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Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/4849/some-rams-related-playoff-notes
ST. LOUIS -- The first day of the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs provided plenty of entertainment for fans. For St. Louis Rams fans choosing to watch yet another postseason not involving their favorite team, there were a number of familiar names and teams in action in the two drama-filled games.
Before the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era began in St. Louis, the Rams' roster had been so devoid of talent that many players never found work again after parting ways with the team. But a few of them have and some of them surprisingly popped up making positive plays for their teams on Saturday.
- Indianapolis Colts cornerback Josh Gordy was only with the Rams for a short spell, a time highlighted by a big interception in an upset win against New Orleans in 2011. He made one of the biggest plays of the day for the Colts. Covering Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe as Kansas City drove toward a possible game-winning field goal, Gordy played it perfectly, driving Bowe off his route just enough to keep him from getting his second foot down for a first down. Gordy added five tackles in helping the Colts move on. The Rams traded Gordy to Indianapolis in August 2012 after deciding they had a surplus at the position.
- On the other side of that game, Kansas City receiver Donnie Avery also had a big play though it came much earlier. Avery's 79-yard touchdown catch was his lone grab of the day but it staked the Chiefs to a quick 17-7 lead. Originally a second-round pick of the Rams in 2008, Avery has bounced from St. Louis to Tennessee to Indianapolis to Kansas City. The Rams released him in the 2010 preseason after a disappointing and injury-plagued time with the franchise.
- In the late game, there wasn't much Rams presence save for Philadelphia Eaglescornerback Bradley Fletcher. Fletcher finished with four tackles, a pass defended and an early interception. The Rams allowed Fletcher to walk in free agency last offseason as they had already decided Trumaine Johnson was ready to step in as the third cornerback.
- Of course, out of that trio only Gordy gets to continue playing as the Colts move on to meet either Denver or New England in the divisional round.
- One area the Rams improved in 2013 was in their ability to win outside the division. In fact, the team's most impressive victories came in convincing fashion against teams not in the NFC West. More interesting, the Rams manhandled the two winning teams in Saturday's games. In their two wins against Indianapolis and New Orleans, the Rams outscored those teams 65-24 and were plus-seven in turnover margin.
- Today's games also don't feature much of a heavy former Rams presence. The San Francisco-Green Bay matchup has a pair of former Rams involved. Fan favorite (ahem) safety Craig Dahl for the Niners and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett for the Packers. Pickett was one of the few good draft picks made in previous regimes but, of course, the Rams let him walk over a small sum of money. He's gone on to a very productive career in Green Bay.
- The San Diego-Cincinnati contest has no players who have suited up for the Rams in a regular-season game. Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins had a small offseason cup of coffee with the Rams in 2011.
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/4849/some-rams-related-playoff-notes
ST. LOUIS -- The first day of the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs provided plenty of entertainment for fans. For St. Louis Rams fans choosing to watch yet another postseason not involving their favorite team, there were a number of familiar names and teams in action in the two drama-filled games.
Before the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era began in St. Louis, the Rams' roster had been so devoid of talent that many players never found work again after parting ways with the team. But a few of them have and some of them surprisingly popped up making positive plays for their teams on Saturday.
- Indianapolis Colts cornerback Josh Gordy was only with the Rams for a short spell, a time highlighted by a big interception in an upset win against New Orleans in 2011. He made one of the biggest plays of the day for the Colts. Covering Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe as Kansas City drove toward a possible game-winning field goal, Gordy played it perfectly, driving Bowe off his route just enough to keep him from getting his second foot down for a first down. Gordy added five tackles in helping the Colts move on. The Rams traded Gordy to Indianapolis in August 2012 after deciding they had a surplus at the position.
- On the other side of that game, Kansas City receiver Donnie Avery also had a big play though it came much earlier. Avery's 79-yard touchdown catch was his lone grab of the day but it staked the Chiefs to a quick 17-7 lead. Originally a second-round pick of the Rams in 2008, Avery has bounced from St. Louis to Tennessee to Indianapolis to Kansas City. The Rams released him in the 2010 preseason after a disappointing and injury-plagued time with the franchise.
- In the late game, there wasn't much Rams presence save for Philadelphia Eaglescornerback Bradley Fletcher. Fletcher finished with four tackles, a pass defended and an early interception. The Rams allowed Fletcher to walk in free agency last offseason as they had already decided Trumaine Johnson was ready to step in as the third cornerback.
- Of course, out of that trio only Gordy gets to continue playing as the Colts move on to meet either Denver or New England in the divisional round.
- One area the Rams improved in 2013 was in their ability to win outside the division. In fact, the team's most impressive victories came in convincing fashion against teams not in the NFC West. More interesting, the Rams manhandled the two winning teams in Saturday's games. In their two wins against Indianapolis and New Orleans, the Rams outscored those teams 65-24 and were plus-seven in turnover margin.
- Today's games also don't feature much of a heavy former Rams presence. The San Francisco-Green Bay matchup has a pair of former Rams involved. Fan favorite (ahem) safety Craig Dahl for the Niners and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett for the Packers. Pickett was one of the few good draft picks made in previous regimes but, of course, the Rams let him walk over a small sum of money. He's gone on to a very productive career in Green Bay.
- The San Diego-Cincinnati contest has no players who have suited up for the Rams in a regular-season game. Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins had a small offseason cup of coffee with the Rams in 2011.