It's wise not to trust the NFL preseason but, holy moly, Rams QB Ty Simpson looks like a stud

Before rookie Ty Simpson's NFL debut for the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, his father texted him some sage advice.

"My dad just talked to me like I was four years old again," Simpson said of the message from his father Jason "He told me to catch every snap, make the easy ones easy, go do what you love, and I love you." Simpson is a good son because he did exactly as instructed.

He made his first pro game, against the Kansas City Chiefs no less, seem easy.

RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR AN NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY TO 'MR BRADY' Simpson completed 21-of-25 passes for 190 yards in three quarters of work after Stetson Bennett started and played the first quarter.

Simpson threw 2 touchdown passes without an interception and that kind of efficiency earned him a whopping 125.0 passer rating.

"It was a really good day for him," Coach Sean McVay crowed.

"I just felt like he was in good command and it was cool to see a good smile on his face." Those facts and reaction beg context.

So, let's examine ...

The old adage among NFL scouts, coaches and smart scribes is that the preseason does not present the truth.

It lies.

The NFL's August stars could be waiting tables in October.

And while that won't fully apply to Simpson because he will be on the Rams ' roster for a long time, it suggests a certain amount of temperance here is wise.

So, here's that necessary temperance: Holy moly, Simpson looked like a stud! Here's some more temperance: The draft critics were wrong.

You remember those draft critics, right? Bucky Brooks at the NFL Network, the draft scouts at ESPN, practically everybody except Dan Orlovsky.