Rams report, 9/29

* Free draft picks! Get your free draft picks here! At 0-3 and no better than the 30th-ranked team in the league, you would think the Rams wouldn't be in a position to just toss away players they drafted this year, but au contraire, their fifth-round pick, Jermale Hines, is now an Indianapolis Colt. The Rams were hoping Hines would clear waivers so they could move him to their practice squad, but the Colts have injuries at safety and weren't reluctant to put Hines directly on their main roster.

What to learn from this latest dunderheaded maneuver from the Rams front office?
1. Remember for future reference: draft picks don't clear waivers. There was a lot of thought before the season that the Rams would try to pass third-round pick Austin Pettis through to the practice squad. No way would he have made it.

2. The Rams now have nothing to show for trading their original fifth-round pick this year to Atlanta, which they used to take Jacquizz Rodgers. The Rams turned that pick into Hines and Jonathan Nelson, also no longer a Ram. Had the Rams simply stayed at 145, they could have taken Denarius Moore. Sure, call me a second-guesser, but RamView pushed for Moore as a late-round pick. Now, if I could just link to that...

3. Hines was a poor pick in the first place. Fifth-round was pretty high to take essentially an in-the-box safety. There was a lot of feeling draft weekend that Hines' main attraction was his special teams play. But again, why draft those guys? They are easily found "on the street". Hines may well develop into a nice player someday, but there was nothing so special in his college career or pre-draft workouts to say he should have been drafted in the fifth round. In 2010, for instance, the Rams got Darian Stewart for free.

4. The Rams have given up Thaddeus Lewis, a QB prospect with upside, and now their fifth-round pick, yet Dominique Curry, who hasn't made a play on special teams this season, has roster security rivaling Steven Jackson's. It's about time for Curry to re-prove his special teams worth.

5. Did I not say the Rams would pay for cutting Ben Guidugli?

* Injury update:
 Limited: Steven Jackson (quad), though it looks like he's going to get a full load Sunday;
Michael Ohihurtmyknee (back strain);
Darell Dorell Scott (thumb);
Cadillac Williams (hamstring).

Not participating: Danny Amendola (elbow), though he's raring to go and trying to get himself activated for Sunday.

Full participation: Sam Bradford, who says he has no idea why his toe was ever made an issue.
C.J. Ah You is now rocking the awesome club to protect his injured wrist.

* Ex-Rams update: Besides the Rams idiotically giving away draft picks, that is...
- Donnie Avery signed with Tennessee yesterday.
- Anthony Becht was released by Kansas City.
- In a surprise move, Houston signed Chris Ogbonnaya from their practice squad after cutting Steve Slaton.

Going back to last week:
- Dallas signed Laurent Robinson.
- Cincinnati signed Andrew Hawkins from their practice squad.

And earlier:
- Buffalo re-signed Ruvell Freaking Martin.
- When Seattle signed Fendi Onobun to their practice squad, they released Dominique Byrd.

* Finally, with the Cardinals' impressive charge into the MLB playoffs culminating last night, I'd like to congratulate the Rams for taking just three weeks to achieve cultural irrelevance here in River City again...

-$-