Ty Simpson needed one Rams preseason game to silence his critics

Can we finally stop talking about it? After months of scrutiny and skepticism, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson turned in a preseason debut that should just about shut down the critics for now. 

The guy looks legit. All that talk of a wasted draft pick? There's a place for that, and it's the trash can.

Okay, okay, that's probably enough victory-lapping from Rams fans. It's only a preseason game. Still, going 21-for-25 for 190 yards and two TDs in your first-ever NFL game of any kind, preseason defense or not, is a solid first impression to say the least. 

Simpson did more than simply take advantage of checkdowns and bootlegs. When the Rams lent him a bit more leash in the fourth quarter, he demonstrated impressive pocket poise and decisiveness as he progressed through his reads and rifled a pair of downfield strikes.

Ty Simpson's Rams debut was a decided success

One notable aspect of Simpson's early performance was his connection with rookie tight end Max Klare. 

With Simpson at quarterback, Klare caught seven of seven targets for 37 yards, and more importantly he and Simpson were clearly in sync. It was Klare who hauled in Simpson's first pass attempt of the game, a seven-yard completion on the first play of the second quarter. That duo could be fun to watch in years to come. 

After sticking with Stetson Bennett in the first period, head coach Sean McVay eased Simpson into the game with simple play calls aimed at getting receivers open.

During his second series, Simpson hooked up with his other tight end, Mark Redman, for a 23-yard gain on a wide-open bootleg, and followed that with a first-down completion to receiver Tyler Scott. Those were both easy throws, and Simpson nearly led Scott too far on his diving grab, but as McVay said post-game, "he took what the defense gave him." 

The real goods for Rams fans came later, when Simpson executed more complex, if still basic throws by making the right reads and getting the ball there quickly. His 23-yarder to Brennan Presley tied Redman for the Rams' longest pass play.

That set up Simpson's second touchdown pass to running back Dean Connors, one of the day's standouts in a 20-12 win. 

Not only did the Rams rookie do enough to quiet his critics, who watched Simpson quickly take a back seat to Bennett in training camp, he also gave fans plenty to be excited about ahead of next week's game against the New Orleans Saints.

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