by Gerry Fraley, Special to FOXSports.com

"I've got good news and bad news.

"The good news is Mequon loves you.

"The bad news is St. Louis doesn't know you. You've got to make them love you."

It will take more than sweet talk for that to happen.

The Rams have had a steep fall from grace since winning Super Bowl XXXIV in the 1999 season and losing at the finish to New England two years later. The Rams have turned into a faceless team that borders on irrelevant both in its hometown and on the NFL landscape.

"The last couple of years have not been good years around here," defensive end Leonard Little said.

The summer performance has kept with the tenor of last season, when the Rams went 3-13 for the franchise's worst record since 1991. Consider some of the indignities heaped upon the Rams in the preseason:

In the exhibition against the Titans, the Rams did nothing to change Bulluck's mind. The Rams allowed 340 yards rushing and a per-carry average of 7.9 yards in a 34-13 loss.

"Defensively, we know we've got to get better," Little said. "If we do that, we'll help the whole team out."

Without Jackson in camp, the Rams got a good look at the rest of their running backs. The experienced backs in camp — Brian Leonard, Travis Minor and Antonio Pittman — combined to rush for 510 yards with no touchdowns last season. Minor has the last rushing touchdown by the group, on Dec. 20, 2004, while with Miami.

"We know what he (Jackson) can do," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "But in the meantime ... I know quite a bit more about our backfield now."

Bulger, coming off a terrible season in which he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, has produced one field goal in eight preseason possessions. In last Saturday's gripping 7-6 win against San Diego, Bulger threw two interceptions to give him three in only 23 passes.

"Nights like this are not acceptable for whatever reason," Bulger said after the San Diego game. "There are a million reasons that I could tell you for why things happen, but this is a bottom-line business."

For the Rams, this is nothing new. They have been in a three-year tailspin.

Over the last three seasons, the Rams have the sixth-worst record (17-31) in the league. Last season's club had four losses by 20-plus points and was outscored overall by a league-high 175 points.

Bad drafting started the slide. Since 2000, the Rams have drafted only one Pro Bowler (Jackson) out of 79 picks overall. Every other club in the NFC West has drafted at least four Pro Bowlers in that span.

Throw erratic play by Bulger into the mix. Given a new six-year deal worth $65 million before last season, Bulger responded with the worst season of his career. Deteriorating throwing mechanics suggest that he is paying the price for taking an NFL-high 190 sacks over the last five seasons.

The public watches and waits.

The Rams failed to sell out three games at the outdated Edward Jones dome last season. Before that, they had only one non-sellout for 116 regular-season and playoff games since leaving Los Angeles for the Midwest before the 1995 season. The death of owner Georgia Frontiere has raised questions as to whether her children will sell the club, allowing it to be moved.

"We've got to get ourselves out of this," said Jay Zygmunt, president of football operations. "No one is going to help us. We have not been a good team. We really struggled last year.

"But I feel we're well-prepared to meet the challenges this year."

Zygmunt pointed to Linehan taking a more active role in the club's internal dynamics, a refurbished coaching staff, promising young talent brought in during the last two drafts and a noticeable increase in focus by the players in offseason work and training camp.

"Last year was bad for us, and it was good for us," veteran wide receiver Torry Holt said. "We got our (butt) whupped pretty good. Guys are looking at what they need to do to improve."

Linehan said last year does not enter his thinking. Linehan, entering his third year on the job, does not have to worry about enduring a similar experience. His job security is such that he might not make it to October if the club shows signs reminiscent of last year's 0-8 start.

"Scott has shown a lot of leadership," Zygmunt said. "Everyone understands the circumstance that we're in. It's a performance business."

The NFL is a sport of cycles. The elite organizations have long runs at the top. The Rams try to crawl from a rut of their own making.