E.J. Gaines ready to help neutralize Cardinals WRs

E.J. Gaines ready to help neutralize Cardinals WRs
By Alden Gonzalez

[www.espn.com]

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- This is probably as good a week as any for E.J. Gaines to return to the Los Angeles Rams secondary, and it looks like it will happen.

Gaines has spent the last two weeks practicing in pads and was not even given an injury designation on Friday's report, an indication that there is not much doubt he will play at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday. He'll face an Arizona Cardinals team with a loaded receiving corps, a group highlighted by Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John and Jaron Brown. And he'll look to help a defense fresh off allowing 405 passing yards to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.

"As many DBs as you can have out there is better for us, considering how many wide receivers they have that can play," Gaines said of the Cardinals. "Just making sure we can match up the right way and compete with these guys."

The Rams are 17th in passing yards allowed through the first three weeks, a ranking largely affected by a 37-32 win in Week 3. The unit entered the season shorthanded, with cornerback Janoris Jenkins (New York Giants) and safety Rodney McLeod (Philadelphia Eagles) both departing in free agency. And they've missed Gaines as the outside corner who would line up opposite Trumaine Johnson, with Coty Sensabaugh and Troy Hill doing their best to fill in.

The Rams are a yard shy of allowing three 100-yard receivers over the last two weeks, though they're tied for first with 15 pass breakups.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said his safeties "have really come a long way" and noted that his secondary as a whole faces a tall task each week, because the Rams put a lot of pressure on them by defending the run so aggressively. It's why Winston threw the ball 58 times against them.

"You can get hung up on all the analytics you want, but when you force somebody to throw it 58 times in a game, it’s because they can’t run it," Williams said. "Those guys [the secondary] have a lot of heat on them at all times, and this league is a throwing league. There are some teams that’ll still try to pound you. One of them is coming up, the Arizona Cardinals. I have so much respect for [Cardinals coach] Bruce Arians. I’ve gone against him for so many different years at so many different spots. We’re going to have to play the run really hard, and they’ve got a quarterback that can take shots on you down the field.”

That would be Carson Palmer, whom Gaines will help try to neutralize.

Gaines started 15 games as the No. 2 corner during his rookie year in 2014, then spent all of 2015 recovering from foot surgery. This summer, he's dealt with a nagging hamstring injury and then an ailment in his left thigh, which has kept him out of action since the third preseason game. Gaines said he was "pretty close" to playing last Sunday and feels even closer now.

"It was just kind of a game-time decision, whatever [Rams coach Jeff] Fisher wanted," Gaines said. "It’s the same thing this week, as far as practicing and everything, just kind of what Coach Fisher and the training staff came up with for me. I'm just waiting for my chance."