ST. LOUIS: The Rams have a cast of thousands trying to get playing time at tailback, but it looks like Daryl Richardson is their guy. He was better than Isaiah Pead when they were rookies, and it looks like he’s still better – just a lot faster. Size is an issue with these guys; they both weigh about 195. But Richardson seems to be faster than most starting running backs around the league, and he runs hard. He seems like a nice fit with this offense; they’ll spread the field with their receivers, and he can squirt for some big gains. He had a drop at Cleveland but caught a couple of balls. Pead, meanwhile, fumbled the first time he carried the ball and was indecisive on a kickoff. That he was handling kickoffs shows the Rams aren’t seriously considering him for the starting job. And no other backs seem to be in the mix. They drafted Zac Stacy, but he played only in the second half against Cleveland and doesn’t look like anything special. ... We wrote nice things about Tavon Austin in the magazine, but the reality is it’s rare for rookie receivers to make a big impact right away. And if you watched the first preseason game and didn’t know which receiver the Rams selected with a top-10 pick, you would never guess it was Austin. They threw only one pass his way; it was slightly behind him, but it bounced off his hands. They’ve talked about using him on punts and kickoffs, but he seems more likely to handle only punts – he wasn’t back there on kickoffs at Cleveland. Maybe they’re just keeping him under wraps, but we’re lowering expectations. Chris Givens looks just as likely to be the best receiver. He’s got the great speed; he had all the 50-yard catches last year. And he had a 59-yard reception against Cleveland. He’s faster. Givens also had a 20-yard catch for a big first down in the Cleveland game, and he caught a 3-yard touchdown. Relative to where they’ll be picked, Givens looks like a much better choice than Austin right now. Having a year of experience could really work in his favor. While conceding we potentially could be overreacting to one quarter of one exhibition game, we’re putting Givens higher on our board than Austin; we’ll re-visit those guys next week, of course – but for now, that’s how we’re playing them. Austin Pettis should be the other starting receiver outside (Austin will be used in the slot). ... There have been reports coming out of camp that Jared Cook will play a big role in this offense – that he’ll be kind of their Danny Amendola this year. But they didn’t even throw a pass his way against Cleveland. Like Austin, Cook is a wait-and-see guy. ... Greg Zuerlein hit 54- and 55-yard field goals off grass in the game at Cleveland. He probably has the strongest leg of any kicker in the league. He tailed off after a fast start last year, but he should be one of the top-level kickers.
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