Rams notes: Team runs another successful fake punt/PD

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Rams notes: Team runs another successful fake punt
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c9064d80-b7b9-580f-9c88-678418ad476d.html

The Rams trailed 27-17 midway through the fourth quarter Sunday in San Diego when a third-down pass from Shaun Hill intended for Benny Cunningham fell incomplete. It appeared that Chargers’ linebacker Manti Te’o interfered on the play, but there was no flag.

Set to punt from their 26-yard line, the Rams reached into their bag of tricks as punter Johnny Hekker hooked up with Stedman Bailey for a 19-yard gain and a first down.

“It was a play that we practiced plenty, enough to know that we were game-ready when the time was right,’’ Hekker said. “Stedman Bailey did a great job of running the stop route. It was tough because he was wide open and I got a little nervous. I just made sure I threw the ball out there enough. My arm felt like a noodle, but the guys did a great job of protecting.

“We take pride in being able to execute no matter what phase of the game it is.’’

Bailey, who later in the drive hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hill to make it 27-24, was lined up as the gunner on the left side for the punt. He faked going down the field, shaking San Diego rookie corner Chris Davis and then came back toward the line of scrimmage to grab Hekker’s pass.

It was part of a big day for Bailey, the second-year receiver from West Virginia. He led the Rams with seven catches for 89 yards and the touchdown.

It was the second such play this season for the Rams and Hekker. With the Rams nursing a 28-26 lead over Seattle with just under three minutes to play on Oct. 19, Hekker completed an 18-yard pass to Cunningham on a fourth-and-three from the St. Louis 18.

“That’s why the fake punts work because they don’t know what is going on,’’ Hekker said. “When you have a guy at that position that’s supposed to be running down the field as fast as he can and our guy puts the brakes on, he’s going to be done for. Credit to Stedman ... and hats off to our coaches for seeing an opportunity and taking advantage of it.’’

Hekker, who played quarterback at Bothell High in Washington, is two for two on passes this season. For his career, he’s completed five of six (83.3 percent) for 79 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 158.3.

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS

According to the coach’s film review, linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree led the Rams Sunday with 15 and 14 tackles, respectively. Ogletree led the way with eight solos while Laurinaitis had seven.

Other top Rams tacklers in San Diego were rookie nickel back E.J. Gaines (Missouri) with eight (seven solos), rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald with seven (including two for loss). Safety T.J. McDonald (five solos) and cornerback Trumaine Johnson (four solos, one for loss) chipped in with six stops apiece.

Donald, Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers recorded sacks for the Rams, who had 16 quarterback pressures but just three quarterback hits as San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers worked a lot of quick, short routes to complete 29 of 35 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive ends Robert Quinn and William Hayes had six quarterback pressures apiece.

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins picked off a Rivers’ pass near the goal line and returned it 99 yards for the first touchdown of the game early in the second quarter.

On special teams, the Rams received a tackle apiece from Chase Reynolds, Daren Bates, Mark Barron, Marshall McFadden and Will Herring.

ODD MEN OUT

The Rams seem to have settled into a three-man rotation at wide receiver while sticking with the two-man rotation at running back.

In San Diego, Kenny Britt led the way with 59 offensive snaps, followed by Tavon Austin (50) and Bailey (43). Fourth receiver Chris Givens was on the field for just 14 offensive snaps.

Bailey had seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, Austin caught three passes for 11 yards and Britt had two receptions for 37 yards.

Givens was not targeted.

“We’re settling in right now to a really good group,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “When we go with three with Kenny and ‘Sted’ and Tavon, we’ve got a good group out there.”

Austin also had three runs for 27 yards, including a 6-yarder for his first touchdown of the season.

“We try to get Tavon involved whenever we can and I think the more touches he gets the better we’re going to be offensively,’’ Fisher said.

In the run game, the numbers were a bit more balanced between Tre Mason (32 snaps) and Cunningham (30) on Sunday, but that’s because the Rams were playing from behind in the second half and relying more on Cunningham as part of their two-minute offense.

Zac Stacy took two offensive snaps.

Mason ran 16 times for 62 yards and had a 26-yard pass reception. Cunningham ran for 18 yards on four carries and caught two passes for 11 yards. Stacy, who took no offensive snaps in the previous two contests, had no carries or receptions on Sunday.

RAM-BLINGS

Hill joined his offensive line — tackles Joe Barksdale and Greg Robinson, guards Rodger Saffold and Davin Joseph and center Scott Wells — in taking all 64 offensive snaps for the Rams Sunday.

On defense, the following players took part in all 63 snaps: linebackers Laurinaitis and Ogletree, safeties McDonald and McLeod and cornerbacks Jenkins and Gaines.

• With Thursday’s 24-20 win over the visiting Chiefs, the Raiders (1-10) picked up their first win of the season and snapped a 16-game winning streak. But the losing extended even longer for Oakland defensive tackle Antonio Smith, who lost the final 14 games of the 2013 season while playing with the Houston Texans before dropping the first 10 games this season in Oakland.

“This feels like heaven,’’ Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur after the win. “I don’t know the words to describe it. ... Awesome. That’s it. That’s the word.’’