THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With the injuries mounting quickly at key positions, who must step up for the Rams right away for them to have any chance against San Francisco this weekend?

JIM THOMAS
The Rams absolutely, positively have to get their passing game going. That means Donnie Avery must step up, and Kyle Boller, too. On defense, it’s up to the front seven to keep Frank Gore’s replacement, Glen Coffee, from beating them on the ground.

BILL COATS
Here they are, in alphabetical order: Donnie Avery, Ron Bartell, Kyle Boller, Josh Brown, Keenan Burton, Craig Dahl, Steven Jackson, Donnie Jones, James Laurinaitis, Leonard Little, Chris Long and Randy McMichael. Seriously . . . the Rams will need to get solid outings from all their most vital performers. Their margin for error is razor-thin.

KATHLEEN NELSON
Keenan Burton. The 49ers will be keying on Steven Jackson, so a receiver will need to make a few plays to keep the defense honest. Burton has just six receptions and to this point has contributed less than the other 2008 draft choice, Donnie Avery. A big game from either would help loosen the 49ers’ defense, though.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
There is no one person who needs to step up, at least in my mind, but there is a unit that needs to step up: the offensive line. The best chance the Rams have at winning this weekend in San Francisco is controlling the line of scrimmage and pounding the Niners with their best player, Steven Jackson. If they can’t run the ball — and do so with authority — the Rams won’t win.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With Sunday’s opener now just days away, who is one player who you feel could really surprise Rams fans this year?

JIM THOMAS
There will be rough moments along the way, but CB Jonathan Wade has an agressive attitude, top-end speed, and decent size. Most of all, it looks like he has matured. Some take longer than others, but it looks like Wade now gets it — what it takes to be an NFL player. Coach Steve Spagnuolo has a lot of experience on his resume working with cornerbacks.

BRYAN BURWELL
Laurent Robinson could be the big surprise at wide receiver. He showed in the preseason that he can make plays and he will get plenty of opportunities on a team looking for WR’s to establish themselves.

BILL COATS
Because he seems to have so many detractors around town, I’ll go with Marc Bulger. The new Rams offense demands precision and accuracy from the QB, arguably Bulger’s greatest assets. If the line can protect him and he can adjust to the quick drops and throws — and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to — he has a chance to have a big year.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Randy McMichael is a guy who could surprise some people. With the team lacking name players at wide receiver, McMichael could be a big part of the passing attack if he can stay healthy. I’m not sure he’s as athletic as he used to be in his best days with the Dolphins, but he’s a big target who would be an asset especially in red zone situations. Laurent Robinson and Donnie Avery are speedy receivers who will make their share of plays but they’re not very big and McMichael has both the size and the hands to be Marc Bulger’s safety blanket. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Daniel Fells, one of the backups to McMichael. Fells’ teammates rave about his athletic abilities so we’ll see if that translates into game action.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Though camp is still in its very early days, who is one offensive player that you think could surprise St. Louis Rams fans this season?

JEFF GORDON
Richie Incognito became a popular target of criticism last year, due to his undisciplined play. But the guy is a beast. I can see Steven Jackson running right behind Incognito and Jason Smith all day. That is a formidable tag team. Sandwiched between the two Jasons — two potential team leaders — Richie could finally come into his own.

BILL COATS
That could be tight end Daniel Fells. He’s knocked Joe Klopfenstein, a former No. 2 draft pick, down the depth chart with his stout play during practice. He has very good hands and is an adept blocker. The only question for Fells is, can he do it on Sundays?

KATHLEEN NELSON
Wide receiver Keenan Burton. He had a few injuries that held him back last year, but he’ll be pushed by the veterans the Rams have signed in the offseason, especially Laurent Robinson and Ronald Curry.

ROGER HENSLEY
Can you call a team’s No. 1 wide receiver a surprise? Given just one year of experience — and that being on a team that had trouble moving the ball through the air last season — I’d say yes. So I’ll go with Donnie Avery. His numbers as a rookie weren’t bad — 53 catches for 674 yards and three TDs. But that was with Torry Holt lining up on the other side of the field to relieve some pressure. Now Avery is being asked to be the man. With Steven Jackson pounding the ball between the tackles with any consistency and if Marc Bulger can get any time in the pocket and rediscover the accuracy he showed just a few years back, Avery should find room to roam through defensive backfields. I believe he’ll be a difference-maker for the Rams this year. Oh, did I mention that Bulger hit Avery for a 50-yard touchdown pass in practice Sunday? Stay tuned.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Randy McMichael. Before coming to St. Louis he was a significant weapon for the Miami Dolphins, recording 195 catches from 2004-2006. He’s still only 30 years old and he’s got a chance to be the possession guy for Marc Bulger. If he can stay healthy, McMichael could well be the team’s most consistent receiving threat and with his size could also be a top option in the red zone.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: As training camp gets set to open this week, what do you think is the most important question the Rams need to get answered before the regular season begins?

JIM THOMAS
WHO WILL CATCH THE FOOTBALL? Yes, tight end Randy McMichael is healthy. And certainly running back Steven Jackson will continue to be a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. But even with the recent addition of Ronald Curry, there is next to nothing in experience and proven talent at wide receiver. The Rams must find two starters and a reliable slot receiver among the likes of Curry, Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson, Brooks Foster and Tim Carter. Not exactly, Bruce, Holt, Hakim, and Proehl, is it?

JEFF GORDON
Wow . . . we won’t know where Marc Bulger really is until he starts getting hit for real, so it won’t matter how good he looks in limited preseason action. So I’m most curious about the linebackers. Can these guys give Spags enough to work with? Will Witherspoon should be a beast in this defense, but the Rams could have a rookie at middle linebacker and a journeyman next to him. Also, it’ll be interesting to see if CB Tye Hill can get his career back on track.

BRYAN BURWELL
The single most important question in my mind is whether the upgraded offensive line can protect QB Marc Bulger and keep RB Steven Jackson injury-free.

BILL COATS
Whether the revamped offensive line, with Alex Barron at left tackle, Jason Smith at right tackle and Jason Brown at center, will jell and provide sound protection for Marc Bulger and open lanes for Steven Jackson.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: A rebuilt offensive line and a healthy Steven Jackson should take some pressure off of QB Marc Bulger this season. However, Bulger has been given a very young WR corps to work with. Taking all those factors into account, what would a successful season for Bulger look like this year?

JIM THOMAS
Bulger must work the ball more to his backs and tight ends as the young wide receivers develop. He must cut down on mistakes, and get back in the habit of throwing the ball away when nothing’s there. An incompletion is always better than a sack or an interception. Accuracy remains one of Bulger’s biggest assets, so he needs to make the Rams’ new West Coast scheme — which generally relies on timing and shorter passes — play to that strength.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
More touchdown passes than interceptions, a passer rating that gets him back up to around 80, 85. Those are the tangibles. He can do a lot better job of competing and not letting the adversity sap his spirit. It’s a bad example for young Rams players when Bulger is on the sideline rolling his eyes or smirking or laughing when the team is getting its backside kicked.

BRYAN BURWELL
Statistically, getting that completion percentage back up into the 60s is going to be the first indicator that things are on the right track for Bulger, who when given time is one of the most accurate passers in the NFL. But the ultimate statistical barometer will still come down to number of victories. If he looks strong and comfortable in the pocket and this team wins six or seven games, you’d have to judge that as a successful season.

BILL COATS
Something like the season he put together in 2006, when he threw for more than 4,000 yards and 24 TDs, with just eight interceptions. A healthy Randy McMichael at tight end should help in that regard. And, yes, the wideouts are young and largely inexperienced, but there’s some talent there. It’s not a bare cupboard.

JEFF GORDON
Successful year for Bulger: Take charge of the offense for a change. Recognize pass pressure. Step up into the pocket, step into throws. Make good decisions with the ball, especially in the red zone. Get the ball out quickly. I’m more interested in how he looks in the pocket than what sort of numbers he puts up. If his receivers run around confused and they drop passes, he can’t control that. But there is a lot he CAN control — and there is a lot he did wrong the last two years.

KATHLEEN NELSON
The picture of a successful season would be vertical, rather than horizontal: an upright Bulger, rather than Bulger sprawled on the ground. The TV commentators often use the phrase “managing the offense” with a negative tone in their voices, meaning that the quarterback isn’t responsible for big plays. Effective management is a positive, not a negative. So, for the Rams this season, an efficient performance from Bulger would be an improvement over last year.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Two statistical measures come to mind immediately — completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio.

To have a “successful” season Bulger needs to get back above the 60 percent completion rate and turn the TD/INT ratio upside down from the past two seasons. If he doesn’t have more touchdown passes than picks then he’s not doing his job, great receivers or not.

One of Steve Spagnuolo’s former teams, the Eagles, went on a 46-18 run from 2000-2003 and did so without any impact receivers on the roster. In those four seasons only two wide receivers caught 60 or more passes (James Thrash had 63 in 2000; Todd Pinkston had 60 in ’02) yet they got it done because they ran the ball, they threw it to the running backs a ton and because Donovan McNabb threw twice as many touchdowns as interceptions during those years.

Bulger doesn’t need to win a lot of games or put up Pro Bowl numbers to have a “successful” season in ’09, in part because the team is in a rebuilding season. He just needs to look like he’s not overmatched. Minimizing turnovers and completing a high percentage would do a lot for him in that regard.

MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

MY LAST HOLT RANT: For the life of me I cannot understand why the new Rams’ regime is so eager to see Torry Holt go. They haven’t said so, but new coach Steve Spagnuolo has made his position clear with his silence concerning Holt. Yes, Holt was disenchanted at the end of last season as he seemed to get phased out of the offense, but who on that Rams team wasn’t disenchanted last season?

Holt, who has caught more passes (817) for more yards (11,872) than any receiver in the NFL this decade, is not done yet. Sure, he’s 32 years old and is coming off his worst season as a pro (64 receptions, 796 yards with three TDs.) But how much of last season’s production can be laid at the feet of Holt? Consider this:

1. The patterns Holt was asked to run in offensive coordinator Al Saunders’ offense last year did not match up with Holt’s skills — not when he was 32, not when he was 22. Where were the slants and hot reads that were Holt’s bread and butter over the years?

2. The team’s quarterback had a terrible year. Marc Bulger’s 71.4 QB rating ranks him 27th in the league among QBs who threw at least 300 passes. (That puts Bulger just ahead of former Rams’ third-string QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had a 70.0 QB rating for the woeful Bengals.) Also, Bulger’s 57% completion percentage ranks him 27th among NFL quarterbacks last year. Remember, folks, there are only 32 teams in the NFL … so how well are your WRs going to do when your quarterback ranks in the league’s cellar in QB rating and completion percentage?

3. Without a respected threat like Isaac Bruce on the field to complement Holt, team’s could easily roll their coverage onto him like a blanket. Who was there to relieve the pressure, the so-called “teen” squad? Puh-leeze. Rookie Donnie Avery had a decent year, but his stat line of 53 catches, 674 yards and 3 TDs ranked below Holt across the board (and he had the advantage of Holt drawing the coverage away from him.) Keenan Burton? 13 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD. Nice. Oh, and then there’s the always consistent, always pedestrian numbers of Dane Looker — 23-271-2. And, the team even lost it’s tight end threat when Randy McMichael went down after only 11 catches for 139 yards. I’m not even going to mention Drew Bennett. Bottom line … Holt had no real protection against consistent double coverage.

4. If a 35-year-old Terrell Owens can shuffle off to Buffalo and still be a wide receiver, you cannot convince me that a 32-year-0ld Torry Holt doesn’t have a few good years left in those legs. And he’ll do it without always stirring up stuff, belittling teammates and coaches or blaming his plight on the QB.

Bottom line, as I asked at the beginning of this rant, why exactly are the Rams so eager to send Holt packing? Yes, Holt has asked to be released. But I believe that’s mostly because he’s been made to feel unwanted. Here’s a guy who was the team’s No. 6 overall pick in the 1999 draft and who gave the team 10 great years, in which time he established historial NFL rankings of 11th overall in career receptions (869) and 14th in career receiving yards (12,660). And I don’t believe he’s done yet. If I thought that, I would say, “Go ahead and release him.” This is not a sentimental argument.

I understand the Rams could save some salary cap money if they release Holt. But chances are, as soon as they do, another team will step up and pay Holt that same money. And are you telling me you don’t think Holt could have an excellent season catching passes from Tony Romo down in Dallas while lined up on the field with WR Roy Williams and TE Jason Witten?

And therein lies my main point: I do not believe Torry Holt is done. I believe his one bad season is a byproduct of a dysfunctional team that had bad leadership and a bad QB in 2008. This guy is not ready to be put out to pasture.

And if I’ve totally swung and missed on this one come the end of the 2009 NFL season, you can let me hear about it. But if I’m right, I’m going to re-run this little rant just to remind the haters what they so eagerly chased out of town.

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THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: If you were coaching the Blues, what would you be focusing on right now to help increase scoring for this team?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Shoot the puck and keep the lines together as much as possible. The Blues are 26th in the NHL in shots per game with 27.8. That’s only a smidge better than the last-place team in the league, Minnesota, with 27.6. Blues coach Andy Murray has conducted entire practices with the theme of shooting the puck, and they do in practice. But when game time comes, the Blues are often hesitant to shoot the puck . . . 5 on 5 and on the power play. I don’t know what else you can do as a coach except take away ice time from those who pass up shots. Also, I would keep the same guys playing together. In private, most players will tell you that they would prefer to play with the same linemates for an extended period of time, more than three or four games. Sometimes it’s been out of necessity, but Murray has mixed up the lines more than a lot of players would like.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Shooting the puck. Yeah, it seems simplistic but so what? It may also be an easy answer because it’s something Andy Murray has talked about, but it is most certainly true. Keeping things simple is the right way to go here. Even with a couple of bad performances in the past week the Blues are still 15-10-5 in their last 30 games, so I don’t think it’s necessary to overthink the situation. That’s a 98-point pace since Christmas and even though there are some things Coach would like to see his team do more consistently I’d have to say things are going pretty well.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
Even though the Blues are far from being considered an explosive offensive hockey club, I don’t look at scoring as being the major issue. It’s not like the Blues are getting shutout or losing games 2-1 night in and night out. Everyone’s familiar with the saying “you can’t score if you don’t shoot” and I think the Blues at times over-pass and fail to direct pucks on net when the opportunity presents itself.

With that being said … The Blues style of play is not conducive for a team looking to open up the game and doesn’t emphasize an attacking aggressive forecheck. The Blues, in my opinion, would generate more scoring chances if the club generated more speed through the neutral zone and played more on their toes as opposed to allowing the opposition (on many nights) to initiate the play. The Blues rely heavily on their shutdown players who don’t spend a lot of time in the offensive end and therefore don’t create a whole lot offensively. We’ve recently seen players who the Blues need to rely on for offense such as David Perron, Patrik Berglund, and David Backes taken out of their element and placed in a fourth-line role. It doesn’t help when Keith Tkachuk is struggling offensively and when Brad Boyes goes nearly ten games without a goal. The Blues need more offensive consistency from their “top players” and, oh, by the way, the club receives virtually no offense from the back end. That certainly doesn’t help.

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ON THIS DATE

MARCH 10, 1995 — After hitting .202 in Double A ball, former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan announces that he is leaving baseball behind and returning to pro basketball. Jordan had been playing with a White Sox affiliate. (Source: “This Day in Baseball” by David Nemec and Scott Flatow)