Rams Rookie Review: Week 1/Wagoner

[RamBill]

Rams rookie review: Week 1
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11453/rams-rookie-review-week-1

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- A look at playing time and production of each of the St. Louis Rams' drafted rookies and a quick glimpse at the undrafted rookie class in Sunday's 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.


OL Greg Robinson, first round, No. 2 overall: As expected, Robinson did not start on the offensive line with Davin Joseph and Rodger Saffold handling right and left guard duties, respectively. Also as expected, Robinson found his way into the game when Saffold departed with a neck injury late in the game. Robinson played nine snaps on offense and three as a blocker on special teams. Watching how the offensive line fared without him, it's hard to imagine Robinson couldn't have turned in a similar pass-blocking performance at worst and represented an upgrade in the run game at best.

DT Aaron Donald, first round, No. 13 overall: Donald delivered on some of the promise he showed in the early stages of camp with four tackles, including two for a loss against Minnesota's vaunted run game. Most of his 29 defensive snaps came on clear passing downs as Donald entered on third downs inside with Eugene Sims joining him at tackle and Chris Long and Robert Quinn on the ends. There weren't a lot of bright spots among the members of this class, but Donald had his moments.

DB Lamarcus Joyner, second round, No. 41 overall: The Vikings' run-heavy approach didn't allow for the Rams to be in the nickel much, leaving Joyner with just 23 defensive snaps and a dozen more on special teams. He finished with two tackles on defense and another on special teams in a mostly nondescript debut.

RB Tre Mason, third round, No. 75 overall: Mason struggled in the preseason and doesn't provide help on special teams which rendered him inactive for his first NFL game. Of the team's five running backs, Mason was the only one inactive against the Vikings.

S Maurice Alexander, fourth round, No. 110 overall: In a mild surprise, Alexander was also inactive Sunday. It's not a surprise in the sense that Alexander wasn't expected to help on defense right away, but he figured to help on special teams. Rookie cornerback Marcus Roberson was active instead.

CB E.J. Gaines, sixth round, No. 188 overall: The only rookie to start, Gaines got the call in place of the injured Trumaine Johnson. Gaines played 56 defensive snaps (97 percent of the total) and six more on special teams. In the process, he had three tackles and two pass breakups, nearly coming up with an interception early in the game.

C Demetrius Rhaney, seventh round, No. 250 overall: Rhaney is on injured reserve for the season with a knee injury.

Undrafted rookie roundup: Roberson played 11 snaps on special teams and running back Trey Watts played nine there also, neither registered a tackle in the unofficial statistics. ... Tight end Alex Bayer and defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks were pregame inactives.

 

[RamBill]

W2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11440/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-4

ST. LOUIS -- Looking back at three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams' 34-6 loss Sunday afternoon to the Minnesota Vikings:

1. How's Hill?: Shaun Hill's first start as quarterback for the Rams lasted all of one half before he departed with what coach Jeff Fisher called a quadriceps injury in his leg. But Hill didn't have much success before departing for the afternoon. He finished 8-of-13 for 81 yards with no touchdowns and a brutal interception that led to Minnesota's first touchdown and a 13-point deficit the Rams would not overcome. His passer rating was 47.3 for the day. Hill spent the second half standing on the sideline and deferred to Fisher for an injury update before saying he expects to be ready for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. The Rams offense as a whole was ineffective so not all the blame should fall on Hill or backup Austin Davis, but he didn't do much to alleviate concerns about whether he's up to the task.

2. On the corner: As expected, rookie E.J. Gaines made the start at cornerback in place of injured Trumaine Johnson (knee). Gaines had ups and downs, including a pass breakup early in the game as he finished with three tackles and the two passes defended. The Rams mostly trusted Janoris Jenkins to handle man coverage on the opposite side and provided extra help for Gaines. He did get beat by Greg Jennings for a touchdown though he had decent coverage on the play. All things considered, Gained fared OK but the Vikings did a good job of getting the ball out quick to negate the Rams' pass rush.

3. Containing Peterson: Much was made this week of the Rams' efforts to stop running back Adrian Peterson -- and rightfully so -- but it wasn't a Peterson that burned them so much as a Patterson. The Rams mostly did solid work against Peterson, holding him to 75 yards on 21 carries, an average of just 3.6 yards per attempt. But with Peterson working between the tackles, the Vikings took advantage around the edge with receiver Cordarrelle Patterson running jet sweeps. Patterson posted 102 yards on three carries, including a 67-yard touchdown run. It doesn't matter who gets the yards or how they come, if the Rams can't stop the run, it's going to wipe out any advantage their talented pass rush might give them. Minnesota finished with 186 yards on 30 carries, an average of 6.2 yards per attempt.