Rams report, 11/15

The Rams won over the Cleveland Browns Sunday (RamView) in what could be their final win of the season, since they may have to forfeit the rest because they have too many injured players to field a roster. Another NFL team could go down in a plane crash this week and still have a shorter injury list than the Rams. Here’s how it looks:


Al Harris – out for season, torn ACL against Cleveland. This is a real shame for Harris, who I thought was playing pretty great ball but now could be facing the end of his NFL career with his second blown knee in three years at age 36. So, your 2011 Rams secondary is now: Justin King (ironically, ask anyone before the season, they would have called King the frailest of the Rams’ DBs), Josh Gordy, Marquis Johnson and Rod Hood, who has yet to be active this season. Wow.

Harris becomes the NINTH CB the Rams have had to IR this season:

Harris (torn ACL)
Ron Bartell (fractured neck vertebra)
Bradley Fletcher (torn ACL)
Jerome Murphy (broken ankle)
Tim Atchison (hamstring, waived from injured reserve)
Chris Smith (injured knee during team scrimmage in August, released with injury settlement)
Mikail Baker (knee/hamstring, waived from IR)
Dionte Dinkins (ankle, designated minor injury, waived from IR)
Brian Jackson (knee)

As far as a roster replacement, Rams 7th-round pick Jonathan Nelson was still out there last I looked, though he just had a tryout in Denver yesterday.

Michael Hoomanawanui - torn ACL against Cleveland. I’m sure the way Joe Haden hit him was accidental, but it sure looked dirty and there was no way Michael was going to get away from it without a serious injury. It looks like the Rams will count on Lance Kendricks bouncing back from his foot injury and not add another TE to the roster. Logically, Stephen Spach becomes the 3rd TE.

Hard to tell what this injury means long-term for Michael or the Rams. A nine-month recovery period would bring him back in the middle of next year’s training camp. Given his terrible injury history, I foresee difficulty getting him on the field in 2012. He probably starts the season on PUP, and the Rams are probably going to have to pick up another TE sometime in the offseason.

Rodger Saffold – left the Cleveland game due to a head injury, but did not suffer a concussion, so chances are good he’ll return to the starting lineup against Seattle.

Darian Stewart – injured his neck against the Browns. Will be limited in practice tomorrow.

Justin King – with my apologies for speaking too soon earlier, King also had a non-concussion head injury at the end of the game Sunday. Expected to play against Seattle.

Cadillac Williams left the Cleveland game trying to enter the game. Yes, he injured himself running onto the field. Day-to-day with a calf injury.

Brandon Gibson has a sore groin and is questionable for practice tomorrow.

Eugene Sims has been playing with a sore shoulder; I’ll also call him questionable for tomorrow.

Returning, or at least hoping to: Danario Alexander (limited basis), Jerious Norwood, Josh Hull, Bryan Kehl

Not returning: Jason Smith (concussion) has been unable to pass a physical exertion test without re-experiencing symptoms.

Tis only a flesh wound: Steven Jackson played through a foot injury against Cleveland but didn’t show much sign of being hurt at all. My guess is the Rams will take it easy on him through the week but he’ll definitely start against Seattle.

Sam Bradford came out of the Browns game for one play after getting hit in the thigh. His ankle sprain continues to improve; he didn’t have to wear a boot after the game like he had the week before.

Enemy casualties: The Seahawks have lost rookie RG John Moffitt for the rest of the season due to MCL and PCL injuries. I mistakenly called him and James Carpenter left-side linemen in the last RamView. Could be a blow to Seattle’s running game, which was just starting to get untracked.

* Questionable favoritism: All these injuries, and the Rams are 2-point favorites over the Seahawks? Who just beat Baltimore and have won on the road this season over the Giants? Huh?

* Transactions – though they’re expecting Hull and Kehl back and just signed David Nixon last week and just IR’ed a TE and a CB, the Rams have picked up… another linebacker, Justin Cole, from the Chiefs’ practice squad. And that move doesn’t exactly offer the Rams much-needed roster flexibility – sign a player from another team’s practice squad, you have to keep him on your main roster for three weeks.

-$-