The roster is officially set for the upcoming 2010 season for the Rams, as the team made its final cuts yesterday. I must admit that a few of the moves surprised me, and I will go over them in a minute. For now, here is the list off all the players who were released by the team yesterday.

WR Danario Alexander, G Roger Allen III, LB Devin Bishop, LB Cardia Jackson, CB Marquis Johnson, T Ryan McKee, WR Brandon McRae, G Drew Miller, FB Dennis Morris, QB Keith Null, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, DT Ernest Reid, DB Antoine Thompson, DE Victor Adeyanju, CB Quincy Butler and LB Bobby Carpenter.  S Kevin Payne (knee) and T Eric Young (knee) were placed on the reserve/injured list.

The guys who really stand out in this group have to be Null, Ogbonnaya, Carpenter, Adeyanju, and Butler. I really thought Null had the edge to be the third quarterback, but the team decided to go with the upside of Thaddeus Lewis. I don’t mind that move so much, it was just a little surprising. Ogbonnaya really played himself out of a spot in the preseason, so you can’t fault the team there. Carpenter wasn’t very good in the preseason either, but after trading Alex Barron for him I thought he would get a chance. Adeyanju really surprises me, because he was versatile and could really play anywhere on the line. Butler is a good player, and I’m pretty sure he will get picked up by another team.

Danario Alexander, Marquis Johnson, Brandon McRae, Ryan McKee, and Drew Miller have all been placed on the practice squad, which I pretty much expected. I still really like Alexander, but he needs to get completely healthy and acclimated to the NFL before he will be ready to contribute.

Ok, none of that really matters. I have to admit, I’m a little excited after seeing what the team has done on both sides of the ball over the last four games, but we all need to be realistic. You can’t tell much from the preseason. That’s just the fact of the matter. Now, I will say I think it’s OK to be encouraged by what Sam Bradford has done, but going 3-1 is meaningless. If the team comes out and looks the same against the Cardinals on opening day, then I’ll be excited. But until then, I suggest no one get their hopes up too high.

As for my quick look at the game without really being able to analyze much since I only listened on the radio, here it is. A more in depth analysis will be coming tomorrow, but this is just my first take.

I thought both backup quarterbacks played well, and I just really like Thaddeus Lewis for some reason. Unfortunately, my guess would be that Keith Null gets the nod as the number three guy. Neither one of them did anything to lose the job, but Null has the experience from last season that probably keeps him employed.

The rookie defensive linemen were very good in my opinion. Eugene Sims had an interception, and George Selvie showed once again that he is capable of getting pressure in the backfield. Also, I thought Bobby Carpenter had his best game of the preseason, as he finished with four tackles and a sack. It’s about time he showed up to the party.

The backup running backs are still pathetic, although Kenneth Darby’s numbers look a little more respectable since he broke off a 29-yarder. He finished with 6 carries for 39 yards, meaning he got a whopping two yards per carry on his other touches. Toston was probably the best out of the group again tonight, as he picked up 47 yards on 10 carries, for a respectable 4.7 average. Chris Ogbonnaya finished with 16 carries for 31 yards. For all you non-math majors out there, that’s a simply unbelievable 1.9 yards a carry. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. 1.9 YARDS PER CARRY!

Bradford was outstanding yet again, as i mentioned above, and he finished a perfect 6-for-6 for 68 yards and a touchdown, making his quarterback rating 153.5. I’ll take that QB rating every Sunday.

In a piece of “OMG” news, Rams safety Oshiomogho “Don’t Call Me OJ” Atogwe won’t sign the low tender offer from the team. The tender would have paid OJ $1.226 million next season, which is significantly less than he made last year. The team now holds the option of offering the safety 110 percent of his salary, which amounts to about $7 million, to retain his rights for 2010. We all knew that he wasn’t going to sign the tender, and the Rams still plan to try to work out a long-term deal before the June 1 deadline. I really hope the team can get something worked out here, because this is exactly the kind of guy we need to lock up. He is a dynamic playmaker, and there is serious potential that he could be a perennial Pro Bowler before it is all said and done. Billy D and Coach Spags keep talking about the importance of adding playmakers to the roster, and Atogwe is the best we have outside of Steven. If we are serious about building a winner, there is no way we can let this guy go.

In another piece of news, the trade has finally been made official and Bobby Carpenter is now a member of the Rams. We knew this was pretty much a done deal as well, so no one should be shocked. Carpenter did a few interviews with the local media today, and he sounds like a pretty cool guy. It doesn’t really matter how cool he is if he can’t perform on the field, but he sounded confident that he will fit in nicely in St. Louis. I am excited to see what he can do in a new system.

Moving to some non-Rams news, I started a new job today so my posts may be a bit erratic until I get my schedule figured out. Have no fear, as I will still be bringing the latest Rams news, but look for posts either earlier in the day or, much like tonight, extremely late. Bear with me, and we will keep this thing rolling forward.