Rams report, 11/10

First of all, the Rams suck. They freaking suck. I guess that’s not a huge status update. But we can now be pretty sure the win over the Saints was a fluke the size of Haloti Ngata, and this team MIGHT finish the season with two wins if it’s lucky. I never expected to need to go into the 2011-2012 offseason with an eye on top-3 draft picks or new head coaching candidates. But we’re there. Steve Spagnuolo lost a game the Rams had won in Arizona and I am seeing no improvement out of the guy or certainly the team after 40 games. Rant over, on with the update.


* Injuries. Mark Clayton, who says he’s at 90% right now, was activated from the PUP list. The soreness he had from straining his Achilles tendon has gone away and he is slated to be the Rams’ slot receiver this Sunday in Cleveland. Not the same, sadly, for Greg Salas, whose season ended last Sunday due to a broken fibula.

Sam Bradford’s sprained ankle isn’t expected to be a problem the rest of the season. He wore a walking boot after Sunday’s game but hasn’t needed it since Monday.

About half the team is injured again. Not participating in practice Wednesday: Danario Alexander (hamstring), Josh Hull (hamstring), Bryan Kehl (sprained ankle), Lance Kendricks (sprained foot), Jerious Norwood (hamstring), Eugene Sims (shoulder) and Jason Smith (concussion). Alexander was already being considered doubtful for the Cleveland game on Monday.

Limited: C.J. Ah You (calf), Bradford, Gary Gibson (hip), STEVEN JACKSON (foot), Darell Dorell Scott (concussion), and Darian Stewart Ankle. I don’t know when Jackson even injured his foot but he isn’t expected to miss any time.

Brandon Gibson injured a quad during the Arizona game but wasn’t listed on the injury report.

And on the concussion front, Scott could be ready for contact drills soon, but Smith’s symptoms haven’t gone away enough to even permit a baseline test yet.

* Lineup changes. Word’s out that Jason Brown is going to be benched at center in favor of Tony Wragge. I don’t know why this move wasn’t made sooner. I kind of thought Brown was the only center on the roster and the Rams were stuck with him. Brown is a first-class person but unfortunately a third-class offensive lineman. He tips off his snaps. He’s good for causing the line at least one false start a game by screwing up on the snap count. He’s frequently pushed backward in the running game or making foul blocks like the one on 4th down late in the game in Arizona. He hasn’t pass-protected well, either, and blitzers have stampeded up the middle past Brown all season. I have no idea who Jim Thomas is citing when he says Brown grades out as one of the Rams’ best o-linemen this season. Brown hasn’t gotten the job done this year at all.

My ranking, for the record:

1. Harvey Dahl. Mediocre at best, though. Has not been the difference-maker it was hoped he’d be.

2. Jacob Bell makes enough good plays to be #1, but too many bad plays and stupid penalties hold him down.

3. Adam Goldberg’s off to a pretty good start at RT in place of Jason Smith.

4. Wragge.

5. Jason Smith. A mess in pass protection but he can run-block.

6. Brown.

7. Rodger Saffold. One of the worst meltdowns by a second-year player in memory.

8. Mark LeVoir. I’m stumped why he hasn’t been cut already after poor blocks on two of Sunday’s crucial plays.

Wragge’s here because he’s more of a mauler; the Rams are making a good move to give him a look.

* Transactions. The Rams cut QB Tom Brandstater when they assigned Clayton to the active roster. Salas was placed on injured reserve. LB David Nixon got his roster spot.

The Rams also dropped WR Gentleman Kris Adams from the practice squad and replaced him with WR David Gilreath. Chase Blackburn worked out here for the job that ended up going to Nixon.

The Colts waived Daniel Muir. I wonder what the chance is he’s back here soon, with the Rams running a little short at DT right now.

Former Rams receiving tryouts around the league this week included Fendi Onobun in Cincinnati and Hall Davis in Carolina. Dominique Byrd was cut after I believe a week with the Redskins.

* Miscellaneous. The Rams made NFL history in the third quarter Sunday. It was the first time in NFL history a team scored exactly 4 points in a quarter.

* Up next. The Cleveland Browns are three point favorites over the Rams Sunday, and there is little reason to bet on the Rams any time the rest of the season. My prediction is the Browns win 14-6. Josh Brown will put the Rams up 6-0 at halftime on the strength of two 50-yard FGs, but Josh Cribbs will return two punts for TDs because the Ram coaching staff is too fucking stupid to kick away from the league’s most dangerous returners. Cribbs, by the way, said in a locker room interview yesterday, “I can’t give nothing [sic] away, but they put something special in for me.” He may get a bigger offensive role this week.

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