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Q&A with 3k from TurfShowTimes

What's good, Pats fans?  It's 3k from TurfShowTimes, the Rams' SBNation blog.  MaPatsFan dropped a Q&A on our site, so I've offered one here.  I'll try to get to all of your comments as timely as I can, but after having lived in Germany for the last two years, I'm leaving tomorrow and coming back to the States, so bear with me.

The Rams have played two seasons this year.  In season 1, Scott Linehan looked sad.  In season 2, Jim Haslett looks excited, and for good reason.  Under Linehan, we started out 0-4 and looked worse than any team in the league.  Under Haslett, we beat the Redskins (who at the time were "the hottest team in the NFL") and followed up by destroying the Cowboys.  Honestly, none of us has any idea which team is going to show up on any Sunday.

The offensive trio still have Pro-Bowl talent: Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, and Torry Holt.  Donnie Avery, our rookie WR and the first WR taken in this year's draft, never got playing time under Linehan, but Haslett has put him on the field, and his speed has made plays.  Defensively, #2 overall pick Chris Long plays every down at full speed to complement Leonard Little on the strong side.  The linebacking corps has stepped up the last two weeks with Will Witherspoon in the middle and Pisa Tinoisamoa's great play on the weak side.  The secondary's best play has come from O.J. Atogwe.  He has a nose for takeaways, evidenced by last week's pair of interceptions.

I tried to keep the summary short for those of you who haven't seen or read any Rams news.  I'll try to get to your questions as quickly as possible.  Holler.

The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.

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Whoa, not all at once.

Slow down.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Oct 22, 2008 5:20 PM EDT reply actions  

I'll start

What are the Rams’ top 3 acquisitions for 2008, FA or draftee, and why?

Blogger at SBNation's New England Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit

by MaPatsFan on Oct 22, 2008 6:48 PM EDT reply actions  

Good one

1.) Donnie Avery, WR, draft – The Rams took Avery early in the 2nd round to be a speed threat downfield and at some point assume return duties. The pick was between Avery and DeSean Jackson who was selected soon after by the Eagles. Avery has shown the ability to make big plays (see catch to set up winning FG in Washington or opening TD against Dallas), but is yet to show an ability to make plays over the middle of the field. He didn’t get much time under Linehan, so you could attribute that to a lack of playing experience. He is someone we are very excited about.

2.) Chris Long, DE, draft – With the #2 pick, the Rams went for the ‘sure thing.’ Long is has an unstoppable motor and continues to develop every game. Already having racked up 21 tackles and 2 sacks, he has earned his high selection. With Leonard Little, he gives the Rams a great pair of pass rushers on the corners of the D-line.

3.) Jacob Bell, G, FA – The Rams signed Bell after a 4-year stint with the Titans. I put him here not for what he has done, but what he should do. The Rams O-line was decimated last year by injuries and we were forced to address the lack of depth by signing Bell and drafting two O-linemen. I could have put Ricky Manning, Jr. (CB) here, but the O-line is so vital and Bell’s role is as well, the nature of the position warrants it. Bell will start at LG on Sunday.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Oct 22, 2008 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions  

Confidence in your QB

If the Patriots’ newly confident pass-rush manages to stop Stephen Jackson, whom Coach Belichick has been praising to the high heavens in his recent press conferences, how much confidence do you have in Marc Bulger to beat us in the air?

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Oct 22, 2008 8:33 PM EDT reply actions  

Bulger has my utmost confidence, but

the O-line doesn’t. Bulger is a drop and watch QB. He throws a great quick slant and is very good at tossing deep balls on either fly routes or posts. But to get the most out of a quarterback like Bulger, he has to have time and open receivers. With Torry Holt and rookie Donnie Avery, he should have options. All he needs is time.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Oct 23, 2008 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions  

Coaching change

Why do you think the new coach makes the team player better? How can the same players look so bad one week and like a normal team the next? Do you feel that the Cowboys and Redskins gave away their games (turnovers like mad in both games) or that your team played leagues better with the new coach?

by Mainiac on Oct 22, 2008 10:10 PM EDT reply actions  

response

  As for why I think he makes the Rams a better team, Haslett in1spires them. The team never believed in Scott Linehan, and I don’t think they bought into him as an NFL head coach. Haslett has the experience playing and coaching, and I think his fire gets inside the team.
  As for your second question, I don’t know which two weeks your suggesting, but if you’re comparing Linehan’s last game as head coach and Haslett’s first, I would say that those were two significantly different teams. Bulger sat against the Bills and played against the Redskins, we didn’t have our #1 CB Fakhir Brown on the roster, and injuries shook up the team for both games.
  And for your last question, I think the Redskins turnovers lost the game, but I don’t know if that’s giving it away. They are called “takeaways”. The Cowboys definitely didn’t give the game away; the Rams won it. Now had a healthy Romo played, things would have been different, but the Rams deserve the credit for the W.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Oct 23, 2008 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions  

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