The St. Louis Globe-Democrat’s Howard Balzer indicates that rookie Mardy Gilyard may get the first crack at replacing Donnie Avery, who’s out for the season after tearing his right ACL.
Mancini’s Take: It’s somewhat surprising to hear that coach Steve Spagnuolo hasn’t mentioned Brandon Gibson as a replacement after his glowing performance versus New England earlier this week (50 receiving yards and a touchdown). The thinking here might be that the Rams would prefer lining up Gibson at split end instead of the flanker position previously occupied by Avery. The flanker position (generally lined up slightly behind the line of scrimmage) is usually reserved for the feature receiver. Gilyard has the characteristics to be a versatile player that can be split out wide or play in the slot; his ability to make plays in space is what sets him apart. His quick acceleration allows him to easily turn