As the host of a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner, Rams guard Jacob Bell will be surrounded by friends and family today. "I have a sister, brother, mom, dad, step-mom, cousin, and a couple of friends and teammates coming over," he said. "So, it'll be a good day."

The comfort of familiar faces was a rare commodity for Bell last year, his first with the Rams after signing a six-year, $36 million contract as a free agent. Injuries kept the coaches busy juggling the personnel on the offensive line, making it difficult for Bell, the left guard, to settle in.

Not so this season, at least in Bell's immediate area. He, center Jason Brown and left tackle Alex Barron have taken virtually every snap. Continuity has been established, and the play of the line has improved significantly.

"I played on what I felt were some of the better offensive lines when I was at Tennessee" for four years, he said. "Coming here, this season especially, I don't feel there's many better than us. We've been pretty consistent keeping Marc clean and giving Steven room to run."

Quarterbacks Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller have been sacked just 21 times. Running back Steven Jackson has rushed for 1,031 yards, second in the NFL.

According to STATS LLC, Bell is responsible for just one sack. Overall, he's graded out consistently well on the coaches' postgame film review.

"I think I'm kind of figuring out some things that are working for me," he said. "It's just really tough to put things into perspective when you're not winning. But if I was to look at myself, I feel like I'm getting the job done."

Coach Steve Spagnuolo described Bell's performance as "very solid. He's a tough guy that's played well."

Pass blocking always has been a strength for Bell, the Titans' fifth-round draft pick in 2004 out of Miami (Ohio). Run blocking, he conceded, has been his nemesis.

"A lot of times when you second-guess yourself, it slows you down and you don't do exactly what you wanted to do. I still struggle with that and that's when I start getting into trouble," Bell explained. "But this year, I think I've done a lot better job of trusting myself with my technique."

Staying bulked up has helped, too, he said. In the past, the 6-foot-4 Bell struggled to maintain his weight — last year, for example, he slipped down to 280.

"At the end of my first (NFL) season, I hurt my knee and my shoulder. I had two major surgeries within a month of each other, and I'm walking around with a crutch on one side and a sling on the other side," he said. "I got down to 268 pounds. That's from 312 or 313 when I first reported that season. Since then, I didn't go above 290 until this year."

This past offseason, Bell, 28, persuaded his cousin to delay enrollment in culinary school and become his full-time chef. The result has been healthier eating. And the weight has stayed on.

"It's amazing — I'm at 305 now," Bell said. "I stay pretty well nourished with having my cousin cook for me."

All the better to deal with the bulky defenders across the line, he noted. "I would've never said this before, because I always thought I could be the light guy, the technique guy who gets things done," he said, "but that size does help you."

Bell also credits Barron and Brown with aiding his development.

"I really like playing next to the guys I'm playing next to right now," Bell said. "Alex, I don't think I've played next to a better guy; he's a fantastic football player. And having a guy like Jason in there in the middle, it helps immensely. I can't tell you how many times he's saved a pressure or what might've been a sack."

So despite the Rams' 1-9 record, Bell has plenty of reasons to celebrate today. Among them, he's thankful that he doesn't have to help with the cooking.

"Oh, no ... I don't do anything. I stay away from the kitchen," he said, laughing. "My cousin, my mom and my sister will be doing all that stuff. I'll be watching TV."