Linehan targets solution for his 0-3 Rams: A win

ST. LOUIS — After enduring another embarrassing loss in Seattle on Sunday, the St. Louis Rams find themselves searching for answers to an ever-mounting pile of problems.

Rams coach Scott Linehan said Monday the only way to improve his team's sagging confidence and find a way to lift the spirits of a downtrodden squad is to win. The problem is, it doesn't seem as though he or anyone else knows how to get that victory after the Seahawks mauled the Rams 37-13, dropping St. Louis' record to 0-3.

"Losing is disappointing and the way our team is playing is disappointing, the way we are coaching and everything," Linehan said. "I would say everybody that's playing for us is hand-picked by us, and so we are at the no-excuse time. It's time to perform."

That time would come as a welcomed respite for a team that hasn't been competitive other than a few minutes in the second week against the Giants.

When the Rams were 3-13 in 2007, they at least were able to stay in games before folding in the second half. In the three contests so far this season, the Rams have fallen behind by so much, so fast, that it has been nearly impossible to catch up.

In the opening quarter of those three games, the Rams have been outscored 38-0. St. Louis has trailed at halftime by an average score of 20-4.

It would have taken a rekindling of the Greatest Show on Turf for the Rams to rally and win any of those games.

"You can't go into any road game in the National Football League or maybe any league, spotting a team 17, 24, 27 points the first half and expect to win the game," Linehan said. "I don't know who in this league is equipped to come behind from those kinds of margins. I'm sure there have been some great comebacks throughout the years, but consistently over time, you have got to keep things competitive from a score standpoint."

Absent that close score, the Rams have shown signs of life in the early parts of the second half in the past two weeks. Against the Seahawks, St. Louis came out of the locker room and put together its best drive of the season, an 80-yard series that resulted in a touchdown.

The only problem with that was it only cut the deficit to 27-13, and the Rams couldn't take advantage of any of the momentum the score created.

In the search for answers to the nagging problems that plague the team in every facet of the game, Linehan says he again will consider making some lineup changes.

Against Seattle, he restored Fakhir Brown into the starting lineup in place of Tye Hill. Similar moves could be in the offing.

"I think we'd be crazy if we didn't try something different because what we've done the first three weeks is not working," Linehan said.

Undefeated Buffalo comes to St. Louis this week with an opportunity to send the Rams into the bye week winless for the second straight season.

Channeling Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, Linehan said the Rams have only one cure for what ails them.

"Just win, baby," Linehan said. "That's it. That's the only thing I have ever been able to reflect on over my years that gets your attitude right, and that's a great performance and a win. There are no moral victories or whatever. They keep score for a reason."

Noteworthy

• Running back Antonio Pittman has a small crack in his fibula that is expected to keep him out for four to six weeks. Pittman suffered the injury on a special teams play early in the game. Brian Leonard will replace Pittman as the primary backup to starter Steven Jackson. Leonard has been inactive for the past two weeks.
• Left tackle Orlando Pace has a mild groin strain and will be evaluated throughout the week.