We Analyze The St. Louis Rams Roster Cuts

After cutting running backs Antonio Pittman, and Chris Ogbonnaya were cut the Rams are left with only 3 runnngbacks on the roster at the moment. With Samkon Gado suffering cartilage damage to his ribs and being questionable for the season opener in Seattle will the Rams pick up another back? Did Kenneth Darby make the squad based on special teams play? It looks like the Rams really have a lack of talented depth and this position.

I was really not surprised the Rams kept Keith Null over Brock Berlin. Null is cheaper, younger, and has more of an upside than Berlin. In addition the Rams have two veterans in Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller on the roster so not a huge need for a 3rd veteran at the moment.

With Billy Bajema making the roster the Rams only kept 5 Wide receivers. I was very happy to see Nate Jones make the team. I like his speed and quickness, and again the upside. On the downside the Rams are heading into the 2009 season with a very young and inexperienced group in Avery, Burton, Jones, Robinson, and Stanley. Donnie Avery with 53 catches in the NFL leads the entire group, talk about inexperience. Expect some growing pains at this position.

The Rams kept 9 on the O-line and D-line. It was a shame Eric Moore hurt his hand in the game against the Chiefs and was put on IR, I think he had a good chance of making the team. His injury helped C.J. Ah You earn a backup DE position. Eric Young (RT) and Gary Gibson (DT) are both young players that played their way onto the team

The Rams kept 7 linebackers. I was surprised with the lack of playing time Quinton Culberson had in the preseason that he made the team. If the Rams pickup a player prior to the season I would not be surprised to see Culberson let go. Nice to see Larry Grant make the team and I would also like to see him start next to his Ohio State teammate James Laurinaitis. David Vabora Mr. Irrelevant from the 2008 draft has also made the squad again. I like the sure tackling ability of Chamberlain and Vabora, they also contribute on special teams.

There were no cuts at cornerback which was no surprise since the Rams only had 5 left. At safety can someone tell me how David Roach made the team? I know Todd Johnson did not have a good preseason either but Roach was just awful. If the Rams make a roster move this week you would think Roach would get released. The other backup safety spot went to Craig Dahl

Rams Beat Chiefs 17-9

The Rams capped a solid 3-1 preseason with a 17-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome. Quincy Butler intercepted Tyler Thigpen with 2:48 left in the 3rd quarter and returned it for a touchdown to put the Rams up 14-9. Quincy made a great break on the ball that was thrown a little late by Thigpen. The Rams once again won the battle of turnovers 3-1 and that was the difference. Basically the game was no more than a scrimmage and a tryout for many of the players left on both rosters. The Rams will need to cut 21 more players by this Saturday. After tonight's play the decision may just have gotten harder. Both Brock Berlin and Keith Null were 9 of 17, however Berlin did throw a TD to Daniel Fells. Their play has been about even. Berlin has more experience and costs more so it is just a matter of what coach Spagnuolo is looking for in a 3rd string QB. Kenneth Darby and Antonio Pittman each had just 3 carries each so I don't know how you can make much of that. The Rams spread the ball around to 12 receivers tonight. Derek Stanley stands out with his quickness but he still has the drops from time to time. Stanley only has 6 catches in the NFL so lack of experience is definitely an issue as well. Justin King and Quincy Butler each had picks in the secondary. All 5 DBs should make the team. Justin King did limp off in pain during the last series of the game. The Rams allowed two big runs early in the game by Larry Johnson and Dantrell Savage, but held the Chiefs to field goals both times. Early on Mike Vrabel was in the Rams backfield almost every play. The Rams must get solid play from their O and D lines once the season starts. Jason Smith is still over matched and getting beat on passing plays. I believe the Rams will start the season with Adam Goldberg at RT. I would also like to give props to old reliable Donnie Jones who was called on to punt 9 times tonight. Jones averaged 47 yards per punt with 7 downed inside the 20! We will now wait and watch for the news on who the Rams will cut, and who they may possibly pick up. Will the Rams bring in a veteran corner and wide receiver or go with who they have? We will find out shortly.

The Chiefs finish the preseason on a serious downward spiral. Matt Cassel was hurt during their 3rd preseason game and could be out for up to four weeks with a knee injury. New head coach Todd Hayley also fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. In addition Haley has also been into it with their top receiver Dwayne Bowe throughout camp. The Chiefs finish the preseason 0-4 with only 42 points scored. The Chiefs also received no scheduling favors from the league as they will play Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, and the New York Giants all within the first 5 weeks of the season.