I know what you're thinking, "could this bye week possibly get any better?"
TST is pleased to offer our two cents with a definitive "yes, yes it can."
Purusing the Post-Dispatch today, it appears the full roster is available for this week's game in San Diego. The secondary gets a much needed boost after helping Hasselbeck pad his stats just over a week ago with Fakhir Brown looking good in practice and ready to start this week. Fullbacks Madison Hedgecock and Paul Smith will be available for the Chargers game as well.
Not much activity on the Rams front, and good luck finding any St. Louis journalist devoting much ink to the Rams with the Cardinals in the playoffs. Ah, to be a football team in a baseball town.
Loyal TST reader Option27 points out in this diary that Hasselbeck will be out at least 2-4 weeks. A factor that bodes well for the Chiefs...and the Rams.
San Diego linebacker and substance abuse policy violator, Shawne Merriman, has the right to and will appeal his four game suspension, and therefore could be active this week against the Rams.
Despite all the talk about the Rams secondary last week, it's the run defense that will be put to the test against the Chargers. Behind LT, San Diego is third in the league in per game rushing yards, averaging a whopping 148 per game. The Rams run defense sits in the bottom tier of the league, allowing 121+ yards per game and having given up 6 rushing TDs. Putting points on the board shouldn't be too difficult given how banged up San Diego's defense is; however, stopping the Chargers running game could well be where the game is won or lost.