ST. LOUIS -- Bruce Arians wanted to get ahead of the story.
But as much as he tried to outrun the questions about left tackle Levi Brown, he simply couldn't. Nobody would let him.
"No," Arians said unprompted. "I'm not concerned about the offensive line."
It’s tough to believe after watching Brown give up three sacks to Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, who, like San Diego's Dwight Freeney a few weeks ago, sailed by Brown more often than not.
But Arians responded to a reporter's question a few minutes later: Who would he replace Brown with?
"You got one?" Arians asked. "He's our guy. No, there's no position change. Somebody would've already beaten him out."
Brown struggled to slow Quinn on the Cardinals' opening drive. Quinn's first sack was on first and 10. He stripped the ball from Carson Palmer. Four snaps later, Quinn, who also had three quarterback hurries, got by Brown again on third and 12. He dragged Palmer down for an eight-yard loss, forcing the Cardinals to punt.
"He’s got a lot of speed," Brown said. "He's good with his hands. Tough job today."
While Quinn got to Palmer a few more times throughout the day, it was his third sack that changed the course of the game. With the Cardinals clinging to a 24-21 lead with 11 minutes left in the fourth, after being up 11 just two minutes earlier, Quinn strip-sacked Palmer again, but this time Quinn recovered. Four players later, despite a valiant stand by the Cardinals' defense, the Rams tied the game.
Brown will remain at left tackle, since Nate Potter did not win the job in camp, until a better option comes along on waivers or through a trade. But the likelihood of another team parting with a high-functioning left tackle isn't high.
"They're our guys," Arians said. "And we're going to live with them."
Brown will wait until he watches the tape Monday to draw conclusions about what went wrong against Quinn. But a former fifth-overall pick, Brown knows there’s room for improvement.
"I got work to do," he said. "I didn't perform well. I think he had three sacks. That's not acceptable. Go back to work tomorrow and get ready for next week."