August 12, 2012; Indianapolis, IN USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola (16) catches a pass under pressure from Indianapolis Colts corner back Justin King (21) during the first quarter of play in Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-US PRESSWIRE

I went back and rewatched the tape from Sunday’s 38-3 preseason loss to the Colts, and I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. It wasn’t great by any means, but it wasn’t a disaster either. I know I’m probably going to get the classic “he’s a homer” response from some people, but there were a few aspects of the performance that show some potential.

First, I want to touch on some of the disappointments, with the biggest undoubtedly being the offensive line play. Both the first-team and second-team units weren’t nearly good enough, and frankly I’m worried. As bad as our line play was last season, I really thought we were in for a major improvement in 2012. Now, I’m not so sure. It was only one preseason game, but that group has to be better. I thought Isaiah Pead showed some flashes of being good, but overall he struggled. It looked like jitters, so I expect him to be better in the next few games. Also, on a less vital note, rookie QB Austin Davis didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t so much his numbers, but his long wind-up throwing motion. I had high expectations, but I don’t know how effective he can be if he doesn’t shorten up.

Now, on to the positive. For all the criticism I’ve heard about the defense, I liked what I saw. Coach Fisher said they played a pretty vanilla scheme, which played a role in the giving up points, but the front four did a nice job getting upfield and Robert Quinn looked like a beast. I thought Michael Brockers and Janoris Jenkins more than held their own, and Kendall Langford was very impressive. When they move to their full scheme, I expect this group to be very good.

Offensively, Sam Bradford missed a couple of throws but the first-team unit moved the ball well. Steven Jackson didn’t play much, but when he was in the game it looked like we had no problem running the ball. Bradford made some nice throws, and assuming the group can finish off drives, I think they will be much better than last season. Fisher will clean up some of those drive-killing mistakes, and the receiving group looked pretty solid for the first time out.

Aug 12, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeats St. Louis 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Well that wasn’t what we were all hoping for. The St. Louis Rams struggled for most of the day and fell victim to Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts 38-3 in their opening preseason contest on Sunday in Indianapolis. The offense moved the ball at times but, as we have become accustomed to, couldn’t find the end zone, and the defense allowed a touchdown pass to Luck on his first NFL throw and didn’t get much better from there. Luck finished 10-16 for 188 yards and two scores, and he really was about as impressive as one can look in a preseason contest. Sam Bradford played two series and went 7-9 for 57 yards, but mistakes stopped promising Rams drives early and often. 

Before everyone starts the gloom and doom talk, let’s remember that this is the preseason. The Rams went 4-0 last year in the preseason and then went on to win only half that number in the regular slate. Still, there is some reason for concern. I haven’t watched the tape closely enough yet to break down individual performances, but I expected more from the defense. They put some pressure on Luck, but they just seemed a split-second slow for most of the game. I guess that’s to be expected in the first preseason game, but it will need to improve. 

As far as the offense goes, I didn’t think it was all that terrible. They moved the ball early, but typical Rams mistakes like a Barry Richardson false start and a botched handoff to Isaiah Pead killed those drives. Those mistakes probably have me the most frustrated because we have seen those kinds of things so many times over the last few years and I thought the Jeff Fisher regime would stop it. Again, still the first preseason game so nothing to freak out about, but it’s still unfortunate that the Rams had to debut like that. 

I’m going to check out the tape when I get home from work and try to give a little more insight into Sunday’s game, so stay tuned.

July 29, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws to tight end Lance Kendrick (88) during training camp at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

It’s Saturday, which means we are only 24 hours away from the opening of the preseason for the Rams. For all the complaining about the preseason, I really enjoy watching some of the younger guys battle for jobs. I wouldn’t expect to see much of the big names obviously, but hopefully we should get plenty from the rookies and get a glimpse of the new faces. It will also be our first look at the new coaching staff, so that will be interesting. Here is what head coach Jeff Fisher had to say after Friday’s workout.

“I would say yeah from the physical standpoint. Yeah we’ve got some things, I think a very important walk through in the morning and then we’ll have meetings tomorrow night. The players have a pretty good idea when they’re going to play and how much they’re going to play and we’ve discussed that with them and even rehearsed the pregame warm-ups. So from a physical standpoint we’re really in good shape. We got some guys back today now it’s just find tune and go play.”

“Yeah we’re keeping things basic, simple, block and tackle. We’ll give them a chance to make plays but we want to see effort, speed and intensity. Especially the young guys, they don’t know what to expect and so the veterans can carry the torch for them. They’ll sit there and watch early and we’ll leave it up to them to finish the game.”

“Well, the challenge is going to be get guys playing time and get guys playing time early in the game. Because typically as you move through the preseason starters play early and then they work backups later and we’ve got talented guys that are going to be playing the second half. So don’t be surprised if you see some different guys playing earlier in the game over the course of the preseason.”