St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys: Six Things To Watch - Missouri Sports Magazine

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St. Louis, MO (Shane Gray, Missouri Sports Magazine)

The St. Louis Rams square off against the Dallas Cowboys in the Lone Star State tonight in week three of the preseason slate. To this point of the exhibition season, the Rams have served up quite the mixed bag.

In week one, St. Louis took one on the chin against the Indianapolis Colts, 38-3. The first unit defense was torched and the starting offense was shutout.

In week two, however, the Rams came out ablaze scoring two quick touchdowns and exhibiting strong defense on the way to a 31-17 Governor’s Cup victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

This week in Dallas, the ones will likely play most (if not all) of the first half. However, according to head coach Jeff Fisher, none of the first unit players will see action beyond halftime.

“I won’t have anybody that’s going to play into the second half against the Cowboys,” Fisher explained Wednesday. “There will be a number of players that will do that in the fourth preseason game. We’ll do it in Week 4.”

Fisher’s decision for the Rams to use game four as its’ “dress rehearsal” instead of game three is rather unique. Most teams, like the Cowboys, use week three as their dress rehearsal and play starters and key backups well into the second half.

Thus, in the third quarter, Dallas will likely have its’ starting units on the field while St. Louis is rolling with its’ second and third stringers. With that considered, this week’s game should serve as an even stouter test than it otherwise would have if both teams were incorporating an equal approach, something Fisher touched on earlier this week.

“Dallas, I’m sure, is determined to get ready for the opener and use Week 3, so we’re going to have to hold up and play well and play hard,” Fisher said. “The guys are…we’re going to have to protect our quarterback because they’re very multiple on defense. Rob (Ryan) is a good coordinator and he is going to pressure the passer and they’re going to try to stop the run and do all those things, so we’ve got quite a challenge ahead of us.”

While that challenge unfolds, here are six things to watch:

Second Round Rookie Running Back Isaiah Pead With First Unit Offensive Line

In Isaiah Pead’s first pro preseason action, the rookie from the University of Cincinnati looked a little rushed and had a so-so performance that included a fumble. In his second game, Pead ended the evening with eight combined rushing and passing touches for a total of negative eight yards.

In both of those outings Pead ran behind the second unit offensive line. Particularly in game two, Pead had very little room to operate.

However, in game three, Pead will get some work with the current starting offensive line.

Thus, this game will serve as a critical evaluation tool in regard to the 5’11″ 200 pound back. With  much if not all of the first unit offensive line being expected to play most of the first half, Pead will get some carries with the ones after the Rams shut down Steven Jackson for the night.

A week ago, the Rams starting line cleared several nice holes for Jackson, helping him attain 49 yards on seven carries. It will will be interesting to see what Pead can do when running behind this group.

If Pead struggles to produce for a third consecutive contest and fellow rookie Daryl Richardson offers up another strong outing like he did against the Chiefs, Richardson could theoretically end up taking a few more of Pead’s regular season backup snaps than most would have anticipated a month ago.

The Run Defense

Defensive tackle and outside linebacker were problem spots in regard to run defense a season ago.

The interior defensive line should be much stronger at the point of attack this year with Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford replacing aging veterans Fred Robbins and Justin Bannan. At outside linebacker, the trio of veteran free agent acquisitions Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Mario Haggan and Rocky McIntosh should help to stabilize the unit and prove to be more effective than the 2011 group.

A season ago, St. Louis finished 31st in rushing yards allowed per game and 27th in yards allowed per rush, relinquishing 4.8 yards per carry.

To this point in the preseason, however, the Rams have been much better. In week one, the defense yielded just 3.6 yards per attempt. In week two, they relinquished just 3.5 yards per carry while battling a backfield that boasts both Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.

Although it is only the preseason and deducting too much from the exhibition contests can be dangerous, seeing St. Louis play the run well for a third straight week would certainly serve as an encouraging sign.

The Offensive Line and Barry Richardson

The Rams first unit pass blocking was terrific last week versus Kansas City. In fact, following the aforementioned contest, quarterback Sam Bradford was not sure if he had even been touched.

“Yes. I thought those guys played great tonight,” Bradford said. “I don’t think I got touched once.”

In addition to some great work in pass protection, the run blocking was sound, too. On just seven carries, the starting O Line helped Steven Jackson amass 49 yards. Jackson was impressed with their work.

“They were very aggressive, Jackson expressed. “They won the line of scrimmage, the battle there. You always want to do that week in and week out. I thought they did a great job at the point of attack of opening some lanes for me to run through.”

Of course, a related story within the bigger story is the competition at right tackle. Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer asserted that the starting spot is still up for grabs.

“It’s back and forth. It’s a competition,” Schottenheimer explained. “It’s been a fun competition to watch. Barry’s (Richardson) running with the 1s right now. Jason (Smith) had most of the reps all spring with the 1s. It’s one of those competitions that will be fun to watch coming down to the wire.”

And with the season opener now just two weeks out, that competition is indeed coming down to the wire that Schottenheimer spoke of. If Richardson can post another solid showing, it may all but wrap up the battle for the starting right tackle job.

Sam Bradford and the Passing Game

In the first two weeks of preseason play, Sam Bradford has completed 13 of 18 attempts while looking rather comfortable doing so. More importantly perhaps, he has done a better job of progressing through his reads than he did a season ago. That bodes as a good precursor for the season ahead.

St. Louis will face an aggressive Cowboys defense that will be showing quite a bit in its’ third exhibition game.  It will be interesting to see how Bradford and the Rams passing game responds to some pressure and more complex looks than what they have been seen thus far.

Certain Positional Groups and the Bubble Players Therein

Tonight’s game represents the final opportunity for bubble players to make a positive impression before the first cuts reduce the roster from 90 to 75 on Monday. Those who survive Monday’s cuts will be a step closer to escaping the final roster slim-down and earning a highly coveted spot on the 53 man roster or practice squad.

At this point, the coaching staff certainly has their ideas of who could be sent home on Monday. However, there is still a chance for players to fortify their case by making a strong showing against Dallas.

Positional groups that offer the most intrigue at this point include wide receiver, tight end, outside linebacker and safety.

At wide receiver, at least four players are locks: Danny Amendola, Brian Quick, Chris Givens and Steve Smith. The Rams figure to carry six wideouts with Greg Salas, Brandon Gibson, Austin Pettis and Danario Alexander vying for jobs.

Keep in mind that Pettis must serve the remainder of his four game suspension during the first two weeks of the season. If Pettis is indeed retained, which appears likely at this point, the Rams will most likely carry six other wideouts besides Pettis in the interim.

Special Teams

As is the theme this year in regard to special teams (and the entirety of the roster for that matter), rookies will play a critical role. Coach Fisher is well aware of the team’s overall youthfulness, however, he is undaunted by the team’s relative lack of experience.

“Somebody told me that it might be the youngest in the history of the NFL,” Fisher said Wednesday. “Then, that would mean it would be my youngest (team) too. But that’s OK. These guys like to play and they played hard and I’m not really concerned about our age. We’ve got some speed and we’ve got some talented athletes. The other side of that is, if it is young then it’s only going to get better. And that’s the approach we’re taking.”

St. Louis will open the season with a rookie kicker (Greg Zuerlein) a rookie punter (Johnny Hekker) and a rookie returner (Isaiah Pead or Chris Givens), so watching the preseason performance of those individuals should prove to be more interesting and insightful than it would be if proven veterans were in place.

It will also be interesting to watch how the punt and kick coverage teams do.  The Rams could use strong performances there particularly when considering that this team, centered around running the football and playing tough defense, figures to be in several low scoring games.