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.

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.