Move to the 3-4?

Well, what's been said has been said. The words aren't going away, as they shouldn't. The Rams don't have an easy schedule the rest of the way...of course we thought the Cardinals were a gimme, so...

This week's game agains the Bears could shape up to be a pretty interesting one. Obviously, the Bears are favored, but with Grossman's struggles the Rams pass rush could [emphasis on could] force some turnovers. The Bears will run, run, run, and hopefully nobody on the coaching staff will be surprised. Miami did beat them this season, you know, so there's at least a little glimmer of hope for the Rams.

Maybe it's time for the Rams to switch to a 3-4 defense. They don't have the talent on the line to g owith 4 in the front, but they DO have talent at the LB positions. Tinoisamoa's hamstrung a bit with his hand injury, but he's quick and agile which fits the profile for a 3-4 LB. Look at what San Diego's 3-4 has done for Shawne Merriman, well, that and some nice steroids. In theory, the 3-4 could help the run defense by giving the Rams 4 quick guys on their feet able to flow and react to where the ball is. That should translate into fewer big play runs, which according to Football Outsiders defensive DVOA rankings, the Rams are the fourth worst team in the league in giving up rushing plays that go more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.

New England beat the Bears largely on the strength of their 3-4 defense, and once again the AFC is using the 3-4 to dominate the NFC. It really threw Grossman off his game that week - not that he needs any help, but still...

It's absolutely worth a try for the Rams. I doubt Haslett moves to it given his die hard commitment to the blitz.

In the meantime, be sure to help St. Louis area shelters by voting for the Rams at Campbell's soup's online promotion. As of this morning, the Rams are in top five! And it's sure nice to see them in the top 5 of something other than rushing yards allowed!