The St. Louis Rams lost its preseason opener to the host Cleveland Browns last Thursday 27-19.
I know the loss does not really count and it was not a big deal because it was a preseason game. I’m sure the Rams wanted to win the game. But what is more important is what the Rams are trying to accomplish, which is to have this team ready to go come September.
However, no sooner than when this preseason game started, my phone exploded with text message after text message. They were stacked up on my poor Samsung phone like traffic on Highway 40 going westbound near Hampton and Skinker.
There were messages that read, “Get Pead out of here!” “We’re gonna be awful!” “Why is Tavon Austin not getting the ball?!” “Tell Sam Bradford to move out of the Pocket!”
I laughed as I turned my ringer down, thinking: why are people falling to pieces as if the sky has fallen”
We’ve seen this happen before. The Rams flirt with .500 and even the playoffs, only to be upended like Charlie Brown trying to make a clutch field goal kick.
Did I see some things in the game that caused some alarm? No. Did I see some things that are fixable? Sure.
The dropped passes for sure stood out, and that’s because it put the defense right back on the field after already being on the field for 10-plus plays. I noticed the slow start of the offense and the early fumble of Isaiah Pead.
The one thing that stood out in particular was right tackle Roger Saffold, who injured his shoulder in the Rams first offensive series. And this hasn’t been his first trip to the sideline because of injury. He’s only played in 19 of 32 football contests for which he was eligible, so his durability has to be questioned.
However, there was plenty of good as well. Once Sam Bradford got warmed up he connected with Chris Givens on a long pass play. After a Daryl Richardson run close to the goal line, Bradford zipped a pass into Givens for a touchdown.
Brian Quick and Stedman Bailey also played well, with Quick getting a lot of reps in the second half of the game against the Browns. Running backs Benjamin Cunningham and Zac Stacy ran hard and moved the football forward.
On the offensive line, Joe Barksdale stepped in for the injured Roger Saffold and was solid. Last season Barksdale and fellow lineman Shelley Smith did more than they were asked including starting a modest game streak of two of not allowing a sack. Left tackle Jake Long and veteran Harvey Dahl left the game unscathed.
On defense, there was some missed tackles, a missed interception and a couple of blown coverages. But this is what the preseason is for. That’s the message I had for the few lunatics who thought the season is over from the loss to the Browns.
The reaction wasn’t this bad after Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts beat them 38-3 last season. I’m not worried. Now if this was October I would be worried. Then my ringer will be off.
