Earlier this week, we looked at the specific battle that the Rams defensive front would face against running back Thomas Jones and the Jets’ mammoth offensive line… even without center Nick Mangold and tackle Damien Woody. In the two days hence, though, last year’s free agent prize Alan Faneca broke his finger in a freak […]

True fantasy football leagues don’t draft team defense. There’s no worse copout in the game. Drafting team defenses is basically admitting “I don’t know and don’t care who wears jerseys between #30 and #79.” But, I’m not here to put down your sissy FF league — I’m here with some interesting NFC West predictions, because […]

The second sons of New York, more famous for Fireman Ed and Brett Favre than for much actual football in the last few years, have quietly turned into a very formidable rushing team. Last offseason’s signing of Alan Faneca and Damien Woody, along with the continued excellence of Nick Mangold at center, have created a […]

Mike Sando looks at possible replacements via free agency, and brings up a list of the usual suspects. The only receiver in the list he likes is also one that I’ve touted before as a low-cost option for the Rams: Ike Hilliard. Now, he’s not a 1-for-1 replacement for Avery. In fact, he’s the opposite […]

Update and photo of the tackle that did the deed from the P-D:

Back to regularly scheduled programming, after sitting in the Foot Injury Situation Room. In yesterday’s NFC West notes, Sando linked to a report by Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat that quoted Chris Long as saying: “As a defensive front, we have to be dominant, and I just want to fit into that. I think […]

We don’t know, and won’t know until we’re told for sure, what Donnie Avery’s foot injury is. But I’m speculating, given that there was no break that showed up on X-ray, and that they played their scrimmage on the new NextTurf field at Lindenwood, that it’s some form of “turf toe,” or hyperextended ligament of […]

This nightmare headline just showed up: Donnie Avery injured, out 4-6 weeks. Looking for substantiation… Updated source: Bill Coats writes: What orginally was believed to be a minor injury has turned into a major problem for the St. Louis Rams. Donnie Avery, the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, will be out at least a month […]

All eyes were on Lindenwood University’s football field last night — nearly 7,000 sets of eyes, to be exact — as the Rams took the field in full pads and uniforms to play-act for the fans. We packed up the family, including Son of RamsHerd (shown here, studying the roster), and enjoyed a beautiful evening […]

Bryan (aka Mr. FanBall) asked for my quick thoughts on the impact of Jason Smith on the Rams this season for his upcoming “5 Questions You Should Be Asking” column. I gave him a little taste of what we’ve been seeing and hearing, along with a little projection on what the season might hold. Here […]

Bill Coats has the rundown on what to expect at tonight’s scrimmage at Lindenwood. I’ll be heading down to catch the festivities, then adjourning to a local establishment to enjoy frosty beverages. Anyone want to join me and the RamsHerd crew? Hit me up on

Got to an afternoon practice yesterday. Players were in shorts and shells, and it was a non-tackling drill to give the players a break after a few physical outings. Some cloud cover helped mask a windless, humid day. The Alberici wind generator on 170 stood eerily still on the way out to Earth City. When […]

Let’s revisit my previous prediction, for the Rams’ month of September. By my thinking, the Rams will stagger to an 0-3 start, scoring just 16 points per game, and giving up nearly 24. (Caveat … the Hollis Thomas signing may provide enough of an edge in a close game against the run-dependent Redskins to push […]

The continuation of my predictions for the 2009 season, looking at the month of October. (The consensus from my September predictions was that I may be under the influence of some sort of opiates. We’ll see if that trend continues.) I’ll be attending two more Rams practices, including their scrimmage Friday evening at Lindenwood University, […]

“We have perfect confidence in him, and he has perfect confidence in the huddle. He has gained a certain majesty during the season, and it has rubbed off on all of us.” — The Year of the Ram, by Tex Maule. Published December 25, 1967