* Transactions. Because a football team can never have enough tight ends and fullbacks, I guess, the Rams have made a couple of moves. They replaced defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo with a crappy tight end, Darcy Johnson, on the active roster, and (as the NFL Dalek would say) deleted Brandon McRae from the practice squad and added fullback Brit Miller. And as previously reported, they deleted Allen Patrick and added fullback Jamie McCoy.
The total number of tight ends and fullbacks at Rams Park is currently eight. Seriously, it takes three guys to replace Michael Hoomanawanui? Did Scott Linehan not leave?
Don't get me wrong; I like McCoy's prospects, and I like Miller - the former Illini linebacker showed surprising aptitude for fullback in San Francisco and is one of those guys who'll run through a wall for you. And Cudjo may be coming back to the practice squad. But I disdain replacing him or a receiver with some promising ability like McRae with a TE who contributed little in preseason besides dropped balls.
My guess for now is that Fendi Onobun isn't ready to take on all of the responsibilities of the TE position and they brought Johnson back because he sometimes can block. That's part of the risk they agreed to take when they took on Project Onobun, that they'd have to sacrifice elsewhere to keep him in a protected spot on the active roster.
* I don't know what the plan is with Chris Chamberlain yet. He's supposedly out 6 to 8 weeks, and I'd have thought he'd be on the IR already, but the Rams seem prepared to keep him on the active roster. They're going with just 5 LBs in Oakland Sunday. Unless there's a good shot he recovers quickly, he'd have to be TWICE as good as any LB/special teams guy out there to merit tying up a roster spot for half a season, and I'm not feeling that. I barely had him beating out Bobby Carpenter at the final cut.
My guess for now is they're trying to get a better handle on Chamberlain's injury before they make a move they can't back out of. He's a good enough player to merit that consideration.
* Around the league:
- New England traded Laurence Maroney to Denver for a 4th-round pick, ending the strong feeling around here that the St. Louisan would join the Rams as a backup to Steven Jackson. (You know, the guy with the hurt knee who normally has to carry the offense but has no credible backup behind him.) And the Rams were reportedly in talks with New England about trading for a running back, according to the Post-Dispatch. Just not Maroney. Guess the Patriots aren't the only team down on Maroney, then. Also, given the ages of the RBs left on the Patriot roster, I assume the Rams were after (the legal firm of) BenJarvus Green-Ellis. The Pats surely won't deal BJGE now having dealt Maroney. I wouldn't have given up a 4th-rounder for either one of them anyway.
- Somebody finally signed Adewale Ogunleye; Houston did it yesterday. I'll project him for 4.5 sacks; the Texans do play a handful of poor teams, which is where I'd expect him to produce. (He's getting a late start so I downgraded him from 5.5).
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