St. Louis Rams – Blog

Total Team Effort Leads to Win

- When the Rams jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and promptly gave it back with a series of miscues in a second quarter in which nearly everything that could go awry did, the instant reaction of many had to be ‘Here we go again.’ But after two weeks of near misses, the Rams had enough of that old feeling and they surged to a win in a second half performance that was by far their most complete and could nearly be described as dominant.

- I’ll get to the particulars of all of that in a moment but let’s hit the injuries first.

- Clearly, the groin injury to RB Steven Jackson is the most concerning. He was pulled apart at the bottom of the pile in a second quarter collision and did not return to the game after testing it at halftime. Early indications are that there is no tear in the groin and that Jackson should be able to recover fairly quickly if that is indeed the case. Jackson will have an MRI to determine its severity in the morning.

- WR Dominique Curry doesn’t appear to be as fortunate. He suffered a knee injury that is believed to be a torn ACL. If that’s the case, he will miss the rest of the season. That hasn’t been determined fully yet and Curry will also be looked at further this evening.

- Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe battled a quad injury all week and it never loosened up though he played early in the game. He came out and did not finish the game. He’ll be monitored day to day.

- RB Keith Toston (shoulder), S Darian Stewart (quad) and DT Gary Gibson (ankle) suffered what appeared to be minor bumps and bruises though more information on those will be available tomorrow.

- As for the game, what can you say? It was like a movie that started with a great action scene, bogged down by bad acting and writing in the middle and ended with a terrific plot twist. After two weeks of near misses, the Rams learned how to win by falling short.

- In some ways, winning in this manner rather than by jumping to a lead and holding on to it will be better for the long term confidence of this football team. Not that beggars can choosers when it comes to winning but finding a way to get it done when things started turning against them could do wonders for a team as young and inexperienced as this one.

- Jackson gave the Rams a huge lift in the first quarter with his touchdown run. A thing of beauty and anyone wondering if his burst is still there shouldn’t wonder anymore.

- Kenneth Darby had his finest career performance and looked quick and decisive in replacing Jackson. What a lift he gave the Rams. And it should be noted that Toston fought for some hard yards as well.

- QB Sam Bradford is growing up right before our eyes. Tremendously poised and confident performance, especially in the second half when Jackson was out of the game. Some terrific throws and he made all of the right decisions.

- What a pickup WR Mark Clayton has been. He just makes play after play after play. It’s early but so far the deal for him looks like nothing less than a steal.

- Danny Amendola might be the toughest player in the league pound for pound. He finds a new way to get hit, spun around or body slammed every week and he pops right back up and makes another play.

- Nice job by TE Daniel Fells as well. He fought for some big extra yards after the catch and did a nice job blocking.

- Which, of course, leads me to my player of the game for this week: the offensive line. That group absolutely took over and imposed its will in the second half. John Greco worked in some at right guard, flopping in and out with Adam Goldberg and he added some punch in the running game. That’s the type of performance of a jelling offensive line.

- On the other side of the ball, it was a total defensive performance. Great work by that entire unit but a few plaudits are in order.

- He hasn’t quite been able to close the deal for a sack by DE Chris Long is regularly getting in the backfield and putting pressure on the quarterback. He did it again on Sunday.

- Cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher have been consistently good in coverage. Congrats to Fletcher on his first career interception.

- MLB James Laurinaitis was all over the place. He was a tackling machine as usual and was good in coverage, including a nice pass breakup in the first half.

- Some nice defensive statistics that made a big difference: the Redskins were 1-of-10 on third downs and 0-for-3 in the red zone. The Rams defense held their third straight opponent to 17 points or less. You can win a lot of games in the NFL with that type of production.

- Center Jason Brown awarded the game ball to coach Steve Spagnuolo for sticking with his team through thick and thin. Much deserved for the Rams’ leader.

- That’ll do it for tonight, Rams fans. The team has been given a “Victory Monday” and will be off tomorrow. But we’ll be here to put a bow on this one and wrap it up before moving on to Seattle week preparation. Have a good night and enjoy the win everybody.

Wrapping Up Oakland

- Welcome to this week’s edition of Wrapping Up. Let’s get down to business.

- The Rams took some more bumps and bruises this week that could limit the roster again this weekend against Washington. Coach Steve Spagnuolo gave the full injury report and it looked like this…

- TE Billy Bajema has a mild MCL sprain and is expected to miss two to four weeks. That injury is believed to be similar to the one suffered by safety James Butler.

- Fellow TE Daniel Fells also has an MCL injury though it’s not as serious and he’s going to be day to day this week.

- DT Darell Scott probably has the most serious ailment, suffering a high ankle sprain in the same category as the one suffered by TE Michael Hoomanawanui last week. He’s expected to miss some extended time with that injury.

- DT Clifton Ryan will have a second opinion on his migraine headache issues this week after he was unable to play against the Raiders. The Rams are hopeful everything will come back OK from that ailment, especially with Scott out this week. The Rams could bring DT Jermelle Cudjo back to the varsity if Ryan and Scott are both not likely to play.

- LB Chris Chamberlain (foot) and Hoomanawanui (ankle) are out of their casts and in walking boots. They are still a ways away from getting back on the field but that’s a good sign for each of their recoveries.

- CBs Kevin Dockery and Justin King are making progress and could both return to practice this week with King’s return more likely earlier in the week than Dockery.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo expressed his disappointment at many of the same things that he was upset with in the immediate aftermath of the game. The penalties, the Rams’ inability to run the ball in the second half and the Raiders’ success running in the second half were the main culprits, according to Spagnuolo.

- Spagnuolo also put the blame on himself and the coaching staff, saying the Rams need to be better prepared, especially in the second half and come out with the same energy and intensity they had in the first half.

- The biggest issue to Spagnuolo in terms of the inability to run the ball is how that correlates to an inability to convert on third down. The Rams were just two-of-10 on third down against the Raiders, mostly because they rarely found themselves in manageable third down situations.

- “The combination of not being able to convert on third down and not being effective in running the ball on first and second kind of did us in a little bit,” Spagnuolo said. ” I don’t think they did anything different. They did it a little bit better and we probably blocked a little better in the first than we did in the second. And here we are.”

- As for the penalties and mistakes that have plagued the Rams in the first two weeks, Spagnuolo says they’re doing everything they can to correct them…”We are in there knocking out the mistakes,” Spagnuolo said. “I talked to the team this morning about some of the things that happened that shouldn’t happen. But after that it’s on to the next game.”

- On further review of some of the calls that went against them, particularly the close personal fouls, Spagnuolo did not want to address. He did say that he wants to team to be “aggressive but smart.”

- Spagnuolo was asked directly about the possibility of the Rams making a trade for a wide receiver, particularly one from a West Coast team that is currently suspended. Spagnuolo had this to say in response: “Billy and I always talk about that (stuff). Usually today, this afternoon is where we sit down and evaluate where we are at with injuries and who is available and all those other things. So we will have that this afternoon.”

- On the topic of receivers, Spagnuolo indicated that rookie Mardy Gilyard is closer to being ready to contribute to the offense, saying he will “get involved” and complimenting Gilyard’s work as a gunner on special teams.

- In the final evaluation of QB Sam Bradford’s second NFL start, Spagnuolo said he was pretty pleased with the way the rookie fought through the struggles he had in the third quarter…”There were a couple of things in there obviously he needed to do better. But he knows that. All in all, the offense that took the ball from the minus 3, all the way down to the 5, that was pretty impressive for a bunch of young players. I was proud of the way Sam, after struggling a little bit in the third quarter, then all of a sudden putting that together and being able to score to put us in a position to have a chance.”

- Spagnuolo acknowledged Bradford’s comfort level in the no huddle offense at the end of the game, an area Bradford excelled at Oklahoma.

- On the other side of the ball, Spagnuolo was pleased with how rookie CB Jerome Murphy competed in his first NFL playing time as he worked extensively in the nickel position. While Murphy was targeted a lot by the Raiders, he battled and came up with an important interception to keep the Rams alive. For his first game, Spagnuolo thought Murphy did pretty well.

- Back on the injury front for a moment, the Rams seem to continue to get hit at the same positions over and over. Here’s the way things look right now at a few positions and how the Rams figure to go about handling the personnel at those spots:
DT: (Healthy) Fred Robbins, Gary Gibson.  (Hurt or sick) Clifton Ryan, Darell Scott – Should those two be out this week, Cudjo could get called back up from the practice squad to the active roster.
CB: (Healthy) Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Jerome Murphy, Marquis Johnson. (Banged up) Dockery, King – It appears the Rams are about to get King and Dockery back. That would perhaps allow Johnson to return to the practice squad and free a roster spot somewhere else.
TE: (Healthy) Darcy Johnson, Fendi Onobun. (Injured) Hoomanawanui, Bajema, Fells – Pending the way Fells responds to treatment this week, the Rams might again have a need at this position. For at least the next two weeks, Hoomanawanui and Bajema will be out and likely longer. Spagnuolo said Onobun still has some work to do to be ready to contribute so that could also factor into this equation.
S: (Healthy) Oshiomogho Atogwe, Darian Stewart. (Mostly healthy) James Butler. (Injured) Craig Dahl – It’s possible Dahl could recover from the concussion in time to play this week but the Rams won’t rush anyone back from a head injury. Butler stepped in for Dahl at the end of the Oakland game and appears to be slowly getting back into football shape. Spagnuolo indicated he’d be the top option to fill in for Dahl but it also remains to be seen if Butler is ready to take on a full workload, meaning another body could be brought in to help at safety or Stewart could see a more active role.

- That’s going to do it for this week. Back with updates throughout the week and don’t forget to send your questions to Nick’s Mailbag which goes down every Tuesday right here at 12:30. Thanks for stoppin’ by.

Rams Haunted by Missed Chances

- In a game that was without question there for the taking, the Rams just couldn’t quite take advantage of some golden opportunities to come away with a victory. In the process, they fell 17-13 to Arizona at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

- On the injury front, LB Chris Chamberlain suffered a foot injury of some consequence and will be evaluated further in the morning.

- The rest of the injuries didn’t appear to be too serious but were costly in the course of the game. Cornerbacks Justin King and Kevin Dockery suffered hamstring injuries that kept them out of the final quarter of the game and left the Rams short at the position. Arizona took advantage in the passing game late.

- Also missing with what appears to be a minor injury was tight end Michael Hoomanawanui who suffered an ankle injury that kept him out and gave the Rams one less target in the red zone.

- As for rookie QB Sam Bradford, it was an up and down day as would be expected from a rookie signal caller. Bradford finished 32-of-55 for 253 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Nobody could have expected him to throw 55 times but he handled it well and said he felt good physically after the game.

- RB Steven Jackson finished with 81 yards on 22 carries.

- For someone with only three practices under his belt, WR Mark Clayton made a heck of an impact. He finished with 10 catches for 119 yards, the first 100-yard game by a Rams receiver since Oct. 26, 2008.

- CB Ron Bartell played a heck of a game in coverage. Although he dropped an interception, Bartell shadowed Larry Fitzgerald all day and found ways to keep him from making big plays. Fitzgerald was targetd 15 times and had just three catches for 43 yards. The Rams were in zone on the touchdown so Bartell handled himself well against Fitzgerald (who wasn’t quite 100 percent).

- The missed opportunities will be the thing that haunts the Rams from this game. Clifton Ryan fumbling his fumble recovery at the goal line. Bradley Fletcher not scoring on his fumble return. Josh Brown’s blocked field goal attempt. Bartell’s missed interception. In the NFL, where one or two plays often makes all the difference, the Rams’ inability to finish those plays ultimately cost them the win.

- The Rams threw the kitchen sink at Derek Anderson all day and the blitz packages were outstanding. Anderson was sacked twice but he took nine hits in the process.

- The Rams forced seven fumbles and came up with four, unfortunately they were just one short again.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe led the Rams with eight tackles.

- Be back tomorrow to wrap this one up. It’s onward and upward for the Rams as they now prepare for a road trip to Oakland next week.

Rams Ready for Arizona

- The Rams just wrapped up their Friday afternoon practice and have completed preparation for Sunday’s season opener against Arizona.

- On the injury front, things look good for the Rams. Once again, only safety James Butler is listed on the report as he continues to come back from a knee injury. Butler could potentially be available in a backup role on Sunday but that will likely be a game time decision.

- Otherwise, the Rams have to feel good about their injury situation. Every player on the roster practiced in at least some capacity all week.

- As for the starters for this weekend, there are still some decisions that will need to be made in the next couple of days. As it stands, it looks like it could shape up something like this:

- Offense: QB Sam Bradford, RB Steven Jackson, FB Mike Karney, WR Laurent Robinson, WR Danny Amendola, TE Billy Bajema, LT Rodger Saffold, LG Jacob Bell, C Jason Brown, RG Adam Goldberg and RT Jason Smith.

- Now, there will be a few guys who figure in prominently that will play a lot and could actually start. TE Michael Hoomanawanui and WR Mark Clayton should get a lot of opportunities.

- Defense: LDE Chris Long, LDT Fred Robbins, RDT Gary Gibson, RDE James Hall, SLB Na’il Diggs, MLB James Laurinaitis, WLB Larry Grant, LCB Ron Bartell, RCB Bradley Fletcher, SS Craig Dahl and FS Oshiomogho Atogwe.

- As always, Spagnuolo will use plenty of rotation along the defensive line.

- There is some intrigue on special teams, particularly in the return game. Coordinator Tom McMahon said the Rams will likely use both Mardy Gilyard and Danny Amendola on returns against the Cardinals and even mentioned Clayton as an alternative. Most likely, Gilyard will get first crack on kick returns with Amendola on punt return duty.

- Just as a reminder for those that can’t make it to the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday, the game will be televised locally on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. live on KTVI-FOX 2.

- That’ll do it for this week. Be sure to check out all of the game preview stuff we have coming on the front of the site in the next few hours and follow along here and on Twitter @OneRamsWay on Sunday. It’s football time, folks. Thanks for reading.