Well, time for what's becoming an afternoon tradition 'round here at the old Turf Show Times, the Steven Jackson holdout update. And, as you might have suspected, there's nothing happening...that we know of. We'll continue to cling to the two most recent developments, stretching the interpretation to give them a sunshine and roses feel in the midst of what could be a dark, dark situation for the Rams.

First and foremost, the report yesterday from the Post-Dispatch that "low-key talks" have happened in recent days hold out the most hope, particularly when you consider that with talk of Jackson seeking new representation out of his displeasure with the situation which could well be the driving factor in those "low-key talks."

Those low level discussions most certainly top the agenda when Linehan meets with team president Jay Zygmunt in St. Louis today. I suspect that in addition to a status report from Zygmunt about those talks, Linehan will give Zygmunt an full assessment of the team's prospects and contingency plans for life without Steven Jackson. Linehan might also want to get an idea from Zygmunt too about how a potentially long absence from Jackson might effect his job security.

Finally, there's an interesting, sort of parallel taking place in New York, well New Jersey really, between the Giants and Plaxico Burress. Burress, too, is looking for a new contract and had been absent from camp ostensibly because of a bum ankle, but he showed up this week, going through limited reps. Ross Tucker at SI.com thinks Burress' strategy could provide a template for holdouts like Jackson or Bills tackle Jason Peters, both represented by Eugene Parker, wherein they report and allow negotiations to advance, without doing much in the way of practicing. Hopefully, Jackson's aware of this, because it would be a great way for him to save face, the face that's already being used as the face of the franchise, and makes sense given the reported rift between him and his agent.

Ok, that's all the Steven Jackson holdout talk for today - barring developments. God, this situation is getting old.

Tomorrow's schedule at TST: defense and previews for this weekend's all-too-important preseason game against the Chargers.

Now, lest you think the Rams are the only beleagured member of the beleagured NFC West, let's troll around the division to see where things stand with the rest of the NFL's flotsam and jetsam.

Receiverless in Seattle

Seattle had big questions about WR depth before camp began, but the loss Bobby Engram this week and Deion Branch is likely to miss some time early in the season. Add to that worries about starting QB Matt Hasselback, who has been missing some practices, and Seattle could have real problems on offense. And if that weren't enough, don't think they won't miss new Rams kicker Josh Brown. Brown's leg beat the Rams twice in 2006. Now Orlando Mare and Brandon Coutu are battling for the kicker job in the windy confines of Seattle.

At least we've got a QB

Now, after Kurt Warner's surprising emergence in the wake of Trent Green's injury way back when, I never laugh too much at QB situations. 49er fans don't have the recent memory that we do though, and it doesn't seem like the possibility of J.T. O'Sullivan starting truly excites anyone. The decline of first round pick Alex Smith could have bigger implications in San Fran's organizational harmony, especially for Mike Nolan. Could Mike Martz be coaching again next season? There's also concern about the pass rush.

More QB controversy

If Arizona works out the ever-present QB controversy between Lienart and Warner, they actually could be the surprise of the divsion. Sneaky, sneaky. Fans have real concerns about their secondary too.

It's gametime.  Is it Week 1 of the regular season?  No.  Does it mean much in the full scope of Ram relevance?  Not really.  Does it give us a chance to break down some of the more intriguing storylines of the off- and preseason while getting to watch football?  Yes.  Yes, it does.

Continue reading this post »

We seem to have a fairly optimistic projection for Marc Bulger, and, as noted yesterday, there's every reason to think that Bulger can bounce back in line with what he's capable of. Naturally, after two straight season of injuries to Orlando Pace, I worry about the big guy going down. However, he is healthy now - should be officially cleared sometime this month, before camp - and his recent injuries (rotator cuff & triceps) aren't the kind that tend to cascade for an OT and accelerate the downward side of a great career. The coaches and fans will be paying particularly close attention to the rest of the tackles in camp, hoping that should Pace miss a game, someone has at least improved to the point where they can fill in adequately on the blind side.

Before we change subjects away from Marc Bulger, Football Outsiders has their rankings for best QB games since 1995 posted. Third from the top is Marc Bulger's masterpiece against the Chargers in week 10 of the 2002 season.

That day, Bulger completed 36 of 47 passes for a stunning 453 yards and 4 TDs, leading the Rams to a 28-24 victory over San Diego. Bruce had 3 of those TDs and 10 catches for 163 yards. Ernie Conwell had the other TD, and Holt had 7 catches for 118 yards. The Rams played from behind after the Chargers made it 17-7 at the half, with Bulger and Bruce leading the 4th quarter rally with 2 scores. But it wasn't all pretty. Two fo San Diego's TDs came on fumble returns.

Nevertheless, that 4th quarter shone brightly as the crown jewel of a 7-9 season, a season that started with 5 straight losses. The roller coaster started to climb after hitting bottom in week 5 against the 49ers, who won the division with a 10-6 record. Riding the comeback momentum, the Rams beat the Bears the next week, before finishing the season with a disappointing 2-4 run.

That game was also Bulger's coming out party, one of 7 he started that season as the Rams grappled with quarterback turmoil as Warner started the season 7 INTs and 1 TD before succuming to a broken finger in week 4. The rest is pretty much history.

Back later today with some thoughts on Donnie Avery and the spread.

The hope/excitement of the draft has yet to wane and with reports of Chris Long breezing through the love fest that was the Rams minicamp, thoughts of rookie sensations are sweeping through my head.

And with nothing much happening on the Rams front for awhile, what better time than to pull the cib webs off the ol' history book, crack it open and take a look back at some of the better rookie seasons in Rams history.

Unfortunately, you've got to have a long, really long memory for stuff like that, as football just hasn't established the footprint on the web that baseball has, where a click or two of the mouse gets you arse deep in history and tradition. So, I thought I'd break it down by memory, starting now with the Rams' history since coming to St. Louis in 1995. Again, not to slight the team's history, but I have a much better recollection of the Rams after they came to St. Louis than before. We'll get into the Los Angeles period later this week.

Kevin Carter, 1995
Taken by the Rams with the sixth overall pick in the 1995 draft , we all hope Chris Long enjoys a long and prosperous career like Carter's. In his rookie season, the team's first in a new city, playing in that old bowl shaped monument to the functionalist architecture of the 1960s, Carter started all 16 games, recorded 33 tackles, 6 sacks, and a safety for good measure.

Eddie Kennison, 1996
That's right, before he was the Chiefs' possession guy, he had a three season stint with the Rams , who drafted him 18th overall in the 1996 draft. His rookie season, it turns out, would be his most memorable for awhile, until he landed with LC in 2002. With the Rams in 1996, Kennison caught 54 passes for 924 yards and a 9 touchdowns. Not bad for the Tony Baks era. It would be his best season until 2004 with the Chiefs, when offensive coordinator Al Saunders' system helped EK, at 31, get his first 1000+ yard season and 8 TDs to boot. If there's ever been a reason to feel confident in the Rams WR picks, it's now, with Al Saunders on board.

Orlando Pace, 1997
There's not really much in the way of stats for the o-line, but Pace started 9 games for the Rams in his rookie season. That year, the Rams allowed 44 sacks and passed for 3,198 yards and 14 TDs. The year before, the Rams allowed 57 sacks, passed for 2,765 yards and 18 TDs. It was the beginning of something beautiful.

Tony Horne, 1998
Finding something good about the '98 season taxes even the most optimistic fans, but Horne picked up 1308 yards on 56 kick returns, including one for a 102 yard TD.

Torry Holt, 1999
Who didn't have a good season in 1999? Holt, the 6th overall pick in the draft , madea splash with 52 catches, 788 yards and 6 TDs, behind only the great Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce in receptions and receiving yards in the year the Greatest Show on Turf was born.

Kurt Warner, 1999*
Technically, Warner's rookie year was 1998, but since he made only one appearance and threw just 11 passes, maybe we can make an exception. Besides, Warner was kind of an exception already, getting his into to hte NFL in his late 20s. Anyway, it's not hard to remember Warner passing for 4353 yards and 41 TDs. It's easy to see why fan boards are still filled with "bring back Warner" posts.

Adam Archuleta, 2001
Fans take note, another Rams first round pick had an impact season in their rookie year. Arch Delux didn't lead the team in any one category, but the safety became a solid contributor out of the defensive backfield in his rookie year. He posted 2 sacks, 47 tackles, a forced fumble and 3 pass deflections.

Marc Bulger, 2002
Starting seven games in place of the injured Kurt Warner, Bulger made his mark as the future franchise QB passing for 1826 yards, 14 TDs and just 6 INTs.

Pisa Tinoisamoa, 2003
Arguably his best season so far . The Rams newest LB and 2nd round pick recorded 2 sacks, 67 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 7 pass deflections and 3 INTs. Injuries have conspired to hide all that Pisa is capable of for the last two seasons, and the Rams will be counting on him to have a healthy and productive year in 2008.

Steven Jackson, 2004
Not his most memorable season  by any means, but on 134 carries, SJ had 673 yards and 4 TDs. Faulk, who played in just 14 games that year, had 774 yards on 195 carries and just 3 TDs, ruining fantasy hopes across the country. Jackson also had 138 yards on 19 receptions.

Tye Hill, 2006
Sour times for Rams fans and rookies. You really have to get the magnifying glass out to see the team's bright spots in the middle part of this decade. Hill, the Rams first round pick, had 47 tackles, 6 pass deflections, and 3 INTs, tying him with Brown and Atogwe for the team lead in a season where the Rams defense was forgettable at best. His second year marred by injury, we're all anxious to see what Hill can do this year.

Clifton Ryan, 2007
You thought I was going to say Carriker here, huh? Well, intangibles aside, Ryan owns the better rookie numbers from last season. The surprise stand out from the 5th round played his way into an indispensible role at DT. In the process, he accumlated 24 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 sacks. Nothing huge, but enough to help put the Rams defense back on the road to respectability.

Ok, feel free to add your own picks in the comments below. The encouraging thing here is that there's a solid history of Rams rookies making their presence known right away. This season, there are several candidates to have a big impact on the team's fortunes. The easy pick is Chris Long, but guys like Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Roy Scheuning, John Greco, Justin King and even Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora, could surprise us all. Care to venture a guess?