St. Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles preview

Rams face Eagles in Philly in 2008 season opener

The St. Louis Rams look to open up the 2008 regular season on a high note at Philadelphia Sunday after a roller-coaster ride of a preseason.

The first team offense struggled at the start of the preseason, but in the third preseason game against Baltimore finally began to click. After struggling in the first game, the defense rounded into shape as the preseason went along.

Now, the games are for real. The Rams open up at a Philadelphia Eagles squad that went 8-8 last season and just missed the postseason.

Last season the Eagles fielded the sixth most productive offensive unit in the league, led by Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Stopping Westbrook, a dual threat as a runner and as a pass catcher, could challenge the Rams.

If the Rams can keep Westbrook in check, they will still have to deal with a passing attack that led the NFL during the preseason. The Eagles averaged 255 yards per game through the air during the preseason. The Rams, however, had the top pass defense unit during the preseason despite the secondary being ravaged by injuries. The Rams only allowed an average of 110 yards per game through the air.

The key for the Rams will likely be the play of Steven Jackson who did not play at all in the preseason due to his lengthy holdout. The success of the Rams as a whole will likely be directly related Jackson’s success.

Rookie wideout Donnie Avery looked strong in his limited action during the preseason, but an injured knee in the final preseason game will likely keep him in the fifth wide receiver spot behind fellow rookie Keenan Burton.

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In other position battles, Brock Berlin beat out Bruce Gradkowski for the third quarterback position. Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg are still involved in a battle for the starting center position. Romberg’s broken hand gave Leckey an opportunity to claim the spot, but neither has separated himself from the other. Quinton Culberson’s strong preseason has him listed as the starter at strongside linebacker. Chris Draft is listed as the backup while rookie David Vobora also earned a roster spot.

Tye Hill, Fakhir Brown, Corey Chavous and Oshiomagho Atogwe remain the starters in the secondary. The recent addition of Ricky Manning, Jr. at cornerback gives the secondary some depth. Jonathan Wade and Ron Bartell are also listed as backup cornerbacks. Todd Johnson and Brannon Condren are listed as backup safeties.

The Rams named five leaders on the team to be team captains. The offensive captains are quarterback Marc Bulger and wide receiver Torry Holt. The leaders of the defensive unit will be linebacker Will Witherspoon and safety Corey Chavous. Safety Todd Johnson was named the captain of the special teams unit.

By Scott Vicker
ProFootball-fans.com St. Louis Rams Correspondent