4 gotta fix takeaways from LA Rams first preseason game

The LA Rams may be the defending NFL Champions, but this team, this roster, has quite a few new faces. They are all looking for ways to put positive video footage into the record books. After all, the Rams roster is about to be pared down to the 53-man roster in a matter of weeks and pared down to 85 in a matter of days. Players who do not make this team’s roster are eager to sign on elsewhere.

So who will be in danger of the first roster cuts? We’re still unpacking all of that at the moment.

But for now, there are signs that the LA Rams have some work to do. Does that alarm you? Don’t let it. It’s far better for those mental and technical errors to show up for the Rams now, with enough time for the team, than not.

The LA Rams certainly showcased plenty of good things in their first preseason games out of the gates, and if you are looking for those positives, our next article will feature plenty of those positive warm and fuzzy takeaways from the first preseason game.

This article is intended for the blue-collar roll-up your sleeves and let’s fix this mindset type of fan. After all, the preseason is all about finding and fixing those matters that need addressing for the team’s rank and file. This is a never-ending effort to improve the roster from top to bottom. So let’s take a look at what needs to be improved after the first preseason game.

IV: Rams performed well as a team, but few separated themselves from the rest

One of the primary goals for preseason contests is the need to see who can handle the pressure, and who cannot. Ultimately, the reason to play preseason games is to give the team’s coaching staff one more stage to allow players who may be on the bubble a chance to earn a roster spot, or at least gather positive momentum.

Because the Rams invest heavily in lesser-known rookies to stock their roster, the preseason games take on more than showcasing what the player can do. Rather, for this team, the preseason contests take on the characteristics of a mid-term and final exam. It’s now or never for some players.

There are moments in preseason games where players seem to shine, outperforming the rest of the team and stepping up in a big way. Surprisingly, there was not a great deal of separation among the Rams roster in game one. That is not to say that nobody played well, they did. But with the exception of just a few players (UDFA WR Lance McCutcheon is among them), there was not a great deal of separation distinguishing one player from another in the first outing.