Thursday was a very good day for Rams fans.

Stan Kroenke gained NFL approval to take over the franchise and assured fans he was quite serious about succeeding. The lame-duck ownership era is finally coming to an end.

Then first overall pick Sam Bradford went out and played like a first overall pick at New England – erasing any doubts generated by his unimpressive showing during the first two preseason games.

Here is how independent analysts reviewed his work:

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: “With Rams starter A.J. Feeley injured for the all-important third preseason game and rookie quarterback Sam Bradford  getting the nod against the supposedly potent Patriots, some (e.g., us) feared a St. Louis shibacle on Thursday night for the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. It didn't happen. Bradford lit up the New England starting defense, completing 15 of 22 passes for 189 yards and two scored in two quarters of action.”

Mike Sando, ESPN.com: “Bradford absolutely looked the part of an NFL starter. He's not going to look this good every week, of course, but there's no compelling reason to hold him back. Bradford commanded the offense, scrambled when it was the best choice, threw accurately, checked down quickly to avoid pressure, timed the screen game properly, threw away the ball when appropriate, varied his cadence and even found time to take notes on Tom Brady's body language.”

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports: “The NFL’s rookie salary structure essentially forces teams to draft the best available quarterback first overall and make him the league’s highest paid player, as Bradford’s six-year deal that could reach $78 million did. Sometimes they are worth it. Just as often they aren’t. And that’s when you are really in trouble. With a grand total of six victories over the past three seasons, the Rams are desperate for Bradford to give them something to build around. In the week that longtime minority partner Stan Kroenke was approved for full ownership, it was the perfect time for Bradford to show he can be that fresh start guy.”

ON THE OTHER HAND

Of course, the Rams still face a long road back. The loss of top receiver Donnie Avery to an apparently serious knee injury won’t make that task any easier.

This development is still another blow to the team’s recent draft record. Avery came out and made a statement catch against the Patriots to the Rams rolling . . . but he couldn’t survive the game.

Can any of the surviving Rams receivers stretch the field for Bradford? Anybody?

LEINART GETS HIS WAKE-UP CALL

The Cardinals will start Derek Anderson at quarterback in their next preseason game, fueling speculation that former USC star Matt Leinart could be headed back to the bench – or ever to the trade mart.

Here is what Arizona Republic columnist Paola Boivin thought about that:  “Wake-up call? This is a bullhorn-in-the-ear call. I can't help but think at least some of Ken Whisenhunt's decision to start Derek Anderson in Chicago on Saturday is a last-ditch effort to light a fire under Matt Leinart. But I also think he is seeing Anderson as the lesser of two evils.

“Anderson will make a downfield throw – sometimes ill-advised but his strong arm gives the offense a chance for big plays. Leinart will check down too much, showing he can’t think quickly enough and that he will choose the safer, short throws too frequently. What happens if Anderson struggles Saturday? Do fans clamor for Leinart again? Or does the love start flowing for Max Hall?

“It's clear Whisenhunt truly never gained confidence in Leinart, whom he inherited from the Dennis Green era, and it is likely the coach will be doing plenty of waiver-wire scouting.”

Ouch.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering how the Cardinals can score 10 runs against the Nationals – with Chris Carpenter pitching – and still lose:

Now that Albert has hit his 400th home run, can the Cards refocus on actually TRYING TO WIN A GAME?

Did hot-hitting rookie Jon Jay finally return to earth with his 0-for-7 performance?

Will Colby Rasmus ever start another game in the Cards outfield?

Will USC become more sophisticated while taking care of its football players?

Should some of these big-budget Texas high school teams move up to Division I NCAA football?

MEGAPHONE

“I look at it this way. [Ben] Hogan won all nine of his [majors] at my age and older. I think for every kid out there, the goal is to get there. That is the benchmark in our sport, and that's still my goal.”

Tiger Woods, on resuming his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record for major tournaments won.