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The Rams have released 33-year old linebacker Na’il Diggs. Diggs played in 12 games for the Rams last year and he had 36 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed. Diggs didn’t seem to have a lot of gas left in the tank last year, so the Rams’ D could be better off without him in 2011.
The St. Louis Rams scored all 14 of their points in the first quarter last night and the defense made it stand up. Sam Bradford looked solid last night as he completed 9 of 16 passes for 95 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT. He also carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) last night. A.J. Feeley didn’t look too good last night as he completed 8 of 13 passes for 64 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT. Thaddeus Lewis threw 2 incomplete passes in his time on the field. Steven Jackson led the way for the Rams last night with 72 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.8 ypc) last night. Cadillac Williams pitched in with 53 yard rushing on 12 carries (4.4 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 19 yards. TE Lance Kendricks (2 rec, 26 yards, TD) and WR Mike Sims-Walker (1 rec, 6 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Rams last night. The Rams rushed for 170 yards on 40 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 151 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:38 last night.
The defense was pretty solid for the most part last night for the Rams. LB Josh Hull (7 tackles) and safety Darian Stewart (4 tackles) led the way for the D last night. The Chiefs rushed for 58 yards on 20 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 39 passes (53.8%) for 251 yards last night. The Rams are now 3-0 on the preseason.
The Rams won last night on a last second 42-yard field goal by Josh Brown. Sam Bradford was pretty solid in this game as he completed 8 of 15 passes for 138 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT. A.J. Feeley was also decent as he completed 5 of 9 passes for 44 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. Thaddeus Lewis was the sharpest of the QBs last night though as he completed 8 of 10 passes for 74 yards. He also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards last night. Cadillac Williams led the way on the ground for the Rams last night with 23 yards on 6 carries (3.8 ypc). Steven Jackson pitched in with 10 yards on 7 carries (1.4 ypc) as he didn’t look too good last night. WRs Brandon Gibson (1 rec, 83 yards, TD) and Donnie Avery (2 rec, 23 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Rams last night. The Rams finished up with 44 yards rushing on 21 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 34 passes (61.8%) for 239 yards in this game.
The defense didn’t play too well last night despite holding the Titans to only 16 points as they gave up a lot of yards. Safety Quintin Mikell led the way for the Rams’ D last night with 6 tackles and 1 pass defensed. LB James Lauriniatis also had a very solid game with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit. Safety James Butler pitched in with an interception that he returned 33 yards. The Titans finished up with 198 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 29 passes (51.7%) for 149 yards in this game. The Rams are now 2-0 on the pre-season.
The Rams absolutely pushed around the Colts last night. Sam Bradford looked good in his 2011 debut for the Rams as he completed 7 of 12 passes for 45 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. A.J. Feeley was pretty sharp as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 100 yards last night. Thaddeus Lewis finished up this game by completing 3 of 5 passes for 28 yards. Keith Toston led the way on the ground for the Rams last night with 64 yards rushing on 11 carries (5.8 ypc) with a TD run. He also caught 1 pass for 8 yards. Cadillac Williams also got his work in last night with 40 yards rushing on 11 carries (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards. Jerious Norwood pitched in with 37 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.6 ypc) and 2 catches for 9 yards (4.5 avg). Rookie TE Lance Kendricks led the way in the passing game for the Rams last night with 5 receptions for 47 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab. WR Danario Alexander pitched in with 43 yards receiving on 3 grabs (14.3 avg) in this game. The Rams finished up with 169 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 173 yards. The Rams were ball hogs last night as they had possession of the ball for 36:17.
LB Chris Chamberlain led the way for the Rams’ D last night with 4 tackles. Safeties Quintin Mikell, Craig Dahl and Jermale Hines each picked off 1 pass apiece last night for the Rams. The Colts finished up with 114 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 25 passes (40%) for 202 yards. The Rams looked outstanding last night against the Peyton Manning less Colts.
The Rams have released 25-year old linebacker David Vobora. Vobora played in 14 games for the Rams last year and he had 36 tackles and 2 sacks. He played in 34 games in his three years with the Rams and he had 98 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 2 passes defensed. Vobora got caught in a numbers game for the Rams at linebacker as that was an area the team added a lot of talent in free agency. Vobora should have little problem getting a new job.
The Rams expect 23-year old QB Sam Bradford to move on up to the next level in 2011. They have added a lot of nice weapons on offense to help Bradford out. Bradford played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last year and he completed 354 of 590 passes (60%) for 3,512 yards with 18 TD passes and 15 INTs (76.5 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 27 times for 63 yards (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run last year. The Rams were 7-9 (43.8%) under Bradford last year and I look for them to improve a bit on that record in 2011. The Rams are hoping that Bradford can lead them to the playoffs in his second year in the NFL.
34-year old A.J. Feeley didn’t have to play a down last year for the Rams, and that was a good thing. He has played in 23 games (15 starts) in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has completed 372 of 665 passes (55.9%) for 4,070 yards with 27 TD passes and 29 INTs (69.6 QB Rating). He also has carried the ball 34 times for 45 yards (1.3 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in his NFL career. Feeley is 7-8 (46.7%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career. He is a solid backup.
23-year old Thaddeus Lewis will likely be the Rams’ #3 QB in 2011 but he won’t likely get onto the field unless Bradford and Feeley both get injured. He hasn’t played in an NFL game yet.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAMS QBS IN 2011: B
The Rams have signed 32-year old linebacker Ben Leber to a 1-year deal. Leber played in all 16 games for the Vikings last year and he had 46 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed. He has now played in 136 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 483 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, 24 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 29 passes defensed and 5 interceptions. This was a very solid pickup for the Rams so late in free agency.
The Rams will be without 24-year old cornerback Jerome Murphy for up to the next 10 weeks after he broke his ankle in Friday’s practice. Murphy played in 14 games as a rookie for the Rams last year and he had 30 tackles, 1 interception, 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 tackle for a loss. This is going to hurt the depth of the Rams’ secondary as Murphy was likely to improve in his second year with the team.
UPDATE: (8/31/2011) – The Rams have placed Murphy on the Injured Reserve List, ending his 2011 season before it even started.
The Rams have re-signed 30-year old starting right guard Adam Goldberg. Goldberg played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last year. He has now played in 96 games (58 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL. This was a good move for the Rams as Goldberg did a solid job for them last year.
The Rams have signed 27-year old G/T Quinn Ojinnaka. Ojinnaka played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last year. He has now played in 47 games (12 starts) in his first five years in the NFL. Ojinnaka’s experience and versatility will be an asset to the Rams’ offense in 2011, so I really like this signing for them.
UPDATE: (9/4/2011) – The Rams have released Quinn Ojinnaka.