St. Louis Rams Post-Game Roundtable: Preseason Game 1 vs. Saints

3. Two of the players who stood out early in the game were T.J. McDonald and Lamarcus Joyner–how did you feel about their respective performances, and what do you expect from them and the young Rams secondary this upcoming season?

Dec 15, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams strong safety T.J. McDonald (25) intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Blaine G.: To be honest, I was really concerned about the Rams’ secondary situation coming into the season, but I have been reassured per se that the guys we have can get the job done. I think Joyner proved why we took him. He made tackles, he was physical; exactly what Fisher likes in his corners.

I also don’t think you can forget about E.J. Gaines the kid from Missouri. He was a steal in the sixth round, and although he may not get on the field a lot, he is a good player to have back there for some depth.

Anthony K.: I thought it was great to see McDonald and Joyner ‘active’ early in the game. I expect McDonald to be a frequent big-hitter across the middle of the field, as well as ‘coming down’ to stop the run. Both he and Joyner looked to make sure tackles–which is always a great sign with young players. As for their ‘coverage’ skills, I can’t say that I ever noticed them one way or the other against the Saints. Then again, with Brees not starting the game, the Saints weren’t really throwing the ball all that much.

I definitely expect Jenkins and Johnson, as the returning starters at cornerback, to be the leaders of the secondary, but McDonald looks ready for a break-out season. If Joyner, who’s often been compared to the Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu, can have anything like the rookie season Mathieu had, I’m sure the Rams would be very pleased.

Nathan K.: McDonald, aside from a couple of decent open-field tackles was not overly impressive, in my view. However, with him playing only 13 defensive snaps, racking up three tackles is quite the accomplishment, assuming you can get over the fact that the running backs were making it into the third-level of the defense. To me, Lamarcus Joyner and E.J. Gaines stole the show with their play at cornerback.

Gaines, in particular, graded out as the top defensive back for the St. Louis Rams in Week 1 (according to Pro Football Focus), racking up six tackles, two defensive stops, and nearly stripping the ball on two separate occasions. If Janoris Jenkins can return to his rookie form, Trumaine Johnson continues to develop, and players like Joyner and Gaines can bolster the secondary in the Rams nickel and dime packages, the Rams defense could be very scary.