Never figuring that he'd have to wait 2½ months to have an opportunity to make a splash in the NFL, rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson acknowledged that he was a bit frazzled Sunday.
"I was actually kind of nervous the whole game, just because it was my first real action, and with Keenan (Burton) going down, your number's called quite a bit," Gibson said. "I just wanted to go out there and make plays and help this team."
Burton, the Rams' No. 2 wide receiver, suffered what apparently is a season-ending knee injury about midway through the first quarter. That moved Gibson alongside Donnie Avery as the team's top two wideouts the rest of the way against the unbeaten New Orleans Saints.
"Brandon came in and stepped up," Avery said. "He's a great receiver, very detailed in his routes. We need him now."