St. Louis Rams Real Talk: Preseason Week 3

O.K., O.K. Okay.

Tony Romo and his merry band of back-ups gutted the St. Louis Rams secondary in the first half of Saturday's most important preseason game. We had visions of Todd Lyght dancing through our heads (He's only 43... hmmm). We watched Cowboy receivers gallap through green space like it was a Dancing With Wolves sequel. It was a nightmare.

But...

1. The final score was 20-19.

Usually when you see stats like "297 passing yards surrendered... In THE FIRST HALF" the Rams have been tagged with a 25+ point loss. And while the comeback was happening against scrubs and the soon-to-be-cut, the Rams could (should?) have actually won the game.

Progress with this franchise doesn't come fast. Or often, for that matter. So unlike in 2011 when DeMarco Murray hung 253 rushing yards on the Rams and came out with a 24 point victory, at least the one stat that matters was a bit closer.

2. Still, the Rams secondary rolled over and burped.

Romo is healthy. And when he's healthy, he's a top 5 QB in the NFL offensively. But unless Dwayne Harris changed his last name from Bowe and got traded from the Chiefs without any of us knowing, that was embarrassing. Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins are better than THAT. They just are.

3. What did the Rams Defensive Coordinator have to say about the loss?

(Hello? Hello?)

Ahhhh. Right. Forgot that the Rams haven't quite filled this position yet. Bully for us, though. I'm going to estimate that the ability to always come back to this pretty glaring thing (for lack of a better word) is going to make this column roughly 40% easier over the course of a season.

297 passing yards in THE FIRST HALF? Where's that DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR? Lolz. Mark down a Pulitzer for this column.

4. Jim Thomas is trying to give Greg Zuerlein the nickname 'The Leg' . We can do better, friends. I suggest Sugar Foot. Or The Big Sexy Boot.

Either way, he drilled field goals of 55 and 52 yards.

If you're playing Fantasy Football with friends not in St. Louis, this is going to be your magical last round pick. Nailing 50 yarders like a BOSS. I never understood why, if trained from an early age, big footed kickers can't be in more abundance. They just aren't though, so to have Zuerlein be so young and so musclebound with his kicks?

So sexy.

5. Paging Sam Bradford. Rookie of the Year Sam Bradford, please.

6 of 17 for 64 yards? Maybe I'm mistaken about this, but isn't the third pre-season game the one where the starting QBs work a half or more and really use the game as a dress rehearsal for Week 1? I'm hoping this has changed, because extrapolating that out to 12 of 34 for 128 over 4 quarters is going to win a very small number of games.

In 2012 you're not winning football games without a competent-to-good QB under center. Sammy B is in year 3. Here's hoping the Rams give him some extended PT in preseason Week 4 to show that he's not running back the 2011 season. Because at this point, I don't know just how much confidence anyone has in what the Rams can do in the passing game.

Oh, and that whole 30-point-beating the Chiefs got this week courtesy Seattle should eject any argument you're about to make referencing last week.

Twitter Reacts:

Glenn Beck is still alive? And he's using Twitter to rag on the Rams? And do the Cowboys do this for everyone or just the Rams? Maybe Mr. Jenkins, who is an obvious right-to-lifer, was too excited to see Mr. Beck to play a good game?

Even the Cowboys Sports Network, errr.... ESPN wasn't impressed with Romo since it was against the St. Louis Dions.

Ataboy Pat. I don't often get my points validated by morning anchors. But when I do, I make sure and point it out to everyone.

Ruh. Roh. That RGIII specter is going to be hanging over Sam Bradford's head for the next couple of seasons. And pending both of their performances, could be a huge narrative for the Rams as a franchise.

Bill is not happy with the loss. Bill talks truth.

Preseason Record: 1-2

Real Meter: (Where we project the Rams win total for the year): 4