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.”

None of these guys really had a chance to make the final roster, and I would consider them just camp bodies, but I did like what I saw from Oordt in limited time. I liked him in college, and I thought he made a pretty nice showing for himself while he was here. As far as West and Jenkins go, they are both nice players but never had a future with this team considering the logjam of bodies we have at receiver already. I want to wish all of these guys good luck as they try to continue their careers, and I hope all of them find a spot on a roster or practice squad this season.

This is just the first round of cuts, as the team has to get down to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon and the final 53 by Saturday. For those of you who are roster junkies like me, this is going to be a very interesting week. There are numerous positions still undecided, so make sure you stay tuned to Ramblin’ Fan for all your roster-cut news.

As far as the linebackers go, Thomas makes a good point when he says that Jabara Williams has been too good to hide on the practice squad. I really think the Rams may have found a late-round gem in Williams, but he is probably going to need a roster spot if the team wants to keep him (which I believe they do). I think Na’il Diggs is in trouble, and as much as I like the guy, I think Josh Hull may be fighting an uphill battle at this point as well if you believe the team will keep all of the veterans they signed in free agency.

On the DE race, Thomas believes the team likes George Selvie and Eugene Sims, which means CJ Ah You could be in trouble. I’m on record as a big Selvie fan, and I believe he should make this team. I agree on Sims as well, but I wouldn’t be at all shocked if Ah You is on this roster come Week 1.

As far as the WR’s go, JT, with the help of a reader, handicapped the race like this: 1. Danny Amendola 2. Mike Sims-Walker 3. Brandon Gibson 4. Donnie Avery 5. Danario Alexander 6. Greg Salas 7. Mardy Gilyard 8. Austin Pettis. I have no problem with these rankings, but you have to think that the team will want to keep the rookies on the roster so they don’t potentially lose them to another team. I think Gilyard is done unless injuries hit hard, but that last spot will be very interesting.