Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. St. Louis 14 at Tampa Bay 26 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW St. Louis Rams: Two big stories for the Rams: #1) Marshall Faulk left with an injury in the second quarter and did not return. Team doctors say that it's a strained neck. Faulk will have an MRI on Tuesday. No word on Faulk's status for next Sunday's game. #2) Trung Canidate got seven touches in relief of Faulk and was largely ineffective. So rookie RB Lamar Gordon replaced Canidate and fared much better with 44 yards and a TD. In an extraordinary post game interview, Coach Mike Martz seemed EXTREMELY upset with Canidate singling him out like few coaches will ever do. All indications at this point are that if Faulk cannot go next week, Gordon will start. But remember, it was just a couple of weeks ago and Mike Martz was saying that Gordon wasn't even close to Canidate for the backup RB job. So this is anything but a settled situation. The Rams' offense is not showing any signs of improvement. Martz may be a great offensive coordinator, but it remains to be seen if Martz is a good head coach. Martz knows that Warner is getting pummeled in the pocket, but does little to protect Warner. Martz has the best RB in football, and yet Martz continues to abandon the running game. Kurt Warner was harassed all night - and his performance reflects it. Warner rarely had any time to throw. Warner did put up good yardage, but his four interceptions and zero TDs are obviously worrisome to fantasy owners. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: John Gruden is obviously an effective head coach, but his conservative ways are limiting the Tampa Bay offense. Tampa has only scored four offensive TDs in three games. The problem? Every pass is about 15-20 yards or less - often much less. Brad Johnson was able to throw the deep ball in Minnesota and Washington, but Gruden clearly doesn't like to air it out. The result is that defenses KNOW that the Buccaneers won't go deep, and that allows the defense to cheat the line of scrimmage. Defenses will continue to limit Tampa's offense until Gruden gets more aggressive. Michael Pittman is clearly a very good RB, but his numbers will continue to be limited until the passing game improves. Yes, Alstott gets the ball in some goal-line formations, but Pittman's breakaway speed and bruising power would surely net some TDs if Tampa's offense wasn't so bland and predictable. The Tampa Bay Defense won this game. The Tampa secondary tackled well and picked off Warner four times. Tampa also scored a big defensive TD to seal the game with Derrick Brooks' interception return. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW St. Louis Rams QB: Warner rarely had any time to throw. When the O line did give Warner time, he appeared to be shell-shocked and often locked onto receivers. That proved costly as Warner threw four interceptions and no TDs Monday. Warner was knocked down about 17 times Monday. For some reason, Mike Martz seems stubborn about giving help to his young Offensive Right Tackle John St. Claire who's struggling. Warner will never last the season unless Coach Martz wakes up and protects his QB. Kurt Warner was harassed all night - and his performance proves it. RBs: Two big stories here: Story #1) Marshall Faulk left with an injury in the second quarter and did not return. Team doctors say that it's a strained neck. Faulk will have an MRI on Tuesday. No word on Faulk's status for next Sunday's game. Faulk didn't have much room to run when he was healthy, but did score on a TD run. Story #2) Trung Canidate is clearly in Mike Martz's doghouse. Canidate got seven touches in relief of Faulk and was largely ineffective. So rookie RB Lamar Gordon replaced Canidate and fared much better with 44 yards and a TD. Think Martz is angry at Canidate? Listen to Martz's comments: "I was very disappointed with Trung's performance. Gordon did well. Looks to me like we've found us a starter." This story is big because Faulk owners that drafted Canidate expected Canidate to back up Faulk - and that may not happen now. Everything today indicates Lamar Gordon is the #2 RB there. But remember, it was just a couple of weeks ago and Mike Martz was saying that Gordon wasn't even close to Canidate for the backup RB job. So this is anything but a settled situation. WRs: Though Torry Holt didn't get a TD, he had a big game with 12 catches for 139 yards. Isaac Bruce had only four catches for 43 yards. But his night could have been much better. Bruce just couldn't get his feet in bounds on a potential TD catch, and he also dropped what would have been a 50 yard catch. TE: Ernie Conwell was mostly quiet and finished with 2 catches for 20 yards. St. Louis Pass Defense: This unit fared well. Though part of that is due to the fact that Tampa Bay refuses to throw the ball down the field. St. Louis Run Defense: The run defense allowed 63 yards on the ground and put good pressure on Brad Johnson throughout the night. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brad Johnson looked sharp early, leading the team down the field on the first drive. But that drive stalled and Gramatica kicked a FG. That was the Tampa offense for most of the night: effective until they neared the red zone. Johnson performed well under pressure, but did throw one interception. Johnson would benefit from some downfield passes. RBs: Michael Pittman is clearly a good RB, but this game was a good example of why Pittman's numbers have suffered so far. Gruden's short passing game allows defenses to play close to the line and that hurts Pittman's numbers. Pittman looks strong and quick - so his skills are not the issue. A more wide-open passing game might make Pittman a star. Mike Alstott wasn't used until late in the game, and did smash his way into the end zone for a short TD. WRs: Keenan McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson looked good, but didn't have a lot of passes thrown to them. Both receivers combined for only seven catches. Johnson looked a lot like Terrell Owens on the sideline in the fourth quarter as he yelled and pouted at Coach Gruden. They looked to try and smooth it over at the end of the game, but both were clearly not happy. TE: The tight ends were clearly emphasized in this game. Ken Dilger had a respectable 5 catches for 38 yards. Ricky Dudley was quiet all night but he caught a TD pass in the 2nd quarter. Hopefully, their success may help open up the Tampa Bay passing game. Tampa Bay Pass Defense: The Tampa Bay Defense won this game. Warner did get 301 yards passing, but he paid for it. Most of that yardage was outside the red zone, and the Tampa secondary tackled well and picked off Warner four times. Tampa also scored a big defensive TD to seal the game with Derrick Brooks' interception return. Tampa Bay Rush Defense: The Rams finished with 89 yards rushing and did score two TDs. But the front line absolutely destroyed Warner all night.