ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher expects Sam Bradford to play in next weeks preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, the quarterbacks first time facing competition since he injured his left knee last October. Fisher said Saturday that he hasnt decided yet how much Bradford, who has declared himself fully healthy after last years knee surgery, will play against the Packers on Aug. 16. Out of 18 players the Rams held out of Friday nights preseason opener against New Orleans, Fisher says 15 or 16 should play next week. With so many starters sitting out, the 26-24 loss turned sloppy at times - including during a ragged final drive that ended with Greg Zuerlein scrambling to attempt a 59-yard field goal as time expired after a rare intentional grounding penalty on a spike to stop the clock. That was St. Louis 14th penalty of the game. "When you have nine starters that dont play for whatever reason, you end up playing a lot of players earlier in the ball game. And when that happens, some of the inexperience translates into penalties," Fisher said. "We had way too many penalties." On the flip side, Fisher got extended looks at many of his rookies - including first-round picks Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald. Both got mixed review from Fisher, as did just about every rookie whose name was mentioned during Fishers news conference. Robinsons most glaring mistake came on New Orleans second drive, when Brodrick Bunkley was allowed to rush right up the middle and sack Shaun Hill. "We had a problem early with communication inside, He turned the nose guard loose and he was supposed to come down. That resulted in a sack," Fisher said. "But from a run game standpoint, he was good. Most of the time, his pass protection was solid. . I thought he played pretty well, considering he played two positions." Fisher said he saw positive flashes from Donald and seemed pleased with fellow defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks. He also heaped praise upon Alex Bayer, an undrafted rookie from Bowling Green who caught a 42-yard pass just before the 2-minute warning to give the Rams a chance at a game-winning field goal. As for the most watched rookie in training camp, Fisher said Michael Sam played "pretty well" but also made his share of mistakes. "I would expect him to play much better this week after hes got has whatever it is behind him, like the rest of the rookie class and first year-guys," Fisher said. "The first preseason game is nerve-wracking. I think theyll settle down." Robinson, who split time between guard and tackle as three offensive line starters sat out, said he had some nerves at kickoff but thought he settled in fairly quickly. "It was a great feeling and I really just missed being in front of a crowd and playing. So it was something good to get back at," Robinson said. "I really was looking forward to it, and even though it was a preseason game, we have to still hold ourselves accountable." Across the board, that will start with getting rid of the penalties, missed tackles and mental mistakes. Some of that should come naturally as veterans get in the game, the rookies jitters fade away and everything gets a little more serious. Demonstrating the nature of opening preseason games, Fisher said his first-half challenge of a spot was only because he knew the league was experimenting with a new replay system and he wanted to do referee Carl Cheffers a favour, even if he basically gave away a timeout. He blamed one missed field goal on a lack of chemistry between a second-string long snapper and holder. "You should see everybody take a big step this week," Fisher said. Chris Doleman Jersey . Team spokesman Donald Beauchamp said there was no new information on the 80-year-old Hall of Famers condition. The family has requested privacy. Jalyn Holmes Jersey . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. http://www.authenticvikingspro.com/Brian-oneill-vikings-jersey/ . TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. John Randle Vikings Jersey . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. Brian ONeill Youth Jersey . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Florida has ascended to the top spot in the mens college basketball rankings, ending Syracuses three-week reign at the top of the Associated Press poll. The Orange lost twice last week after starting the season 25-0, falling at home in overtime against a weak Boston College team before a controversial finish at Duke on Saturday. Florida, riding a 19-game winning streak, received 47 first-place votes and a total of 1,606 points from a nationwide media panel to move up from second, earning the No. 1 ranking for the first time since repeating as national champions in 2007. Wichita State, the only unbeaten team in Division I mens basketball, earned 14 first-place votes to move up to second, while Arizona picked up four top tallies and rose one place to third. Syracuse, the first No. 1 team to lose twice in the same week since Texas in 2010, dropped to fourth and is followed by Kansas, Duke, Louisville, Villanova, Creighton and Saint Louis. The second 10 consists of Cincinnati, Virginia, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Michhigan, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Iowa.dddddddddddd. San Diego State had the biggest fall this week, dropping seven spots from sixth after a loss to New Mexico on Saturday. Memphis, Ohio State, SMU, Texas and New Mexico are the last five teams ranked this week. North Carolina, SMU and New Mexico are the newcomers, although each had been ranked earlier this season The Tar Heels began the season ranked 12th and had been unranked since early January, but have won nine straight to vault back into the poll. SMU was ranked two weeks ago, earning a spot in the poll for the first time since the 1984-85 season, but fell out last week after a loss to Temple. New Mexico, tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with San Diego State, began the season ranked 23rd and reached 19th before falling out of the rankings in late November. Connecticut, UCLA and Gonzaga dropped out. Gonzaga was 25th and lost twice last week. This weeks two ranked matchups wont take place until Saturday as Louisville visits Memphis and Virginia hosts Syracuse. ' ' '