Rams unveil Austin in backfield
• By Jim Thomas •

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-unveil-austin-in-backfield/article_ff41394d-a35a-5463-a99e-6a3da7765f09.html

During training camp, coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams wanted to expand Tavon Austin’s role in the offense. And in the season opener against Minnesota, part of those plans were unveiled.

Austin, the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2013, lined up on several plays in the backfield as a running back.

“We’re just trying to get the ball in his hands,” Fisher said. “ ‘Cause he needs the ball in his hands in space.”

Austin lined up at running back for three plays on the Rams’ third offensive series against the Vikings. On the first play, he was the lone back. Quarterback Shaun Hill faked a handoff to Austin, and then pitched to wide receiver Chris Givens going in the opposite direction on an end-around.

The Minnesota defense followed Austin for a moment, and it looked like Givens might end up with a sizeable gain. But the blocking wasn’t quite there and Givens gained only four yards.

On the next play, with Austin in the back of an I-formation, he gained three yards up the middle and might have gained a lot more, but fullback Cory Harkey couldn’t hold his block on linebacker Jasper Brinkley.

And on the next play, Austin was dropped for a three-yard loss running off left tackle, as right guard Davin Joseph couldn’t get to Vikings defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, who got Austin in the backfield.

On the Rams’ fourth series, Austin took a handoff off left tackle, then bounced outside for a five-yard gain and a first down. He was close to turning the play into a larger gain.

On the first series of the second half, Austin was a decoy taking a play-fake from QB Austin Davis on a pass to tight end Jared Cook for a first down.

So, all told, Austin was in the backfield for five plays, gaining five yards on three carries, and producing 19 yards overall when you include the run by Givens and the catch by Cook.

Not exactly an electric start, especially when you consider what wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was doing running the football for Minnesota, or what Percy Harvin was able to do for Seattle in their Sept. 4 season opener against Green Bay.

But it was a start.

“Obviously, we want to get him touches,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday. “It’s an easy way to get him a touch, certainly, to just hand him the ball. When the game got to where it went, it wasn’t something we were able to do the whole time.”

When Patterson’s 67-yard touchdown run out of the backfield gave Minnesota a 20-3 lead late in the third quarter, the Rams had to junk their game plan. To wit, 23 of their 27 plays after that were called pass plays.

“This week, there’ll be more of the same,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll keep giving him touches, getting him the ball. The more spots we can put him, the better off we’ll be.”

Whether the Rams use Austin much in the backfield or not, as the season progresses it’s something opposing teams will have to prepare for — which obviously prevents them from preparing as much in other areas.

“No doubt, no doubt,” Schottenheimer said. “When he’s in there, obviously they’re all on alert, so we can use him a lot of different ways.”

Austin said the first position he ever played in football was running back, in the Pee Wee league, so lining up there comes naturally.

“That’s my first love,” Austin said.

Over the course of his college career at West Virginia, Austin gained 1,040 yards rushing on 110 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry and scoring six TDs. He was used most extensively during his senior season with the Mountaineers, gaining 652 yards on 73 carries.

Austin lined up only a couple of times in the backfield as a rookie last season, but it looks like that will change this year.

“If that’s what happens, I can just go with it,” Austin said. “When my number’s called, I’ll do anything they want me to do.”

Even if it means running between the tackles at 176 pounds?

“I definitely don’t mind,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all football. It doesn’t really matter where Coach Schotty lines me up at. I trust him 150 percent.”

And for those complaining about running Austin inside, that’s just part of the Austin package. The Rams aren’t planning to turn him into Mike Alstott.

“There’s quite a bit more,” Schottenheimer said. “Tell the Bucs maybe that’s all we got — that’d be good. No … we want to use him a lot of different ways. He’s a guy that we know is critical to our success.”

Austin had 11 touches against Minnesota — three on carries, three on receptions, and five on punt returns. Those touches produced only 63 yards, but the Rams are confident bigger days are ahead.

“He was very, very close to going a long way on two punt returns,” Fisher said. “Secure the ball and take off — and trust your blockers. That’ll be another way that obviously we can get some production there.”

RAM-BLINGS

• Hill (thigh) missed practice for the second day in a row, with Davis once again working with the starters. Nickel back Lamarcus Joyner (back) did not practice Thursday.

• The Rams have new practice uniforms this week, featuring a lighter shade of blue. Fisher, sounding strangely like Martha Stewart, said he wanted “to brighten it up.”

• The team officially placed DE Chris Long on the injured reserve/designated for return list. DT Matt Conrath was promoted to Long’s spot from the practice squad. DE Kourtnei Brown, who was with the team in the preseason, was signed to the practice squad.

Rams reporter Casey Phillips chats with St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jake Long leading up to the game against Tampa Bay.

http://www.rams-news.com/one-on-one-with-rams-ot-jake-long-video/

Rams reporter Casey Phillips chats with St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick leading up to the game against Tampa Bay.

http://www.rams-news.com/brian-quick-post-practice-comments-video/

Brian Quick more comfortable than ever
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/115264/brian-quick-more-comfortable-than-ever

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick was one of the team’s most pleasant surprises during training camp and the preseason.

Finally able to string together a series of strong practice outings and find some much-needed consistency, Quick looked the part of the receiver the Rams thought they were getting when they drafted him with the first pick of the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. But performing in shoulder pads and shorts and doing it in games are two very different things.

So when Quick was able to carry over what he was doing in practice to the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, it was the most encouraging sign yet that Quick has what it takes to be a solid contributor at the NFL level.

“Coming out here every day and playing fast definitely makes it easier for me,” Quick said. “But that’s the biggest thing is translating it to the field from practice.”

Quick’s work in practice translated into career highs in catches (seven) and yards (99). To the top receivers in the league, that’s an average week’s worth of work, but nobody is putting those type of expectations on Quick. Instead, the Rams would like him to be a consistent performer who can be reliable in the passing game and use his 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame to provide stout run blocking on the perimeter.

Aside from a facemask penalty that appeared to be more bad luck than anything, Quick was the lone real bright spot for the Rams’ offense in the loss to Minnesota.

“I was encouraged,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Brian came on. He made every catch. The only thing that he could improve was the facemask penalty. He’s learned from that. But, he was very productive. Made different types of catches, contested catches — the third down catch where we ended up fourth and 1 and a half was a good catch, it was a good concentration effort.”

Indeed, Quick’s production wasn’t some shallow numbers grab coming after the game was already out of hand. He caught a 23-yard pass from quarterback Shaun Hill on the game’s first play and went on to post 70 yards on four catches in the first half. Simply put, Quick looked as comfortable as he has ever looked on an NFL field, and in turn looked like he belonged.

So what has been the difference? Quick points to the amount of time it took him to learn an NFL offense and route tree after entering the league from tiny Appalachian State. There, Quick played in a rudimentary offense that asked little of him in terms of route running and understanding defenses.

“That was the biggest adjustment was coming in and learning the playbook,” Quick said. “It kept me from playing fast, but now that I really feel that I’m dialed in and I can move fast and know the plays, that’s what I’m feeling.”

It has also helped Quick’s cause that he has entered the season as a starter and knows that he is going to get consistent reps in practice and plenty of snaps in games. Where Quick often found himself thinking through plays as they were happening, he now says he is doing things naturally.

“Sitting on the sideline, not getting reps and then getting in a close game and going in, it’s kind of hard to adjust,” Quick said. “But now being a starter and going in, I’m doing the best I can playing fast and knowing the offense. It’s a lot easier for me.”

Of course, Quick must now turn his consistent practice performances into consistent game performances. The rapport he had with Hill was obvious in the first half last week, but if Hill is unable to play this week because of a quad injury, Quick will have to adjust to working with backup Austin Davis.

In addition, Quick might have been able to take Minnesota by surprise in the first week, but Tampa Bay will be well aware of him in the second. Last season, we saw tight end Jared Cook open with a big performance then disappear for long stretches of time.

The onus falls on Quick to continue to find ways to get open and make plays.

“I’m playing faster and not thinking,” Quick said. “That’s a big change for me. I am just playing fast.”

Targeting Chris Long’s possible return
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11555/targeting-chris-longs-possible-return

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams moved swiftly to place defensive end Chris Long on injured reserve with the designation to return Wednesday afternoon.

Long’s left ankle surgery was scheduled for Thursday morning with Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, North Carolina. From there, the Rams and Long will have to follow league procedure before he can return to the mix in what figures to be an 8-to-10 week recovery.

The NFL added the designated to return form of injured reserve in 2012 with the idea of giving every team a chance to stash a player who might miss an extended period but not enough to be out for the season.

With that in mind, here are some basics to remember about how it works and how it will affect Long:

Each team can only use the designation to return once. Now that Long has been designated, the team cannot use the tag again. They did it with safety T.J. McDonald in 2013 and center Scott Wells in 2012.

The earliest Long can return to practice is six weeks from Wednesday, which would be Oct. 22, the week the Rams travel to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s at the absolute earliest and Long would not be eligible to play against the Chiefs.

Once Long begins practicing again, the Rams would have a maximum of 21 days to restore him to the active roster.

The earliest Long can play in a regular-season game is eight weeks from Wednesday, which would be Nov. 5. Obviously, the Rams don’t play a game on a Wednesday night so the soonest he could play in a game would be the Nov. 9 game at the Arizona Cardinals. For that to happen, the Rams would have to restore him to the active roster after eight weeks.

Of course, the extent of Long’s rehab is unknown at this point so pinpointing a specific return date right now is nearly impossible. Knowing Long, though, it wouldn’t surprise if he came back on the front end of when the rules allow.

A Long run ends: Rams DE is out at least 2 months
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/a-long-run-ends-rams-de-is-out-at-least/article_8765fad6-f14d-57bc-99c9-c6a88c467c35.html

Through thick and thin, and it’s been mainly thin lately at Rams Park, defensive end Chris Long has been a pillar.

The longest-tenured Ram hasn’t missed a game since he entered the league in 2008 as the second player drafted, out of Virginia.

“He prides himself on being available,” linebacker James Laurinaitis put it succinctly.

Long has been “available” for 97 consecutive games, the second-longest ironman streak among active NFL defensive ends — behind Chicago’s Jared Allen (111).

But Long’s streak is over. Further testing revealed that he needs ankle surgery for an injury that occurred against Minnesota and will be sidelined for at least two months.

He headed Wednesday to Charlotte, N.C., where Dr. Robert Anderson is scheduled to perform surgery Thursday.

It will the second Rams surgery this week, because coach Jeff Fisher announced Wednesday that quarterback Sam Bradford had surgery Monday.

“Sam will be back in town Friday,” Fisher said. “The doctors gave a good report. Sam decided (on the surgery date) over the weekend and we talked prior to the game that he wanted to go ahead, get it done, and get on that comeback trail again that he knows so well.”

In announcing the Long news following Wednesday’s practice, Fisher said Long will be placed on the injured reserve-designated for return list.

The IR-DR, as it’s called for short, was instituted in 2012. It’s a one-player exception to the normally season-ending injured reserve list designation.

Under IR-DR rules, Long can’t practice for at least six weeks and cannot play in a game for a minimum of eight weeks. That means the earliest he can return is Nov. 9, at Arizona.

William Hayes starts in Long’s place Sunday at Tampa Bay. Eugene Sims also could see more playing time.

And rookie Ethan Westbrooks, who was a pregame inactive against Minnesota, probably dresses this week against the Buccaneers.

“I’m disappointed for Chris,” Fisher said. “I won’t go into specifics on the surgery; it is unique, however. He will be back. When, I can’t predict at this time.”

Long was stepped on from behind five minutes into the third quarter against the Vikings, while trying to shed a blocker. Just the sight of Long on the ground was a jolt to the Rams, Fisher included.

“I’ve been here for a few years now, and it’s not good when he doesn’t get up, because he’s never on the ground,” Fisher said.

“For him to be down on the ground like that …” Laurinaitis said. “You could kind of tell by his facial expression this wasn’t a normal little ding. … It (stunk)to see him like that.”

Long has been such a fixture and so durable for six-plus seasons, it was odd not seeing him on the practice field Wednesday.

“I actually just texted him and said, ‘It’s different not having you out there,’ “ Laurinaitis said in the locker room after practice.

There still was a sliver of hope among some players earlier in the week because of Long’s track record of playing through injuries, of always being out there. But then came the bad news on Long, one of the Rams’ team captains and one of the league’s top 10 pass rushers in terms of sacks over the past four seasons.

“No pity show out there,” defensive end Robert Quinn said. “Of course, we want him to be with us. But it’s just not gonna happen. So we still want to go out there and try to play lights out. Try to play as hard as we can every single snap. And hopefully put a smile on his face with a win this weekend.”

It will be up to the player known as “Father Nature” by his teammates, Hayes, to pick up the slack at Long’s left end position. Hayes got that nickname because at the ripe old age of 29, he’s one of the oldest Rams on the roster.

Hayes has been a super sub for two seasons, backing up Long since signing as a free agent from Tennessee. Over that span, it has been said many times that he could start for many teams in the NFL. Now Hayes gets his chance to show that’s true, by starting for the Rams.

“That’s the upside to the whole issue,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “We’ve got a veteran guy that could start anywhere in the league. He’s here playing behind Chris, and now he’s up. There’s no (dropoff) with this guy in the game.”

“The thing I like about Will is he’s gonna give you everything he’s got, every single snap,” Laurinaitis said. “He plays with a passion and energy that sometimes you’ve gotta try to (reel) him back a little bit.”

Rams radio analyst D’Marco Farr, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle on the club’s Super Bowl championship team, said when Hayes hits the field it’s like an all-out brawl is about to take place.

“And I don’t mean fighting,” Farr said. “I mean the way he plays the game. He raises the intensity of the entire field when he steps out there.”

How intense is Hayes?

He’s the guy who was so upset after last year’s loss to his former team, Tennessee, that he smashed a mirror in the Edward Jones Dome locker room with his forearm, leading to him receiving multiple stitches.

Hayes missed all of the June practice sessions because of three offseason operations, the most serious of which was for a hip injury. And just as he was getting on the field in training camp, he suffered a chest injury that set him back a couple of weeks.

As a result, he missed all four exhibition games and barely practiced at all during camp. Suffice to say he was rusty in the opener against Minnesota.

“Yeah, I hadn’t played football since last year, so I just had to get my feet back up under me,” Hayes said. “I feel great now. The more I play, the more I practice, the better I’m gonna be feeling.”

Hayes has started only 13 games in his six-plus seasons, and only one since 2009. But because of the circumstances, Hayes isn’t excited about getting this chance.

“I would rather be Chris’ backup than him be hurt,” Hayes said. “Because at the end of the day, he’s my friend before all this football stuff.”

===========

Rams without more than Long’s production
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11532/rams-lose-more-than-just-longs-production

EARTH CITY, Mo. — On a St. Louis Rams roster with plenty of holes to fill, losing a starter at most positions would be nearly impossible to overcome. But if there’s one place the Rams have the talent in place to step in when injuries strike, it’s defensive end.

At least in terms of production on the field.

While the Rams are equipped with talented backups like William Hayes and Eugene Sims, the loss of stalwart Chris Long to ankle surgery for the next two-plus months is a blow that runs much deeper than tackles, sacks and quarterback hurries.

Long is the fiery heartbeat of the Rams’ locker room, a player beloved by all of his teammates regardless of position. Just last week, Rams players voted him a team captain and cornerback E.J. Gaines sought advice from Long as he prepared to make his first start even though he plays a much different position.

Before Sunday’s opener against the Minnesota Vikings, it was Long who delivered the pre-game speech in the end zone, a job he’s done countless times in his six-plus seasons in the NFL.

When Long stayed down on the field after it appeared defensive tackle Kendall Langford rolled up on his foot in the third quarter, it was almost a shock that he didn’t get right up and walk off the field.

“It was kind of a unique injury,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “I’ve been here for a few years now and it’s not good when he doesn’t get up because he’s never on the ground.”

As the most tenured Ram on the roster in his seventh NFL season, Long has never missed an NFL game in 97 tries. For a team that hasn’t won much over that time, for Long to never miss a game was an even more impressive feat. In fact, his consecutive games streak ranks second only to Chicago’s Jared Allen among active defensive ends.

“He’s played through a lot of injuries,” Hayes said. “He’s a very tough guy. At the end of the day, it was mind boggling.”

Langford was just as surprised.

“When it first happened, I thought maybe he might miss a couple of days of practice, tape it up and get out there,” Langford said. “But unfortunately that wasn’t the case.”

To be sure, Long’s absence won’t just be felt in terms of leadership. He’s been among the league’s most productive ends over the past six seasons. His 50.5 sacks since 2008 are tied for 14th in the NFL. His 41.5 sacks over the past four seasons is 10th in the league in that span.

Replacing that production will fall into the capable hands of Hayes, Sims and maybe even undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks. That trio should be able to provide a reasonable facsimile of Long’s production from down to down. Hayes has 12 sacks in the past two seasons while Sims is a solid run defender who can spell him when needed.

Picking up the slack for Long in a leadership role is more of a day-to-day proposition. Hayes is an emotional type, quick to offer vocal guidance, and would seem the most likely to handle some of those duties. Players like Langford and end Robert Quinn are more lead-by-example types.

Outside of that group, linebacker James Laurinaitis is also a captain and would seem poised to take on even more of that responsibility moving forward.

“Everybody carries their own weight and leads in their own way,” Langford said. “You have just got different types of guys. We all respond to each other well and we respect each other and would do anything for each other.”

The Rams placed Long on injured reserve with the designation to return Wednesday afternoon, which means he’s out for at least the next eight weeks. In the meantime, they’ll make a roster move to fill his spot. But just because they’ll have another name on the depth chart doesn’t mean they’ll be able to replace him.

ESPN NFL analysts Tedy Bruschi and Mark Schlereth discuss the impact of the Rams losing defensive end Chris Long, who will have ankle surgery and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.

http://www.rams-news.com/espns-bruschi-and-schlereth-on-the-impact-of-losing-chris-long-video/

Failure to hold the edge cost Rams defense big-time
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/failure-to-hold-the-edge-cost-rams-defense-big-time/article_354d1baf-489d-584b-8af2-695af2f3169d.html

Whether it was running plays, or to a lesser extent the passing game, defensively the Rams lost Sunday’s game to Minnesota on the perimeter. The inability to hold the edge cost the Rams time and time again in a 34-6 loss, especially while the game was close.

“We’ve gotta do a better job up front setting the edges,” coach Jeff Fisher said during his Monday media session. “We had people running behind blocks, not crossing over (in front of them). On a couple of plays we had poor angles out of the secondary.

“We also had an alignment error on the long touchdown run (by Cordarrelle Patterson). So we’re going to have to continue to work at that, and we’ll get that fixed. Gregg (Williams) is very much aware of it, and not happy right now, so we’ll get it fixed.”

In this copycat league, you can rest assured every opponent on the Rams’ schedule will test them on the edge until the Rams show they have indeed gotten it fixed — starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday in Raymond James Stadium.

Patterson, the second-year wide receiver, got the Rams twice on the perimeter on “jet” sweeps — once on each of the Minnesota field goal drives in the opening 16 minutes of play. On the jet sweep, the wide receiver goes in motion towards the quarterback, and gets the handoff as he’s passing the QB. In essence it gives him a running start towards the edge.

On the first field goal drive, a 12-yard run around right end by Patterson got Minnesota out of a game-opening field-position hole, taking the Vikings from their 17 to the 29.

On the play, the Rams had both safeties playing at least 12 yards off the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Chris Long and cornerback E.J. Gaines, who was playing next to Long just off the line of scrimmage, both got taken out on blocks by Minnesota tight ends.

Patterson cut upfield between Long and Gaines through a hole created by the blockers. Linebacker Alec Olgletree, who had lined up on that side, was late to get to the ball.

On the second field goal drive, Patterson got the Vikings within field goal range on a 23-yard jet sweep, again around right end. It was the first play after the missed Greg Zuerlein 50-yard field goal, with Minnesota starting at its 40.

Both Rams safeties were deep again, this time at least 14 yards off the line of scrimmage. Gaines came off his receiver, who was flanked wide right, to force the play inside.

William Hayes, in at defensive end at the time, was unblocked but got caught inside. That left it up to the linebacker on that side — this time it was Jo-Lonn Dunbar. But Dunbar missed a tackle that would’ve stopped Patterson for a one-yard gain.

The backbreaker of course, was Patterson’s long touchdown run late in the third quarter, which stretched a 13-3 Minnesota lead to 20-3.

“I don’t care whether it’s a running back or a wide receiver, you don’t permit ‘em to run 80 yards on a crack toss for a touchdown,” Fisher said. “He’s an outstanding athlete, but we were not — to say the least — very efficient on that particular play.”

Actually, it was “only” 67 yards, but you get the point. Patterson lined up wide right on the play, but then shifted to the backfield behind fullback Matt Asiata in an I-formation. After what had transpired earlier on the two jet screens by Patterson, the Rams must have at least suspected he might get the ball here.

Didn’t matter. The Vikings blocked the play just like it was drawn up on the greaseboard. There were two tight ends on that side, and end Hayes was taken out by one of them after the toss to Patterson.

Pulling guard Brandon Fusco took care of T.J. McDonald, who was stationed wide on the line of scrimmage almost as if he were a cornerback. Fullback Asiata got Gaines, who was stationed a few yards behind the line of scrimmage like a safety. And linebacker Alec Ogletree, who had lined up on that side, couldn’t get off his block.

So once again, the Rams were outflanked on the edge in textbook fashion. It was almost like that old clip of Vince Lombardi at the chalkboard from NFL Films: A seal here, a block there. …

Patterson was 15 yards down field before a Rams defender got a hand on him — Dunbar and safety Rodney McLeod missed tackles, and it was off to the races for Patterson who cut back towards the middle for the score.

Obviously, if you can’t get off blocks, it’s hard to play winning football on defense. Plain and simple.

Those three Patterson plays alone accounted for 102 yards — or 30 percent of the Vikings’ offensive output on 56 plays. The Vikings also outflanked the Rams on three screen passes to either a running back, wide receiver, or tight end that amounted to 46 additional yards.

There was a sharp contrast between those plays by the Vikings, who were able to get their blockers on the perimeter. And similar offensive plays by the Rams, who weren’t able to get their blockers out, or when they were, were unable to execute a block. The only exception was a screen pass to Zac Stacy in which the Rams had blockers in place, but Stacy dropped the pass.

Rams wide receiver Brian Quick joined ‘Rams Playmakers’ to talk about the role Kenny Britt has played as a mentor, Brian Schottenheimer’s offense and how he brings a little basketball style to the gridiron.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-wr-brian-quick-radio-interview/

Rams can learn from Vikings’ sweeps
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11480/the-rams-and-the-jet-sweep

EARTH CITY, Mo. — If someone had promised the St. Louis Rams that they would hold Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to 75 yards on 21 carries in the season opener, they probably would have taken it without a second thought.

With that type of performance against Peterson, it would have stood to reason the Rams had shut down the Vikings’ run game, forced them into third-and-long situations and turned up the heat with their pass rush. But while the Rams were able to slow Peterson, his running between the tackles was good enough to open up things on the outside for multi-purpose weapon Cordarrelle Patterson.

When the day was done, Patterson had three carries, all off the right edge, for 102 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown. In the process, he became the first Vikings receiver to rush for more than 100 yards in a game and became the first receiver since the AFL-NFL merger to score rushing touchdowns of 35-plus yards in three consecutive games.

So how did he get there? Well, his first two carries came on the ever-popular jet sweep, a play Seattle used regularly with Percy Harvin in this past Thursday’s regular-season opener. Those two carries went for a total of 35 yards as the Rams struggled to set the edge.

As Peterson continued to hammer away at the middle of the Rams’ defense, Patterson really made them pay when Minnesota called for a more basic toss sweep in the third quarter. Patterson broke multiple tackles and weaved his way through the defense for the electrifying touchdown.

“We have to do a better job up front setting the edges,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We had people running behind blocks, not crossing over. On a couple plays we had poor angles out of the secondary. We also had an alignment error on the long touchdown run. We’re going to have to continue to work at that and we’ll get that fixed. (Defensive Coordinator) Gregg [Williams] is very much aware of it and not happy right now, so we’ll get it fixed.”

The Rams had better get it fixed because they’ll see plenty of other teams running jet sweeps and similar plays throughout the season. They have two meetings against Harvin and the Seahawks and will also see players suchas Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders along the way.

On the flip side, the Rams could also take a page from the Vikings and get the ball to speedy receivers Tavon Austin and Chris Givens in similar ways. They did run a fake to Austin with a handoff to Givens around the right edge that went for four yards, but Austin’s three carries were almost exclusively between the tackles.

Moving forward, the Rams can learn a lot from how Minnesota utilized Patterson to improve themselves on both sides of the ball.

On today’s Breakfast With Bernie, the Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz rattles off all the reasons to give up on the Rams and asks how they can possibly respond this week against the Buccaneers. “The Rams have an owner that is probably going to move the team.” (2:28)

http://www.rams-news.com/bernie-a-salute-to-rams-fans-video/

Morning Ram-blings: Stacy’s fantasy value
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11469/morning-ram-blings-stacys-fantasy-value

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy was a highly sought draft pick in most fantasy football drafts and with good reason. After all, Stacy nearly rushed for 1,000 yards in about three quarters of a season.

Stacy didn’t engender much love from his fantasy owners Sunday when he rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries and the Rams gave carries to Benny Cunningham and Tavon Austin. But ESPN fantasy analyst Christopher Harris says it’s too early to panic about Stacy’s production.

Harris reasons that the Rams won’t struggle as much as they did against the Vikings every week and Stacy produced last season with a similar situation at quarterback. Both are fair points.

The real concern has to be whether the Rams will be able to get that running game revved up on a consistent basis. Stacy excelled against teams outside of the division but struggled in late-season road trips against NFC West foes. Now he and the Rams’ offense have a one-game snapshot of struggling against Minnesota.

The Rams look like they’re going to stick with Stacy for now but if they don’t get better blocking and more of a threatening passing attack, it won’t matter who is playing running back because none of them will be a good fantasy option.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Monday’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … In the Ram-blings, we began the day with the new game balls feature from every games around the league. … Next, we revisited three things to watch in the Rams’ loss to the Vikings. … In this week’s rookie review, we looked at snap counts and production from the team’s rookie class. … The to-do list looks at the Rams’ continued problems with penalties. … Another new feature we started with a look at the turning point play of the week, quarterback Shaun Hill’s interception at the end of the first half. … Finally, we got word from coach Jeff Fisher, who emphatically shot down any rumors that he benched Hill on Sunday.

Elsewhere:

It doesn’t have to do with the Rams, per se, but some worthwhile reads on the Ray Rice situation, a situation that really has something to do with all of us in some sense.

Here’s the news story on Rice’s release and suspension. Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley writes that the Ravens don’t deserve praise for releasing Rice because it was long overdue.

At stltoday.com, Joe Strauss takes the Rams to task for laying an egg in the opener.

Jim Thomas recaps the ways in which this opener was one of the worst in franchise history.

At 101sports.com, Randy Karraker gives his 10 takeaways from the Rams’ loss.