Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams started the preseason the right way with a win against the Dallas Cowboys. While none of the starters played, the Rams still got strong performances from their depth. That was especially the case for quarterback Stetson Bennett who looked as comfortable and confident as he has in three years. Here are our 10 takeaways from Saturday’s preseason win.
There was a lot of talk from the Rams coaching staff this offseason that Stetson Bennett looked a lot more comfortable and improved from his first two years. The improvement from Bennett makes sense. Last year was essentially his rookie season 2.0 after taking nearly a full year away from the team. Bennett was able to spend all of last season in meeting rooms and doing things he wasn’t able to do in his rookie year.
The Rams quarterback looked comfortable and confident in the pocket. He was on time and threw a few tight window throws to Konata Mumpfield and hit Xavier Smith for a nice gain on the sideline on fourth down on the opening drive. Speaking of Smith, he was the best wide receiver on the field and showed a lot of development in that area. While Bennett did have the interception, it was an overall good performance from the Rams quarterback. We’ll see if it continues, but there is at least some reason for belief that he can be the team’s long-term backup quarterback.
Continuing the quarterback conversation, there were many that wanted the Rams to trade for Joe Milton this offseason following his Week 18 performance against the Buffalo Bills with the New England Patriots. However, it was clear on Saturday night that Milton still has a ways to go as a quarterback. While the big arm is very present, Milton lacks touch and accuracy on his throws. There were several throws that weren’t close because Milton threw a straight fastball. The touch and accuracy are two things that McVay and the Rams value.
While Bennett may not have the same physical upside as Milton, he was able to execute the offense and still make a few nice throws. The Rams are going to find their quarterback of the future at some point and it likely won’t be a developmental prospect like Milton.
The Rams won the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball. When the Rams had the ball, the offensive line created a nice pocket for Bennett and then showed great push and opened up holes in the run game. Beaux Limmer was at the forefront of Blake Corum’s first touchdown. AJ Arcuri, KT Leveston, and Willie Lampkin opened up holes for Cody Schrader in the second half.
There’s a big difference between the preseason and regular season, but there is reason for optimism when it comes to the offensive line depth. Defensively, Ty...
