GLENDALE, Ariz. – With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his pre-season with a big night.

ST. LOUIS – One perfect series and done for Sam Bradford.

Steven Jackson sat out St. Louis' preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, giving the Rams more time to find a backup running back. Backup quarterback A.J. Feeley also was out for the second straight game because of a sprained right thumb. Jackson, who participated in pregame warmups, finished the preseason with nine carries for 42 yards.

Last season Laurent Robinson made a small splash early in the season, with 11 receptions for 141 yards and 1 TD over the first two weeks of the season. 

He appeared to be the go to guy for the Rams, but in Week 3 he suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula, ending his season.

Now, recovered from surgery and seeing the man expected to be the Rams top receiver in 2010, Donnie Avery, go down with a torn ACL, Robinson has again emerged as the Rams’ number one receiver.

It’s easy to overlook Robinson, being the best receiver on a team likely to struggle offensively, but that would be doing your fantasy team a disservice.  At least you would think.

Robinson was not able to catch a pass in the third preseason game and has just two catches for 27 yards thus far.  Plus, there has been word that Robinson is struggling with a foot injury himself.

With last season’s injury still fresh in our minds, it’s impossible to ignore this latest news.  Hopefully it’s minor and he will be ready to play in Week 1, but can we really be sure?

I know there will also be concerns with the QB play, with rookie Sam Bradford likely manning the position, as well as the team being more run oriented, handing the ball to Steven Jackson early and often. 

Those are both reasonable concerns, but the team is going to have to put the ball in the air, and Avery’s loss increases targets to everyone.

The team is not exceptionally deep at WR, with Danny Amendola (43 career catches for 326 yards), Mardy Gilyard (rookie) and Keenan Burton (38 career catches for 425 yards) also fighting for catches.  Rookie TE Michael Hoomanawanui has been the biggest surprise, leading the team with eight catches for 112 yards and 2 TD (click here for more on him).

In other words, all bets are off in the Rams’ receiving corps. 

With the potential Robinson showed in 2009, he certainly has the potential to reemerge, when healthy.  He’s certainly worth considering in the last rounds of your draft in deeper leagues and should be watched closely on the waiver wire.

Is it a guarantee that he emerges?  Absolutely not, but no one expected him to sneak up on us as he did last season, with an aging Marc Bulger at the helm (he completed 32 passes for 316 yards over those first two games in ‘09).

The opportunity is there.  Robinson just needs to reach up and grab it.

What are your thoughts on Robinson?  Is there any chance that he emerges as a usable option in 2010?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

• Top 5 Rookie RB
• Top 5 Rookie QB
• Top 5 Rookie WR
• Top 3 Rookie TE

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL

Read more St Louis Rams news on BleacherReport.com

For a team that averaged less than 11 points a game in 2009, it was paramount that the Rams exit training camp with a unit that had the potential to be a lot better.

To do that meant making sure running back Steven Jackson was healthy following April back surgery, putting together an offensive line that could hopefully develop chemistry and, most importantly, getting rookie quarterback Sam Bradford ready to play.

It appears to be mission accomplished on all those fronts, which has resulted in some guarded optimism surrounding a team that has won just six of 48 games over the past three seasons.

There remain questions about the wide receiver corps, but the tight end group looks promising.

WASHINGTON – The NFL players' union is looking into whether trades made by four teams this week are attempts to avoid paying money into a rookie pool.

The NFL players' union is looking into whether trades made by four teams this week are attempts to avoid paying money into a rookie pool, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the union has not made the probes public, said the NFL Players Association is reviewing trades made by the Washington…

Three games down, one to go.

With training camp far in the rearview mirror, not much time remains before the final 53 are chosen.

While most of the league feels the 4th game of the preseason is a joke, it is hardly one for guys who are trying to grind out a spot on the roster.

One game may decide their futures with the St. Louis Rams.

I’ve laid out a few things Rams coaches will be watching, and so should you.

1. Sam Bradford’s pocket presence

This is fairly obvious right? There’s a good chance that I will lead every game preview with something pertaining to 50 million dollars or people who have been paid 50 million dollars.

Every move Sam Bradford makes on the field is looked at through a microscope. Is he making the right reads? Is he willing to take a sack when the situation calls for it? Is he willing to throw the ball away when he can’t find an open receiver? He showed us last week in New England that he is capable of making the right decisions.

Let’s see if he can do it two weeks a row.

2. The 7th rounders

In 2008, the Rams drafted two linebackers in the 7th round. Their names? Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora.

Chamberlain has struggled at LB most of the preseason. He has one game left to show the coaches that he is more valuable than LB Bobby Carpenter because it’s unlikely that both will be kept.

David Vobora will see a lot of action this week backing up James Laurinaitis in the middle, and Na’il Diggs on the strong side. It’s important that he continues to show competency on the field for injury sake.

Running back Chris Ogbonnaya (OB) was drafted in the 7th round by the Rams in 2009. At the start of training camp, Rams coaches had OB penciled in as Steven Jackson’s backup. Due to inconsistent play, the spot is now up for grabs. 

Kenneth Darby, Keith Toston and Ogbonnaya have one game left to separate themselves from the group.

This battle should be fun to follow throughout the game. 

3. Secondary corners

Rams cornerbacks have been fighting the injury bug since the beginning of training camp. Kevin Dockery, Justin King, Bradley Fletcher, Marquis Johnson and Jerome Murphy have all missed time due to injuries. Left CB Ron Bartell is the only one who seems to be running at full speed. Every other CB is playing hurt, which means Coach Spagnuolo will have to play the least injured guy on the right side. After the game we should have a better idea of who Mr. Right will be.

Experience is also an issue at corner for the Rams. Murphy and Johnson are both rookies who may be forced into the starting lineup come week 1. In an attempt to get them regular season ready, it’s likely Coach Spags will give them quite a bit of playing time against Baltimore.

4. Danny Amendola at WR2

We learned in New England that Danny Amendola is no joke. He caught 5 balls for 50 yards and returned 5 kicks for 97 yards. Not bad for a guy who has been cut by 2 teams in 3 seasons.

With Donnie Avery lost for the season to a knee injury, Amendola moves up the depth chart behind new top dog Laurent Robinson.

Last season, Amendola caught 43 passes from the slot position. It’ll be interesting to see how comfortable he looks lining up at his new position.

Amendola made a name for himself last season with strong play on special teams. He finished 6th in the NFL in punt return average and 16th in kick return average. It’s unclear as of now if his promotion at receiver will affect his special teams duties. 

In 2008, the Chicago Bears decided to promote All-Pro return man Devin Hester to the top of the depth chart at receiver. The added duties at WR significantly affected his results as a returner, rendering him very ineffective. 

Look for the Rams coaching staff to preserve the legs of Amendola by giving Mardy Gilyard more time at KR/PR.

Think I missed something? Feel free to start the conversation in the comments section.

Read more St Louis Rams news on BleacherReport.com

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Donte' Stallworth was the closest approximation to a true deep threat among the…

ASHBURN, Va. – Like many of his Washington Redskins teammates, Derrick Dockery shook his head when asked about this week's game.