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.

November 13, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Houston Texans running back Derrick Ward (32) prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

This NFL offseason will be remembered for a couple different things, like the Drew Brees contract and guys like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III starting their careers, but nothing will stand out more than the numerous arrests from drinking and driving. In case you stopped keeping track, here is the list of guys in the league that we know of who have been arrested for driving while impaired: Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley, Kenny Britt, Donald Washington, Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Berry, David Diehl, Justin Blackmon, Jerome Felton, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Brandon Meriweather, Knowshon Moreno and Aldon Smith. Former NFL running back Derrick Ward has seen enough.

Ward took to Twitter on Saturday to impart some wisdom to the guys who apparently need all they can get. Here is a list of tweets, and while it’s long, it’s all pretty interesting and certainly valid.

“Alright NFL players!!! Its absolutely E-N-O-U-G-H!!! Drinking and Driving? How dumb can u be? Its absolutely stupid and your making the good guys that actually do right in the NFL look bad. How easy is it to call a cab to get a ride home? So what? Leave your car get it in the am!? Stop being so dumb! Yes that’s right dumb! I’m sitting here retired enjoyed a great career now all I want to do is become a fan and I see numerous arrest for DWI in the past several weeks? How many has it been this week 4? Absolutely ridiculous your not only putting yourself in danger but your putting other innocent people in danger that don’t deserve your stupidity. Open your eyes and do the right thing. I know what its like to get go out get drunk and debate on weather to drive home or not. Call a taxi! So what if u spend some money to take one or U get a ticket on your car in the am when u go bac 2 get it At least u won’t have to pay bail and then lawyer fees and then miss game checks from being suspended for a few games. Damn this really has me furious and its so avoidable. Tighten up youngsters of the NFL because guess what it doesn’t mean National Football League it really means Not For Long league. There’s no excuse to drive drunk! NONE! If all else fails WALK! NFL players are world class athletes Walking should be nothing!”

Mar 22, 2012; Stanford CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck during pro day at Stanford Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

The regular season schedule won’t be announced for a few weeks, but we know what the preseason is going to look like for the Rams after the schedule was released on Wednesday. The Rams will open on the road against Indianapolis, and they will host Kansas City on Week 2, play at Dallas Week 3 and welcome Baltimore to town to close out the four-game slate.

I kind of like this schedule, even if it’s the preseason and it doesn’t mean much. We’ll get to see Andrew Luck (probably) in his first NFL game to open things up, and then we host the annual Governor’s Cup game against the Chiefs. The third preseason game is the dress rehearsal for the regular season, so playing a good team like the Cowboys should give us a decent preview for the regular season. The Ravens are a team I personally enjoy watching, so closing things out against them will be nice.

I know that I’m personally focused more on the Rams than the opposition during the preseason, but it’s still nice to have good teams or interesting stories from he other side as well. Plus, the announcement of the preseason schedule means we’re that much closer to the start of next season, which is always a good thing.