- The Rams wrapped their Thursday practice and did so with limited numbers available on the defensive line, particularly at end.

- The worst news came in the form of losing end CJ Ah You for the rest of the season. Ah You suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday's practice on the turf in the indoor facility at Rams Park. It was a freak accident that occurred when Ah You got his foot caught under another player's and then another player rolled into his knee. Tough break for Ah You, who was playing pretty well in a variety of roles.

- As for the rest of the group, ends Chris Long (knee), Leonard Little (knee) and James Hall (back) were limited in practice. The Rams don't have much else behind that trio aside from Victor Adeyanju but made it through practice.

- As expected, guard Richie Incognito did not practice and won't be available this week. Adam Goldberg continues to get the reps in his place.

- Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (toe) did return to practice and should be ready to go Sunday.

- With Ah You gone, it will affect the way the Rams deploy their ends in the nickel situation. In most of those opportunities, they have used four defensive ends, often aligning Ah You and Little on the end with Long and Hall in the middle. Adeyanju is more suited to the inside so it would stand to reason that Long would shift back outside with Ah You unavailable.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo said the Rams won't make a roster addition to replace Ah You this week, instead opting to wait until next week. The theory being that it would be too late to have someone ready to potentially play this week anyway.

- Check the home page later for a look at how the Rams offensive line is coming together as well as more thoughts from Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator on the loss of Ah You.

- The Rams practiced on Wednesday with a banged up defensive line and took a couple more blows during the practice as they begin preparation for Arizona this weekend.

- Guard Richie Incognito did not practice and coach Steve Spagnuolo said it's "very doubtful" that Incognito would be able to play this week. Next week appears to be a more likely target date.

- Defensive ends Leonard Little (knee) and James Hall (back) were limited in practice. Both should be OK.

- Fellow end Chris Long did not practice because of continued soreness in his knee. He participated in walk through and did some work after practice. Spagnuolo said the Rams wanted to rest it and will allow Long another 24 hours to rest up in hopes he can return to practice on Thursday.

- During the practice, defensive end C.J. Ah You suffered a knee injury that is being called a "twist" right now but Ah You left practice and was to have an MRI perhaps as soon as this afternoon to have it checked.

- Offensive tackle Jason Smith tweaked an ankle but returned to practice and finished it out. He's expected to be OK but Spagnuolo wanted to be cautious of swelling.

- In addition to his role as the scout team quarterback, Kyle Boller got some opportunities to work with the ones on Wednesday. Spagnuolo said it had been a while since Boller got any reps with the first team and he wanted to get him back into the mix a little bit just in case something were to happen to quarterback Marc Bulger.

-  New receiver Jordan Kent practiced for the first time as a Ram. He's wearing No. 87.

- Ruvell Martin got plenty of reps and he should figure into the game plan at receiver this week because of the injuries.

- The captains for this week have a distinct 2008 NFL Draft flavor. Donnie Avery (offense), Justin King (defense) and Chris Chamberlains (special teams) will handle duties this week.

- Greetings and welcome to Around the League where we do our best to take a look at the happenings around the NFL. In this installment, we'll hit on the Bill Belichick decision in Indianapolis, the emergence of a full out superstar in Tennessee, an opinion on who the best team in football is and more.

- Well, it's the topic that seems to be all over the place and is unavoidable. I don't want to harp on it too much because it's been overkill in some ways but the choice of New England coach Bill Belichick to go for it on fourth and 2 with two minutes to go and a 6-point lead at Indianapolis was simply wrong. I've heard all of the reasons for the move and I can comprehend the logic but it's not really a choice. You punt the ball. If you're that worried about Peyton Manning beating you from about 70 yards away, what about from 29?

- Other observations from that game: Manning pulled it off and that wasn't a surprise but it was a bit of a shock because he was not playing his best. I've never seen him throw so many wounded ducks. He's still the best and in my opinion the MVP... The Colts must find a way to run the ball more consistently...The Patriots defense has to make some serious strides in the coming weeks if they want to make a Super Bowl run...Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne, still two of the absolute best at what they do...Nice game plan by New England in taking away Dallas Clark. 

- Tennessee running back Chris Johnson is a superstar. His numbers are ridiculous. He leads the league in rushing and total yards and he's averaging almost 6.5 yards per carry.  Vince Young is getting a lot of credit for the turnaround for the Titans but it's Johnson that makes it all go.

- Speaking of Johnson, how's this for a scenario...two years ago, the Rams had targeted a couple of speedy, play making backs to join Steven Jackson in the backfield. One was Felix Jones, the other was Johnson. Neither made it to the second round, where the Rams would have pulled the trigger. Jones went 22nd and Johnson went 24th. Imagine if Johnson had dropped eight more spots, that could have been an amazing combination.

- As we sit here headed to week 11 in the NFL, the Rams are one of the only teams to see the best teams in the league. Indianapolis, New Orleans and Minnesota are among the best teams in the league. This neutral observer has watched all three play in person and I've been impressed by all three. So, which one is the best? Which is the best Super Bowl contender? Believe it or not, I would vote for the team of the trio that has actually lost a game, Minnesota. The Vikings are the most balanced with a veteran star at quarterback in Brett Favre, a dominant force at running back in Adrian Peterson, emerging receivers and play makers, a run defense with two dynamite tackles and a premiere pass rusher in Jared Allen. If Favre can stay healthy, the Vikings are the most complete team in football.

- So, why not the Saints or Colts? New Orleans is very good but if it doesn't have its play makers on defense healthy, it can be scored on and run on regularly. The Colts lack a running game and have youth in the secondary. In addition, Indianapolis is very young at receiver aside from Wayne and Clark. Again, both teams are outstanding but the Vikings seem to be the most Super Bowl ready at this point.

- Monday night's game between Cleveland and Baltimore is the first Monday night game I haven't watched this season. After seeing the highlights, it appeared I made the right choice.

- The luster has come off the Broncos pretty quick. Clearly, the offense has had struggle remaining consistent but the most alarming thing has to be the defensive struggles the past couple of weeks. Huge game against the Chargers this week for the AFC West.

- Speaking of the Chargers, that's a very dangerous team heading down the stretch because the offense is playing as well as anyone's. But they aren't going too far if they continue to give up copious amounts of yards through the air.

- Nice week for the Giants. They don't play a game and make up ground on Philly and Dallas.

- I might be the last person in America to come around and agree but the Bengals are for real. What a defensive, physical footbal team that has become. That cornerback duo of Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall deserves a lot more credit than its getting. If Cedric Benson can get healthy, that's a tough out in January because the Bengals play defense and run it well.

- Matt Ryan has fallen on some rough times in Atlanta and the timing hasn't been good because the running game is starting to get going.

- Don't count the Panthers out of the NFC playoff race. They run the ball too well to be discounted.

- Things are looking up in Tampa Bay where rookie quarterback Josh Freeman is showing some signs of becoming a true play maker. Glad to see that group snapping out of it under offensive coordinator Greg Olson, the former Rams offensive coordinator who happens to be one of the good guys in the game.

- Not looking good for Jay Cutler and Co. in Chicago. Cutler is making the same mistakes there he made in Denver and has thrown 17 interceptions on the season.

- On the college scene, things are getting harder and harder to figure out. By now, it's clear that Texas will play the winner of the SEC championship game for the national title, barring a major upset. But here's the real question: is there a team in the college ranks that is legitimately good and balanced in all phases? The Longhorns, Gators and Crimson Tide all play great defense but there's not much there in the way of offense. If I had to choose, I'd probably go with Florida just for the Tebow factor but I'm not sure that any of these teams are truly great.

- Nice win for my beloved (yet schizophrenic) Missouri Tigers against Kansas State. A shame they lost to Baylor the previous week or they'd still be in the mix to win the Big 12 North. Receiver Danario Alexander is an absolute stud and a better pure receiver than Jeremy Maclin was. His draft stock will fluctuate because of his injury history but he has all the tools.

- TCU is a legitimate football team. The Horned Frogs play great defense and are better offensively than people give them credit for. Impressive win against Utah.

- Give credit to Iowa for its effort against Ohio State. Nobody gave them much of a chance in that game (the Hawkeyes were 16 1/2 point underdogs) but they still found a way to force overtime with a freshman quarterback in charge. Both teams could still wind up in BCS bowls.

- It's one of my favorite times of the year as college hoops is kicking off. College basketball is perhaps my favorite sport to watch and I watch as much as I can. But this ESPN 24-hour marathon is a bit ridiculous. Seriously, is it necessary to have games at 6 a.m.?

- I'll get my Final 4 predictions in print right now so I can be ridiculed later: Kansas, Villanova, Purdue, Kentucky with Kansas winning it all. It's not fancy and it pains me to choose the hated Jayhawks but they are loaded. Some sleepers to watch out for: Georgia Tech, Clemson, Missouri, Washington.

- That's all for this week. Be sure to continue to check us out on Twitter at OneRamsWay and on facebook. And get your questions in to Nick's Mailbag right here at stlouisrams.com.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and his team reviewed the film of yesterday's hard fought loss to New Orleans and like Sunday afternoon, Spagnuolo couldn't help but be disappointed that the Rams came up just short. More on his thoughts in a moment...

- On the injury front, the news came as expected as receiver Keenan Burton is out for the year with a patella tendon injury in his knee. He will have surgery and his season will come to an end when he's officially placed on injured reserve in the near future. Tough break for a great kid. Here's to a speedy recovery for him.

- Elsewhere on the injury front, plenty of players drew mentions from Spagnuolo but none were too serious. End Chris Long had an MRI on his knee but it came back as nothing more than a bone bruise. That will be monitored in the coming days but Long should be OK.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger and Leonard Little had bruised knees but should also be fine. James Hall dealt with back spasms but is also expected to be fine.

- The only other injury worth noting is a hyperextended toe of defensive tackle Clifton Ryan. He will be watched closely this week but should also be OK.

- End C.J. Ah You made it through the game on his injured ankle OK.

- Guard Richie Incognito isn't a slam dunk to return this week from his foot injury and will also be watched this week. Spagnuolo was asked about Incognito getting his spot back considering how well the line has played recently and indicated that Incognito would get his job or at least a job back somewhere on the line.

- Spagnuolo doesn't have hard and fast rules when it comes to starters losing their job to injury. He says he takes it on a case by case basis and mentioned how well the line had played before Incognito was injured.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo cited the kickoff return coming out of the half as one of the key plays. After watching the film, he said it was a "misread" by a few of the tacklers on the coverage unit and they opted to go on the wrong side of the blocks which left open the gaping hole down the left sideline for a touchdown.

- As Spagnuolo points out, it's hard enough to slow the Saints' scoring machine without giving up points on special teams. That made it even more difficult for his team.

- With Burton out, Brandon Gibson's role will expand though Spagnuolo stopped short of declaring him the starter opposite Donnie Avery just yet. Ruvell Martin, who has been inactive the past few weeks should figure into the mix on gamedays now.

- The Rams are likely to sign yet another receiver to replace Burton on the roster. There are some in house options like practice squadder Sean Walker and some guys who have been here outside who could figure in. Spagnuolo said he and GM Billy Devaney haven't yet begun to dig into that.

- Spagnuolo also revisited the decision to go for the onside kick late in Sunday's game. He again pointed out that it was out of respect for the Saints' offensive ability. He also believed Josh Brown is excellent at kicking onsides. And he's right, Brown kicked a near perfect ball but nobody was able to break through the blockers to get to it.

- Steven Jackson now ranks third in the league in rushing and trailing only Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson in that category. He's just 2 yards behind Peterson for second. In addition, he's second in the league in yards from scrimmage. Jackson would need to average about 107 yards per game the rest of the way to pass Marshall Faulk for second in franchise history.

- Looking back at the final drive, Spagnuolo said he was pleased overall with how it went. Obviously, the Rams would have liked to have hit one of the deep ball tries to Gibson or Avery but Spagnuolo points out they still had a play from a reasonable spot on the field to win it.

- Spagnuolo was again complimentary of rookie tackle Jason Smith who once again had an excellent game blocking, particularly in the running game.

- That's all for today. Be back tomorrow with a look around the league.

- What a game at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday as the Rams came up literally a play short of an upset of the mighty Saints. Ultimately, the Rams fell 28-23 in one of the most entertaining games the team has played in a long time.

- On the injury front, it seems the Rams came out OK with one notable exception. Receiver Keenan Burton suffered a patella injury in his knee and it appears to be a serious ailment. Coach Steve Spagnuolo would not go as far as to project how much time Burton might miss but it's safe to say it's a pretty serious injury.

- Defensive end Chris Long injured his right knee but returned to the game and registered a sack. Long will have the knee looked at further on Monday morning.

- Linebacker Paris Lenon suffered a rib injury early in the game and was replaced by Chris Chamberlain. But Lenon did return in the second half.

- After getting a victory in Detroit before the bye week, the Rams clearly added some confidence in what they are doing. And though Spagnuolo and Co. will be quick to tell you there is no such thing as a moral victory, there's no doubt things are starting to come together for the Rams. They played with great energy and threw a counterpunch every time the Saints delivered a blow. To be in the game with a shot to win it at the end against an undefeated juggernaut speaks volumes about where this team has come since week 1 and where it might be headed in the future.

- I don't know if it's considered blasphemous to say this but Steven Jackson at the very least belong in the Most Valuable Player conversation. Jackson is, without question, the one player on the Rams that every opponent designs its game plan around. And yet week after week, he wills his way to a big performance. He posted another 131 rushing yards to go with nine receptions for 45 more yards and a touchdown. Jackson is one-man wrecking crew and deserves every accolade that comes his way. The 2009 season is his passion project and I truly hope that he's rewarded with more wins because nobody deserves it more.

- Can't tip the cap to Jackson without mentioning the offensive line. That group is really coming together and again did a nice job against the Saints. New Orleans had two sacks but those loss just 5 yards and the Rams were able to average almost 5 yards per carry.

- Here's hoping for a quick recovery for Burton, who is one of the truly great guys in the locker room and off the field. But if he doesn't come back, the Rams seem to have found a diamond in the rough in the form of Brandon Gibson.

- Gibson got his first extended NFL action against the Saints and rewarded the Rams with seven catches for 93 yards. Gibson showed tremendous hands, especially on a fourth down catch late in the game. But what took me by surprise was the speed elusiveness that maybe hadn't been recognizable before. He made tacklers miss and picked up yards after the catch. Keep an eye on this kid as he gets more and more opportunities.

- Gibson's presence seemed to have a positive impact on fellow wideout Donnie Avery. Avery finished with four catches for 67 yards and made a pair of difficult touchdown catches. Avery is playing with more confidence every week and it seems the Rams might have the makings of a talented young receiver corps in the form of Avery and Gibson with fellow youngsters Laurent Robinson and Burton.

- Nice to see free safety Oshimogho Atogwe up to his old ball hawking ways. Atogwe came up with an interception (nice coverage by linebacker David Vobora to knock the ball away and into Atogwe's arms) and force a fumble at the goal line. More of that will go a long way.

- James Butler has two interceptions in his past two games and is starting to show he also has a knack for being around the ball a lot.

- Two more things on Jackson: First, congrats to him for passing Lawrence McCutcheon for third in rushing in franchise history.  Second, sometimes it's the little things that go unnoticed. But in the first half, when Marc Bulger hit Avery for his first touchdown, remember it might never have been possible were it not for Jackson. On the previous play, Bulger was hit and fumbled. Nobody seemed aware the ball was loose except for Jackson who sprinted back and pounced on it. The Rams scored soon after. That's a big play that doesn't get noticed in the box score.

- The 97-yard kick return by Courtney Roby to open the second half really hurt. New Orleans has a great offense but you have to make it do the work.

- Receiver Danny Amendola was disappointed with a late dropped pass that he knows he should have had. On third and short, he couldn't handle a pass on a crossing pattern. The most disappointing part: Amendola had only a safety between he and the end zone and the safety would have had to cut off an angle to keep him from scoring.

- Tight end Daniel Fells had another nice outing, finishing with three catches for 51 yards.

- A shame Fells couldn't haul in the two-point conversion try after Avery's second score. It appeared the defender was a bit early but a conversion there and the Rams only need a field goal to send it to overtime late.

- Bulger did a nice job on the final two drives putting the Rams in position to potentially get a win. After a near flawless drive that culminated in Avery's second touchdown, the Rams moved into New Orleans territory for a last gasp. With the clock running and time almost up, Bulger decided to drop off a checkdown pass to Jackson in the middle of the field. Bulger says the reason he opted for the drop off was there was nothing open down the field and he wanted to get the ball in the hands of the team's best play maker.

- The game got awfully chippy late but it was frustrating to watch as Saints defenders repeatedly sat on the ball carrier to try to burn extra clock. No calls for delay of game or unnecessary roughing. Part of the game, but frustrating nonetheless.

- Long now has two sacks in his past two games. Good to see him getting there and finishing plays.

- That's all for tonight. Back tomorrow to wrap this one up before moving on to Arizona.

- With the Saints coming to town this weekend, the Rams will once again face one of the best teams in the league. In fact, despite facing talented groups like Indianapolis and Minnesota, this one might be the biggest challenge of all.

- Everyone knows by now just how good New Orleans' offense is but what most people ignore is how balanced it is. The Saints are fifth in the league in rushing with a three-headed monster of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell.

- All three are excellent but Thomas has the chance to be truly special. He mixes power and speed as well as any back in the league.

- The Rams are relatively healthy heading into this week. Only guard Richie Incognito did not participate in practice as he continues to recover from a foot injury. Incognito almost certainly won't play against New Orleans and Adam Goldberg has taken all of the reps at right guard this week.

- End CJ Ah You was listed as limited again but he should be fine and ready to play as he returns from an ankle injury. Guard Jacob Bell has a thumb injury but was listed as full participation and should be fine.

- For New Orleans, the injury report is a bit lengthier. Big names on the list include those who did not participate such as DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle) and CB Jabari Greer (groin). Limited participants include WR Marques Colston (illness) and S Darren Sharper (knee).

- The Rams are still working to sell out Sunday's game. For tickets, call 314-RAMS-TIX or do it right here at stlouisrams.com. For every ticket sold, the team will donate one to local military. And for those attending, you will receive a free Rams "dog tag" upon entrance.

- At the conclusion of every Rams practice, the team gathers in a huddle and has a few inspirational words for one another, usually centered on that week's game. On Wednesday, things were a bit different.

- At the suggestion of coach Steve Spagnuolo, the Rams formed a prayer circle and, with safety Oshiomogho Atogwe leading the way, said a prayer for the many men and women in the armed forces on this Veteran's Day. It was a moving scene and one that was clearly taken seriously by the entire team.

- “I think it’s important to honor the men and the women who protect our freedom — our earthly freedoms on a daily basis,” Atogwe said. “We just said a prayer for them and just gave them thanks.”

- As for practice itself, only guard Richie Incognito missed the workout as he continues to recover from a foot injury. Adam Goldberg will likely start in place of Incognito this week.

- End C.J. Ah You (ankle) was a bit limited in practice but did most of the usual work. He's expected to play this weekend.

- The only other player on the injury report is guard Jacob Bell. Bell has a thumb injury but participated fully in practice.

- Receiver Brandon Gibson and tight end Billy Bajema were the only noticeable differences in the workout. Both had more reps than usual with the first team and could be in the mix more this week.

- Captains for this week are fullback Mike Karney (offense), Atogwe (defense) and safety Craig Dahl (special teams).

- Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Saints are pretty banged up, at least according to the injury report. The list of did not practice players includes: DT Sedrick Ellis, WR Lance Moore, CB Jabari Greer, S Darren Sharper and WR Marques Colston.

- The Rams returned from the bye week with a Monday morning practice session. It was a quick, fast paced workout that coach Steve Spagnuolo said intended to knock some rust off.
- Only guard Richie Incognito, who is still dealing with a foot injury, did not participate in the workout.

- End CJ Ah You (ankle) was limited in practice.

- Everyone else participated, including receiver/returner Danny Amendola who was was cleared completely after a concussion had him out last week.

- Spagnuolo said the Rams didn't do much in terms of implementing the game plan in Monday's practice because he wanted the team to just get re-adjusted to the speed after so many days off.

- To that end, the top offense faced off against the top defense for about a dozen plays.

- Incognito is out of his walking boot and able to work without it. Spagnuolo said he will likely do some side work this week, meaning it's probably he won't be available against the Saints.

- Safety Anthony Smith was released over the weekend and signed with Jacksonville. His roster spot has yet to be filled but Spagnuolo said he expects to do so in the next day or so.

- No word on who that replacement will be or even what position the Rams are searching for just yet.

- The Rams will have their usual Tuesday off day before getting back to work and preparing for the Saints on Wednesday.

- The Rams wrapped up a late afternoon practice on Tuesday after tweaking the roster yet again.

- Receiver Tim Carter was waived and the team signed cornerback Danny Gorrer from New Orleans' practice squad to add some depth to the secondary.

- On the injury front, end C.J. Ah You was limited by his ankle injury but did practice.

- Guard Jacob Bell passed his concussion test and will be back on the practice field sooner than later after sitting Tuesday's workout.

- Danny Amendola will have his test tomorrow and did nothing but ride the bike in Tuesday's practice.

- Guard Richie Incognito is out of his walking boot. It's uncertain what his status will be when the team comes back from bye but it''s an encouraging sign.

- The Rams will have a light practice Wednesday morning before parting ways for the rest of the bye week. The team gets back to work on Monday morning after recharging the batteries.

- Didn't get a chance to go around the league today but if I get some time tomorrow, will come with some abbreviated thoughts from around the NFL and college football.

- Per weekly custom, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just wrapped up his Monday press briefing.

- As always, the first order of business is injuries. The Rams came out of Sunday's win against Detroit relatively healthy.

- Receiver Danny Amendola suffered a concussion as expected when he took a hard shot late in the game. The fact that Amendola held on to the ball was amazing. He will have the necessary tests on Wednesday in order to get cleared for next week.

- Guard Jacob Bell had a neck stinger and a concussion. That is his second concussion of the season though it's not expected to be as serious as the first one. He will be tested on Tuesday.

- Receiver Donnie Avery (shoulder) and tight end Randy McMichael (ribs) simply had bruises and came out of it OK.

- Defensive end C.J. Ah You (ankle) will test his injury this week.

- The Rams are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before being let go for some down time on the bye week.

- Some thoughts from Spagnuolo on the game that was...

- Of course, the first thing he did was re-iterate how happy he was for the team to get a reward for its hard work so far this season in the form of a win.

- When the subject of running back Steven Jackson came up, Spagnuolo couldn't help but smile. Jackson now ranks among the league's top two in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. And he's doing it when the whole world knows he's the focal point of the offense.
- Spagnuolo said he was pleased with the performance of Quincy Butler, who got the first opportunity to start in place of injured Bradley Fletcher. Butler finished with five tackles and two passes defended. He will continue to get the opportunities at that spot.

- Speaking of filling in nicely, Spagnuolo said guard Mark Setterstrom did quite well in stepping in for Bell. He played a little more than 20 plays and the running game and blocking overall didn't miss a beat.

- Chris Long got his first sack of the season, cleaning up after Clifton Ryan just missed. It was a nice reward for a lot of hard work Long has put in.

- For those wondering, end Leonard Little was credited with a sack for his takedown of Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter. Little now has five on the season.

- James Laurinaitis again led the team in tackles with eight after the official tape review. At the halfway point, he has a team leading 74 tackles.

- Spagnuolo said he thought James Butler's mental error that resulted in a safety was an aberration and won't be something you ever see again from the secondary's veteran leader.

- The Rams will spend most of this week doing some self scouting. In other words, poring over tape of the first eight games and searching for ways to make themselves better. That extends to coaches as well as players. There will be some review of New Orleans tape to get a head start but that's all as far as that.

- And the coaches will also get a little bit of down time this week to recharge their batteries as well.

- As expected, the reviews of Jason Smith's performance Sunday were very positive. He was a monster in the run game and very solid in pass protection.

- That's all for today. Will have a short Around the League tomorrow because of the adjusted schedule will have any Rams news as well as Nick's Mailbag ready to go.

DETROIT –

- The Rams emerged victorious for the first time in a long time Sunday as they came away with a stirring late 17-10 win against the Lions at Ford Field.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo has preached staying the course to his team all year and as part of that he has again and again hoped that patience would reward his players with a win for all of their hard work. Finally, on Sunday, it did.

- Let’s knock the injury updates out of the way right away.

- The Rams lost two players to blows to the head. Because they haven’t been officially diagnosed, Spagnuolo didn’t want to label them as concussions but Danny Amendola and Jacob Bell both took shots.

- Tight end Randy McMichael suffered a bruised rib on a hard hit in the secondary. He was replaced by Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema, depending on the package.

- Linebacker Paris Lenon suffered a back injury but he returned and finished the game.

- As for the game, it’s hard to say that this was anything but a team win. There were mistakes in all three phases of the game but each time there was, a different phase was there to make up for it.

- The defense held Detroit to eight points after giving two away, the offense came through when it had to and the special teams even provided a touchdown and a field goal. Team win, all the way around.

- The energy in the locker room after the game was to be expected. Players, coaches and staff alike were clearly enjoying themselves. But there’s on person who every player in the locker room made it a point to credit and mention: running back Steven Jackson.

- I know it’s been written in this space plenty of times and I’ve talked at length about the way Jackson has become a leader for this team. He’s already the most talented guy in the locker room. But there was no prettier sight than seeing Jackson – the guy who has run his heart out all year with nary a win or even a touchdown – score the game winning points to break the team’s losing streak. It was a poetic moment in his career and Rams fans everywhere should truly appreciate what he does. He’s as good as it gets and I can only hope that the rest of the NFL world begins to realize it.

- Jackson had plenty of impressive runs on Sunday but how about the 11-yard burst he had on the drive where the Rams started at their 2. That got them out of a bad situation and eventually led to a flip in field position that was absolutely crucial to getting the game-winning score.

- Jackson finished with 22 carries for 149 yards and the score. He also had three catches for 17 yards.

- It wouldn’t be fair to go on and on about Jackson without mentioning the offensive line. A tremendous job by that group. Not only were there holes for Jackson to run through but quarterback Marc Bulger was kept clean and didn’t get sacked a single time.

- It sure seemed like there was something cooking on the right side of the line. How handy is Adam Goldberg? The guy steps in at right guard from right tackle, doesn’t miss a beat and was  outstanding, especially in the running game.

- The rookie, Jason Smith, also flashed some of his immense potential and skill. All the way around, a strong effort. Even Mark Setterstrom, who stepped in for Bell, did a good job.

- Keenan Burton, targeted six times, caught five passes for 54 yards. Keep it up, kid.

- How about th performance of Bajema? He has two catches for 43 yards, both career highs. Obviously, that speaks to the fact that he has generally been a blocker in his career. But the guy catches everything thrown his way when he gets a chance. His 27-yard grab in the fourth quarter also played a huge part in the aforementioned drive that swung field position in the Rams’ favor.

- Daniel Fells showed some wheels on his touchdown catch and run on the fake field goal. Josh Brown’s pass wasn’t pretty but it doesn’t matter. He still has a perfect quarterback rating on the stat sheet.

- Here’s an underrated play from the game that deserves mentioning and probably won’t be…So, even after Jackson scores the leading touchdown from 25 yards out late, you still wonder what could happen. It’s happened to the Rams in the past where something bad has happened after a big play like that.

- Sure enough, Detroit kick returner Derrick Williams takes the ensuing kickoff and darts to the left where suddenly a big hole opens up. I don’t know if he was going to go all the way but out of nowhere rookie linebacker K.C. Asiodu to tackle Williams at Detroit’s 20. The Rams promptly got a four and out and were able to go into victory formation to seal the game. Nice play, rook.

- The Rams have struggled mightily in the second half of games this year. Against the Lions, the defense was on the field a ton in the first half and there had to be come concerns about fatigue in the final 30 minutes.

- But defensive coordinator Ken Flajole and Spagnuolo made some important adjustments that ultimately shut down the Lions attack.

- For much of the opening half, the Lions were able to hit some big gains on screen passes as Flajole dialed up blitzes again and again. In the final two quarters, the Rams spent much more time in the base defense and let their players make plays. The Lions had just 120 total yards in the second half and had the ball for about six minutes less than they did in the first half.

- It won’t show up in the box score but aside from Jackson, the most dominant player on the field Sunday was Rams end James Hall. He defeated his man, many times Lions guard Jon Jansen all day.

- That will do it for tonight. Enjoy this one Rams’ fans and you get to enjoy it for two weeks which makes it even better. Be back tomorrow to put this one to bed with Spagnuolo’s thoughts after reviewing the tape and any injury news.

 

 

- The Rams finished their Thursday practice and coach Steve Spagnuolo was pleased with the effort as his team gets ready for the Lions.

- On the injury front, the Rams are OK. Like Wednesday, guard Richie Incognito (foot) and end CJ Ah You (ankle) sat out again. Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan also missed the practice because of illness.

- The rest of the team was good to go. Receiver Donnie Avery bruised his shoulder but did most of the workout.

- This week's practice is a bit different as the Rams are slightly unsure of which quarterback they will see from the Lions this week. Matthew Stafford has practiced all week and Daunte Culpepper has also practiced some. It appears to be trending toward Stafford but something could change by Sunday.

- Because each of three quarterbacks for Detroit possesses different qualities, the Rams have certain things in the game plan for each of them. For instance, Culpepper does more things on the roll out where Stafford is more of a set up in the pocket passer.

- The Rams are still sorting through things with the opening at cornerback and figuring out the linebacker situation. David Vobora continues to get work on the strong side with Paris Lenon on the weak side.

- Spagnuolo said Thursday that Quincy Butler is the leader in the clubhouse to get the start in place of Bradley Fletcher at cornerback. That decision will be made officially Friday after practice.

- Calvin Johnson practiced for the Lions today as well. Remains to be seen if he'll play Sunday but if he does, the task for the Rams is much more difficult.

- The Rams completed their Wednesday practice with most of the players in expected spots.
- Guard Richie Incognito (foot) and end C.J. Ah You (ankle) did not practice.

- End James Hall (groin) and cornerback Justin King (groin) were limited.

- Receiver Ruvell Martin continues to work toward a return. He was full go in the workout.

- The captains for this week are receiver Keenan Burton, Hall and linebacker Paris Lenon.

- David Vobora made his return to practice and got plenty of work on his fresh legs. He worked on special teams, with the first team and the scout team defense at various positions.

- No decision on his status for this week has been made yet and it won't have to be until the end of the week.

- At cornerback, Quincy Butler and Justin King got most of the reps in replacing injured Bradley Fletcher with the first team.

- The Rams will take a long look at their receiver situation this week. Steve Spagnuolo acknowledged Wednesday that there's a possibility Martin and/or Brandon Gibson will be active against the Lions.

- Fletcher had the surgery on his torn meniscus on Tuesday afternoon. He will now wait a month or so to undergo the ACL repair.

- Another interesting week in the NFL is in the books and for the second week here on FTS, we're taking a look at some of the happenings around the league with random rumblings and ruminations.

- First, what can you say about the New Orleans Saints? What a fun football team to watch. Drew Brees is my top MVP candidate right now (apologies to Peyton Manning) and he's one of the most likeable guys in the league. What he's doing in that offense is incredible.

- Every once in a while Reggie Bush makes a play like the one he made the other day when he leaped from about the 6 yard line and scored like Superman. And when that happens, you remember that he was once thought to be the most electrifying prospect to enter the draft in years.

- Sure, Miami came apart late in that game and lost but the Dolphins are a legit football team. Some people think running teams are boring to watch but even thouse naysayers would have to agree that what the Dolphins do with the Wildcat is pretty darn entertaining.

- There were a lot of impressive wins this week but in my mind, none more so than what Dallas did against Atlanta. The Cowboys have been walking the line between contender and pretender and they sent a message that they're legit contenders by handling the Falcons in Dallas.

- Miles Austin is what makes football great. Undrafted, unknown guy has put together perhaps one of the best back to back performances in league history at receiver. Excellent story.

- Don't look now but the defender champions want it to be known that they haven't gone anywhere. The Steelers are playing great football and handed Minnesota its first loss of the season. Ben Roethlisberger is quietly piecing together his best season as a pro. Nobody will want to play Pittsburgh in January.

- Say what you want about the way Buffalo has played to get two consecutive wins but it's happened. Credit to the Bills for fighting out of it and coming up with a pair of victories with former Ram and all around good guy Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

- The Bengals have been a bit confounding so far this season but they certainly appear to be for real after putting it on the Bears. Cedric Benson has had an amazing career resurrection.

- I'm not sure there's a player in the league who is better without getting much pub than Carson Palmer. The guy is just unbelievably talented and has all the tools. Injuries and some bad supporting casts have caused that but Palmer deserves to be mentioned among the likes of Manning, Brees, Tom Brady, etc. He's that good.

- Happy for Will Witherspoon. Nice performance on Monday night against Washington.

- Quietly, the Packers are establishing themselves as one of the contenders to the Saints in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers is playing lights out and the defense has been pretty good in its own right. Great showdown coming Sunday as Favre goes back to Green Bay.

- Mark Sanchez ate a hot dog on the sideline in the middle of a blowout against the Raiders. My reaction? Blank stare. Who cares? He really had to apologize for this? If anything, he should apologize for taking food from a stranger. Don't your parents teach you not to take candy/food from people you don't know?

- I think it would be cool if the Rams played a game overseas at some point. Never been to England and the like. Would be a neat experience but I wonder how hard it is on the players to adjust and get used to the change.

- Arizona appears set to contend again in the NFC. Said it last year and he continues to prove it but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is this league's next big time corner.

- Nice performance by Alex Smith in relief of Shaun Hill nearly leading San Francisco back to beat Houston. Interesting choice facing Mike Singletary this week.

- The Texans have been inconsistent but there's no doubting the talent. Talked about Owen Daniels some last week and he just continues to make plays. He's the best tight end in football right now in this writer's humble opinion.

- Some excellent games on the docket this weekend in addition to Minnesota-Green Bay rematch. Denver at Baltimore will be a slugfest, the Giants play at Philadelphia which is always a battle and Atlanta visits New Orleans in a key NFC South contest.

- On the college scene, another rough week for my Missouri Tigers. It was expected but still not much fun to watch.

- Who is the best team in college football? Is there one that is just REALLY good? Alabama, Florida and Texas seemingly have separated from the pack but I'm not sure any of them are unbeatable. Maybe this is the year a team like Cincinnati, TCU or Boise State gets a shot? I really wouldn't know how to cast my vote if I was voting on the top 25.

- An even tougher vote would be for the Heisman. Nobody is standing out to the extent they should be the frontrunner at this point. I suppose Jimmy Clausen and Mark Ingram would be the top two guys. Maybe Case Keenum or Tony Pike (though he's hurt)?

- Iowa continues to find ways to come up with last second wins. Going to be tough to keep it up but with that defense, just about anything is possible.

- That's all for this week. Be back tomorrow with your Wednesday Rams update.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just wrapped up his Monday meeting with the media after reviewing the tape of Sunday's game against the Colts and being apprised of all of the injury news.

- On that front, the news isn't very good. As expected, long snapper Chris Massey has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Perhaps slightly more unexpected is the same fate for cornerback Bradley Fletcher.

- Fletcher has torn meniscus and a torn ACL. Both will require surgery. Fletcher will have his first surgery in the next 24 to 48 hours then have a waiting period of about a month before he has the other surgery. The injury could keep him out close to a year but Spagnuolo acknowledged that he might be out up to the start of next season at least.

- Massey will have to do some rehab before his surgery but he will have it in the next month or so.

- Guard Richie Incognito has a Lisfranc injury in his foot that will keep him out for two to three weeks. Adam Goldberg will step in for Incognito with Alex Barron and Jason Smith handling the tackle duties.

- End C.J. Ah You had an MRI for an ankle injury. The results of that test were not yet available.

- End Leonard Little (pinched nerve in neck) and receiver Donnie Avery (ribs, hip) were a bit banged up but are expected to be OK this week.

- Cornerback Justin King and end James Hall are expected to return this week after being inactive because of groin injuries against the Colts.

- The Rams brought in four potential replacements for Massey at long snapper. One is expected to be added in the next day or so.

- The replacement for Fletcher on the roster won't necessarily be a cornerback. It stands to reason that it could be but Spagnuolo said the Rams would explore all options. Jonathan Wade, Quincy Butler and King will all get a look to replace Fletcher in the starting lineup.

- Linebacker David Vobora was officially welcomed back to the building on Monday. He spent the time catching up on film work and Spagnuolo said he will take a wait and see approach on when and how to work Vobora back into the mix.

- Spagnuolo discussed the decision to use Smith, Barron and Goldberg in a rotation at the tackle spots against the Colts, saying he wanted to get a look at them in different spots. Of course, that discussion is mute the next couple of weeks because of the injury to Incognito.

- As for depth at those positions, John Greco will likely fill the role held by Goldberg as the primary backup at both tackle and guard.

- Spagnuolo expected Colts all everything QB Peyton Manning to get his share of plays. He does that to everybody. But he said he was most disappointed with some of the big running plays the team allowed.

- Conversely, Spagnuolo was pleased with how well the secondary held up when the Colts took deep shots. The only real long pass they hit was the perfect throw from Manning to Dallas Clark for a touchdown. And the only other positive result was a questionable pass interference call on Oshiomogho Atogwe late in the game.

- Last week, Peyton Manning called brother Eli, who happens to quarterback the Giants and used to face Spagnuolo's defense daily, for tips on how to pick it apart. Spagnuolo saw that coming and tried to combat it by getting a hold of Eli to try to get some tips on how to handle Peyton. But Spagnuolo's calls to quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer went unreturned and Spagnuolo joked about it on Monday, saying he guessed Eli had more important things to do than call him back.

- Pro Bowl balloting is set to begin today and if nothing else, be sure to go vote for running back Steven Jackson. You can make a case for punter Donnie Jones, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Leonard Little and defensive tackle Clifton Ryan as well. But there's no doubt about Jackson.

- In seven games, Jackson has faced a loaded run box every single time. There are almost always eight defenders in the box and sometimes nine. Still, Jackson is third in the NFL in rushing heading into the Monday night game. He has 635 yards and is trailing Adrian Peterson by just 52 yards for second place.

- Beyond that, the hidden stats really show how hard Jackson is running. He's at his best in the second half, averaging 5 yards per carry, proving again that he only gets stronger as the game goes along. In addition, he's leading the league in yards after contact. There's no doubt he's deserving of his second trip to the Pro Bowl.

- That's all for today. Check in tomorrow as we take a look around the league.

- The Rams fell behind Indianapolis early and were unable to make up the ground as Peyton Manning and the Colts walked out of the Edward Jones Dome with a very business-like 42-6 win on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

- The injury news isn't great for the Rams this week. Long snapper Chris Massey suffered an ACL injury in the second quarter. Coach Steve Spagnuolo didn't want to make any declarative statements but did say it didn't look good for Massey's return.

- Cornerback Bradley Fletcher suffered a hyperextended knee late in the game and was on crutches leaving the locker room. He will have an MRI on Monday.

- Receiver Donnie Avery bruised his ribs and injured his shoulder early in the game. He did return to the game, though.

- Guard Richie Incognito has a midfoot sprain. He'll be examined further Monday.

- Here's hoping for a speedy recover for Massey. Good guy who happens to be very good at his job.

- Running back Steven Jackson had his best output of the season on the ground, carrying 23 times for 134 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per attempt. Jackson had a monster third quarter, in fact it was the best 15 minute span of his career as he rushed nine times for 95 yards. Jackson is simply running as well as any back in the league.

- That said, it would have been nice for the Rams to get the running game going early. Credit to them for sticking with it but the Colts did a good job of limiting Jackson early and the Rams fell behind, making it hard to play keepaway from Peyton Manning and that Indianapolis offense.

- Speaking of which, I'm not sure how one goes about defending Manning. He is simply the best in the business. His touchdown toss to Dallas Clark was just an amazingly precise throw under pressure. There's a good chance when he's done that Manning will be viewed as the best who ever did it.

- That entire Colts team is very talented. It has a chance to go a long way this year.

- Punter Donnie Jones was excellent again and tight end Billy Bajema should be commended for stepping in for Massey as the long snapper and handling the job error free.

- The Rams rotated tackles Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg and Alex Barron throughout the day. That group did a solid job against Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis but Freeney did beat Smith once with an introduction to the league.

- Despite falling behind early, the Rams battled. In the second and third quarter, the Rams held Indianapolis to eight first downs and 132 yards. By comparison, the Rams generated eight first downs and 126 yards. It was a pretty even game in the middle quarters.

- Spagnuolo was not pleased with how his team finished the game in the fourth quarter, though and said as much in the postgame.

- Be back tomorrow to wrap this one up before we move on to Detroit.

- The Rams wrapped up their Thursday practice and seem to be getting some of their banged up players more involved with each passing day.

- The only player to sit out Thursday's workout was defensive end James Hall, who is dealing with a groin injury.

- Receiver Donnie Avery did some work in a limited capacity but that was an upgrade over what he did on Wednesday.

- Cornerback Justin King (groin) and receiver Ruvell Martin (hamstring) were also limited.

- Guard Richie Incognito (ankle) and safety James Butler (knee) were full go. Both should be ready to start against the Colts.

- This weekend's game is officially a sell out and will be televised locally on KMOV-TV, Channel 4 in St. Louis.

- There are still a limited number of tickets available for the game, though. Fans can purchase those tickets by calling 314-RAMS-TIX. Those who do purchase tickets will receive a free pink Rams hat from Reebok in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

- The Rams will honor Hall of Fame defensive lineman Jack Youngblood on Sunday. He will be in attendance and signing autographs in the Bud Light Party Zone during halftime.

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith has been getting a lot of work with the first team offense this week. The interesting thing about it, though, is that Smith has been working a lot on the left side. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Smith will likely work in a lot on Sunday and he expects all three tackles, including Smith, Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg to rotate against the Colts. It's not out of the question that we'll see plenty of opportunities for Smith on the left side.

- No determination has been made yet on how much if any playing time receiver Brandon Gibson will get Sunday. He could well be active and get some reps but Spagnuolo wants to take some more time to evaluate.

- Spagnuolo had a heated moment in practice, chiding the defense for a lack of effort on one play.

- The Rams went through their usual Wednesday workout but there are some wrinkles in this week's practices as the team prepares for the blue storm coming in the form of All World quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

- A quick rundown on the injury front before delving into that, though: receiver Donnie Avery (hip) and end James Hall (groin) missed the practice and spent it on the sideline working with strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson.

- Avery felt pretty good on Monday and Tuesday but when he went out to warm up on Wednesday, it was too tight for him to go. Avery said after the practice that he expects to practice on Thursday and he should be good to go this weekend. But it's a day to day thing so we'll have to see how it plays out.

- Hall has swelling in the groin and it might be a bit of a longshot for him to play this weekend.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell was cleared to practice after a mild concussion. He passed the tests to get clearance and did the entire workout. Safety James Butler, returning from a knee injury, also made his return to the lineup and went the whole way.

- Guard Richie Incognito (ankle), receiver Ruvell Martin (hamstring) and cornerback Justin King (groin) were limited.

- Defensive tackle Darrell Scott has a stomach virus and was sent home to get better as well. He did not practice.

- Captains for this week are DE C.J. Ah You (special teams), DE Chris Long (defense) and guard Jacob Bell (offense).

- Anytime you have to prepare for Manning, you have to be ready for all of the pre-snap gesticulating and movements that he does. Some of that is for show but many times he is making a tweak of some sort to put his offense in position to do something. Kyle Boller gets to play the role of Manning this week in practice and did some movements of his own as he tries to give the defense the best look possible at what to expect Sunday.

- New wideout Brandon Gibson made his Rams practice debut and seems to be acclimating well to the offense already. He got some reps with the first team and it's far from out of the question that he could be up and contributing this weekend.

- The Rams officially brought back tackle Phil Trautwein and released receiver Nate Jones. In addition, linebacker K.C. Asiodu  was called up from the practice squad to replace the also-released Dominic Douglas. Both Jones and Douglas could be brought back to the practice squad.

- As expected, Paris Lenon moved over to the weakside with Larry Grant on the strong side. That's almost certainly how the lineup will look against the Colts and then a further decision will be made when David Vobora is eligible to return next week.

- Gonna try something new on the old blog today and hope to begin doing this every Tuesday as I will take a look around some of the things going on around the league whether it's amazing performances from the week that was a look ahead to the coming week and anything in between. Let's get down to business, shall we?

- Since it's the freshest in my mind, how about that Monday Night Football game between the Broncos and Chargers? For anyone wondering whether Denver's hot start was legit, consider that question answered with wins against New England and San Diego in the past couple of weeks.

- Denver's defense is nothing short of dynamite. I think the Broncos blitzed on about 75 percent of the plays last night. Elvis Dumervil is an absolute stud. He could make a run at 20 sacks or more, easily. With D.J. Williams next to him, Denver has a pair of impact linebackers that are nearly impossible to block.

- On offense, Kyle Orton is doing a terrific job of guiding the team. He's doing more than manage the game but he's outstanding at protecting the ball. With an outstanding offensive line and some good receivers, Orton is proving he can be a strong starter in this league.

- Not many players in the league more fun to watch than San Diego's Darren Sproles. I covered him a little in college and he was just as exciting then. Exciting player.

- Hard to argue against the Saints as the league's best team though I'm sure fans in Indy, Denver and Minnesota might take umbrage. The resume is the most impressive. That offense is as close as I've see to the Greatest Show on Turf and that includes the 2007 Patriots. Drew Brees is unbelievably accurate and one of the game's best leaders. And the offensive line is terribly underrated.

- The Giants will rebound from that game but if they want to get back to the Super Bowl, they have seen where the bar is being set and the Saints are the ones setting it.

- Minnesota was extremely impressive in its recent visit to St. Louis and it continues to find ways to win. The Vikings have great balance. I know Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson are getting most of the pub - and for good reason - but is it insane to say that Jared Allen might be the most valuable player on that team?

- Strange situation in Washington where the Redskins have brought in someone who wasn't even technically on the staff a few weeks ago to handle play calling duties. Sherman Lewis should help stabilize things a little bit but without a major improvement from one of the quarterbacks, it's going to be tough sledding.

- What happened in New England? Tom Brady is starting to look like the Brady of old so I wasn't stunned by the Patriots' offensive output. What's stunning is how far the Titans have fallen. Peter King at CNNSI.com had the statistic but it's worth repeating: last year at this time, the Titans had allowed a total of seven touchdowns in six games. On Sunday, they allowed eight in 36 minutes. Stunning.

- Carolina's Dante Wesley crashed into an unsuspecting Tampa returner named Clifton Smith on Sunday. The hit was overzealous to begin with but it happened to a returner before the ball got there. Wesley has been punished but it's hits like that which lead to the league putting an emphasis on protecting the players every year. It's a violent enough game without that type of stuff happening.

- It's been an excellent year for rookie linebackers in the league. Right here, we all know about James Laurinaitis and what he's done for the Rams as he averages almost 10 tackles per game. But Green Bay's Clay Matthews, Houston's Brian Cushing and Cincinnati's Rey Maulauga, Seattle's Aaron Curry are also off to great starts.

- Clearly, the NFL right now is a quarterback's league. Brady, Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Brett Favre, Matt Ryan, Orton, Aaron Rodgers, the list goes on of signal callers playing lights out football. But one guy that is still somehow flying under the radar is Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. He continues to pile up big numbers and win games. The guy has two Super Bowl rings and he is rarely mentioned with the likes of Brees, Brady, Favre and Manning though Brady is the only one with more rings.

- I know I'm a bit biased because I'm fortunate enough to see him every week but after seeing Maurice Jones-Drew in person for the first time last week I now feel confident in saying I've seen all of the league's best backs play live. And for my money, in terms of all around talent I'm pretty sure Steven Jackson is the best back in the league. I know that's a bit blasphemous to Peterson fans (and I think Peterson is probably the best runner) but for total package, I think I'd take Jackson right now if all things were equal.

- Who does less with more: Norv Turner or Wade Phillips?

- Underrated player of the week: Houston tight end Owen Daniels. He's a red zone machine and his one-handed catch in the end zone against the Bengals was nothing short of terrific.

- Felt for Orlando Pace on Sunday night after he committed a pair of penalties that cost the Bears late in the game. That type of thing happens to the best in the league but you just don't expect it from a guy with Pace's experience.

- Those ready to anoint Mark Sanchez the second coming of Namath for the Jets got a rude awakening on Sunday. Sanchez threw five interceptions against Buffalo in a loss and later blamed himself repeatedly for the loss. He's going to be a fine signal caller in the league but it just goes to show that there's a growing process for everyone in the league, especially at that position.

- It should be noted that local product Jairus Byrd picked off two passes for Buffalo in that game. Great to see. Byrd's pops, Gill Byrd coached defensive backs for the Rams a few years ago. Nice man, nice family, good start for the former Clayton Greyhound and Oregon Duck.

- Tough week for my Missouri Tigers. Played great in the first half against Oklahoma State but couldn't finish the job and ended up losing 33-17. A three-game losing streak looks very possible with Texas coming to Columbia for homecoming this weekend.

- That's it for the first installment of Around the League. Any feedback, suggestions, questions or comments are always welcome in my mailbag.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just completed his weekly Monday news conference and discussed the Rams myriad injuries. The bad news? There are plenty of injuries to discuss. The good news? Most of them don't seem to be too serious.

- Receiver Donnie Avery landed on his hip/pelvis early in the second quarter. The initial X rays showed no issues but Avery had an MRI on Monday. That also revealed no real issues and Avery has been officially diagnosed with a "bruised hip area." Not exactly a scientific medical term but it appears there is nothing serious there. Avery will be day to day but there's a reasonable chance he will play this week.

- Linebacker Will Witherspoon also injured his hip and had an MRI on his hip and back. That also revealed nothing but Witherspoon seemed to be in far more pain after the game and on Monday. He is also listed as day to day.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell has a mild concussion as expected. He will have the necessary baseline tests on Tuesday but if it's similar to what Kyle Boller had last week it would seem he has a chance to pass those and be able to play against Indianapolis this week.

- Defensive end James Hall had an MRI on his groin and it revealed some swelling. He will be limited some this week and also be day to day.

- Cornerback Justin King also has a groin injury and had an MRI that showed no real damage. He will be day to day as well.

- More seemingly minor injuries that won't likely affect status' this week include sprained left ankles for guard Richie Incognito and end C.J. Ah You and bruised ribs for linebacker Larry Grant.

- Strong safety James Butler looks like he is ready for a return from his knee injury. Butler did some running on Monday and Spagnuolo indicated he could practice as soon as Wednesday.

- Spagnuolo answered plenty of questions about how the end of regulation went down. Let me reset the scene first of all. Marc Bulger hit tight end Randy McMichael for a 13-yard gain and a first down to Jacksonville's 9. When McMichael was down, there was about 24 seconds left on the clock and the Rams had one timeout remaining.

- Instead of burning the timeout, Spagnuolo opted to have his offense hustle to the line and spike the ball. When that happened, there as 15 seconds left. The Rams had a second and goal from the 9.

- On the ensuing play, the Rams called for a pass and Bulger got instant pressure up the middle. He rolled to the right, looking for a receiver to come open. When none did, he threw it away. By that time, eight second had come off the clock (apparently). With seven seconds left, according to Spagnuolo and his staff's research, it then becomes too risky to take another shot rather than kick a game tying field goal.

- A few things about this situation: From watching my recording of the game, it certainly appeared there were eight, possibly nine seconds on the clock when Bulger's second down pass hit the ground. No way was it seven. Another bad break for the Rams.

- Spagnuolo said he and the team have looked at these scenarios at length and have instituted the eight second rule. Had that extra tick been there, the Rams would have gone.

- The one scenario Spagnuolo acknowledged that he did give some thought to was calling the last timeout after McMichael's catch with 15 seconds left, in theory giving the Rams three shots at the end zone. Spagnuolo said the reason he didn't was that he preferred to have the timeout in hand for a possible field goal attempt.

- The Rams defense was on the field for 88 plays on Sunday, much of which came in the second half. That, more than anything, was probably the reason the defense was unable to come up with a stop late in the game.

- Spagnuolo said that's a function of not being able to get off the field on third down and not getting enough first downs on offense.

- One final tip of the cap to Leonard Little for his performance yesterday. This is my sixth season covering the team and never have I seen a player so visibly sick and worn down after a game. For Little to play was impressive, for him to play as well as he did was amazing.

- It's on to the Colts this week as things certainly don't get easier. Peyton Manning off a bye week should be quite the challenge. Thanks for reading.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –

- In the closest battle for the Rams to date six games into the 2009 season, the Rams just couldn’t quite come up with that one last play needed to come out with a victory as Jacksonville booted a 36-yard field goal in overtime to win 23-20.

- First things first, on the injury front, the Rams took quite a few hits.

- None were more important or costly than the early loss of receiver Donnie Avery. The Rams made a statement early by throwing the ball all over the Jaguars secondary as Avery sealed the opening drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch. But Avery suffered a hip injury in the first quarter and did not return. The x rays on the hip came back OK but Avery said he will have an MRI on it Monday to search for any further damage.

- For whatever it’s worth, Avery says the injury didn’t feel like the one he suffered last year that hampered him all season.

- In overtime, linebacker Will Witherspoon suffered a hip injury and cornerback Ron Bartell was shaken up by a head injury. Neither returned to the game. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Witherspoon has a left hip injury and he would be examined further. Spagnuolo hesitated to call Bartell’s injury a concussion and Bartell said he was a bit woozy but felt OK after the game.

- Cornerback Justin King aggravated a groin injury and will have to have further examination Monday morning.

- Defensive end James Hall had a similar injury and will also be looked at more on Monday.

- Receiver Tim Carter and tight end Daniel Fells had the wind knocked out of them on hits at various points. Both returned and finished the game.

- As for the game, it was undoubtedly a heartbreaker for the Rams, considering they way they scratched and clawed to get the lead, stay in the game and eventually force overtime.

- Defensive end Leonard Little’s effort on Sunday was nothing short of heroic. Looking for leaders on this young team? Try this on for size. Little missed Friday’s practice with strep throat and was sick as can be entering Sunday’s game. His eyes were red and puffy, his voice was nearly gone and he was dehydrated. All he did was play most of the game and post three tackles, a sack, two quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and an interception return 36 yards for a touchdown that very nearly won it for the Rams. A gutsy, gritty effort by the Rams most tenured veteran.

- Little wasn’t the only defensive lineman making noise Sunday. Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan is playing terrific football right now. He had five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss in unofficial pressbox statistics.

- Hall added a sack as well and the Rams finished with 12 quarterback hurries, seven of which came from the defensive line.

- James Laurinaitis continues to be an impact player who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and making sure, solid tackles. He had five tackles, two quarterback hurries and two interceptions in unofficial stats.

- Spagnuolo didn’t want to go there when asked about a series of questionable pass interference calls that went against the Rams on Sunday. They were flagged multiple times on a variety of close calls. The interesting thing to me is that Torry Holt was the beneficiary of many of those calls. He didn’t seem to get many of those calls when he was getting similar treatment from defensive backs in his final seasons in St. Louis.

- Great to see the Rams come out and march the ball on offense on the opening possession for a touchdown. Just a masterful drive with some excellent play calls.

- After getting the takeaway on a fumble recovery by Craig Dahl, the Rams took a deep shot for Avery down the middle of the field. It was intercepted by Jacksonville’s Rashean Mathis but it was an aggressive, strong play call that nearly worked.

- That said, the offense struggled without Avery. The second half was especially slow. Jacksonville had the ball for 22:45 to the Rams 7:15 in the second half. The only first down the team had in the half before its final drive was a 15-yard run by Jackson on the team’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

- Speaking of the final drive, what an absolutely tremendous and strong play by Jackson to open the team’s final possession and tying drive. He caught a screen pass to the right, turned it up field and dragged about six defenders with him to Jacksonville’s 40.

- The Rams’response in that situation to come up with the field goal was excellent.

- With 15 seconds the Rams had second down at Jacksonville’s 9. That play was a designed pass and Bulger rolled out to his right but could find nobody before he eventually threw it away. That was the correct choice by Bulger but it also took up eight seconds, leaving just seven more on the clock.

- On third down, Spagnuolo opted to kick the field goal with a timeout in his pocket. He said one more second on the clock and the Rams would have opted to run another play rather than kick for the tie. But there are too many things that can happen to cause a clock to run seven seconds on one play and he felt that was the correct decision.

- All in all, it was a hard fought battle that seemed like it was going to go the Rams’ way. It didn’t but there are a lot of good things for them to take from it.

- That’s all for tonight. Be back tomorrow to put the finishing touches on this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

- The Rams completed their Thursday practice and are now a day closer to heading to Jacksonville for the week 6 contest against the Jaguars.

- Safety James Butler had a bit of a setback in his recovery from a knee injury and did not participate in practice after being limited on Wednesday. Craig Dahl will likely get the start again this week.

- Likewise, receiver Ruvell Martin also did not participate and is almost certainly out this week. Tim Carter got some more reps on Thursday as he continues to try to re-integrate himself into the offense.

- Safety Anthony Smith is close to returning. He was limited but appears to have more range of motion than previously.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller and cornerback Justin King made it through practice fine and should both be OK this weekend. Boller will be tested again Friday to be cleared to play Sunday.

- Still no decision has been made as far as whether it will be Jason Smith or Adam Goldberg starting at right tackle on Sunday. Spagnuolo said he wanted to see how Thursday's practice went before that choice was made. Smith got more reps Thursday than Wednesday and appears to have his range of motion back as well.

- The Rams will continue to cycle in a rotation their defensive backs against the Jaguars. Bradley Fletcher could get another start but Jonathan Wade will continue to get work along with King.

- Guard Richie Incognito and defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey got into a tussle midway through practice but were quickly separated.

- The Rams just completed their Wednesday afternoon practice session and coach Steve Spagnuolo was pleased with the energy and effort.

- He had to be equally pleased with the returning form to health for the bulk of his team. The only player who did not participate in the session was receiver Ruvell Martin, who continues to battle a hamstring issue.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller might have been a bit of a surprise as he returned to the practice field on Wednesday. Boller took the baseline tests for his mild concussion on Tuesday and passed. That test cleared him to practice but not necessarily to play. Spagnuolo said Boller would be tested again Friday so he can get clearance to play this weekend if need be.

- That said, Marc Bulger took all of the reps with the first team as expected and he will start this weekend against Jacksonville barring something unexpected.

- Safety James Butler continues to progress toward a return. Butler practiced some in the team portion of the workout, doing so exclusively with the scout team. But he at least appears to be closer to getting back.

- Fellow safety Anthony Smith also got back in and got some work.

- Defensive end Chris Long has the test on his chest after having some post-game discomfort. He came out of that OK and should be ready to go.

- Tim Carter had his first practice with the team since being re-signed. Spagnuolo said he is running as smooth as ever.

- Jason Smith is close to being back to full health. He worked with the first team for about half of Wednesday's practice. Spagnuolo said the Rams will make a decision soon on where he will fit in as the line played well last week.

- "It's something we will look at," Spagnuolo said. "Jason was in there before he got hurt. There's no rule here. We'll see how practice went today and then look at it."

- The captains for this week are center Jason Brown, cornerback Ron Bartell and long snapper Chris Massey.

- Per custom, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just finished his Monday news conference and covered a variety of topics, not the least of which was the team's ever expanding injury list.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller took a shot to the head late in Sunday's game against the Vikings and had to leave the game. Spagnuolo called it a "mild concussion" on Monday afternoon. Boller will have his baseline tests tomorrow to see where he is in recovery from it.

- When Boller left the game, Marc Bulger replaced him and went seven-of-seven and threw the game's only touchdown pass for a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. Bulger is still recovering from a shoulder injury but it appears he'll be ready to return this week. Spagnuolo said if both Bulger and Boller would be healthy, Bulger would still get the nod if he can practice all week.

- As expected, defensive tackle Gary Gibson has a broken ankle and will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Gibson suffered the injury early in the game and will have surgery on the ankle tomorrow.

- With Gibson on injured reserve, the Rams re-signed receiver Tim Carter to the active roster. Carter spent the preseason with the Rams and is familiar with the offense.

- Cornerback Justin King got some encouraging news after suffering a knee injury in Sunday's game. King had an MRI on the knee but it revealed "only" a bone bruise. He could miss a game or two but he will be day to day for now.

- Safety James Butler will be day to day again this week as he continues recovery from a knee injury.

- Tight end Daniel Fells has a stinger in his neck from a hit he took Sunday. He is expected to be OK according to Spagnuolo.

- Defensive end Chris Long has some discomfort in his chest and will have a CT Scan today or tomorrow to get a closer look and identify the problem.

- Safety Anthony Smith will have an MRI to get a closer look at his knee problem that kept him out this week.

- Tackle Jason Smith was active for Sunday's game and served as the backup tackle but did not get in the game offensively. Smith will again be day to day this week. It looks like he's closer to a return though.

- After reviewing the tape, a few things stood out to Spagnuolo. First, he was pleased with the way the offensive line played. That group did a strong job creating holes in the running game and giving the quarterbacks time to throw. The unit allowed two sacks, one of which was only credited to the team because it had to on Boller's fumble.

- Spagnuolo praised left tackle Alex Barron for the job he did against Minnesota DE Jared Allen. Allen recovered Boller's fumble but that was no fault of Barron's on a designed screen pass. Allen had no sacks after racking up 4.5 against Green Bay last week.

- With Gibson out, rookie Darrell Scott will likely get back to being active on Sundays. LaJuan Ramsey and Leger Douzable will likely battle it out for the starting position but Spagnuolo said regardless there will still be a rotation.

- Fullback Mike Karney had one of his best games as Ram and was another reason there was room for back Steven Jackson to run against one of the best run defenses in the league.

- Cornerback Bradley Fletcher made his first start opposite Ron Bartell and acquitted himself well on film, according to Spagnuolo. Fletcher was stride for stride on the long pass he allowed. Spagnuolo said there are some minor things that need to be tweaked in terms of ball awareness but overall he's pleased with the progress of his young defensive backs.

- That said, Spagnuolo said he plans to continue to rotate the corners opposite Bartell. That means Fletcher, Jonathan Wade, King and even Quincy Butler could get looks.

- That's all for today. Back with more in the coming days.

- The Rams fell 38-10 to Minnesota on Sunday despite an offensive performance that was better than any of the previous four games and a solid defensive outing. In fact, one could logically conclude from watching the game that the Rams had their best overall performance of the season despite what the scoreboard said at the end.

- That said, the Rams were plagued by turnovers once again against the Vikings and these turnovers weren't just any giveaways. The Rams turned it over four times, three of which came in Minnesota's red zone and the one that didn't resulted directly in a touchdown for Minnesota end Jared Allen.

- On the injury front, the Rams did take some hits in the game. Starting defensive tackle Gary Gibson suffered a broken ankle/foot and will have surgery according to coach Steve Spagnuolo. That injury will end his season.

- Cornerback Justin King suffered what is preliminarily being called a knee sprain. King will be evaluated further on Monday.

- Quarterback Kyle Boller was shaken up late in the game and was removed in favor of backup Marc Bulger. Spagnuolo was hesitant to call it a concussion but said the Rams wanted to be cautious with Boller.

- Offensively, the Rams deserve kudos for their best performance of the season. They racked up 400 yards of total offense, 27 first downs, the most for a Rams team since Dec. 11, 2006 against Chicago (28) and had the ball for 32 minutes and 39 seconds.

- Make no mistake, that offensive performance was even more impressive considering the quality and caliber of Minnesota's defense.

- Nice to see receiver Donnie Avery back in the mix on offense. He had a touchdown and caught five passes for 87 yards total. He appears to have his confidence back.

- Tight end Daniel Fells had a costly fumble near the Minnesota goal line but it should be noted that he's developing into a solid target for the Rams, especially on third down and in the red zone. Fells was targeted six times and had five catches for 45 yards.

- Danny Amendola and Keenan Burton also chipped in the passing game, with 43 and 42 receiving yards, respectively.

- James Laurinaitis continues to make a strong case for defensive rookie of the year consideration. He was all over the place, coming up with six tackles, one for loss, a pass defended and his first career interception.

- Craig Dahl filled in well for James Butler, racking up seven tackles with a sack and two quarterback hurries in unofficial pressbox stats.

- Brett Favre can still sling it. Adrian Peterson is excellent and Percy Harvin is going to be a great weapon for the Vikings. That team is for real.

- That's all for now. Be back tomorrow to wrap this one up after Spagnuolo addresses the media.

- The Rams wrapped up their Thursday practice and continue to take hits at the receiver position in terms of injury.

- On the bright side, Donnie Avery returned to practice on a limited basis after having hamstring issues on Wednesday.

- But the rest of the wideout spot has taken some hits. Keenan Burton's hamstring continues to bother him and he did not practice at all Thursday. In addition, receiver Ruvell Martin tweaked his hamstring and was limited in practice.

- Meanwhile at quarterback, Marc Bulger continues to get more work. He did most of the repetitions with the scout team. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Kyle Boller is likely to start against the Vikings this weekend but did say Bulger might be available as the No. 2 on Sunday.

- Bulger was officially listed as questionable as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury.

- Safety James Butler (knee) and safety Anthony Smith (achilles) joined Burton as out of Thursday's practice.

- In addition to Avery, Bulger and Martin, tackle Jason Smith (knee) was also limited. He continues to make progress but it remains to be seen if he will play this week.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell (thigh) and safety Craig Dahl (concussion) were full participants.

- For Minnesota, injuries of note include guard Steve Hutchinson (back), quarterback Brett Favre (foot, ankle, knee) and tackle Phil Loadholt (ankle). All were limited though they are expected to be OK to play.

- The Rams just finished their Wednesday afternoon practice and coach Steve Spagnuolo said he was pleased with how the team got back to work after a couple of days off.

- On the injury front, the Rams had a mix of good and bad news. It appears for the second week in a row that safety James Butler will be out because of a knee injury. Spagnuolo says Butler is doubtful for this week.

- It does seem that Craig Dahl will be able to replace him this week after he was cleared from a concussion. He practiced in Butler's place Wednesday.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger did some light throwing and took a few repetitions with the scout team. Bulger said he felt OK and that he's still a bit limited in terms of what he can do. Any determination on his status for this week will be made as the week progresses.

- Tackle Jason Smith also returned to practice and did limited reps, working with the scout team and the first team. He appears headed toward a return.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell did most of the work as he recovers from his quad injury.

- Safety Anthony Smith tweaked his Achilles and was held back.

- Receivers Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton had sore hamstrings and were limited.

- Captains for this week are defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, guard Richie Incognito and running back/special teamer Kenneth Darby.

- Per Monday tradion, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just finished his news conference and discussed injuries, Alex Barron, dealing with adversity and a number of other topics.

- As usual, I'll hit the injuries first. The Rams came out of the game pretty banged up though nothing appeares too serious. Perhaps the most serious injury is to safety Craig Dahl who suffered a concussion early in the game. Anthony Smith replaced him and fared pretty well in relief.

- Receiver Danny Amendola cramped up in the game but returned and finished it. He will be monitored this week to ensure it doesn't happen again.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell (quad) will be day to day again this week. He attempted to give it a go before Sunday's game but was unable. He's more likely to return this week.

- Guard Jacob Bell has a lower back injury that should be OK but he too will be watched closely this week.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger did some light throwing today and he is going to be day to day as well. It's a good sign that Bulger is throwing but Spagnuolo said he'd consider Bulger "questionable" if he had to label it at this point.

- Safety James Butler will be day to day as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Spagnuolo called Butler "very doubtful" for this week, however.

- Spagnuolo was hopeful that the Rams could get tackle Jason Smith back from a knee injury this week. He'll be watched closely also.

- Defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey tweaked his ankle but should be OK.

- As for the game, Spagnuolo maintained his disappointment in the outcome but says there were some good things to take from it. He liked the performance of the defense as a group, but singled out the defensive line for its job both against the run and putting pressure on the quarterback.

- As for the Barron issue. Spagnuolo replaced Barron with John Greco in the second quarter and Greco finished the game. Spagnuolo said Monday that he still believes in Barron and the two talked Monday morning about it. It looks likely that Barron will be back in the starting lineup this week as Spagnuolo said the slate has been "wiped clean."

- On a key third-and-1 play on the Rams' second drive, running back Steven Jackson was on the sideline and Samkon Gado was in the game. Spagnuolo said he believed Jackson had an equipment issue, causing Gado to replace him. Gado lost a yard and the Rams had to settle for a field goal attempt.

- That's it for today, barring any news. Check the homepage later for a story on how Spagnuolo and the Rams' leaders are doing all that can be done to keep the team focused and headed on the right track.

SAN FRANCISCO –

- The Rams dropped to 0-4 against the 49ers on Sunday after a 35-0 loss that much like Seattle in the opener seemed to be there for the taking, at least in the first half.

- The first half was a defensive struggle for both teams as the only points scored came on a strange punt play that just so happened to bounce San Francisco’s way. Otherwise, the Rams actually outgained San Francisco in the opening 30 minutes 113-112.

- On the injury front, the Rams are pretty banged up. They made it out with only safety Craig Dahl (blow to the head) and receiver Danny Amendola (cramps) as players who left the game because of injury. But coach Steve Spagnuolo said the team as a whole is pretty banged up and the list will likely be longer on Monday afternoon after a day to settle in.

- The first half defensive effort was even more impressive considering San Francisco started drives at its 34, 41 and 42 on consecutive possessions.

- Hats off to the Rams defensive line which probably had its best performance of the season. San Francisco never got traction in the running game and finished with just 3.3 yards per attempt on the ground. That group also was responsible for three sacks as James Hall, Leonard Little and C.J. Ah You dropped quarterback Shaun Hill for losses.

- Nice sack by Larry Grant as well. Grant got some opportunities with David Vobora out because of suspension. Paris Lenon got the start.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Rams in tackles with nine.

- All told, the 49ers only produced points via the offense on two occasions. It was no coincidence that those scores came on a short field as San Francisco started its first scoring drive on the Rams’ 48 and the other on the Rams’ 43.

- San Francisco’s average starting field position was its 35.

- Once again, the Rams couldn’t keep from the barrage of laundry as they were penalized 10 times for 73 yards.

- Perhaps no penalty altered the game more than the first one. Amendola took the opening kickoff to San Francisco’s 3 for what appeared to be a 92-yard return. Instead, Anthony Smith was flagged for holding and it came back to the Rams’ 22.

- The Rams’ third down defense has made great strides as well, holding San Francisco to four-of-13 in those situations. On the flip side, the Rams were just five-of-16 converting third downs.

- A wise man once said you make your own luck and while that’s true, it certainly seems the Rams can’t get one of those bounces in their direction. San Francisco muffed two punts and recovered one while the other went out of bounds. Sometimes, it takes a bounce in your favor like the punt hitting Butler’s leg to spur something bigger.

- John Greco replaced Alex Barron late in the first half at left tackle. That was a decision made solely by Spagnuolo. After the game, he said he still has “complete confidence” in Barron.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell attempted to give it a go in pregame warm-ups but couldn’t let his hamstring go in terms of running full speed and the Rams opted to be cautious. Justin King started for him and appeared to hold up well.

- It’s not noticed much in the box score but part of the Rams’ success against the run the past few weeks is a direct reflection of the play of defensive tackle Clifton Ryan. He’s blossoming in front of our eyes. He gets down the line better than he used to and makes plays and when he doesn’t, he ties up blockers for someone else to make the play. Laurinaitis leads this team in tackles but he’d be the first to give the assist to Ryan.

- After the game in the Rams locker room, to a man just about every player acknowledged how hard and tough San Francisco plays. From watching in person, it really shines through. Nobody epitomizes that more than linebacker Patrick Willis. What a stud. He finished with eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. The scary part is he does that just about every week.

- That’s all for tonight. Be back tomorrow to tie up the loose ends on this game after Spagnuolo speaks in his weekly Monday news conference.

 

- The Rams face a tough task this week with a long trip to face a talented, physical San Francisco team at Candlestick Park. A lot has changed in Niner land and that makes this week a big test.

- Making it more difficult is the injury bug that has hit the Rams. In Thursday's practice, the Rams were once again without quarterback Marc Bulger (shoulder), safety James Butler (knee) and right tackle Jason Smith (knee).

- Left tackle Alex Barron and cornerback Ron Bartell were limited in practice though Barron did more than he did Wednesday. The Rams are expecting both to be OK for Sunday's game.

- Of course, the injuries create opportunities for others and the Rams have done some serious moving of pieces this week in anticipation of that.

- At quarterback, Kyle Boller is taking all of the repetitions. It appears he will get the start but the Rams will wait to see if Bulger can do anything in Friday's practice. They remain hopeful that Bulger will at the very least be well enough to handle third quarterback duties against the 49ers. Keith Null has taken all of the scout team reps and will be the backup.

- At safety, Craig Dahl will again fill in for Butler. Dahl played well last week in relief, leading the team with 11 tackles. He will start this week.

- Adam Goldberg will, of course, be the replacement for Smith if he can't go. It appears that is the most likely scenario.

- Elsewhere on the offensive line, the Rams have done some re-configuring to the group with Barron not practicing all the reps. When Barron is not in, the Rams have put John Greco in at left guard with Jacob Bell sliding over to left tackle. That's not likely to be something that plays out but is worth noting should Barron have a setback.

- No decision has been made yet on the starter at strong side to replace David Vobora. Paris Lenon and Larry Grant are sharing the reps right now. Things seem to be trending toward the veteran Lenon but that decision will be made after the practice week is complete.

- That's all for today. Back tomorrow with more.

- The Rams put the final touches on yesterday's game early Monday morning after a review of the film. Now, it's full speed ahead toward San Francisco.

- Before "From the Sidelines" does the same, let's wrap up the week that was with some notes from coach Steve Spagnuolo as well as some leftover thoughts from the game.

- In addition to the injuries that hit hard Sunday (those are documented in the previous entry here on FTS), Spagnuolo re-iterated that once again he was proud of the way his team battled back from early adversity. He also maintained that he has reminded the team that everything it could want to accomplish is still out there and attainable even at 0-3.

- With Laurent Robinson out for the season, Spagnuolo acknowledged two things. First, that the team will likely be in the market for another receiver to replace him. That could be in house such as Nate Jones from the practice squad or could come from the usual round of Tuesday tryouts. Second, that Ruvell Martin is likely to be more involved this week as he continues his adjustment to St. Louis.

- Craig Dahl had a strong showing in his first game as a Ram, leading the team in tackles after replacing injured starter James Butler. Dahl will continue to get the work in Butler's place.

- It appeared that Steven Jackson's progress had been stopped on a fumble in the first quarter against the Packers. But Spagnuolo said Monday when he asked the officials about it, that he was told Jackson was still fighting forward attempting to gain extra yards thus making the fumble legitimate.

- The Rams did not blitz much in Sunday's game, something Spagnuolo said was a function of the team's ability to get pressure from the front four early in the game. Leonard Little's two sacks caused Green Bay to go to more maximum protection blocking schemes and thus slowed the Rams' pass rush.

- If Marc Bulger can't start and Kyle Boller goes, rookie Keith Null would enter the game as the No. 2 quarterback this week. Spagnuolo says he is comfortable with that thought and impressed with how Null has developed so far.

- One thing I failed to mention yesterday that definitely needs to be brought up was the tremendous support by the Rams faithful in attendance on Sunday. The crowd was outstanding from beginning to end, making plenty of noise and making life very difficult for the Packers. The reaction after Little's second sack was as loud as I've heard the building in a long time. Hats off to you, St. Louis.

- It's an absolute shame that the Rams lost Robinson for the season. He was playing very well and had emerged as the Rams' most consistent receiving threat. Here's hoping he recovers quickly and comes back better than ever.

-  Jackson is really evolving into a leader. Spagnuolo was asked about it on Monday and praised Jackson's leadership qualities then hinted at something Jackson did following the game that really moved him. He wouldn't say what it was, only that Jackson is really taking on a strong role in the locker room. It's always a good thing when your best player is also one of your best leaders.

- Spagnuolo didn't say whether Daniel Fells would get even more opportunities this week but he did acknowledge that Fells' performance wouldn't hurt his cause. In fact, Spagnuolo liked the way Boller spread the ball around and he hopes to see more of that in the coming weeks.
- That's all for today. Will be back tomorrow for a look around the league and answers to your Rams questions in Nick's Mailbag.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just spoke to the media after reviewing the game film from yesterday's loss to the Packers and getting all of the necessary injury information.

- Unfortunately for the Rams, the injury bug has hit hard this week and they will have to deal with some serious aches and pains in the coming weeks though there was some good news considering it could have been worse.

- The worst news of the day is the high ankle sprain and fractured fibula on receiver Laurent Robinson's right leg. The injuries will require surgery and Robinson is out for the season. The Rams will likely have to go and find another receiver from the free agent market or potentially bring Nate Jones up from the practice squad.

- The news on quarterback Marc Bulger was better than expected. Bulger has no tears in his right rotator cuff and it is being called a bruise at this point. Bulger will not need surgery of any kind and is being taken on a day to day basis. He could throw as early as Wednesday and Spagnuolo has not ruled him out for this week.

- If Bulger can't play against San Francisco, Kyle Boller would get the start with Keith Null handling backup duties.

- Safety James Butler also received perhaps a more favorable prognosis than first feared. Spagnuolo says he has a third degree MCL sprain that also will not require surgery. He will be out a minimum of two weeks and probably no more than four. Craig Dahl will start in his stead.

- Receiver Donnie Avery had an X ray on his ribs after he landed squarely on the ball late in Sunday's game. That came back negative and Avery is also going to work on a day to day basis. Spagnuolo said he should be OK for this week against San Francisco.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell continues to be hampered by a nagging thigh injury. He played through it Sunday but he will be day to day this week also.

- Defensive tackle Gary Gibson (leg) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (shoulder) are a bit banged up but expected to be OK. Linebacker David Vobora suffered a concussion. He will have a baseline test in the coming days to see his state of readiness for a possible return.

- Right tackle Jason Smith has been upgraded to questionable from doubtful at this time last week. No word yet on whether he will practice this week but he appears headed for a return from his knee injury sooner than later.

- Back with more to wrap up yesterday's game in a bit.

- The score wasn’t as close as the game as the Rams were within a six points of the Packers heading into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Green Bay had too many big plays in its arsenal and the Rams fell 36-17 with a couple of late touchdowns to seal it up.

- As usual, a quick look at the injuries, which are detailed further in the notebook on the home page (the Deacon Jones retired number story).

- Quarterback Marc Bulger (right shoulder), safety James Butler (left knee) and receiver Laurent Robinson (right ankle) were all injured in the first half and did not return. All will be examined further on Monday morning before any determination can be made about their status.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo did acknowledge that all three injuries could be of “some significance.”

- Receiver Donnie Avery took a late shot to the ribs and had the wind knocked out of him. Spagnuolo said he too would be evaluated to see if there was any further damage done.

- As for some thoughts from the game, the Rams probably played their best game offensively and were only a few miscues on both sides from pulling out their first win. Of course, Spagnuolo is the first to say there are no moral victories but it was certainly a better all around performance this week.

- Kyle Boller really provided a needed offensive spark upon entering the game. Although he struggled in the second half and on his first drive, his ability to make some plays running the ball to extend drives and his willingness to throw his body around to make blocks fired up the entire sideline.

- Although the extent of Bulger’s injury is unknown, there’s a strong possibility that Boller will be handling the duties again this week. Considering he got zero repetitions with the offense aside from scout team last week, he should only get better as time goes on.

- The Rams shuffled cornerbacks opposite Ron Bartell a lot on Sunday and according to Spagnuolo, that was by design. Jonathan Wade got the start but Bradley Fletcher got a lot of work on the outside as well and Justin King continued to work in the nickel.

- Bartell played with pain in his quadriceps and Spagnuolo said he was proud of him for playing through the pain though Bartell had a couple of rough spots against Greg Jennings.

- Great to see tight end/nice guy Daniel Fells have a big day on Sunday. Fells has been making plays in practice since the day he arrived in St. Louis but it had yet to translate to Sundays. Fells was the recipient of two nice throws from Boller for touchdowns but he really went up and got after the second one and attacked the ball in the air. His role in the offense will and should increase in the coming weeks.

- It won’t get noticed in the box score but center Jason Brown is a warrior. He has a balky knee and didn’t miss a single practice or a single play in the game. He helped open holes for a big day for running back Steven Jackson.

- Speaking of Jackson, this was the type of day one could expect from him. The Rams fed him the ball early and often and he made the most of it even though Green Bay stacked the box against him. On numerous occasions, the Packers used linebacker Nick Barnett as a “safety,” bringing an extra linebacker (former Ram Brandon Chillar) on to the field with the sole purpose of slowing Jackson.

- It didn’t work. Jackson rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries and had five catches for 46 yards. Were it not for a questionable fumble in which it appeared the officials were slow on the whistle, Jackson’s day would have been even bigger.

- Nice to see the burst back in defensive end Leonard Little, who posted a pair of sacks and put the pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers all day.

- Danny Amendola got off to a nice start as a returner, bringing his first attempt back 42 yards and finishing with a respectable 23.4 average on eight attempts. He also averaged 11.5 yards on two punt return attempts.

- From the as per usual department, punter Donnie Jones had another excellent day. He had four attempts and averaged 54 yards in gross with a net of 46.3. He’s still the best in the league in the estimation of this corner of the internet universe.

- Safety Craig Dahl filled in admirably for Butler, leading the team with seven stops in unofficial pressbox statistics. Not bad for his first game active this year.

- That’s all for this evening. Be back tomorrow with all of the latest injury news and an opportunity to look back at what happened in today’s contest after the review of the game film.

- The Rams just finished another week of practice and have completed preparation for Sunday's game against Green Bay.

- Quickly on the injury front, the Rams are in pretty good shape. Right tackle Jason Smith is officially listed as doubtful but he's almost certain not the play. Adam Goldberg will start in his place barring a last minute surprise.

- Center Jason Brown made it through practice just fine this week and is listed as probable. He continues to tough out knee and ankle injuries and there's every reason to believe he will start again this week.

- The rest of the injured Rams including Craig Dahl, John Greco and David Roach appear to be OK as well. Greco could be more of a game time decision but it looks like he could be active. He started using his injured wrist more in practice each day and that's what coach Steve Spagnuolo wants to evaluate before making a decision.

- Danny Amendola appears to be up to speed and though we already knew he'd be the primary returner for punts and kicks on Sunday, it appears he could have a role in the offense as well. He got a lot of repetitions this week and Spagnuolo says he has a good handle on the offense already.

- As a reminder for fans coming out to the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday, arrive early. Try to be in your seat as early as possible as the Deacon Jones No. 75 retirement ceremony is set to begin at 11:40 a.m.

- That ceremony is expected to take a bit of time and knowing Deacon, he's can be a little on the long winded side. Needless to say, a halftime ceremony wouldn't provide enough time for Jones to be properly saluted. So if you want to see it happen, do yourself a favor and be in your seat early. You never know what Deacon will say so you won't regret it.

- The Rams moved indoors for Thursday's practice because of some rain at the Russell Training Center. The team did its special teams work on the outdoor practice field before moving inside for the rest of the workout.

- On the injury front, there's nothing new to report. Tackle Jason Smith spent the day working on conditioning and core body with strength coach Rock Gullickson.

- The rest of the dinged up players, including safety Craig Dahl, center Jason Brown, etc. are fighting through their injuries and practiced for all or most of the drills.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo says Dahl has a chance to be up this week and could make his Rams regular season debut.

- Spagnuolo said the Rams were able to get all of the work done in the indoor and practice ended on its usual time frame.

- Linebacker Chris Chamberlain has turned plenty of heads for his special teams work. His knack for being involved in seemingly every special teams stop earned him his chance to be that unit's captain this week.

- Although Green Bay has been giving up a lot of sacks in the first two weeks, the Rams are taking nothing for granted in their approach to trying to generate more pressure against the Packers. That's something the team has emphasized this week in practice.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger went through practice without tape on the hand and threw well.

- Just as a reminder, the Rams will be honoring Deacon Jones before Sunday's game so as to have enough time to put on a presentation worthy of his efforts for the organization. If you are attending, be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before to see one of the all time greats get his due.

- This game is officially a sell out and will be televised locally.

- The Rams got back down to business on Wednesday afternoon, holding their usual two hour workout.

- On the injury front, the Rams are a bit better off than usual. Tackle Jason Smith is out as expected with a knee injury. Smith is still listed as doubtful but coach Steve Spagnuolo has not ruled him out.

- Safety Craig Dahl, guard John Greco, center Jason Brown and safety David Roach were a little bit limited but did most of the work. Brown, in particular, was very encouraging with his work load.

- The Rams captains for this week will be linebacker Chris Chamberlain (special teams), tackle Adam Goldberg (offense) and safety James Butler (defense).

- Receiver Danny Amendola made his debut as a Ram, working kick and punt return and even a little bit with the first team offense at receiver. He caught one long pass on a play mid way through team drills.

- Spagnuolo won't yet commit to Amendola playing on Sunday but signs are pointing in that direction. Amendola says the offense in St. Louis is pretty much the exact same as the one he came from in Philadelphia.

- More to come on Amendola later today on the homepage as well as an interview with Rosey Grier talking about Deacon Jones.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just addressed the media about the happenings from Sunday's disappointing 9-7 loss to the Redskins at FedEx Field.

- Spagnuolo maintained the looking forward, focus on the positive attitude he had last week and there were plenty more of those to look at this week than after last week. We'll get to those in a minute. First, a look at the injuries.

- The ailment thought to be most serious coming out of yesterday's game was to right tackle Jason Smith's left knee. Originally, it was thought there was some cartilage damage in the knee, namely to his meniscus. But after an MRI, Smith is being diagnosed with a knee sprain. The good news is that it won't require surgery and Smith shouldn't miss a ton of time. The bad news is he will almost certainly miss this week's game against Green Bay.

- Adam Goldberg will step in for Smith should he be unable to go against the Packers.

- Center Jason Brown is also being diagnosed with a right knee sprain. Brown injured the knee in the game and came out for a short while but did return to action. He was hobbled after the game but apparently already felt better this morning. His outlook is a bit more positive. He could practice this week and will be day to day.

- Tackle Alex Barron (thigh bruise), tight end Daniel Fells (shin) and cornerback Justin King (hamstring) were also named by Spagnuolo on the injury report but all seemed to be OK and are likely to be fine for Sunday.

- Safety Craig Dahl appears ready to finally return to action. Spagnuolo said he expects him to be ready to go in practice this week.

- Guard John Greco will also start working back in the mix from his wrist surgery. Greco will slowly get back into it but how fast he's at full speed will depend on how fast he can regain his punch.

- Spagnuolo's message to the team this week will be similar to the one he used last week. He maintained on Monday that he was disappointed but not discouraged by what happened in Washington and he believes there are plenty of things for the Rams to build on this week in preparation for the Packers.

- One player who got his first action against the Redskins was recently acquired defensive lineman LeJuan Ramsey. Ramsey played about eight plays but flashed some signs of potential and Spagnuolo said he could work into the mix more as he continues to get acclimated to the defense.

- Spagnuolo said he would like to see the Rams defense get better at getting off the field when third down opportunities arise. Washington was seven-of-15 on Sunday in those situations and thus was able to win the time of possession battle 34:53 to 25:07.

- One play that nearly swung the game in the Rams' favor was the team's first sack of the season as Jason Campbell was brought down near his goal line. It appeared the play might have been a safety but the officials ruled that he got the ball out of the end zone before his knee touched. Spagnuolo said he considered using a challenge but the word from the Rams staff in the booth was that there was not enough clear evidence that it was a safety to challenge.

- Spagnuolo acknowledged Monday that Derek Stanley could get some looks in the kick return game after Kenneth Darby handled the duties against the Redskins. Darby, Donnie Avery and Samkon Gado have done the work in the first two games but the Rams have struggled to get traction in the return game.

- Another area Spagnuolo would like to improve is the pass rush. The Rams have just the one sack in the two games and have asked their defensive backs to cover for a long time. Spagnuolo says he personally can do a better job of creating opportunities for his guys to get after the quarterback.

- The Rams will now turn their attention to this week's home opener against Green Bay. It should be an emotional day as the No. 75 of Deacon Jones is raised to the rafters. Be back tomorrow with a look around the league, a new Tuesday blog feature with thoughts from other games and happenings around the NFL.

LANDOVER, Mary. –

- It was just one of those days for the Rams on Sunday against the Redskins. One of those days where the game, as is often the case in the NFL, comes down to a few plays that swing the result in one direction or the other. Unfortunately for the Rams, those plays and the whistles seemed to go in Washington’s favor in a disappointing 9-7 loss at FedEx Field.

- Before we dig into the game, let’s get to the injury news. After a relatively clean week last week, the Rams had much worse luck this week against the Redskins.

- Right tackle Jason Smith had what appears to be the most serious of the injuries. He suffered a left knee injury that coach Steve Spagnuolo called a meniscus injury after the game. Smith will have an MRI on Monday and more will be revealed at that time. But the injury was severe enough that Adam Goldberg replaced Smith and Smith did not return.

- Elsewhere on the offensive line, center Jason Brown suffered a right knee injury in which the early prognosis is a MCL sprain. Brown was replaced for a bit by Mark Setterstrom but did return to the game. Brown was optimistic it wasn’t serious but he too will have an MRI on Monday.

- The rest of the walking wounded carries name value but none of the ailments appeared to be serious. Leonard Little (calf), James Laurinaitis (knee), Marc Bulger (back), Alex Barron (thigh) and Oshiomogho Atogwe (blow to head) were all listed by Spagnuolo after the game but none are thought to be serious.

- On to the game…It was a game in which there was plenty more positive to glean than perhaps at this time last week but Spagnuolo emphasized after the game there are no moral victories in the NFL.

- That said, there were some steps in the right directions. Although Washington posted 362 yards of offense and outgained the Rams by a healthy margin, the Rams defense deserves a tip of the cap. In the NFL, teams are going to move the ball, it’s just that simple. But whenever Washington traveled deep into Rams territory, the defense bowed its neck and forced a field goal. Washington finished with just nine points on those three field goals and the one time it went for it on fourth down in the red zone, the Rams managed to get a stop and give it back to the offense.

- That said, Rams cornerback Ron Bartell was disappointed with his group’s inability to get stops on third down and get off the field when the opportunity presented itself. Washington was seven-of-15 on third downs but was very productive in those situations, mostly because of tight end Chris Cooley.

- Speaking of Bartell, he made an outstanding play to force a fumble by Washington receiver Santana Moss in the second quarter. The bad news was that the play was blown dead. The Redskins were extremely fortunate that the whistle was blown. Although the play was reviewed and the Rams got the ball, had the whistle never blown, Bartell had nothing but open space in front of him and could have score a touchdown.

- The replay showed that Bartell was close to stepping out of bounds when he scooped the ball up but it still would have been worthwhile to see what could have happened had the whistle never blown. More often than not, officials let that play work itself out and go back and look at it later. Bad break for the Rams.

- On the other side of the ball, the Rams did make progress though they posted just seven points. For one, that group cut down on the penalties. And there was a direct correlation between that and the unit’s ability to convert third downs. The Rams were six-of-12 this week on third down opportunities.

- Receiver Laurent Robinson continues to make his case as Bulger’s most consistent target. Robinson finished with six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. He’s been outstanding at getting yards after the catch and does a nice job of catching with his hands. The fade pass for a 2-yard touchdown to him was a thing of beauty.

- When Steven Jackson gets into a rhythm running the ball, there are few players in the league I’d rather watch tote the ball. He finished with 17 carries for 104 yards with a long of 58 yards. Unfortunately, a false start penalty wiped out a play that had touchdown written all over it or Jackson’s numbers would have been even more impressive and the result of the game might have been vastly different.

- Bulger’s numbers weren’t eye popping but facing a good defense that was generating regular pressure, he left it all on the field and put it all out there. He stood tall in the pocket and delivered some gorgeous passes to keep some drives alive.

- Keenan Burton had a nice sequence in which he caught a pair of balls for first downs, including a tough 13-yard grab over the middle on third down.

- Donnie Avery had a more trying day. He was targeted six times and had just one catch. And when he did make that catch, a key grab near Washington’s goal line that would have been a first down, he coughed up a costly fumble to kill a Rams drive and potential lead-taking score.

- A pair of Rams set some franchise records on Sunday. Bulger became the Rams’ all time leader in completions when he hit Jackson for a gain in the first quarter.

- In addition, Jackson moved into fourth place in franchise history in rushing yards with his first half performance.

- The signs of progress were indeed evident on Sunday for the Rams and they will get back to the drawing board this week with a talented Green Bay team coming to town next week. Be back to wrap this one up on Monday afternoon.

- Although the Redskins aren't in the NFC West Division, there are plenty of connections in the Rams locker room and between the two organizations.

- The Rams completed Thursday's practice earlier today and did so with only guard John Greco (wrist) missing the workout. Safety Craig Dahl was limited and everybody else was full go.

- Guard Jacob Bell knows Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth very well. The two played together for a number of years in Tennessee. Bell says he knows what Haynesworth can do and has an idea of the best way to slow him but is the first to admit it won't be easy.

- Center Jason Brown is also very familiar with Haynesworth. Brown worked on the interior for Baltimore, a team that saw plenty of the Titans in the past few years.

- Roaming the middle linebacker spot is former Rams favorite London Fletcher. Fletcher had 18 tackles last week to lead the league and continues to be a nuisance for opposing offenses.
- The Rams made one small roster move on Thursday, signing defensive tackle Leger Douzable to the practice squad. Douzable, 6'4, 305 pounds, is in his second year out of Central Florida. Douzable spent last year with the New York Giants on the active roster and again made it out of camp with the team but was released this week.

- Douzable is wearing No. 69 for the Rams.

- The Rams got back to work on Wednesday afternoon, taking to the practice field for a long work out in full pads.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo was pleased with how the team bounced back to action after a couple of days off. "That's all you can do is get ready for the next game," Spagnuolo said.

- The Rams tweaked their roster again on Wednesday, bringing in some more depth at wide receiver and making a change at linebacker.

- To that end, the team signed receiver Ruvell Martin and linebacker Paris Lenon.

- Martin brings the Rams a big, physical type of receiver who is particularly useful in the red zone. At 6'4, Martin spent the past three seasons in Green Bay where he posted 52 catches for 749 yards and six touchdowns.

- "Martin is a big, tall wide receiver that I personally remember playing against him when I was in New York," Spagnuolo said. "He has always kind of impressed me."

- Lenon was with New England in training camp but started at middle linebacker from 2006-2008.

- "Paris we knew about back in the offseason when he was a free agent," Spagnuolo said. "We evaluated and liked him and for whatever reason it didn't work out. We had an opportunity to get him here and we're glad that we did."

- Martin will wear No. 82 and Lenon is in No. 53.

- The Rams selected their captains for this week's game at Washington on Wednesday afternoon. Quarterback Marc Bulger, defensive end James Hall and punter Donnie Jones will handle those duties this week.

- Although they played in the Big 12 South in college, tackle Jason Smith and Washington linebacker/end Brian Orakpo never actually played against each other. Smith had an injury the first time and Orakpo was hurt the second time.

- That's all for today barring any breaking news.

Hello Rams Family:
 
We're nearing the end of our trip and we have all experienced a whirlwind of emotions and adventures. Yesterday, as we traveled from Afghanistan to Qatar we witnessed a ceremony for a fallen soldier and the reality of the war really hit home for us. Troops lined the tarmac as the casket, draped with an American Flag, was carried down to the plane. A bagpipe played and a pastor spoke briefly and prayed over the soldiers. We were on the same flight as the fallen soldier. It was a very emotional time for us but we realized more than ever that the soldiers needed encouragement at that moment. We are here to help any little way that we can and seeing a friendly face, we've found, goes a long way.
 
Once we arrived in Qatar, we were surprised to be asked to do a meet and greet for another FOB that night. We were happy to oblige and to our delight, over 1,000 soldiers came out. They were so happy that we were able to meet them on such short notice.
 
Today, we traveled to our final base and the excitement is growing for our show tonight. We just met with the Commander of the Base and were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for traveling to Afghanistan and Qatar. It was truly an honor to receive this Certificate.
 
We depart early tomorrow morning to head back to St. Louis. It'll be a long day of flying and we'll be sad to go but grateful that we're able to return with a deeper understanding for our soldiers abroad. Thanks Rams Family and keep supporting our troops.

Hello Rams Family,
 
Today has been quite a day! We woke up early this morning after staying up late to watch the Rams vs. Seattle game. You'll be happy to know we have quite a few Rams fans overseas! The game was playing in one of the chow halls and plenty of Marines, Navy Seals, Air Force and Army men came to cheer on our team even though it was 4 a.m.!
 
We departed for another FOB early today by Blackhawk. This particular base hasn't seen visitors in over five months. Needless to say they were overwhelmed to see friendly faces. We walked around to various posts and handed out autographed posters then sat for a meet and greet. We were only three miles from the border of Pakistan! Before we left, we ate a quick lunch with the soldiers and took plenty of photos.
 
We flew back to our home base and rested for a bit before our next adventure. We were invited to a change of command ceremony. We were honored to be invited and following the ceremony, we joined the soldiers and new Commander for dinner.
 
Tonight is our last night in Kandahar. We've had a great time here and have gotten to experience once in a lifetime things. We've had the opportunity to meet hundreds of soldiers, shoot guns with snipers, ride in Strikers and MRAP's, and fly in different types of military helicopters. We're performing a show for Kandahar tonight followed by a meet and greet and it's off to Qatar tomorrow. We have one more show in Qatar then we'll head back to the States.
 
We'll send another update when we arrive in Qatar

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just completed his day after the game news conference and addressed a variety of topics. But as usual, let's take care of the injury front first.

- As was reported yesterday, rookie middle linebacker James Laurinaitis has a bursa sac injury in his knee but it is indeed not a serious issue and something that Laurinaitis will just need to monitor and continue to ice in the next few days. Laurinaitis completed his workout Monday morning with no complications.

- Defensive ends James Hall and Leonard Little had some dehydration issues in the game and were given IV's but they played on and had no problems after the game. Aside from that, the Rams came out of the game clean.

- On to the game. The tape did not lie to Spagnuolo and his coaching staff when they reviewed it late Sunday and Monday morning. Spagnuolo re-iterated what he said after the game. He was disappointed in the penalties and he put the blame on himself for those mistakes.

- At the same time, Spagnuolo gave his team the message that it's only one game and his sole focus isn't on anything but this year's team and not anything that's happened in the past or will happen in the future. In fact, Spagnuolo said the team would spend Monday correcting the many mistakes that cost them against the Seahawks then it will quickly move on to preparations for next week's game against Washington.

- Spagnuolo still has a lot of confidence in guard Richie Incognito. He's sticking by the big fella and it appears Incognito will retain his spot heading to D.C.

- There weren't any major surprises on the pregame inactive list Sunday save for the possible exception of end Victor Adeyanju. Spagnuolo said that decision simply came down to the numbers game as the team wanted to have some added pass rush help in the form of end C.J. Ah You.

- Speaking of which, Ah You took the blame for being the 12th man on the field during the blocked field goal. Spagnuolo took the blame also and said Monday the block probably wouldn't have happened had it not been for the extra man on the field.

- Spagnuolo was pleased with the performance of his two rookies starters in Laurinaitis and right tackle Jason Smith. Smith gave up one sack but was pretty sound and confident in pass protection the rest of the way.

- Strong side linebacker David Vobora and cornerback Jonathan Wade also acquitted themselves quite well for the most part in their first season opening starts. Wade was instrumental in the early stages of the game, playing perfect coverage to force the first interception by James Butler then jumping a route to break up a third down pass. Wade also did a nice job of tackling and keeping short gains short.

- The Rams have the league-mandated day off Tuesday but will be back to the grind on Wednesday with a visit to Washington on the docket this weekend.

Hello Rams Family,
 
Today has been quite an adventure! We were given the day off because the base we were supposed to visit just recently became too dangerous. While we weren't able to visit them, they will not be forgotten as we'll be sure to send them plenty of autographed posters. 
 
Last night, we didn't get back to our home base until about 4am! It was a 24 hour day for us yesterday.  The military is lacking air support in Afghanistan so it's common for flights to get cancelled and delayed. Our CH-53 Super Stallion from Delaram to Kandahar was delayed by about 5 hours so we stayed and played guitar hero with the Marines. Once our helicopter came, we had to stop at another base and transfer to a C-130. The C-130 was delayed by about 3 more hours, so by the time we got home to Kandahar we had been up for a full day. We were sort of glad we got to sleep in a little bit.
 
Today, the special forces took us out to the shooting range and taught us how to shoot all types of guns. We shot shotguns, MK-47's, MK-12's, a 300 which is what sniper's primarily use and a 50 cal which is what soldiers shoot off helicopters and military vehicles. It was quite an experience that we will not forget.
 
After a full day of shooting at the range, we enjoyed a great meal at the soldier's dining hall. We're going to take a quick nap then watch the Rams beat Seattle tonight. The game starts at midnight for us, but we're staying up for it. Go Rams!

SEATTLE –

- In the immediate aftermath of their 28-0 loss to the Seahawks in the season opener in Seattle, the Rams did not hang their heads. In fact, to a man, everyone in the locker room focused on the positives while acknowledging the negatives.

- More on that in a minute, but first a look at the injuries. One of the positives was an overall lack of injuries. Defensive ends Leonard Little and James Hall were on and off the field at various points in the game but both checked out OK after the contest.

- The only injury of note according to coach Steve Spagnuolo is a slight knee injury to middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis says it’s nothing serious and he will just ice it down but Spagnuolo wanted to be cautious with it in fear that Laurinaitis might feel more pain when he wakes up in the morning.

- First and foremost, the No. 1 reason for the Rams’ loss came down to an avalanche of mental errors, mostly in the form of penalties that killed any opportunity the team had to get an early lead.

- All told, the Rams finished with 10 penalties for 85 yards. That’s essentially a long drive worth of miscues. More to the point, though, the offense was guilty of the majority of those errors.

- To wit, in the first half, the offense six possessions in the first half, one of which was a throwaway at the end of the half which was composed one one rushing play by Steven Jackson. On the previous five possessions, the Rams had at least one penalty and they had six penalties on the first four possessions. Each time, one of those penalties ultimately killed a drive.

- None of those penalties on the offense were more costly than a holding penalty on receiver Donnie Avery that negated about a 20-yard gain from Jackson to Seattle’s 18. That followed a fumble recovery from Laurinaitis and was the Rams’ best field position of the game.

- Of course, none of the penalties were bigger than the 12 men on the field penalty on the Rams. The rules allow for the officials to review anything inside of two minutes and the call was absolutely correct. The fact that it wiped out a great blocked field goal from C.J. Ah You and a return by Quincy Butler for a touchdown was really costly. It hurt even more when the flag gave Seattle a first down and it eventually scored a touchdown for a two score lead heading into the locker room.

- The worst part of that penalty might be the fact that the Rams didn’t really need the extra man on the field for the block. Laurinaitis was line up off the line of scrimmage and didn’t rush the kick in case of a fake.

- Guard Richie Incognito was apologetic for his penalty issues after the game. He racked up two personal fouls and a pre-snap false start. “This is something where I have the team on my shoulders on this one, they need me to stop committing fouls and it’s something I have worked very hard at,” Incognito said. “You come out here and it’s first game jitters and you let one pop off. I am going to keep working hard at trying to step my mental game up.”

- Adam Goldberg replaced Goldberg for about a series and a half in an effort to get Incognito some time to cool down and get his head together.

- It was excellent to see the takeaway parade continue for the Rams on Sunday. After a scary start in which Avery fumbled the opening kickoff, the defense stood tall and got an interception from James Butler on a ball Jonathan Wade played perfectly and tipped up in the air.

- Oshiomogho Atogwe is a takeaway machine. Period. His interception was classic Atogwe and though he won’t get credit for it, he had a hand in starting to jar the ball loose on Laurinaitis’ fumble recovery.

- Speaking of Laurinaitis, he was all over the field. He was unofficially credited with 14 tackles in his pro debut and also came up with that fumble recovery.

- Originally, Laurinaitis was credited with forcing the fumble but Will Witherspoon got the credit after another look at it.

- From the department of redundancy department, punter Donnie Jones is simply a monster. He finished with eight punts for an average of 50.8 yards with a long of 61. He dropped two inside the 20, one downed at the 4 and the other rolled dead at the 1. His net was 44.8 yards. Talk about picking up where you left off.

- All for tonight but I’ll clean the notebook out tomorrow. Rams back to practice on Wednesday but will spend Monday attempting to correct the many mistakes that plagued them on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

- The Rams finished their first regular season week of practice Friday and will head to Seattle on Saturday afternoon for this weekend's game against the Seahawks.

- With a busy week behind them, things have settled down and this is how the team shapes up heading into Sunday.

- On offense, the Rams will look like this:
QB - Marc Bulger
RB - Steven Jackson
FB - Mike Karney
RT - Jason Smith
RG - Richie Incognito
C - Jason Brown
LG - Jacob Bell
LT - Alex Barron
WR - Donnie Avery
WR - Laurent Robinson
TE - Randy McMichael

- The Rams won't use a lot of three and four receiver sets. Keep an eye out for multiple tight end sets and expect the Rams to pound the ball on the ground to set up play action and get the ball out quick against Seattle's talented front seven.

- Here's how the defense shapes up:
LDE - Leonard Little
LDT - Gary Gibson
RDT - Clifton Ryan
RDE - Chris Long
WLB - Will Witherspoon
MLB - James Laurinaitis
SLB - David Vobora
LCB - Ron Bartell
RCB - Jonathan Wade
SS - James Butler
FS - Oshiomogho Atogwe

- Only two players have been ruled out because of injury and that's guard John Greco and safety Craig Dahl. The Rams will have eight players inactive on game day per league rules. It's a safe bet those two plus third quarterback Keith Null will be on that list. As for the other spots, linebacker Larry Grant could be a candidate depending on how he feels. He practiced again Friday and is listed as questionable with a sprained knee.

- The other spots we will have to wait and see because we have yet to see how many players at each position that coach Steve Spagnuolo likes to carry on game day. Since the team is carrying 10 offensive linemen, it's a strong possiblity that one or two more of the inactives will come from that group. And there are 10 defensive linemen, so it's a safe bet that at least one more will come from that group. More than likely the remainder of the inactive list will come from those two areas because that's where the Rams have the most players.

- That's all for now. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my breakdown of the Seahawks and the main page for five important keys to Sunday's game against Seattle.

Hello Rams Fans!

Sending you a quick update from Qatar before we depart for Afghanistan.
We received a behind the scenes tour of the Air Force Base we are currently
stationed at,  viewing the ins and outs of military vehicles such as
MRAP, Striker and an M17.

We will soon be  in Afghanistan. It is an area that sees a lot of "action." In other words, our eyes will be opened to the realness of war in about three hours. We will have the utmost protection at all times, but the soldiers are on the frontlines sleeping in tents, lacking showers and risking their lives daily. We're excited and nervous at the same time, but hope that our service brings light and additional smiles to our heroes.

Updates to come,

The St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders (abroad)

Kate

- Since Steve Spagnuolo was hired as head coach back in January, it seems there have been very few dull or boring days around the Rams. Thursday was no exception as the Rams remained active in tweaking their roster all while maintaning focus on playing Seattle this weekend.

- As first reported here on stlouisrams.com, linebacker Chris Draft was released on Thursday morning. David Vobora was officially named the starter in his place per Spagnuolo. And Quinton Culberson was re-signed to take Draft's place on the roster.

- Vobora had been locked in a tight competition with Larry Grant for much of the offseason. When James Laurinaitis staked his claim to the middle linebacker job, Draft moved outside. But Vobora and Grant continued to push and now Vobora has gone from Mr. Irrelevant to NFL starter.

- The way the depth at linebacker shakes down now is as follows: the starters are Will Witherspoon (weakside), Laurinaitis (middle) and Vobora (strong side). Now, should anything happen to Witherspoon, Chris Chamberlain is likely to be the guy tabbed to step in. Vobora is the backup to Laurinaitis so if Laurinaitis would get hurt, Vobora would slide over and Grant would step in on the strong side. Clearly, that means Grant is the backup on the strong side (when healthy). For this week, it's likely to be Culberson backing up Vobora.

- As far as injuries are concerned, John Greco (wrist) and Craig Dahl (hamstring) did not participate. Grant is actually a bit ahead of schedule and did practice. It's still unlikely that Grant would play against the Seahawks but Spagnuolo said there's an "outside chance."

- Quarterback Marc Bulger (pinkie) and Grant (knee) were listed as limited).

- Defensive end Leonard Little (knee) and running back Samkon Gado (ribs) and fullback Mike Karney (ankle) fully participated, according to Spagnuolo.

- The plan for Culberson now is to step in immediately on special teams.

- Bulger continues to make strides and Spagnuolo said there were no problems with quarterback/center exchanges.

- For Sunday's game, defensive coordinator Ken Flajole will be up in the booth. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will be on the sideline.

- All for today, barring any new developments.

- The Rams got back to work on Wednesday afternoon and for the first time in all of camp, the starters on both sides were in place and as they should be.

- Although he didn't take every rep, quarterback Marc Bulger got most of the work with the first team and took snaps under center for the first time since he suffered a broken pinkie back on Aug. 17.

- Bulger reported no immediate ill effects after using a web type of taping that he referred to as "buddy" tape. The pinkie is taped to the ring finger but not up against it. He continues to have no problems throwing the ball and he said if he had to start a game on Wednesday he could have done it.

- In other news, coach Steve Spagnuolo officially named rookie Jason Smith the starter at right tackle in Sunday's opener in Seattle. Smith says he is ready to go and is excited for the opportunity.

- For more on Bulger and Smith, see the feature pieces on the front of the website later this afternoon.

- Linebacker Larry Grant (knee), guard John Greco (wrist) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) did not practice. Grant and Greco have been ruled out already and Dahl is still day to day.

- Grant did some running on the side but he's still at least a week away or so.

- Receiver Nate Jones was brought back and added to the practice squad. Defensive end Ian Campbell was released to make room for Jones.

- Samkon Gado switched his number from 38 to his more customary 35. Practice squad defensive back Cord Parks is now wearing 23.

- The Rams will not name season captains under Spagnuolo. Instead, they will be named on a weekly basis on Wednesdays. This week, it's free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, running back Steven Jackson and kicker Josh Brown.

Dearest Rams Fans,

We set out for our journey overseas to visit troops in Qatar and Afghanistan on Tuesday September 8th. After a seven hour layover in Washington D.C., and a twelve hour trip over the Atlantic, we arrived in Qatar safely.  Welcomed by a group of American military members, we loaded up our bags in two SUVs and headed off to our first base to
visit.

Qatar is a beautiful city located on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula. Although we have only been here for a few hours we are already beginning to create memories of a lifetime. We will be heading out to Afghanistan in the early morning. As a soldier told us when we arrived, "this experience will be one you tell your
grandchildren."

We feel the same way and look forward to creating priceless memories and sharing stories as we spread our thanks to the troops abroad.

Until next time,

The Rams Cheerleaders

- The Rams practiced Monday afternoon in the first workout of a regular season game week under coach Steve Spagnuolo. For the most part, the Rams are back to health with one notable exception.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger did not take any snaps under center but still got plenty of modified reps and threw the ball a lot. Bulger and the Rams are in a holding pattern on taking snaps until Wednesday.

- Guard Richie Incognito and defensive end Leonard Little returned to practice and have no issues. Running back Samkon Gado (ribs) and fullback Mike Karney (ankle) also made it through the practice unscathed.

- Linebacker Larry Grant (knee) and guard John Greco (wrist) have been ruled out for this week's game already according to Spagnuolo.

- Safety Craig Dahl sat out and the team is being cautious with his hamstring injury in hopes of getting him to Sunday's game.

- No official decision has been made on the right tackle spot but Jason Smith took repetitions with the first team in the opening moments of practice.

- That's all for today. More updates tomorrow and throughout the week as we get closer to the start of the real deal.

- The Rams finished up their practice squad additions on Monday morning by signing a pair of players to bring the total to the league maximum eight players.

- Running back Chris Ogbonnaya, a seventh-round choice this year by the Rams, signed on after posting 94 yards on 32 carries in the preseason.

- Defensive end Bryan Smith, who was a third-round pick of Philadelphia's in 2008, also joins the mix. Smith was on the Eagles roster but did not appear in any games.

- The Rams are about to hit the practice field for the first time in a game week under coach Steve Spagnuolo. Back with updates after that workout.

- The Rams and the rest of the league pared their rosters to the final 53 players on Saturday and Sunday filled out their 8-man practice squads. But that doesn't mean the players on that roster will be the ones that are suiting up this season.

- As is tradition around the league, teams always scour the waiver wire and free agent list to find potential gems or guys they believe are upgrades over what is currently on the roster. The Rams are no different. General manager Billy Devaney has maintained all along that he would always have his eyes open in search of someone who can upgrade the roster. And while the Rams will look particularly close for depth at receiver and safety to name a couple, they won't be looking strictly at those spots.

- This is how the roster breaks down as it stands:

Quarterbacks (3) - Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, Keith Null
Running Backs (4) - Steven Jackson, Kenneth Darby, Samkon Gado, Mike Karney
Wide Receivers (5) - Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Keenan Burton, Derek Stanley, Nate Jones
Tight End (3) - Randy McMichael, Billy Bajema, Daniel Fells
Offensive Line (10) - Alex Barron, Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg, Jason Brown, Richie Incognito, Jacob Bell, Mark Setterstrom, Eric Young, John Greco, Roger Allen III
Defensive Line (9) - Leonard Little, James Hall, Chris Long, Victor Adeyanju, Gary Gibson, Hollis Thomas, Clifton Ryan, Darell Scott, C.J. Ah You
Linebacker (7) - Will Witherspoon, James Laurinaitis, Chris Draft, Quinton Culberson, Larry Grant, David Vobora, Chris Chamberlain
Defensive Backs (9) - Jonathan Wade, Ron Bartell, Oshiomogho Atogwe, James Butler, Craig Dahl, Quincy Butler, Bradley Fletcher, David Roach.
Specialists (3) - Josh Brown, Donnie Jones, Chris Massey

- The Rams injured reserve list also already has four names on it as defensive tackle Adam Carriker and end Eric Moore were added to the list on Saturday. They join safety Eric Bassey and receiver Brooks Foster.

- Greco has a fractured wrist and will miss two to three weeks. He injured the wrist against the Chiefs but the extent of the injury was unknown until Saturday.

- In examining the roster, it's clear that coach Steve Spagnuolo has put an emphasis on having depth along the lines. The Rams kept nine defensive linemen and 10 offensive linemen and just five wide receivers.

- Tip of the cap to Ah You. Talk about perseverence. Ah You has been on the practice squad the past two years, just kept working and made some plays in games. Now, he's finally on the active roster. Congrats to him.

- Allen's story is a good one. A prospect from a small local school lands in his home state and plays his way on to the team. His future is very bright, too. He's only scratching the surface of his potential.

- Be back with the practice squad and any aforementioned roster reconfiguration later today.  

ST. LOUIS, MO – In an effort to reach the NFL-mandated 53-player roster limit, the St. Louis Rams have made the following roster moves:

The Rams waived LB K.C. Asiodu, QB Brock Berlin, DT Antwon Burton, TE Eric Butler, DE Ian Campbell, LB Dominic Douglas, T Renardo Foster, FB Jerome Johnson, C Tim Mattran, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, CB Cord Parks, RB Antonio Pittman, S Mark Rubin, G Roy Schuening, T Phil Trautwein and WR Sean Walker.

The Rams also terminated the contracts of vested veterans WR Tim Carter, WR Ronald Curry and S Todd Johnson.  DT Adam Carriker was placed on the reserve/injured list with a shoulder injury.

The Rams currently have 54 players on the roster.  NFL teams are required to reach a 53-player roster limit today, prior to the start of the regular season.

 

 

 

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo just addressed the media after reviewing last night's win against the Chiefs. Now, he and the rest of the staff are on to the important task of figuring just who will comprise the 53-man roster and eight-man practice squad.

- First, the injury news.

- As expected, defensive tackle Adam Carriker's shoulder injury is significant. There is no precise definition for what it is but Spagnuolo said a decision will have to be made on Carriker soon. That means injured reserve is a possibility but it will have to be weighed against when he could come back. When the Rams have a better idea of just how long he'll be out, they will make that decision. Expect it to come in the next 24 hours.

- The rest of the ailments from last night were not too bad. Samkon Gado does have some cartilage issues around his ribs. He is considered day to say and Spagnuolo says it is a pain tolerance issue for Gado.

- Safety Craig Dahl strained a hamstring. Spagnuolo said the Rams will see where he's at on Wednesday.

- Defensive end Eric Moore has a sprained wrist as the X rays came back negative. Safety David Roach was scheduled to have an MRI on his heel on Friday afternoon. And cornerback Justin King has a mildly sprained knee. King is fine and will practice next week according to Spagnuolo.

- The Rams are off the rest of the weekend and will resume work on Monday morning after the roster has been trimmed.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger threw again before Thursday night's game and he is expected to be ready to go on Monday in preparation for Seattle. It remains to be seen when he will take his first snap, though.

- Receiver Donnie Avery played against the Chiefs and though he got no opportunities for catches, he looked spry and is fine to practice full speed next week.

- Spagnuolo expressed concern with the run defense and his own running game but says he is "confident" the corrections on both sides can be made.

- No determination yet on whether Jason Smith will move into the starting lineup. Smith played on both sides of the line against the Chiefs. Spagnuolo said that decision will be made by Monday when the team resumes practice.

- That's it for now. Stay tuned this weekend here and on Twitter for up to the minute updates on roster cutdowns and the formation of the practice squad.

- A year from now, heck maybe a month from now, nobody will remember what happened in this preseason but if indeed a team begins building its identity in the offseason, there's no doubt that getting takeaways and taking care of the ball was the hallmark of this Rams' team.

- The Rams were plus-2 in turnovers on Thursday night and they needed all of that help on their way to a 17-9 win at the Edward Jones Dome. The biggest play came when Quincy Butler jumped a route and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

- Let's get to some injury stuff before we get into the nuts and bolts of the game. This was not a real good night for the Rams in terms of injury.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker suffered a right shoulder injury, the extent of which is unknown but coach Steve Spagnuolo did not seem too upbeat about the results. More will be available tomorrow but not good news for Carriker who has had some injury issues.

- Running back Samkon Gado had an X ray on his ribs after leaving the game. That came back negative but Gado is set to have an MRI tomorrow.

- Defensive end Eric Moore injured his hand late in the game and will have an X ray. The result of that is not yet known.

- Safety Craig Dahl (hamstring), cornerback Justin King (knee) and safety David Roach (shoulder) had some minor bumps and are expected to get further evaluations. They will be day to day in the meantime.

- On to the game. Quincy Butler had a terrific preseason. He made plays all through camp and has done it again in the games the last two weeks. Butler has made a strong case for a roster spot. He's a prime example of taking advantage of your opportunities.

- C.J. Ah You and Victor Adeyanju also had statement games. Ah You had a sack in his second consecutive game. Adeyanju was all over the field and also came up with a sack.

- The Rams showed some pretty impressive blitz packages including the one that resulted in Adeyanju's sack. Standing up in the middle of the defensive line, Adeyanju bolted up the middle and got to the quarterback. Should be fun to watch the various ways these defenders are deployed when the real games start.

- Brock Berlin and Keith Null settled nothing and Spagnuolo says the decision for that third quarterback spot won't be made based on one game. However, Berlin really pieced together a nice drive in the second quarter when he was seven-of-nine for 74 yards and hit Daniel Fells for a touchdown.

- How about Fells on that play? Hit by three guys, he still found a way into the end zone for the touchdown.

- Donnie Jones bounced back from last week with an incredible performance. He dropped seven of his nine punts inside Kansas City's 20. Jones ripped a 61-yarder at the end of the game to kill any chances of the Chiefs forging a comeback.

- Justin King showed up well Thursday night as well and registered his first interception in the NFL.

- Ronald Curry made a nice final statement as well. He was targeted four times and came up with three catches for 40 yards.

- The Rams must cut down to the final 53 by Saturday afternoon and that process will likely begin tomorrow. The team is off for the weekend and will be in game mode starting Monday.

- The Rams just finished their Tuesday afternoon practice and for the action on the field, there was just as much off of it.

- Per league guidelines, all teams had to trim their roster by five players on Tuesday and the Rams went one more, removing six from the fold.

- The biggest move came in the form of the trade of cornerback Tye Hill. It came as a bit of a surprise after Hill had worked with the starting unit for all of the preseason and offseason opposite Ron Bartell.

- Hill never quite met the expectations that came with his lofty first-round draft status as he was hampered by injuries throughout his three seasons in St. Louis.

- Upon Hill's departure, Jonathan Wade stepped into the lead role. He stands as the leader in the clubhouse but there will be continued competition from the likes of Bradley Fletcher and Justin King.

- The Rams also trimmed five players from the roster in the form of tight end Joe Klopfenstein, center Daniel Sanders, receivers Jarrett Byers and Brooks Foster and cornerback Marcus Brown. Foster was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers. 

- The Rams are one player under the 75 man roster limit as of now and Spagnuolo says another move is "possible" before Thursday night's game against Kansas City.

- Safety James Butler was absent from practice because he attended the birth of his new baby boy.

- Guard Richie Incognito, defensive end Leonard Little, fullback Mike Karney and quarterback Marc Bulger did not participate. Larry Grant was added to the injury report because of a knee sprain. That injury is expected to keep him out for a couple of weeks. All were ruled out for Thursday night except for Incognito, who is questionable.

- Bulger did some more throwing and took some shotgun snaps. He has been ruled out for Thursday's game according to Spagnuolo.

- After a couple of days off, the Rams returned to the practice field on Sunday afternoon for a couple-hour workout. The team has switched into season mode as far as the schedule so that they can get accustomed to how it will work during the regular season before the first game week hits. Crazy to think, but one week from today the Rams will be in game week.

- Fullback Mike Karney, quarterback Marc Bulger, defensive end Leonard Little and guard Richie Incognito sat out the workout. Karney's ankle is a little sore and the Rams wanted to be cautious with it. Incognito has a mild knee sprain and the Rams are likewise being careful with him as well.

- Bulger threw for the first time since he broke his right pinkie a couple of weeks ago. He threw 21 passes in a controlled side session and took no snaps. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says the Rams will wait to see how Bulger feels tomorrow before the team determines the next step.

- Bulger isn't likely to play this week against Kansas City but the possibility hasn't been ruled out yet by Spagnuolo.

- Little is OK but the Rams are being what Spagnuolo calls "overly cautious" with him to ensure he is healthy when the games start.

- Receiver Donnie Avery and guard Jacob Bell returned to practice. Avery is running with very little restriction and Spagnuolo says the plan is to have him play against the Chiefs this week. Bell was cleared from his concussion and will also play this week barring any setback. According to Spagnuolo, Bell could play a little more than the rest of the ones so he can get a little more time to knock the rust off.

- No decision has been made yet on the status of receiver Brooks Foster. Spagnuolo says one could be made in the next 24 hours. Most indications are that he could end up on injured reserve but that choice has not been made yet.

- The Rams get back at it tomorrow and will have to cut five players by Tuesday to get down to the league-mandated 75 players on the roster.

- Given a night to reflect and a chance to see the film, coach Steve Spagnuolo was in pretty good spirits about what he saw from his team in Thursday's win against the Bengals. For the most part, anyway.

- After a slow start against the Falcons last week that the Rams couldn't recover from, Spagnuolo was particularly pleased with how they bounced back to put up 21 unanswered points in beating Cincinnati.

- The Rams continue to find ways to come up with turnovers and are now plus 7 in the preseason including plus four last night. Your chances of winning when you have four more takeaways than giveaways are unbelievably good.

- Of course, Spagnuolo wasn't thrilled with the team's 10 penalties and the struggles on special teams. Fortunately those are are traditionally areas that can be ironed out in short order according to the head coach.

- Let's get to some injury news that isn't terribly important for this week's preseason game against Kansas City so much as it is for the season opener against Seattle.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger will do some throwing this week for the first time since suffering a broken right pinkie. Bulger isn't likely to take any snaps but getting some repetitions throwing the ball is the first step to getting him back to full practice mode, hopefully for the week leading up to Seattle.

- Expected to return on a near full time basis are guard Jacob Bell and defensive tackle Adam Carriker. Bell has passed the baseline concussion test and is cleared to get back to work. He may be eased into that but he will be back on the practice field. Carriker did that last week but his ankle is healed enough that he should be full go this week as well.

- Defensive end Leonard Little (knee) is still going to be day to day this week.

- One new update from Thursday night is a thumb injury to cornerback Justin King. He is going to have an X ray in the next day on the thumb but it's not expected to be too serious.

- Defensive coordinator Ken Flajole moved up to the coach's booth on Thursday night after working the first two games from the sideline. He passed down calls to linebackers coach Paul Ferraro who then sent the calls to middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Spagnuolo said the Rams simply wanted to do some expermenting with that to get a feel for it. He said Flajole seemed to like being upstairs but nothing is set on where he will be during the season.

- The Rams came in for conditioning and lifting on Friday morning and watched tape with a couple of meetings Friday afternoon. Now, the team has Saturday off before returning to the practice field on Sunday morning.

- In the meantime, the coaching and scouting staffs will meet in the next day or so to prepare for the first round of cuts coming Tuesday. The Rams must trim from 80 to 75 that day before the final round of cuts takes it down to the final 53 on Sept. 5.

- That's all for now. Be sure to keep following along on Twitter and Facebook.

CINCINNATI -

- The Rams came up with another win at Paul Brown Stadium on Thursday night, getting the 24-21 decision after a hard fought contest.

- More often than not, coming up with turnovers seems to be a cyclical thing but in this case, the Rams continue to get them in bunches. Sometimes you make your own luck and there isn't a lot of luck involved in sack/fumbles or in getting a strip like Oshiomogho Atogwe does.
- Speaking of Atogwe, I defy anyone to find me someone better at stripping the ball.

- On the injury front, quarterback Marc Bulger, receivers Donnie Avery and Brooks Foster, tackle Adam Carriker, guard Jacob Bell and defensive end Leonard Little were the only Rams not to play.

- Early indications were that the team came out of the game relatively healthy as well. In a strange twist, there was a car burning just outside of the stadium that caused a lot of smoke to waft into the stadium. That caused the asthma of Gary Gibson and Chris Draft to kick in and they were pulled because they had trouble breathing.

- Additionally, receiver Keenan Burton had an ankle injury. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says Burton could have returned in a regular season game but the Rams didn't want to push it with him on Thursday.

- Safety Craig Dahl tweaked his hamstring.

- Some quick observations at 3 a.m....Running back Samkon Gado bounced back nicely after a rough week, eh?...Defensive end C.J. Ah You had his best performance as a Ram. He had a forced fumble, fumble recovery and six tackles in unofficial press box statistics...Apparently end Eric Moore is the Mariano Rivera of the Rams. He came in and got a key sack/fumble for the second time this preseason to preserve the win...The Rams had six sacks and four takeaways. That's an impressive, hard nosed defensive performance...Kyle Boller completed 14 of 20 passes and managed the game extremely well. The 71-yard drive by the Rams to answer the punt return was a thing of beauty.

- Spagnuolo really takes the idea of versatility seriously. He had Jonathan Wade and Tye Hill rotating with the first group at cornerback and did a variety of things with players like Chris Long, who even lined up at linebacker at one point. More on this idea tomorrow.

- That's all for tonight. Thanks for bearing with me as we returned from Cincinnati. Be back with more on the home page and in this space tomorrow.

- The Rams went through a quick practice on Tuesday afternoon and after getting plenty of bad injury news in recent days and weeks, the tide is starting to turn in their favor and it couldn't happen at a better time.

- Receiver Donnie Avery (foot), defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and receiver Tim Carter (hamstring) participated in all of Tuesday's practice, including team drills. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says getting back into practice is part of the rehabilitation process but there's no doubt it's a good sign as far as return times for all three.

- Avery and Carter worked on the scout team and Avery even came down with a couple of touchdown catches late in team drills.

- Defensive end Leonard Little (knee) and running back Kenneth Darby (knee) sat out the practice along with Jacob Bell, who is still recovering from a concussion.

- While Little sat out the workout, he did speak after practice and says he is pain free. The Rams are being cautious with him but it seems fair to say that had the Rams had a regular season game this week, Little would be good to go.

- As for Darby, he did catch some kickoffs after practice and Spagnuolo says the Rams are going to try to get him to Thursday night's game OK.

- Bell took the five tests he needs to get back from his concussion but there's no results yet. He's almost certain not to play this week but he could also be back next week.

- Be sure to check back later for a feature story on some of the recovering Rams and how they might figure into the mix in the days leading up to the season opener.

- The Rams don't have a ton of time to prepare for Thursday night's game against Cincinnati after playing the Falcons on Friday night. So, the team got back to work on Sunday and had a morning practice Monday that will lead into an afternoon workout later today.

- Defensive end Leonard Little tweaked his knee during practice and for now it's being called a sprained knee. He was held out the rest of the practice and will be evaluated again this afternoon.

- Nothing else new to report on the injury front though Alex Barron practiced for the second day in a row. That's a good sign for his possible return from a knee issue that held him out of Friday's game against Atlanta.

- Adam Carriker, Donnie Avery and Tim Carter all ran and participated on some individual drills. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says there is no timetable on when any of the three could return but is encouraged by their work. The Rams want to condition them by getting them in on football drills.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger continues to do cardio on the side during practices while still absorbing the playbook and calls.

- A small fight broke out during the one on one pass rush drills as Victor Adeyanju and Phil Trautwein got tangled up. It was quickly broken up and there didn't appear to be any hard feelings after.

- Receiver Nate Jones had a big morning with a few nice grabs, including a one-handed circus catch down the sideline. Keenan Burton made a similar catch that drew oohs and aahs from his teammates.

- That's it for now. Be back with more today if I can get an update on Little.

- The Rams just completed the final open practice of the first training camp under coach Steve Spagnuolo. The "official" training camp portion of practice is complete but Spagnuolo views the entire preseason like training camp so the schedule and work hours won't change a ton in the coming weeks.

- At the end of the practice, the Rams showed some final love to the fans that came out as the entire team signed autographs and distributed team merchandise to those in attendance.

- Spagnuolo made it a point to express his gratitude as well. "I’d like to thank all of the fans," Spagnuolo said. "It’s been 32 (open) practices that people have come out to watch us practice. I know the guys really appreciate it. That’s why they are over there signing autographs. It really helps us and we appreciate it. We appreciate all the support they give us."

-  On the injury front, not much has changed. The only new addition to the sideline was running back Ken Darby. Darby has a sprained knee and sat out Sunday afternoon. Alex Barron returned to the practice field.

- There was some positive news for some of the injured players, though. Receiver Donnie Avery did some running with strength coach Rock Gullickson and appears to be ahead of schedule though Spagnuolo wouldn't quite go that far. "I don’t know that but I know today he ran pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "When I looked over and Rock was putting him through his conditioning drills. He is chomping at the bit. If he had his way, he’d be going right now."

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker is likewise making progress from his sprained ankle. Carriker did individual drills on Sunday and Spagnuolo says he'd like to see Carriker participate in one on one pass rush drills sometime soon.

- No decision has been made on the status of rookie receiver Brooks Foster, who had surgery on his foot on Friday.

- Spagnuolo and his staff are still working out the details of this week's game. Normally, the third preseason game allows for the top units to get the most work. But the Rams are on a short week and have some injuries on those top units. Still, Spagnuolo expects at least the first half again for the starters but hasn't made a decision on who or if the rest of the group will come out for the second half.

- That's all for today. I also personally want to thank all the fans who came out to practice and the scrimmage and those of you who said hello as well. Hope that the experience was a good one for you. Be back tomorrow with reports from practice.  

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media late Saturday afternoon after he and the coaching staff had the opportunity to go over the tape.

- Spagnuolo's final word on how the game went wasn't much different from his initial impressions last night. More on that in a moment but first let's get to the injury business.

- Nothing has changed on receiver Donnie Avery (foot) and quarterback Marc Bulger (pinkie). Both will be out again this week.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) will do some more work and possibly get in on individual drills but he's also not likely to play this week according to Spagnuolo.

- Guard Jacob Bell is going to start doing some running this week and will be tested again before he can get back to action. Receiver Tim Carter is also expected to get back into some running.

- The worst news on the injury front pertains to rookie receiver Brooks Foster. Foster had surgery on his foot on Friday, after it was determined his injury was worse than an ankle sprain. It appears to be a high ankle sprain with some other issues discovered by the medical staff. Foster is out six to eight weeks and Spagnuolo says the Rams "have a decision to make."

- Tackle Alex Barron will be day to day as he continues to experience swelling in his knee.

- As far as the game, Spagnuolo pointed the finger at himself for the Rams' struggles early in the game. "Personally I think it’s all on the head coach for the first quarter," he said. "I don’t think I had the team ready to play in the first quarter. I’m going to take the onus on that. We need to start the game better, especially against a good football team."

- Spagnuolo did emphasize that he was pleased with how the team responded after the slow start and gave plenty of credit to Atlanta for being a good team.

- There is no definite indication from Spagnuolo or anyone which way the third quarterback battle is headed. Keith Null was poised again last night but Brock Berlin also had a good night. Spagnuolo is not tipping his hand just yet.

-  Another tip of the cap to Laurent Robinson who continues to flash signs of major ability in the passing game. He's the top dog at receiver right now.

- Spagnuolo said despite some miscues that he was overall pleased with the performance of Kyle Boller. "I did think that although Kyle didn’t have great stats, I thought he did some good things, handled some things well. Offensively I thought we distributed the ball around real well."

- The Rams get back to work tomorrow with a 2:30 practice that will be the final workout of the "training camp" portion of the preseason.  The team has a short week before getting back in action on Thursday against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

- Friday night was the debut of the new look Edward Jones Dome with the new look Rams getting to show up in front of the home fans for the first time. What the fans came away with was a mixed bag much like any preseason contest in a 20-13 loss to Atlanta.

- First order of business is the injury report. The Rams appeared to come out relatively healthy according to coach Steve Spagnuolo after the game.

- Defensive tackle Gary Gibson took a blow to the head early in the game but came back in and appears to be OK.

- Defensive end James Hall had an X ray on a bruised sternum and it came back clean. Same goes for defensive end Eric Moore who had his ribs X rayed after taking a shot.

- Tackle Phil Trautwein has a back problem that has not yet been diagnosed according to Spagnuolo. It will be reviewed again on Saturday but it remains to be seen if it's of a serious nature.

- On to the game. Spagnuolo said in his post game press conference that he was not pleased with the way the team started but did like the way it battle back after the rough start.

- The run defense struggled mightily after a strong effort against the Jets. The Rams held New York to about 100 yards last week but running back Michael Turner nearly matched that number on the first drive. Atlanta finished with 162 yards on 29 carries for an average of 5.6 yards. Spagnuolo attributed the lag in run defense to poor tackling and from the looks of it, that was the main culprit.

- On the flip side, the Rams also were unable to match their productivity of a week ago on the ground. They were held to 79 yards on 30 carries, an average of just 2.6 yards. Samkon Gado had a big week last week but took a step backward with a fumble this week. Antonio Pittman had some nice moments and Kenneth Darby had an impressive 21-yard run late. Regardless, it doesn't appear anybody is separating from the pack right now.

- One trend that is certainly positive from the first two games is the turnover battle. The Rams did give up their first turnover in Gado's fumble and later another when Keith Null threw up a last gasp pass on fourth down. But the defense created three turnovers. When you fall behind, it takes plays like those to get back into it. Thus far, the Rams have done a good job and won the turnover battle in each of the first two games.

- There might not have been a more impressive Ram on the field than receiver Laurent Robinson. He made a variety of difficult catches and did an excellent job of picking up yards after the catch. He finished with 65 yards on five catches and continues to make a strong case to be a full time starter when the season begins.

- Speaking of yards after the catch, it's encouraging to see Rams receivers and tight ends making a habit of that across the board. Keenan Burton did it for a first down early in the game and tight end Billy Bajema made a habit of it. Bajema had a nice night with three catches for 42 yards.

- Kyle Boller had an up and down night but found a rhythm with Robinson late and showed his athleticism with a nice run for a first down. He finished nine-of-16 for 91 yards.

- Find a better punter in this league than Donnie Jones. Jones dropped three inside the 20 including a 53-yarder that hit at the 5 and dipped back to the 7 where it was downed.

- In the same vein, the Rams coverage units are off to an excellent start in this preseaon. Very little breathing room for returners to operate.

- One thing that's a positive from this game and the first one is the way the backups compete. After falling behind, the second, third and fourth strings essentially played Atlanta to a draw. That doesn't mean a ton except that the overall level of talent on the roster is improving. Someday, many of those backups will get a chance to play, that's the nature of the game. It's good to know they are up to the challenge when it presents itself.

- Derek Stanley had some nice moments after a rough week last week. He made a nice catch for a 20-yard touchdown and had a 12-yard punt return he almost broke for a big one.
- Quarterback Marc Bulger obviously didn't play because of his broken pinkie. But to stay in the game and keep up with the play calls, Bulger wore a headset during Friday's game.

- Null couldn't quite pull off another late comeback this week but he looked poised and did a nice job in the fourth quarter. He was six-of-nine for 56 yards.

- It's only fair to mention that Brock Berlin also perfomed well, including the touchdown pass to Stanley. Berlin continues to put up excellent preseason numbers when he's battling for a job.

- That's all for tonight. I'll be back to empty out the notebook tomorrow.

- The Rams just completed their one and only practice of the day and it's a routine they are about to get used to. The training camp portion of this year's preseason is almost complete and the Rams are preparing now for Friday night's game against Atlanta at the Edward Jones Dome.

- Not much to update on the injury front as the status quo seems to be holding for most of the injured players. Defensive tackle Adam Carriker did some running and drills on the side and appears to be closer to a return. It's highly unlikely he'll play against the Falcons but he could return early next week.

- Jacob Bell still hasn't passed all of the baseline tests for his concussion and will almost certainly be held out this week. John Greco has been getting most of the repetitions in his place the past couple days. Mark Setterstrom also has had work there but it appears Greco would get the call.

- Alex Barron did not practice again and the team is being cautious with him headed toward Friday. Jason Smith worked with the first team at right tackle with Adam Goldberg sliding over again.

- Defensive tackle Darell Scott missed practice again but the team is hoping he'll be ready to go in time for Friday's game.

- The Rams got the results of left tackle Alex Barron's MRI on his knee on Tuesday afternoon and the news was good this time. The MRI came back clean and Barron is going to be listed as day to day.

- Barron has swelling in the knee but the Rams will simply monitor it in the coming days and play it by ear with him. The team is hopeful he'll be able to play against the Falcons on Friday night.

- Barron has been incredibly durable during his career, starting 58 of 60 career games.

- Quarterback Marc Bulger says he is not in any serious pain but did express some doubt about whether he'd be back in the two week time frame. But he does know he'll be ready for the season opener in Seattle. "That was still within 24 hours of doing it , so I don’t know any future plans, but I’m going to 100% going to be in for Seattle and that’s all I’m thinking about," Bulger said.

- Bulger said he received a call yesterday from Kurt Warner, the Arizona quarterback who went through something similar with the Rams. Bulger said he would try to catch up with Warner but everybody heals in a different way. "I know he did this in 2000, just to see how I can get back quicker, but I think everyone’s body is different," Bulger said. "I’ve seen guys come back from things that were amazing, and my body has healed some times and guys don’t understand how. So I’m just going to trust the trainers and coaches and my body that I’ll be back when I’m ready.”

- Mark Setterstrom continues to get work with the first team at left guard with Jacob Bell out because of a concussion. John Greco has also been getting some reps on the left side and at center.

- That's all for today. Be sure to check in for Nick's Mailbag tomorrow afternoon as well as follow along on Twitter @OneRamsWay and on facebook at facebook.com/rams.

- The injury bug continues to swarm the Rams as left tackle Alex Barron missed Tuesday's morning practice with some swelling in his left knee.

- Barron had the leg wrapped on Monday and sat out some one on one work in those practices but still participated in team drills. On Tuesday, Barron stood on the sidelines and did no work. He is set to undergo an MRI this afternoon. We'll have an update on his status when it becomes available.

- Aside from Barron, the rest of the group sitting out the practice was the same. Quarterback Marc Bulger (pinkie), guard Jacob Bell (concussion), receivers Donnie Avery (foot), Tim Carter (hamstring) and Brooke Foster (ankle), defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) joined Barron on the sideline.

- According to coach Steve Spagnuolo, Carriker is moving closer to a return. "He’s supposed to do a little more today or tomorrow so he’s progressing," Spagnuolo said. "But no timetable on him right now."

-  For the first time since suffering the injury, Avery is without a boot on his foot. Signs are pointing to a possible early return for Avery. "Donnie wants to go," Spagnuolo said. "That’s Donnie. Keenan was the same way in the spring. I told those guys I’d rather have guys like that but we are just going to be smart."

- Receiver Keenan Burton and defensive end Eric Moore were shaken up in the morning practice but both continued to play and made it through the workout.

- With Barron on the sidelines, Jason Smith practiced with the first team offense at right tackle with Adam Goldberg handling the work on the left side.

- I'll have more on Smith's progress and hopefully an update on Barron following the afternoon practice. Today's afternoon practice represents the final two a day in this year's training camp.  

- The Rams just finished up the afternoon practice and coach Steve Spagnuolo spoke to reporters after practice to break down the injury to quarterback Marc Bulger.

- Bulger had an X ray on his right pinkie finger after injuring it on a center exchange with Jason Brown in the morning practice. That X ray revealed what Spagnuolo is calling a "small fracture" in the pinkie finger. The finger was not displaced in any way and there is no surgery or casting that can be done on it.

- Instead, Bulger has a splint on his ring finger and has the pinkie taped up against it. Only time will heal the injury and that is expected to take about two weeks.

- Spagnuolo ruled out Bulger for this week's game against Atlanta and called him "doubtful" for the following week against Cincinnati. Assuming he comes back in two weeks, that would leave Spagnuolo and staff with a decision to make on whether to play him in the fourth preseason game. The last exhibition game is normally reserved for mostly backups with maybe a short cameo for the starters.

- Kyle Boller takes over as starter for now and he will get the call with the first team on Friday night against Atlanta. More on Boller in a feature story for stlouisrams.com later today.

- "We’ll keep him immobilized with the finger for a couple weeks and see where we are after that," Spagnuolo said of Bulger. "He won’t do very much for two weeks just to be on the safe side."

- Jacob Bell got the baseline test results back and the Rams will continue to be cautious with him though the news was generally good.  "It was pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "There are five different barometers of tests and he was pretty good on four of the five. That’s good."

- That's all from the afternoon session. I'll have further information on Bulger and Boller in the aforementioned feature story. Be sure to follow along on Twitter @OneRamsWay for instant updates.  

 

- The Rams just finished their morning practice in the indoor facility after rain pushed them from the outside before it started. That meant a closed practice. No word just yet on whether the team will return outside for an open afternoon workout. I'll have updates as I get them on that.

- The standout issue from this morning's practice was the absence of quarterback Marc Bulger. Bulger has a jammed right pinky finger and the Rams held him out as a precaution. He will have the finger X rayed this afternoon but coach Steve Spagnuolo is cautiously optimistic that it's not a serious injury.

- "I never like to say that," Spagnuolo said. "Luckily we have the technology where we can take pictures of the inside of our bodies. I’m hopeful. I’m very hopeful, he’s OK." Spagnuolo said the injury occurred on a center/quarterback exchange.

-  Kyle Boller took most of the repetitions with the first team offense and had a good day according to Spagnuolo. "He stepped right in there today," Spagnuolo said. "You challenge him a little bit and he did pretty much all of the right things. In 7 on 7 he stuck out today. They say he’s a smart quarterback, athletic quarterback, I keep hearing all of those things so that’s helpful."

- Aside from Bulger, there was nothing new to report on the injury front. Receivers Donnie Avery (foot), Brooks Foster (foot) and Tim Carter (hamstring) missed the workout. Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and guard Jacob Bell (concussion) also sat out.

-  Defensive end Victor Adeyanju tweaked his knee during the practice but fought through and finished the workout.

- Fullback Mike Karney and safety Craig Dahl appear to be back in the mix and could play this week.

- That's it for now. Will have an update on that afternoon practice later.

- After a day off following the preseason opener, the Rams got back to work on Sunday afternoon with a practice session. The team started in front of the fans but spent the final half hour or so in the indoor facility because of lightning in the area.

- On the injury front, the news isn't great as the receiver position continues to take some losses. In addition to Donnie Avery (foot), the Rams will now be without Brooks Foster and Tim Carter for at least two weeks. Foster suffered a sprained left ankle and Carter has a groin injury. Both will miss at least two weeks and Foster's could be up to four.

- Quarterback Brock Berlin did not miss any practice after strapping a brace on his mildly sprained MCL. Berlin played through it and will continue to work in practice as possible.

- Guard Jacob Bell did miss the workout as he recovers from a mild concussion. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo described Bell as "foggy" and said he took some baseline tests which must be passed before he is cleared to return. Bell is day to day.

- Interesting to note that Mark Setterstrom took the repetitions with the first team at left guard in Bell's stead. John Greco took a few snaps at center as well. Spagnuolo says it's all a part of the deal as he continues to preach the virtues of versatility to the team.

- Not much in the way of major changes as far as the work doled out to first and second units. Samkon Gado did do more work as the primary backup and Spagnuolo noted that it was "fair to say" Gado made a move on Friday night.

- The Rams won't change much in the way they approach this week's game against Atlanta according to Spagnuolo. He says the team will practice the next few days like they did last week and begin putting in some Atlanta game plan stuff for the players on Tuesday night. In the meantime, the Rams are attacking some of the things they struggled with against the Jets and hoping to correct them in time for this week.

- The national NFL writer tour continues as CBSSports' Pete Prisco and USA Today's Jim Corbett are in town.

- That's all for today. Be back tomorrow with reports after both practices. Rams have a free and open workout at 8:15 tomorrow morning and go again at 1:25 in a bit of a modified schedule.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media a couple of hours ago and expressed his thoughts on the team's performance last night against the Jets after reviewing the film.

- Overall, Spagnuolo was pleased with the effort but he didn't heap the praise on too much, acknowledging there is plenty of work to be done.

- Spagnuolo had nothing but praise for the team's top two picks, right tackle Jason Smith and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis started and fared well. Smith came in later and was solid with some very impressive moments. Smith manhandled New York's Vernon Gholston, the No. 6 pick in last year's draft, on a few occasions.

- "James for being tossed in there as a starter at MIC linebacker in the first preseason game of his rookie year, I thought he did a nice job," Spagnuolo said. "Both Will and Chris Draft helped him out pretty good. It’s nice to have two vets there. Jason played physical and aggressive which is what we saw when we drafted him so in  that regard they showed us what they had showed when they were in college."

- The Rams had five penalties and no turnovers against the Jets. While Spagnuolo would prefer to be spotless in the penalty department, he was pleased with his team's discipline overall. He especially liked the goose egg in the turnover department. Considering it was the first preseason game, a contest that usually has more laundry than a dry cleaner, five penalties wasn't too bad.

-  On the injury front, Jacob Bell took a blow to the head and he will be day to day with a mild concussion. Receivers Tim Carter (groin) and Brooks Foster (ankle) will have MRIs in the next day to see the extent of their ailments. Quarterback Brock Berlin had the wind knocked out of him and a mild MCL sprain in his knee. He will also be day to day.

- Fullback Mike Karney (ankle) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) are expected to return to work this week with Adam Carriker (ankle) and Donnie Avery (foot) still out.

- Spagnuolo's father came over from Connecticut to attend the game last night.

- Quarterback Keith Null, ever the humble kid, did get the ball from his first touchdown pass last night. Marc Bulger asked Rams staff member Matt Litzinger to retrieve it. Litzinger did and Null has a nice souvenir. By the way, watched the game again this morning and am still amazed at how good that throw was by the rookie, especially in that situation.

- The run defense really was outstanding with the exception of the reverse and one breakout by Shonn Greene. Very encouraging.

- Defensive tackle Gary Gibson really got some nice push against the run. Yeah, he missed the sack opportunity that was there for him but he played pretty darn well otherwise.

- Keep your fingers crossed that Randy McMichael stays healthy. He did a great job blocking in the run game and really worked hard to get yards after the catch.

- The only two Rams not to participate last night aside from Carriker and Avery were Karney and Dahl.

- It was a bit of a surprise that Roy Schuening and not John Greco stepped in for Bell when Bell went out with a head injury. But the Rams like to use right and left and keep them in their spots so Schuening was the choice. If it had been Richie Incognito who had been injured, Greco would have entered the game.

- Speaking of Schuening, he fared OK after a rocky start, according to Spagnuolo. "Roy jumped in there and was a little rough at the beginning and then it kind of smoothed out for him," Spagnuolo said. "I think he’d tell you he’d want to play a little bit better."

- The offensive line as a whole played well. None of the sacks were the sole responsibility of any of the linemen and really only about half could even potentially be attributed to them. And the line was outstanding in the run game. Roger Allen did a really nice job opening a hole for Gado on the 77-yard touchdown run.

- The Rams' four quarterbacks combined to go 15-of-23 for 145 yards and a touchdown for a rating of 97.2. With the smallest sample size, Null had a rating of 139.6.

- That's all for today. Back at it tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. It's an open practice, come on out and get a look at the Rams before it's too late. Only seven open practices left.

- Be sure to follow along on Twitter @OneRamsWay where I am providing regular updates and will be coming with some promotional stuff in the near future where you could win some prizes and earn a mention on this here blog and or the mailbag. Also, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rams.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -

- As you know by now, the Rams pulled out a 23-20 win at Giants Stadium on Friday night. Sure, it was only the first preseason game but it was hard not to find a lot of things that could be considered encouraging.

- First, some injury news. Guard Jacob Bell was the only played that was shaken up. According to coach Steve Spagnuolo, Bell took a blow to the head and was a bit "fuzzy" after the game. Still, Spagnuolo expects Bell to be OK.

- Aside from Bell, quarterback Brock Berlin had the wind knocked out of him and tweaked a knee injury. Neither player returned after his injury.

- Linebacker Chris Chamberlain also took a blow to the head. Fullback Mike Karney (ankle) and safety Craig Dahl (hamstring) were the only two Rams in uniform who did not play.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) and receiver Donnie Avery (foot) did not make the trip.

- As for some of the things from the game, let's start by tipping our cap to rookie quarterback Keith Null. Null had barely played, comes into the game, makes a great read and fires an amazing throw to undrafted rookie receiver Sean Walker for a 13-yard touchdown. Not a bad start for a kid who is still adjusting to life after the spread offense.

- Speaking of not bad, how about Samkon Gado? Gado has been asked to do just about everything in special teams and is playing fullback and tailback in the offense. With nary a complaint, Gado has embraced his myriad roles and rewarded the coaching staff's faith in him with a 77-yard touchdown run and all around impressive effort.

- "We’ve got three more games left and I’ve still got a lot of work to do at fullback," Gado said. "I think I’m being evaluated at that position and how well I do there. I think this is going to dictate where I land on this team, but at this point I can’t worry too much.  The most important thing is to just keep getting better and I’m pretty confident that if I keep doing that I’ll land on this team.  Whatever role that ends up being, I’m more than happy with."

- Quarterback Marc Bulger and the first team offense had some moments, including Bulger's 50-yard strike to Laurent Robinson down the right sideline. Simply put, when Bulger has time to throw, he can still put the ball just where it needs to be.

- Unfortunately for Bulger, he didn't always have a ton of time. He was sacked three times, more often than not because of a missed blitz pickup by one of the running backs. "They may have been a missed pick-up," Spagnuolo said. "Maybe we had to get the ball out quicker.  Anytime that happens, there are a lot of different reasons.  It’s not just one thing."

- On the positive side of that, backup backs Antonio Pittman and Chris Ogbonnaya had some impressive runs to complement what Gado had already done.

- One fascinating thing about the preseason is the different approaches of various coaches. Spagnuolo views the first preseason contest as a continuation of training camp. The Jets Rex Ryan apparently considers it an opportunity to throw a variety of blitzes at his opponent. The Rams handled the pressure well but it was a bit surprising for a preseason opener.

"We kind of knew that was coming," Spagnuolo said. "Rex does a great job.  I’ve got a lot of respect for him for what he did in Baltimore and what he’s doing now.  I think they’ve got a good football team."

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith played the bulk of the second and third quarters and was as advertised as a run blocker. But Smith also did a nice job in pass protection and effectively neutralized the Jets' pass rush, especially last year's No. 1 pick Vernon Gholston.

- Tip of the cap to defensive ends Leonard Little and Eric Moore for coming up with some big plays.

- In case you were wondering, Spagnuolo says he slept fine on Thursday night before the game and though he stopped and thought about what he accomplished on the Giants Stadium field, his focus stayed with his current team.

- I'll empty the notebook out tomorrow and have updates in the evening after Spagnuolo's news conference.  

- The Rams just finished up their Wednesday morning practice and it's evident that these guys are more than ready to get on the field against the Jets on Friday night. There's a lot to be said for finally getting the chance to hit someone other than your teammates.

- Defensive tackle Darell Scott missed the morning practice because of inflammation in his knee, according to coach Steve Spagnuolo. Scott will get some time to rest because Spagnuolo says he wants to see Scott in game action on Friday night.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell also missed most of the practice because of soreness in his hamstring. Per Spagnuolo, Bartell will get treatment and could be back on the field by this afternoon. If not, he should be OK in time for Friday's game.

- Visiting the Russell Training Center today were former Rams tackle Grant Williams and running back Arlen Harris. Sports Illustrated's Peter King, fresh off his Hall of Fame award last weekend, is also in the house.

- Keith Null completed a nice deep pass to Jarrett Byers during a team session as Null begins to get more comfortable. Spagnuolo says the plan is to work all four quarterbacks in Friday night's game against the Jets.

- Cornerback Quincy Butler continues to make plays, coming up with yet another interception. He is starting to work in more and more with the top units as he continues to prove himself.

- Spagnuolo says the plans for Friday night's game include about a "quarter or so" for the starting units, give or take some plays. It could be less, it could be more. But Spagnuolo says he wants to see a little of what his top units can do. More than likely, that workload will increase in weeks two and three.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker (ankle) will not play against the Jets. The Rams will wait and see on fullback Mike Karney, who is also dealing with an ankle injury.

- Be back with another update after the afternoon practice, which is set for 2:45.

- The Rams went through a quick one-hour special teams session this afternoon. The team takes the opportunity to go through the paces and work on all aspects including return, coverage, extra points and field goals in these practices.

- The good news from the workout was the participation of linebacker Chris Draft and cornerback Tye Hill. Both must be feeling OK to get the work in.

- One Ram who is being closely followed is rookie tackle Jason Smith. Smith has had his ups and downs in this camp as he adjusts to the NFL game and putting his hand in the dirt in the three point stance. That has been a serious change for Smith but coach Steve Spagnuolo believes Smith is about right on pace of where he expected him to be at this point.

- "(He's) pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "About the way it should be right now, not behind, not ahead. I think the guys see his talent there. it just takes a little while in this league."

- For the time being, Smith is still taking most of his reps as the No. 2 right tackle with Adam Goldberg handling the chores with the top unit.

- Tight end Billy Bajema was signed with an eye toward his blocking prowess in hopes he could fill that void in the offense. But Bajema has opened some eyes with his ability to get down the seam, make the difficult catches and deliver contact to anyone attempting to tackle him.

-  "He’s the blocker we thought and I think he does some pretty good things in the pass game and that helps us," Spagnuolo said.

- That's it for today. If you want to get a look at the Rams once more before they head to New York, be sure to come out tomorrow for practices at 8:15 a.m. and again at 2:45 p.m. Also, be sure to follow my updates on twitter @OneRamsWay and check out our new facebook page at www.facebook.com/Rams.

- The Rams finished up another lively morning practice on Tuesday after going live once again for portions of team periods. It was a pretty entertaining session all things considered though it will be the last live periods this week leading up to Friday night's preseason game against the Jets.

- On the injury front, Donnie Avery (foot), Adam Carriker (ankle) and Craig Dahl (hamstring) continue to miss practice. Fullback Mike Karney isn't all the way back but he's starting to work in again during team and is doing most of the individual drills.

- Linebacker Chris Draft took a thumb to the throat in Monday's afternoon practice and sat out the morning practice. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Draft's throat will get a closer evaluation soon so the team can determine the next step though it's likely a bruise. Larry Grant took the repetitions at strong side linebacker and had an excellent day, including an interception that would have gone for a touchdown.

- Cornerback Tye Hill tweaked his repaired knee in a special teams practice on Sunday and has been dealing with some swelling and fluids in it the past couple of days. On Tuesday, Hill tried to play through it but was brought out as it started to bother him. Hill had the knee wrapped and then missed the rest of the workout. "He has a little swelling in his knee," Spagnuolo said. :He just has to fight through that. Once the swelling goes down, I think he will be fine."

- Quarterback Marc Bulger acknowledged Tuesday that he's getting more comfortable in the offense and it shows. He seems to get sharper with each passing practice and threw a laser for a big gain to Laurent Robinson on a deep dig route.

- Receiver Derek Stanley answered the challenge for some wideouts to step up in place of Avery on Tuesday. Stanley has been trying to get back in the swing of things since coming off ACL surgery and started to show flashes of his talent in Tuesday's practice. He caught probably eight balls in team drills. "Derek is becoming a detailed guy which we felt he had to do and I think the details are paying off," Spagnuolo said. "He’s catching the ball well, he’s holding it a lot better now. I think he’s a talent. We just have got to get him out there in a game and see what happens."

- The Rams will practice again this afternoon before hitting two more practices on Wednesday. The team departs for New Jersey on Thursday afternoon. Today's second practice is slated for 2:15.  

- The Rams just finished up a short afternoon practice. These afternoon workouts are quick and to the point. No individual work, just team stuff including seven on seven and pass rush drills.

- Defensive end Leonard Little, who was held out of most of the morning practice with a neck stinger, was back on the field this afternoon.

- Linebacker Chris Draft got hit in the neck and had to step out of the practice for a bit.

- New safety Mark Rubin made a nice interception in seven on seven.

- Quarterback Keith Null threw a nice deep pass to rookie receiver Brooks Foster for a big gain.

- Tight end Billy Bajema continues to prove to be a better receiver than expected. He got deep down the seam for a long catch from Marc Bulger this afternoon.

- Not much else from the short workout. Rams back in pads at 8:15 tomorrow morning. Be sure to follow Twitter at OneRamsWay for fast updates and quick hits.

- The Rams just finished their Monday morning practice. It was a lighter workout than what has been the norm around here as the team prepares for its first game. The team spent most of the practice in "thud" mode rather than live tackling.

- That doesn't mean the practice was without fireworks, though. The first small fracas of camp broke out in seven-on-seven passing drills. After tight end Billy Bajema caught a pass over the middle and was subsequently stripped, he grabbed for the ball and tackles safety James Butler. Butler, who recovered the ball, was angered and threw it at Bajema. That led to a shoving match that was quickly diffused though Bajema briefly found himself surrounded by a group of defensive backs. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said he preferred not to see fighting amongst his team but understood it and was pleased that it took this long for one to break out.

- "I’m not going to say (I liked it) because it slows down practice," Spagnuolo said. "I happened to be standing next to Marc Bulger and he looked over and said ‘Is that the first time that has happened in training camp?’ That’s a credit to the guys. We are getting some physical hard work done and they are playing as a team. I would rather not have it but I understand it and I think we got it diffused pretty good."

- The official diagnosis of receiver Donnie Avery is in. He has a fractured fourth metatarsal in his left foot. The initial four to six week estimate stays the same. The Rams did some work in three and four receiver sets with Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson, Tim Carter and Derek Stanley getting much of the work. Burton and Robinson handled most of the reps with the first team. Burton made an impressive touchdown catch over cornerback Ron Bartell in seven on seven work.

- For now, it appears the Rams will not be going outside the Russell Training Center to replace Avery. "Billy (Devaney) has always got his eye out," Spagnuolo said. :He’s been great because all the time he’s got another name or somebody to look at. So he’ll keep doing that and we’ll see what happens." When asked if there would be any additions in the near term, Spagnuolo said "not as of right now."

- Safety Mark Rubin was officially brought back to the roster Monday morning to replace safety Eric Bassey, who was waived/injured on Sunday afternoon. Rubin is wearing No. 33 and was with the team in the spring.

- The Rams will continue to dial back the live action periods between now and Friday in anticipation of the first preseason game and in hopes of staying healthy between now and then.

- That's it for now as the Rams will step on the practice field again at 2:45 this afternoon.

 

- The news on receiver Donnie Avery was worse than expected after he underwent an MRI on Sunday. The exact diagnosis for Avery's injured left foot isn't known but according to coach Steve Spagnuolo, Avery will likely miss four to six weeks.

- Spagnuolo on the injury: "The MRI showed more than we thought it would. It's a four to six week injury. We'll have more information in the morning."

- That has to be disappointing news all the way around and is particularly upsetting for Avery who was having a nice camp and appeared poised to handle the reins as the team's top wideout. Avery had the foot in a boot during Sunday's afternoon special teams practice.

- Keenan Burton will likely step into the role of Avery and work with the first team as he did on Sunday morning.

- The Rams just finished their afternoon special teams workout. A lot of enthusiasm from the young guys in those sessions.

- Elsewhere, as expected the Rams waived/injured safety Eric Bassey. Bassey suffered a torn right Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Friday's scrimmage and is out for the season. If Bassey clears waivers, the team will place him on injured reserve, allowing him to potentially work his way back with the team for next season.

- The Rams are working on bringing in someone to replace Bassey, likely a safety, according to Spagnuolo.

- That's all for now. Be back in the morning with more on the Avery situation and hopefully some better news.

- The Rams just completed their Sunday morning session and there's lots to get to so let's get right down to business.

- First, on the injury front, the Rams have some issues that are starting to pop up. Receiver Donnie Avery joined the list of the injured, sitting out Sunday's practice with a foot injury. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Avery will have an MRI to ensure it's nothing serious. Avery injured it in the scrimmage and woke up with it feeling tender on Saturday. He expected to be OK on Sunday but it was still a bit tender. The X rays showed no breaks but the MRI will be necessary to ensure Avery doesn't have any major issues.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker sat out the practice with a sprained left ankle. Spagnuolo said Carriker is day to day but expects him to miss a couple of weeks.

- Safety Craig Dahl's hamstring injury kept him out of Sunday's practice and Spagnuolo called him day to day also.

- During practice, defensive end Leonard Little suffered what appeared to be a neck stinger. Little was held out of the rest of the workout as a precaution.

- Fullback Mike Karney did some work in the individual portion of practice and is closer to a return though the Rams pulled back on the reins on him for the team portion and he did not participate.

- On the field, rookie James Laurinaitis got his first extended taste of working with the first team defense at middle linebacker. Chris Draft slid over to the strong side. Spagnuolo said it's a step in the process and something he will continue to watch in the coming weeks.

 

"(I) wanted him to get a feel for that," Spagnuolo said. "It will be an on going evaluation but at some point we wanted to – just like at other positions – move guys around and get some comfort level. We will do it with the O line, with the linebackers, a little bit at safety now with the injuries."

- With Carriker out, Gary Gibson took the repetitions with the first team at the three technique spot. Gibson has been an early standout according to Spagnuolo.

"Gary is a workhorse," Spagnuolo said. "He’s in there, he hasn’t missed a thing, he’s one of those guys who is going to try not to miss anything and he’s a pretty intelligent defensive lineman. We’ll just see how he works out there with the first group."

- Cornerback Quincy Butler continues to make plays, coming up with another interception in team drills today.

- After a one day hiatus, Spagnuolo said he thought his team was sluggish to start the practice but bounced back part of the way through the workout.

"It’s a competitive group," Spagnuolo said. "I thought they were a little sluggish early which I kind of expected coming off the scrimmage Friday. But then we got midway in there and started to get to some of the thud and the live, they started to pick it up. That’s encouraging. I think they responded in that regard. It’s still got to get better. We’ve got a long way to go."

- After reviewing the film of the scrimmage on Saturday, Spagnuolo said he saw some good things, particularly with the first team offense. "I thought the first offense got rolling. It took a little bit to knock the rust off and then they got going. I thought the red zone stuff was good and crisp and Steven ran well down there in the thud periods. I’d like to see some better two-minute operations on both sides of the ball but we’ll get that. That’s why we do a lot of it. Other than that, I thought the guys flew around and competed. That’s what we are looking for right now."

- That's all the news fit for print for now. Be back with a presumably short update this afternoon.  

 

 

 

- The Rams' scheduled special teams practice for Sunday afternoon has been moved inside and will be closed to the public.

- Open practices resume on Monday morning at 8:15.

- The No. 1 goal of any scrimmage or live contact session is to come out of it relatively healthy. The Rams accomplished that goal on Friday night though they didn't come out completely unblemished.

- Defensive tackle Adam Carriker suffered a sprained left ankle early in the scrimmage. He will be looked at again in the morning.

- Safety Eric Bassey took the worst of it, leaving with a sprained right knee, wearing a sleeve on his leg and walking on crutches. He will also be re-evaluated on Saturday morning.

- Safety Craig Dahl tweaked a hamstring and was also held out for a portion of the scrimmage.

- Tight end Daniel Fells had been dealing with an illness most of the day and was having trouble breathing so he too was held back.

- Fullback Mike Karney did a little work in the warm ups but he was held out of the scrimmage. He still appears to be closer to a return.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo canceled Saturday's practice at the conclusion of Friday night's scrimmage, giving the team its first day off since camp started. The players will lift and watch film in the morning and then have the rest of the day to recover.

- The team will be back on the practice field on Sunday morning.

- Greetings from Lindenwood University where the Rams are ready to kick off their only scheduled full squad scrimmage. The team is about to arrive and the fans are coming out in droves. Should be a good crowd and a great night. If you can't make it out, follow along here and on Twitter at OneRamsWay where I will have live updates throughout the night.

- Just a personal observation, this is a beautiful facility they have out here at Lindenwood. Very impressive and you can see there's a commitment to having top-tier athletics. Also an impressive crowd so far. I would guess more than 1,000 people out here already and still 15 minutes until this thing gets going.

- Crowd well over a couple thousand, maybe up to three grand. Fox 2's Martin Kilcoyne is calling the activity on the public address system.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo has returned from the funeral services of Jim Johnson and is on the field with the team. Quite a day for the head coach.

- Fullback Mike Karney is in uniform. We'll see if he's able to participate tonight but don't expect the Rams to rush him back on to the field.

- Rams are going through their pregame rituals and warm ups. Believe it or not, this is something Spagnuolo wanted to get some work on before next week's preseason opener at New York.

- The Rams will perform under the lights tonight at Lindenwood Univserity for the only scheduled scrimmage of this year's training camp. The scrimmage kicks off at 6:30 and is expected to go for two hours. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said earlier this week that it would be "mostly" live but it won't be all full contact.

- The team wrapped up the morning practice quickly with a light session conducted by assistant head coach Richard Curl. Spagnuolo missed the practice to attend the funeral of his mentor and friend Jim Johnson, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo will be back in time for this evening's scrimmage.

- Fullback Mike Karney is not all the way back yet but he appears to be well on his way. Karney could return to the practice field at any time.

- Linebacker Chris Draft welcomed Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder to town on Friday morning. The pair are working on one of Draft's many passion projects, in this case tackling asthma.

- Check the homepage for a preview of tonight's scrimmage later today.

- NFL referee Jeff Triplette and his crew have been in St. Louis for most of the week, working with the team in practice and reminding the Rams of points of emphasis and rules changes.

- After the team went through its light Friday morning practice, Triplette briefed the media on the same things and showed the video with examples of everything.

- The main points of emphasis this season are all centered on player safety. Most of you already know that a wedge on kickoff returns can no longer be any more than two players. But the rest of the stuff is also meant to protect the players.

- After Tom Brady's season ended early with a shot to the knees, the rule has been changed to essentially allow no contact on a quarterback's knees aside from swiping in an attempt to tackle. This rule is a little vague though and if it's open to interpretation in any way, it could become confusing for the officials to rule.

- Points of emphasis include limiting horse collar tackles and keeping taunting to a minimum. Officials will watch those areas closely and be quick to throw a flag should any incidents occur.

- Each season, a different officiating crew will trek to the cities around the league to make these presentations. It's beneficial for the officials to get a chance to knock any rust off and also helpful to the teams who can remind the crews what areas they are looking for improvement.

- For example, Triplette says the Rams asked his crew to keep a close eye on pre-snap penalties (something that has been an issue for the Rams in recent years). As such, the officials have been recording the infractions and writing down the names and numbers to inform the coaching staff after practice. Having officials to pay attention to those details can then allow the coaching staff to make corrections.

- The officials will work this evening's scrimmage before going on their way tomorrow morning.

- The Rams just completed a quick and light afternoon practice session. In fact, the team actually wrapped a little early.

- During the practice, the team announced the dates it will be wearing the throwback uniforms for two games this season. The first is October 11 against Minnesota and the second is December 20 against Houston. In both games, the Rams will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their win against the Titans in the Super Bowl.

- As a reminder, single game tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. if you are looking to come out to the Edward Jones Dome this season for those two or any other games.

- Nothing to report on the injury front from the afternoon session.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo says Mark Setterstrom is making a solid adjustment from guard to center, calling Setterstrom's performance on the whole "pretty positive."

- First-round pick Jason Smith is continuing in his learning curve and working every day to get better according to the head coach. “He’s constantly studying. I see him early in meetings sitting there, studying his playbook, so that’s a good sign. There’s a mountain to climb when you’re a rookie, especially at that position, so it is day to day. I don’t know that I have a full assessment of where Jason is right now, except that he’s a great worker and (offensive line coach) Steve Loney and (assistant offensive line coach) Art Valero have great things to say about him.”

- That's all for today barring anything new. Be back tomorrow with a quick blog after the morning practice and tomorrow night with a more extensive report from the scrimmage.

 

- The Rams finished up their morning practice after scaling back on some of the live work that has been the hallmark of this camp so far.

- There was only a small period of live contact and hitting and most of the rest of the practice was "thud" tempo. This was the last live work the team will get before tomorrow night's scrimmage at Lindenwood. That scrimmage is free and open to the public and expected to go for a couple of hours.

- Fullback Mike Karney continues to sit out practice with an ankle injury. He has been rehabbing the ankle and riding the stationary bike on the side as he recovers.

- John Greco returned to practice after suffering a mild ankle injury. Samkon Gado took a shot in the live drills and was forced to step out of practice. Gado's facemask was driven back into his eye and he was a bit shaken up.

- The offense continues to make strides, having another solid day with excellent protection up front. It got most of its work against the No. 2 defense but was definitely on its game today.

- Special guests in the house included Mike "The Tackle" Jones. Jones, now the head coach at Hazelwood East High, has been a regular around the team and is still a fan favorite for obvious reasons.

- National NFL guys in town include two of the nicest and best guys around in NFL Network's Steve Wyche and CNNSI's Don Banks. Both will be around for the day and have their takes on the Rams on their respective affiliates in the coming days.

- Quincy Butler has been a pleasant surprise at cornerback. He's been sticky in coverage and has made a few plays. The Rams could keep up to six corners and Butler would certainly seem to be in the mix with the rest of the youngsters fighting for positions.

- The Rams are back on the practice field at 2:45 and will go until 4 this afternoon.

- The afternoon session today was quick and easy as the special teams units worked exclusively. That meant an afternoon off for most of the starters.

- Guard John Greco will have his injured ankle looked at again this evening and re-evaluated in the morning. Mike Karney, of course, remains out.

- Have given props to Donnie Jones for his performance so far in camp but it should also be noted that Josh Brown is likewise kicking the stuffing out of the ball.

- Derek Stanley looked more comfortable returning kicks and punts this afternoon than he has at any point in this camp. Seems like he's starting to get his legs back under him after knee surgery.

- Short update but not much to report from the afternoon. Rams back at it again in the morning. Mailbag will be posted soon and a feature on running back Steven Jackson is also on the way.

- The Rams made it official on Wednesday afternoon, announcing that legendary defensive lineman Deacon Jones will have his number 75 retired at the home opener on Sept. 27 against Green Bay.

- The retirement announcement was made last month and has been a long time in the making. Jones has long been recognized as one of the most dominant defenders of all time.

- Keep an eye on this site for more on the Jones' retirement ceremony in the coming weeks.

- The Rams wrapped up the morning practice after another solid day of work but no matter how good the Rams might look on the field, coach Steve Spagnuolo is always looking for more from his team. "I thought it was pretty good," Spagnuolo said. "I am always going to want it better. There’s lulls in there and I think one of the things we have talked about is we want to always be doing this and never up and down."

- Fullback Mike Karney was again held out of the morning session because of an ankle injury. Karney did have X rays on the ankle and it's apparently an injury similar to one he's had in the past. Spagnuolo said he doesn't expect it to be serious but he's unsure of a return. "He’s had things in there before so it didn’t look real pretty I guess. But he’s been through it and Mike told me he’s had it before. He’ll bounce back. I don’t know what the timetable it is."

- Guard John Greco also tweaked an ankle and was forced to miss the morning practice.  

- The action on the field was competitive and entertaining once again, especially during the live periods.

- Rookie running back Chris Ogbonnaya proved he isn't scared to get physical. After catching a pass, he lowered the boom on cornerback Quincy Butler and picked up a couple extra yards. Ogbonnaya looks really smooth catching the ball out of the backfield.

- There was an audible gasp let out during live period when linebacker Chris Chamberlain went low to bring down starting running back Steven Jackson. Chamberlain didn't mean to do it but was quickly reminded to go easy on the franchise. "I was holding my breath, too," Spagnuolo said. "This group is a very competitive group, that’s what we are kind of learning. I think that’s a good thing. They want to compete. They want to get better. They want to be in those situations where it’s tough on them. If you continue to think like that, I think it’s going to help us. But we are always keeping our fingers crossed. It’s a fine line."

- For his part, Jackson expressed no ill will about the hit and simply gave the ball back and returned to the huddle.

- The Rams are beginning the battle for the return jobs though nothing is even remotely set in stone yet. Kenneth Darby has been getting the first look but Samkon Gado, Donnie Avery, Derek Stanley and Ronald Curry are also garnering a look.

-  In perhaps his most animated moment yet, Spagnuolo let Victor Adeyanju have it after he jumped offsides on a play that would have resulted in a sack.

- League officials are in town and will present to the players and coaches any rule changes for this season along with points of emphasis this week.

- All for now, back with more this afternoon. Remember, practice this afternoon is set to begin at 2:15 and end at 3:15.

- The Rams modified their afternoon practice Tuesday, lopping off a good portion of the time and going for about an hour. The practice was quick and was almost entirely team drills with none of the individual work you usually see at these practices. Needless to say, with the weather still holding out, it was a relatively welcome break for the players.

- Fullback Mike Karney was held out again because of an ankle injury that kept him out of this morning's practice.

- Strong safety James Butler returned to the field after a knee injury kept him out of the morning session.

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith got another shot or two at Leonard Little in the afternoon session and fared better than he did in the morning as he held his own this time.

- Not a whole lot more to report on from the quick afternoon session. The Rams are back at it at 8:15 on Wednesday morning.

- It was an ominous morning at the Russell Training Center as some dark clouds moved in over the facility. But the rain never came and the Rams were able to get the workout in with nary a drop falling on their heads.

- There can be no complaints about the weather so far as the camp has been unseasonably cool. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says he is conflicted on how he feels about it. "I am torn on that because the adage would be that the hard weather would make it tougher on them. But you know what? You get a lot of work done when the weather is like this because they are a little fresher. Whatever the weather is, we are going to practice in it."

- Some quick injury updates as a couple of nicks and bruises are starting to crop up. Fullback Mike Karney tweaked his ankle in Monday's afternoon practice and was held out of Tuesday morning's workout as a precautionary measure. Safety James Butler dinged his knee up and tried to play through it but was also held out for precautionary purposes.

- The defense has remained ahead of the curve on the offense in most of this camp but there were some solid breakthroughs offensively on Tuesday morning. While the top offense has been going against the No. 2 defense and vice-versa, the offense had a nice day, particularly in red zone drills.

- Running back Samkon Gado made the play of the practice with a diving catch in front of safety Oshiomogho Atogwe in the corner of the end zone. Fellow back Kenneth Darby had some success with a couple of flat routes in which he caught passes for touchdowns.

- With the second team offense facing the first team defense, rookie Jason Smith has been rudely introduced to the speed and skill of a top of the line pass rusher as he spent some time taking on veteran end Leonard Little in team drills. Little showed Smith he has some work to do before he's ready for pass blocking primetime.

- Blues coach Andy Murray followed in the footsteps of other local sports luminaries by paying a visit to the Russell Training Center on Tuesday morning. Murray chatted briefly with Spagnuolo, a former center in his hockey playing days.

- The Rams move to a modified afternoon schedule, starting at 2:45 and only going for 75 minutes. That practice will be almost all team related drills and very little in terms of individuals.

- The Rams and coach Steve Spagnuolo got their first true taste of St. Louis summer this afternoon with the hottest practice session yet. Temperatures registered in the 90s but there was a decent breeze which made it more than tolerable. Not awful but likely just a snippet of what's on the way in the coming days.

- No injury news to report from the afternoon practice. Everybody participated and seemed to make it through OK.

- Receiver Keenan Burton flashed his vast potential again with a nice leaping catch over Tye Hill down the sideline. Burton appeared to get both feet in bounds after climbing the ladder.

- Don't underestimate veteran Samkon Gado in the battle for one of the running back spots. In terms of reps, he gets the third most after Steven Jackson and Kenneth Darby. Gado has some experience and is fearless in attacking the hole.

- One group that truly seems to be bonding on the field is the secondary. It's just so obvious how much these guys like each other. From the top of the depth chart on down they are constantly talking, sharing information and cheering for one another.

- Quietly, rookie receiver Brooks Foster is off to a nice start in this camp.

- Just to repeat myself: Donnie Jones is the best punter in football. There's no debate from this point of view. He's four days into camp and he is already kicking the stuffing out of the ball.

- The Rams will modify the schedule some beginning tomorrow. The morning practice is still scheduled for 8:15 but the afternoon session begins at 2:15 and will go for 75 minutes. That's all for today. Check back in the morning for updates and stay up to the minute on Twitter with username "OneRamsWay."

- One of the hidden gems of having training camp at home is the accessibility, not only for fans but also for local luminaries who might want to come out and check out a practice. The Rams had no shortage of those on Monday morning.

- ESPN's Chris Mortensen, complete with his big Madden-esque bus, rolled into town and is doing some live reporting from camp today. He caught up with all of the Rams big names and will have information on the Worldwide Leader. In addition, be sure to check him out on Twitter.

- The Missouri football coaching staff was also in town, headed up by coach Gary Pinkel. Got the chance to briefly say hello to Pinkel, whom I covered for a year back in Columbia when I was at Mizzou. Was nice just to congratulate him on the program's recent success and get a little insight on what it takes to turn around a program. He believes that process is well underway here in St. Louis right now.

- Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter and his son have also been around today. The Cardinals have a day off and Carpenter is a big football fan.

- On to the happenings on the field. The Rams were in full pads again but dialed down the hitting a little bit to what was mostly a "thud" practice. There was a little bit of live hitting but not as much as the past few days. The weather continues to be excellent as an overcast sky has kept temperatures down.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo was a bit disappointed in the practice, calling it "sluggish" but said he expects the team to respond with a better performance in the afternoon session.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell returned to action after missing yesterday's workout because of a dehydration issue. The measure was precautionary and clearly Bartell is fine.

- Staying out at cornerback, there is a heck of a battle brewing for the nickel back job. Jonathan Wade has handle the bulk of the work there but Bradley Fletcher and Justin King are having good camps so far and will continue to push Wade for that gig.

- James Hall continues to be outstanding. He has fully embraced his role as the versatile, Justin Tuck-type in Spagnuolo's defense and he is extremely hard for anyone to block right now.

- Undrafted fullback Jerome Johnson, a former college linebacker, is transitioning well to the NFL and his new position. Not sure where he fits but Spagnuolo had praise for him after practice.

- Tight end Randy McMichael made a nice touchdown catch on a throw over the middle during team red zone drills.

- The Rams will practice again this afternoon at 2:45. The schedule will be modified beginning tomorrow, leading up to Friday night's scrimmage.

- The Rams just put the finishing touches on Sunday's practice sessions with an afternoon workout. The weather remains pleasant though there were signs of St. Louis' trademark heat and humidity. Apparently, there's plenty more where that came from for next week.

- Cornerback Ron Bartell was held out of the afternoon session after getting a bit dehydrated following the morning practice. Players like Bartell, who are in the best physical shape, always face that as an obstacle because any substantial weight loss can be hard for their frames to handle. No worries, though, as Bartell is expected to be fine and back in time for Monday morning's practice.

- Brock Berlin is off to a nice start in this camp and threw a few beautiful deep balls in each practice today. Keith Null is going to have quite a challenge on his hands as Berlin seems to have developed a knack for rising to the occasion in training camp.

- Undrafted rookie wide receiver Jarrett Byers had a nice catch on a deep pass in the afternoon session.

- Team owner Lucia Rodriguez and her family attended the afternoon practice. Her son, Will Rodriguez, is the kicker for the River City Rage, an indoor football team in St. Louis that last night won to advance to the UIFL championship game. Congrats and best of luck to Will and the Rage in the title game.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo said in the opening days of camp that he's looking forward to seeing which players emerge as leaders out of this camp. One player that seems to be stepping to the forefront is free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. When he talks, others listen and his energy and enthusiasm are infectious.

- Defensive end Leonard Little still has some gas in the tank and he seems to be enjoying his role as the elder statesman of the defensive line. He does a nice job of being around and accessible to the young players on defense.

- That's all for today barring any other news. The Rams will practice twice tomorrow on the same schedule and be in full pads once again on Monday morning. Come on out to the Russell Training Center for that and be sure to follow along on Twitter under username "OneRamsWay."

- The Rams just wrapped up their first Sunday practice and put on yet another full-contact, live action show. In full pads, the team went live much like Saturday but not for as much of the time as yesterday.

- There didn't appear to be any repercussions from going at it yesterday and the only missing player from the practice was tight end Joe Klopfenstein. Klopfenstein had a reaction to some medicine he took and sat out the morning workout. Coach Steve Spagnuolo expects Klopfenstein to sit out the afternoon practice as well.

- It was clear the defense was well ahead of the offense on Saturday but the offense made some strides and gained some ground on Sunday. The biggest play came on a 50-yard strike from Marc Bulger to receiver Donnie Avery that went for a touchdown. Avery beat Ron Bartell on the play and the ball was thrown perfectly. Avery vs. Bartell is quickly turning into a must see training camp contest.

- Larry Grant delivered the hit of the day, walloping Keenan Burton as he came around on a reverse. The hit was one that didn't have to be seen to know it was made. The collision was that loud.

- In continuing the trend of getting some different faces in with the first unit, James Laurinaitis got his first look with the top unit at middle linebacker.

- Noticeable upgrade alert: Billy Bajema is an excellent blocking tight end. He fits this need much better than previous players installed at the position.

- James Hall is off to a great start in camp. He's been one of the most consistent players so far and is really showing up.

- Spagnuolo wasn't overly pleased with the practice. He wants the team to condition during practice and didn't believe the pace was set where it needed to be. He let the team know after the practice so it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see it picked up in the afternoon.

- Jason Brown took some time to make light of the "getting to know you" part of dealing with a new quarterback. He discussed hand placement and the process of getting used to having someone new putting his hands underneath your hind parts..."He’s checking my oil every day. I am used to Kyle being underneath there but when you have a new guy back there it’s like ‘easy buddy, be gentle.’ Some quarterbacks like to get far underneath there and raise their hands up and you’re like ‘look, I’m a person, be gentle all right.’"

- Mother Nature provided a quick afternoon shower but her work was done in time for the Rams to complete their entire afternoon practice without interruption and nary a rain drop.

- The Rams practiced on the far field, using the artificial surface so as to avoid tearing up the grass fields more than they already have been. For the fans who braved the elements, the team opened up the gates and allowed them to be closer to the field so they'd have a chance to see practice. 

- After the physical morning practice, the intensity was scaled back for the afternoon. The practice was done in shells but that didn't mean it was a walk through. The Rams got plenty of work done in the afternoon session.

- David Vobora got most of the work with the first team defense on the strong side today after Larry Grant got the work yesterday. Steve Spagnuolo says he expects the rotating to continue amongst those two as well as others on the roster. Spagnuolo views the linebacker spots much like the line where you have to be versatile and capable of playing any of the three spots.

- Punter Donnie Jones appears to be in midseason form. He is absolutely booming the ball with a high, tight spiral that has amazing hang time. On one kick in the afternoon, he kicked it a solid 60 yards in the air, landing it at the 1 where it promptly turned sideways and went out of bounds.

- Donnie Avery has been getting a lot of looks on the punt return unit. It remains to be seen if the team would use its top receiver to handle return duties but Avery seems eager to at least get some repetitions there. Derek Stanley and Ronald Curry have been getting the bulk of the rest of the reps.

- That's all for today. Be back in the morning with another report from practice. The team is expected to be back in full pads for that morning session so come on out. The fun begins at 8:15 a.m.

- The Rams will continue with this afternoon's 3 o'clock practice as scheduled on the outdoor fields regardless of rain or weather conditions. Barring a lightning storm, it will go as planned.

- Any questions, call the training camp hotline at 314-516-8852.

- The Rams opened the two-a-day portion of training camp on Saturday morning with one of the most physical and enthusiastic practices I've seen in my five-plus years of covering this team.

- Within an hour of the start of the morning workout, the team went "live" in full pads. And that wasn't just the threes or just the twos, that was the first string against the first string and on down the list. I'll have a full feature story on it in a bit but if you want to see a team practicing football like its played on Sundays, these full padded practices are where it's at.

- All players were present and accounted for and it appeared the team made it out of the workout unscathed as far as injuries. Guard John Greco returned to action this afternoon.

- Free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe made the play of the day with a diving interception. He quickly gathered his feet and ran the distance for a touchdown. Atogwe is simply a play maker, one of the best in the business.

- With the added action of going live and the pads on, the intensity cranked up and it was easier to keep focused on certain players. Rookie tackle Jason Smith had an interesting day, alternately dominating and struggling. He was 'OK' according to Spagnuolo and he had some issues with inside pass rush moves in the one on one drills. But he came back strong in team, at one point getting to the second level and putting linebacker Chris Chamberlain on his back.

- Smith also got some work with the top unit for the first time on Saturday morning. Spagnuolo said because of the way the practices are set up, he'll do that on occasion so as to get a good look at all players against better competition: "We will mix and match that. We did a little bit of that on defense, we’ll do a little bit of it on offense. What happens is if you keep the ones versus the ones, the twos versus the twos, the threes versus the threes, every once in a while you have got to step a guy up there and put him against what should be better competition."

- One rookie who made a good first impression was defensive tackle Darell Scott. Scott was able to push the pocket in live drills and really held his own. He even was in on a few tackles.

- Safety Craig Dahl made a nice first impression with some open field tackles.

- The intensity was evident from both sides in the live action and even spilled over from the one on ones. After receiver Donnie Avery beat him with a double move in one on ones, cornerback Ron Bartell made it clear that things wouldn't be the same when they got to team drills. He not so subtly reminded Avery that this is a team game..."I told him if you get a little pass rush out there, it’s a little bit different, you don’t have as much time."

- The team will return to shells for the afternoon practice though weather could play a role in that workout. Back with more after that session.

- The Rams just finished their first full squad practice and the entire team was present and accounted for. Nice to see no holdouts and everybody ready to work.

- The only Ram who did not participate was guard John Greco. Greco had some cramping issues stemming from conditioning work done Friday morning but it's not thought to be anything serious. The Rams expect Greco to practice Saturday morning.

- Speaking of Saturday morning, that practice will represent the first time the team has strapped on the pads under coach Steve Spagnuolo. Look for the intensity to pick up when the pads come on.

- Owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez are in town and took in Friday's practice from the sidelines.

- Spagnuolo noted the strong performance of newly-acquired receiver Ronald Curry working on punt returns during the practice.

- Rookies Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis still have to earn starting positions as neither worked with the first team during the workout. Adam Goldberg continues to work with the 1's while Chris Draft is handling duties in the middle. Larry Grant played with the first team at strong side linebacker in the initial session.

- Spagnuolo copped to being a bit eager to get going today, saying that he didn't sleep particularly well last night. He said he felt like a "kid on Christmas" and was waking up just about every hour. That didn't slow him much as he was his usual, enthusiastic self in bouncing from one place to the next.

- All for today. Back tomorrow with blogs following both practices.

- In about three and a half hours, the 2009 NFL season will officially begin for the Rams. At 3 p.m., the Rams will hit the field for the first time in this training camp as a whole group. There are no injured, no hold outs, nobody is missing.

- Consider today the start of a new era and if you want, come out and watch. There's new leadership in place. There are new players, young players in positions of importance and there's a clear vision for what this team could become. Practices are free and open to the public for those of you looking for an up close look at this year's edition of the Rams.

- Just to touch a little on Jason Smith's signing yesterday and put it in perspective. Some of you might say 'So what, he's supposed to be signed and in camp on time.' And while that might be true in principle it's not necessarily the case in practice as you can see by looking at trends around the league. Let's no underestimate just how important it was to get Smith signed and in camp on time.

- Nevermind how he needs to be here so that he can get as much work as possible and solidify a starting position. This is more big picture than that. It has been a rare occasion for the Rams to start training camp (the full squad) without a holdout or an issue of some sort. Smith's signing, along with the other six members of the draft class, is a sign of progress. The front office maintained all along that everything would be done by today and it was. Smith said all along he wanted to be in camp on time and he is. There's no hand wringing. It's time to strap on the helmets and pads and get to work.

- That's all for now. Hope to see many of you out here today and in the coming weeks. I'll be back with a post-practice update.

- The Rams wrapped up a miniature version of what a training camp day will be like after a quick one-hour session this afternoon. Thirty-four players participated in today's practice sessions.

- The rest of the team is reporting as I type this at the team hotel. After reporting, the team will have dinner and meetings before stepping on the field tomorrow in the first full squad practice of this training camp.

- A Jason Smith deal is still in the works but all sides remain optimistic that it will be done in short order and he will be on the practice field in time for tomorrow's practice.

- Undrafted rookie receiver Sean Walker had a nice afternoon practice, catching just about everything thrown his way.

- Rookie running back Chris Ogbonnaya has had a busy day. As the only true back attending these two practices, he took the bulk of the work. But to give him a breather, even Brock Berlin took some snaps at running back. Kyle Boller and Keith Null did the same.

- The real action is set to begin tomorrow. The team will practice at 3 p.m. tomorrow and go until 4:30. Practice is free and open to the public at the Russell Training Center.

- The Rams just put the finishing touches on their first training camp practice though it was a bit of an altered look. After reporting Wednesday evening, the rookies, quarterbacks and selected veterans stepped on the field this morning and went through a work out lasting a little more than an hour.

- The only Ram believed to be missing (there was no list of exactly who was supposed to attend) was first-round pick Jason Smith. It's expected there will be resolution to his contract situation in short order, possibly by this afternoon.

- In the meantime, there were some pleasant surprises on the field. Newly signed defensive tackle Hollis Thomas was in attendance. And if you've never seen him up close, wow, that is a large man. Billy Devaney has said in the offseason he'd like a big, stout nose tackle to add to the defensive line rotation. Thomas is that and then some. He's going to have to work his way into shape but his track record speaks for itself and he should help solidify a run defense that struggled in 2008.

- Receiver Derek Stanley, recovering from ACL surgery, was more active than expected and made a few nice catches during the practice. Stanley figures to get a long look as the team's returner so anything he can contribute as a receiver will only help his cause.

- Some of the included veterans who are practicing today are tight end Joe Klopfenstein, center Mark Setterstrom, quarterbacks Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller and linebacker Larry Grant.

- That's all for now. Be back later with updates and any breaking news throughout the day. Be sure to check us out on Twitter at OneRamsWay.

- The Rams made two major signings on the eve of the first training camp workouts. One was the expected inking of second-round choice James Laurinaitis. The other was the less expected addition of mammoth defensive tackle Hollis Thomas. Both will go a long way toward improving the Rams run defense as they take their places in the middle of the defense.

- Laurinaitis was as humble as ever Wednesday afternoon. He says he has nothing special in mind he'd like to buy and is just going to have his financial people invest his money and give him an allowance on which to live. The kid just gets it and he says he can't "wait to get on the field and in the meeting rooms." There aren't many football players who would say that let alone mean it but you just the feeling he really does mean it.

- It was imperative for Laurinaitis to be in camp on time. He has a chance to start in the middle from day one and every chance to put on the pads and prove himself will be necessary for that to happen.

- Thomas, meanwhile, comes with a pretty impressive track record. Listed at 335 pounds, Thomas provides the Rams with the "fat guy" that general manager Billy Devaney has wanted to add. He should provide a stout presence in the middle and give Clifton Ryan a solid mentor to learn from as he embraces the defense. It remains to be seen what kind of shape Thomas will be in but it's pretty common for big veterans like Thomas to work their way into playing shape during camp. Regardless, it's a low risk signing that could turn out to be a home run if it helps the Rams stop the run in 2009.

- It's reporting day for rookies, quarterbacks and a few selected veterans today. That group will have a pair of practices tomorrow before the full squad version of camp kicks off on Friday. We'll have plenty of time in this space to explore all that comes with the reporting dates and this team but first I thought it'd be a good idea to take an opportunity to reflect on Jim Johnson, the legendary Eagles defensive coordinator who passed away yesterday.

- First, thoughts and prayers go out to Johnson's family as they deal with this loss. For as great a football coach as he was, he was an even better man (more on this in a minute).

- While the statistics speak for themselves in regard to Johnson's coaching prowess, perhaps his greatest legacy is the way he helped develop coaches. There are four prominent coaches in the NFL right now who have learned from Johnson, including the Rams own Steve Spagnuolo, Baltimore's John Harbaugh, and defensive coordinators Ron Rivera (San Diego) and Leslie Frazier (Minnesota).

- Here in St. Louis, there is a head football coach (and others) who are deeply saddened by Johnson's passing. Spagnuolo considered Johnson a mentor and a close friend. Much of what Spagnuolo does as a coach comes from his long relationship with Johnson.

- This is the statement the Rams released from Spagnuolo on Tuesday night:

“My wife Maria and I are deeply saddened to hear of Jim’s passing.  He was a dear friend and a special person.  Our prayers and thoughts go out to his wife Vicki and their family.

“Jim meant the world to me, both personally and professionally.  I am very blessed to have had the privilege to work for him and with him.  The NFL has lost a good man.”

- The NFL isn't the only thing that has lost a good man. The world has as well. When I first started working in this league more than five years ago, I attended the scouting combine in Indianapolis. I didn't really know what I was doing or where I was going. On the first day, I met Jim Johnson. He noticed how confused I was and took the time to ask if I needed help. When I said yes, he didn't just point me in the right direction but walked me to where I needed to go. I obviously knew who he was but he introduced himself as though he was just another person helping out. As a fellow Mizzou alum, we struck up a conversation about Mizzou football and chatted for about 15 minutes.

- As cool as I thought that was, it was made even better by the fact that every subsequent time I saw him, he would call me by name and chat about Missouri football for a few minutes. I was just some dumb kid fresh out of college but I might as well have been on his coaching staff. That was the level of respect and kindness Jim Johnson had for everyone he came into contact with.

- It never seems fair when someone as great as Johnson is taken from us too soon. Maybe  God was just in need of some exotic blitz packages.  

 

- With training camp about a week away, the Rams addressed a need for veteran help at wide receiver Wednesday by trading for Ronald Curry.

- Curry went to Detroit in the offseason but appeared to be behind in the race to land the job in the slot for Scott Linehan's offense. At 6'2, Curry gives the Rams a bigger target with the athleticism to go get it. Curry had a bit of a down year in Oakland last season and has struggled with some injury issues but he has been productive in the NFL as recently as 2007.

- Curry is a former two-sport athlete at North Carolina and was once considered the best high school athlete in the country.

- In St. Louis, Curry should get the chance to compete for a spot in a receiving corps where little seems certain other than Donnie Avery's emergence as the top target. While his role will be determined in camp, Curry has to feel good that he's going somewhere he will get a chance to succeed.

- The Rams dealt defensive tackle Orien Harris for Curry. Orien, we hardly knew ya but best of luck to him in Detroit. Harris has had trouble sticking in any of his previous stops so here's hoping the best for him in Motown.

- The Rams announced yesterday that they will be retiring the No. 75 of David "Deacon" Jones at a yet to be determined game this season.

- Most everyone would agree this is a move a long time in the making as Jones is one of, if not the, ultimate Ram. Long before sacks were ever an official statistics, Jones was regularly wreaking havoc on quarterbacks all over the league. In fact, Jones is credited with coming up with the term "quarterback sack." That makes sense considering he was the one tackling the quarterback more often than anyone else.

- In the unofficial statistics that are tied to Jones, he had 173.5 sacks for his career. Pro Football Weekly reported that would have been his number based on the records. But those numbers aren't in any way official. Jones claimed to have posted 26 sacks in 14 games in 1967, which would have been a season record.

- Regardless of what the official numbers are, there is no doubt that Jones is perhaps one of the two or three most dominant defensive players of all time. He was strong, he was fast and he had the moves to use both of those strengths to make him one of the all time greats.

- The announcement on when Jones will see his No. 75 raised to the rafters is forthcoming but there's no doubt that it's been a long time coming and few if any deserve it more than the "Secretary of Defense."

- The Rams completed their third and final minicamp of the 2009 offseason on Saturday morning with another spirited practice that featured a large amount of work in the red zone. It’s clear the players enjoy the red zone days because the competition always heats up down around the goal line.

- Now, the Rams have finished all of their minicamps and are a little more than halfway through organized team activities. The team has six more practices before wrapping up the offseason on June 17. After that, the players can depart before returning for training camp at the end of July. The reporting date for then has not yet been announced.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said he was happy with the way the final minicamp went and says the team accomplished what it set out to do.

- “Mostly the installation and exposing them to things that we think that we would either do during the season or definitely would do in training camp,” Spagnuolo said. “On both sides of the ball and special teams we tried to touch on things.  We didn’t go deep into some things but at least we got it installed.  We got them exposed.”

- For the remaining OTAs, Spagnuolo says he has some specific ideas on what he’d like to get accomplished before the team leaves for an extended period. Included in that is a shifted focus to more opponent-oriented work.

- “Tuesday will be pretty much like all the other ones,” Spagnuolo said. “There’s just a couple of installation items on both sides of the ball.  Starting on Wednesday, Thursday, going into the following week, it’ll be concentrated on the NFC West teams.  We’ll take a team a day and probably two (days) on Seattle since that’s the opener and we’ll go from there.  We’ve only got six left.”

- All for today. Be back this week with some reports from OTAs and a variety of other things still in the hopper.

- The Rams wrapped up the second day of this minicamp with another quick and solid afternoon session.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo has attempted to make this weekend’s minicamp like a small version of training camp in an effort to get the players used to what the routine will be when late July rolls around.

- Spagnuolo said earlier this week, after a particularly hot practice, that he would like to have some hotter conditions this weekend in anticipation of those steamy St. Louis summers. Mother Nature hasn’t cooperated with that idea as the weather has been Mequon-esque for the past two days.

- What have been cooperating, though, are Spagnuolo’s young defensive backs. I touched on it a bit in my feature story yesterday but Spagnuolo seems to still have an affinity for coaching up defensive backs.

- Of course, Spagnuolo spent a lot of time as the defensive backs coach in Philadelphia so in a way it’s ingrained in him already but there’s no denying he wastes no opportunities to impart his knowledge on the young cornerbacks on the team. At any given time during practice, it’s easy to spot Spagnuolo working with Bradley Fletcher or Jonathan Wade or Justin King on a variety of things.

- “It’s usually about feet and hands and the press skills,” Spagnuolo said. “That’s the toughest thing to pick up in this league. Usually when you see me talking, it’s about that.”

- Spagnuolo says he likes what he sees from his young defensive backs so far.

- “They are all hard workers, I think they all have pretty good skills,” Spagnuolo said. “Obviously Bradley is a young guy and Justin missing most of last year is probably in the same category. All three of them battle. I like that and the competition.”

- In his time in Philadelphia and New York, Spagnuolo’s teams spent some high profile picks on cornerbacks like Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross. Sheppard and Brown took about a year to be prepared to play at a high level but Spagnuolo says he has no pre-conceived notions of the state of readiness of any of the young talent. 

- “It just depends on the guy, it really does,” Spagnuolo said. “It depends on what you have on your roster and the guy.”

- Taking Fletcher as an example, there’s probably no player that gets more personal attention from the head coach during a typical practice session. Blessed with size and athleticism, Fletcher is still a bit raw at the position but he’s making the most of Spagnuolo’s tutoring sessions. With nothing set in stone at the corner spot opposite Ron Bartell, Fletcher sees the opportunity to potentially be one of those young corners who finds his way into the starting lineup.

- That's all for today. Be back with a couple of updates tomorrow as the Rams put the finishing touches on their final minicamp of 2009. 

- The Rams have completed the third of five practices in this final minicamp of the offseason and there’s no doubting that Friday’s morning practice was one of the most spirited in the relatively short Steve Spagnuolo era.

- The tempo of these practices regularly leads to shorter practices because the Rams get through their work so quickly. And Friday was no different as the team finished about 10 minutes early.

- Even Spagnuolo couldn’t hide his pride in the way his team went about its business Friday morning.

- “I just got done telling them that we are done 10 minutes early because they are bouncing around and the practice was efficient,” Spagnuolo said. “We didn’t have a lot of repeat plays and that’s a good thing. If they keep doing that we can just get the work done and get off the field.”

- Spagnuolo likes to keep the pace quick at his practices because he believes it can carry over into games. That’s why he hopes to see his team continue to go through the actual drills at a fast rate as well as move from drill to drill by running rather than walking. 

- “If you keep the tempo in practice constant throughout, there is conditioning within the practice,” Spagnuolo said. “We believe in that. You condition in it and within the practice at the end of practice, it’s like the fourth quarter and guys have to suck it up and keep that tempo going. It helps in games.”

- All Rams except for defensive lineman Kirston Pittman were present and accounted for during the morning session. Receivers Keenan Burton (hamstring) and Travis Brown (fibula) also continue to miss time.

- Be back with more after the afternoon session and a feature story on the burgeoning battle between Larry Grant and David Vobora for the strong side linebacker position.

- Day one of the Rams’ final minicamp is complete as the team went through a fast-paced afternoon session that was bumped up in start time after a power outage at the Russell Training Center left the Rams with no light under which to meet.

- The team went through its paces in a little more than an hour, finishing up with plenty of focus in the red zone.

- Receivers Keenan Burton and Travis Brown continued to work on the exercise bicycle on the side while they work back from hamstring and leg injuries, respectively.

- Meanwhile, the battles wage on at a variety of positions. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said it is his custom to not force rookies into the starting lineup right away so as to allow them a chance to get their feet wet. That’s why Jason Smith and even linebacker James Laurinaitis still haven’t cracked the top unit on the depth chart.

- At strong side linebacker, the battle figures to last well into training camp. Larry Grant and David Vobora are splitting the repetitions and both are excited about the opportunity being afforded them. Grant certainly has the size and Vobora has the instincts. Vobora says he’s working in the middle in nickel packages and switching out to the strong side in the base defense. While it’s possible that Chris Draft could eventually slide over, Spagnuolo likes Draft’s ability to play any of the three positions, leaving a possible intriguing battle heading into training camp. Quinton Culberson is still in the mix, too.

- I’ll have more on the battle that’s emerging on the strong side in the main feature on the homepage tomorrow.

- Cornerback Justin King continues to make strides in his return from injury and is getting some looks in nickel and dime packages.

- That’s all for today. Check back later for a feature on the Rams’ developing secondary and we’ll be back at it in this space tomorrow when the team has another practice in the morning.

- The Rams just completed their first workout of this week’s third and final minicamp. This camp is mandatory and everyone was present and accounted for with the exception of defensive end Kirston Pittman. Pittman has a heel injury that he is continuing to have looked at before any determination is made on his status for rest of this weekend and organized team activities.

- Receivers Keenan Burton and Travis Brown missed most of the workout and did a side session on the exercise bike with strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson.

- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo’s buzzword for the day is versatility. When asked how he’d like to use a couple of different players on the offensive and defensive lines, he repeatedly used that word and pointed out there will be no definitive delineation on how his players will be employed.

- Rookie tackle Jason Smith started out exclusively on the right side but earlier this week in OTAs, he began working some on the left side. He’s still with the second unit but Spagnuolo says he would like to see Smith continue to work on both sides so he can be more versatile. That isn’t limited to Smith, either, as Spagnuolo also mentioned working Adam Goldberg and Alex Barron on both sides, as well.

- Defensively, Spagnuolo discussed the way the team employs its defensive tackles. In traditional setups, teams that run a 4-3 defense use a nose tackle and a three-technique tackle in the middle. The Rams have done that in recent years with Adam Carriker at the three-technique and Clifton Ryan at the nose last season. But those days are a thing of the past in the Spagnuolo system.

- “(It’s) right and left,” Spagnuolo said. “They could be on the nose or they could be under. We are looking for that versatility. All of that is being evaluated. I can share with you that I don’t think in the years in this system I don’t think we have gone nose and three technique. We haven’t. That’s my comfort level. If we feel like we need to do that, that’s OK. I think it makes things a little simpler if we go right and left.”

- For his part, Carriker looks like he’s back to health and appears to be moving quicker than he has at any point in his still relatively young NFL career. Spagnuolo said Carriker credits Gullickson and assistant strength coach Chuck Faucette for his improved mobility.

- “I think so,” Spagnuolo said. “Some of the guys mentioned to me the other day and Adam was one of them, because I complimented somebody about running around real well and they credited Rock and what they are doing in the weight room. There have been a number of guys that have said that so I think that’s a positive but he does look pretty good.”

- The Rams will hit the field again this afternoon for another practice to wrap up the first day of this minicamp. 

- The Rams finished off another week of OTAs on Friday afternoon with an outdoor practice that wrapped up the sixth practice of the young OTA season. The team is now almost halfway through OTAs and will get back to work on Monday with practices scheduled for Monday and Tuesday leading into next weekend's minicamp.

- Running back Antonio Pittman missed this week's sessions with an excused absence to take care of some family issues.

- Defensive lineman Kirston Pittman also missed the workout as he went searching for another opinion on a heel injury he suffered recently.

- With Keenan Burton limited by a hamstring injury and Derek Stanley still recovering from knee surgery, the Rams added another body to the roster in signing undrafted free agent Sean Walker out of Vanderbilt.

- Rookie cornerback Bradley Fletcher continues to impress with his physical approach and size. “Yeah, he plays aggressive," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "He has to learn some technique things and (defensive backs/cornerbacks coach) Clayton (Lopez) and I have talked about that this past week. But very eager, very aggressive guy. He’s got long arms and good size.”

- Rookie receiver Brooks Foster finished a strong week by making an adjustment on a deep ball to haul in a long pass for a big play. He's also made an impression on Spagnuolo in the early going. “Right at the end of practice here I thought he made a real nice catch," Spagnuolo said. "He adjusted to the ball and he did that same thing Thursday or Wednesday, so that’s impressive that you do it back to back. Good hands and he’s missed a couple of practices going back to the other mini-camp, so we need a little bit of time with him, but he’s been good.”

 

- The Rams wrapped up their first week of organized team activities on Thursday afternoon with a spirited and enthusiastic workout.

- Coach Steve Spagnuolo wanted to challenge his players while also having a little bit of fun so the team had a pair of drills to get that accomplished.

- In the first drill, the defense, represented by punter Donnie Jones, took on the offense, represented by kicker Josh Brown. Each got three kicks with Jones’ aim to land his attempts inside the 5-yard line and preferably out of bounds. Brown has three field goal attempts from various distances. Jones dropped his first attempt out of bounds at the 2 and emerged victorious as the defense yelled and screamed in Brown’s face to force the misses.

- After that, Spagnuolo had his top units square off in red zone drills where he wanted to get a closer look at how his guys would compete.

- “We had a little bit of a competitive situation,” Spagnuolo said. “We had a kicking competition, but then we had the two-minute drill, which you see some things in a drill like that. I think we have a little ways to go, but it was good the way the guys rallied around each other and got a little bit competitive.”

- Meanwhile, quarterback Marc Bulger addressed the media at length and talked about how he handles the pressure and criticism that comes with his high profile position on the field.

- “It’s tough at times, but it comes with the position,” Bulger said. “If you only had success it wouldn’t be that tough of a position.  Hopefully, when we start winning again it will make it feel all that much better again because when I first came (to St. Louis) that’s all we did was win.  You have to learn from your mistakes, but that’s the NFL and you have to deal with it.”

- Bulger says he used to read the newspaper and occasionally listen to some of the other media outlets but he doesn’t do much of that anymore. His sole focus for now is winning games and getting back to the Pro Bowl level he had reached three years ago.

- “I always say, it’s one thing saying it and it’s another thing to do it,” Bulger said. “We have these young guys coming up at receiver.  Our line’s pretty much all new.  Steven (Jackson)’s going to be healthy.  So I’m really, really optimistic.  I’m excited, especially to start winning games.  But talk’s cheap.”

- Defensive end Leonard Little returned to the field on Wednesday and practiced again Thursday after being excused on Tuesday for a family issue.

- Family issues excused linebacker Will Witherspoon and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe from Thursday’s practice. All players departed after the work out for the extended weekend.

- Receiver Keenan Burton was held out of Thursday’s practice because of a slight hamstring issue.

- “He had a hamstring that was a little bit tight,” Spagnuolo said. “We didn’t want to mess around with it; no sense in taking the chance. He’s got five days off anyway, so it gives him six. He was here this morning, but we’re just trying to be smart about it.”

- Rumors have swirled this week that the Rams are close to a deal with cornerback Roderick Hood. Spagnuolo addressed that on Thursday afternoon.

- “When he was released a couple weeks ago, there was some conversation,” Spagnuolo said. “At that point, I think (executive vice president of football operations/chief operating officer) Kevin (Demoff) just gave the parameters and I think Rod’s been looking around and it’s just kind of sitting.”

- That’s all for today. Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and be sure to check back for our exclusive look at the Rams’ strength and conditioning program this weekend.

- The Rams opened up their first round of organized team activities on Tuesday with almost a full complement of players available.

- Defensive end Leonard Little was the only Ram not at Tuesday’s opening practice. He was excused for a family issue and is expected to be back in time for Wednesday’s work out.

- Organized team activities consist of 14 “practices” in which the team will not be wearing pads but will get plenty of opportunities to continue to learn the system and build team chemistry.

- Mark Setterstrom continues to work back from injury and is getting accustomed to working at center. Setterstrom says he’s past the knee injury that ended his season before it ever got going last year and he’s taking every opportunity to develop a relationship with new center Jason Brown, who has been showing him the ropes.

- Larry Grant got some work with the first team at strongside linebacker and Kenneth Darby and Antonio Pittman shared carries with the second unit.

- Hill is at full strength and seems to be taking well to the new defensive scheme after having a cyst removed from the back of his knee.

- Receiver Tim Carter spoke to St. Louis media for the first time after practice and has an interesting story to tell. Consider that a deep tease for a piece later this week but there’s more than meets the eye as to why he was out of football last year.

- The Rams will hit the practice field again Wednesday and Thursday before resuming O.T.A.’s on May 27.

- Check back to the home page tomorrow afternoon for an exclusive feature on the ins and outs of the Rams’ offseason conditioning program. Needless to say, it’s quite different from the previous one.

-         For all the 40 times and bench press repetitions and other measurables and crazy statistics that people use to judge a draft class, one that often goes overlooked is something that will serve those players well beyond their NFL careers: college degrees.

-         In that category, no team in the league fared better in the 2009 NFL Draft than the Rams. As of Thursday afternoon, each of the seven Rams chosen in last weekend’s NFL Draft has either received their degree or will earn it in the next month or so.

-         Although it’s not a prerequisite for any player to be drafted by the Rams to have a degree, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo likes to see it on the resume.

-         “That is impressive,” Spagnuolo said. “I am glad to hear that. That’s encouraging.”

-         This is how it breaks down right now: Jason Smith (recreation and leisure services), James Laurinaitis (communications), Bradley Fletcher (African-American studies), Brooks Foster (Management and society), Keith Null (sports and exercise science) and Chris Ogbonnaya (history) have already finished their degrees. Darell Scott (sociology) took his last final on Wednesday and is scheduled to graduate a week from tomorrow.

-         Spagnuolo said Wednesday he would like to find ways to better accommodate players who are attempting to complete their degrees. Long snapper Chris Massey and safety Craig Dahl have recently finished up and Spagnuolo wants to see more of that.

-         “You can find a window in there,” Spagnuolo said. “I had Bruce Warwick research the schools in this area that would offer classes from noon time past so that next year when we are looking at the offseason program – we get everything done by noon time – they could actually take some classes. You have to get the old will it transfer back but you can find ways to get six credits or eight credits to get that done. I don’t know enough about each university but I guess technically when you get to the end you are looking to take courses in your major so it might be a bit of a snag there but I was encouraged to hear that about a couple of our guys getting it done.”

 

- The Rams made their final pick of the day at 4:33 p.m., grabbing Texas running back Chris Ogbonnaya to fill the final position of need the team had in this draft.

- Ogbonnaya is a converted receiver with excellent hands and speed. During his career in Austin, Ogbonnaya shuttled between receiver and running back on multiple occasions.

- In 2008, Ogbonnaya posted 73 carries for 373 yards and four touchdowns with 46 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. In three seasons before that, Ogbonnaya had just 66 carries while serving as the backup to Jamaal Charles.

- Ogbonnaya will step into a situation where he can compete with other backs for a spot on the depth chart. Behind starter Steven Jackson, the Rams have Antonio Pittman, Brian Leonard, Samkon Gado and Kenneth Darby.

- Ogbonnaya also has special teams experience and will get an opportunity to make his presence felt there.

- That does it for the Rams picks in the 2009 draft as they used all seven picks with nary a trade and came out with a player at a different position with each choice. 

- The Rams made it clear early in the process they would like to add a developmental prospect at quarterback. They did just that with their sixth-round pick, No. 196 overall as they grabbed West Texas A&M signal caller Keith Null.

- Null comes from tiny Lampasas, Texas and expressed excitement and shock when the news came that the Rams had drafted him.

- Null spent his first two seasons at West Texas A&M as a backup to Dalton Bell before moving into the starting lineup as a junior. There, he worked under the tutelage of former No. 2 overall pick Ryan Leaf.

- Null credits Leaf with helping his development… “Coach Leaf is a great guy. He just knows the game. As everyone knows he tore it up in college. To have him around and have that experience, he really taught me a lot. It was great to have somebody who had done it.”

- For most of his football career, Null has played in a spread offense and said he has spent his time preparing for the draft by getting used to playing under center and working on his footwork.

- As a senior, Null threw for an incredible 5,097 yards with 48 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He averaged 392.1 yards per contest.

- Null has good size at 6’3, 220 pounds and has a strong arm. He compiled big statistics in college but drew the attention of some teams for his performance at the Cactus Bowl, the Division II all star game.

- The Rams have one more pick left to make at the top of the third round. They have filled most needs with the possible exception of a running back.

- The Rams finally addressed their need for a receiver by grabbing Brooks Foster of North Carolina with their fifth round selection.

- Foster was one of three talented wideouts for the Tar Heels in 2008 and he has a ton of athletic ability.

- Foster is familiar with St. Louis because he was on the UNC basketball team when it won the national championship in the Gateway City in 2005.

- Because he was the third of the three wideouts, Foster’s production slipped some as a senior but his athleticism and strength is off the charts.

- At his best, Foster says he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds but his listed time is closer to 4.47. In addition, Foster set the team receiver record in the bench press (405 pounds) and power clean (353 pounds).

- Foster is coming off a knee injury he suffered during the season. He played through the injury and had surgery after the season finale against Duke.

- According to Foster, the injury is fully healed and he is back to full speed.

- All told, Foster finished his career with 97 catches for 1,237 yards and six touchdowns.

- Apologies for my absence last night but it’s time to play a little catch up with some thoughts on the first day.

- After grabbing Baylor tackle Jason Smith and Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, I’m not sure how the first day could have gone much better for the Rams. When need meets value that way, there’s not much more you can hope for.

- Got the opportunity to spend some time with Smith in New York on Friday and Saturday as well as the first impression I had with him at the Scouting Combine. Yeah, he plays offensive tackle which is generally a relatively anonymous position but Smith is about as outgoing, charismatic and gregarious a player you will find in the draft.

- Smith is as passionate about football as any player you will ever meet. And he is unafraid of stepping into the large shoes left behind by Orlando Pace.

- In the interim, there’s a possibility Smith will start right away at right tackle where his run blocking skills are best suited and Alex Barron can stay on the left side. That decision hasn’t been made and Steve Spagnuolo says it won’t be until he gets a chance to see his players with the pads on.

- Smith’s mean, aggressive streak on the field is ultimately what set him apart from the rest of the options at No. 2. Smith fits the bill of the type of player Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney are trying to bring in as the foundation for the future.

- As for Laurinaitis, he’s another player that perfectly fits for what the Rams are trying to do. At Ohio State, he was one of the nation’s most productive linebackers.

- Although he isn’t necessarily a thumper in the middle, his read and react instincts are as good as any middle linebacker in the draft. There’s a strong chance he will come in and start right away, probably at MIC.

- Both players expressed excitement about becoming Rams and are ready to get to work. All in all, call it two for two on a day when the Rams filled two of their biggest needs with players who fit the mold of what they are looking for.

- The Rams bolstered their defensive line with their fourth-round pick, opting to take Clemson defensive tackle Darell Scott.

- Scott fills a big need for a big body in the middle of the defensive line. At 6’4, 312 pounds, scouts believe Scott has room to add 10 to 15 pounds to his frame to potentially fill the void as a nose tackle though coach Steve Spagnuolo says Scott will be a part of the rotation inside though he doesn’t like to categorize his defensive tackles as three techniques or nose tackles.

- As a sophomore and junior, Scott averaged 50 tackles and four sacks per season. Scott was a three-year starter at nose tackle for the Tigers, getting 38 starts at the position in his career. He recorded 161 tackles with nine sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss in his career.

- The Rams are up again in the fifth round though they will pick later in the round as a result of the trade for Atlanta wide receiver Laurent Robinson.

- And we’re back; live from the Russell Training Center today after a hectic quick trip to the Big Apple.

- The Rams have made their pick in the third round by grabbing athletic, big cornerback Bradley Fletcher of Iowa.

- Fletcher is about 6’1, 196 pounds and has the kind of size that Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo loves.

- Some view Fletcher as a bit of a ‘tweener, a player who can fill in at corner or step in at safety. His size is prototypical for the position and he has long arms. For the Rams, he is expected to stick at cornerback.

- Fletcher really boosted his stock with a strong performance in the Outback Bowl against South Carolina and followed with a very strong week at the East-West Shrine game.

- Is a bit raw but has a world of potential much like current Rams corner Jonathan Wade. He became a starter just last season and finished with 60 tackles, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions.

- Some quick comments from Fletcher:

- “I knew the Rams were interested. This is very exciting and I am ready to get out there on the field. I talked with them at the combine.”

- “I feel like my best football is ahead of me right now and I am looking forward to showing that on the field.”

- “I had been hearing a lot of good things about what could happen and I am just really excited right now.”

- “I felt that helped to go down there (to East-West Shrine game) and it helped me to compete all week and compete well in the game to show I can play in man coverage and it was a good experience.”

- The Rams are scheduled for a pick in each of the final rounds but could make a move up or down at any time.

NEW YORK -

- The 2009 NFL Draft is about an hour away and the suspense of the first pick is already gone as Detroit agreed to a contract with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford last night. That means the Rams are on the clock and facing a difficult decision.

- In the past few hours, there has been an unexpected wave of phone calls to St. Louis and the Rams are exploring all options. That doesn't mean a trade is imminent. You might recall last year when the Rams considered a deal with Baltimore at the 11th hour and ultimately went with Chris Long because they did not want to move down too far.

- The buzz here is that the Redskins have made it known they would like to move up and get Mark Sanchez. The problem is Washington has no second round pick and has shown little willingness to trade next year's first-round pick. For the Rams, it'd be difficult to move back to No. 13 without getting a monster package in return. Remember, though, that very rare is the occasion that Washington owner Daniel Snyder sets his eyes on a prize and doesn't leave with it.

- It's been an extremely close call between the top two tackles for the Rams with Baylor's Jason Smith and Virginia's Eugene Monroe being scrutinized all week. The Rams also had legitimate interest in USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. But signs are still pointing to Smith being the guy by a nose. A lot can change in the next hour, though.

- Hot rumor says Kansas City is set to take LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson with the third pick. That's a bit of a surprise but Jackson has been steadily rising up draft boards in recent weeks.

- The players, teams and draft spots to keep an eye on in this draft: Sanchez, Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree and Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji. There's a lot of fluidity to where those three could land and if any of them go in a surprise spot, it could dramatically change the way the rest of the draft falls. Seattle at No. 4, Jacksonville at No. 8 and a pair of teams with two picks - Denver and Buffalo - could also dramatically change the way things go.

- That's it for a bit but we'll be here throughout the day with complete coverage and a full feature story on the Rams' choice later this evening.

NEW YORK -

- There’s always plenty of buzz in New York about what will or won’t happen in the hours leading up to the draft but it’s important to remember that most of the power brokers, the GM’s, the coaches, the personnel people making the decisions are not here in most cases.

- That said, it was a year ago when I heard the night before the draft that Matt Ryan would be Atlanta’s pick even if Glenn Dorsey was on the board and sure enough that’s what happened.

- Rams buzz has been limited this year as the team continues to formulate and plot out its final decision on the name to call tomorrow with the No. 2 pick. It looks less and less likely they will be able to pull the trigger on a trade down because there just doesn’t seem to be a market. And even if there is one for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, teams trying to get ahead of Seattle at No. 4 would likely prefer to trade with Kansas City at No. 3 because it would cost a bit less in terms of money and compensation.

- In my draft preview to be posted a bit later, I’ll go into some of the pros and cons of the three prospects under consideration by the Rams who are here in New York.

- Had a chance to catch up with Ole Miss tackle Michael Oher earlier today. He took a pre-draft visit to St. Louis a couple weeks ago and liked what he saw. “It went well,” Oher said. “I had a great time with the coaches. We had great meetings and it went extremely well.”

- I asked Oher if he was an Orlando Pace fan and he said he was indeed. “I grew up watching him all the time,” Oher said. “He is a great player and a great left tackle. He definitely set the standard.”

- If the Rams did somehow find a trade down scenario, Oher could come into play.

- The hottest commodity among the media at today’s session was Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford is expected to be the first player picked but negotiations are still going on between his representatives and the Lions.

- Stafford didn’t seem too concerned by the lack of a contract agreement at this point. “I want to win football games and I want to win Super Bowls,” Stafford said. “That’s the top goal for me. I can’t even really think about that kind of money. It’s crazy.”

- Something interesting to think about: Stafford, Jason Smith and Michael Crabtree all were born within a 10-mile radius of one another. That begs the question: What are they putting in the water in the Dallas area?

- Quote of the day – overheard while I was making the mile long stroll from Central Park to my hotel: “Dad, does everything cost money?” – A little kid to his father as they toured New York City together.

- All for now barring any breaking news.

NEW YORK -

- Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree has been through a lot in the months leading up to the draft. There was the will he or won’t he surgery on his foot at the scouting combine followed by pre-draft visits that have been met with mixed reviews. But Crabtree arrived in New York with high hopes that he’d be one of the first players taken.

- On Friday afternoon, I caught up with Crabtree and he didn’t seem too concerned with the myriad questions surrounding him heading to tomorrow.

- (Q) Do you feel like you can fit in a pro style offense?
- (MC) I feel like a football player can play football in anybody’s scheme, anybody’s program. That’s how I feel.

- (Q) How were your pre-draft visits?
- (MC) They all went the same. They are good deals. They didn’t leave anything out. I am being patient, like I’m supposed to.

- (Q) What do you think it takes for a rookie to have success right away in the NFL?
- (MC) If he works hard. What else is there? Working hard in the film room, on the field, you can’t beat that. What else is there to do? If I am working hard and staying focused and having the right mindset and doing what you’re supposed to do, running the right route when the coach says to do it, studying these cornerbacks, studying the defense.

- (Q) How is the foot?
- (MC) It feels good. Yep, you want me to run right now?

- (Q) How was your visit to St. Louis?
- (MC) St. Louis was the same as everybody else. They did have like 20 guys there and we had fun. It was a neat experience.

- (Q) How much did you follow the likes of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and what would you think of the potential of following them in St. Louis?
- (MC) I follow everything. I like football. Torry Holt is a great receiver. They did an amazing job at receiver. I am looking forward to doing what they did and following in their footsteps in the league.

NEW YORK -

- No player in the entire NFL Draft generated more buzz at the Scouting Combine for his performance on and off the field than Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Curry’s attitude combined with his leadership skills and football acumen make him this year’s most sought after defender.

- I had a chance to catch up with Curry on Friday afternoon in Central Park and discuss his visit to St. Louis, his thoughts on Steve Spagnuolo and the chances he could become a Ram.

- (Q) Are you nervous yet?
- (AC)  Not yet. It feels like game week. I am always calm and collected all week. As soon as 12, 11:59 hits, I will have a whole different emotion coming through me. I am guaranteed to be nervous tomorrow morning. I can see myself putting my tie on backwards.

- (Q) How close are you following Detroit’s negotiations with Matthew Stafford?
- (AC) There’s no point for me to pay any attention to that. I am privileged to be in the position that I am at. Of course, if they can’t come to a deal it’s going to have an impact on me but I am not focused on that.

- (Q) Have you thought about the fact that you are about to become a millionaire?
- (AC) I have thought about it. It’s ridiculous how much they pay us as rookies. It’s a reward for all of that hard work. We have all been working since little league to be at this point and they recognize that as a team, as a franchise, as an organization.

- (Q) Why did you feel it was important to let it be known you’d accept less money to be the top pick?
- (AC) There’s a lot that went into that. It was an on spot question. It was a lot of the economy, the prestige of being the No. 1 pick and setting the tone for linebackers from here on out and all of draft history would be amazing. There was nothing wrong with Jake Long’s deal last year.

- (Q) What do you think sets you apart from the rest of the prospects?
- (AC) I have a contagious work ethic. Leadership just kind of comes out of my pores uncontrollably. I want to be there for not just the physical part, I want to be a presence on the field and my plan is to give back to the community. I am not just about playing football. I learned in college the hard way that it is not all about football.

- (Q) How do you feel about being considered the “safest” prospect in this draft?
- (AC) I love it. That tells every team in the NFL that whoever ends up with me, they have nothing to worry about. They don’t have to worry about me blowing their money, they don’t have to worry about any problems in their locker room and that I will always represent their team and organization very well.

- (Q) On the flip side of that question, what do you say to those who say you can’t spend that type of pick and money on a linebacker?
- (AC) Every time I think about that question, I say to go back every year and watch Ray Lewis play. Watch Brian Urlacher play, watch Derrick Brooks play. And see the effect they have on their team, not just the defense but the team in general. Ray Lewis takes great care of the Ravens because he is a great leader. Same with Brian Urlacher and Derrick Brooks. Where would those franchises be without those players? If people were to go back and study that and remove those players from the program, they wouldn’t be complete. It takes a special kind of linebacker to put in the middle of the defense or on the outside of a defense. Guys like that, who I look up to and try to emulate, if you remove them from that franchise, where would it be?

- (Q) Should Detroit end up taking you if no deal gets done with Stafford, would you feel like it’s great to be the top pick or would you feel like you were the fallback?
- (AC) I wouldn’t feel like a fallback option at all. That situation in Detroit is beautiful. 0-16 and they need help everywhere and rebuilding. That’s something I want to be a part of. I’m not into going to a team that’s already won 13 or 15 games. It’s easy that way. To go to a team that is rebuilding and planning to make a statement next season, that’s something I want to be a part of.

- (Q) How was your visit to St. Louis?
- (AC) Fun. I had a lot of fun in St. Louis with the staff, with the other prospects there. It was a calm visit. It wasn’t so much putting you on the board and studying film and finding everything that is wrong with my game. It was just being relaxed and interacting with the other prospects and the coaching staff and some of the players already there.

- (Q) What were your impressions of Steve Spagnuolo?
- (AC) He is going to be a great coach. He is team oriented and that’s how people win. Nobody wins with one great guy. Everybody wins with a great team. He’s done some things in the facility alone like in the player’s lounge to promote that. He wants the players to interact together. He sent us to Dave and Buster’s as prospects because he wants us to interact together. He wants the team to be a family. He doesn’t want anybody branched off anybody. I think that team in St. Louis is going to get better very soon.

- (Q) Do you think it’s a possibility you could end up playing for him?
- (AC) Definitely. I think it’s a possibility. If not, they wouldn’t have brought me in for a visit. That would be a nice situation also. I think in St. Louis I could be a MIC or a SAM and Witherspoon could go to his natural position at the WIL and just let him run around and make big plays and change the game.

- (Q) And you and Chris Long are friends, correct?
- (AC) And I’d get to play with Chris Long and that would be amazing.

NEW YORK -

- There’s no doubting the charisma of Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith. Everywhere he goes, he’s likely the center of attention (though his 6’5, 309-pound frame doesn’t hurt). Things were no different on Friday afternoon as I caught up with Smith at Rumsey Field in Central Park. As you would expect, Smith was his usual, charismatic self.

- The following is a portion of that conversation:

- (Q) What have you been told about where you will go tomorrow?
- (JS) Obviously I got the invite to New York so I am going to be drafted by somebody. Whether it’s 1, 5, 31, 35, 55, whatever I am just happy to be here.

- (Q) Do those pre-draft visits give you a good idea of where you will land?
- (JS) You do visits but maybe they are throwing another team off. Maybe they are interested in you, maybe they are not. You can’t get too tied up in your draft visits. The draft is on Saturday. That’s the great thing about the draft is everybody knows what day it is, what time it is going to start and the order teams will pick. The experts might not know what a team likes and what it doesn’t like. I can’t get too overwhelmed by it. I just have to control what I can control and that’s my attitude and my effort and my workouts and how I will be my first day at camp.

- (Q) Who gets the first call when you are drafted?
- (JS) I will call my new offensive line coach and get my playbook so I can get going. This is about more than me. I will be getting paid to do a job and it’s a serious job. It’s the best job in the world.

- (Q) Did you ever think you’d end up in this position as a kid?
- (JS) No. When I first started playing football it was always a fantasy and then over the years it became a dream and then it became a vision and tomorrow it will be a reality.

- (Q) What do you think will be the hardest part of the adjustment?
- (JS) I have to understand this is a grown man’s game. Everybody out there is grown. Nobody out there is going to be bad; they are all going to be good. The speed of the game, the attitude with which it’s played, every snap is a high level snap and there are certain things I understand that most wouldn’t understand. It’s an offensive lineman thing.

- (Q) Are you nervous about tomorrow?
- (JS) I don’t get nervous.

- (Q) How was your visit with the Rams?
- (JS) It went really well. I was there with Michael Oher and Eugene Monroe, those guys. It was great, we all had a chance to kind of hang around and eat and just talk to the coaches and the other offensive linemen they have there. it was good to kind of get a feel for the place.

- (Q) You are relatively new to the position but did you follow Orlando Pace much and what would your thoughts be about being the man asked to take his place in St. Louis?
- (JS) You have to give credit where credit is due. Orlando Pace is a great tackle. Orlando Pace is a brand in the NFL. I respect him and I patterned some of my play behind him. Obviously he’s not with them anymore but if they were to take me, I would have to go and do my job. I would have to do what I can do, not what Orlando could do. I would make them see me and not Orlando. I want them to see the things Jason can do, not the things for Jason to remind them of Orlando. I don’t compare myself to him. I would never compare myself to him because we are two different people.

- (Q) Are you curious to see if you will be the first tackle taken?
- (JS) I’m not curious, I’m not nervous, I’m not wondering, I am just privileged. I am privileged to be standing right here at this moment because I know I could just walk over there and fall down and never be able to play football again. To be the top tackle, for me it’s important but it’s not that important. To be the top tackle says these guys think more of you than the next guy or they are ready for you to play for them before the next guy. But that doesn’t mean I’m really the top tackle.

- (Q) Will you be happy when this is all over?
- (JS) No, happy is not the word.

- (Q) Relieved?
- (JS) Not relieved.

- (Q) Wealthy?
- (JS) (laughing) Not wealthy. It will just be another great day.

- (Q) Has this pre-draft process seemed like it lasts forever?
- (JS) No, the great thing is it has a date. If you are a confident person and you have confident preparation in yourself you don’t worry about things like that. I know in my mind I am ready. Now in the coach’s mind or technique, am I? I don’t know. The only thing I can control is my attitude.

NEW YORK -

 

-         Virginia offensive tackle isn’t as gregarious as Jason Smith, the man competing with him for the title of this draft’s top offensive tackle (and perhaps the job as the Rams’ next No. 2 pick) but he was more than willing to discuss all things draft and his recent visit to St. Louis as well as answer any and all questions about his ability to be a bookend tackle for years to come.

-         The following is a generous portion of the conversation I had withMonroe in Central Park earlier today:

-         (Q) What are your thoughts on this whole process right now?

-         (EM): I’m just excited. Finally the day is here. The day is tomorrow. In a little more than 24 hours. I’m just waiting impatiently. There’s been a lot of hard work put in to this and we’ll see how things fall tomorrow.

-         (Q) What were you able to learn from some of your teammates’ experiences with draft day?
-         (EM) Having them and also Chris Long and other teammates get drafted the previous few years, it definitely helps just to know what they experienced but everyone’s experience is different. Mine will be different than theirs was so I am just looking forward to tomorrow.

 

-         (Q) Who did you invite with you to New York?
-         (EM) There’s a good amount that will be here today, some brothers. I invited some cousins, my uncle, my aunt, the people that have been there for me along the way.

-         (Q) How was your visit to St. Louis?

-         (EM) The visit to St. Louis was positive. They had a private workout before I visited their facility. Things went well there. Again, I am just waiting because you never know what will happen on draft day.

 

-         (Q) What kinds of things did you do on the visit?

-         (EM) We did all of the X’s and O’s on the board, watching film, generally just meeting everyone in the organization. It was all positive. I got a good feeling from them and I think they understand who I am so I am just waiting for Saturday.

 

-         (Q) How important was it to you to earn your degree before going to the NFL?

-         (EM) No one can take your degree away from you. It’s something you earn. Some guys go back to school after, if they leave early. College was an enjoyable time for me so I would have never left early.

 

-         (Q) How did you and Chris Long make each other better every day?

-         (EM) Just the energy we brought each day, affirming each other, never half stepping with each other and being direct, wanting to improve each other so we could improve our team.

 

-         (Q) Was there a point where he was more advanced than you and you realized you had to step up your performance?

-         (EM) Early on in my career, yeah he was a bit more advanced than me but working with him every day certainly accelerated my progression.

 

-         (Q) Do you pay attention to the draft projections?

-         (EM) You can hear a team needs a tackle then the next day you read or see on ESPN that they have signed someone else. I have done everything in my power, I am just waiting for Saturday.

 

-         (Q) Some people say your knee is a lingering issue, is that a legitimate concern?

-         (EM) I had a knee injury my freshman year in spring ball and I played three seasons with no issues. I am not worried about it. I don’t know why people are talking about it exactly. I am not listening. I worked out well, nothing that I have done. I don’t know. I am just waiting on Saturday. Whatever questions, I have hopefully answered already. I am just ready to go.

 

-         (Q) Some call you the most polished tackle in the draft but almost like it’s a bad thing and you can’t improve. You have to believe you have room for growth, right?

-         (EM) I don’t think that being the most polished or most ready to play is a cap on someone’s upside at all. It’s just maybe that their opinion of me is that I am further along in my ability at this point when it comes to maybe technique but it shouldn’t be a knock at all.

NEW YORK -

- Greetings from the Big Apple where we are about 24 hours away from the 2009 NFL Draft and nine of the top commodities spent their morning playing football with some specially selected kids in Central Park.

- Over the next couple of hours, I will bring to you the interviews I did this morning with top prospects and potential Ram targets in tackles Eugene Monroe and Jason Smith and linebacker Aaron Curry. In addition, I also had the chance to briefly catch up with receiver Michael Crabtree, tackle Michael Oher and quarterback Matthew Stafford.

- Beyond all of that, I will be answering your questions live for a couple of hours and have a feature for stlouisrams.com previewing the draft all leading up to my mock draft for tomorrow morning as well as complete draft coverage tomorrow night.

- First, a couple of quick notes from this morning…the NFL held their “Play 60” event at Rumsey Field in Central Park with area children invited to come and learn the benefits of living an active lifestyle. Play 60 is one of the league’s main community initiatives and was a nice way for the prospects to take their minds off the pressure packed moments that await tomorrow.

- The nine players invited to New York City for the draft are Monroe, Smith, Curry, Crabtree, Oher, Stafford, linebacker Brian Cushing, defensive end Brian Orakpo and quarterback Josh Freeman.

- For the record, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez declined an invitation to come to New York so he could keep a promise to his grandmother. He will be watching closely tomorrow though as his name continues to be one of the hottest on draft boards around the league.

- Stafford said no deal had been struck just yet but did acknowledge his representatives were talking to the Lions. Unlike last year, the Rams would be able to negotiate with a player before the draft if the team with the first pick would get its player signed, sealed and delivered.

- All for now, be back shortly with some snippets from a conversation with Monroe.