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.

May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams tackle Rodger Saffold (76) walks off the field during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

The offensive line here in St. Louis has been a major concern for what seems like forever, and there is some concern after the last few days of practice that it might not be on the fast track to improving. Barry Richardson has replaced Jason Smith at right tackle for the last two sessions, and Quinn Ojinnaka played left tackle on Thursday with Rodger Saffold missing more time with soreness in his legs.

There’s reason to be concerned with both of these situations, but for very different reasons. As far as Richardson/Smith goes, it looks like Smith has been relegated to the second-team unit since Richardson has lined up with the first team for two consecutive days. Sometimes early in the preseason the coach can just want to get a look at guys in certain spots, but with Smith’s struggles in the past I think this development is certainly one to watch over the next few weeks.

Saffold is going to be the starting LT if he’s healthy, but I think that’s a pretty big IF at this point. Thursday’s “leg soreness” probably isn’t a huge deal, but it seems like every time we look up he is on the sideline for something. I’m not ready to say we should be concerned, but let’s hope Saffold keeps himself healthy over the next few weeks so he’s ready to go for Week 1.

There was a pretty good-sized list of guys who sat out practice on Thursday, as WR Brandon Gibson, S Darian Stewart, CB Bradley Fletcher, WR Danario Alexander and DE Eugene Sims were all held out.

Oct. 09, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Barry Richardson (67) watches the game from the sidelines against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

With OTAs up and running, the Rams decided to make a couple of moves to add some depth. The team agreed to deals with LB Mario Haggan and OT Barry Richardson, and the duo are both expected to be on the field for Wednesday’s workout.

Both of these are solid signings, but I really like the move to bring Richardson in. Tackle is a big question mark right now, so adding a guy who has started all 32 games over the last two seasons is big. I’ll be the first to admit that he has had some ups and downs during his career with Kansas City, and Chiefs fans will certainly back that up. But we don’t know how Jason Smith is going to work out, and we needed a backup plan that is experienced. The added bonus is that Richardson is still pretty young and he has room for development.

Haggan worked out for the team last week, and considering the extreme lack of depth at linebacker, it makes plenty of sense to bring him in. He’s a little bit older at 32, but he’s versatile and we needed another body. He’s probably not going to dominate, but he will help.