Rams are bad and schedule's not helping

ST. LOUIS -- Now 0-7 and saddled with a 17-game losing streak, there's no question the St. Louis Rams have been awful. The schedule isn't giving them any breaks, either.

The were pummeled Sunday -- at home -- by the unbeaten Colts 42-6. Indianapolis was the third in a trio of top-shelf teams (Green Bay and Minnesota) they drew to open the home schedule, and all three clobbered St. Louis.

The Rams opened with two games on the road and now they have another road game, this one at Detroit. And for the second straight week, the Rams get an opponent coming off its bye week.

Rookie coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday he can't worry about such things. When the schedule came out in May, Spagnuolo said he put on blinders and focused on the opener at Seattle, and the bye week that comes after this week's bottom-of-the barrel matchup against the one-win Lions.

"I don't get wrapped up in it," Spagnuolo said. "I haven't studied it hard enough, but I'm sure there's something in the schedule where we could say, 'Well, this worked out pretty good for us."'

St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little sits on the bench during the final minutes of the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, in St. Louis. The Colts won 42-6. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

The Rams came closest to winning in a pair of road games, a two-point loss at Washington in Week 2 and an overtime loss at Jacksonville in Week 6. After the bye, the Rams are home for three straight games, not that the coach had noticed.

"I haven't thought about it that way," Spagnuolo said. "I don't know if I'm smart enough to think that far ahead."

Atypically, minutes after Sunday's blowout loss, the always-upbeat coach thought players experienced a letdown in the fourth quarter. Given a day to reflect and review game tape, the coach said shoulders sagged for only about three minutes.

However long it lasted, Spagnuolo gave players yet another reminder that they should focus only on what's in front of them.

"Don't let a bad play or a good play affect the next play, we talk about that all the time," Spagnuolo said. "That's what guys have got to fight through."

Players are hoping this is finally their week.

"Rome wasn't built in a day," rookie offensive tackle Jason Smith said. "Obviously, we're building toward whatever it is we're building here. When we do happen to be victorious, it'll be great."

Running back Steven Jackson said it won't come without hard work and added, "We have to play four quarters, not two or three."

The Rams lost two players, rookie cornerback Bradley Fletcher and long snapper Chris Massey, to season-ending knee injuries against the Colts. A third, guard Richie Incognito, could be out as long as three weeks with a ligament injury to his right foot.

They're the latest in a long list of casualties from home games played on a FieldTurf surface that's replaced every year. Spagnuolo doesn't know if a connection can be made, noting that opposing teams haven't had a lot of injuries at the Edward Jones Dome and said no players have complained about the surface.

Earlier in the year, wide receiver Laurent Robinson (ankle, leg) and defensive tackle Gary Gibson (ankle) were placed on injured reserve after injuries in home games. Safety James Butler (knee) missed three games and cornerback Ron Bartell (groin) missed one.

"I'm not going to speculate," Spagnuolo said. "Injuries happen and there have been some freak ones, but I've seen those kinds of injuries in my 11 years in the league."

Incognito's injury at least temporarily will end the team's decision last week to give Smith playing time on both sides of the line. Adam Goldberg likely moves from right tackle to Incognito's right guard position with Smith starting at right tackle this week.

The Rams get one player back this week, with linebacker David Vobora eligible to return from a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.