Rams report, 12/8-9

* Transactions. Jacob Bell has been placed on injured reserve. Cornerback Chris Smith has been called up from the practice squad. He's expected to play mostly on special teams. Smith's spot on the practice squad went to returning RB Chase Reynolds.

The Rams had punter Tom Malone in for a tryout on Tuesday. This was reportedly with an eye toward signing him as a reserve/future free agent after the season.

* Injuries.
Did not practice Wednesday:
Sam Bradford (ankle)
A.J. Feeley (thumb)
Chris Long (ankle)
Quinn Porter (oblique)
Fred Robbins (back)

Darian Stewart (concussion) has passed the impact test and returned to practice. Mark LeVoir (pectoral) also returned to practice, but his status is still up in the air until the team practices in pads. Wednesday was just a walkthrough since the Rams play Monday night. There's still no gambling line on the game, though it may be due to lack of interest as much as uncertainty at QB for the Rams. Tom Brandstater took all the snaps Wednesday. (And the team immediately decided it better sign Kellen Clemens. Not a strong vote of confidence.)

Thursday afternoon update: LeVoir and Eugene Sims (ankle) were limited. The five DNPs from yesterday also did not practice. Kellen Clemens did not make it to St. Louis in time to practice. Brandstater again took all the snaps, such as they were. The Rams have apparently gotten so gun-shy about injuries that today's practice was also very light.


* Draft news.
The very real chance of becoming a Ram is not enough to scare Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon out of entering the 2012 draft. He has told ESPN.com that he is pretty sure the upcoming Fiesta Bowl will be his last college game. "...it's just time...It's that time to go. I came back last year to win a Big 12 championship, set us up for a BCS bowl and I think we did that."

* Ex-Rams news.
Jacksonville waived Fendi Onobun. Huh, I know a certain team that could use a tight end.
Houston signed Matt Turk.
Miami signed CB Marcus Brown to their practice squad.
Washington re-signed Dominique Byrd to replace Fred Davis, who's suspended for the rest of the season for marijuana use. Now there's a desperation move. Byrd probably signed with Washington to find out where Davis gets his weed.
Daniel Muir had a tryout with the Lions.
Renardo Foster had a tryout with the Giants.

* Ex-Cardinals news.
Another take at the Albert Pujols deal. Angels owner Artie Moreno is an idiot, obviously with more money than he knows what to do with. $250 million for a player who's going to be 37 before the contract is half over? Idiot. I don't blame the Cardinals for not offering that kind of money. As a red-blooded Cardinals fan but also a red-blooded capitalist, I don't blame Albert on the surface for taking the money. But Albert is a phony and a hypocrite who lied here publicly for at least two years that he wasn't all about the money in order to prop up his image. That's what makes me mad. I don't disrespect Pujols for making a business decision. I disrespect him for being a liar.

Albert and the Angels and southern California should be a perfect marriage.

-$-