ST. LOUIS (AP) – For several weeks, the St. Louis Rams’ slide was enough to silence even their unofficial spokesman.

Virtually every week, reporters crowd Tyoka Jackson’s locker. Jackson, a captain and defensive end who’s been with the Rams four seasons, is adept at breaking down the game to its essentials and analyzing an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

Unlike many teammates, Jackson embraces this part of his job. But while the Rams (6-8) were losing six of eight to fall to the fringes of the playoff picture, nobody took it harder.

“I think he feels like if things aren’t going right there’s something he should do because he’s the team captain,” coach Mike Martz said. “I think it really upset him that we’re in this situation. … Seriously, he would make a good coach.”

Jackson, a 10-year veteran, was undrafted out of Penn State. He has only 19 career starts, and none this year, but his hard work has earned the respect of his teammates.

Earlier this year he missed two games with a hamstring injury and struggled for a time after his return. His injury, as well as the team’s predicament, convinced him he wasn’t doing enough to merit interviews.

“You should be talking to guys making plays,” Jackson said. “I wanted to concentrate on what I was doing individually. It’s a privilege to talk to you guys, so how can I have that privilege if I’m not playing well?”

He couldn’t remain quiet forever. So in the days leading to Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), Jackson was back to filling notebooks and videotape. Describing the plight of a team that had been one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites, he invoked Martin Luther King Jr.

“Everybody knows the quote: This is the time when the character of men really shows,” Jackson said. “Going through stuff like this, not only does it build character, it reveals it as well.”

The Eagles already have clinched home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

“They’re a great team and whoever they put out there will be more than serviceable,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t really matter. We just need to play the best we can possibly play and see what happens.”

Jackson insists that despite the Rams’ tough stretch, the defeats present possibilities.

“You never like to lose, but if we were sitting here in February and having this conversation it would be a lot tougher,” Jackson said. “We can do something about it.”

“When you’ve got crisis, you’ve got opportunity as well if you look at it the right way,” he added.

This season, several NFC teams are hovering around .500 and in the thick of the postseason picture.

“That’s just the nature of the NFL,” Jackson said. “Everybody’s good or everybody’s mediocre, however you want to look at it. Since I’m a glass half-full guy, everybody’s good. None of that really matters anyway. The schedule is getting short now.”