St. Louis Rams Post-Game Roundtable: Disaster Strikes in Cleveland!

4. Outside of Sam Bradford, the Rams lost Trumaine Johnson, Michael Brockers, Rodger Saffold, and Kendall Langford to injuries at various points of the game. Johnson apparently dodged a bullet with what initially appeared to be a devastating knee injury–he is now expected back in about four to six weeks. Brockers, Saffold, and Langford might even play in Thursday’s preseason finale. Given what just happened to Bradford, should Jeff Fisher allow any of his starters to play more than one series or maybe two on Thursday?

Aug 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher on the sideline against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony K.: Uh, NO! You can’t let all of your starters just sit on the bench wrapped in protective padding to avoid catastrophic injury, but you also can be cautious and efficient in how you use them during a meaningless game–the Rams CANNOT afford to suffer any more serious injuries. With Bradford out for the season, the ‘new’ starting offense–with Hill under center–needs a few reps to get comfortable as a unit before the season opener. You can’t forget that the ‘starting’ offensive line has yet to play together with Hill, and that’s not something you want to ‘figure out’ once the season starts. The starters on offense and defense–who are healthy enough to play–shouldn’t play more than one quarter–at most. The coaching staff should use the rest of the game to evaluate players who are on the roster ‘bubble’–that’s generally what NFL coaching staffs do during the fourth preseason game.

Blaine G.: I don’t think you can not play your starters, but given what just happened it definitely makes you think twice. Unfortunately, injuries are apart of the game and you just have to move on from them. With that said, Fisher likes to play his guys more in the fourth game than a lot of other teams, but I don’t anticipate the starters playing more than the first half.

Mark W.: I’d still like to see the starters play into the second half. The offense needs to develop more chemistry with Hill at quarterback, and they need to develop some more positive momentum heading into week one. Unless the starters listed above are 100 percent good-to-go, I’d prefer Fisher to hold them out. Brockers, Saffold and Langford are all veterans who shouldn’t miss a beat once the season starts if they were to be held out of the final preseason game.