FanHouse TyeHill

After a poor showing by the secondary in Saturday night's preseason game, Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith tried hard to not to single out the defensive backfield: "It's team defense," he said. "What I mean by that, is that it starts up front, it goes to the linebackers and it goes to the secondary. It's not just one group."

General manager Thomas Dimitroff wouldn't throw anyone under the bus either, but let it be known that between the time the third preseason game ended and the regular season began, the Falcons would be busy scouring the league for possible trades or free agents to sign. Dimitroff didn't waste any time finding someone.

On Tuesday, the Falcons sent a 2010 seventh-round draft pick to the St. Louis Rams for cornerback Tye Hill.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

The 2008 season was an unmitigated disaster for the Rams. They had their star running back hold out, only to be re-signed and get injured -- an injury which lingered far too long. They fired their coach after four embarrassing games, won two straight under his replacement, but then dropped their final 10.

It was hard to find a strength on this team. The offense ranked 27th in the league, while the defense was 28th. Then again, Donnie Jones was one of the best punters in the league. So there's that.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: Marc Bulger is coming off an injury-riddled, subpar at best, season. For the first time in his career he threw more picks than touchdowns, and his yards per attempt were nearly a yard lower than his previous career-low. Much of this can be attributed to the brutal offensive line play in front of him, but that may not change if Orlando Pace isn't completely healthy. Overall, though, Bulger will have a much better season and Trent Green is a fine backup. Heat Index: 6

Usually, I'm of the opinion that drawing attention to yourself on the football field is the act of a selfish player. Someone who eschews the whole team concept and would rather have people focus on just them. DeAngelo Hall immediately comes to mind.

But I'm willing to make exceptions. Take, for example, Rams cornerback Tye Hill:

On an exasperating afternoon Sunday when little went right for the winless Rams in a 22-3 loss in Baltimore, ... Hill found a reason to celebrate. But was it the right time to make merry?

The Rams trailed by 16 points in the fourth quarter when Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller spiraled a pass toward wide receiver Demetrius Williams in the end zone. Hill, caught upfield at first, recovered quickly and broke up the third-and-3 play.

Hill, back after missing four games because of a back injury, raised his arms triumphantly and thumped his chest, drawing boos from the crowd of 71,175.

The best part was defensive coordinator Jim Haslett quipping on Monday that Hill's chest thump "probably wasn't appropriate because of the score ... [but] I liked it." Awesome. Haslett added: "That's showing that the kid was into the game and having fun ... He made a great play. ... I don't think he did anything ridiculous. To me, it showed the kid had some enthusiasm."

I suspect Rams fans would settle for less "having fun" and more "winning." Or, at the very least, "keeping the score close until the fourth quarter ... you know, for the suspense of it all." For now, though, chest thumps will have to do.

To get you ready for Week 6, FanHouse is previewing all of this week's NFL games. Here is the St. Louis Rams/Baltimore Ravens preview.

2007 Record:
St. Louis Rams: 0-5 (4th in NFC West)
Baltimore Ravens: 3-2 (2nd in AFC North)

Last Week:
Cardinals 34, Rams 31
Ravens 9, 49ers 7

When the Rams have the ball: Marc Bulger is the superior quarterback, but Gus Frerotte has one thing on him -- knowledge of Scott Linehan's no-huddle offense. Linehan utilized it often with the Vikings and Dolphins, but in a little over a season Bulger has yet to fully grasp it, restricting the ability to use it. With Frerotte at the helm, however, the Rams can open the playbook. Injuries continue to mount, as the team will be shorthanded at receiver, but new slot receiver Marques Hagans and Frerotte have chemistry, and the team moved the ball much better last week than they have at any point with Bulger under center this season. With the Ravens only allowing 66 yards on the ground per week, and Steven Jackson still out, the no-huddle will be a good way to keep the Ravens on their toes.

Guys go down to injury, guys come back from injury. It's the circle of life. Sort of.

This Sunday marks the return of Tye Hill, the Rams' 2006 first-rounder and top cornerback, from broken bones in his back that caused him to miss four weeks. The Rams got their other starting cornerback, Fakhir Brown, back from a four-game suspension last week.

Though Hill will be reinstated in the defense gradually, starting with nickel packages, his and Brown's returns are a godsend for a defense that is woefully bad at creating turnovers. Entering this week, the Rams share the second-worst interception total in the league with three. Two of those belong to Brown, and they came just last week.

So, yeah, I'm pretty sure Hill is being welcomed back with open arms.

To get you ready for week 5, FanHouse is previewing all this week's games. Here is the Arizona Cardinals - St. Louis Rams preview.

2007 Records:
Arizona Cardinals: 2-2 (t-2nd, NFC West)
St. Louis Rams: 0-4 (4th, NFC West)

Last Game:
Cards 21 - Steelers 14
Cowboys 35 - Rams 7

When the Cardinals have the ball:
Are the Cardinals going to actually get the ball, or is Matt Leinart going to take it home in a huff? In all fairness, if Leinart starts this game I don't think he's taking a seat. The Rams' defense is horrid. Not that Leinart will be putting up gaudy numbers like Tony Romo did last week -- the Cards should ride Edgerrin James to an easy victory -- but he'll find Bryant Johnson, I think more than Larry Fitzgerald, for the occasional explosive play. The Rams are getting corner Fahkir Brown back from a four-game suspension, but that shouldn't slow down a Cards team that is beginning to look confident (Leinart aside).

When the Rams have the ball:
They're without their top running back, quarterback, and a few key linemen. They're only averaging 9.8 points a game. Gus Frerotte has thrown just nine passes in two years. The Cardinals are averaging three sacks a game, the Rams are giving up a hair under three. The Cardinals are giving up just 95.5 yards per game rushing and 209.2 through the air, good enough for the 12th-best defense. The Rams have the 29th-ranked offense. You know, sometimes the numbers do tell the whole story.

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.