Behind Enemy Lines – On the road to St. Louis

The Arizona Cardinals’ modest two-game winning streak came
to a
screeching
halt in San Francisco on Sunday in a 23-7 loss that was
much more one-
sided
than the score would indicate.

But the road work continues as the Cardinals will play
their 3rd-straight
away
from the friendly confines of University of Phoenix
Stadium as they pay a
visit
to St. Louis to battle the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome
on Sunday.

The 2-8 Rams are reeling, having lost two of their last
three, including a
24-7
home loss to Seattle.

St. Louis will have revenge on their minds, as just three
weeks ago, they
were
upended by Patrick Peterson’s overtime special teams
heroics in a 19-13
Arizona win.

All week long, we’ll take you to St. Louis to give you the
latest on what’s
going
on with the Rams as they prepare to host Ken Whisenhunt
and the
Cardinals.

---

Friday, November 25th

McDaniels defends game plan
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

The Rams lost 24-7 and managed only 185 yards against a Seahawks
team that was middle of the pack (tied for 15th) in total defense entering
the game.

Clayton on IR; Rams add Miller
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

“The biggest thing here is Mark Clayton has been struggling with both
knees,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said following Thursday’s Thanksgiving
day practice.

Passion Play: Laurinaitis’ football love
story (StLouisRams.com)

“He loves the game of football,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He is
passionate about it. My guess would be that he plans anything and
everything around football. What he does away from this building,
everything. That’s my guess. He loves being around it. We love having
him around all the time. I don’t know what his plans are for when he’s
done playing football which will hopefully be a long time from now, but
he will certainly make a pretty good coach.”

What will Rams’ o-line look like Sunday? (101Sports.com)

The five players on the line started all but one game the entire season.
From 1999-2001, when the Rams had a cumulative regular-season
record of 37-11, the opening-day starters on the line missed a total of
seven starts in three seasons.

---

Thursday, November 24th

Rams Rams shuffling offensive line
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Mark LeVoir’s pectoral muscle injury leaves them with Adam Goldberg at
right tackle and a big question mark at left tackle. Some offensive line
shuffling appears to be inevitable this week against Arizona.

Hood ready to go for Rams (St. Louis
Post-Dispatch)

The wait has been long for cornerback Rod Hood. But he seems certain
to get his first chance to log significant playing time Sunday, when the
Rams face the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome.

Rams reload at corner again (StLouisRams.com)

Straight from the Department of Redundancy Department, the Rams will
once again this week need someone, anyone to step up and produce at
cornerback.

Bud Light helps Rams game get televised (101Sports.com)

Bud Light and the St. Louis Rams have partnered to purchase the
necessary remaining tickets to ensure Sunday’s divisional game versus
the Arizona Cardinals will meet the NFL’s requirement to be televised
locally. Bud Light, the team’s exclusive and official beer sponsor, will
donate the tickets to fans 21 years of age and older through local
charities and radio partners.

---

Wednesday, November 23rd

Rams defense making strides

So over those four games, the Rams have reduced their
yards allowed by more than a football field per game (108
yards). They’ve cut their rushing yards allowed nearly in
half, while shaving nearly two yards per carry off that
prior 5.5 average. They’ve doubled their sack total, while
cutting their TDs allowed in half.

Rams add tackle, place another corner on IR
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

According to league sources, Johnson will not need
surgery, just rest and recovery time. He becomes the 10th
cornerback placed on IR by the Rams this season.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: How far will the
St. Louis Rams fall? (SBNation St. Louis)

The five-writer panel over at ESPN has released its NFL
Week 12 Power Rankings list, and the St. Louis Rams have
fallen back one spot to No. 31 overall. At that spot, the
Rams are listed as the NFC’s worst, with the Carolina
Panthers at No. 30 and the Minnesota Vikings at No. 29.

The next six weeks will be very
interesting (101Sports.com)

Right now, the Rams’ offense is awful and the defense is
respectably average, but that’s what makes the next six
weeks so interesting. We can forget about standings and
playoffs and just focus on determining whether this team
can get better and show major improvement statistically.

---

Tuesday, November 22nd

Spagnuolo says he isn’t
worried about job security (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

The Rams are 10-32 overall under Spagnuolo and 2-8 this
season. Four of the remaining six games on the schedule
are against playoff contenders, and the combined record of
those six opponents is 38-22.

Saffold
undergoes surgery (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

The recovery time for Saffold is expected to be four to
five months.

Rams injury
report grows–again (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Cornerback Marquis Johnson was hospitalized because of an
abdominal contusion. He will be kept for observation
overnight. Offensive tackle Mark LeVoir suffered a Grade
1 pectoral muscle strain and is expected to be out two to
four weeks.

Hughes lears on the
job (StLouisRams.com)

Hughes got the call to the active 53-man roster only hours
before Sunday’s game and about a day after starting left
tackle Rodger Saffold suffered a season ending torn
pectoral injury that landed him on injured reserve.

Bernie Bytes: Monday Morning Backup QB (St.
Louis Post-Dispatch)

Still, there’s no excuse for the Rams to be so inept and
and weak on offense. And I thought that McDaniels reached
a new low Sunday in the soul-deadening 24-7 loss to
Seattle. The Rams’ approach on offense made no sense. It
was delusional, bordering on irresponsible.

---

Monday, November 21st

Rams go nowhere against
Seahawks
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

For the third time in their last four games, the Rams’
defense held an
opponent under 300 yards. The Rams intercepted Seattle
quarterback
Tarvaris Jackson twice and sacked him four times. But one
of the
season’s best defensive efforts went for naught because
the Rams simply
couldn’t move the football.

Seahawks
squeeze the life out of Rams (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Rams first downs were a rarity. Red zone opportunities
were mere rumor.
Jackson’s string of three consecutive 100-yard games ended
with a thud,
and strangely, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels went
with a ton of
empty backfields, leaving no guesswork for Seattle as to
what the Rams’
intentions were.

Rams Report
Card:
Coaches, offensive line fail (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Here are the grades for the St. Louis Rams after their
distressing 24-7
loss to the Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome

Rams struggle to find rhythm
(StLouisRams.com)

The Rams fell to Seattle 24-7 on Sunday at the Edward
Jones Dome in a
loss that didn’t seem like it was going to come
considering the way the
Rams started the contest.

Seattle easily handles St. Louis (SB Nation
St. Louis)

The NFC West’s cellar is semi-settled: the Seattle
Seahawks are
marginally less bad than the St. Louis Rams, and proved it
in a 24-7
victory.

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