Rams report, 9/10: the hits just keep coming

AP

Does it get any worse than losing your home opener 34-6? You be the judge:

* The Rams may roll into Tampa Bay Sunday with Austin Davis as their starting quarterback. He is getting the majority of snaps in practice with Shaun Hill still slowed by a quad injury. The best news I have is if Tampa Bay can lose to Derek Anderson, they can lose to anybody.

* The worst news I have is that Chris Long will be out for at least 8 weeks due to the ankle injury he suffered Sunday. The injury requires some sort of "unique" (Jeff Fisher's word) surgery that the Rams are keeping under wraps. Because, you know, it's this kind of secrecy that has made them such a successful football franchise.

Long has been placed on the injured reserve with the option to return. No word yet on who got the roster callup to fill his spot. Chris will be sorely missed just for his leadership. A healthy William Hayes could fill a lot of Long's shoes, but coming off multiple offseason surgeries, he didn't look up to speed Sunday and was a liability in run defense. Long's absence will also make it a lot less risky for teams to double-team Robert Quinn. Sack City's going to be a ghost town the way this season's going already.

Salem (Ore.) Statesman-Journal

* Future Rams update: When I watched the Michigan State-Oregon game Saturday night, I foolishly assumed the Rams wouldn't have a shot in the first round at either QB on the field, but now that the Rams are playing like a team that's going to draft first, they're going to have their pick of the whole college contingent.

The simple rundown: Marcus Mariota (Oregon) = Colin Kaepernick, Connor Cook (Michigan State) = Sam Bradford. Mariota's a strong, accurate thrower; he reads the field well and gets the ball out quickly. His best attribute, though, may be his terrific feet. His pocket movement is exceptional and he makes himself very difficult to sack.

Cook is much more the classic pocket QB. He rarely runs, though he threw very well the handful of times he rolled out. He also threw well but was noticeably worse under pressure than Mariota, making some poor decisions and showing next to no mobility. The comparison to Bradford is pretty uncanny, going all the way down to the brace on Cook's left knee.

Both these QBs are going to be drafted high in 2015. They can both make all the throws. With the offensive line playing the way it did last week, the Rams will be much better served going after someone like Mariota, who can keep plays, and himself, alive when he has to.

* The Bucs are 4-point favorites Sunday and are being picked straight-up by 90-92% of fans. 3:05 Central kickoff if you can bear to watch.

-$-