IRVING, Texas - Scout's Notebook for St. Louis Rams:
- It was a rough week once again for Anthony Spencer in his attempt to get ready for the game against the Rams. Spencer is still dealing with knee issues and his availability will come down to a game time decision from the medical staff.
- For Spencer this will most likely be a situation that he will have to deal with for the remainder of the season. In his place George Selvie has made the starts the last two weeks and has held up very well. Behind Selvie is Edgar Jones, who has a role as a core special teamer but can fill in at defensive end and my gut feeling is that he will see some extensive work there working with Selvie. [embedded_ad]
- Been hearing that Mackenzy Bernadeau has been getting some reps in practice at center. Bernadeau played center last season against the Redskins and did a serviceable job. I do not believe that this is going to happen but if Brian Waters makes the start at right guard, that would most likely put Bernadeau in a swing position. That has been Phil Costa's role, but there's a chance he could also be active, considering his work as a short-yardage fullback.
- As much as we have talked about this Cowboys running game and what are the solutions to attempt to get it going, I do not see Joseph Randle in that equation anytime soon. For this game against the Rams, the three backs that will be active are DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar and Phillip Tanner.
- There are issues with the trust factor with Dunbar and what they have gone through with him putting the ball on the ground but Randle is just not ready at this point in time to take on the that expanded responsibility.
- What I have noticed about the Rams cornerbacks on tape that they are an aggressive group when he comes to driving on the ball. Both Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins tend to gamble on plays at times and this will get them in trouble.
- The Cowboys have gone down the field with Dez Bryant for a shot or two but I would not put it past Jason Garrett and Bill Callahan to see if they can double move the corners, make them bite on a route and see if they can work the ball down the field for a quick score.
- Not a big fan of the inside three on the Rams offensive line and I feel like this is a place where maybe Jason Hatcher and Nick Hayden can take advantage of their lack of play. Hatcher's quickness should give guards Chris Williams and Harvey Dahl problems.
- Neither one of these guards moves all that well so when they have to deal with sudden movement, it's a big issue. Hayden has some sneaky quickness and also has done a nice job of playing with power at the point. Sam Bradford likes to try and stand in the middle of the pocket to get rid of the ball quick. If the rush does not get there quick enough, hands need to go in the air because Bradford tends to throw the ball low underneath and there is a chance for a tipped ball or two.
- On defense the Rams run a four man line and they really do like to try and get up the field and attack your blocking scheme. From my experiences in the past, teams that like to attack with a four man line can also be trapped in the running game.
- Trap blocks are an easy way to take advantage of the movement of the defensive line. Some of the creative runs that the Cowboys had last week against the Chiefs were designed with pullers and down blocks. Attacking this Rams front with a more direct approach should beneficial instead of trying to string it out with zone runs. The idea is to get the back going downhill now.
- Terence Williams might have been the first man off the bench when this offense went to their three wide receiver package but expect more of Dwayne Harris in that role this week. This is not saying that the coaches feel any less confident in Williams but it's another opportunity to get Harris on the field, to see if they can create a situation or two with him in the open field.
- Splinting the work between Williams and Harris will allow the rookie to take a moment to collect himself and become a little more comfortable in his role in the offense.
