National spotlight shines on the Rams: Random Ramsdom, 10/8

Don't look now, but the national media is starting to pay attention to the St. Louis Rams.

Terry Bradshaw sat down with Sam Bradford this week for an interview set to run on the Fox pregame show this week. This should be interesting. What will the intelligent kid with a bright future say to Cro-magnon Bradshaw? Tune it to find out.  

After Fox's terrible pregame show, it'll be the Rams at Detroit to take on the Lions. It's another example of just how much things can change in short time in the NFL. When the schedule was released, this game was ticketed as the toilet bowl, a game that had more implications for the first and second picks in the draft than anything else. Now, the Rams, tied for first in their division, need to prove that they can win on the road. Detroit, suddenly capable of scoring, has to overcome the same hurdle the Rams faced in week 3, showing themselves that they do in fact know how to win games. The Rams are three point underdogs. 

I'd like to see Jason Brown, Jacob Bell and the combination of John Greco and Adam Goldberg to remind Ndamukong Suh that he is still a rookie. Sam Bradford as already reminded everyone why he was the right pick at first overall.

Thoughts on the injury report and lots more below the fold.

It could be another one of those games with help lacking at cornerback. Kevin Dockery is out this week and next with a hamstring issue, and Justin King was "extremely" limited in practice yesterday with calf injury that had dogged him before the season. That puts rookie Jerome Murphy in the spotlight at nickel and more pressure on Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher. 

If you'll recall, the lack of CBs hurt the defense against Oakland, though the offense's inability to finish drives with points ultimately lost the game. Detroit averages 254 yards per game, 7th best in the league. Fortunately, the Rams will have a healthy OJ Atogwe at FS to help with one Calvin Johnson. 

Things are getting better at defensive tackle. Clifton Ryan is over his migraines and will practice today. Gary Gibson practiced in a limited fashion, but should be ready to go on Sunday. The Rams were without Ryan and Darrell Scott last week (Scott is still out) and lost Gibson during the game. That didn't seem to stop their defensive line from manhandling Seattle. So this is good news. 

Steven Jackson is better, but will still not be at 100 percent this week. 

Bradford and the other NFC West quarterbacks are among the league's worst rated in passes traveling more than 21 yards. Bradford is 2 for 6 with 73 yards and 1 INT that came in a hail Mary situation against the Cardinals. 

Fred Robbins is the defensive tackle the Rams have been lacking all these years. His presence has been a huge help for the defense, for a number of reasons.