Is Sam Bradford an Elite NFL Quarterback

John Clayton of ESPN.com wrote an interesting piece ranking NFL quarterbacks. John tells us who he believes are the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and who he believes has a chance to become an elite quarterback. John's definition of an elite quarterback is; An elite quarterback is one who can complete better than 60 percent of his passes, has the potential to throw for 4,000 yards and has fourth-quarter comeback ability.

It appears that not only Rams fans are getting excited about the future of Sam Bradford after his great night against the New England Patriots, John Clayton is impressed as well. John Clayton gives Sam Bradford a 85% chance of becoming an elite QB in the NFL. Imagine that after only 3 preseason games and missing most of his 2009 college season Bradford is still held in high regard. How high, well ONLY Jay Cutler was ranked with a higher chance (95). That's right John Clayton prefers the potential of Sam Bradford over Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, and Kevin Kolb.

Click Here to Rank them.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

St. Louis Ram Fan Fantasy Football Challenge

I have created a Private ESPN Fantasy Football League for all of my fans to challenge me. I have thrown down the gauntlet and will take on all comers. I think it will be great for Rams fans to get together and battle each other in a competitive league. So see if you can beat Stlvinnie at his game. The league is free and I will try to provide prizes at the end of the year.

Where - ESPN
Draft Type - Live Draft
Draft Date - 9/1/2010
Draft Time - 8PM CST
League Name - St. Louis Ram Fan
Password - GORAMS

Bradford and Rams Shine Beat Patriots 36-35

After the New England Patriots Rod Owens returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown the St. Louis Rams completely dominated the first half of play and led 20-14 at the half behind great play from Sam Bradford. Bradford who only played the first half was outstanding going 15 of 22 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, with a 125 QB rating. Both touchdown passes were to rookie TE Michael Hoomanawanui. Both teams played their starters during the first half and the Rams dominated leading 241-106 in total yards and had a 15-4 edge in first downs.

After taking a 27-14 lead in the 3rd quarter behind a Thaddeus Lewis touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson the Patriots scored 21 straight points to go up 35-27. The surprising part was that the New England Patriots played Tom Brady and Randy Moss into the 4th quarter. As usual the Patriots got away with this risky move and Rams fans had yet another reason to hate Bill Bilichick and the New England Patriots. The Rams still rallied late behind a Keith Toston touchdown run and a 37 yard Josh Brown field goal at the buzzer to beat the Patriots 36-35. Ah sweet revenge. We did not win a Super Bowl XXXVI ring on Thursday night but we may have gained a little respect and for the first time in a long time a little hope.

Rams Lose Avery For The Season

Donnie Avery will miss the 2010 season with a torn ACL, which will require surgery. Avery hurt his knee while going up for a long pass from Sam Bradford Thursday night during the St. Louis Rams 36-35 victory over the New England Patriots. This is a devastating blow to the Rams receiving core which is already the weakest in the NFL. Donnie Avery is the Rams top explosive receiver and with only 100 catches in his career is also the most experienced.

The St. Louis Rams will desperately need to pick up one or two veteran receivers before the start of the season. The Rams made the correct move in drafting Sam Bradford in the 2010 NFL Draft but they did not make the right move by not getting him more weapons to succeed. A few weeks ago they possibly had a chance to bring in a Hall of Fame receiver in Terrell Owens but were not able to sign him. Maybe Owens was never going to play for a 1-15 team but we should have done what it took to try and get him here. Now that Stan Kronke is the St. Louis Rams owner look for the Rams to be more aggressive collecting talent.

How inexperienced are the Rams heading into the season? Laurent Robinson leads all Rams receivers with 55 catches in the NFL. The Rams have nine receivers left in camp and of those 9 4 of them have no catches in the NFL and Jordan Kent has only one. That is correct folks the Rams have basically only four receivers on the roster that have produced in the NFL. Below are their totals.

19 Robinson, Laurent - 55
16 Amendola, Danny - 43
14 Burton, Keenan - 38
11 Gibson, Brandon - 34
82 Kent, Jordan - 1
15 Curry, Dominique - 0
81 Gilyard, Mardy - 0
83 McRae, Brandon - 0
84 Alexander, Denario - 0

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Rams @ Patriots: What To Watch For

Here are the 5 items we will be watching for in the St. Louis Rams @ New England Patriots preseason game tonight.

1 - How will Sam Bradford perform with the starting offensive line and Steven Jackson in the game. Sam is 12 of 27 for 81 yards so far in the preseason and we need to see more progress tonight.

2 - The starting offensive line. The offensive line has to have pride with Sam Bradford on the field and must protect him. The starting five should finally get a large amount of playing time in this one.

3 - The Rams secondary may go up against Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker for some time tonight. It will be interesting to see if Bartell, Fletcher, Atogwe, and Dahl can hold their own against the Patriots.

4 - The Rams offensive play calling. The play calling is the elephant in every Rams forum. It is the chicken or the egg theory. Is Pat Shurmur call conservative plays because he has no confidence in the QB, is afraid the O-line can't block long enough, does not believe the receiving core can get separation or other. Let's see if the Rams can throw some passes over 10 yards tonight.

5 - The Rams receiving core needs to step up. Will we get to see a lot of Mardy Gilyard and newly signed Denario Alexander, we hope so. Will past draft picks Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton step up and show they can start in this league. The Rams still have 10 players competing for 5 or 6 roster spots.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Stan Kronke Approved To Purchase Rams

Today is one of the nicest days in a while in St. Louis with bright sunny skies and mild fall like temperatures you can almost feel football in the air. In addition Stan Kroenke received unanimous approval from NFL owners as new owner of Rams. Stan Kroenke who already owns 40 percent of the St Louis Rams will purchase the remaining 60 percent from Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. Kronke who already owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche will have to turn ownership over to a family member.

This is the greatest news St. Louis Rams fans have had in a while. Stan Kronke is a great businessman and more than anything is competitive and wants to succeed. I believe he will keep the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis long term, and in addition I believe he will look to improve our stadium situation possibly by building a new stadium one day. The Rams should also be much more aggressive during free agency in the future. Kronke will want to improve the talent level of the Rams and will do what it takes to get the job done. This could be a great day in St. Louis Rams history.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Q&A Session With Foxboro Blog

This week we were lucky enough to do a Q&A exchange with a fellow blogger, Derek Henson from Foxboro Blog who covers the New England Patriots. Derek does a great job over at Foxboro Blog even if he does cover the evil empire. Please check out our Q&A sessions for some insight into the Rams @ Patriots contest coming up Thursday night.

1. What team is the Patriots biggest current rival?

While the Patriots and Colts have had some epic yearly battles and a handful of
contests to determine who goes to the Super Bowl, the Patriots biggest rivals
will always be the Jets. There's just so much bad blood and history between the
teams, from our coaching drama (Parcells, Belichick, Mangini), to Spygate, to
the natural New York/Boston rivalry. The battles against the Jets may not be as
dramatic or important as some of the ones with Indy, but even when New York has
been horrible, that's still a game the Patriots always get up for.

2. What 2010 Draft Pick are you most interested in watching Thursday?

I'm a big "defense" guy, so even though watching rookie tight end Aaron
Hernandez snag a touch down throw might be more exciting, I'm really looking
forward to seeing how ILB, Brandon Spikes, performs on Thursday. He's had a big
training camp and has looked great in his other pre-season games. Belichick
seems to be very high on him and will likely have him in a starting role in Week
1. I'm hoping to see another big game out of him tomorrow.

3. How bad do the Patriots miss Scott Pioli?

When Pioli left, I wondered if it would be a devastating blow. Many people
hailed him as the true "genius" behind the Patriots' success last decade.
However, I've been pretty impressed with Belichick's drafting without Pioli in
2009 and 2010. He seems to have snagged some real gems like Patrick Chung,
Sebastian Vollmer, Aaron Hernandez, and Brandon Spikes. The Patriots drafting
was actually fairly weak in Pioli's final seasons, which I believe attributed to
the little bit of a slump we've seen from the Patriots the past two seasons. I
honestly believe that they're going to do just fine without him.

4. What do Patriots fans truly think of the devil, Bill Belichick?

If Belichick is a devil, then I don't want to be good. Patriots fans, almost
universally, love Bill Belichick. How can you not love a coach who took a last
place team and transformed them into a dynasty? Yes, there was the whole
"Spygate" issue, but I think people chose to make a bigger deal out of that
controvesy than it actually was. Stealing signals is not illegal in the NFL.
Using a video camera to steal signals is. If Belichick had sent a guy with a
still-photo camera to snap pictures, or had a guy in the stands with a pair of
binoculars and a pad and pencil, it would have been totally within the rules. He
wasn't penalized for what he did, just how he did it. I think a lot of people
miss that.

Otherwise, Belichick is simply a great coach, probably the
best in the NFL. The media likes to hate on him because he's very tight lipped
and not the most interesting or personable person to cover. Fans love to loathe
him because he so often beats their team. However, I'd much rather have a coach
like Belichick who preaches fundamentals and teamwork and does his talking on
the football field, than a loud-mouth like Rex Ryan. Ryan seems to mostly get a
free pass, where Belichick would be crucified for pulling the same stunts.

5. If you could have one player off the Rams roster who would you take?

The easy answer would be Sam Bradford. Not because we need a quarterback, but
because we could probably flip him in a trade for the most value. I'll admit
that I'm not super-educated about the Rams, so I'd have a tough time making a
legit answer. From a pure needs perspective, I would probably take one of your
outside line backers or guards.

6. What is your prediction for the Rams this season?

I'll actually be a little more optimistic than you. A 1-15 season is actually a
difficult thing to repeat, so I'm expecting some decent improvement. You have
games against Oakland, Washington, Detroit, Tampa, Carolina, Kansas City, and
your annual two against Seattle. Those are all fairly "winnable" games. I'll
pencil the Rams in for 3-13.

7. What is your prediction for the Patriots this year?

They have Brady. They have Belichick. That automatically makes them contenders.
However, if the Colts are as good as they were last year, I have a hard time
seeing this young team defeat Indy in the playoffs. I say the Pats take the AFC
East, they win their home wild card round game, and then they fall in the
divisional round.

Click this link to check out my responses about the Rams over at Foxboro Blog!

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Sam Bradford Will Start Against New England

In less than 72 hours the St. Louis Rams will take the field against the New England Patriots with Sam Bradford as the starting quarterback. No, Sam Bradford has not won the job yet but A.J. Feeley was injured against the Cleveland Browns Saturday night and will be unable to play against the Patriots. Feeley has a sprained thumb and also hurt his elbow during his only series against the Cleveland Browns.

This is a huge opportunity for Sam Bradford to win the starting quarterback job. So far Bradford has been far from stellar only completing 44% of his passes going 12 of 27 for 81 yards while being sacked four times during the Rams first two preseason games against Minnesota and Cleveland. In fairness to Sam Bradford this will be the first time he will be on the field with the starting O-line and Steven Jackson at the same time. The rainy conditions in Cleveland Saturday night made it very hard to judge how well Sam played, and the utter lack of any blocking against the Vikings also gave him little chance to succeed. This will be a great test and opportunity against New England who will play their starters for much of the game on Thursday.

The New England Patriots are 2-0 in the preseason with wins over the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Tom Brady is red hot so far going 15 of 20 for 152 yards and a TD. The young inexperienced, beat up St. Louis Rams secondary will be tested by Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The Patriots are 7.5 favorites.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Rams Sign Danario Alexander

The St. Louis Rams have announced that they have signed free agent wide receiver Danario Alexander to a contract on Sunday. Last years 5th round draft pick Brooks Foster was released to make room for Alexander. With the Rams wide-outs only making three catches Saturday night against the Cleveland Browns the Rams are in need of some additional talent at the WR position. Last season at Mizzou Alexander caught 113 passes for 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns. During his career Alexander had 191 receptions for 2,778 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Danario Alexander hurt his knee while participating at the Senior Bowl in January and was unable to participate at the combine or pro-day, and was not drafted by any team in April due to the serious knee issues he has had the past few years. Alexander however is a excellent athlete who has been timed in the 4.4 second range, has broad jumped 11-feet, 1-inch and has a 43 inch vertical jump. Doctors stated Alexander would be ready by training camp and he passed a physical in St. Louis back in early August. The only question is what took the Rams so long to take a chance on Danario.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Rams Beat Browns 19-17

Despite only 172 yards of total offense (only 107 after the first drive) the St. Louis Rams managed to beat the Cleveland Browns 19-17 behind 4 short field goals by Josh Brown. The Rams took advantage of early turnovers to go up 13-0 13 minutes and 25 seconds into the contest. The NFL is all about winning but in preseason sometimes how the team plays can be even more important, however it was nice to see the Rams put one in the win column.

A.J. Feeley played very well going 4 of 5 for 46 yards and a touchdown pass to Daniel Fells. Feeley was injured on the opening drive hurting both his arm and thumb after a hit from Chris Gocong. X-rays taken last night were negative. The injury let Sam Bradford enter the game earlier than expected. The constant rain throughout the night played havoc with Sam and his ball security. You could tell Sam was unable to get a good grip on the ball as he again bobbled a couple of snaps and threw some wobbly passes down field. Bradford finished 6 of 14 for only 24 yards.

Overall the Rams played much better than they did against the Minnesota Vikings last week. We will break the game down into the Good, Bad, and Ugly of the night.

The Good - While playing in the rain the entire night the Rams forced 5 turnovers while not turning the ball over themselves. Winning the turnover battle is the key to success in the NFL. The offensive line play was much improved as the Rams did not allow a single sack of their quarterbacks. The starting O-line played for the entire first half. A.J. Feeley was solid and I feel confident that if he starts the season against Arizona he will do fine. Steven Jackson saw some preseason action gaining 20 yards on 4 carries. Steven Jackson is the key to the Rams offense, when he is not in the game the Rams are simply unable to move the ball. Mardy Gilyard was able to play with a cast on his wrist. Gilyard returned 3 kickoffs for 70 yards and 3 punts for 49 yards almost busting one. He looks explosive and instinctive in the return game. I can't wait to watch him get more time at wide receiver when his cast is off. The defense has to get props for creating 5 turnovers and forcing 4 sacks. A much better all around effort than last week.

The Bad - The Rams had to settle for four short field goals and were only able to punch it in for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. After Steven Jackson left the game the Rams backup running backs were only able to gain 45 yards on 25 carries which is just not good enough. The Rams are down right pitiful on offense without Steven Jackson's presence.

The Ugly - It was raining but 6 of 14 for only 24 yards has to be considered an ugly and disappointing performance from Sam Bradford. I really wish he would have gotten in more work in perfect conditions but that is how it goes. The Rams starting wide receivers continue to not get open or make plays. Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurant Robinson and Mardy Gilyard combined for zero catches, and rookie Dominique Curry dropped a touchdown pass from Keith Null. The Rams only had 3 receptions for the game from their wide receivers. With 10 receivers in camp we should be getting better play than this from that group. The Rams will not be able to compete with this kind of effort.

The Rams will take on the New England Patriots Thursday night.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Rams beat Browns 19-17

Despite only 172 yards of total offense the St. Louis Rams manage to beat the Cleveland Browns 19-17 behind 4 short FGs by Josh Brown.

Keith Null led the Rams with 46 yards passing

Keith Toston led the Rams with 23 yards rushing

Billy Bajema led the Rams with 4 receptions and Hoomanawanui led them with 33 yards receiving

Craig Dahl led the Rams in tackles with 6 and 2 assists

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Rams Browns Preseason Preview

Well things could not have went much worse for the St. Louis Rams last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Even Danny Amendola who had the Rams only touchdown fumbled a punt and cost the Rams 7 points. The Rams will try to turn things around tonight at Cleveland Browns stadium starting at 6:30. The Cleveland Browns were 27-24 winners over the Green Bay Packers in week 1 action.

The Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams have both stated that they will play most of their starters for the entire first half. The Browns will start with Jake Delhomme followed by Seneca Wallace. The Rams will start A.J. Feeley for a couple of series and then probably allow Sam Bradford to play the rest of the first half. Hopefully Sam will have the help of Steven Jackson in the backfield, but it is still unknown if Jackson will get in any work.

The Browns will most likely be without WR Mohamed Massaquoi, RB Montario Hardesty, LB David Bowens, RT Tony Pashos, RG Floyd Womack, G Shawn Lauvao, NT Shaun Rogers & T John St. Clair. The Rams will be without secondary players Jerome Murphy, Kevin Dockery and Justin King.

Here is what we will be watching for tonight:

The main thing to watch week in and week out will be the play of the Rams offensive line. The Rams patchwork line last week was torched last week for 6 sacks and forced Sam Bradford to run for his life while in the game. This week the Rams will have no excuses as they will have their starting unit Rodger Saffold, Jacob Bell, Jason Brown, Adam Goldberg and Jason Smith out together. The Browns play a 3-4 which the Rams do not see much of and the Browns had 40 sacks last year so this will be a tough test for the line again. When Steven Jackson is not in the backfield teams just tee off against the Rams.

The play of Sam Bradford. Of course we want to see our new toy in action. Sam Bradford who does not want to be called the face of the franchise, is the face of the franchise and the Rams need to prepare him for the season. The Rams should put Steven Jackson out there with Sam, max protect and see what the kid can do. A.J. Feeley has been a good backup but he is not the answer at QB and the Rams need to try to get Sam ready for their week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Browns were able to put up 21 first half points against Green Bay last week, with most of their yardage coming through the air. The Rams starting secondary of Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher will be back in action so we can get a better read on their play. If Mohamed Massaquoi does not play the Browns receiving core is pedestrian at best. The Rams should be able to cover a team like the Browns. Once the starters are out Quincy Butler, Marquis Johnson, and Antoine Thompson must play better than last week.

Mardy Gilyard should be back tonight for the Rams. I would like to see him get in some rhythm and work with Sam Bradford. I want to see the Rams get him into space and also allow him to return some kicks. Gilyard and Amendola may share return duties all year. In addition where is Donnie Avery? Can Avery get separation in the NFL? Donnie Avery who needs to be the Rams #1 receiver needs to produce week in and week out especially early in games. Watch as 10 Rams receivers battle for the five or six openings on the roster.

Coaching - It is great to have nice coaches and nice players and to preach about the four pillars but the bottom line is I want to see some success on the field. Is Pat Shurmer still afraid to call a pass over 10 yards? Can coach Steve Spagnuolo manufacture a pass rush with the players he has on this roster, and if not can he put together some blitz packages to create some pressure on other teams? Can Steve Loney get anyone on the offensive line to block effectively and consistently? With the pending sale of the St. Louis Rams to Stan Kronke the entire coaching staff is on the hot seat, now is not the time to hold back.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

St. Louis Rams Sign Safety Brett Johnson

The St. Louis Rams who are having injury problems in the secondary have now released Free Safety David Roach. Shortly after releasing Roach the Rams picked up rookie free agent Brett Johnson an undrafted Free Safety from California University. Johnson signed with the Buffalo Bills following the 2010 NFL draft. The Philadelphia Eagles signed Johnson after he was waived by the Bills. The Eagles released Johnson while he was injured in camp.

Brett Johnson is a small safety at 6'1", 195 pounds from the University of California. At California Johnson was a two-year starter at free safety, he finished his college career with 107 tackles along with three interceptions. In 2009 Johnson recorded a career-high 52 tackles to lead all Bears defensive backs.

Brett Johnson was not invited to the NFL Combine so he performed at a pro day for scouts back in March. Per Scout.com Johnson posted an eye-popping 43-inch vertical leap, and a 40-yard dash time in the 4.3 range. I like the athletic ability Brett Johnson brings to the table but I worry about his size. The Rams are in need of some hammers and Johnson is not likely to be one.

David Roach has more size at 6'2" and 215 pounds but he has never played well on the Rams. I thought in the 2009 preseason David Roach was often the worst player on the field however the Rams like to use him on special teams. The Rams have more players to choose from for special teams this year so Roach became expendable.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Rams Low on Cornerbacks Sign Marcus Brown

Even with an 80 man roster the St. Louis Rams secondary is in need of more healthy players. The Rams added cornerback Marcus Brown to their training-camp roster. Brown was an undrafted free agent picked up by the Arizona Cardinals in 2008. He also was on the Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Rams practice squads in 2009. The Rams will bring him back and give him another opportunity to make the squad.

The Rams currently have 5 cornerbacks injured Ron Bartell (ankle), Bradley Fletcher (knee) and Justin King (calf), Jerome Murphy (ankle), and Kevin Dockery (hip). Young players Marquis Johnson, Kevin Dockery and Antoine Thompson were all torched by the Minnesota Vikings in extended action Saturday night. To make matters even worse safeties James Butler (knee) and Craig Dahl (knee) are also injured.

Marcus Brown is a large corner at 6' 2" and 200 pounds who preformed very well at his pro day in 2008: CB Marcus Brown (6-1 ¼, 201): Ran the 40 in 4.53 (against the wind) and 4.35 (with wind), had a 43 ½-inch vertical jump, 11-foot, 6-inch long jump, 4.18 short shuttle, 7.09 cone drills, 7 reps in the bench press, and ran position drills.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Are The St. Louis Rams Getting Better

First off this is not a chicken little article with me in panic over a Rams preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams were 3-1 in the 2009 preseason and it meant nothing. However my premise is are the St. Louis Rams getting any better? Sure it is early and Steven Spagnuolo and crew have only had 16 games to turn things around and it is just not going to happen that fast. However just like under Scott Linehan and Jim Haslett I do not see improvement or change.

I want to hang my hat on the Sam Bradford express as much as anyone else but a ton of other things have to improve for him to be allowed to make a difference. The Rams had injuries in the O-line and secondary last night that caused them to shuffle some players and play a lot of young players for extended periods of time and I understand that. However the Rams offensive line can not seem to block no matter what players are out there. The Rams continue to miss assignments and fail to block from the inside out. You thought if they would ever block they would at least try to keep Sam Bradford clean. Nope four sacks while Sam was in there in only 20+ plays. The Rams running backs continue to be the worst in the league in blitz pickup. The Rams linebackers have been beaten down the seem over the past few years by every no name TE in the game. The players and coaches have changed but the culture and results have not. Something or someone has to be able to get through to this group of players. The Rams only have three more preseason games to iron out these issues and improve.

While it may take 2-3 more years to get the right personnel to be seriously successful it is hard to watch bad teams like the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders still manage five wins in 2009 while the Rams have only won six games in three years. Steve Loney has to get the Rams offensive line to be able to block. Pat Shurmer has to have the confidence that the Rams O-line can block long enough for him to actually install an NFL game plan. Steve Spagnuolo has to get players to step up and play above their abilities. Coach Spagnuolo needs to bring the aggressive pass rushing of the NFC East to the Rams. Even if we do not have the same personnel put them in positions to succeed with scheme and game plan. I am still concerned that over the past few years players have left the Rams and started on other teams while not playing well with the Rams. In addition current players like Laurent Robinson and Danny Amendola continue to be the best Rams after being taken from other teams. Why can't we turn our own draft picks like Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton into stars?

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Rams Offense & O-Line Lack Punch

The simple fact is that you can not win in the NFL without great offensive line play and the St. Louis Rams offensive line played far from great on Saturday night falling 28-7 to the Minnesota Vikings. With Jacob Bell out the Rams started Hank Fraley at center with Jason Brown at RT. The line play throughout was horrible as the Rams only managed 33 yards rushing and allowed six sacks. With Jason Brown and Rodger Saffold each playing the full first half it was a very disappointing showing from the starting five.

With 12:09 left in the 2nd quarter Sam Bradford entered the game to a standing ovation from the small crowd on hand at the Edward Jones Dome. On Sam Bradford's second pass he connected for 18 yards to Laurent Robinson on a nice strike. The 18 yard pass turned out to be the longest offensive play for the Rams. Bradford under constant pressure finished 6 of 13 for 57 yards while being sacked 4 times. Sam Bradford was in the game until midway through the 3rd quarter taking 21 total snaps and moving the Rams for a total of 60 yards.

The momentum of the game changed early in the 2nd quarter with the score tied at 7 and the Rams driving with Bradford at the helm. After driving to the Vikings 36 yard line the Rams faced a 2nd and 1 yard to go. Bradford missed on a short pass to the left and then Karney and Ogbonnaya were both stuffed trying to run up the middle and the Rams turned the ball over on downs. That was it for the Rams offense as it took them until well into the 4th quarter to gain over 100+ total yards.

The Rams only points of the night came on a Danny Amendola punt return of 93 yards. The Rams offense looked very similar to what we were forced to watch in 2009, as they managed no points on 11 drives. The Rams scored a league low 175 points or 10.9 per game in 2009 while being sacked 44 times. Steve Loney the Rams current offensive line coach has just got to get a five man group on the field that can block and protect the QB or it is going to be another long year.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Rams Vikings Preseason Preview

The St. Louis Rams open their 2010 season with a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome Saturday night at 7PM. This will be Rams fans first chance to see Sam Bradford in live action. The Rams went 3-1 in the preseason in 2009, so preseason play is not indicative of how good a team may be. Here are the five things we will be watching Saturday night.

First and foremost is watching Sam Bradford perform. The St. Louis Rams will start with A.J. Feeley for one or two series and then Bradford is supposed to play up until at least halftime. Will Sam Bradford get enough protection and perform well enough in the preseason to be the starter week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The key to the Rams 2010 season could lie in the offensive line play. This is where the Rams have huge question marks. It appears that rookie Rodger Saffold will start at Left Tackle. Will we get to see Rodger Saffold block Jared Allen. This means the Rams 2009 first round #2 selection Jason Smith is odds on favorite to start at Right Tackle. Overall this make Smith an NFL bust already but at this point we just need the Rams to field the best five blockers. The other battle will most likely be at Right Guard were veteran Hank Fraley will try to win the job over John Greco. When healthy Adam Goldberg is a valuable versatile backup.

The St. Louis Rams may not have a #1 WR but what they do appear to have for a change is depth. Currently the Rams have 10 wide receivers probably competing for five or six positions. Keenan Burton, Brooks Foster, and Laurent Robinson all finished the 2009 season on the IR and have a lot to prove. I believe Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Danny Amendola and Mardy Gilyard will all make the roster the others need to show what they can do Saturday night.

The St. Louis Rams who were near the bottom in ever defensive category finished 30th in sacks and with team leading (6.5) Leonard Little gone the Rams are in need of a pass rush. Rams hopes hinge on George Selvie out of South Florida to bring an added spark and rush from the end position. Veteran Fred Robbins was added to rotate in at defensive tackle but on paper it looks like the Rams will have a hard time getting to opposing QBs again.

The secondary could be the most interesting group of all. This group always seem to have injury issues. Ron Bartell, Justin King and James Butler have all suffered preseason injuries already. On paper and when healthy this group could be decent with Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher at corner with James Butler and OJ Atogwe at safety and rookie Jerome Murphy as the nickel. Watch Jerome Murphy in this one, he likes to hit people. With 14 secondary players in camp some of these players are going to need to make their mark on special teams.

Rams vs Minnesota To Be Tape Delayed

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has released that the St. Louis Rams preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings Saturday night will be shown on tape delay at 10:30PM. So unless you plan on staying up past 1AM you will not get to see the action unless you are down at the Edward Jones Dome. The reason for the tape delayed telecast is due to the fact that the game will not be sold out. This is just one more reason the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to move to a 18 game regular season.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Madden 11 Release Date

Do you have a fever, or have a cough coming on, or maybe your allergies are bothering you? Well its that time of year when everyone catches the Madden flu. Madden 11 will be released tonight at midnight at GameStop. Check out which participating GameStop stores will be selling Madden 11 at 12:01AM. Will you be at work on Tuesday?

So St. Louis Rams fans are you ready to take the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl. Well good luck because the St. Louis Rams are the lowest ranked team (66) in the game. Steven Jackson leads all Rams with an overall score of 95, while Sam Bradford comes in with a solid 80. I want to hear your Madden 11 stories. If you take this team far let me know or share your great game photos with us.

See all St. Louis Rams Madden 11 player rankings HERE

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

St. Louis Rams Predictions For 2010

I thought you might be interested to see PredictionMachine.com’s NFL Preview. PredictionMachine.com strives to be the most accurate and trusted source for predicting sports outcomes. The state-of-the-art, Prediction Machine, was built by Paul Bessire, a statistician and veteran sports writer, who offers his in-depth analysis and unique takes through his blog posts and game predictions. PredictionMachine.com's accuracy stems from the Predictalator (a fancy name for the Machine), which plays an upcoming game 50,000 times before it's actually played. It’s actually played the whole 2010 NFL season 50,000 times already.

Here are the predictions from PredictionMachine.com for the St. Louis Rams for 2010. The St. Louis Rams are predicated to go 4-12. The St. Louis Rams are also ranked 32nd according to their power rankings. The Rams are predicted to finish 30th in offense with 17 points per game, and 32nd in defense allowing 29 points per game. It seems the computer believes the St. Louis Rams will be slightly improved in 2010 but not much. The Rams have at 0.2% chance of making the playoffs in 2010. For those wondering PredictionMachine.com has the New York Jets beating the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl.

St. Louis Rams Scrimmage Notes

It was a beautiful night for the St. Louis Rams scrimmage at Lindenwood University in Harlen C. Hunter Stadium before approximately 8,000 fans. The players took the field around 6:30 and began their warm-ups. The scrimmage did not actually start until close to 7PM.

The Rams started with live drills frm their own 35 yards line and you had 3 plays to make a first down, and march down the field. A.J. Feeley Took the field with the first team offense against the second team defense. It was not much of a contest as the offense scored a touchdown after only five plays when Feeley hit Danny Amendola with a 30 yard touchdown pass. Sam Bradford was next in line with the second team offense against the first team defense. Bradford's first pass was caught and then fumbled by Daniel Fells. After that it was smooth sailing as Bradford looked calm in the pocket and threw some ropes including a roll out 11 yard touchdown pass to Keenan Burton. After Bradford it was time for Keith Null who mad short work of the defense by hitting Brandon McRae for a 60 yard touchdown catch and run.

After the 3-and-out portion of practice the Rams went to situational work. The Rams practiced trying to move the ball from their own goal line this proved near impossible for each group. The Rams then worked on 4th down short yardage plays which they did not look very good at. Late in the scrimmage the Rams went into their 2-minute drill where they had to move the ball down the field in less than two minutes and they were also given two timeouts. Sam Bradford was first to try this and showed everyone what they had been waiting for as he dropped in a perfect 53 yard bomb to Danny Amendola. When the scrimmage ended all Rams players signed autographs for 15+ minutes including Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford.

My overall notes and impressions of the practice were:
I thought the pace overall was slow you did not see a lot of running to the huddle or on and off the field. Also time between plays at times was very long

Sam Bradford looked great, threw the ball sharp and even threw well on the run

Danny Amendola is having a great camp and is determined to stay in the starting lineup

The Rams tight end corp. dropped a lot of passes in scrimmage someone needs to step up

No Rams running back left an impressionm without Steven Jackson the Rams look helpless on the ground

Jerome Murphy and James Laurinaitis like to stick people

Mandy Gilyard was hit on the arm and will have an x-ray I hope that is not serious

George Selvie had a strong scrimmage

St. Louis Rams Scrimmage At Lindenwood

St. Louis Rams training camp scrimmage will be held at 6:30 Saturday night at Lindenwood University at 209 South Kingshighway St. Charles Missouri 63301. Harlen C. Hunter Stadium holds about 6000 and the estimated attendance last year was 7000, so with the addition of Sam Bradford expect a packed house. Doors open at 4:30 so arrive early to get the best seats as they are FREE and first come first serve. Last year ALL of the St. Louis Rams players signed autographs after the scrimmage. This will be a great chance to see the new squad, and watch the coaching staff in game type situations. I look forward to checking it out. See all you Rams fans there!

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

Win Madden 11 For Free

Are you the type of person that likes to call somebody a Noob or tease your friends when you hammer them in a video game? If so have I found a great new website for you. You need to go to RivalSpot the spot where gamers play sports video games for real cash. That's right you can now beat your buddy on the field and take his money all from the comfort of your own home! Dedicated to fans of sports video games and in the spirit of sports and competition, Rivalspot allows users to place monetary bets legally on head to head sports video games. RivalSpot.com provides gamers with a safe online environment to face off and compete for the gold.

Currently Rivalspot is offering a 35% cash bonus to gamers on their first deposit, and there are NO sign up fees. In addition Rivalspot.com’s peer-to-peer review system, money-back guarantee policy, and best-in-class customer service ensures a superior customer experience. Not interested in playing games for money no problem the Rivalspot blog has the latest news, reviews, and walkthroughs of all your favorite sports video games for Xbox and Playstation consoles.

RivalSpot is interested in possibly hosting a Madden 10 tournament on our site so I need to find out how many of you may be interested? RivalSpot set up a 16 player tournament on The PensBlog with a $0 buy in to promote the site while giving away NHL11 to winners. How cool is that.

RivalSpot allows you to play for money on the following platforms:

XBOX 360 Games: Madden 08, Madden 09, Madden 10, FIFA 08, FIFA 09, NHL 09, NHL 10, NCAA Football 09, NCAA Football 10, NCAA Basketball 10, NASCAR 09, Fight Night Round 3, Fight Night Round 4.

PS3 Games: Madden 08, Madden 09, Madden 10, FIFA 08, FIFA 09, NHL 09, NHL 10, NCAA Football 09, NCAA Football 10, NCAA Basketball 10, NASCAR 09, Fight Night Round 3, Fight Night Round 4.

PS2 Games: Madden 08, Madden 09, Madden 10, FIFA 08, FIFA 09, NHL 09, NCAA Football 10, NCAA Basketball 09, NASCAR 09, Fight Night Round 3.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

The Other Guys at Chesterfield Galaxy 14

I would like to take a break from the NFL to thank Ram Man aka Karl Sides for hooking us up with passes to see the premier of The Other Guys staring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg‎ at the Chesterfield Galaxy 14 on the Mega screen. There was a crowd of about 3000 people there to try to see the Hollywood stars.


Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg actually came into the theater and did a short Q&A with the audience. In attendance were some St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Blues players along with St. Louis Cardinal Ozzie Smith. From the St. Louis Blues I spotted Barret Jackman, Cam Janssen, Patrik Berglund, Erik Johnson and TJ Oshie. St. Louis Rams players I recognized in attendance were Jason Smith, Phil Trautwein, James Laurinaitis, Josh Brown, Jason Brown, Chris Chamberlain, and A.J. Feeley.

The movie was great as Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg kept the crowd laughing throughout as two disgraced New York City police detectives looking to become heroes. The Other Guys also has appearances from Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock). From Ferrell's unconventional cop car to well placed music this movie had everything working. Stay until the end for some interesting facts and a small scene with Ferrell and Wahlberg.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com

St. Louis Rams Tickets On Sale

St. Louis Rams single game tickets are now on sale. The Rams have sold quite a lot of season tickets this year so the single game tickets will go fast. With opening day just a little over a month away it is time to get the tickets you will need to see the St. Louis Rams in 2010.

St Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals – Sept. 12
St Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins – Sept. 26
St Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks – Oct. 3
St Louis Rams vs. San Diego Chargers – Oct. 17
St Louis Rams vs. Carolina Panthers – Oct. 31
St Louis Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons – Nov. 21
St Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Dec. 19
St Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers – Dec. 26

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Ron Bartell Injures Ankle In Practice

Bill Coats reported tonight that Ron Bartell was taken off the field on a cart after injuring his right ankle. Bartell is to be taken to the hospital for x-rays. This is very bad news for a Rams secondary that is already considered thin and not of top caliber. Recently Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports ranked the Rams secondary 26th out of 32 teams, while Bleacher Report has them ranked 32nd.

Ron Bartell along with James Butler & Oshiomogho Atogwe are all 6 year veterans in the Rams secondary. Currently the Rams have 9 cornerbacks on their roster four of which are rookies. Hopefully the injury to Bartell will not be serious. With Bartell down watch for Jerome Murphy to make a move to be the starting left cornerback for the Rams.

St. Louis Rams fans have to be very concerned about the St. Louis Rams secondary heading into the 2010 NFL season. Bartell played a lot of the 2009 season injured in addition Bradley Fletcher, Quincy Butler and Justin King all had injury issues in 2009. This secondary is just not talented enough to lose their depth. Rams fans need to hope the injury to Bartell is not serious.

Rams Fans Will Love Mardy Gilyard

What is not to love, this quicker than fast playmaker has St. Louis Rams fans having visions of the (GSOT) Greatest Show on Turf. At 6'1" 180 Mardy is not an imposing specimen, nor was his 4.56 combine speed anything to write home about but this kid is a playmaker. Over the course of his last two seasons as a Cincinnati Bearcat Mardy raked in 168 balls for 2467 yards and 22 touchdown receptions. In addition Mardy returned 92 kickoffs with a 28.9 average and 4 TD's as a Bearcat. Mardy will bring this and more to the St. Louis Rams.

After the Dez Bryant controversy over carrying Roy Williams pads Gilyard was asked about carrying pads, his response

“I’m okay with carrying the pads, combing hair, tying the shoes, whatever it
takes. I know my role, I’m a rookie and I know I can’t say too much. Actions
speak louder than words and in the words of my momma, ‘I can show you better
than I can tell you.’ I’m cool with anything, that’s my role as a rookie.

How refreshing is it to here those words from a rookie.

I think the St. Louis Rams absolutely stole Mardy Gilyard with 101st overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Although he does not have the speed and is not as much of a deep threat I hope Mardy Gilyard can bring to the St. Louis Rams what Desean Jackson brought the the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of years ago and that is a playmaker, a baller, a difference maker. I look for Mardy to occupy the slot in 2010 and return kickoffs over the smaller Danny Amendola.

While talking to St. Louis Rams tickets account executive Jon Kruse I was told recently Mardy Gilyard was at the Rams offices at the Edward Jones Dome helping with a promotional ticket event and asked if he could go down on the field. While Jon was reluctant La'Roi Glover said it's ok let him go. I was told Mardy ran all around the field in his dress clothes and had tears streaming down his face he was that happy. He asked Jon where he was standing and Jon said on the field and Mardy said "in the end zone."

Look for many more reasons to love Mardy Gilyard every Sunday this fall.

By Stlvinnie - http://www.stlouisramfan.com