Rams report, 11/30

The world's laziest blogger climbs out of his hole:

* Injury report. The big injury from the Denver game is Michael Hoomanawanui's high ankle sprain. He sprained his right ankle Sunday after having sprained his left ankle at the beginning of the season. His timeline is 4 to 6 weeks.

That's about the only significant injury to report. Rodger Saffold played through a strained shoulder. Danario Alexander's knee showed no ill effects after Sunday's game. Justin King has a sprained shoulder. There's a shock, Justin King's injured. What next, the sun's going to rise in the east tomorrow?

* Rules clarification. Chris Chamberlain's penalty on the first onside kick was for batting it forward, not just for batting it out of bounds. RamView didn't do a very good job on that play.

* Spread formation. I'll risk my sterling 5-5-1 record on the season by taking the Rams MINUS the 3 in Arizona. That Cardinal team that played last night has pretty clearly packed it in. That doesn't hurt the FIRST-PLACE Rams' PLAYOFF CHANCES any, nor does Frank Gore's season-ending hip injury during that game, though it slaughters my fantasy team, which had ridden Gore into first place. Maybe I can still hang on for a playoff spot.

-$-

* Transactions. Got a little catching up to do here. Back on the 10th, the Rams added LB Curtis Johnson back to their practice squad, deleting DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen. Hyphen Jr. landed on Dallas' practice squad for about 3 weeks but was deleted there yesterday.

* Ex-Rams watch:
Got some catching up to do here, too:
- You may have seen Jonathan Wade playing for the Bengals Thanksgiving night. He was picked up there after the Lions cut him Nov. 9.
- Victor Adeyanju was also picked up by Cincinnati but their rash of injuries in the secondary forced him off the roster within a week.
- You no doubt saw Lance Ball gouge the Ram defense in the first quarter in Denver. He had been activated from their PS on the 10th.
- Cord Parks update! He's on the Vikings PS.
- Ruvell Martin has been on and off (currently on) the Seahawks roster.
- Shaun Suisham is now the full-time kicker in Pittsburgh.
- Keith Null hit Carolina's practice squad on the 23rd.
- Madison Hedgecock's Hall of Fame induction could be less than unanimous after he had to be IR'ed earlier this month. He's been bothered by hamstring problems since early in October.
- Punter Reggie Hodges signed a 2-year contract extension with the Browns. Reggie Hodges? You're kidding. Even sucky punters can have long careers, I guess.

-$$-

Injury report, 11/18 p.m.

As of today, the only Rams limited in practice are Danario Alexander, Donnie Jones and Fred Robbins. Robbins was limited today due to a minor upper back or shoulder problem. It looks like the whole roster will be healthy enough to go for the Atlanta game Sunday, with the possible exception of Alexander.

James Butler, Brit Miller and Rodger Saffold participated fully in practice today, so they're off the unofficial injury list.

This may be the healthiest Rams team ever.

Injury report, 11/18

The Rams have been getting pretty good injury luck this season, which they seem to be squandering with all of these agonizing, tight road losses. Maybe it's a "lucky at cards, unlucky at love" thing. This week's very short injury report:

Injured reserve:
* Fendi Onobun, bulging disc in back. Will not require surgery.

Limited at practice Wednesday:
* Danario Alexander (knee). He started running Monday but didn't do any cutting.
* James Butler (knee). Steve Spagnuolo hoping to have him back for the Atlanta game. Given Michael Lewis' inability to cover Frank Gore on 4th-and-18 last week, Coach isn't alone there.
* Donnie Jones, again? Calf.
* Brit Miller, concussion.
* Rodger Saffold, low ankle sprain. X-rays and MRI didn't reveal any major damage, so Saffold is the expected starter Sunday.

Dings:
* Jason Brown had swelling in his knee, and Craig Dahl got a thigh bruise, during the 49er game. Neither is expected to miss time.
* James Hall and Steven Jackson are healing well from their hand injuries.

Rams report, 11/17

* Transactions. Fendi Onobun has become the latest Ram to finish his 2010 season with a trip to the IR, due to a bulging disk in his back. The Rams have signed former Bills TE Derek Schoumann to replace him.

* Sunday's game against Atlanta should be televised locally in St. Louis. There are only 1,000 tickets to be sold to get the NFL TV blackout lifted.

* The Falcons are 3-point favorites Sunday; I'll have to be a Scrooge and pick them to cover this week. They're 7-2. They're the best team in the NFC. Witnessing Sunday's 3-hour-long fiasco of pass coverage, I have no idea how the Rams keep Roddy White, the NFL's best WR, under 20 fantasy points. And Atlanta having the best red zone scoring defense in the league doesn't match up well for the small-ball Rams offense's red zone issues. The Rams are good enough not to get blown out, but beating the Falcons is going to be a lot to ask for. I'm thinking Atlanta 24-17.

I'll try to get a full injury update out tomorrow.

IT WASN'T PASS INTERFERENCE IN OVERTIME

Jim Thomas interviewed Fox NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira for the Post-Dispatch yesterday. Pereira was the NFL's V-P of officiating the last nine years and is probably the world's top expert on NFL rules and officiating. Fox has him on-call to provide expert analysis any time a call is challenged during one of their games.

Asked about the pass interference call on O.J. Atogwe last Sunday that put San Francisco in position for the game-winning FG in overtime Sunday, Pereira's comments were:

"Am I the only person who thought that pass was uncatchable?" Um, no.

"Was the actual pass catchable? It's clearly thrown behind him. I think he had no shot of getting the ball."

The NFL has yet to comment on the officiating incompetence that in effect lost Sunday's game for the Rams.

Injury report, 11/12

* Roger Saffold did not practice yesterday due to a sore shoulder but is not expected to miss Sunday's game in San Francisco. Apparently he slept on it wrong.

* Na'il Diggs is having his shin x-rayed as a result of a collision with Craig Dahl in yesterday's practice. Hopefully a bruise, not a break.

* James Butler and Fendi Onobun were back in practice on at least a limited basis. Onobun has been affected by a bulging disc in his back. Danario Alexander (knee) remains unlikely to play against the 49ers.

* Also limited yesterday:
- Britt Miller (calf)
- James Hall (broken hand)
- Steven Jackson (broken finger)

* Because they were full participants in yesterday's practice per NFL.com, I'll pull Ron Bartell, James Laurinaitis and David Vobora off the injury report. Daniel Fells, Michael Hoomanawanui, Donnie Jones and Fred Robbins are not even listed on the NFL report, so they'll come off here as well. Furthermore, long-term injury cases Darell Scott and Justin King are also not on the report to the league. So I'll guess everybody's healthy, or at least healthy enough. Not getting a lot of help from the local media here. The bye week was LAST week, you know, guys.

Injury report, 11/11

* Jason Smith has been cleared for full action and will start at right tackle Sunday. He had suffered a concussion in practice two weeks ago. I'd still get him one of those Mark Kelso helmets.

* Only four players sat out practice yesterday, so I guess this is the whole injury report now:
- Danario Alexander (knee surgery)
- James Butler (sprained ankle)
- Britt Miller (?) No details provided. He had a hamstring issue about three weeks ago.
- Fendi Onobun (back).

There are a lot of players with dings - see Tuesday's post - but I guess the local media are blowing those off for now.

Battle of Troy Sunday

Troy Smith (above, buried in Rams defenders) will start for the 49ers at QB Sunday.

Troy's last outing vs. the Rams: He took all the snaps at QB in the 4th preseason game here in September for the Ravens. The Rams won the game 27-21.

Stats:
18-38-237, 2 INTs, passer rating 45.6, sacked three times.
He also had 56 yards rushing on 7 carries, with two short TD runs.

Keep. Him. In. The. Pocket!

Union, no?

Just to make sure the impending ruination of our favorite sport isn't too far in the back of our minds, Rams players have voted to decertify the players' union in the massively-likely event the owners lock them out next year. This is a legal maneuver that gives the union the right to sue the league if there is a lockout. This sounds like a good thing for fans, especially if the suit is heard by a judge who owns season tickets. Then again, whom does the union even represent once it has been decertified? Anybody? What would the decertified union even sue the owners for? Divorce?

Good luck explaining any of this to your kids if you don't have a law degree, and woe unto modern sports for creating a world where lawyers making motions becomes more important than receivers going into motion.

As for that explanation for the kids, I'd go with "the players and their bosses are fighting over who can be the most greedy," and I'm a capitalist.

The dance is over for Kurt

Kurt Warner was eliminated from Dancing With the Stars last night, becoming this season's fifth-place finisher. That's a little disappointing, Kurt; hell, when Warren Sapp was on the show, he came in second! And you didn't even outlast Bristol Palin, though her ability to come in last every week and still advance is more likely the first Great Tea Party Conspiracy.





Nice try, though, and good luck to Kurt on his next effort, as long as it's not a comeback with the Big Dead. I'm sure Ken Whisenhunt has already called, though.

photo - USA Today

Rams notes, 11/9

* Injury update: The FIRST-PLACE Rams practiced yesterday and have today off. These players were limited participants in Monday's practice:

- Jason Smith (concussion) sounds like a good bet to play against the 49ers Sunday - Steve Spagnuolo described him as "symptom-free" - but is being monitored daily and still has to be fully cleared to play.

- Danario Alexander (knee) is already jogging, just a couple of weeks after his latest knee surgery. Highly doubtful he'll be up for San Francisco, but his recovery appears to be on the quick side.

- Ron Bartell's being listed with thigh and shoulder issues again. I can only go off other people's reports, so somebody got sloppy when he dropped the shoulder issue in a previous report.

- Adam Goldberg was sent home sick.

- James Laurinaitis (sprained knee), Fendi Onobun (back) and David Vobora (hamstring) were also listed as limited participants.

Other injuries, as reported previously before the bye:
James Butler (sprained ankle); Daniel Fells (back); James Hall (broken hand); Michael Hoomanawanui (back, ribs); Steven Jackson (broken finger); Donnie Jones (calf); Justin King (hamstring); Fred Robbins (toe); Darell Scott (sprained ankle).

My total guess is that most of those players would list as probable for Sunday, with Butler and Scott possibly questionable.

* Hold that line. The Rams are SIX-point underdogs (over-under: 38) to the 49ers, which I think makes them an attractive bet. That would sound great if it weren't coming from someone who has to take two weeks of "whammy" picks back to even claim a mediocre 3-4-1 record this season. Still, I don't get such a big line, even given that the Rams are winless on the road this season. Two of those losses were by less than a FG. I'm also not certain what San Francisco has done to merit a six-point line over anybody. They're 2-6 for a reason, aren't they? Maybe I'm discounting the recent series history too much - the Rams have lost the last four meetings - but I don't feel anything other than a close game Sunday, like 16-13 either way.

More to add when there's more.

Congratulations Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford has been named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. He threw for over 1,000 yards and had 7 TD passes in leading the Rams to a 3-2 record for the month.

Bye week report, 11/4

The Rams practiced for the last time this week yesterday and will be off the rest of this bye week. They'll return to practice Monday. Here's where everybody stands (or sits) with injuries:

* Jason Smith (concussion) practiced on a limited basis yesterday. He passed an exertion test but still has to pass a neurological test to be completely cleared to play. If Jason doesn't already have one of those old Mark Kelso "Gazoo" helmets, the Rams seriously ought to think about getting him one.

Also not practicing Wednesday:

* Danario Alexander, knee, out 1-3 more weeks. Steve Spagnuolo did not rule Alexander 100% out for the 14th in San Francisco.
* Ron Bartell, thigh, day-to-day. The good news is that Bartell's shoulder problem - he left the field at one point clutching it and in a lot of pain - has apparently improved enough to make his thigh bruise the main concern.
* James Butler got a low-ankle sprain in the Carolina game. He has a chance to play on the 14th.
* Daniel Fells, back, apparently an injury from Sunday's game. Has had it CT scanned but no results were disclosed.
* Donnie Jones, strained calf. This has been bothering Donnie since about the end of September but has been kept pretty quiet. He was to have an MRI on it Monday.
* Justin King, hamstring, inactive for Carolina game. He's had hammy problems on and off all season and is starting to smell like the latest Scott Linehan draft bust, if you ask me.
* James Laurinaitis, sprained knee. Has been bothering him for a little over a week now.
* Fendi Onobun, back, inactive for Carolina game. Injured in practice last week.
* David Vobora, hamstring. Was listed as having played Sunday but he's been fighting this problem for about three weeks now.

Other injuries:
* James Hall suffered a broken hand in the Carolina game.
* Steven Jackson played with a broken finger, which, as you might expect, was very sore after the game.
* Michael Hoomanawanui got a CT scan on his back and ribs after taking a couple of hard shots Sunday. I'm assuming no further news there is good news.
* Fred Robbins still has a sore toe that has bothered him since early in the Tampa game.
* Darell Scott was inactive for the Carolina game due to re-aggravating the ankle he sprained back in September. His timeline is unknown.
* Darian Stewart continues to fight hamstring problems and has for about a month now.

In other words, the bye week is here at the perfect time.

Other stuff:
* Gathering no Moss. A Rams blog that didn't suck would have discussed the Randy Moss issue before it was over, but he was waived by the Vikings, passed up by the Rams and claimed by the Titans before I got to weigh in. I was against it, but only 50.1% to 49.9%. The Rams unquestionably could have used his on-field talent, and he could have been the piece the Rams need to win the very-even NFC West. The 49ers and Seahawks also passing on him surprised me. I think the Rams are at the point now where they could add a character risk. And as a risk, Moss is a better bet than Vincent Jackson, and isn't any worse than T.O., who the Rams very nearly signed before this season. But the front office appears to have done its homework, and if they don't think Moss will fit into the locker room well enough, then I'll trust their judgment.

To me, the Moss deal felt a little too much like the time the Blues traded for Wayne Gretzky. Superstar player, helped them for half a season, but only stayed around long enough to screw up their playoff run.

* Judgment I don't trust: Got my Sports Illustrated in the mail yesterday, and saw that Peter King had written up his midseason all-pro team, on which his offensive rookie of the year is: MAURKICE POUNCEY?

Further evidence that sportswriters shouldn't be allowed to vote on the awards they actually give out. Really? The center for the Steelers is better than the rookie QB who's taken a 1-15 team last year to 4-4 at this year's halfway point? Really?

* Practice squad shuffle: Hyphen Jr., Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, was added back to the practice squad October 28th, kicking off Antoine Thompson. Meanwhile, the Rams have had so many injuries at wide receiver, they've actually used the practice squad injured reserve, which I didn't know even existed. A fracture was found in Brandon McRae's fibula, and he's done for 2010. He was replaced on the PS by WR Greg Mathews, formerly of the Bears and Michigan Wolverines, and Ted Ginn, Jr.'s cousin.

* Dancing fool: Kurt Warner's proving as unstoppable on the dance floor as he was on the field, at least until Dancing With the Stars turns into a ballroom blitz. Rick Fox was eliminated Tuesday night.

photo - Mental Floss