Rams News Recap: Sept. 16

[RamBill]

McLeod Proving Doubters Wrong as One of Rams’ McSafeties –PD
That little shimmy by free safety Rodney McLeod after his second-quarter interception was no impromptu celebration.

Things We Noticed: Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay –PD
Post-Dispatch football writer Jim Thomas takes a final look at the Rams’ game at Tampa Bay:

Rams Climb to No. 28 in Power Rankings –Wagoner

The Jeff Fisher Show – September 16 –Video

Relive It: Rams at Buccaneers –Video

Rams’ Defense Had Strange Day in Tampa –Wagoner
After re-watching the St. Louis Rams’ 19-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and combing through some of the statistics, there were a few things that stood out from the defense’s performance.

Harkey’s Toughness Energizes Rams –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams have already lost key players such as quarterback Sam Bradford, and defensive end Chris Long to serious injuries that will require rehabilitation.

Rams Rookie Review: Week 2 –Wagoner
A look at playing time and production of each of the St. Louis Rams’ drafted rookies and a quick glimpse at the undrafted rookie class in Sunday’s 19-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Morning Ram-blings: Davis on Radio –Wagoner
As one might expect after he led the St. Louis Rams to a victory in his first NFL start, quarterback Austin Davis has been making the media rounds.

Nick Wagoner: Austin Davis Starting vs.Dallas A Good Possibility –Radio Interview

Rams WR Austin Pettis Talks About His Big Catch –Video

One-On-One with Rams Kicker Greg Zuerlein –Video

Austin Davis: From Westminster to NFL Win –Video

Rams RB Zac Stacy Talks Rams Victory with Doug Gottlieb –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Donald showing up
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11788/morning-ram-blings-donald-showing-up

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams haven't had a lot of contributions from their rookie class in the first two weeks save for the work of starting cornerback E.J. Gaines, but one other Rams draft pick has started to make his presence felt.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, was one of the team's most consistently impressive players during training camp and the preseason. He hasn't played a ton of snaps thus far, but when he's been on the field he's finding a way to make an impact.

Over at 101sports.com, Anthony Stalter provided his three plays that helped the Rams to a win against Tampa Bay. All three plays were instrumental, but I wanted to focus on Stalter's mention of Donald and the consecutive plays he made that helped lead to the Buccaneers settling for a field goal instead of a touchdown.

Donald disrupted back to back running plays by taking it to veteran guard Logan Mankins. They're the type of plays that won't draw much attention, and though Donald doesn't have any sacks yet, he's been as disruptive as advertised on the snaps he is getting.

In fact, the Rams coaches credited Donald with a sack against Tampa Bay on a different play. Whether or not it should actually belong to Donald doesn't matter. He's performing well and has probably earned more playing time.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we opened the day with a link to Austin Davis' interview with on SVP and Russillo. ... The rookie review offered snap counts and production against Tampa Bay. ... We then examined tight end Cory Harkey's toughness and how the Rams get a boost from it. ... The Rams had a strange week on defense against the Bucs with an odd disparity between yards allowed on first and second down. ... The Rams moved up four spots to No. 28 in this week's ESPN Power Rankings.

Elsewhere:

Here's the full version of Tuesday's new ESPN Power Rankings.

Kevin Seifert's weekly quarterback report.

Eric Karabell offers some fantasy takeaways on the Rams through two weeks.

Also at 101sports.com, here's yours truly talking it over on the Kevin Wheeler Show.

At stltoday.com, columnist Bryan Burwell writes that Jeff Fisher is doing the right thing by avoiding quarterback controversy.

Jim Thomas writes about Fisher not budging on the quarterback situation.