St. Louis Rams Preseason Game Recap
Rams fall to Titans 34-13 in preseason opener
The St. Louis Rams did not get the start they had hoped for in a 34-13 preseason opening loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Despite reports that the first team offense had started working well together during the past week of training camp and during team drills against the Titans, the unit struggled on the field in a game situation. The first team offense went three and out on its first drive. Then, pinned against their own goal line to start the second drive, the Rams went nowhere before Marc Bulger threw an interception returned for a touchdown by Keith Bulluck. Bulger finished the game 3-of-9 passing for 29 yards. 
Antonio Pittman, who had been scheduled to start at halfback for the Rams due to Steven Jackson’s holdout, did not start after missing time during the past week with an injury. Instead, Brian Leonard saw the start at halfback. Leonard was unimpressive, gaining 12 yards on five carries. Leonard racked up 11 of those yards on one carry, however. Pittman gained 21 yards on six carries including a touchdown. Travis Minor also saw some time at halfback, picking up 20 yards on five carries. Surprisingly, undrafted rookie free agent Lance Ball saw limited action, receiving only one touch – a rush for five yards. Ball was seemingly in a good position to see more playing time to show off his skills.
Second overall draft pick Chris Long did not record a tackle in the game despite playing most of the first half. Overall the defensive front seven for the Rams was a disappointment, giving up 340 rushing yards to the Titans. Strongside linebacker Quinton Culberson, starting in place of the injured Chris Draft, did record half a sack to go along with three tackles. Tim McGarigle also got in on the sack.
The offensive line didn’t look much better than last year despite having a healthy Orlando Pace. Pace played most of the first quarter against the Titans. The offensive line gave up three sacks, while the Rams only picked up 76 rushing yards in the game. The key to the offense this year for the Rams could be the play of the offensive line. This will be an area where the Rams must improve throughout the remaining preseason games for the Rams to have any success this season.
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The battle for the third quarterback position looks to have an early leader in Brock Berlin after his strong performance in the game. Berlin completed 11-of-14 passing for 139 yards. In the second quarter, Berlin pump faked and then delivered a perfect strike to Dane Looker down the right sideline for a 47-yard gain, giving the Rams a first down. It was the only touchdown drive for the Rams. Later in the quarter, Berlin led a drive that culminated with a Josh Brown field goal as time expired in the first half. Berlin’s competition for the third quarterback position, Bruce Gradkowski, went 2-of-5 passing for just 6 yards. Gradkowski also had a 10-yard scramble.
Both Looker and Reche Caldwell had strong games receiving. Looker caught four passes for 73 yards while Caldwell hauled in three receptions for 30 yards. Caldwell is in competition for one of the final receiving spots on the roster.
Rookie cornerback Justin King, a fourth round selection from Penn State, is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his toe. King will require surgery and will be placed on injured reserve. Safety Jerome Carter also suffered a strained groin during the game and will miss some time. The secondary is in shambles after these latest injuries. Other injuries in the Rams secondary include starting cornerback Fakhir Brown (shoulder) and starting free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (hamstring). Currently there are only seven healthy defensive backs on the Rams roster. Head coach Scott Linehan indicated that the team would look into available defensive backs to fill the now empty roster spot left by King. Atogwe should be able to return to practice sometime this week. Also, injured rookie wide receiver Donnie Avery (pelvis) is close to returning to practice.
The Rams are in action again this Saturday as they host the San Diego Chargers in preseason action.
By Scott Vicker
ProFootball-fans.com St. Louis Rams Correspondent