The wackiness continues at Rams Park. Buzz about Jackson's radio comments started to take off, and when Linehan was asked about SJ's remarks, he said that he had not spoken to SJ about them but he planned to. The conversation, according to the coach, will not be made available for public consumption.

But, the real interesting parlay of the presser was Linehan's volley over whether or not QB Marc Bulger had said anything to the head coach regarding his rumored unwillingness to play for Linehan anymore, from the PD: 

"He's never given me any (such) indication. I know he's disappointed with my decision. He's practiced very well this week, and worked hard, and all those things. If that's his feeling, he's never mentioned that to me. You have to ask him that particular question."

Maybe I've been too swept up in presidential politics and economic meltdowns lately, but I read this and get the sense that Linehan effectively knows Bulger's position. How can he not? There's a history of tension between the two. Linehan's in a tough spot here, he can't say anything to alienate his QB in case he needs to come back to Bulger to start. He can't say something along the lines of "we talked, we'll work it out" because if they haven't talked and Bulger says that whenever he does take questions Linehan will look like a fool. Dodging the question completely wasn't a good option either. 

Will Bulger talk to the press? Certainly he will at some point, after there's been some kind of detente between himself and the team, but expecting something salacious isn't reasonable. 

Interestingly enough, there seems to be some kind of gag order on disgruntled Rams players. The mysteriously disappeared Fakhir Brown has said nothing since his releases, but you can bet he and his agents phones were ringing off the hook, (Brown's in a tough spot because he needs to find work with another team, really, before he can do much to tint his reputation one way or another, and he'll need to convey what happened without media noise to his potential suitors). Other players are still talking, but in strange language, coded so as to gloss over the turmoil yet acknowledge frustrations, see Orlando Pace's "Hopefully I do my job so I don’t get replaced" remark. 

Then there was Torry Holt's line from yesterday, pointed out by our own Tackle Boxin the comments. The Rams WR admitted to shock at Bulger's benching, declined comment on whether it was the right decision, and then smartly went back to the "do my job" talk and pointed out the positives. (Here's a piece on Holt's remarks from Steve Korte at the Belleville News Democrat).

So what's going on at Rams Park? Who the hell knows. It's an evolving situation with many more shoes still to drop. 

No, the sack totals haven't finally added up. That headline is my paraphrasing of what's probably the most under-reported aspect of Steven Jackson (latest) buzz generating interview, the one where he hammered the Rams for their decision to bench QB Marc Bulger.

The point he's making when he says the Rams have lost Bulger for the season is that head coach Scott Linehan can't effectively come back to Bulger and ask him to play again after what's happened, something that would seem to confirm the whispers that Bulger says he'll no longer play for Linehan.

In the video below, ESPN analyst Darren Woodson argues that benching Bulger and turning to Green, while not the best move, was the only way to shake up a locker room with low morale and the danger of that spreading even further. I honestly don't know how much further it could spread, or if it matters.

There's probably already too much friction between Linehan and some of his key players like Jackson, and obviously Bulger. We know Torry Holt's had his very public disagreements with Linehan in the past, and while he plays hard, I can't imagine he's a big Linehan guy. Nobody's saying this, but I suspect Fakhir Brown got cut because of a problem with the coach (or coaches); why else would a team struggling with pass defense and depth at CB release their top veteran player? Brown wasn't playing like their best CB, but there's plenty of reason to believe Brown's play wasn't just a rough start to the season. Check out what else Jackson had to say in his interview:

"We should be loose, we should be going out there playing football. But I think a lot of people right now are playing for their jobs. As far as fans listening, it's really hard to play for your jobs. We're not winning. Yes, it boils down to winning and losing in this business that we play in. But when you are playing not to lose your job, that is when you are not going to make plays."

The rift between Linehan and his players has passed the point where reconciliation is possible. You don't need to do much reading between the lines on this quote from LT Orlando Pace to get a sense of how players feel:

"Hopefully I do my job so I don’t get replaced."

That's just not the kind of thing Pace is know for saying. Nor is it what you want to hear from one of your core veterans. The players are near revolt and the team is in disarray. At this point, Sunday's outcome doesn't matter - just like the three wins last year - the Rams have to make changes. Firing Scott Linehan is the place to start. Just two weeks ago, I personally was willing to extend the grace period, but it's clear now the problem is irreconcilable.

Something may be afoot already, as the PD's Bill Coats reported this afternoon that Linehan jogged off the field without making himself available to the media in order to attend a meeting with GM Jay Zygmunt, a man synonymous with the franchise's overall decline. Burwell says can 'em both, and I have to say I agree 100%.

Not interested in Wall Street news? No problem. The Rams are providing a little bit of meltdown theatre right here in our backyard.

The always vocal running back Steven Jackson very publically criticized the Rams and head coach Scott Linehan's decision to bench QB Marc Bulger. He called it the "wrong decision," but offered no thoughts on where the problem might lie...at least not directly as all otehr signs point to a cold(er) war in the locker room between players and coach.

Jackson went on to suggest that Bulger would not be willing to return to the Rams starting lineup and team sources told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger does not want to play for head coach Scott Linehan.

So here we are. The situation will reach critical mass at some point, sooner rather than later. Either Linehan's going to get canned or Bulger's days as a Rams are numbered, maybe both, but odds are Linehan goes first, especially if this week's results mirror last week's, and the week before, and the week before that.

Stay tuned.

Hey, can the Rams suspend their season while they deal with the crisis surrounding the team?

No, they can't, but they did make plenty of adjustments yesterday to try and create some new looks and inject some new blood into the game plan. Lost in the much talked about release of Fakhir Brown and the burying Marc Bulger was a key change that we've been advocating for at TST for some time: making Donnie Avery a starter.

The Rams second round draft pick and the first WR taken in the draft, in case you forgot, will start opposite Torry Holt. Excellent. Dane Looker, who has played decent enough in all the turmoil, will get reps in the slot...along with, ugh, Dante Hall. There have also been whispers of Avery getting some work in the return game, but I can't find anything to confirm that.

It's almost an afterthought in wake of all this that the Rams lost backup RB Antonio Pittman for 4-6 weeks with a cracked fibula. I would have liked to see the Rams throw in a direct snap, Wild Hog trick play, a la Miami last weekend. Pittman, with his speed, would have been perfect. Snap the ball to Steven Jackson who can either toss it over the middle or, more preferably, give the ball to Pittman who breaks open with his speed for a good run with defenders confused and forced to account for Jackson. It's not the answer, but it would likely have given the Rams the chance to shake things up a bit and use the trick play to get the players psyched up.

Lord knows they could have used something to shake up the offense.

Not to be left out after switching starting QBs, the Rams defense will see some changes this week.

Obviously, replacing the released Fakhir Brown at CB was one move, and the Rams have asked Tye Hill to fill the void, giving him a chance to get confidence back.

They also made second year DT Clifton Ryan the starter in place of La'Roi Glover. The Rams have left Ryan on the sidelines far too much this season, and we've been arguing here that last year's rookie surprise should have been seeing more snaps anyway. This is a good move.

DE Victor Adeyanju will replace DE James Hall on the left side. Don't be shocked. Adeyanju's a run stopping specialist and the Rams have been getting killed on the ground. They've allowed an average of 184.3 rushing yards per game and a total of 553, only the Lions have allowed more. The Rams and Lions both have allowed 6 rushing TDs, worst in the NFC.

Swapping out LB Quiton Culberson with Chris Draft should also help that weak run defense. It's now obvious that letting Brandon Chillar walk was a mistake.

Rams Gab has a spot on analysis, which is awfully tough to disagree with, so head over there for the full run down.