As far as the players under contract go, James Laurinaitis and James Hall led the group of players that showed up at Rams Park today. Hall reportedly showed up at 6 a.m. and Laurinaitis was there at 7 a.m. According to Laurinaitis, “There were a substantial amount of guys in here [Rams Park].” One player who won’t be in attendance is Larry Grant, who was informed by the team that he will be released.

In the free agent market, one big target on the Rams radar is heading elsewhere. DT Barry Cofield agreed to a deal with the Washington Redskins, so we can scratch him off the wish list. I had high hopes that Cofield would be heading to St. Louis, so this one hurts a bit. If the team wants to upgrade at the DT position, they will have to look elsewhere.

Well, it wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but there were plenty of good things to take out of Sunday’s loss to Arizona. First, let’s start with inactives and injuries. Brandon Gibson, Dominique Curry, Jerome Murphy, Fendi Onobun, John Greco, Eugene Sims, Jermelle Cudjo, and Thad Lewis (3rd QB). As far as in-game injuries go, we got out pretty clean. Michael Hoomanawanui was in a walking boot for his ankle after the game, and Chris Chamberlain was a little gimpy with a foot injury, but neither is expected to be serious.

Moving to the play on the field. The first thing that stood out to me, as it did everyone, was Sam Bradford throwing the ball 55 times. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought we woul drop back and throw like we did today. That being said, I was enormously impressed with our rookie QB. Yes, he turned the ball over a few times. Yes, he made some poor decisions, especially late in the game. Guess what? He’s a rookie, and he made rookie mistakes. What I saw today was a guy getting his first taste of real NFL football, and he looked like he belonged. Sam will continue to improve, and I saw enough from him today against a very formidable secondary and pass-rush to be excited. For those of you who missed the game, Sam was 32-55 for 253 yards, one touchdown, and three picks.

Looking at the rest of the offense, I thought Steven Jackson was his usual self today. The man is a beast. The biggest suprise for me was the play of Mark Clayton. The man hasn’t even been here long enough to unpack, and he looked like he has been playing with Sam and running this offense all his life. There was some kind of comfort level between Clayton and Bradford, and it is only going to get better as they get more work. He had a couple of drops, but that comes with the territory with Clayton. Overall, it’s safe to say we have finally found a go-to receiver.

Defensively, I was very impressed. Take away that touchdown drive where they ran it down our throats, and they were pretty outstanding as a group. They got some pressure on the quarterback, and they really made Derek Anderson look uncomfortable all day. Ron Bartell did a fantastic job on Larry Fitzgerald, and OJ Atogwe layed down several big hits. James Laurinaitis was around the ball all day, and Larry Grant had a strong showing as well.

I said we would have a chance to get some turnovers, and we did. The secondary even dropped a few more potential picks, but they did take advantage. The Clifton Ryan fumble on the return was unfortunate, but you can’t fault a big-boy defensive tackle for not holding on to the ball when he never gets to touch it. If this defense continues to make big plays, we will win some games.

Losses in the NFL are always tough to swollow, but I saw a completely different team with a completely different mindset out there today than we have seen for the last several seasons. I’ve said that we need to look for improvement, and I saw it today. This team is interesting to watch, and I think being able to see them grow in front of our eyes is worth tuning in.

Game Balls: Sam Bradford, Mark Clayton, Ron Bartell, Chris Long.

I’m back, baby! My computer screen still isn’t fixed, but I made other arrangements for the time being. Since I haven’t had a chance to discuss the preseason game yet, I thought I’d start there. 

Things I liked: Hmmm… This is a tough one. There wasn’t much to like, to be honest. I thought the rookie DE’s did a decent job, especially my boy George Selvie. Larry Grant continues to prove that he is going to be starting on opening day. Rookie DT Jermelle Cudjo was very active, and apparently he has been a standout in camp as well. 

Things I didn’t like: Pretty much everything else. Offensive line-Terrible. Secondary-Abysmal. Backup running backs- Atrocious. That about sums it up.

Now let’s take a look at my Five Things To Watch from before the game and how those things played out.

1. Sam Bradford- Bradford certainly didn’t shine, as he finished 6-for-13 for 57 yards. It’s hard to judge his performance because of the terrible O-line play, but needless to say, it wasn’t what we hoped for.

2. Wide Receivers – I didn’t think anyone really stood out in this group, although once again the O-line didn’t do them any favors. A few guys made some plays, like Laurent Robinson and Danny Amendola, but nothing to write home about yet again. I will say that I think Amendola will make this team, and I didn’t think so a few weeks ago.

3. Tackles – I’ve said enough about the line at this point, so I’m not going to keep hammering home the point. I will say that it sounds like Coach Spags has established a starting line, and they are reportedly going to see plenty of action on Saturday. For those curious, the line is expected to be, from left to right, Saffold, Bell, Brown, Goldberg, Smith.

4. Rookie Ends – I did think this group was one of the bright spots. Selvie got some pressure, and overall this group played well. It sounds like Selvie has been out of practice for a few days with a leg injury, so that’s more bad news.

5. Corners – This group was hard to judge because so many guys didn’t play due to injury, but I think it is obvious after Saturday that Marquis Johnson isn’t going to make this team. He was pretty awful. I think he is going to have to make a complete 180 to make the final squad, unless the injuries persist and we are forced to keep him.