Stan’s The Man and Things To Watch

I got a late start tonight because I had to watch Hard Knocks before I did anything else when I got home, so I’m going to get through this as quickly as possible. P.S., if anyone out there is a football fan who doesn’t watch Hard Knocks religiously, you need to start. If you don’t have HBO, find it online or go to a buddy’s house. It is can’t miss TV.

Anyway, let’s start with Stan Kroenke. Kroenke was officially voted as the new majority owner of the Rams on Wednesday, so congrats to him. The vote was unanimous, so obviously the other owners are completely behind the move. I’m glad this situation is over, and I hope Kroenke takes an extreme personal interest in the team. Considering the work he has done with his other franchises, I have no doubt he will.

Now, moving on to tonight’s preseason game against the hated Patriots. I know it’s just preseason, but I wish we could pound the crap out of them. Yes, I still hate the Pats for cheating us out of a Super Bowl, and I’m not letting that go anytime soon. Here are a few things to keep an eye on tomorrow night.

1. Sam Bradford- Yes, it is redundant, but Bradford is still the number one thing to watch. With AJ Feeley out with a thumb injury, Bradford will make the start and the plan is for him to play the entire first half. I’d like to see the coaches open up the offense a bit, so look to see if they give him a chance to work downfield.

2. Backup Running Backs- I don’t want to keep hammering these guys, but we have to see someone step up tonight. If we keep getting the same production out of Ogbonnaya, Darby, and Toston, the team needs to serious consider cutting ties with every one of those players. I can almost guarantee you that won’t happen, but someone really needs to prove they can be at least a serviceable NFL back.

3. Receivers- This group has been about as bad as the backup RBs, but I’m giving them a pass for now because of how the offense has been called thus far. This group needs to prove they are better than we think, and tonight will be their best chance so far with the starters seeing a bulk of the time.

4. Secondary- The secondary has been pretty banged up, but they really need a good night. Marquis Johnson needs to build on last week’s game if he wants a roster spot, and someone needs to step up and take that spot opposite Ron Bartell. Watch Bradley Fletcher tonight, as I think he has a chance to be a really good player if he can stay healthy.

5. Offensive Line- Let’s see how the starting line plays against a pretty solid and disciplined Pats defense. I still think there is potential for this line to come together and surprise people this season, but we should learn plenty after their performance tonight.