Monday, October 4, 2010
@ 
Week 1 - 2010 Rams Season Opener
September 9th, 2010
Edward Jones DomeSeptember 9th, 2010
4:15 ET
It was a tale of two halves for the Rams. The Rams did not look very good to start the game, quickly going 3 and out, and struggled to find a rhythm to their running game in the entire first half. Sam Bradford, meanwhile, had a variety of firsts in the half, including his first interception, and his first tackle of strong safety Adrian Wilson, who had just picked him off. To make matters worse, within three plays of the first defensive showing for the Rams, MLB James Laurinaitis suffered a herniated disk in his back, and will now be out for 10 weeks following the injury. But the new-look defensive line with three new starters (Burgess, Robbins, and Pryce) was able to wreck havok on the Cardinals offensive line and signal caller Derek Anderson, a study in struggling quarterback. This gave the Rams offense good field position, which helped make up for the lack of efficiency. The first half had mostly been a defensive battle, and the Rams were lucky to squeak out 10 points. Things would change in the second half.
The Cardinals began the half with the ball, and they started to drive down the field, but were picked off at the 30 by Laurinaitis’ replacement, linebacker Bryan Kehl. However, the good vibes from the interception would not last, as within three plays Sam Bradford threw his second pick of the day to Rodgers-Cromartie. Arizona running back Tim Hightower was then able to break off a 45 yard run for a TD, narrowing the Rams’ lead to 3 points. It seemed that momentum had swung to the Cardinals side.
And then Steven Jackson took over the game. Second play of the ensuing St. Louis drive Jackson breaks three tackles and bursts through the hole, turning what would have otherwise been a fairly normal run into a 77 yard gallop into the endzone, putting the Rams up 17-7, and they never looked back. The defense stood stout, with the D-line putting pressure on Anderson, while the rookie Bradford outplayed the veteran, as he gained confidence on the next drive which resulted in his first NFL touchdown to Mark Clayton, another new Ram. And the Rams coasted through with 21 unanswered points to upset the visiting Cardinals 31-7.
NFL Scoreboard - Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-0)
Top Performers
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Scoring Summary
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Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
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Said Steven Jackson after the game: “You know, we just gave our all out there. Arizona, in that first quarter, it seemed like we couldn’t get anything against the defense. But we just kept pounding after them, and our D, man...you’ve got to give it up to them today. They did a hell of a job so that we were able to get back out there on the field and start getting into a rhythm. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to celebrate a win here on opening day, so we’re glad to give this one to the fans here.”
Sam Bradford's first NFL TD pass to Mark Clayton
Next week the Rams (1-0) head to Oakland to take on the Raiders (1-0) for their first road game of the year. Stay tuned.
8-21-10
The Rams traveled up to Cleveland for their second preseason contest, and put together a complete performance against the Browns. The running game was again a strength, as Steven Jackson was able to cut swiftly through the Browns defense. Meanwhile, the Rams defense also showed some good signs, holding the Browns to a poor 3rd down percentage, forcing them to throw the ball, and keeping them from reaching the endzone. And for what it's worth in the preseason, the Rams are 2-0.
NFL Scoreboard - St. Louis Rams (2-0) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)
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8-26-10
For their third preseason game, the Rams went up to New England for a 2001 Super Bowl rematch. It is strange to see how the fortunes of both teams has changed in that time, with the Patriots winning two more Super Bowls since, and a chance at a third, while the Rams have struggled for the past 5 years. That seemed to hold true in this game as well, for while the Rams defense was able to hold a potent Patriots attack, the offense struggled to put much of anything together. The running attack was held to under 100 total yards and the Rams couldn't put a TD up on the board. Meanwhile, Sam Bradford has yet to really live up to the first overall pick status, as he has yet to throw a TD this preseason. Hopefully for Rams fans he will pick up his game when it actually matters.
NFL Scoreboard - St. Louis Rams (2-1) at New England Patriots (2-1)
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9-3-10
In their final preseason contest, the Rams managed to squeek out a win against a tough Ravens team at home. Sam Bradford finally came up with a passing TD, and the running game was a major strength for the offense as they pulled out this win. While the defense's performance wasn't the best, they do deserve credit for keeping the Ravens under 17 points, considering the rave reviews this offense had gotten during the offseason. And overall, the Rams end this preseason with a 3-1 record, and a pretty good showing against three teams with playoff aspirations in the Vikings, Patriots, and Ravens. There are clearly things that the Rams need to improve on, such as balance on offense and a higher 3rd down completion rate, but there is hope that the success in the preseason just may translate into wins in the regular season.
NFL Scoreboard - Baltimore Ravens (2-2) at St. Louis Rams (3-1)
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Friday, October 1, 2010
In what can be described as either a great offensive showing or a weak defensive performance, the Rams looked to be in good form in this early preseason game. It may be too soon to tell whether this performance will last when playing four quarters against an opposing team’s starters, and there were certainly issues with the Rams’ defense and passing game that will need to be worked out, but the ground game was in good effect. Steven Jackson was his dominant self even against a tough Minnesota run defense, but what may be the surprise for the Rams was the presence of RB Daniel Frisch. Despite his small stature, he managed to gash the Minnesota defense for 136 yards rushing. Admittedly, it was mostly against the second team squad, but his quick feet and impressive speed have made a good impression on the coaching staff. It remains to be seen how well he’ll perform in the future, and how much time he’ll see with Jackson in front of him, but as Coach Spagnuolo said, “It’s always a good problem to have two running backs look impressive...Steven [Jackson] is obviously our centerpiece, but it’ll be good if both Daniel [Frisch] and Kenneth [Darby] can take some of the pressure off him and keep him fresh.”
NFL Scoreboard - Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-0)
Top Performers
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Scoring Summary
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With 434 yards of total offense, it’s safe to say that the somewhat sparse crowd for this preseason game was excited by the ground game, but it remains to be seen whether to expect such a performance once the season actually gets going. But, at least for tonight, the Rams are winners. Hopefully, when it counts, they’ll remain winners as well.
Adrian Peterson 75 yard TD run
Daniel Frisch 26 yard TD run
Next week: at Cleveland, Saturday, Aug 21st, 7:30 PM
-A "major" trade will shake up the defense a bit, but hopefully provide the offense with a new weapon that rookie quarterback Sam Bradford will be able to take advantage of. The Rams sent defensive end James Hall and strong safety James Butler to Washington in exchange for tight end Fred Davis and a pair of undisclosed draft picks. Hall was not a spectacular piece of the Rams defensive line, but he was still a solid starter. With Butler gone, the strong safety position seems to belong to second-year man Craig Dahl.
-In the hopes of filling the void left by Hall, the Rams have signed Derrick Burgess. He has been utilized as a linebacker for the past couple of years, but it is expected the Rams will use him at the right end spot in place of Hall. Burgess has had some injury history, but when healthy he has shown he can be a dynamic presence rushing the quarterback. St. Louis has also surprised many by signing Trevor Pryce. Typically a 3-4 defensive end, it seems that, barring a major defensive shift, the Rams will try him in their rotation of defensive tackles to stabilize the middle of the defense.
-The Rams also made moves to help further improve their lackluster defense, bringing in veteran cornerback Shawn Springs, and up and coming linebacker Rashad Jeanty. Springs has had some injury history, but has been a very solid corner when actually on the field. The signing of Jeanty almost shows more about the lack of talent in the Rams outside linebacker corp, as he is expected to be a starter. But he is a good all around linebacker, and should be in good competition with David Vobora for the weak side starting spot.
-Finally, the Rams brought in rookie SS Myron Rolle, HB Daniel Frisch, and WR/KR Yamon Figurs. Out of the three, Figurs may get the most playing time on special teams, where he may challenge WR Danny Amendola for returning duties. Figurs is not very elusive, but he has great breakaway speed, something that the Rams are short on with receiver Donnie Avery landing on injured reserve, and for a team desperate for every yard they can get, he has a chance to be a big difference maker.
Here we have the expected roster for the 2010 St. Louis Rams:
St. Louis Rams - 2010 Depth Chart - Regular Offense
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| WR | 89 - Mark Clayton | 16 - Danny Amendola | 11 - Brandon Gibson | |
| TE | 87 - Fred Davis | 46 - Daniel Fells | ||
| LT | 76 - Roger Saffold | 71 - Renardo Foster | ||
| LG | 63 - Jacob Bell | 79 - John Greco | ||
| C | 60 - Jason Brown | 65 - Hank Fraley | ||
| RG | 73 - Adam Goldberg | 79 - John Greco | ||
| RT | 77 - Jason Smith | 62 - Andrew Gardner | ||
| WR | 19 - Laurent Robinson | 81 - Mardy Gilyard | ||
| QB | 8 - Sam Bradford | 4 - A.J. Feeley | ||
| FB | 44 - Mike Karney | |||
| HB | 39 - Steven Jackson | 40 - Daniel Frisch | 34 - Kenneth Darby |
St. Louis Rams - 2010 Depth Chart - Base 4-3 Defense
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | 72 - Chris Long | 99 - C.J. Ah You | ||
| LDT | 90 - Trevor Pryce | 97 - Darnell Scott | ||
| RDT | 98 - Fred Robbins | 95 - Clifton Ryan | ||
| RDE | 51 - Derrick Burgess | 67 - George Selvie | ||
| WLB | 54 - Rashad Jeanty | 58 - David Vobora | ||
| MLB | 55 - James Laurinaitis | 50 - Bryan Kehl | ||
| SLB | 53 - Na'il Diggs | 59 - Larry Grant | ||
| CB | 24 - Ron Bartell | 23 - Jerome Murphy | ||
| SS | 43 - Craig Dahl | 25 - Myron Rolle | ||
| FS | 21 - O.J. Atogwe | 20 - Darian Stewart | ||
| CB | 29 - Shawn Springs | 35 - Kevin Dockery |
St. Louis Rams - 2010 Depth Chart - Special Teams
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| K | 3 - Josh Brown | |||
| P | 5 - Donnie Jones | |||
| H | 4 - A.J. Feeley | |||
| PR | 13 - Yamon Figurs | 16 - Danny Amendola | ||
| KR | 13 - Yamon Figurs | 16 - Danny Amendola | ||
| LS | 60 - Jason Brown |
Best Offensive Player: HB Steven Jackson - Even with a bit of an injury history, Jackson is clearly the best player on the team. A powerful running back with a lethal combination of size, speed, and power, when Jackson is healthy this team has a chance. The press may be focusing on the rookie Sam Bradford, but make no mistake, the offense runs through Steven Jackson.
Best Defensive Player: MLB James Laurinaitis - After a very impressive rookie season, Laurinaitis is planted firmly in the middle of a suspect Rams defense. There are great hopes for Laurinaitis, who seems that he is close to becoming a Pro-Bowl caliber talent year after year. The Rams are hoping that he will evolve as a leader and pace setter for the defense this year.
Player With the Most to Prove: (tie)DE Chris Long/RT Jason Smith - Two second overall draft picks; two less than stellar NFL careers so far. Both have been bothered by injuries, but even when on the field, neither one has quite lived up to their overall draft status. St. Louis fans have seen multiple first-round picks on both the offensive and defensive lines fail to impress, so if the Rams are going to improve at all this season, they're going to need far better play from both Long and Smith.
Player Who Could Surprise: TE Fred Davis - Davis was a promising player in Washington, but was stuck behind Chris Cooley, one of the better tight ends in the league. Here, with an offense whose passing game has struggled for years, a somewhat suspect offensive line, a mediocre receiving corp, and a rookie quarterback, Davis could find himself in prime position to make a major contribution to this team and become one of the NFL's better receiving tight ends.
Overall: As bad as the Rams have been, last season has to be seen as a disappointment even by their standards. After going 3-13 and 2-14, only managing one win in 2009 has left a bad taste in this franchise's mouth. Thankfully, it's hard to imagine things getting worse in St. Louis. Plus, with coach Spagnuolo's system firmly in place, ownership of the team finally settled, and the hopeful savior of the franchise in QB Sam Bradford, things have to be looking up for the Rams. Couple that with the weakness overall in the NFC West, and the Rams should be a much more competitive team this year. But expecting a winning record, much less a playoff appearance, seems unlikely.
Season Prediction: 4-12
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Posted on September 30, 2010 at 05:10 PM.
System - Xbox 360
Difficulty - Custom (All-Pro with some adjustments)
9 minute quarters
Purpose - For Fun
It's hard to believe that only ten years ago, the Rams were entering into the NFL season fresh off an amazing Super Bowl win. This season, they are coming off of a lowly 1-15 season, and most experts have written off the Rams as a lowly franchise searching to find consistency. However, there is still hope in St. Louis as they are now headed by Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford, and they still have one of the best backs in the NFL in Steven Jackson. Now that Stan Kroenke has been officially given majority ownership, there is newfound hope that the horrible decisions that past owners and managers have made with this team may finally be a part of this team's past, and that the Rams can come back from the bottom of the NFL to become a winning franchise yet again.
Difficulty - Custom (All-Pro with some adjustments)
9 minute quarters
Purpose - For Fun
It's hard to believe that only ten years ago, the Rams were entering into the NFL season fresh off an amazing Super Bowl win. This season, they are coming off of a lowly 1-15 season, and most experts have written off the Rams as a lowly franchise searching to find consistency. However, there is still hope in St. Louis as they are now headed by Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford, and they still have one of the best backs in the NFL in Steven Jackson. Now that Stan Kroenke has been officially given majority ownership, there is newfound hope that the horrible decisions that past owners and managers have made with this team may finally be a part of this team's past, and that the Rams can come back from the bottom of the NFL to become a winning franchise yet again.
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