Sam Bradford Injured? Eagles Beat Up the Rams for a Week One Victory

If you were going to script the perfect season opener for the St. Louis Rams, an up-and-coming team in the NFL, it would go something like this:

1. Beat the Eagles. This would be a big upset in the eyes of most football fans, with the Eagles being one of the elite teams in the NFL. A win would give the Rams a ton of momentum to start the season.

2. Of course you would like to win the game, but if you are going to lose, at least play hard, play physical and be competitive. After all, we are playing the Philadelphia Eagles. If you get beat—well, that is kind of what everybody expected anyway, right? But if you can compete with them, at least you have something to build on.

3. Stay healthy. If the Rams get pounded by the Eagles, just stay healthy. Live to fight another day. The Rams have an exciting, young football team, but they are very thin at some key positions.

The Rams were 0-3. They stunk the joint up and several guys got hurt.

First, as I said in my first-half breakdown, the Rams O-line was overrun in pass protection, especially with right tackle Jason Smith. Not surprisingly, Coach Spags replaced Smith with Adam Goldberg in the second half. The one silver lining: The Rams did look good in run blocking. They opened huge holes for the Rams running backs.

Speaking of the running backs, Steven Jackson took it 47 yards to the house on his first touch. Not long after that, he was looking like Lance Armstrong over there on the bike, trying to loosen up his quad. Jackson never returned. Cadillac Williams looked great in Jackson's place, but the Rams need Jackson to stay healthy.

The Rams receivers were awful. Through the first three-and-a-half quarters of action, when the game was in the balance, they dropped six passes. They couldn't get open. I was really upset with Brandon Gibson; he dropped a couple of easy passes. Then, in the middle of the fourth quarter, I was furious with Mike Sims-Walker when I saw a shot of him jogging off the field.

It was the first time I'd seen Sims-Walker all day. He was invisible and a total non-factor in the passing game.

Danny Amendola was his normal, solid, seven-yard-underneath self. Then he went down with a nasty arm injury in the fourth quarter. It looks like he will be out for a long time. Amendola is a solid player for the Rams—the kind of guy that would be a tremendous asset if the Rams had any talented receivers on the outside to throw to. Losing him will be a big blow.

Sam Bradford left in the fourth quarter with an injury to his thumb. After Rams fans started breathing again, they learned that his injury was not serious. You had to expect Bradford to get beat up eventually though. I think the Rams are going to have to either cut Jason Smith or buy life insurance for Bradford. If you believe in God, I think you should pray for Sam Bradford—the Rams pass protection was that bad.

On defense, right defensive end James Hall is washed up. Think about it this way: Michael Vick, the Eagles QB, is left handed. That means he will roll out to his left, which would be on the right side of the Rams D—the same side Hall plays. At no point during this game did Hall put pressure on Vick and at no point during this game did Hall contain that right edge. 

Meanwhile, Robert Quinn, the Rams' first-round draft pick who plays the same position as Hall, was on the inactive list to start the game. Confused? I was too! Quinn isn't even good enough to dress out? Seriously? As bad as Hall looked, the only explanation that makes sense is if Quinn is hurt. If he is healthy, this is not a good sign for Rams fans.

So, were there any bright spots?

Well, for one, Lance Kendricks looks like a good player. He dropped two passes, but he got open a lot and when he did catch the ball he made big plays. Also, I think Cadillac Williams will be a very nice pickup for the Rams. Between Cadillac and Steven Jackson, the Rams should have a good running attack. Even though the Rams can't pass block, they did open some big holes for the running back.

And the Rams D wasn't bad. The Eagles put up 31 points, but you have to remember that they ran back a fumble for a touchdown, so that isn't the defense's fault. The pass rush, besides Hall, looked pretty good. They got to Vick and sacked him several times. The times they almost got Vick? Well, you have to think those will be sacks when the Rams face Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, etc. 

Bottom line, if Jackson can get healthy, if Bradford can get some time to throw the ball and if the Rams can just find somebody that can catch, this team has a chance to be good. 

Thanks for reading.