Watching the Rams game on Sunday, I was overcome with so many emotions. I was hurt, angry and embarrassed. I was nostalgic, pissed off and heated. What I saw from my favorite team on that Sunday afternoon will be etched in my mind as long as I live. October 21 will go down as the day we, the St. Louis Rams and its fans, hit rock bottom.

And you know what? I want some accountability. I want heads on the chopping block. Scott Lineahan, there is the door. John Shaw, at least it lasted this long. Jay Zygmunt, you wouldn’t know talent if Tom Brady smacked you in the face. But the worst part is I have absolutely no faith that we will be able to turn this thing around anytime soon. And that hurts.

Regardless of whether you are Rams fan, if you follow football and openly root for one team above all others, you know how I feel. All teams have there down years. But for some, like St. Louis fans, it just hurts a little more. Coming off our World Series victory in 2006, I felt like the Cardinals had something this year. We got lucky winning with the team we did, so I was optimistic that ownership would spend a little money and get us right back to the fall classic. But what did they do? Nothing. They sat on their hands and collected their profits. They knew that St. Louis has the most loyal (blindly?) baseball fans in the nation, that we won’t cause a stir because we just won the World Series after all. And we didn’t. We sat through that trash of a season, trying to look for bright spots in a team whose rotation includes Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes, and Braden Looper.

But you know what? At least we had the NFL to look forward to. We had Bulger, Holt, Jackson and the greatest show on turf. The NFC West looked like it was going to be down this year, and what perfect time to possibly sneak our way into the playoffs. And yet here we sit now, the laughing stock of the National Football League and an on-going PTI toss-up favorite for what will happen first, a Rams win or a Patriots loss? Obviously, something needs to be done.

But does ownership care? That’s the thing that hurts the most: we fans treat the team like it’s our child, our baby. We’d hate to see anything bad happen to it and would protect any harm from ever coming to it. Owners? Well, it’s all a business to them. Either that, or they’re just incompetent and don’t care. And that’s what angers fans more than anything, I think. Aside from Stienbrenner, Jerry Jones, and Mark Cuban, no other owner ever seems to get upset when their team is losing. It’s just one big cash cow, so why should they care? They sit idly by, not authorizing any moves to be made or money to be spent. They look at coaches as their friends, not underachieving employees. They’d rather have losing seasons than lose a friend.

To owners, their team is just one of several profit-making enterprises they own. But to fans? It’s our life blood, a release from our monotonous, boring everyday lives. It’s something we take pride in. We talk about our teams in terms of “we"  or “us."  A winner makes us feel good and gives us a feeling of satisfaction. A loser demoralizes us. We feel as though we no long matter, and are forced to take trash from fans of successful franchises.

But the thing is, you have to stand by your team, no matter what. There’s no giving in, no switching sides, and that’s what makes it so great. For when our time comes, it’ll mean that much more. Like in life, success isn’t without hardship. And when success comes, it’ll be that much sweater.

Hopefully for us Rams fans it just gets here at some point this decade.

Onto the picks…. (Home team in CAPS)

Browns over RAMS
Steven Jackson looks like he’s going to return, but really when our offensive line is this bad, does it even matter?

Colts over PANTHERS
Colts keep on rolling. Too bad Garrard got hurt last night, because we might’ve actually gotten to see a good Monday Night Football game for once. And does anyone actually enjoy the MNF booth? I love TK on PTI, but he’s not a football guy, and tries too hard to be one. And thanks for bringing Russell Crowe into the booth last night. It’s amazing how they knew that I would want to hear about his new movie coming out and his rugby team he owns during the FOOTBALL GAME. Great job, ESPN.

TITANS over Raiders
That Texans-Titans game was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The Titans needed to prove that they could win a close one without VY, who should return this week. Tennessee’s next three are all very winnable at home. They could be looking at 7-2.

Steelers over BENGALS
The home team has lost the last six games in this matchup, and with the way the Bengals defense is playing, there isn’t any reason to think the Steelers can’t make it seven.

VIKINGS over Eagles
The home team has won the last nine games in this matchup. Just weird. I’ll take the Vikings to make it double digits, as that Eagle defense is vastly overrated and Minnesota will pound the ball all day.

Giants over DOLPHINS
Why are we playing football in London? They got their shot and NFL Europe collapsed. Let’s not start pushing football on the rest of the world like they try to do to us with soccer.

BEARS over Lions
Soldier field, late October, against a Dome team, for a chance for the Bears to get back to .500. No way I’m picking against da Bears.

CHARGERS over Texans
A Vince-less Titans team was able to put up 38 on Houston, so how much will LT and company score?

JETS over Bills
Because really, they have to win at some point right? I’m also not one to bet on Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch. Jets had a chance to beat the Bengals and Eagles but Pennington got picked in the endzone in both games. I think we see Kellen Clemens this week, and a change of fortunes for the Jets.

BUCS over Jags
If this injury report is correct, Garrard is out Sunday. If he plays, take the Jags. If not, go with the Bucs.

PATRIOTS over Redskins
Bring on the Colts.

SAINTS over 49ers
Are they back, after all this will be three in a row? Nope, they’ve just played three REALLY bad teams.

Packers over BRONCOS
I still standby my statement that the Broncos are vastly overrated. Big Ben’s three turnovers in the first half killed the Steelers Sunday night. Packers won’t run it, but Champ Bailey is banged up and John Lynch is like 45. Packers aerial assault wins it.

Last Week: 10-4
Season: 64-40