Tag: St. Louis Rams (Page 14 of 42)

      For all intents and purposes, Sam Bradford has been perfect so far

      October 4, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 3: Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome on October 3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Seahawks 20-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Outside of cutting down on his interceptions, if you’re the Rams what more could you ask for out of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to this point?

      After completing 34 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ 20-3 blowout of the Seahawks on Sunday, Bradford is now 2-2 as a starter and has led St. Louis to back-to-back wins (for the first time since Regan was in office, I think). He’s also 28-of-49 for 350 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on third downs and has thrown five red zone touchdown passes in his first four games.

      Again, outside of his interception total (six), the Rams couldn’t have asked for a better start out of their No. 1 draft pick.

      Granted, he hasn’t faced the most prolific of defenses to this point, as most quarterbacks will rack up good numbers against the likes of Arizona, Oakland, Washington and Seattle. But Bradford is only playing who’s on the Rams’ schedule and thus far, he’s been impressive.

      And let’s give a little credit to his receivers, too. The Rams arguably have the worst collection of wideouts in the league and yet look at their average yards-per-catch from Sunday: Mark Clayton 14.4; Brandon Gibson 16.7, Danny Amendola 9.5; and Daniel Fells (who is a tight end, not a receiver) 11.7. Bradford obviously has a hand in those numbers, but he isn’t afraid to check the ball down and let his receivers pick up yardage after the catch (which they did plenty of yesterday).

      The Rams have a long ways to go, but they play in the worst division in football so who knows? Maybe they can continue to surprise. With teams like the Lions, Bucs, Panthers and 49ers coming up before their Week 9 bye, Bradford and Co. may continue to rack up victories.

      External Sports, NFL

      Steven Jackson “fine” as Rams win for second straight week

      October 3, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams Steven Jackson scrambles for a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on September 26, 2010. UPI/BIll Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      Steven Jackson told reporters following Sunday’s game against Seattle that his groin felt fine during and after the Rams’ 20-3 win over the Seahawks.

      And even if Jackson weren’t feeling okay, he wouldn’t care.

      The Rams are now 2-2 on the year and had a couple of more breaks gone their way in the first two games, they could be 3-1 or even undefeated. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Jackson is healthy (relatively speaking), rookie Sam Bradford (289 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT on Sunday) is playing better than expected so early in his career and the defense has been outstanding.

      Outstanding.

      St. Louis held Seattle to 257 total yards, including 193 passing and 64 rushing, while forcing two turnovers and allowing just one Olindo Mare field goal on the day. Steve Spagnuolo is obviously leaving his impression on the Rams’ defense, which has yet to allow more than 17 points in any game this season.

      Granted, it’s not like the Rams have played any offensive juggernauts to this point. But this was a team that won only one game last year and was beaten like a rented mule week in and week out. A 2-2 start is about as much as the Rams’ brass could ask for at this point.

      External Sports, NFL

      Rams win a game at home, fire and brimstone now falling from the sky

      September 26, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) is chased by Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo in the second quarter at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on September 26, 2010. UPI/BIll Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      For only the second time in their last 29 games, the St. Louis Rams actually won a football game.

      With their 30-16 victory over the Redskins on Sunday, the Rams won a home game for the first time since 2006. Many factors went into the win, but the play of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford will be discussed above all else when the St. Louis faithful replay this game on the radio airwaves this week.

      Bradford was far from perfect (he threw his fifth interception of the season), but he completed 23-of-37 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown – mostly without the help of Steven Jackson, who pulled his groin midway through the game. Kenneth Darby racked up 49 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown in Jackson’s absence, but it would be a stretch to say he was “effective.”

      On the other side, this was an embarrassing loss for the Redskins, who have done nothing to build off their opening win against Dallas. They fell apart in the fourth quarter last week against Houston and never led at any point today in St. Louis. Donovan McNabb threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a pick late in the fourth and the Redskins just couldn’t put the ball in the end zone.

      Kudos to the Rams, who have been in every game so far this season. The defense has played decent the first three weeks and while Bradford has made his fair share of mistakes, he’s also making plays in his rookie year.

      External Sports, NFL

      If Jason Campbell is Jim Plunkett then I’m Peter King

      September 19, 2010 /
      OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jason Campbell of the Oakland Raiders lies on the ground after being sacked against the St. Louis Rams during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 19, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

      “I see this young Jason Campbell as a football player like I saw Jim Plunkett.”

      Oh, Al Davis…you goofy bastard.

      After completing just 8-of-15 passes for 87 yards and an interception on Sunday, Campbell was benched for Bruce Gradkowski in the second half of the Raiders’ 16-14 win over the Rams. Gradkowski immediately led the Raiders on a touchdown drive and finished 11-of-22 for 162 yards with one score and one interception.

      While he wasn’t Jim Plunkett himself, Gradkowski certainly played better than Campbell, who may be in danger of losing his starting job just two weeks into the season. That’s a pretty amazing notion considering the Raiders thought Campbell would solve their issue at quarterback after JaMarcus Russell had infected the position the last three years.

      Perhaps what’s most interesting about Gradkowski is that he’s played savior before. He led the Raiders to upset wins last year over the Bengals and Steelers and some thought that he should have received a look at the starting job before Campbell was acquired.

      He may have won the job anyway.

      External Sports, NFL

      Receiver and defensive backfield just two of many issues for Rams

      August 31, 2010 /
      SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 13: Laurent Robinson #11 of the St. Louis Rams carries the ball during the game against the Seattle Seahawks on September 13, 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks defeated the Rams 28-0. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

      Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the woeful Rams and their concerns at receiver and in the defensive backfield.

      When a team earns the right to select at the top of the draft, it’s easy to spot its holes.

      And the Rams have a lot of holes.

      Outside of running back Steven Jackson and a linebacker corps led by second-year player James Laurinaitis, the Rams have issues at nearly every position. The hope is that young players like Sam Bradford, Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith and Chris Long will step up in due time, but it’s going to be a while before guys like Bradford are ready to make major contributions.

      The receiver and defensive backfield are currently the team’s two biggest weaknesses heading into the new year. Wideout was already a concern before Donnie Avery went down to a season ending injury and now that they won’t even have him, the Rams have an even bigger hole at the position.

      I’ve been very high on Laurent Robinson since he came into the league as a third round pick of the Falcons in 2007. But despite flashing his potential on occasion, he’s been a dud due to injuries. He caught 13 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown in his first four games last year, then suffered an injury that shelved him for the rest of the season. With Avery out, he has the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy but can he stay healthy for 16 games? He hasn’t yet.

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      External Sports, NFL

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