Rams Ravens Gameday What To Watch

7PM CST Saturday night.

Here are a few of the things we will be watching when the St. Louis Rams play the Baltimore Ravens at the Edward Jones Dome tonight. The Ravens come into tonights contest with a 1-1 record in the preseason. Troy Smith will be the starting QB for the Ravens tonight. I can’t believe they drafted Joe Flacco and they still have not decide who will be their #1 QB. They are deciding between Troy Smith and Kyle Boller, isn’t that like deciding between spam and tofu? The Ravens were 5-11 in 2007 and finished last in the AFC North. Statistically they also were not very good. On offense they were 24th in points, 23rd in passing, and 16th in rushing. Willis McGahee and Derrick Mason lead them on offense. The Ravens were 22nd in scoring D, 20th against the pass and 2nd against the run. On the defensive side of the ball the Ravens still have a ton of stars including Ray Lewis, so it should be fun watching the Rams first team unit try to move the ball against them.

• Log Jam at Receiver – The Rams still have 11 receivers trying to make the roster. The Rams will probably start the season with 6 or 7 so this is a huge battle. Al Saunders will play a part tonight trying to get the ball to these guys. With Holt, Bennett, and Hall along with rookies Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton there is probably only 1 or 2 spots remaining. Reche Caldwell, Marques Hagans, Dane Looker, Shaine Smith, Derek Stanley, and Brandon Williams are all on a huge bubble that is about to pop! Whoever can provide some needed depth on special teams will probably win this battle.

• Adam Goldberg – Currently backup for Orlando Pace at Left Tackle. This is one of the most important positions on the football field. Goldberg is a FOSL (Friends of Scott Linehan). Adam has only started 22 games in his career most of them with the Minnesota Vikings.

• Marc Bulger – I am tired of hearing how Bulger had a great pracice, let’s see a great game. It is time for Marc to step up and find open receivers instead of watching the pass rush. I know you have a $65 million dollar contract but do you have a fire in your belly? Marc is also one of the least emotional QBs in league. Maybe it is time to be a leader, if you don’t want to get hit maybe you should say something to your O-line once in a while. Can Marc play a decent game without great protection?
• Carriker and Long – Both Adam Carriker and Chris Long need to keep improving especially against the run. Both players need to be able to fill their gaps and keep the O-line off of the linebackers.
• Backup O-line – With Mark Setterstrom and Brandon Gorin out for the season the Rams need some young players to step. Watch how John Greco, Roy Schuening, and Nick Leckey all perform tonight. All will have a solid chance of making the St. Louis Rams roster.

What will you be watching for when the St. Louis Rams play the Baltimore Ravens at the Edward Jones Dome tonight, fellow Rams fans?