Maybe it was a little too early to tell fate of Rams, MU

Last weekend was definitely not a good one for the Rams and University of Missouri football teams.

And their performances also didn't make some of my recent comments look too smart.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that, while not exactly saying the Rams will reach the Super Bowl, their 0-4 exhibition record won't mean a thing once the regular season begins.

But after watching the Rams stumble through losses to the Broncos in the opener and at home to the Giants last Sunday, I'm not so sure about that. Maybe there was a carryover from the preseason, particularly in the way coach Mike Martz elected not to play his starters very much. The Rams have certainly looked rusty, especially on offense.

In that same column, I lauded the performance of Missouri during its impressive season-opening win over Illinois and indicated there was a good chance the Tigers would start off 4-0, although I did write that the real test for the men from Columbia would come during their brutal Big 12 Conference schedule.

So what do the Tigers do after my praise? They get buried 51-28 at Bowling Green. Now, make no mistake about it. Bowling Green is a solid team, even though most people around the country probably don't know it. But to get beat that badly, and give up 577 yards in the process? Definitely not a good sign.

Oh well, at least the Rams and Tigers still have plenty of time to bounce back.

The two NFL head coaches who spent brief periods early in their careers as Southeast Missouri State University assistants in the late 1980s have been meeting with decidedly different reviews.

On one hand we have Buccaneers first-year coach Jon Gruden, who is being hailed as one of the NFL's best -- both for his work with the Raiders the last few seasons and for what he is expected to do in Tampa Bay this year and in the future.

On the other hand we have Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg, who is getting all kinds of heat for having such a bad team in Detroit. The Lions were awful in Mornhinweg's first season last year and look even worse this season.

Gruden's Bucs host the Rams Monday night in what appears to be a great matchup -- and it's a game the Rams desperately need to win. Otherwise they'll start out 0-3, which will have all St. Louis fans up in arms.

Likewise, the Lions and Mornhinweg could really use a victory -- or at least a respectable showing -- when the Packers visit Detroit today.

In what looks like a down year for high school football in the immediate area, Cape Girardeau Central appears to be a cut above the rest.

After posting an impressive 38-0 win Thursday night over what seemed to be a dangerous Blytheville team, the Tigers are 3-0 and looking like definite contenders to go deep into the playoffs.

It's been said many times before, but Central coach Lawrence Brookins and his staff really have done a remarkable job in turning around the Tigers' program.

Congratulations to Southeast's women's soccer team, which picked up a big win Thursday by beating Kentucky 2-1. The Wildcats had been nationally ranked earlier in the season.

Coach Heather Nelson beefed up the Otahkians' schedule this year by adding "name" schools, but Southeast had previously suffered disappointing losses to Arkansas and Indiana before upsetting the Wildcats.

That should give the Otahkians plenty of momentum heading into today's 2 p.m. home game against what is supposed to be a pretty decent Oral Roberts squad.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian