I just got back from a week long road trip so this review is a little late, but thanks to TIVO I was able to watch the game.
Obviously Steven Jackson is looking good and was the brightest spot of the game for the Rams. The defense wasn't too bad and looked at least as good as they did last year. The pass rush doesn't look like it will be effected too badly by the loss of Wistrom.
Kevin Curtis looked awful. I figured coming off the broken leg he would have to deal with getting back up to game speed, but apparently the injury to his leg effected his hands more than anything. I was pretty disappointed in his performance and thought McDonald, although not perfect, took advantage of his many opportunites to show what he can do. Looker had a fumble and I'm starting to get the impression that he may not be strong enough for the NFL. I like his guts but he seems to lose the ball a lot for the few times that he gets his hands on it. I really thought he was going to be a Ricky Proehl clone, but that is a stretch in my mind at this point and takes away from how good Ricky really is.
Smoker looked like a rookie and was pretty unimpressive in his first live action. He threw a couple of good balls but overall looked like another Joe Germaine to me. He doesn't have a cannon and just isn't ready for the pro's yet. I'm beginning to wonder what a strong armed qb might accomplish in this offense. Obviously Martz likes to go with cerebral qb's but I would like to see a guy who can gun it rather than just throw to spots.
Chandler, behind Jackson and McDonald, was the other highlight of the evening. He looked nimble as well as throwing the ball well. Good accuracy and good arm strength to go along with an apparent comfort level with the offense. Being prone to injury is obviously a big detractor but if he continues to play well he might actually be a better option than Bulger.
Speaking of Bulger, he looked rusty to me. Actually he looked like he picked up where he left off last year but I'll chalk it up to rust at this point. He had a few good throws but also some not so good throws. Again, just a continuation of last year to me. He needs to become more consistent with his throws. I don't know exactly why he can thread the needle on one throw and then throw a yard and a half behind the receiver on the next. He still needs work. The offense looked a little sluggish with Bulger and seemed to pick it up with Chandler and that's not a good sign to me either. Playcalling, personnel and opposing defense are all factors so we'll see if this continues in future games.
All in all, the team looked a lot like last year's team which is good and bad. The interem o-line looked good and the offense should be better when Pace, Faulk and Turley start to play. The defense was sufficient but not dominating and the special teams gave up another crucial play. It's just preseason but the Rams still have work to do.
Obviously Steven Jackson is looking good and was the brightest spot of the game for the Rams. The defense wasn't too bad and looked at least as good as they did last year. The pass rush doesn't look like it will be effected too badly by the loss of Wistrom.
Kevin Curtis looked awful. I figured coming off the broken leg he would have to deal with getting back up to game speed, but apparently the injury to his leg effected his hands more than anything. I was pretty disappointed in his performance and thought McDonald, although not perfect, took advantage of his many opportunites to show what he can do. Looker had a fumble and I'm starting to get the impression that he may not be strong enough for the NFL. I like his guts but he seems to lose the ball a lot for the few times that he gets his hands on it. I really thought he was going to be a Ricky Proehl clone, but that is a stretch in my mind at this point and takes away from how good Ricky really is.
Smoker looked like a rookie and was pretty unimpressive in his first live action. He threw a couple of good balls but overall looked like another Joe Germaine to me. He doesn't have a cannon and just isn't ready for the pro's yet. I'm beginning to wonder what a strong armed qb might accomplish in this offense. Obviously Martz likes to go with cerebral qb's but I would like to see a guy who can gun it rather than just throw to spots.
Chandler, behind Jackson and McDonald, was the other highlight of the evening. He looked nimble as well as throwing the ball well. Good accuracy and good arm strength to go along with an apparent comfort level with the offense. Being prone to injury is obviously a big detractor but if he continues to play well he might actually be a better option than Bulger.
Speaking of Bulger, he looked rusty to me. Actually he looked like he picked up where he left off last year but I'll chalk it up to rust at this point. He had a few good throws but also some not so good throws. Again, just a continuation of last year to me. He needs to become more consistent with his throws. I don't know exactly why he can thread the needle on one throw and then throw a yard and a half behind the receiver on the next. He still needs work. The offense looked a little sluggish with Bulger and seemed to pick it up with Chandler and that's not a good sign to me either. Playcalling, personnel and opposing defense are all factors so we'll see if this continues in future games.
All in all, the team looked a lot like last year's team which is good and bad. The interem o-line looked good and the offense should be better when Pace, Faulk and Turley start to play. The defense was sufficient but not dominating and the special teams gave up another crucial play. It's just preseason but the Rams still have work to do.
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