A Statistical Look At The St. Louis Rams' Preseason

Preseason stats do not matter. Well, that's only partially true. Preseason stats count for nothing, but they do offer a little window into what a team is doing and where they are going. So what are the stats telling us about the St. Louis Rams? Let's take a look at a few of the more interesting numbers.

Danny Amendola, 4 catches, 64 yards, 16.0 yards per catch, 1 touchdown

Amendola is one of a handful of receivers with four receptions, second-most behind Isaiah Pead. He leads in yardage, but look at his yards per catch. In 2010, he averaged 8.1 yards per catch. In the preseason, Brian Scottenheimer has successfully used Sam Bradford's favorite target on a handful of deep routes, including a 35-yard strike to start the game last week. He's also been lining up outside as well as in the slot.

8 penalties

The Rams have just eight penalties through two preseason games. Only two teams have fewer flags thrown at them. That's a good sign that points toward a disciplined team. After all, remember Alex Barron?

44-for-62, 71 percent completion rate

Those are the team numbers for the Rams. Their passing attempts rank 20th in the league, which is no surprise considering the offensive philosophy here. That is the highest completion rate of any team in the NFL. Bradford is completing 72 percent of his throws, but much of the credit goes to third stringer Austin Davis who has a 68 percent mark in cleanup duty.

Yards per rushing attempt - Steven Jackson, 6.6; Daryl Richardson, 3.3; Isaiah Pead, 1.8

Jackson's numbers are very encouraging, and he looks to have some of his speed and elusiveness back this year. Richardson's has been positive, but not to the same extent that Pead has disappointed. That number really needs to go up for Pead, whose speed and moves made him attractive as a big play target in the draft.

Turnover Ratio: +2

That is tied with one other team, the Bengals, for the second-best mark through two preseason games. Three teams are tie on top with a +3 ratio. Turnovers to some extent are luck, but this is a very positive stat because it does point to a solid grasp of a key fundamental.

Sam Bradford, 8.8 yards per attempt

This is a very small sample size, but it does reflect what we have seen when Schottenheimer has Bradford throwing the ball. He is throwing beyond check downs. In fact, in Bradford's rookie season, he averaged 6 yards per attempt, and 6.1 last season. The Rams may throw the ball less than they run it, but Schottenheimer's offense has a little something for all tastes in the passing game.