Trumaine Johnson probably wont miss any games for his disappointing situation, however he may get fined. His situation will not affect the Rams and the NFC West at all. Irvin’s suspension on the other hand might. Many were surprised when the Seahawks took Irvin last season in the first round, but Irvin has turned out to be a good player and one to keep an eye on for years to come. Irvin played mostly in passing situations last season and racked up 9 sacks and 18 tackles including the post season. Irvin would be more of a loss had the team not signed Cliff Avril in the offseason who had 35 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season. The Seahawks should survive just fine and shouldn’t be affected by Irvin’s suspension. The Seahawks play the Panthers, 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans during Irvin’s suspension.

One situation that will affect the Rams and the rest of the NFC West however, is Michael Crabtree’s injury. Crabtree’s injury is the same injury that Terrell Suggs dealt with last season and ended up missing the first half of the season because of it. What is normally a season ending injury has become on in which the possibility of returning is plausible. With the expansions in medicine coming back from what were horrific injuries 10 years ago is possible. Example A, being what Adrian Peterson did coming off of an ACL tear last season. Crabtree became Kaepernick’s favorite target pulling in 665 of his 1,105 yards and 6 of his 9 touchdowns after the 49ers made the switch. Against NFC West opponents Crabtree had 33 receptions for  511 yards and 5 touchdowns. 12 of those receptions were against the Rams, and those went for 171 yards and one touchdown. Crabtree’s loss could be a big hit to the 49ers offense, and even if Crabtree comes back, he will be limited and will not be the same player. The 49ers did just sign Anquan Boldin, therefore Boldin could fill the void of Crabtree, but Boldin and Kaepernick don’t share the connection that Kaepernick had with Crabtree just yet. There may be some growing pains before it all starts to flow, and then it may be too late. With Crabtree’s absence, the rest of the NFC West may be able to jump ahead of the 49ers, especially if their offense struggles. For more informations on how Crabtree’s injury will affect the Rams, read, “Wide Receiver-By-Committee: Why Losing Michael Crabtree Will Hurt The 49ers” by Nathan Kearns http://ramblinfan.com/2013/05/23/wide-receiver-by-committee-why-michael-crabtree-will-hurt-the-49ers/The Rams play the 49ers week 4 on Thursday Night Football and again Week 13.

Rokevious Watkin’s suspension wont have much of an impact on the rest of the NFC West, but it might have an impact on how the Rams’ final roster shakes out. The Rams drafted OL Barrett Jones in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Jones has the potential to start at guard and with part of the competition not being able to play, Jones will get his opportunity, and if he plays well, Jones may just retain the starting position. Rokevious Watkins may be kicking himself if he loses the starting role due to a stupid mistake.

The NFC West has encountered a lot of drama over the last couple of weeks, and hopefully the suspensions and injuries stop here. Bad publicity to a team isn’t good and it’s never good when a player gets injured or suspended, but it’s always interesting how it will affect the team and the rest of the league. But you never know the next Kurt Warner may be waiting on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity.

Darian Stewart

Darina Stewart is in his 4th season and he is the veteran safety on the team. Stewart doesn’t have a lot of starting experience and yet he will be one of the Rams starting safeties this season. It has been said that the Rams have one of the weaker safety groups in the league, and although that may be true, Stewart needs to step up and prove otherwise. Stewart needs to be able to be reliable in coverage and not be afraid of coming up to the line to make a tackle. Steware may be the key to the Rams secondary this season.

Alec Ogletree

Ogletree will only be a rookie, but his role on the defense is important. With the Seahawks and 49ers having speedy quarterbacks that are willing to run the ball, and having running backs that are capable of making plays on the outside, Ogletree needs to be able to put a stop to it, and be a difference maker on defense. Ogletree has had a history of off the field issues, so he needs to be able to step up and stay out of trouble as well as silence his critics in that regard. Ogletree could turn out to be one of the Rams premier defensive players.

Trumaine Johnson

The Rams got rid of Bradley Fletcher in free agency who was underrated and was a solid CB for the Rams the last couple of seasons. Now that Fletcher is gone, Johnson will be expected to take over that nickleback spot. Johnson played there a lot last season, but Johnson still has something to prove. Johnson also needs to come out strong because of his off the field issues this summer. Johnson has been suspended for receiving a DUI earlier, Johnson needs to put that behind him and come out strong.

Honorable Mention

T.J. McDonald is a rookie that the Rams have put a lot of faith in. The Rams are empty at the safety position and have put McDonald and Steward in charge of it. McDonald will have to get up to NFL speed quick in order to not be a liability to the defense.

The Rams defense is pretty solid to say the least and there aren’t a lot of players that need to step up in order for the Rams to be successful as there was on offense. You can expect Brockers, Laurenaitis, Long, Quinn, Jenkins, and Finnegan will all play well anyway and don’t have to step up so to speak. These are the players that need to step up in order for the Rams to take the next step.

August 10, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) - wide receiver Nate Burleson (13) and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

This preseason has been up and down in terms of overall play from the St. Louis Rams. Although little  can be drawn from the preseason in terms of how the team will play during the regular season, it is a small glance towards how individual players may look once the real games begin in September. For the most part, the offensive and defensive playbooks will stay fixed in Chapter 1, but players can still be evaluated on the basics; their chemistry within their positional unit, route running, coverage, timing, or footwork. With all the bad media surround the Rams loses to the Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts, one would be pressured to believe that no one on the Rams has shown positive indications of progression or production. That is quite the opposite of the truth, with a number of players standing out their their individual play thus far in the preseason. Here are some players that St. Louis Rams genuinely hope will transfer their production into the regular season…

WR Danny Amendola:

We all caught a glimpse of what Amendola could be in 2010, when he paired with Bradford for a team high 85 receptions. After missed almost the entire 2011 season with a dislocated elbow and torn tricep, Amendola appears to be back to his old form, or maybe even better. In three preseason contests he has tallied 5 receptions for 68 yards and one extremely impressive touchdown. More importantly, Amendola is making those reception for an average of 13.6 yards per catch, which is far superior to the sub-10 yard per catch average from just two years ago. Amendola is getting shuffled from the slot to the outside and getting open down the field. If he can continue to do that, Bradford should pick up where he left off in 2010.

TE Lance Kendricks and  TE Michael Hoomanawanui:

Between the two, they have raked in 7 receptions for 102 yards during the first three games. That is very impressive considering they have not seen much work on the field because of the heavy rotation of offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers. “Illinois Mike” was one of Bradford’s favorite targets in the red zone in 2010, but, much like Amendola, was plagued with injury in 2011. Kendricks is repeating his preseason from 2011, which did not carry over into the regular season. If Kendricks remains consistent through the rest of the preseason into the regular season and Hoomanawanui can stay healthy, this could be the Rams version of the Hernandez and Gronkowski duo in New England.

Aug 25, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) is tackled by Sr Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) in the second quarter at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

CB Trumaine Johnson:

Johnson leads the Rams in tackle with 12 so far in the preseason, many of which are coming from reps at the third corner spot in the nickel package. Nickelbacks have to be solid in tackling, since they are typically locked up on a slot receiver on the inside or responsible for shallow coverages in zone. He also assisted in Matt Conrath’s first (and likely only) interception on a deflected pass.  With Fletcher missing a majority of the offseason due to injury and Josh Gordy being traded away, the Rams will need Johnson to continue to progress in the defense.

OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar:

Coming in as the underwhelming favorite for the weakside linebacker position from New Orleans, Dunbar has made the most of the oppotunity. Dunbar has 7 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble and is showing a lot of passion and toughness on the field. There have been countless times that Dunbar has been shown getting into an offense players face or continuing to play after the whistle, but in a good way. He is getting in the heads of the offense, and doing so in a way that gets the rest of the defense hyped up. More importantly, he is drawing line and not racking up unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. If he can continue to produce on the field and play with that chip on his shoulder, Dunbar may be the steal of free agency for the Rams.

August 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams place kicker Greg Zuerlein (4) is congratulated by punter Johnny Hekker (6) after kicking an extra point against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

P Johnny Hekker:

Special teams was one of the many weak points on the St. Louis Rams last season. Changing a few outcomes on special teams could have gave the Rams at least another win or two during the season. Hekker has been punting like a veteran, averaging nearly 48.6 yards per punts. However, average yards is not the key indicator of punting talents since relative field position dictates how far a punter wants to boot the ball. The real highlight is the touchback to inside-the-20 ratio, meaning how often the punter can put the opposing offense in bad starting field position versus letting them starting with the ball at the 20 yard line. Hekker has landed 4 balls inside the 20 and kicked only 1 touchback in his 10 punts this preseason. If he can continue to keep the opposing offense starting inside the 20, the defense should be able to force some bad situations that will hopefully result in turnovers.