ST. Louis Rams Blog Fan Site and Schedule with NFL News » sports

Spagnuolo could return to Eagles if fired by Rams:…

achurenics — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:38:41 +0000

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is likely to return to Philadelphia to become the Eagles’ defensive coordinator if, as expected, he is fired at the end of the season.

Spagnuolo, an Eagles assistant from 1999-2006, is “all but certain” to replace first-year coordinator Juan Castillo in Philly as Rams owner Stan Kroenke clears the deck in St. Louis, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Spagnuolo left Philadelphia to become the Giants defensive coordinator.

The 52-year-old’s reputation boomed after helping to mastermind the Giants’ shock victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, has led St. Louis to only 10 wins in his first three seasons as a head coach.

The same report suggests Kroenke will also fire general manager Billy Devaney and move for A.J. Smith, should the Chargers GM be fired by San Diego along with head coach Norv Turner.

But the newspaper quoted league and agent sources as saying Smith will end his association with Turner to instead hire ESPN analyst Jon Gruden as his head coach should he be hired as Rams general manager.

Sources said that Gruden, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach, plans to return to the NFL next year despite signing an exclusive five-year contract with the sports network in October, which is scheduled to begin in September 2012.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

Steve Spagnuolo Hot Seat: Would Rams Job Be Most…

HulpflumBluef — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:51:53 +0000

NFL Picks Week 15: CBS Sports Experts Unanimously…

Thamymadosese — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:22:37 +0000

Read More: Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

CBS Sports’ panel of five experts has released their picks for Week 15 in the NFL, and it should not come as a surprise that all five men have selected the Cincinnati Bengals to knock off the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Bengals have been strong against teams under .500 this year, and of course the Rams are sitting all the way down at 2-11. So it’s not good news for the Rams, but what about the rest of the NFC West?

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. For more on the Cincinnati Bengals, check out Cincy Jungle. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Falcons try to maintain recent mastery of Rams

Prartessmef — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:10:16 +0000

A thrilling victory over the St. Louis Rams at the start of
November looked as if it was going to get the Arizona Cardinals’ season on a
positive track.

Just two weeks later, the Cards don’t look any better off than they were before
the win.

Things haven’t been much better for the Rams, and they’ll try to find some rare
success against their division rivals this Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Cardinals were in the midst of a six-game losing streak when they hosted
the Rams on Nov. 6. Consecutive safeties on backup quarterback John Skelton in
the third quarter had put Arizona in a seven-point hole, but Skelton rebounded
to hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left in
regulation.

Defensive end Calais Campbell then blocked a 42-yard field attempt by St.
Louis kicker Josh Brown on the final play of the fourth quarter, forcing
overtime and leading to an electric 99-yard punt return for a score by rookie
Patrick Peterson that gave the Cardinals a 19-13 win. It was the second-longest
punt return for a touchdown in NFL history and kick-started a two-game winning
streak for Arizona that included a 21-17 victory in Philadelphia the following
weekend.

However, Arizona lost all of its momentum this past Sunday, when it was routed
by NFC West-leading San Francisco, 23-7. In his third straight start for the
injured Kevin Kolb, Skelton threw three interceptions and was replaced late in
the game by Richard Bartel.

Bartel prevented the shutout when he threw his first career touchdown pass, a
23-yard score to Fitzgerald with 8:38 to play in the fourth quarter.

“I’m not trying to put it all on John,” said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt.
“It was a tough day for a lot of us out there [last week] and we didn’t get the
job done.”

Arizona will play the finale of a three-game road trip and is just 1-5 as the
guest this season. The Cardinals have lost 12 of their last 13 on the road
since a win at St. Louis on Sept. 12 of last season.

St. Louis will need to be cautious of Arizona’s special teams. Peterson leads
the NFL with 463 punt return yards and three touchdowns, while his 17.1 average
per runback is second in the league. Also, Campbell has blocked three field
goals this season after getting his hand on another one a week ago.

Peterson also blocked a field goal try against the 49ers, marking the first
time the Cardinals had two in the same game since Sept. 17, 1972.

St. Louis has lost two of three since snapping a season-opening six-game slide
with a win over New Orleans on Oct. 30. The Rams rebounded from their loss to
the Cardinals to win at Cleveland by a 13-12 count on Nov. 13, but were run
over by Seattle in a 24-7 setback this past Sunday.

The Rams, who are last in the division, scored the game’s first touchdown on a
30-yard pass by quarterback Sam Bradford to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, and
trailed the Seahawks by only three points at the half. However, they yielded a
pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half while their offense stalled.

“It’s hard to play defense when you’re behind, it’s hard to win games when you
only score seven points,” said Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Running back Steven Jackson found little room to run versus the Seahawks and
had a string of three straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end. That
streak included a 130-yard effort versus the Cardinals in Week 9.

St. Louis fell to 1-4 at home this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Arizona took a 32-31-2 lead in this long-played series, which dates back
to 1937, with its above-mentioned overtime triumph three weeks back and has
defeated the Rams in nine of the last 10 bouts between the teams. The
Cardinals have also emerged victorious in each of their last six visits to the
Edward Jones Dome, including a 17-13 decision in the 2010 season opener, with
the Rams’ most recent home win over Arizona taking place in 2004. The Rams did
halt a string of eight consecutive losses to the Cards with a 19-6 ousting at
University of Phoenix Stadium last December.

Of course, the Cardinals were based in St. Louis between 1960-87, and the
franchise still resided in the Gateway City during its lone lifetime
postseason clash with the Rams. That took place during the 1975 campaign, when
the then-Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 home win in an NFC Divisional
Playoff.

Whisenhunt owns an 8-1 record against the Rams since taking over as the
Cardinals’ head coach in 2007, while Spagnuolo is 1-4 against both Arizona and
Whisenhunt for his career.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Despite his struggles last weekend, Whisenhunt said he will stick with Skelton
(636 passing yards, 4 TD, 5 INT) for this game if Kolb (1706 passing yards, 8
TD, 8 INT) isn’t ready to return from his turf toe injury. Skelton completed
only six of his 19 pass attempts versus the 49ers for 99 yards, while Arizona
and its 25th-ranked offense (309.9 ypg) racked up just 229 yards and turned the
ball over five times in the loss. In addition to Skelton’s three picks, both
running back Beanie Wells (621 rushing yards, 7 TD) and return man Peterson
lost a fumble. Wells continues to battle through a knee injury and rushed just
eight times against San Francisco for 33 yards. He hasn’t topped 62 yards on
the ground in three straight games while not scoring over that span as well.
Wells is still one touchdown shy of the career-best seven he ran for as a
rookie in 2009. Fitzgerald (48 receptions, 6 TD) continues to make plays no
matter who is under center, and his 41 yards on three catches last week made
him the second-youngest player in league history to surpass 9,000 in a career.
He has 13 touchdown catches in 15 career games versus the Rams. Wideout Early
Doucet (42 receptions, 4 TD) continued his career season with six catches and
50 yards versus the 49ers, while Andre Roberts (25 receptions) added three for
51 yards. Tight end Todd Heap (13 receptions) sat out for the fifth time in six
games due to injury, with Jeff King (18 receptions, 2 TD) starting in his
place.

The Rams rank ninth in the NFL in defending the pass, giving up 215.0 yards
per game, and have tallied 26 sacks on the season. They added to that total
with four versus the Seahawks, but also saw their 32nd-ranked run defense
(148.1 ypg) get touched for 126 yards on the day. Middle linebacker James
Laurinaitis (84 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) led St. Louis with 13 tackles, but
came out of the game with a sore foot. St. Louis will need its leading tackler
if it hopes to contain Arizona’s run game and could also use contributions
from defensive tackles Fred Robbins (19 tackles, 1 sack) and Justin Bannan (17
tackles). Pressuring the quarterback shouldn’t be a problem for defensive end
Chris Long (21 tackles), who notched a career-high ninth sack of the season a
week ago. Fellow end James Hall (31 tackles, 4 sacks) also got to the
quarterback, as did rookie end Robert Quinn (14 tackles, 4 sacks) and safety
Darian Stewart (54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). Stewart ended with eight tackles,
while linebacker Chris Chamberlain (41 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and safety
Quintin Mikell (56 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) grabbed interceptions. Corners
Justin King (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Josh Gordy (23 tackles, 1 INT) draw
the unwanted task of slowing down Fitzgerald.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

While St. Louis’ defense put up a solid effort last week, the offense could
not match and logged a mere 185 yards against the Seahawks. On the season, the
Rams rank 30th in total offense at 297.9 yards per game and are the league’s
lowest scoring team at 12.0 points per contest. Bradford (1768 passing yards, 5
TD, 5 INT) completed half of his 40 passes for 181 yards, getting picked off
once and sacked five times. Issues at left tackle led to Bradford facing heavy
pressure, as starter Rodger Saffold suffered a torn pectoral muscle two days
prior to the game that ended his season and backup Mark LeVoir sustained a
right shoulder injury in the first quarter. That forced Kevin Hughes into
extensive action after he was just elevated from the practice squad. Bradford
was still able to continue his recent chemistry with Lloyd (26 receptions, 3
TD), who was targeted 14 times and made five catches for 67 yards. Wide
receivers Brandon Gibson (28 receptions, 1 TD) and Mark Clayton added four and
three receptions, respectively. Jackson (749 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 5
total TD) was held to only 42 yards on 15 carries, but still has 459 yards over
his last four games. He also has 429 yards and a pair of scores in his last two
appearances against the Cardinals and is 124 all-purpose yards shy of matching
Henry Ellard for third-most in team history.

Arizona is giving up 383.8 yards per game to rank 28th in the NFL, with 256.6
of those coming through the air. The 49ers posted 431 yards of offense versus
the Cardinals last weekend, including 164 on the ground. Arizona also got
little pressure on the quarterback and failed to record a sack, though
linebacker Daryl Washington (60 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) did notch an
interception in the end zone. Former Rams linebacker Paris Lenon (62 tackles,
2 sacks) led the way with nine tackles last week and safety Rashad Johnson (33
tackles) had eight as he continues to fill in for the injured Kerry Rhodes.
Defensive tackle Dan Williams (20 tackles) made six stops before sustaining a
broken left arm that ended his season. The Rams will have to account for
Campbell (50 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 INT), who has at least one sack in four
straight games in this series. He logged a pair of sacks and two tackles for a
loss in the first meeting. Safety Adrian Wilson (39 tackles, 1 INT) has 7 1/2
sacks in his career versus St. Louis and has logged an interception in four of
his past five games against the club. As a whole, the Cardinals have notched
eight sacks and four interceptions in three meetings with Bradford. Campbell
had two of the four sacks in the first meeting and cornerback Richard Marshall
(44 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) also had one.

KEYS TO THE GAME

The Cardinals can take a lot of pressure of Skelton by getting the running
game going, and back Chester Taylor could see added carries if Wells’ knee
continues to be an issue. Taylor was Arizona’s leading rusher last weekend
after ripping off 34 yards on his only attempt.

Though Peterson fielding a punt at the one-yard line was ill-advised, it
worked out for the rookie and he should be in the collective heads of the Rams’
punting unit. Look for St. Louis punter Donnie Jones, who averages 44.5 yards
and has pinned 20 kicks inside the 20, to avoid the playmaker.

Bradford’s blind-side was under attack last weekend, and it could be another
long day for the quarterback if Hughes is the man again at left tackle.
Arizona already has a history of pressuring Bradford, so the Rams will need
to find ways to take the pressure off. Screens and play-action could help, as
would not falling behind early.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Fans of offense may want to avoid this meaningless matchup between NFC West
afterthoughts. The Rams are the more disappointing of the two, as they were
expected to contend for the division title but instead are brining up the
rear after taking positive steps a season ago. Things are starting to get a
little hot for Spagnuolo and he could really use a victory over the Cardinals
this Sunday. Unfortunately, this series has been slanted towards Arizona as of
late, making it tough to pick against the Cardinals in this toss-up.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cardinals 13, Rams 9

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

NFL Week 11 Picks And Predictions Update: CBS And…

Wicicspaw — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:32:37 +0000

Read More: Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

As noted earlier in the week, NFL experts at SB Nation, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ESPN and NFL.com all gave minimal thought to moving the St. Louis Rams up in their Week 11 NFL Power Rankings. For Sunday’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the expert panels at CBS Sports and Yahoo! have actually shown some confidence in the Rams.

The five-man panel at CBS Sports has a 4-1 split in favor of the Rams, with Dave Richard being the lone dissenter in the group. Richard is the second-most accurate prognosticator on the panel. The three-man panel at Yahoo! is split 2-1 in favor of the Rams, but the most accurate pundit on the panel, Mike Silver, has gone with the Seahawks.

It may be that the experts are more unimpressed with the Seahawks that they are impressed with the Rams, but the Rams have shown some improvement in the recent weeks. The good news for Rams fans is that the Seahawks have been terrible on the road so far this season (1-4).

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

That’s all the news for today.

NFL Week 10 Picks Update: ESPN Panel Down On The…

asfur2coalgsl — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Read More: Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams

SB Nation St Louis is continuing to compile expert picks for the St. Louis Rams’ Week 10 matchup against the Cleveland Browns from around the web, and in this edition the picks of SI’s Peter King and the ESPN experts are being presented.

ESPN’s eight-man panel of experts has aligned in a 6-2 split favoring the Browns, with the only dissenters being Chris Mortensen and Seth Wickersham. Unfortunately for Rams fans looking for meaningful support of their team, Mortensen and Wickersham are two of the three least accurate prognosticators out of the whole group.

Meanwhile, Peter King at Sports Illustrated is also taking the Browns to win at home, but doesn’t have any analysis to back that prediction up:

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Backup quarterbacks could be on call in Rams-Cards…

Cricelearkjar — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:47:15 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

(Sports Network) – It’s been nearly a year since the St. Louis Rams last won
on the road, while the Arizona Cardinals haven’t won since Week 1 of this
season and the two teams have combined for just two victories in 2011.

Not exactly a marquee matchup.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals try to snap a six-game slide this Sunday against a
Rams club that is coming off its first victory of the season.

Arizona seemed poised to earn its first victory since Sept. 11 over Carolina
in its last time out, taking an 18-point lead into halftime against a talented
Baltimore squad last Sunday. However, the Ravens’ defense held the visiting
Cardinals in check over the second half and stormed back to beat the NFC West
residents by a 30-27 score on Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time
expired.

It was the Cardinals’ 15th loss in their last 18 games dating back to last
year, including a seven-game losing streak to kick off that stretch. All three
of those wins did come at home, however.

“It’s hard right now,” Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “Our guys are
very disappointed after [the Baltimore] game because it was an opportunity to
do something that nobody thought we could do.”

Arizona got a gutsy effort from running back Beanie Wells, who started despite
a knee injury that limited him during the game. Complicating matters was
quarterback Kevin Kolb injuring himself early on in the contest.

Though Kolb took every snap, he is day-to-day this week due to a turf toe
ailment. Second-year pro John Skelton would get his fifth career start and
first this season if Kolb can’t go.

“It’s going to really depend on his ability to be able to run and plant off
[the foot],” Whisenhunt said of Kolb. “So that’s going to be [about] how much
movement he can get back if the swelling goes down. So we’ll see where it is as
it progresses, but it’s made a lot of progress since Sunday.”

Wells, meanwhile, did not practice on Wednesday but should still be ready for
this game.

St. Louis has been without its No. 1 quarterback in Sam Bradford for the past
two weeks due to a high left ankle sprain, but that didn’t stop the Rams from
picking up their first victory of 2011 with a 31-21 shocker over the high-
powered New Orleans Saints last weekend.

One the same day that several players from the MLB-champion St. Louis Cardinals
showed up with their World Series trophy in tow, running back Steven Jackson
stepped up in Bradford’s absence, rushing for a season-high 159 yards to go
along with two touchdowns.

St. Louis, which was the last team in the NFC to pick up a win, led 17-0 at
the half on the strength of a blocked punt and interception that helped set up
touchdowns, while young defensive back Darian Stewart iced the game with a 27-
yard pick-six later on.

In addition to Bradford, wide receiver Danario Alexander (hamstring),
linebacker Brady Poppinga (calf) and cornerback Justin King (groin) all missed
the game, leading to several players needing to step up.

“We had a lot of guys out today that normally would be out there,” said Rams
head coach Steve Spagnuolo afterward. “For the leaders to step up, guys like
[defensive end] James Hall and Steven Jackson, and lead their units, rally
them, that’s what this league’s all about. You need that and we got it [last
week]. Hopefully we can keep it going.”

A.J. Feeley started his second straight game in place of Bradford, getting his
first win as a starter since Dec. 26, 2004 while with Miami. Bradford, the top
pick of the 2010 draft, could be ready to return for this game after recently
shedding the cast and walking boot he had been in. Bradford did participate in
some of the Wednesday’s walk-through, but will be very limited in practice this
week.

“It feels pretty good walking around,” Bradford said of his ankle on Wednesday.
“I haven’t tested it with running or full-speed drops but [head athletic
trainer Reggie Scott] has a plan and we are on that plan. We came out here and
did a little bit today and we’ll hopefully do a little more [Thursday] and see
where it is by the end of the week.”

At 1-6, both the Rams and Cardinals sit five games back of the first-place
San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West. St. Louis will play its first divisional
game of the season on Sunday, and five of its next six contests are against NFC
West teams. Arizona has lost its only division game this year.

The Rams have lost five straight on the road since a victory in Arizona on
Dec. 5 of last season.

SERIES HISTORY

This long-played series, which dates back to 1937, is tied at 31-31-2 overall
after the Rams recorded a 19-6 triumph at University of Phoenix Stadium last
December. That victory halted a string of eight consecutive Arizona wins in
the set, including a 17-13 decision in St. Louis in the 2010 season opener.
The Rams had lost in Arizona in each of the three previous seasons prior to
last year’s verdict, but did come through with road wins over the Cards in
both 2005 and 2006.

The only postseason meeting between the two occurred in 1975, when the then-
Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in an NFC
Divisional Playoff.

Whisenhunt owns a 7-1 record against the Rams since taking over as the
Cardinals’ head coach in 2007, with the lone defeat taking place during Week
13 of last season. Spagnuolo is 1-3 against Arizona and in head-to-head bouts
with Whisenhunt as well.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

With Bradford (1177 passing yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) out another week, Jackson (449
rushing yards, 16 receptions, 5 total TD) threw the Rams’ 28th ranked
offense on his shoulders and put together his best outing of the season.
Jackson’s two-touchdown effort took a lot of pressure off Feeley (392 passing
yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), who threw for 175 yards on 20-of-37 passing while getting
sacked four times. Arizona does have a decent run defense, so whomever is St.
Louis’ quarterback this week may need to make more plays. Having wide receiver
Brandon Lloyd in the mix will help that. Playing in his second game since being
acquired in a trade with the Broncos, Lloyd (31 receptions, 410 yards, 1 TD)
was targeted 13 times against New Orleans and made a team-leading six catches
for 53 yards. One of those was an eight-yard scoring throw from Feeley near the
end of the first half. With Alexander (16 receptions, 1 TD), one of St. Louis’
leading receivers, out, rookie Greg Salas (20 receptions) added five receptions
for 47 yards and Jackson made four grabs for another 32. Wideout Brandon Gibson
(19 receptions, 1 TD) turned two catches into 27 yards, showing that the Rams
like to spread the ball out.

Arizona’s disappointing loss last weekend was not without plays from the
defense, but the unit had no answer for the Ravens in the second half. The
Cardinals allowed 156 yards in the first half, but yielded 249 yards along with
24 points over the final two quarters. With linebacker Joey Porter (16 tackles,
1 sack) out with a knee injury, rookie Sam Acho (9 tackles, 2 sacks) got his
first NFL start in the loss and finished with six tackles, a sack and a forced
fumble, while fellow backup O’Brien Schofield (12 tackles, 1.5 sacks) also had
a sack that resulted in a fumble that led to a score. Cornerback Richard
Marshall (30 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) notched an interception, but was part of a
secondary that failed to contain former Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin,
who logged seven catches for 145 yards. That secondary also remains without
safety Kerry Rhodes (24 tackles, 2 sacks) due to a foot injury, with his
replacement Rashad Johnson (19 tackles) leading the way with eight tackles last
Sunday. Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson (32 tackles, 1 INT) also struggled
in coverage last week and will likely be tested again in this game. Arizona’s
run defense, led by tackle Darnell Dockett (21 tackles) and linebacker Daryl
Washington (36 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT), ranks 15th in the league with 113.1
yards allowed per game, though the Cards are yielding 277.6 yards through the
air per game.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Arizona will be thankful to see the Rams’ 30th-ranked defense this weekend
after facing the league’s top-ranked unit in each of previous two games. After
taking on Pittsburgh in Week 7, the Cardinals logged just 207 yards versus
Baltimore, using some turnovers and an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown
from Peterson to rack up points. The game ball definitely belonged to Wells
(506 rushing yards, 7 TD) after he gutted out 83 yards with a touchdown on 22
carries, and the Cardinals needed every yard due to Kolb’s injury. Kolb (1706
passing yards, 8 TD, 8 INT) was sacked six times and completed just 10 of his
21 pass attempts for 153 yards in the game. He was also picked off once while
finding Early Doucet (28 receptions, 3 TD) for a touchdown through the air.
There’s little doubt the Cardinals will try again to get Larry Fitzgerald (34
receptions, 2 TD) involved this week. The perennial Pro Bowler had 98 yards on
just three catches versus the Ravens and is sure to draw most of the attention
from the Rams’ secondary. That could open up the door for Doucet, wide receiver
Andre Roberts or tight end Jeff King (14 receptions, 2 TD) to make some plays.
King had three catches last weekend as Todd Heap (13 receptions) missed the
game with a hamstring issue and fellow tight end Rob Housler suffered a groin
injury during the game. Also of concern is an ankle issue sustained by rookie
Anthony Sherman, the only listed fullback on the team’s depth chart before
Reagan Maui’a was signed on Tuesday.

The Rams will look to dial up the pressure again this weekend after recording
six sacks last Sunday versus the Saints. Defensive end Chris Long (14 tackles,
6 sacks) had three of those, a career high, while defensive tackle Fred
Robbins (12 tackles, 1 sack) and rookie end Robert Quinn (6 tackles, 2 sacks)
also had quarterback takedowns. Quinn also came up with a blocked punt late in
the first half. Linebacker James Laurinaitis (57 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had
the team’s other sack and led the Rams with 10 tackles, while cornerback Josh
Gordy (14 tackles) started in place of an injured Justin King (30 tackles, 1
sack, 1 INT) and posted seven tackles in addition to his first career
interception. Stewart (37 tackles) ended with six tackles and another backup,
cornerback Marquis Johnson, had four stops. Chris Chamberlain (24 tackles, 1
sack) got his third straight start at weakside linebacker and posted three
tackles in the win. St. Louis’ 32nd-ranked run defense limited New Orleans to
56 yards on 20 attempts, an average of 2.8 yards per carry, though the Saints
did get one of their two touchdowns on the ground. With Wells’ among the league
leaders in rushing scores, Laurinaitis and safety Quintin Mikell (43 tackles, 1
sack, 1 INT) will need to have their unit ready to stop the run.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Whether it’s Kolb or Skelton, the Cardinals need to find a way to get
Fitzgerald the ball. The playmaker has caught 12 touchdowns over his last 13
games versus the Rams, with that total representing his best against any
single opponent.

The Rams were able to get pressure on the Saints last week and will look to
take advantage of a troublesome Cardinals offensive line. The entire unit
struggled versus the Ravens and Whisenhunt is still deciding whether Brandon
Keith or Jeremy Bridges will start at right tackle. Both had problems a week
ago.

All eyes should be on how the inexperienced Rams secondary performs for a
second straight week. The unit should be full of confidence after containing
Drew Brees and isn’t likely to be intimidated by Arizona’s options under
center.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Two teams with NFC West title hopes instead meet nine weeks into the season
trying to get out of the division’s basement. Momentum will seem to be on St.
Louis’ side after last weekend’s big win, but as noted above, the Cardinals
have had the Rams’ number over the past few years. Both teams have questions
under center due to injury, with St. Louis having the edge among the backups
due to Feeley’s experience. The Rams and Cards both give up their fair share
of points and a shootout favors the hosting club, but nagging injuries to Kolb
and Wells should swing things in St. Louis’ favor.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Rams 17, Cardinals 13

The Sports Network

You Might Be Interested In

That’s all the news for today.

Backup quarterbacks could be on call in Rams-Cards…

Twingenet — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:47:15 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

Not exactly a marquee matchup.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals try to snap a six-game slide this Sunday against a
Rams club that is coming off its first victory of the season.

It was the Cardinals’ 15th loss in their last 18 games dating back to last
year, including a seven-game losing streak to kick off that stretch. All three
of those wins did come at home, however.

Though Kolb took every snap, he is day-to-day this week due to a turf toe
ailment. Second-year pro John Skelton would get his fifth career start and
first this season if Kolb can’t go.

Wells, meanwhile, did not practice on Wednesday but should still be ready for
this game.

The Rams have lost five straight on the road since a victory in Arizona on
Dec. 5 of last season.

SERIES HISTORY

The only postseason meeting between the two occurred in 1975, when the then-
Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in an NFC
Divisional Playoff.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

KEYS TO THE GAME

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Rams 17, Cardinals 13

The Sports Network

You Might Be Interested In

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

Sam Bradford Injury Status: Rams Quarterback Out,…

JennyHIhel — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:58:15 +0000

Read More: A.J. Feeley (QB – STL), Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys, Oct 23, 2011 4:15 PM EDT

The injury to Sam Bradford that occurred last week in the St. Louis Rams game against the Green Bay Packers was diagnosed as the dreaded high ankle sprain. “Dreaded” because it’s difficult to put a timetable on recovery for that sort of injury, but it’s been determined that the Rams quarterback will at least miss Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys as A.J. Feeley gets a spot start.

Bradford was ruled out on Saturday, as first reported by FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer and later confirmed by the team. Feeley’s start isn’t surprising as he took all of the first-team practice reps on Thursday despite the fact that Bradford originally expected to start against the Cowboys.

Missing this Sunday’s game probably isn’t any sort of indicator regarding Bradford’s injury status going forward as high ankle sprains are notoriously difficult to diagnose. For now, though, Feeley will be under center. Prior to last week’s game, Feeley hadn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2007 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

For more on Sam Bradford and the Rams, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation’s St. Louis Rams site.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Denver Broncos trade Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis…

Mc-coingy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:04:43 +0000

On Monday the Broncos traded their top wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to th3 St. Louis Rams for a late-round draft pick. Lloyd caught 77 passes last season and led the league with 1,448 yards. / Frederick Breedon/The Associated Press

Written by

Arnie Stapleton

The Associated Press

» Next up: Broncos at Dolphins, 11 a.m. Sunday, Sun Life Stadium, Miami

» TV/radio: Ch. 4/KOA (AM 850)

More In Sports

‘);
$(‘#ody-nextstoryslider’).append(‘Read More’);
return;
}
var _art,_right,wpElem;
var _beenzagged=(function(){
var _u = GEL.env.user;
return(_u.state || _u.yob || _u.zip )?true:false;
})();
var _laststate=(function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’);
var _closed = _t.getValue(‘lastNextStoryState’);
return _closed;
})();
if(!_beenzagged){
getContent();
var _slidestate=_laststate==’false’?'handle’:”;
_art=$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article’);
_right=$(‘.ody-skin .ody-aside’);
wpElem=_art.height()>_right.height()?_art:_right;
var slider=GEL.widget.slider(wpElem,’ody-nextstoryslider’,{
close: ‘‘,
closeCallback: function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’)
_t.setValue(‘lastNextStoryState’,'false’)
},
direction: ‘right’,
handle: ‘‘,
openCallback: function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’)
_t.setValue(‘lastNextStoryState’,'true’)
},
offset: function(){
var offSet=$.waypoints(‘viewportHeight’)-($(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-article-bodytext’).height()-$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-ob-taboola-wrapper’).height());
if(($(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-article-bodytext’).height()-$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-ob-taboola-wrapper’).height())

Leave your comments on the news below.

St. Louis Rams running back Stephen Jackson feels…

limiBeethic — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:12:37 +0000

Rams at Packers

When: Noon Sunday
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
Records: St. Louis 0-4, Green Bay 5-0
Line: Green Bay by 15
TV / Radio: Fox; KRZK 106.3 FM

More In Sports

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Redskins standing tall after win over Rams

ImmoveLot — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:56:14 +0000

St. Louis Rams’ Quinn Porter is brought down by a host of Washington Redskins defenders on a punt return during the first quarter Sunday in St. Louis. » Visit www.newsleader.com for a photo gallery from the game. / The Associated Press

More In Sports

Thanks for reading! .

Rams injuries pile up early; RB Jackson likely out

dianfengshan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:25:02 +0000

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Opening day was a beatdown for the St. Louis Rams. In more ways than one.

They’re likely to be minus four starters next Monday at the New York Giants, including running back Steven Jackson. Cornerback Ron Bartell is likely out for the season with two breaks in his neck.

Quarterback Sam Bradford expects to play despite a bruised right index finger that knocked him out in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-13 loss to the Eagles. But one of his top targets, wide receiver Danny Amendola, is out with a dislocated left elbow.

Another cornerback, Bradley Fletcher, has a sprained toe that might limit him, and offensive tackle Jason Smith has a sprained left ankle. The team had feared Smith, the second overall pick of the 2009 draft, had a high ankle sprain which would have sidelined him for perhaps a month.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday it’s the worst injury report in his three seasons. It comes off a disappointing effort for a franchise that’s supposed to be on the rise, too.

“There’s a lot there, no question,” Spagnuolo said. “Nobody’s going to bury their head in the sand, and we’re not going to go away. We didn’t envision beginning like that and we certainly didn’t envision losing all these guys.”

The defense gave up 16 plays for double-digit yardage, the offense was 2 for 12 on third downs – with about a half-dozen dropped passes – and the line couldn’t protect Bradford, who was sacked four times. The Rams were outscored 14-3 in the second half.

“A lot of their big plays were mental errors,” safety Quintin Mikell said. “You can’t have that against teams like that, but there’s some promise here and once we get the little things ironed out, we’ll be all right.”

Bartell, the Rams’ top cover cornerback, underwent a CT scan and an MRI exam at a hospital after the game. The team initially believed the injury was a stinger.

Teammate Justin King said Bartell was trying to tackle Eagles running back Ronnie Brown midway through the fourth quarter when a Philadelphia lineman dived to block Bartell and hit the cornerback on the top of the head. King is likely to step up to take Bartell’s spot.

“It didn’t look right, the impact,” King said. “It’s very unfortunate, it’s one of the cruel realities of the game. One play and your season can be over.”

Amendola, who led the Rams with 85 catches last year, also was undergoing an MRI exam. Team medical personnel did not believe the injury would require surgery.

Amendola caught five passes for 45 yards against the Eagles. Like many teams, the Rams opened with two quarterbacks instead of three and had considered Amendola their third quarterback.

Now, their third-stringer might be a running back in a wildcat formation.

Jackson was injured without contact on a 47-yard touchdown run on the Rams’ first play and left with a strained right quadriceps after one more 9-yard carry. Spagnuolo characterized Jackson as week-to-week and probably out for the Giants game.

Jackson rode a stationary bicycle for a few minutes before giving up on the game, although he stayed in uniform the rest of the way and the Rams didn’t change their assessment that Jackson’s return was questionable.

“Once we knew, there was no thought of trying to get him back in there,” Spagnuolo said.

The Rams added quality backups this year for the first time under Spagnuolo, and Cadillac Williams had 91 yards on 19 carries with 49 yards receiving. Williams had limited snaps in practice, but Spagnuolo said “he was fully in tune, knew exactly what it was that he was supposed to do.

“That’s a pro, that’s what you need,” the coach added.

There’s more. Cornerback Bradley Fletcher is day to day with a sprained toe and offensive tackle Jason Smith has a sprained left ankle. The Rams had feared Smith had a high ankle sprain, which would have sidelined him for perhaps a month.

Spagnuolo said he couldn’t control injuries, but what he had some control over was what happened next.

“Like I told the team, you just get a foxhole mentality,” Spagnuolo said. “Get in there, regroup, get the next guy up, come out the hole fighting. So that’s what we’ll do.”

What do you guys think about this.

Practice squad QB a priority for Rams

Annolloma — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:16:42 +0000

St. Louis Rams quarterback Thaddeus Lewis scrambles during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, in St. Louis. Lewis, who lost a battle for the backup quarterback job, was picked up by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Photo by The Associated Press.

R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer

Monday, September 5, 2011

ST. LOUIS (AP) — An indication of the St. Louis Rams’ roster strength is the battles that went to the wire, and the quarterback they lost.

Thaddeus Lewis, who lost a battle for the backup quarterback job, was picked up by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Rams were hoping to re-sign Lewis to the practice squad for a second straight year, but his preseason work got the attention of Browns coach Pat Shurmur, St. Louis’ offensive coordinator last season.

Two other players cut Saturday quickly found homes, wide receiver Mardy Gilyard went to the Cleveland Browns and defensive end George Selvie went to the Carolina Panthers.

The closest call in the final cutdown may have been keeping wide receiver Danario Alexander despite a balky left knee over Donnie Avery, who missed last season with a knee injury.

“I still think Donnie Avery is going to be a good player in the league and, knock on wood, Danario is going to give us a chance on game day to be out there and make plays and help us win games,” general manager Billy Devaney said Sunday on a conference call. “So we weigh everything.”

Devaney noted that having tough decisions to make is better than the alternative.

“We realize every time we make a move to put somebody out there, we always say you have to expect to lose them,” Devaney said. “Like we said when they were leaving the building, we hope they go on and have great careers.”

The Rams re-signed six players to the practice squad, all undrafted free agents. They have two spots open, one of them for signing a quarterback that Devaney said was a priority.

Like many teams following a rule change to allow a 46-man game-day roster instead of 45 players plus a third-string quarterback, the Rams elected to carry just two quarterbacks with veteran A.J. Feeley as the backup behind Sam Bradford.

Seven draft picks made the 53-man roster. Devaney said the final player on the Rams’ game-day roster could likely be a special teams player instead of someone who carries a clipboard.

Players signed to the practice squad were defensive backs Tim Atchison and Jonathan Nelson, defensive tackle John Henderson, offensive linemen Kevin Hughes and Ryan McKee and running back Chase Reynolds.

The Rams also are looking for depth at cornerback, although Devaney said a lot of teams have that need.

“But we will keep looking, I promise you,” Devaney said.

What do you guys think about this.

Rams re-sign WR Mark Clayton

oximeter455524 — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:04:49 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

Jacksonville, FL (Sports Network) – The St. Louis Rams have re-signed wide receiver Mark Clayton, who missed the team’s final 11 games last season after being injured in Week 5.

The Rams tweeted the news Wednesday, but didn’t provide details. They also placed cornerback Jerome Murphy on injured reserve, put cornerback Marquis Johnson on the physically unable to perform list and signed defensive tackle Marlon Favorite.

Clayton went down with a right knee injury in a game against Detroit and had season-ending surgery on his torn patella tendon. He had 23 catches for 306 yards and two touchdowns before getting hurt.

Acquired from Baltimore just before the start of the 2010-11 season, Clayton has 257 career catches for 3,422 yards and 14 touchdowns. He played his first five NFL seasons with the Ravens.

The Sports Network

You Might Be Interested In

Thanks for reading! .