Rams report, 9/9

* The Rams injury report, already small, is getting even smaller. James Hall was a full participant in yesterday's practice. If he's listed on the official injury report at all, it would be as probable, I imagine. Eugene Sims (oblique) continues to be limited in practice; Michael Hoomanawanui (calf) continues to sit practice out. That calf injury wasn't originally projected to last much past this first week, btw.

* Sunday's game is officially a sellout. Thanks to everyone for making sure I'll be able to TiVo it. Noon on KTVI-2. On the subject of stuff I don't want to TiVo, the geniuses at KMOV have brilliantly chosen to show the Bills-Chiefs game Sunday. And they switched to that from the Colts-Houston game. Really? Pittsburgh at Baltimore wasn't even their second choice? Morons. Good thing Sunday Ticket is free this weekend. Eh, maybe they're just trying to make sure the Rams don't have any viable TV competition. If that was true, though, Titans-Jagwires should have been their pick.

* According to my daily footballguys e-mail, Donnie Avery worked out for the 49ers yesterday. Brain dump! No word yet if the Rams will be facing their former 2nd-round pick once or twice this season.

* Given that the Rams have to play both teams in October, was that a scary game between the Packers and Saints (Green Bay won 42-34) last night, or what? The Saints couldn't cover Jermichael Finley, couldn't handle the Packers' special teams upgrade in rookie Randall Cobb, and though they could cover the Packers WRs tightly at times, Aaron Rodgers would just hit them with perfect passes anyway!

Rodgers and Brees just get the ball out too quickly and too accurately; they look nearly indefensible. The Rams are probably going to need a nickelback on the field at all times, and Darian Stewart manning one of the LB spots, too. Then, they're still going to have to be able to fool Rodgers or Brees into throwing the pass they want him to throw. I see a lot of zone blitzing for the Rams those weeks. Honestly, though, when they go up to Green Bay, I think they might as well pray for bad weather, with lots of wind, or find ways to sneak a 12th man on the field. Or find a way to have about a 30-minute scoring drive on offense.

* Bill Simmons on ESPN.com, unintentionally, I'm sure, craps all over my Super Bowl prediction from yesterday by predicting the Ravens won't even make the playoffs, in part because of "their difficult schedule"? Really? They get Cleveland twice, Cincinnati twice, the NFC West, the AFC South.... with Peyton Manning probably out for the season, that's 12 games with an awful lot of cake. Houston, you ask? Ravens get them at home. Their other four games, they get the Steelers and Jets at home, play at Heinz Field in November, and go to San Diego, not a playoff team last year, late in the season. They're a well-coached team; if they stay healthy, they have absolutely no excuse to be any worse than 12-4, and I don't think that mark's going to miss the playoffs.

Simmons did pick the Rams in the NFC West, so of course, he's a genius for that, though.

-$-