Jackson's Back, But Rams Offense Still Has Several Question Marks

With the news of Steven Jackson's holdout concluding, I'm sure Rams fans and SJax's fantasy owners alike are toasting to the renewed hope in the dangerously-close-to-being-lost 2008 season.

As a guy who once coached my alma mater would say: "Not so fast, my friend."

The Rams still have offensive concerns. Let's sort through them.

The Offensive Line
Orlando Pace has missed practices with soreness in the surgically repaired shoulder which ended his season after just one game last year. One of the main reasons the Rams offense took such a hit last year was the absence of Pace. You could even argue -- I certainly would -- that's what led to Marc Bulger's injury problems, considering Pace is his backside protection and the injuries were to his dome and ribcage.

Guard Mark Setterstrom and tackle Brandon Gorin are already out for the season. They were slated as backups, but the line durability and depth was a major concern heading into the season, as the Rams used 13 different starters for the five slots last year.

Al Saunders' New Offense
The complicated (reported) hundred-or-so page offense never blew up in D.C. the way Dan Snyder had envisioned, as they finished 13th and 15th in total offense during his two seasons. The Rams have better weapons with which to excel, but are they grasping the x's and o's yet?

We're coming along . . . definitely improving," Torry Holt said. "We'll catch on. It's a rhythm-and-timing thing, and we'll continue to develop that as we go through practice. Hopefully we'll can put together something here real soon."

That would be a start, Torry. The season is right around the corner.

Marc Bulger Struggling
Struggling is really an understatement. His QB rating is 14.1, which is "Bad Rex" territory. How'd he get there? Well, completing only 10-of-23 passes will do, as will the three picks compared to zero touchdowns. This is likely a product of him trying to grasp the new system in addition to the line woes, Jackson's holdout, and the loss of reliable Isaac Bruce.

Obviously, this is where we throw in the disclaimer ... it's only been two preseason games, yada yada yada.

Still, with Jackson now practicing and the third preseason game looming large Saturday night at home, there's no better time for a sign of life from the Rams' offense.

Fantasy Spin:
I'm not ready to bail yet. They may get off to a slow start because of the delay in rapport this exhibition season, but Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Steven Jackson are all quality starting fantasy players ... and Jackson is an elite (top-five) player.

The main thing to watch with these guys is the offensive line. If the seven-time Pro Bowler Pace is out for any substantial time period, all bets are off. There was a reason the 2006 sixth-ranked offense fell all the way to 24th in '07.