SB Nation - Justin King

Rams add TE Fells to lengthy IR list

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:40:23 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Fells is headed to IR.

Another Monday, another player to the Injured Reserve list for the St. Louis Rams. Today's entrant is TE Daniel Fells who was placed on IR after a fracture in his thigh and a sprained ligament. Though Fells had just 4 receptions in his last two games - he left late in the first quarter this week - the third year TE was an important part of the Rams injury-depleted pass catchers.

CB Quincy Butler has a knee and an ankle sprain that will probably keep him out for the rest of the season, definitely this week.

The Rams will activate CB Jonathan Wade for their game against the Cardinals. Jeez. Remember, Wade was a starting CB when the season began, and was gradually replaced by Bradley Fletcher. At first, it just seemed like Fletcher was a better corner, because he was, but then Butler and Justin King got more reps after Fletcher went to IR. Such is life in the NFL...

In one other item of interest from the injury report today: OT Jason Smith has not taken another baseline neurological examination. Hmmm. That most likely means he's still experiencing symptoms and is thus close to being shut down for the season, officially or unofficially. That's too bad. I'd really like to see more Smith, but there's no point taking a risk with your investment for two more games of what could very well become a one-win season.

For those of you keeping count at home, that's 12 players on IR for the Rams, 9 of those players were starters. Here's the list:

DT Adam Carriker
WR Laurent Robinson
DT Gary Gibson
LS Chris Massey
WR Keenan Burton
FS Oshiomogho Atogwe
OG Jacob Bell
CB Bradley Fletcher
TE Daniel Fells
WR Brooks Foster
DE C. J. Ah You
S Eric Bassey

If you include players that could and probably should be put on IR, you've got quite a team.

Rams 13, Cardinals 21: Trouble on the home front

VanRam — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:22:17 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Marc Bulger ended the game injured.

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Just in case you thought the 2009 St. Louis Rams had disappeared somewhere between the win at Detroit and the oh-so-close game against New Orleans, fear not; the 2009 Rams are back. That's right, the struggling offense, the leaky defensive line...it was all there.

Ok, ok, that's a little harsh. The Rams tightened up after a sloppy first half, one in which they gained just 97 yards of offense. Give the Cardinals defense credit too. They bottled up Steven Jackson and kept the passing game in check.

Injuries

Jason Smith took a blow to the head. We'll know more later.
Marc Bulger has a hamstring and/or groin issue and will have testing done.

The Frustrating

Brandon Gibson's splash debut wasn't followed up well. He struggled with routes and dropped a BIG pass late in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the rookie did flash some hints of what got us so excited about him last week. I'd still caution you before anointing him the second coming of Isaac Bruce.
Bulger was not the forceful presence for four quarters like he was last week. He had his moments, but did he really show you anything that gives you confidence in him moving forward? He's not good enough to win games anymore.
Why do the coaches insist on trotting out Samkon Gado in short yardage situations? The play calling is still fishy. Why did Jackson not get the ball when the Rams were driving in the last five minutes of the game? It's baffling. How can anyone put this much faith in Marc Bulger and role player WRs? Maybe they wanted to try another 4th down fade to Avery. And why so few passes to Jackson? Why are they not lining up SJ39 at receiver more often?
Terrible officiating. Did they not remember that they could call pass interference? And how do you get unsportsmanlike for a hit after the pass when the lineman's back is to the QB?
Talent on the defensive line is so desperately needed. Are they so bad that they need to drop Leonard Little into coverage?
Oh, offensive line...after all the nice things we've said about you.
Justin King covering Larry Fitzgerald. Tough break kid. Still, the secondary could have done much worse.
With the exception of Steven Jackson, the Rams offense is terrible. What was the number? Averaging 9+ yards on third downs? Blame whoever you want, but it's a multi-faceted effort at failure. The WRs have some promise, but it's clear why they were not first round draft picks. The QB is too dependent on a guy to get in his route precisely, and he just doesn't have much left in the tank. That takes away from the most effective weapon, Jackson, because teams can focus on him, like AZ did today.

The Better

Steven Jackson is amazing. It looked like rough going for the big man, but he still managed to get 116 yards and 4.8 per carry. The offensive line didn't help much in the first half, and he had trouble getting it going. Once he hit his stride, there was no looking back...until the coaches stopped feeding him the ball. Jackson now has five 1,000 yard seasons and four consecutive games of 100 yards or more rushing.
James Laurinaitis, though the Cardinals tried and succeeded at isolating him a few a times, he still had a nice game, as the defense stepped up against the Cardinals run in the second half.
Chris Long got another sack, and generall played better lately. I think that if the Rams add some talent on the defensive line, we won't be talking about whether or not he's a bust.
The comeback. Rams Gab said it best that the score should not have been this close with the Rams playing as bad as they were. But it was that close. The defense got Warner out of the game and pulled together to stop the bleeding they were taking from the Cardinals' running game. They also forced the turnovers that would have given a team with a semi-competent offense the chance to put it away. Credit the coaches. Whatever they're selling has sunk in on that side of the ball. If this team had a halfway decent d-line, they'd be stealing games.

The future is delayed

VanRam — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:59:50 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

left tackle of the future, right tackle of the present.

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Some disappointing news from the St. Louis Rams practice yesterday. Let's start on the non-injury front.

With RG Richie Incognito out, Adam Goldberg worked with the first team at RG. Fine. Goldberg's a good lineman who has earned his playing time. I wish the Rams had more players like him. The disappointing news here was that Alex Barron was at LT and Jason Smith was at RT. The Rams continue to cling to an outdated mode of thinking, i.e. that they can win games with their current configuration.

The fact is that Jason Smith has talent, and has proven to be a quick learner. Remember how far he came after struggling early in the preseason? I'm not naive enough to think that he won't get schooled by guys like Dwight Freeny, but he's not going to be as bad as you think. Secondly, has Alex Barron done anything to give the Rams confidence in retaining him beyond this season, as anything more than a backup? After his half game benching he came out strong the next week, but quickly reverted to form against the Colts. Are those the kind of players you want at the foundation of your rebuilding team? Their stuck this week and have to use Barron in the starting lineup, but there's no reason not to start Smith's future on the left side...especially against Detroit.

Why is there even a question about whether or not Ruvell Martin "and/or" Brandon Gibson will dress this week? We know niether guy is the answer at receiver, but we need help at that position, with warm bodies qualifying as help at this point in time.

And on the injury front...CB Bradley Fletcher is out and Justin King is limited. If any Rams CB gets hurt this week, they've got a total of three corners to work with and offense that just can't keep the defense off the field. Worried?

Bulger to start in week 6

VanRam — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:48:36 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

Marc Bulger will start for the Rams in week 6.

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The QB question has been answered. The St. Louis Rams will start QB Marc Bulger against Jacksonville in week 6. Kyle Boller has a concussion, a mild one, but Bulger will get the nod anyway, as long as he can practice injury-free this week.

OT Jason Smith is closer to a return, and some of the other lingering injuries players are dealing with seem to be moving in the right direction. SS James Butler is day to day. I'd really like to see this guy get back on the field, though Craig Dahl has done well filling in for Butler. CB Justin King might miss time with a bruise on his knee, or he might not.

Take a look at some of the positive things Spagnuolo commented on. One of them, offensive line play, was kind of an underrated plus this week. Alex Barron rebounded after his benching last week. I still don't see the Rams running through Jacob Bell much on the stat sheet, and that bothers me.

WR Tim Carter is back.

Chapter 2, Game 3 - vs. Green Bay Packers (Sept. 27th)

3k — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:27:57 -0000

Introductions are lame. I have to try and think of something interesting to write here that doesn't really say anything so that I leave all the high quality content you expect of me in the body. It's probably my least favorite aspect of these previews. So screw this, and let's get into the preview.

Breakdown of the home opener after the fold.

For game-specific info, check out the SBN event page for this game. For Redskins news leading up the game, check out Acme Packing Company.

St. Louis Rams, 0-2, 4th - NFC West

Green Bay Packers, 1-1, t-2nd - NFC North

Parentheses include NFL rankings in that area. Statistics taken from ESPN & FootballOutsiders.

STL pass - 32/64, 50% (31st), 145 yds/gm (31st), 1 TD, 0 int, 69.5 rat, -11.4% pDVOA (29th)

GB pass D - 32/59, 54.2%, 217 yds/gm, 4 TD, 6 int (t-1st), 62.9 rat, -42.7% pdDVOA (2nd)

This is a very strong, ball hawk defense led by the strength of their CB corps: Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Will Blackmon and Tramon Williams. Sadly, the Rams' offense has scored as many points as Green Bay's defense.

The reality of this matchup is that Bulger is going to have to work around these guys. That means more underneath play trying to work into the LBs through the air or going over the top and trying to link up with either Laurent Robinson or Donnie Avery against the Pack's safeties. In fact, this might be the best opportunity the Rams have had at going deep with some of the chaos at the back of the Packers' D. Nick Collins is a solid FS, but he's dealing with a chest injury that might hold him out of Sunday's contest. On the other side, the SS position is up in the air. Atari Bigby started in week 1, but was injured soon after and he's out for another two weeks. That injury pushed Aaron Rouse into action, but Rouse was cut...yesterday. The Packers went out and signed former Colt Matt Giordano, but he'll still have to compete with with Jarrett Bush and Derrick Martin for the starting gig. If we don't go after the SS with some deep passes, expect me to call out the coaching in the game thread early.

STL run - 19.5 rsh/gm, 101.5 yds/gm (20th), 5.2 yds/carry (5th), 0 TD, -3.5% rDVOA (18th)

GB run D - 32.5 rsh/gm, 118.5 yds/gm (18th), 3.6 yds/carry, 1 TD, -9.7% rdDVOA (14th)

The statistics speak for themselves from a Rams' standpoint: 5th in yards per carry, but 20th in yards per game. With so many truncated drives, the Rams aren't getting the ball to Steven Jackson nearly enough. One might argue that his explosiveness in terms of YPC might drop if he were used more, but I'd be willing to see his yards per drop if his total yards jumped. Defensive fatigue is a statistic that isn't measured but has a huge impact.

Defensively, Green Bay boasts an enviable 3-4 LB group anchored by the trio of ILBs A.J. Hawk & Nick Barnett, and LOLB Aaron Kampman. It'll be a great matchup to see what Steven Jackson can do at the second level, He should get enough help again from the O-line to be effective. I'd just like to see him be effective more often.

STL O-line - 4 sacks allowed/game (t-18th), 5.2% ASR (Adj. Sack Rate) (16th)

GB D-line - 4 sacks/game (t-12th), 6.0% ASR (12th)

To put Green Bay's sack total in perspective, half of those sacks have come from OLBs (Brandon Chillar and rookie Clay Matthews). Still, the nature of the 3-4 means that OLBs play a significant role in the pass rush, so this becomes a bit of a hybrid section since the Rams' O-line will have to deal with a NT, two 3-4 DEs and whichever blitzing defenders come on any given play. It will require a bit more awareness, but the Rams' O-line should be up to the task. The real question mark going into this battle will be Adam Goldberg and how different he will be from Jason Smith. He'll have to deal with some combination of Johnny Jolly (great name) and Kampman mostly.

GB pass - 19/26, 73.1% (5th), 187 yds/gm, 2 TD, 0 int, 87.0 rat, 20.4% pDVOA (18th)

STL pass D - 48/72, 66.7%, 258 yds/gm (25th), 3 TD, 2 int, 90.1 rat, 25.8% pdDVOA (24th)

Green Bay's yard total is skewed by the 73 yards incurred by 10 sacks, but they still should be factored in. Unlike Bulger last week, Aaron Rodgers, in week 1, tossed a TD to win at home against Chicago. Granted, it was a 50-yard TD which negated the need for an Elway-like "drive", but it was a game-winning TD nonetheless, that obscured an otherwise Bulgerish game - 16 for 27, 134 yds., 0 TDs. Last week, Cincinnati was able to pressure Rodgers all game with 6 sacks (5 by Antwan Odom alone) and 4 knockdowns which kept him off base all game. Greg Jennings didn't log a single reception. This should be the template for Sunday.

The pressure should force Rodgers to try to make things happen on his own, which should have Ron Bartell, James Butler and especially Oshiomogho Atogwe salivating. It should also give us a great look at Jonathan Wade and Justin King who will find themselves against either Donald Driver or Jennings - a simple matchup by no means. Still, if the last two weeks were any indication, the Rams should be able to hold Rodgers to an agreeable finish by Rams fans' standards.

GB run - 20 rsh/gm, 82.5 yds/gm (23rd), 4.1 yds/carry (16th), 2 TD, 15.6% rDVOA (9th)

STL run D - 67 rsh/gm (t-4th), 146 yds/gm, 4.4 yds/carry (21st), 1 TD, -1.5% rdDVOA (20th)

Ryan Grant looks like a shadow of the running back who terrorized defenses as a rookie in 2007 and showed promise by performing with a target on his head in 2008. You have to hope he doesn't come into this game motivated to prove his first two games were a fluke (a la Donnie Avery), because he's still as talented as he was the last two years. This should be a good test for our LBs now that they don't have a premier receiving TE to deal with. Neither Jermichael Finley nor Donald Lee will be huge receiving threats, though the two did combine for 8 catches and 84 yards against Cincinnati, though that was partly because Greg Jennings wasn't a factor. That being said, the LBs should be able to handle the TEs enough that they can focus on holding Ryan Grant to a third straight disappointing performance.

GB O-line - 3 sacks allowed/game (t-18th)

STL D-line - 0 sack/game (t-29th)

This is where the Rams will either beat the Packers or beat themselves. Green Bay's offensive line has been more sieve-ic than civic this season, averaging 5 sacks against per game. This should continue to be a less than stellar line as long as Chad Clifton is out, which includes Sunday and may extend to Green Bay's divisional contest with Minnesota.

Bear in mind, though, this recipe includes 1 part Packer O-line, and 1 part Rams D-line. The Rams have been ineffective in getting pressure to the QB. If St. Louis wants to hold the Driver-Jennings duo to a manageable result, a pass rush is a necessity. Cincinatti did it by relying on their RDE. Chicago did it with their entire D-line and some blitz packages. As a Rams fan, I can honestly say I don't give a damn how we approach it, but we have to get at Aaron Rodgers early and often.

In light of Van's recent mini-diatribe on the circle jerk that is ESPN, this week's top 3 storylines brought to you by ESPN's favorite stories of 2009:

1.) Brett Favre is back: He is, and this is annoying, almost as annoying as seeing Bulger sit in the pocket for 5 seconds without throwing the ball. The pass protection he's gotten has been leagues better than the past two seasons, but now that he's got it, what can he do with it? Thus far not much. And that is annoying as hell, or as I tend to say, Favreing as hell.

2.) Michael Vick is back: The classic redemption story played through the eyes of a ghetto Adonis whose disdain for dogs broke him and remade him again. I get it. He went from being a stud to a villain who is now on his way to role model. Why? Because ESPN made sure it molded the caricature of Michael Vick at every step, the same way Spagnuolo is molding his team with every game. We saw it in week 1 with the NFL readiness of rookies like Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis. We saw it in week 2 with the reform of Richie Incognito. We'll see it soon in the rebirth of Donnie Avery. Spags is to the Rams what ESPN is to Vick - a constant source of promotion and energy.

3.) ESPN is back: There's nothing ESPN loves to remind you of more than something that's coming on ESPN. You didn't have to watch Monday Night Football before, really. You could if you wanted to. But now? You have to. Everybody does. Don't be that asshole; watch it. Why the difference? Because it's on ESPN. They ignored soccer from the day they turned on the cameras in Bristol. They mocked it as the pussy sport, the sport Americas don't like for good reason. Then around 2007, they started promoting it more and more. Why? They had rights to the World Cup and were aggressively pursuing rights to the English Premier League and the Spanish league (La Liga) which they finally accrued for this season. So now, you should be classy enough to like soccer. Don't be that neanderthal from west Texas who still doesn't accept soccer for what it is. It's somewhat like TST. We pound memes into people's heads. Last year, it was "we should be playing better." Now, it's "we will be playing better." And one day, hopefully one day soon, it will be " we are playing better." It's going to come, and it's going to be on....like another ESPN show with blowhard pundits who spend less time digesting sports' importance and more time regurgitating it.

Go Rams.

Justin Forsett Saves the Season (Maybe)

John Morgan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:12:25 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

We haven't seen much pass blocking by Justin Forsett, but last Sunday he picked the exact right time to step up.

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Nate Burleson capped the half with a well-timed skinny post for the touchdown. Burleson stutter stepped to stall at the top of his route. That allowed the defender to finish his backpedal into a deep zone. Burly then cut in front, used his body to shield him out of the play and made a touchdown reception that looked easy. Maybe it was.

Seattle started the second half with the ball. It set in trips right, a wide receiver left and Julius Jones in the backfield. On the surface, that's a pass play, but the trips were comprised of Nate Burleson, John Owens and John Carlson. Another way to look at it is, Seattle started the half in a two tight end set. It didn't, but that's how it played it.
Jones ran off right end. Owens effectively sealed the inside. Burleson and Carlson moved into the second level and both did an excellent job lead blocking. Jones second gear betrayed him, and he didn't slingshot around the end. I think Seattle invests in a speed back this next offseason. Jones can turn the corner, but he doesn't break away when he does. The run went for seven.
The Seahawks motioned Jones out wide-right where he became the fourth wide receiver in an empty set. Empty sets seem aggressive, but often they are actually ultra conservative. Offensive coordinators spread the defense horizontally and direct the quarterback to take a three step drop and fire. An offense can't withstand a blitz from an empty set, so the goal is get someone free and get the quarterback out of danger. Carlson ran a short out from the slot and Hasselbeck hit him for five.
Owens sealed the inside and Sean Locklear pulled out and engaged Will Witherspoon. The execution of the blocking was almost flawless, and give Locklear credit for engaging Witherspoon and walking him towards the sideline, but two things kept this play from popping. Owens couldn't hold the inside and Rams defensive end James Hall narrowed the hole. The other is again on Jones. He turned the corner but didn't hit the hole with much speed. I think maybe Jones hasn't become fully confident in the system and is still a little hesitant picking his rush lane. I don't think he's slow.
Hasselbeck found Housh for six to end the drive. Seattle needed seven. It was a Justin Forsett block from disaster. Seattle overloaded the right. Greg Knapp had used this formation before. The first ended with a nine yard pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh on first and ten. It put Housh in the slot and matched him against a linebacker. The second converted a long first down by isolating Burleson on one side and getting him one-on-one cover. The third attempted the same, but Burleson didn't high-point the ball.
This time Hasselbeck went back to Houshmandzadeh attacking the middle, but Steve Spagnuolo was prepared. He assigned two corners to defend the middle. Hasselbeck waited a beat too long to throw, and Justin King and Jonathan Wade closed on Housh before he could run past the marker.
On that same play, Spagnuolo had another trick that almost trapped the Hawks. The Rams set with only two down linemen, both ends, one standing defensive end, Chris Long, and one linebacker, James Laurinaitis. The rush targeted Seattle's weak side -- the side only a wide receiver was aligned. It would have worked if not for an incredible block by Justin Forsett.
O.J. Atogwe timed his blitz perfectly and ran around left end untouched. The Rams were only rushing four, but with a free blitzer fractions after the snap, it was working. Forsett crossed in front of Hasselbeck and hit Atogwe in stride, holding him off enough for Hasselbeck to throw. With the pass targeting an area with two corners, Forsett's block didn't just stop a sack, it could have stopped a turnover. It could have stopped Hasselbeck from hobbling off the field holding his back.

The Little Man with the Big Hands

John Morgan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:04:33 -0000

Steve Spagnuolo wanted to jam the outside receivers and flood the middle. He didn't count on tiny Deon Butler slapping Justin King away like a ho that couldn't pay. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Seattle followed the first down with a stretch right out of a three receiver set. The line pushed the Rams off the ball, but for no apparent reason, a crease never formed. Julius Jones ran nearly four yards behind his front five, but before he could break through, the backside caught up and Will Witherspoon tackled him. It wasn't a flashy play, but it was encouraging.

The Seahawks next ran one of those red-zone specials. A play without a purpose until things get crammed and picking up three is an accomplishment. It started two wide, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh motioned from right wide to left tight. That drew St. Louis' linebackers and safeties left.

Matt Hasselbeck ran play action, Justin Griffith released into the flat, the line pulled left and Julius Jones submarined unblocked end, Leonard Little. It was the beginning of a nifty little designed pass, but it ended with a familiar flub. Hasselbeck reset and threw a pass to Griffith. The ball hit him as he was breaking, but hit his back shoulder, against his momentum. Griffith jumped, kicked, twisted and attempted to reroute, but the delay was too much and David Vobora closed and knocked him out after one.

Third and five has the feel of third in long in the red zone. The shallow safeties and typically stacked box means a run is inadvisable. A team can run, but they better be good at it, and they better be prepared to go for it if they fail to convert.

Seattle had played itself into third down again, and in the old school world of the NFL, that meant convert or kick. Spags and Knapp were about to engage in a battle of wits.

Steve Spagnuolo wanted to jam the outside receivers and flood the middle. Greg Knapp wanted to overload the first down marker and create a mismatch for John Carlson in the end zone. As is often the case in the mismatched chess match that is the NFL, scheme canceled out and talent prevailed.

Seattle sets three wide, tight end, shotgun with Justin Forsett to Hasselbeck's right. St. Louis sets in a 4-2 nickel with man coverage on the outside. Before the snap, Houshmandzadeh motions in to behind the center and then back out to the left slot. Nickelback Jonathan Wade does not show man cover. Then things get complicated.

St. Louis rushes three, but Will Witherspoon is ready to delay blitz if necessary. The corners are up to jam. Ron Bartell jams Nate Burleson on the right and Justin King attempts to jam Butler on the left. Right defensive tackle Clifton Ryan drops into cover and along with Jonathan Wade, the two blanket T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Housh is running a quick in that doubles as a pick to free John Carlson. It does, but it doesn't. Carlson is covered by James Laurinaitis. Houshmandzadeh gives Carlson separation, but the Rams have strong safety James Butler playing over top ready to double team.

Burleson hasn't escaped Bartell. Witherspoon stops his blitz when he sees Forsett leaking into the right flat. He doesn't pursue Forsett, but looms. A pass to Forsett is sure to be tackled short. Hasselbeck can't scramble with Witherspoon so close. Carlson and Houshmandzadeh are double teamed. That leaves King the small task of jamming Butler to break the play and likely force a throw away.

But he doesn't. Butler takes two choppy steps up and left. The move forces King's hips open as he attempts to get inside position and a chance to jam Butler out of bounds. Butler raises his right arm and takes a long, low, almost kneeling step with his left leg. King bites on the motion and begins sidestepping to shadow. Butler torques his waist and swats King's left shoulder pad, knocking him towards the sideline and helping Butler drive into a hard slant right. He's wide open and Matt knows it.

Hasselbeck finds Butler for seven and the first. Deon, I see slants in your future.

Two plays later, Bartell busts coverage and Seattle scores it first touchdown of the season. The drive was over. It hung by a highwire more than once, but it was bold, smart and it never hanged itself with safe plays.

Rams 17, Chiefs 9: St. Louis takes the Governor's Cup...and the Rams finish preseason play 3-1

VanRam — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:29:59 -0000

by Tom Gannam - AP

St. Louis Rams cornerback Quincy Butler, left, is congratulated by Justin King after intercepting a pass by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen and running it back 28 yards for a touchdown. Both corners finished with an INT to make a good case for their spot on the roster.

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The battle for the St. Louis Rams #3 QB spot has been resolved, and the results are not unlike last year's as Brock Berlin emerged after being written off early. More importantly, the Rams are 3-1 in the preseason, topping the number of wins they had last season and tying the number of wins from the season before.

The First team

The first team offense featured mostly second teamers. They started the night giving everyone a heart attack, with a sack that resulted from bad pass protection behind the line. As must now be mandated by the league, the Rams called a wildcat and picked up a cool five yards. A sack on third down ended the second drive a few plays later, and then it was bedtime for most of the starters. Picking it up from there, Berlin looked comfortable in the west coast, though I'm shocked he can see over the defenders.

On defense, it seemed like mostly the second team with a few exceptions in the early going. They came out strong, forcing KC into a three-and-out (which the Rams offense promptly followed with their own). When the second team came out in force on the Chiefs' third drive of the game, right away, they struggled right off the bat, giving Larry Johnson a 41-yard run. The Chiefs had a TD, but it got called back on a holding penalty, which was immediately followed by a delay of game penalty. From there the Rams defenders that almost got burned tightened up, thanks in no small part to some inspired play by Bradley Fletcher, and kept the Chiefs out of the end zone and forced them to settle for 3.

Gado continued to make his case, doing some nice work catching the ball. He took a shot to the ribs in the second quarter and did not return. Keep an eye on this one, because none of the other Rams running backs behind Gado look ready to be a backup.
Victor Adeyanju had a sack and generally thwarted the Chiefs draw plays.
Tim Carter...buttafingers. Adios.
Daniel Fells, getting some action with the first team, made everyone forget the name Klopfenstein.
Quincy Butler has better hands than Tim Carter.
Justin King ties for the third CB spot.
The Rams have a nice staple of young corners, but I still wonder if they might not have a close eye on the waiver wire Saturday.
David Roach seems like a viable backup safety.

Much more tomorrow.

Running down the Rams roster

VanRam — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:36:29 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Will cornerback Quincy Butler make it through the St. Louis Rams first round of roster cuts?

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The St. Louis Rams, and the rest of the league for that matter, have some decisions to make between now and Tuesday when rosters have to be trimmed from 80 to 75 players. Prediction-wise, there are enough guys on the bubble to make it tough to identify five players most likely to get their walking papers.

The PD runs down the roster by position, speculating what players are on the bubble. Using that list, we can go through a few spots, assess what we do know and try to make a guess ourselves.

QB - With Bulger unlikely to play against Kansas City next week and the third QB battle still to be determined, there's no way those guys feel the scissors before the September 5 deadline to trim rosters to their final 53-man incarnations.

RB - The PD says Gado is safe, and that sounds about right. Darby could have easily played himself onto the cut list, but since he was recently pegged to be the main backup to Steven Jackson, the coaches may still want to let him and Pittman battle it out in the last preseason game. Word is that the team would like to quietly stash 7th round pick Chris Ogbonnaya on the practice squad without other teams getting much chance to see what he can do. FB Jerome Johnson seems like he could be ready to leave.

WR - Lots of questions still to be answered here. Putting Brooks Foster on IR frees up a spot, and I can't imagine his return would have much of an impact on the Rams mid-season.

OL - Lots of cuts that can made here. I hardly recognize some of those names.

DL - I can't believe that Gary Gibson's on the bubble given his strong play. He unseated Adam Carriker for a starting DT spot. Big man Hollis Thomas probably battling his own weight for a spot, but he did well playing some with the starters against the Bengals this week. I wonder what Spags and Flajole think of C.J. Ah You...

LB - Could undrafted rookie K.C. Asiodu get consideration for the practice squad? The Rams seem thin enough at the position that they could stash a guy there...or look for other roster casualties.

DB - It seems like an early cut or two could easily come from this group, especially since guys that will stay on the roster still have lots to prove.

And now for some links...

The Arizona Cardinals starters didn't have such a great night.
Do you think defensive coordinator Ken Flajole being in the booth this week helped the defense, especially rookie MLB James Laurtinaitis, adjust better? Hard not to think that it made a difference.
CB Justin King has a thumb injury...not serious.

Where things stand: A mid-August assessment of the Rams defense

VanRam — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:07:16 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams cornerback Tye Hill, left, looks on while Tony Gonzalez celebrates a touchdown. The Rams can't afford to have this scene play out over and over again this season.

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Continuing our mid-August assessment of where the remade, rebuilding St. Louis Rams stand as they head into the 2009 season, we turn to the defense today. I'll spare you the lengthy intro we had in yesterday's post for the offense, though the "Get low and stick 'em" seems to be especially relevant to today's discussion.

Starting with the questions facing the entire defense and continuing with a snap shot of each unit...

Will the run defense improve?

After a good outing versus a Jets team missing 60% of their starting offensive line, the Rams run defense looked much like last year's against the Falcons last week. But digging below the surface, is it really the same problem as before? The lack of personnel was primarily to blame for much of the Rams troubles against the run in recent seasons. Among other things, the defense dearly missed a true middle linebacker, some size in the middle of the d-line, and a physical strong safety. You could argue whether or not the Rams are any better in the middle of the d-line, but they have made significant upgrades to the other two positions.

Last week's problems against the Falcons and RB Michael Turner were two fold. First, the defense got beat as a unit via misdirection and some strange alignments. That's what got the party started, so to speak, on Turner's 43-yard run on the Falcons first drive of the game. The defense, especially the quarterbacking MLB, needs to do better picking up that kind of stuff. That could be the difference between 5 yards and 43 more often than not. Second, fundamentals, i.e. "getting low and sticking 'em," were notably absent among the first teamers last week. MIssed tackling, poor wrapping, it was all there.

The good news about those two issues is that they can be resolved. The first team will have two quarters to get it right against the Bengals this week. Watch for improvement in those areas.

Will the pass rush be more ferocious and more frequent?

Given their surprise at the blitzes used by Rex Ryan and the Jets in game one, it's safe to assume that the Rams coaches aren't calling the same amount and style of pass rushes that they would otherwise employ in the regular season. Still, you have to wonder why we're not seeing more of those aggressive plays we've heard so much about.

The personnel leave some questions about the pass rush. James Hall and Leonard Little are the main guys up front, and they're also two of the Rams oldest players. We'd also like to see some better pocket crashing from the defensive tackles. Witherspoon will figure more into the pass rush now that he's been set free on the weakside again. I don't know that we've seen any blitz packages featuring safeties or corners through the preseason, but we're likely to once the games count.

Will the secondary be adequate and able to adapt to the more physical version of man coverage the Rams play to use?

The jury is still out this one too. The secondary displayed some of that poor tackling mentioned above. Against the pass, Rams defenders have been beaten more than once by well-made throws and catches, pure and simple. The WR was covered, but it was just one of those plays where the CB really can't do anything about it save for a penalty; Mark Sanchez's throw exemplifies this. I wonder though about the jams at the line, when the defenders can throw lesser receivers off their timing and route? I expect to see more mileage out of that technique. (See this post from Rams Herd for more discussion on the secondary). There's a balance question here. Are we not seeing more pass rush up front because the Rams coaches don't trust the secondary enough to leave them on their own? Or is it just more of a playbook thing and the team still being in evaluation mode, especially for the cornerback gig?

Position by position...

Defensive end - Little and James Hall have looked great in practice and in the game, save for Turner's afore mentioned 43-yard run between Little and the rest of the defense. Chris Long had a bad night against the Jets, and started slow against the Falcons. He did show improvement and got off the ball faster and generally displaying the high motor that's his biggest asset; he has to do more.

Defensive tackle - MIA with an ankle injury through the first two outings of the preseason, Adam Carriker will likely return to action this week. The 2007 first round draft pick has lots to prove. Supposedly, this scheme is a better fit for his skill set by putting him a 3-technique rather than miscast as a nose tackle. In camp's early work, he was speedy and impressive. Now, he's competing for a starting job. Gary Gibson, who Carriker is competing against, established himself as more than just a camp body with a good outing against the Jets. I was impressed with this year's fourth round pick Darell Scott against the Falcons last week, where he picked up a sack crashing the pocket. The addition of Hollis Thomas has yet to be very noticeable, but an if we see an improved run defense that could change.

Linebacker - The linebackers have looked better this year than in previous seasons...until those ugly missed tackles and misreads last week. Even the usually solid Chris Draft failed to bring his man down. James Laurinaitis is bound to have some rookie moments. He has, supposedly, been picking up the defense well and made some nice plays in his preseason work. Animal Jr. has been promising. The SLB spot remains unsettled. Draft is still the guy at this point, but strong preseason performances from Larry Grant, David Vobora, and Chris Chamberlain are making it a horse race. At the very least, those three seem to give our LB corps better depth than we've had in the past.

Safety - The starters make this a good unit. Atogwe has been better in run defense in the preseason, except for some ugly missed tackles last week. Butler didn't do much to distinguish himself against the run, but who did? Todd Johnson still looks like a good depth guy to have. It's probably a good sign that we're not hearing much about this unit at this point. Atogwe leads the team in preseason tackles, but that's because far too often he was the last man between a running back and the goal line against the Falcons.

Cornerback - Sheesh. Where to begin. The big story here was who would claim the spots behind Ron Bartell. So far, nobody has done much to distinguish themselves. Tye Hill is, ostensibly, still the starter opposite Bartell, but he's not looked great in his last two games. He was waaay outmatched against Tony Gonzalez last week. In coverage, he's been able to stay with his man often, but unable to read the play, leaving the play's outcome to be determined exclusively by the QB and his receiver. Justin King has looked decent, but hardly a standout. He had the misfortune of covering Clowney on Mark Sanchez's first NFL pass, a beautifully threaded 48-yarder. In my opinion, King didn't get burned so much as the Jets QB and WR made a nice play. Quincy Butler has made some nice plays in practice, but hasn't been seen much playing against second teamers in preseason games, save for a pass interference penalty against the Falcons. Jonathan Wade has been consistent. This is still a big issue for the Rams to solve.

The defense has lots of work left to do, saddled with heavier expectations that the offense, given the coaching changes. We'll have to see better tackling and better reads this week to have some confidence going forward.