... And the Beat(ing) Goes On

The Saint Louis Rams have fallen to 2-6 after dropping their most recent contest against the division rvial Arizona Cardinals who, subsequently, improved their tally to 5-3. While the final score of 34-13 is certainly disheartening, the Rams actually looked as if they were in control during the early stages of the game. On their first drive, the Cardinals drove the length of the field to the Rams one yard line, but St. Louis' defense made an impressive stand to force a turnover on downs. The Rams offense failed to capitalize on the momentum generated by their defense and would sputter on the drive and punt away to the Cardinals. In turn, Arizona punted right back to St. Louis after more strong defensive play. The Rams began the ensuing possession on their own 20 and much maligned quarterback Marc Bulger would not disappoint the crowd at the Edward Jones Dome. On the first play of the drive Bulger connected on a sensational pass, catch, and run to little used receiver Derek Stanley for an 80 yard touchdown! Unfortunately for Rams Nation, this was effectively the end of the day for St. Louis. The Cardinals chalked up 31 unanswered points to secure a huge division win. The Rams looked increasingly whipped and dejected as the game progressed. Potential big plays for the Rams turned into touchdowns for the Cardinals. At halftime the score was 24-7 in favor of the visiting Cardinals and most of the intrigue in the contest had already evaporated from the dome. Even though the action of the game itself might not have been that exciting, there were a couple interesting subplots developing just below the surface. - Former Rams quarterback (and current Arizona Cardinals quarterback) Kurt Warner, who led the team to a championship in the 1999 season, was very well received by the St. Louis crowd. Hoards of fans sporting both Rams and Cardinals Warner jerseys stayed behind to shower him with cheers and applause as he ran off the field. He remained for a few minutes to sign autographs and throw his gloves to the adoring group. Even during the game, some fans cheered when he completed passes against the Rams. - Veteran Rams wideout Torry Holt expressed displeaure with his role in the offense leading up the Cardinals game. He did not catch a single pass in the first half, but when he caught his first ball in the second half the dome exploded with support for one of the game's best. He acknowledged his appreciation of the support by waving to the crowd on all sides. Later in the game Holt displayed some chippiness following an unnecessary roughness penalty committed against him. He later talked trash to the defender whom he beat for his touchdown catch. This defender was the same who committed the penalty earlier. Holt finished the day with six receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown to outperform rookie wideout Donnie Avery who had been playing at a high level. The progress of the latter and the supposed regression of the former will be an interesting story to follow for the second half of this season.