Remember when it seemed like the Rams might threaten to go 0-16? Now, St. Louis is officially the second-best team in the NFC West (not a big accomplishment, but still) after blasting the Tony Romo-less Cowboys 34-14. While trading Romo for Brad Johnson isn’t the best trade, it still doesn’t excuse losing by four touchdowns to one of the most inept teams in the league (the Cowboys were favored by 10 1/2 without Romo). Johnson did his best to ensure defeat, though, throwing three interceptions. But the Rams have some talent at the skill positions, and they did their jobs today. Steven Jackson ran for 160 yards and three TDs, while Marc Bulger had a solid, if unspectacular, game under center.

Elsewhere in the early games:

• Buffalo 23, San Diego 14. It was lights out for the Chargers in Buffalo, but Shawne Merriman was nowhere to be seen. The power failed twice during this game, sending those of us on the West Coast to the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game on several occasions. And that game was so bad, that they decided to just let James Brown just narrate the raw footage the Bills-Chargers so that we weren’t subjected to Bengal football for any longer than necessary. Phillip Rivers turned it over three times, including twice in the fourth quarter, while Trent Edwards went 25-30 for 261 and a TD. LT only ran for 41 yards.

The rest of the games after the jump

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You can’t really blame the Tennessee Titans for getting carried away. They’re the only undefeated team left in the NFL, and they have a huge Monday Night Football match on the 27th against the rival Colts. (that’s a rivalry in the sense of Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, when only one side thinks it’s a rivalry. Titans fans are so cute when they think they’re relevant.)

(”Don’t sweat it…baby blue is totes hotter than royal blue.”)

At the last Tennessee home game, an ominous message flashed on the scoreboard:

Titans Code Blue
Be A Part of History
10.27.08

If it’s what everyone thinks it is, it may be the least well thought out promotion since nickel beer night.

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Showing a clear understanding of the economic woes in the United States, the NFL has raised Super Bowl ticket prices by $100 for this season’s game.  The event, to be held February 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium, now has face values of $800 to $1,000, up from last season’s $700 and $900.

(XLIII seats can be had for $M each)

But fear not, thrifty Americans!  According to TAMPA BAY ONLINE:

Brian McCarthy, the league’s VP of Corporate Communications, said the NFL is working on plans to offer a limited number of tickets at a lower price for the Feb. 1 matchup between the champions of the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. Read more…

Herm Edwards may be a lousy football coach, but he’s a great life coach. Five Chiefs players took in a special NBA preseason game in Kansas City and, according to a fan sitting next to them, turned down the offer to enjoy some “bye week bong hits.”

(Herm’s 1-4, but feeling no pain)

Larry Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Bernard Pollard, Kolby Smith and Turk McBride had $200 courtside seats to the Hawks/Trail Blazers exhibition at the Sprint Center Friday night, and apparently had the chance to blaze more than a trail, according to HERM EDWARDS SUPPORT GROUP, a blog with a tasteful URL that I’m shocked Blogspot allows. (Surprising lack of Ricky Williams jokes after the jump.)

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Words like “winner” and “leader” that were up until very recently closely tied to Titans’ quarterback Vince Young have quickly been replaced by: “suicide,” “crazy,” “shrink” and “quitter.” What a difference a week makes.

Just when it seemed like there we had all the Vince-sanity we could handle, PRO FOOTBALL TALK informs us that the Tennessee signal caller “wanted to stop playing at halftime” of last season’s AFC Wild Card game against the San Diego Chargers.

In the biggest game of his professional career, Vince Young wanted to quit at halftime. Read more…

German insurance and financial services giant Allianz is in negotiations with the New York Giants and Jets to purchase the naming rights to the new Meadowlands stadium that is scheduled to open in 2010. But, while naming deals are old hat these days, the teams are facing a bit of a moral dilemma in deciding whether to plaster the name of a company that was involved in insuring Nazi concentration camps on the front of their new digs.

It’s an issue that should at least be raised anywhere, but is particularly touchy in New York, which contains the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel. While Allianz has certainly made attempts to atone for its past transgressions (which included refusing to pay out life insurance policies to Jews and redirecting the money to Nazis), this might not be the best PR decision:

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Poor Chad Ocho Cinco. The former Chad Johnson went through the trouble of changing his name, and not for the normal, mundane reasons — marriage, religioius beliefs, witness protection — but for strictly selfish ones: he wanted to get paid.

You see, players get a percentage for every NFL jersey sold bearing their name. “Ocho Cinco” would’ve been a big hit with the kids, and presumably allowed Mr. Ocho Cinco to buy those gold fronts he’s been enviously eyeing. The NFL higher-ups have other ideas, it seems, because the league only recognizes Chad Johnson, at least for merchandise-related purposes:

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This man holds all the cards, doesn’t he? While refusing a two-year offer from the Jets, Brett Favre wants you to know he’s not done talking about the Packers’ mistakes. Chief among this week’s criticisms? Their hiring of consultant Ari Fleischer, former spokesman for the Bush White House.

The NEW YORK DAILY NEWS gets Brett’s rebuttal:

“What does that tell you? I mean, come on - damage control,” Favre said.

Well duh. Then again, Favre’s sitdown interview to bash the Packers looks like damage control as well. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander sometimes, Favre should know as much. But Fleischer wasn’t his only complaint: Read more…

Tonight’s Hall of Fame Game, a matchup of guys wearing Indianapolis Colts jerseys against other guys wearing Washington Redskins jerseys, marks the debut of the 2008-09 NFL season - if you count football games played by people you’ve never heard of in high school stadiums that have no bearing on the win/loss record of either team as an actual NFL game.

NBC’s coverage of tonight’s game is sure to draw in an audience, the majority of that audience might consist of the key demographic of degenerate gamblers excited about the opportunity to throw money down on football for the first time since the Arena Bowl but an audience nonetheless.

Aside from the degenerate gamblers, Redskins fans will also have an interest in watching at least a portion of tonight’s game; partially to see their new head coach Jim Zorn work the sidelines but mostly to enjoy the celebration of two of the franchise’s greats Art Monk and Darrell Green who were inducted into the Hall yesterday.

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• SLAM ONLINE has the scoop that Kings and Rockets are finalizing a deal to send Ron Artest to Houston. Not only does this move bring a guy who isn’t from this planet to a team called the Rockets, but it will also give Clutch City a third offensive option. Additionally, the trade brings in a brand of crazy Houston hasn’t seen since Carl Everett left town in 1999.

• BUSTED COVERAGE breaks down the differences between the Cleveland Browns’ quarterbacks, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.“The backup will shill for Subway and Hummer. The starter doesn’t have time for endorsements because he has an actual job.”

• You may think they’re just really big guys in really small shorts but bodybuilders have an artistic side to them as well. URLESQUE has compiled 10 of the greatest choreographed bodybuilding routines. One of the videos from this countdown is rolling after the jump. Read more…