The Dallas Cowboys host the St Louis Rams this week. Dallas is hoping for a good game to get back to .500 and maybe get something started as the team enters what looks to be a more favorable part of the schedule than the first five games.
The Rams . . . well, 0-5 will tend to put a bit of a damper on your enthusiasm. I took my weekly trip over to the opponent's SBN franchise, Turf Show Times to see what they are saying about the game and their team.
It may be a sign of how they feel that one of the article asks the question What Would the Rams Do If They Picked #1? The answer is not as obvious for them as it is for many teams since they feel they have a franchise quarterback already in Sam Bradford. An alternative to drafting Andrew Luck is to trade the pick.
Either way, if the Rams get the #1 overall pick they would be looking at a serious commodity. As Kiper stated, it is a dilemma, but only because of the decision that would have to be made. Several teams are drooling over Luck right now, and it could be one of those Ricky Williams scenarios... but then again on the other hand, there is no way the Rams could hold the pick and draft Luck as they wouldn't have the wallet to do so with Bradford already on the payroll... and you can bet your boots the other interested teams know that too.
Of course, a franchise QB does you no good if he is sitting on the sidelines, and just in case you have been stuck in Antarctica for a few days with no internet or satellite connections and haven't heard, Bradford is nursing a dreaded high ankle sprain. His backup is A. J. Feeley, and none of the St Louis fans particularly like the idea of him stepping in. The Sam Saga is understandably sucking up a lot of the oxygen at TST. One post looks at what the team would need to know to put him on the field against the Cowboys (talking about the practice for Friday).
Bradford will almost have to test his ankle today, for personal reason as much to allow the team to make a decision about whether or not to activate Tom Bradstater, the third quarterback.
Makes sense, but that was before the practice. Unfortunately for them, things did not go so well.
Sam Bradford sat out practice yet again today, his ankle preventing him from even seeing the field today. That being the case, the Rams have officially listed him as questionable, and he'll be a game-time decision for Sunday's game in Dallas against the Cowboys.
Even if Bradford and the coaches think he is ready to play, one of the TST writers brings up the point that it might not be a good idea anyway.
Sam may want to go out and play, but the Rams need to act in their best interest; to make sure Sam Bradford does not get injured for a long period. The phrase is overused, but he is the franchise; the team is built around him. The Rams have to protect their investment.
Next to the quarterback, the player that is generating the most interest is WR Brandon Lloyd - who hasn't played a down for them yet, having just come over in a trade with the Denver Broncos. But even though there is hope for him down the road, they are not looking for a lot out of him just yet.
Honestly, it's hard for me to see a big game from Lloyd this week against the Cowboys. The Cowboys defense will likely pay more attention to Lloyd than anyone else on the offense. Also there's a good chance that he could be catching balls from A.J. Feeley. If Sam Bradford does play, there will most likely be chemistry issues between the two.
Looking ahead to the Cowboys, they seem to be almost as concerned with our running game as we are. I don't know if that is a good thing, but maybe the reason they are focused on the running back assignments is buried in the article.
The matchup that will be of most concern for the Rams against the Cowboys is Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. The Dallas passing attack never really got much done against the Patriots last week, but they have to be licking their lips at the matchup against Justin King and Al Harris.
You may not be aware that their secondary has lost its three best cornerbacks. And we thought we had problems there.
Still, another writer also is focused on the running attack, naming DeMarco Murray as a player to watch. I certainly hope he is onto something.
Overall, Murray's great skill set and the fact that the Rams will have to worry about the passing game so much, will open up the game for DeMarco in my opinion and I think he will have a breakout game for the Cowboys.
Finally, I am going to be a bit of a homer. I think one of the most interesting and readable post on their front page is the Q&A With Blogging The Boys - because Dave wrote most of it. But you can go over and judge for yourself.
Meanwhile, the game is coming. On a different note, did you catch the segment on ESPN Sportscenter where Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington talked about the Cowboys' chances for running off a string of wins? They talked to several Rangers, all of whom are pulling for the Cowboys to put up a win while they are hopefully winning a World Series over the St Louis Cardinals.
Thanks, guys. Good luck yourselves.