15 Jan 11 St. Louis Rams "Top 10 things fans can say around the water cooler"

It just doesn't get much bleaker than this.St. Louis fans were filled with optimism at the beginning of the 2007 season, touting the Rams' array of offensive weaponry and upgrades on defense. It was assumed that the Rams had the talent to make the playoffs and possibly retake the division title.A little over a month later, the cruel sledgehammer of reality has waylaid the remaining fans who have yet to find something else to do with their Sundays. Those few that will continue to watch are either die-hards, masochists or suffer from a shared delusion that "it's not over yetReebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
."For those who have yet to be driven insane by the Rams' ineptitude and are desperate to find a silver lining in the aftermath of their loss to Arizona, here are the top 10 things the 0-5 team's loyalists can say to each other around the water cooler this week:"We're still not mathematically eliminated.""No one on the offensive line went down this week.""We're only three games out of first place!""Will Kurt Warner be a free agent next year?""Richie Incognito sure looked enthusiastic.""Were those referees on loan from the NBA?""Actually, scoring touchdowns in a game is a moral victory.""The announcers mentioned Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael ... by name!""Who does Mel Kiper have ranked No. 1 overall for the '08 draft?""Nobody comes into our house favored by four and beats the spread!"So, for the legion of St. Louis fans who, by reading this article, prove that they have yet to give up on their team, take solace in the fact that things can't possibly get any worse. Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson should return soon, and although St. Louis won'tReebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
make the playoffs, it should become competitive once more.Then again, Arizona wasn't exactly dominant in its victory, Seattle looks as if it's on a steep decline, and San Francisco can't generate any offense.Hmmm ...**You can e-mail Steve Reynolds at sreynoldsGet weekly St. Louis Rams coverage (4)