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9:51 p.m.: I'm heading down to the field for post-game press conferences, but stay tuned to BR.com for all the post-game coverage your head can manage without it exploding.  We're getting back to Owings Mills at 3:15 a.m., so it's going to be a long night.  Thanks for sticking with me through the Ravens' game in St. Louis.

9:40 p.m.: Fourth and 4 in Rams territory and Flacco delivers a perfect pass to rookie Marcus Smith for the first down - at least it would have been if Smith made the catch.  The ball literally hit him in the numbers.  Ugh...

The Ravens now have their second-team offensive line in the game, and they're holding up well.  Flacco is getting some time back there.

9:26 p.m.:  Linebacker-turned-tight end Edgar Jones just got up limping after stretching for a first down on his first NFL catch, but I think he's alright.  The Ravens' trainers gave him a brief look-see, but Jones is walking around fine now.   

9:16 p.m.: Flacco really seems to be settling down, but that could also be due in part becaise the Ravens are still playing their first-string offensive line against St. Louis' backup defensive players.  He is moving around the pocket with authority and moving the chains.  No great shakes, but you have to give him credit for doing the little things and taking care of the ball.

9:02 p.m.: Uh-oh.  Brock Berlin in at quarrterback, and he's doing the Bulger-thing against Baltimore's backups.  The former Miami signal-caller hooks up with little-known wideout Keenan Burton for a 40-yard pass, and then running back Lande Ball carries the ball to the end zone two plays later.  Not a bad way to answer your opponent's scoring drive to open the second half. 

Something else worth noting - they keep showing Steven Jackson on the local television feed of this game, and I can't help but admite his dreads.  They're pretty awesome, thick like Lenny Kravitz's used to be.  Kind of hippie-ish.  Gotta respect a man for his uniqueness, even the newly rich ones.

Oh, and after the touchdown, rookie wideout Marcus Smith was in the end zone to return the kickoff.  He didn't get a chance when the boot sailed out of bounds.

8:53 p.m.: Back from the half, and it looks like Joe Flacco is starting to find a rhythm.  He's getting some time in the pocket and able to move the offense.  He quickly goes 75 yards in seven plays before hitting Derrick Mason with a 15-yard touchdown pass.  Flacco laid out a perfect floater over Mason's outside shoulder for the first score of his rookie career.

Flacco also made a great pump fake to cause a defensive back to bite and leave Mason for a split second to complete a 30-yard connection with the wideout. on the drive.

8:31 p.m.: Check that.  Bulger has hit seven receivers, with a touchdown pass to Travis Minor.  Bulger finished the half 18-of-25 for 182 yards and two scores.  Sheesh...

8:25 p.m.: The Ravens are missing three of their top defensive tackles in Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg and Dwan Edwards, and it's clearly affecting the pass rush.  Marc Bulger is slicing and dicing the Ravens' secondary, which is also currently without safety Ed Reed and corners Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. 

Bulger has hit six different receivers in the first half, and is absolutely marching down the field for a textbook two-minute drill.  And, the Ravens helped him out with a pass interference penalty on Frank Walker in the end zone.  The Ravens do have solid depth in their defensive backfield, but the drop from the top corners and safeties to the backups is noticeable.  Especially when they have to cover for an extended period of time.

8:10 p.m.: Adam Terry is now out, with Mike Kracalik subbing in at right tackle.   In order to combat a pretty intense Rams pass rush, not to mention help the rookie Flacco, the Ravens are running a lot of quick routes designed to get the ball out quickly. 

7:54 p.m.: Leonard Little finally got his sack.  Flacco was flushed out of a rapidly closing pocket and basically ran into Little, who felled him with a shoestring grab.  It didn't help matters that Daniel Wilcox got spun around and bumped into the quarterback.  Wilcox is seeing his first live action of 2008.

Injury Update: Rams KR Dante Hall sprained his left ankle.  He's not coming back.

7:49 p.m.: Now that we're underway in the second quarter, Samari Rolle is out at cornerbabck, with Ronnie Prude taking over.  I'm slightly surprised it's not Corey Ivy, Fabian Washington or David Pittman (Derrick Martin is sidelined with a shoulder injury), but it looks like they'll see time later.

7:41 p.m.:  That was just a ridiculous call by the officials on Joe Flacco's intentional grounding.  He was pushed back quickly by a pass rush from the right side and forced to throw the ball in the dirt.  It was clearly at the feet of Le'Ron McClain, but the official apparently didn't see the fullback.

The Rams now have their cheerbabes on the field promoting their swimsuit calendar.  Not a bad lineup from my vantage point.  But, I would suggest you check out the Ravens cheerleaders, who have an equally steamy calendar up for sale.

Injury Update: Rams WR Drew Bennett injured his groin.  His return is questionable.

7:31 p.m.:  My spies back in Baltimore are telling me that the broadcast is a little choppy on WMAR.  That's because we're apparently in the middle of a big time storm in St. Louis.  I thought I heard thunder, but I'm basically sitting in a huge bomb shelter, so I didn't even know it was raining. 

Now, some actual football news.  Ray Lewis played one series before Nick Greisen cmae in at middle linebacker.  Terrell Suggs looks fine - even excited running around with his teammates.  Yamon Figurs came in as the third wideout when the Ravens were in the red zone, and the speedster even made a special teams tackle covering a kickoff.   Think Tom Zbikowski can make an impact on special teams?  He knifed through the middle of the Rams' line to tip a punt that game the Ravens the ball deep within St. Louis territory.

7:24 p.m.:  Not much to write about on the Ravens' first offensive series.  Ray Rice run.  Ray run.  Flacco incompletion.  Flacco had some good time due to solid blocking from Adam Terry on Leonard Little, but he badly overthrew his intended receiver over the middle.  A great Sam Koch was downed by Brendon Ayanbadejo on the 4-yard line.

More interestingly, Steven Jackson was just booed by the crowd when he was shown on the big screen.  The Pro Bowl running back has held out the past 27 days after demanding a new contract, which he got.  The Rams could use him.  I was told by a St. Louis PR staffer that the Rams' starting offense hasn't scored a preseason touchdown since head coach Scott Linehan was hired two years ago.  Wow. 

7:07 p.m.: The Rams come out with a healthy dose of Antonio Pittman, who absolutely carries tacklers.  He's only 207 pounds, but he's a workhorse.  He rushed five times for 30 yards on the Rams' first series, which ended with a field goal.  Frank Walker made a nice play when he broke up a Marc Bulger pass to Drew Bennett that would have been a touchdown.  Walker is starting for Chris McAlister, whose knee is limiting him in the preseason.

A quick word about the National Anthem.  This tiny 10-year old walked out to midfield and unleashed one of the most powerful anthems I've ever heard.  Courtney "CoCo" Jones was her name.  She's a fifth grader from Nashville and is currently recording a CD.  I couldn't believe she had the pipes to liven up this dead stadium.  She even got an extended ovation from the media in the press box.

6:55 p.m.: This is weird.  I wish I could convey through the written word how empty it is here in the Edward Jones Dome (what does that guy do, anyway?). 

ONe of the first things you notice when you walk into the press box is the maroon seats inside the bowl. . You'd think that that reddish color would start to get a little more gold and white when fans arrive in their Rams gear, but that hasn't happened, mainly because nobody's here.  I was told that this is a late-arriving crowd for Rams games, but this is ridiculous. 

There can't be more than 5,000 fans here.  Seriously, it really makes this place seem huge with the lack of fans.  When the Ravens came out of the tunnel, they were greeted with nothing more than a smattering of boos, and then the in-stadium PA announcer had to raise his voice to actually create any excitement for the home team's announcement.

Ravens captains = Gary Stills, Jason Brown and Samari Rolle

6:05 p.m.:  Oh, keep in mind the times are going to be posted in St. Louis time, which is central.  That's an hour back for you east coasters.

I'm probably going to mess that up at various points throughout the game.

Anyway, here's a list of lineup changes:

For the Rams, Adam Goldberg replaces Orlando Pace at left tackle, Nick Leckey replaces Brett Romberg at center and Antonio Pittman is Steven Jackson's replacement.  Jackson recently joined the team after holding out for the entirety of training camp before getting a huge new deal.  Defensively, St. Louis won't have cornerback Fakhir Brown or safety Oshiomogho Atogwe.  Instead, Ron Bartell and Todd Johnson will play.

This just in: I am really happy that I don't have to type Oshiomogho Atogwe again this year - unless, of course, he pegs Joe Flacco with a water bottle from the bench.

For the Ravens, Chad Slaughter is in for Jared Gaither, Adam Bergen is in for tight end Todd Heap, Ray Rice will run for Willis McGahee, J'Vonne Parker is at nose tackle for Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan will be alongside Parker for Haloti Ngata, Frank Walker starts at cornerback for Chris McAlister and Jim Leonhard subs at safety for Ed Reed. 

5:31 p.m.: Hello to all the Ravens fans out there!  I'm sitting high up in the empty, cavernous, convention center-esque Edward Jones Dome, where the view from the press box is treacherous.  By that, I mean that the press box is near the ceiling, and if you crane your neck out too far, you could fall to the deep green turf below. 

First off, here's the biggest news:  Troy Smith is out.  That's right, Smith isn't going to play tonight.  At all.  No start.  It's being described to me as a "viral illness," but I'm no doctor.  I do know that Smith looked fine coming off the plane in St. Louis, so he must have caught something overnight. 

What does this mean?  Well, for starters, it means the Joe Flacco will start for the first time in his fledgling career.  I originally thought that Kyle Boller would get the nod, but it looks like the rookie is going out there first.  I'm told that Boller will only play in an emergency. 

One more pregame thought from St. Louis:

-  Cool little downtown.  Me and a few other Ravens staffers attended to St. Louis Cardinals game last night against the Atlanta Braves.  Coming from Baltimore, I'm spoiled in major league ballparks with Camden Yards, but the Cards' home is spectacular.  You can even see the St. Louis arch behind the right field fence.  It was a capacity crowd that saw the Cards absolutely crush the Atlanta Braves, and they were all wearing Cardinals red.  Great support for the home team.

I was, however, unimpressed with their food selection.  I was hoping for a signature food, the equivalent of crab cakes or Boog's BBQ at Oriole Park, but they had nothing.  The only thing I could see that was a staple was "toasted ravioli," which are apparently fried pasta.  Not something I'd like to indulge in at a baseball game.

Keep it locked to this in-game blog for notes and observations straight from the scene.  I'm off to get some coffee and inactives before officially settling in.