JT – Saffold at RG. Foles to play a couple series…setting up the Chiefs game

It’s Bubble Bowl time for Rams roster hopefuls

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/it-s-bubble-bowl-time-for-rams-roster-hopefuls/article_bb6d9767-81d9-5f13-8306-5f79d0016199.html

In high school, linebacker Cameron Lynch won a state championship playing for his Brookwood High team of Lawrenceville, Ga.

In college, he played in bowl games at Syracuse, including a Pinstripe Bowl victory over current teammates Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

On Thursday, however, he plays in the Bubble Bowl, otherwise known as the Rams’ preseason finale against Kansas City at the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff is 7 p.m. for the almost annual Governor’s Cup contest between the Rams and Chiefs.

In terms of Lynch’s future in the sport, Thursday’s game has more meaning than those other milestone contests. In short he, needs to play the game of his life to make the Rams’ 53-man roster — the roster they will carry into the regular season.

“I told my dad that the other day,” Lynch said, “this is a make it or break it type deal. This is gonna be like a state championship or bowl game for me. I’m gonna treat it just like that. So I’ll try to fly around and make some plays.”

He’s not the only one with that in mind. There are maybe 25 to 30 players competing for just a handful of available remaining roster spots.

Lynch is competing with Bryce Hager and Marshall McFadden for what figures to be one or two remaining roster spots at linebacker.

At cornerback, Montell Garner and Trovon Reed remain in the running to nab the fifth cornerback spot.

Justice Cunningham and Alex Bayer are going to the wire for a fourth tight end spot, if the Rams indeed keep four tight ends.

There are still some roster spots to be sorted out on the offensive line. Can former minor league baseball outfielder Bradley Marquez nab a sixth wide receiver spot? And at quarterback, can Austin Davis beat what looks to be very long odds for a third spot on the final 53?

“Every week I play like it’s the Super Bowl ’cause you never know,” said Garner, the undrafted rookie cornerback from South Alabama. “This game right here, I’m gonna approach it like I’ve approached the other games — just going out there and having fun.

“I know this is a business, but this is football. I always think of it as fun. I try not to think about it like it’s a job. I don’t let my highs get too high; I don’t let my lows get too low. Just start grounded and trust the process.”

In the big picture for the Rams, the top priority against Kansas City simply is to avoid injury. With the regular season so close, even a garden variety ankle sprain could jeopardize a player’s availability for Sept. 13 against Seattle.

Priority No. 2 is deciding on the final few roster spots.

“Fifty-three’s not going to be easy,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Those are good problems to have. In years past, our first and second year (with the Rams), we could pretty much look at the start of camp and get to 55. So we have some tough decisions to make.”

Since taking the Rams’ job in 2012, Fisher has played the preseason finale in a variety of ways. In 2012, he opened the final exhibition contest (against Baltimore) with basically his entire starting lineup out there, and they played quite a bit. Quarterback Sam Bradford, for example, threw 16 passes.

Last season at Miami, there wasn’t a single opening-day starter in the lineup against the Dolphins.

As for 2013, also against Baltimore, it was somewhere in between with eight regular-season starters in the lineup.

This time around, it looks like Fisher is leaning toward the 2013 model. That is, partial use of starters to open the game. The plan calls for quarterback Nick Foles to play a series or two against Kansas City. And if Foles is in the game, you can bet that most of the other offensive starters will be out there as well, particularly the line.

Fisher indicated Tuesday that some of the younger offensive line starters could play a little longer. On defense, it’s likely the Rams will rest more starters, especially in the front seven.

That leaves plenty of playing time for bubble guys such as Lynch and Garner, and others hoping to grab one of the final spots on the 53-man roster, or at least one of the 10 practice squad slots available.

This year’s last round of cuts lacks the drama of the 2014 version, when University of Missouri star Michael Sam was attempting to become the first openly gay player to make an NFL regular-season roster.

But that doesn’t make this year’s decisions any less dramatic for the bubble players. Garner’s parents are coming to the game; his father, Milton, played cornerback for Kansas in the mid-1980s and has been teaching him the ins and outs of playing the position since his Pee Wee League days.

“I used to watch old film of my dad,” Garner said. “You’ve got to play with a lot of confidence, and you’ve got to have short-term memory. He taught me his ways and stuff, and I’ve been playing it ever since.”

Lynch wants to get into broadcasting when his playing days are over. While at Syracuse, his weekly Cam’s Cam video segment took a behind-the-scenes look at his Syracuse football teammates.

“We would do different stuff, like a cooking show type thing,” Lynch said. “OK, you’re chef of the team. What do you like to cook?”

Lynch hopes to keep his football career cooking and his broadcasting career on the back burner for as long as possible.

Rams get one more chance to evaluate final roster spots

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20940/rams-get-one-more-chance-to-evaluate-final-roster-spots

The St. Louis Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth and final preseason game Thursday at 8 p.m. ET at the Edward Jones Dome. Here’s a couple of things to watch for during the game:

Why watch: Rams coach Jeff Fisher indicated last week that he could get the roster to about 49 players, which means there are about four spots that were then up for grabs and still could be. The final preseason game presents an opportunity for those jobs to be won or lost. Pinpointing specific players is a difficult task that far down the roster but among the players to keep an eye on are defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat, tight ends Alex Bayer and Justice Cunningham, running back Malcolm Brown and cornerbacks Trovon Reed and Montell Garner.

Did you know? The Rams and Chiefs actually have a trophy for the winner of the game. It’s called the Governor’s Cup and it currently belongs to the Chiefs after their 34-7 win in Kansas City last season. The Rams are 9-5 against the Chiefs in preseason meetings since the team moved to St. Louis but 0-6 in the regular season. After leading the Rams to one of their victories in Kansas City as coach of the Rams, Dick Vermeil once famously blurted out “Where’s the other governor?” during the trophy presentation. He was quickly informed that the Chiefs do, in fact, reside in Kansas City, Missouri.