According to a post-game report today by cbssports.com, St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo says the Rams have:

“character and fight…to build anything, the base has to have a rock-solid foundation and that’s there,” he said.  “We’ve got to wait eight months to play a game, but I’m glad that’s there.”

The question in St. Louis right now is who will be the head coach for that game in eight months?  

That decision is expected to be announced on Monday, according to a report by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who cites league sources.  

In three seasons under Steve Spagnuolo, the Rams went 10-38.  

Hopes were high in St. Louis entering 2011.  

Many picked the Rams to win the NFC West.  Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network asserted that St. Louis would be the league’s breakout team.  

However, the Rams faltered during an 0-6 start before winning two of three, including the season’s biggest win, an upset victory at the Edward Jones Dome over record-setting Drew Brees and the playoff-bound New Orleans Saints. 

But then they lost their final seven contests, including the finale today at home versus NFC West champion San Francisco.  

In Spagnuolo’s defense, however, the Rams players never seemed to quit and the roster was ravaged by injuries throughout the year.

Some notable players lost for the season include Sam Bradford’s top receiving target, Danny Amendola (as well as rookie Greg Salas), the teams’ top three cornerbacks (Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher and Jerome Murphy) and both starting offensive tackles (Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith)—among others.

The team also lost three-time Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson for several games before suffering long-term injuries to quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley.

With that said, 2-14 is still 2-14. And 10-38 is still 10-38.  

In the NFL, it’s the bottom line that counts. And the bottom line doesn’t look good for Spagnuolo’s Rams. Expect him to be relieved of his head coaching duties as early as Monday.

According to a report by Albert Breer of the NFL Network, Jeff Fisher is ready to return to coaching. The St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers are listed as possible options for Fisher.  

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year round. To check out the rest of his work, go here.  You are also encouraged to follow him here on Twitter.   

The Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes steadily dimmed during a stretch in
which they faced some of the AFC’s top teams.

While they’ll take on two sub-.500 opponents over their final three games,
the Bengals’ only break would appear to come Sunday when they visit the woeful
St. Louis Rams.

A run of five consecutive wins – four against teams which currently have
losing records – gave Cincinnati a share of the AFC North lead in early
November. That success, however, might seem like a distant memory as the Bengals
have since dropped four of five.

All four of those defeats – two to Pittsburgh and one apiece to Baltimore
and Houston – came to teams which now share the AFC’s best record at 10-3. Last
week’s defeat to the Texans had to be the most heartbreaking and also eliminated
Cincinnati (7-6) from the division title chase.

The Bengals gave up a touchdown pass to third-string quarterback T.J. Yates
with two seconds left to lose 20-19. Cincinnati, which led 16-3 in the third
quarter and was up nine with less than six minutes to play, remains one game
behind the New York Jets for the AFC’s final playoff berth.

“We’re by no means out of anything,” said right guard Bobbie Williams, who
broke his ankle last Sunday and is out for the season. “Our chances are a little
tougher, but we can still finish up these last three with a very successful
record. Then hey, let the chips fall where they may after that.”

The Bengals play their final road game Sunday before returning home to face
Arizona, which is 6-7 but has won three straight and five of six, and a Ravens
team which has won four in a row.

That makes this game all the more crucial to Cincinnati’s playoff chances.
The Bengals have only one touchdown in each of their two games this month – Andy
Dalton has combined to go just 27 of 52 for 324 yards – but they’re facing a
Rams team averaging a league-worst 11.8 points.

St. Louis (2-11) has been outscored 103-40 during its current four-game
skid, and its only TD in Monday’s 30-13 loss at Seattle came with 4:39 to play
on Steven Jackson’s 1-yard run. It took the Rams six plays to get that yard.

“There are a lot of things we have to overcome, but we’ve got to overcome
them,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “We’re not going to use any excuses. We’ve
got to find a way to win.”

St. Louis also must find a way to stop the run, ranking last in the NFL with
156.8 rushing yards allowed per contest.

Facing that defense might help Cedric Benson rebound from a miserable final
30 minutes against Houston. He finished with 91 yards on 21 carries but had
minus-1 on eight attempts in the second half.

“We look forward to being able to run the ball on them consistently,” said
Benson, 117 yards shy of reaching 1,000 for the third straight season. “We still
have a challenge ahead of us, but I think we can do some positive things in the
run game.”

While the loss of Williams could hamper Benson, the return of right tackle
Andre Smith from an ailing ankle would help. Smith, the No. 6 overall pick in
the 2009 draft, sat out last week’s loss.

The Rams, meanwhile, continue to have problems staying healthy on offense.
Guard Jacob Bell joined tackles Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith on injured
reserve before last week’s game, and tackle Mark LeVoir (groin) might also be
unavailable during the short week of preparation.

Quarterback Sam Bradford has been dealing with a sprained left ankle and
didn’t seem optimistic about playing this week. If he sits out, Kellen Clemens
would likely start even though he didn’t sign with the Rams until last week.
Backup A.J. Feeley remains out with a broken thumb.

Whoever starts at quarterback will be trying to keep Cincinnati winless in
St. Louis. The Bengals have lost to the Rams there twice, in 1996 and 2003, and
to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.

Cincinnati snapped a three-game skid to the Rams during the previous matchup
in 2007.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. LOUIS — Sam Bradford ran in the pool and rode an exercise bicycle as the St. Louis Rams tried to nurse their quarterback back to health.

If Bradford can’t go Monday night at Seattle, the Rams (2-10) will likely be down to a player with zero NFL snaps because backup A.J. Feeley has all but ruled himself out with a broken thumb on his right hand.

“It’s pretty sore right now, it’s pretty swollen, it’s pretty tough to grip,” Feeley said.

Tom Brandstater, elevated from the practice squad last week, took snaps with the first string in an abbreviated practice that lasted about an hour Wednesday. The former Fresno State standout has been on the active roster for three games this year and a full season with Denver in 2009 after getting drafted in the sixth round.

Bradford lobbied to play before the 49ers game, but was held out to avoid further injury. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said it was too early to hazard a guess about Bradford’s status for this week.

The plan is for Bradford to practice as little as possible.

“His status is the same,” Spagnuolo said. “We’re trying to get it to Monday.”

Feeley said it would be at least a week before swelling subsides and he can attempt to grip the ball.

“If it’s a pain tolerance thing, I have no problem going through with it,” Feeley said. “But if it’s giving way every time I grip the all because the bone is shifting, it probably won’t work out.”

The Rams are stockpiling quarterbacks just in case, signing Kellen Clemens to the roster and Matt Gutierrez to the practice squad. The 28-year-old Clemens was released by the Texans on Monday after spending two weeks with that team.

Whoever’s taking the snaps will be working with a decimated line. Not long after guard Jacob Bell expressed optimism he might be able to recover from a torn MCL on his right knee and play the last two games, he joined tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold on injured reserve.

Bell was the only lineman to start every game at the same position. He was hurt in the fourth quarter when the 49ers’ Ray McDonald landed on the leg.

Feeley also dislocated his left ring finger during the game, quickly yanking it back into place.

Safety Darian Stewart practised after being cleared from a concussion that sidelined him last week.

In other roster juggling, cornerback Chris Smith was signed to the roster off the practice squad, cornerback Nate Ness was released and running back Chase Reynolds was signed to the practice squad for the third time.

“It’s pretty sore right now, it’s pretty swollen, it’s pretty tough to grip,” Feeley said.

Tom Brandstater, elevated from the practice squad last week, took snaps with the first string in an abbreviated practice that lasted about an hour Wednesday. The former Fresno State standout has been on the active roster for three games this year and a full season with Denver in 2009 after getting drafted in the sixth round.

Bradford lobbied to play before the 49ers game, but was held out to avoid further injury. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said it was too early to hazard a guess about Bradford’s status for this week.

The plan is for Bradford to practice as little as possible.

“His status is the same,” Spagnuolo said. “We’re trying to get it to Monday.”

Feeley said it would be at least a week before swelling subsides and he can attempt to grip the ball.

“If it’s a pain tolerance thing, I have no problem going through with it,” Feeley said. “But if it’s giving way every time I grip the all because the bone is shifting, it probably won’t work out.”

The Rams are stockpiling quarterbacks just in case, signing Kellen Clemens to the roster and Matt Gutierrez to the practice squad. The 28-year-old Clemens was released by the Texans on Monday after spending two weeks with that team.

Whoever’s taking the snaps will be working with a decimated line. Not long after guard Jacob Bell expressed optimism he might be able to recover from a torn MCL on his right knee and play the last two games, he joined tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold on injured reserve.

Bell was the only lineman to start every game at the same position. He was hurt in the fourth quarter when the 49ers’ Ray McDonald landed on the leg.

Feeley also dislocated his left ring finger during the game, quickly yanking it back into place.

Safety Darian Stewart practiced after being cleared from a concussion that sidelined him last week.

In other roster juggling, cornerback Chris Smith was signed to the roster off the practice squad, cornerback Nate Ness was released and running back Chase Reynolds was signed to the practice squad for the third time.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

What’s wrong with the St. Louis Rams? Not everything. Just
almost everything.

After nearly making the playoffs last season, the Rams were
supposed to take a big step forward this season.

Sam Bradford was supposed to become a Pro Bowl quarterback. Steve
Spagnuolo was set to take a post as one of the best coaches in the
game. St. Louis was ready to embrace football again.

Never has a season gone from flying high to crashing and burning
with one play, especially when that one play was the first
offensive play of the season.

In Week 1, Steven Jackson broke through for a 47-yard touchdown.
The Edward Jones Dome was rocking.

SJax’s lightning strike seemed to ignite a fire that would burn
straight into the playoffs. Instead, he ran the ball once more in
that game and left with a leg injury.

It wasn’t until Week 5 he was back to full strength, and by then,
it was too late.

The 49ers were already running away with the division, and St.
Louis had no wins.

Rams fans shouldn’t overreact though. This is football. Injuries
happen. They happen a lot. Unfortunately for St. Louis, the Rams
have had a ton.

Here’s some of the players who are on injured reserve: Danny
Amendola, Ron Bartell, Al Harris, Michael Hoomanawanui, Rodger
Saffold, Greg Salas and Jason Smith.

Saffold and Smith are anchors of the offensive line. Amendola is
the top receiver and punt returner. Harris and Bartell are the best
cornerbacks. Salas was supposed to help the receiving corps.
Hoomanawanui is one of the team’s top tight ends.

On top of that, Bradford has missed time. And like every team, many
others have missed games.

With all these injuries after a lockout-shortened offseason with a
new offense, the 2-9 record is more understandable.

The Rams had a tough nonconference schedule, which included losses
to the Packers, Giants, Cowboys and Ravens. That’s three, maybe
four, playoff teams.

They’ve also lost to the Eagles, Redskins, Cardinals (twice) and
Seahawks.

The point is this: Don’t give up on a return to glory. It’s
obviously just not coming as soon as we thought.

Spagnuolo is still the right coach. Bradford can still be a star
quarterback. Jackson is still a star running back. There are good
pieces all over the field.

The Rams still need a big playmaker. Even with Brandon Lloyd in the
fray, they still need another deep threat or two.

This season has been a combination of factors leading up to a very
disappointing record, and it may not get much better. St. Louis
finishes with the 49ers, improving Seahawks, Bengals, Steelers and
49ers again.

With a solid draft and a free agent move or two, the Rams should be
everyone’s dark horse again next season. Let’s just hope they can
avoid the injury bug and live up to the hype.

JEFF WILSON is the chief copy editor at The Southern Illinoisan.
He can be reached at 618-529-5454, ext. 5176 or
jeff.wilson@thesouthern.com.