Friday, June 22, 2012

The Final Fifty-Three: Preface to the Preseason


Written By: Anthony Bafaro

I can feel myself fading, my fervor for words waning and melting in the summer sun.  In the same way that Hemingway needed war and Bukowski needed tawdry women and cheap wine, I need NFL football; OTA’s and mini-camps are no substitute.

Luckily, help is on the horizon.  Training camp begins July 27th, where at least there will be pads, and thus, real blocking and tackling, and two weeks later, the preseason will begin.

To many, the preseason is little more than a tease—games focused on warming up veterans and defining bubble-players.  The preseason has been an especially foul temptress to Rams fans, who have been built up by a 14-6 exhibition record over the last five years, only to have their hopes decimated by a 15-65 regular season record.  However, thanks to the off-season overhaul, this preseason comes with some added intrigue. 

When the Rams face off against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in early August, Rams fans will be introduced to a new brand of football being implemented by Jeff Fisher, Brian Schottenheimer, and…Dave McGinnis?  Fans will also get a first look at free-agent acquisitions Cortland Finnegan, Kendall Langford, and Steve Smith, along with Michael Brockers, Brian Quick, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, and the rest of the 2012 draft class.  These changes are exciting in their own right, but the big difference between this exhibition season and the preseason games of years’ past may be found in the second halves of games.  A two-win season, followed by a clean sweep of the front-office and coaching staff leaves the 2011 Rams players with about as much job security as most newspaper men.  All of the no-name players fighting through the third and fourth quarters of the 2012 preseason will have very real opportunities to make the final fifty-three.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be breaking down the roster—identifying the locks, the long-shots, and all players in between at each position, so that by the time the Rams kickoff against the Colts, you’ll have reason to see every snap.  Here’s a list of the current candidates:

QB
Austin Davis
Via usm.edu

Sam Bradford
Kellen Clemens
Tom Brandstater
Austin Davis

RB/FB
Steven Jackson
Isaiah Pead
Chase Reynolds
Daryl Richardson
Calvin Middleton
Nick Schwieger

Brit Miller
Todd Anderson

WR/TE
Danny Amendola
Brian Quick
Via thevikingden.com
Steve Smith
Brian Quick
Chris Givens
Greg Salas
Austin Pettis
Danario Alexander
Nick Johnson
Michael Campbell
Brandon Gibson

Lance Kendricks
Michael Hoomanawanui
Ben Guidugli
Matthew Mulligan
Jamie Childers
Brody Eldridge
Joe Long
Via mlive.com
Cory Harkey
Mike McNeil
Deangelo Peterson

OT/OG/C
Rodger Saffold
Quinn Ojinnaka
Ryan McKee
Joe Long
Jason Smith
Barry Richardson
Jose Valdez

Bryan Mattison
Rokevious Watkins
Via Southcarolina.247sports.com
Rokevious Watkins
Tim Barnes
Harvey Dahl
Kevin Hughes
Michael Hay

Scott Wells
Robert Turner
T-Bob Hebert

DE/DT
Chris Long
Eugene Sims
Michael Brockers
Via hergamelife.com
Jamaar Jarrett
Robert Quinn
William Hayes
Scott Smith

Michael Brockers
Trevor Laws
Cornell Banks
Matt Conrath
Kendall Langford
Darell Scott
Jermelle Cudjo

ILB/OLB
James Laurinaitis
Sammy Brown
Via smudailymustang.com
Josh Hull
Aaron Brown
Noah Keller

Jo-Lonn Dunbar
Mario Haggan
Alex Hoffman-Ellis
Justin Cole
Rocky McIntosh
Sammy Brown

CB/S
Cortland Finnegan
Trumaine Johnson
Kendric Burney
Janoris Jenkins
Via blogs.palmbeachpost.com
Quinton Pointer
Jeremy Caldwell
Janoris Jenkins
Bradley Fletcher
Josh Gordy
Jerome Murphy
Rodney McLeod

Quintin Mikell
Craig Dahl
Darian Stewar
Matt Daniels

K/P/LS
Greg Zuerlein
Garrett Lindholm
Tom Malone
Johnny Hekker

Greg Zuerlein
Via footballsfuture.com
Jake McQuaide
Travis Tipuka