I have a few thoughts, but I need to collect myself and think them through without the explicatives. This is an all ages site after all.
I guess the question of how we got to this point is irrelevant. The missteps of this franchise are well documented, with no shortage of comment. Couple of things, and then I recommend you go out and salvage your Sunday. Richie Incognito not only owes us all an apology, he and his teammates owe us plenty of lost time.
We all know that Green is not the answer. For all the quick passes he made that Bulger hasn't been able to, there were the complete misfires. How many times did you ask yourself who exactly he was throwing to? Unfortunately, I think he might have been throwing to the Bears, what with the 4 INTs and all. If Green's in a Rams uniform next year, it's a sure sign that any efforts to improve this franchise are nothing more than lip service, a complete lie. Unfortunately, we're stuck with Bulger. There's no happy solution with the ball and chain of a contract he has. (Let's not get revisionist here either, he played well through 2006). However, Haslett would be wise to use his injury today as an excuse to sit him and let the QB recover physically and mentally. If he's playing next year, at least he'll start the season in one piece. I would have liked to see more Brock Berlin, since we're watching the theatre of the absurd.
To me, it all starts and ends with the line, both offense and defense. With Pace out - and he's been average at best in his twilight - this is nothing more than a collection of spare parts. The only ones really playing at a caliber of a starting lineman are, as much as it pains me to say it, Richie Incognito and Alex Barron, about 75% of the time. And those guys are average at best; on a line with real pros around them, they'd be fine. If the Rams fail to address the line this offseason, get ready for more of the same. They need a tackle and a center. They also need to remind Jacob Bell just exactly why they gave him a contract in the first place. Even with those steps, it's only a start, but a positive one that would have some impact.
On the other side of the ball, nothing we haven't said before. The Rams need a big body NT to stuff runs and tie up blockers, freeing up DT Adam Carriker from being a complete bust and allowing the DEs to do what they get paid for instead of cleaning up for the Rams weak middle. A true blue middle linebacker also needs to be on the list Billy Devaney sends to the North Pole this year, maybe more than one.
The Rams needs are so many and so pressing, it's purely academic as to where they need to start. Don't forget, as much as we need linemen and linebackers, we also need a QB and warm bodies for the secondary. However, if they go all in to address the o-line and the middle of the defense, they'll be miles ahead of where they are now. Miles. If they can get those pieces in place, the team can tread water, play competitive football and win some games. From there, the makeover can continue, but it has to start in those two places.
The Rams have been struggling to find an identity since the decline of the Martz Era. In a league dominated by tough, grinding teams, the Rams still struggle, carrying the ghosts of their precision roots.
Okay, poll time. Notice I left off the scores, because there's oh so much more than that when determining which is the worst Rams game of the season. Vote with your heart and your head. Did I miss one? Let's hear about which one and why you think it's the worst Rams game.