Rams vs. Colts: Preview

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-previewing-st-louis-preseason-week-3-matchup

Rams vs. Colts: Previewing St. Louis' Preseason Week 3 Matchup
By Steven Gerwel, Featured Columnist Aug 27, 2015

The St. Louis Rams will face the Indianapolis Colts for Week 3 of the NFL preseason. This will be St. Louis' first home game of 2015.

The Rams are coming off two abysmal performances against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 and the Oakland Raiders in Week 1. The starting offense has been on the field for five drives this preseason but has only produced three total points.

St. Louis seems to struggle on offense year after year, so it's understandable that fans are entering panic mode. The team hardly deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, so fans are beginning to worry that 2015 will produce the same mediocrity they've witnessed for years.

Having said that, a solid performance against the Colts could certainly sway public opinion and bring back the optimism. If the offense enters this game stronger than ever and creates scoring drives, all will be forgiven from the previous two weeks.

This article will break down the upcoming game, including the latest headlines, injury news, matchup analysis and more, which should give us an idea of what St. Louis is up against.

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: KTVI Fox (St. Louis Local)

News and Notes

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Todd Gurley Back in Action

The Rams needed some good news on the offensive side of the ball, and they got it in the form of Todd Gurley. According to Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gurley is now a full participant in practice.

Gurley, St. Louis' No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, experienced a season-ending ACL tear late last season while with the Georgia Bulldogs, per ESPN.com. Despite the injury, Gurley's talent is so rare and incredible, the Rams still felt comfortable investing a top-10 pick.

An elite running back can do wonders for an NFL team. The Minnesota Vikings have appeared in four playoff games since drafting Adrian Peterson, including the 2009 NFC Championship. The Seattle Seahawks have appeared in 10 playoff games since the acquisition ofMarshawn Lynch, including two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.

Both offenses are centered around the running back position and have thrived as a result. If Gurley reaches his sky-high potential, the Rams can succeed by mimicking a similar approach.

The Rams will need to improve their run blocking and quarterback play before Gurely can be fully utilized. However, in the meantime, Gurley's return can only be seen as good news in St. Louis.

Brian Quick Coming Along

Gurley is not the only key offensive weapon back on the field for St. Louis. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, receiver Brian Quick is recovering nicely from last year's shoulder injury and is expected to play against Indianapolis.

This is yet another major piece of good news for the offense. Quick was undoubtedly the No. 1 receiver for the Rams last year. In just six full games, he caught 25 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns. Adding Quick to the mix on top of Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin and Jared Cook will give St. Louis a diverse and intimidating group of pass-catchers.

The offense certainly deserves blame for struggling this preseason, but it's only fair to point out that the unit has been held back by the absence of its No. 1 wide receiver. Quick returning to the lineup is one of the best pieces of news this preseason.

Bud Sasser Not Done With the Rams After All

The Rams drafted Missouri wideout Bud Sasser in the sixth round of the NFL draft, but he was cut shortly after the draft due to an unfortunate heart condition, per Wagoner of ESPN.com.

Sasser's playing days appear to be over for the time being. However, the Rams just hired Sasser as a football affairs coordinator, according to Wagoner.

"We are really excited to have him on board," said head coach Jeff Fisher. "He's going to be working in alumni relations and youth football, and it's just a great opportunity for him. He's an outstanding young man who obviously had something that was clearly out of his control, and I think he realizes that this is the best thing for him from a future standpoint."

As a former Mizzou product and a local favorite, the addition of Sasser to the Rams' staff is a feel-good headline for the fans and also a great opportunity for Sasser, who had his dream tragically crushed. It was an all-around classy move by the St. Louis organization.

Latest Injury News

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jim Thomas' Twitter account, there were a number of players who missed Wednesday's practice. As a result, they should be considered questionable for the exhibition against the Colts.

DT Michael Brockers (Shoulder)

Michael Brockers missed last week's game against the Tennessee Titans. Thomas reported that Brockers missed Wednesday's practice, so it's likely the Rams will play it safe and keep him sidelined again.

OL Rodger Saffold (Shoulder)

Saffold was injured on the very first drive of the preseason opener in Oakland. Thomas reported Saffold missed practice and will miss the game against the Colts. As the team's only competent and above-average offensive lineman, it's probably wise on the Rams' part to play it safe.

CB Brandon McGee (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

LB Daren Bates (Knee)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

LB Korey Toomer (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

OL Andrew Donnal (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

OL Steven Baker (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

TE Brad Smelley (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

DT Doug Worthington (Unspecified)

Missed Wednesday's practice.

Key Matchups

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Pass Defense vs. Andrew Luck

The Colts finished with the NFL's best aerial attack last season (305.9 yards per game). Meanwhile, the Rams' defense gave up the second-highest completion percentage to opponents last season (68.1 percent), the highest in 2013 (68.1 percent) and the third-highest in 2012 (66.2 percent).

Putting an elite passing attack against a defense that's seemingly incapable of forcing an incompletion seems like a nightmare.

Then again, Denver had the fourth-best passing game in 2014 (291.3), yet the Rams beat the Broncos 22-7.

The way St. Louis is able to beat high-octane passing teams is by properly executing the "bend but don't break" philosophy, combined with an elite pass rush.

And that's the key in this game. We know the Rams will allow a high completion rate, but the defensive backs cannot allow any back-breaking plays. Additionally, the secondary must maintain coverage long enough for St. Louis' ferocious pass rush to get the job done.

The Rams don't care if the opposing quarterback completes 65 percent of his passes for 300 yards. As long as touchdowns are prevented and the line is racking up the sack count, Fisher is happy.

Offensive Line vs. Indianapolis Defense

St. Louis' first-string offensive line—a young group that will feature two rookies and three first-year starters on opening day—has struggled to appear even semi-competent this preseason.

Starting back Tre Mason has averaged just 2.4 yards per carry. Benny Cunningham, the No. 2 back, has just 28 yards on nine carries for a modest average of 3.1 yards per attempt.

This week, the Rams will have a prime opportunity to change that.

The Indianapolis run defense has been terrible this preseason—almost as bad as St. Louis' run blocking. The Colts rank 30th in the NFL this preseason in rushing yards allowed per game (146). On top of that, the Indy defense has allowed three rushing touchdowns in two games.

That shouldn't be a total surprise, given that the Colts ranked a modest 18th overall in run defense in 2014, allowing an average of 113.4 rushing yards per game.

Without a doubt, this is the offensive line's best opportunity to gain confidence and turn things around. If the Rams can't field a somewhat potent rushing attack against the Colts, it might be time to panic (if you weren't panicking already).

Matchup X-Factors

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Foles and His Comfort Under Center

The St. Louis offensive line has the luxury of facing a weak Indianapolis run defense, which should finally spark the run game. However, that won't happen if Nick Foles is ineffective.

Last week against the Titans, Foles looked absolutely horrendous. He went 3-of-7 with 18 yards and a laughable 10.7 passer rating. Nothing about his performance even remotely resembled that of a starting NFL quarterback.

Hopefully, that performance was merely an aberration. In the preseason opener, Foles went a respectable 3-of-5 for 69 yards and nearly had a touchdown pass that tight end Jared Cook failed to secure. If that performance in the opener is a better representation of Foles' actual abilities, the Rams should be in good shape.

If Foles can brush off last week's bad performance and regain his comfort in the pocket, it will do wonders for the offense. It will keep the Indy defense honest, preventing it from zeroing in on the run. Foles' arm can also stretch the field and allow the Rams to pick up yards in chunks rather than short increments.

So much of the offense's success this season depends on Foles. An inspiring performance in this game will certainly be a welcomed relief for Rams fans.

Discipline Continues to Haunt the Rams

St. Louis finished with 10 penalties in the preseason opener. The Rams followed that up with nine penalties against the Titans. Ever since Fisher's arrival in 2012, the team has struggled to avoid idiotic infractions.

One thing the Rams must work on this week is avoiding flags and showing discipline. Losing the penalty ratio every single week is a monumental disadvantage, and it has to end.

It's one thing if the defense is flagged for playing rough and being ferocious, but there's no good reason for the offense making false starts and needlessly getting holding penalties. The offense struggles enough as it is. Adding penalties to the mix only further cripples the unit.

The goal this week should be five penalties. That's rather optimistic, but it's certainly doable.

Prediction: Colts 24, Rams 13

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts have one of the NFL's more deadly offenses. If the St. Louis defense was playing at full-throttle, it might be able to diffuse the Indianapolis attack. Unfortunately, a 70 percent effort by the defensive players isn't enough.

The Rams gave up a lot of big plays last week to Tennessee—a far less intimidating offense—so it's only reasonable to think the Colts will tear through the Rams like it's a game of flag football.

If the St. Louis offense gets some momentum early on, it could shift things back in the Rams' favor. Although, after the offense's dreadful performances in the first two preseason games, it's unlikely we'll see such a sudden awakening.

In this game, the Rams need to fight for moral victories. Decent ball movement on offense and two scoring drives should be enough to restore some optimism.

Winning the game is not important. Instead, St. Louis needs to focus on creating a few positives to build on and go from there.

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' 2015 game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or following him on Twitter.

 

[den-the-coach]

Prediction: Colts 24, Rams 13

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

 

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http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2015/8/29/9224437/st-louis-rams-indianapolis-colts-preview

2015 NFL Preseason St. Louis Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts: Preview Q&A with Stampede Blue
By 3k  @3k_ on Aug 29, 2015

Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Getting the inside info from Josh Wilson of Stampede Blue, the SB Nation community for fans of the Indianapolis Colts.

Tonight's Rams-Colts game could be the last significant tune up for the starters. With the constant looming threat of injury hanging over every snap of the preseason, the fourth preseason game is the annual Roster Cut Bowl. So tonight could be the last we see of many of the most important Rams in the 2015 preseason.

To feel out the opposition for this one, I linked up with Josh Wilson from Stampede Blue, SB Nation's community for fans of the Indianapolis Colts.

Let's start on offense. Do you guys have enough around Andrew Luck this year to improve? If you're back in New England in mid-January 2016, are you more confident that the offense is going to be able to pull its weight and why or why not?

This offense should be significantly improved from last year's version. We all know about Andrew Luck and know that he hasn't really been the issue, but he's just entering his fourth year and could get even better. Surrounding him, however, is a very good cast of skill players. T.Y. Hilton had a Pro Bowl year last year, but he was really the only reliable weapon that they had. Now, they added veteran Andre Johnson in free agency and drafted Phillip Dorsett in the first round, giving them two more exciting receivers along with Donte Moncrief, who was drafted by the team last year and has talent.

They signed veteran running back Frank Gore, who should have a good year (if only for the fact that he'll be facing less men in the box now with this passing offense). They have Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener at tight end, who when healthy make up one of the better tight end duos in the league. And then they have depth at a lot of those spots as well behind those players already mentioned. The one huge concern for the Colts offense is their offensive line, which hasn't looked too good yet this preseason.

If that unit struggles it could limit the offense's effectiveness, but they still played well last year and still didn't have a good line, so I think that it should be something the Colts could overcome. So, to answer your question, yes, this offense should be improved and should be able to pull its weight no matter who they are playing (though the hope for them is that they won't have to be in New England in January but rather in Indianapolis).

Defensively, how are things coming together? Getting Robert Mathis back can't hurt. You guys were middle of the pack overall in 2014 in both the pass and the run. Is that the goal - to just shoot for defensive adequacy so your offense can win games? (P.S. I'm a Rams fan. What is offense? What are points?)

Well, the stated goal by the Colts is that they are aiming for and think they can be better than middle of the pack, but if we're looking at their actions and not their words, that does seem to be the idea. They are heavily investing in the offensive side of the football but haven't given the defense the talent that it really needs to excel. They have a standout player in cornerbackVontae Davis, and they are "adding" two proven, veteran pass rushers in Trent Cole (free agency) and Robert Mathis (returning from injury), while at the same time they added Kendall Langford along the defensive line (and are getting a healthy Arthur Jones back) to help the run defense.

So, let's put it this way: there's reason to hope that the defense will be better in 2015, but it's a case of we'll believe it when we see it. Simply put, I don't think the Colts have enough talent to be a top defense, and they're not developing much younger talent either. This defense should, though, be much like last year - play very well against poor to average offenses but play awful against good offenses. The realistic goal for them this year? Play well against the bad/average teams and slow the good teams down just enough so that the offense can outscore them.

You guys put together a really interested draft class this year. How's Philip Dorsett looking so far? Are the defensive additions going to be in the starting mix for week one?

Most Colts fans really, really disliked the pick of Phillip Dorsett at the time because, as we all know, they need defensive help. Instead, they went for the highest player left on their board, which just happened to be a receiver. As time has gone on and we've moved on from the draft, however, this pick has become a lot more popular - mainly because, once the emotion of not drafting a defender wore off, it's easy to realize that Dorsett is a good player.

He has impressed so far, showing off his great speed but also looking like a well-rounded player for a rookie. He is also the team's punt returner, and the Colts have been working on ways to get the ball in his hands to allow him to make plays. The draft picks on the defensive side of the football are perhaps even more interesting, however, and they could end up playing significant roles this year as well.

Third round cornerback D'Joun Smith has had an up time as he adjusts to the NFL, but the Colts really like him and there's reason to. He should be in line to be the fourth or fifth cornerback on the roster this year. Third round defensive end Henry Anderson is a player who is a perfect fit in the Colts' system and should see some time in the rotation this year. Fourth round safety Clayton Geathers could be in for a big role, as he has been playing as an inside linebacker in their dime packages.

The Colts struggled massively to cover the tight end last year (and D'Qwell Jackson was terrible in coverage), so it appears that in obvious passing situations when the Colts use the dime package, Geathers will come in as a linebacker for Jackson, as Geathers can both tackle and cover. At some point I'd expect him to get a shot at safety, but whether that's this year or not, he still should see some playing time.

And then there's fifth round nose tackle David Parry, who has been earning some first team reps in preseason as the Colts are still looking for the answer at nose tackle in their 3-4 defense. Parry could wind up winning the starting job, but even if he doesn't, he will likely see a lot of playing time too.

Beyond the draftees, what other new Colts are standing out? Any UDFAs with a shot at the 53-man roster? How are the veteran free agent additions in Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, Trent Cole and Todd Herremans meshing this early?

I really want to say that there's an undrafted free agent who will make the team because, well, there always seem to be one or two of them every year. But at this point, I don't really see it - other than Duron Carter, the wide receiver the team signed out of the CFL before the draft (he's technically an undrafted rookie, I guess). Undrafted receiver Quan Bray had a great camp, but he has been nearly invisible in preseason.

I liked outside linebackerZack Hodges a lot coming into training camp, but he hasn't done nearly enough to earn a roster spot at this point. At this point, I'd have to say that a guy like cornerback Eric Patterson or inside linebacker Junior Sylvestre might stand the best chance of any of the undrafted free agents at making the roster, but I'm not sure if there are any right now that I see making the team.

The veteran additions for the Colts are the most notable ones, as Gore, Johnson, Cole, and Herremans have all produced at the NFL level and will all be starting for the team in 2015. Johnson will be the number two receiver and will have a big role, as he'll likely get a lot of passes thrown his way. Gore is the starting running back and could be the first Colt to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2007.

Cole will absolutely be starting until Robert Mathis returns, and even after that point Cole will have a big role in pass rush, an area the Colts struggled at last year. And then Herremans is the team's starting right guard - he's had some struggles in preseason, but I don't see the team making a move anytime soon, nor do I think they should (the rest of the line has seemingly been just as bad).

What are the fan base's expectations this year? Obviously, they have to be high. You've got a phenomenal young franchise QB, and the team has climbed the ladder from Wild Card to Divisional Round to the AFC Conference Championship. Is anything short of a Super Bowlappearance this year a "failure?"

There's no doubt about it: the expectation for the Colts this year is the Super Bowl. This team has a lot of talent in some spots and a lot of question marks in others, but they have a great one at the most important position, as they have Andrew Luck at quarterback. The team's schedule is a very favorable one and it is entirely realistic that they could earn home field advantage for the playoffs. That's not easy, but it's possible for this team. That would allow them to avoid a January trip to New England, which would be big.

Ultimately, there will be a lot of disappointment if this team falls short, but I wouldn't consider it a Super Bowl or bust season. And the main reason why is this: I absolutely think the Colts have a real shot to get to the Super Bowl, but I also realize that they have work to do.

Andrew Luck has covered over a lot of flaws, and he will likely do that again this year. So while the expectations are massively high this year (and while some Colts fans will disagree with this), I wouldn't consider it a Super Bowl or bust year - though they can't afford a big postseason flop either.

​

 

[CGI_Ram]

How can anyone possibly predict a score in a preseason game?