By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

An inauspicious beginning to the Scott Linehan era turned into the type of power running/dominant defensive performance that Linehan hopes to instill in the new era of Rams football.

Tony Dungy wasted no time welcoming Linehan to the NFL. After the Rams won the coin toss and elected to receive, kicker Adam Vinatieri booted an onside kick that the Colts recovered and subsequently scored on.

“You expect anything during the preseason,” Linehan said. “Maybe it was a little indoctrination into the head coaching ranks by Coach Dungy, but I understand it. It worked. Hats off to them.”

By the time the Rams had settled down, their starters were off the field, but the second and third units came through with a powerful rushing attack complemented by a suffocating defense.

Ultimately, it was Linehan who got the last laugh as the Rams overcame the special teams blunder and hung on to beat Indianapolis 19-17 Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome.

Soon after his hire, Linehan made it clear that the running game would be a big part of the team’s offense, something that hadn’t been the case in the previous regime. If his first go at being a head coach in any indication, Linehan is a man of his word.

St. Louis finished with 40 rushes for 202 yards and two touchdowns divided among a group of five running backs. The defense chipped in with four sacks, an interception, a safety and held the Colts to 249 yards, 38 of which were rushing yards.

“A couple of things I was very happy about was our ability to run the ball and stop the run,” Linehan said. “It’s an easier game when you are able to do those two things. We have obviously got players that can do a lot of things not only in the running game, but in the passing game. It certainly makes you feel in a rhythm and a lot better about what you are doing on a consistent basis when you feel like you can go to the run game.”

And, though the Rams blitzed fairly often, Linehan said that is a product of the way the system is going to be. It didn’t hurt that it came in response to an onside kick to start the game.

“You didn’t see 85 percent of Jim Haslett’s blitzes tonight,” Linehan said. “That’s how we play. Some teams are vanilla type of team. We are going to be multiple. We have things we have to work and things we have to prepare for. We have to get better at it. Multiple blitzes and onside kicks, I don’t know how you be too critical of either one.”

The Rams used a balanced attack in the first two series with the starters on the field, but soon after, it became predominantly a rushing attack that ran over the Colts.

Backup Tony Fisher proved his worth as the No. 2 to Steven Jackson, showing elusiveness previously unseen on his way to five carries for 33 yards and what would prove the touchdown that put the Rams ahead for good with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

That 7-yard run and the ensuing extra point gave the Rams a 12-10 lead they would not relinquish. On their next possession, the Rams added to their lead as Ryan Fitzpatrick took over at quarterback.

Fitzpatrick, involved in a battle for the third signal caller job with Dave Ragone, promptly made his case for the job by marching the Rams 80 yards on the way to Moe Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run.

Fitzpatrick’s evening came to an end in the third quarter as he ended the evening eight-of-11 for 51 yards.

Williams, signed last week to compete with Fisher for the No. 2 running back job, made a strong case for himself as well. He finished with seven carries for 17 yards with a touchdown and had three catches for 19 yards. His touchdown plunge made it 19-10 Rams.

Those touchdowns helped erase the memory of the first quarter in which the Indianapolis starters outplayed the Rams’ first-unit. After the onside kick recovery, Peyton Manning took the Colts down the field quickly before hitting tight end Ben Utecht for an 8-yard touchdown to give Indianapolis a 7-0 lead. 

“We have to be a little bit tighter in coverage, put a little bit more pressure on him,” Linehan said. “I was very happy with the way the defense came back out and never let it affect them. I know our defense is growing and becoming a tight unit and I’m really satisfied with where we are at right now.”

The Rams’ defense responded with its first points of the Jim Haslett era after Matt Turk’s punt pinned the Colts at their 2. On second down, cornerback Fakhir Brown made his first impression as a Ram, blindsiding Jim Sorgi and forcing a fumble that was recovered by the Colts in the end zone for a safety. That score made it 7-2.

On the ensuing possession, the Rams marched to the Indianapolis 15 before settling for Remy Hamilton’s 33-yard field goal to make it 7-5 Indianapolis. That drive was highlighted by Jackson’s 23-yard run and brought the first-team offense’s night to an end.

Jackson finished with 41 yards on five carries for an average of 8.2 per attempt. Quarterback Marc Bulger was three-of-six for 51 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. More important, though, is the fact that Bulger made it out of the game healthy after taking some shots from the Indianapolis defense.

The Colts made a late run at the win as Shaun King hit Levon Thomas for a 40-yard touchdown to make it 19-17 Rams. The St. Louis defense held serve, though, and the Rams escaped with the first preseason win of Linehan’s young career.