Samkon Gado Impressive In St. Louis Rams Debut

The St. Louis Rams may have won their first preseason game Friday night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they played well.

While veteran defensive end Leonard Little, rookie quarterback Keith Null, and journeyman running back Samkon Gado looked good, other aspects of the Rams’ game faltered.

Gado busted through a hole and darted 77 yards early in the third quarter of Friday’s 23-20 win over the New York Jets at the Meadowlands.

He finished with 93 yards on six carries, including the long touchdown run, and returned a pair of kicks for 50 yards. His efforts earned him some time with the first-team offense during Sunday’s practices.

Gado said he took "a lot" from his days in Green Bay when he watched four running backs who were higher on the depth chart get hurt as the 2005 season progressed until the starting job fell to him.

"As much as you can take away when you go through something like that," Gado said following Monday afternoon's practice, "it makes it easier to go through what I'm going through here."

While it’s no guarantee the former Packer, Dolphin and Texan will make the final 53-man roster, his already impressive training camp was bolstered by Friday’s productivity.

"I don’t think it says as much as it may seem,” Gado told reporters following the game. "We've got three more (preseason) games left, and I’ve still got a lot of work to do at fullback. I think I’m being evaluated at that position. And how well I do there I think is going to dictate where I land on this team.”

Gado’s dual position capability has Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo saying that Gado should have a spot on the opening day roster.  “Anybody that can play two positions I think is valuable,” Spagnuolo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “When you go to 53 (on the final roster), and all of a sudden it’s 45 on game day, versatility's great.”

Gado is in a competition with four other backs to serve as Steven Jackson’s understudy. Gado and Antonio Pittman both played well Friday night as Kenneth Darby and rookie Chris Ogbonnaya struggled with protection scheme and blitz pickups.

The Rams passing game was inconsistent.  Starting quarterback Marc Bulger was 4 of 4 for 77 yards, including a 50-yard strike to Laurent Robinson, but was sacked the other three times he dropped back to pass.

“They were all manageable,” Spagnuolo told the Post-Dispatch. “We make a block here or there. We get the center to turn the protection a certain way. Maybe the quarterback gets the ball out a little bit quicker. Pat (Shurmur) and the offensive staff will get that ironed out.”

The Rams did not convert a third down until late in the third quarter when third-string quarterback Brock Berlin completed a short pass in the flat.

Null entered the game early in the fourth quarter, earlier than expected after Zach Potter brought Berlin down near the sideline. Potter flushed Berlin to his right and, just as Berlin got rid of the ball, Potter dropped him to the turf. Berlin finished 6 of 8 for just 27 yards and was sacked once. Second-stringer Kyle Boller struggled, going 3 for 9 for 25 yards.

While it appeared Berlin may have had a shoulder injury, it was his left knee that took the brunt of the tackle. He was diagnosed Sunday as having a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament.

Following a muffed punt, Null completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Sean Walker to give the Rams their final three-point lead with 7:32 remaining in the game.

“I didn’t really have time to get nervous, that’s for sure,” Null told the Post-Dispatch. “I knew I was getting in a series or two later, and then all of a sudden he went down and I had to pop right in. I just got out there and went at it.”

The Rams defense played well and put consistent pressure on the Jets quarterbacks.

Two sacks were particularly key.

The first came on the game’s initial series when Little stripped Jets starter Kellen Clemens and James Hall recovered. The fumble set up a 48-yard Josh Brown field goal.

St. Louis’ second sack was in the fourth quarter and squelched a game-winning opportunity.  Defensive end Ian Campbell hit Jets quarterback Erik Ainge from the front, and end Eric Moore knocked the ball loose from behind. The result was a fumble and a 19-yard loss, leaving the Jets in a fourth-and-31 dilemma from the St. Louis 42, which they did not convert.

Aside from Berlin, starting guard Jacob Bell also left the game following a blow to the head. Neither injury is thought to be serious, and fullback Mike Karney participated fully in practice for the first time Sunday since spraining his ankle two weeks ago.

Bulger jammed his right pinkie in Monday morning’s practice, giving the coaches some pause for concern. He will have X-rays on his throwing hand, but the injury is not thought to be serious. He threw on the sideline later in the day, but did not participate in drills.