THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The free agency doors have now busted open completely and teams are free to talk dollars and cents with all free agents. Matt Holliday’s agent, Scott Boras, has talked about seeking a Mark Teixeira-type deal (8 years, $180 million) for his client. At the end of the day, regardless of where he ends up, what kind of a contract do you see Holliday getting in terms of years and dollars?

DERRICK GOOLD
It’s no surprise that Boras would set a high bar for the opening bid on his biggest client this season. It’s just doubtful that the market will reach that level, especially when Mark Teixeira played a different (read: less populated) position and found himself in a cash-o-war between baseball’s biggest (spending) rivals, the Yankees and Red Sox. Boras should hope such a situation develops for Holliday. In the meantime, the Alfonso Soriano deal looks like a more likely indicator. Soriano got eight years; Holliday seems tailored for six (with maybe an option and possibly a walk-away in the middle, ala Alex Rodriguez). Soriano’s salary averages $17 million over the life of the contract. Seems realistic to target Holliday, a much better overall hitter than Soriano, for $18 million or slightly more. That fits Holliday for a deal of about six years, $105 million to $120 million. But truly the offer will be whatever the market commands, and right now the Cardinals appear to be the team most interested and most willing to meet the price.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Unless there’s a surprise, and there is always that possibility, Boras won’t be able to exploit a depressed market for the kind of fantasy deal he envisions. Instead of Teixeira money, he may be more in line for Alfonso Soriano money. And even that’s questionable, considering this is a weak free-agent class, with Holliday being the best of the lot. That said, it only takes one wacko owner or GM to be seduced by Boras.

JEFF GORDON
I believe Boras really wants to top Alfonso Soriano and get his guy about $140 million over eight years. At the moment, the market for that sort of deal doesn’t appear to be there. The Angels don’t like dealing with Boras, so that team appears headed in a different direction. Boras can only hope that Jason Bay gets a big offer from, say, Seattle — thus forcing Boston to buck up for Holliday. I’ll take a wild guess and say that Holliday gets six years and $105 million from somebody.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Six years, $110 million with a couple of mutual options tagged on at the end and big buyouts attached to each. Those options would make the total potential payout roughly $150 million over 8 years. That’s just a hair over $18 million per season which would make Holliday the second-highest paid outfielder in MLB behind Manny Ramirez and just ahead of Torii Hunter, Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells. He’s certainly a better player than Wells and can impact a game like Hunter and Suzuki, albeit in a different way. If the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets are all legitimately involved (not just “interested”) in talks, that number could certainly be a bit higher. But I don’t think he gets quite to the Teixeira level no matter who signs him.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Kurt Warner has not played for the St. Louis Rams since 2003. In fact, after one year with the Giants, he has spent the last five seasons with NFC West rival Arizona. Yet his name still evokes great passion among most Rams’ fans. What do you think it is about Warner that holds such a special place among the fan base here?

JIM THOMAS
Warner’s rise from obscurity to Super Bowl MVP was THE sports story in 1999. The Greatest Show on Turf teams will go down in history as one of the greatest offenses ever. Teams like the Patriots and Colts may have had longer staying power. Great offenses like the Saints come and go. But no team will probably ever duplicate what the Rams did in scoring 500-plus points three years in a row — at least not in a 16-game schedule. But it’s not just what Warner did on the field as triggerman of those offenses, it’s the way he did it — with class, character, and charisma — that makes him a St. Louis sports icon.

BILL COATS
Two Super Bowls . . . one Super Bowl victory . . . two league MVP awards . . . the best pro football St. Louis has ever seen, 1999-2001. Beyond all that, St. Louisans love to embrace athletes who shine off the field, too. Warner certainly fits that bill, with his charity work, his faith, etc. Plus, his continued loyalty to St. Louis resonates here.

JEFF GORDON
One, he is an amazing story. Two, he actually led this star-crossed franchise to two Super Bowls. Warner was the ultimate underdog-made-good story and he never let his storybook success go to his head. He remained committed to helping people and sharing his faith. So not only did he succeed at a very high level, he remained a genuine hero to his fans. Such stories seem rare in our sports world.

KATHLEEN NELSON
First, he was the Super Bowl MVP. He led Rams fans to the promised land.

Second is his underdog backstory. It fits with the perception of St. Louis — from within as well as without — as a scrappy underdog. He had the common touch, which even nonsports fans can relate to, and he didn’t lose it. He led the underdogs and the undervalued to the promised land

Third, his religious and family values resonate with a large portion of the population. He showed that nice guys could finish first. After success in the Super Bowl, he became more committed to his foundation and its work, spending more time, not less, with his coat drive and families with special needs kids. He was an example of giving back, remembering where you came from, and always staying grounded.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Carp or Waino? If you were to choose one of the Cardinal hurlers to win tomorrow’s NL Cy Young award, who would you choose?

JOE STRAUSS
I’ve sided with Wainwright since early August. The fact that he remained available to the club the entire season and produced second-half numbers almost identical to Carpenter’s tips a close race in his favor. Had a curious managerial decision and a bullpen meltdown not sabatoged Wainwright’s 20th win, we wouldn’t even be having this debate.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I’d cast my vote for Carpenter because he was simply the better pitcher. Wainwright pitched in six more games than Carpenter and notched two more wins. Other than that, Carpenter was easily the better pitcher. Carpenter posted the lower ERA (2.24 to 2.63), the lower WHIP (1.00 to 1.21), his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 40% better (3.8 to 2.7), opponents hit for a lower average against him (.226 to .244) and Carpenter’s opponents’ OPS was almost 100 points better than Wainwright’s (.581 to .679).

In other words Carpenter was tougher to get a hit against, tougher to get on-base against and he was tougher to score against. To me, that translates to “better pitcher” regardless of the language you’re speaking. Wainwright wins the “quantity” argument and Carpenter wins the “quality” argument. With Carpenter making 28 starts this year, hardly an insignificant number of games, I’ll gladly take quality over quantity.

Wait, there’s one more thing. The manager and pitching coach treated Carpenter like the “ace” of the staff by setting up the rotation late in the season so Carpenter would start Game 1 of the NLDS. Case closed in my book.

JEFF GORDON
As great as Carpenter was for much of the year, I see Wainwright as the wire-to-wire force for this rotation. Chris may be the better pitcher, but Adam was more accomplished this year. I can’t get past the win total. Also, he piled up high pitch counts to work deep into games and he ranked among the league’s strikeout leaders. This was Wainwright’s year and he should be rewarded.

RICK HUMMEL
Wainwright, because he led in two of the four major categories for pitchers — wins (19) and innings pitched (233). Carpenter led in one (ERA, 2.24). Tim Lincecum led in only one (strikeouts).

QUESTION: The Blues are really struggling to win games and coach Andy Murray got the dreaded “vote of confidence” from owner Dave Checketts last week. Murray obviously did a great job getting this team to play well down the stretch last year to make a run to the playoffs, but do you believe he can take this current team to the next level?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD

Andy Murray proved last season that he could be a successful coach with this roster, taking the Blues from 15th place in the West to sixth place in two months time. However, what management wants to see is a “complete” season from a Murray-coached team.

It’s unfair to look back at the 2006-07 season because Murray didn’t arrive until Dec. 12, 2006. But let’s look at the last three seasons:

2007-08: 22-14-5 (49 points) in first half of season . . . 11-22-8 (30 points) in second half

2008-09: 16-22-3 (35 points) in first half of season . . . 25-9-7 (57 points) in second half.

2009-10: 6-8-4 (16 points) through 18 games . . .

There is no rhyme or reason as to why Murray’s teams are good for a half and bad for a half. Before he can coach the Blues to the “next level,” there has to be more consistency throughout the regular season.

JEFF GORDON

Right now Murray’s program has stalled out. So, at the moment, he doesn’t look like the right coach to move the program forward. He has to change that perception ASAP. This is one of those critical points that pop up from time to time in a coaching regime. If this team doesn’t produce a nice five- or six-game winning streak pretty soon, John Davidson will have to change things up. The veteran players are failing Murray at the offensive end — and such players are almost impossible to move in the salary cap era of the NHL. With rosters so difficult to overhaul these days, that really puts the pressure on coaches. That’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.

DAN O’NEILL

I don’t think Andy Murray will have any trouble taking this team to the next level, as long as David Backes (31 goals last season) scores more than once this season, as long as T. J. Oshie scores more than twice, as long as Paul Kariya gets another point – he hasn’t in 10 games, as long as Brad Boyes gets back the pace he’s shown the past couple of seasons, as long as Erik Johnson contributes more than one goal this season.

According to the most recent NHL stats, Murray hasn’t had a shot on goal all season. Only four teams in the league have a smaller goals-against average per game than the Blues’ average of 2.5. Coaching isn’t the problem.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)

At times Andy Murray can be his own worst enemy. If Murray is going to have a chance to take this team to the next level he’s going to have to make some adjustments, most importantly how he runs his bench. A wise hockey man once told me every coach has a shelf life and it doesn’t take long before fatigue and illness sets in with a coach. Fatigue and illness kicks in when management gets sick and tired of the coach. Are we there yet? Coaches get fired, it’s a way of life. Maybe the biggest issue with Murray is that he focuses way too much on the opposition during a hockey game. Sometimes it’s just best to pay more attention to your own team and force the opponent to react to what you do. At the end of the day you have to win to keep your job and if Dave Checketts is serious with the words he said last week, then Murray better kick it in high gear before it’s too late. Same goes with the players who most definitely have yet to live up to their end of the bargain. The fact the Blues picked up Murray’s option certainly works in his favor. The Blues do not want to be in a position where they’re paying two coaches. If the teams doesn’t start winning they may not have a choice. The Blues will let this thing breathe for a few more weeks before they rush into any major shakeup.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The American League Cy Young Award winner will be announced tomorrow. Who do you think deserves the award?

RICK HUMMEL
It should be very close between Kansas City’s Zack Greinke and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez but the nod here goes to Greinke by virtue of his 2.16 ERA, which is a full .33 ahead of Hernandez. Greinke also had 25 more strikeouts and his 16 wins compare to the 19 for Hernandez because Kansas City won 20 fewer games than Seattle.

JOE STRAUSS
Greinke will win the award and, who knows, he may actually deserve it. There’s a groundswell of support for Greinke because of what he overcame en route to this season. Media advocacy sent Albert Belle’s AL MVP to Mo Vaughn in 1995 and Andy Van Slyke’s (or Darryl Strawberry’s) NL MVP to Kirk Gibson in 1988. It happens. Greinke’s ERA is one-third run lower than his main competition, Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, who has been dismissed far too quickly by many. Hernandez ranked second in the AL in ERA while leading the league in wins and win percentage, numbers lampooned by spreadsheet types as statistics for the unwashed. Both pitchers deserve serious consideration. Greinke certainly received few favors via run support. In a close deliberation I’d side with him. However, it is curious to hear many espousing the virtues of ERA only four years after dismissing Roger Clemens’ claim as 2005 NL Cy Young over a pitcher with more wins but a noticeably higher ERA.

JEFF GORDON
I love Justin Verlander. He was nails for my fantasy baseball team this season. But . . . experts like Jayson Stark of ESPN have convinced me that Zack Greinke is the man. Pitching for that doomed team can’t be easy, but he had phenomenal stuff all season. His comeback story is compelling, too. Fans on Missouri’s West Coast need something to cheer about, so give it to Zack.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Zack Greinke. While I hate wins being used as a means to evaluate pitchers, I know that voters consider it and having 16 wins on a 65-win club that was the second-lowest scoring team in the American League should mean something to those voters. What I care more about is the fact that he had the lowest ERA in Major League Baseball. To me, the pitcher who allows the fewest runs per 9 innings is the one doing his job the best. Greinke was also 2nd in the AL in strikeouts and he held opposing hitters to a .230 average while notching 3 shutouts. A vote for CC Sabathia would be a crime. The only pitcher in the AL this year who was close to Greinke was Felix Hernandez, who should finish second but may ultimately edge out Greinke because he had 3 more wins on the season.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Which of the young Blues players do you feel will grow into the most prodigious goal-scorer for this team?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
It seems like the answer to this question changes each month, and I suppose that’s to be expected. When Paul Kariya once said that Patrik Berglund would be a 100-point player in the NHL, I agreed with Kariya. That’s the player I saw, too, a guy who would have more assists than goals, but a guy who could score 5-on-5 and also use his one-timer to rack up power-play goals. But Berglund, stuck on two goals this season, has been invisible.

T.J. Oshie scored 14 goals in 59 games last season, including a dandy on Roberto Luongo, and so I felt that if he stayed healthy, he might be the best goal scorer of the young bunch. Oshie has played a good all-around game this season, but he has just two goals. He spent time on the defensive stopper unit and missed a week with an appendectomy, but when in an offensive role, Oshie hasn’t created many scoring opportunities for himself.

So my answer in November is David Perron, who leads the Blues with seven goals. It’s the safe answer after Tuesday’s hat-trick, but Perron simply makes things happen. He has an edge to his game. He creates space. He can stick-handle with anyone on the team. He’s got an underestimated shot. Granted, Perron has been playing on a good line lately, with Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes, but he deserves that assignment. If you had to pick between the three today, you might pick Oshie because of his constant presence on the ice, but if your team needs a goal-scorer, you have to take Perron.

JEFF GORDON
I’m in the tank for David Perron. I love the kid’s tenacity and he seems hungry to score. He has a nose for the puck and takes hits to make plays around the net. He has the skills to beat defensemen one-on-one to create his own opportunities. He is a good passer, too, and sometimes is too unselfish. He isn’t a big guy, but he isn’t easily knocked off the puck. He is a bit of a showman, too, which only adds to his potential.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Well, I don’t think any of them are going to be battling for the league lead anytime soon — make that ever — but if one of them is going to lead the Blues in goals for years to come, I think it will be Perron. You don’t pop up in the NHL and start scoring a ton of goals if you didnt’ score a ton of goals at lower levels. It’s hard to be a 50-goal scorer in the NHL if you scored 15 in a half season of juniors, unless you can say you were surrounded by lousy teammates. Perron had some good goal-scoring seasons as a junior, which probably gives him the best chance in the NHL.

DAN O’NEILL
I’m not sure any of them are going to become prodigious goal scorers. Right now, I would settle for “occasional” goal scorer, the way this team is going.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
All these players play with a high level of skill. They can all skate and play with the puck. Forecasting the future is hard, but in this case there’s one obvious answer. David Perron is playing with a ton of confidence and, more importantly, he’s getting an opportunity to play with some pretty good players in Boyes and McDonald. He has an underrated shot but also understands how to play with talented players and we’re starting to see him elevate his game. Perron is also two years younger than Oshie, who in my opinion will develop into the best all-around player of the group. Both Oshie and Berglund are struggling with confidence right now but should eventually find their game. We haven’t seen enough from guys like Aaron Palushaj or Lars Eller at the NHL level to draw any real analysis.

Perron brings a level of enthusiasm and passion to the rink unmatched by the other players. This kid wants to be a star and spends more time away from the rink and in the summer developing his craft.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Matt Holliday’s agent Scott Boras was quoted in a Post-Dispatch story Wednesday talking about the Cardinals, saying, “If you’re drawing 3.3 million fans and you’re averaging $50 a fan coming in, I just don’t know that mid-market term.” Is Boras correct in his implication that due to the revenue generated by high attendance numbers year after year that the Cardinals should not be considered a mid-market club? Do you feel the team uses “mid-market” status as an excuse to keep the payroll lower than it is actually capable of paying?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Scott Boras has a simple job: to pimp for his client and get the most money possible. And he’s criticizing ownership in St. Louis to put pressure on the Cardinals to pony up for his guy. It’s a negotiating tactic. Nothing more, nothing less. Boras is hoping that Bill DeWitt freaks out and offers a blank check to Holliday. It won’t happen. DeWitt is many things, but the last time I looked, he seemed to be rather smart, and he’s also sane. That isn’t what Boras wants. The agent’s success is based on finding the one or two completely crazy owners out there who will rush in, lose their heads and anxiously capitulate to his demands. That’s why Boras is so terrific at his job. He usually gets the kooks to overreact.

DERRICK GOOLD
Mid-market has become a shield as much as a designation for many baseball teams. Some can cower behind the protection of that “mid-market” designation and pocket additional profit while weeping over an inability to keep or sign top-flight players. St. Louis certainly cuts the image of a mid-market city. Its media size is mid-range. Its population is mid-size. Its Fortune 500 footprint falls behind Chicago and Houston in the NL Central Division. So on. So on.

So St. Louis is a mid-market city, but the St. Louis Cardinals are not a mid-market baseball club, and nor do they operate like one. Their fanbase defies the mid-market label. Go beyond the 3 million that Scott Boras cited and consider the merchandising that comes with being one of the most recognizable brands in baseball. Or, think of the broadcast fees the Cardinals command because of the sheer geography of their fandom. It’s Cardinals Nation, not Cardinals Suburb. Boras is correct.

All of that allows the Cardinals to operate with a payroll bigger than their market. There is a symbiotic relationship between attendance and fanbase spending and the club’s payroll. With one ranking high within baseball, so should the other, and vice versa. The Cardinals acknowledge that, and they should be held to that.

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals, while certainly mid-market as far as metropilitan area population, are higher than that because of their 3,000,000 attendance every year. However, they don’t have nearly the broadcast revenue of the New Yorks, Bostons, Los Angeles teams and the Chicago teams. Therein lies the major issue in their trying to bid with those teams for free-agent players.

JEFF GORDON
When you factor in media revenue — a huge piece of the puzzle — the Cards are an upper mid-level team. They are well behind the LA teams, the NY teams, Boston and the Chicago Cubs. They are in that next group and that is pretty much how the franchise spends. The Cards will outspend teams like Cincinnati, Atlanta, Cleveland for years to come. This means the team can afford to pay Albert Pujols the going rate . . . but it also means the Cards can’t go deep in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
According to Forbes Magazine the Cardinals are 7th in terms of franchise value, a number Boras also cited yesterday, though incorrectly using that ranking for revenue rather than franchise value. Forbes ranked the Cardinals 10th in total revenue for the 2008 season (too early for ’09 numbers to be considered) and they were 12th for 2007.

Based on those rankings, I’d have to say the “mid-market” label is misleading. The Cardinals generate more revenue than teams in much bigger markets, like Houston and Dallas, and the size of the media market isn’t as important as how much money comes in.

Their payroll ranking is generally right where their revenue ranking is. The Cardinals had the 11th highest payroll in baseball in 2006, 2007 and 2008. They were 6th if you go back as far as 2005 and they were 13th in 2009 because they adjusted their season-opening payroll over concerns about the economy. Then they added significant salaries like Mark DeRosa and Holliday as the season went on. They could afford to expand the payroll, I have no doubt about that, but it’s not like they’re pulling a fast one on the fans.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Hindsight is always 20/20 … but perhaps not so much with the 2009 NFL draft class. If you could go back in time and reselect the Rams No. 2 overall pick, who would you have selected based on the first-half performance of the rookies this season?

JIM THOMAS
I was intrigued by the prospect of LB Aaron Curry, but have no problem with OT Jason Smith. But James Laurinaitis has worked out fine at LB as a second-round pick. And I wonder if Sanchez truly is a franchise-type quarterback.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Well, I’ll be consistent and stay with what I said at the time: QB Mark Sanchez. I didn’t have a problem with the choice of OT Jason Smith. I believe Smith will be a terrific offensive tackle in the NFL and anchor the offensive line for a long time. But Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo can’t fully implement their program until they install a quarterback who will be their long-term starter. Sanchez was the ideal fit for a West Coast offense. He’s certainly had some struggles during his rookie season, but that doesn’t mean much if you pay attention to history. Many Hall of Fame quarterbacks came out of the gate slowly as young NFL starters. The Rams could have used this season as a way to slowly ease a rookie QB into the offense to get him some work and experience. Instead, if they draft a QB in 2010, which is something we can expect, 2010 will be a developmental season for the rookie QB. In other words, the Rams will have wasted a year in beginning the inevitable process. And for those pining for Keith Null: internally he is not viewed as a long-term answer at QB for the Rams. Sorry.

JEFF GORDON
If the Rams had taken LB Aaron Curry, they probably wouldn’t have taken James Laurinaitis. But Curry’s early returns for Seattle were awesome. He looks like a home-run hitter on the defensive side, a game-changer. The Rams could have landed a tackle in the second round and possibly come out ahead. Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford have promise at QB, but both would be losing game after game here — and perhaps developing bad habits.

KATHLEEN NELSON
“Based on first-half performance?” Percy Harvin looks like a good pick. He’s made an immediate impact in the offense and on special teams with the Vikings; two kickoff returns for TDs, 369 receiving yards, 3 TD catches. Maybe it helps to have Brett Favre throwing to you, though. I’m not dissing Jason Smith, though. I think he could grow into an anchor on the offensive line. He just hasn’t been as fast out of the blocks or as visible as Harvin.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: While so much of the free-agent focus for the Cardinals seems to be on Matt Holliday or a replacement for him in left field, what is another part of this team where help is needed and that fans may be overlooking?

JOE STRAUSS
There is an obvious need to replace what Joel Pineiro represented this year. The Cardinals were a pitching-dominant team for much of this season, so much so that their offensive deficiencies were masked until September’s fade. Should Holliday go elsewhere, the Cardinals may spend more resources on a starting pitcher since they concede there is no way to replace Holliday with a single offensive talent. The public clamor for Boston Red Sox free agent Jason Bay is likely to go unanswered. It’s increasingly likely the club will seek to fortify its bullpen with an established set-up reliever to front Ryan Franklin. Think a Russ Springer type, not a Billy Wagner type.

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals must have an everyday third baseman, something they didn’t have until Mark DeRosa was reasonably healthy in late July. And, of course, there is no guarantee he will be back. Also, the Cardinals must put together a bench with more firepower, especially from the standpoint of adding a veteran hitter.

JEFF GORDON
This team needs a proven power arm for the right side of the bullpen. That person could graduate into the closing role if Ryan Franklin is unable to regain his ’09 regular season form. And this team could also use a proven left-handed starting pitcher to balance up the rotation. Also, this team needs a lefty bat for the bench — somebody with some pop. So there is lots to do here.

DAN O’NEILL
Without question, the Cardinals have to improve their bench. Signing Mark DeRosa would go a long way toward that goal in that he can play several positions and he hits with power. It could also be that the club has more help for the bench from its Memphis affiliate (Allen Craig?). But certainly, the Cardinals need a bench crew that includes a good defensive infielder and a couple of bats that make the opposing manager pay attention.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
One of the spots in the starting rotation will still have to be filled with a Major League starter. I can’t envision the team giving Joel Pineiro a long-term contract based on one strong season, so with he and John Smoltz filing for free agency the team currently has two rotation spots open. The wise move would be to fill one of them with a solid veteran — maybe bringing Smoltz back — while leaving the fifth spot for someone like Jaime Garcia to claim in spring training.

I don’t think anyone is really overlooking this part of the team but while Matt Holliday is the big name we’re all talking about, let’s not forget that this team was carried largely by the starting rotation in ’09 and they’ll have to make sure someone is there to replace what Pineiro gave them this past season.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: If the Rams are to have any chance against the 8-0 New Orleans Saints this weekend, what are the keys to the game plan?

JIM THOMAS
1. Ball control on offense, the Saints are a modest 19th in run defense.
2. Takeaways on defense, easier said than done against Drew Brees.
3. Something special on special teams, be it long returns, blocked kicks, etc.

This is a challenge similar to what the Rams faced against Minnesota and Indianapolis — but New Orleans may be the most high-powered offense of the three.

JEFF GORDON
If the Rams can consistently throw the ball downfield to balance their offense, maintain time of possession and finish off scoring drives, they can stay in the game. But apparently this is an impossible task for this offense, so the Rams are doomed to a blowout loss. Even if the Saints turn the ball over again and again, they will win this game unless the Rams used their bye week to reinvent their offense.

BRYAN BURWELL
After seeing Carolina run up and down the field against the Saints, the run-oriented Rams certainly have a chance. If the Rams can stick to a Steven Jackson rushing attack and keep Drew Brees off the field, the home crowd could become a huge factor.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Call Tonya Harding and ask for some advice on how to “handle” competition? Lock the doors of the Dome just before the Saints arrive and lose the keys?

Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Seriously, there is no way this game is competitive. None. The Saints are the highest-scoring team in the league averaging 38 points per game and the Rams are the lowest-scoring team in the league at just over 9 points per game. Heck, the Saints are 59 points better than the next highest-scoring team this season (Minnesota). The Rams have scored a total of 77 points as a point of reference.

But wait, there’s more. The Saints are +129 when points scored are compared to points allowed and the Rams are -144. That’s a 273 point difference between these two teams over eight games. That’s a 34-point-per-game difference in case you were wondering.

There is nothing the Rams can do to be competitive in this game. Nothing legal anyway.