the day.

• Rams RB Steven Jackson is set to play today. That's good news. Eventhough the Dolphins have a thick run defense, I'd like to see the Rams come out and try to run the football, establish something on the ground early. Make 'em honest about Jackson's presence and then open the field up for play actions and the passing game.
• Brett Romberg will get the start at center. Haslett has said rookie OL John Greco will play today, but no word on whether or not the interim head coach is shifting his o-line. Doubtful to start the game.

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Uh oh.

Steven Jackson didn't have a carry in the fourth quarter. Not one. 

No word yet, but I'm wondering if he re-aggravated  his bruised thigh injury. 

Between Jackson and the improved o-line play, the Rams had a chance to win this game today. More time without Steven getting 20+ carries means more ugliness.

[Note by VanRam, 11/30/08 5:38 PM EST ] And we have our answer: 

"He was gassed. His leg was starting to bother him. We told him before the game to go as far as he could go."

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So different, yet so similar. The Rams still lost, but I'm hard pressed to recall the last Rams game where it came down the final drive. 

Highlights

 

• I think we all have a much better idea about just how important Steven Jackson is to this offense. The line opened holes for him today and that was important. However, Jackson's ability stretches many of those runs, squeezing a few extra yards out that another RB is less likely to get. He even blocked well on passing plays.
• Gotta hand it to the offensive line. They grinded it out today, making the running game matter again and giving Bulger enough protection to shoot himself in the foot. No sacks allowed. Romberg gave the Rams much better play at center than Leckey, and substituting Greco for Jacob Bell some helped keep the underweight free agent from getting tired and easily shoved aside. 
• The Rams lost nothing with David Vobora playing in the middle. Now, let's not get irrationally exuberant, the Rams run defense was nothing special, but Vobora and the front seven played much better than in recent weeks. Still, we need more help at LB for next season. They made all that Wildcat talk look silly. When was the last time Tinoisamoa made a difference by being on the field?
• Chris Long played an outstanding game. The Rams have a real special player here, a guy that'll be the centerpiece of our defense in the years to come.

Poll

Game ball goes to:

• Steven Jackson
• Miami pass interference
• OJ Atogwe
• Chris Long

  27 votes | Results

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It was ugly.  Very ugly.  And I don't grade on a curve.

QB: D-

Three interceptions, just 149 yards, and less than 50% completion; today was a bad, bad day for Bulger.  He makes it hard for me to defend him.  Today, the protection was very good, and he just didn't make the most of it.  Short slants work, but they don't put the secondary on their heels, and they don't score points.  The longest pass was to Keenan Burton for 23 yards, and that was due to some solid YAC work on Burton's part.  Two of those interceptions were thrown because Marc didn't see the defender underneath the pass.  If this is what we are to expect, we need to start looking for alternatives.

HB: A-/C-

How do I grade this?  Pittman and Darby didn't do much (outside of a nice first down run by Pittman), but SJ was great in the first half (15 rushes, 72 yards), nearly non existent in the 3rd quarter (4 rushes, 20 yards) and got just two touches in the 4th quarter for two measly yards.  Was it his thigh?  Was Haslett just hesitant to let the thigh become an issue again?  You can't really fault SJ; he played very well, averaging 4.5 yds/carry.  Nevertheless, the position didn't provide us much in the second half and someone should be blamed for that.

WR/TE: D+

What is going on with this group?  Torry Holt, Donnie Avery, and Keenan Burton combined for 4 catches for just 53 yards.  As I mentioned above, Keenan had 1 catch for 23, and Holt hauled in 3 receptions for 30 yards.  Avery didn't have a single catch.  Was Bulger unable to get them the ball, or were they so well covered, they didn't warrant a pass attempt?  I find it hard to believe that Miami's woeful pass defense was just that good today.  Bulger and the WR's continue to perform below average.  SJ was trucking in the first half, and even with the threat of the run, the passing game couldn't make any serious gains.  The '+' is awarded to Dane Looker who put in a yeoman's game with 6 catches for 52 yards, many of those catches coming in vital situations.  When Dane Looker is your highest performing WR, something is wrong.  Very, very wrong.  Oh, and Klopfenstein must disappear.

O-line: A

No sacks.  I repeat, the Rams gave up no sacks today.  Even the run blocking was solid.  Only a handful of mistakes the entire game.  It's sickening to have blamed the O-line for our offensive issues the last two years, and then when they do perform for an entire game, you can't score a single touchdown.  Today's game convinced me Saunders needs to go.  Nevertheless, the line should get credit for their effort today.  They were outstanding.

D-line: C-

No sacks and intermittent pass disruption.  They did a decent job on the run, holding Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown to 102 yards combined.  The Wildcat should hopefully be a thing of the past as the Rams saw it three times and held the Dolphins to just 3 yards when they did employ it.  Still, where are the sacks for Chris Long?  He went up against a hurting Jake Long today and could have been credited with a sack when Pennington fumbled and tried to run out of bounds, but was corralled by C. Long.  Other than that, he wasn't able to do much.  Adam Carriker?  Didn't notice him.  Leonard Litte?  Jumped offsides once.  The DE's aren't giving us much, and only James Hall jumped out at me as having a nice game.  Poor showing.

LB/CB/S: B+

Why lump these three together?  Because they combined to hold the Dolphins offense in check.  The Fins moved the ball erratically with the run, but (AMAZINGLY) couldn't pass against the Rams, with Pennington going 13/23 for 166.  Again, we hold the Dolphins to 166 yards passing, our O-line plays well for the entirety of the game, and we can't win or score a touchdown.  So incredibly frustrating.  Still, the LB's and secondary deserve credit for playing a solid game today.

ST: A/D-

Josh Brown gets the A for going 4/4 on FG's with a 51 yarder.  Put Donnie Jones in that A too; he's on track to make the Pro Bowl.  Derek Stanley gets the D- for returns.  Who is making the call on return men this season?  We started the year with Dante Hall, and thankfully, someone was actually watching what he did and not just assigning him a spot on the depth chart.  Dane Looker and Travis Minor have even been used on return duty this year.  Now, it appears we're stuck with Derek "4 for 18" Stanley.  I hereby assign him that nickname for returning 4 punts for just 18 yards.  What is the rationale behind not using Donnie Avery?  If he's so fast, why not put him back there?  It can't be because he's making such a difference in the passing game; he's only caught one ball for 14 yards in the past two games.

Overall: C

This is a hard game to grade because the defense was effective, we held them to just 16 points, and the O-line played so well, not to mention the 1st half's running game.  What is going on with this offense?  Is it Bulger?  Is it Saunders or Haslett?  I can't tell, but anyone watching can tell it's just not working.

I'll update some NFL draft stuff this week since that seems to be what we're playing for at this point.

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The Dolphins are a 9 point favorite against the Rams this week. The spreads keep spreading. Though daunting, that spread is fairly generous for the Rams, who've failed to cover the spread since their loss to New England. 

Naturally, that makes predictions tough. I'm giving up on making them. Let's try a poll instead...the wisdom of crowds and all that.

Poll

What result do you expect from the Rams this week?

• More of the same, a blowout by the end of the half
• An honest loss, they play well and that's enough nowadays
• A win, some how, some way, they pull it off

  57 votes | Results

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"As far as Sunday, I am just going to relax and play football. That is going to be the main thing, I am going to take a deep breath and play football like I know how to play it."

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For most of the past decade, Al Saunders has been used to highoctane offenses. "I've been here when we've been the very, very best there was," Saunders said, referring to his time here during the Greatest Show ...

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On one side of the stadium afterward, the talk was how the lone marquee receiver, Torry Holt, begged out of the game at certain times. And the coach, Jim Haslett, said his star running back only got one carry in the final quarter because he was tired - "gassed" in Football lingo.
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Bess plays big
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It wasn't a blowout. It wasn't an embarrassment. But for the sixth Sunday in a row, it was a loss.
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Don't blame the defense for what took place Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams yielded only 16 points, their second-lowest total of the season. And their 327 yards allowed - to Miami's eighth-ranked offense - also was their second-lowest yield of 2008.
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Dolphins coach Tony Sparano tried to wake up his sleepwalking players at halftime, punctuating his pep talk with, "Who wants it?"
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As the Rams tried to rally past the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter Sunday, running back Steven Jackson had a great view of the action. From the sideline.
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For the second week in a row the Dolphins lost a key starter on offense to a season-ending injury.
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It's been more than seven months since they went 1-2 in the NFL Draft, but Dolphins tackle Jake Long and Rams defensive end Chris Long are still mistaken for each other.
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Nov. 30--It's been more than seven months since they went 1-2 in the NFL Draft, but Dolphins tackle Jake Long and Rams defensive end Chris Long are still mistaken for each other.
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The Rams will have a new face in the lineup plus a couple of familiar ones back in action Sunday when the Miami Dolphins visit the Edward Jones Dome.

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Scouts Inc. shares its key observations from Week 13.
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Rams quarterback Marc Bulger talked after the game Sunday about the loss, on Steven Jackson being back and his impact on the game, on if he didn't see the linebackers on the interceptions, on if the injury from last week had any effect on him today, on how John Greco played at guard, and on the efficiency in the red zone.
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Rams running back Steven Jackson talked after the game Sunday about how he felt, on only getting one carry in the fourth quarter, on how his leg felt after the game, on his number of carries being a product of coming off the injury, and on the specific adjustments the Dolphins made in the second half to stop the run.
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Rams rookie defensive end Chris Long talked after Sunday's game on playing against Dolphins rookie Jake Long, on the defense's performance today, and on if a loss can be an encouraging thing for a defense.
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Rams rookie linebacker talked Sunday after the game about how he played in his first start of his career, on making the defensive calls using the radio in his helmet, on if he was nervous, and on defending the Miami running attack.
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Tony Romo seems well-positioned to move ahead in what is a wide-open pursuit for league MVP honors.
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New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer used to snicker and scoff when he'd notice pro athletes traipsing around town with personal bodyguards. He isn't laughing now. Not after hearing about various violent episodes involving NFL players, the latest being when teammate Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York nightclub.
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License to complain annoyingly is hereby granted to fans of the following teams this week: Veterans of the Cry,...
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St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson is seen in the bench area during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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St. Louis Rams' Derek Stanley, bottom, gets tangled up with teammate St. Louis Rams' Gary Stills, top, while returning the opening kickoff during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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The Miami Dolphins kept the St. Louis Rams out of the end zone, even with Steven Jackson back in the lineup. The Dolphins (7-5) made it only once themselves in a 16-12 victory Sunday. Instead, they relied on stingy play from a defense that got routed last week by the Patriots to secure their fifth victory in six games.
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The Miami Dolphins kept the St. Louis Rams out of the end zone, even with Steven Jackson back in the lineup.
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St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, center, is stopped by a host of Miami Dolphins defenders after gaining 6 yards on the carry during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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St. Louis Rams kicker Josh Brown watches his 38-yard field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. The Dolphins won 16-12.

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Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown smiles after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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Miami Dolphins cornerback Andre' Goodman, right, downs the ball after intercepting a pass intended for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Derek Stanley, left, with in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, second from right, stands in the huddle during a time out with teammates Kenneth Darby (33) and Donnie Avery (17) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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Miami Dolphins tight end David Martin, right, fumbles the ball as he is hit by St. Louis Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. The Rams recovered the fumble, but Miami went on to win 16-12.

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Andre Goodman #21 of the Miami Dolphins intercepts a pass intended for Derek Stanley #19 of the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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Miami Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill, left, is congratulated by teammates Will Allen (25) and Akin Ayodele, right, after intercepting a pass by St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in St. Louis. Miami won 16-12.

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Andre Goodman #21 of the Miami Dolphins intercepts a pass intended for Derek Stanley #19 of the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Marc Bulger #10 of the St. Louis Rams passes against the Miami Dolphins at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Nathan Jones #33 of the Miami Dolphins tackles Derek Stanley #19 of the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Ted Ginn Jr. #19 of the Miami Dolphins runs up field against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Chad Pennington #10 and Samson Satele #63 of the Miami Dolphins line up against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Chad Pennington #10 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Steven Jackson #39 of the St. Louis Rams is tackled by Channing Crowder #52 of the Miami Dolphins at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Ricky Williams #34 of the Miami Dolphins gets a block from teammate Andy Alleman #57 against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Steven Jackson #39 of the St. Louis Rams rushes against the Miami Dolphins at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Quinton Culberson #53 of the St. Louis Rams is tackled after recovering a fumble against the Miami Dolphins at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Ronnie Brown #23 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Torry Holt #81 of the St. Louis Rams fends off Andre Goodman #21of the Miami Dolphins at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Ronnie Brown #23 of the Miami Dolphins rushes against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - NOVEMBER 30: Ronnie Brown #23 of the Miami Dolphins rushes against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on November 30, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dolphins beat the Rams 16-12. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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It's been a brutal month for coach Jim Haslett and the Rams. The team entered November coming off three straight solid outings, two of which were wins. They went into the Nov. 2 game against Arizona knowing a victory would bring them to within one game of the first-place Cardinals.

After taking an early 7-0 lead over Arizona, that game and the next three have been total nightmares. In each game, the outcome was virtually decided by halftime. It has left Haslett scratching his head, as he tries to find a way to win and achieve a reported mandate of owner Chip Rosenbloom that the team win two games in the final part of the season to return as the team's head coach for 2009 and beyond.

The day before last week's game against Chicago, Haslett met with Rosenbloom and co-owner...
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