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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c3ee46c8-ad6e-50ce-bd0e-afc2b359b2e8.html
MARQUES THE GREAT
He doesn’t get the hype of other elite receivers. He doesn’t have a fancy nickname. But few WRs in the NFL have been as consistently productive as Marques Colston, the Saints’ career leader in catches (588), yards (8,115), and TDs (62). Only Larry Fitgerald (69) and that Megatron guy — Calvin Johnson (66) — have more TD catches since 2006, when Colston entered the league as a 7th-round pick — No. 252 overall.
He’s a huge target (6-4, 225), and works the middle better than just about anyone in the league.
RUN, DON’T WALK
San Francisco and Arizona made it a point to slow the Rams’ running game and succeeded to a large degree. If there’s an Achilles’ heel to the Saints’ defense it’s run defense, where they rank 17th in yards per game and 30th in yards per carry (4.7). Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer says the Rams need to clean up their double-team blocks and he’d like to see feature back Zac Stacy fine-tune some of his run reads. And just a thought, coach — why not get Benny Cunningham more involved this week?
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
They may not be household names but few duos have gotten to the QB as often as DE Cameron Jordan and OLB Junior Galette. They combined for 5 sacks last week against Carolina’s Cam Newton — all of which came on third down — giving them a total of 20½ this season. Galette, who had 9½ sacks total in his first three NFL seasons, has 9 already in 2013. Although listed at LB, he spends a lot of his time with his hand on his ground as a rush DE. Jordan, at 287 pounds, combines power with quickness.
NO DUNK ZONE?
Easier said than done, but the last thing the Rams want to see is a dunking exhibition by New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham. That’s his signature move after scoring a touchdown — dunking the football over the crossbar. “We don’t want to see him dunk in the dome,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “So whatever we gotta do to see that that doesn’t happen. ...” Easier said than done. Graham towers over defenders at 6-7, and has the speed, athleticism, and hands to dominate. He has a league-high 14 “dunks” this season.
TACKLE FOOTBALL
The Rams haven’t been a great tackling team for much of this season, and the Arizona game was one of those days. Good defenses tackle well in December, LB James Laurinaitis said. “When your body’s sore. When you’re hurting. When it’s the end of the year. We’ve talked about it. We’ve got to be great tacklers in December.” The Rams weren’t great tacklers on Arizona’s last TD, when LB Alec Ogletree and safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod missed tackles on a 6-yard run by Andre Ellington.
SPEAKING OF TACKLES
With just three games to play, rookie Alec Ogletree and defensive captain James Laurinaitis are neck-and-neck for the team tackling title. Laurinaitis, the Rams’ four-time defending “champion,” has 120. Ogletree, the rookie from Georgia, has 121. “He’s competitive about it,” Laurinaitis said. “When he learned that my rookie year I had 140-something (144), he wanted 150. You want a guy that loves to compete.” Laurinaitis said there are no side-wagers involved, “but it’s been a fun battle all year.”
THE SERIES
Back when the Rams-Saints rivalry was white-hot — you know, when Mike Martz and Jim Haslett couldn’t stand each other — the Rams clinched a playoff berth on Christmas Eve in 2000 in the Superdome and did it again in 2001 en route to Super Bowl XXXVI. The Saints can return the favor Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome. They will clinch their fifth playoff berth under Asshole Face with a victory. The Rams lead the overall series 39-32 and are 12-9 versus the Saints since the move to St. Louis in 1995.
MARQUES THE GREAT
He doesn’t get the hype of other elite receivers. He doesn’t have a fancy nickname. But few WRs in the NFL have been as consistently productive as Marques Colston, the Saints’ career leader in catches (588), yards (8,115), and TDs (62). Only Larry Fitgerald (69) and that Megatron guy — Calvin Johnson (66) — have more TD catches since 2006, when Colston entered the league as a 7th-round pick — No. 252 overall.
He’s a huge target (6-4, 225), and works the middle better than just about anyone in the league.
RUN, DON’T WALK
San Francisco and Arizona made it a point to slow the Rams’ running game and succeeded to a large degree. If there’s an Achilles’ heel to the Saints’ defense it’s run defense, where they rank 17th in yards per game and 30th in yards per carry (4.7). Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer says the Rams need to clean up their double-team blocks and he’d like to see feature back Zac Stacy fine-tune some of his run reads. And just a thought, coach — why not get Benny Cunningham more involved this week?
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
They may not be household names but few duos have gotten to the QB as often as DE Cameron Jordan and OLB Junior Galette. They combined for 5 sacks last week against Carolina’s Cam Newton — all of which came on third down — giving them a total of 20½ this season. Galette, who had 9½ sacks total in his first three NFL seasons, has 9 already in 2013. Although listed at LB, he spends a lot of his time with his hand on his ground as a rush DE. Jordan, at 287 pounds, combines power with quickness.
NO DUNK ZONE?
Easier said than done, but the last thing the Rams want to see is a dunking exhibition by New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham. That’s his signature move after scoring a touchdown — dunking the football over the crossbar. “We don’t want to see him dunk in the dome,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “So whatever we gotta do to see that that doesn’t happen. ...” Easier said than done. Graham towers over defenders at 6-7, and has the speed, athleticism, and hands to dominate. He has a league-high 14 “dunks” this season.
TACKLE FOOTBALL
The Rams haven’t been a great tackling team for much of this season, and the Arizona game was one of those days. Good defenses tackle well in December, LB James Laurinaitis said. “When your body’s sore. When you’re hurting. When it’s the end of the year. We’ve talked about it. We’ve got to be great tacklers in December.” The Rams weren’t great tacklers on Arizona’s last TD, when LB Alec Ogletree and safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod missed tackles on a 6-yard run by Andre Ellington.
SPEAKING OF TACKLES
With just three games to play, rookie Alec Ogletree and defensive captain James Laurinaitis are neck-and-neck for the team tackling title. Laurinaitis, the Rams’ four-time defending “champion,” has 120. Ogletree, the rookie from Georgia, has 121. “He’s competitive about it,” Laurinaitis said. “When he learned that my rookie year I had 140-something (144), he wanted 150. You want a guy that loves to compete.” Laurinaitis said there are no side-wagers involved, “but it’s been a fun battle all year.”
THE SERIES
Back when the Rams-Saints rivalry was white-hot — you know, when Mike Martz and Jim Haslett couldn’t stand each other — the Rams clinched a playoff berth on Christmas Eve in 2000 in the Superdome and did it again in 2001 en route to Super Bowl XXXVI. The Saints can return the favor Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome. They will clinch their fifth playoff berth under Asshole Face with a victory. The Rams lead the overall series 39-32 and are 12-9 versus the Saints since the move to St. Louis in 1995.
