What to Watch For: Rams vs. Cowboys/ Wagoner

[RamBill]

W2W4: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11832/w2w4-st-louis-rams-7

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys kick off Week 3 on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on regional Fox coverage.

Here are three things to watch for from the Rams' end:

1. Stopping the run: This one is obvious but it has to go right here at the top because it's the most important. In case you missed the numbers earlier this week, here's a rundown on why this is the most imperative piece to handle if the Rams want a win this week.

Through two games, St. Louis is 30th in the league stopping the run, giving up 171 yards per game. The Rams did a solid job against the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson but were burned on the perimeter by receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Last week, little known backup Bobby Rainey of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in the Rams as they again struggled with missed tackles and poor run fits.

The challenge grows this week with Dallas and DeMarco Murray coming to town. Murray leads the league in rushing through two games and is working behind a better offensive line than the Rams have seen this season (and perhaps one of the best in the league). That's a lethal combination for a defense that has struggled to contain Murray in the past. Even if the Rams are a much different team than they were in 2011 when Murray blitzed them for 253 yards, this is basically the same group that gave up 175 to him last year.

The Cowboys' passing game hasn't been what they'd hoped so far but if Murray and the run game get going again, it could be a long, long day for the Rams defense.

2. Quarterback quagmire: The Rams again are playing the day-to day card with veteran quarterback Shaun Hill, who is recovering from a thigh injury. Hill didn't play last week and Austin Davis more than capably replaced him with an impressive first start. That has left many fans clamoring for Davis to take the job permanently, but Jeff Fisher has been steadfast in saying Hill will be the starter when he's healthy.

The question then becomes whether Hill is healthy. At this point, it doesn't appear that he is after practicing only on a limited basis all week. He's listed as questionable on the injury report. The Rams could test him again in pregame before making a decision but with a bye week coming after the Cowboys game, it's fair to wonder if the Rams should push Hill knowing he could be full strength after the bye. The safe bet is that Davis will get a second consecutive start even if it doesn't become official until just before game time.

Whether it's Davis or Hill, someone is going to have to offer more than the Rams got from Sam Bradford in last year's blowout loss in Big D.

3. Reducing penalties: After starting last week's game against Tampa Bay with three penalties on the first series, it looked like the Rams were in for another long day of laundry. But the Rams managed to settle in a bit as the game went on and drew only five accepted penalties. On paper, that's obvious improvement but a deeper look revealed more of the same. The Rams had four penalties either declined or offset but even more disturbing was the nature of the five that were accepted. The Rams had 65 penalty yards on those five accepted flags, an average of 13 yards per infraction. So while the number of penalties dropped, the nature of them got worse.

To their credit, the Rams drastically reduced the number of fouls on the offense against Tampa Bay but the defense picked up most of the slack. Against Dallas, which boasts a more formidable offense at all levels than the Bucs, the Rams can't afford similar mistakes.

 

[RamBill]

Rams-Cowboys: Matchup breakdown
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11822/rams-cowboys-matchup-breakdown-2

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- A look at three matchups to keep an eye on when the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys meet Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald vs. Cowboys right guard Zack Martin

Although his snaps have been limited as part of a rotation, Donald quietly has been the disruptive force the Rams hoped they were getting when they drafted him No. 13 overall in May's draft. According to the coaches' review of the film, Donald has 12 tackles, including four for loss, in the first two games.

While Donald has the ability to move around the line and might not see a lot of Martin, it's likely their paths will cross at some point in Sunday's game. For those that don't remember, if Donald had been off the board when the Rams picked at No. 13, Martin likely would have been the choice. In fact, Rams coach Jeff Fisher openly acknowledged the team's efforts to trade back into the first round to land Martin.

In his first two weeks, Martin has had some ups and downs. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus' evaluations show Martin has done well in pass protection but struggled as a run blocker.

At the Senior Bowl in January, Martin was the only lineman in Mobile who was able to stand up to Donald in pass-rush drills. If they get a chance to do it again, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in a battle of two of the most technically polished players in this year's draft.

Rams wide receiver Brian Quick vs. Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne

It's only been two games, but it's hard to deny that Quick has looked like the player the Rams hoped he'd be entering his third season in the league. He leads the team with 14 catches for 173 yards and, aside from a drop on a deep ball against Tampa Bay last Sunday, has been the picture of consistency in the first two games. Quick has a chance to surpass his numbers from 2013 in just three games with just a decent day against the Cowboys.

On the other side, Quick figures to get his fill of both Claiborne and fellow starter Brandon Carr, neither of whom has impressed much in the first two weeks. Interestingly enough, Dallas made a draft-day deal with the Rams for in 2012 to secure Claiborne. The Rams ended up with defensive tackle Michael Brockers in that trade.

Neither Claiborne nor Quick has lived up to their draft position to this point, but the arrow is certainly pointing up on Quick right now while Claiborne has struggled. Another big day for Quick would be a welcomed development for a Rams offense that got nothing going against Dallas last year.

Rams offensive line vs. Cowboys defensive line

So we're going to cheat a little bit here and not just focus on one matchup on the line. Hey, at least we're not going with Robert Quinn vs. Tyron Smith, though that will be a fun matchup to watch. The reason for going line vs. line here is because it's hard to erase from memory the thrashing the Cowboys gave the Rams up front in last year's meeting.

But things should be different this time. DeMarcus Ware has moved on to Denver and Jason Hatcher is now creating havoc for the Washington Redskins. Those two were primarily responsible for the wreckage done to the Rams last year, especially Ware against left tackle Jake Long.

Although Dallas doesn't have the same big names, it has gotten pretty solid production from a group led by defensive tackle Henry Melton. Left guard Rodger Saffold will have his hands full with Melton and ends Tyrone Crawford and Jeremy Mincey have consistently created pressure in the first two games.

 

[iamme33]

what i'm going to watch for is can greg williams get this df playing up to where they were last year

 

[RamBill]

Rams-Cowboys: Seven for Sunday
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_37bbf3ec-147d-578a-a027-b1da7c0e7ed7.html

Austin Davis posted better statistics last weekend for the Rams against Tampa Bay than Dallas’ Tony Romo did against Tennessee. Not that Romo was terrible. But following back surgery last December for a herniated disc, the three-time Pro Bowler has gotten off to a slow start. He threw three interceptions in Week 1 loss to San Francisco. Last week against Tennessee, he looked stiff, didn’t have much zip on his passes and lacked his usual escapability. He has been sacked seven times already this season, the second-highest total in the league. The Cowboys gave him Wednesday off this week in the hopes his back feels better Sunday. Rams coach Jeff Fisher is taking nothing for granted. “I would not attribute the interceptions to his back against the 49ers; they just happened,” he said. “He’s making good decisions. He’s still making all the throws.”

BIG DEZ

WR Dez Bryant was targeted 14 times against the Titans, catching 10 for 103 yards and a TD. So basically every other Romo pass went Bryant’s way. Bryant had all that production even though he suffered a shoulder injury early in the game that caused him to leave the field for a while. He’s listed as questionable for Sunday. “He’s a big receiver, pretty physical. He’s not that fast,” CB Janoris Jenkins said. “Basically you’ve got to try and take away the short routes.” Easier said than done.

THE REST OF THE GANG

Tight end Jason Witten’s Hall of Fame-caliber career is winding down, but the nine-time Pro Bowler remains a security blanket for Romo in the short and intermediate passing game, and certainly can’t be overlooked. With the departure of Miles Austin to Cleveland, second-year man Terrance Williams has stepped into the starting lineup. A tall deep threat who averaged 16.7 yards per catch as a rookie, he wasn’t involved much last week. He made a pre-draft visit to the Rams in 2013.

HELLO DeMARCO

There won’t be anyone in the Edward Jones Dome happier to see the Rams take the field than Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray. Whenever these teams play each other, Stan Kroenke doesn’t own the Rams — Murray does. Witness his 428 rushing yards in two games. If Murray played the Rams, say, four times a year he’d be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Murray leads the league in yards after contact this season (153), but has had two fumbles — both coming when carrying with his left hand.

LINEHAN’S RETURN

It’s been six year years since Scott Linehan was fired by the Rams early in his third season as their head coach, and Sunday marks his first game in the Edward Jones Dome since his awkward middle-of-the-night dismissal in 2008. “That’s two jobs ago,” Linehan told ESPNDallas.com. “In this business, it seems like I’ve had about six homes in the last 15 years. But I had a great three years there.” Linehan is in his first season as the Cowboys’ passing game coordinator.

HOLE IN THE MIDDLE

After being coaxed out of retirement by the Cowboys, Rolando McClain quickly has developed into a leader of the Dallas defense with his tough, physical play. The former No. 8 overall pick by Oakland leads the Cowboys in tackles through two games (22), and had a sack and a juggling interception against Tennessee. But McClain, listed as doubtful, is expected to miss Sunday’s game because of a groin injury. Rookie Anthony Hitchens is set to start in his place.

FAR FROM TAMPA

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli spent 10 years at Tampa Bay, where the famed Tampa 2 (Cover 2) zone defense was dominant and the envy of the league. But what the Cowboys are running these days under Marinelli is far removed from those glory days in Tampa. “I mean, they go by that name but we’re going to get (single) safety” coverage, Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “They’re going to get up in our face, and press us, play tight man-to-man.”

 

[RamBill]

Join Steve Savard, D’Marco Farr, and Will Witherspoon as they break down the match up between the Rams and Cowboys and give their keys to victory. Some of them include: stop Murray, control the clock, create turnovers, don't turn it over, take advantage of a line that has given up 7 sacks in two games. (2:51)

Watch Rams Keys to the Game