With the news of Steven Jackson's As a guy who once coached my alma mater would say: "Not so fast, my friend."
The Rams still have offensive concerns. Let's sort through them.
The Offensive Line
Orlando Pace has missed practices with soreness in the surgically repaired shoulder which ended his season after just one game last year. One of the main reasons the Rams offense took such a hit last year was the absence of Pace. You could even argue -- I certainly would -- that's what led to Marc Bulger's injury problems, considering Pace is his backside protection and the injuries were to his dome and rib-cage.
Guard Mark Setterstrom and tackle Brandon Gorin are already out for the season. They were slated as backups, but the line durability and depth was a major concern heading into the season, as they Rams used 13 different starters for the five slots last year.
Al Saunders' New Offense
The complicated (reported) hundred or so page offense never blew up in D.C. the way Dan Snyder had envisioned, as they finished 13th and 15th in total offense during his two seasons. The Rams have better weapons with which to excel, but are they grasping the x's and o's yet?
We're coming along . . . definitely improving," Torry Holt said. "We'll catch on. It's a rhythm-and-timing thing, and we'll continue to develop that as we go through practice. Hopefully we'll can put together something here real soon."That would be a start, Torry. The season is right around the corner.
Marc Bulger Struggling
Struggling is really an understatement. His QB rating is 14.1, which is "Bad Rex" territory. How'd he get there? Well, completing only 10 of 23 passes will do, as will the three picks compared to zero touchdowns. This is likely a product of him trying to grasp the new system in addition to the line woes, Jackson's holdout, and the loss of reliable Isaac Bruce.
Obviously, this is where we throw in the disclaimer ... it's only been two pre-season games, yada yada yada.
Still, with Jackson now practicing and the third pre-season game looming large Saturday night at home, there's no better time for a sign of life from the Rams' offense.
Fantasy Spin:
I'm not ready to bail yet. They may get off to a slow start because of the delay in rapport this exhibition season, but Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Steven Jackson are all quality starting fantasy players ... and Jackson is an elite (top-five) player.
The main thing to watch with these guys is the offensive line. If the seven time pro-bowler Pace is out for any substantial time period, all bets are off. There was a reason the 2006 sixth-ranked offense fell all the way to 24th in '07.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bulger sucks. He's always sucked. The day the Rams let Kurt Warner go in favor of Bulger is the day my interest faded. I can't help but find myself pulling for the Cardinals when they meet.
Bulger will be fine. Let him play with all of his starting receivers instead of Looker and Bennett and a 2nd teir running back. As long as his line is in good shape he'll be fine. Take a breath and give him a chance.
We had better hope some good offensive linemen come up in the last cuts. Otherwise, with Setterstrom already out for the season and Orlando hurting, it could be a repeat of 2007. The Rams should hire a conditioning coach that knows what he is doing. Injuries like this are not coincidental. Someone doesn't know how to get players ready to play and not get injured.