FanHouse Marksetterstrom

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 camp is finally here and FanHouse breaks down the most important position battles heading into the season, team by team.

The Rams' offensive line was destroyed by injuries last year. They hope that additions in free agency and the draft will improve the unit's overall talent and depth, but they're pitting two of the players hurt last year -- Brett Romberg and Mark Setterstrom -- against each other at center.

Romberg is a natural center out of the University of Miami who was the starting snapper for nine of his healthy games last year. Setterstrom has never played the position before, starting his career as a left guard, but the team sees a lot of promise in the 24-year-old and wanted to find a spot for him after signing Jacob Bell to fill that spot this year.

Setterstrom is also significantly bigger, with two inches and almost 20 lbs. on Romberg. That's a significant difference in a division with a lot of big-bodied defensive tackles.

After last season, it'll be a nice problem to have two capable centers on the roster. And if this season's anything like last, they'll both be needed. In the end, the Rams need to just let the best man win and hope that guy stays healthy for all 16, depth or no depth. For Marc Bulger's sake.

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.