FanHouse RandyMcMichael

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Meet The ...
24th ranked offense in the NFL in 2007. Could it be? The "Greatest Show on Turf" has been reduced to rubble. Well, not entirely. Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger both missed four games, Isaac Bruce got old, and Bulger was without all-world protector Orlando Pace for all but one game.

The Breakout
For once, I'm not going to follow directions. There isn't one breakout on this team I'd like to spotlight, but instead several guys that will totally out-perform last year's value. First and foremost is Jackson. He's right with Brian Westbrook and Joseph Addai in the mix for the third overall pick. Next, as Tom Herrera already covered, Bulger is due for a huge bounce-back. Invariably when he does, Torry Holt comes back to his expected level of production. Randy McMichael was rescued last year from the exile that is Miami's offense, and now he'll get to reap the rewards. I guess my short answer is that I'd rather name this category "The Bounce Back" and say "The entire offense." They aren't 24th-in-the-NFL bad. Not even close.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your FREE fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
24th ranked offense in the NFL in 2007. Could it be? The "Greatest Show on Turf" has been reduced to rubble. Well, not entirely. Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger both missed four games, Isaac Bruce got old, and Bulger was without all-world protector Orlando Pace for all but one game.

The Breakout
For once, I'm not going to follow directions. There isn't one breakout on this team I'd like to spotlight, but instead several guys that will totally out-perform last year's value. First and foremost is Jackson. He's right with Brian Westbrook and Joseph Addai in the mix for the third overall pick. Next, as Tom Herrera already covered, Bulger is due for a huge bounce-back. Invariably when he does, Torry Holt comes back to his expected level of production. Randy McMichael was rescued last year from the exile that is Miami's offense, and now he'll get to reap the rewards. I guess my short answer is that I'd rather name this category "The Bounce Back" and say "The entire offense." They aren't 24th-in-the-NFL bad. Not even close.

The Rams featured one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season, and, apparently, a new offensive coordinator and an old tight end will fix things. Huh. According to SI.com's Bucky Brooks, Randy McMichael, who caught just 39 passes last season (his worst effort in his six-year career), will be the impetus for change, courtesy of Al Saunders' delectable schemes. In theory, anyway.

Saunders was the OC in St. Louis under Dick Vermeil, so he's had some success here, but after a forgettable two-year stint in Washington, his reputation as an offensive mastermind has taken a hit.

"He has the ability to put up big numbers in that offense," said a NFC scout. "I'm not saying that he is a better player than Chris Cooley, but he is a better athlete and he'll get enough opportunities to be a problem for the defense." ...

Under Saunders' direction, the starting tight end has averaged 72 receptions for 900 yards and six touchdowns. Saunders, who undoubtedly learned how to utilize the tight end while as working as an offensive assistant on Don Coryell's staff with the Chargers during the Kellen Winslow era, builds his attack from inside-out, using the running back and tight end in prominent roles.

Though Cam Cameron's Dolphins got most of the heat this season (and rightfully so), let's not forget that through eight games they were equaled in terribleness by the Rams -- each team was 0-8. Though I don't think St. Louis is the second-worst team in the league, as their draft status suggests, extenuating circumstances don't change the fact that there are fatal flaws on offense that need to be corrected.

Cameron thought he could resurrect a fledgling Dolphins team, and we know how that turned out, but he might be better suited fixing the Rams offense, as both ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Fox's Jay Glazer are reporting on their networks' respective pre-game shows that he is probably poised to be the Rams' new offensive coordinator.

You might be asking, "Don't the Rams have a coordinator in Greg Olson?" They did; it hasn't been announced but it appears as if Olson has long packed his belongings. You can only call a five-yard slant on third-and-15 so many times before it costs you your job.

Here's something I'm getting sick of saying: things are going really poorly for the Rams. So bad that Randy McMichael probably wishes he was still a Dolphin. Things can be blamed to an extent on injuries, but even the Raiders managed to win a game last year and they faced an injury far worse than anything the Rams have -- Art Shell.

As Scott Linehan walked towards midfield to shake Mike Holmgren's hand yesterday, he had a look of resigned hopelessness. Linehan desperately attempted to spark his team during practice last week, and I wondered whether or not it was a typical blow-up or the sign of a coach losing his team. Well ...

At one point, Fox cameras captured Bulger rolling his eyes after Linehan lectured him on the sidelines. That's never good.

Yeah, that's pretty telling. President John Shaw again insists Linehan is safe until the offseason and Jeff Gordon explains why a mid-season firing accomplishes nothing (except, of course, ending the merciless humiliation). I'm sure Linehan appreciates the stability. Now he can really focus on the important issues facing the team, like whether Marc Bulger can learn to throw from his back or if alcoholism can be written off as a business expense.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Brett Knight of RAMblings, a Most Valuable Network column that covers the St. Louis Rams.

Dan Benton: "For many, the Rams offseason expectations were extremely high. How frustrating has it been to watch your team struggle for the first quarter of the season?"

Brett Knight: "Obviously, with so many pundits picking the Rams as a darkhorse playoff team, it's been difficult to watch the team stumble thus far, with no end in sight. But I don't know what's been harder to deal with: all the forces that have been out of our control or all the blown opportunities. It's one thing to watch your offensive line crumble and your Pro Bowl backfield taken out of games by injury - it's tough, sure, but there's really nothing you can do about it. It's a whole different story, though, to sit through the sloppy play this team has been exhibiting this year: penalties, turnovers, blown coverages, missed tackles, awful play-calling. For all the talk of the talent on this team, it's really been a shock to see such a lack of fundamentals. It's been said that the mark of a good team is how it responds to adversity; with that in mind, I'm not sure how to respond to this team."

On Friday, I pondered the possibility of Drew Bennett, 6'5'' against defensive backs no taller than 5'11'', being the target of a fade in the end zone. And he was, but the results defied logic: Philip Buchanon intercepted the pass.

A lot of things about the Bucs' 24-3 victory over St. Louis defy logic: the Rams finally getting Steven Jackson on track, to the tune of 115 yards, and only scoring three points; Marc Bulger, he of a 97-62 career touchdown-interception ratio, throwing three picks without a touchdown; the Bucs defense, considered tepid in the offseason, putting together a second-straight dominant effort.

But I guess at this point in the season, there is no logic to be defined. We've got three games, not nearly a large enough sample to judge, and prior seasons mean nothing. On that note, this is what we know, and it's always open to change: the Bucs are playing perfect playoff football while looking like the best team in the NFC South, and the Rams need Mike Martz back, in the baddest way.

He was erratic. He was egotistical. He had trouble managing the clock, timeouts, and challenges. He hardly knew of these things we call "defense" and "the run game." But the Rams made the playoffs four out of his six years as head coach, they had a 53-32 record during his tenure, and even at their most inconsistent and sloppy, they were never, ever, ever this bad.

To get you ready for week 3, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview.

2007 Record:

St. Louis Rams: 0-2 (4th in NFC West)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-1 (t-1st in NFC South)

Last Week:

49ers 17, Rams 16
Bucs 34, Saints 17

When the Rams have the ball: With the exception of Steven Jackson, this is an offense that got back on its prolific track last week, despite only scoring 16 points. The Rams were in a position to score more, but left 16 points on the field, 13 of which were due to turnovers. But no matter how affluent the passing game becomes, this team needs Jackson to run with success. He's just not getting it done and, judging by his outburst on the Rams' sideline last week, feeling frustrated over the team's inability to get the run game going. He apologized to teammates this week, but 100+ yards and a score are better ways of paving the roads of discontent.

But no one really knows what Bucs defense the Rams will be facing -- the swarming, retro-fitted version from last week that looked circa-'02 or the crew of deteriorating senior citizens we expected in the preseason? This is going to be a recurring theme throughout the season for the Rams, because of their M*A*S*H unit of an offensve line (who allowed six sacks last week), but if Tampa brings the blitz, the Rams won't be able to protect Marc Bulger or Jackson, and the Bucs looked plenty feisty last week.

To get you ready for week 2, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the St. Louis Rams/San Francisco 49ers preview.

2007 Records:

St. Louis Rams: 0-1 (t-4th in NFC West)
San Francisco 49ers: 1-0 (t-1st in NFC West)

Last Meeting: Rams 20, 49ers 17

When the Rams have the ball: Last week was pretty much a disaster for the Rams offense. Not only did they do nothing of any substance against the Panthers, they lost two key members of their offensive line for extended periods of time. Not the way any team wants to start the season.

That could haunt them a lot this week. The 49ers switched to a 3-4 defense this offseason, and if last week's game was any indication, they're going to blitz. A lot. They sent 4+ blitzers more often than any other team in the season's opening week.

The 49ers face a much tougher test tomorrow in Steven Jackson (provided, of course, he can hold onto the ball), but they dominated a pretty dangerous Cardinals passing attack. Marc Bulger is a ball-control quarterback, but he's going to be under a lot of pressure, and the 49ers have two very Pro Bowl-worthy corners waiting.

When the 49ers have the ball: If Alex Smith is to break out as expected this year, he'll have to play much better than he did against Arizona. Luckily, this is the type of defense to gain some confidence against. The Rams are playing without their top two cornerbacks, Tye Hill (injury) and Fakhir Brown (suspension). And they've never been good at stopping the run. Ashley Lelie might fool fantasy owners into picking him up with a couple of big catches, as the Rams struggle with speedy receivers, and Frank Gore could very well run for 200 yards, especially with outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa out.

To all the theorists that pin the Rams' static offensive performance in the defeat to Carolina on the loss of Orlando Pace, who left the game late in the first half with a shoulder injury, prepare for offensive anemia this season. Pace is officially out for the year with a torn labrum and rotator cuff.

Coming back from the half without their keystone left tackle, the Rams spent a large spurt of the second half with one first down, outgained 239-49 in yardage, and outscored 20-0. The drop in production certainly seems to have a correlation with the loss of Pace, for sure. But I don't buy it.

For one, the Rams lost Pace for the season in 2006 in November for the last eight games. They averaged 23 points a game without Pace, including 37- and 41-point outbursts, and Steven Jackson had four 100-yard games. So the offense didn't exactly miss a beat then.

For another, watch the game and it's obvious why the offense was so ineffective -- the playcalling. The Rams kept going to the same quick slant and receiver screen plays, each were covered effectively. The team appeared afraid of testing Carolina downfield; Marc Bulger's longest completion was only 18 yards, and he averaged 3.9 yards per attempt compared to 7.3 last season. They ignored the tight end almost completely, as key acquisition Randy McMichael only had two catches for 24 yards, both grabs after the game was out of reach. Deep threat Drew Bennett didn't record a catch.

Most of the blame is being laid on the Rams' horrid run defense, but that's nothing new. There are three sure things in life: death, taxes, and Jim Haslett's inability to put together a capable defense. More was expected, though, of the Rams' offense after their success last year and the personnel moves in the offseason. Despite the defense, this team had a chance to win. The offense, however, dropped the ball -- literally and metaphorically.