Rams Set to Take On Cowboys for First Preseason Game

Rams Set to Take On Cowboys for First Preseason Game

Myles Simmons

[www.therams.com]

It is preseason, but NFL football in Los Angeles will kick off for the first time in two decades Saturday evening when the Rams take on the Cowboys.

Through about two weeks of training camp, Los Angeles has been making steady progress, particularly when it comes to the quarterback position. While Case Keenum will be the starter, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff should get plenty of playing time in his first live NFL action.

“I feel good, I feel ready,” Goff said. “Obviously, [it’s] my first NFL game. I’m going to try and go out there and treat it like every other game I’ve ever played in my life, and have fun, execute, enjoy my time, and do the best I can.”

“We want him just to relax Saturday night,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. “It’s just kind of like when we started OTAs and we started training camp, everybody gets on edge — there’s a lot of expectations. The more that he can go out there and just settle in, like we saw him settle in at the Coliseum during the family day, he’s going to play confident.”


Though he is notable, Goff is certainly not the only rookie who will be making contributions on Saturday night. Fourth-round picks Tyler Higbee and Pharoh Cooper appear poised to begin making their mark this week. Both have been seeing time in camp with the first-team offense, which should translate into plenty of snaps versus Dallas.

“Tyler has the potential to play very, very early for us and be a big time part of our offense,” head coach Jeff Fisher said of Higbee, later adding that the club is expecting Cooper “to be a productive player inside. I think you will see a lot of plays out of him this preseason.”

All starters will likely play just two to three series in Saturday’s contest, but for some that’s enough. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of those players. He’s been a “practice wrecker” throughout camp, and is looking forward to getting his feet wet with a little on-field time once again.

“Get back out there and get a little feel for the game, speed of the game, and get back into things,” Donald said. “We’ve been going against each other for a while, so it’s going to be good to go up against somebody else.”

According to Fisher, Donald is likely not the only Ram who feels that way.

“Our interior center and two guards have just about had enough of Aaron Donald,” the head coach joked. “They’re looking forward to lining up against someone else.”

An undoubtedly historic occasion at one of the nation’s most storied sports venues, the Rams are expecting a particularly large crowd. After witnessing a nice crowd for Family Day last week, word has gotten around that this week’s attendance is expected to be high.

“It’s definitely going to be a big game,” wide receiver Tavon Austin said. “One thing I know — our side is definitely going to bring it. And we’ll see from there.”

For T.J. McDonald, Saturday will represent a homecoming as the safety played his college ball in the stadium as a USC Trojan.

“Just to be in the Coliseum again in this capacity is something special,” McDonald said, “and I’m excited for it.”

But when it comes to the big crowd, Fisher had one request for L.A. Rams fans at his Thursday press conference.

“I want them to go home having lost their voices,” Fisher said. “We want to hear them. We need that ‘12th man.’ If they go home and they’ve lost their voices, they did their job.”

Kickoff at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT. The game will be televised on ESPN and simulcast on ABC 7.