Steven Jackson IS the Rams

Is Steven Jackson the best running back in the NFL?

It's hard to top what LT has done this season, but he's got NFC locked up and you can make a solid case for him as the second best this season. When LT suffers the inevitable fate of being slapped on the cover of Madden 2008 next season, Jackson will become the best in the league...without argument.

"The Best" is an arbitrary title, but one that Rams fans should embrace as they look toward this team's future. Like the assembled cast of characters from the "Greatest Show on Turf" that formed the nucleus of this team's identity in the past, Steven Jackson has become the face of the new Rams, a Rams team that has suddenly, in the midst of what should become an 8-8 season, found itself and the way forward.

Down 28-14, a few weeks ago changing the channel to another game made perfect sense. But last week, things started to look different, and this week - when you didn't even have the option of changing the channel - the sea change was complete. I have no idea what happened, maybe the players tasted victory in Oakland and realized that they could in fact win games even if they weren't the best team in the NFL. Whatever it was, the Rams became a new team.

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. This ain't the '72 Dolphins, but it is a team that is once again entertaining to watch. And we might just make the playoffs to boot!

Whether or not there's one or two or more games for the Rams this season, keep your eyes on that long haired guy running the football.

I also want to give a big thanks to Ben, known here as thatbenguy, from the Curly R Redskins blog for keeping blacked-out Rams fans updated on the game's progress.