Rams keep plugging in wide receivers

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS — Brandon Gibson was lost in the shuffle in
Philadelphia, which is loaded with young, talented wide
receivers.

The rookie has been quite the pick-me-up with the St. Louis
Rams, a team desperate for pass catchers all year. So desperate
that Gibson was Marc Bulger’s primary target last week, making
his first seven career receptions for 93 yards.

“I expect a lot out of myself,” Gibson said Wednesday. “I feel I
can play at a high level when I know what I’m doing.”

With Arizona up next for the Rams, getting unknowns up to speed
quickly has been part of their strategy for coping with injuries
that have landed three wide receivers on injured reserve on a
unit that was thin to begin with.

They’ve plucked players from teams with similar West Coast
offenses, making it easier to plug in the replacements.

Gibson was a sixth-round pick out of Washington State and didn’t
dress for any of the six games he was with the Eagles. But he
knew the system and played his first NFL game only 11 days after
the Rams acquired him and a future draft pick for linebacker
Will Witherspoon.

“It’s a great offense,” Gibson said. “And it’s easy to pick up.”

Switching to a completely different offense would have been
another story.

“I can’t even think about that,” Gibson said. “I’m lucky I ended
up here.”

Danny Amendola also came from the Eagles, signed off their
practice squad on Sept. 22. Five days later, he returned the
opening kickoff against the Packers and has been a solid
contributor, averaging 23.8 yards on kickoffs, 8.8 yards on punt
returns and catching 15 passes with an 8.5-yard average.

The Rams (1-8) have now signed Jordan Kent, who was among the
Seahawks’ final cuts before the season opener. It probably won’t
be long before they get the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Kent, who played
in nine games and made one start for Seattle last season, on the
field.

Bulger knew virtually nothing about the latest new guy, a former
three-sport athlete at Oregon who also participated in
basketball and track.

“He’s a big kid,” Bulger said. “Army, I think, something like
that. He should be able to pick it up quick.”

Somehow, Bulger had a season-best 298 yards passing last week in
a 28-23 loss to the unbeaten Saints. Steven Jackson’s third
straight 100-yard rushing game and much improved pass protection
were major contributing factors.

Second-year man Donnie Avery is the dean of the wide receiving
crew. Inexperienced or not, they’re getting more one-on-one
matchups and winning them more often as they get comfortable.

“Separating on that one-on-one coverage is key, and we’re going
to get that more and more with Steven having the kind of year he
is,” Bulger said.

Gibson said he’s in the right place most of the time, including
a nice fourth-down catch plucking a ball nearly off the turf to
keep the Rams’ final drive alive on Sunday. If he’s not in the
right place, he tries to compensate with effort.

“When I’m out there I try to just react and you’ve got to play
full speed,” he said. “Even if you do mess up, you’ve got to
mess up at 100 mph.”

The best Rams newsletter on the web