5 feel-good stories emerging after LA Rams' 1st preseason game

The LA Rams ended their 2023 training camp on a positive note, and the mood of the coaches and players are both upbeat and realistic. Nobody is pushing this Rams roster to win 17 games. Rather than tout what the Rams plan to accomplish on the football field, the Rams' messaging seems to be measured this season to the controllable areas.

Work hard, focus on drills and practice, clean up mistakes and sloppy play, improve at a constant pace, develop as rapidly as possible. And yet, the Rams' first preseason game ended just hours ago, a loss to the LA Chargers, and we may be fighting off the doldrums and a late preseason loss hangover. But from what I saw from the LA Rams team, there is plenty to celebrate.

Now keep in mind, there is plenty to fix, and we only touched on the tip of the iceberg in our immediate post-game wrapup. But preseason is less about final scores and more about a process, discipline, and the ability to execute. And I saw plenty of upside for the LA Rams in Game 1 as well.

Silver lining playbook

Perhaps I'm looking for mountains where there are only molehills, but the mood and demeanor of LA Rams head coach Sean McVay truly feels different this season. Where he had a scowl on his face throughout 2022, he is smiling. When he seemed tense and upset last season, he seems far more relaxed and casual.

The LA Rams are the youngest team in the NFL. This is a team that has 40 rookies on the roster. And right now, the Rams coaching staff is giving all rookies who have not locked in a starting role solid looks in preseason games. So even as some fans belabor the challenges of the Rams competing against the backups to other teams, keep in mind that if they are competing in preseason games, the Rams roster has more than certainly has not pencilled them in as starters.

5 positives from an otherwise dismal preseason opener

1. V: Rams running game can be a focus of offense
2. IV: Punter Ethan Evans is truly better than the brochure
3. III: Rams OLBs can generate a pass rush, but not from whom you expect
4. II: Rams ILB Christian Rozeboom appears ready to play
5. I: Stetson Bennett owns LA Rams QB2 role

And so, we have some positive outlooks to share. From what I've been reading, there are some fans moods that need reinflating today. Let's see what you think about this:

V: Rams running game can be a focus of offense

The LA Rams certainly have retooled the offense to create the opportunity to run more frequently and effectively this season. So one of the keys to the Rams offense in the first preseason game of the year was assessing how effectively the Rams would run.

Now we know that the Rams do not play their starters in preseason games, so do not let the absence of Cam Akers or Kyren Williams fool you. The Rams did not use either player in the running game, which is a clear indication that they are locks to make the Rams' 53-man roster and that the team is still looking for the third back on the team.

The Rams played just three running backs in the first preseason game: RB Ronnie Rivers played 17 snaps, rookie RB Zach Evans played 21 offensive snaps, and veteran RB Royce Freeman played 29 offensive snaps.

The stage was set to test the Rams running ability in this game very early. On the second play of the game, with second down and one yard to go, the Rams rushed smallish running back Ronnie Rivers for four yards to move the chains. Of course, the drive soon ended after a series of three passing plays resulted in no gain or negative yardage, but the Rams runners were on track.

The power of a power back unleashed

This was a game in which the Rams offense played from behind the entire game. And that kept the Rams out of any ball control offensive scenarios. But if you remove all quarterback scrambles, the Rams running backs carried the football 21 times for a total of 91 yards. That averages out to a 4.33 yards per run average, and that's not bad. And as long as the Rams were mixing offensive plays between the run and the pass, the Chargers pass rush was far less effective in the game.

The Rams played all three of their 'bubble' rushers in the first preseason game, and the workload was about as evenly distributed as possible. No running back played poorly, although I can say that I loved seeing the Rams hand off to big ole Royce Freeman from three yards out and let him run it in for a touchdown. Freeman is 6-foot-0 and 238 pounds, and he looked like a guy who could pound it in repeatedly this season. The Rams have Kyren Williams over Ronnie Rivers. The Rams have Cam Akers over Zach Evans.

The Rams do not have an alternative to Royce Freeman. If it comes down to one of the three runners, I hope teh Rams go with Freeman on that reason alone.

IV: Punter Ethan Evans is truly better than the brochure

The greatest challenge to any team is witnessing what rookies can do on special teams. It's a squeamish experience, because you want them to excel, but you don't want to set the bar so high that they cannot get over it. Well, in the case of LA Rams rookie punter Ethan Evans, the LA Rams truly are onto something, and somebody, who is quite special.

To no surprise, Ethan Evans is going to get a lot of work punting the football. That may or may not be a good thing, but it will not be as bad as you may think. But before we paint the rosy-glow picture for you, let's revisit some Rams punting stats from the past:

• Year # Yards Avg Blk In20 TB
• 2017 - 65 - 3,113 - 47.9 - 0 - 30 - 4
• 2018 - 43 - 1,992 - 46.3 - 0 - 21 - 2
• 2019 - 66 - 3,128 - 47.4 - 1- 22 - 5
• 2020 - 68 - 3,099 - 45.6 - 1 - 28 - 5
• 2021 - 51 - 2,252 - 44.2 - 0 - 23 - 1
• 2022 - 71 - 3,434 - 48.4 - 2 - 19 - 4
• 2023 - 6 - 308 - 51.3 - 0 - 2 - 1

Rams are trending up nicely, eh?

EE could EZ-ly be the Rams most effective rookie

Of course, there is a difference oer the preseason and regular season games. But if the numbers hold, the Rams punting game could be one of the best in the NFL this seasoin. And that is only when focusing on the punting efforts of rookie Ethan Evans.

Why is this such a big deal? Well, ir you are on board the LA Rams two-year plan of returning to the NFL Playoffs, then a huge spike in production from the team's punter is the stuff that escapes the radar scope, but could be huge when the Rams are competing in postseason play.

And the fact that Ethan Evans will handle the Rams kickoff duties is another new wrinkle that I absolutely love. This guy can kick the football into tomorrow. Will other teams look to follow suit? If the Rams have success at this set up, you can bet some teams will give it a try.

III: Rams OLBs can generate a pass rush, but not from whom you expect

Some LA Rams fans are already mashing the panic button over the Rams' outside linebackers, but let's try to pause that for a moment. The LA Rams did not play starting outside linebacker Michael Hoecht for very long. So the first preseason game pass rush duties were handled by rookies Byron Young and Nick Hampton, returning veteran Zach VanValkenburg, and second-year players Daniel Hardy and Keir Thomas.

And rookies are going to need some time to produce.

This is not the time of year to look for players to star on the football field. If you are looking for the Rams rookies this early in the season, you will want them all to be cut by the time the regular season arrives. Instead, look for steady growth. The Rams rookies are being encouraged to try and to have no fear of making mistakes now. Mistakes in preseason games become incredibly valuable teaching moments for practices.

Look for positive trending

How did the Rams' OLB rotation look for Game 1?

1. Michael Hoecht - 13 snaps - 1 tackle - 0 sacks
2. Zach VanValkenburg - 19 snaps - 3 tackles - 0 sacks
3. Ochaun Mathis - 0 snaps
4. Daniel Hardy - 25 snaps - 2 tackles - 0.5 sacks
5. Keir Thomas - 26 snaps - 5 tackles - 1.5 sacks
6. Byron Young - 23 snaps - 1 tackle - 0 sacks
7. Nick Hampton - 22 snaps - 0 tackles - 0 sacks

While many fans are leaning heavily into disappointment from the Rams pass rush debut, this was simply the first opportunity for many outside linebackers to see the opportunity to get after the quarterback. And the Rams have multiple ways to generate a pass rush in the regular season.

Right now, both offensive and defensive playbooks are incredibly vanilla. And if you examine the stats, you will see that of the LA Chargers 63 offensive snaps, Keir Thomas played 26 snaps on the defensive side of the football. If you look at his performance combined with that of Daniel Hardy and Zach VanValkenburg, you will see that the Rams had some players who had a pretty solid debut for the team in this one.

II: Rams ILB Christian Rozeboom appears ready to play

The competition over who lines up next to inside linebacker Ernest Jones may not be decided just yet, but it was clear that inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom wanted to lay claim to that role. And in the first preseason game of the season for the LA Rams, the inside linebacker position is one that will certainly have incredibly fierce competition.

While Rozeboom may be the leader in that competition, he has players breathing down his neck already. Just to set the mark, Rozeboom accounted for four tackles and was the more productive player in the heart of the Rams defense. Still, without Ernest Jones suited up, it's tough to get a focused image on the Rams linebacking corps, or how effectively this team will compete this year.

Rams ILB rotation

But what of the others? Well, to compare, let's take a look at their snap counts in this one.

1. Deandre Square - 14 snaps - 4 tackles
2. Jake Hummel - 29 snaps - 4 tackles
3. Jaiden Woodbey - 26 snaps - 2 tackles
4. Kalechi Anyalebechi - 18 snaps - 3 tackles
5. Ryan Smenda Jr. - 11 snaps - 1 tackle

It was pointed out in our post-game wrap up that the Rams defense struggled to stop the run. But much of those struggles can be linked to the absence of hole-plugging inside linebacker Ernest Jones.

It's clear from the rotations listed above that the Rams were rifling through as many inside linebackers as possible. When that happens, it's very difficult for players to get into the rhythm of the game. The inside linebacker position could be the key to the Rams stiffening on run defense. But don't draw any conclusions from the opener. Let's see how this group circles the wagons in upcoming preseason games.

I: Stetson Bennett owns LA Rams QB2 role

If there was any doubt about it whatsoever before the first preseason game, it was clear that the LA Rams had found their backup quarterback in Stetson Bennett. Now the question becomes, how good can he be in this LA Rams offense?

Well, he did not have the benefit of throwing to WR Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, or Tutu Atwell. He did not have the luxury of targeting TE Tyler Higbee or Hunter Long. He did not even have the benefit of handing off to RB Cam Akers or Kyren Williams. So in terms of upside, we have not begun to scratch the surface.

What we do know is that Stetson Bennett connected on 17 of 29 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown, to no interceptions. It should be pointed out that he did throw the football into the arms of three LA Chargers defensive backs before settling down and leading the Rams offense on two long scoring drives.

Bennett bulldogs in his NFL debut

While he completed just under 59 percent of his passes, he certainly looked the part of an NFL quarterback. He connected with eight different Rams receivers, and he sat in the pocket looking to make plays with his arms, rather than scrambling at the first sign of pressure. And he was sacked three times as a result.

If you pull out the Rams allowing a touchdown on a punt return and two long touchdown runs, the Rams had a competitive game plan for this one. But we know that the Rams have to expect to be in shooting matches this season, and the offense will need to consistently put up 27+ points per game. Can the Rams do that with QB Stetson Bennett under center?

Well, not on his own, no.

But if you give him all of the starting offensive weapons who sat out the game, and give him the protection of RT Rob Havenstein, Brian Allen and/or Coleman Shelton as the starting center, I think that he could be incredibly productive for the Rams this season.