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Bills/Rams: Turf Show Times' Take

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Buffalo Bills (3-0) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)
SB Nation's Rams coverage: Turf Show Times

The Buffalo Bills travel to St. Louis this week to try to extend their unbeaten record to 4-0 when they visit the reeling and winless St. Louis Rams.  As the Bills learned in last week's 24-23 victory over Oakland, this Bills team is not yet good enough to take any "easy" game lightly - and thus, they'll prepare for the Rams as if they're preparing for the playoffs.

Want to know more about the Rams?  Turf Show Times should be your final destination, but we're also fortunate enough to have TST's author, VanRam, with us this morning to answer a few Rams questions as well.

Buffalo Rumblings: What's your take on the QB switch from Marc Bulger to Trent Green?  What does Green bring to the table that Bulger doesn't?  Was Bulger really the Rams' biggest problem?

VanRam, Turf Show Times: Bulger's been so battered playing behind porous offensive lines over the years - sacked 97 times in the last three seasons - that he's off his game, making throws off his back foot, etc. which has taken some of his potency away. He needs to step back and get his groove back, but no athlete likes to be pulled away from the game. The other motivation for this move was just to switch things up on offense a bit. Green knows Al Saunders' offense very well, which is why putting him in there made sense to the Rams coaches. The real problem is a weak O-Line, and they'll have to hold up to give Green a shot to do anything - including staying alive, literally.

Buffalo Rumblings: The Rams also released CB Fakhir Brown and replaced him with Saints cast-off Jason Craft.  Is this helpful for the Rams' secondary, or is it a band-aid for a bullet wound?

VanRam, Turf Show Times: Brown was the Rams' most talented corner, bar none. The problem was that Ron Bartell was playing like the Rams' most talented corner. There's more to this than we know, but on the surface at least, Brown's attitude got him released. But his 'tude rotted out because of the way things are going behind the scenes and in the locker room at Rams Park. Something stinks here. Some team on the bubble with a big question mark over the pass defense is going to emerge after picking up Brown.

Buffalo Rumblings: Two weeks ago, you publicly asked the Rams to play their youngsters.  Has that happened yet?  Which young Rams players have been most/least impressive to you?

VanRam, Turf Show Times: They are indeed moving more young Rams into the lineup. Second round pick Donnie Avery, the first WR taken in the draft, will start opposite Torry Holt this week. Last year's surprise rookie, DT Clifton Ryan, will likely start at NT, being a better run stopper than the aging La'Roi Glover. Sadly, we don't have a lot of young players after boffing draft after draft in recent years. The 2008 draft looks like the best in a long time. The potential surprise out of this year's draft was shaping up to be WR Keenan Burton, who had a great preseason and showed out well in limited regular season work, all things considered. He's injured, however, and won't play again for a few more weeks.

***

This Rams team scares me a bit, because it's not the same Rams team that the Bills have been watching on film all week.  There's different personnel, and there will very likely be a different approach as well.  The Bills should win, but this game should be much more challenging - at least early in the game - than most will admit.

If y'all are interested in reading up on the Rams, be sure to stop by Turf Show Times.  You might even see me over there at some point today...

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Uh Oh

Jackson isn’t happy with the Bulger benching.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/71510

Makes you wonder how hard the Rams will be playing for thier coach.

by RabidBuffalo on Sep 26, 2008 12:25 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Rookie WR guarantees TD

Donnie Avery has been working on a touchdown dance, but didn’t want to reveal what it was to reporters.That’s because he’s convinced he’ll be unveiling it on Sunday against the Bills.“I’m going to do some kind of dance,” Avery told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s going to be a 100-percent guarantee I’m going to dance.”

http://buffalobills.com/blog/index.jsp?blogger_id=1

I think he’s going to be smacked around a bit for that one!!

by mavadjdj on Sep 26, 2008 12:52 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

even if he gets in the endzone

Donte Whitner wont let me him dance, he’ll smack him 6 yards into the endzone

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Sep 26, 2008 1:29 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Whitner

Maybe Whitner should prepare a “I just kicked your ass, and you ain’t catching nothing” dance!

by mavadjdj on Sep 26, 2008 5:43 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

hahaha

what a clown. a guy with 24 career receiving yards is predicting he’ll be dancing after scoring against us? does he forget that his team has been losing games by 30 each time out? Doesn’t seem to wise to be talking about endzone celebrations there buddy

~K

by Kurupt on Sep 26, 2008 7:08 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Guess he backed that one up, huh…

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Sep 29, 2008 4:39 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Bills reaction

From Brownie’s blog:

Upon viewing the comment made by Rams rookie WR Donnie Avery, who is starting opposite Torry Holt Sunday, in which he guaranteed he’d be showing his touchdown dance this weekend, Terrence McGee just looked at it and walked away.

Upon showing it to Jabari he just smiled and went back about his business.

That’s what you’ve got to like about this group. They’re all business. Let the play do the talking for them, which I’m fully anticipating will be the case on Sunday.

by Brian Galliford on Sep 26, 2008 7:43 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

great stuff brian

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Sep 27, 2008 12:03 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

shut him up

i hope the bills D shuts that guy out. no catches. whitner doesnt like it when people dance/showboat!!!

by BillsFan119 on Sep 26, 2008 1:17 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Devil's Advocate

what would some of you be saying if Johnson made the same statement? Given the number of supporters of Whitner’s cheap shot last week, I would have to say it would be something like, “I love that kind of attitude” or “Kid has got confidence, you need that to be a good WR”. I’m not saying………..I’m just saying…… That said, I certainly won’t feel bad if Whinter hands Avery his jock after he knocks him out of it.

by Joe P. on Sep 26, 2008 8:00 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Big difference. Whitner's a 3rd year pro, a possible Pro Bowl talent and a team captain.

Avery’s a rookie WR on an offense that makes last year’s Bills team look powerful. I have no problem with confidence but I have a problem with “overshooting” your mouth.
A) I don’t think that this team would let Johnson say that, our locker room isn’t the clusterfuck that they have
in St. Louis.
B) I would have a huge problem with Johnson saying it. Until he’s (activated and) able to back up his words through proven actions he would need to keep his yap shut.

by twoeightnine on Sep 26, 2008 8:28 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

love it

Joe I love the devil’s advocate, often play it myself. I loved the whitner hit, but it isn’t similar. That was reactive to an arrogant/childish/ move by higgins. Proactively shooting your mouth off is pretty lame, especially as a rookie.

Regardless, I am terrified of this week. The Rams are falling apart, but will be desperate. Road games are always tough. Have to hold onto the ball better than last week.

by jmorris0823 on Sep 26, 2008 9:17 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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