I don't know how good the Rams are going to be in 2009 but at the very least the Rams appear to be taking steps forward.  The Rams beat the New York Jets 23-20 on Friday night that provided Steve Spagnuolo his first "win" as a head coach.  While the game was not the most crisply played game in NFL history it did provide some things for the Rams to be excited about and some things for the Rams to be concerned about.

The Things That Went Right For the Rams

Top Picks Play Well: I thought the play of both of the top draft picks, Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis, were both above average.  Smith, who was a concern because he has not ascended to the first team, appears to have settled down and is improving enough that he will be ready to start on opening day in Seattle.  Smith only appeared to have one minor breakdown on a sack where he allowed pressure on an inside pass rush.  This has been a continuing concern in camp.  Laurinaitis played pretty well too.  It appeared that his run defense is ahead of his pass coverage at this point.  But all in all both played well in their first time out.

No Mistakes: What was impressive to me is the lack of mistakes made by the Rams.  In the first half the Rams only committed one penalty and for the game they only had five.  The first game is traditionally the slop game with a lot of mental errors.  The Rams did not fall into that trap.  In addition the Rams never turned the ball over.  In the NFL if you don't commit penalties and don't turn the ball over your chances of winning go up exponentially.  This is a testament to what Steve Spagnuolo is trying to bring to this team and clearly he has gotten through.

Samkon Gado: I have always been a fan of Gado because he is a tremendous person.  He has some flashes of success in the NFL and although he will never be an All-Pro running back he can provide a lot of different things.  Gado solidified his spot on the team with a 77 yard touchdown burst.  Gado can play halfback, fullback and help on special teams.  He at least staked a claim to being the number two option behind Steven Jackson.

Larry Grant: I continue to be a big fan of Larry Grant and I think the Rams coaching staff is too.  Grant continues to go out and make plays at linebacker.  I like Chris Draft as well but I like Draft as being the fourth linebacker who can play all the positions.  Grant is a true strong side linebacker and it seems that he and Laurinaitis have a special bond that makes both of them better.  As I said back in May I believe Grant could become the starter and it would not shock me if he becomes the starter in Seattle.

Wide Receivers: I thought that in general the wide receivers played pretty well.  Laurent Robinson had a nice 50 yard catch.  Sean Walker had a very nice adjustment on his touchdown catch.  The other receivers did what was asked of them.  As I wrote about the other day the loss of Donnie Avery is not the end of the world.   I didn't see any one receiver make a huge jump forward but I didn't see any of them make a step backward either except for Brooks Foster who Spagnuolo chewed out on the sidelines for making a false start penalty.  That is a play that should never happen.

The Things That Did Not Go Right For The Rams

Pass Blocking: The running backs were horrible on pass blocking.  This includes everyone.  Steven Jackson continues to be a below average pass blocker.  Jackson either neglects this part of his game or will just never be any good at it.  He appears to have not improved in this part of the game since the time he walked into the league.  Kenneth Darby, Antonio Pittman and Samkon Gado also were negligent at different times with their blocking.  This is something that just can't continue.  Running Backs Coach Sylvester Croom has a lot of work to improve this before the beginning of the season.

Marc Bulger: Everyone knows this is a make or break year for Bulger.  Although he was 4/4 for 70 yards he was sacked three times in a short period of time.  While some of the sacks were not his fault there were a couple that were because Marc appeared indecisive in throwing the ball.  I know that in the Mike Martz system they were told to hang in there forever and force the issue.  The West Coast offense does not work that way.  Bulger needs to know when to throw it away.

Cornerback Play: I was hoping that there would be a cornerback who came out and took charge of the cornerback position opposite Ron Bartell.  It appears we are going to have to wait on that decision.  Tye Hill was not spectacular on anything.  Jonathan Wade had another up and down game.  Justin King looked lost at times out there and Bradley Fletcher had a couple of rookie moments out there.  I guess Hill will be the favorite at this point to start but you would have to hope the cornerback play would improve before we get to Seattle.

Return Game: Derek Stanley and Kenneth Darby were the first ones to get a crack at the return positions and while they both were OK it just seems like there is no one on the roster who will be a threat to make the return game dangerous.  My belief is that if you aren't going to have a dangerous return game then you better have two guys who are going to hold onto the football.  Are Stanley and Darby those guys?

Injuries: Brock Berlin "tweaked" his knee and will be evaluated this weekend.  That would be a tough break for Berlin because he is in a dogfight for his job against Keith Null.  Jacob Bell got hit in the head and was yanked early.  It was not considered serious.

It was nice to have something positive happen to the Rams in the preseason.  It is a much better start then what happened against the Tennessee Titans last season in the preseason.  There is clearly something to work with this season.  Next up for the Rams are the Atlanta Falcons at the improved Edward Jones Dome on Friday Night.

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