The St. Louis Rams' two big free-agency acquisitions have determined the course of the 2012 season exactly as much as we thought they would—just not in the same way. Cortland Finnegan has set the tone on defense, and Scott Wells did dictate the direction of the Rams' offense. From the injured reserve.

While Finnegan turned the Rams' secondary from a weakness into a big part of their quarterback-frazzling defense, Wells broke his foot in Week 1, the first domino in a chain that knocked out Rodger Saffold and put Wayne Hunter and, briefly, Quinn Ojinnaka—whom the Rams had just cut—in charge of blocking for Sam Bradford in his make-or-break third season.

Now Wells is back on the practice field. Jim Thomas's feature about him for the Post-Dispatch suggests he's unlikely to play in Week 10, but the rules of the new injured reserve rule that kept him in play mean he'll have to be back on the roster within three weeks. Sooner or later, then, we'll see the offensive line the Rams went into the season excited about. And Scott Wells, their Pro Bowl center, will finally be able to influence the course of their season in the right direction.