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W2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11689/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-5
TAMPA, Fla. -- Looking back at three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams' 19-17 victory Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
1. Rev the run: After a disappointing opening last week against Minnesota, the Rams desperately needed to get the run game going to have a chance against the Bucs. They turned to the run early and often Sunday and though there's still plenty of room for improvement, strides were clearly made against the Bucs. As a team, the Rams rushed for 119 yards on 29 carries with their lone touchdown on the day courtesy of back Zac Stacy. That averages to a little more than 4 yards per carry which isn't overwhelming but it was enough to allow them to keep the chains moving and stick with the run game as a whole. Stacy led the way with 19 carries for 71 yards.
2. Short and simple: Taking a page from the Vikings last week, the Bucs didn't ask quarterback Josh McCown to throw down the field much. Instead, McCown was getting the ball out quickly in an effort to help negate the Rams' pass rush. It worked to an extent as the Rams had just one sack on the day though McCown was under fire on a more regular basis. McCown threw for 179 yards on 16-of-21 passing with no touchdowns and an interception. But with big play receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the outside, the Bucs' longest pass play was 29 yards to Evans on the game's final play.
3. Under center: It was no surprise that Austin Davis ended up starting at quarterback after taking almost all of the reps with the first team in practice last week. Shaun Hill was active after testing his injured thigh in pre game but was only available in an emergency situation which would have left him only capable of taking shotgun snaps. The Rams had no such emergencies and Davis put together an impressive first regular season start by going 22-of-29 for 235 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions for a passer rating of 99.1. Davis was facing an injury-depleted defense but he's the team's third string quarterback so his performance was encouraging regardless of who he was going against. Jeff Fisher said after the game Hill will be the starter when he's healthy again but Davis did enough to ensure the Rams can confidently take their time with Hill rather than attempting to rush him back.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11689/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-5
TAMPA, Fla. -- Looking back at three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams' 19-17 victory Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
1. Rev the run: After a disappointing opening last week against Minnesota, the Rams desperately needed to get the run game going to have a chance against the Bucs. They turned to the run early and often Sunday and though there's still plenty of room for improvement, strides were clearly made against the Bucs. As a team, the Rams rushed for 119 yards on 29 carries with their lone touchdown on the day courtesy of back Zac Stacy. That averages to a little more than 4 yards per carry which isn't overwhelming but it was enough to allow them to keep the chains moving and stick with the run game as a whole. Stacy led the way with 19 carries for 71 yards.
2. Short and simple: Taking a page from the Vikings last week, the Bucs didn't ask quarterback Josh McCown to throw down the field much. Instead, McCown was getting the ball out quickly in an effort to help negate the Rams' pass rush. It worked to an extent as the Rams had just one sack on the day though McCown was under fire on a more regular basis. McCown threw for 179 yards on 16-of-21 passing with no touchdowns and an interception. But with big play receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the outside, the Bucs' longest pass play was 29 yards to Evans on the game's final play.
3. Under center: It was no surprise that Austin Davis ended up starting at quarterback after taking almost all of the reps with the first team in practice last week. Shaun Hill was active after testing his injured thigh in pre game but was only available in an emergency situation which would have left him only capable of taking shotgun snaps. The Rams had no such emergencies and Davis put together an impressive first regular season start by going 22-of-29 for 235 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions for a passer rating of 99.1. Davis was facing an injury-depleted defense but he's the team's third string quarterback so his performance was encouraging regardless of who he was going against. Jeff Fisher said after the game Hill will be the starter when he's healthy again but Davis did enough to ensure the Rams can confidently take their time with Hill rather than attempting to rush him back.