Some news items to get through today, stories courtesy of STLToday.com.

• OLs Jason Smith and Jason Brown both have sprained knees.  Brown is day-to-day and is expected to practice tomorrow and play on Sunday. Smith will miss one or two games with a more severe sprain. Adam Goldberg will step into his place, and as you saw on Sunday, he is more than capable.
• The Derek Stanley experiment is over. The Rams have cut him in order to make room for WR/KR Danny Amendola, signed off the Eagles practice squad. The Rams are looking for a solid kick returner, or simply someone who can run the ball past the 20 yard line. Stanley was unimpressive in parts of three years with the team.
• The Rams home opener on Sunday is expected to be sold out, thus allowing it to be shown on local television. However, the P-D speculates that much like 2007, the dome may be filled with Packer fans.

The Rams dropped to 0-2 with a 9-7 loss on Sunday to the Washington Redskins on the road. The team played much better than the previous week, but still came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Rams were in the game the entire time and even had several chances to seize control, but in the end just couldn’t pull it out.

Positives

Steven Jackson: The main component of the Rams offense finally got it going late in the first quarter with a 57 yard run down the field, setting up the Rams first and only touchdown. Jackson finished the game with 17 carries for 104 yards, reminding the league why he is regarded as one the best running backs in the league.

Offensive Line, Run Blocking Division: Of course, you can’t have great stats for a running back unless you have decent run blocking. The entire line did a wonderful job opening up holes for Jackson on Sunday, and he probably could have had more yards had he actually taken the holes that were created by this unit. Richie Incognito and Adam Goldberg played their asses off.

Marc Bulger: Most of you are going to disagree with me, but I firmly believe Bulger has played well so far this season. The playcalling has been ultra-conservative thus far because of the lack of experience with the receivers, and Bulger has done his absolute best so far with what he has been given. No, the rating and completion percentage are less than stellar, but that is due to low-yardage completions as well as making smart decisions with the ball and throwing it away when needed. Bulger finds receivers when they’re open, hasn’t forced anything, and is consistently making good decisions, which explains why he has no interceptions thus far.

Laurent Robinson: Easily the best receiver on the team right now. He’s getting open, running good routes, and hanging onto the ball, all things “top” receiver Donnie Avery isn’t doing. Definitely worth the draft picks we sent Atlanta in order to get him.

Linebackers: Easily the best unit on the team as a whole. Will Witherspoon needs to start playing more like Will Witherspoon but James Laurinaitis has been an absolute stud. I can’t say enough for how impressed I am with him. He leads the team in tackles, and has already become a leader on the defense.

Negatives

The Defensive Line: While the unit was okay in run stopping on Sunday, they are just god awful in pass rushing. The rush is non-existent with a four man front, and the Rams have exactly one sack in 72 pass plays. Only Dallas is worse, recording no sacks thus far. Chris Long and Leonard Little have been non-factors, easily being blocked by mediocre offensive lines. The Rams have to start getting to the QB, period, or they’re not going to be winning many games. Time for Chris Long to step up and start playing like the #2 overall pick in the draft.

Donnie Avery: He couldn’t have had a worse game. Two or three dropped passes, a fumble at the absolute worst time, and a completely unnecessary block in the back penalty when he was ten yards behind the play. I don’t know what is wrong with the kid, but he needs to step up in a big way if the Rams receivers are going to turn things around. He has to start getting downfield and making plays like he did at times last year.

The Offensive Line, Pass Blocking Division: Bulger was harassed all day, and rarely had time to find open receivers. Part of this is due to the fact that the Rams were in several 3rd and long situations, but the line has to do better in blitz pickup. Many different times, a linebacker or safety came unblocked into the backfield, causing a sack or a rushed incompletion. Karney, Jackson, et al have to be better in picking up the blitz as well.

Randy McMichael: Drops when Bulger hits you right in the numbers when you’re wide open are simply inexcusable. Period. He needs to pick it up.

Things I’ll Reserve Judgment On

Defensive Backs: The unit played a somewhat consistent game, but took a whole half to figure out how to cover Chris Cooley. Really clamped down in the red zone however, which helped the Rams stay in the game for as long as they did. However, a defensive backfield that includes OJ Atogwe, James Butler, and Ron Bartell should have at least one interception per game, especially when the quarterback is Jason Campbell. The unit is going to have to do better to create turnovers and get better field position for the so far ineffective offense.

Coaching: For the second straight week, Spagnuolo’s staff did nothing to either impress me or piss me off. The team played hard the whole game, and that’s a lot more than you could have said last year. Shurmur’s playcalling was questionable at times, as he seems to be quick giving up on the run even when it’s working. Also, at some point he’s going to have to call some risky plays that get Donnie Avery downfield. I know he runs a West Coast style offense, but Donnie Avery was drafted to make plays downfield, and that’s what he does best.

This was another step forward for the Rams. The team was competitive throughout the game, and never gave up even when things became bleak. If two or three plays go a different way, the Rams most likely win this game. Look for even more improvement this weekend in the home opener against the Packers.