BY JEFF GORDON
Post-Dispatch Online Sports Columnist
Tuesday, Dec. 28 2004
So here we are, Week 17 of the NFL season, and there are still plenty of Rams
topics to debate.
This 7-8 team still holds our interest. The sad-sack National Football
Conference has left the door to the playoffs ajar, even to sub-.500 teams.
So here goes:
* The Rams offensive line has greater self-esteem after turning into a road
grader against the Eagles on Monday night. It’s always easier to block moving
forward instead of backing up, especially while playing with injuries.
We chatted about this topic with former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth on
ESPN Radio. Schlereth spent much of his NFL career playing hurt, so he knows
what he is talking about.
A wounded offensive lineman forced to pass block 45 or 50 times in a game . . .
well, that’s just not fair. That’s a good way to get your backside beat.
In this game, however, the linemen spent more time on their toes than their
heels.
“I really felt like our offensive line, this is probably as well as we’ve
played this year,” coach Mike Martz said. “Tommy (Nutten) came back and did a
terrific job. Blaine (Saipaia) is continuing to get better. He’s going to be a
fine player.”
By getting healthier and spending more time moving forward in run blocking, the
O-Line had arguably its strongest game of the year.
“How important is it that the offensive line is healthy, and that they play
like a unit as it did?” Martz said. “When the offensive line is playing like
it did here last night, you can do anything you want, really.”
* The New York Jets are a compelling opponent for the Rams on their final
Sunday. They can really pound the ball on the ground.
Since the Rams’ front seven struggles against the run, it’s not hard to imagine
what sort of game plan coach Herman Edwards will devise.
On the flip side, the Jets are suffering a quarterback crisis. Young Chad
Pennington has struggled in the really big games this season.
He also made the mistake of taking on the New York media, which is a battle he
simply cannot win. Pennington has taken a pounding in the tabloids. We’ve
already read about his nagging shoulder injury, which, scouts say, has hurt his
performance.
Is there a weakness there the Rams defense could exploit? Stay tuned . . .
* Martz made a good point about the dreadful “artificial turf” at the Edward
Jones Dome. Apparently the multi-purpose use of the dome as part of the
convention center prevents the installation of the much-loved Fieldturf that
other domes feature.
The current surface resembles a rug thrown on top of asphalt. Many parking lots
around the dome offer about as much give.
Martz’s rant probably won’t lead to change, but you would hope somebody notices
how all these turf-related contact injuries cost the franchise a fortune.
How long will
Steven Jackson last playing on this stuff? How much more leg
would Marshall Faulk have if he didn’t have to play on this stuff?
“The organization has been pressing for two years to get that done,” Martz said
Tuesday, continuing a campaign that started Monday night. “For some reason,
they refuse to do it. It’s just not right. We’ve offered to pay for all costs
and they just balk at it.
“But it’s embarrassing to have to ask a professional football team to play on
that surface. It’s like a parking lot. Whatever push used to be there is long
gone. It’s awful. I can’t imagine the league allowing it to go much further
because it is way substandard.”
If the dome can’t fix the playing surface, is it time to start beating the drum
for a new state-of-the-art stadium with a sliding roof, better acoustics and a
field that isn’t killing off players?
Just a thought.
* It’s too early to speculate about how competitive the Rams could be in the
playoffs, should they reach them. But this team did show some signs of getting
its old confidence back.
“This is who we are,” Martz said. “We finally have kind of gotten things
together. We got some guys healthy and going. This is who we really are. We don’
t have corners out, safeties out, linebackers out, quarterback out, the runners
out, the guard out.
“This is who we are. We’re mended. We’re playing pretty good, as of last night.
Hopefully we can build on that.”